Katarina Ein

[Muckluck]

First Name: Katarina
Last Name: Ein (pronounced "Ey-n", not "Ayn" as per the German word)

Appearance:
Race: Human
Age: 34
Birth year: 1319 DR, Year of the Fallen Throne
Height 182 centimeters (just under 6 ft)
Weight: 93 kg (205 lbs.)
Eyes: Pale blue
Hair: None, she habitually (almost ritually) shaves her head.
Facial Hair Style: N/A

Personality Profile:
General Health: Fit as a fiddle
Deity: Hoar
Initial Alignment: Lawful neutral
Profession: Guard/bodyguard
Base Class & Proposed Development: F/TK/ (F/TK/Bodyguard, if it's allowed; the DMs were unclear on this)
Habits/Hobbies: (Habit) Shaving her head daily, (habit) personal grooming to accentuate appearance, (hobby) keeping a journal of her thoughts, (hobby) seeing and exploring architecture (both new and ancient/ruined), (hobby) Painting, especially landscapes and people from ruined places she's been to (connects to architectural interest)
Languages: Common, Thayan
Weapon of Choice: Longsword

Background: Growing up in a small community on the fringes of Thayan society, located close to the borders of Mulhorand, Katarina Ein was a burgher's daughter, raised in relative comfort, though not luxury. As a child, she was energic and swung between willowy and lanky from year to year. Often seen convincing others to follow her lead, she was viewed with both fond consternation and outright fondness by the villagers. Having no siblings, she was raised in a household that was dedicated and hardworking, and Thayan loyalist to boot. Growing up, she was fed tales of the Red Wizards' stand against Mulhorand, the founding of Thay, and the supremacy of the Thayan way, keeping law and order in the streets, and its citizens safe against Rashemi and Mulhorandi aggression.

Perhaps more right than they knew, in 1335 DR, the Year of the Blazing Brand, a Mulhorandi raid descended upon the unsuspecting village, having circumnavigated the Pyarados border guard. The raid wasn't overly large, as a result of having had to avoid the border guard, but sizeable enough to inflict serious damage on the lightly armed village. Most likely aimed to raid and burn in response to Thayan "aggression" against Mulhorand, the raiders fell upon the village in the late afternoon. Katarina Ein, now known by the moniker Kat, was across town from her family residence on an errand for her father when the raid struck. Coming in from an angle between her and her childhood home, Kat was cut off from returning to her home, and instead attempted to help her neighbours escape the path of the raid (this from a child only 14, coming up on 15, years old). Unbeknownst to Kat, her parents and other citizens had taken shelter in the sturdy cellar of the town hall building, built for just such a purpose.
Making her way through town, avoiding raiders as best she could, she came upon an unexpected scene. A Red Wizard in his robes, unknown to Kat, was battling with a half-dozen raiders. Using his powers to blast one raider after another, Kat found herself transfixed in awe. So intense was her focus she didn't notice a raider down a side street taking aim at her with his bow until the Red Wizard whirled, unleashing a lightning bolt that knocked the raider onto his back. Whether out of pity or because she was a distraction, the Red Wizard told Kat "Run, girl! Get away from here!". His attentions diverted from the skirmish at hand, he nearly missed another raider stealing up behind him from around the corner of the building he was standing by. A quick shout of warning from Kat served to bring the wizard's attention to the skulking rogue in time, rendering the knave a double palmful of flame to the chest for his troubles.
About to dash off, Kat noticed the raider the wizard had saved her from, the archer, wasn't quite as dead as he had seemed. Getting up with a stagger, the man once again drew his bow, this time taking aim at the unprotected back of the wizard. Feeling both outrage and a fierce determination, Kat resolved to throw the only weapon she had at the brigand: herself. Hitting the raider with a full-body tackle caused the arrow to careen off path, and the both of them to go down in a heap. Fighting for her life, Kat kept kicking and gouging at the raider, hoping to keep him from drawing his dagger. Alas, the raider was both larger, stronger, and better armoured than her. With a shove, he deposited the snarling girl on her backside, then drew his dagger from its belt. The image that followed is, to this date, still burned into Kat's memory. A snarling, unwashed face, a cruel, glinting dagger draw back for a killing thrust, an emerald flash, and the outline of a man suddenly blowing apart into specks of dust.
Wielding an amulet in one hand, and breathing hard, the Red Wizard, having killed or incapacitated all the nearby raiders, gave Kat an appraising look. A mix of surprise, grudging appreciation and stern disapproval did battle across the man's face. Eventually, he walked over to Kat, helped her to her feet and told her to go and hide until the rest of the battle was over. Not one to disobey a direct order from a Red Wizard, Kat obliged, barring herself in an empty house down the street.

