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Background
Erika was a commoner, one of six children of a couple who own an inn in Aequor's river province. At the age of eight, she met Sir Lautrel, a Knight of the Order Reliant. After five years of petitioning the knight to be his squire, she was finally granted her request. She spent most of her time as a squire travelling with Sir Lautrel to provide aid to the sick and defenseless. She was eventually knighted by Viscount Rousseau d'Korbina, and joined the Order Reliant herself soon afterward.
Erika was born to a humble life as the daughter of a couple that owned a roadside inn in the River Province of Aequor. She was the fourth of what would eventually be six children. Her childhood was arguably one of good fortune for her station; with one older sister and two older brothers, there were many hands to take care of the chores around the inn. When she wasn't busy tending the stables or cleaning, the girl would spend much of her time exploring the woods and fishing from nearby streams.
Many travellers came and went at the inn. One in particular who would become important to Erika and her family was a Hedge Knight named Lautrel.
The first time that Erika became aware of Sir Lautrel was when she was eight years old. While they were out at play one afternoon, her younger brother, Frederick, had fallen from a tree and couldn't walk. Not wanting to leave him to be found by wolves or bears, Erika carried Frederick all the way back to the inn. When her mother saw the boy, she was beside herself. One of the travelers at the inn revealed that he was a trained healer; an unusual trait for a hedge knight, but under the man's vigil the boy was assuaged and prepared for the healing process. Erika pestered the man constantly with questions about Frederick's health and well-being. When those had been answered, she began asking questions about the man himself. He introduced himself to her as Sir Lautrel.
Sir Lautrel fascinated Erika; of the travellers who made stops at the end, Lautrel was easily one of the most well-travelled and friendly. He was also a knight who had begun life as a commoner. The idea of travelling the lands and helping common people in need sounded romantic to the girl.
Lautrel had to be on his way the next day, and so he left instructions with Erika and her mother on how to tend to Frederick's injury while it healed. Erika took full responsibility for looking after her brother. Though he had a permanent limp, the boy recovered in time as best he could.
The next time that Lautrel came to the inn was several months later. When she came back from a successful day's fishing and saw the hedge knight sitting in the inn, she went to the kitchen and begged her mother permission to serve Lautrel her catch personally as an excuse to talk to the hedge knight. Her mother acquiesced, and Erika spent the evening waiting on and picking the mind of Sir Lautrel. By the end of it, Erika had asked Lautrel to take her on as a squire. He laughed the idea off and told her that she was too young.
Sir Lautrel's travels continued to bring him to the inn from time to time. Each time, Erika would try and find a new way to convince the knight to take her on as a squire. Each time, Lautrel would tell her that she wasn't ready.
In the fall of 1863, Sir Lautrel arrived at the inn once more. As usual, Erika served as greeter for the knight. As usual, she tried to cajole him into letting her be his squire. And as usual, Lautrel turned her down gently. Erika retired to the stables to sulk and shovel manure, where she eventually dozed off.
Later in the evening, Erika awoke to the sound of voices. She overheard words between two voices she recognized as guests from the inn and Sir Lautrel. She quickly discerned that Lautrel was being robbed, and saw that he had left his shield with his horse. With more haste than thought, she grabbed the knight's shield, crept out of the stable, and charged the nearest robber. Erika was already a fairly tall girl, and her strength and brazenness surprised the man, knocking him to the ground and disarming him. The distraction gave Sir Lautrel ample opportunity to turn the tables on the other bandit. By the time that the older members of Erika's household arrived, the ruffians were at the mercy of the pair.
The next day, Sir Lautrel offered to let the girl squire for him. With some reluctance, her parents agreed. Erika agreed with much less reluctance.
Erika's life as a squire was much as one might expect, except that much of her time was spent as a de facto healer's apprentice and travelling. It wasn't until she began her service as Lautrel's squire that she became aware of the knight's spiritualism; she would often find Lautrel reading or praying in the mornings and evenings, and at every town they came to he would visit the local place of worship. Erika had been raised in the Faith of the One, but never had a chance to learn directly about its teachings. It was upon questioning Lautrel further that she learned he was in fact a member of the Order of the Reliant and what that meant. He didn't expect her to join the Order, but the idea of travelling the lands to do good works captured her fancy. As she matured, her interest in the teachings also grew.
It was just before Erika's seventeenth birthday that she found word that many of the Order of the Reliant had been excommunicated. Concerned, she asked Lautrel if he intended to join his brothers in Four Corners. He asked what she thought they should do. Her answer was that she would follow him whereever he went, but that they were a long way from Four Corners, and there were people who needed their help where they were. The answer seemed to satisfy Lautrel, and he told her that they would carry on as they were, but remain cautious of people who might persecute them if they knew of Lautrel's affiliation. For a time, Lautrel stopped wearing his red surcoat, and though many people in the places they continued to visit knew him as a member of the Reliant from before, the issue was never pressed; the pair were still welcomed for the healing and safety they provided.
