Frizan — Roleplayer Guild

I think it's time this party got a tank!

Piper Speculatus, The Knightess

Female Imperial | 25 | The Lord

Basic information

Place of Origin

	Imperial City, Cyrodiil 

Appearance

	There's no mistaking Piper for anything other than an Imperial woman. She is of average Imperial height with shoulders slightly broader than Sagax's, is quite slender and, much to her chagrin, shapely, with few scars or blemishes to spare. Her sharp emerald irises and large eye shape she gets from her father, but Piper has inherited Equa's auburn locks and thin lips. She wears her shoulder-length hair in the above-the-ears style popular with elves like Varulae, though she ties the end of her hair to actually keep it in place, not having the necessary ear shape to do it naturally. Piper has developed more muscle mass than her brother thanks to her smithing hobby and continued training in heavy armors and with blades, and that is not something she is ashamed to flaunt, though she could still be classed as "pretty" at the very least. If she looked more like a Nord or was simply uglier and had more scars, people would see past her looks and respect her more...or at least, so believes Piper, and so she prefers covering herself up in her armor whenever possible to hide her figure.

Background
On the twenty-eighth of Rain's Hand, Sagax's mother, Equa, gave birth to a second child; specifically, a daughter. Equa and Caius decided to name her Piper, as she was very fussy and troublesome on her way out into the world. Her name would fit her further later in life, as after the incident on the Waterfront and the false imprisonment of her father, Piper would lose much faith in those outside of her family and viewed others with peppery disdain. Whenever Sagax or Equa would talk about maybe still having friends in the city, Piper would simply snort dismissively and retort that everyone had already forgotten about their family, and if they hadn't, they were untrustworthy swines and bastards. Her attitude would cool eventually after being taken in by Varulae, but the ever-glaring Imperial would always harbor some misanthropic feelings, and it took her a long time to be able to converse easily with the generous Altmer that gave her family a new home.

While Sagax was out running packages and letters, Piper was putting time into her combat abilities and taking pay as a store guard for the various shops in the Market District. The shopkeeps knew who she was, and a few turned her down at the door, though even the ones who didn't were still very cautious about her working in their stores and would often send her home hours before her shift was supposed to end. The involuntary free time that was shoved in her face gave her take more opportunities to practice with her blade. Training on her own against stationary dummies eventually lost its usefulness, and Piper needed to find someone to actually teach her further. Holding on to the slim chance that maybe one of her father's old friends was still in the service, the anxious woman made her way to the Watch barracks. Steeling herself for the harshest words she could imagine, Piper opened the door and stepped inside. To her surprise, her ears were not met with angry shouting and vile accusations, but with a well-mannered greeting from one of the off-duty guards, who Piper later learned was one Aquillius Marius. Even more surprising: the man knew her by name. Apparently Varulae had told some of her own close friends that Piper's family had resurfaced, literally. When he asked what she wanted, Piper responded with a request for combat training. It was agreed that she would start tomorrow evening after Aquillius' shift.

Day after day, Piper would meet Aquillius in the Arena District; it had the most space for practice and plenty of training tools for aspiring fighters. Piper started off with basic sword-and-shield techniques, which she already had some experience with, and worked her way up with the help of the guardsman's supervision. She learned how to angle a shield to deflect sword blows away from her, where to hold one to maximize protection against ranged weapons, and how to use a shield in conjunction with the longsword, Piper's arm of choice. Then came the heavy armor training, which tested and forcefully extended the limits of her endurance. It took her a while to get used to how to move in heavy armor, and would frequently exhaust herself. She had a patient teacher, though, and he stuck with Piper until she got the hang of it. Her training took about half a year, though she continued practicing with Aquillius for another few months, at which point he felt he taught the raring lass all he could as a soldier. All that was left was for Piper to learn how to maintain her gear, and to that end he directed her to Uradras Dreleth. He was once a Redoran blacksmith, or so the old Mer told those that sought his services, though reportedly all questions about his origins and why he came to Cyrodiil were either shot down or ignored entirely. Whatever the case, Aquillius assured Piper that she could learn a lot from Dreleth, and that he wished her the best of luck in her future endeavors.

