Elizabeth Vallian

The standing Master at Arms of Vallenhall and only living relative of the Margrave besides his own children, Elizabeth Vallian holds a place of honor and respect within Keak Vallian's court. She also leads the third division of Vallenhall's armed forces, the only division to remain at near full numbers throughout the decade of silence.

Physical Description
Elizabeth Vallian bears a certain amount of resemblance to her cousin, and most of her other Vallian relatives. Notably her eyes are as mossy-green as Keak's own, and her jaw is similarly broad. Her hair however is strikingly pure blonde, a stark contrast to the Margrave's own chestnut. On top of this, she stands a bit taller than Keak. At a glance, one might call Elizabeth Vallian beautiful.

At a glance. On any closer inspection, her demeanor destroys the praise before it could leave anyone's mouth. She is cold to the marrow of her bones, an almost outright hateful look nearly plastered onto her face at all times. She has the body language of a trained killer, tensed at all times, never unprepared to slit the nearest person's throat. It takes hardly any time around the Vallian cousin to see why few people stand near her.

Personality
As could be gathered by her resting face, Elizabeth is a thoroughly cold person. She harbors no love for pleasantries, jokes, or very many happy things at all. Often she disdains the company of others, preferring solitude and silence to crowds and conversation. In spite of this, Elizabeth is amicable in her own way to those she trusts or respects. In the case of the Margrave himself, she's even shown the willingness to share occasional if very rare banter.

As Keak loves war, so does Elizabeth love swordplay. She has dedicated her life to the study of the martial arts and could be considered one of the greatest living Lordaeronian swordsmen. It is because of this that she serves as Master at Arms in Vallenhall, training and guarding the Margrave's children. As a result, Elizabeth shares some amount of inherent respect for other swordsmen and practitioners of finer martial arts.

History
It is rumored that years ago, Elizabeth challenged Keak to a duel of honor. Throughout Vallian history, it has been held as tradition that siblings could duel for the right to wield the family's ancestral sword, Valiance, and very commonly the victor of such duels would become the Margrave in turn, regardless of the natural succession. Having been an only child, Keak would have faced no challengers. Though something of a breach of etiquette, he accepted Elizabeth's challenge.

It is unknown how, specifically, their duel played out. All that is understood is that in spite of her reputation as a far superior swordsman, she did not win. Though she never spoke of it, she left the duel carrying two new things: A deep respect for her cousin, and a rarely-seen scar spanning her left shoulder to her right hip. This led to a nickname no sane man ever used in her face: 'The Scarred Cousin'.