Arianne West

Arianne in 1015AE

Jaster Blackthorne, half-brother

Talia Blackthorne, half-sister

**Arianne West**, called the "Griffin's Bastard," is a High Elven warrior and a member of the Wild Huntsmen. She held a significant position as the Captain of the Mercenary Corps until she was deposed by her rival, the Headhunter, following her supposed death in 1014AE. Her mother was Kiliel, a Brecilidian High Elven Handmaiden in service to House Karhall. While there was no doubt that she was of illegitimate birth, the infant Arianne experienced some fame as the realm believed her to be the daughter of Arthur Blackthorne. If this were to prove true, then it would mean she possesses lineage from both the ancient High Elven Kings of Brecilidia and the Stormlords, both bloodlines that have produced great heroes when crossed before. Arianne's abilities as a warrior and leader would seem to reflect this. Through the connection of her alleged father she can count most of House Blackthorne as her family--the current Lord, Dominic, is her uncle and his son Jacques is her cousin. She shares a combative relationship with her half-brother, Jaster.

## Appearance and Character

Arianne is a striking presence, supposedly possessed of both Stormlord and High Elf ancestry, though her Elven side is much more prominent. She is tall, with long limbs, small breasts and a willowy physique that belies her physical prowess. Her hair is very long, hanging down to her back, and has the famed Blackthorne scarlet coloration. She often wears it in a braid, or else in a high, loose ponytail, and always pins it through with a grey griffin's feather. Her eyes are grey-green in color, their shape accentuated by her angular elven facial features. She is nearing her 30th year, but due to the longevity afforded to her by her lineage she looks at least a decade younger than that, and is likely to remain that way for years to come. She has a few scars around her body from past battles--including three claw marks on her right arm inflicted by a High Vampire she fought in the Tropics. Her mannerisms are described as "performatively masculine" and arrogant, which (coupled with her style of dress) creates a contrast with her feminine beauty. Arianne holds to the battle-dress style of her mother's Brecilidian ancestors; she typically prefers to wear light, flexible scale armor, with leather trousers and studded fingerless gloves, alongside distinctive footwear that covers the instep and ankles of her feet while leaving the toes and heels bare, which aids in her acrobatic fighting style. She owns a blue hooded cloak, and is rarely seen without her sword and bow.

Though she uses her reputation as the "Griffin's Bastard" for a moniker, Arianne strongly resents her status as the byblow of the Great Griffin. She has grown to be hostile towards authority, members of the nobility and especially Blackthornes. She is often eager to insult or humiliate the aristocracy whenever she gets a chance to. Despite her vehement identification as being a member of the peasantry, Arianne has the personality traits common to every Blackthorne--witty, resourceful, cunning, duplicitous, arrogant, and with a love of wealth and luxury. Even as a child, Arianne was spirited and willful, and often wears a distinctive "daredevil smirk" when about to charge headfirst into trouble. She is a charismatic leader, and while she thinks of herself as a lone wolf, she is highly sociable and forms strong friendships--exemplified by her relationships with her partners-in-crime, Ogden and J'Zara. Arianne is pansexual and has, in the past, taken lovers of all genders.

## Skills and Abilities

Arianne is a master in the dual fields of archery and swordsmanship. It is said that she inherited the Blackthorne skill at arms, which (coupled with her inhuman ancestry) has given her a famously fierce fighting ability, easily capable of defeating most Western Knights. In addition to this, Arianne has picked up many of the skills required in the mercenary lifestyle--how to ride a horse, how to survive in the wild, and how to drive a hard bargain when necessary. Arianne wields a specialized bladed shortbow named "Arbalest" that she is said to have taken from the corpse of the legendary mercenary Gaenor after she defeated him. She dual-wields it in battle with a standard steel longsword or daggers, usually accompanied by whatever arrows she has on hand. She performed well as the captain of the Wild Huntsmen, proving she has the leadership abilities to match her combat skills.

