Yashra

Yashra or Aunt Yashra is a fictional character in the novels Crystal Mask and Dark Quetzal by Katherine Roberts. Yashra is one of the major characters within the second novel, Crystal Mask and plays the antagonist in the tale, snatching children to create an Echorium of her own.She has a relationship with Frazhin, sworn enemy of The Echorium and becomes pregnant with his baby.

Character introduction

Yashra is the main enemy of The Echorium in Crystal Mask. She travels around with her companion Frazhin most of the time. Yashra has an interest in khiz crystals and wishes to mine them from the Sunless Valley, where she builds a palace of khiz named the Khizalace. Yashra appears numerous times throughout the book playing a large part within the plot of the story.

Character sketch

Motivations

Yashra uses centaurs to mine khiz crystals to build a palace from the crystals and to make her a mask that has ultimate power over the children's minds. Yashra wants domination over the children, centaurs and The Echorium. She is a sworn enemy of The Echorium and will do anything to destroy them; Frazhin was rejected by The Echorium in the past and Yashra wants revenge on them as they left Frazhin in a poor state, injured for life. Yashra also carries Frazhin's child and is under the influence of the khiz mask and Frazhin; they both influence her to do extraordinary things.

Goals

To achieve domination over children in order to create an Echorium of her own eventually to destroy the Singer Island. She wants to destroy The Echorium by using the children as a weapon against them, and herself and Frazhin's power to defeat them. She mainly wanted revenge for her companion Frazhin; revenge against The Echorium for their crimes against him.

Conflicts

As well as enemies with The Echorium, she unintentionally aggravates the Kalerei who ally with The Echorium to defeat herself and her Khizalace. Yashra captures amongst the children she snatched, the Prince of the Kalerei but the Kalerei discover this with the Singers help. She is also enemies with the centaurs as she stole their foals from their tribe.

Minor irritations

She has no control over the nagas who are unpredictable and untrustworthy at times. Yashra has problems watching over the entrances to the Sunless Valley as there is a secret underwater route. The nagas were offended by the poisoning of their environment from the khiz crystal mining and became enemies of Yashra and Frazhin.

Epiphany

Yashra in the end admits defeat and is offered a new life as she is pregnant. The Echorium offer her a place in the birthing house to live her life until she gives birth. Afterwards, she would be treated to Yehn (death song) from the singers. She realizes she is defeated in the end and her companion is dead and there is no other options left for her. She is carrying a child and she accepts the alternative option to execution for the sake of her child.

Biographical summary

Prior story

Yashra led a quiet life before the start of her campaign. She was a member of the Harai; a renegade tribe of the Purple Plains. She and her companion Frazhin became friendly and worked together to form a kingdom for themselves in the Sunless Valley hoping for success and domination. Yashra discovered Frazhin along the foothills of the Purple Plains; Frazhin survived the failed attempt at destroying The Echorium in Song Quest. They made the khiz masks so they could communicate with each other as Frazhin had sustained an injury that was irreparable hence he could not travel that much.

Actions in "The Crystal Mask"

Yashra and Frazhin built an empire of khiz crystal using centaurs from the Dancing Canyons as slaves and children who they captured from Southport. They smuggled them out of Southport telling the children they were being offered a new life with all the luxuries they wanted. Yashra was eventually found out by Shaiala and Erihan and her plans were foiled.

The Echorium, The Kalerei, and The Centaurs all attack Yashra's palace of khiz (Khizalace). Yashra kidnaps Kherron and Renn but Renn escapes and breaks the crystal at the top of her tower, and frees Kherron. Yashra attempts to trap them inside the Khizalace but fails as Renn shatters the gate that was enclosing them in with his voice. She also attempts to take Erihan as a hostage but also fails as he breaks free.

Yashra knew she was defeated when her companion supposedly died trying to tame the nagas to ally with him. She admitted defeat for the sake of her child and The Echorium took her back to The Isle of Echoes.

Relationship with other characters in "The Crystal Mask"

Frazhin - Yashra had an intimate relationship with Frazhin whom she was pregnant with his baby. It is unknown whether Yashra had any family at all. Yashra and Frazhin became close to each other through the khiz mask as it enabled them to communicate whenever they wanted. Yashra had helped Frazhin get back on his feet when The Echorium had defeated in a battle for the Isle of Echoes. Yashra gave him a new life with the Harai.

Imari, Laphie and the other captured children - Yashra had a falsified relationship with the children. She used the mask to manipulate the children's minds into thinking that Yashra was telling the truth in all that she said. They referred to her as "Aunt Yashra" and believed she was going to take them to paradise.

Yashra's enemies were:

* The Singers
* The Centaurs
* The Nagas
* The Kalerei
* Southport and Rivermeet (towns)

Yashra went out of her way to make enemies with these sects and communities. The beginning of the story describes how the Harai ransacked the centaurs camp and took their foal. Yashra also wanted revenge on The Echorium and the Singers. She polluted the Naga's water and habitat by mining the khiz crystals and she stole the Kalerei's Lord's son.

Major themes

Yashra is a domineering, intimidating, aggressive figure. She is rash and thoughtless most of the time and shows emotional feelings at some points. She is very unfriendly and brutal to the centaurs and is a sworn enemy of The Echorium. She is very quick to change her mind and uses people to achieve her goals.

See also

* Khiz
* The Echorium Sequence

External links

* [http://www.katherineroberts.com/ Katherine Roberts homepage]
* [http://www.knibb.org/roberts/crystal.htm Direct link to Crystal Mask section on Katherine Roberts' homepage]