Name: Tanda

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Race: Human

Appearance:
Brown haired, brown eyed, with the body of a country peasant, one would be hard pressed to look at Tanda on the road and think she was descended from an Iron Rose Knight, much less one of their number.

Tanda in her great grandmother's armor

Personality: Though Tanda grew up in the patriarchal society of the Hillfolk on the outskirts of Taln, her grandmother's doting saw to it she was inquisitive of mind, and her daily chores as a shepherdess saw she was mentally strong enough to survive in the wild with nothing but her wits and the tools on her belt.

:Brief Backstory:

Tanda grew up among the worshipers of the Green God in the north of Taln- a secretive and patriarchal culture within the kingdom known for shunning outsiders, often simply called Hillfolk by other people of the Kingdom. For most of her life, Tanda could only look forward to a future of tending sheep, marrying, and raising a family with her future husband's other wives. Her grandmother Silana saw something in the fierce spirit of her granddaughter, and saw to it that Tanda always looked to heroes of folk stories and histories for inspiration, rather than the prophets of the Green God's faith. She was often punished for standing up to the boy children of other families, but never broken for her "disobedience" to the men.

Only recently was she forced to look beyond the palisades of the Hillfolk. The previous year's harvest was particularly difficult for the people of the Hills, and many of their Holds were facing starvation on the eve of winter. The Patriarch of the Green God decided to revive the old practice of selecting a Bride of the Green God in the hopes it would restore the harvest- a ritual one of Taln's previous Queens had long ago forbidden when she granted the Hillfolk sanctuary within her borders.

Whether by chance or by design, Tanda was selected for this bloody honor. The problem daughter of the Hillfolk was to be made an example of in an attempt to appease the Green God.

Tanda did not speak of how she escaped the dubious honor of the ceremony, or how she found her way to the heart of Taln. It certainly helped that she could peddle the herbal healing of the Hillfolk to peasants too poor to afford one of the magical Healers within Taln. Curing warts and country fevers put enough copper in her pocket to buy food for the road, and her skill with a sling allowed her to hire out as an extra caravan guard on the road to the Capital. The story of Tanda could easily have ended there- becoming another folk healer or caravan guard within Taln. But her grandmother's stories of her own mother, Lady Diane di Silva, a Knight of the Iron Rose, gave Tanda a trail to follow to a new future. Lady Diane left behind her armor and spear within the hall of the Knights before retiring to wed one of the Hillfolk, her true love.

If the Knights had no reason to accept Tanda's service, she would at least be able to lose herself within the Capital and be able to make a new life away from the secretive Hillfolk. With her great-grandmother's armor on she might even make a decent living as a caravan guard.

Equipment:
* Sling and stones
* Armor and spear of Lady Diane di Silva
* Medicinal herbs

Skills:
* Deadeye shot - Tanda is an excellent shot with her sling, having used it to fend off wolves and hunt rabbits for supper.
* Skilled rider - Tanda can keep up with the best of 'em when hard pressed to ride.
* Country Remedy - The Hillfolk shun magic and magical Healers of all kinds, preferring to use the herbs of the land to remedy their ills. While it's not as effective as calling on a Magi, Tanda has been known to cure the odd fever with her home remedies and set broken bones to heal.

Name: Tanda

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Race: Human

Appearance:
Brown haired, brown eyed, with the body of a country peasant, one would be hard pressed to look at Tanda on the road and think she was descended from an Iron Rose Knight, much less one of their number.

Tanda in her great aunt's armor

Personality: Though Tanda grew up in the patriarchal society of the Hillfolk on the outskirts of Taln, her grandmother's doting saw to it she was inquisitive of mind, and her daily chores as a shepherdess saw she was mentally strong enough to survive in the wild with nothing but her wits and the tools on her belt.

:Brief Backstory:

Tanda grew up among the worshipers of the Green God in the north of Taln- a secretive and patriarchal culture within the kingdom known for shunning outsiders, often simply called Hillfolk by other people of Taln. For most of her life, Tanda could only look forward to a future of tending sheep, marrying, and raising a family with her future husband. Her grandmother Silana saw something in the fierce spirit of her granddaughter, and saw to it that Tanda always looked to heroes of folk stories and histories for inspiration, rather than the prophets of the Green God's faith. Heroes like the Iron Rose Knights.

