Talulah
| NPC | Ally | Enemy | Trivia |
Talulah Artorius is an NPC in Arknights. She is the major antagonist in the first part of the Main Theme and a major character in the second part.
Background
Talulah is the daughter of Edward Artorius, a close friend of Wei Yenwu, who was a scion descended from the exiled Dracos from Victoria . Despite being a Draco, she is actually birthed by a Lung mother who is Wei's sister. She spent most of her childhood in Lungmen, Yan, together with her half-sister Ch'en Hui-chieh and her childhood friend Beatrix Schwire. She is known to be a straightforward, idealistic, and hotheaded person, as she used to protect young Schwire and Ch'en from school bullies while being injured herself.[2] The two sisters indeed had a solid bond despite having different fathers.
However, Talulah's birth was linked to a series of tragedies. Before she was born, Duke Kashchey of Ursus secretly orchestrated a scheme that led to Wei to kill her father under the order of Wei's younger twin brother, the current Emperor of Yan.[3] In order to protect his sister from his jealous brother, Wei arranged another marriage to Ch'en's father. However, such decision would cause Ch'en, Talulah, and their mother to detest him. Due to the circumstances of Edward's death, Wei could not bring himself to love Talulah either. Talulah herself also felt isolated in Lungmen, being called a 'bad omen' by the Lungmenites,[4] leading to her desire to escape the city.[5] As a result, Talulah's birth was also kept as a secret, and people at the time thought the Dracos' reign in Victoria have been extinguished.
Twenty years ago, in 1077, a tragedy led to the sisters' separation. Kashchey snuck into Lungmen to kidnap the then nine years old Talulah. He forced Wei to give up on pursuing him by placing cuffs on Talulah that could annihilate half of the city.[3] On the other hand, Talulah was convinced into following him in order to seek vengeance for her father's death after learning he was responsible for it.[6] Ch'en could only watch in fear as Talulah was helplessly taken away. In order to protect Lungmen, Wei had no choice but to give up on Talulah.
For the following nine years, Kashchey had been raising her as his heir to be the next "Deathless Black Snake." He had her study the history of the Ursus Empire, tried to teach her his ways, and promoted her to be his agent in order to carry out the will of Ursus. Even then, Talulah frequently dismissed Kashchey's attempts to "educate" her; she continued to reaffirm her own ideas as she witnessed the state of Ursus with her own eyes, such as the suffering and persecution of the countless Infected. In 1086, and in order to foil Kashchey's plans for her, she purposefully contracted Oripathy with an Originium ore embedded into her arm. Seeing it doesn't deter Kashchey, Talulah then decided to end their feud once and for all by killing him on one fateful night. Unbeknownst to her, it only allows Kashchey's consciousness to be passed onto her through his psychic Originium Arts.[6]
Talulah was on the run from Ursus authorities, eventually ending up battered and exhausted on the doorstep of Ivan Iziaslav and his wife. She was taken in by the couple who treated her as their daughter alongside an Elafia named Alina, who was also blacklisted by the authorities. However, on the third year of running away from her adoptive father, the peaceful days came to an end, when the village was targeted by patrols who came to check for Infected who may be in the village. Talulah drove off the patrolman, which put the patrol unit on alert and sent its men to flush out the attacker and catch the Infected. On the next routine inspection, Talulah tried to surrender herself to keep the patrols from harming her family, but Ivan willingly sacrificed himself to protect her and the villagers. Out of fury, Talulah burnt down the soldiers while bringing Alina along in her escape.[7] Angered by the persecution of the Infected, Talulah decided to start an organization that could protect them. Together with Alina, the two started the Reunion Movement.
