Lore:Anequina Sharp-Tongue

Queen Anequina Sharp-Tongue
Race	Khajiit	Gender	Female
Resided in		Ne Quin-al

Anequina Sharp-Tongue (Ta'agra: Ne Quin-al Rass-Le) was a renowned Khajiit queen that was active during the Merethic Era of Elsweyr. In her time, she was the moon-priest and queen of the Ne Quin-al prides that roamed northern Elsweyr. But most importantly, she was the boon companion of the Mythic-Hero, Khunzar-ri and his Kra'Jun, playing a vital role in preventing the Dragons and later the Betrayer's plot to harness the lunar energy of Jode. She is the namesake of the modern-day name of her domain, Anequina.

History

Early Life

Khenarthi's Roost (ESO)

Jode's Light

Born as Ne Quin-al Rass-Le, she became the queen and moon priest of the Ne Quin-al Prides, an early iteration of the ancient kingdom of Anequina during the Merethic Era. She spent her time as a priestess in the temple of Jode's Light, on the borderlands near Dune, often to reflect. She eventually came into contact with the mythic-hero, Khunzar-ri. In their travels together, they became occasional lovers, accomplishing many heroic deeds across the kingdoms.

One such story involved their trip to Khenarthi's Roost, which is painted in many different ways, depending on perspective, but one version paints Anequina as the true hero. A pirate band of Maormer captured the daughter of a moon-priest and later Khunzar-ri, who approached them recklessly. The queen walked into their camp and approached the sea captain, Linvalor and his officers, who were gambling over a game of Deciever's Disks. Anequina challenged the sea captain to a game, for the freedom of the moon-priest's daughter and her companion. The game that followed suit was intense and Anequina won by cheating the game, promising another game in a year's time.

Khunzar-ri and the Demons

Shadow Dance Temple

The Halls of Colossus

Sometime later, the Dragon-Lord, Kaalgrontiid and his rage of dragons approached the sixteen kingdoms, proclaiming their incursion over the regions and taking the lunar energy for themselves. Khunzar-ri stood against the northern demons and gathered companions, his Kra'Jun, to help in his fight against the threat. His third champion was Anequina Sharp-Tongue, whom he used his sweet words and flattery to have her join in his quest. Once everyone was together, Khunzar-ri and the Kra'Jun engaged in battle, lasting for forty-one days and nights, all across ancient Elsweyr, with many wins and losses back to back. The Nedic knight, Cadwell suggested that they trick the Dragons by faking their surrender and giving them the moons' energy, or as Khunzar-ri, have the moons absorb their energy.

Queen Anequina set to work with the priesthood of Shadow Dance Temple, using the Dance of Shadows to maneuver the moons into alignment and siphon the invaders' essence. With her dance, she was able to utilize the powers of Jode and open a path to its core, where they were severely weakened. And using his wit, Khunzar-ri was able to seal the Dragons in the Halls of Colossus, where they remained for several millennia. The threat was stopped, for a brief moment. Cadwell killed Khunzar-ri behind his back and sought to harness the stolen energy to attain godhood and ultimate glory. He had cut a bloody swathe through the Shadow Dance Temple, in the hopes of attuning the moons to his bidding but Anequina and the remaining companions ended his plot for power.

Legacy

Anequina continued her service as the Queen of her pride, spearheading their campaign in the First War of the Prides. They were considered the strongest in the conflict, and to pay homage to her, they took up her name, Ne Quin-al. Her legacy lives throughout the sovereignty of modern-day Anequina, specifically, those that lived in Rimmen. Queen Khamira, who was active during the Interregnum, was a descendant of Anequina. Cadwell noted that she looked very similar to Anequina. Some masters of the Shadow Dance such as Juha-ri Sage of the White Sand, were known to perform one final Shadow Dance at the end of their lives, causing them to collapse dead as their soul journeyed to the Sands Behind the Stars and leaving behind their temple acolytes. This last Shadow Dance took place within the vault of the Shadow Dance Temple where Anequina Sharp-Tongue herself danced the Shadow Dance. Anequina's pendant, which protected its holder from magical detection, safeguarding them with the power of Jode, and served as the key to locating the Shadow Dance Temple and opening its deeper sections, was passed down her descendants, down to Queen Numara and her daughter Khamira. In 2E 582 Khamira, Anequina's descendant, became attuned to the Lunar Lattice and attained the Shadow Dance herself. This linked Khamira to the spirit of Anequina, allowing her to access her memories and sense her emotions. During Khamira's search for a way to reach the floating island of Dragonhold in order to stop Kaalgrontiid's planned ascension to godhood, Anequina herself would briefly take over her descendant's body via their Shadow Dance link in order to communicate and direct her and her allies to the resting place of Khunzar-ri, which held the key to reaching Dragonhold.

Gallery

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  Queen Khamira; Anequina's descendant who bore a striking resemblance to her

Notes

• One of the myths regarding Queen Anequina was that she was able to use teleportation, the nature of this is unknown, but the myth might be describing the abilities granted to Anequina by the Shadow Dance, which allows for the attuned to open portals to both other places and other planes of existence. Skilled users of the Shadow Dance could open one or more portals at once, so seamlessly they could effectively switch location in an instant.

See Also

Books

• Khunzar-ri: Tales, Two Transcribed by Aneshi, Keeper of Legends for the 16 Kingdoms — A tale of Anequina's sly and cunning tactics