Talulah
Talulah Artorius serves as the primary antagonist of the first arc (Prologue to Chapter 8) in the game Arknights, acting as the former leader and spiritual figurehead of the Reunion Movement. A woman of the Draco race, she transformed a modest underground support group into Terra's largest armed revolutionary organization for the Infected. Known as a ruthless tyrant responsible for the Chernobog crisis, she commands devastating heat-based Arts alongside masterful swordsmanship, hiding a complex past bound to noble lineage and tragic betrayal.
Overview
Talulah Artorius serves as the primary antagonist of the first arc (Prologue to Chapter 8) in the game Arknights, acting as the former leader and spiritual figurehead of the Reunion Movement. A woman of the Draco race, she transformed a modest underground support group into Terra's largest armed revolutionary organization for the Infected. Known as a ruthless tyrant responsible for the Chernobog crisis, she commands devastating heat-based Arts alongside masterful swordsmanship, hiding a complex past bound to noble lineage and tragic betrayal.
Appearance
Talulah has long silver hair with strands falling between her eyes and distinctive side intakes, paired with grey eyes. As a member of the Draco race, she possesses prominent dragon horns on her head and a long dragon tail behind her. She wears a black military-style dress outfit featuring long sleeves, a black ascot around her neck, and short boots. She carries a long sword as her weapon. Her height is listed as 174 cm in the game and 178 cm in the animated adaptation.
Personality
Talulah was originally an idealist guided by a strong sense of justice, striving to build a safe and equitable sanctuary for the persecuted Infected. She deeply valued her companions and believed that most people would choose goodness given the chance. However, after losing her close friend Alina and witnessing cruel atrocities, her emotional resolve shattered. Compounded by Duke Koschei's psychological manipulation, her demeanor turned into that of a cold, merciless tyrant willing to sacrifice her own followers and inflict widespread destruction. Despite this corruption, her original consciousness endured, eventually pushing her to confront her actions and accept responsibility for her past.
Abilities
Talulah combines the durable physical constitution of the Draco with high-level swordsmanship learned under Koschei. She commands destructive fire-based Originium Arts capable of instantly melting physical surroundings, vaporizing ice crystals, generating thermal shockwaves, and depleting ambient oxygen. In combat, she can inflict an escalating continuous burn status known as Incinerating Breath on single targets, unleash devastating area-of-effect Arts and true damage spells such as Corona and Undying Fire, and summon energy aggregators. She possesses complete immunity to status ailments including stun, freeze, levitation, sleep, and paralysis.
Background
Talulah was born in Lungmen to Edward Artorius, a Draco noble from Victoria, and the sister of Wei Yen-wu, making her the older half-sister of Ch'en. During her childhood, she was abducted by Duke Koschei of Ursus, who raised her through harsh indoctrination to be his political successor, during which she contracted Oripathy. After slaying Koschei, she fled to the Ursus tundra alongside her friend Alina. Together with allies like Patriot, Frostnova, Mephisto, and Faust, she formed an Infected self-help group that evolved into the Reunion Movement. However, following Alina's death and a harrowing betrayal in a village, her spirit was broken, enabling Koschei's lingering Arts—the "Deathless Black Snake"—to seize control of her body. She directed Reunion to capture Chernobog and attempt a collision with Lungmen, but was ultimately defeated and freed by Amiya and Ch'en, after which she submitted to custody to face atonement.
Relationships
Talulah is the older half-sister of Ch'en, with whom she shared a fond childhood before their separation led to them clashing on opposite sides of the war. Her adoptive father, Duke Koschei (the "Deathless Black Snake"), served as her tyrannical tutor and later hijacked her mind and body. Her closest friend, Alina, acted as her moral compass during their struggle in the tundra; Alina's death triggered Talulah's mental collapse. Key Reunion commanders such as Frostnova and Patriot backed her original vision, though they grew deeply troubled by her sudden shift into violence. She also shares familial ties to her uncle Wei Yen-wu and engaged in fierce conflict with Amiya during the crisis.
Trivia
Talulah's character motif is based on a Western dragon, reflected in her Draco lineage which combines the royal bloodlines of Victoria from her father and Yan from her mother. Phrases associated with her in game promotional videos were inspired by famous monologues from the theatrical play Che Guevara. Additionally, her appearance as a slow-moving target in stage R8-8 led to enduring player memes comparing her escort mechanic to helping an elderly person safely navigate a street.
