Briallyn Westerling

"Man is another predator, like the wolf. Some can pretend to be lambs, but that's just a wolf in sheep's clothing. One might wager to say that those are the women, and the men are more honest about what they are."

Background

It was Briallyn's good graces or bad fortune that she was the youngest child of five, and the only girl child. Her father's Erenford bride had never been a hale and hearty woman, and the strain of five children in a scant ten years weakened the woman considerably. After Bri's birth, she never bore again. Being the only other female in their familial brood, the girl was lavished with attention and every luxury she could desire. Unfortunately, the patience of a quiet Septa and an often ill mother were not enough to withhold the powerful sway of energetic and all-encompassing brothers.

Cleverness was rewarded with education, when the child could bring herself to sit still long enough, though the oversight of the firm hand of an otherwise doting father was very convincing often times. All manners of feminine duties were placed upon the shoulders of the only girl born to Lord Brynmor Haigh and his lady, but were cast off nearly just as quickly for the pursuits shared by eager brothers. Their's was a rambunctious household, often a cacophony and always with some sort of tussle going on thereabouts.

It hardened Bri's sensitivities, sharpened her tongue, and instilled in her a sense of self and independence that was not altogether tomboyish, but neither encouraged within the fair and gentle gender to which she was born. The influence of a father eager to make a promising match for the youthful child dulled when Lord Brynmor and his eldest two sons, Gryffith and Mercer, went to war during Robert's Rebellion. Mercer never made it home, and upon his return, the injured and recovering Lord Brynmor had not the energy nor the time to correct his daughter's errant ways.

Stubbornly, Briallyn clung to what she knew, and what she had grown to love. Hunting was a household sport, and the wrestling that had been so common in her childhood had faded, replaced with a certain awkwardness from eligible brothers not so eager to lay their hands on a nubile sister in such an unseemly way. Life was changing for the curious, intelligent and yet brash young woman, and not in ways that could be foreseen. Her eldest brother, adored and beloved by each of the siblings, was married off shortly after returning home from war.

Slowly, the nest had begun to empty, leaving Bri with few companions that held similar interests. Womanly work such as needlework filled her days, rather than tracking quarry and executing the hunt. Swimming was unheard of, though it was a passion. Restlessness sharpened her tongue further, and her desire for more. Though ambition had never driven Bri in her earlier years, it seemed that it was growing the only way to improve what she felt were unkindly circumstances. A good marriage would improve her chances of living the life she desired, even if it was clouded by a lack of understanding in what precisely that meant.

Briallyn's restlessness and impatient temperament did not escape Lord Brynmor, and feeling the youth was too prickly not to frighten away possible suitors, sent her away from their family estate in the hopes that exposing her to the world would curb her tongue and soften her appropriately into a woman of means and desirability. Bri, eager to be away from home, wasn't so certain of her destination. Brynmor had assured her that he had found a position for her as a lady-in-waiting, but his answers were evasive and nebulous to the curious young woman, save that Stonebridge was a lovely place, and surely she would like it. The Lord would not be swayed, and the girl rapidly learned that she was already homesick before their journey had really begun.

Family

The only daughter of Brynmor and Merryl Haigh, Briallyn is saddled with four brothers: Gryffith, Mercer (deceased), Einian, and Trystre. Through her father, the middle brother wedged between Lord Leslyn and Lord Belmor, she is a close cousin to no fewer than Harys, Aron, Harlyn, Katrin, Ilaria, and Ian Haigh. Despite a close knit relationship with each of her brothers, Bri has shown time and again that her eldest brother, Gryff, holds a special place in her heart, a near form of hero worship.

Physical Features

Due to a background of constant physical activity, Briallyn is lightly athletically built. Of average height, or slightly above around five feet and five inches, she carries herself appropriately for her station, but struggles not to fidget restlessly when still for too long. Dark haired with a natural coppery tint underlying the brown, Briallyn has strikingly intense dark green eyes the color of moss. Although fair skinned, Briallyn could never be called 'pale' or sallow, likely from sun exposure. Strongly featured, but feminine, her face has a vulpine quality to it that is well matched by the inappropriate level of curiosity that constantly directs a brash stare.

Although at times a hard read, Briallyn is a highly expressive and animated individual. Even with a perfect mask of calm, much in her eyes gives her away as to what she might be feeling at any particular moment. This is equally true of her voice, one that is naturally low pitched and sultry, but is often tempered by humor or rash volatility. Observed as a whole, it indicates a seemingly passionate, but temperamental individual.

Description

Long, thick waves of rich mahogany hair, tresses deep brown with lavish copper hints, cascade about this young Lady's shoulders. Barely restrained from her face with a pair of matching ivory combs, elaborately carved with flowers, those dark locks have a distinctly tousled appearance despite her immaculate grooming and spill in lustrous, loose curls to the middle of her back. A few of the glossy wisps escape the confines of the combs' tines to frame an oval face, sweeping across an unblemished brow, nearly falling into doe-shaped eyes, and feathering out against the lightly squared line of her jaw.

Peering from within a delicate framework of fanning black lashes are a pair of dark green eyes, the bold color of aged moss, that offer both an intense and yet inquisitive gaze with no small hint of turmoil lurking within those depths. Her face, one of elegantly sculpted angles and planes, is expressive and animated. Delicately arched brows are complemented by the rise of high cheekbones and a straight, gently sloping nose. Her mouth is generous, full lips ever in danger of quirking upward into a vulpine smile that would seem far too at home upon the refined cast of her features. Proper posture accentuates the lines of her figure, lightly toned and yet bearing considerable curve at both bust and hip, her waist significantly narrowed proportionately.

Smooth silk, vibrant forest green, conforms snugly to the Lady's shapely and statuesque build. A low and square cut neckline, embroidered with resplendent bronze silk ribbon and silver thread, emphasizes the smooth, firm curves of her bust and a nigh perfect complexion. Dagged sleeves display the addition of fitted full-length sleeves beneath of bronze silk, a sharp contrast against the dark green and without further embellishment. The fall of her full skirt is layered, dark green slashed to give way to silver threaded brocade on bronze beneath. Permeating her exquisitely wrought dress and the air about her is a light, yet alluring scent, without hints of floral, but rather something befitting the wild woods and spices.

Rumors & RP Hooks

  • Little is done to conceal the Lady Briallyn's unseemly taste for the activities of men, such as hunting and gambling.
  • Since her arrival in Stonebridge, the young Lady Haigh has earned a reputation for a sharp tongue, brutal wit, and a bluntness that takes the breath away. There exists speculation as to whether or not the Lady behaves this way purposefully, or if there is some defect in her upbringing.
  • Rumors about indecency have lessened, as Briallyn is newly wed to the Westerling knight, Ser Garett Westerling.

"I assess the power of a will by how much resistance, pain, torture it endures and knows how to turn to its advantage."

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