| “ | You think you can save me? There is no saving from what is already inside. My mother is me, and I am her. You’ve unleashed a monster, and now you’ll suffer the consequences | ” |
— The Hollow Possessing Ilisa to Klaus Mikaelson
| ||
Ilisa, better known as Lonbraj la (English: The Shadow) was born in the 6th century to a Native American tribe. Her mother, Inadu (The Hollow), knew that her own growing darkness had made her a target. The tribe, once her people, feared her immense power and the toll it took on the land, and they conspired with the other witches to bring her down.
So she created a daughter, as a contingency—a place for her spirit to go, a vessel to carry on when the time was right. Ilisa was born with a purpose: to serve as Inadu's fallback, a backup in case her enemies succeeded in killing her. Inadu knew that, should her death come to pass, Ilisa would inherit her magic.
Though after the death of her mother, she was found by the tribe and they performed another banishment ritual to seal the infant away, in an attempt to protect her from becoming a vessel for her mother's evil. The ritual placed Ilisa in a magical stasis—a parallel dimension isolated from time and the mortal world.
Ilisa is a member of the Labonair Family.
Early History[]
500 A.D[]
Born in the 6th century, Ilisa was created in the shadow of darkness, long before she had a chance to grow. Her mother, Inadu, known as The Hollow, was a powerful and feared witch. While the world outside trembled before her strength, her tribe was already beginning to fear what she might become.
As the tribe's elders conspired to rid themselves of Inadu, they began to see her as an unholy force, one that could not be controlled. But Inadu, ever the cunning and powerful witch, knew what was coming. She understood that her death was inevitable, but in a desperate bid to survive and to protect herself from annihilation, Inadu did something unthinkable—she created Ilisa, her daughter, out of pure dark magic.
Inadu imbued part of her essence into her daughter, crafting her as a safeguard—a contingency plan should the worst happen. The moment Ilisa was born, she was immediately feared by the tribe. The elders, already on edge by the terrifying specter of Inadu, saw the child as a living embodiment of that threat. They knew her existence could only mean one thing: the power of The Hollow would return, more potent and dangerous than ever.
In an attempt to protect their people from the wrath of Inadu’s dark magic, the tribe’s witches performed a banishment ritual on the infant, sealing Ilisa away in a magical stasis. This stasis placed her in a parallel dimension, a place removed from time and the mortal world, where she could do no harm, and where the power of the Hollow could not be unleashed. The tribe believed that by banishing the child to this dimension, they would stop Inadu's legacy from continuing.
The Void[]
Her early years were spent in this suspended, ageless prison—an existence frozen in time. She was unaware of the world, unaware of the tribe’s fear, and at first was unaware of the immense power she held inside her. The child grew only in the most basic ways—her mind, her emotions, and her desires were stunted by the lack of stimuli in this otherworldly prison. Her senses were dulled, and she existed in a dreamlike state, never fully aware of her surroundings, never fully engaged with anything.
One night—or what felt like night, in the timeless void—a flicker of darkness around her intensified, as if it had been drawn to her. The first flicker of her magic was small, barely more than a tendril of darkness that she instinctively shaped and controlled. But the connection was undeniable. Ilisa had never known anything like it. The feeling was ancient and deep, as though it had been waiting for her to acknowledge it. She wasn’t just connected to the shadows; she was the shadows.
Over time, Ilisa grew accustomed to the power that flowed through her. But as her connection with the shadows grew, so did her awareness of her place in the universe, the legacy of The Hollow within her, and the world she was kept from. She had grown to embrace it, understanding that she was meant to be a force of nature—a shadow that could never be fully escaped.
She moved unseen through the void, and her growing influence over the shadows became undeniable. Wherever she went, darkness followed her, and it wasn’t long before whispers began to circulate about the mysterious figure who appeared out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly.
She became a legend among those who dared to speak of her—a being who existed in the shadows, a presence too frightening to fully comprehend. She was the one who could not be caught, the one who could vanish into nothingness, And as her legend spread, the name Lonbraj la, became synonymous with fear.
Unknown Period[]
It is not known when, though eventually Ilisa had become aware of The Hollow, and started to curate people to work for her and the The Hollow. Using the tales of they have made about her and her mother. Though still never meeting her mother, her self.
1953[]
Ilisa made her first appearance in small, secretive circles: groups of spiritualists, occultists, and those desperate to tap into a hidden power. She would speak to them in dreams, sometimes manifesting as a shadowy figure in their darkest hours. She would whisper promises of forbidden knowledge and the potential to unlock hidden power. Ilisa encouraged the idea that the time had come for a great convergence of rituals, something that had never been done before—a series of violent, bloody sacrifices performed across four locations, in the name of Lonbraj la and The Hollow.
1992[]
By 1992, Ilisa had learned much about manipulation, and she had become far more calculating and methodical in her approach. She orchestrated brutal and violent rituals that spanned multiple locations over two months, drawing on the ritualistic bloodshed needed to awaken, strengthen, and perhaps even resurrect the dark essence of The Hollow.
Through The Originals[]
Personality[]
Ilisa, known as Lonbraj la (The Shadow), is a complex and multifaceted individual shaped by both her dark heritage and her time in isolation. Having been banished as a child and living in suspended animation for centuries, her personality is influenced by a deep well of loneliness, rage, and manipulation, as well as an insatiable desire to control and reshape the world around her. She is a being of both calculation and chaos, with a vast understanding of the human psyche and the intricacies of power dynamics. She is a being of intelligence, manipulative charm, and twisted morality, capable of great cruelty and manipulation. While she is driven by a thirst for power and revenge.
Physical Appearance[]
Her First notable physical form, as a shadow is a black mist in the shape of a presumed human that took on the appearance of a young girl.