Aldra, Unyielding Seeker
A cursed devil, born of the surface's Pope and the daughter of the king of the Netherworld. After being separated from her little sister years ago, driven by an undying devotion to her, Aldra entered the Queen's Blade tournament in hopes that victory may aid her search.
Though petite in stature, her fighting spirit is immense. In battles she demonstrates tremendous resilience, ignoring wounds to prevail. Outside the arena, she scours cities and wilds relentlessly for clues to her sister's whereabouts.
Armed with the long sword Daemon's Blade that the benefactor who had protected the sisters left in her hands as a parting gift, she's been wandering the Continent. She wields the sword with lethal precision and strength, but she worries about the power she feels resonating inside, like something slumbering is awaiting to be called forth.
As she arrives at yet one more land, her red eyes scour the terrain before her as she tiredly brushes her unkempt silvery long hair to the side. Her physique is slender yet toned, a result of years of hardship and travel. A worn traveler's cloak conceals simple leather armor and the sword at her hip.
Taira, River Queen
Born in a small riverside village, Taira showed promise as a fighter from a young age. She excelled in her village militia, becoming a respected soldier known for wielding her twin hatchets and blowgun with unmatched skill. When devastating floods destroyed much of the village, Taira felt guilt for being away on deployment and unable to help defend her home. She vowed to do everything she could to rebuild.
Taira traveled the rivers as a celebrated fisherwoman, trading her catches to support reconstruction. However, she longed to do more. When tales arose of a new tournament to crown a Queen and unite the land, Taira saw her chance. As "River Watcher", she challenged beautiful women she met to friendly sparring matches by the water. If particularly impressed by their abilities, she would invite them to join her village's militia, or as personal guards once she became Queen.
Taira stands tall with tanned skin and well-defined muscles from years of labor. Her long silver hair is often worn loose, cascading down her back and across striking golden eyes. While fierce in battle, her soft features and gentle smile offer reassurance to allies and awe to admirers. Although accustomed to life on the river, Taira favors light leather armor dyed shades of blue, with her weapons and blowgun darts always within reach.
Through tenacity and talent and backed by an inspired vision of prosperity through strength and cooperation, Taira prevailed in that first Queen's Blade tournament. Four years into her reign, she remains dedicated to her people and the ideal of power protecting the vulnerable. Yet whispers persist that while her village recovers, Taira's own scars from the floods that started it all still ache within her defiant yet harboring soul.
Maya, Desert Sting
Born into a nomadic tribe that struggles to survive the sweltering desert, Maya was raised tough from an early age. She proved a natural fighter and swiftly climbed the ranks to become her father's right hand. As chieftain's daughter, Maya champions expanding their trade routes as the tribe's only hope. Under the scorching sun, she trains relentlessly with her spiked flail, striking like the desert scorpion from which she draws her name.
To outside eyes, Maya appears as harsh as the landscape that molded her. Her bronzed skin and lean muscles glisten with a sheen of sand and sweat under the bright rays. Ruby eyes peer out sharply from beneath voluminous dark hair bound atop her head. Garbed in minimal leather protection wrapped with scarves against the oppressive heat, her movements remain fluid and unpredictable as the dunes themselves.
Over months of solitary travel, Maya established tentative supply contacts along the fringes of the desert. However, bandits and opportunists threaten these lifelines constantly. Hoping Queen's rule may boost security for trade, Maya enters the tournament determined to put her fighting talents to use. With whip-like flail strikes and an innate ability to sense attacks, she proves a formidable contender for any caught in her scorpion's sting.
Beneath her stony exterior remains a deep care and duty to her people. Despite success in past battles, Maya knows true victory will only come when her tribe can abandon their nomadic struggle once and for all. This drives her to push her limits in carnage and combat with the fierce devotion of one fighting not just for herself, but for all those counting on her in their desert kingdom.
Jin, Iron Fist
Among the seedy underground fight clubs buried deep beneath the bustling port city of Nagawa, in Hinomoto, none are as feared as Jin. A fighter since childhood, Jin has battled and defeated all challengers through raw strength, grit, and superior martial arts skill. With a troubled past that has led her to make her living in carnage, Jin fights solely for the thrill and rush of combat.
