River Wolfsbane

Written by RiverFang

River Wolfsbane (a.k.a. Black Fang)

I will wait ashore with the ferryman for the river to turn serene again

— Unknown

A desolate desert stood in front of her, a reminder of a family erased much like the vivid greens and colors of the jungle she once called home. The stretching sands before her that burned her bare feet as she walked across what had once been full of life, towering palms and ferns that welcomed you away from the pines of the forest, angered her, turning a soul once full of light black with her rage and disgust. She knew deep in her heart that nothing could have stopped this, that nothing could have ended the ravishing by monsters and horrors alike, but anger raged within like an unchecked tempest, a black inferno that would consume her remaining years.
The name she was once given by her family was lost with them, a mystery to those she traveled with. From the moment her feet left the burning sands, she would only be known as the Black Fang, a woman with a cruel blade, and an even crueler heart. Her armor and blade held little of her past, a new facade to cover what she once was. With these things, it was simple to blend in with the ranks she fell into as she traveled, but eventually, her skills would mark her as her reputation spread. Those that got too close would often feel the black aura around her, the rage and distrust, but few would ever truly know what she was.
Even in Isekai with its travelers and mercenaries, it is rare to find one without a country. The Black Fang claims no home nor allegiance, choosing only to serve her own goals as she travels the world. She never stays in one place for long, as her reputation often catches up, and then she is no longer welcome among the agreeable company she chooses to keep. Some call her a murderer, others a spirit of vengeance, but many others say she would be more welcome amongst the somewhat zealot ranks of the Silver Elves. Her true calling is a secret, but she takes these insults with a smirk.

Physical Description

Body Features

Identifying Features

Physical Quirks

Apparel & Accessories

Specialized Equipment

River's skin is constantly tan as she prefers the open spaces of the wilds over the stuffy confines of inns. Her time outdoors has darkened her skin and lightened her hair, often making her hair shine a lighter brown color even though her hair is such a dark brown color that it is nearly black. Her features are very common for Emerald Elves, although one feature does set her strikingly apart.
Her eyes are not the common colors of the Emerald Elves and are by far one of her most defining features. One eye is a dark blue, while the other is a dark, stormy grey. Depending on her mood, the colors may darken or lighten, and the blue eye has been known to change shades to be a lighter stormy blue to match the other. In some instances, she has been known to cover this change with simple illusion magic so it is more difficult to identify her.

By far River's most defining feature is her striking heterochromia. One eye is a dark blue while the other is a dark, stormy grey. These shades may change with her mood, which makes her eyes a feature that many remember. In her line of work, this is something that she often needs to hide so that people have little reason to remember her.
She also has a myriad of tattoos across her body, but most of them are easily covered by her armor. Those that get close enough to see any of these are often threatened with death.

While River is right-handed, she is ambidextrous while fighting, allowing her to quickly switch between hands when necessary. It is impossible to tell which is her weaker side when she fights with her blade as she is equally competent with both hands.
Having lived with Minotaurs, she tends to walk quickly and with a purpose. She walks with a long stride and many have noted having difficulties keeping up with her.
Training with her family, she gained extremely quick reflexes, especially in battle, as she could not take the same amount of attacks that her older siblings could. Instead, she learned to attack quickly and dodge well. Even so, she has an unusually high pain tolerance, often sporting multiple bloody gashes from battle before she realizes that she's been hurt.

The armor she wears is rather simple, often including pieces of plate and scale mail in a combination that fits her somewhat odd fighting style. She prefers dark greys and blacks for colors but often has mismatched armor as that is what the Minotaurs often wore. Other than her armor, she tends to wear the common clothing of the Outlanders as she resembles the Emerald Elves of this group.
She wields a fairly standard longsword but refuses to wield weapons of iron as they very rarely can handle the constant contact of her fighting style. She prefers the heavy-duty metals that most Minotaurs use for weaponry and she is not opposed to the special metals of the world.

While her weapons and armor look like standard armor that can be found anywhere throughout the world, much of River's gear is custom made. The weapons used by Minotaurs are often the same that are used by Clay Giants and other large races due to their strength. Because of her training, standard Elven-made weapons do not fit her fighting style. Custom weapons and armor to fit her style and training are a must and often she only trusts the skills of a Master Dwarf for her items.
River carries other equipment, but most of it is what can be standardly found in any market district throughout the world. She prefers items that can easily be replaced as she tends to lose most small weapons and other items during her travels.

