Odila Windlass (? - ?) is tall and shapely with skin the color of polished mahogany. She has a square jawed face dotted with freckles on her nose and cheeks; thick eyebrows; long eyelashes; and full, heart-shaped, crimson lips. For a woman, she has uncommonly large, strong hands and a long, striding pace. Her voice is rich and mellow, although it can be strident and mocking.
As a Knight, she wore a knee length tunic, belted at the waist and embroidered with symbols of the rose and the kingfisher. Over this she wore a padded leather vest decorated with a red rose. Her visorless half helm adorned with a red ribbon concealed short blue black hair – later she grew it into two long, thick, glossy braids which she let fall to her waist. She was muscular, and skilled in the use of longbow and long sword. As a senior cleric of Mishakal, Odila still wears her hair in two braids, but now coiled upon her head. Her eyes are sadder, and her mouth and brow are lined.
Odila suffered some mysterious hurt in her past. From her low opinion of men (when we first meet her) we could speculate that it was of the romantic kind. Her quick wit and glib tongue was often used as a suit of armour to perhaps protect her from another similar hurt. This may also be why her flirtation with Gerard uth Mondar (or 'Cornbread', as she likes to call him) never developed into anything more serious.
Her heavy sarcasm cannot hide a ready sense of humor. She is also practical, and has plenty of common sense. Odila's forthright manner and occasional lack of tact are compensated for by her fierce courage, demonstrated in battle and by speaking her mind to her seniors.
Mina[]
When Odila was a Knight of Solamnia she captured Gerard twice while he was disguised as a Dark Knight. The second time, after begrudgingly believing him to truly be a Knight of Solamnia, she agreed to pretend he had captured her instead when they encountered a suspicious Galdar, who then brought them before Mina. When Mina held her hand and looked into her eyes Odila said she saw eternity, saw the mind of a god.
Her awe drove her to desert the Knights to follow the One God and Mina eventually made her a cleric; but just days after entering service she realized her mistake. Odila had been searching for answer, for a loving, caring god to guide her – she wanted the One God to be that god, to take away her loneliness and fear; instead, she found she was trapped in the service of Takhisis.
Her belief in and discovery of a real god would not allow her to leave, and attempting to remove her medallion of faith resulted in terrible burning pain. Odila began to believe that she had no choice but to remain a servant of Takhisis, as she was a god and there were none to oppose her. Odila could not bring herself to pray to Takhisis and became thin, wasted and quiet. Her misery was made complete after being burned by a Dragonlance, which before becoming a cleric of evil she would have been able to wield with ease.
Odila's Redemption[]
It wasn't until she met Mirror in his human form that she realized she was not beyond redemption. She rescued him from an angry mob after he destroyed the totem of Takhisis and she finally managed to tear off her medallion. They joined forces, returning to the Knights' Council and verifying Gerard's account of events. Odila resigned from the Knights but went with Mirror to save the elves in the Battle of the Valley of Fire and Ice, and then to fight against the Minotaurs in Silvanesti.
She decided to dedicate her life to the struggle against darkness, and respond to Goldmoon's plea to open her heart to the world. She went to the Citadel of Light and became a cleric of Mishakal. Rising to senior status in the service of Mishakal she was tasked to oversee the completion of the new Temple of Mishakal in Solace, which reunited her briefly with Gerard.
Kender Tales[]
Some remember Odila's eyes as being tree-leaf green, and others remember them as a rich brown. Records vary as to whether she was a Knight of the Rose or a Knight of the Crown.
References[]
- Dragons of a Lost Star, p. 207-211, 213, 293, 343-345, 352, 355-356, 362, 366-367, 370, 373-374, 376, 380
- Dragons of a Vanished Moon, p. 94-95, 142-143, 150, 153, 160-161, 163, 167, 277-278, 325, 329, 354, 381, 383, 425, 513
- Saving Solace, p. 63-65, 100, 207