Lark
From the Tamora Pierce Wiki
| Lark | |
|---|---|
| [[Image:|{{{image_size}}}]] | |
| Emelan character | |
| Biographical information | |
| Nickname | |
| Aliases | |
| Born | |
| Died | |
| Race | |
| Nationality | Emelanese |
| Title | |
| Physical description | |
| Gender | Female |
| Height | 5'8" |
| Weight | |
| Hair | Black |
| Eyes | Brown |
| Gift | |
| Magic | Thread |
| Family information | |
| Ancestors | |
| Grandparents | |
| Parents | |
| Siblings | |
| Husband | |
| Wife | |
| Lover | Rosethorn |
| Children | |
| Descendants | |
| Other | |
| Affiliation | |
| Rank | Dediacte; Great Mage |
| Position | |
| Occupation | Caretaker of Discipline cottage |
| Affiliation | Winding Circle temple |
| Bibliographical information | |
| First mentioned | ' |
| First appeared | Sandry's Book |
| Last appeared | ' |
| Latest appearance | Magic Steps |
Dedicate Initiate Lark is a Earth dedicate in Winding Circle temple and a great mage of the Winding Circle Initiate Council[1] as well as an ambient thread mage. She was the primary teacher of Sandrilene fa Toren and foster-mother to her as well as Daja Kisubo, Briar Moss and Trisana Chandler. Lark is gay and polyamorous, and has a confirmed relationship with Rosethorn.[2] After Sandry moves out of Discipline cottage and into Duke's Citadel she's teaching a young novice weaver named Comas[3]. By 1042 K.F. she is sharing Discipline cottage with Rosethorn, Comas, Evvy and Glaki[4].
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Her name before dedication was never revealed, neither is her birth country or family background. However, her skin colour indicates an ancestor of eastern heritage[5]. Before becoming a dedicate she was a traveling entertainer, dancer, tumbler and costumer. While a tumbler, Lark spent about a year in Tharios's Khapik district as a yaskedasu. She wore the traditional yellow veil as a neck-scarf.[6] Yazmín Hebet is a friend of hers from her performing days. In her time as an artist she also travelled a lot. Thus she also accompanied Traders like Caravan Qurilta, with which she travelled on her way to Yanjing. On that occasion they also passed through Aliput.[7] It was probably during those travels that Lark learnt Trader custom by the caravans she accompanied.[8] During her many travels she once tasted horse urine[9].
When she developed asthma she was no longer able to perform, and she lived in the Mire in poverty before her ambient magic was discovered and she came to Winding Circle. By that time she was in her late twenties[10]. There, she has been taught about her magic and eventually took the vows, becoming an Earth Dedicate. By 1035 K.F. she is not only a dedicate but also a great mage and a member of Winding Circle's Initiate Council. Together with Rosethorn she lives in a small cottage, Discipline, where they care for children who don't fit into the dormitories and for young ambient mages.
Her charges include Briar Moss, Trisana Chandler, Daja Kisubo and Sandrilene fa Toren. The latter is also Lark's student as she, too, possesses ambient thread magic. But Lark also teaches the other three how to spin on their own requests[11]. After Sandry gets her mage's credentials and moves out of Discipline cottage and into Duke's Citadel Lark takes the shy Comas on as her charge and student. Later Glakisa Irakory and Evumeimei Dingzai also move into Discipline.
[edit] Physical description
Lark has brown eyes[12] and her skin is golden brown. She has short glossy black curls[13] and is described as being tall.[14] She has a face like a cat, with broad cheeks[13], short straight nose, and a sharp chin[13]. Lark has slender fingers[15]. She normally wears an Earth-Temple-green habit. Her voice is soft and warm as honey[16].
[edit] Personality and traits
Lark is not only a great mage but she is very patient and kind and likes people. Even short-tempered Tris succumbs to Lark's gentleness and goes so far as to request Lark's company when the four young mages go out to cool off one hot night. When the senior mages are required to defend the south gate from the pirates in 1035 KF, the mages are arguing noisily. Lark moves among them smiling, touching and talking quietly and calms them all down[17].
