Illuga/Storyline

Illuga works for the Lightkeepers as a Ratnik and is the adoptive son of Nikita, the current Starshyna.

Profile

Illuga is described as a young and righteous Ratnik of the Lightkeepers. He is worried that Flins might die alone on the island far from the Lightkeeper's headquarters and human knowledge. Therefore, he regularly brings various supplies and work documents to check on Flins.^[2]

Flins describes him as "clever and capable" and calls him "Young Master."^[3]

He is the adoptive son of Nikita, the current Starshyna.^[4]

Illuga is quoted in Flins' Official Introduction, saying, "Sir Flins lives in a lighthouse, far away from here. He's decisive in action and seems quite tactically adept... or so I hear? Sorry, I can't say for certain — I'm a new joiner and have never worked with him directly. Everything I've heard comes from the Starshyna... You want to know what I think about him? I suppose... He's a man with many stories. Don't you find it strange how a warrior like that carries himself with such a refined air? And then there's his expertise in using his eloquence to get what he wants..."

Personality

As a captain in the Lightkeepers, Illuga shows immense talent in spite of his young age. He is highly skilled in his tasks and wishes to see Nod-Krai a safe place for all to live in.

His position makes him highly respected by his fellow subordinates, and he in turn also shows significant concern for the well-being of his allies, such as Flins, who Nikita remarks of him being the "closest" to Flins in the whole organization. However, given his duties in protecting Nod-Krai, Illuga is not as experienced in other affairs, having expressed nervousness when he was going to have to talk with influential people in Nasha Town but became slightly reassured after seeing Tarno address the crowd.

Appearance

See also: Steadfast Resolve

Illuga uses the medium male model. He has short fluffy silver-beige hair that fades to burgundy on his nape and on one of his bangs, bluish-gray irises, and faint red pupils. He has a star-shaped earring attached on his left ear. A scar protrudes out on the left side of his neck that goes down to his arm.

History

Past

At some point in his past, Illuga was taken in by Nikita after his original family and village were destroyed by the Wild Hunt. He was not a Lightkeeper at the time, but occasionally helped out in the kitchen at Piramida. Eventually, he joined the Lightkeepers and met Aedon, taking it in. During one operation, Illuga nearly lost his life, were it not for Sigurd and his men heading south to relieve them.^[5] He was given a small house on the fortress, where he would receive mail and read some books in his spare time.

Illuga showed great promise in spite of his young age, handling all sorts of tasks without much issue even when others would have given up and left.

Three years prior to the Traveler's arrival in Teyvat, Illuga was a member of the Nightmare Orioles under Captain Olsson. The squad set up camp and as night fell, Illuga was woken up by the sound of battle and heard faint whispers. As he ventured deeper inside, he saw his fellow squad members fighting each other, corrupted by the Wild Hunt. As the main force arrived, Olsson ordered him to retreat with a badly wounded Ivar, sacrificing himself in order to let the two escape. When a Lightkeeper force returned, Olsson had died and the Wild Hunt had seeped into the cliffs, resulting in a horrific massacre. About a month afterwards, Illuga had a conversation with Flins and became captain of the investigation squad, receiving his Vision in the same envelope that his appointment letter came in.^[6]

Present

Illuga is called into Nasha Town by Flins in order to have the Lightkeepers evacuate civilians from Nod-Krai, which also included emptying their base in Piramida. Flins was worried there weren't enough Ratniki for the task, but Illuga reassured him that Nikita would certainly help and divert others that were on patrol. He then asked Flins if he really had to finish his task, which Flins confirmed, explaining that he had been "cursed" and it would activate if he left Nod-Krai. Illuga was furious at the thought and even more so when he found Flins was quite dismissive of his predicament. Since he wasn't listening to him, Illuga then asked Flins if he was really human, having heard that he had recently escaped a "horror show" unscathed. Flins dodged the answer, prompting Illuga to tell him that he would have another talk with him afterwards. He also told Flins to come back alive.^[7]

Following Dottore's defeat by the Traveler and their friends, Illuga was selected to be the representative for the newly formed League. He was unsure he was ready for the role, given his current status as squad leader and he rarely visited Nasha Town, thus making him unfamiliar with the influential people there. Flins reassured him that he and Nikita were confident he could do it, as the Lightkeeper representative had to be someone who was upright, cared for others and realize self-work through group activities. Illuga decided to take on the position, wanting to make Nod-Krai welcome to all. As Tarno addressed the crowd, Illuga took note of his age.^[8]

