Nicole Brandt

Appearance
Nicole stands 5 foot 5 inches and weighs around 120 pounds. She has waist-length, wavy auburn/red hair that she wears in a neat ponytail (though she occasionally braids it). Her eyes are a pale, silver gray color, and her skin is pale. She always stands up straight and attempts to convey an air of importance and make herself seem larger than she really is.

Back Story
Nicole (Cole to her friends) grew up in Cuitamba, a city in the southern part of the Glorious Kingdom of God. Her father was a reasonably high ranking officer of the Glorious Legion, so the girl grew up in a very patriotic family. She knew from an early age that she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps. Her mother was not so thrilled with the idea, but allowed her husband to teach Nicole how to wield a sword, as though hoping that would be enough to satisfy her daughter. It obviously wasn't.

The Brandt family was a devout one. After her father's death, Nicole's mother tried to convince her to join the church of Sol Solus as a priestess or cleric. However, the idea of being trapped in the church all her life was not an appealing one. Nicole left home to join the Legion when she was fourteen -- two years younger than the legal age. Her mother would've dragged her home, but she knew the punishment for illegally joining the military was steep, and she didn't want to force her daughter to endure that. Instead, she hoped that Nicole would prove too fragile for the intense training, or that she wouldn't be able to keep up with her older (and taller) peers. Neither was the case. Nicole did exceptionally well.

After completing her training, Nicole continued to prove herself a skilled and loyal soldier. She fought with her company in a battle at the edge of the kingdom. When the commanding officer was struck down, she assumed control, calming everyone's fears and leading them to victory. For her bravery and skill, she was awarded the rank of Captain, a position she often referred to as a "glorified desk job." The job involved a lot more than just paperwork -- overseeing the training of fifty soldiers isn't exactly easy -- but there was still a lot of paperwork.

A month prior to the events of Forbidden Ceremony, Nicole led a small band of five soldiers on a scouting mission. It should have been routine -- patrol the borders, look for any suspicious activity in the territory beyond, be back for supper. Things didn't quite go as planned, however. Due to a storm, they were delayed and didn't finish their patrol until night had already fallen. They had to make their way back to the city in almost total darkness (always remember to pack torches, children). The party was ambushed when they were maybe a mile away from civilization. Nicole was the only survivor. Losing five of her soldiers -- her friends -- shook her up pretty badly. She developed a fear of the dark, stopped sleeping (though her mother gave her a magical hat to help with the nightmares), and became grumpy and antisocial. Her superiors suggested she take a break, and she was sent to Tirithell to serve the church there with the hope that the peaceful logging town would help her relax and regain herself.

Forbidden Ceremony: The Koschei Arc pt. 1
A group of relatively young adventurers have been recruited by the Church of Sol Solus. Their assignment - help the Woodsmen of Tirithell maintain the order and safety of the city.

Stuck in the ass-end of the Kingdom by her superiors "for her own good", Nicole isn't too thrilled to be part of the party. She is harsh and impatient with the others hired alongside her. Especially Aronaldo. From the very beginning, the thief and the soldier bump heads. Her relationships with Panven and Bryseis are not much better. She finds small comfort only in the familiarity of the Woodsmen. The organization is structured to parallel the Glorious Legion, and is led by a former Legion Captain. In several ways, it reminds her of her home -- both a pleasant and heart-wrenching thought.

Their first assignment -- go into the Twisted Woods and find a lost Woodsmen -- ends in Nicole earning the ire of the entity known as the Shadowman. She realizes as she stares at the thing's glowing white eyes that this mission was going to be much more complicated than anticipated. She should've gotten out then and there, packed her bags, gone back to Cuitamba, and never thought about the logging town again. Had she done that, perhaps things would not have gone so wrong.

The next day, they are given the task of scouting the Woods. The party stumbles across an ancient fortress, and deep within, they find an old man locked in the prison. Nicole is filled with sympathy and fetches water for the man -- Koschei, as he introduces himself -- while the others try to figure out how to break his chains. The oddity of the situation (finding an old man locked in an abandoned keep deep in the Woods) gives Nicole pause, but her good nature wins out, and she continues to cart buckets of water to him. How was she to know he was actually an ancient enemy of the Lord King on High, imprisoned instead of killed, because killing him was impossible? Later, when recounting the story first to Reverend Montgomus and then to Azreel, Nicole takes all of the blame for Koschei's escape.

Nicole is determined to correct her mistake. She launches herself into the mission with a frightening level of determination. Whether they are searching for Koschei's journal or healing children attacked by the Shadowman, she pushes herself as far as she can in an attempt to both distract herself from her guilt and to make amends.