Uradras, Piper learned very quickly, was not as nice and polite as Aquillius. When she told him why she was in shop, he started yelling about how he wasn't taking any apprentices and that "you damned people need to mind your own business!" The mentioning of Aquillius didn't exactly make the grouch apologetic, but at least he stopped his angry rambling. He waved Piper over to his forge impatiently and began showing Piper the basics. Thankfully, as much of a grumpy coot as Uradras was, he was an even better teacher. Under his very critical wing, Piper learned how to sharpen a blade, buff out dents in armor, and all other manner of techniques a warrior in the field would need. Surprise of all surprises, when her initial training was done, the crotchety Dunmer actually expressed a meager amount of approval with how well she took to everything. Sensing that perhaps Piper had a talent for the craft, Uradras offered to teach her further as his pupil, a position that had apparently been reopened in the few days it took for the Imperial to learn the basics. Not seeing her very unsteady job as a store guard going any where, Piper of course took his offer. Immediately upon her acceptance, Dreleth shoved the hammer back into Piper's hand and lead her through the steps to making her very first piece: An iron dirk that she keeps to this day. 

Learning the intricacies of the art of smithing under Uradras was hard and tiring work. He was very quick and simple with his lessons, never spending very long on anything, so Piper had to learn just as quickly. He was also an incredibly critical teacher, with the Mer somehow finding faults with every single bend of the metal, and Piper would often come home long after the sun vanished from the sky having spent a lot of time correcting her myriad of mistakes. Though she would hit her pillow night after night with arms sore and eyes burning, Piper found an odd enjoyment in her work. She could forget everything else and focus entirely on the metal she was working with, each consecutive strike of her hammer coming together to form a hypnotic rhythm. What really took an hour of hammering and forging felt like minutes to her, and her intense focus greatly amused Uradras, who said that Piper had a "resting s'wit face" when she really got into her work. She spent the next four years under Dreleth's employ and tutelage, both honing her craft and making decent money repairing and forging arms and armor for their customers. As one last trial of mastery, the old elf gave Piper his final orders as her tutor: forge a set of steel plate armor and a shield, fit for a knight. Setting her hammer to metal at once, Piper worked with Uradras watching closely, who shockingly said not a word. The most she got out of her tutor was a short grunt of approval when she finally finished the cuirass. Setting all the pieces out on a nearby table, Piper herself could hardly believe that she was the one that made it all. It was the first time in a while since she smiled with any energy. The last word from her tutor that she would ever hear rang out with audible happiness: "Finally!"

