Character from Bastion by Phil Tucker
The group's worldbuilder — a Great Soul whose knowledge of Acherzua's history and politics makes her invaluable, and whose romantic arc with Leonis proves that love doesn't always survive reincarnation.
Lianshi is the one who explains things. In a group of fighters, she's the one who knows why they're fighting — the political context, the historical precedent, the faction dynamics that turn a simple mission into a minefield. This makes her the narrative's primary worldbuilding vehicle, but Tucker avoids the exposition-bot trap by making her knowledge personal. She cares about history because her own past lives are part of it. Her relationship with Leonis is the series' most mature romantic arc: two people who love each other, choose each other after rebirth, and then watch that love erode not through betrayal but through the fundamental incompatibility of who they've become in this particular incarnation. The breakup in Book 3 is devastating precisely because neither party did anything wrong.
Presents with scholarly composure that belies combat capability. Carries the attentive posture of someone who processes information before acting — the opposite of Scorio's impulsiveness.
Also known as: Lianshi