Her relationship with the party has several ups and downs. When they go out drinking, she does not participate, but watches to make sure they are safe and responsible. They also develop the habit of getting breakfast together -- though that's more of a convenient meeting place than a sign of friendship. On the battlefield, however, things are more tense. Bryseis is non-combative while Aronaldo refuses to take combat seriously. Their mission to heal the children leads to a particularly nasty spat when Nicole and Panven disagree with the other two about how to go about the healing.

The Koschei Arc pt. 2
Nicole knew the moment she saw the man that she hated Lord Vyne. So being hired by the man to do suspicious work is not high on her "things I'd like to be doing right now" list. Unfortunately for her, she doesn't have much of a choice. She finds herself being dragged around to do his dirty work (locating a "lost" box), along with the rest of the party.

If annoying, their new quest has one silver lining. Instead of bickering with each other, the party is united against a common enemy. They are able to spend their time traveling the Woods complaining ''together. ''A true bonding experience. Nicole also realizes something else important -- the Shadowman can hold a grudge. While they continue to search for Vyne's "stolen property", she is almost shot in the head by a crossbow bolt launched at her by the entity.

Nicole would rather put her sword through Vyne's eye, but they do return the box. Azreel offers some more insight about what they had just handed over to Vyne. According to him, it was none other than closely guarded property of the Lord King on High himself. This leads to more crippling guilt on Nicole's part. Again, she refuses to blame her party and takes all of the responsibility for essentially committing treason. And again, she throws herself into her work as a coping mechanism.

The city of Arildale offers more leads but also creates more questions. Nicole doesn't really want to break into the Seeress Vera's tower, but -- as is becoming a trend -- she doesn't have much of a choice. The armor she gets from the tower proves to be only a source of embarrassment in the long run.

[to be continued when i am not slep]

Personality
Nicole can be a harsh woman. She is cold and bitter, with a tongue as sharp as her blade. She is also warm, loving, and gentle. You just have to push a little to see that side of her. She has suffered many hardships, all of which have left their scars.

Beliefs
Being raised in the Glorious Kingdom of God and spending most of her life in the Glorious Legion, Nicole is about as religious as one would expect. She worships Sol Solus, though her worship is subtle, seen in her actions and brief moments of silent prayer, rather than gaudy displays of faith.

Recent events in Forbidden Ceremony have caused Nicole to have a bit of a crisis of faith. As she begins to doubt the Lord King on High, she must also doubt Sol Solus himself, who supposedly anointed the LKoH. And if the Lord King isn't what she believed him to be, what does that mean for the soldier that has devoted her entire life to him and his kingdom?

Fighting Style
Nicole wields a shield in one hand and a rapier in the other -- an unusual choice, as rapiers aren't often paired with shields. She is fierce and deliberate with her movements. No time for showmanship or impressive displays, she fights efficiently. She is always at the front of every battle, making sure to protect her companions from harm.

Relationships With Other Characters
Nicole is slow to form friendships, both because she is afraid to lose anymore friends, and because she is not the friendliest person in the world. After working with her companions for a few months, however, she developed a bond with the three eccentric individuals. She is very protective of them, though you probably wouldn't be able to tell watching her lecture them. She shows her love through insults.

Aronaldo: "Did everyone get their minor inconveniences taken care of?" "You're still here."

At the start of their adventure, these two did not get along (a thief and a soldier? Recipe for disaster). As time went on, however, Nicole grew to grudgingly respect, trust, and then even like the half-elf, though she'd never say so to his face. They have a certain camaraderie, especially where Vyne and the Seven are concerned.

Bryseis: "Sol Solus preserve me, that demon will be the death of me."

This is a weird relationship. Nicole sees the good in Bryseis, knows that she has a good, pure heart, sharp mind, and warm personality. She also knows that the tiefling has no common sense or street smarts, and that the two have very different methods for handling situations (violence vs talking to inanimate objects. They share a total lack of social skills, though). They aren't exactly BFFs, but Nicole wants desperately to keep Bryseis safe (from herself and outside threats) and help her grow as a person.

Panven Steelaxe: "Always bet on the dwarf."

Nicole has always liked Panven. There's just something about that dwarf that is so great. He gets along well with everyone, is always willing to help anyone, and never causes drama. Nicole is fiercely protective of the team cinnamon roll, especially because he is so young (by dwarf standards) and innocent.

Trivia

 * Nicole is actually the "Mom Friend" of the party, but she is like a secret Mom Friend. She worries and fusses over the others in that special way of hers that's more often viewed as simple anger.
 * Emilie originally made a tiefling sorcerer for the 5e campaign, but decided to go for a human fighter for the sake of party balance.

Appears In
Forbidden Ceremony