Schvartzgonif

You are a fellow thief, Assassin Schvartzgonif Savakian, Swashbuckler of Velaka, a S'Kra Mur.

You have a flexible ridged crest which follows the shape of your skull with elegant arched eyebrows, pointed ears, slitted gold-flecked dark eyes and an elegant snout, black scales with a pale silver underbelly and a long tail. You have a tattoo of a hand made of shadows holding a gold coin on your hand.

You are wearing a somber black executioner's hood, a kyanite gwethdesuan, a jadeite gwethdesuan, a thief's silver earring that resembles a pair of swiftly flying feet as it swings back and forth, a sleek chakrel panther amulet hung from a braided platinum chain, a troll-claw necklace, a troll-claw necklace, a heavy arzumos hide cloak stitched with intricate silver sigils, a spiraling black rosette with gold writing on the trailing ribbon, a tarnished silver and glass cloak pin embedded with a scratched obsidian lockpick, a bronze dragon pin, a gleaming animite key, a warrior's tower shield, a duffel bag, an Elothean silverwillow crossbow, an ebony journey pack attractively embroidered with a Thief crest pattern in white thread, a deep black pirate shirt clasped at the throat with a large blood ruby pendant, some perfect storm-bull leathers, some somber black weepers, some black leather elbow wraps affixed with dagger blades, some wickedly spiked knuckles, some black taloned gauntlets made to resemble a snake's shifting scales, an albredine crystal ring, a polished granite pinkie ring, a gold ring, a black leather hand-tooled highwayman's belt, a medicine pouch made from the skull and hide of a cougar, an ebonwood lockpick case embossed with a stalking panther labeled "BurglarTools", an origami-paper envelope, a dusty grey belt purse with black leather straps, a polished steel tailband with serrated edges, some baggy black trousers with a crookedly embroidered leather patch at the knee, a sand-hued highwayman's quiver embossed with a darkened gold skull and crossbones, some iron knee spikes, some steel-toed footwraps with silver buckles and some ankle-high Elven stalking boots. > affiliations: Locksmith Union

Backstory: Schvartz's story starts long before her birth, and the ramifications of her families actions had much to do with the decisions she came to make. Her paternal grandfather Kahany Savakian of Muspar'i was a follower of Dzree, and rather high in the hierarchy of Dragon Priests. Although in many S'Kra families, including the one Schvartz later came to rule herself, the decisions are made by the matriarch; in her grandfathers case though it was he who ruled with an iron fist. With the fall of the Dragon Priest empire, although much of his power was lost, his wealth -- which was inherited by and was still sufficient for his oldest son, MeirDasid Savakian, who had become a trader as he had no talent for magic, unlike his father -- to be provided a suitable match with a S'Kra connected with the powerful families of Ratha. The match was made of the two families -- with not much input from the two betrothed. Her name was Rufuah, and she had been sheltered from the family business - but had been guilded as an Empath.

The Dragonpriest Empire was in shambles, and the young couple with the reversal of fortunes, settled in the Middens of the crossing. There the housing was cheap, which suited the tightfisted Meir just fine. Although the memory of his father's house filled him with dread, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and he sought to mold his own children into his own image. The eldest born was female, and resembled her mother so much in spirit and image that she was named Rufiagonif, and was taught in her turn the trade of the empath. MeirDasid still wasn't satisfied though, and wanted a male heir to train to the Traders Profession. MeirDasid had inherited his fathers attitude toward the non-S'Kra races, and fell in line politically with those S'Kra who still raided Tog villages, enslaving young ones they could find for those families on the islands who still kept Tog slaves -- secretly -- as it was against the governments "official" policy. So he was away from home frequently. When Schvartzgonif was born then, his mother sought to hide the fact that Schvartz had been born female from her husband, to satisfy his desire for a male heir.

As for Schvartz herself -- once she became old enough to send to the academy -- the tuition was steep, but MeirDasid was making a good living from trading in regular goods, in addition to the underground slave market he carried out in the side -- she was content to wear males clothing that her mother told her to wear -- and got into numerous pranks in the academy, mostly by displaying a talent for picking locked doors that the professors didn't want the students to open, and other shenanigans. Her fathers money made up for any problems with the administrators. Schvartzgonif did not have a talent for magic either, and there were times she "played hookey" from school by running races up and down Herald Street to watch the Paladins train, and imitate them with the children that played at battle games. She actually admired the guildleader who was running the place at the time - Sir Beren, and unlike some of the younger Paladins, his lectures didn't seem as "stuffy" as some of the others. She had dreams of someday becoming as heroic in battle... although some of the other paladinly teachings didn't seem to make sense to her...

One of these days she had been dismissed early from the Academy - the teachers had given the children a recess, and Schvartz, all of 14 years old -- came home to find her father gone as usual "on business", and her mother was out for the afternoon gathering herbs, for she was again large with child and needed to have them available. Her older sister Rufiagonif was at the empath guild - she had already been accepted as a novice, and her younger brother Bagsodoks was at the stables learning how to tend the caravan animals, as he - unlike Schvartz, actually took an interest in trading like his father.

