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Stephania Valentine, Knight of the Wind
The future heiress of the Valentine family from the city of Nevikata was born in 272. This was a momentous event for Roderick and Ophelia Valentine. In this military dynasty, mostly boys were born, famed for brilliant careers and short lives. Living to retirement — that's quite an achievement.
Ophelia rejoiced that instead of a fighter forever risking his life in the name of the country, she would raise a beautiful lady. A lady who would pick flowers, do embroidery, dream of love, and attend tea parties with her peers. And all of it without any risk to her life. Never had Lady Valentine been so mistaken.
Already in 285, when Iron Knight Roderick was appointed captain and mentor of Guildaria's warriors, the brisk and active Stephania made it clear — she would not sit at home and be bored.
The girl spent a long time persuading her father to take her along to work. She argued that she wanted to master horseback riding. And no one could teach her better than dear old dad. Fortunately, Roderick was vain enough to fall for the trick.
In reality, Stephania refused a "teacher off the street" because she very much wanted to see daddy's students. She imagined tall, handsome, stately young men in uniform. And out of uniform, they surely must have been playfully flexing their muscles in the sun.
Her fantasies turned out far from reality. In fact, they were worn-out men and women undergoing grueling training. Her father was a staunch Komaigi follower, and therefore demanded that Guildaria's warriors work themselves to the bone. And mastering every type of weapon was mandatory.
And some of his students managed it all. Others, despite the Iron Knight's admonitions, focused on what suited them best. That is what Heavenly Knight Amelia taught them; she always substituted for Roderick whenever he set out on missions assigned by Lord Adalard.
As it happened, it was ultimately Amelia who began teaching Stephania horseback riding. The warrior woman from Novellett found common ground with the captain's daughter on the very first day. Not to mention that she had more time available than Roderick did. Especially since the Heavenly Knight understood riding different animals like no other. Horses, pegasi, wyverns — anything that could be saddled came easily to her.
At first, Amelia only taught Stephania horse riding, considering horses the safest option. However, soon enough the mentor seated the girl upon her faithful pegasus Averus. It was with him that the woman preferred to set out on all her missions. She believed there was nothing faster or more reliable than pegasi, especially when you needed to take aim and make a precise shot. Under the influence of her mentor, Stephania too would come to think this way in the future. But that was still far off.
During the first few years of training, Stephania had nothing but wind in her head. Although the girl studied diligently, she never gave a thought to any career as a knight of Guildaria. All her free time went to dreams and fantasies. Stephania liked imagining herself as a mighty warrior capable of giving everyone a good thrashing. But when it came to practice — all her enthusiasm vanished just as quickly as it appeared. Imagining is more interesting than doing!
She fantasized not only about martial glory. Having read many novels, the girl dreamed of treasure hunting, monster slaying, great discoveries, and of course true love. At first, Stephania thought only of tender and innocent feelings, where talk extended only to kisses and marriage in the very distant future.
She often invented new and varied stories. She even considered sitting down and writing them out. But the moment she mulled over one idea, her thoughts drifted to another. So beyond light textual sketches, Stephania never got anywhere.
Perhaps things might have continued that way, had sixteen-year-old Stephania not become an accidental witness to extremely spicy events. One hot summer night, the girl slept poorly and decided to take a stroll through the Valentine estate.
Properly speaking, she should have done so accompanied by her personal maid Anna, but the night was deep and Anna had long since fallen fast asleep in the servants' quarters. And Stephania didn't want to disturb her. Besides, what could possibly happen during an innocent walk through one's own holdings, which you know inside and out? Especially since the guards were awake and could rush to help in case of unforeseen circumstances.
Thus, suffering from insomnia, Stephania walked through the entire house and then stepped out into the garden. Under the moonlight it looked particularly beautiful.
The girl considered walking over to the gazebo where she periodically drank tea with her family during the day. By that time, she already had a younger sister, Camilla, who had just turned ten. Even if her parents couldn't come for whatever reason, no tea party ever passed without Camilla.
Delicate blue roses grew around the gazebo. And for some reason, the girl felt that tonight she would find in them a source of fresh inspiration, think everything through, and then go to sleep. With this vague feeling, she quietly and unhurriedly wandered toward her destination.
Upon arriving, Stephania did indeed find a source of inspiration. But hardly the one she had counted on.