The beginning of Talulah's Reunion was rigorous yet fruitful one. In the following months, the Reunion Movement managed to occupy a significant portion of the Ursine authorities' reports, eventually becoming a problem. To find backing for her group, she tracked down and joined up with the Yeti Squadron and Patriot's guerrilla after winning a duel with FrostNova.[8] The two maintained a good relationship even though Patriot often disagreed with Talulah's softhearted decisions and idealistic ambition to liberate every Infected across Ursus. Talulah however is forgiving, did not force others to fight for her, and even allowed them to leave willingly. This was what Talulah wished to see: ordinary Infected living a simple and undisturbed life, able to make a choice on their own volition. Her main goal is to educate people through knowledge to help them understand what they're fighting for.[9]
While Talulah kept marching south after convincing Patriot and gained new allies along the way, Alina would stay behind, being a teacher and maternal figure of the children, and providing aid to the fighters whenever she could. She also rescued two Infected children, Eno and Sasha (or later known as Faust and Mephisto), in the wilderness and had Alina take care of them. As Talulah's best friend, Alina would frequently listen to Talulah's personal feelings and remind her of the path she has chosen, and what it can lead to if she faltered.[10]
But as Reunion expanded, many difficulties began to threaten to overtake her movement as she's unable to properly look after each and every Reunion member. On a particular day, Alina was about to trade for some food in a nearby village. Talulah then had to dissuade a Shieldguard who wanted to hang a group of hungry Infected for trying to desert the movement, which the Shieldguard reluctantly agreed. However, the village was inspected by the patrolmen, and Talulah took action by defeating them together with the Shieldguard. After that, Talulah discovered that Alina did not return and in panic, rushed out alone to search for her. To her horror, Alina was severely injured and even implied to be mutilated, and she suspected that it was done by the group of Infected she expelled. Distraught, Talulah carried her back to the camp, even going further beyond its location. Alina spoke with her last breath that she must not seek vengeance, or she will become the very thing she despises. By the time the two returned, Alina had passed away and Talulah did not remember anything that Alina spoke to her.[11] Alina's death became the turning point of both Talulah and Reunion, making her more somber and serious than before.
To make the matter worse, the Ursus Royal Guard, the notorious Emperor's Blades, set out to search for Talulah in order to assess her potential. Talulah, Patriot and FrostNova fought valiantly against them to protect the fighters. But what surprised them was that the Blades uncovered Talulah's noble origin and her status as Kashchey's heir. Even though Patriot reaffirmed his loyalty to Talulah as a person, it was too late as many started to doubt Talulah's true intention.[12]
The final straw that broke Talulah's conscience was something she uncovered in a village she passed by. While searching for a group of missing Infected in the village, Talulah discovered a horrendous atrocity. The villagers secretly lured the Infected into their granary and locked them inside, causing them to starve to death. In the villagers' eyes, the Infected are a threat and it was at this point that Talulah was unable to hold back her anger and hate. She furiously slaughtered the villagers and burnt down the place with her flames. In her grief, Kashchey's Arts overpowered her mind, causing Talulah to submit completely to the will of the Black Snake.[13]
Since then, Talulah has transformed into a completely different person—a callous leader who uses radical means to pave the way for the Infected. Without hesitation, she will burn everything in Reunion's path with her inherited fire Arts and her blazing sword. Reunion was also unwittingly turned into a political pawn. Not only does Kashchey manipulate it to restore Ursus' past glory by secretly absorbing some Ursine soldiers to help carry out his own plans, but Regent Theresis also makes use of Reunion to distract other nations from his grand scheme of rebuilding Kazdel through his sponsored Sarkaz mercenaries. This influence has caused Reunion to crumble from within and go astray, leading to its violent nature throughout the Chernobog-Lungmen crisis.
