Tessa Clawthorne | Noble Gladiator

"At first I fought for my freedom, but now… I think I fight because it gives me worth.”

Character Summary/ Introduction:

Dame Tessa, or just Tessa as she prefers, is a valiant gladiator for the Tristate Kingdom. She takes great pride in fighting gruesome battles in the modern arena, known as the Battleheart, for the High Royalty to view and respect. Now, she’s gearing up for yet another glorious battle.

Character Background:

Tessa Clawthorne was born into a family of farmer Deerkin (Anthro-deer people), and she lived a fairly uneventful but joyous childhood. Things were calm in her small hometown, people just going by with their day-to-day lives, a simple yet livable life. Now, Tessa didn't go through life as a perfect princess, she did have her bad moments. In school, she was often pushed around and bullied for being a Deerkin, as they are notoriously known for their stereotype of running away and being general pacifists. Tessa grew to be quite the sizeable girl too, working on a farm and growing some firm muscles. But despite this, she let others walk on her all throughout her schooling years.
Though, her life took a drastic unexpected change on a seemingly normal day when she happened to spot a young boy getting beaten by two fully grown men. She decided to help, since she was quite sizeable for a woman and knows what it's like to be in his situation. Running up to the men, she didn't even hesitate before delivering a heavy blow to one of the men, her muscles shining in glory and finally being put to use for something other than cart pushing or rolling hay bales. The other man fled when she ordered him to, dragging away his unconscious friend. As Tessa helped the boy up and back to his parents, she was shocked to find out that he was the son of one of the High Royal members. The gratefulness of the father was met with an offer like no other. The father of the boy, Keenan Grant, was the head developer of one of the most prestigious technical research facilities in the kingdom. Contacts were exchanged, and the two split ways for some time.
It wasn't until months later when Tessa was viscously attacked by a feral bear, the horrific incident leaving her face malformed