Sicarius
12-15-11, 02:07 PM
Name: Arianna De’fei
Age: 16
Race: Human
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Gray
Height: 5’ 6”
Weight: 128 lbs.
*Occupation: Exiled, bastard nobility
*Personality: Stubborn, strong-willed, and shy are the most commonly used adjectives to describe Arianna. She is not an outgoing person in any sense of the word, yet has a vicious tendency to verbally assault anyone who she believes looks down on her. Most people hate losing, but she takes it violently. A loss is a direct attack to her pride, and she is not the type to take that lying down. When words fail, she is quick to resort to her fists, regardless of her lithe form. If nothing else, she is tenacious, too stubborn to let something as minor as broken ribs stop her. (Well, that’s what she likes to think. She has never experienced a broken bone before, so that kind of resilience is all in her head.)
She has never been comfortable in a group. Having never been exposed to reliable people, she is socially awkward. On top of that, her adolescence makes her come across as brusque, especially when dealing with people older than her. She perceives herself as mature, stately, and incredibly attractive. While these are all in the eye of the beholder, these perceptions bleed through in her interactions with people. Her plays at maturity end up being condescending remarks, and her stately grace has her stumbling over her tongue for the next impressive word. That incredible attractiveness… well, let’s leave that up to the individual, shall we?
Appearance: At a glance, Arianna is an ivory beauty with supple, black hair tied back in a hasty ponytail. Her high cheekbones and thin nose give her a delicate appearance. Coupled with her thin chin and small, pouting lips, she is reminiscent of a doll. However, months of travel have tarnished flawless skin, leaving patches of dead, dried skin flaking from her knees, hands, and elbows. Her cheeks have a rosy glow, from the distance, but are in truth raw from the wind.
History: When a commoner gets lucky with a member of the nobility, it is commonly assumed that she was a prostitute out for the money. Her child is considered a bastard and either reared distantly by the nobility, or outlasted from refined society. However, there are a few isolated cases where the mother is a member of the nobility and the father is a common laborer with a pretty face. Such is the truth behind Arianna’s birth. Her mother was a fairly young widow who promiscuity was renowned throughout her hold. As a noble of low standing, she did not give much thought to her reputation, instead deciding to indulge herself in the baser pleasures of life. Arianna’s father happened to be in the right place at the right time.
In a convoluted series of events too ludicrous to even attempt to describe, he ended up as the widow’s play thing, kept around to stifle her boredom in between matters of state. Arianna’s conception occurred during one of their frequent trysts. Her father was dismissed shortly after her birth to mitigate the political backlash. Even so, the rumors flew. Arianna’s mother was the talk of the court, and these discussions were ostracizing to put it mildly.
Normally in such a situation, the noble in question would toss her bastard aside and attempt to salvage what remained of her reputation. Arianna’s mother did not have that luxury. Her late husband had never once succeeded in impregnating her, leaving her barren since their arranged marriage a decade ago. Arianna was her last hope for an heir if she hoped to continue her family’s lineage. A tainted heir was better than no heir, she decided. As such, she hired the best tutors she could find for Arianna and began her training at an early age.
She was taught a variety of subjects, from history to calligraphy, but spent more time having etiquette drilled into her. Her lessons were crucial, in her mother’s opinion. Her first appearances in court would make or break their family’s name. If her appearance was a failure, they might as well sell their coat of arms and flee the country. Thus Arianna had etiquette forced into her entire being from the moment she could crawl. Everything about her had to be refined, mature, stately. She could not afford to come across as girlish, even as a child.
Around her eighth name day, Arianna asked on a whim to learn how to fence. After observing an intense match held in her mother’s honor a few days before, she was obsessed with it. Her mother acquiesced without objection, and her fencing lessons began half a year later. From that point on, she balanced general studies with etiquette and other miscellaneous activities her mother forced upon her.
This relative peace did not last forever. Around her fourteenth name day, rumors began to circulate through the court. Her mother was once more subject to their ostracizing, but endured it with a noticeably hollow smile. She persevered for a while, holding her own against entire cliques of nobles. Eventually, she fell victim to the pressure. The rumors went to her head, making her increasingly paranoid. At one point, she dismissed half of her servants, simply out of fear that they were fanning the flames. With her back against the wall, she had no choice but to disown her bastard daughter.
Arianna was exiled three days before her sixteenth name day. She was given a steel sword from her fencing instructor, her mother’s blessed amulet, and enough food and coin to comfortably last her a month. So began her adventure. Ignore the mishaps along the way for now, as those are not important. Instead, focus on the road ahead, as there is a bright future ahead of this girl.
Skills:
Swordsmanship—Arianna is a decently skilled swordsman, though her skill is only a bit above an average level.
General Knowledge—Tutoring from an early age has given her a fairly large base of general knowledge.
Literacy—She is literate, though her handwriting is atrocious when she tries to produce a work of her own.
Misc.—She has some minor skill when it comes to playing the pan flute, and took dance lessons when she was younger.
Abilities:
Speed—1.5x faster than an average person. Her physical conditioning led to this development over a period of years.
Endurance—1.5x tougher than an average person. Life on the streets, after her exile, combined with her strong willpower and refusal to give up allow her to take in a bit more punishment than the average Joe before giving up.
Barrier—Can erect a magical barrier around herself that resembles a cocoon. It can withstand several blows from an opponent of similar strength and one or two from a stronger foe. She can use the barrier twice a day. While encased in the barrier, she cannot attack.
Equipment: Aside from traveling provisions, an emerald amulet with a silver chain (supposedly blessed, but with no apparent benefits), a suit of plain leather armor, and a few changes of clothes, Arianna carries a well-made steel sword with a boar skin scabbard. The blade is plain, but sharp, and the scabbard is functional.