Story
Episode 01
Talulah is responsible for the bloodshed in Chernobog by manipulating the people's hatred towards the non-Infected and the authorities. Amidst the crisis, Talulah stands from afar with other Reunion leaders to watch the city devastated by a Catastrophe.[14] She haughtily looks down at Rhodes Island by calling them out as betrayers of the Infected and proclaims that Reunion's mission has already fulfilled by giving the city a "salvation through destruction." Nevertheless, R.I. strikes back with Margaret leading the charge. Even though Margaret's healing arts buffs her, Talulah's flames are too strong that Margaret could not withstand. Just about Talulah is about to give a killing blow, Amiya guards Margaret and protects everyone by unleashing her hidden power. Meanwhile, Ace decides to stay back and buy some time for the escape. Ace is able to hold back Talulah despite losing his arm until he's reduced to ashes by Talulah's flames.[15]
Episode 02
At the wilderness between Ursus and Yan, Crownslayer meets Talulah while she is overlooking Lungmen and reports that the preparation for the attack on Lungmen is complete. Talulah proclaims her that Lungmen needs the betterment of the Infected, and she vows to make Wei pay back the price. Deep within her mind, Kashchey then states through Talulah that everything is going to be "interesting."[16] Indeed, Reunion's breaching of Lungmen is a success, as Mephisto reports, and Talulah vows that Lungmen will soon suffer the same fate as with Chernobog.[17]
Episode 06
Talulah arrives in the slums of Lungmen alongside Crownslayer and FrostNova. When the group is being ambushed, she encourages Crownslayer to enact her revenge on Kal'tsit.[18]
Episode 07
While sacrificing many Reunion leaders during the Lungmen invasion, Talulah secretly accelerated the crisis by setting the core city of Chernobog on a collision course onto Lungmen. In order to stop her maniac plan, W confronts Talulah after handing her one of the keys to Chernobog's control systems retrieved from Misha. During the battle, W ignites the bombs implanted around Talulah, but she defuses them with her Arts. Seeing herself outmatched, W pretends to commit suicide by jumping from the tower and escapes. Following the failed assassination, Talulah entrusts Patriot the other key for the city's underground system. She also assumes command over the remaining Sarkaz mercenaries under W's service.[19]
Talulah mourns for the Reunion casualties throughout the crisis. She learns about Faust's sacrifice for the retreat, Crownslayer's departure from Reunion, the annihilation of FrostNova and the Yeti Squadron, and the death of Patriot. On the other hand, she actually weeps crocodile tears. Talulah notices something fishy from the Crossbowmen and informs the Sarkaz mercenaries to prevent them from approaching the control tower.[20] She also vows to wait for Ch'en patiently and resolves to kill her with her own hands.[3]
Episode 08
Eventually, Ch'en meets face-to-face with Talulah. The two sisters clash between each other just as Amiya reaches Chernobog's control tower. Amidst the fight, Amiya reads the Draco's emotions along with her memories, revealing the fact that Kashchey is currently possessing Talulah. Seeing her identity revealed, Talulah intends to harm Amiya until Ch'en protects her from her roaring flare.
In the meantime, Talulah realizes that Amiya is the successor of the Kazdelian throne despite being a Cautus. She is amazed to see with her own eyes the living "Lord of Fiends," the Sarkaz monarch and the "enemy of all mankind." While Amiya is preparing to unleash her Sarkaz power, Talulah quickly traps her in a circle of flame. But all is futile as Amiya breaks free from the flame using her replicated Chi Xiao. Talulah becomes more excited than ever, vowing to kill her before the next Lord of Fiends can bring an end to the world.[21] With that said, Kashchey the "Deathless Black Snake" reveals his true identity in front of Amiya and Ch'en, causing the battle to reach its climax as the two vows to stop the scheme of the vile Ageless.[22]
Amiya and Ch'en use Chi Xiao and Ying Xiao on Talulah and Kashchey. It didn't affect Talulah, but it manages to lessen Kashchey's control of her Arts. Not admitting defeat, Kashchey asks the two whether Talulah is truly guilty or not. To demonstrate this, he puts Talulah's sword to her throat, exposing her shame and intending to commit suicide with her. While Amiya tries to talk them down, Talulah's conscience suddenly resists Kashchey's control of her body. Angered and remorseful, she rebukes Kashchey's mockery of her comrades and states that she will not fall into his trap again. In the end, Kashchey admits his defeat and congratulates their victory while they still can. But before retreating into Talulah's mind, he reminds Ch'en and Amiya "that there will always be another Chernobog and another Talulah" in the future, and then warns the Draco that he will be waiting for her "even at the end of the world". Talulah then loses consciousness and collapses on the ground.[23]
