Taken from the cover of "The King's Peace" by Jo Walton.

Name:
Sulien Connor

Age/Sex:
32/female

Position:
Guard

Gifts:
None - in fact, Sulien is rather intimidated by magic; her Holderkin-like upbringing has instilled in her an uneasiness about "the unnatural"

Brief History:
A very refined, genteel family brought up Sulien on a farm in southern Valdemar. Though her family wasn't Holderkin, they weren't all that different from their more infamous neighbors. Her hand was promised to a young Bardic student early on in life; the thought never bothered her until shortly after her 15th birthday, when she was forced to fight in a border skirmish against the Karsites. The fact that she could so blatantly save the lives of others was exhilarating. She had experienced a kind of thrill in battle that she had never dreamt of in her menial existence before. She had found her true passion in life - fighting; shortly thereafter, she ran away from home to join the Guard. After several attempts to force her to return, her family gave up, disowning her. Even after 6 years, however, her former betrothed - the young Bard Cadogan - has never quit in his schemes trying to re-win the gruff Guard’s affections.

Physical Appearance:
Sulien is tall among females, slightly more than 5’10”. She is well built, strong from years of hard farm work and fighting. She has long brown-red wavy hair, a solemn, face built with strong, sharp, almost masculine features, complete with grave brown eyes. Her skin is medium tanned and she doesn't have much by way of curves. In short, she's very clearly a farm girl, and thus is rather "plain" by way of looks. She almost always wears her Guard uniform and at least some form of armor, as she actively participates in the army division of the Guard. Sulien is a formidable and tough warrior; her weapons of choice are her longsword and shield.

Personality:
As attested by her serious appearance, Sulien is brutally honest and gruff. She is tremendously reliable; though her brusqueness sometimes hurts feelings and has earned her enemies, she is an excellent, loyal companion to the friends she does have. She's pragmatic, level-headed, and slow to anger, though quick to give a scathing tongue-lashing when she thinks it's necessary. Though professional enough while on-duty, she possesses a hearty - if bawdy and crude - sense of humor when among comrades. Sulien is the type of person who can easily put people at ease, and is generally well liked; she's the back-slapping, sharp-talking, could-give-a-fig no-frills type of friend everyone likes to hang around - or hide from!