Although very Elfish in her size and build, River has the strength and stamina that nearly match her Minotaur kin. She is very muscular, using her agility and strength to accomplish great feats that may be hard for a normal Elf, even one of the Outlanders. She is slightly thaller than normal for one of her race, but she tends to use this to her advantage when she can.
Being part of a Minotaur family has honed her body and skills in a way that is very different from even the ways of the Outlander and Barbarian Cultures, both of which are accustom to difficult lives. The lives of Minotaurs and the ways in which they train are very different, and the product of that is very visible in the way she moves and fights.
Use the tabs above to learn more about how River carries herself, identifying features, and some of the more interesting items that she carries.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Much of River's life has led to her becoming a Dark Knight. Born to an Elf family, she was abandoned as an infant, left to die in the treacherous wilds of the Spine of Kallex. It is unknown how she came to be found further south of the Elven Forest in the lush greenery of the Mystic Jungle, but she was taken in by a family of Minotaurs, something that was unheard of. The Minotaur that had rescued her was the wife of a chieftain, and she was raised alongside the many children of the chief.
As a child, she was treated no different than the other children, but in some instances, she was not allowed to spar with the other children as she did not have the tough hide and horns that Minotaurs did. While she was often out of place, being the only Elf child in a tribe of Minotaurs, she was still treated fairly and raised as one of the chieftain's children. She was educated in the ways of warring and the culture of the Minotaurs, but the woman who raised her also worked to educate her on the traditions and cultures of the Elves. This was done through old books and other scrolls that could be gotten when traders wandered into the jungle.

The cataclysmic events of the Eldritch War affected the world over, reducing population, destroying lands, and in some cases, decimating entire races. Those that lived during the century of the war often did not come out unscathed, affected by the war in some way. Many lost loved ones of homelands, but very few suffered in the same way that River did. The Eldritch War marked the turning point of her life and dictated the event that would allow her to gain the power that so few could as a Dark Knight.
In the aftermath of the Eldritch War, it was discovered that the area known as the Mystic Jungle was decimated, turned from a lush, lively jungle into a mass of burning sands and a wasteland of nothingness. Those that called the Mystic Jungle home, hundreds of Minotaur tribes, had been erased in a flash, leaving the area to be known as one of the Deadzones. The family that River had known was now gone as she was left to wander the world.
Anger is a palpable thing, something that can be morphed and focused to become a power beyond measure, something that most could never think of using. The years after her family was killed were dark, disappearing from her memories as she began the descent into madness. It is unknown how she came about the powers of a Dark Knight, but once she had harnessed her pain and her anger, she became an unstoppable force.
After becoming a Dark Knight, River traveled the world, attempting to gain revenge and right the wrongs of the world that stemmed from the Eldritch War. Her cruelty gained her a reputation that came with the name of the Black Fang, a mercenary without a heart that would kill no matter the cost. Over the centuries, she joined armies and fought alongside a variety of people, but she claimed allegiance to no one but herself.
She never allowed herself to stay in any place for long, constantly moving and traveling across the continent of Vóreios. She never allowed herself to travel from the continent, staying close to the homeland she had lost. Her greatest stretch of time was spent in the Human Empire, serving as a mercenary for the Empress for a time. It was not known why she left as she disappeared under the cover of darkness one night without a trace.
River still continues to travel the continent, fulfilling her life's work as a Dark Knight. She rarely ventures into the Human Empire after her last years there, but does often work with Humans outside of the empire. She goes where she believes she is needed, serving the justice that she believes she must.

Personality Characteristics

Savvies

Ineptitudes

Likes

Dislikes

Virtues

Flaws

She is a skilled weapons master, utilizing a variety of weapons and the fact that she is ambidextrous to master intricate fighting styles. While she was originally trained in the ways of the Minotaurs, she has enjoyed picking up a variety of fighting styles and weapons throughout her travels as the constant training helps pass the time.
Surprisingly, she is a skilled baker, often spending hours assisting the bakers in the Minotaur village. Her specialty is breads and she learned to bake some of the Elven Artisanal Bread during her time in the Outlands.
She thinks quickly on her feet and is very logical. She is also good at recalling bits of information. Her mind is much like a small encyclopedia of the cultures she has visited and taken part in, allowing her to blend in when needed.

Because of her past, she tends to hide emotions or ignore them, meaning she rarely can sympathize or empathize with anyone because she attempts to only feel anger. Other emotions that she deems soft or unnecessary make her question herself and she refuses to do that.
Having been raised by Minotaurs, she can sometimes be socially awkward. She tends to miss ques that would normally be picked up by most people that had ever socialized outside of their race.
The way she speaks is often off-putting as she uses very harsh language. She is often rude and extremely mean to people when she speaks, but it is often not intentional.

