Sir Duncan
	Lord Sir Da'oud
	Nagilum
	About The Militia
	Sir Cedric
	Spirit / Lady Fallon
	Vinal
	Lady Damona
	Lady Aderyn

Aderyn

Squire to Queen Meg of Chimeron
Founder, Royal Archer's Guild
Historian of Rhiassa
Minor Historian of the Realms

Growing up in a faroff coastal town, I had at best an unusual upbringing. My father was a shipsman and my mother a midwife and healer, which is, on its own, usual enough. I was born a youngest child, the only daughter at the end of a long line of sons. My next-oldest brother, Petyr, was six years older than I, and we were never close. My brothers joined my father on the sea, and several stayed behind in towns they came to know in their travels.

My mother spent her childhood years in the duchy of Redwall, across the mountains. She left only when my father, young, and full of charm and energy, swept her off to his distant home by the sea. As a young girl in Redwall, Mother's good friend Fallon de Lisle was her constant companion. After my mother left Redwall, the two friends never saw each other again, and although my mother mentioned Fallon from time to time, the distance was too great to bridge easily. When my mother gave birth to her only daughter, she sent word to Fallon that a girl was born, although I later learned that the message never reached its destination.

As my mother lay dying, she asked that I be placed in Fallon's care, but alas my poor father was so heartsick over losing his wife that he couldn't bear to give up the baby daughter she had left behind. Some, including my mother's sister, protested that ships' quarters were no place to raise a child, so Father allowed Aunt to take me in for the first seven years of my life, until I could look after myself on the ship.

When I was seven, my father collected me and took me along on his journeys. My father's crew taught me many useful things in the years I spent with them. When we were at port, I learned a bit in the way of barding by sitting out of the way near the tavern hearth as the men drank their meade and listened to the harpers and musickers there. The ship's navigator amused me by showing me the maps he possessed and even one or two he was himself creating. It was through his maps I ultimately learned to read and scribe. The shipsmates treated me with the same care they would a child of their own, and I came to know them as my family.

When my father and several older brothers were lost at sea when I was fourteen, I was once again sent into my aunt's care. My mother's only sister, Aunt was a widow, a healer, and (some say) a witch. She aimed to do her duty by teaching me the domestic arts of cooking, sewing, and home-tending, and preparing me for a life as a mother and healer as my mother and generations of women before us had been. But my heart was not turned toward those things--I had already seen too much of the world to be content as a housewife, and I was too quick a child to tame easily as a more docile sort of lamb might have been.

So after several months of struggling, and a good bit of effort from both of us, the old woman finally threw up her hands and packed me up, sending me off to the distant land of Rhiassa where she believed an old friend of my mother would surely take me in. My journey to Rhiassa was long and arduous, as it was entirely on foot and I was accustomed to the sea, and as I made the grueling trip I swore I would not try to make the journey back if Rhiassa agrees with me.

When I arrived in Rhiassa, Fallon was surprised, as she had not ever received word of my birth. But after her initial shock ebbed, I was welcomed as kin and given food and meade and a place to sleep. Lady Fallon was eager for news of my mother, and sorely distraught at the news of her death some fourteen years earlier. Alas, all I know of my mother is legend; she was well-liked and the stories I have heard of her gentleness, generosity, and beauty are as lovely as myth. But although it isn't much of substance, it is all I have left of her, and I shared all I knew with her dear friend Lady Fallon.

My first months in Rhiassa were spent dabbling in different arts of land combat, as Rhiassans are frequently called upon to defend their boundaries. Rhiassa has a tradition of many fine archers, and I took quickly to the bow and axe. My practice and training, along with the skilled coaching of a few fine tutors, enabled me to join the ranks of Rhiassa's army at several key battles even the first summer I was there. I found I enjoyed the easy company of the Rhiassans, and their strong sense of companionship agreed with me.

Before long, my ability to read and scribe came known and I applied to the Lord of Rhiassa to make myself useful as the historian of the land. I soon found the records of Rhiassan history to be in a terrible jumble, owing to numerous Drow attacks and natural disasters coupled with an absence of any sort of historian for a span of more years than anyone can remember. But I am enjoying this chance to get to know this land which I have sworn to protect, and perhaps I will unearth something about my mother along the way.

After some time, I realized I would remain in Rhiassa and swear fealty to Lord Duncan. I am most grateful for the generosity of my Lord and Lady and for the kindnesses their people have shown me. Other than the rolling ocean waves, in all my travels I cannot think of a more beautiful place to live. Nor can I think of a finer group of friends than those I have met in the time I have spent here. A swearing ceremony was held at Queen of Hearts IV, in which a number of Rhiassans took their oath, including Kethrellen, Tiana, Briar Rose, Lucas, and Vinal.

That same summer, I briefly met a man from a faraway land called Bell's Keep. Although I am kept busy by my training and duties in Rhiassa, this man captured my heart in a way no other has ever succeeded in doing. Like my father, he is a ship's captain, and although his own obligations take him to many distant waters, I hope he might sometimes find himself back in the Realms, for I cannot put him out of my mind for long.

In my seventeenth year, after much combat training with Lord Duncan, Cedric, and other fine fighters of Rhiassa and Chimeron, I was encouraged to approach a knight and offer myself in their service as a squire. Although there are many fine and honorable knights in the Realms, it took me quite some time to make my decision regarding who to approach. Perhaps finding the courage to make this decision and humbly present myself to my choice--the Queen--was my first challenge as a squire. At the turning of the year, at the Black and White Masquerade, I was taken into service as a squire by Queen Meg of Chimeron. I hope I will soon prove myself worthy of this honor.