"I can hear the drums now, y'know? Nice an' loud. There's killin' ter be done an' that's a fact."

[i]-Quote attributed to Red Myra[/i]

[b]Name:[/b] Myranda "Myra" Tavellan [Meer-an-duh Tuh-vell-en], also known as "Red Myra"

[b]Race:[/b] Elf

[b]Age:[/b] 216 years old

[b]Nationality:[/b] Whitestone Village, The Empire of Tolos

[b]Occupation:[/b] Conscript, bandit, and former captain of the White Hands mercenary company 

[b]Religion:[/b] While she claims to worship the Tolosi gods, nobody has actually seen Myranda pray.

[hider=Appearance and Personality]
Myranda Tavellan is an unusual-looking elf. Standing at an imposing 6'2", the elven berserker is heavily muscled and covered in scars of every shape and size imaginable. Her lean, hungry face, which might have been beautiful at one point, is marred by three nasty scars that barely avoid her brown eyes. Half of Myranda's right ear has also fallen victim to the ravages of her bloody lifestyle, and she scratches at the scabby remnants from time to time. A tangled mass of dark brown hair frames the warrior's battered face like a curtain trying to hide some hideous sideshow attraction. The elf's nose is also decidedly crooked and her smile is full of gaps. Perhaps in hopes of mitigating the impact of her ominous appearance, Myranda is always slightly hunched yet even her shoulders, broad and powerful as they are, suggest this isn't some pampered Tolosi aristocrat or beloved elven servant. Normally, the mercenary wears a white lion skin cloak over her shoulders despite the odor of blood and sweat clinging to the ratty garment. Two long, muscular arms extend down from Myranda's shoulders and end in a pair of rough, callused hands. While Red Myra doesn't normally wear gloves, every now and again she'll produce a pair of black iron gauntlets from her travel-stained knapsack. These gauntlets have tiny bronze spikes set into the knuckles. Needless to say, being punched by Myranda while she's wearing her gauntlets is only slightly less amusing than being punched by Myranda without her gauntlets.

Moving past her small bosom, Myra's stomach is toned to the point where she appears malnourished like a wolf that hasn't hunted in weeks. Considering how often her meals consist of alcohol and whatever she can find nearby, this isn't surprising. Wide hips and powerful, long legs complete the image of an elf few people want to piss off. The sellsword can usually be seen wearing a studded leather chestpiece over a greasy linen undershirt along with black iron leg-guards as daywear. She almost always has her spiked buckler strapped to her back unless she's forced to remove it. A simple leather belt wraps around the hired blade's waist and her sheathed black iron longsword hangs from it. A wineskin, which is always full, and several pouches also dangle from the berserker's belt. Each of these pouches has been dyed a different color so Myranda can quickly find whatever item she needs. For example, her blue pouch contains an old wooden pipe adorned with worn images of prancing reindeer while her purple pouch is bursting with wraith leaves, Myranda's tobacco of choice. Last but not least, the elf's black iron sabatons appear to fall apart a little more every time she puts them on.

Myranda's personality is as unnerving as her appearance. She doesn't actively seek the company of others, but she can be surprisingly pleasant when approached. Especially if she's approached with a tankard of Etruscan ale. Courage, determination, and a love of anything crass, obscene, or irreverent make her an interesting traveling companion if not the most loyal one. Despite her boisterous behavior, however, there are times when the elf will fall into long spells of silent, almost melancholic, contemplation. Her thoughts often wander down the old, painful roads to the experiences that shaped her into the woman she is today. Still, the berserker tries to live in the moment and hates spending a great deal of time dwelling on the past. She finds her pleasures where she can whether it's the simple joy of walking down an unfamiliar road or the wonderful burn of dwarven spirits. Of course, when the opportunity for wantonness and excess arises, the mercenary is only too happy to take full advantage. The nastier and fouler the deed the more likely she is to do it. These antics notwithstanding, Myra does try to do what she believes is right. Usually.

