Baranya Hawall

*Baranya is one of Ground Man's great characters! She's great! We swear!*

*"I am a warrior of love and justice!" -Baranya Hawall*

Autocrat **Baranya Elena Hawall** (b. 27 Erastus, 982 AC)of Chrysanthea is a priestess and paladin of Shelyn, and serves as The Eternal Rose's suzerain. This tall, Northern human is distinguished easily by her distinctive metal prosthetic leg.

## Character Information

### Class

Cleric (divine strategist) - Paladin (Oath of the People's Council) gestalt - Mythic Marshal

## History

The middle child of a merchant and a militaman, Baranya was raised in the silver-mining town of Argent Pass in the Northern Tundra, which exists in close proximity to a cathedral of Iomedae, a middling distance away from the orcish stronghold of Warforge. The Iomedaeans recognized the girl's gift for insight early on, and convinced her to join the faith as an acolyte. At the cathedral, Baranya learned how to fight, but more importantly, she was taught why and when to fight; "to defend or to pre-emptively defend the innocent" and "when all other options have been eliminated". By Baranya's own admission, the latter lesson was not one wholly learned; her failure to consider options other than combat cost Baranya the lives of her closest friends, the trust of her fellows at the cathedral, and the full use of her left leg.

On 5th Sarenith, 1004 AC, Baranya; her nascent adventuring company, the Copper Rose; and a contingent force of eight Iomedaean paladins responded to rumors of orcish slavers launching a raid on a nearby settlement. The force located the orcs, who appeared to be struggling with their wagon on the side of the road. Baranya climbed a tree for a better vantage point; from her perch, she determined that the best course of action was to charge to orcs from their flank, as they appeared to be unaware of the impending attack. Unfortunately, the orcs were actually lying in ambush themselves; almost immediately after she gave the fateful order to charge, an orcish archer shot Baranya in the left shin with a barbed, poisoned arrow, causing the cleric to fall out of the tree, snapping the shaft of the arrow off and further breaking her leg. The shock caused Baranya to pass out.

When she awoke, two weeks had passed. Despite the orcish counter-ambush, the Iomedaeans had prevailed... but at great cost. Of the twelve members of the expedition, only three had survived, and only one had made it out unscathed. Four of the nine that had perished were able to be raised by the head priest of the cathedral, but they were unable to afford to raise anyone else. The other members of the Copper Rose were gone, as were two promising young Iomedaean knights. The blame had fallen on Baranya; she was the one who ordered the charge, after all. In the eyes of the citizens of Argent Pass, she was just as responsible for the financial and emotional costs of the deaths as the orcs had been; in the eyes of the senior priests, Baranya had become political poison, a wedge between them and the community.

Some months after the incident that crippled her, Baranya was approached by the senior leaders of the cathedral. Being a merchant's daughter, Baranya could tell she was being delivered a sales pitch; their talk about "spreading the faith to the southwestern reaches" and "ensuring the just have solace in the faraway city of Falador" was code for "everyone in town hates your guts now, and we can barely tolerate you, but we'll let you stay a priestess if you just leave and never come back". Baranya went into exile, hoping that the journey would give her the means to rectify the wrong she feels she committed.

## Appearance

Baranya possesses the sturdy frame of one forged in the crucible of battle. She wears a custom uniform, a red longcoat with silver trim and belt, a silken ribbon bearing Shelyn's holy symbol tied to the latter. Baranya is never seen without her silver holy symbol of Shelyn, a gift from one of the priests of Shelyn she befriended while in Haven. Baranya's left leg has been completely replaced by a prosthesis made of steel; the guts of the contraption are held together by a ironwood-mithril weave, and has been enchanted to allow increased mobility. The holy symbol of Iomedae is engraved on the kneecap. Her longsword, a formerly-unholy mithril blade, since purified, is named *Lament of the Lost.*

Baranya employs a wide array of steam armors in battle, including the *LI-001 "Einherjar"*, the *SAM-001 "Panthera"*, and the *SAM-002P "Interceptor/ATTACKER".*She is just as likely not to use any steam armor at all, instead wearing a mastercraft set of full plate.

## Personality

During the year of 1005 AC, Baranya tried her best to be friendly, humble, and steadfast, but in her darker moments, she was prone to wrathful overtures. She was emphatic in her personal devotion to Iomedae's teachings, but actively tried to shy away from preaching or proselytizing. In addition to being a cleric, she was also a paladin, and devoted herself to the Iomedaean code of honor. She believed that a truly just society must also be merciful and nurturing, while also being steadfast in defending against sin, both venial and mortal.

