Jocasta Pryor

Basics

• Physical Reference.

  Bust-Coloured A bust of Jocasta. (Art belongs to me, Faystark) Headshot Headshot of Jocasta. (Art belongs to me, Faystark.)

• Basic Info

  • Name: Jocasta Pryor
  • Gender: Female
  • Played by: Faystark

• Physical Attributes

  Height: 5'8"
  Weight: 134 lbs (60.8 kgs)
  Race: Human.
  Eyes: Green.
  Hair: Blond.
  Physique: Slender and tall with slight muscle toning. Very deft on her feet and agile.
  Noticeable Features: Freckles, scar under her lip on the right side, numerous scars on her arms, legs, and back, a birthmark on her left shoulder in an irregular shape.
  Attire: Usually wearing a long, dark green cloak and a grey scarf around her neck. Wears light clothing and a belt around her waist. Has a satchel-like pack that hangs on her side that holds her personal items. She wears her longbow around her body and along with it, a leather quiver on her back. She has light-weight leather boots that are usually tight and laced but sometimes, she will slip a hide or two of rabbit fur in with the boots to keep her legs warm during the colder seasons.

• Biography

  Born of a prominent family, Jocasta was brought up in a whirl of wealth and reputation. Jocasta's father was (and still is) King's primary counsel, being the supervisory figure to most of the King's court and a mouthpiece when the King himself cannot appear. This responsibility and the magnification of the Pryor family's life taught Jocasta to resent authority and much of what politics entails. Jocasta's role in her family was that because she is the eldest child of the four Pryor children, she is responsible for her younger siblings as if she were rearing her own. Although her mother and father employed a house mother to keep them, teach them, and guide them, Jocasta was expected to look after them as well.
  Much of her childhood was spent learning how to be a "proper lady". She learned how to sew, cook, sing, and even how to sit with 'elegant posture' before even becoming a woman. When the time came, the King would likely ask her to marry into the court of his own sons or grandsons. Despite loving to learn, Jocasta did not take well to the limitations these lessons entailed. Through the mundane and often mind-numbing classes, Jocasta would gaze out past the fields into the forest, watching birds and other animals traipse between the trees. Ultimately, she desired to feel the fresh air on her face and to feel the burn in her lungs from running. She loved to hunt and loved to get her hands dirty, yet she was entrapped here learning to become a maid with no knowledge but of cooking and cleaning.
  When Jocasta turned age 17, a small mutiny brewed locally. A rebellion began over the neglect that was perceived by the smaller classes to be at the fault of the king's council. Despite this being difficult to handle, it was nothing the King and his men hadn't seen before. That was until a rebel stowed himself away on a wagon. This wagon was on it's way to a council meeting between all the boroughs in the area. When the wagon arrived, the rebel lit fire to the lodge house and barricaded the men inside. Among these people was the King's nephew and other very important politicians of the surrounding kingdoms. Upon this happening, a war broke out.
  Hearing the news of this, Jocasta knew the turmoil that was to begin. She had one quick thought of joining the resistance efforts, and from there she felt a desire too large to ignore. When realizing how bored she was of being a maiden, she approached her mother and father to seek approval to join the war efforts. She received nothing but scorn and discouragement, her father reminding her that many men who go out to war do not return and that women stood no such chance.
  Although loving her parents and only wishing the best for the kingdom, she realized that sides were unbalanced. Men could voluntarily draft themselves, but women were turned down at the mere thought of it. This spurred what one could only describe as her first true taste of defiance.
  Donning herself in a long, inconspicuous robe and stealing one of the crossbows from the barracks, Jocasta took to practicing her aim outside. For months she trained herself, only going from completely inexperienced to perhaps what could be compared to hardly intermediate. The tensions of war permeated her hometown, and she only desired to get into the midst of it herself.
  One night Jocasta began as usual; creeping down the stairs as quietly as she could, and stealing a crossbow from the barracks. She made it outside successfully, but when she reached her usual spot, there was a man. Fearful, she hid behind a tree and slid down, hoping he hadn't noticed. While in wait, she listened for any signs of his departure. She could hear the shift of metal as he inspected the tree she used to take aim, it was apparent that he was wearing an armour of some sort. hen she realized he was a knight of the King's. As she made this realization, she knew she would have to try to sneak away. Standing and starting to leave, she felt his hand seize her arm.
  This first meeting between the two did not result in an immediate surrender to Jocasta's father, Rylen, but instead became a fast friendship. The man who stopped her was Sir Barrian Pravost, a knight in the court of the King. He was a skilled swordsman and he considered himself to be a damn good aim, as well. He preferred the feeling of a sword, but he offered his knowledge of both to Jocasta. His motivation was that his friends were dying on the battlefield while the King refused to admit any ready and willing bodies into the army all because of their gender. He, too, saw this as unfair and her readiness to help was encouraging to him.
  The war raged on and Barrian Pravost did what he could to help her, but when the time came he was also called to serve the king. This was 2 years into the wreckage. As he left, he left Jocasta with enough practice for her to really hone her skill to become an amazing archer and formidable contender out on the field.
  She practiced then for another year. The time seemed to drag, though, as her friend and mentor suffered out on the battlefield. She was sick with worry, but this only served as the perfect motivator. While a troupe was passing through on it's scheduled recruitment, she seized the opportunity to leave her family behind and offer her services to the army. She cut her long, blond locks to below her ear and tied her bangs back to a bun. While her father and siblings, and even the king were unaware of her departure, she felt the fear swell up in her as the wagon shuttled off past the forest, the fields, and even past the river. This would be the furthest she'd been from home.
  Not many people recognized her, so she was able to blend quite well with the other soldiers. Her first time in battle was not easy, but no encounters ever are. But at night when the screams and smells of war were behind her, she would hear the chatter of the missing Lady Pryor back home. It was exciting to feel like the mystery woman, but it also made her incredibly homesick. Of her months spent among the battered and broken, Jocasta learned that though she did flourish among the rough-and-tough, she had also underestimated just how difficult it would be to witness war. Her skill on the field was outranked by nearly everyone around her. She learned many things from them but it proved not enough. Along with a dozen other men, Jocasta was captured as a prisoner of war and kept in a small, dank dungeon.
  As time blustered on, it felt as if months had passed before they were released. The men who released her and the other prisoners were also from the King's court. She searched their faces for Barrian but had no luck in finding him. However, a man among them was her younger brother, Adan Pryor. When he saw her in the state she was, he called for her safe return immediately. Jocasta begged her brother to allow her to stay, but he demanded her return.
  On the wagon-ride home, an accident over-turned their wagon and tossed it down a small rift. When Jocasta came-to, the guards were gone and her binds had been cut. She spotted a small fire in the distance as she stood up. Although covered in minor injuries, she made her way to the fire and there sat Barrian Pravost. He up-turned the wagon to release her, as he felt it was a grave injustice to punish her for wishing to serve her kingdom.
  Barrian had joined a small alternative sector that stood in rebellion to the kingdom but had vowed to keep their boots from the bloody mud of the battlefield. They instead took the underbelly of war; assassination. Barrian had (and still does) a bounty on his head for his treason against the king. Should the king's men ever find him, he knew they would execute him for his defiance. Jocasta joined with him knowing full well that her name would be tarnished as well.
  Then, at age 22, Jocasta decided to join the cause. She knew the king and her father would employ hundreds of men to look for her and for Barrian. But she felt her place was not in the towers with other maidens, but in the dirt with people who were like-minded.
  Jocasta is now 25, still fighting alongside the team of rogues. She fears that at every turn she will be recognized, but her determination wears on.