Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons

For all her fury and skill in combat, the queen of the Amazons has a remarkably girlish face.  The dainty chin and button nose are not quite what one would expect from a warrior queen though this is somewhat mitigated by her tomboyish bob cut of white hair and piercing red eyes further accented by lines of red war paint.  In regards to her physique at least, Hippolyta has the brutal, almost savage appearance one would expect from a queen of the infamous Amazons.  Having long since abandoned any traditional trappings of femininity, Hippolyta has molded her body into a temple of hard-trained muscle.  Thick arms, broad shoulders, and chiseled abs beneath skin darkened by the sun all point to a lifestyle dedicated solely to war craft.  

This lifestyle is further reflected in her manner of dress.  Rather than any polished suit of intricate armor or frilly dress, Hippolyta covers herself in light leather armor and tough cloth wrapping around her chest and arms with white fur accents.  While she does not have the pure defensive advantages offered by full plate armor, the flexibility and agility she is allowed flows quite well with the hit and run raiding tactics of both the Amazons and the Lancer class.

Ornamentation is kept to a minimum with Hippolyta.  Around her neck is a string of large black beads and around her waist, she wears the golden girdle given to her by the god of war himself.  A thick leather belt with numerous gold accents and a massive buckle molded in the shape of a snarling lion, it is the symbol of her leadership and most prized possession.  Atop her head is a rather unique headdress consisting of a horned bronze mask and red mane which previously belonged to her mother.  Upon becoming queen, Hippolyta added two long braids of her cut off hair to the headdress.  

In all things, Hippolyta strives to embody the Amazon ideal.  Strong, independent, assertive, and stubborn to a fault, Hippolyta is unyielding in the face of adversity and unforgiving in the face of treachery.  As a child of the brutal god, Ares, Hippolyta is every bit as capable of dispensing truly frightening levels of violence against anyone foolish enough to cross her or her fellow Amazons.  

Of particular note is her disposition towards men.  Like the rest of her people, Hippolyta has renounced the need for men in her society.  Throughout her life, she held no compunctions against slaughtering the men of nearby tribes as needed and in general looked down upon them as nothing but trouble.  The one exception to this was the great hero, Heracles who was able to earn her respect with his mighty physique and honorable demeanor.  However, her decision to trust the son of Zeus soon proved to be a mistake and led to a series of tragedies for the Amazon nation.  As such, Hippolyta has become even more distrustful of men and now holds a special grudge against Heracles, Theseus, and Achilles in particular.  

While in battle, Hippolyta roars and rages with the full wrath of a bloodthirsty lioness but outside of it, she can be surprisingly reserved in social settings.  She speaks only when she believes she has something of true worth to say and is prone to awkward misunderstandings (though she is loath to admit it).  Despite that, she does have a protective streak leading to her often trying to take on a sort of "big sister" role to other female heroes.  

Born of the Greek god of war, Ares and the founder of the Amazon nation, Ortera, Hippolyta was the oldest of four daughters.  Growing up in a harsh culture revolving around violence, Hippolyta learned early in life that strength and will reigned above everything else.  When her mother was killed by the hero Bellerophon, young Hippolyta was forced to embody that lesson for her sisters and fellow Amazons as the heir apparent.  

Chosen by Ares as the mightiest among the Amazons, she was blessed with the golden girdle cementing her authority and with it around her waist, led her nation to a golden age of prosperity.  Sadly, it was a short lived period of happiness before ill tidings arrived on the shores of Themiscyra in the form of Heracles and his companion Theseus.  

Having heard tales of her golden girdle, Heracles was sent to the island of the Amazons to retrieve it as his Ninth Labor.  Meeting the hero at the shore alone, Hippolyta welcomed Heracles to her island and rather than risk an outright battle with the Amazon, Heracles conversed with her at length, showing her due respect as a fellow warrior before explaining his purpose and politely asking for the girdle.  Having been moved by his obvious strength and honesty, Hippolyta removed her girdle and moved to hand it over with the understanding that it would be returned to her shortly.  

However, Hera, bound and determined to see Heracles brought to ruin, disguised herself as an Amazon and spread rumors that Hippolyta was being kidnapped by Heracles.  Charging to their queen's rescue, chaos erupted as Heracles struck Hippolyta from behind, thinking her the mastermind behind the entire plan.

Lying unconscious on the shifting shore, Hippolyta was powerless to do anything as her sister, Melanippe, was killed in battle while mistaken for her and her other sister, Antiope was captured by Theseus and taken back to Athens to be his bride.  When she eventually awakened, Hippolyta was in no shape to set sail to rescue her sister and without her girdle could not stop her bloodthirsty Amazons from heading out on a rescue mission that eventually led to Antiope's tragic death.  

Left alone to heal and mourn, Hippolyta took her time to plan her vengeance, intending to not only retrieve her girdle, but claim the lives of both Theseus and Heracles.  However, fate had other plans and while deer hunting with her youngest sister, Penthesilea, Hippolyta was fatally pierced from behind by a spear thrown by her own sibling.  Crushed by the shame of mistakenly killing her own sister and queen, Penthesilea took up the position of queen herself and eventually sailed to fight in the Trojan War as a way to repent her sins.  Though she fought valiantly against the elder Ajax, she was eventually slaughtered in single combat against none other than Achilles himself.  

She loves beef.