The next year, on her eighteenth birthday, Erika asked Lautrel if he was ready to have her knighted. When he said that he would consider it, Erika didn't press the matter further, unlike before. However, she did redouble her efforts to prove her worthiness, somehow finding time in the day for more training, more studying, more prayer, more help for the sick and injured, and more attentiveness to Lautrel's needs.
Erika waited with anticipation on her nineteenth birthday, expecting Lautrel to finally give her the chance to become a full-fledged knight. To her dismay, the offer did not come. She resolved to do even better.
On her twentieth birthday, Erika finally broke down and asked Lautrel why he hadn't offered her a chance to be dubbed yet. Lautrel said that he had considered doing so the previous year, but she hadn't asked, and admitted that he was hesitant to lose such a good squire. Erika was furious, but Lautrel assured her that they would ride for Hellsmouth starting the next day to petition Viscount Rousseau d'Korbina to give her a chance to prove herself and be knighted, as he had met the Viscount before and believed the d'Korbinas to be sympathetic to the Reliant.
Viscount Rousseau agreed to allow the demonstration at a tournament for that year's Spirit Day if they would remain in the area to provide healing services until then, which the pair agreed to.
Eventually, the time came to compete. Though Erika didn't claim a complete victory in any of the events, she acquitted herself well, notably defending herself in her first duel until her opponent exhausted his weapon arm against her shield before finally mounting a counterattack and swiftly ending the fight. Erika was dubbed by the Viscount the next day. The day after that, Sir Erika told Sir Lautrel that she wanted to join the Order of the Reliant.
The pair travelled to many of the places of worship where Lautrel had known the resident Paladins in search of one to induct the new knight, but found that a number of them had left years before, presumably to Four Corners to join the brothers at Nylan Fortress. They finally found an Old Faith loyalist, an older female Paladin named Rycha, who agreed to oversee the necessary rites of passage. Though Sir Lautrel offered to take Erika into his retinue for the year-long training, Rycha insisted that Erika remain with her, as she needed an assistant for her duties to make up for the loss of manpower created by the schism and Erika had likely learned all she could from Lautrel. Erika tried to hide her dismay, as she'd hoped to continue travelling with Lautrel for a while longer, but agreed to Rycha's insistence.
Rycha was much more focused on discipline and study than Lautrel had been, and Erika spent most of her time either tending to the house of worship or travelling to act as Rycha's hands when she learned of people in need of assistance nearby. While it was less strenuous than her time with Lautrel had been, Erika found it all the more dolorous, as she was missing both the freedom of the roads and her favoured companion.
Her training was not without its high moments, though. Near the end of her trials, she was told by Rycha to take a pilgrimage to the city of Rikton to visit the holy city, where the monastery of Saint Constantin and many hospitals overseen by the Order Reliant were located. She spent a week in the city, working in the hospitals and staying at the monastery. At the end of her stay in the city, Rycha arrived to join her for an official swearing-in ceremony. With her training completed, she was given leave to take up the white cross surcoat and go on her way to do good works as her faith led her.
Erika was disappointed when Lautrel didn't come to Rikton to meet her after the time of her training had come due, and she resolved to try and find her old mentor on her travels…
On the Grid
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This young lady looks to be somewhere between her early and mid-twenties. Standing at just under five and a half feet, she cuts a full, yet athletic figure, with strong shoulders and prominent curves. Her auburn hair is pulled into a long ponytail, with messy curls spilling down to the middle of her back. A faint smattering of freckles sit below her dark green eyes, adding some color to her otherwise fair complexion. A strong, yet slender nose and jawline and full, pale pink lips complete her visage. When she smiles, the expression seems to come naturally.
Around her neck she wears a cloak, dyed a sea green on the outside with a natural beige on the inside. Underneath it, she wears a red surcoat with a white cross maltese on the chest, and beneath that, a brown leather brigandine coat over silver chain mail, with silver pauldrons on the shoulders. Her legs are protected by silver chain leggings and brown leather riding boots with knight's spurs. At her right side is a broadsword in a simple red leather sheath opposite a dagger in a matching sheath, and she sports an argent shield emblazoned with a white donkey on a red background.
Assumed Quirks:
Devout - Though she comes from humble origins, Erika holds a strong belief in the Faith of the One. Notably, she is an anti-schismatic; she's still part of the older Faith.
Code of Honor - Erika follows the code of chivalry, as expected of a knight, with a specific focus on the compassionate elements of the code, as typical of a Reliant.
Personal Quirks:
Outdoorsy - Most of Erika's free time in her youth was spent climbing trees, swimming and fishing in the many streams and rivers near her home. She's at her happiest out-of-doors.
Stalwart Defender - Erika is more focused on the shield than most knights, especially for the purpose of protecting friends and the defenseless.
Strong-Willed - When Erika makes her mind up about something, she's very hard to dissuade. At her best, this makes her very diligent and resilient. At her worst, it can manifest as stubbornness.
Well-Traveled - Erika has a good knowledge of the land from her travels as a Reliant and a squire, and often knows of villages and waystations that others might not.