Vinelle D'Ryven

A skilled archer with a sharp blade and a sharper tongue.

On the brink of her twenty-second birthday, Vinelle hopes she has reached the peak of her height, as she already stands at a fantastically average height for a woman. The best way to describe her body-type would perhaps be with the word "toned," as she would be offended to find herself called either "slender" or "muscular."  She has dark hair that is usually kept pulled back in a low ponytail or braid, but if it is let loose, it falls in waves to the bottom edge of her shoulder blades. At first glance it looks black, but in the right light it is revealed to be a very deep auburn. Her eyes are a bright green, and they usually glint with mischief or some wisely unspoken biting remark. She most often wears the standard light leather armor of an archer, complete with a white band around her left arm to indicate her station as a castle guard rather than a mere footsoldier.

Some may perceive Vinelle as hard to approach when they first encounter her, especially if she's in the midst of some form of cutting banter with a fellow soldier. In truth, though, she is very easy going and rarely means anything harsh. She's very bright, which makes her very witty and surprisingly funny, although it may take a person a moment to realize they've just been made light of. Although she tries very hard not to be taken too seriously, Vinelle is extremely loyal to her friends and is equally as hard-working, which is what helped her rise quickly through the ranks of her assigned profession. She still harbors a deep bitterness at being separated from her family, which is something she's never quite come to terms with directly. 

Apart from her standard (and very well-maintained) leather armor, Vi also keeps two types of bows with her (one long, one short) as well as two quivers with varying types of arrows.  She also has a standard sword, although she will default to her pair of fighting daggers if she can at all help it in foot combat, and she has a very non-standard and wickedly-sharp dirk hidden on the inside of one boot. And -- if he can be considered 'equipment' -- Vi is also never far from her battle-trained stallion, Deyishene, a magnificent dark bay which she won in a tournament and bonded with instantly.

Her primary ability is in archery -- she was chosen to be an equestrian archer, after all, and the rigors of learning to be a skilled marksman from the back of a moving beast have allowed her to also be a skilled marksman from many unusual vantage points. After archery, she chose to hone her skills in hand-to-hand combat with knives as her weapon of choice. As most of her opponents tend to be men, her smaller stature gives her great advantage with smaller weapons. She was, of course, also trained in the basics of sword-fighting, as all soldiers are, but she has by no means developed the same aptitude in that area.  When she was chosen to be a castle guard, she also received some "unadvertised" training in what her mentor called "shadowstepping"--the art of being silent and using the shadows to be invisible, a beneficial skill while keeping night watch.

Vinelle was born in a fairly average farming village outside of Helidor City, although her family was one of a few who chose ranching over land-tending--her father maintained two herds, one of cattle and one of sheep.  Her mother, along with tending to the usual household duties, would also spend festivals and gathering-times helping out her best friend, who had been tasked with maintaining the village inn.  Young Vinelle thrived in the social scene there, and longed for the day of her Celebration of Order when she was sure she would be assigned to be the innkeeper's apprentice.  She had a very happy home life there with her parents and younger brother and village friends, and she never cared to imagine what life might be like away from them, as she was so happy there with them. The elders saw in her something much different, though, and Vi was still in shock as she was loaded into a cart to be taken to the barracks to begin her equine archery training.

It would seem that Vi was destined to thrive wherever she went, though, as she indeed took very well to the tasks that were set before her. Her archery skills blossomed, something that was not too surprising given that her lithe frame was well suited for maintaining her seat on a moving horse no matter what she was trying to do atop it. She also proved herself to be a skilled hand-to-hand fighter on foot, and these things helped bring her to the attention of those choosing the elite castle guard. Despite the fact that she has been trained for the explicit purpose of protecting her king and country, she never did quite forgive them for ruining her adolescent life.

((This is all temporary, as the characteristic assignments are still in progress...))
Dark auburn hair -- Observant, notices details (including moving targets)
Green eyes -- Quick-thinking, witty
Tanned skin -- Suited for outdoors work, dedicated
Athletic build -- Competitive nature