Minoi Rolin

    Born to a barmaid in a seedy tavern, Minoi grew up around thieves and mercenaries. Never knowing her father, she took her mother's name; Rolin. Despite not knowing her true father, Minoi had two fatherly figures, one of them being the owner of the tavern, an old badger furre called Higgins. He allowed her, as a young girl, to help her mother with the customers. Another of her father figures was a handsome, middle-aged Russian Blue furre. A thief and a mercenary. His name was Gerard Licom and he was the one who taught her almost all she knows about combat.

    It was Gerard’s belief that Minoi should know how to protect herself if she was to live in a place that was a haven for disreputable characters. So he found her a knife and taught her to use it. From there, he taught her how to defend herself from drunken men with her own body. He also told her stories of his family, a wife and a son, as well as stories of various jobs he had been commissioned to do.

    As the years passed, Minoi gained more experience and soon became one of the tavern's first barmaid-bouncers. Despite her slender appearance, she had grown strong by the age of sixteen. Working as a barmaid, Minoi met her first female mercenary. A fox furre by the name of Lila Chambray. It was from Lila that Minoi learned archery. In this form of combat she excelled. She would often go out to the tavern stables and practice when she had any free time.

    At the age of seventeen, her mother passed away at the beginning of winter, leaving her an orphan. Higgins told her she would have a place for as long as she wanted one. Provided she worked. A few weeks after her mother's funeral, Gerard came to town, his nineteen year-old son with him. She learned that Hadrian Licom was a mercenary like his father. Also like his father, she noticed that he was rather handsome. The two were on a job together and just passing through, but Gerard promised that he and his son would return when they had finished their job.

    It was almost two months before she saw the Licoms again. She was working in the tavern during one of its busier times when the two of them came in, hoods up and tattered cloaks covering him from the tips of their ears to their booted toes. She didn't notice them until she went to take their order, and for the first time in her life, she was a little shy when she greeted them. Gerard noticed this but said nothing. Hadrian, however, having heard of Minoi from his father, and not being the most tactful of furres pointed out how she couldn't possibly be the same Minoi his father had told him of, she was far too delicate and timid. This, of course, brought an end to Minoi's shyness and looking down at the somewhat older furre she smirked.

    Stepping back from the table, she looked around the tavern, a smug look on her face. Raising her voice, she demanded to know if any there thought she was 'delicate' or 'timid'. Her reply was a chorus of 'hell no's and rowdy laughter. A few of the regular drunks stumbled over to the Licoms table and in slurred speech warned the two men not to cause any trouble or Minoi would kick them out on their tails. With Gerard chuckling and Hadrian staring at her in awe, Minoi herded the drunk furres back to their tables.

    When Minoi returned to Gerard and Hadrian's table with their order, the elder of the two Licom's had a proposition for her. He asked her if she would come with him and his son and train with them. She told them that she needed to think about it, and think she did. The next morning, she told Higgins that she planned to leave with Gerard and Hadrian Licom and soon after, when they came down for breakfast, she told the Licoms her decision.

    Packing up her few possessions, Minoi set off with the two men, having to ride double with first Gerard, then Hadrian as she didn’t have a horse of her own. She quickly became friends with Hadrian as they traveled to the Licom’s home. The two had a lot in common.

    It turned out that about a year before her own mother had died, Hadrian’s mother passed away. They had both learned what they knew from Gerard, so their combat techniques were similar. There were some differences too, though. Whereas Hadrian was good at close-range combat, Minoi was better at long-range attacks. Hadrian preferred swords and his fists and Minoi her bow and arrows, occasionally a throwing knife or two. It was their differences that would made the pair a good team later on. Minoi could cover Hadrian’s back when he took on multiple opponents.

    The trio reached the Licom home just before sundown; a two story building with a stable. Minoi was showed upstairs to a spare room beside Hadrian’s. Unpacking her few belongings, she joined the men out in the stables and insisted on helping unsaddle the horses and get them set for the night. Initially she received a bit of hassle from Hadrian, who had some how gotten the impression that she was to be treated like most girls, but soon he gave in to her persistent efforts to do her fair share of work.

    Once the horses were settled in for the night, the three furres returned to the house and Minoi got the grand tour. As it would turn out, the home of a mercenary thief was actually quite nice. The three of them turned in for the night and the next morning, Minoi and Hadrian would begin their training together with Gerard.

    The years passed and the two young furres grew closer as they trained, forming a bond that was more than friendship. They learned to fight as one, to anticipate the other’s move and compliment it with a move of their own. After three years of training, and a few minor commissions, Minoi and Hadrian began to solicit themselves as a team at the ages of twenty and twenty-two. By then, Gerard was beginning to take fewer jobs so it was up to the two younger furres to make a decent income. To do this they had to make themselves a reputation. That was exactly what they did.

    Three more years of mercenary work as a team was what it took for them to become well known and sought after. It was also the amount of time it took for Minoi to admit to herself that she loved her partner. He was her first love. She would never get to tell him this though, after one of their high profile jobs went terribly wrong.

    They had been commissioned by some Duke to steal important information from one of his rivals. As usual it took a few weeks to make plans. All over, they had taverns and homes where they had friends who would harbor them. Yet with enough gold, one of these friends turned on the pair, tipping off the Duke’s enemy to Minoi and Hadrian’s plans. When the two went to make their move, the Duke’s enemy had his men hiding. They captured Minoi before she could get in position, and unable to warn him, Hadrian crept right into an ambush with no back up. Minoi watched, unable to help as Hadrian was over-powered by over a dozen men and killed.

    Kept as a prisoner of the furre who captured her, Minoi was forced to wear dresses again. Burion, the rat furre who was her captor, had decided to keep her around for her beauty, over the months attempting to seduce her. All his advances led to naught but harsh words from Minoi. Growing more and more frustrated, Burion eventually lost patience with her and attempted to force himself on her. This was a mistake on his part, which he soon found out. He came away from the ordeal feeling bruised and battered, his pointy nose broken by Minoi. Minoi, however was dragged away to her room and locked away until Burion decided what to do with her.

    It would turn out that Burion, having been beaten by a mere female, would decide to make some gold off of her. She was taken to The Slave Chamber and thrown into a pen with a few others. With not much to do in the pen, she had a lot of time to think about how she had ended up where she was. She didn’t blame anyone but herself, especially for Hadrian’s death. Within a few weeks, she had come to terms with the idea that she was now a slave. Her usual fervor for life had fled and she was far more subdued.

    After nearly six months in the slave trade, she managed to get out when one of the furres who had purchased her for the night fell asleep after she had served him. She took advantage of the situation and snuck out. Ever since she's been drifting around from place to place, not staying in one spot too long. As far as she knows, she isn't being looked for but then again, maybe she is. Her mercenary skills are a bit rusty and she tends to stay away from any places she used to haunt with Hadrian when he was still alive.