Oriana Thomson

Oriana Thomson (オリアナ＝トムソン) is character introduced in Toaru Majutsu no Index. She is a magician who was born in England and works as a mercenary. A woman who truly wants to help people, she originally served as one of the main Magic side antagonist of the Daihasei Festival Arc in Index, alongisde Lidvia Lorenzetti. After her capture, she brokers a deal with Necessarius and works for them in order to help people during the chaos created by the increasing tensions between Academy City and the Roman Catholic Church.

Appearance
She appears as a young adult and has blonde hair with blue eyes. Her hair usually covers her right eye, however, it is occasionally shown. In her first appearance, she wore gray work clothes with a shirt buttoned in only one area, covering her bust, and unzipped pants, leaving her cleavage and midriff wide open. A little bit later into the series, she changes from her work clothes to a gypsy skirt and a small tube top used to cover her chest.

Personality
Oriana does not hesitate to use her attractive looks to make others vulnerable and is a master escape artist able to use a "human wall" formed by a crowd to slip inside. She is shown to have no intention of involving civilians purposely; when she was chased by Necessarius and normal citizens with no link to magic and claimed to be her "best friend". She shows regret for hurting Himegami Aisa and stated that she would finish her mission especially if it guaranteed the happiness of others. She is shown to be flirtatious when she teasingly asks Kamijou Touma if he wanted a kiss and is considered a mature, older sister type character by him.

Background
Oriana Thomson has been a Christian all through her whole life, and her entire family as well. In the Toaru Majutsu no Index manga adaptation, prior to becoming a mercenary, she was apparently a very devout nun since she was a young girl, and her uniform resembled that of a Roman Catholic. During her time as a nun, she believed that people like her should act for the sake of others, and was usually seen offering small humanitarian acts to strangers. However, her faith was shaken when she helped Emily Laughton, an elderly woman, board a bus that later exploded due to a terrorist attack, and the old woman was one of the casualties. An indeterminate time after the incident, she left the Church and eventually became a practitioner of magic.

After becoming a mercenary, she becomes known as the Route Disturb (追跡封じ(ルートディスターブ)), a top-notch courier in the magical world. Her ability is that she’s able to run and hide, and that she’s able to get away from pursuers even if they ever found her.

More accurately, Oriana is a woman who will do anything to get away from her pursuers. Also, nobody is able to keep track of her actions. Even when they are prepared, she'll still be able to get away. She is a magician with many spells at her disposal, and she'll destroy bridges, create fires and set up many talismans to get her pursuers off her back. Due to her immense versatility, she has been known never to use the same spell twice.

It is shown that Oriana is extremely talented in tracking people as well, almost as good as she is in evading and escaping from them. This is due to her own prowess in escaping from pursuers; in order to achieve that feat she needs to know the current mindset of who is searching for her as well as being knowledgeable in any magic that might be used to trace a target; in other words, in order to accurately lose track of an enemy, she indirectly learned the necessary skills for pursuing at its finest.

Daihasei Festival Arc
She first appears during the Daihasei Festival, for which she was hired by Lidvia Lorenzetti for the transportation of Croce di Pietro to Academy City. During this, she meets Touma who dispels her Silent Coin spell after she shakes hands with him thus forcing her to retreat as she is pursued by Touma and then by Stiyl and Motoharu. During the chase, she attacked Himegami Aisa out of fear and her trap hurt Fukiyose inadvertently, severely injuring both of them to the point of near death. She's also laid traps to hurt Stiyl and defeated Motoharu in battle.

Eventually she fought Stiyl and Touma in District 23 at the best location to set up the Croce di Pietro in Academy City, and was defeated after a prolonged battle.

Document of Constantine Arc
When Lidvia was exchanging information with Stiyl it is mentioned by him that Oriana had accepted a deal to work for the Anglican Church in order to help the weak in the dark days ahead, as the shadow of war looms forth before them. Stiyl notes that both Oriana and Lidvia have been preoccupied with the same thoughts. Hearing that the Anglican Church is letting Oriana achieve her desire in helping the weak, Lidvia ends her opposition of Stiyl and Agnese Sanctis' interrogation, and divulges information regarding God's Right Seat.

