Moran's Biography
You stand alone as you first set your eyes upon her from across the room. Tall, blonde, strikingly beautiful, she's also alone, sitting at a table in a darkened corner of the inn. You think she looks lonely and vulnerable as she nurses a flagon of ale and gazes out the window.
Talking to women has never been easy for you, at least sober women, and in the past you've always been with your fellow officers who have helped you to "persuade" women to be attentive to your carnal needs. Still, no woman has refused you in the past. Actually, that's not true; lots of women have refused you. What would be true is that you've never taken "no" as an answer. Besides, these rural peasant women are said to be impressed by men in uniforms anyways. Easy pickings.
You walk over to her table, sit down next to her and place your arm around her shoulder.
"Hey darl'n, why a pretty lil' thing like you sitting here all alone?"
She turns to face you. As your eyes meet, the smile on your face, and any thought of getting any action, disappears.
The next thing you remember is regaining consciousness in the middle of the woods. You're naked and in a great deal of pain. Looking down, you soon understand why as you scream in agony, rage and despair. Looks like you won't be getting lucky ever again, but at least the woman was kind enough to cauterize the wound, and she has opened up a new career for you as a harem guard.
Meet Moran. And she doesn't like you. Oh, don't for a moment think, "Well, if she gets to know me better, then…" Stop. No she won't. In fact, she'll likely despise you more if you even try. Really, the best you can hope for is that she'll tolerate your existence and, if she believes it will be useful, she might even be able to work with you and only act in a passive-aggressive manner towards you.
Moran grew up in what can be charitably called a "dysfunctional household." From an early age she witnessed her mother repeatedly beaten by her father, and Moran herself was a frequent target of his physical abuse as well. That she could deal with. The abuse that occurred later, at night, was far worse than any beating she received and the damage more lasting.
As she grew older, Moran became both physically and mentally stronger and was able to eventually stop her father. Actually, "stop" really doesn't describe what she did sufficiently. Moran "stopped" her father by breaking his neck when he came at her one summer afternoon. Hey, self defense. Unfortunately Moran's mother, far from being grateful that her daughter managed to finally end their torment, threw her only child from the only home she had ever known. Moran was 14 and she spent the next three years on the streets of the nearby city.
During the years she spent on the streets, Moran did anything she could to survive. Petty thefts and muggings, prostituting herself, low-level black market middleman. Moran also learned, after numerous hard lessons, that the only person she could really count on was herself. A bit of a cliché, but at least she's honest about it. Moran is truly out for number one.
After an unfortunate encounter with a local loan shark, Moran decided it was time to move on and enter the exciting, glamorous, and relatively safe (compared to run-ins with people with nicknames like, "the rat", "bones", and "four fingers" though after an attempt to rip Moran off, he's be better to be called "two fingers, one arm" now) career as a traveling adventurer.
Moran is self trained when it comes to weapons, and it really does show. She's not much for finesse but what she lacks in skill she more than makes up for with aggression. Moran enjoys fighting but she's not a thrill seeker. No, self-preservation is Moran's prime objective. Live to LIVE another day is her unspoken motto.
At 18, Moran is hoping for a big score and a chance to end her vagabond life. She doesn't actually care at all for adventure and actually isn't particularly curious about the wonders of the world. She's a survivor and, as of right now, adventuring appears to be her best chance at survival.
If you find Moran as a companion on a quest or mission, know that she'll pull her weight (or as much as she thinks is necessary to contribute). But don't think for one moment that she'll become a friend.