After returning to Falador as a dual-ordained cleric, Baranya became far more mellow and relaxed. She was more concerned with protecting the people she calls friends than leading the charge against evil, but was determined to do the latter when the call came. While she still believed in Iomedae's teaching of courage over all, she was more willing to preach and live Shelyn's creed of seeing the beauty (hidden or not) in all things... even in those she would call enemy.

Now, as Autocrat of Chrysanthea, Baranya is a kind and nurturing leader; she leads by example, and encourages her subjects to be the good they wish to see in their community. After a fateful run-in with a powerful graveknight, Baranya and Iomedae lost faith in each other, costing Baranya her powers and status as an Inheritor's Crusader. As a singularly dedicated cleric once again, Autocrat Hawall has fully devoted herself to the teachings of Shelyn.

## Friends

**Isolde**: Baranya and Isolde share similar histories of suffering greatly at the hands of orcs, but Baranya recognizes that Isolde's predicament was far more dire. While the two travel in different social circles, Baranya is consistently impressed with stories of the young cat lord's martial prowess.

**Erinal**: The creator of Baranya's metal leg and a cleric of Iomedae. Baranya has great respect for Erinal's cutting-edge technological mien.

**Taeniir**: Baranya's girlfriend. After being resurrected on 23 Desnus, 1007 AC, the pair's relationship has resumed.

**Raoflin**: This spooky catfolk is one of Baranya's better friends; a fellow co-founder of the Lion's Pride. She feels a sense of responsibility for Raoflin's current predicament, and has vowed to undo the corruption that has taken hold of him.

**Scharp**: Baranya once saw Scharp as the squire she never had, but after he became an errant paladin, she considers him his own man. She still considers the tiefling a trusted friend... if occasionally deficient in the sense department.

**Tanya**: With the unfortunate passing of Baranya's boon companions, and the rest of her frineds up North disowning her, Tanya is now Baranya's best friend (sometimes with benefits). The boisterous half-giant and the red-headed cripple cleric are inseparable.

**Elora**: Baranya originally counted Elora as an enemy for fairly asinine reasons, chief of which being that Elora claimed to serve nearly all gods as a cleric, a notion Baranya had long felt preposterous. After becoming a dual cleric herself, however, Baranya's opinion on Elora has mellowed considerably.

**Tessla**: Perhaps the first friend Baranya made upon arriving in Falador, the tinker with the unpronounceable name is the architect behind Baranya's steam armor, the Einherjar, and serves as Baranya's primary mechanic.

**Belor**: The General of Nethysium, a paladin of Iomedae, and Baranya's former boss. The two travel in different social circles, and Baranya has become mildly wary of the company he keeps, but still regards him highly.

**Istvan**: Baranya's younger brother. Despite his considerable martial prowess and strength, Baranya still feels it necessary to protect her brother, going so far as to have named her first sword after him.

**Arianne**: Baranya and Arianne met in Haven during Baranya's fifteen-month period of training. Baranya sees Arianne as an emotional and spiritual work-in-progress, and hopes to keep the aasimar from making the same mistakes she did in her early days in Falador. Though it was Baranya who converted Arianne to Iomedae, Baranya's conversion away from the Inheritor has not changed Arianne's opinion of her in the slightest, and the two are often seen travelling the streets of New Haven together, ever-watchful for disturbances against the peace.

**Linn**, **Sahms**, **Silvia**, and **Quill**: Fellow members of Lion's Pride.

**Gideon**: Gideon stands as sort of a... weird... father-brother figure to Baranya at this point; their paths cross more and more often now that the two have become rulers of allied nation-states.

**Elena**: Baranya's mother.

**Pietra**: Baranya's sister

**Henrik**: Baranya's father.

Baranya looks favorably on those who worship other goodly deities, especially Iomedae, Sarenrae and Erastil.

## Enemies

**Hubris**: Baranya has, at various points during her adventuring career, seen Hubris von Demut, a.k.a. Demetri Ceased, a.k.a. Edward Caelum, as a troublemaker, a necromancer, a fallen role model, and a superior (though she would never admit this last one). While most positive ties between them have been cut, Baranya harbors intentions of saving Demetri from himself.

**Luca**: Someone best avoided.

**Virulina**: Baranya's utter antithesis. The two mix like water and oil.

## Aspirations

Baranya seeks to return the friends and comrades she lost two and a half years ago back to life, continuing with the other two members of the Copper Rose, Leandra Kasartos and Edwin Clowes.