Legends of Belariath
Braids
Braids was born Sierra Makain in the Drow Kingdom of Moravia. Unlike other Drows, she was born pale instead of black. This led to some unrest in the kingdom because it signified that war was imminent. Several centuries ago, Moravia was in a great war against the nearby Torian kingdom of Kyokugen. With their wings, the Torians had a great aerial advantage over the Drows. It seemed that the end was near until a pale Drow of unknown origin gathered allies from other countries and led an attack on Kyokugen. Outnumbered, Kyokugen admitted defeat and signed a peace treaty with Moravia. After the war, the heroic Drow had disappeared, and some wondered if he was a gift from the moon goddess Lucia. After time, he became a legend and was known as the Pale Moon Champion.
A century has passed since then and Kyokugen was building their army slowly. They were furious about their defeat and they wanted revenge. When they heard of a pale Drow born in Moravia, however, they became alarmed and knew that the child could possibly be the next Pale Moon Champion. Knowing this, they sent their most trusted general, Takane Hibiki, to infiltrate the House of Mikain and kidnap the child. She did as was told and the following day she brought the girl to Kyokugen. She was then ordered to raise the child until further notice. Without question, she did as was told and took care of Sierra, which she renamed Braids because she feared that knowing her real name would someday reconnect her to Moravia. 12 years passed and Braids, at 13, was a smart, healthy young woman. Being a Drow, she was an excellent fighter and used the fighting style she created known as the Dementia Slam Stance, which put her in a trance that made her a bloodthirsty and expert killer.
Takane had never questioned why she wasn’t ordered to kill Braids when she was young, but found out when she overheard two of the 13 wise men of Kyokugen planning an attack on the Lunar Tower, the place where it was said that the Pale Moon Champion came from. Knowing that it would be heavily guarded, they planned to bring Braids as a hostage, saying that she was the Pale Moon Champion’s successor. They knew that the Moravians believed heavily in the old legend, and that such an act would lower their morale incredibly. Takane became alarmed and immediately left the kingdom with Braids. She had grown much attached to the young Drow, and she didn’t want anything to happen to her. They fled west while avoiding Kyokugen checkpoints and the like. One night, however, they were ambushed by an assassination party sent by Kyokugen. They forced Takane to the ground and ripped off her wings slowly. Braids immediately went into a Dementia-induced craze and killed all of the assassins brutally. Afterwards, she fell into a deep sleep that lasted 3 days. After her back healed, Takane kept journeying with Braids for the next 11 years, showing her much of the world. It came a time when Takane knew that Kyokugen would find them again, so Takane tried to find a good place to hide Braids. Hearing of a town called Nanthalion; she went there with Braids and came upon the Lonely Inn. After she made sure Braids had a job and a good place to stay, she left to draw Kyokugen’s attention away from Nanthalion.
From then on, Braids has been a bartender at the Lonely Inn. Her happy and optimistic attitude is a pleasant welcome to the inn and she is a very hard worker. People who have fought her also know that she is a very strong fighter indeed. While she doesn’t remember her past before Kyokugen, she knows that it will sooner or later catch up with her.
Is she really the Pale Moon Champion? Or is she just the omen of his return?