Audrey None (formerly Valardin)
| |
| Audrey None (formerly Valardin) | |
|---|---|
| Social Rank | 7 |
| Fealty | Valardin |
| House | None (formerly Valardin) |
| Gender | Female |
| Age | 25 |
| Religion | Faith Of The Pantheon |
| Vocation | Sellsword |
| Height | average height |
| Hair Color | Silver |
| Eye Color | Blue |
| Skintone | Tan |
| Family | |
| Parents | Marcello Apstrudo, Marianne Valardin |
| Siblings | Celine Valardin, Lenard Valardin |
| Uncles/Aunts | Caius Valardin, Lyonis Valardin |
| Cousins | Gwenys Valardin, Damiana Valardin, Emma Valardin |
| Journals | |
| Authored By / Featured In | |
| Active | |
Description
Once Audrey was thought to be a beauty for the ages, but the years have been unkind to the reviled Oathlander. Her stunning blue eyes are sunk in her face, and her cheekbones are pronounced in a mix of aristocratic features and poor diet. Her blue eyes are windows into the mind of a woman wrought of sheer willpower who just won't quit, and at the same time reveal a need for kindness that is rarely visited upon her. Tall, lanky, deadly are all words one would use to describe the warrior, her once lush silvery mane of hair cut so it won't get in the way of fighting, kept short and spiky and her skin tan from the endless hours of riding she must do every day.
Personality
Audrey is not a woman of many words, the years have taught her to keep it to herself. A veritable wallflower, the warrior assumes she is not on anyone's mind and tries to play her role to perfection. Even though that paints a muted picture, observation of Audrey reveals far more beneath the surface. She is kind to those around her and she is the type to share her food with soldiers who have gotten less. She gives the time of her day to commonfolk that will talk to her and she responds to kindness with a smile and guarded warmth. The fighter is obviously a wounded woman, bearing a great burden, something some Oathlanders might recognize. Audrey bears her burden well, but if she can find respite in a good talk, she will, as acts of kindness towards her are few and far between.
On the subject of kinslaying, Audrey does not speak of it. Commoners might take that as admission of guilt and some sort of shame, but silence precludes Audrey from lying. For as long as she remains silent on the subject, the truth is what others will make of it, and she will remain guilty, as she desires.
Background
The tale is well-known by those in the Oathlands: Princess Marianne Valardin was an infectiously charismatic daughter of Sanctum, someone different from most her fellow White Dragons. She was unafraid of pushing social boundaries to the very extremes, always mingling with the Commonfolk and defying her family whenever she felt was right. Next to her the Valardin were seen as stuffy, and Princess Marianne as someone who put in full display just how pleasant a White Dragon could be. So wild was the Princess that she clashed against expectations and challenged tradition to marry for love, her husband a Lycene merchant named Marcello, a simple commoner. The crowds erupted in jubilation at wedding and the chaos in the White City that day was legendary, and it was to this legacy that Audrey, the first of four children, was born.
Although she loved her parents very much, Audrey always had a favorite. Marienne was just enthralling, more friend than mother as she taught Audrey how to dance, sing and ride a horse. The young girl eventually grew up to be just as full of joy as her mother, and possessing a strong sense of right and wrong, something that would serve her well in the years after the Tragedy.
When the Tragedy struck, Audrey's immediate family was thankfully spared from the carnage. The eldest of her siblings, she remembers as her parents argued over what to do next, and while Marianne was against leaving their children Marcello decided to help the surviving Valardin. Peeking out a window, Audrey watched her father mount his horse in the dead of night to ride to Sanctum, a decision that claimed his life. His death at the hands of the Malardin brotherhood cursed Audrey's family, and marked them for a dark fate: weeks later, in a night not unlike the one that saw Marcello leave, Audrey was found in a pool of Princess Marianne's blood, holding a kitchen knife, weeping over her dead mother.
In the wake of the travesty, many expected - many hoped - the Kinslayer to be put to the sword by then-newly elevated Highlord Edain. In a crowd that rivalled that of Marianne's wedding in size, the Commonfolk demanded blood, and Audrey seemed to agree with them. Highlord Edain, however, stayed his blade, not executing the young girl. The Kinslayer was allowed to live, albeit without her family name, and trusting his guidance, the Valardin's own fury was placated even if the Commonfolk would never forgive Audrey. Marianne was a larger-than-life character, and for all her shortcomings, the lively Princess did not deserve to die by the hands of her daughter. This sin has walked with Audrey ever since as she swore her sword to the Valardin and took it upon herself to ride alone at the Oathlands for years, hunting evil whenever it manifests, until now.
As the White Dragons find themselves readying for war, Audrey finds herself in Arx, heeding the call for those who have swore to defend the Great House and facing her family once more.
