A short, stocky, hot-tempered Captain of the Royal Guard.
Corona is a fiery, quick-tempered woman, with a short fuse and long grudges. She commands the respect of those under her and is revered by many. She is known by her native peoples as ‘Nonai’, or ‘temper blade’. Corona is thankful of her position as a royal guard, as they rarely have to make public appearances, and in the event they do, they are silent sentinels on the sidelines. Though she is renowned for her short-tempered will of iron, there are some who have managed to worm their way into her mind and inner self, and have found that, at heart, Corona is truly a gentle soul. However, that self rarely, if ever, shows through.
Weapons: As befits one of the Royal Guard, the captain no less, Corona uses fine weaponry and armaments. Her main weapon is a long, well-crafted long-sword. The weapon is perfectly balanced, as the hollow pommel gives just enough weight to counterbalance the blade. As it was crafted in the forges of the greatest smiths known to the world, the blade is perfect in almost every aspect. Its length just peaks thirty-eight inches and its width is less than one inch. It has no curves along its length; the blade is perfectly straight, with a deadly point that tips sharpened edges. The blade is made from finely tempered steel, well polished and cared for. The cross-guard is shaped like a crescent moon, crafted from fine silver, with a small loop at each end, in which there are small rubies. Seven inches long, the handle is carved from specially grown oak, wrapped in soft red leather inlaid with silver wire that coils down its length. A loop of silver acts as the pommel, containing within it a ruby, perfectly cut, but not faceted. The centre of this ruby is a fiery colour, which sometimes flares out from its small sphere. The sheath of this sword is made from the same oak as the handle, but it is dyed a deep, fiery red. Silver flame patterns extend from the tip of the sheath, to around halfway up its length, and from where the wood meets the cross-guard to around a quarter of the way down.
Corona also uses a bright red longbow. It is around five feet in length, and curled at the tips, where the string is melted into caps of silver. The grip is red leather, with a silver band at each end that keeps the wrapping in place. This leather has been inlaid with a detailed embroidering of a dragon, done in black thread. It is a depiction of the beast in full flight, its wings rampantly tearing at the sky. Her quiver is large and ornate, and filled with many more arrows than it seems it should be able to fit. Most of the arrows are different, crafted with different heads for different effects. For example, some arrows have a thin shell around a hollow, poison-filled chamber, which fragments on contact and releases the poison into the victim. Others have barbed tips, others are designed to pierce armour, and others have a special head which can be lit on fire.
As a safeguard, in the event that she is unable to use either sword nor longbow, Corona has a small yet effective dagger, tucked away inside her left boot. It is made of well- crafted steel, sharpened on both edges with a fine point, which is usually poisoned. The guard is a small, straight band of silver which flares slightly at the ends, with a line of ruby on either side. The handle is of the same style as Corona’s swords, and the pommel is a simple ball of silver, flared at the bottom.
Though unknown, Corona has a very powerful and unreliable weapon, hidden deep within several enchantments in her mind. This weapon is a supernatural being, composed of flame and shadow. Only when Corona is in mortal danger will the beast show itself, and destruction is sure to follow its appearance. It uses her body to destroy the threat to its home, but after the deeds are done, it retreats back into the encasement of magic, and leaves Corona’s conscious mind to deal with the injuries her body has sustained. This always leaves her in a near-death state, floating in between this world and the next. Corona has been lucky, and has only had the being reveal itself twice, but she never knows when it will happen again, and she herself does not know the cause.
Shield/Armour: As Corona is the Captain of the Royal Guard, she wears the finest armour. However, she only ever wears the full set in proper battle or on ceremonial occasions. Her chest is covered by several sections, each made out of manoeuvrable plates held together by fine chain-mail. Most of them lie over her stomach and lower back, so she can flex and bend easily. The metal is bright red, covered in symmetrical black designs that weave across the armour, turning the whole set into a mass of black lines that criss-cross and twist across the metal. Corona’s upper chest is covered by a moulded plate, with flexible strips covering the area around her neck, upper back and shoulders. A tough, red, woollen cape hangs from these pieces, with a band of red leather around it. When in ceremonial dress, she wears hard pauldrons instead of the flexible bands. Her upper arms are covered by several rings, each interlocking with the next, with a cap, made of two pieces, covering her elbow. On her lower arms and hands, Corona wears tough leather gloves, sown with lots of metal plates, allowing easy wrist and finger movement. At her elbow, one of the bits of metal sharpens into a fine point, covering the elbow piece. Her legs are armoured in much the same fashion, with interlocking plates covering her upper legs and knees and greaves covering her feet and shins. The greaves are boots of hard, yet comfortable, leather, sown with metal plates, for full ankle movement and rotation. At her knee, the greaves are sharpened into points, in the same fashion as her arm guards.
However, perhaps the most beautiful part of this armour is the helmet. It is a masterpiece of creation, crafted of scarlet metal. It curls over the wearer’s neck in a hard sheet, and curves around the shapes of her ears and head. A band comes down, over her nose, carved in the shape of a dragon, wings arching over her eyes. Each scale is picked out in a tiny piece of onyx, and rubies take the place of eyes. Three scarlet plumes, held in place with a curved band of ruby, flow from the top of the helmet, braided and expertly knotted. The helmet is wrought with beautiful inlays of gold and onyx, burnished and shined until like starlight.
Corona was born to the previous Royal guards Rian and Serra Galia, who had both met each other when they had been in the employment of the previous King. She was raised by the sword, well disciplined as a child, and taught from a young age in the arts of archery and sword craft. Her older brother, Graham, died taking a poisoned arrow meant for the young Prince and as a result, her parents sunk into grief caused by their bereavement. Corona, distraught by her parent’s attitude, doubled her efforts and trained harder than she ever would have, until she was accepted into the ranks of the Royal Guard.
She rose quickly through the ranks of the Guard, gaining Lieutenant at the start of her second year, and Captain at the end of it, just after the coronation of the new King. Her talents were now widely recognised and revered, and Corona grew legendary in the stories told of her deeds.
At twenty-two, she single-handedly foiled the murder of the Crown Prince, who was a teenager at the time, and at twenty-six, uncovered a plot to assassinate the King himself. Then, just after she celebrated her thirty-second birthday, the kingdom was called upon to help the forces of Light, and Corona fought alongside her Lord, at the head of their armies, as they charged into the dark forces.
Since that momentous event, Corona has focused her efforts on training new Guards, for when she steps down from her duties.