Main Character
I stress, this is an image of her before current events!
Rhian(non) Chandle
22 | 158 | Human
Physical Description:
Rhian is one who cannot help but stand out from those around her, her bright red hair contrasting with the near death-white paleness of her skin which are both heritages from her family's supposedly ancient line. Apart from these two features she is remarkably average, with a slight but athletic build that is the result of years spent practising with dancing trainers. Her eyes are a deep green-blue, a description that matches old descriptions of the sea before the Leviathans turned the sea blood-red. Her clothes are often chosen for her by attendants, usually flowing dresses of whatever style is currently in fashion and carefully chosen to make the most impact of her fiery-coloured hair.
Biography/background:
The Chandle family was used to its influence, drowned in wealth like so many of the human families of the Republic that had inherited great wealth through ancestral opportunism. Rhian, or Rhiannon as she was known in her younger days, was born into a union of two families that was meant to bring an end their long-standing feud. For a time this was true and both the Chandles and her mother's family rejoiced in this peace and the further prosperity it brought, at least to them. Little changed in the world around them, the status quo after the Great War holding but in the bubble the wealthy elite inhabited there was a sense of renewed optimism below which simmering resentment could no longer be tolerated.
Spending her early years with other young ladies from both Houses, Rhiannon was something of a leader due to her symbolic status as a unifier. Young men from other houses attempted to woo her, thinking only of the prestige and wealth they would gain through her and she was forced to play their game of power. She was protected by the rules of engagement specific to this game; while unmarried she was a neutral party that all wanted to obtain for themselves.
There are always some, however, who do not play by the rules. Nearing the age of nineteen, and still spurning her suitors, Rhiannon had her first taste of the cruelty and ambition that lay behind the composed faces of her male counterparts. An eligible male her own age flew into a wild rage when she proved ambivalent towards him, despite his 'romantic' efforts, and attempted to 'claim her through strength of arms', as he termed it. What she understood was that he was forcing himself upon her.
In the midst of her fear something broke inside of her, a seal or her own sanity. A voice rushed forth promising her the strength and protection she needed for the first time in her life. She latched onto it, the one ray of hope in that moment, and then awoke to find herself standing above what remained of her attacker with her chest heaving from an exertion she did not remember and her limbs heavy from exhaustion. Her own clothes were in tatters, the bodice of her dress ripped away in a telling manner with blood soaking into her clothes and skin. Once her wits had returned she used this to disguise the incident, soaking a ceremonial sword from the wall (probably a priceless heirloom of her victim's House) in his blood before calling for help she no longer needed.
Two years passed with no recompense. Rhiannon was approached less, whispers behind her back speaking of how she had been spoiled but of also how she had defender herself by slaughtering the rich young man who had attempted to assault her. This narrative suited the young woman perfectly for she feared the result of the truth becoming known and sunk into the lie until she believed it herself; continuing her former life of banquets and ballroom dances all the while dismissing the dark looks she received as a result of the hearsay flying all around her.
Recompense for her actions eventually came. Her family's holding was sacked and its inhabitants slaughtered, all disguised by raging fires that burnt through all regardless of its value or history. Rhiannon stood and watched the flames consume all she had known while the veil of security she had come to believe in was torn away. Drenched in the blood of her would-be killers, whose faces and deaths she could not recall, Rhian left behind the Republic and its delusions of civility and safety with nothing but a voice whispering in her mind and the taste of the blood of those who threatened her still fresh on her tongue.
Personality:
Rhiannon was a charming and intelligent young woman, quick-witted and innocent. She spoke well and loudly, as those with power but who do not appreciate or are not aware of it do. As Rhian, however, she is sullen and quiet. She isolates herself from others, trusting nothing and no one but herself and the voice of the one she has come to believe is her partner. She can be as she once was, when she wishes to, but her talent for meaningless conversation no longer comes naturally and she is always guarded as if she suspects an attack at all times.
She is highly educated but has little in the way of useful survival skills due to her life up until now. Still coming to appreciate the value of money and favours, Rhian watches others to learn from their actions before engaging in any kind of barter or conflict as she is becoming increasingly aware of her own weaknesses and the folly of venturing out into the wastelands outside of the Republic with no ally and no preparation.
Skillset:
Rhian is excellent with a rapier, if she was duelling an opponent. She has still not transferred her skill the long blade into actual combat situations and, although she is very fit from years of well co-ordinated exercise and being well fed, she is not of great use in fight without calling upon her 'partner.'
What she is good at is dancing and political double-speak. A lifetime of living and breathing the practises of the Republic's elite has given her a natural way with those from such a background; she is also very good at lying convincingly which is a trait borne out of the same environment.
When it comes to foraging, cooking, bartering or just about any other life skill she is more of a hindrance than help but is a quick study from years of learning and her more recent desperation.
Equipment:
A rapier with an elegant, engraved guard that curves round to protect her hand from any blows sliding down the blade itself. Other than this, Rhian has nothing but the clothes on her back, a little currency looted from one of her victims and a necklace containing tiny portraits of her parents.
