King Xerxes
StarfrostedFox
BrokenPromise
KillamriX08
Stanifly
Kaithe Dame
Agunimon
shylarah
Mini MagiPersonal Information
Name: "Sir" Ashley Wycliffe
Appearance:
Gender: Female
Orientation: Straight
Age: 28
Height: 160 cm / 5' 3''
Crest: Noa
Class: Noble
Affiliation: Mokata
Stats
Strength ★★☆☆☆
Magic ★★★★☆
Dexterity ★★★★☆
Speed ★★★☆☆
Luck ☆☆☆☆☆
Defense ★★☆☆☆
Resistance ★★★★★
Charm ★★★★★
Combat Summary:
Prefers to stay behind the front lines and incant her devastating spells. Though her damage is outclassed by the raw power of a Warlock with black magic, her dark magic can cripple her enemies' own combat performance. Most enemies will run circles around her if they can approach her while she uses her dark magic. Equipping a lightweight sword is a good temporary crutch in such a situation, as the natural movement speed of her body far outstrips her ability to speed-read scripture.
She takes barely any damage from most enemy mages, though with their superior casting speed they can pelt her rapidly for lots of chip damage. Ashley finds this absolutely infuriating and may rely on her cursed Devil Sword to cut right past an enemy mage's magical resistance for a quick and easy victory, at the cost of needing a moment to reverse the negative effects that using it has on her body and mind.
As a Knight, she can handle the odd axe-toting ruffian, but being a solo force on the battlefield is out of the question for her, as she is quite petite and not very physically strong. On her own, she is much more likely to use her charm to talk her way out of a battle, because one good smack from a fearsome combat art or a strike at her vitals during a moment of distracted reading will bring her to her knees.
Equipment
Devil Sword (30)
Prayer Ring
Items
Slim Sword (35)
Concoction (6)
Panacea (3)
5,000 Gold
Combat Arts
Wrath Strike (Sword)
Grounder (Sword)
Hexblade (Sword)
Curved Shot (Bow)
Fading Blow (Brawl)
Rushing Blow (Brawl)
Class Art
[Empty]
Abilities
Personal Skill
Ararat: This unit recovers faster from afflicted status, and passes their negative status to adjacent enemies.
Class Abilities
[Empty]
[Empty]
[Empty]
Equipped Skills
Sword Prowess Lv 3
Axebreaker
Reason Lv 4
Seal Magic
Rally Magic
Other Skills
Lance Prowess Lv 1
Bow Prowess Lv 1
Brawling Prowess Lv 2
Faith Lv 1
Authority Lv 4
Defensive Tactics
Model Leader
Battalion Renewal
Battalion (Not Equipped)
Mokata Combat Medics
Gambit: Poisoned Arrows (2)
Learned Magic
Miasma Δ (5)
Mire Β (4)
Swarm Ζ (4)
Banshee Θ (3)
[Empty]
[Empty]
[Empty]
Heal Ψ (5)
[Empty]
[Empty]
Class-Specific Magic
[Empty]
[Empty]
[Empty]
Skill Level
Sword: B
Lance: E+
Axe: E
Bow: D
Brawl: C
Reason: A ★
Faith: D
Authority: A
Heavy Armor: E
Riding: D+
Flying: E
Personal History
Key Events
Age Details
10 Stolen from her family home and declared missing.
14 Found and recovered from an orphanage for noble children.
15 Transferred to the care of an uncle after her father was murdered.
16 Enrolled in the Academy of Sorcery and Magical Engineering.
20 Graduated and began an apprenticeship at a clinic.
22 Took a loan and started her own practice, Devil Busters.
25 Reversed a renowned noble family's curse. Knighted and re-ennobled.
26 Promoted to the rank of Knight Lieutenant.
27 Promoted to the rank of Knight Captain.
Credentials: Scholar of esoteric knowledge, and physician specializing in treatment of magical maladies.
Interests: Arcane history and lore, medical mysteries, horror stories, Hexweaving, Cursemaking.
Likes: Reading, solitude, the violin, cute animals, coffee, stargazing, sleepless nights, solving difficult problems.
