Post by Aislin of Port Legann on May 7, 2007 20:24:42 GMT -5
Player
[/u][/center]Alias: Laura
Gender: Female
Location/Time Zone: USA
Character
[/u][/center] Name: Aislin of Port Legann
Gender: Female
Age: 26
City: Port Caynn
Status: Captain of the Lioness Rampant
Physical Appearance: Aislin is a small woman, but she is proportioned as though she is tall, with long limbs compared to her torso. She’s a lithe creature, well suited for climbing the rigging or patching sails. Years of sailing have browned and freckled her once pale skin, and her shoulder-length brown hair is flecked with gold and red from the sun. She has a strong jaw and high cheekbones that give her face a sharp, defined look. Her nose is small, but there is a bump on the bridge from where it was broken. There are a few scars on her lips, the reminders of punches to the mouth during pirate raids, but they are faint. Her hands are as strong and weathered as her face, covered in calluses and scars.
Aislin always dresses simply in men’s clothing. Her typical attire consists of a loose, plain shirt, pants, and knee-high boots. About her waist is usually a broad, sturdy belt with a large buckle, through which she thrusts any weapons that she is carrying. She always pulls her hair back into a horsetail, and keeps any wisps that escape in check with a back headscarf.
Physical Flaw: Aislin is not beautiful by any stretch of the imagination. She isn’t ugly, but the sharpness of her face and toughened skin lack the feminine softness most attractive women seem to have. “Cute” would probably be the best description that she could hope for. She cracks her knuckles, so they are thicker than the rest of her finger. This makes it difficult to wear rings, as they are loose on her finger once she pushes them over her knuckle. She wears her wedding ring on a chain about her neck to overcome this inconvenience.
Personality: Aislin is a free spirit, every bit as adventurous as she was as a small child. However, despite her desire to learn and explore, she is generally calm and composed. She always thinks before she acts or speaks, but that forethought rarely dulls her sharp tongue. Her face is usually fixed into the mask of a courtier, one of polite disinterest, but behind her rather blank expression her mind is constantly working. She views life as a chess game, approaching it with strategy, but not fearing to take a few calculated risks. She does have a sense of humor, but it is a wry, sarcastic one. All and all, she still plays the part of a noble, other than her rather unusual occupation.
Personality Flaw: As she is both a noble and a captain, Aislin can be rather arrogant. She does not speak down to her crew or those she respects, but anyone she considers less skilled or intelligent than herself will find her looking down her nose at them, metaphorically speaking, of course, as she is not a tall woman.
History: Aislin had a fairly typical childhood for a young noble. She was the only child of the Baron and Baroness of Whitehorn, and as such was severely sheltered. Being of an adventurous spirit, she entertained notions of becoming a knight, but her parents quickly dissuaded her from following that path. Instead she was taught to be a proper young lady and at 19 she was married to Nathaniel, the Baron of Port Legann.
Nathaniel and Aislin got along quite well, and although they were not in love by most people’s standards, they became very close friends. Nathaniel ran a fleet of merchant ships, utilizing his resources as the baron of a port. He would sail with the fleet fairly regularly, and often brought his wife with him. After she recovered from her initial bout of seasickness, Aislin fell in love with the sea. Her childhood sense of adventure was rekindled, and she would spend hours on the deck to feel the wind and spray on her face. Her face browned and freckled, but her husband was too delighted that she shared his passion for sailing to mind.
However, their happy time did not last. When Aislin was 21, Nathaniel died at sea. At first, it was thought that his ship sank in a storm, but a rumor arose that it had been attacked and sunk by pirates. Aislin could do nothing but mourn the loss of her good friend. Since she had not had any children by Nathaniel and he had no will, his parents gave all his property, including his barony and shipping business, to his brother, Justin. In exchange, he was to take care of his brother’s widow.
Unfortunately, Justin lacked his brother’s business sense and lost a great deal of money trying to run the business. He could not afford to pay all the sailors, so many left, and in the end he only had enough men to sail about half of his fleet. Aislin tried to help, but her brother-in-law treated her with disdain and refused to listen to her advice. He often insulted and belittled her, taking out his frustration on the young widow.
After a few months of such treatment, Aislin had had enough. She went to Justin and told him that if he gave her a ship, she would leave and never bother him again. He agreed, and gave her a three-masted schooner, which she renamed the Lioness Rampant in honor of her childhood dreams and heroine. She then sold all her dresses and jewelry, except her wedding ring, and went to hire a crew. She found some of the sailors that had worked for her husband, and they agreed to sail under her, since Justin’s foolishness had put them out of work.
Aislin loved to sail, bur she knew little about what it actually took to sail a ship, so although she had the title of captain, her first mate was really in command. The crew treated her a bit like a younger sister, teasing her gently and teaching her everything they knew. She was more than willing to learn, and gradually as she did, she began to assume the duties of a captain. Over the course of a few years, she gained the knowledge and respect due to the commander of a ship.
Aislin generally engages in the activities of a normal merchant ship, but she has been know to acttack pirates, just in case the rumors of her husband's death are true.
Family:
Geoffrey of Whitehorn – Father – deceased
Clarissa of Whitehorn – Mother – deceased
Richard of Port Legann – Father in law
Meghan of Port Legann – Mother in law
Nathaniel of Port Legann – Husband – deceased
Justin of Port Legann – Brother in law