Piper came home gushing with pride, telling everyone about everything she had made and how great of a teacher Uradras was; no one had seen her quite so happy before, and she sorely wished her brother was there so she could show him her craftsmanship. That smile would vanish the next morning when she went back to the workshop to continue her work on other pieces. Instead of Uradras meeting her at the door with his usual impatient "you were almost late!" speech, it was his daughter Undena, watery-eyed and mournful. Undena told Piper that during the night, her father's heart finally gave out on him, and Uradras died in his sleep. Piper couldn't believe what she was hearing, she had spoken to the Mer barely twelve hours prior, and he seemed fine, though he did retire earlier than usual. After offering her condolences to the grieving daughter of her master, Piper was invited into the home; apparently Uradras had left something for her. In her father's room, Undena had found a small journal with a stack of letters stuffed inside, and emblazoned on the front cover was a strange red beetle which she explained was the insignia of the Great House Redoran of Morrowind. The note that was found next to the journal on the night-stand read "Reminder to self: Give letters to the Speculatus family, and perhaps share what's in my old journal.", and scribbled at the bottom was something about "Caius being so damned overly cautious". Piper didn't have a single idea about what Uradras meant. Caius? As in, her father Caius? Her father never even spoke of Uradras, though, or of any of the Dreleth family. The contents of the journal and letters didn't help things: They were written in Dunmeris, though there was one thing she could decipher: An elegant "C" was written at the end of some of the letters. It was all very confusing, and she wasn't quite in the mood to chase ghosts at that point in time. Besides, she thought it better to give Undena time to grieve before digging into her dead father's past, and instead retrieved her armor, wished the best for Undena, and went back home. It had felt like such a short four years, and Uradras was gone already. While they weren't super best friends or anything, Piper greatly appreciated the time the old Mer spent in teaching her, even during the times she seem to have proved useless. Before leaving for Skyrim, Piper forged a medallion, using the symbol on Uradras' journal as a guide for getting the details down for the Redoran beetle. She continues to wear this medallion as a sign of respect for her late master and it is plainly visible when Piper is out of her armor.
Perhaps it wasn't just Sagax's leaving and her concern for his safety that fueled Piper's decision to follow her brother to Skyrim. She knew that there were multitudes of Dunmer in the northern province, thanks to the Red Year, and at least one of them had to still know the language of their own kind. She wanted to know what was so important in those letters that Uradras was apparently sworn to secrecy by some mysterious "C". If not her father Caius, then who? Piper didn't have a great feeling about the contents of the letters, but something more than vain curiosity gnawed at her, as if she felt like she would learn some great truth if those old bits of paper were made readable. Well, even if she couldn't translate the letters, she still needed to make sure Sagax came home in one piece. That man would throw himself into an Orc berserker for the fun of it.

Personality

Take most things Sagax is, turn them around, and you've got Piper. A misanthropic, untrusting Imperial with a temper and knowledge of martial combat, it's a good idea to at least not be registered as an enemy. She cares not for boastful stories of supposedly-great triumphs or victories, and would much rather just be left alone. Much more reserved than Sagax, she will only rarely seek others out for conversation or small-talk, but more often than not she will only talk with others if there is something that has to be said.

Piper herself has lost some faith in her gods, though she still prays to them all in equal proportions, even if she feels that she is ignored. Unlike Sagax's subscription to Mara's "love for all", Piper believes that those that harm the innocent and kill indiscriminately are fair game for Stendarr's righteous might, and has no qualms about putting down the various kinds of villains that stalk the lands of Tamriel. Her brother believes this stance to be "extreme", but Piper puts little stock in Sagax's naivete and ignorance of how the world truly works; he would nurse a mass murderer if the bastard got a nasty cut from his victim before they passed.

Due to her perceptions on how being respected and being taken seriously ought to work, Piper takes offense to compliments about her looks, and will challenge any man or woman in one-on-one combat to prove her mettle to them...but mostly to herself. Compliments on her martial prowess, however, make her silently prideful, and more often than not she unknowingly wears a ridiculous grin, which is where her helmet comes in handy. She has great respect and even greater envy for well-regarded warriors, and will often try to mimic them, with varying degrees of success and humiliation.

Capabilities

Skills
Expert: Smithing
Adept: Heavy Armor, One-Handed Blade
Apprentice: Shield, Athletics, Tailoring
Novice: Speech, Hand to Hand, Medicine

Spells

	None, FOR-EEEEEV-ER.

WeaknessesUtter magical inability: For whatever reason, Piper just cannot seem to get a handle on magic. Varulae on several occasions tried teaching her some basic healing spells, but nothing ever came of it. Same for destruction spells, alteration spells, and all other spells the High Elf knew of; Piper is a martial combatant, not magical, and that's the end of it.
Insensitive: Piper can come across as rather cold and uncaring to the everyday passerby, and its very easy for her to offend without meaning to. This naturally makes it quite difficult for her to make many allies.
Poor Balance: Unfortunately, Piper does not share Sagax's uncanny ability to always stay on his feet. Though her armor helps in anchoring her, given the right amount of force, Piper can be toppled relatively easily.

