Alwien Tempest

Alwien did not have a noble upbringing, and as such, she relishes in the comfort and luxury that her husband Galdor provides her.  However, having been a mercenary, she still enjoys swordplay and will often train with the kingdom knights.  She has a casual and laid-back attitude, and sometimes offends the other nobles at social gatherings by being too free with her words.  Despite this, she becomes deadly serious when in combat, or when someone threatens the safety of her or her family.

Backstory:
Alwien was raised by a merchant family in a poor village who had adopted her from the orphanage she grew up at.  They treated her as their own, and although she wasn't particularly skilled in the art of selling and buying, she still wanted to repay their kindness.  She was naturally athletic, and decided to learn how to wield a sword to protect her village.  At first, she could only fend off small creatures and petty thieves, but her skill grew until she became a mercenary for hire.  She spent her time doing odd jobs to both keep her adoptive family safe and to aid them with their finances.  The traveling was hard and often dangerous, but she preferred it compared to having run a shop or clean the house.

One day, she was offered a job from a well-dressed elf that she simply couldn't refuse.  She could earn 10 diamonds, and all she had to do was assassinate a young noble from a corrupt house with no battle experience.  Alwien had never killed someone outside of self-defense, but her family could live a very comfortable life with that kind of money.  She took the job, and made the long journey to the kingdom.

On the evening of the job, she snuck her way into the noble's home.  She could see a figure sitting on a chair in the living room reading by the firelight.  Alwien crept up behind the chair, and quickly drew her sword out to cut the man's neck.  However, she hesitated, and could only hold it close to his throat - in this short time, he was able to summon a magical blade.  She felt it's aura right behind her own neck, and knew that if she killed the noble, he would lose control of his blade and it would fall and cut through her before dissipating.  When asked why she didn't kill him in one strike, she confessed to just being a mercenary that was usually hired to take care of bandits, and wasn't a professional assassin.  The man explained that her employer likely purposely went to her small village to hire someone unexperienced - she would be struck down by Galdor, and then her killer would be framed for murder rather than just acting in self-defense.  Angry at her foolishness, she agreed to lower her blade if the noble removed his, and they both decided it would be in their best interests to capture the man who hired her.  The noble introduced himself as Galdor, the last surviving member of the house of Tempest, who believed he would be targeted due to trying to fight the corruption within the royal court that his father had established.

The noble who hired Alwien was waiting nearby Galdor's home, listening for the sound of conflict to then burst in and accuse the man of murder.  Unfortunately for him, Alwien was able to sneak behind him and grapple him to keep him from escaping.  She followed Galdor to the nearest set of guards, and turned the treacherous noble in for heresy and attempted murder.

Afterwards, Alwien sheepishly thanked Galdor for his assistance, and told him her name.  Knowing that she needed the money, Galdor then handed her a small bag with 50 diamonds inside.  She was shocked - why would he give her anything when she was going to kill him?  Galdor explained that in the end, she didn't, and that he wanted to reward people for doing the right thing.  She grabbed him and hugged him tightly while thanking him between sobs, and then left to head back to her village immediately.  She kept thinking of him on her journey home, as she never imagined that a noble could be so kind and so handsome...

Years went by, and Alwien kept working as a mercenary, even though her village was growing more and more prosperous.  She wanted to see Galdor again, but didn't feel like she could waltz into the wealthy part of the kingdom as a poor commoner.  Eventually, however, her adoptive family became so wealthy from investing the diamonds that she had given them years ago that they could retire.  They presented Alwien with a beautiful dress worthy of royalty, and said that she had more than repaid her debt and she could now seek out what she desires.  She bid them farewell and made her way to find the man she had fallen in love with.

When she arrived to his home, the staff told her that Galdor was not interested in a partner at this time.  However, she refused to leave, telling them to let Galdor know that a tall woman with dark hair and tanned skin absolutely had to see him immediately.  When he finally made his way to the door, she was overjoyed, and explained that she felt that she could finally see him again now that she was from a wealthy family.  He laughed and said he would have married her regardless.  The two embraced, and were wed not too long after.

Time passed, and Alwien eventually became pregnant.  Despite Galdor's nervousness due to the fate of his mother, both Alwien and the baby survived the birth.  She held her newborn son in her arms and could hardly believe that she had gone from a poor orphan to the wife of a noble.  Both parents agreed to name their son Galrion in honor of Galdor's older sister.  She watched her husband weep in joy as he held Galrion tight in his arms, and knew that she would protect them both from harm at any cost.

Backstory in Another Time, Another Place (DnD campaign):
Alwien was a kind and doting wife and mother, living in the kingdom of Valenar.  However, on the day of the Summer Solstice Festival, she noticed that Galdor was acting strangely.  He brought her and Galrion together with him, and insisted that they both head to the teleportation circle under the city.  She told him to come with, but he refused - holding her briefly and telling them to go, saying that he will always love her.  Alwien nodded and grabbed Galrion by the arm, running to the circle.

When they arrived, Alwien insisted that Galrion get inside the circle.  However, he said that they had to go back for his father so that they could all be together.  He tried to leave the circle, but Alwien grabbed him and refused to let him pass.  The room began shaking - she looked up and she could see that the ceiling was cracking.  In a final act of love, she thrust Galrion forward, pushing him back into the circle so that she could activate it.  She told her son she loved him as he teleported away to safety.

As the meteor crashed through the ground, fire and rubble fell upon Alwien just after Galrion had been teleported.  She was killed upon impact, wracking Galrion's mind with guilt ever since he returned home to Valenar and remembered what had occurred 5 years before.