- See also: Item: Shield of the Knight Herself
Codex text
A shield of impressive weight, to the point of being unwieldy if held by a weak hand. The crest is Dalish and old Orlesian, and the direct and deliberate styling can be a reference to only one person: the legendary Ser Aveline, the first woman to gain Orlesian knighthood.
Abandoned as a baby, Aveline was raised by the Dalish and grew into a skilled warrior. Her elven parents encouraged Aveline to demonstrate her skill among her human kin, but women were not allowed to enter Orlesian knighthood or compete in tournaments. She entered anyway, her features obscured by armor. Aveline defeated everyone she faced.
Her final victory came to a brutal end when Kaleva, a knight in service to the Emperor, tripped Aveline out of frustration, knocking the helm from her head. Realizing that his honor had been bested by a woman, Kaleva demanded that the competition be nullified. Jeered by the crowd, he lashed out and killed the fallen Aveline.
Prince Freyan had also faced Aveline in the tournament and saw her death as a great injustice. When Freyan became emperor in 7:44 Storm, he formally recognized her skill by abolishing the practices that had excluded her. She was posthumously knighted, and while women are still a rarity in the Orlesian knighthood, those who enter revere Ser Aveline as their patron.
Ser Aveline's career was short—it's simply impossible for her to have held all the equipment that has been attributed to her over the years. But this shield is still of exceptional quality, and Aveline may find it's attribution to her namesake of interest.