On the other hand, Red Myra's demeanor completely changes when she gets angry or finds herself in the midst of armed combat. There are those among the elf's few friends who believe Myranda's "normal" behavior is merely a facade, hiding the truth of a woman desperately struggling to control herself. To keep herself from her one, true addiction. The addiction of shedding blood and inflicting pain on other people. Myranda might claim she's trying to be a better person, but there's always a savage joy in her eyes and a smile on her face when battle is joined. And thanks to over one hundred years of experience Myranda is an incredibly skilled, not to mention vicious, fighter. Still, rumors persist that she has a hard time telling friend from foe when she's fully enraged. There are also certain individuals who are convinced Myra has become some kind of death-seeker, waiting for the day when someone puts an end to her brutal, chaotic life. Some even suggest the sellsword is mentally unsound since she constantly talks about hearing drums when she fights. Even when there aren't any drums to be found on the battlefield. Regardless, Red Myra's deep, rasping voice has been the last thing many warriors have heard before their souls were sent howling into the afterlife.
[/hider]

[hider=Biography]
Myranda was born in the winter of 3434 to an impoverished earthroot farmer named Eldrath Tavellan. She spent the first twenty years of her life living in her father's small shack, which was about half a day's journey from the border separating the Empire of Tolos from Coromis. Just to the north of the Tavellans' home, Whitestone Village sat as pretty as any rural painting crafted by renowned Tolosi artist, Atilian Kalivas. Young Myra always looked forward to the days following the harvest because her father would hitch the family oxen to their rickety wagon and take the year's crop to the village market. While most of the money they made was spent ensuring Eldrath had enough liquor to last the rest of the year, some of the coin went towards things like a basic primer on the Tolosi tongue and even an old, battered atlas depicting the entirety of the Empire. These items became some of Myranda's most treasured possessions, and she often dreamed of leaving the monotony of her father's farm behind. Of course, suggesting such a thing was guaranteed to send Eldrath into one of his rages, which always ended with Myranda bleeding on the floor and him staggering off to find another bottle of whiskey. Another topic the two elves never discussed was what happened to Myra's mother. Despite these moments of brutal unpleasantness, however, the Tavellans lived a simple, peaceful life on their farm and nobody bothered them much. Who would be interested in the affairs of the village drunk and his young daughter?

And then the Battle of Havendall ended with the Empire of Tolos suffering its first defeat in recent memory.

Thankfully, Whitestone Village's small size meant it wasn't drawn into the conflict. Unfortunately, the battle between the Imperial legions and the allies of God-King Oromis would have far-reaching consequences beyond the formation of the Etruscan League. On the eve of her twentieth name day, when elves were said to have reached the "age of reason," Myranda came in from a hard day's work in the fields to find her father waiting for her, a knife clutched in his hand. Wordlessly, the old farmer pointed towards Whitestone Village and his daughter peered curiously out the window. Whitestone Village was ablaze and Myra's sharp eyes could barely make out the fleeing specks of villagers running for their lives. 

One of the numerous mercenary companies hired by the remaining Tolosi highborn to guard the border separating them from the Etruscan League had decided to do some "foraging." Foraging, in this case, meaning looting, burning, and pillaging in hopes of supplementing the pittance their employers were paying them. It was like something out of a nightmare. Inevitably, the rogue mercenaries made their way south and stumbled upon the Tavellan farmstead, their eyes shining with delight as they set fire to the earthroot crop and savagely butchered Eldrath's oxen. Myranda has never spoken to anyone about what happened next, but her father was slain by Captain Kurdan Sokolov, the dwarf in charge of the rapacious sellswords. Instead of sending Myra to join her father in the afterlife, however, the captain gave her a place at his side, calling her his "lucky charm." 

Thus, Myranda Tavellan joined Kurdan's Sabers, a mercenary company comprised mainly of Coromics, Tolosi deserters and traitors, and even a few lunatics. The company was being paid by a small coalition of Tolosi nobles to guard the frontier they now shared with both the Etruscan League and the Republic of Jadis to the south. Luckily, or unluckily as it were, the only real threat to the Empire was from the Jadisi since Oromis' war had been taxing on both the Etruscans and Imperials, who were content to lick their wounds for the time being. For the next thirty years, Myranda was raised by Captain Kurdan and his three hundred "loyal" cut-throats, learning lessons practical and wildly impractical unless you happened to be a soldier of fortune. Basic arithmetic, how to read and write, and even the basics of single sword combat were all part of her training regimen. In the year 3484, however, the First Border War began, though it wasn't a war so much as it was a series of skirmishes between the Empire of Tolos and the Etruscan League. Each nation wanted to expand their boundaries by driving back the military forces of the opposing country. After nearly forty years of constant bloodshed, the so-called "Years of Sorrow" ended and the First Border War concluded with a draw, though there were still small pockets of resistance to be found. Kurdan's Sabers, along with the Blue Plume Brotherhood and Half Moon mercenary companies, spent another ten years locked in a vicious struggle with a group of Etruscan fanatics calling themselves the Children of God. 