Age: 16
Race: Human
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Gray
Height: 5’ 6”
Weight: 128 lbs.
*Occupation: Exiled, bastard nobility
*Personality: Stubborn, strong-willed, and shy are the most commonly used adjectives to describe Arianna. She is not an outgoing person in any sense of the word, yet has a vicious tendency to verbally assault anyone who she believes looks down on her. Most people hate losing, but she takes it violently. A loss is a direct attack to her pride, and she is not the type to take that lying down. When words fail, she is quick to resort to her fists, regardless of her lithe form. If nothing else, she is tenacious, too stubborn to let something as minor as broken ribs stop her. (Well, that’s what she likes to think. She has never experienced a broken bone before, so that kind of resilience is all in her head.)
She has never been comfortable in a group. Having never been exposed to reliable people, she is socially awkward. On top of that, her adolescence makes her come across as brusque, especially when dealing with people older than her. She perceives herself as mature, stately, and incredibly attractive. While these are all in the eye of the beholder, these perceptions bleed through in her interactions with people. Her plays at maturity end up being condescending remarks, and her stately grace has her stumbling over her tongue for the next impressive word. That incredible attractiveness… well, let’s leave that up to the individual, shall we?
Appearance: At a glance, Arianna is an ivory beauty with supple, black hair tied back in a hasty ponytail. Her high cheekbones and thin nose give her a delicate appearance. Coupled with her thin chin and small, pouting lips, she is reminiscent of a doll. However, months of travel have tarnished flawless skin, leaving patches of dead, dried skin flaking from her knees, hands, and elbows. Her cheeks have a rosy glow, from the distance, but are in truth raw from the wind.
History: When a commoner gets lucky with a member of the nobility, it is commonly assumed that she was a prostitute out for the money. Her child is considered a bastard and either reared distantly by the nobility, or outlasted from refined society. However, there are a few isolated cases where the mother is a member of the nobility and the father is a common laborer with a pretty face. Such is the truth behind Arianna’s birth. Her mother was a fairly young widow who promiscuity was renowned throughout her hold. As a noble of low standing, she did not give much thought to her reputation, instead deciding to indulge herself in the baser pleasures of life. Arianna’s father happened to be in the right place at the right time.
In a convoluted series of events too ludicrous to even attempt to describe, he ended up as the widow’s play thing, kept around to stifle her boredom in between matters of state. Arianna’s conception occurred during one of their frequent trysts. Her father was dismissed shortly after her birth to mitigate the political backlash. Even so, the rumors flew. Arianna’s mother was the talk of the court, and these discussions were ostracizing to put it mildly.
Normally in such a situation, the noble in question would toss her bastard aside and attempt to salvage what remained of her reputation. Arianna’s mother did not have that luxury. Her late husband had never once succeeded in impregnating her, leaving her barren since their arranged marriage a decade ago. Arianna was her last hope for an heir if she hoped to continue her family’s lineage. A tainted heir was better than no heir, she decided. As such, she hired the best tutors she could find for Arianna and began her training at an early age.
She was taught a variety of subjects, from history to calligraphy, but spent more time having etiquette drilled into her. Her lessons were crucial, in her mother’s opinion. Her first appearances in court would make or break their family’s name. If her appearance was a failure, they might as well sell their coat of arms and flee the country. Thus Arianna had etiquette forced into her entire being from the moment she could crawl. Everything about her had to be refined, mature, stately. She could not afford to come across as girlish, even as a child.
Around her eighth name day, Arianna asked on a whim to learn how to fence. After observing an intense match held in her mother’s honor a few days before, she was obsessed with it. Her mother acquiesced without objection, and her fencing lessons began half a year later. From that point on, she balanced general studies with etiquette and other miscellaneous activities her mother forced upon her.
This relative peace did not last forever. Around her fourteenth name day, rumors began to circulate through the court. Her mother was once more subject to their ostracizing, but endured it with a noticeably hollow smile. She persevered for a while, holding her own against entire cliques of nobles. Eventually, she fell victim to the pressure. The rumors went to her head, making her increasingly paranoid. At one point, she dismissed half of her servants, simply out of fear that they were fanning the flames. With her back against the wall, she had no choice but to disown her bastard daughter.
Arianna was exiled three days before her sixteenth name day. She was given a steel sword from her fencing instructor, her mother’s blessed amulet, and enough food and coin to comfortably last her a month. So began her adventure. Ignore the mishaps along the way for now, as those are not important. Instead, focus on the road ahead, as there is a bright future ahead of this girl.
Skills:
Swordsmanship—Arianna is a decently skilled swordsman, though her skill is only a bit above an average level.
General Knowledge—Tutoring from an early age has given her a fairly large base of general knowledge.
Literacy—She is literate, though her handwriting is atrocious when she tries to produce a work of her own.
Misc.—She has some minor skill when it comes to playing the pan flute, and took dance lessons when she was younger.
Abilities:
Speed—1.5x faster than an average person. Her physical conditioning led to this development over a period of years.
Endurance—1.5x tougher than an average person. Life on the streets, after her exile, combined with her strong willpower and refusal to give up allow her to take in a bit more punishment than the average Joe before giving up.
Barrier—Can erect a magical barrier around herself that resembles a cocoon. It can withstand several blows from an opponent of similar strength and one or two from a stronger foe. She can use the barrier twice a day. While encased in the barrier, she cannot attack.
Equipment: Aside from traveling provisions, an emerald amulet with a silver chain (supposedly blessed, but with no apparent benefits), a suit of plain leather armor, and a few changes of clothes, Arianna carries a well-made steel sword with a boar skin scabbard. The blade is plain, but sharp, and the scabbard is functional.