Fyna, Blade Of Aravia

Like so many Aravian nobles, Fyna was always told that she was destined for greatness. Unlike some of her more arrogant kindred though, it was many years before she truly believed it. The eldest daughter of the great Basileus Roanas, Fyna was expected to fit into the mold of a great warrior — Teleria was beset during the First Great War, and its people had great need of heroes. Fyna had learned both the art of warcraft and skill at arms from her father and was granted command of an Aravian regiment. Such a responsibility for someone so inexperienced was not uncommon among the upper echelons of High Elf nobility, but Fyna was cautious by nature, and did not initially rejoice at such a vital and difficult duty. Though she won several victories that were spoken of and admired, she did little to follow up from them or exploit them. She was criticized for this by more seasoned generals, who felt someone so reserved was ill-suited to being a commander in time of existentially threatening conflict. All that changed after Dakob Pass. Fyna’s force united with a larger Aravian host moving through the Redspike Mountains, commanded by a senior High Elf general named Landarin the Bold. His title was well-earned, for he was aggressive and ruthless. He also, regardless of Fyna’s high station, outranked her and insisted on having complete control of their joint forces. When Fyna argued that moving along the narrow length of the snow-locked Dakob Pass would be tactically unwise, as the risk of ambush was great, Landarin dismissed her doubts. An ambush indeed followed, that quickly turned into a massacre. Triggering an avalanche behind them, the forces of Siroth cut off the Aravians’ escape route before descending from all sides. Landarin was one of the first to die, slain by rampaging Demonic warriors. Fyna experienced a moment’s paralysis as the ambush unfolded. Prone to caution, as her soldiers were slain around her she finally realized that battle could not be carefully controlled, and war was not a game where both sides had a chance to think between turns. Right then, all that mattered was speed. She rallied her own troops to her, and ordered them to make for the far end of the pass. At first, she tried to save the wounded but, realizing that doing so would mean no one would escape, ordered them abandoned. With tears in her eyes, she led a little over a hundred High Elves forward out of the pass, sneaking their way through the enemy’s lines. This left them deep within Demonspawn-controlled territory, hunted by her victorious enemies. Before this, Fyna had sought the perfect victory, inflicting maximum casualties on the enemy while suffering as few losses as possible. Now, she fought only for survival. Forced by circumstances to remain constantly on the move, she took risks she would never have countenanced before, baiting traps and attacking enemy forces in the dead of night. She blended this newfound aggression with her natural patience to outwit her pursuers at every turn, and soon the hunted became the hunters as the Elves ambushed, raided, and spoiled the Demonspawn’s rear echelons, undermining their control over a corner of Teleria they had thought secure. With each success over the Demonspawn, Fyna grew in confidence. With so few warriors, Fyna had no choice but to lead from the front, working to inspire those around her while seeking out and slaying the enemy’s best warriors and leaders. Many a clash was won through a combination of Fyna’s sword-skill and her charisma, as she drove her soldiers to ever-greater battlefield feats and confounding the enemy’s efforts to corner and destroy her defiant band. Her soldiers were soon calling her the ‘Blade of Aravia’. The name has stuck ever since, and is spoken now with reverence. Eventually Fyna’s forces broke out of Demonspawn territory and rejoined the other Aravian hosts. For years after, Fyna was at the forefront of many great Aravian victories, known for her quick and effective decision-making, ease with the troops, vigorous pursuit of victory, and fighting skill that was inspiring to all around. The Arbiter noted her successes, and the Blade of Aravia was among the first mortals to be offered a Shard. Fyna accepted, and in the centuries since has come to the aid of the people of Teleria time and again. In Aravia, tales of Fyna’s exploits have lived on, comparable only to the stories of her father and Lonatharil the Black Hawk. Whenever she has been unleashed from her Shard and walked among her fellow High Elves, she has been viewed as a living legend returned to lead her people once again. As King Tayba’s War rages, more questions are being asked as to why senior High Elf nobles seem so reluctant to once more unsheathe the Blade of Aravia.