Name:
Karan Nightrose

Position:
Hardornen camp whore

Age:
18

Physical Description:
Karan is, not to be overly blunt, very attractive.  She stands on the taller side of average, some five feet six inches in height, and weighs around a hundred and thirty pounds.  Her build is slender and well-toned from an active life, complete with long, shapely legs and a full set of curves.  Straight, dark brown hair falls just past her shoulders, and her eyes are a dark hazel.  Her facial features are even and well-shaped, with a high forehead, high cheekbones, and a full mouth.

Karan’s preferred attire while growing up consisted of long skirts, blouses, over-vests, and boots.  Since her capture by the Elite she has gained a few more opulent outfits, but when given the choice she is still likely to go for simplicity over luxury.  She usually lets her hair lie loose, unless compelled to put it up by circumstance.  Overall, there are only two things that ruin her illusion of a pampered kept woman: her hands, rough and calloused and not unused to hard work, and her developed muscles.

Personality/Attitude:
Born and raised in a business family, Karan is inherently economical in both her thoughts and actions.  She’s generally level-headed and down to earth, thrifty and adaptable, and prefers to work with what she has rather than pine for what she lacks.  Though she’s still young and, thus, prey to the foibles of youth, she’s more experienced in the ways of the world than most people her age, and is nobody’s fool.  Her humor tends towards the wry, somewhat morbid side of life.

One thing Karan isn’t is impulsive, but once she’s decided upon a course she will stay it ‘til the end.  She has passion and determination both, but of the quiet, unassuming sort.  She doesn’t trust easily, and in truth is slightly paranoid about the world around her; though amiable enough with strangers and capable of making friends, a part of her is ever alert and wary of her surroundings.  Once given, though, her faith is complete and well-nigh unbreakable.  Friends are friends, but those she would trust with her life are as close to her as family.

Another thing relatively slow about Karan is her temper.  It’s there, certainly, along with a stubborn sense of pride in herself and her accomplishments.  But rather than exploding when she’s angry, Kara smolders.  She is very well acquainted with the meaning of the word “grudge,” and is capable of holding one ad infinitum—as shown quite well by her antagonism towards Ancar and his Elite.  She is loyal to Hardorn with all of her being, but for the King and his lackeys she could wish nothing more than a collection of rotting plagues and a handful of very sharp knives aimed at very sensitive places.

Karan’s life has been spent in an area populated mostly by women.  With most of the menfolk dragged away to join Ancar’s armies, the females of her village had to step into the traditionally “male” roles just to get by.  Because of this, Karan has never held to the idea of a “woman’s place.”  Indeed, until she was abducted by the Elite, she had never even considered the notion.  Women can do anything men can do; Karan’s seen this fact proven over and over with her own eyes.  If anything, she has a tendency to look down on the males of the species.  She doesn’t hate them, but neither does she hold them in much regard.  After all, she’s seen their failing and weaknesses firsthand as well.

And as to the question of her occupation…as far as Karan’s concerned, it’s just that.  A job, unpleasant but unavoidable.  She doesn’t enjoy it, but she refuses to feel shame for it, and she will use it to her advantage if the situation demands.  It’s all physical, not emotional, and she’s long-since learned to distinguish between the two.  To those who would judge out of hand, Karan could care less for their opinion.  She knows herself well enough, and some of the bravest and cleverest women she’s ever seen she met in the Elite camp.

Some of Karan’s special talents include: an excellent memory, good acting skills, and the ability to eavesdrop without seeming too, all picked up as a child and developed further during her time with the Elite.  She’s a hard bargainer and a shrewd business woman, and can multi-task well.  She has a fair hand with horses and livestock, and knows the basics in human and veterinary care.  And when it comes to things best done behind closed doors…well.  Her nervous tics are chewing at her lower lip and digging at her nails, and over the past few years she’s become something of a night-owl.  She also has a strong passion for freshly brewed tea; it’s relaxing for her to be able to curl up with a mug, and she loves trying new blends and brews.

Brief History:
Okay, here’s the basic lowdown.  Karan was born and raised in Hardorn in a formerly prosperous trading town called Eastwick, set along the East Trade Road.  Her father was taken for Ancar’s armies soon after her birth, along with the rest of the town’s menfolk.  Karan was raised in an essentially matriarchal environment, working in the inn her remaining family owned.  She did have one close male friend growing up, a farmer’s son named Mighel, with whom she developed a relationship during their early teenage years and who was also taken for the armies when they were both fifteen.  

A year later Karan herself was abducted from her home by an Elite Guardsman and taken with him to a base camp set up close to the border.  Once there she was released by her captor, but, with no money and no mode of transportation, it was no longer feasible for her to return to her home.  Faced with a difficult decision, she eventually chose to remain in camp as one of the many willing prostitutes who made their living off of the soldiers.  The life of a common camp whore might not been glamorous, but it was a life, and a safer one than she would have faced on her own outside of the camp.   

For the next year and a half Karan played the part of a general whore, hooking up with men for the night and then leaving them the next morning.  There were a few times when she would warm a certain soldier’s bed for an extended period of time, but these never lasted for more than a month.  Then, just before her eighteenth birthday, she finally took up with one particular Guard and stayed there.  The reason had less to do with the man—a loud, arrogant bastard with a penchant for being heavy handed—and more to do with one of his other “acquisitions,” a large hunter gelding named Warrior’s Hawk.  Frivolous, perhaps…but Karan had learned to ride as a child, and when after a week she convinced the man to let her on the horse, the few hours she spent exercising him every day provided her with a desperately needed release from the stresses of her life.

Then, one day, a captured Herald was brought into the camp.  From there, Karan’s life took on several very interesting turns…

Goals:
Stay alive and reasonably comfortable, and, if at all possible, find some way to hurt Ancar.

Gifts:
None

Mount:
Warrior’s Hawk, a large, well-bred hunter gelding that belonged to one of Karan’s former patrons.  Standing a full seventeen hands at the shoulder, he possesses a build that’s both sturdily muscular and built for speed, and is sound of both wind and limb.  His coat is a glossy chestnut bay with black points.  In temperament he is alert and somewhat hot-blooded, requiring a firm hand to guide him through chaotic situations, but he isn’t particularly vicious.  Balancing this is a good deal of intelligence, courage, and loyalty.  He would ride through fire if Karan asked it of him, or die in the attempt.

Author’s Comments:
Ain’t it funny how the strange ones are always the most fun to play?  ~.^