British Royal Family Arc
As she had made a deal with the Anglican Church prior to October 10, Oriana is now working for the Church that had once held her in bondage. Touma meets up with her in hopes of helping keep England's peace, and as he rides on her convertible as they travel around London, espouses his surprise at teaming-up with an old foe. Oriana points out that she is a mercenary, a magic courier to be exact, and that she will work or fight for anyone as long as she is paid. Touma asks where they are headed now. Oriana states of a report 10 minutes prior that New Light were spotted from a security camera from the north of London. Oriana points out to Touma regarding the footage she shown to him is that New Light drove their car in a blind spot and stopped there, and as such allowed only the shadow of a car to be seen by the camera. Oriana states that since they have no evidence that is New Light's car, they will head there to find out for themselves. She then says that since New Light is using the limited number of blind spots in the streets of London, they'll catch up to them soon enough. Even then however, Touma is still unsure if they can find him. As they came upon the blind spot where New Light stop their car, a London police officer told them that one of them, Lessar, made a mistake, that is mixing up her Skíðblaðnir with other cases and delaying her mission and attracting attention of the London police. Oriana and Touma discovers Lessar with three case as they are in the car. Already suspicious in behavior and looks, their discovery of the spiritual item Steel Glove in her possession, prompts Oriana and Touma to conclude that she is of New Light. Oriana uses a people-clearing field to prevent civilian involvement and then used a powerful fire spell. Despite this, Oriana stops the car and leaves just as Lessar attacks with her Steel Glove, a spear, piercing Touma's side of the convertible, and forcing him to leave through its hood as she tears the car apart and making it explode. With the fire she created from the blast, Lessar grabbed it and tried to swing it down on Touma. She is then however intercepted by magic, though she doesn't fall as she used the Skíðblaðnir as a shield accidentally. Seeing Lessar's concern of the case, Touma determines the importance of the case and asks Oriana to focus on destroying it instead of fighting Lessar, which she agrees. Lessar, makes a retreat after seeing that Touma and Oriana now knows the case's importance. As she jumps far too high, Touma and Oriana are unable to follow her. Despite this, Oriana points out the weakness of her tactic, and that her jumping from rooftop to rooftop is limited in the city of London, prompting them give chase once again.

Touma and Oriana planned to have the latter kick Lessar from a building next to a large road, and then the former would catch her. Lessar later finds herself in a dead end, after ending up in a building where the adjacent building is too far away for her to jump to.At that moment, Oriana enacts her plan and kicks Lessar from the building. As Lessar falls Touma tries to catch her, but changes his mind at the last minute due to the presence of falling glass, much to Lessar and Oriana's dismay. Needing to save herself, Lessar uses her Steel Glove to break her fall and allows her to escape. This forces Touma and Oriana to give chase again.

Oriana is left behind as she tries to go down the building she was in and only later did she rejoin Touma after he has already destroyed Lessar's Steel Glove and has cornered her. With that, Touma tells Lessar to give up as they all follow her go into an apartment. Touma mentions that her other comrades have been captured, though Lessar says that they still have yet to find Lancis. She states that the others need only to act as relay points to match their locations with the royal carriage, the Travelling Fortress, and that there are five Skíðblaðnir cases. Oriana pulls out a flashcard hearing her, though Lessar simply laughs. Touma demands to know who has the fifth case, though Lessar doesn't answer, accepting that she has lost the battle and that she is willing to be killed by them. Touma later realizes that her acceptance of death wasn't directed at them. As Touma pulls at Lessar, she is hit by a sniper attack. Oriana tells Touma to get down because there is a sniper, though this doesn't stop him from treating Lessar's wounds with paper. Touma asks Oriana if she has a healing spell, to which she denies. She then tells Touma that they are being attacked with the Robin Hood used by the Knights of England and developed by those under Princess Carissa. Lessar then speaks once more with a smile, and admits to them that they were transporting the Curtana Original, the sword that will change the country of the United Kingdom.

With Lessar in Touma's arms, he and Oriana discover that the Anglican Church have become overwhelmed by the knights. Despite worrying about Index, Touma decides that they should find Lessar some magicians from Necessarius to heal Lessar, though Oriana is hesitant, she agrees. They decide to go to the Necessarius Women's Dormitory in Lambeth, in the hopes of finding a rear guard there when the magicians are trying to evacuate. Coming upon the River Thames, the knights gather up in the bridge. Seeing this, Oriana takes out her flashcards for battle. Touma questions her doing so, though accepts that need for it. Oriana instructs Touma tha after he drops Lessar off at the women's dormitory, he should get to London Waterloo Station as it is goes to Folkestone through the Eurostar rail line. Essentially, Oriana is advising Touma to sneak on a train to get to Folkestone knowing he would looking for Index. As Touma tries to go with Lessar, he and Oriana hear the rumbling sound of Sherry Cromwell's golem.