Dislikes: Nobles, perfume, women's clothing, bugs and pests, church music, being watched, fighting mages, flying.
Favorite Tea: Mint Leaves
Status: Noble title restored. Modest landowner. Not well liked by most of her "peers."
Critical Quotes:
"You're obstructing justice."
"You're blocking my view."
"This procedure will be unpleasant."
"It's past your bedtime, child."
"—so it is written."
Personality
Possesses more tactics than tact. While she can be "charming" in that she knows how to command the respect of her subordinates, acquire favors from others, and even hold her own while word-jousting with nobles, she does feel a bit helpless outside of these "scripted" conversations at her work. Her position as a Knight-Captain requires that she keep up appearances—something she is well equipped to do, as her emotions run a bit shallow, and what remains is not worn on her sleeve. She is very guarded around other people in general, and may even border on paranoid in the presence of nobles, a habit which has only become stronger over time as it has surely saved her life more than twice.
While she may come off cold and sullen, she has a sharp wit, a silver tongue, a strong sense of justice, and is both hardworking and quick to help those who are truly in need—at least, that is how she views herself, and is not at all humble about it. She whole-heartedly believes in her approach of studying the dark arts in the service of greater good; after all, one must keep their enemies closer, that they might be studied. While the average priest may consider her a heretic, she would contend that the opposite is true—that she is actually quite devout, having knowledge of many obscure doctrines the church fathers consider forbidden—while most "saints" are too vainglorious and greedy to be of any use.
However, she cannot escape the nature of dark magic, which feeds off of emotions and the user's own memories—the more base and wretched, the better. Her enemies must fear and despise her, and so in battle she must don a mask of abject cruelty. Additionally, she must never confide in another about her secret burdens, as if they were to become common knowledge, she would become vulnerable to being cursed herself. When confronted with these two conflicting personas, many are left wondering which is Ashley's true face; the earnest but misguided former holy woman, or the heartless noble witch?
History
Not many are privy to the details about Ashley's past, except for a small fraction of the nobility who were directly involved with the investigation of the incident at Wycliffe Manor. Most of this lack of information about Ashley is by her own design. Ashley grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth, and was everything a commoner would expect a young noble's brat to be. Snobby, selfish, arrogant, and a consummate manipulator, Ashley stayed away from the eyes of the public, as though she were too good for them, but in reality, the opposite was true. She knew she was the least talented of the Wycliffe sisters, in just about everything noble girls were expected to be good at—as did her rapidly decreasing marriage prospects. Later in life, during her education at the school of Sorcery and Magical Engineering, she would endeavor to make few, if any, friends, and only participated in mandatory assignments—a pattern she perseveres in, even as a knight. Despite immaculate attendance, she seemed to remain invisible, even to those who had grounds to be jealous of her suddenly acquired magical talents, owing perhaps to her lack of extra credit to boost her score to the top of the top. Now, as a knight, mandatory attendance at parties is something she dreads with every fiber of her being, every time she receives mail.
What is known about Ashley's family history is that one day, while her father and his knights were away, in what would come to be known only as the "Wycliffe Manor Incident," Ashley, her mother, and all of her siblings vanished. Officially, none of the Wycliffe family were ever found, but the rumor shared within the lower-level noble courts is that what the knights found at the scene was so horrible that it was deemed irresponsible or needlessly cruel to share the details with the public. The abandoned manor remains off-limits and to this day the details of what took place there remain a mystery.
Four years later, Ashley alone miraculously turned up in an orphanage for noble children and was reunited with her father, and for a brief time of just under a year they would be the last occupants to ever stay a night in Wycliffe Manor. It is said that Ashley was like a shell of her former self, and would refuse to speak to anyone but her father. During this time, Ashley did little but eat her favorite sweets and sleep in her missing twin sister's room. Her father was a Marquess and a high ranking member of the clergy, but the inconsolable girl refused to speak to any priest. This unhappy reunion was short-lived, as her father would make one last attempt to get Ashley to open up, taking her on a day trip to the view of the sunset where he once proposed to his wife—only to be murdered by a passing brigand for his troubles, leaving Ashley in the care of an uncle. Her noble house was no more, and as a gloomy girl with equally gloomy marriage prospects, her future was looking bleak—but she refused to give up.
