Ecuy

More comfortable on blood-soaked sand than in polite company, Ecuy is an escaped gladiatrix with deeply lacking social skills. She doesn't know if she's equipped to face the wide world as a free woman, but she is unshakably certain that she will or die trying.

## Ecuy

### Skills:

Athletics, first aid, looming, proficiency in most melee weapons

### Habits/Hobbies:

Hums whenever it's too quiet. Likes picking flowers and working out.

## Description

Standing at 5’9” / 175 cm, Ecuy is not particularly tall by most species’ standards, but her thick arms and hardened physique give her a presence beyond her size. Her skin is naturally pale, her hair naturally dark, and her body both toned and scarred from years of hard work and fighting. Beyond that, she keeps her gear clean and her pack light, and rarely is she seen not girded for battle.

### Armor

If it's available, she prefers wearing a manica, heavy gauntlets, and greaves while leaving the rest of her armor lighter. But, really, she'll use the best of whatever's on hand.

### Arms

Ecuy favors a seemingly crude warblade--a weapon as much ax as it is sword, which she wields with surprising agility. When possible, she pairs this with a sturdy shield to complement her weapons swift, but committed swings.

## History

Born in a small town on a mountainside, Ecuy spent most of her formative years living the relatively idyllic life of an artisan's daughter. However, when she was only fourteen, her town was attacked and sacked by a force of orc and moriquen raiders. Ecuy's whole family was taken captive and dragged underground, where they were divided up with the rest of the plunder; Ecuy would never see her family again.

Instead, she lived the next nine years in the depths of an orc stronghold as a thrall, doing whatever menial labor or degrading task her master's bid. In her time as a thrall, her sense of propriety and pride were stripped, and she was made to befit her station.

But in time, she was sent to The Pit, the gladiatorial arena of her masters' lair. There, she fought man, monster, and beast alike for her masters' amusement. There also, she found pride again. Regardless of the reason she was first thrown into The Pit, Ecuy grew into a strong and ruthless fighter and a favored entertainer.

Her time in the pit came to an abrupt end when the orcs who had kept her for nine years sold her to their moriquen allies. Ecuy's new masters took her from the pit and on a journey traveled both on foot and by magical means. At that journey's end, Ecuy found herself set to guard work in a small drow enclave near the surface.

It took months, but the thought of escape slowly reached Ecuy's mind. Between her newfound pride and the relative freedom her post afforded her, escape was a very real possibility. Finally, a few months into her servitude in the moriquen enclave, Ecuy fled into the day.

### Skills

Athletics: Years of menial labor and gladiatorial combat have forced Ecuy to hone her body to its peak. Even after escaping captivity, she enjoys both the work of keeping her body fit and the feats that it allows her to perform.

First Aid: Born of necessity, Ecuy's medical expertise is shallow but effective for treating many of the wounds that can be gotten in battle. As a thrall, her health was never her masters' priority, so she learned to look after herself.

Armorsmithing: Another skill learned out of necessity, Ecuy's skill with armor pertains mostly to upkeep and simple repairs. In The Pit, her weapons were always sharp and strong, but her protection was her own burden.

Proficiency in most melee weapons: Once she began fighting in The Pit, Ecuy had to learn how to wield any weapon that might be thrown to her. While she has her favorites, just like any warrior, she has experience with just about anything that can be used to kill.

### Major Flaw/Flaws:

Impetuous: For most of her adult life, Ecuy has not had to plan except in the heat of battle. Consequently, she is accustomed to thinking quickly and acting immediately and often initiates her decisions without consulting others.

Guileless: Ecuy has little experience with duplicity. As a child, she always knew she could trust her parents. As an adult, her masters had no reason to lie to her save for sport. As a result, she is both gullible and a bad liar.

### Minor Flaw/Flaws:

Awkward: Ecuy's social skills were never well-developed past her childhood. Her fellow thralls were predominantly despondent and shy, and she was never gregarious enough in the first place to be one to break through that. As a result, she finds social situations more difficult than most.

Ham-fisted: Although she does not lack physical grace, and she has learned to move quietly well-enough, all of Ecuy's training has gone into pitting her strength directly against the obstacle at hand. When it comes to finesse outside combat, Ecuy is not your woman.

Submissive: While she may not fold immediately and will always seek escape once captured, Ecuy quickly falls into a demure, obedient role once she has accepted that someone has power over her.

## Personality

Ecuy’s mien is by turns bashful and stoic, and the difference usually depends on whether she’s acting for herself or backing someone up. Most social situations still fluster her, and if she cannot loom ominously in the background, her learned tendency is to apologize and placate—whether it is appropriate or not. When at all possible, she prefers to let others do the talking. When the time for words has passed, when she is following an ally's lead, or when the situation has become unambiguously confrontational, Ecuy seems far more comfortable. Freed of the burden of deciphering intent and the desire to deescalate situations, she acts with bold confidence.

### Beliefs

Was raised to worship Mitra, then taught to fear Derketo. Currently swears by Crom.

### Quirks

Shows a general disregard for her own modesty.

### Relationships

She has budding friendships with Dela , Zaer, and Lex Roweson. Zaer in particular is her "warrior friend," while she sees in Lex someone who understands where she came from and who can both help her with skills she lacks and be helped by her through skills he lacks.

Ilinissa is the matron of the moriquen enclave that Ecuy escaped from. Ecuy still fears Ilinissa, and the matron no-doubt has hard feelings for the erstwhile slave.