In the aftermath of the battle, a meeting was called at the town hall. The Red Wizard was praised as the village hero, and presented by the brughermeister as the epitome of Thay society, the paragon of Thayan virtues, and the saviour of all present. The Red Wizard, clearly pleased by this, and perhaps made particularly friendly by the largesse, commended the village constables for their quick action in shepherding citizens to places of safety, and, while emphasising the importance of his being there, gave a short but rousing speech on this being the perfect example of how Thay throws back those who would prey upon her and her citizens.

Hours later, with Kat returned to her parents' tender care (and her mother's scolding mixed with desperate hugs), the family was confronted with a knock on the door. Outside was the burghermeister, escorting the Red Wizard. Wordlessly, the latter swept into the family home with the others in tow.
The Red Wizard introduced himself as Arghan, a Red Wizard of, in his words, "modest renown". He explained that he had merely been on his way through the village, returning from some mission on the border of Mulhorand, and was unintentionally caught up in the raid. Having stumbled upon a large group of the raiders, he'd been set upon before realising what was truly going on. Using his magic, he'd repelled the raid, killing as many raiders as he could in the process, and chasing off the remaining few, brigands who had not counted on the power of a Red Wizard to be aiding the town.
After another round of bows and thanks from the burghermeister and family both, Arghan revealed his true purpose for coming to them that evening. His manservant/guard had been killed by a stray arrow in the first moments of the battle, he explained, mere moments before Kat had come upon the scene of battle. At first he'd viewed her as a mere imposition, he declared, in a straightforward way, though without malice, but that had changed after she warned him of one rogue and then saved him from another. While he most likely could have handled it without assistance, as he put it, he was none the less impressed by her willingness to throw herself in harm's way on his behalf, warranted though it of course was. As a result of his loss of manservant, as well as her and her village's obvious dedication to Thay, he explained, he was offering her the chance to serve in his household. He didn't need to explain, he said as he did anyway, the honour it was to be asked to serve the Red Wizards directly.
While it was unlikely her parents would disagree with her decision, considering how their faces shone with pride, Kat none the less accepted before anyone had a chance to speak. The wizard, Arghan, informed her they would be leaving at first light, and to join him an hour before then at the local inn. With that, he swept from the house with the burghermeister in tow.
While the time to say goodbye was short, it was none the less long enough for Kat and her family to make peace and declare their love and devotion to one another. Kat's father especially was nearly bursting with pride, and while it would take his daughter away from him, possibly for life, it also put her in a place where she could rise farther than she ever could in the village, and it took her away from the harm that had just been shown to lurk always on the border to Mulhorand.

In the years to come, Kat served Arghan in many respects, both while travelling, but mostly from his estate in Eltabbar. Starting her service as both valet and messenger, a chance encounter with a cutpurse and the subsequent lucky but thorough thrashing Kat gave him convinced Arghan to invest in formal weapons training for Kat. While a far cry from the finest Eltabbar had to offer, her hired tutor was both competent and clear-headed; something Kat had cause to praise as it kept him from braining her several times over the first few years when her temper got the better of her. Slowly but surely, Kat's fighting prowess showed, and she went from fierce brawler to competent armsman, to stoic guardian, and eventually, despite her age, rose to be captain of Arghan's household guard. This was most likely less a sign of her supremacy as a fighter, and more because of her absolute loyalty to Arghan and her devotion to Thay.
The only times Arghan and Kat ever clashed, and never publicly or directly, was when matters bending the law were concerned. Arghan was not above using underhanded means to win a struggle if no better option was available, whereas Kat held law and order, the latter especially, to be of the most supreme importance. This was further fueled by her growing dedication to Hoar, all caused by the formative events of her youth having led her to this position; chaos and lawlessness could never be tolerated. It was what separated the superiority of Thay from the crude brigandry and bickering politicks of Rashemen and Mulhorand, in her mind. Any who preyed on others this way must meet swift and exacting retribution. Of course, in Kat's mind, this was reserved chiefly for the enemies of Thay, though lawless Thayans were by no means exempt.