Suddenly finding the will to live, it was as if Ashley decided that her missing family had passed a baton to her. Seeking to surpass the days of her useless youth—perhaps even her missing family—she developed the one thing no amount of money could buy, nor any amount of sweet nothings could ever acquire from another: an indomitable work ethic. The words of her father, a preacher—and her uncle, a businessman, motivated her as she feverishly read any magical tome she could get her hands on:
"The Goddess takes what is meant for evil and uses it for good."
"If you're not the best at anything, find something no one else is willing to do, and do that for a living."
Inspired, she poured her all into her education like a woman possessed, all while anyone who knew her history scorned her, as though her family history meant that she were cursed. Knowing that she had nothing left to lose, she pursued the dark arts, intending to unravel the secrets of evil. Why was the heart of man so deceitful? So cruel? Could the machinations of evil be reverse-engineered? Instead of turning one's eyes away from all manner of impurity and wickedness, could the forbidden dark arts be studied, understood, and "used for good?" Ashley dedicated her life's work to answer these questions.
Ashley may have already been a pariah due to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding her family, but her greater claim to infamy is her sudden re-ascendance to the nobility, a fact which turns up more noses than even her expertise in the dark arts. Unbeknownst to her, one day a desperate scion of a renowned noble house—Lord Clive Maxwell Carradine IV— entered her practice, against the advice of his parents and his own better judgment. He was shocked to find himself anonymous, as the ridiculous woman did not seem to recognize him from the days of her youth—but he was even more shocked to hear her reply after he poured out his heart to her about his curse:
"Give me 36 hours and a pot of your strongest coffee, and I'll do it for free."
He didn't understand the motive behind her generous offer, despite her lack of bedside manner and disdain for nobles on full display. Her confidence also elicited only skepticism, but he was just happy to have found someone who was willing to try. Though she missed her deadline by another 22 hours, she did eventually succeed, shortly before collapsing from exhaustion, laughing maniacally of sleep-deprived delirium and dopamine-infused euphoria—looking decidedly un-noble-like as she did.
For this outstanding service, she was knighted shortly thereafter, at the young lord's wedding. She may have, admittedly, mistaken his intentions for doing so, and in the process, agreed to military service in the lord's employ, without knowing what she was getting in to. However, she was intimately familiar with the circus that is the noble court, and understood that her actions would greatly shift the balance of power in Mokata, making her a target. As a specialist healer, however, she has thus far avoided the front lines, despite her unscrupulous peers' attempts to nudge her in the general direction.
Life:
Ashley continues her curse-correcting work mostly as normal, though in military camps instead of town. She is not often seen by the public; instead, she prefers to stay busy with her craft. If she's not working on treating soldiers afflicted by magical maladies behind a closed tent flap, observant citizens can sometimes witness the rustling of large sections of tree canopy as demonic beasts are chased away from nearby farmlands by the cackling dark mage and her faithful entourage on horseback.
Most of the nobility scorns her, either publicly or privately, for any of the multitude of available reasons, including by the noble ladies for the attention she gets as a female knight. Ashley has the dubious honor of being called the Mokata knights' "most handsome lady," and is often "in demand" for young male lover roles in stage plays hosted by these vindictive women as a way to make sport of her. Ashley, for her part, secretly prefers wearing men's clothing anyway, and doesn't mind the opportunity to practice the sultry, gender-ambiguous voice that has earned her so many favors over the years. As long as there's a script to follow, she can make just about anything work. While being on stage is nauseating for her, it's better than the alternative methods of entertaining the nobility, such as dueling knights from rival houses, or "dueling" (mostly, just publicly beating to death) innocent peasants whose only crime is offending the nobility in some insignificant way. Thankfully, Lord Clive is an accommodating man, and she often calls on him to bail her out when someone tries to drag her into such things to tarnish her carefully maintained public image as one of the more mysterious knights of Mokata.