Sherry arrives just in time to go completely out of her mind and attack the Knights of England that had cornered to Touma and company. Without mercy, Sherry easily crushes a number of the the knights with the use of her golem. Oriana tells Touma to leave and take Lessar back to the women's dorm, while she takes out the knights that are under disarray, and help Sherry back to her senses. Oriana says that the people in the dorm will trust Touma more instead and of her and assures Touma that she can handle it on her own. Sherry's attack later drives the knights from the bridge and into the streets as Oriana joins the fray. After Sherry gets knocked out, Oriana later carries her unconscious body to safety.

British Halloween
Oriana Thomson later rendezvous with the Anglican Church forces just prior to the Battle of Buckingham Palace. When Villian later notices Acqua of the Back's presence a kilometer away from the rendezvous point, she enlists the help of Oriana to track him down. Despite this, Acqua of the Back notices the two and quickly leaves the area he is in, not wanting to deal with Villian after he said embarrassing things to her after he rescued her.

GREMLIN invasion of Tokyo
She was seen battling Fenrir on the snowy plains of Alaska. By incorporating the same symbols as a river into a location, Fenrir created a large “ditch” that swallowed up the massive power of the ley lines. It forcibly swallowed up the magic power that constructed magic and swept it away. Oriana Thomson lightly spun the set of flashcards in her hand and proceeded to counter his attack.

Shifting and Fluctuating World
In the final recreation of the world by Othinus created specifically to break Touma's spirit, known as the Version_Omega world in-text, where several characters from the original world have been "saved" or have not experienced great tragedy, Oriana does not work as a magical courier. Touma sees her in the park where Othinus put Touma in after recreating the world. Oriana smiles in the park with a few different children and old women.

Coronzon Arc
During the Crowley's Hazard invasion of the United Kingdom, Oriana was hired as a courier to transport one of the Divine Mixtures, Isis-Demeter, to the British Museum. After arriving, she explained the full details of the Divine Mixture to the assembled Agnese Forces. Disgusted by the trap which Holegres Mirates had put them in, Oriana intended to offer her body to Isis-Demeter instead any of the nuns, but as she reached her hand out, Orsola Aquinas touched it before her.

The Fourth Friday of February
Oriana is enjoying her gelato when she is bumped by an extremely giddy Lidvia after having helped Kamijou Touya, falling to the ground. Ignoring Oriana, she explains to her that today she discovered that she was mistaken about the Japanese. She says that she thought that they were the enemies of society for having Academy City, as such she never though that there was a father in Japan who cared so much for his child. She tells her that they may have to alter their plan in capturing Academy City using a gentler and more peaceful one. Oriana then asks to Balbina why Lidvia is so worked up, to which she explains to Oriana. She sighs upon hearing it after picking herself up again. Suddenly, still in joy, Lidvia yells and then bumps Oriana with her wiggling hips, making her fall to the ground again. Balbina's face can only pale at what had happened to Oriana. However, Lidvia continues to ignore this and speaks. She says that difficulties are called difficulties because they aren't easily solved, and says that they should start solving it from one end for the sake of those who do not know how fun it is. She tells them that they need to prepare the spiritual item, and since it is heavily affected by the stars they need to take measurements for the corresponding coordinates for the location. Balbina runs off again as Lidvia continues her excited rambling. Oriana tries to run off as well, but Lidvia captures her before she could.

Shorthand
Oriana Thomson uses a technique called a Shorthand (速記原典(ショートハンド)), in which she mixes the symbols and the colors of the four elements in Western magic. The use of the incompatible colors allows for a reaction that Oriana can use as an attack, though not only that, but complex spells such a Counter Spell as well. This is because she used a "shorthand" (her cursive writing on the flashcard) of instructions on the flashcard along with the incompatible colors and symbols, like a mini original grimoire. However, it is imperfect and unlike an original grimoire is destroyed when the spell activates. According to Tsuchimikado Motoharu, unlike grimoires, Oriana's Shorthands' purpose is not to pass on the techniques and knowledge for future generations, but to destroy the Shorthand instantly when needed. Moreover, unlike original grimoires that corrupt its readers, because of the scribbled writing of Oriana, no knowledge can be passed on.

Oriana used her Shorthand instead of focusing on a particular element in order to circumvent enemies from reading her magic and making a defensive spell to counter it. Her various combinations are made through the use of the incompatible colors and names as well as the usage of angles which have laws for each of them based on Western Astrology, where there each relationship between the planets and the constellations have different functions due to different angles. Because Oriana uses page numbers on each flashcard to identify them, she cannot reuse the same spell again. This is to take advantage of the fact that her Shorthand grimoires will lose control and self-destruct because it won't stabilize. Each new "grimoire" creates a new spell. However, because of their imperfection, the most each "grimoire" can last is one hour, if it's fast, it will self-destruct in a few seconds.

