Pallia Travertine

Pallia Travertine was a daughter of House Travertine, the intended bride of Luke Malthrek, and one of the central figures in the Travertine crisis. Her proposed marriage to Luke was meant to secure a political union between the Travertines and the Malthreks, but the wedding collapsed after Pallia was exposed as both a Reformist agent and a dangerous hag.

Pallia was the daughter of Palladium Travertine, Viscount of the Travertines, and Elisolde Travertine. Her betrothal to Luke gave the Malthrek heir a route toward becoming Viscount of the Travertines, a politically important position because of the Travertines’ control over the headwaters of the Malter River and the approaches into Malthrek territory.

Travertine Wedding

The crisis began during preparations for Pallia’s wedding to Luke Malthrek. Crown Prince Marlion Dragonheart used the occasion of a wedding boon to gain private access to Luke, while Tiphanie examined Luke’s mind under the cover of serving as one of Marlion’s court wizards. Tiphanie found that Luke had not yet become a Reformist, but had been groomed toward Reformist belief by his mother, Antoinette Malthrek, and by a second mental voice understood to be Pallia’s.

Suspicion soon turned directly toward Pallia. Her bedroom in Travertine Keep opened into a pocket dimension, and later fighting revealed her as more than an ordinary compromised noblewoman. Reports from the infirmary describe her as unconscious after the fight in her hag lair, guarded by Angel Rannek, Gwyniviere Rannek, Maria Rannek, and Sir Brastok until Jessica retrieved her for questioning.

Reformist and Hag Connection

Pallia was identified as a hag and Reformist, connected to the same local operation that included Father Charles Renaldi, Duchess Antoinette Malthrek, and other agents at the Travertines. The Travertine notes describe her as more informed than ordinary Reformist followers, possibly aware of the green liquid, aberrant transformation, and the process that many fanatics mistook for ascension.

Tiphanie judged Pallia dangerous even in death. Because killing and raising a Feywild hag might create something worse, such as a bone hag, Tiphanie ultimately consumed Pallia into her hat to make a potion from her rather than leave her body as a future threat.

Aftermath

Pallia’s death ended the original wedding arrangement but not the political need behind it. Crown Prince Marlion postponed the wedding crisis rather than letting the Malthrek-Travertine settlement collapse outright. Katalin Helsinki was then advanced as Luke’s replacement bride through a hastily supported Dragonheart connection, allowing Marlion to preserve Luke’s usefulness and the intended Travertine settlement after Pallia’s exposure.