Ashley owns a modest portion of land for her rank, and an accompanying manor. The manor, however, is abandoned, despite looking immaculate on the outside (appearances). Rival mages and spiteful noblewomen have cursed the place, making it to be nigh unlivable, even for someone like her. (To put it frankly, it's "too much housekeeping.") Ashley only occasionally enters the manor to study her rivals' curses, or to rescue the odd lost thrill seeker or stray cat. Instead, she co-habits with her only live-in attendant, a spry elderly woman Ashley affectionately calls "Aunt Alma," who lives in a small cabin just beyond the tree line. Being "forced" to live in the swamp "like a witch" seems to satisfy her rivals, but Ashley is more than happy to continue her research away from prying eyes, in the sole company of just one person she can trust. Alma performs only basic household duties and maintains the greenhouse, since Ashley could only be bothered to learn how to grow one thing, at Alma's insistence: burdock root, and nothing else. The attendant's true identity is unknown, presumably to protect any family she might have. The most popular rumor is that the old woman is the grandmother of a soldier from Ashley's own battalion, and that Ashley is secretly working as her caretaker as much as Alma is her attendant.
Recently, the situation at Irinoth Island has piqued her personal interest. Ashley can only vaguely recall—if, indeed, she remembers such a myth from one of her obscure tomes, and did not conjure it purely from imagination—a tale of an encroaching, chaotic military force, seemingly infinite in number, rising from the depths of the waters, cloaked in dark flames and barely visible to the naked eye. Could this be it? An ancient curse? Hopefully, this expedition is merely a stepping stone in her career.
Close Allies
"Aunt Alma" (Class: Apothecary | Relation: Live-in Attendant)
Sir Jack Fereydoon (Class: Hero | Relation: Commander)
Lord Clive Maxwell Carradine IV (Class: Paladin | Relation: Lord)
Lord Mikhail Feldunn (Class: Noble | Relation: Major Schoolgirl-Crush)
Lord Troe Revinah (Class: Noble | Relation: Respected Acquaintance/Colleague)
Lady Madeline Armitage (Class: Gremory | Relation: Rival?)
Name: "Sir" Ashley Wycliffe
Appearance:
Gender: Female
Orientation: Straight
Age: 28
Height: 160 cm / 5' 3''
Crest: Noa
Class: Noble
Affiliation: Mokata
Stats
Strength ★★☆☆☆
Magic ★★★★☆
Dexterity ★★★★☆
Speed ★★★☆☆
Luck ☆☆☆☆☆
Defense ★★☆☆☆
Resistance ★★★★★
Charm ★★★★★
Combat Summary:
Prefers to stay behind the front lines and incant her devastating spells. Though her damage is outclassed by the raw power of a Warlock with black magic, her dark magic can cripple her enemies' own combat performance. Most enemies will run circles around her if they can approach her while she uses her dark magic. Equipping a lightweight sword is a good temporary crutch in such a situation, as the natural movement speed of her body far outstrips her ability to speed-read scripture.
She takes barely any damage from most enemy mages, though with their superior casting speed they can pelt her rapidly for lots of chip damage. Ashley finds this absolutely infuriating and may rely on her cursed Devil Sword to cut right past an enemy mage's magical resistance for a quick and easy victory, at the cost of needing a moment to reverse the negative effects that using it has on her body and mind.
As a Knight, she can handle the odd axe-toting ruffian, but being a solo force on the battlefield is out of the question for her, as she is quite petite and not very physically strong. On her own, she is much more likely to use her charm to talk her way out of a battle, because one good smack from a fearsome combat art or a strike at her vitals during a moment of distracted reading will bring her to her knees.
Equipment
Devil Sword (30)
Prayer Ring
Items
Slim Sword (35)
Concoction (6)
Panacea (3)
5,000 Gold
Combat Arts
Wrath Strike (Sword)
Grounder (Sword)
Hexblade (Sword)
Curved Shot (Bow)
Fading Blow (Brawl)
Rushing Blow (Brawl)
Class Art
[Empty]
Abilities
Personal Skill
Ararat: This unit recovers faster from afflicted status, and passes their negative status to adjacent enemies.
