Hywel the Glorious
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Background
Hywel the Glorious is the heir to a renowned but poor lineage of Sudvallan knights. Her father - himself the sole heir of his generation - brought no little disgrace on the family by breaking a longstanding aristocratic betrothal to marry a commoner with a kind heart but neither money nor noble blood. Things were worse when a plague swept Sudvall in the year Hywel was conceived. Her father died of it before her birth, and her mother, stricken by both grief and disease, barely struggled through the childbirth before succumbing herself.
Hywel was left behind, an unnamed child. Her grandparents made a peculiar point of her name, having her named after the male line of the family, rather than the female one as would be customary, in an effort to have the whole business of the peasant marriage effectively forgotten about.
As the only daughter of an only son, one might expect Hywel to be coddled and protected; worth far more to her family, however, is their honour and good name - especially as they feel it to have been lately sullied. Hywel was named Glorious in hope, and she has both been pushed and pushed herself to live up to that moniker from her earliest days. She serves now as a warrior under dedicated and holy oath to seek out glory wherever it may be found, to make her family once more famous and proud.
Nonetheless, this doesn't mean that her family haven't also put expectations on her shoulders in regards to carrying on her line. This, Hywel, has jumped at with far less eagerness. Those who know her well generally take her long trip north to Jokari and the Tomb of the Serpent Kings to be at least partly motivated by escaping these concerns, as well as by the rumoured chances of gold and glory. She carries a token presented to her by a noble suitor, which she cannot chivalrously be rid of, but which she equally does not wish to reciprocate.
(In fact, Hywel - for various reasons, including her parents' story, but probably mostly out-and-out asexuality - is uncomfortable with hints at romance* and generally characterises it as a distraction from knightly or heroic deeds).
∗ Yes, it's very appropriate for knights to exhibit a chaste love while pining over someone they can't have, but the "they can't have" is the pertinent part there. Hywel isn't going to specifically seek someone she can't have, and has hitherto generally been pursued, which rather undermines any lack of availability. She's also conscious of a duty to her family and noble status to actually have heirs in a relationship, so she feels unable to either promise or ask for a chaste association.
Other character notes
Bright, but lacking self-awareness, a touch of a braggart.
Spends gold on having storytellers recite own tales, even ask them to be spread around. is not the finest judge of literary quality, or of how many people may be scamming her: if it's pointed out, does note that they'll at least remember her anyway.
Also will have them recite others' great & glorious tales for inspiration.
Herself a fine, if untrained, natural singer.
Would love a monument to be set up, fantasises about painted marble and chryselephantine.
There for gold and glory, what else?
For all that there is ... tension between her and her grandfather, they will both absolutely close ranks against outsiders without a thought. Though not of her blood, she has a warmer relationship with her grandmother. (The paternal one: Hywel has been kept well away from her maternal family and knows next to nothing about them).
Old-fashioned but gracious in her use of language, despite her age, in a way that tends to charm and flatter rather than seem pompous or ridiculous.
By contrast to Sudvall knightly tradition, trains with many weapons instead of specialising.
Ideal: The glory of my name, won well, and sung throughout the land.
The ancestor who first won high renown for her house, all those centuries ago, Gwyrforwyn the Golden, is her admitted idol.
Acts in haste and repents at leisure.
Retainers
Tarján, a bastard noble who serves her house as a man-at-arms and a pseudo-squire. Long-serving, long-suffering, not entirely approving, but bound by duty and loyalty.
Wijta Noscale, a kobold employed as scribe, steward, general dealer-with of paperwork. Harassed, since Hywel really doesn't enjoy paying attention to this sort of stuff. Occasionally has to pull in Tarján to sort things out.
Theween, a minotaur employed as fetcher, carrier, cleaner, general dogsbody, and occasional messenger. From a particularly poor/indebted family: very grateful to have decent employment/employer, hates the idea of screwing up even the relatively simple tasks she gets, glad to stick to menial/physical labour.
Escutcheon
The head is put en soleil by the lord of the house and their direct heir; others carry a truncated symbol without the rays. The distinction of the colour or and the rays of the sun was granted to the house for a great and glorious deed on the part of Sir Gwyrforwyn (thereafter named "the Golden") by the High Marshal of Sudvall, in the olden times when the Marshal was yet the representative of the Queen of the Labyrinth herself. This replaced the house's old colour of argent.