While this was never a great cause for contention between Kat and her master, it did mean that Arghan, not wanting to jeopardise his prize servant's loyalty, tended to employ other members of his household guard, those with more flexible morals, to undertake certain auspicious ventures. While this was normally not an issue, as Arghan was competent in his dealings, it none the less came to an unexpected head in 1352 DR, the Year of the Dragon.
Household guards in Arghan's employ, his chosen group for "special" assignments (those unknown to Kat), fell upon a particular merchant and his unexpected guest in an attack on the merchant's home. The reason for the attack was unknown to any but Arghan and perhaps a choice few others. Regardless, while regarded by Arghan's muscle as a mere imposition and witness to be eradicated, the merchant's unexpected guest turned out to be the scion of a middling but powerful noble house in Eltabbar, and a personal friend of the merchant in question. Being stronger and better armed than expected, the scion managed to drive off the attackers, but not before they wounded the merchant, mortally.
The scion, while not a Red Wizard himself, possessed considerable political capital and contacts, which he used to go after Arghan and his household. Arghan, professing innocence and ignorance of what motivated the "thugs", as he said it, who assaulted the merchant, viciously defended himself, claiming this was a slanderous attack upon the name of the Red Wizards, and Thay as a whole. Perhaps because he'd utilised these tactics a bit too often in the years leading up to the event, or perhaps simply because the scion's political capital outweighed his own, Arghan was unable to have the case against him dismissed. Switching tracks, Arghan admitted a dislike for the merchant in question due to previous "difficulties" during trading exchanges between the two; however, he maintained, he was supreme in his devotion to Thay and the order of law. However, he presented in conjecture, it was possible that less morally compunctuous members of his household, in some misdirected attempt at loyalty, had taken his dislike to represent enmity, and taken it upon themselves to teach the merchant a lesson in a brawl gone wrong. Lamenting the fact that the merchant was killed, Arghan successfully argued that there was no proof to show that he had any form of knowledge of this action, and that while they were (of course but recently) in his employ, he could not control the actions of his household guard for all hours of the day. Naturally he would denounce any and all acting in such a way, and lend his aid into apprehending the guilty individuals, and ensure they met a harsh end for their transgressions.
Perhaps in an attempt to salvage some of the case against the wizard himself, the scion argued before the arbiter that as captain of the household guard, surely Kat must have been complicit, or else willfully ignorant and thus liable for her subordinates' actions. Unable to speak in her own defence, lest it mar the defence of her master, Kat had no choice by allow Arghan to speak for her.
Perhaps unwilling to lose his prize servant, but also seeing a chance to gain further political capital and standing, Arghan presented her defence as such: To any who knew her, including the clerics and priests of the temple of Hoar, knew her to be an exacting and law-abiding citizen, putting order and the well-being of Thayan society above all other things. Several others present attested to this. The scion argued that surely her loyalty to her master must be greater, but Arghan successfully argued that since there was no proof to indicate he was culpable in this case, for Kat to have broken the law in such a manner, it would have had to be in loyalty to these recent subordinates over her own master's wishes, which was simply unthinkable.
Furthermore, Arghan argued, Kat's devotion to Thay was inviolate since her childhood, and clear to any and all in the city. However, he conceded, much to Kat's surprise, perhaps she shared some blame for failing to realise just how volatile the most recent members of the household guard were. Surely, however, that was a mere oversight and a matter of household discipline, and not a matter for the courts, he argued.
However, Arghan continued, his presentation coming to fruition, to further show his dedication, and that of his subordinate, to Thay, as well as his largesse towards the Red Wizards themselves, he offered up Kat's services to the foreign arm of the Red Wizards. He spoke well and truly of her abilities and loyalty to the Thayan cause, and her prowess as a bodyguard. SURELY, he said, such a generous offer, putting himself as a disadvantage to provide for Thay and the Red Wizards, showed that he was completely blameless in all this, and only wanted what was best for all of Thay.
Whether on her own or due to pressure from the Red Wizards, the arbiter quickly acceded to Arghan's version of events, praising him for his dedication and cooperation, and rejecting all suspicion that he was the perpetrator behind this heinous attack, graciously accepting his assistance in finding the remaining culprits (which was unlikely, considering Arghan's meticulous use of magic to render any such individuals permanently unreachable).