However, even Lark has her limits at times. When she discovers that the Water Temple is running out of bandages, she doesn't understand how temple supervision could be so lax but she uses the opportunity to teach Sandry magic weaving. Half a year later, when the blue pox is threatening Summersea, she starts to get cross when she thinks that the Water Temple is starting to run low on masks and gloves. But Dedicate Crane really wants her to add a magic layer of protection on the masks and gloves they need to deal directly with pox samples. So she teaches Sandry how to spell oil and work it into cloth. The cure is finally developed but Rosethorn does not recover from the pneumonia she acquired after the blue pox. Briar dives into the shadows after his dying teacher, the person he loves best in the world, and the girls help to anchor him. When they finally succeed in bringing Briar and Rosethorn back, Lark is so upset at the thought that the four could have died that she carries on, shouting and crying even while she is kissing Sandry. Niko and Moonstream are also in shock and Moonstream tells them all not to talk about what happened.[9]
[edit] Abilities
[edit] Magic
Lark is skilled with ambient magic and considered a great mage. As an ambient mage her primary magic is with thread-work. E.g. she can call loose threads to order. Lark can also weave great lengths of bandages magically, which came handy during the blue pox epidemic of 1036 KF. She can also imbue cloth with protective spells, like she also did during the blue pox to keep the people handling the samples of the illness save from catching the disease. Lark can also put an invisibility spell on a cloak while weaving it[18].
As a great mage she is also skilled enough to let her magic speak through her even when she doesn't know a spell for the situation. When the four children visit the market of Summersea for the first time Tris tries to help stop a fight and ends up with a 10-foot tall water cyclone that she has trouble controlling. Lark uses her spindle to reverse the spin of the water spout to collapse it.[19] When a pirate fleet attacks a few months later the four young mages merge their powers to beat the pirates and are unstoppable until Tris hears the whining voice of her dead cousin in her mind and starts to lose the bond. Lark's spindle appears in their minds, unwinding the pattern of their magic so they all come back to themselves. After Enahar is defeated, Tris's spirit is drifting over the aftermath of the battle. Lark's power enfolds Tris and brings her home.[20]
In autumn of 1035 KF the power of the four is beginning to leak out of control. Sandry's and Briar's magic erupts in lightning and Daja creates a growing metal plant that traps her and Tris. Lark tells Sandry that their power has to be mapped and guides the four, especially Sandry, through the process after making sure that the mapping loom is covered with protective spells. The four do not want completely separate powers so Sandry maps their magic with a little border stripe so the four have control over their powers but still have traces of the others' magic.[21] Upon being asked by Tris why Sandry and not the more experienced Lark maps and later separates their powers Lark explaines that she is unable to spin pure magic or map it, like Sandry does. However, she admits that she can map physical things on a loom, like the location of a lost child or the refuge of robbers. Lark can't manipulate someone else's power and would be helpless in tracing things of power, however.[22]
[edit] Skills
She is skilled at various kinds of thread-work, which go with her magic: spinning, weaving and sewing, possibly embroidery as well. Lark knows Trader custom and is even versed in speaking Tradertalk[8]. She learnt this on her travels with different Trader caravans when she was still working as an entertainer--acrobat and dancer. From that time also comes her ability to perform different acrobatics like cartwheeling.
[edit] Notes and references
- ↑ Magic Steps, Cp. 4 (p. 59; Scholastic paperback)
- ↑ Sheroes-Central; "TP, I heard that in your new book that you have a gay c..."; January 2004
- ↑ Magic Steps
- ↑ The Will of the Empress
- ↑ Daja's Book, Cp. 2 (p. 43; Scholastic paperback)
- ↑ Shatterglass
- ↑ Sandry's Book, Cp. 7 (p. 141; Scholastic paperback)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Daja's Book, Cp. 6 (p. 103; Scholastic paperback)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Briar's Book
- ↑ Shatterglass, Cp. 2 (p. 44; Scholastic paperback)
- ↑ Sandry's Book, Cp. 11 (p. 202 - 204; Scholastic paperback)
- ↑ Tris's Book, Cp. 5 (p. 64; Scholastic paperback)
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Tris's Book, Cp. 1 (p. 6; Scholastic paperback)
- ↑ Sandry's Book, Cp. 4 (p. 57; Scholastic paperback)
- ↑ Sandry's Book, Cp. 5 (p. 98; Scholastic paperback)
- ↑ Sandry's Book, Cp. 5 (p. 97; Scholastic paperback)
- ↑ Tris's Book, Cp. 9 (p. 148; Scholastic paperback)
- ↑ Daja's Book, Cp. 6 (p. 111; Scholastic paperback)
- ↑ Sandry's Book, Cp. 10 (p. 177/178; Scholastic paperback)
- ↑ Tris's Book
- ↑ Daja's Book
- ↑ Daja's Book, Cp. 6 (p. 110; Scholastic paperback)
[edit] See also
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