Illuga was later entrusted by Nikita to lead an operation to retrieve the Silver Lampwick in order to handle the abyssal influence in Kipumaki Cliff despite Flins' warnings of how dangerous the entity was there. The Traveler meets Illuga as they ascended the Pillar of Embla, who had arrived to save them from several Evil Eyes, though he initially mistook them as a travelling adventurer. The Traveler proved their mettle and he agreed to let them assist. During the ascension, they manage to make contact with Alia, who informs them of the return "Professor" and he vows to eliminate the threat.^[9]

The Traveler later headed to Cliffwatch Camp, where Illuga was overseeing the construction of a new Lightkeeper outpost to protect the people of Nod-Krai. Since these outposts had been abandoned for some time, Illuga and his subordinates were refurbishing the place with supplies from Piramida. They were being supplied by Valdis, though he failed to arrive on time, leaving Illuga wondering where he went. Along with the Traveler and Paimon, they found him a bit off the main road, trapped by several mandragoras. They freed him from their prison before several abyssal entities ambushed them, though they were no match for him. Following the battle, Illuga concluded that the mandragoras had sensed the abyssal intrusion and sealed Valdis away for his own safety. Since none of the supplies had been lost, Illuga was unsure as to how to discipline him because he had violated procedures, but eventually concluded by having him protect the new lighthouse while it was under construction. Illuga thanked the Traveler for their help before returning to work.^[10]

The Traveler also caught up with Illuga's squadmates, Anleifr and Bjorn. Anleifr was surprised to see them but told them to leave, as they were in a dangerous area. Illuga cleared up the misunderstanding and explained to him that they were there to assist in the operation. As he led the squad into the fray, the abyssal entity from before appeared and taunted him, knowing of his failures three and ten years ago. His squad told him to ignore the entity and continue forward. The Evil Eyes destroyed some altar ruins, leaving them in danger of being overrun by the abyssal entities until Bjorn realized that the three Verdant Crests in the area could be used to protect them. The squad split to activate the crests, with the Traveler accompanying Illuga for the first; when they arrived at the second one, the entity from before had mortally wounded Bjorn and taunted Illuga. The Traveler snapped Illuga back to his senses before the entity attempted to kill them, but it was repulsed with help from Aedon.^[11]

As the entity retreated, Bjorn apologized to Illuga for his failures before succumbing to his wounds. The two went to the final crest, where Illuga informed Anleifr and Rollon of Bjorn's death, shocking the two Ratniki. Feeling responsible for his subordinate's death, Illuga ordered the trio to retreat and await further instructions, descending into the depths of the Chasm of Endless Decay on his own while rejecting the entity's attempts to manipulate his fears. The Traveler, having sensed something was wrong, convinced Anleifr and Rollon to follow them, discovering Illuga before he could be overwhelmed by the entity. They repulsed its minions and restored the Spiralblade, destroying it for good. After the battle, Anleifr punched Illuga for his failure in keeping Bjorn safe and trying to solve the problem himself, which he acknowledged and let the incident slide. As they left the cave, they noticed the Pillar of Embla become fully corrupted by the Abyss. Illuga had the Traveler accompany him back to Piramida while the others remained behind.^[11]

Returning to Piramida, Nikita informed the two of the growing situation; a Calamity Egg had appeared at the pillar, which would cause immense destruction if allowed to hatch. Fortunately, the Arrow of Terpikeraunas was ready to fire now that the Spiralblade was recovered. As the Abyss swarmed the platform, Illuga and the Traveler fought their way to the control room, activating the firing sequence and destroying the egg. A feast is held a few days after the operation, where Illuga thanked the Traveler for their assistance, believing that if it were not for them, the operation would have been more costly. As Nikita credited Illuga and his squad for their contribution, Illuga thought about Bjorn, wishing that he was able to witness the events and that he would visit his grave later to tell him how the city was.^[12]

In a rare excursion to the world of the living, Illuga asked Flins to accompany him to Nasha Town's trade expo, where Flins took interest in some rifles that Wislawa was selling. Illuga was confused as to why Wislawa was selling the weapons of heroes, and she explained that there was no point in following the dead. The Traveler agreed with her thought-provoking perspective, and Illuga decided to buy one of the rifles so Flins could tell him some stories about it.^[13]

Trivia

• Like Flins, Illuga is able to understand the speech of Wilderness Exiles and Wilderness Hunters.

Etymology

• As squad leader of the Nightmare Orioles, those under Illuga's command include:^[14]
  • Anleifr
  • Bjorn
  • Rollon
• Illuga's name may be a reference to Illuga saga Gríðarfóstra, a fornaldarsaga (Norse legendary saga) about a young Dane named Illugi who saves a female troll and her daughter from a curse.

References