Brid Rivalyn

For Use In: General purpose RPs, can be a Sitter.

Name: Brid Rivalyn (NSW)
Age: 265
Place of Birth/Raising: Shienar

Physical description: Brid stands at 5’7” with long white hair that hangs to mid waist, sometimes worn loose, sometimes in a braid. It’s debatable whether her most striking feature is her violet eyes, or her missing right foot, replaced by a wooden peg. Years of accommodating to the prosthetic has enabled her to move quickly and surely with only a slight limp. Brid has kept up with her swordplay after the injury but switched from a broadsword to a spiked flail to compensate for her decreased mobility. She carries the flail everywhere except into the Hall, though since she has long since retired from the battlefield its primary purpose is to intimidate novices. The loss of two fingers on her left hand makes penmanship difficult, yet her writing is fluid and clear. Her countenance is stern, her posture military and her manner gruff. Centuries of service in the Green Ajah have made her cynical and honed her sense of humor to razor sharp.

Character History

As the daughter of a famous Shienarian general, Brid Rivalyn grew up in an atmosphere saturated with the strict military discipline of a nation always at war. She was born the first child in a family later overflowing with five younger brothers all of whom quickly distinguished themselves as young soldiers to be. Like so many girls in households saturated with boys, Brid resolved to be strongest and fiercest of all of them, an endeavor in which she was largely successful.

The discovery of her ability to channel came as a relief to Brid, as it spared her the inevitable life of boring domestic tranquility reserved for all Shienarian women. To the great surprise of the Aes Sedai that brought her to the Tower, she adapted quickly to novice discipline. For Brid, rules and regulations were a necessary part of life, though she wasn’t above breaking them for a few pranks. As an Accepted she was diligent, stern, and already developing a broad sarcastic streak. The choice of Ajahs was an easy one for her; soldier’s blood flowed in her veins, and unlike most newly raised Greens, Brid was willing to obey without question.

Following orders with singleminded competence brought her respect and a reputation of reliability among her sisters. Before long she was given her own command and displayed a knack for tactics that rivaled her father’s. Small scouting expeditions, large expansive strategy- she did it all with the ease that comes with natural talent. The trouble was her inability to interact well with the sisters and soldiers under her command. Brid expected everyone to see things her way and had no patience dealing with a subordinate’s doubts. She was the kind of woman who could win a battle but not inspire love, and it prevented her from rising as far as she might have.

Brid got along best with men from her homeland of Shienar, who understood her gruff attitude and took less offense from it. Accordingly she served many years along the Blight and bonded two of her fellow countrymen. It was a happy time for her. She was in her element planning and fighting, an ideal mix of strategy and combat. It ended for her when she was bitten on the leg by one of the intensely poisonous insects inhabiting the Blight. Her Warder saved her life by hacking off the afflicted leg at the knee before the venom could spread further, preventing paralysis and a swift death.

The loss of her leg changed her. No longer able to lead field expeditions into treacherous terrain around the Blight, Brid was faced with the aspect of soldiering she hated most- teamwork. Being forced to work with others around the strategy table softened her enough to learn cooperation and basic social graces. Perhaps the most surprising moment of her life came when she learned that political intrigue was much like matching wits with an enemy on the battlefield, and just as thrilling. When the time came to return to the Tower, two centuries after she left, she applied herself to winning influence with characteristic determination. She replaced Lyanna al’Elisande as Sitter when the new Amyrlin and Keeper were raised. (OOC: I’m assuming she’s already a Sitter at the time of her appearance, since there are currently no plans to RP out her raising.)

Aside from the thrill of Daes Dae’mar, Brid’s favorite pastime is terrifying novices. There are more rumors regarding the event that led to the loss of her leg than there are seats in the Hall, ranging from the unlikely to the ridiculous. The current prevailing theory asserts a Trolloc bit it off and died minutes later as Brid beat it to death with the severed limb. Because she considers it amusing, she encourages the wilder rumors with unpredictable discipline and has never upgraded her prosthetic limb to anything more practical than a straight wooden peg. Her preferred method of politics is intimidation but she’s more than capable of subterfuge and manipulation. Brid is not the type to wear armor despite the weapon she carries and relies on attitude as her shield. Both Warders are long dead and unlikely to be replaced. A lifelong veteran of combat of the mind and body alike, she believes in protecting herself.