Class Abilities
[Empty]
[Empty]
[Empty]
Equipped Skills
Sword Prowess Lv 3
Axebreaker
Reason Lv 4
Seal Magic
Rally Magic
Other Skills
Lance Prowess Lv 1
Bow Prowess Lv 1
Brawling Prowess Lv 2
Faith Lv 1
Authority Lv 4
Defensive Tactics
Model Leader
Battalion Renewal
Battalion (Not Equipped)
Mokata Combat Medics
Gambit: Poisoned Arrows (2)
Learned Magic
Miasma Δ (5)
Mire Β (4)
Swarm Ζ (4)
Banshee Θ (3)
[Empty]
[Empty]
[Empty]
Heal Ψ (5)
[Empty]
[Empty]
Class-Specific Magic
[Empty]
[Empty]
[Empty]
Skill Level
Sword: B
Lance: E+
Axe: E
Bow: D
Brawl: C
Reason: A ★
Faith: D
Authority: A
Heavy Armor: E
Riding: D+
Flying: E
Personal History
Key Events
Age Details
10 Stolen from her family home and declared missing.
14 Found and recovered from an orphanage for noble children.
15 Transferred to the care of an uncle after her father was murdered.
16 Enrolled in the Academy of Sorcery and Magical Engineering.
20 Graduated and began an apprenticeship at a clinic.
22 Took a loan and started her own practice, Devil Busters.
25 Reversed a renowned noble family's curse. Knighted and re-ennobled.
26 Promoted to the rank of Knight Lieutenant.
27 Promoted to the rank of Knight Captain.
Credentials: Scholar of esoteric knowledge, and physician specializing in treatment of magical maladies.
Interests: Arcane history and lore, medical mysteries, horror stories, Hexweaving, Cursemaking.
Likes: Reading, solitude, the violin, cute animals, coffee, stargazing, sleepless nights, solving difficult problems.
Dislikes: Nobles, perfume, women's clothing, bugs and pests, church music, being watched, fighting mages, flying.
Favorite Tea: Mint Leaves
Status: Noble title restored. Modest landowner. Not well liked by most of her "peers."
Critical Quotes:
"You're obstructing justice."
"You're blocking my view."
"This procedure will be unpleasant."
"It's past your bedtime, child."
"—so it is written."
Personality
Possesses more tactics than tact. While she can be "charming" in that she knows how to command the respect of her subordinates, acquire favors from others, and even hold her own while word-jousting with nobles, she does feel a bit helpless outside of these "scripted" conversations at her work. Her position as a Knight-Captain requires that she keep up appearances—something she is well equipped to do, as her emotions run a bit shallow, and what remains is not worn on her sleeve. She is very guarded around other people in general, and may even border on paranoid in the presence of nobles, a habit which has only become stronger over time as it has surely saved her life more than twice.
While she may come off cold and sullen, she has a sharp wit, a silver tongue, a strong sense of justice, and is both hardworking and quick to help those who are truly in need—at least, that is how she views herself, and is not at all humble about it. She whole-heartedly believes in her approach of studying the dark arts in the service of greater good; after all, one must keep their enemies closer, that they might be studied. While the average priest may consider her a heretic, she would contend that the opposite is true—that she is actually quite devout, having knowledge of many obscure doctrines the church fathers consider forbidden—while most "saints" are too vainglorious and greedy to be of any use.
However, she cannot escape the nature of dark magic, which feeds off of emotions and the user's own memories—the more base and wretched, the better. Her enemies must fear and despise her, and so in battle she must don a mask of abject cruelty. Additionally, she must never confide in another about her secret burdens, as if they were to become common knowledge, she would become vulnerable to being cursed herself. When confronted with these two conflicting personas, many are left wondering which is Ashley's true face; the earnest but misguided former holy woman, or the heartless noble witch?
