Aidan Arna
From Myths of Atalan Wiki
Name: Aidan Arna
Gender: Female
Age: Unknown
Aidan started her public life among the Auxili known for her towering height and steadfast approach to her duty. Aidan spent many years within the Auxili and eventually made the rank of patrolwoman before she was given the opportunity to earn her rank within the Legion itself due to increasing losses and lack of reinforcements from the mainland Halmoria. Aidan was promoted to the rank of Victu of the Legion before all of the Legionnares were recalled to Halmoria to fight in the Halmoria-Kalimvar War. Aidan was swept into war and said her good byes to friends and loved ones as she saw to her duty among the mainland of Halmoria.
Serving with distinction, Aidan fought many of the losing battles within Halmoria and was present on the walls during the defense of Halmor when the two powers were eventually stopped by Kutarans and made to talk. After the cessation of hostilities Aidan was awarded a commendation for valor and sent back to Atalan upon request to return to her friends and family. A year later when Atalan finally secedes from Halmoria and the Legion pulls out of Atalan again, Aidan elects to remain behind having given her full service to a land she barely knows.
After the fall of Atalan and the Sundering, Aidan is left homeless, but decides instead of trying to settle within the High Reaches she wishes to live out her days upon the Island of Santina Bay in the village of Torica. Always called to defend others, Aidan and several others form Guardians of the Golden Rose and together with the Eternal Sentinels are instrumental in the defense of Torica during its occupation by the Blackspear Horde. Aidan took up the banner of the Eternal Sentinels after Alexander Griffth fell during the attack of an undead horde on the Island just prior to the invasion of Halmoria and Kalimvar. Both the Sentinels and the Guardians of the Golden Rose helped keep the Kalimvarans from overrunning Torica and bought enough time for Mayor Mayrie Mark'ilas to return with aid from High Reaches.
In the aftermath, Aidan was finally able to come to terms with her dear friend Alexander passing into the next world and in honor of his spirit merged the two Torican based organizations into a single unified group known as the Knights of the Shield. Not content to defend only Torica, Aidan and her Knights began to expand their influence and open small chapters among the remote settlements sprinkled throughout Eramere.
In the Fall of 2894, Aidan decided to accompany a group of Knights as they were going on an extended patrol. Feeling the pressures of leadership and the itch of adventure boil within her veins, Aidan insisted that she come along so that the patrol could also turn into an inspection of the various branches. During the tour of inspection, Aidan and the Knights came upon a small caravan being set upon by an immense black dragon unlike anything seen on the continent until that point. Feeling the stir of battle scream through her blood once more, Aidan gave implicit instructions to her Knights to save the caravan as she would hold off the dragon. Calling forth a prayer of battle to her patron Memnos, Aidan charged into battle and managed to attract the attention of the massive dragon. Her bastard sword was sheathed with the magical glow of Memnos' power and she rained down blow after blow upon the dragon, the massive beast just too slow to keep up with the elder and nimble crusader. However, the massive dragon only needed to land a single hit and hit her the dragon did. Becoming fed up with the inability to strike at Aidan, the beast reared up and covered the entire area with its foul breath that poured forth and pushed Aidan away from the dragon, pinning her to the ground. The protections granted to her by Memnos staved off the brunt of the attack, but the dragon was simply too powerful and Aidan was left battered and broken upon the ground. Defiant to the last, Aidan called forth the might of Memnos, a fist of pure magic hammering into the dragon. Issuing forth a final snarl the dragon was said to have struck out with its tail and smashed Aidan beyond recognition. True to her spirit in life, Aidan managed to buy enough time for the Knights to rescue the people of the caravan.
Eventually a group of knights returned to battlefield and retrieved what was left of the bastard sword that Aidan used to defend the caravan. All that was left was a portion of the hilt where Aidan's hands had been wrapped around when the dragon breathed its burning breath upon Aidan in her last moments. The remains of the pommel now rest within the Keep next to Alexander's shield. The two friends having both given their lives in service to those in need of defense likely rest happily with Memnos in the afterlife.