It was during the spring of 3550 that the Battle of Ursol's Spine occurred. Pinned down behind the ridge bearing the same name, Kurdan's Sabers managed to carry the day and ultimately crushed the Children of God completely. The losses, however, were staggering and Kurdan lost his right eye during the conflict. The wound soured quickly, and the venerable dwarven sellsword began to descend into feverish madness. Myranda had only recently celebrated her 100th name day, and she was now considered an adult in the eyes of her people. She spent the next fourteen years watching over the dwarf, who'd been more of a father to her than Eldrath, as he grew weaker and weaker. Meanwhile, several would-be usurpers attempted to wrest control of the Sabers away from Kurdan only to be cast down by their equally ambitious companions. It seemed as if Kurdan's Sabers were doomed to fracture without their charismatic leader. And then the dwarf's health began to improve, though he was still weak. It seemed as if he might pull through despite his grievous injuries.

Until, on a cold morning in winter, Myranda and Captain Kurdan met for their daily sparring session for the first time since he'd been wounded. During the bout, the elven woman "accidentally" ran the dwarf through with the black iron longsword he'd given her for her 100th name day. This marked the first time Myranda was ever referred to as "Red Myra."

Several of the older and smarter mercenaries, having decided to put aside their differences in the name of controlling the company, saw how skilled Myranda was and how intimidating the other sellswords found her. Capitalizing on this, and wanting to place a figurehead in the captain's seat so they could lead without being blamed for any missteps or losses, these sellswords claimed that Myra had "earned" the right to be called captain. To the shock and disbelief of this so-called Inner Council, Myranda proved to be a strong, decisive, and competent leader, embodying all of Kurdan's positive traits with only one major flaw. She seemed to crave violence like an alcoholic craves strong drink. Under the pretense of removing Kurdan's supporters from the company, Myra purged the Inner Council and their allies before spending the next fifteen years recruiting more mercenaries to bolster the Sabers' ranks. She also changed the name of the company to the White Hands, a reference to Kurdan's habit of "keeping his thoughts black, but his hands white as driven snow." Meaning, he'd gorge himself on fine food and drink in his captain's tent far away from the battlefield while his men died in droves. It is worth mentioning that during this period, in the year 3534, Oromis emerged once again from obscurity but Myra's power wasn't consolidated enough for the White Hands to participate in the ensuing conflict. Besides, the Tolosi nobility were barely managing to hold out against the Etruscan League so they didn't have much time to worry about punishing wayward mercenaries. Of course, the White Hands still visited any town or city they stumbled across in order to "forage" for more food, supplies, and valuable loot.

After numerous conflicts, such as the Battle over the River Tamras and the short-lived Second Border War, Myranda's new Inner Council managed to convince the elf it might be worthwhile to approach the League's leadership for work. Not only were the Imperial forces far too scattered and weak to support the White Hands in combat, but their payments were starting to come later and later. Despite her misgivings about betraying her homeland, Red Myra visited a group of Etruscan lords the evening before the Battle of the Celebron Fields in the spring of 3578. She offered to change sides during the battle in exchange for a promise to ignore the company's previous Imperial loyalties. All she wanted was a chance to prove the White Hands could be an asset to the war-torn Etruscan League and its members. They agreed. The Battle of the Celebron Fields marked the first White Hands victory as allies of the Etruscan League. They spent the next fifty years ravaging the Empire's border on behalf of their new employers, and the gold was said to have flowed like a sweet, clinking river through the White Hands' encampments. Their reputation, and that of their bloodthirsty leader, reached epic proportions with songs and tales of their deeds reaching as far south as the Orkantor Desert. Everything was going marvelously despite the constant, nagging rumors. Rumors about how Myranda would just as happily butcher her own men as she would the enemy. Rumors about how easily she'd been convinced to betray the Empire of Tolos. Rumors about drums and insanity.

