Name: Berit Lang
Age: 26
Nationality: Chevois
Class: Wyvern Rider
Role: Animal Handler & Company Cook
Appearance: Berit is more or less androgynous in appearance. They are tall and broad shouldered, with deep tan skin and sharp eyes. In the past they've had many haircut styles, but for the last couple of years they have preferred shaved sides. Both of their ears are pierced, though they wear no earrings at the moment. Like any mercenary, Berit has their scars. The largest of them are the deep jagged line the traces their left hip, and a raised, puckered thing on their left shoulder blade. Their hands are calloused, and their hands and forearms are covered in little pale lines.
They prefer practical clothes and armor, although with an added flair. A certain seamstress usually helps with that. Floral designs are a favorite, but they don't have any bias towards colors or materials... besides furs. Berit hates the cold, could never get used to it even after years of growing up in Nohr. They can be seen wearing multiple layers and long sleeves on all but the hottest of days.
Personality: Berit is confident. They're a highly skilled combatant and they know it, but more than that they've lived a life where second guessing yourself not only could get you killed, but also knocks you down in the pecking order. There's no room for doubt Berit's life. When doubt does creep in it upsets and confuses her, which makes her agitated and annoyed. She takes to denial first. However, if it comes to personal matters and Berit is in the wrong, she doesn't have trouble admitting it. She isn't too proud to make amends. Although, in their opinion they are rarely ever wrong.
Being around people all her life, Berit is mostly friendly but it can take her a while to warm up to strangers. She treats the Silver Hawks like her family because, well, they are. It's normal to be a little wary when new people approach your family. Towards friends and acquaintances Berit is warm, humorous and helpful. Speaking of family though, relationships with family members aren't always sunshine and rainbows. Berit is stubborn, loud and opinionated - and she butts heads with even those she is closest with. She is known to give people a hard time now and then, but in the end she will always help out, defend, or stand up for her fellow Hawks.
She enjoys looking after people, and she is privy to the troubles of many Hawks who trust her with them. Thankfully she is good at keeping secrets. Even while drunk when she is at her most boisterous, she hasn't let anything slip yet. Berit also is not modest in the slightest, and doesn't mind skinship with her fellow Hawks.
History: Subterfuge. Betrayal. Regret. Loathing. Treason, and a whole lot of money.
The story of a man who intended to get rich trading coin for his countrymen's blood.
The House of Lang had been one of moderate standing in Cheve. Their sons and daughters more often than not dutifully served as knights in the kingdom's employ, and of that duty Alduin Lang was no exception. But when a country prided itself on the service of it's people, it was always breeding stronger, smarter, and all around better knights. For a man that wanted more in life than the minor glories and paltry salary of his station, competing with Cheve's best and brightest just was not an option. So when an agent of the Nohrian empire approached Alduin offering quite a substantial sum to sell out his comrades, he agreed.
Before anyone caught on, life was good for the Lang family. If a few Chevois campaigns fell through, ran into slaughter by Nohrian forces where there should have been none, well that was just fine. When Cheve's knight officers grew suspicious at the new luxurious lifestyle, they went to the one place where all men laid their secrets: their wife. They promised to protect her and divorce her from the soon-to-be disgraced Lang name, and so she confessed her husband's crimes. In a panic, Alduin fled West before he could be caught and hung. He took all of the coin he could carry, as well as his infant child.
But Berit knows none of that. That story is the sin of her father yet to be passed on to her. For several of Berit's earliest years her family of two lived on the road. No noble house in Windmire would shelter a traitor, even if it had been in benefit to Nohr. It was a bitter tonic to swallow. Even within the empire Alduin feared retribution for his crime, so father and daughter kept moving instead of settling down - sticking mostly to the empire's Southern areas. The money Alduin had earned was spent on horse rentals and wagons, and inns and taverns wherever they went, introducing Berit to the many peoples of Nohr. The history and beliefs of the Chevois as taught by her father mingled with the culture and tradition of the Nohrians. Children eager to grow up don't care so much about things like that however, and Berit never did ask why her father had left Cheve at all after the first time.
Eventually the cache of coin began to run low. It was at this time that the two Langs traveled further than usual, out of their comfort zone, and ended up joining the Silver Hawks. Mercenary companies were happy to accept former knights into their ranks, and they didn't care why such knights were no longer in their country's service. For Alduin, traveling with the Hawks provided some degree of protection as well as pay, though he would never quite shake the habit of looking over his shoulder.
For Berit, it wasn't a big change but it was an extremely welcome one. She was twelve at the time, and the excitement of living with a mercenary company invigorated her. Well used to living on the road already, Berit easily kept pace with everyone - plus she could already fight and ride, having learned much from her father as they traveled together. The Hawks put her to work looking after the horses rather than on the front line, but she was happy to do it. As it turned out Berit wasn't a bad cook either, hanging around tavern kitchens all the time led to her picking up a thing or two. Quite a few of the company appreciated that skill. As she continued to grow she picked up even more things: the gruff, brash demeanor of the men, the tactics they talked about around the campfire. After a couple years into living with the Hawks, Berit had never felt more at home.
When her father passed, Berit, age sixteen, stepped up to take his place in the front line. She'd grown strong lugging supplies around and wrestling with horses and the newly acquired wyverns on top of her regular training. During her debut on the battlefield, Berit's sword was shattered, her horse was slain, and she was very nearly run through. Berit had inherited or adopted many traits, but the stubbornness she used to push through that trial with only a hastily acquired hand axe was all her own. After that she was officially a full fledged member of the Silver Hawks. The loss of a father didn't sting quite as much when you had a found family to support you through it.
From then on Berit only grew stronger and more skilled. She officially took up the axe as her main weapon, and traded the squishy mammal mount for a tougher scaled one. She continued in the role she started with all those years ago, becoming the company's expert Animal Handler. She kept cooking as well, and as one of the Hawk's better chefs she often joked that she was in charge of feeding
everyone in camp, man and animal alike. It'd been ten years since joining the Silver Hawks. She'd seen members come and go, friends die, villages saved. She fought and befriended certain mysterious quartermasters, bailed newbies out of trouble and caused a few problems of her own now and then. She'd seen changes in leadership and attended a total of three Silver Hawks marriages. At this point she can't imagine living her life any other way.
Skills: Cookery
Animal handling
Axe fighting/Axefaire
Good aim
Hardy, a lot of stamina
Decent handyman
Can sleep standing up, or with eyes open
Trivia: She/They
Her
wyvern's name is Penrod.
Art for FC is by
this artist.