Aiona was born amidst battle, during a most vicious siege of castle Everstand. That same night her father, an official named Aidan Saner tasked with the defense of the walls, died while leading a desperate charge against one of the siege towers the orcs intended to use to storm the Castle. While the sortie was successful in the end, Aidan succumbed to his wounds a few moments after laying his eyes on his newborn daughter.
The siege lasted a couple of days more when the watcher-lord of Lastwall sent his men to relieve the siege and broke the invading orcs, but Aiona's mother, a paladin of Iomedae named Elissa Brightshield, never forgave them for their actions. Despite having just given birth Elissa fought on the walls, and as the siege was broken she consacrated her child to Iomedae and swore to raise her to be the scourge or orckind. And being a woman of her word, that was exactly what she did.
As a result Aiona's youth wasn't easy. Even in a place like Castle Everstand there were boys and girls of her age and time for playing, but her mother left precious little of it for her to play or make friends. As soon as she was able to walk she was given a longsword and trained in the phisical and spiritual ways to be a bulwark of faith and a killer of orcs. Aiona was also teached etiquette and how to deal with her peers, how o ride in battle, heraldry, tactics and all what could help to fulfill the vision her mother had for her future.
As a result Aiona grew to be an exceptional warrior, a capable diplomat and was easily accepted as a paladin of Iomedae when she proved capable of calling on her patron goddess powers. Not long after that she was given the chance to patrol along the Belzeken's Border and she immediately proved her valor saving a group of knights from being overrun by a group of orc raiders. It was just the first of many such skirmish and Aiona came to be considered one of the best new young officials patrolling the border.
When the idea of the bright crusade was first introduced Aiona was a natural choice for joining the preparatory effort considering her experience at fighting orcs and her exceptional background. The girl accepted her new assignment without complaints, on the other hand her mother, now one of the foremost proponents of the bright crusade, had already accepted for her and Aiona would not dream of going against her wishes..
Personality:
On the surface Aiona is the epitome of what a dutiful paladin of Iomedae should be: she sems devout to her deity's cause to the point of singlemindedness, she's valiant, honorable and ruthless when it comes to fight those who threaten Iomedae's precepts.
And yes, Aiona is all that, she was raised to be that after all, and it's what she knows and what she's been told her whole life she should be. Yet, Aiona feels she's somehow lacking something: despite her mother teachings she wonders if hating orcs is really what Iomedae's commands of her. And sometimes at night she cannot help but ask herself if the life she's living is the life she really would have chosen herself. As a result of these gnawing doubts Aiona reacts by making herself even more the living embodiment of the iomedaean ideal, yet this somehow feels stained. Aiona really is a kind hearted person, and she can be very charming, yet she's also pretty naive when it comes at things not related with fighting orcs or military life and while on active duty she has a no-nonsense attitude that steams from her mother's teachings. In battle Aiona shows no fear and fights in the front ranks defending her companions from the enemy and shielding them from harm. She's not really that thrilled about the bright crusade, something she feels like an obligation rather than an honor. She'll do her duty, because the only thing she really fears is her mother's disappointment, but her heart isn't really with the war effort and sometimes she cannot but wonder why she feels that way...
Appearance:
Were she not wearing plate armor and whielding instruments of death more often than not, Aiona would be considered a truly beautiful woman. Tall, lithe and well proportioned, with eyes the color of the morning sky and long blonde hair, more than one crusader had been fancing her, but to this point none suceeded in gaining her interest. The fact the much revered (and feared) Elissa Brightshield looks over her like a dragon with her hatchlings and openly discurages that type of attentions doesn't help... at all
Goals:
In her head Aiona wants nothing more than continue with the existance she's always known. Fighting orcs, carrying out missions, fulfilling her duty to Iomedae. Yet, in her heart Aiona doubts the truths she's been teached and although she doesn't dare contraddict her opressive mother's wishes she doesn't really want the destiny that was forced upon her (although probably she hasn't realized this yet).
What Aiona knows is she fights to defend the weak, and to defeat evil. She doesn't share her mother's hate for orcs and sees the fight against them as necessary for the survival of Lastwall, not some great mandate from Iomedae.
Considering these things her goals are defending Lastwall and her companions, not invading Belzeken for territorial gain. Although she can see reason in pushing back the hordes and in soing so obtaining a better defensive position and respite from their continuous threat she doesn't endorse the wholesale massacre of the tribes.
Also when it comes to personal goals she truly believes in Iomedae, but would like to discover what exactly the Inheritor expects of her, if the road her mother's prepared for her is the same as the goddess'