As a Dark Knight, there is nothing she loves more than a fight, the thrill of being in combat, the rush of staying alive. Since her emotions are so stunted, fighting brings with it a feeling that she can't gain any other way. Some of this love of fighting comes from the Minotaur Culture, but she enjoys it far more than even her people did.
Another great love of River's is learning about new cultures and expanding on the education that her mother tried to give her. She strives to learn new languages and about the people everywhere she travels so she is less of an outsider and can blend in as needed.

One of her greatest dislikes is her own emotions. She believes they are nothing but a hindrance, a part of a past that she no longer needs. As a Dark Knight, she feels that the only necessary emotion is anger as it drives her power. Anything other than that takes away from the black power that she believes she needs to serve justice to those that she feels deserve it.
Another dislike that comes from the Minotaur Culture is the dislike of those that kill for sport or without reason. Whether animal or person, she believes that if one is to inflict harm or death upon the other, then they must have a reason, whether it be necessity, justice, or something else entirely.

• Assertive - easily dominates a room or conversation with her presence when needed
• Fortitude - she will always stand up for what she believes, no matter the cost
• Justice - she believes bringing justice to those who need it is her god-given duty
• Purposefulness - she believes she has a somewhat divine purpose and will fulfill that purpose, no matter the cost to her
• Perseverance - she will not stop moving forward, even if she faces adversity

Her greatest flaw is that she tends to pick up bad or unpleasant habits during her travels. While she does try to act somewhat lady-like when the need arises, she often fails miserably at the tasks as her bad habits along with her language remove all doubt that she is not from, or fit, for high society. In most company she keeps, she doesn't consider this a flaw, but it has caused some interesting occurrences during her travels.

Much of River's personality and motivation is tied heavily to her upbringing by the Minotaurs. She believes in discipline and being the master of one's body and emotions. While she is considered cruel and heartless, this is far from the truth, but she has perfected being able to emotionally remove herself from difficult situations.
River's greatest motivation is justice, although some believe it is a twisted version of justice. While still young when the events of the Eldritch Waroccurred, she hopes to use her skills and anger to keep events like that from occurring again. She travels the Northern Continent, motivated only by anger and determination to stop events that could decimate entire peoples if left to get out of hand.
Use the tabs to learn more about River's personality.

View Character Profile

Species

Emerald Elves

Ethnicity

Minotaur Culture

Other Ethnicities/Cultures

• Outlander Culture

Date of Birth

30 Winter's Evening, 60 EA

Year of Birth

60 EA 240 Years old

Birthplace

Unknown

Family

Wolfsbane Clan

Eyes

One dark blue, one grey

Hair

Dark brown

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Tanned

Height

6'1"

Weight

160 lbs

Quotes & Catchphrases

Make your own justice. You can't count on anyone else.

Belief/Deity

The Huntress

Mental Characteristics

Education

River's education is scattered, often involving her teaching herself various things. During her upbringing, she was educated in the ways of warring and the Minotaur Culture, although what she learned was different than the other children. She often learned the reasoning behind things and less about how to actually do them as she lacked the horns and thick hide of the Minotaurs. Even so, her mother attempted to broaden her education by gathering books about Elves and their culture when traders passed through the jungle.
After the events of the Eldritch War, her education was even more scattered. She traveled and picked up books, teaching herself about various cultures and languages so that she could blend in. Keeping a small library in a bag she carried, she attempted to give herself the education that a standard Elf child would have so that her upbringing outside of Elven society was less obvious.

Employment

Her employments never last long as she is constantly on the move, traveling across Vóreios and serving justice where she believes it is necessary. Most of her employments lasted six months to a year, but rarely any length over that. The one exception is her time in the Human Empire which extended for nearly five years before she disappeared from her post.

Morality & Philosophy

River's sense of morality is very close to that of a Paladin, believing that there should be justice and hope within the world at all costs. The difference is, that while a Paladin will very rarely stray from the tenets of their faith and their oath, she is not against doing whatever is necessary to procure the justice she believes is needed. Even though her family has been taken from her, she strives to never bring shame to their name and live the way the Minotaurs did.

Social

Hobbies & Pets

Her current pet is a dark horse, with a midnight black body, mane, and tail. The young mare is named Circe, an ode to a name that River had heard many times in stories from the Minotaurs. Since becoming a Dark Knight, she has taken a number of black horses, the supposed color of her heart, this one has been one of her favorites, covering more distance with her than the others. When in a group, other creatures sometimes shy away from the dark horse and her rider, but no one is sure if it is the horse or the knight herself that causes that effect in others.

Circe by Model via Heroforge, created by RiverFang