Gwendallia Aestreya Varoness

Gwendallia Aestreya Varoness (a.k.a. Gwen)

Fourth child of a minor noble house, Gwendallia Aestreya Varoness is one of those "spare children" noble lines so often acquire. She had little to do in the way of duty, save remain alive in the event her older siblings all perished before one of them takes the seat of power in their house. Nevertheless, she received the same education as her more "important" siblings, and early on displayed remarkable talent in speechcraft and music. She was enamored with the tales of magical creatures and peoples that supposedly once lived in the world, and that interest soon spread to tales and legends of all kinds, especially the heroic ones. When it became clear that she also had magical talent, her family paid for private tutelage without hesitation. It would not do for even a "spare" child to remain idle, and so her father used his influence to arrange her squire-ship to The Order of the Amber Guard, who gleefully accepted a noble-born caster that intrinsically improved the morale of those around her almost as an afterthought. This pleased her well enough; what better way to learn and spread tales of heroism than to perform them herself?
She usually just goes by Gwen, and is a passionate seeker of justice for all. Her skill with song, speech and spell found itself matched with her skill at arms well enough, and she is generally a happy, outgoing sort who looks for the best in all she meets. She spends what down time she has working on her music, usually, or in deep conversations with friends. Now, as the culmination of her time as a squire nears, she sees the possibility of becoming a full Knight bearing down on her, and is nothing but excited to start truly serving the Queen and people of the realm.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Lean and athletic, toned, but not overly muscular

Body Features

Smooth youthful skin, not yet tested in true battle. Long brunette hair with golden highlights in the sun.

Facial Features

Pretty, bright eyed, eager smile usually on her lips. Slightly upturned nose

Identifying Characteristics

Striking green eyes, long tapered ears, sly yet friendly expression

Physical quirks

Never far from her lute, tuning, strumming, and trying out new arrangements. Often seen scribbling in a notebook as she works out rhymes, meters, and verses.

Special abilities

Can do magic with sound!

Apparel & Accessories

Leather armor with Amberfell green tabard, lute, rapier, notebook

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Noble born, skilled with drum, flute, lute, rapier, crossbow, and some magic. Fourth in line to the throne of noble house Varoness in the western mountains of Amberfell. Has been training as a squire for the Order of the Amber Guard since she was 16.

Gender Identity

Female; feminine with a healthy dash of tomboy

Sexuality

Pansexual, though mostly attracted to feminine gender presentation. Only experiences attraction to those who she knows well enough to form a bond with. Not interested in romantic advances, unless those conditions are met. Despite all that, love, sex and romance are usually far from her mind, as she's mostly focused on being heroic during the day and singing about it at night.

Education

Finely educated in the arcane, history, speechcraft and performance. In addition she has training in statecraft, multiple languages, and musical theory.

Employment

Squire for the Order of the Amber Guard, bard when she can get some free time

Accomplishments & Achievements

Has natural magic talent, which is rare. Other than that, not much yet, being just a squire in the Order.

Failures & Embarrassments

Not too much yet. She's excelled in her schooling and training as a squire, though she has yet to face any real-world challenges.

Mental Trauma

Not much to speak of. Yet. A good family life, nothing worse than mild sibling hazing to contend with.

Intellectual Characteristics

Quick witted, clever, and intelligent. A fast learner, eager to acquire new knowledge. Particularly focused on legends and folklore, especially heroic tales.

Morality & Philosophy

All beings have a right to live in peace and prosperity. Any who threaten that are evil and shall be brought to justice by the strong. It is the duty of the strong to protect the weak. It is the duty of a ruler to see that justice and protection is always carried out in their lands, and never to allow corruption to flourish. Stories spread hope, and hope can push away the deepest darkness. To tell the tales of the brave is to inspire bravery; to sing the songs of the just is to keep the fires of justice itself burning.

Taboos

Anything generally seen as selfish or heedless of the needs or considerations of others

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Justice, adventure, improving the lot of the people of Amberfell, and faithfully serving Queen Muller. Recording heroic deeds of herself and her companions, entertaining the masses and spreading those tales to encourage the spread of the virtues of courage, justice, and compassion across the land.

Savvies & Ineptitudes

Despite being a skilled musician, she cannot for the life of her read music. She plays "By ear and heart" as she is fond of saying. Even her song notebook is full of a scrawl that only she can understand.

Likes & Dislikes

Likes: Virtuous behavior, roast lamb, music, the sound of wind through leaves, the smell of rain on the wind, cats, ladybugs. Dislikes: Selfish people, radishes, hot weather

Virtues & Personality perks

Loyal, selfless, just, compassionate

Vices & Personality flaws

She can get a little too distracted by her music, sometimes getting lost in arranging a rhyme or working out notes when she should be focused on something more important at the time. Her footwork could also use some work. If she's not careful, she could take more than her share of food, as she is quite the foodie as well.

Personality Quirks

She often stops in mid step or sentence when she hears something, having been trained to take note of any tones or notes she could incorporate into her music. She finds birdsong particularly distracting, yet inspirational. She's also prone to leg bouncing when sitting for a while, and can never sit in a chair like a straight person.

Hygiene

She believes hygiene is very important, not just for health but also to present a heroic bearing to the world. She is very aware that she represents the Amber Guard, Amberfell as a whole, and Queen Muller herself, and therefore she takes careful pride in her hygiene and appearance. She also regards makeup, especially eyeliner and shadow, as a kind of warpaint; to her, the application of such is a little ritual that helps her get into the correct mindset for battle and song.

Social

Family Ties

Her relations with her house are in good standing and strong. Her family relationships are loving and healthy, and her family is proud of what she is doing. She, too, is proud of her families accomplishments and stewardship of their fief, as well as their loyalty to the Throne of Amberfell.

Religious Views

Devoted to the All-Mother, she sees herself as a servant of Hers fighting any who seek to disrupt the natural balance of the realm; namely, people being able to live in peace, harmony, and abundance. Less concerned with clergy and dogma as she is the practical application of the virtues to the world around her.

Social Aptitude

High. Her training with performance and speechcraft make her somewhat of a natural extrovert and social butterfly. She's charming, funny, and always seems to know just what to say and when to say it.

Mannerisms

She generally moves with a smooth, flowing gait, and is very expressive with her face and hands as she talks. She appears to wear her emotions on her sleeve, but as a trained performer they are all carefully cultivated to help her interact with an audience.

Hobbies & Pets

Being a squire and, hopefully, soon a knight is not a lifestyle particularly suited to the keeping of pets. She is however fond of all animals, but cats are a particular favorite. Her music is her main hobby, though she also enjoys cooking and swimming when she can.

Speech

Clever, quick witted, educated but not obtuse.

Wealth & Financial state

Personally, not much, though she can call on some significant resources through her family if a need dire enough arises. Still, she is a squire of the Amber Guard, and as such she wishes to stand on her own accomplishments and earnings.

View Character Profile

Alignment

Neutral Good

Age

21

Date of Birth

September 20th, 1640

Gender

Female

Eyes

Green

Hair

Brunette

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Light olive

Height

6'2"

Weight

170 lb

Quotes & Catchphrases

TBD

Known Languages

Common, elvish, dwarvish, celestial