Dwyn Cliff

Joanna Ludlow (mother)

Padrig Umbridge (half-brother)

Saffron Gold (sister)

Phryne Ludlow (cousin)

Daughter of Joanna Ludlow and Merwyn Umbridge, Dwyn Cliff is the bastard descendant of Ludlows, Warthornes, Umbridges, and Falmars. She has fought in the Brecilidian Rebellion, helped raise the children of Bedivere Ludlow, defended Caybourne in the Necromantic Assault, and works as a bodyguard for her cousin Phryne. It is rumored she and Armand Piers might be lovers.

## **Biography & Personality**

Dwyn was born a bastard to Joanna Ludlow in 1057, on the 17th of Obscura's Moon. Her father was Merwyn Umbridge, and she was conceived and born in the courts of Westgate where Joanna was working as an ambassador of The Accord, and where Merwyn lived.

Dwyn carries a spark greater than most Umbridges. There is a tenacity and a strength, a fire dancing in her eyes, and a smile easy on her lips. She has always been headstrong, ever since childhood, and grew up with stories of the warriors that came before her - she was especially drawn to the stories of strong women like Rasheba Heartstone, Talia Blackthorne, and Mossa Dul-Sansiska. From the earliest age she could read, at six, she began 'training' with her little wooden sword and shield, determined to be just like them.

Her grandfather Eason Ludlow impressed upon her how magic wasn't likely to make a comeback any time soon. He informed her that neither her parents or grandparents had shown any real aptitude for it - if she was going to become one of the heroines from her stories, it would be with a blade. This passion grew until she was finally allowed real training, a drillmaster named Gannis traveling with her and her mother wherever Joanna's ambassadorial work took her. Whenever they were back in Westgate, she would train alongside her cousins Percival and Roderic beneath their father Casim Umbridge.

Although the oldest of the newer generation of Ludlow cousins, Dwyn was not in line for an inheritance due to the birth of Taliesen Ludlow - son of Bedivere Ludlow - in 1061. But Dwyn decided rather early on that meant she was to be his protector. When his younger sister Phryne was born in 1066, Dwyn's delight in having a female cousin led to her deciding her future would be as a bodyguard to this tiny, adorable babe.

### The Brecilidian Rebellion (1070-1073)

Dwyn was 14 years old when the Brecilidian Rebellion began. Her parents refused to allow her to squire, but Dwyn was determined to see her first real combat. She ran away from home, following her drillmaster Gannis, stowed away on a ship heading for Brecilidia, and signed up by faking her age and gender. She went by the identity of 16-year-old Wendall Cliff, but after falling asleep on watch she was given the nickname of 'Winks'.

What she saw and experienced during the Brecilidian Rebellion would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Gannis died only three months in to the campaign, skewered in a pit-trap set by the Brecilidian natives. Dwyn saw his body being picked over by the rats and carrion. Although she had seen terrible things in only three months, that was the first true moment of realization for her - she wasn't coming back the same person. If she came back at all.

For a few months, Dwyn was in the same retinue as a young Iliad Webb and the two became friends. It was some time before he realized she was in fact a girl, and he had difficulty reconciling this fact with their friendship. In a cold, lonely moment, the pair gave in to the pent-up emotions and stress of the past months and made love for the first time. But only hours later, they were back in the trenches and Dwyn assumed Iliad was killed in an explosion. She found the remains of other members of their group, but had no choice but to press forward.

It was a year in, in 1071, when Dwyn stopped trying to hide her gender and gave up on the identity of Wendall. The chain of command that would have kept track of her was fractured and Wendall was likely already presumed dead.

By chance, she encountered her uncle Bedivere Ludlow as he looked upon one of the Dark Prince's blood eagles made of a deserter. He didn't recognize her at first, commenting on how he wasn't sure who were meant to be the good guys in this dispute. She told him that she believed there was no one left to be a good guy, not after what they had seen or done. She had to tell him who she was before he recognized her. He would have commanded her to go home, but in the shadow of the deserter's blood eagle, he held his tongue.

Bedivere Ludlow was struck down in 1072, hit by a poison-tipped arrow. Dwyn, devastated as she was, finally had an out as she was allowed to accompany the body back home, away from this terrible war. Upon re-entering Westgate, she was not recognized until her own father laid eyes on her. He accompanied her the remainder of the way to Caybourne where Bedivere was laid to rest.

Dwyn asked to stay in Caybourne for a time. She didn't want the childhood familiarity of Westgate, nor the bustle of Bastion City where her mother currently was. So she stayed with her grandfather and cousins - their own mother driven further into her insanity with the death of her husband. She was close with both Taliesen and Phryne and helped them through the grief of their father's passing and mother's unwitting abandonment.

Dwyn took part in training little Phryne in both blades and firearms, as Taliesen had his own drillmaster by that time and Dwyn insisted Phryne begin training as early as possible - like she did. They shared a tutor for other topics and were occasionally joined by their mutual cousin Caoimhe Umbridge, a regular visitor and Phryne's pen-pal. Despite the 9-year-age gap, Dwyn and Phryne were inseparable.

### Sister (1074)

In 1074, when Dwyn was nearly 17 years old, her mother gave birth to another daughter with Merwyn Umbridge. Dwyn, Taliesen and 8-year-olds Phryne and Caoimhe were invited to visit in Bastion City, which the four gleefully did. Dwyn met her little sister Saffron Gold and spent some time with her mother before returning to Caybourne with her cousins.

