Name: Fiona Haylius
Race: Imperial
Age: 23
Family Origins: Born and raised in the village of White Haven in High Rock as an only child in a family that was more or less healthy and functional. Initially apprenticed to her father in the trade of blacksmithing.
"Is there something wrong with the way I look? Not like I need to impress anyone."
Appearance: Fiona stands at nearly 5'10", with an obvious strength to her bearing, honed first from long hours learning a physical trade, and then from long hours of training and exercise. Her hair stands out the most, with its vibrant shade of red, and its lack of any organization at all, falling down to the middle of her back. It's one of the many things that obviously define her lack of nobility.
She dresses comfortably for travel, work, and combat, mostly in leathers and linens, her preferred color for the latter being red. The leather is clearly well-worn and broken in, and fitted quite well both for her jacket and her trousers. Her few armor pieces are mismatched and clearly scavenged or bought pieces of iron plate, but the few that she has appear to be well-maintained. Her backpack is one large, simple sack. In all, Fiona appears to be barely holding together, but somehow, still quite attractive, in that wild, unrefined way.
"It's not much, but a woman isn't defined by her possessions. She's defined by her actions."
Equipment: Fiona carries two weapons on her, the most obvious being a
steel greatsword that she carries across her back. It's clearly seen a lot of use, but she keeps it in good shape. Her other combat weapon is a
dagger she keeps sheathed on her thigh. She has a blacksmith's hammer in her pack that could also be used as a weapon, but she has next to no experience fighting with it.
For armor, she doesn't have much, just a few pieces of worn steel plating, mostly on her right arm, which is well-protected enough to intercept lighter attacks if need be, though it wouldn't be her first choice of defense.
Miscellanea: In her pack she carries her bedroll, a blanket, some dried meats and fruits for rations, her hammer and other smithing tools, an extra jacket, and several changes of clothes.
"It won't be pretty, but I'll get the job done. Fighting's what I'm meant for."
Favored Skills:Highly ProficientTwo-Handed: She's not well trained in the art, but Fiona's a natural with a large sword all the same, and physically she matches the weapon quite well. Strength, speed, ferocity, relentlessness... she's a terror on the offensive.
Moderately ProficientSmithing: Her father was a much better smith than her, but Fiona managed to pick up much of his repertoire. She's good at repairing and maintaining equipment, and she can forge low-level weapons and armor if she has the materials. Sadly, she lacks those at the moment.
Light Armor: She's not bad at working with limited protection, and knows pretty well what attacks she can block, what she needs to dodge, and what she simply needs to brace for, and endure.
Somewhat ProficientSpeech: Fiona's no wordsmith, but she's passionate and adamant about what she believes in, and has a history of stirring people up.
Fighting Style: Fiona's no follower of the Imperial style of heavy armor, small weapons, and defensive combat. She doesn't have the resources to fight like that, or the temperament. Instead she relies on her aggression and natural talent in melee combat, overpowering opponents with strength, speed, and tenacity. Her swift swings of her two-handed sword are incredibly difficult to block outright, and she's quick to augment her attack with physical strikes from her fists, knees, feet, elbows, her head if need be. She has no reservations in a fight. It isn't graceful or pretty to watch, but it works for her.
She struggles against speed that outmatches her own, as when her swings are dodged entirely, Fiona's left vulnerable from the longer recovery time and her lack of proper armor. Typically she'll attempt to grapple swift enemies rather than immediately strike with her sword, to counter this. At range she has to rely on cover and speed, as she has no projectiles at her disposal, and little to defend herself from arrows.
She excels the most against large and slow enemies or creatures, able to inflict heavy damage with her sword, while dodging counter-attacks. Opponents that try to focus on defense often have a tough time against her as well, as a swing from her sword can break the arm of a shield-using foe, and few sword blocks can stand up to her.
"I refuse to sit here and wait while the Dominion conquers us one province at a time. We must help!"
Crime Committed: Destruction of property during the course of a tavern brawl. Fiona received a cracked rib and bruised jaw during the fight, but you should see the other guys.
