Red Sonja of Hyrkania was told, “If you but have the will, Sonja, you may use your strength to make the world your home. You may become a wanderer, the equal of any man or woman you meet,” and before she was 20 years old, when the mercenaries came, her father had been one of them once, but he’d lost his leg in a campaign, and now it was all he could do to farm a small plot of land and feed his family.
Over the years, Sonja’s father taught her younger brother the art of swordplay. She would watch very carefully, then steal away to the woods to practice on her own. And that fall, just shy of 20, Sonja promised herself that one day she would be her brother’s equal in battle. That was the fall the mercenaries came.
The mercenaries assaulted her, then set the house afire, leaving Sonja to die. But Sonja was strong, and she escaped the burning house just in time. She ran into the woods – her woods, her place among the ruins. And it was here with memory of her family etched into her mind, Sonja honed her battle skills…in preparation.
One night, a vision lit up the black sky above the woods spoke to Sonja, “And inner strength has no been awakened in you, Sonja, and you will be the equal of any man or woman if you take this vow: you must never allow yourself to be loved by another man unless he can best you in a fair battle.” And the vision offered Sonja her father’s sword.
And form that night forward, she became known across the lands of Hyboria as Red Sonja, the greatest woman warrior of all time.
An adventure for those seeking inspiration, but you can easily flip this PDF to any D&D version or game system. If you need help on conversion, I created this page for such an occasion: Convert Old Dungeons and Dragons Adventures
