History:
Selene was born to a family of peasant farmers, who never
expected that
she would do
anything but learn to raise cabbages, marry a farmer, and raise her
children to
raise cabbages. Unfortunately for them, this strange, solemn child of theirs
did not feel
the same way.
When Selene was ten years old, she had a dream. In this dream, an almost
forgotten
huntress Goddess
of her area appeared to speak to her. Selene felt that the goddess was
asking her
to found a society of warrior women, holy knights that would fight the
forces
of darkness
in Andarte's name and who would save the goddess from the fate of being
forgotten.
When the girl awoke from the strange vision, she clutched in her hand a
piece
of ashwood
that had been carved into Andarte's symbol: a cresent moon and a star.
From that moment on, Selene spent all of the hours she could spare listening
to the
village veterans,
doing errands for the warriors in exchange for lessons, and pestering any
wandering fighter
who chanced upon the remote villiage. Under the increasingly worried
eyes of her
simple parents, Selene began to remake herself into her vision of a holy
warrior.
Shortly after Selene's fourteenth birthday, her parents had a prospective
husband
picked, and
ordered Selene to give up the fighting nonsense and take her place as in
adult
society. Selene,
who had secretly sworn oaths to Andarte, which included chastity, rebelled.
In the resulting
argument, Selene swore that she would become a warrior regardless of
her parents.
Her father, angry and confused, returned that if she did not give up, he
would
disown her
forever. Selene reacted unthinkingly, and grabbed a small bundle of supplies
and
ran away from
her home village, never to return.
Only a few days on her own, Selene rescued an aging adventurer from a goblin
attack,
losing her
pot-metal sword in the process. Out of gratitude and kindness, the old
man took
Selene under
his wing, and agreed to teach her the ways of the mercenary. She stayed
with
Byron for three
years, before his death. He bequeathed to her the Fang and Claw, a dagger
and sword pair
that had been in his family for generations. Aside from Andarte's holy
symbol worn
about her neck, these are her most prized possessions.
Selene began adventuring on her own, but soon learned that very few employers
want
one adventurer,
they usually need a group. So now, Selene searches for a group with whom
she can travel
and work.
Selene is by nature solemn and serious, and has become moreso with time.
Her
dedication
to her task is complete and all consuming. She only hires as a mercenary
in
order to get
the fame and money she needs to win a noble Title and lands. With these,
she could found
her Order and attract enough women to make it a true force. She struggles
against her
peasant background, fearing that it wiil harm her chances of being respected
by nobles.
At the same time, this makes her deeply guilty, as she feels that she has
abandoned her
family and her homeland.
She has taken the following oaths to Andarte, and plans to make them part
of the
Order's charter:
Chastity, Abstinance from Alcohol, Chivarly, and Nobility in thought and
deed. She is
determined to become a paragon of the virtues she will seek from her Order.
This occasionally
grates on others, as she holds to all the "knightly conventions" and follows
the laws scrupilously.
She also comes across as having no sense of humor, although a
dry wit occasionally
surfaces. Despite this, she generally tends to exercise a fascination over
most, perhaps
due to the strength of her beliefs.
Appearance:
Selene is quite tall for a woman, and muscular, while retaining a
suggestion
of leanness. Her peasant ancestors clearly shine through in her dark brown
hair, round
and near black eyes, and deeply tanned skin. Her hands are nicked and scarred
from sword
fights and farming, but her face is, as yet, unmarked. Her voice is surprisingly
feminine for
her bearing and appearance, a lilting contralto. Her armor is worn, but
very
well cared
for, and some of her previous short-term companions have said that she
is
obsessed with
bathing and washing clothes. She is very direct in speech and habit,
except when
around nobles. There she attempts tact… which for her, generally means
keeping silent.
When in danger or distress, she tends to finger the small ash medallion
around her
neck. This medallion is never removed.