I have never actually tried to do this before, a sin on my part perhaps. Action scenes for me have usually been X character does Y awesome thing. A Character counters with B, so on so forth. I've never tried to write an action scene AND convey information. The character who is the pinnacle point of this action scene starts out a shrouded mystery. They have little presence so far, as I've given them little to no screen time and I've failed to give a proper description or anything.(intentionally) The character sneakily outdoes her associates, steals the prize they were Indiana Jones'ing for and makes a grand escape. While certainly not the most interesting scene I've ever wrote, it does have to serve as a sort of grounds to build my character off of, not just physically, but mentally. Mental being the main point here. The only examples for what I have in mind is the following situation. Character is using their speedy movement to outrun her associates. She runs through the maze like surroundings able to keep ahead, and even does this neat trick to confuse her enemies. This trick is a planned out event on her part, as every time she moves there are two little bells on her cloak that jingle. She slips these bells onto another of their group, and as the pursuers are scattered to cover more ground, they think they've found the central character when they hear the bells only to find out that they've run into one another of their own group. This I want, sort-of, to show she has some kind of for planning, and an active imagination. She has set up the whole situation, and while not knowing All the variables, she has taken measures before hand to be able to get an advantage in what is a foreign area she knows nothing about before visiting and when she is clearly outnumbered. (The area is clearly shown to be barren devoid of life and without visitorsfor some time) Another sort of instance would be for the character to actually slip up. They turn the corner and find themselves at a dead end, and are cornered by one of the enemy. Their arm is pinned to a wall by an arrow that catches her sleeve. In the moment of desperation, she must think of something to do. I am trying to illustrate here that while the person has had the skills to outrun their opponent and has some for planning in the works, she is still rather young. She is not an experienced character in this regard, and has to use her cunning and dumb luck to help her in a situation that would normally be inescapable for someone less talented. In the end, she must resort to a sort of trump card to escape the situation, one she grudgingly did not plan on using. So, these are my two main ideas so far, to show a character who is young, but with a bit of for planning. She is cunning and imaginative, but this will only take her so far. How could I show more information in my action sequence or what are either some general tips or recommendations? I've never attempted this before, but I'm trying to use the action sequence not just as a fast paced opener, but an introduction to the character. Also, given the information I've listed so far and the fact I'm trying keep the character mysterious, would it be recommended or deterred for some banter, such as one of the group talking to them for a moment in the events leading up to the chase sequence such as "It must be nice to live in the Capital." Or something. While not showing an astounding amount of information, I would use this for a sort of world building stepping stone as she is from the rich central government area and they are essentially poor peasants. (PS I don't mean she works for the government or is a noble, simply that she comes from an area that has a higher quality of life than the surrounding ghettos of my fantasy world. )
I think that you should actually combine your ideas. Like, yes, your character is able to use her bells in order to escape from most of the guards. However, she didn't account for the number or placement of the reinforcements that would come afterwards. Or, maybe she didn't know of the location of an archer who is the one that pins her to the wall by her sleeve. Either way, your introduction would show these aspects of your character's personality that you wanted to convey. As for your second question, I think it would be best to basically limit the amount of information you give about this character, at least for now unless you plan to make her a mystery for the whole story. Therefore, if you do plan to have your character converse with another, maybe have her throw in a lie here-and-there? Hope this helps!
