I know you, I know you by the state of your hands

Harolded as a paladin of lion's strength and heart, Sye is the perfect meld of rugged, handsome beauty. Unlike her younger sister, the battleclad woman is not lithe and lean - she walks with a Spartan's physique of strenuous marble-carved muscle under her thick, autumn brown pelt. It's not uncommon for others to cower under her towering stature, weighing enough to wrestle war gods to the ground in her capacity. Where once she'd been a magnifying array of rich browns and deeply pigmented reds, the clutches of growing age and war stress paling her pelt into muddled greys and dark sepias. Her ears and tail remain the deep carmine-like coloration, tufted audits detailed with rough cuts and notches.

The bloom of Sylvain's gaze is a striking mural of blue around olive green, the central heterochromia appearing almost otherworldly. From the woman's chest sprouts a low rumble of words, deep and soothing until drawn sharp as an axe in the heat of battle. She speaks a multitude of languages with her fluency in Gaelic and Polish, while a slight knowledge in French thanks to her Mainlander father however the husky West Slavic accent remains the most frequent in her lilt. Her demeanor is far more akin to a man's, far removed from the elegance that most women carry within themselves in placement of her hard edges and domineering presence. Scars and blemishes mount every inch of Colonel Bartosz's body, too many stories to write down, however the most notable of them happened to be a wide cut under her right eye that slits along her upper lip in a clean graze.

Where one would assume the beastly woman of Perth to be devious and primitive in her nature, Sylvain carries within herself a silent, unwritten confidence that puts many to shame. While, as a young lady to House Friseal, Calliope had fought to break the woman into a mold of feminine poise and serendipity, make her a more welcoming presence for the hand of aristocratic men, there'd always been the underlying independence that shredded those chains to silver bits. Same as then, Sye revels in the misfortune and pain of those deserving - the corrupted, weak and despised. However, to reach the heights that she's touched, one cannot fault her for making the hard choices necessary for survival, especially during times of war. She burns of a ruthlessness crafted under more than just prowess, but her hungry, cynical glower.

As a general presence, the Perth-born keeps up appearances as an ironhanded leader with very little to say but, just enough to be meaningful. She doesn't raise her voice nor is quick to anger - won't feel the need for it if it isn't worth her time - and is noted for being a particularly vicious force toward insubordination under her tutelage. To Sylvain, deserters are swine, the army must cull itself from dead weight amongst their ranks, and above all else (a common saying from the aforementioned paladin), "From this point forward, you bleed Imperial." It's also heavily known that she is not so easily pleased, regularly flaunting an unimpressed, guarded expression.

However this does not make her a heartless leader. Having worked up the ranks herself and lived through many experiences that she can relate to on various levels, Sylvain values dedication to the job in all its glory and gore-- emphasis on the job, not the monarchy. She'll often accompany her specialized team to a night at the tavern, a band of brothers forged by something thicker than blood. Though she still fights now, Sylvain's time in the infantry has largely molded the rest of her life past the spidery fingers of finery that threatened to rake into her. In times of an ambassadorial setting, Sylvain is well equipped on how to speak to the gutless nobles of Rionnach, formulating her words as a formidable tactician and war diplomat to speak their allusive language with a charm.

Chapter 1: The Wildchild

⏵Born to Kalen and Yelena Bartosz, the loving Voxi-faith couple had descended from finer living in their prime before denouncing their namesakes for better, honest living. They raised their litter of five in Perth, hoping to foster a living for their young that taught survival and simplicity instead of refinement and corruption.

⏵ Sylvain is the eldest of her siblings, the family lived happily as farmers and rangers for a year and a half before Kalen and Yelena had fallen ill. Syl and her brother, Lachlan, attempt to take care of their parents but, the two die in their sleep after some months.

⏵ Their maternal uncle, Igor, eventually hears of Yelena's passing and takes the children in. They're integrated into House Friseal as it is their birthright and, perturbed by their wild upbringing, Igor and his wife, Calliope, attempt to 'civilize' the children. Sylvain is the most reluctant, finding happiness in play fighting with commonwealth boys around her age. Calliope resents this and pushes harder for Sye to take on more 'traditional' aspects in her teachings.

⏵ Igor grows impatient with Sylvain's brothers as they fail to meet his expectations and blames it on the daughter for 'forcing them to become docile and submissive'.

Chapter 2: Gilded Daydream

⏵ As Sylvain grows she becomes more of a strongman for Igor, despite Calliope's wishes. After she's caught with a Lord's daughter to a different noble house, Calliope urges Sylvain to be arranged into marriage as to dissuade the growing rumors.

⏵ During the tension, she meets Major Sargon Sov of the Imperial Army - a good friend of her father from their days in the infantry. He offers to begin mentoring her in secret after seeing her fend off against a thief.

⏵ Calliope finds out about the secret meetings and threatens Sargon, scaring off the man. Sye continues training on her own in secret.

⏵ After some time, and a hearty argument from finding out Calliope had set her with a suitor against her wishes, Sylvain denounces herself as a Friseal and takes back to name of Bartosz. She signed herself up for the Imperial Army and claws her way up the ranks through blood, sweat and vengeance.

⏵ Soldier (Guardsman) > Soldier (Executioner) > Lieutenant (Jailer) > Captain > Major > Lieutenant Major > COLONEL

Chapter 3: Sargon's Betrayal

⏵Sylvain joins the Imperial Army as a Guardsman, before being drafted into the infantry unit. She reunites with Sargon once again, taken under the Major's wing as a close protege.

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