Delia

Delia is Felicia Doomblade's devoted aide, a dark-elf magician and treasure hunter whose fieldcraft, defensive fighting, and steady service make her a persistent member of In-gong's expeditionary coalition.

Biography

Felicia's Aide in the Field

Delia first appears after Felicia's rescue from the Red Lightning tribe, dropping to her knees in relief before immediately mastering her emotion when Felicia signals that duty must resume. She formally introduces herself as Delia Trident, accepts the order to gather their scattered troops, and thereafter accompanies Felicia into In-gong's missions. On the Jishuka expedition, she helps Felicia and Katuin conjure phantom steeds for the whole party; when the Thunder Light Anvil begins draining Felicia, Delia calls for help and puts her own hands on it despite the danger, losing consciousness as its power overwhelms her. These choices establish a service defined by personal concern for Felicia but expressed through quick, practical action. (Chapters 28, 31, and 33)

Her responsibilities broaden when Felicia assigns her to guide the elite team entering Thunderdoom Fortress. Delia prepares an illustrated threat report, researches the dead expedition commander, carries protective masks, and leads the group through the poisoned mine because her treasure-hunter occupation makes her skilled at finding and dismantling traps. The unexpected poison defeats those preparations and incapacitates her, demonstrating that her expertise does not make her immune to an unknown hazard; after In-gong saves the party, however, she resumes her place at the front and later takes a side-defense position during their forced passage through the fortress. She also protects the injured Chris Moonlight and Caitlin Moonlight during Gerard's attack and draws her sword to guard incapacitated companions in the western forest, turning her from Felicia's attendant into a dependable member of the combined field party. (Chapters 64–66, 79, and 87)

King's Knight and Coalition Member

As Felicia's alliance with In-gong deepens, Delia remains attached to her through increasingly dangerous royal missions. During the Famine Knight's assault, Delia removes Felicia's crushed chest armour so that she can breathe, lights the collapsing escape route with magic, and throws herself over Sepira when the stairs give way. When escape fails, Delia and Sepira stand between the Famine Knight and Felicia prepared to die. Her Amita-made armour saves her from a direct blow, yet after the rescue she alternates watch over Felicia and Silvan through the night, refuses rest because Felicia's safety matters more to her, and returns to the ruins despite her exhaustion. The ordeal makes explicit what her earlier service implied: Delia will use herself as Felicia's shield even when she understands the risk. (Chapters 138–143)

Felicia's appointment as one of In-gong's King's Knights places Delia's continuing service within the coalition, although the corpus does not show Delia herself receiving that ritual. Delia instead continues as the trusted operational link between Felicia, the dark elves, and In-gong's party. During the banshee crisis at the Dark Elves' Palace, she reassures Sylvia that Felicia is protected, then chooses to descend and rejoin the others despite the spreading ghosts; afterward, she carries the queen's summons and guides In-gong through the damaged palace. She remains with the central party during the northern fighting and the gandharva rescue mission, and In-gong ultimately counts Delia among the people essential to what he is fighting to protect. (Chapters 141, 188, 193, 208, 221, and 226)

Appearance and personality

Delia is a black-haired, pure-blooded dark elf. At her introduction she wears a revealing outfit similar to Felicia's and appears roughly three years older than Caitlin and Seira; later, Carack openly calls her pretty. Her field clothing and armour change with the needs of an expedition, but the narrative does not provide a more detailed fixed description. (Chapters 28, 100, 135, and 155)

She is formal and observant in service, able to understand Felicia's intent from a name or glance and to deliver urgent information in an orderly manner. Experience with the mixed party softens her initial displeasure at Carack's informality into calm familiarity, affection, and occasional embarrassment. Delia also shares Felicia's enthusiasm for ruins and records, while her conduct under pressure—researching threats, tending the wounded, and returning to work while exhausted—shows a strongly practical form of loyalty. (Chapters 28, 55, 60, 73, 98, 142–143, and 169)

Powers and abilities

Delia combines working magic, treasure-hunting fieldcraft, and sword-based protection. The corpus repeatedly identifies her as one of the party's magicians, but it does not give her a named personal school, rank, or detailed progression; her most important demonstrated abilities are therefore collaborative magic and expedition support rather than a signature attack. (Chapters 31–33, 64, 87, 139, and 171)

Treasure-hunter fieldcraft

Delia's treasure-hunter occupation gives her explicit skill in detecting and dismantling traps. Before entering Thunderdoom, she researches its likely creatures and their weaknesses, helps organize anti-poison equipment, and takes the lead with a light while the party tests the mine's hazards. She later handles lighting during dungeon travel and helps Felicia examine recovered records and unknown ruins. Her expertise is preparation and navigation rather than certainty: an altered poison bypasses the team's countermeasures, and when speed becomes essential the party must defend itself while forcing a passage through active traps. (Chapters 64–66, 73, 98–99, and 143)

Magic and combat support

Working with Felicia and Katuin, Delia channels magic into a summoning spell that creates seven flying phantom steeds for the expedition. She can also supply magic power to ancient mechanisms and produce illumination during a retreat. These feats show usable magical reserves and coordinated casting, but also clear limits: Enkidu's anvil drains her into unconsciousness, and the text says that although she understands magic, her theoretical knowledge is not especially deep. In close protection she uses a sword and holds defensive positions around Felicia or incapacitated allies rather than displaying a named offensive technique. (Chapters 31–33, 87, 116, 131, and 139)

Amita-made protection

Delia's strongest demonstrated defense comes from equipment rather than an innate power. Her custom armour releases dozens of red lights that form a force field when the Famine Knight reaches Felicia. The impact still hurls Delia away and leaves her feeling as though she had been struck by a vehicle, so the barrier does not negate force; it does, however, keep a direct hit from killing or seriously injuring her and later absorbs the shock of a fall during a collapsing-ruin escape. (Chapters 135, 138, 143, and 157)

Relationships

• Felicia Doomblade: Delia's princess and the center of her service. Their bond combines formal deference with personal devotion; Delia repeatedly risks herself, forgoes rest, and resumes duty to keep Felicia safe.
• In-gong: Delia comes to trust his leadership after he repeatedly saves the expedition and joins the coalition built around him, while continuing to serve Felicia directly.
• Carack: His blunt manners initially offend Delia, but repeated field service makes her comfortable with him and develops into openly acknowledged affection.
• Sepira: The two aides work together to extract and defend Felicia during the Famine Knight's attack, sharing both the danger of the retreat and the exhausted watch afterward.
• Caitlin Moonlight and Seira: Delia serves beside the princess and her aide across ruins, court missions, and battles, protecting them when they are incapacitated and forming part of the party's recurring aide group.

Items

• Amita-made armour: Delia's custom protective equipment creates a red force field under attack. It saves her from the Famine Knight's direct strike and later absorbs the shock of a fall from a collapsing ruin. (Chapters 135, 138, 143, and 157)