Known combinations
With Oriana at the center, the power is transferred to the patterns, and vacuum blades start swinging from them. The vacuum blades sway from down to up, and the total number of strikes is 208. Things that are in the way of the patterns are cut down. There are safety zones that Oriana can set up when she uses it. "Using all my talents— —release all the souls and destroy the enemy ahead!" (Yen Press: "I command every ability within my body— —to release mind and body and destroy the enemy before me!") The flashcards then creates a pure white explosion, which then forms onto Oriana's right arm. As she finishes her chant, Oriana pulls her right arm back, and swings it down, throwing the white explosion towards its target. There’s no definite shape, and this contraption will often change into random shapes. With its movements, the air that touches the light is sucked in at an extremely fast speed. It is unknown which one is distorted, the light or the gravity, as the scene in front suddenly changes. It is like a black hole, all the matter that touches the light is sucked in and crushed by the pressure. When it was negated by the Imagine Breaker, the pure white light breaks apart, and the compressed objects that were in the light are released explosively.
 * Silent Coin (表裏の騒静</rb>(</rp>サイレントコイン</rt>)</rp>): It is a spell that absorbed the mentality "to chase after her" from her pursuers. It is useless when one is facing her in a conversation, but by turning her back on the party, the other party would feel that "there's no reason to call her; I'll talk to her next time," and not call out to her. It was a spell that use the Repel bystander spell and expanded on it. While the spell is working, even if Oriana was holding a fireball or anything in her hand, nobody would want to "call her".
 * Water Symbol : Communication spell: It is an unnamed communication spell used by Oriana to communicate with Lidvia Lorenzetti for the first time since infiltrating Academy City. The flash card transmits a voice that was so soft it didn't seem to vibrate at all.
 * Soil symbol : Allows for a 5 meter wall of earth to move like a tsunami towards the target. It is apparently made out of provisional material made like ectoplasm, and can be destroyed by the Imagine Breaker. When negated by Touma, The wall seemed to have dissolved in the air, and there didn't seem to be any changes. The asphalt ground returned to its original state as well.
 * Wind Symbol : Counter Spell: Using her Shorthand Original in an area, she can analyze a target's magic and is able to use it against them. Another Shorthand Original is required for her as a magic circle that automatically counterattacks the target when they try to use magic, which causes great pain to the target. The spell also reacts to touch, and counterattacks whoever touches the magic circle, or in this case, the Shorthand Original where it is written, as what happened to Fukiyose Seiri.
 * Wind Symbol : Summons a misty tornado filled with moisture. The moisture, when used on flames, will not evaporate but takes away anything flammable, and prevent the flames from spreading.
 * Fire Symbol : Using the color of blue on the word "fire," it removes the fire element that signifies rebirth and regeneration. It uses the medium of sound to enter a person's ears, and render a person unconscious if he's injured enough. When triggered, the already injured target will come upon severe pain. The spell is able to regenerate even if it is negated by the Imagine Breaker as long as the target remains injured. The spell wears off after 20 minutes.
 * Wind Symbol : 50 centimeter thick 3 meter tall walls of ice appear between Oriana and the target. It is used not only as a barrier but also to refract light and cause an enemy to misjudge's Oriana position.
 * Shadow Sword (影剣): Produces a dark sword in Oriana's hand. It can be reshaped to any length. It is used to stab the opponent's shadow, which then explodes.
 * Wind Symbol : Blade Crater (明色の切断斧</rb>(</rp>ブレードクレーター</rt>)</rp>): Angling the 577th piece of paper out of the total number of papers of at 0 degree conjunction using the Wind Symbol colored red, she is able to create a circle on the ground a meter in radius with her in the middle. Outside of the circle, there are patterns similar to those of tree branches or capillaries, and apparently extends in all directions. The spell is set up the moment Oriana bites on the paper, and activates after she lets go of it.
 * Drop Rest (昏睡の風</rb>(</rp>ドロップレスト</rt>)</rp>): Written in yellow color, the spell looks like a compressed air gun, and when it hits the target directly, turns their consciousness inside out. The attack intends to knock out the target without hurting them. In the anime adaptation, the spell looks like a dark purple cyclone.
 * Earth Symbol : A powerful spell that apparently explodes the target's blood from their veins, affecting the person from the collarbone to the top of the navel. Himegami Aisa becomes the unlucky recipient of this attack after a case of mistaken identity.
 * People-clearing field: Oriana uses an unknown mix of element and color to create a people-clearing field, which would force people away from the area where the spell is used.
 * Fire Symbol : It creates an explosion of flame.
 * All of Symbol: Oriana uses up all of her Shorthand Original flashcards. Here, the word All of Symbol appears on the flashcard and Oriana chants a spell:
 * Traps: Oriana can set up multiple magical traps, like blue and white explosions that create similarly colored flame pillars, earth bullets as big as baseballs that become sharp and edgy as they approach the enemy, explosion that sends out a yellow flame, high pressure wind that cuts like a scalpel and blocks of ice that fall on top of the enemy.
 * Other Spells: Oriana has used other Shorthand combinations, like a slicing gust of wind, super-thin stone blades, gust of wind that appears behind an enemy and pushes them forward, steam that erupts from the ground to toss the enemy into the air, a gust of wind that surrounds her and carries her off like a mini-tornado, projecting her voice far away, a communication spell that translates the words of a person into orange lines of text, a communication spell that uses a flashcard like an earpiece, a spell that summons thick ropes around her arms to form a net that creates sharp gusts of wind when swung, release an intangible force to push the enemy, and array of white light bullets as large as basketballs, create a giant mallet a meter thick that breaks apart to create a storm of billions of shrapnel, a special anti-Saint spell, a communication spell that allows the exchange of thoughts, a communication spell that displays words on the surface of her retina like words moving down a screen, a spell that surrounds Oriana with a blue and white light before sending an invisible wall of pressure that also rips up the ground for an earth tsunami, a water ball the size of a basketball that appears on Oriana's right hand and allows her to wrap the water around things like flames or even a person to drown them, a spell where Oriana punches an enemy with a flashcard on her hand and an exlosion can be heard that knocks them to the ground, a blue flame wall that surrounds an enemy, an asphalt road spike, a softball-sized glass ball that is thrown as a projectile, a spell that throws a small white sphere of light, an ice sword capable of blocking Stiyl Magnus' flame sword that can be redirected mid-swing by manipulating the ice, an ice ball the size of a soccer ball that explodes to rain down shrapnel and a blade of wind several dozen meters long.

