Lily Background

From Ars Magica

Throughout time, the earls and lords of Shropshire have always striven for an end to the civil disputes between England and Wales, usually, by force. Lord Leighton followed in the steps of his predecessors, seeking peace at the edge of a sword... until his beloved daughter fell deeply in love with a Welsh nobleman of Llangollen. Leighton doted on his daughter's every whim, and eventually conceded that a marriage between the two could perhaps accomplish what his knights and foot soldiers could not.

No one really knows who it was that burned the Llangollen estate to the ground, the week before the wedding was to occur. Most speculate that it was a jealous English nobleman who sought to gain political power by seeing to it that there was never true peace between the English and the Welsh. Leighton was seen by both sides as a martyr for the cause of peace.

More curious, however, is the fate of his daughter. Men arrived to put out the flames, but the lord, his wife, and their sons were all found amongst the ashes, with deep head wounds from some blunt object... little wonder they could not flee the burning building. Lily, however, was found in her bed, with the same head injury as the rest of her family, yet unburnt, and still barely alive. She was rushed to the closest monastery, where she was nursed back to health by skilled chirurgeons. The bishop himself declared that the hand of God had sheltered Lily from the flames. She returned to Stretton Castle as its new lady, welcomed warmly by both English and Welsh.

Shropshire reverted to the crown after the arrest of Roger of Belleme (third earl of Shrewsbury) in 1112. In 1114, for service to the crown, Lily's grandfather, the lord of Stretton, was awarded grants of land throughout Shropshire. As such, Lily is plagued with suitors who have no real interest in her other than her wealth and titles. As a result, she quickly learned to delegate responsibilities, appointing good, loyal subjects to look after her interests, and proceeded to spend as much time away from home as possible. She spent some time studying in various universities; she spent time travelling and seeing the world. Her true passion, she discovered in Brittany: martial studies. She is equally skilled in archery as swordplay; while these pursuits are considered quite unladylike, neither her subjects nor her peers care to tell her otherwise.

While researching at Cambridge, Lily met a kindred spirit in the maga, Mnemosyne. Mnemosyne happened to witness a magus attempting to use Mentem magics to convince her to sign a document proclaiming him as her husband and rightful heir; naturally, the just quaesitor put a stop to that quite quickly. Lily was immensely grateful, and offered the scholar free access to the mundane libraries she owned; she didn't have to offer twice. As they journeyed to Shropshire, however, the frail maga was attacked by a great beast which breathed fire; it was quickly dispatched by the noblewoman, who was untouched by its magical flames. Over the years, they have travelled together at some length, growing in their bond of friendship through many trials and troubles.

When Lily learned that Mnemosyne was seeking land to build a covenant, she offered building rights upon some land which was causing a great deal of trouble to the commonfolk, hoping that a mutually beneficial arrangement might work well for all. The extent of those rights remain to be ironed out, however.