History
Not many are privy to the details about Ashley's past, except for a small fraction of the nobility who were directly involved with the investigation of the incident at Wycliffe Manor. Most of this lack of information about Ashley is by her own design. Ashley grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth, and was everything a commoner would expect a young noble's brat to be. Snobby, selfish, arrogant, and a consummate manipulator, Ashley stayed away from the eyes of the public, as though she were too good for them, but in reality, the opposite was true. She knew she was the least talented of the Wycliffe sisters, in just about everything noble girls were expected to be good at—as did her rapidly decreasing marriage prospects. Later in life, during her education at the school of Sorcery and Magical Engineering, she would endeavor to make few, if any, friends, and only participated in mandatory assignments—a pattern she perseveres in, even as a knight. Despite immaculate attendance, she seemed to remain invisible, even to those who had grounds to be jealous of her suddenly acquired magical talents, owing perhaps to her lack of extra credit to boost her score to the top of the top. Now, as a knight, mandatory attendance at parties is something she dreads with every fiber of her being, every time she receives mail.
What is known about Ashley's family history is that one day, while her father and his knights were away, in what would come to be known only as the "Wycliffe Manor Incident," Ashley, her mother, and all of her siblings vanished. Officially, none of the Wycliffe family were ever found, but the rumor shared within the lower-level noble courts is that what the knights found at the scene was so horrible that it was deemed irresponsible or needlessly cruel to share the details with the public. The abandoned manor remains off-limits and to this day the details of what took place there remain a mystery.
Four years later, Ashley alone miraculously turned up in an orphanage for noble children and was reunited with her father, and for a brief time of just under a year they would be the last occupants to ever stay a night in Wycliffe Manor. It is said that Ashley was like a shell of her former self, and would refuse to speak to anyone but her father. During this time, Ashley did little but eat her favorite sweets and sleep in her missing twin sister's room. Her father was a Marquess and a high ranking member of the clergy, but the inconsolable girl refused to speak to any priest. This unhappy reunion was short-lived, as her father would make one last attempt to get Ashley to open up, taking her on a day trip to the view of the sunset where he once proposed to his wife—only to be murdered by a passing brigand for his troubles, leaving Ashley in the care of an uncle. Her noble house was no more, and as a gloomy girl with equally gloomy marriage prospects, her future was looking bleak—but she refused to give up.
Suddenly finding the will to live, it was as if Ashley decided that her missing family had passed a baton to her. Seeking to surpass the days of her useless youth—perhaps even her missing family—she developed the one thing no amount of money could buy, nor any amount of sweet nothings could ever acquire from another: an indomitable work ethic. The words of her father, a preacher—and her uncle, a businessman, motivated her as she feverishly read any magical tome she could get her hands on:
"The Goddess takes what is meant for evil and uses it for good."
"If you're not the best at anything, find something no one else is willing to do, and do that for a living."
Inspired, she poured her all into her education like a woman possessed, all while anyone who knew her history scorned her, as though her family history meant that she were cursed. Knowing that she had nothing left to lose, she pursued the dark arts, intending to unravel the secrets of evil. Why was the heart of man so deceitful? So cruel? Could the machinations of evil be reverse-engineered? Instead of turning one's eyes away from all manner of impurity and wickedness, could the forbidden dark arts be studied, understood, and "used for good?" Ashley dedicated her life's work to answer these questions.
Ashley may have already been a pariah due to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding her family, but her greater claim to infamy is her sudden re-ascendance to the nobility, a fact which turns up more noses than even her expertise in the dark arts. Unbeknownst to her, one day a desperate scion of a renowned noble house—Lord Clive Maxwell Carradine IV— entered her practice, against the advice of his parents and his own better judgment. He was shocked to find himself anonymous, as the ridiculous woman did not seem to recognize him from the days of her youth—but he was even more shocked to hear her reply after he poured out his heart to her about his curse:
"Give me 36 hours and a pot of your strongest coffee, and I'll do it for free."
He didn't understand the motive behind her generous offer, despite her lack of bedside manner and disdain for nobles on full display. Her confidence also elicited only skepticism, but he was just happy to have found someone who was willing to try. Though she missed her deadline by another 22 hours, she did eventually succeed, shortly before collapsing from exhaustion, laughing maniacally of sleep-deprived delirium and dopamine-infused euphoria—looking decidedly un-noble-like as she did.
