Corsair Princess 'Queen of Thorns' Yalania by Frost Llamzon
Corsair Princess Yalania is a former Striking Scorpion of the Shrine of the Creeping Vines and now Mistress of ‘Hyro’s Lament’ in the Vergangais Sector. Yalania was the sole survivor of a mission to recover a trove of ancient Aeldari botanical research from the Crone World of Aktosha and cast herself upon the Path of the Outcast, where she joined a Corsair fleet terrorizing the sector. In her years as an outcast, she grew ambitious. She took command of an Eclipse-class cruiser and began to form her own fleet, called the ‘Thorns of the Vines’. Needing a home base for her growing fleet, she found a ruined void dock of ancient Aeldari construction and set about restoring it to full function, naming it for a consort of hers, Hyro’yenna, who perished on the mission to Aktosha. Sensing an opportunity, she opened the station as a safe port for other Corsair fleets and eventually to any pirate not tainted by the Ruinous Powers. Despite being the matron of the station, she still regularly leads raids against Imperial shipping personally. As well as being skilled in void warfare, she is also a highly lethal personal combatant, having slain a captain of the Deathwatch who was hunting her down in personal combat with her paired Scorpion’s Claws. Her skill and authority have given her a fearsome reputation in the Vergangais Sector as the “Queen of Thorns”. On top of her own combat skills, she is always accompanied by her blade-sworn retinue of former Aspect Warriors, Succubi, Incubi, and even Harlequins. She wears into battle her old Striking Scorpion Aspect armour, modified with collected pieces of Incubus armour, wielding twin Scorpion’s Claws and mandiblasters while fighting without a helm. She does not have the best relationship with Craftworld Lótessara, having left with her Aspect armour, her Exarch’s weapons, and the soul stone of her slain consort Hyro’yenna, which she still wears next to her own stone.