Korista Colt The Sword Mistress

[WildOrchid]

Born to a noble family of Waterdeep, she was an only child. Her mother dying during childbirth, meaning she only ever knew her father, who was an often distant figure as he went about his business. Still, he cared for her, and she didn't have a care or want- anything she wanted, she had. 

When she was sixteen, she was informed that she would be put into an arranged marriage with an important member of the Tempurite clergy, whom had taken an eye to her during a function she and her father had attended. Whilst not a follower of Tempus (neither was her father), she was fairly agreeable to the notion- the man himself, a Sebastian Valentino, was well liked and respected, and also rather handsome- if rather older than herself. It would also increase the status of her and her father. 

By the age of seventeen, she had moved into the same abode as Sebastian, as a date for the marriage was delayed, due to Sebastian's constant commitments as a member of the Tempurite clergy. However, Korista had a proviso, which she would not budge on- she would -not- move into the same bed as he until -after- the marriage had taken place. 

Their relationship was mostly cordial, and Korista herself was slowly starting to gain a sense of feeling for the man. There where strains- her constant and adamant refusal to move into his bed caused arguments. However, apart from this, things seemed good. 

At Sebastian's insistence, he had blade masters teach her how to wield a blade, due to the fact he did not want "his woman" to be without defence, and that it was improper the consort of a cleric of Tempus could not fight. 

A couple years past, and a date was finally announced. Yet still, Korista stubbornly stuck to her beliefs. Her blade training was coming along well, and she was now competent in the use of a sword. her body had grown stronger, and Sebastian was impressed at her ability to take to the training. However, things where about to change dramatically. 

Just past her nineteenth birthday, Korista had finished training early one day, after her trainer had been called away on some sort of personal emergency regarding his family. On her way back to her apartment, she saw something that caught her eye in the servants quarters as she passed them. Being naturally inquisitive, she took a peek, and wished she hadn't. There, lying on one of the servants pallets, was Sebastian, engaged in a rather sordid sexual act with the chambermaid. 

Korista fled, numbed inside, although she did not weep, although she felt like she should have. Her feelings had grown for the man, and she was truly ready to wed him, only for her to find out he was a philandering cad! 

Her anger grew, and a very dark plan drew in her mind. She retreated to her apartment, and decorated the place with rose petals. She lit candles, arranged the room to a seductive light. Then later that same day, she sent out a servant to request Sebastian's presence. When Sebastian saw the room, he thought she'd finally given into his wishes, due to their upcoming wedding date. Indeed, at first, it seemed she had, however, she tricked him into a compromising position, and then with an act of wicked revenge, she grasped his sword and sliced off his sexual organs with a single cut. She fled the scene with his screams ringing out, thinking he would die from his grievous wound. 

Revenge settled. She took a horse and what provisions she could on quick notice, and fled the estate- indeed, she fled the city itself, her life changed forever. Still, she was her own woman now. 

[WildOrchid]

As he slowly lifted the mug of mead to his lips, Darvin Broadblade looked across the inn to the young woman sitting alone and paused. He stood and strode across the floor to her, his long brownish now greying hair flowed gently behind him and as he came to a stop at her table he lifted his mug to his lips taking a long sip letting out a sigh.

"I'm not interested, old man. I don't share beds with men old enough to be my father" said the young woman at the table.

"Lass, ye are few enough in years to be my daughter, and like my daughter ye have shown me a face that gives me concern. Ye have the look of a lass fixing to do a thing she is unlikely to walk away from."

That had been three weeks ago, and Venostro, Ka'uhrakh and Shayne still lived, gods only knew where Dace disappeared to, the sneaky, leacherous swine. Korista held Darvin close, crying, the older man that so quickly had become like a father to her was dying in her arms, yet another man that was destined to leave her.

"Lass, dry your tears, I am an old man and my life has been full and rich. Yours is still fresh and many years lay ahead for you, but you need to get out, and your sword is destroyed. Take my sword, fight your way out and live. It is only fitting you should have it, it belonged to my mother, a firey haired maiden with a temper to match." he chuckled coughing violently, blood spraying from his mouth.

"You remind me alot of her." The older man's breathing became laboured and he coughed more and more.

"No, I won't leave you here in this place, it's not right. Don't you leave me damnit!" tears flowed freely down the swordmistress's cheeks.

"Lass, we all die, you helped an old warrior to meet his with honour. I will die, but I will never truely leave you, but if my death is to mean anything you -must- get out of here. Give a dying man his last wish. Live sweet Korista, live, grow old, have children, just be sure to name one of them Darvin" he chuckled again briefly coughing violently again, this time his final breath hissed out of his throat as he uttered one last word, "Liiiiiiiive."

With that the old man was gone, his warm blood flowing freely out of the gaping wound in his belly. Korista wept a moment for her friend and father figure and she kissed him sweetly on the cheek,

"I never could have done this without you old man, you are not my father, but I could not love you more if you were"

and with that Korista stood drawing the very large and heavy sword up into her hands. The balance was off, and it was far heavier than she was used to, but by the gods she meant to wield it until the day she met her end. The swordmistress started moving, a fire in her eyes and her heart feeling oddly lighter, she slowly made her way out of undermountain.

"Rebuild what I have destroyed of Vanrakdoom if you will Shar, you have found a new enemy in me."

She thought as she made the long climb out of UnderMountain.

[Orc Face]

Whose that girl in the RL picture with red hair?.

[WildOrchid]

As the swordmistress made her way back to where she called home, her beloved Cormyr, she was jumped by a dire tiger. A battle ensued, Korista once again barely coming out ahead. With the tiger on the brink of death, she raises the greatsword above her head, ramming it into the belly of the beast as hard as she could, twisting it in, breaking it in two.

Awestruck, the swordmistress looks at the hilt of the greatsword in her hand, then to the belly of the tiger. Tears start to stream down her face as she collapses to her knees. Kneeling down beside the giant tiger, she reaches a hand into the wound of the dead tiger, pulling out the broken half of the sword given to her not so long ago.

Inhaling a slow breath, she takes both pieces of the blade, looking them over. Grabbing a bolt of cloth from her pack, she places the rune encrusted blade in the middle of the cloth, wrapping the sword up tight, then binding it with leather string. She carefully places the broken greatsword into her pack.

Looking up towards the heavens she softly speaks:

I'm sorry Darvin, I have ruined the one thing I thought would have lasted beyond me. I will somehow get this wonderful blade of yours fixed, as it is the only thing I have to remember you by.

She takes a moment, saying a soft mumbled prayer to the Red Knight; then gets up, gathers her things, and quickly makes way for the nearest town, hopping the next available caravan to Cormyr.