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Crown Princess Maren E. Wednesday always saw herself as having something to prove: either that she could live up to governing her tribe, or that she had what it took to be a leader in her country's armed forces, or that she could be the equal of her older brother Montus, who'd been killed in action against the aboleths nearly a decade ago, and subsequently lionized for his efforts in blunting their efforts. 

Maren, therefore, trained extensively, and was honored to become part of the premier royal knightly order, the Holy Thunderforce. Given command of First Company, she answered to a legendary general, Traxa the Red, an unusual angel--comprised more of the planestuff from the plane of Fire than Air, she'd proven her loyalty centuries before and trained generation after generation of fighters for the Thunderforce. 

Tragedy struck when a splinter faction of djinni made a lunge for the crystal at the elemental pole. Traxa led Maren's unit and Second Company in a swift defense. The moment of their arrival seemed to stem the tide, until the aboleths revealed themselves...and the slaughter began. 

The second company died almost right away under the frenzied djinni onslaught, the attackers using both magic and their spinning, dervish-like fighting style with paired scimitars to just carve through the unit. Traxa was cut down in a confrontation with the aboleths themselves; though she killed three of the nearly dozen, even her formidable capabilities couldn't measure against all of them at once. Maren kept what was left of her company alive for nearly two hours under the assault, long enough for the main body of reinforcements to arrive, but in trying to regroup they were surrounded and decimated. Maren herself was the only survivor, because of how the rest of her troops gave their lives to give their princess the chance.

The attack turned out to be a feint, and by the time the victorious army returned it was revealed that their tribe was in chaos, a small group of guerrillas having gotten in to assassinate the High Prince--Maren's father--and his wife...and blood in the streets while homes burned.

With her family dead, her order gone, her life in pieces, Maren turned to anonymity, with the weapon at her side the last reminder of the life she'd once had. Maren took a fake name and turned to mercenary work across the planes to live...and word of Ren Cyan now precedes her.