Rumored to have been born in the lawless northern territories across the sea, Jin's early life remains shrouded in mystery. What is known is that at a young age, she was found nearly dead from exposure in Nagawa's slums and taken in by the owner of a struggling fight club. There, through pain and perseverance, she trained relentlessly until mastering several fighting styles without the use of weapons. Now in her physical prime, Jin uses her lean yet well-defined muscular physique to overwhelm foes with brutal grappling techniques and bone-shattering strikes.
To protect her hands during matches, Jin wraps her forearms and fists in sturdy steel gauntlets. In the ring these glint menacingly, adding to her fearsome presence. Her short black hair is tied back tightly to stay out of her intense brown eyes, usually narrowed in predatory focus. Quick to anger if disrespected but merciful to the defeated, Jin wears simple pants and chest bindings underneath a tattered traveler's robe. While largely stoic, flashes of passion and enthusiasm break through during intense bouts that allow her unleashed fighting spirit to run wild.
Seeking greater challenges and higher stakes than mere underground scraps, Jin decides to test her mettle in the Queen's Blade tournament. Should she emerge victorious, the riches would allow Jin to fulfill her dream of opening a prestigious fight arena of her own in Nagawa. There, the city's downtrodden could experience similar catharsis and purpose through combat in a safe, regulated environment far from the criminal underground's unruly factions. For now though, Jin's iron fists and indomitable fighting drive will be what carries her through the carnage to come.
Lisette, Coin Trickster
Born into wealth and prestige as the cherished daughter of a powerful duke, Lisette lived a life of luxury and material comfort. However, beneath the veneer of aristocratic privilege lied corruption and cruelty. Through covert efforts, Lisette discovered her father had used his title and influence to leverage devastating schemes against the common people for personal gain, extracting funds through extortion, blackmail, and worse.
Horrified by the evil she had unwittingly benefited from, Lisette vowed to topple the aristocracy from within and expose their true nature. She studied sleight of hand from traveling entertainers in secret, developing stealth and deception into deadly skills. With weighted coins that could cut flesh or crack bone when thrown precisely, Lisette emerged as a trickster fighter intent on toppling tyrants through guile and street smarts rather than strength or status.
Slender yet toned from years of practice, Lisette garbs herself in tailored silks and leathers as befitting a lady of status, always with coin purses and pouches looping her waist and wrists within easy flick of hand.
In the social circles of her former aristocratic life, Lisette was known for her elegant manners, harp performances, and charm. Now, she deploys these genteel skills to disarm opponents and infiltrate locations previously barred to her new streetwise persona. But beneath the façade remains a cold desire for vengeance against all those who have abused power and harmed others. In the Queen's Blade tournament, Lisette aims to destroy corrupt authority from within and install a just ruler dedicated to protecting citizens, not profiting from their misery. Her weighted coins and sly tricks will serve to quietly dismantle envoys of evil while bringing hope to the exploited people she fights for.
Brunhild, Highland Huntress
The rugged highlands to the north have long been home to Brunhild and her family. As the eldest daughter of wealthy fur traders, Brunhild grew up amidst plenty yet felt confined by expectations for a noble lady. As a child, she was thrilled at tales from her father's hunting trips and yearned for adventure beyond their manor walls.
When her skills with spear and bow surpassed local huntsmen by early teenhood, Brunhild's pleading could no longer be denied. She began accompanying trading expeditions deep into the misty highlands. There, she honed her tracking and survival talents against elusive game such as snowcats and mountain goats. Through these trials witnessed by her awed companions, Brunhild blossomed into a gifted huntress swarming cliffs with grace.
Now an adult, Brunhild stands tall with windswept wheat-colored hair, falling in braids past broad shoulders and strong back, accentuated by her lean yet well-defined muscles. Piercing blue eyes peer from a tanned face always keenly scanning her surroundings. Practical pelts and furs comprise her attire, worn with pleated leggings and sturdy boots against the terrain.