In the year 3630, a young Jadisi man named Pajaan Farimi was recruited by the White Hands after their triumph during the Second Battle over the River Tamras.

There was an immediate attraction between this clever, gallant southerner and Captain Myra, especially when he managed to bring Clan Lord Alexandros Miridon of Nerwains to the negotiating table. A close friend of Pajaan's elderly father, the leader of Clan Miridon wanted to hire the White Hands to watch the eastern reaches of his lands while he focused on dealing with several rival clans to the west. They would be paid in stacks of "Miridon gold bars," which was some of the finest, highest-quality gold in the entirety of Tverios. Myranda agreed and the papers of engagement were signed. The White Hands were now responsible for protecting the eastern border of Clan Miridon's holdings from the few remaining groups fighting on the Empire's behalf. They would occasionally receive support in the form of Clan Miridon soldiers, though they would largely be left to their own devices. Just the way Red Myra liked it.

Time passed and Myranda and Pajaan became lovers. Unsurprisingly, the elven mercenary eventually found herself with child. Pajaan had recently joined the Inner Council, mostly due to his unique position as the captain's lover, and he ensured nobody took advantage of Myra's condition. Strangely, roughly three months after Elanaria was born she was never seen or heard from again. What's more is neither Myranda nor Pajaan would speak about the child's disappearance. Some mercenaries even thought Myra looked confused when asked about her child. Shortly thereafter, Pajaan became Myranda's official second-in-command, though the two often disagreed and no longer slept together. A few weeks after Red Myra's 200th name day, Lord Miridon asked the White Hands to deal with a group of Imperial mercenaries making trouble near the isolated border town of Mervyn's Crossing. Little did Myranda suspect both Lord Miridon and Pajaan had laid a trap for her. When the White Hands showed up, in an eerie parallel to her deception at the Celebron Fields, Pajaan and the Inner Council took command and ordered the company to kill their captain. Greed, lingering resentments over battlefield "accidents," and fear of the Inner Council convinced the mercenaries to turn on Myranda. Evidently, Lord Alexandros was a racist of incredible proportions and hated the idea of his family's gold in the hands of a wretched Tolosi elf. The Clan Lord had convinced Pajaan to turn on his lover in exchange for a promise to help him claim the captain's seat. Aided by a regiment of Clan Miridon warriors, the White Hands chased Myranda through the thick, twisting foliage of the nearby Grimwood Forest. Before vanishing into the deepest part of the wood, Red Myra managed to cut off Pajaan's right hand. He would ever after be known as Pajaan "Goldenhand" Farimi since he replaced his missing appendage with one made of Miridon gold.

Disgraced and pursued, Myranda fled west and boarded a schooner bound for the home of the Mardochians, the Hamrock Isles. Surely the White Hands wouldn't chase her to a place where they had no power whatsoever. For a few years, the elf tried to find any islanders willing to hire a scarred sellsword, though her reputation hadn't followed her from the mainland. She was a nobody. Desperate and unwilling to return to her roots as a simple peasant, Red Myra turned to banditry in order to survive. As the years passed, the name "Red Myra" was once again spoken in hushed voices by merchants and those they paid to guard their caravans along the rocky roads of the isles. A monstrous brigand, some claimed, who ate the flesh of her victims. A murderer without conscience. A fighter more savage than any in the known world. Inevitably, at the age of 216, Myranda was finally caught by the City Guard of Taranidorn and clapped in irons. Instead of being hung immediately, however, she was given a choice. The choice any criminal captured in the last few years has been given. Swear her loyalty to the newly returned God-King Oromis or die. It wasn't really much of a choice for someone as steeped in blood as Myranda. For now, she's joined the God-King's army as a conscript but her true motives are anyone's guess.
[/hider]


[b]Magical Artifacts:[/b] None

[b]Motivation:[/b] Myranda seems to be consumed by her desire to destroy the two men who betrayed her: Clan Lord Alexandros Miridon, her most recent and most treacherous employer, and Pajaan "Goldhand" Farimi, her former lover and second-in-command. Since these turncoats both serve the Etruscan League, Myra figured joining Oromis' forces meant she'd have plenty of opportunities to deal with them. It was also better than the alternative, which was death by hanging. At any rate, once she kills these two traitors Myranda supposedly plans to regain control of the White Hands and lead them to victory alongside the God-King's other allies. The truth is much simpler, however. Myranda wants to die a glorious death in battle because the last one hundred years have shown her the awful truth. She's become addicted to killing. She cannot stop. Myranda knows the chances of dying while in Oromis' service are quite good. In truth, she's counting on it.


