Loreia Valens
"I don't think I'm ready for this. But I have to be." Loreia Severa Arria Valens
Titles/Nicknames: The Lady of House Valens, since there's no one else to claim the title. She hasn't gone by any nicknames.
Age: 21
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
Combat Role: Swift Flanker/Duelist
Hair Color: Strawberry blonde, leaning towards orange
Eye Color: Light brown
Height: 5'7" (1.7 m)
Weight: 120 lbs (54.4 kg)
Appearance: Loreia's nobility is pretty obvious, from her long, clean hair, to her unconsciously proud posture and walk, to the crisp, elegant, but practical way she dresses. Despite that, her appearance isn't entirely usual for a Venatrian noblewoman. Reddish hair isn't common in the West, and her skin is a bit paler than usual, almost giving her the look of someone from much further north. She lacks the size of a typical Torgureni, though, and indeed has a figure much more svelte than stocky.
Outside of the arena she dresses conservatively and comfortably, preferring outfits intended for physical activity to those for social engagements. That means pants and comfortable boots, light tops, scarves on occasion, jackets or light cloaks, that sort of thing. Her hair is the one thing approaching an impracticality on her, its length nearing her lower back, but she typically keeps most of it bound back behind her with a variety of braided styles and ponytails.
Overview: The past year has left Loreia somewhat melancholy at times, but she's usually able to set it aside when she wants to. The strongest attribute of her personality is easily her empathy, the way she seems to genuinely
care for the people around her on her side. She's an excellent listener, and open and unrestricted with her aid. So long as she hasn't been given a reason to distrust someone, she doesn't. This applies to non-human races as well, something of an uncommon stance in Venatria. She has to remind herself often not to let society's habits define her actions, but overall Loreia is very accepting of racial differences, and hopes to be better than the majority of her brethren.
Her desire to see the best in everyone can and has led her astray, a trait which tends to come through in combat as well. She's a rather guileless young woman, something that can be used against her easily enough. When faced with problems, however, Loreia is a singularly determined sort. Not fearless at all, and often not even confident, but if bravery is the act of overcoming fear, Loreia has it. Personal risk or sacrifice are rarely thrown into the equation when she's figuring out what course to take. It's undoubtedly going to get her in trouble in the future, but that's what she counts on the strength of her friends for.
Conversationally, she tends to react in a similar manner to whomever she's interacting with. She loves good-humored types, finding them infectious, and on the flip side, tends to feel the pain of her friends as though it's her own. At her base, Loreia is thoughtful, a little quiet, humble, open, and compassionate.
Strength: 3
Dexterity: 7
Intelligence: 6
Cunning: 2
Magic: 1
Willpower: 6
Endurance: 3
Charisma: 4
Weapons of Choice: Her primary weapon is her sword, called
Ember. It's thin, double-edged, lightweight and sturdy, and has good reach. She can use it in one hand in a pinch, but prefers to swing with both. The blade was a gift from her father, and it's enchanted with runes in the steel capable of creating fire when she calls upon it. With a swing of the sword, Loreia can hurl a thin blade of fire through the air, capable of melting through armor, burning enemies, and inflicting heavy damage. Her backup weapon is a small dagger, kept sheathed at the back of her belt.
Armor/Combat Apparel: Loreia wears her house colors, white with red trim, her attire standing out pretty clearly on the field. Her under-layer is snugly fit and easy to move in, with a sleeveless top, arm sleeves, short skirt, leather belt, leggings, and sturdy knee-high boots. She wears a minimum of lightweight steel armor, including a breastplate, forearm guards, and plating on her shins and feet.
Fighting Style: Her experience is extremely limited, but Loreia was trained by her father, and has no small amount of talent, even if she's not physically quite up to a gladiator's standard yet. She's quick and skilled with her blade, precise with her attacks, and overall pretty good at engaging similarly armed enemies in single combat. She's elusive and hard to pin down, making her well suited for slipping through enemies to attack their important targets, such as vulnerable mages or long-ranged fighters. The fire from her sword can prove critical against tougher, slower enemies, and given the right opening she can easily hit vital points to bring down foes much larger than herself.
Loreia's weaknesses are pretty obvious, looking at her. Her build is slim and could even be described as willowy. A few hits from a strong opponent would be more than enough to defeat her, and tasks requiring brute force from her won't end well. Her inexperience as a gladiator will be apparent when faced with some of the odd weaponry and tricky tactics she'll come up against. Underhanded moves can easily catch her off guard.
In all, Loreia has an uphill battle to climb in order to be the gladiator her father was. She's not without potential, but she has a long way to go.
Place of Birth: Apulum, on the western coast of Venatria.
Social Status: The recent heiress and now head of the noble House Valens.
History: Loreia Valens was born near the end of Venatria's last war with the Torgureni, at her family's manor in Apulum, a coastal town situated in a lovely little area on the western edge of the Empire. She has no memory of her mother, however, as she died from complications of childbirth. Her father, Lucius Valens, had never actually married her, a subject of some scandal, but nothing a rising gladiatorial star couldn't handle.
Loreia's father reached the peak of his glory when she was a child, and as such she was raised more by the family steward Amulius than by Lucius himself. That changed when Lucius began to reduce his foreign appearances, during Loreia's teenage years, restricting himself to Venatria as he aged. The Valens name was quite legendary at this point, and House Valens hosted an expansive gladiatorial school, nearly thirty warriors strong at one point. Loreia befriended many of them as she grew older, but Lucius had always intended for a different life for her, something Loreia agreed with. Still, he trained her personally in self-defense until she was capable of looking after herself.
The plan was actually for Loreia to use the influence and wealth of her family to enter politics, with the eventual intent of establishing stronger, more stable relations between Venatria and the Torgureni clans. A future as a diplomat and ambassador seemed like something Loreia could devote herself to, something she believed in.
At twenty, almost ready to enter the political arena in earnest, Loreia found her father murdered in their own home, and her future was thrown into doubt. Perhaps more alarming was the rapid dissolution of the House Valens gladiatorial school after Lucius's death, some of the longest standing friends of her father's being the first to go. They scattered to the winds before anyone responsible for the killing could be aprehended.
For months Loreia sought answers, finding nothing. She simply didn't have the influence outside of her home town with her father gone, and the other noble families of Venatria were more than content to watch House Valens collapse, and grow fat on the opening it left in the arenas. She learned that many of her father's former pupils had since joined or started other gladiator teams, but with her House barely held together, she had no way of getting her hands on them to search for answers.
So with Apulum's Wintersend Tournament rapidly approaching, Loreia makes a brash move, and throws herself into the life she wasn't supposed to have. One in the arena. She has no power, few allies, and most alarmingly, no team. Only a dying name that was once a legend. But she hopes that it's a name that will draw others, and together they can immerse themselves in the world of gladiators, until she can find justice for her father.
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