Other abilities
Oriana has experience when it comes to melee combat, utilizing seductive and suggestive "stances", which, coupled with her already distractingly attractive appearance, results in a strike-grapple-and-counter style that robs her male opponents of any and all concentration. This, in combination with her magical prowess allowed her to defeat Tsuchimikado Motoharu— a vicious hand-to-hand combatant in his own right (though weakened at the time due to using magic)— in a one-on-one fight, as well as simultaneously fighting Kamijou Touma and Stiyl Magnus to a standstill.

Touma himself recalls in the seventeenth novel that she had astounding combat capabilities and was able to retain the upper hand in fighting him and his two allies depite ultimately failing in her objective.

When Oriana parts ways with Touma to assist Sherry Cromwell in defeating the Knights of England, it is noted that while she is an excellent courier and escape artist she is not suited in fighting long, drawn-out battles -- specifically against the eight fully equipped knights that were battling Cromwell.

Design Evolution
The overall design of Oriana Thomson remains the same throughout the series. Early drafts of her character had her wear clothes much more moderately, in comparison to her finish design, and had a smaller bust. This is completely redone in her last design for the 9th and 10th light novel volume, with her wearing much more daring garments and her breast size increasing to the point of physical impossibility (a point that Haimura noted and quickly disregarded). She was apparently designed to look like a wife instead of an Onee-san, making her look much older despite her age.

By SS2, Oriana's design is affected by the deformed art style change that Haimura had. She is drawn, and had a coat added to her for the volume.

Quotes

 * "It doesn’t matter whether it’s the king, pope, president, ministers, no matter the title, no matter who’s on the throne, I’ll fight for others. Whether it’s science or magic, these things don’t matter."
 * "I beg you, decide on a rule. Please grant my wish, allow me to have a clear benchmark and make everyone happy. A world that runs on this best rule that won’t let anyone get involved in any discord that may lead to tragedy."
 * (To Fenrir from NT volume 8) “This is not my first time doing it with an enemy of magic. I have yet to use them on that boy, but I have simulated some countermeasures.”

Trivia

 * Oriana is considered by Kamachi Kazuma as "the person whom he wants to avoid altogether".
 * Oriana's seiyuu, Ryouka Yuzuki, also voices Yanagisako Aomi in Toaru Kagaku no Railgun.