Later explaining to Kat that this was the best way to protect both himself and her, and keep her from the noose, Arghan informed Kat that he had offered up Kat's services to the Red Wizards' foreign arm within hours after the arbitration was done, and they had already assigned her to a convoy bound for the human city of Baldur's Gate. He warned her that it was a wild frontier, not at all civilised like Thay and Eltabbar, and to be wary; in no uncertain terms, he explained, he wanted her back here, loyally serving him again, when the time was right.
While Kat would not hesitate to follow her master's commands, least of all because it allowed her to see more of a world she found fascinating, though lawless and chaotic, Arghan's actions had cast a shadow of doubt over her loyalty. Well versed in Thayan politics, she felt both uncertainty and doubt as to whether Arghan had just sacrificed her as a pawn, or whether he really was looking out for her interests, as they pertained to his. Glad to be afforded the opportunity to study other civilisations, both flourishing and fallen, on her travels, and to bring the retribution of Hoar to those deserving, she none the less decided to dwell long and hard on her master's motives, and to what extent her loyalty to him really did trump her dedication to Thay itself. One thing was clear: she believed, without a doubt, that Arghan was guilty of exactly what he was accused, and while this might have bothered her more had he not been her master, it also showed clearly and truly that her master and the ordered supremacy of Thay lay down different paths, and sooner or later, she would be forced to choose one over the other.

Goals: (Cause) Ensuring the spread of the ordered supremacy of Thay, (Personal) Acquiring enough knowledge and power to dispense justice and retribution as she deems it appropriate, (Personal, minor) Getting to view/experience as many different types of architecture as possible
Possible Plot-Hook Ideas and Misc Facts: Takes an almost perverse pleasure in meting out retribution against those she deems deserving, particularly if it turns the table on someone who thought they had the upper hand and/or were abusing someone in a weaker position.
Enjoys painting, partly for the act in itself, but also partly because of what it signifies; she often takes inspiration of ruins and abandoned places she encounters, and then envisions them as coming alive once more, both whole and populated; in her mind, many ruined places were meant by their ruiners to be forgotten, and in painting them, she brings a measure of retribution to those slain or driven away by making the very symbol of their ruin into a way for them to be remembered.
Still conflicted between her loyalty to her master, Arghan, the Red Wizards, and Thay itself; in her mind, the Red Wizards are the supreme guardians of Thay, but there are some who are too chaotic and disordered to be considered worthy of their title.
Wields a longsword and a heavy shield. Believes that a good shield is more important than a good sword.

Training/Combat style:
Trained, like most fighters, in the basics of handling a variety of weapons, Katarina Ein’s specialised tutoring was based on two core beliefs: first, that the Red Wizards are the supreme embodiment of power and will, and given the chance, will lay waste to any and all who would rise against them and seek to do them harm; second, that the physical person of a Red Wizard (her master or charge in particular) is inviolate, and must remain so at any and all costs, even that of one’s own life. While the fighting style employed by Katarina Ein still allows her to bring the pain to her enemies and whoever else might somehow threaten her charge, the chief focus of her behaviour in combat is to act as a living shield for another. Put more simply, in her own words, “The Red Wizards can destroy anything; it’s my job to keep them alive long enough to do so”.
The longsword is her weapon of choice, but she pays no great attention to it, other than to ensure its good condition and (if applicable) magical integrity. To Katarina Ein, much more energy is dedicated to the condition, appearance and quality of her (heavy) shield. Dubbed “risky and unnecessary” by some, Katarina takes a certain personal pleasure in employing her shield as a weapon, using its crest and edges to bash, hamper, or otherwise make contact with her enemies while engaged in melee combat. While the use of a shield as a weapon isn’t exactly unorthodox, Katarina relies on it more than most would.
If she were to describe a Red Wizard’s mission in combat in a single word, it would most likely be “Destroy”; consequently, she would describe her own task as “Endure”.