Rory Graytail
Age: 23
Occupation: Guild smith and adventurer
Rory has been a central part of her guild chapter since her birth and was raised around it's many members by her mother Lillain. Most of the older members have had some impact on her life and Rory considers many of them to be her family and as such goes out of her way to protect and help them when needed. To newer members and anyone not a member of the guild she is seen as a cold, brusqe, foul-mouthed woman who has no interest in those around her. But to those she is close to she opens up and while she remains very foul-mouthed, cursing with the best of them, she becomes like a big sister and is always there with advice or a fist if needed.
Early in her life Rory discovered a rare talent for smithing when she retrieved a broken sword discarded by a noble after a duel and restored it after a month where she essentially lived in the chapters smithy and absorbed everything she could about the art. She has become so good at the craft she is regarded as one of the best in the capitol but because she is a guild member only other guildies can take advantage of her talent and despite being bribe attempts by some of the wealthiest nobles she refuses any work unless it comes from within the guild.
This attitude and her devotion to other guild members has made her the unofficial mascot of the chapter house and more then a few have had artists adorn their armor or weapons with stylized renditions of her. What Rory thinks of this is unknown as when asked about her thoughts on the matter she always steers the conversation to something else.
Despite her love of smithing Rory does not spend all of her time in the forge and splits her time out in the field taking on jobs or helping younger guild members train. Many members of the guild regret asking for her help training as they soon discover she takes it very seriously and can put many drill Sargents to shame with how loud and demeaning she can be. Those who try to get out of training with her will frequently find themselves being physically plucked out of bed at the crack of dawn and forced to runs alongside Rory. She never lets anyone who asks for help training get away from her and despite the rough time they will experience every single one will always say that they are better for it.
Because of her life smithing, training, and adventuring Rory has developed a muscular physique that puts most to shame and she is the undefeated arm wrestling champion of the chapter. Despite the intense training she has developed along the lines of her mother and has curves that frequently draw the eye of those around her. Her adorable, slightly chubby looking face seems at odds with her physique and she goes out of her way to obscure her features as she feels they can cause others to treat her delicately. She is frequently covered in dirt and grease from her work and training and she goes out of her way to flaunt the large scar under her eye in her attempts to seem more menacing then her otherwise innocent looking face can suggests.
Like her mother she has long black hair, though she also has some brown mixed in from her father. Rory's eyes are hetero-chromatic with the left one being brown and the other green. Her deceased also shared this feature but the colors were reversed. Those who hear Rory described to them are surprised to find that she is only 5'10” and even more so when they see her wielding her preferred weapon in combat.
Rory's favourite weapon is a long, narrow lance that is 6'2” long which she forged herself when she was seventeen and realized she was not going to grow any taller. The weapon resembles a lance used by mounted knights but has a thinner body which tappers into a razor sharp, jagged tip. The opposite end flares out into a hand guard that forms a howling wolf with the body jutting from it's mouth. The grip of the weapon is enchanted so that only Rory can touch it, anyone who does so without her permission will find the guard reversing back on them and clamping down on their hand. More then a few people hand lost a hand doing so.
When in combat Rory uses only the lance, leaving her other hand free. To see her wield the weapon has stunned many opponents to freeze as they admire her elegant sweeps, fierce thrusts, and strange movements. At times Rory will use the lance almost like a pole vault and hurl herself towards or over opponents by sticking the tip into the ground and propelling herself. The first battle she used the weapon in is still raved about in the chapter house after she used the lance to propel herself up and onto the back of an ogre where upon she proceeded to pummel it into submission with her fists.
Where Rory learned to fight like she has is a mystery and despite insisting she is self taught most believe she learned from some secret mentor. The truth is she did teach herself to fight with her lance, incorporating lessons she had learned growing up in the guild with her time working and learning in a strip club when she ran off for a year at nineteen. Anyone who sees her in a serious fight can sometimes spot some of the pole dancing she learned into her fighting style using her lance as a substitute. Only Soshanna knows the truth about how Rory has learned her unique style of combat.