Drawing near the gazebo, the girl heard female cries. They came from one of the maids of the Valentine household. Later, Stephania realized these were not pleas for help but screams of pleasure. And two guardsmen, who were precisely supposed to be keeping watch over the garden grounds at that hour, were bringing her to such a state.
What she saw left Stephania speechless. She could think of nothing better than hiding behind the nearest apple tree and continuing to observe the proceedings from afar. And there was plenty worth watching.
By that age, Stephania already knew how children were made. But it's one thing to hear something mentioned in passing, and quite another to see it firsthand. Especially when a third participant joins the game!
"So does that mean, if they end up having a child, it will have two fathers at once?" — roughly with such thoughts did the young Valentine heiress watch the proceedings until all three grew tired and decided to call it quits. Without waiting for the lovers to notice her, Stephania withdrew to her room.
For the rest of the night until morning, the girl never slept. She pondered what she had seen and wondered what to do about it next.
The following day, Stephania trained very listlessly, which inevitably drew Amelia's attention. The mentor understood that something was troubling her student, so she asked directly. The girl merely admitted that she hadn't slept all night due to obsessive thoughts she didn't know what to do with. And as a true follower of Renovan, Amelia suggested Stephania sublimate her thoughts into text.
The idea of writing a real story instead of the usual short sketch appealed to the future Knight of the Wind. After talking with her mentor, she couldn't shake the thought that describing what she'd witnessed would allow her to cast aside all those thoughts and embarrassing memories. And so she began to create.
First, Stephania described the bedroom scene in detail, including both observed and imagined moments. Then she invented a peasant woman vaguely resembling — but not fully matching — that maid, and two brothers who were warriors. It seemed that with such edits, no one could tell whom the story was really about. Had either parent learned of what happened, all three would have been dismissed. That outcome was not what Stephania wanted.
Gradually, the story became embellished with various details. Now the heroes were childhood friends who loved each other too dearly. And rather than quarreling over the beloved, the brothers decided to become one big family together with her. In the end, both brothers died fighting monsters, while the heroine bore a single son and never married. Why would a little one need a third father when he already had two?
The more Stephania worked on the material, the more she liked what she was creating. At some point, she overcame her shyness and showed the draft to her personal maid. To her surprise, Anna greatly enjoyed the work. She kept praising her mistress and repeating that the story would undoubtedly be in demand.
The only problem was this — such a thing absolutely could not be published under the Valentine name. Far too explicit a piece of material for an unmarried maiden from a noble family. On the other hand, nothing prevented doing it anonymously under a pseudonym, conducting all interaction with the publisher through third parties.
Fired up by this idea, Stephania resolved to polish the draft into the most presentable form possible and, with Anna's help, publish her work under the pseudonym Shana. First, it in no way pointed back to the Valentine household; second, it could always be spun as though Anna had written the text.
Every time she sat down to work, Stephania imagined ladies discussing her story at tea parties. Frivolous literature often proved a hot topic at women's social gatherings. Many longed for fiery and passionate love, just as it was described in books. Especially since her work promised to be more original.
Stephania carried her notes around day after day. She created both at home and during breaks between lessons. And when the work was nearing completion, the girl made a huge mistake — she left her bag right in the middle of the training grounds, containing both the first draft covered in corrections and a smoother, polished copy.
That day, her father picked her up right in the middle of a riding lesson. Roderick was accompanied by Adalard, who had given him yet another dangerous assignment. The lord also had assignments for Amelia, so the student hurriedly left with her father, while the mentor departed in the company of her liege.
Sitting with her family at tea, Stephania trembled with horror that someone had already found and examined the contents of her bag. But right now, there was nothing she could do about it.
On the one hand, it was a completely unremarkable leather bag that could belong to anyone. The notebooks weren't signed; there was absolutely nothing distinctive pointing to the Valentines. She could stubbornly deny everything and pretend Stephania had nothing to do with those items. On the other hand — somewhere there had to be an owner of the bag. And if it later ended up shown to her father, who knows how it might all turn out?
The girl stayed awake all night, and in the morning arrived at Amelia's lessons pale as death. And judging by the expression on her mentor's face, her worry was not unfounded. Though the knight initially gave no sign whatsoever, intuition screamed at the girl that it was time to plan an escape far away. Stephania began thinking about moving to another region. Olivus, for instance, sounded quite safe. And Kanamia could offer no small number of prospects.
