Sorcerer's Knight, Laja

Current project. Still a work in progress.

Laja is a character concept-ed for my interactive storytelling class.

A little about her:

She is known by many aliases. Captain, General, Captain Knight (by the Princess Brei) and (later on) the Sorcerer's Knight.

Formerly of the desert nation, Aarde Vrienden, born in the village Leute des Krieges, she is currently the Captain of the Noble Brotherhood of Knights and General of the Cailleak Military. Beyond her brothers, there is no one in Cailleak who knows her as anything other than ‘Captain’ or ‘General’ – save, perhaps, the Princess’s royal tutor.

On the outskirts of Cailleak’s border there is a small Aarden village named Leute des Krieges – a tribe of mercenaries who, though neutral in the conflict between Cailleak and Aarde, are yet loyal to their native country. It is due to this hundred-year war that the people of Krieges have taken up the lifestyle of a mercenary, for their land has long served as the battling grounds for the two opposing nations. Leute des Krieges has since been built up into an impenetrable fortress. Their location and defenses allow them to remain unconquered by Cailleak soldiers or Aarden warriors who would seek to control them.

The mercenaries of Krieges live on the battlefield and their reputation as some of Aarden’s finest warriors was achieved by the Hohenzollern clan. Krieges current Chief, Dietz Allemani, is considered Krieges finest warrior and most brilliant tactician. He is also the man responsible for making Cailleak’s General and the Princess’ personal bodyguard, the warrior that she is today. The Hohenzollern clan has given birth to few Practitioners – which also means that they have few females. Women of the Hohenzollern clan rarely practice magic and so, instead, they are raised alongside the men as warriors.

As a child, Laja had few friends. Because Krieges is constantly on the defensive against enemies who would seek to invade, few have the time or desire to settle down and start a family. Without any other children to socialize with, Laja was introduced to the life of a mercenary early on. While the men of the Hohenzollern clan were usually out on the field, Laja’s mother was busy tending to their wounded. To keep herself occupied, Laja liked to wander just beyond the walls of Krieges, imagining she was a great and noble mercenary like her father and uncles.

This is how she came to be discovered by the Chief, Dietz, on one of his routinely scouts. Amused by the willful girl, who took her under his wing as he’d done many other warriors before at the age of seven. By the time her brother, Markoh, was born, she was already accepting assignments. As Markoh grew older, they gained recognition for the work. Though far from being the strongest, the two siblings showed great potential. Timothy, their adoptive brother, soon joined them, and they were known as the Kriege Siblings.

One day, they received a job offer from the Crowned Prince of Cailleak himself. The sum of money he was willing to pay for their efforts was enough to wash away any guilt they may have felt – for, though they would be employed by Aarde’s enemy nation, this would allow them to provide a steady source of income for Krieges.

They were the first Knights of the Noble Brotherhood. These positions granted them simultaneously a rank amongst the soldiers. In the course of the year since her assignment to the Princess, she was risen to the rank of General. This was a decision made by the young Princess of Cailleak when she came to the conclusion – under the heavy influence of her sensible tutor – that the best way to shape up her soldiers was to subject them to the extreme methods of the young Captain.

She bears the mark of the the dark Practitioner, Auberon, on her left shoulder--a scorpion, more a birthmark than a tattoo.

The Captain is usually a very composed individual, whose sardonic humor has developed to an almost vicious extent since her assignment to the Princess. Bored from the lack of opposition – as the palace in Brie is conveniently located far from the Aarden border – she often takes to antagonizing her fellow Knights and soldiers. She also finds entertainment at the expense of the Princess – who is, for the most part, none the wiser. Her early training constructed within her the ability to put up a façade of general indifference, and, for the most part, she comes off as a relatively reasonable individual. However, for anyone who works or knows her personally, they know that she has a vindictive streak, and, when bored, she is best to be avoided.

Many people find her methodology strange, if not a little cold. She is of the opinion that, as a mercenary, her duty is foremost. They exist so that people can pay them to hit their problems until they are no longer an issue. There is no room for a concept of ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in her mind.