(13699-1371?) A legendary leader of the Bene Gessent R M Marcus Claire Luy-seyal apparently visited the court of Leto II, serving as an ambassadorial assistant Material in the newly translated Journals of Leto II shows that the young R M Luyseyal was a member of the last Bene Gessent delegation to the God Emperor serving as assistant to R M Tertms Eileen Anteac, an experience she was later to refer to as her "lessons m hu mihty" For purposes of clarity, die Bene Gessent has released a portion of Luyseyal's pnvate records, among which are transcripts of her memoirs as well as her Sisterhood reports Apparently Luyseyal was proud of being what was then known as a "Jessica type," a genetic descendant of the Lady Jessica Atreides As seen in the ego-likeness included m the Bene Gessent material, Luyseyal was slender of medium height, with an oval face red-gold hair, and intelligent green eyes The voice pattern on die nummic film re cords a compelling contralto, supporting the tradition that she was a master of the Voice In fact, her early recognition as a child prodigy Thithsayer plus her often acknowledged beauty led her in later life to claim ' pride" as her greatest weakness But her childhood was one which would make any Sister proud The child of a Mater Fdbcissirna, Luyseyal was raised in her mother's pnvate chambers in the Chapter House on Waliach IX From birth on she was the pet of the Sisterhood, a bright, lovely, charming child who had the freedom of the Chapter House and who also had very few moments of discipline imposed upon her When she was three, her extreme sensitivity and empathy was apparent and she began truthsayer train- ing at the exceptionally early age of nine Because of her position m the Sisterhood s inner family and because of her own talents Luyseyal was never forced to endure the strict training forced on the other apprentices Though she mastered the prdna-bindu exer cises, she paid little attention to the analyti ca! exercises and the intellectual skills expected of the acolytes Instead she became a full fledged Truthsayer at fifteen and a Reverend Mother at eighteen, the earliest any Bene Gessent had ever achieved such positions Her easy victones did not improve her disposition, and even her status as ' favorite child" could not hide the fact that she was fast becoming an overbearing adult Her mother, Mater Felicissima Catallius Marcia Luyseyal, assigned her to be R M Tertms Eileen Anteac's assistant in hopes that the woman, known both for her analytical skills and her acerbic wit would be a useful role model for the young Tnithsayer Their only time together, however was on the mission to Arrakis, and apparently Luyseyal did not appreciate Anteac until much later Her journals show that Luyseyal thought Anteac too old to be effective and that she was surprised when Leto showed a preference for the older woman She also was surprised that her assassination attempt proved to be so anti climactic Years later however she acknowl edged that her confrontation with Leto and her work with Anteac had shaped her future "That was the first time anyone had ever disagreed with me or found me inadequate It was a moment which forced me to reexam me my own valuer, s>he later wrote Obviously that reexammation led to Luy seyal's subsequent self discipline and her even tual ability to fully emplo> her powers in espionage and leadership during the tumultous years immediately following the death ol the God Emperor Some of the restructuring of the Order suggested by Luyseyal allowed its preservation during the years of the Starva lion and the Scattenng For her work as a leader of the Order the Sisterhood has re membered her by naming the University on Marduk IX for her The Claire Chair of Empathetic Scholarship remains as her most lasting tribute J A L Further references B^NF GESSERIT ARCHIVES Leto AtreidusII Journals RRC 80 A D557 370 MAHDL While the origin of the term "Mahdl" -' 'The One Who Will Lead Us to Paradise*' -is not known, such a concept occurs repeatedly among peoples who suffer alien oppression in their own land.