Amelia immediately suggested making that day a day off and heading together to her estates. Though the student categorically did not want this, she had no choice but to agree.
When they arrived at a fairly cozy manor located in Novellett, Amelia led Stephania to a gazebo on a hilltop overlooking the sea and the nearby port. The place felt utterly tranquil, as if designed for a private conversation.
Once a servant girl from Makiat had prepared a cup of aromatic coffee for the mistress and her guest, Amelia asked all the servants to leave them alone with Stephania. And when she was sure no one else was around, the woman pulled from her personal bag two notebooks her student could not fail to recognize.
Without waiting for a lecture, Stephania took a defensive stance, claiming the notebooks belonged to her maid Anna, who had accidentally mixed up the bags and packed them instead of her mistress's exercise books. She was very glad and would return them to the servant, since the latter was somehow worried about her writings! Since the first draft was signed "Shana" at the end, the girl naively believed her lie sounded convincing.
Amelia merely sighed wearily, opened a random page, and pointed at the capital letter "р" in the text. It wasn't just a letter; it was a signature feature of the handwriting of only two members of the Valentine family — Stephania and her father Roderick. And now the girl had to decide — take responsibility herself or keep playing the fool.
Now in tears, Stephania begged for any punishment whatsoever, as long as no one, especially papa, learned what kind of text she had written there.
Amelia, however, had only one question — where did such depraved thoughts come from in the head of a growing teenager?
She had to confess not only to her literary ambitions but also to exactly what had served as the source of inspiration. Finishing her coffee, Stephania feared that her mentor would now tell her parents everything and ruin many lives. Amelia simply exhaled that the bedroom scenes were the result of something witnessed, not personal experience, which could have damaged not only the reputation of the Valentine daughter but the whole family line in principle.
While Stephania sobbed, Amelia gestured from afar to summon the servant to prepare another cup of coffee each. When the drink was ready, she offered her student to taste it and catch her breath.
The woman first scolded Stephania for carelessness, especially because it was Adalard himself who had noticed the abandoned bag first. And had the notes fallen into his hands, everything would have been far worse.
Then she delivered a lecture on why it was unbefitting for a young noble lady to study and write literature steeped in debauchery. And if one were to do so, then exclusively within her private chambers, so as not to create compromising evidence.
But after voicing all her criticism, Amelia began praising the student's easy prose style and certain interesting ideas with detailed descriptions of battles against monsters. In this work, one could feel that Stephania wanted to explore the subject together with her readers.
Thus the conversation gradually shifted from lectures on what not to do to a proposal to develop creative skills in a different genre. Amelia not only didn't want Stephania to abandon the idea of writing. She believed the girl ought to devote no less time to it than she devoted to riding and archery under her mentor's guidance.
Returning home, Stephania felt not only relief. She began believing in herself and her strength. Amelia inspired her to greater things than she could have imagined. Above all, before anything else, she absolutely had to burn the manuscripts unworthy of the Valentine name. Which the girl did in the presence of the Heavenly Knight.
A little over a year later, the student brought her mentor a short story. This time, the tale told of a hero who fell in love with a girl from Makiat who had opened a small coffee shop in Kanamia. The focus now lay not on a modest romantic storyline but on the hardships of running a business, competition, and problems with bean supplies due to attacks by monsters and bandits.
The resulting work pleased Amelia far more than the previous one. And soon, with her mentor's support, the lady of the Valentine household managed to publish her story, receive her first fee, and earn some sort of name for herself. The story received largely positive reviews. And Roderick, Ophelia, and especially Camilla were very proud of Stephania.
Buoyed by success, the girl felt utter lightness. Now she trained harder, showed better results in archery, and generally delighted Amelia as best she could. Despite the modest twelve-year difference, Stephania was to the Heavenly Knight like the daughter she never had.
By the time Stephania turned twenty, she had three published stories and several short articles for Guildarian magazines behind her. By then, she had proven herself not only in training but also in battle. She fought both under Amelia's command and under her own father's leadership.
Despite Roderick's attempts to force her into heavy armor, Stephania listened to Amelia and emphasized her own speed and agility. Likewise, the girl never came to share her father's love for Deus Komaigi. Instead, like her mentor, she venerated Renovan the Pious.