Character Background: Fiona's parents, Matel and Setia Haylius, came from Cyrodiil originally, Bruma specifically, but relocated to the village of White Haven in High Rock after a local lord named Velnette sought out her father's services as a blacksmith. His work was highly sought after, and the opportunity proved the greatest. By the time Fiona was born, her parents had established themselves as respected members of the White Haven community. She had a peaceful upbringing as an only child, and a promising future once she was apprenticed to her father.
Lord Velnette supplied all of his forces with arms and armor provided by Fiona's father, but once that was done, the work began to dry up. It was a peaceful region, and well protected now that the garrison there was well equipped, and so Fiona's family saw their income reduced, and worked small jobs on horseshoes, tools, and the like. They were not poor, but neither were they very wealthy.
Fiona was barely 13 when war came to the south, and High Rock began to divide itself as to what to do. When Matel's family, his brothers and sisters, sent word that they were joining the fight against the Dominion, he felt compelled to go with them, despite the pleas of his wife and daughter. Still loyal to the Empire, Fiona's father joined a volunteer company and departed for Cyrodiil, to lend his services to the war effort. Fiona took over the majority of the blacksmithing duties. Much of the work her family received vanished, with clients unwilling to entrust their coin to a young girl's craftsmanship.
Her father was supposed to be a non-combatant, but that hardly mattered when Dominion forces overran their encampment one night. All were slaughtered, and eventually word of her father's death reached Fiona, who was now 15. Her mother's response was to fall into a near catatonic depression, but Fiona harnessed anger instead, at the elves that killed her father, and at the inaction of High Rock, who hid in their homes and refused to help. She trained a rudimentary style, and strengthened her body in preparation for the day in which she would be able to fight, to avenge her father.
As she grew older, she began to stir up support for the Imperial cause in her village. Lord Velnette was disinterested in offering any support to a war that was far from him, and viewed the growing dissent with unease. When Fiona was 19, putting off joining a volunteer company in favor of trying to rouse people into revolt, Velnette took action, and had his men burn down Fiona's smithy and home in the night, while Fiona was away. Believing the smoke and fire would scare out anyone inside, the men were surprised to learn that Fiona's mother had suffocated inside, unwilling to leave.
Naturally, Fiona flew into a rage when she found out, but rather than make a futile attempt at vengeance that would leave her dead as well, she gathered what things she could, including one of her father's swords, and left White Haven behind. She spent the next few years wandering High Rock as an adventurer and sellsword, choosing jobs selectively, with little concern for making much wealth. There were things she wanted to do: see Velnette dead, make an impact on the fight against the Dominion, make something more of herself, but she didn't know how to do any of these things.
One night while she was particularly drunk in a tavern in Meir Thorvale, Fiona responded violently to repeated insults thrown at her after she was recognized. The ensuing fight left part of the tavern destroyed, and Fiona thrown into prison, with a cracked rib, bruised jaw, and very bloody knuckles.
Personality: Fiona's not exactly subtle. She's blunt, honest, and typically says what's on her mind. It gets her into trouble sometimes. She fears nothing, really, but she does her best to avoid being reckless when it isn't called for. At heart, she's a very good person, with almost no selfish motivations, apart from a desire for revenge. There's a bit of subconscious racism in there when it comes to elves, specifically Altmer, but it isn't overbearing. She seeks to do what is best for people. She wants to help, always, and if that means putting herself at risk, it rarely factors into the decision.
She has a sort of battered optimism, the bright-eyed outlook on the world instilled by her father somewhat dimmed after his death, her mother's death, and years of struggling to make it on her own in a country with rampant problems. She sees bad things, but most of the time uses them as motivation to do
good things. That said, in the past few years Fiona has become more quick to anger, and she doesn't mix well with strong drink. Overall she's a bit restless, not sure what she's making of herself, but trying passionately to do her best in the world, and to do right by her father.
Font Color: Salmon!
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