Relations/Affiliations

Sagax Speculatus: She loves the man dearly, but her brother can be so hard-headed in the worst ways, and not to mention his gods-damned hero complex. She just hopes he doesn't injure himself too seriously saving a lost puppy or whatever the hell he's prone to do.

Other Capabilities
Strong Back: Her training in and continued usage of heavy armor has conditioned Piper's body for carrying large loads, and she can carry many things for a good distance before needing to rest.

Inventory

Cash: 40 Septims
Keys and Lockpicks: None.
Clothing and Armor: Piper's everyday attire consists of black cotton trousers with a leather belt, basic leather boots and a gray cotton long-sleeved shirt, with her blacksmithing apron and leather gloves on top of that when working. The medallion she crafted is always around her neck, and she watches it like a hawk. Over Piper's normal attire is her steel armor, crafted in her master's workshop just a day before his passing. The aesthetic of the armor itself is distinctly Cyrodillic, like the kind you'd find in illustrations of knights in popular fiction. A crusader-esque "bucket" helmet completes the set, resting atop a chainmail coif.
Weapon and Ammunition: Steel longsword, an iron dirk and a teardrop shield, emblazoned with the signet of the Imperial Dragon.
Potion and Arcane Supplies: Two potions of healing, two potions of stamina.
Jewelry and Novelty Items: Redoran amulet crafted in memory of Uradras Dreleth.
Books and Documents: Uradras' journal and the letters of correspondence to a mysterious person known only as "C", all written in Dunmeris.
Food, Drinks, Provisions: Water canteen, four slices of dried meat, three pieces of hardtack, fire-starting kit, two rolls of bandages and a set of splints, smithing supplies(hammer, whetstone, a steel ingot), a bar of soap and two wash rags, and a torch.
Bags, Pouches, Packs: A large backpack, and a harness consisting of four pouches attached to her cuirass.
Other: Two fur bedrolls strapped(one strapped to her belt, the other attached the side of her backpack), one to give to Sagax when the two finally meet. Idiot only took a pillow with him!

The crusader helm is just for show, no Vult for this little lady :P

Sagax was about to start celebrating his party's victorious charge, seeing his target crumple to the ground and watching as his comrades dispatched their own foes, but then he heard a familiar swish and felt a familiar sensation, though this time it was centered on the side of his left calf. Sagax yelped in pain and whirled around to meet his previously-unseen attacker...who just happened to be Roze. By the look of immense regret on her face, it probably wasn't intentional; didn't make it hurt any less though. Taking the quiet moment afforded to him by Do'Karth, and to everyone's great surprise, Niernen, helpfully neutralizing the orange-clad jackass, he assessed his wound. A gash had been opened up along the one thin strip of unarmored leg showing through the Imperial's greave and chainmail. Figures. Oh well, it wasn't too serious at least. Now he just needed to get some bandages or something...wait a minute, he kept his old shirt! Digging through his pack, Sagax fished out the tattered remnants of his former attire. Wiping as much dirt as he could off of it, he tore off a long strip of fabric and began tying it around his leg. Tightening the knot as much as it would allow him to, Sagax's efforts paid off, and he was able to keep the wound from bleeding further. That reminded him, he'd need to redo his arm bandages too, they were looking a little worn. Maybe Roze or Do'Karth could spare some after the mission.

Looking back up to face Niernen, Sagax smiled and waved. He didn't know her too well, or at all really, but she was Karth's friend, so she couldn't be all that bad. "Hello again! I'm glad to see that you've been able to make it back to us in one piece." One piece was kind of stretching it, actually. The poor woman looked like she'd just lost a fistfight with Malacath. And Malacath had a horse shoe hidden in his glove. She was alive though, so that was a positive. 