On the day Stephania turned twenty-one, Amelia gifted her beloved student a loyal battle companion and friend — a pegasus named Zephyr. The Heavenly Knight believed no steed suited such a light and airy rider better.
Although the Valentine estates already housed two personal pets of Stephania — the horses Almaz and Izumrud — Zephyr claimed a special place in the heart of the Valentine heiress. He had to carry his mistress more often than the others.
Unfortunately, that year was marked for Stephania not only by these events. Amelia failed to return alive from her final mission. Her precious, wounded Averus brought home only the lifeless body of his mistress. The pegasus himself did not last long without his knight and gave up his spirit that same night.
Soon after the funeral arrangements, word spread of a new knight being appointed. Adalard summoned a gathering in Grimme. And he invited not only Roderick but also his daughter.
This didn't seem strange; everyone knew that sooner or later the promising Stephania would inherit her father's title. Especially since the man, having survived numerous wounds, was himself contemplating retiring in the near future, stepping away from combat and helping only as an advisor.
But no one could have guessed that the purpose of the meeting was to appoint Stephania as the new knight. Adalard declared her Knight of the Wind and handed her the seal ring that had once belonged to Amelia. The lord called this the deceased's final wish. Although there was no shortage of heirs wishing to claim the estates of the late sister, aunt, and niece, none of them were close to receiving the status of knight.
The question arose — why was Stephania not appointed specifically as Heavenly Knight? The answer likewise lay in Amelia's will. During her lifetime, whenever the conversation turned to her beloved student, Amelia always mentioned the wind. Among the characteristics constantly repeated were: "fast as the wind," "racing with the wind," "wind in the head" — Adalard remembered this and decided to use it.
Thus, unexpectedly for herself and her family, Stephania found herself nearly on par with her father. Because of this, the man decided to postpone the matter of retirement. There would be no problems with inheritance rights to the Valentine lands. But no one would now call his daughter iron. Which meant he needed not only to consider who would be appointed the new knight after him, but also to discuss with Adalard that under no circumstances should he be iron. Steel, perhaps, or anything else. But definitely not iron!
Stephania, meanwhile, threw herself headlong into her newly assigned duties. In essence, in many respects she began performing the work Amelia used to do. And now she helped her father with training. Whether she would become a mentor like Roderick remained an open question. But she handled all sorts of reports excellently.
By the age of twenty-five, Stephania had proven herself a loyal and dependable knight. More and more talk circulated that when her father stepped down, her workload would increase considerably.
There are also conversations in high society about who will become the chosen one of the Valentine family heiress. Will it be a knight or some other worthy gentleman?
Even though Stephania reached marriageable age long ago, spring has never truly come into her life. Her parents never insisted on a marriage of convenience, and no romantic interests arose. In the maiden's head, there is only work, duty, and care for the family.
There is a strong likelihood that, like her mentor, Stephania will fall in battle before she even comes to know the joy of first love and a gentle kiss. But it seems this doesn't trouble her overly much.
Abilities:
Preemptive Strike
In exchange for 1 AP, the character gains the "preemptive strike" status and performs their own attack before an enemy attack directed at them reaches them (attack or movement range must suffice). Lasts until the end of battle.
Battle Chronicles
Describing events that took place during a battle in which the character participated grants them specific bonuses.
Bow
The character may use a bow.
Riding
The character may ride horses and other animals.
Writer
The character may publish their works and gain money and fame from them...
Leave Battle
If the character is not immobilized in any way, they leave the battle in exchange for 1 AP.
Accurate Attack
100% damage. +50% accuracy for this attack.
Cost: 1 AP.
Attributes:
Mind 10
Body 15
Perception 20
Energy 15
Aesthetics 20
Mount
Zephyr
Pegasus
SP: 15
Health: 125
Ability to fly.
Evasion: 15%
Can be found in forests.
Conviction:
Renovan's Melancholy
When the glass is half empty and no way can be found to fill it...
Conviction effect: protection against mind-affecting influences; can continue fighting even with negative morale.
Equipment:
Right hand: compound bow "Lightning"
Left hand: arrows
Head: Hat of the Wind
Body: Airy Garb
Shoulders: Cloud Cloak
Hands: Bracers of Air
Footwear: Boots of Lightness
Other 1: medallion with the Valentine crest
Other 2: Amelia's seal ring
Other 3: spyglass
Inventory: gold, leather bag, writing implements, camping knife, small bottle of healing potion
