Name: Anya Torrmander
Age: 26
Race: Human
Appearance: Anya is tall, and facially magnificent, as the Paladins of legend are sung about. A braid like a golden chain down to the upper edge of her back, heavy but delicate eyebrows, a winning smile that perhaps has more teeth than someone who's seen as much combat as her should have, and hazel eyes that denote more wisdom than a woman of her age has any business having. (Definitely more wisdom than she actually has...)
There are certain other factors that may also detract from her stereotypical statuesque nature: She shares portions and appetites with most men, and can hold her ale as well as the next grizzled adventurer, but has the metabolism of most "normal" women. This has resulted in a curvaceous, flossy build. A fairly thick layer of fat that tries desperately and fails to hide the proverbial brick house of iron-like, Amazonian sinews rippling underneath it just enough to show. It suits her just fine, given all the travelling and fighting she is prone to doing.
Whether in armor or normal clothes, Anya has all the appearance of a woman clearly blessed by whatever gods made her, and whoever it was, their materials consisted of some incredibly tough stuff.
History:
Anya was born the first child of a knight with a sizable fiefdom in a high mountain castle in the Rift. The Fief was sizable because it was difficult to build on, and the land was often too snowy or rocky to use very much of, but it was still a respectable amount of land for anyone to hold. Now, traditionally, women in the Rift kingdoms inherit land the same way a ruler's bastard son would: They don't... Unless there is some sizeable body of proof that they're either divine, or so outrageously much more qualified than any earlier born/male siblings that it would be an insult to the people to leave them with the lesser heir.
And women, like bastard sons, have two paths in life outside of marriage, (Bastards don't usually have that option, and women rarely desire to choose the other two, but it's far from unheard of,) The army, the clergy, or the city guard. As a somewhat unruly girl who grew up with 8 roughousing brothers and often headed to the barracks to train with them, she showed all the signs of a military woman to be... But it was some surprise when she decided she would join the clerical military of Groen...
Perhaps it was because she wanted to prove that she was chosen by the gods to inherit, perhaps it was because she wanted to respond to her nagging mother's insistence that she find some form of discipline and nobility if she was going to keep refusing all her lessons in ladyship. The most probable answer, though, is that she was genuinely taken with the amazing tales of the earth coming to be, and of the magical beings and artifacts that roamed the earth before the days of Elves and Men. With a mind full of stories and a heart full of faith, she headed north one day for one of the holds of Groen.
The training was harsh, vigorous, and lasted years. A proficient slaughterer of bandits and beasts, she patrolled the forest for a winter before the brass, (and the many soldiers in the predominantly male fortress who foolishly took chastity vows when most of the ladies were at least one keep away) thought that she should instead become a knight errant, spread the word of the gods. Of course, the title of a Knight in the Paladin order is mostly ceremonial, and there's no real land or money that comes from it. There is, however, white, shiny armor, horses, and other fun equipment.
She's been adventuring to this day, making a decent living with her earnings as a quest-doer.
Skills:
As an elite Paladin, and a soldier in training before that, Anya is well versed in horseback riding, swordsmanship, lance combat, and manuevering about with surprising dexterity when wielding her heavy armor and shield. She's also adept at basic first aid, wilderness survival, and, while she has no formal training, has been in more than her fair share of unarmed scraps, and knows her way around her body almost as well as her blades. As someone who does chores for people in need just as often as she fights beasts and bandits for villages in fear, she also has some experience in cooking, log-splitting, and other menial tasks.
Personality:
Anya is a romantic idealist, with very little tolerance for thugs, bullies, and other such spritual riff-raff. She is quick to anger, and quick to jump into action and deal with problems head-on. She holds a hammer and lives in a world full of nails.
Equipment:
The most notable things about Anya's arsenal is her armor. One solid steel torso over a long chainmail tunic, and plates built for deflection on the joints, shins, and forearms. And, of course, the bucket helm. All of it polished and shiny, but starting to show signs of the wear and tear of battle. Above this, she wears thick cloth, spangled with the iconic white and gold heraldry of the Groen Paladins. Her black warhorse, Eldveg (named after an ancient saint to the God of Life) has similar armor. Except, of course, it's armor for horses. From beneath her tempered steel fortress, Anya strikes a powerful and imposing image indeed, and, unless she utters a battlecry or removes her helmet, it becomes rather difficult to tell that she's a woman.
For weapons, she wields a broad, sturdy kiteshield with iron reinforcements, (again, white-and-gold holy heraldry) and a glistening longsword. She also ocassionally throws pots full of Alchemist Fire during a melee to deny area access to less encumbered foes, and some throwing axes, to do battle with enemies that are out of her reach or on charging horses. She has opted to carry these instead of the more standard issue crossbows given to knights and paladins who haven't spent enough time training at the range with a longbow.
Aside from that, her horse carries a simple cot and provisions, and her belt carries a fine scabbard and a drinking horn across her chest.
Simple Unicycle