Jenara

Jenara is a magician of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star. She appears only in the Legends of Lone Wolf series.

Appearance

Jenara is a lovely woman in her early 30s with sharp, high cheeks, a firm chin, generous mouth and small nose. She has thin eyebrows and long eyelashes.

Biography

Jenara meets Banedon when the latter is sent by the Guildmaster of the Brotherhood to Barrakeesh. She had been sent to Barrakeesh more than a decade ago, together with her husband Findron, on a mission to scout for darkland minions. They had only been married a few months, and did not originally take the mission seriously, especially since it seemed like there were no darkland minions. Jenara's perspective changed dramatically when Findron was murdered, and she combed the city for darkspawn. She had slain enough for the darkspawn to avoid her by the time Banedon arrived on the same mission. During the period after Findron's death, Jenara met and fell in love with Allani. The relationship caused Jenara to feel uncomfortable, since in Sommerlund she would be perceived as an adulteress, although in Vassagonia such a relationship was perfectly normal.

After Banedon arrived, the two magicians discovered that the darkland minions were infiltrating Vassagonia from the Birthplace. However, the Guildmaster seemed to ascribe no importance to this discovery. Furthermore, because they were under strict orders not to attract attention, they could do nothing beyond slay the occasional Helghast or Drakkar. Eventually, they decamped to a villa owned by Jenara's friends outside Barrakeesh, fretting with boredom and the lack of action. Jenara finally suggested that Banedon visit the Elder Magi in Dessi, a significant event since it led to Banedon acquiring the Skyrider.

Following a year of waiting, Jenara and Banedon were finally called into action after Zakhan Moudalla's death. Moudalla had dispatched Allani to Sommerlund, requesting Lone Wolf visit Vassagonia to sign a peace treaty. Jenara learned of this, and took over Thog's body (with his consent) to help keep Allani safe. Her caution proved to be well-founded, for Zakhan Kimah seized power shortly after Moudalla's death, killing two other contenders for the throne. Allani was the only remaining contender, and Kimah's agents were by the dock looking to kill Allani & arrest Lone Wolf. Allani was indeed gravely wounded when he arrived, but Banedon and Jenara healed him while creating a simulacrum of Allani's body to fool the Sharnazim. They entrusted Allani to Akra, a member of the Vassagonian resistance, while letting themselves be arrested. Banedon then started a jailbreak, while Jenara scouted the palace, discovering valuable information about their foes. It was then that she learned that Allani had been arrested - she knew Akra was a traitor, but did not discern how quickly Akra would betray Allani to the Sharnazim. Leaving Banedon, Jenara went and effected her own jailbreak, freeing Allani.

However, during this jailbreak, Jenara discovered that Zakhan Kimah had also been seized and thrown into the dungeons, on Archlord Haakon's command. She further discovered later that Haakon was planning to have Kimah tortured to death in public for his failure to seize Lone Wolf. Resolving that even someone as wicked as Kimah should not die such a horrible death, Jenara and Thog went off to kill Kimah. They indeed succeeded in shooting Kimah with a crossbow bolt, but Kimah survived.

Jenara later married Allani, after the latter proclaimed himself as Zakhan, albeit not before a secret moment of passion with Banedon. Her fate afterwards is unknown, but because Kimah eventually retook his position as Zakhan, it is possible she did not survive.

Abilities

The books are contradictory on whether Jenara is a second-level magician. Throughout The Claws of Helgedad and The Birthplace, Jenara performs several feats of magic that Banedon interprets as advanced, second-level magic. Jenara is able to communicate with mindspeak, which is something Banedon thought is possible only for second-level magicians. She also helps Banedon perform the feat of second-level magic necessary to create a simulacrum of Allani's body, as well as take over Thog's body. Indeed, Jenara refers to herself as a second-level magician.

However, in The Book of the Magnakai, Banedon asserts to Qinefer that he was more bored than Jenara during the long year they waited outside Barakeesh, because although he is younger than Jenara, he was also a second-level magician and hence the more powerful of the two. This strongly implies that Jenara is not a second-level magician.

There is no official resolution of this contradiction.