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Pirotess (ピロテース, Pirotēsu), also known as Sheru (シェール, Shēru) in Crystania, is a dark elf from Marmo. A figure of graceful beauty and deadly skill. Pirotess is loyal to Ashram and will seldom leave his side. At the end of the War of the Destroyer’s Resurrection Pirotess travels with Ashram in search of new land.

Appearance[]

Pirotess is a dark skinned elf girl, with long blonde hair (white in the OVA and TV series) and hazel brown eyes. She is tall and slender, but slightly muscular. She wears white clothes, white boots and white gloves and is equipped with a rapier-like sword.

Personality[]

Pirotess is fully devoted to Ashram. In both the Lodoss and Crystania settings, she shows remarkable determination to finish her missions and a strong sense of sacrifice where Ashram is concerned. She is cold to others and may be a bit of a lone wolf, being primarily concerned with her own survival, and as implied by Redon's attempts to make a connection with her, will not readily befriend or ally with other people if it does not apply to her current mission.

History[]

 As revealed in The Black Knight, Pirotess was originally an assassin sent to kill Ashram, but entered his service instead.

 In the novels Pirotess does not appear until the sixth novel. The Chronicles of the Heroic Knight anime adaptation sees her confronting Deedlit and Parn in a couple brief battles before the Marmo Empire is defeated, forcing Ashram to retreat with her, Maar, and Hobb toward a new land for their exiled people.

 She plays a major role in The Black Knight, which leads up to her and Ashram's arrival at Crystania.

Crystania[]

 Pirotess went with Ashram in search of a new land, where Ashram was tricked into giving his soul up to Barbas to gain a homeland for his people. They made the region of Berudia their home, naming it after Ashram's deceased idol. Pirotess took on the name of Sheru and continued waiting three hundred years for Ashram to awaken, though it was to no avail.

 Sheru acquires a Chaos Ring and sets out on a journey to return to Dayton Castle to free Ashram's body from Barbas' control. She is aided by Boakes and Jenoba, members of a group named the Fang of the Animal to which she also belongs, and soon runs into Redon and the other outsiders from Da'nan. They travel to a village, where Barbas attacks, and in the ensuing destruction, Sheru and Redon fall into a sandworm hole in the ground.

 Sheru tells Redon about her journey and attempts to set off alone, but Redon insists on coming along with her. She sneaks her way to Ashram's body, where she attempts to free him. Barbas offers Redon power, stating that he must only kill Sheru to achieve it, but Redon refuses and attempts to kill Barbas. Ashram tells Pirotess to kill his body. She hesitates, but finally does it to free him from Barbas' control.

 After Barbas' death, Sheru is living in Berudia, but is now haunted by visions and dreams of an evil Beld tormenting Ashram. Recognizing that Barbas is torturing Ashram's soul in the Chaos World, she seeks aid to get to the Chaos World to free Ashram from his torment.

 She ends up traveling to the butterfly town, where she is told it's too dangerous to travel to the Chaos World as Barbas is awakening. She threatens Yoof to take her to the Chaos World. While there, Sheru sees bloody visions and undergoes intense mental torment until Yoof drags her out of the Chaos World. With Butterfly Town burning, Yoof and Sheru escape back to Berudia, where Yoof comes down with a severe fever, leading to yet another delay in their journey.

 Sheru and Yoof make it to Dayton Castle, where they meet up with Redon. Though Yoof discourages both from going into the Chaos World, Redon insists on accompanying Sheru. While Redon struggles, Sheru is able to resist the visions until she sees a vision of Ashram, who takes her into his arms. Yoof intervenes and tells her it's a vision, and her strong emotions cause her to lose herself and fade away in Sheru's arms, upsetting Sheru.

 Sheru quickly composes herself and arrives in the castle within Ashram's heart. She explains to Redon about Ashram's past as a knight of Marmo, and that Ashram "built" the castle to guard his heart from the intrusion of Barbas. However, when they arrive deeper in the castle, they find Ashram is dueling with the false illusion of Beld, created by Barbas. Redon fights the false Beld while Sheru attempts to help Ashram regain his memory. Seeking a trigger to jog his memory, she grabs Soul Crusher and, heaving it over her head with some effort, plunges it into her thigh. The sight of her wound reawakens Ashram's memories and he is able to drive away the vision of Beld. The butterfly goddess then appears, summoning Yoof to escort them out of the World of Chaos. Sheru leaves with Yoof, Redon, and Kirim, returning to her body.

 Yoof grabs the Chaos Ring despite Sheru's protests and summons Ashram's soul to defeat Barbas. Ashram defeats Barbas and balance returns to Crystania. As the OVA ends, Sheru is seen kneeling before Ashram's body.

Notes[]

  • Pirotess was created specifically for the 1990 OVA series. She does not appear in the novels that the OVA covers. Mizuno liked her character and decided to add her to later novels.
  • Pirotess’ name is likely derived from the minor Greek goddess Philotes (Japanese: ピロテース, Pirotēsu), a goddess personifying affection, friendship, and sex.
  • In the 1990 OVA anime, where she originated, she serves Ashram, the Black Knight of Marmo, during the War of Heroes. Afterward, Wagnard enlists her help in finding a High Elf sacrifice to resurrect Kardis. When Ashram expresses doubt about Wagnard's scheme, she scratches her arm with a dagger, stating she will return to his side before the wound heals clean.
    With the aid of several dark elf lackeys, she attempts to kidnap Deedlit, casting a mind control spell on her. However, she is quickly thwarted by Shiris, and she and her fellow soldiers escape upon seeing the berserker Orson.
    Pirotess accompanies Ashram to Fire Dragon Mountain, where she tries to dissuade him from fighting Shooting Star, but he refuses and continues to pursue him. She and Ashram fight Parn, Kashue, Deedlit, and Shiris. Ashram gets ahold of the Scepter of Domination, making Shooting Star bend to his will. In the resulting chaos, Pirotess nearly gets knocked off a ledge, but Ashram grabs hold of her, saving her but losing the Scepter to one of Wagnard's minions in the process. Pirotess then sacrifices herself to defend Ashram against a blast of fire from Shooting Star, resulting in her death.

Gallery[]

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