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"Spoiler alert: They failed."
This article contains spoilers from Start of Darkness, On the Origin of PCs, and/or Good Deeds Gone Unpunished
Lien
Lien
Biographical information
Hometown

Azure City

First Comic

411

Last Comic

1297

Physical description
Species

Human

Gender

Female

Age

23+[1]

Hair color

Blue

Chronological and political information
Affiliation

Azure City Refugees
Sapphire Guard

Class

Paladin

Alignment

Lawful Good

Known masters

Hinjo

Known apprentices

Razor (paladin mount)

Status

Living

D&D Stats
Level

12+

Str

13+

Int

10+

Wis

11+

Cha

12+

Feats

Cleave, Power Attack, Weapon Focus: Longspear

Abilities

Paladin class abilities, paladin mount: large shark "Razor"

Spells

paladin spell list

My parents were fishermen. When I was a little girl, I stood right here and learned how to clean the fish they had caught. I'm telling you this so that you know...when I say that if you take one more step, I will gut you like the Catch of the Day—it is NOT hyperbole!
  — Lien (Comic 473)  


Lien is a paladin, and one of the three known surviving members of The Sapphire Guard. Her holy paladin mount is the shark Razor.

Biography[]

Pier Pressure[]

Lien was raised in Azure City, the daughter of fishermen. She lived with her family in a house directly adjacent to the Azure City docks, and helped her parents in their work from an early age.[2] As a teenager, she used to sneak out of the house and meet her friends at a stall selling fried fish.[3] She also had a casual romantic relationship with Daesuk. One day while talking with Daesuk on the dock they discovered the cave of a Sea Witch who had kidnapped Azurite children and transformed them into skitterlings. Daesuk fled but Lien confronted the witch, defeated her, and turned her in to the authorities. Yu, a member of the Sapphire Guard, observed her and gave her the ring of water breathing the witch had owned, knowing it was her heart's desire. This ring and notice by the Sapphire Guard led to her later becoming an underwater paladin.[4]

The circumstances in which she joined the Sapphire Guard are unknown, but she has already known O-Chul during her training.

War and XPs[]

Lien was present at Hinjo's inauguration and later assigned alongside O-Chul to transport Miko to her prison cell.

Before the Battle of Azure City, she was placed in charge of the evacuation, partially because her paladin mount (a shark named Razor) would be useful in defending the docks.

She protected Hinjo's junk from hordes of hobgoblins while Captain Axe refused to sail away without him. When Hinjo did arrive, he ordered the crew to wait for Haley and Belkar carrying Roy's body. More hordes of hobgoblins came led by Redcloak who summoned a fiendish octopus. Lien with Hinjo and Durkon held the monsters at bay long enough for Vaarsuvius to arrive, but in the end decided they could not wait for Haley and Belkar.

Don't Split the Party[]

Lien accompanied the Azure City fleet in exile, helping to protect the civilians against the various and improbably common random encounters.

She accompanied Elan, Durkon and Daigo to Orc Island. When the Orcs saw Banjo, they immediately accepted the puppet as their deity, and attacked the explorers claiming Elan was not worthy of holding the god. The heroes managed to escape, but Lien captured due to her paladinhood making her unwilling to flee. The members of the Order of the Stick decided to rescue her, except for Vaarsuvius whose first priority was finding Haley. The orcs planned to sacrifice Lien to Banjo, even though she was not a virgin. She was saved by the intervention of Therkla who impersonated Banjo the god in order to save Elan. Therkla herself did not care about Lien being sacrificed, however, and it was only at Elan's urging that she had Lien released as well.

Lien was the one to deduce that Therkla and the imp Qarr were working together and that they were responsible for the attacks that plagued the fleet.

With the resurrection of Roy and the reunion of the Order of the Stick, Lien and O-Chul were sent by Hinjo to scout out Kraagor's Gate. They traveled riding on Razor.

Blood Runs in the Family[]

OOTS0709

O-Chuls and Lien's brief appearance in Blood Runs in the Family.

Lien was briefly shown on a tiny island in the sea, unable to sleep due to the rain, while O-Chul slept peacefully.

Utterly Dwarfed[]

While travelling through the snow toward Kraagor's Gate. Lien and Ochul were attacked by the yrthak Lancer. Lien tricked it into using its sonic blast on thin ice, which shattered, submerging both paladins. She shared her ring of water breathing with O-Chul in order to stay underwater long enough to trick Oona into thinking they were dead.

Eventually, they arrived at Kraagor's Tomb and set up camp on a ledge overlooking the entrance, observing the movements of Team Evil. However, in the final strip of this book, they were struck by poison darts and taken away by invisible assailants.

Current Activities[]

Lien and O-Chul were held captive by Serini Toormuck, who prepared to wipe their memories along with the Order of the Stick. When the Order caught up, she brought an end to the conflict by making Razor swallow Serini, allowing the Order to immobilize her. She is currently free and working together with the Order and Serini.

Personality and Traits[]

Lien is an optimist whose optimism is a result of pessimism: she always expects the worst and so is usually pleasantly surprised. She is not an uptight do-gooder like some paladins, having a good sense of humor and an appreciation for the comforts of home. She is, however, serious enough to be annoyed by Elan's antics. She's also quite smart (deducing Qarr's involvement in the attacks at the fleet from a few words) and very brave, repeatedly refusing to flee from battle and single-handedly defending a ship from a horde of hobgoblins.

She enjoys a close and trusted friendship with O-Chul and is in a committed relationship with Tam, a currently unseen boyfriend who was confirmed to have survived the destruction of Azure City.

Lien keeps her hair short to facilitate action under water.

Powers and Abilities[]

  • Underwater Paladin: Lien has all the normal paladin abilities, but is optimized for adventuring under water. She has a weapon focus in longspear and her paladin mount is a giant shark. She has lived her life in and around the water.
  • Lien is the second-most powerful remaining paladin, after O-Chul. She is higher level than Hinjo.

Weapons and Equipment[]

  • Longspear: Lien's primary weapon is a longspear, a weapon which is effective both above and below the surface of the water
  • Ring of Waterbreathing: This ring allows her to breathe under water, as well as protects her from the icy cold of the deeps
  • Magic boots
  • Cloak and Armor: Lien wears the standard kit of the Sapphire Guard
  • Crossbow: Lien utilizes this crossbow during her and O-Chuls battle with Oona.

References[]

  1. Good Deeds Gone Unpunished, retconned to be younger than Hinjo. In War and XPs she is said to be five years older than him.
  2. Comic #473. "On The Waterfront."
  3. Comic #1032. "Other Times, Not So Much."
  4. Good Deeds Gone Unpunished, "Pier Pressure", p.51-62
Sapphire Guard
Soon KimLord ShojoHinjoMiko MiyazakiO-ChulLienHo ThanhRonjoJiayaYunjiArgentWindstrikerRazor
Appearances
411, 412, 414, 415, 418, 473, 478, 479, 480, 481, 482, 484, 501, 507, 508, 553, 554, 557, 558, 559, 560, 561, 563, 582, 583, 584, 585, 586, 588, 591, 593, 599, 628, 630, 634, 663, 671, 672, 709, 887, 1031, 1032, 1033, 1034, 1035, 1042, 1189, 1224, 1225, 1226, 1227, 1228, 1229, 1249, 1250, 1251, 1252, 1254, 1255, 1256, 1258, 1259, 1268, 1269, 1271, 1277, 1278, 1279, 1280, 1281, 1283, 1284, 1285, 1286, 1287, 1290, 1291, 1294, 1295, 1297
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