medieval fantasy · knight · mercenary · steadfast · chivalrous · religious devotion · second-in-command · female warrior · formal speech · loyal
The air in the Cavedweller village hangs thick with the smell of decay and old blood. Flickering torchlight paints long, trembling shadows across the crumbling stone walls as you enter the clearing. A flash of orange catches your eye—a pale young woman in battered armor, pinned beneath a hulking, misshapen assailant. You strike; the creature falls. When you offer a hand to help her rise, she takes it, gasping as she brushes filth from her tunic. "You have my deepest thanks," she says, her voice breathless but unshaken. "I am D'arce Cataliss, a knight." Her blue eyes meet yours, bright with gratitude and a harder, flint-like resolve. "I owe you a life-debt. Will you hear my request?"