Tanda was often punished for standing up to the boy children of other families when they threatened to steal her sheep or sabotage her mending, but never broken for her "disobedience" to the men of the village, something which the Patriarchs of the Green God resented her for. Many of the girl children were cowed, but all of them could look at Tanda as someone who hit back when the boy children swung at her. The Queen's Justicars saw to it that while the Hillfolk were permitted to live and worship according to the laws of Taln, they were not free to follow their Old Laws without consequence. Disciplining an unruly child was one thing. The Hillfolk's ancient practices of Witch burning and harvest sacrifices were another completely, and their good will from the Crown was rapidly disappearing. Coming to the aid of one Queen in a battle over a century ago was what brought them sanctuary within Taln. The Hillfolk had not taken up arms to defend the Crown since then- only to protect their own lands.

But only recently was Tanda able to look beyond the palisades of the Hillfolk. The prior year's harvest was particularly difficult for the people of the Hills, and many of their Holds were facing starvation on the eve of winter. The Patriarch of the Green God, after much deliberation with his fellows, decided to revive the old practice of selecting a Bride of the Green God in the hopes it would restore the harvest- a harvest sacrifice one of Taln's previous Queens had long ago forbidden when she granted the Hillfolk sanctuary within her borders. The more fanatical and desperate Patriarchs agreed to the proposal.

But just as the string of fate pulled Tanda into the Patriarch's sights, one of the less fanatical Patriarchs revealed what was being planned to the Queen, who now found her patience with these backwards tribes at an end. Between the Queen's Justicars, Paladins of Reon, a contingent of Iron Rose Knights, and armsmen of the province, the Hillfolk found that their festival grounds were occupied by a small army as they left their holds to celebrate a renewal of their faith. Every Patriarch that could be found was arrested. Those who could, including the Grand Patriarch, ran back to their palisades to be starved out under sieges. Others were to be interrogated by the followers of the Goddesses for complicity in these crimes and the systemic abuse of the girl children.

Tanda, along with most of the other children of the Hillfolk, was granted protection by the Queen's Justicars and taken to a nearby temple of Mayon for shelter. There the priests and priestesses set about repairing the damage done by the followers of the Green God to the children- teaching the girls their letters and numbers, and the notion that they were not naturally subservient to boys. Meanwhile the boys learned proper etiquette and the idea that they were not innately superior to the girls. It was during one of these lessons that a Paladin of Mayon approached Tanda with a weathered chart- an ancient family tree. Tanda had a great-aunt who, long ago, was one of the famed Iron Rose Knights, Lady Diane di Silva. Her armor should still be in the Capital, kept as a relic. If she desired, the Paladin would write a letter of introduction for Tanda to squire for the Knights and claim the armor as her own.

Tanda was quick to say yes. Then it was all a matter of arranging transportation. It certainly helped that she could peddle the herbal healing of the Hillfolk to peasants too poor to afford one of the magical Healers within Taln. Curing warts and country fevers put enough copper in her pocket to buy food for the road, and her skill with a sling allowed her to hire out as an extra caravan guard on the road to the Capital. The story of Tanda could easily have ended there- becoming another folk healer or caravan guard within Taln. But the Paladin's stories gave Tanda a trail to follow to a new future.

If the Knights had no reason to accept Tanda's service, she would at least be able to lose herself within the Capital and be able to make a new life away from the secretive Hillfolk, or return to the temple of Mayon to help the healing of the other children while the campaign against the Hillfolk continued...

Equipment:
* Sling and stones
* Armor and spear of Lady Diane di Silva
* Medicinal herbs

Skills:
* Deadeye shot - Tanda is an excellent shot with her sling, having used it to fend off wolves and hunt rabbits for supper.
* Skilled rider - Tanda can keep up with the best of 'em when hard pressed to ride.
* Country Remedy - The Hillfolk shun magic and magical Healers of all kinds, preferring to use the herbs of the land to remedy their ills. While it's not as effective as calling on a Magi, Tanda has been known to cure the odd fever with her home remedies and set broken bones to heal.