Her life thus far had been shaped by mystery and
abandonment.
The day of her birth coincided with a great storm the likes
of which the small town of Dagger Falls had never seen, and the death of the
much beloved local magistrate under mysterious circumstances. The child was
found clutching a small pendant with strange markings on it in her tiny fist,
in the barn of a local farmer’s wife who didn’t put much stock in ill omens. While the child’s
strange pale skin and white pupil-less eyes and pale blue hair dismayed and
made most town folk uneasy the farmer’s wife saw only a defenseless creature in
need of protection and love. She named the girl Perri, which means traveler.
The farmer was more skeptical of the strange child, but acquiesced to his wife’s
wishes to raise the girl themselves.
Under the new magistrate times were hard. Over the next four
years tax increases paired with some difficult growing seasons left the
townsfolk on edge. Meanwhile a group of Lycanthropes had moved into the
surrounding area tormenting the farmers and villagers further while the new
magistrate did nothing. Medicine men, clerics, and magicians were all called to
the town to look into the problem of the failing crops and the Lycanthrope
plague. None seemed to offer any help and conditions worsened while tensions
rose.
One particularly dusty and sad market day the family brought
their meager crops to town. The farmer’s children and Perri all played and
scuffled during the market day. The
farmer’s daughter Clara exclaimed, “look at me father” while she danced and
twirled. The farmer nodded absent mindedly at his daughter and simultaneously
felt a tug on his jacket. Turning towards the tug he was met with the sight of
his daughter Clara on his other side giggling and twirling. Stunned he could
only turn side to side trying to understand how his daughter had somehow
duplicated herself; what deviltry was this? His wife seeing the same strange
sight dropped her basket of apples in shock. The noise and clattering of the
apples caused the second Clara’s visage to shimmer and shift into that of
Perri. Large gasps and murmurs from the rest of the townsfolk rippled through
the crowd.
The old crone who lived in the dark forest just outside of
town and told fortunes to those who would brave the woods to seek her skills
stepped forward from the crowd pointing at Perri and crying, “Deceiver!
Shifter! False! Outsider!”
In an uproar, the town already upset over people who could
shift into the guise of a wolf, decided Perri was no longer welcome in Dagger
Falls. Unable to fight the will of the entire town the farmer’s wife decided it
was best if Perri was sent to live in the distant monastery where they
worshiped Oghma. It was no longer safe for her here.
At the monastery, Perri was met with more whispers and
curiosity. The followers of Oghma seemed to be split into two camps about the
circumstances of this strange looking child who could shift into different
forms. Some felt it was a great riddle to be solved. Who was she, where did she
come from, how did her skill work? While others felt she was clearly a trick
sent from the enemies of Oghma; Cyric, Mask or Bane to infiltrate their order
and steal their secrets and knowledge.
There was a young and ambitious cleric, Taliesin, however
who felt Perri was a threat. He and those who agreed with him were distrustful
of the small girl. Once when Perri first arrived Taliesin pretending to be her
friend, proposed that they try to find out what the girls surname might be. He
convinced her the runes on her pendant must mean Maloret. Perri was full of
happiness to finally find some answers. It was only later when she was doing
some research on her own that she found that Maloret actually meant “unlucky”,
and her new “friends” were only laughing at her behind her back. The mystery of
her pendant was still a mystery, but she had now learned the valuable lesson
that not all who are smart and well-learned have your best interest at heart,
and that knowledge can be twisted and abused.
The order at the time was headed by High Priestess Fili who
was a firm believer that the child was sent as an opportunity for knowledge.
Under Fili’s watchful and helpful eye Perri flourished. She was enchanted by
the numerous books and scrolls housed at the monastery. Fili urged her to seek
knowledge for there she would find the answers to all of her questions. So she
spent all her waking moments trying to find evidence for where she might find
more people like her, or what the strange runes on her pendant might mean. She
also discovered she was quite a good singer and had a knack for musical skills.
While pouring over the legends and songs of the various people of Faerun, she
also picked up a love for languages and puzzles.
Her abilities to impersonate and even take the shape of
other races while she told their fabulous tales and sang their epic songs only
earned her more popularity with those in Fili’s close circle, and more hatred
and jealousy from Taliesin.
While most of her young life had been full of opportunity
and wonder at the monastery her luck was about to change again. At fifteen
Perri’s greatest champion, friend, and teacher Fili took ill and died. When it
was time for a new high priest/priestess to be chosen Taliesin the young charismatic
cleric took control. His first order of business was to get rid of the darling
of the monastery.
Under cover of night he sold her for a few hundred gold
pieces to a wizard. He forged a note saying she’d left the monastery for
adventure in the wide world and that was that. The wizard who had just started traveling
with Bartleby’s Extravaganza of Wonders was looking for new exhibitions to be
displayed in a gallery of freaks and this strange girl who could take the guise
of any race at will was just such an attraction sure to bring in the coin.
She was fitted with an ornate collar, so no matter what she
turned into – the collar would mark her. Beautifully crafted, but cold it
served as a constant reminder she was not free, and she would have to do the
bidding of the wizard. She spent most days in a cage, but was let out for
performances. Soon she was joined by other oddities. A Goliath, a Tiefling, a
Dragonborn, Sprites in bell jars, and Owlbears in chains.
Most days she dreamed of escaping. Of traveling the world to
find the answers to her mysterious past; to find others like her. Those dreams
seemed impossible bumping along dusty roads from town to town riding is a dirty
cage like an animal. And then one day when the evil wizard was out seeing a man
about a mermaid, a small human slight in figure but dexterous and fast broke
into the freak show tent. Liberating her from her cage. Maybe her luck was
finally going to change for good.
Armed only with her rapier, her viol, and her charm she
would join with her new companions trying to survive in the large world,
learning all she could about the mysteries of life. Trying to find answers
about the pendant she always kept with her.
הכל
No comments:
Post a Comment