A decorated longbow crafted from mountain yew remains within easy reach at her shoulder. Its arrows are meticulously shaped from local ash and fletched by her own hand. At her hip hangs a wickedly sharp, rune-carved spear to fell any prey successfully tracked. While hearty and jovial amongst travelers, alone in the mist Brunhild is a silent, watchful force of nature incarnate.
Now seeking excitement beyond supplying her family's trade, Brunhild is drawn to the tales of glory and riches in the impending Queen's Blade. If she emerges victorious, her skills will be legendary and gold could support expansion of the family business for generations. Beyond the prize, the chance to test herself against other skilled fighters drives Brunhild's competitive spirit. In body and in soul she belongs to the misty highlands, but their daughter's untamed nature yearns for greater challenge amidst the tournament's carnage to come.
Brea, Beholden Shieldmaiden
Born on a small farm on the outskirts of the village of Olkeir, Brea grew up a typical country lass caring for livestock and helping in the fields. After a marauding band of brigands attacked the village and killed her parents when she was just a small child, Brea was left orphaned and alone. The villagers of Olkeir, knowing she had no one else, took her in and raised her as one of their own.
Brea devoted herself to the village's defense, training relentlessly with any weapon she could get her hands on. By her late teens, she had surpassed all the village men in combat skills and was named the official village guardian. Though a young woman, her powerful physique and intense focus in battle leave no doubt that Olkeir has perhaps its strongest defender.
Now a couple years older, Brea stands tall with wind-chapped features and corded muscles from years of farm work and combat practice. Warm brown eyes peer out from a face dusted with freckles, framed by a braid of dark red hair. Muscular from labor, her form remains decidedly feminine, accentuated by her choice garb - a patchwork leather and linen corset over a faded yellow dress. A silver pendant hangs around her neck, a memento from her late family.
Come each morning, Brea can be found drilling with her trusted lance and heater shield emblazoned with her village crest: a badger defending its sett. The shield shows many nicks and burns sustained over years of service, yet remains as sturdy as the day it was forged. Brea's loyalty and strength have kept marauders at bay for many harvest seasons, but the village barely scrapes by under constant threat.
Word has reached Brea that the coming Queen's Blade tournament offers a fortune to its champion. Should she prevail, the wealth could sustain Olkeir through future hardships and wants. Moreover, it could end the threats of ruffians and tax collectors alike preying on the villagers' vulnerability. And so Brea readies herself, determined to triumph through grit, talent and protecting the community that saved and accepted her so many years ago. The Queen's Blade challengers would do well not to underestimate this shieldmaiden and what drives her pledged heart.
Khyra, Haunting Revenant
Whispers persist of a tragic figure haunting the ruins of an ancient temple deep in the northern forests. Local villagers speak of glimpsing a pale woman clad in tattered white robes, drifting silently among the crumbling stone pillars with a deep sorrow in her eyes.
This spirit is said to be the lingering soul of Khyra, a priestess who served the temple centuries ago before it fell into disrepair. As the last survivor of her order, Khyra dedicated her final days to preserving the temple's dwindling archives of all sorts of magic texts. However, unknown events cut her life short before she could complete her work. Tormented by lingering regrets and the pain of loss, Khyra's spirit was tethered to the mortal plane.
Most beloved to her was a partially intact tome she guarded jealously, the last remnant of her lifelong scholarly work. After some raiders broke into the temple and stole it, she rose once again. Intent on retrieving it again, Khyra finds herself a reluctant participant in the coming Queen's Blade tournament. Her flowing white hair and silvery skin retain hints of the beauty she held in life, though her form shimmers with an otherworldly eerie glow. Pale brow and high cheekbones frame eyes that glow an icy blue, ever haunted by tragedy unknown to living souls.
Khyra's keen mind and mastery over frost magic from her centuries studying the sacred texts give her prowess in battle. She fluidly wields an ornate ivory staff topped with a howling wolf head, its wood gnarled and patterned like winter branches. With but a touch or wave, Khyra can call a blizzard to freeze opponents or snow to blind them.