## History

When his star was still on the rise, a 16-year-old Arthur Blackthorne visited Frostfall island, the seat of House Karhall, with his father Giacomo. Several months after their departure it was discovered that one of the maids at the castle had become pregnant. The child was born with an instantly distinctive head of scarlet hair. This was the cause of major gossip throughout all Aradia for several months, and all signs seemed to point to the fact that the Blackthorne heir had sired a daughter out of wedlock. The House swiftly proved this to be false, going so far as to trace the maid's high elf bloodline in order to show how the child could have the distinctive hair colour. Despite this, the girl--named Arianne--would be named as "the Griffin's Bastard" for the rest of her life. While reportedly not of the Stormlord lineage, the girl certainly seemed like she'd be at home on Stormrise Isle. She could fight better than many of the boys at the castle, and possessed a strange gift for wheedling money and material possessions out of others. When she became an adult, she was determined not to follow her mother into servitude and took a ship to Everglow City. Mentored by the dwarven mercenary Ogden, she joined Gaenor's Wild Hunstmen alongside a young Feline named J'Zara. During this time Arianne formed a rivalry with the Headhunter, an older and more feared warrior--while they had a combative relationship they also worked together closely, and the Headhunter would often claim to have taught Arianne all she knew. it was a matter of contention as to which of them would succeed Gaenor. The old captain was determined not to be ousted by a youngster and made the mistake of challenging Arianne to a dual, losing his life in the process. Renaming the Corps as the "Trinity" under the leadership of herself, Ogden and J'Zara, Arianne established herself as a famed soldier-of-fortune. Though she has a certain animosity with the House that she may be related to, the Griffin's Bastard and her colleagues ended up working closely with the Blackthornes, frequently hired by the Bloodhawk for the more illicit and morally dubious operations that needed doing. Arianne was always glad to oblige, so long as there was a promise of a healthy dose of gold in it for her.

## Recent Events

Accompanied by 100 of her best fighters, Arianne set sail on the Bloodhawk's orders to the Untamed Isle. She was to infiltrate the Senate's expedition and loot any treasures she found on the journey. This ended in disaster when Demons attacked the fleet, sinking Arianne's *Stormrise Dagger* and taking most of her men with it. The only three survivors, Arianne, Ogden and J'Zara, were captured by Cadmus Knox and brought aboard his ship, the *Indomitable*. The incompetent fourthborn had bitten off more than he could chew, however, and Arianne and her friends swiftly ransacked the vessel and made it their own. Word of this reached Rickard Worcester who attacked the ship and almost succeeded in killing the mercenaries. Arianne and her cohorts managed a risky escape and were adrift on the ocean for a number of months before they managed to find their way back to the mainland. There, while deciding what their next move should be, they ran into a wounded survivor of the Massacre at the Riverford who turned out to be Lord Jaster Blackthorne himself.

Arianne took Jaster for a captive, intending to turn him into the newly-made Lord Blackthorne. She spent the end of 1014AE shipping her half-brother across the mainland. A chance encounter with Sir Preston Knox in the Brackensbridge Inn ended with Arianne killing Preston with an arrow, unwittingly avenging her father and half-brother's death. A physical altercation between Jaster and Arianne altered their relationship, and she now views the forgotten lord with sympathy. She has changed her plans and redirected the group to her old corps, the Wild Huntsmen; at the beginning of 1015AE, thanks to Arianne's intervention, the corps went marching towards Everglow City to join the Blackthorne war effort.

The Huntsmen went on to fight at the Battle at Medger's Spine, and thereafter attended the wedding of Jaster's former wife to Casim Ludlow. It was there, at Caybourne, that Jaster discovered his sister Talia had killed their cousin Jacques and had been imprisoned by the Bloodhawk for Witchcraft. Arianna split briefly from the rest of the group here, joining Darius Black on a quest to rescue his sister Serenity from her arranged marriage to Drake. The newly-formed crew later rejoined with Jaster and devised a plan to rescue Talia, succeeding in extracting her on her way to the gallows and transporting her to a getaway ship, spiriting her away to the Silkwood.

 Family

* Family tree viewable here