Played by:Emily Vakos (ervakos@gmail.com)
Name: Ryla Larksfield (formerly Blackthorne)
Gender: Female
Age: Late Twenties
Race: Human
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: Brown
Occupation: Mercenary and adventurer
Known Skills: Not bad with a sword and shield (not especially good, but not bad), quick with a joke and a drink (when applicable), keeps an ear to the ground
Birthplace: Dellastern, Aldoria (presumably)
Appearance:
Notable Traits: Pretty average. . .maybe her penchant for sarcasm.
Bio:
Ryla, like many of the children who grow up on the streets of Dellastern, never knew her parents. She was abandoned to and raised by one of the local temples. Though her time there left her with a favorable view of religion and the religiously devout she has since found other deities that better fit her lifestyle. Though they’re intentions were noble, there is only so much a few priestesses can do with a temple full of gaping mouths. At age 9, Ryla left the temple to make her own way on the streets.
While it wasn’t all wine and roses, naturally, Ryla found the streets more than adequately comfortable. She learned quickly and well how valuable friends were and made them every chance she got. When she needed protection, she befriended those slightly older and stronger than herself. When she needed food, she befriended a fish monger. It cost her dearly. The last coin in her purse was almost always spent buying some new “friend” a drink, but she never starved or froze. While her peers learned the fine arts of cut-pursing and begging, Ryla learned to trade in favors and information. By the age of 19 she was well established as a capable and reliable fixer. With a few more years in the city’s underworld she would have been well off indeed. But it was not to be.
Eight years ago the nation of Aldoria fell and Ryla was forced to leave her beloved city for the unconquered wilds of Mardrun. In the months leading to the evacuation she spent every asset available to her buying a new life on Mardrun for those who had no means of escape on their own. If asked about it, she’ll simply give you a bitten smirk and remind you that the flood of dead from Aldoria was still enough to push the living off of Faedrun forever.
She arrived on the new continent penniless and nearly friendless and certainly would have been easy prey for the tamest of Mordock had it not been for a mercenary named Duncan Larksfield. The two met at a tavern Ryla frequented called the Winter Apple. While the rest of his men cavorted, he sat in the back playing quiet games of chess. Eventually Ryla wore him down with beer and persistence and he agreed to play a game against her. They became friends quickly, meeting at the Winter Apple whenever Duncan’s business brought him to the port.
When the undead pushed in on Dellastern, Duncan rushed to the city’s defense and the two stole a moment for a final game. Much to his dismay, Ryla intended to save one more life, drugged his beer, and had him dragged aboard a ship bound for Mardrun. Though incensed at first, he eventual forgave Ryla and the two decided to stick together when they landed on the new continent.
But the princess of Aldoria, Ryla was not, and Duncan would be damned if he was going to give her a free ride in a harsh new world. He taught her how to use a sword and fight and the two settled into mercenary work protecting caravans and travelers. Ryla’s new talent with a blade was mediocre at best, but the measured caution of her youth had relaxed in Duncan’s company and for the first time in her life, she became cocky. Despite Duncan’s warnings, she became more and more reckless with her safety. While on a relatively routine guard job roughly three and a half years ago, Ryla got into a bit of trouble and would have lost her head if Duncan hadn’t come to her aid. But in so doing, he sustained a horrible wound that nearly killed him.
He was nursed back to health by a healer named Erin and through his recovery the two fell in love. When he was fully healed, he and Erin settled in New Aldoria and were married. Ryla, feeling depthless guilt, stayed by his side through his recovery and into his new life with Erin. She got a job at a butcher’s and the three lived a quiet happy life for a little over a year. But it soon became obvious that though Ryla loved her new family dearly, she was growing restless. Duncan and Erin took matters into their own hands, bought her new gear, and forced her to take a guard job traveling to New Hope. They bid their farewells, telling her that she would always be welcome to visit.
Thus, Ryla found herself on the road, once more alone and seeking her fortune. Over the last few years she’s befriended a motley group of fellow travelers. That is where we find her now.
Relationships: Travels with Nighen, Tylon, and Weilyn
Rumors: There is a surprising amount of gossip, in the right circles. Some people say she’s the kind of low life scum who thumbs her nose at proper social decorum and hangs around with robbers and whores. Others say she’s surprising helpful and resourceful, if a bit down on her luck since coming to the new world.