Despite her eerie aura, Khyra bears no ill will toward living souls and might even assist fellow “competitors” if their goals align with hers. While powerful, Khyra fights without passion or anger, merely wishing to retrieve her beloved tome and finally rest again.
For what grim fate befell this devoted priestess and cut her scholars' work short, only the moldering temple walls know. She harbors no desire to harm the innocent caught in the middle of her tragic story. Perhaps by participating in this tournament the raiders will notice her power and decide it's safer to return the stolen loot.
Sonya, Dancing Gale
Born to a prestigious clan of bodyguards with presence all over the Continent, Sonya was raised from a young age in the clan's unique arts of protection and performance. While her kinsmen guard dignitaries across the world disguised as traveling performers, she surpassed all expectations in mastering the lethal dances of her people.
With a rapier in hand and bells adorning her feet, Sonya's footwork blurs slashes and lunges into ethereal, flowing motions that entrance as much as they eliminate threats. Her family's training emphasizes blending strength with grace, unleashing flurries of blows too swift for the eye to follow yet retaining a beauty akin to dancing on the wind.
Sonya stands poised with lithe yet rippling muscle sculpted from endless routines. Fair skin and windswept sandy locks frame oceanic eyes sparkling with mischief and resolve. Her performances see her garbed in billowing silks the colors of tropical seas and skies, draped to allow fluid acrobatics yet leaving toned arms and legs unbound.
Beneath Sonya's smiles and charming demeanor simmers a rebellious spirit. Seeing her gifted sisters chained to political matches as little more than possessions, she refuses the same fate. When her clan demands her hand to a notorious slaver ring, Sonya defiantly flees rather than submit, even if it results in them placing a bounty on her head. Her rapier remains her one constant companion, a family heirloom engraved with mantras of protection against the blade's pale steel.
Coming back to the Continent after a brief stay in Hinomoto, rumors of a tournament to crown a new Queen pique her explorer's heart. If she emerges victorious from the storms of combat sure to come, the rewards could fund further travels beyond the reaches of her clan's control. Moreover, it may prove to all those seeking to shackle her that this Dancing Gale remains as untamed as the winds that shaped her art from birth. None shall dictate Sonya's dance but Sonya herself, and her rapier ensures any who'd disagree won't live to impose their will again.
Lianna, Priestess of Growth
Born with an affinity for nature's gifts, Lianna was found as an infant nestled amidst the vibrant flora of the deep forests to the north. Taken in by an order of druids sworn to protect the woodland realm, Lianna blossomed under their tutelage in the mystic arts of communing with all greenery.
Nearing adulthood, Lianna had achieved mastery over plant manipulation beyond what many saw possible in a lifetime. Following her command, she could cause seeds to sprout and vines to spread, roots to tunnel and treetops to sway in a gentle breeze of her making. Her favorite companion remains a solitary rose, perpetually in bloom within her palm no matter the season.
Lianna stands as a vision of living verdancy incarnate. Delicate elven-like features framed by a wild mane resemble colorful mosses and foliage bursting forth after spring rains. Vibrant emerald eyes shine with childlike wonder at nature's splendor from behind an unruly curtain of leaves, flowers and twisting vines in place of normal locks.
Garbed in minimal woven fabrics dyed shades of forest greens and browns, Lianna's lithe form suggests delicate hardiness aligned with her ability to coax life from barren soil. All know she is most vibrant and radiant amidst nature's embrace, able to briefly quicken croppings during combat before withdrawing again shyly into the forest mist.
Through nurturing druidic ritual and kind acts, word of Lianna's affinity has spread far. However, mass deforestation threatens the Continent's forests and the balance Lianna holds sacred. Seeing the upcoming Queen's Blade as a chance to both find the culprits and spread awareness, Lianna ventures forth nervously yet determined.
Should Lianna emerge victorious, riches could fund extensive replanting projects and establish sanctuaries across the Continent. Moreover, her message of harmony between humanity and wilderness may find sympathetic ears in higher circles, and stall the ravaging of woodlands she holds so dear. For now, Lianna's verdant gifts will be what carry her through the trials, in hope that green growth may yet prevail where barren wastelands stand today.
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