So. This is Ser Nerys Ronain, and she is your resident half-Rivaini, half-Ash Warrior knight of Redcliffe. This means not only can she probably kick your ass in a flying rage (YAY TWO-HANDED BESERKER), but her loyal Mabari War Hound, Cafall, can do so, too. Long story short: you don't want to fuck around with her.
Nerys spent her earliest years traveling with her mercenary "family", was shipped off to live at South Reach when her mother left her and her father, and squired in the service of the Brylands at both South Reach and Gwaren, until she was shipped off to Redcliffe at 19...which may or may not have something to do with the fact that she was macking on the Teryna's son at the time. Yeah, that's right, she's coan's first and ex-girlfriend, but they haven't contacted each other in, oh, nearly a decade. She was knighted about 4 years ago, then spent almost two years after that training with the Ash Warriors before returning to Redcliffe, where she is now the castle's kennel master.
Personality-wise? She's tough, smart, straight forward, and doesn't suffer fools lightly. Nerys is essentially a good person and a noble knight, but she can be blunt, abrasive, and sarcastic, and gets along better with animals than most people. If I had to make an analogy of her personality...she's part-Sten, part-Morrigan, and quite a bit like Zoe from Firefly, because I like fueling our chat discussions. :P (BTW, it's bethe. Surprise! I can play a bitch, too.)