[hider=Dramatis Personae]

[i]THE FORLORN HOPE PLATOON[/i]

-[i]Trooper Vladimir "The Artist" Mogdan[/i]-A gray-haired dwarven sellsword employed by the Gray Winds mercenary company, originally hails from the nation of Coromis and is a devout worshiper of Geishra the Flame God, acts as the Forlorn Hope platoon's cook and can make delicious meals with few ingredients, his belief that battle is an art and his axe acts as a razor-edged paintbrush has earned him the nickname "The Artist"

-[i]Trooper Larius Pyral[/i]-An elderly Tolosi sellsword sworn to serve the Gray Winds mercenary company, Captain Elias has asked him to serve as Lieutenant Tavellan's bugler and personal assistant, has a very loud voice and is one of the finest archers in the Forlorn Hope platoon

[i]ASSORTED GRAY WINDS MERCENARIES[/i]

-[i]Major Aliden Bayaz[/i]-A Tolosi major in the Gray Winds mercenary company, was raised by his grandfather after his father was slain by bandits, rightfully blames Myra's White Hands for the death of his grandfather during the Siege of Fort Angharad

[i]THE HAMROCK ISLES[/i]

-[i]Dagmar Colwen[/i]-A Mardochian innkeeper in the city of Taranidorn, owns Colwen's Bunkhouse and slept with Myranda Tavellan after a night of excessive drinking

-[i]Thond "Sweet Thond" Kassis[/i]-A Jadisi thief forced into serving the God-King's armies after being caught by the Taranidorn City Guard, a skilled tiles player and a friend to Myranda Tavellan

-[i]Padric Roche[/i]-A Mardochian barkeep in the city of Taranidorn, owns the disreputable Loyal Hearts Tavern and claims to serve the finest ale in the Hamrock Isles

[i]THE WHITE HANDS[/i]

-[i]Captain Pajaan "Goldenhand" Farimi[/i]-A Jadisi sellsword and member of the White Hands mercenary company, Myranda's former lover and second-in-command before he betrayed her at the Battle of Mervyn's Crossing, currently leads the White Hands and serves Clan Lord Alexandros Miridon of Nerwains, Myranda cut off his right hand during the Battle of Mervyn's Crossing, he replaced his hand with one made of solid gold, rumored to hold a sila stone known as the Stone of Memories

[i]THE ETRUSCAN LEAGUE[/i]

-[i]Clan Lord Alexandros Miridon[/i]-A Nerwainish clan lord with holdings in the southeastern region of his peoples' kingdom, leader of Clan Miridon and one of a few men who know the location of a mine containing the highest quality gold in Tverios, a ruthless and dangerous racist who will stop at nothing to protect his territory, has signed papers of engagement with the White Hands mercenary company and often lends them aid in battle

[i]THE DEAD[/i]

-[i]Captain Kurdan Sokolov (Deceased)[/i]-A dwarven sellsword and leader of the Kurdan's Sabers mercenary company, served the remnants of the Empire of Tolos for several years, led his men on a "foraging excursion" that resulted in the destruction of Whitestone Village in the year 3464, killed Eldrath Tavellan and destroyed his farm but spared his daughter's life, Myranda became Kurdan's "lucky charm" and came to view him as the father Eldrath had never been, was wounded during the Battle of Ursol's Spine in 3550 and lost an eye during the conflict, managed to recover from a severe fever brought on by his injuries, was killed by Myra during one of their morning sparring sessions, Myranda was covered in Kurdan's blood after this incident and became known as "Red Myra"
[/hider]

[b]Inspirational Images:[/b] 

[hider=Red Myra]
[img]http://digital-art-gallery.com/oid/3/640x800_1678_Path_to_War_2d_fantasy_warrior_girl_female_woman_elf_painting_picture_image_digital_art.jpg[/img]
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[hider=Myranda's Sword]
[img]http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/Shadow_King_Erebus/Short_Sword_zps14f693d3.jpg[/img]
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[hider=Myranda's Buckler][img]http://oriental-arms.com/photos/items/66/003766/ph-0.jpg
[/img][/hider]