For this outstanding service, she was knighted shortly thereafter, at the young lord's wedding. She may have, admittedly, mistaken his intentions for doing so, and in the process, agreed to military service in the lord's employ, without knowing what she was getting in to. However, she was intimately familiar with the circus that is the noble court, and understood that her actions would greatly shift the balance of power in Mokata, making her a target. As a specialist healer, however, she has thus far avoided the front lines, despite her unscrupulous peers' attempts to nudge her in the general direction.
Life:
Ashley continues her curse-correcting work mostly as normal, though in military camps instead of town. She is not often seen by the public; instead, she prefers to stay busy with her craft. If she's not working on treating soldiers afflicted by magical maladies behind a closed tent flap, observant citizens can sometimes witness the rustling of large sections of tree canopy as demonic beasts are chased away from nearby farmlands by the cackling dark mage and her faithful entourage on horseback.
Most of the nobility scorns her, either publicly or privately, for any of the multitude of available reasons, including by the noble ladies for the attention she gets as a female knight. Ashley has the dubious honor of being called the Mokata knights' "most handsome lady," and is often "in demand" for young male lover roles in stage plays hosted by these vindictive women as a way to make sport of her. Ashley, for her part, secretly prefers wearing men's clothing anyway, and doesn't mind the opportunity to practice the sultry, gender-ambiguous voice that has earned her so many favors over the years. As long as there's a script to follow, she can make just about anything work. While being on stage is nauseating for her, it's better than the alternative methods of entertaining the nobility, such as dueling knights from rival houses, or "dueling" (mostly, just publicly beating to death) innocent peasants whose only crime is offending the nobility in some insignificant way. Thankfully, Lord Clive is an accommodating man, and she often calls on him to bail her out when someone tries to drag her into such things to tarnish her carefully maintained public image as one of the more mysterious knights of Mokata.
Ashley owns a modest portion of land for her rank, and an accompanying manor. The manor, however, is abandoned, despite looking immaculate on the outside (appearances). Rival mages and spiteful noblewomen have cursed the place, making it to be nigh unlivable, even for someone like her. (To put it frankly, it's "too much housekeeping.") Ashley only occasionally enters the manor to study her rivals' curses, or to rescue the odd lost thrill seeker or stray cat. Instead, she co-habits with her only live-in attendant, a spry elderly woman Ashley affectionately calls "Aunt Alma," who lives in a small cabin just beyond the tree line. Being "forced" to live in the swamp "like a witch" seems to satisfy her rivals, but Ashley is more than happy to continue her research away from prying eyes, in the sole company of just one person she can trust. Alma performs only basic household duties and maintains the greenhouse, since Ashley could only be bothered to learn how to grow one thing, at Alma's insistence: burdock root, and nothing else. The attendant's true identity is unknown, presumably to protect any family she might have. The most popular rumor is that the old woman is the grandmother of a soldier from Ashley's own battalion, and that Ashley is secretly working as her caretaker as much as Alma is her attendant.
Recently, the situation at Irinoth Island has piqued her personal interest. Ashley can only vaguely recall—if, indeed, she remembers such a myth from one of her obscure tomes, and did not conjure it purely from imagination—a tale of an encroaching, chaotic military force, seemingly infinite in number, rising from the depths of the waters, cloaked in dark flames and barely visible to the naked eye. Could this be it? An ancient curse? Hopefully, this expedition is merely a stepping stone in her career.
Close Allies
"Aunt Alma" (Class: Apothecary | Relation: Live-in Attendant)
Sir Jack Fereydoon (Class: Hero | Relation: Commander)
Lord Clive Maxwell Carradine IV (Class: Paladin | Relation: Lord)
Lord Mikhail Feldunn (Class: Noble | Relation: Major Schoolgirl-Crush)
Lord Troe Revinah (Class: Noble | Relation: Respected Acquaintance/Colleague)
Lady Madeline Armitage (Class: Gremory | Relation: Rival?)
Did mine in a 3H profile style. Most of the technical information is fluff and will never be relevant, but the extra flair was easy for me to do, so...
Let me know if anything needs to be changed, or if you just want something different because it's iffy or you have plans.