Before moving on with the rest of the party, Sagax put his hand on Roze's shoulder in a way that he hoped was reassuring. Accidents happen, after all, and he was quite accident-prone himself. Just add that one to the long, long list. On the subject of accidents, Madura went and had one, that accident being a sudden and unexpected family reunion. The leader of the opposing party was Madura's brother, who had apparently allied himself with a faction known as the Ashlanders. Sagax didn't really know what or who Ashlanders were, but it was clear Madura had no love in his heart for them. The mist and steam made it hard to tell, but as far as Sagax could see, with Madura's kin were several armed Dunmer, wearing armor similar to that of the Armigers the company had fought days ago, along with that damned Mer in the orange robe. He must have slipped away while they were distracted. 

This couldn't have gotten any worse, or so thought Sagax before hearing the pounding of footsteps. Very heavy, metal, footsteps. Emerging in the center of the room was a massive dwemer monstrosity, its green eyes glowing with silent, stoic fury. It looked between the company and the Ashlander party, daring either side to move forward. Sagax thought the Kamal were scary, for certain, but this metal beast, this centurion of automatons, was absolutely terrifying. You could strike a Kamal with awe, with fear, or at least cause their self preservation instincts to surface. This...thing, though? It undoubtedly knew no fear nor did it seem very impressed with the forces standing before it, like beetles beneath the boot of a mighty Legate. He stood with mouth agape, staring at the machine for several seconds, before hearing the primal yells of men heading to battle. 

One such man, or Mer, rather, met Sagax and struck at him viciously with a wicked chitin blade. Deftly parrying the blow with his own blade, sending the sword askew and upsetting the Dunmer's balance, Sagax carried through with a strike of his own at the chink in his foe's arm guard. Pivoting quickly to let his pauldron take the blow, the bonemould-clad warrior took a swing with his off-hand at Sagax's head. Tiring of repeated blows to the head, the Imperial ducked below his arm and struck the Mer in the back of the head with his sword's pommel, following up with a boot to their spine, sending them sprawling back into the steamy fog. Slinging foreign words in a very harsh and rude tone at the tiny wounded man that literally kicked his ass, the Ashlander disappeared into the mist and most likely tried rejoining his comrades, though what luck he would have with the Dwemer construct lurking about, Sagax had no idea. All he knew was that he successfully held his position...and that someone nearby did not. Swirling about trying to find the source of the struggle, he saw a vaguely-reptilian figure fall to the ground, with another more armored figure running past them, leaving their victim for dead on the cold stone floor. Only one person in that room had the tail of a lizard, and Sagax knew exactly to whom it belonged to.

Sprinting over to Tsleeixth, Sagax found the Beastman to be in a very bad way; the Ashlander that had fought him was clearly none too gentle. Grabbing Tsleeixth by the arm and setting him upright, Sagax brought out one of the potions of healing from his pack. "Hold on just one moment, Tsleeixth. A Speculatus never leaves family or friends to bleed..." Uncorking it, the small red vial found itself in the hands of its new owner, who certainly needed it much more than Sagax did. "Drink up, and don't thank me. No one in this company dies on my watch, Mara as my witness!" 

As soon as he uttered those words, Sagax was sucked into a memory once thought forgotten. A Nord clad in his kind's traditional iron armor, with a helmet adorned with ram horns. He was struck with an arrow that pierced his armor and flew straight into his stomach. Over and over he told Sagax to just drop him and run, but the Imperial refused. He carried the man's body all the way to the other shore, ignorant to the fact that his comrade had died from his wounds moments earlier. Mara indeed was his witness...the witness to his failure. For those few split seconds, Sagax's expression was one of melancholy, eyes focused on nothing in particular. He quickly regained his posture, though, shoving the memory back into the unreachable depths of his mind, where it belonged. Taking a deep breath, Sagax addressed Tsleeixth calmly. "Come on, we need to get you up and back to the rest of the company; that behemoth won't stop with those Ashlander guys..."

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