Talulah regains her consciousness shortly after the duo tries to stop the collision together with W. When the key W took from Misha didn't work, she then gives W the true key that can stop the core city. With that, the core city finally halts its advance. Feeling remorseful for what she has done due to her possession and her wicked ideas that allowed it, Talulah remains silent until Ch'en snaps her out of it and reminds her of how the world is treating the Infected. In the end, Ch'en tells her that she can't afford failure and to continue walking down her path, as that's the only thing left that she can do to atone for her mistakes. Talulah resolves to live on in the memory of her comrades, claiming that after all she has done, she does not deserve a peaceful death.[23]
In the aftermath of the crisis, Talulah is taken into R.I.'s custody to prevent both Ursus and Yan from scapegoating them. Talulah allows herself to be imprisoned by them. On the other hand, Kashchey tries to convince Talulah that conflict is the nature of Terra and that she must give up her naïve ideals. Talulah refutes his lies by remaining silent to his words. Deep inside her heart, she vows to put an end to the Deathless Black Snake one day. Though she will not deny him again, she will keep opposing him.[24]
| “ | Until all the wrongs have been righted and all our sins purged. It will be done. Even if our end is the same, I will burn it all to ashes. Even if I burn to death. | ” |
Episode 09
A year after the Chernobog Crisis and several months after the Hillock Incident, the remnants of Reunion led by Nine conduct an elaborate rescue of Talulah from her custody in the R.I. landship. Djikstra, a friend of Closure, hacked the landship's system, and they breached the landship during the absence of numerous elite operators. Upon their meeting, a Reunion fighter angrily grabs her collars, stating that she needs to pay back the blood she shed onto her comrade. Nevertheless, Nine calms the enraged fighter and makes herself clear the mission of this jailbreak—to sentence Talulah for her betrayal to the Infected. At first, Talulah isn't sure if she should go with them, but seeing that her former comrades are waging a fierce battle against R.I., she then addresses everyone in the room...
| “ | Rhodes Island. I'm not going to convince anyone or force anyone to accept what I think. But it's not over yet. I will wait for that day to come. Whether it's the day she talked about, or the day you did. I'll wait for my so-called judgment. | ” |
After deciding to follow them, she unleashes her flames on the furious Mon3tr, then encircles the Doctor and Amiya in it while taking care not to hurt them by promising them that she will live until then. Having managed to buy the time they needed, she turns back to the Doctor and Kal'tsit with one last wish for them, hoping to see them succeed where she failed.
| “ | You still have a long way to go. I can only hope... that nothing will come to trouble your hearts. | ” |
Upon finding themselves hiding in the Ursus tundra, Nine cuffs Talulah so that she would not escape or use her Arts. She also informs Talulah that Reunion is heading towards Londinium, the capital of the Victorian Empire, to aid the local labor movements. On the other hand, Talulah wishes to go to Ursus in order to seek vengeance from Kashchey. Nine allows, but she warns that the Reunion fighters will not be easy with her. Before the two's departure, she pays a visit to the crude monuments to commemorate the deceased leaders. While she feels the cold winter outside, she vows to relight the flickering revolutionary spark.[25]
Episode 10
Using the letter address Talulah received ten years ago, she finds her way to the college where Koshelna, another incarnation of the Black Snake, is staying. While she enters the building, Nine and the other Reunion fighters are staying outside of the town to supervise some passing-by patrolmen.
Talulah finally meets Koshelna inside a classroom when her class is over. Koshelna congratulates her for finding her and then shows her the harsh surroundings of the town that could inspire others to fight for the empire, thus staying here in the tundra instead of a warner climate in the south. She also points out that the fall of Talulah's Reunion is inevitable not because of the Snake, but because of her ill will. Talulah wants to kill her on spot, but she lure her in doing so so that the news will make more people hate the Infected. In the end, Talulah decides to spare her for the time being, believing that the Deathless Black Snake will continue to reincarnate as long as Ursus remains unchanged.
After regrouping with Nine and the others, the two decide to head towards Victoria to assist the local Infected worker movements.[26]
Episode 12
As the conflict in Victoria escalates, Reunion and Talulah arrives near Londinium, delayed by an engine failure in their carrier. As they observe from afar the evolution of the conflict and the threat of a Catastrophe, Percival, a new member of the Reunion, announces the existence of Eblana. But Talulah dismisses her, saying such person doesn't deserve to be called the winner of history:
| “ | Indeed, there's a certain kind of person that seems naturally born to make waves. They will claim to be their catalysts, leaders, and creators. In a sense, they tend to find success... but I would never call them winners. I refuse to accept... that everything they've made deserves to enter the annals of "history." I refuse to accept it. | ” |
Episode 13
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References
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