Liett

Infobox character | name = Liett


real_name =
portrayer =
creator = Ian Irvine
species = Lyrinx
gender = Female
first = Geomancer "(chapter40)"
last =
last_cause =
age =
occupation = Flesh-former
title =
family = Matriarch Gyrull (mother), Old Hyrull (father)
spouse =
children =
relatives =
footnotes =

Liett is one of the main characters in Ian Irvine's "The Well of Echoes" quartet.

Position Among the Lyrinx

Liett is a deformed Lyrinx female who lacks the chameleon skin and armour of most lyrinx. She is the daughter of Matriarch Gyrull and is a mancer of considerable strength. She is a skilled flesh-former and helps Ryll create many of the lyrinx's flesh formed weapons. Liett possesses strong feelings for Ryll, as he does for her, but her short temper and strong opinions cause them to fight regularly.

Though Liett lacks chameleon skin and armour, she possesses great power, rare even among the greatest of the lyrinx's mancer's. It is hard for lyrinx to keep their heavy bodies flying on Santhenar and can fly only with an enormous expenditure of the Secret Art. Because of Liett's strength of power and lack of heavy armour, she is one of the greatest fliers of all.

Liett yearns for her people to accept her, deformities and all. Liett strives all the more hard because of her lack of armour and hopes to be made Matriarch ('Wise Mother') after her mother, Gyrull. Matriarch Gyrull believes that Liett has the potential to be Matriarch, but still has much to learn.

Liett's outlook

Being deformed or "incomplete" and being subject to criticism (though not to the extent that humans inflict on people who are different), Liett had a different outlook on the war and life itself to most lyrinx. She yearned for her people's culture, their arts and sciences, rather than just on being an unstoppable warrior. Liett had the foresight to see that after the war, the lyrinx would be too adapted to war to change into a functioning society, if something did not change soon.

Liett's Role

Geomancer

Liett is present when Ryll and Tiaan arrive at Kallisin and is the one to put Tiaan's dislocated arm back into place. Ryll believes Tiaan and her devices are a key into discovering how to use the great potential of the Kalissin node, for the lyrinx's flesh-forming. Liett is an exceptionally talented flesh-former and begins to work with both Ryll and Tiaan.

Tiaan channels power into a cage, containing strange creatures and Liett uses her Art to slowly and painfully change the tissue, bone-structure and organs of each creature. However flesh-forming is a notorious Art, as it is extremely tiring for the lyrinx using it and the creature who is undergoing such changes usually dies.

Ryll has a desperate longing for Liett, as she does for him, but she is to proud to speak of it. The two often bicker and use the feature that the other lacks to pester each other.

Liett takes a small piece of flesh from Tiaan and herself and mixes it together and begins to flesh-form a creature from the combined tissues. However this is a forbidden practice and Liett keeps this to herself. Liett dislikes Tiaan and is often cruel towards her. Ryll takes Lietts flesh-formed creature, though he doesn't know it was created by a forbidden branch of the flesh-forming Art and combines it with his own creature.

Liett is furious when she discovers Ryll's actions and they begin to brawl. However the Wise-Mother Coeland intervenes. As the Matriarch is reprimanding them, the combined creature awakens and it appears that the lyrinx have finally had a flesh-forming related success. Ryll and Liett are overjoyed and it seems they will be together at last.

The Nylatl, as the creature becomes known, proves to be difficult to control and escapes after gravely wounding Ryll. Tiaan saves him and in the chaos, as the lyrinx search for the Nylatl, Ryll helps her escape. Liett is sent out to find Tiaan, from the air, as she is the greatest of their fliers. However she does not discover her, yet knows they will meet again.