The BasicsName: Juliette Greycastle
Age: 25 (actual), ~20 (apparent)
Sex: Female
Orientation: Bisexual (though she has only been with women)
Role: Princess of Theiri, Baroness of Greycastle, former soldier (Major, leader of the Ghosts).
The LookHeight: 5’4
Weight: 105 lbs.
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Skin: Pale
Anything else: Juli is very fit and slender, though not muscular. Her eyes make it obvious that her family tree is not entirely of the Kingdom of Theiri. She has a few barely noticeable scars on her body, remnants of serious battle wounds healed by magic.
The StoryLikes: Philosophy, history, archery, swordplay, magic, books, plays, art, hiking, horseback riding.
Dislikes: Losing soldiers, killing, cruelty, stupidity, nationalism, vulgar displays of wealth.
Personality: Juliette is an intellectual and serious-minded young woman. As a soldier, she tries to use just enough force to get the job done. She is not averse to using duplicitous tactics or even assassinations, but she will not target noncombatants. She has no true malice towards anyone—even those who are obviously evil she simply pities for their ignorance. Killing or imprisoning such people is a utilitarian act to her, rather than a vengeful one.
After years of fighting, Juli is tired of seeing soldiers and peasants on both sides suffering so senselessly. She has embraced her new role as a royal only for the sake of advocating peace, as well as equitable treatment for the lower classes. She secretly does not care who wins the war, but her sense of honor and personal loyalties prevent her from ever betraying Theiri.
Habits: Juli prefers to live simply, only indulging in aristocratic behavior to the minimum extent required to fit in among other nobles. Despite leaving the military she still trains hard, and almost always has a weapon at hand—even if it’s just a knife hidden in one of her boots. Her former soldiers still call her “the Major” as they have for years.
Skills:Archery, asymmetric tactics, healing magic, first aid, melee combat, riding, distance running, wilderness survival. Juli is an expert with the first two skills and competent with the rest.
History: Juliette was born in the slums of the Theirian capital, without a family name. Her mother Kiko—a former royal servant originally from the lands of the Far East—became pregnant during a brief romance with the King of Theiri before he was married. When Kiko admitted to him that she was with child, he banished her from the castle and had her blacklisted as a servant.
With no other skills, Kiko was forced to turn to prostitution to survive. She tried to do the best she could to provide for her daughter, and taught Juli how to read and write. Despite all the hardship, Juli’s childhood was not nearly as awful as it could have been under the circumstances.
Shortly after she turned fifteen, Juli decided that she had to start supporting herself, in order to make things easier for her mother. Unwilling to sell her body, she lied about her age in order to join the kingdom’s military. She was nearly turned away due to being seen as small and weak, but proved to have excellent endurance and an uncanny aptitude for archery.
During her training, her potential was noticed by Major Galen Darkstrike, the leader of an elite military unit called the Ghosts. The primary mission of the Ghosts was to use hit-and-run tactics against enemy forces which threatened trade caravans, and also go behind enemy lines to interdict supplies and troop movements.
Juli was put through extended training at Darkstrike’s insistence, after which she was accepted into his unit. Galen was a grizzled veteran and a family man, who became a mentor, friend, and father-figure to Juli. She excelled to such an extent that after only two years she became his second in command.
Once she was an officer, Juli was able to put aside money for her mother. With this help Kiko was able to afford an education as a seamstress and soon had her own small shop to support herself with.
After Juli had been with the Ghosts for about four years, Galen retired to live in the city with his wife and family. He left the Ghosts in Juli’s care, and they continued to perform admirably. However, as always they were constantly outnumbered and on the run, sometimes trapped behind enemy lines and stealing supplies for months at a time. She commanded the Ghosts for nearly six years, though soon found herself feeling burned out.
Major Juliette’s exceptional heroism came to the attention of the king, who wished to meet her while she was on a brief leave from her duties. Although Juli had no intention of acknowledging who she was, the king quickly noticed how much Juli looked like Kiko at that age. The soldier admitted who she was, but insisted that she held no ill-will or desire for recognition. The king was very moved. Feeling guilty over how he had treated Kiko, he insisted on acknowledging Juliette as his daughter publicly despite the scandal it would cause.
In order to mollify those nobles who were likely to object to her for her foreign ancestry, Juliette agreed not to take the royal surname. Instead she took over the long abandoned title of Baroness of Greycastle. The entire Greycastle family had been killed by and lost their lands to the Kingdom Aserit decades earlier, so while the title was meaningless it did finally give Juliette a last name.
Juli has received a coldly polite reception from much of the royal court, many of whom see her as an upstart peasant. She remains on good terms with her father, and the two are getting to know each other better—however, Galen is still more like a father to her from an emotional standpoint. Now that she is retired, Juli is able to visit her mother far more frequently.
