Gwen Arnimane

"To safeguard the weak and protect the helpless - to shield those who cannot stand for themselves.  That was my vow."
==Skills==
*Ride 14
*Handle Animal 12
*Craft (Armor) 13
*Heal 9
*Profession (Hedge Knight) 11
*Knowledge (Nobility) 5
*Diplomacy 12
==Feats==
*Shield Focus
*Mounted Combat
*Toughness
*Endurance
*Diehard
*Weapon Focus (Longsword)
*Saving Shield
*Back-to-Back
*Swap Places
*Covering Defense
*Mounted Shield
==Equipment==
*Head:  Helm of Command
*Headband:
*Eyes:
*Neck:  Cloistered Mind Locket
*Shoulders:  Cloak of the Warlord
*Body:
*Chest:
*Belt:  Haleband
*Wrists:
*Hand:
*Ring 1:  Ring of Protection I
*Ring 2:  Ring of Cold Resistance/5
*Feet:  Stability Boots
*Armor:  Mail of the Borderwatch
*Shield:  Burnished Bulwark
*Weapons:  Shadow
*Weapons (2):  The Earthwright
*Wonderous Items:
==Abilities==
Expert Trainer, Mount, Tactician, Order, Greater Tactician, Banner, Challenge, Cavalier's Charge
==Biography==
Gwen is the inheritor of a name that has long since fallen from grace in the Adaran court.  The House of Arnimane was once a glorious and prestigious noble family that fell on hard times during the Rygildan civil war decades ago.  The family wound up being on the wrong side of the borders to their loyalties when the civil war ended and found itself stripped of its titles and lands for its role on the opposing side.  The name is still known in most circles but not in the best of ways.  Because of this, Gwen has worked hard to try and make a name for herself and to possibly restore a level of honor to the family name.  She has served as a soldier and eventually joined the church of Belaius and worked her way up to eventually becoming an annoited knight.  She worked with Tithon's paladins for time before she voluntarily left their ranks in the idea that she could possibly do more good roaming the countryside by the border to safeguard and aid those in need as raids and skirmishes are all too common.  After all, it was during one such raid that she earned her knighthood as she sheltered a family hiding in a countryside church, holding the doorways against incredible odds. 
It was during one of these raids that she first met Aaron Branworth, who was then a mercenary serving in Harkasian ranks - a rather difficult role for any human to stand in as a peer.  The two crossed blades and eventually came to a stand still when the raid was withdrawn.  Gwen and Aaron would cross blades more than once, however and the two have actually met as allies on occassion as well depending on which side Aaron was currently fighting for at the time.  The two gradually have come to a cordial understanding, each seeing something in the other that they have felt that they have lacked over the years.  During the battle of Rheene, Aaron and several others of his Harkasian unit who had stayed with Ratha switched side.  Aaron convinced his own unit that working with Sif and the others who had changed sides was the better choice and they summarily changed sides.  In truth, Aaron had come to have a dislike of his commander and for Lord Ratha.  Seeing Gwen's banner across the field prompted him to an action he had begun to feel neccessary.  After he had been recognized for his actions at the actual battle, Gwen found herself pleasantly stunned when the once mercenary asked for her hand in marriage.  They joined the group after hearing their exploits during the battle of Rheene in hopes of doing even further good. 
==Personality==
Gwen is a devot knight and follower of the god Belaius.  She takes her vows quite seriously with regard to protecting the masses from outside threats.  This idea extends to those she battles alongside and she is attentive to the needs of those around her.  She is strongly set in her ideals and believes whole-heartedly in pursuing what is right for the good of all and would willingly sacrifice her self if she beleived it would save another.  As such, she is extremely protective of her allies and will fight valiantly to keep them standing.  She is also a very caring woman who will give generously to those in need even at cost to herself.  Her family's fall from grace assure that she has little more than what she takes with her as it is but she still is known to willingly give from her own to another in need.  He idealism can make her seem more zealous and uptight than she really is and at times it also clouds her judgement of the world around her. 
When presented with a challenge to her beliefs, she will willingly seek to know the truth knowing that she does not know everything about the world and will quickly try to rectify her mistakes when proven wrong.  This behaviour was most recently made evident in dealing with Rana.  His open admission to murder as well as his brutal style of combat made her take an instant disliking of him.  This eventually came to an open disagreement that made her reconsider her own outlook.  She admitted she was wrong and had allowed her beliefs and views to cloud her judgement and apologized; since then she seeks only to try and understand him and others from this new viewpoint and a new level of understanding.  She thinks quite highly of Theon as being a pillar of her faith and looks to him naturally when in doubt.  She believes Thrym is good of intentions but sometimes overly reckless.  Baern she beleives to be geniunely honorable and well meaning.  She also understands the pressure he feels to continue his family legacy.  Hwyll she thinks of as simply Hwyll.  He is exactly as he seems.  Of Krisken she admires her adventurous heart and hopes recent events do not dampen her spirits.  Vesterline, she feels, has her vices but she respects her forthright nature and her open demeanor. 
==Fighting Style/Preference==
Strong and tenacious, Gwen learned early on that her greatest strength was her ability to withstand the prolonged rigors of combat.  This coupled with her intense desire to shield her allies and safeguard the weak make her well suited to frontline combat where being able to outlast an adversary can be more important than outright skill.  As such, Gwen has learned how to mitagate the effectiveness of her opponents attacks and how to move with her allies in combat to better protect them from attackers.  She favors a defensive fighting stance that hinges on the use of the shield and heavy armor.  As her foes assail her position time and again only to fall back from her, she has become an inspiring point in battle to her allies as she will keep fighting to support her allies for as long as she is standing, and it takes a lot to pull her down.
Category:Noteworthy People