July Mellota - Tamsin M
Eternity
After the return of the University, July Mellota completed her studies excelling in the Dueling Arts. Two of her most notable developments were a new technique which involved the utilisation of many small forms to overwhelm an opponent yet do it honourably (In her case she chose kittens as her form of choice although it is recorded in her dissertation that rodents or lizards would work equally well); and secondly a technique for enchanting the arena to sing and using the resonances of the walls to enhance her own movements. Upon her graduation she was presented with the Sword of St. Corinth that she had used to defend the university in her second year, and charged to use it with honour and courage.
She spent some time after leaving university travelling the world building up a considerable reputation as one of the most formidable duelists ever to have lived. She was particularly noted for her flair for the artistic with her tournament bouts drawing in the largest crowds seen for centuries.
Wherever she went she campaigned for justice and equality and her appearance in many tournaments tended to coincide with a general improvement of the lot of folks and the eradication of corruption.
She continued to keep in contact with her university colleague Morgan Fleuretti and although the Tosat gossip columns were sure that she was destined to be the next Mrs Fleuretti, it never really happened, but they remained good friends for many years.
About 15 years after her graduation, having attained beyond all doubt the reputation as the greatest duelist in the land, July decided that her quest to become the greatest duelist would take her across the dimensional boundaries she had crossed at University. She arranged to go on one of the missions undertaken by the Universities Dimensional Boat (as part of the growing Dimensionfleet program) that intended to try and push the boundaries of discovered worlds during its voyage. The boat returned several months later, limping home having come under attack by strange creatures in a world of darkness and shadow. The crew told of the heroics of July Mellota as she drove the creatures back with her flaming sword giving the rest of them a chance to escape but tragically leaving her behind.
20 years after her disappearance the University was beset by a creature that appeared to have torn through the very fabric of reality and that began attacking the University and its residents with such viciousness that some say they heard the very walls scream. The exact events of that night are unclear but one thing stands out - repeated reports of a woman in her early 50’s that could have been July (although the only sign of age was her greying hair, her movements were as rapid as in her heyday) wielding the flaming sword of St. Corinth. The figure returned to save the University from Peril and drove the monster back and following it back into the reality tear as it shut behind her.