### The Year of Scarlet (1075)

Queen Talia passed and her son Gordon Blackthorne was crowned King. Dwyn was shattered by the Queen's unexpected death, but didn't have much in the way of time to grieve. Only two months would pass before she was expected to tap back into the bloodshed of her Brecilidian years.

The Necromantic Assault on Caybourne occurred on the 8th of Fool's Moon, 1075. Thankfully Caoimhe was in Westgate at the time, but many others of Dwyn's family were still home. 17-year-old Dwyn was among the effort to fend off the undead hordes as they crashed in waves through the streets of Maria Vale. 14-year-old Taliesen had his first taste of true combat, wielding a rifle alongside her and the whirling blade of Grandfather Eason's halberd. Phryne was supposedly safe back at the estate, but they would only discover later that day it had been overrun and their grandmother Talia Ludlow had died in protection of the little girl. The reports of the dead would pour in for days after, but that was the worst one for Dwyn - she should have been with Phryne. She might have saved their grandmother.

Another two months later, and the deaths unexpectedly continued. Across Lady's Moon of 1075, the Red Death took thousands of lives across all of Aradia. Phryne fell ill, and Dwyn stayed at her bedside for days on end, but the little girl would thankfully make a full recovery.

A few months later, while reading the list of all who had passed to the Red Death in Bastion City, Dwyn stumbled across a familiar name. Her former friend and one-time lover Iliad had mentioned his sister - Talisa Webb. Dwyn felt it appropriate to reach out to Talisa's mother and send a letter of condolences. But she was replied to by none other than Iliad himself, inviting her to Bastion City. For the first time in years, Dwyn set out without company.

Iliad and Dwyn spent some time together, but in their bittersweet moments it became clear this couldn't be longterm. Both saw the reflections of the Brecilidian Rebellion in the other and finally, they agreed to part ways as friends and nothing more.

Dwyn returned home to a moment of chaos. Rhoslyn, the mentally unstable mother of Taliesen and Phryne, was pregnant. As Rhoslyn was a volatile woman under strict guard with few visitors, this pregnancy was a shock to the family and Rhoslyn wouldn't admit to who the father was. Little Mason Bay was born in New Moon of 1076.

### A Touch of Selfishness (1078)

In 1078, Dwyn was 20 years old. Taliesen was 17, Phryne was 12, and little Mason was 2. Up to this point, Dwyn had found herself acting in the capacity of a mother to all three of them. She realized without Granny Talia, she had slid into the replacement role quite by accident. She spoke with Eason and he agreed it would be healthy for her to take a holiday away from them and he would spend some time reconnecting with his grandchildren.

Dwyn went to Bastion City to visit her mother and sister. By chance, her father and older half-brother Padrig were also visiting. It wasn't long before Taliesen showed up in typical teenage rebellion mode, claiming whatever Dwyn was doing was far more interesting than hanging around with his siblings and grandfather.

Padrig was enrolled at [UNIVERSITY] and invited Dwyn and Taliesen along to a party he was attending. There, she bumped into Iliad again and he introduced her to the fabulous Alexis Morvala, who in turn introduced her to the dashing Armand Piers. These were individuals Taliesen had met when he was younger as he was cousins with both. Dwyn presumed Armand was a bit of a playboy with a girl on his arm won with easy charm. And yes, he was. But somehow, to her aggravation, she found her gaze slipping to him again and again. Another party came and went. Then another came where there wasn't a woman involved.

Upon waking in Armand's bed after too much drinking, Dwyn assumed she had made some terrible decisions in the night. But upon leaving the room, it was clarified that she was the one who had thrown herself at Armand in a drunken flittering of lust - confirmed by Padrig, Alexis, Taliesen, and Iliad, much to her embarrassment. Armand had remained with them, only helping tuck her safely into bed.

Later, alone, she returned to Armand and thanked him for being a gentleman and not letting her get away with herself. She apologized for her behavior. Armand admitted had she been sober, he wouldn't have turned her down. Dwyn said she was sober now before realizing what she was implying, and he kissed her.

They shared a night of passion together. In the morning, Dwyn told Armand she knew he wasn't the settling down type, and honestly, it was too soon for her to think of anything like that. But whenever Dwyn was in Bastion City after that rendezvous, she always found herself back in Armand's bed.

### Guardian (1079-1086)

Little Mason wasn't capable of speech. Dwyn worked with tutors to try and help him get book-learning, or teach him a musical instrument, or even swing a sword, but the boy was so developmentally delayed he didn't even walk upright until the age of 7 in 1083. Taliesen and Phryne also helped, making extra time to spend with their brother to play or try and teach him something. But in the end, it was Dwyn and Eason that were raising him. They could have left him in the care of servants, but Eason swore there was intelligence in those dark eyes - he was in there, just trapped, and leaving him to servants like a babe would be an abandonment.

In Lover's Moon of 1086, Casim Umbridge, visiting his sister Rhoslyn, was found brutally slain in her chambers. Rhoslyn finally uttered who Mason's father was to the horror of all - her own brother, who had taken advantage of her lost in madness and grief. There might have been cause to doubt her, unreliable as she was in narrative, but Mason's own issues were a clear indicator she was most likely telling the truth.

The Umbridge family, cousins to both Dwyn and the Ludlows, wished to press charges against their own Rhoslyn for the murder of Casim Umbridge. The strife between the two Houses led to the Aradian Parliament in Bastion City getting involved, and a trial would be held. Phryne, now 20 herself, stepped up to fight for her mother with an insanity plea, and Dwyn followed her, Taliesen, and Caoimhe to the courts - loyal as ever.