Deedlit

Deedlit
First appearance	The Grey Witch
Information
Gender	Female
Occupation	Elven shaman

Deedlit is a fictional character in the Record of Lodoss War fantasy role-playing game setting, light novels and its derivative anime franchise. A female high elf and shaman (spirit magic-user class in Sword World RPG and Record of Lodoss War Companion), she is the romantic interest and inseparable companion of Parn. Deedlit is a major character in the Record of Lodoss War light novels, and is a considerable icon of an elf in anime.

Deedlit plays almost as much a major role in the Record of Lodoss War OVA, and plays a major role in the beginning episodes of Chronicles of the Heroic Knight, but plays only a lesser role in the later episodes, as the story begins to center around a young knight named Spark. In the third series, Legend of Crysania, she plays no role whatsoever.

Being a shaman, Deedlit relies almost exclusively on elementals and spirits around her to use her magic. For air effects, such as flight, and/or lighting an area she uses Sylph. For water effects, usually for attacking enemies and blocking some attacks, she uses Undine. She does not seem to use fire and earth elementals.

Origins

Deedlit originated as a role-playing game character of the same name, played by the Japanese science fiction novelist Hiroshi Yamamoto in the Forcelia campaign. Her character was further developed for the anime, particularly her relationship with Parn - in the D&D game sessions. Deedlit was more interested in Parn's magic sword than in Parn himself, she used this opportunity to embezzle his sword when Parn died. This is a famous and amusing episode for Japanese RPG fans. Deedlit and Parn's relationship was romanticized in the light novels and anime series.

Anime-based character history

Deedlit is a high elf who comes from the Forest of No Return, her peoples' homeland, where they reside in solitude. This solitude comes in part because typically a meeting between a high elf and another of the races results in conflict,^[1] due to the high elves having a tendency to treat the member of the other races as children. This stems from the fact that high elves are considered immortal whereas comparatively short life spans are enjoyed by other races, meaning even dark elves and mirror elves who are known to live only to be 1,000^[2]).

Deedlit is a special figure among her race because she is the last high elf to have been born within the last 1,000 years, being just about 160 years old. She is considered, as a result of her rare status, to be the last hope for the high elven people to prosper and flourish once more. She received the best education from her mentors in her homeland, including how to wield a blade, as well as how to cast shaman magic to harness the power of spirits.

Deedlit was restless in her homeland, and decided that staying there was simply a very slow path to extinction. Because of that, she left the forest, seeking out the "Tree of Truth", a means to find out how to help her people to become something more than what they are in their reserved state. She believes she has found it in the form of Parn.^[3]

Role in Record of Lodoss War

Deedlit plays a major role in Record of Lodoss War. She is the one who tells Parn and Etoh to return to their village to go and do battle with the goblin clan, which results in Parn's secret exile from the village, but starts him on his journey. Deedlit does not actually meet Parn until the second episode, where she scolds him for even considering practicing his swordsmanship on a tree, before she shows him the spirits within all things.

Due to Deedlit's mutually returned infatuation and romantically inclined relationship with Parn, the two become close very quickly. She does tend to get jealous of Shiris, who makes passes at Parn, something that he does not notice. She is relieved when Parn makes his love for her publicly apparent on several occasions, which shames and publicly embarrasses Shiris, resulting in her taking it out on Orson.

Though typically saving Parn himself early on in the series, things take a turn when the dark wizard Wagnard finds out that in order to resurrect Kardis, the goddess of destruction, he will need both the Scepter of Domination and the essence of a high elf, due to their immortality. His choice of which high elf to use as a sacrifice falls upon Deedlit, as she is the only high elf who is not within the Forest of No Return.

In the end, Deedlit is saved by Parn and in a dramatic closing, the two of them leave the holy city of Valis for destinations unknown, though it is possible their journey is to go in search of Woodchuck, who was possessed by Karla the Grey Witch.

Role in Chronicles of the Heroic Knight

At the beginning of this series, Deedlit saves the life of Slayn's disciple Cecil, as well as a village guard. She also manages to get Orson out of berserker mode. She is instrumental in the defeat of the red dragon Shooting Star, and saves the life of the companions on several occasions. She is also present when Ashram and Pirotess declare that they are leaving for a new land to find peace (Crystania), but her role is minimal at this point.

Voices

In Record of Lodoss War, Deedlit is voiced in Japanese by Yumi Tōma, and in English by Lisa Ortiz (her first work). In Chronicles of the Heroic Knight, Deedlit was voiced in Japanese by the late Shiho Niiyama until episode 19 (her final work), and Junko Noda from episodes 20 until the end. Ortiz reprises her English performance for most of the series with the exception of episodes 19-21 when, due to illness, she was substituted by A.J. Parks.

References

1. ^ A guide to Lodoss, insert with the Record of Lodoss War DVD and paragraph 2 on the DVD-ROM of Disc A in the Chronicles of the Heroic Knight Boxed Set.
2. ^ A guide to Lodoss, insert with the Record of Lodoss War DVD & paragraphs 2 and 3 on the DVD-ROM of Disc A in the Chronicles of the Heroic Knight Boxed Set.
3. ^ A guide to Lodoss, insert with the Record of Lodoss War DVD and paragraph 5 on the DVD-ROM of Disc A in the Chronicles of the Heroic Knight Boxed Set.