Kasha Ui Roland Low Knight, Crest of Onyx
Played by: Kate
Name: Kasha Ui Roland
Age: 18
Height: 5’10"
Weight: 140 lbs.
Background: Kasha was born to Roland and Tara. Her father being a Viscount of Kenfig owned a small part of land in the west of Abertawe in exchange for his service to the king. Kenfig, a wooden motte and bailey castle stood upon a hill that commanded great views of the country side. Of all four children of Roland, Kasha was the only girl but also the second eldest child next to her older brother Benedict. Though her mother imagined Kasha growing into a lady who would one day marry and have children of her own, Kasha imagined herself going off on great adventures as the local story teller would speak about every week. Kasha had a fire in her heart that didn’t want her to become passive and lady like. Roland had planned for Benedict to become a knight and one day Viscount of Kenfig, however Benedict was not very noble like acting increasingly immature towards his duties as squire, he would refuse to clean Roland’s weapons and armor, feed his horse and learn the code of chivalry.
Roland was not pleased with his eldest son and eventually the day came when Benedict quit being squire and sought work in the town as a blacksmith. Angered by this action Roland had Kasha and her two younger brothers stand before him. Though he meant to pick from his two sons Roland had Kasha stand with them as a sign of fairness. When he asked who would be my next squire, Kasha stepped forward without thinking even what the job involved. Roland smiled at his daughter’s determination but went on to choose one of his son’s. Unable to choose Roland set a test for the three stating that whomever was left standing after a mock sword fight with wooden weapons would be his new squire, in secret Roland wanted to see more than just combat skill. The duel went on in the dining hall of Kenfig and after ten minutes of wooden weapons banging against each other, Kasha stood as the only one with a sword in her hand. Roland applauded his daughter’s efforts but was hesitant to give her the task of being his squire.
Seeing potential in her Roland selected Kasha to be his squire and had his two other sons prepare to become the squires of two other knights in a neighboring town. When Tara heard of the news she refused to let Kasha train to become a warrior and demanded Roland reconsider. Roland refused to give up another squire and began to train his daughter how to use a sword while in secret Tara began to search for a husband before Kasha became too influenced by her new task. Kasha became less lady like by the day as she continued to learn the code of a knight and joined her father on the occasional hunting trip. By her fourteenth birthday Kasha had become good with a sword even managing to come close to winning a mock duel against Roland, but her ever interfering mother had finished her search and brought the young knight, Sir Jarrod to Kenfig to announce the planned wedding between him and Kasha. Roland was utterly furious and quickly had the knight dismissed from his sight, after a long argument Roland finally agreed that Kasha would cease her training and become lady like. Kasha was unhappy about the plans but agreed and went from learning sword play to learning to sow, sing and how to play the lute.
At the age of sixteen, two years after her training of being a knight ended, Kasha pleaded with her father to allow her to become a knight. He agreed but on the condition she would one day marry. Unbeknownst to Tara, Kasha resumed training as a squire learning how to joust and completing her sword training but Roland knew that no lord or king would accept a woman into knighthood easily. He had to give everyone proof that she was as capable as any man. Roland heard about a tournament starting in which the king himself would be there along with some of the finest knights of the land. Roland and Kasha traveled to the tournament telling Tara they were going to find a husband for Kasha. Arriving three days later, Kasha saw knights in full armor, some with pieces of wood stuck in them from a shattered lance, she was more nervous and afraid than ever before. Roland entered her into the tournament managing to disguise the fact she was a girl. Owning no armor of her own, Roland gave Kasha his own armor but it was too big for her, and so at a very high price he paid for a blacksmith to make her some armor of fine quality. The tournament started with thirty knights, Kasha time and again got through each match by unhorsing her opponent until it came down to her and Sir Jarrod, the knight Tara tried to have her marry years before. The two clashed shattering their lances three times before they continued on foot with swords. Almost loosing her head to one attack by Jarrod, Kasha took advantage of her opponent’s use of strength and not speed moving quickly to disarm him and having him at the mercy of her sword.
Winning the tournament she was brought before the king and there she removed her helmet revealing herself to be female. The king surprised, saw that the person before her had not been a knight and broke the rules of the tournament, he however dismissed the rules but declined to dub her a knight because she was only seventeen, Roland protested before the king stating she was as capable as any man present. Keeping to his decision, Kasha felt angered that her time and training had been for nothing until the king added to his decision, “Until the eighteenth year of your life a knight you shall not be”. Though some of the male knights who lost to Kasha’s lance were not happy about being beaten by a woman they applauded her winner of the tournament. Months passed until Kasha traveled to Alban with her chambermaid Anise. There Roland was waiting having traveled a month earlier, he presented his daughter with a sword, horse and a tunic bearing her coat of arms. The next day she knelt before the king and with a tap of his sword she became a knight. A day after her knighthood she began to see and soon fell in love with Sir Jarrod.
Personality Profile: Kasha believes anyone can do anything they want if they stick at it and try hard enough. She is a firm believer in equal rights amongst woman and men and chose to train another woman to knighthood. Though being a knight she is not without her lady like ways having a kind and gentle attitude. Kasha is known to be charitable and refuses to live in luxury when others live on the street, one reason why she sleeps in a small room with her only luxury being the bed she sleeps in. She seeks adventure beyond the walls of the castle and to fight alongside the men.
Physical Profile: Kasha has dark brown hair like her father but has the eyes of her mother. He build is not quite as large as a male knight but not as small as a lady either. She has soft fair skin. When not in armor she looks like she is not even a knight in the order and looks like she was born and raised like a lady, anyone who has not met Kasha before would never guess she was a knight. Kasha switches between wearing a dress and her knightly clothes often, when dining with other nobles she wears a dress but has her tunic over the top of it so everyone knows she is a knight, when attending formal events and dressing like a lady she has her hair tied to look lady like but the moment she leaves she lets her hair down. Also one thing many people find strange is that she always carries her sword with her, the gift from her father the day before she became a knight, not many expect to see a lady carrying a weapon of any kind.
Skills and Abilities: Kasha is good with a lance almost hitting her target exactly where she wants to. Her skill with a sword is good with using a shield though sometimes using just a sword depending on what type of battle should would fight in. Though she has only ever used her weapons for practice, she has yet to participate in a battle and take the life of another. Her skills are not just with weapons, she is good at playing the lute and sewing and her passion is horse riding. Her skill with a bow has yet to improve in the last archery contest she aimed at her target and fired an arrow straight into the middle of the target…belonging to another contestant.
Special Notes: Kasha and her mother do not get along well because of their different views on what Kasha should do with her life. Kasha has fallen in love with Sir Jarrod the person she almost married four years before, but she has yet to make permanent plans about their relationship and Jarrod has yet to ask for her hand.