Anyway, Schvartz had the house to herself - or so she thought. She heard a noise coming from the cellar. Curious, she picked the door -- father had always kept it locked - but Schvartz never met a lock she didn't try to open...When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw a large, but young female Tog, softly sobbing, with a chain on her ankle. Father's business. Which she didn't like, but never had seen the brutal reality of before. Speaking quietly, she found out that the tog, one Barzella - had been taken away from Knife Clan by the slavers, and that Schvartz's father was holding Barzella until a buyer could be found. In an act of what could have possibly been compassion - she had actually listened to the priest of Damaris when he had lectured her class on the protection of the young -- she decided - in about two seconds, that not only that slavery of this young Tog was wrong, but that she was actually in a position to change it. The chains that bound Barzella were locked with a lock unlike the others she was familiar with, but there was a chance --- the young Tog had told her that a diamond-jeweled lockpick which had been the only thing her father had left her mother -- the tog was being raised by her mother alone -- the father hadn't known about her -- had been taken when she was kidnapped. Schvartz know where her father kept his prized possessions. With the lockpick in hand - curiously engraved with diamonds with the single letter "K", Schvartz quickly had the young tog freed. Barzella said - you keep the lockpick, its bought me nothing but trouble. I am young though, and I want to learn how to fight back so that nobody can enslave me any more. Schvartzgonif said -- likely they'll take you in the barbarian guild. Barzella told her, "I owe you my freedom." The two young girls thus became friends for life from that moment. Quickly now though, go! Barzella headed to the Barbarian Guild. But, when Schvartz's father returned, Schvartz was still there.

MeirDasid saw the open cellar door. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" Schvartzgonif tried to explain... "Father, it isn't right to keep a young child ens..." but before she could get out another word, her father unhanded his whip. The one he used on the yaks and mules, although THEY were guild property he didn't use it much on Them... And struck Schvartz... "THIEF! you STOLE my PROPERTY!" knocked to the ground under the vicious onslaught of her father, he continued to rain blow after blow on the young s'kra. "I disinherit you! You will go BEG for your supper from now on, if you die of your wounds you are deserving of them! my PROPERTY! you STOLE!" Schvartz didn't answer. She couldn't. She was unconscious, and near death. "I WILL recover my property! Or get another one like it!" He know his own suppliers wouldn't be satisfied with any explanation, so he ran quickly to saddle up his mules to return to knife clan, stopping only at the trader guild to swear out a warrent against his former heir, Schvartzgonif - and to officially disinherit Schvartz from his family or assets.

Schvartz laid there for another day, until her mother returned home with the herbs... She saw the condition Schvartz was in, her husbands bloody whip laying alongside, and quickly came to the correct conclusion. She wouldn't have enough herbs for herself... and her own guildmates had told her the danger she would be in when she would go into labor without the herbs, at her age... But she couldn't leave her child Schvartz to die either. She used the herbs, and her own empathian skills to heal Schvartz, then leaving her, as the condition she saw her child in made her own labor come sooner, left the home without waiting for Schvartz to regain consciousness. She packed her a small sack though, and left her a note warning Schvartz not to return. She knew firsthand of MeirDasid's angry heart...She headed toward the empath guild where her firstborn daughter Rufiagonif would be... she needed what little help the young novice empath could provide... if her unborn child was to survive...

Schvartz awoke to see the note that warned her of her fathers anger, and not to return..... hardly believing what had happened, she was still ached from the beating -- to lose your whole life, for an action which had been made in kindness to a child? What sort of a god was Damaris? There was nobody to turn to for an answer. She could not go back to the Academy. They only wanted children whose parents could pay. She was disinherited, and there was a warrent for her arrest. She thought of Sir Beren - maybe he would understand, he spoke of all the holy gods, as well as being a holy warrior. But, when she came to the block of streets that led to the Paladin guild, the crowds were thick - NEWS! the guildleader had been replaced! There stood the young Darius - a paladin who's heart was pure, but he had no compassion. Not for someone with a warrent. And Schvartz had a warrent... Obviously not the traders guild. There his father had been quite influencial, and was very good friends with Imaar, the S'Kra guildleader. The magical guilds? not with the marks she had from the academy. maybe the barbarians? maybe... but there had to be a way to make a living without constantly killing things... and with a warrent, what could one do? She had no coins, only the lockpick, and the large sack...

She wandered the city... lost in its underbelly, walking up and down the dark alleys,day after day. Gradually memorizing them, but hungry... always hungry... And cold, so cold...

At her last resorts, she decided -" perhaps I could exchange this for one last meal,some stew perhaps... I want to have one good meal at least.... and then go drown myself in the selgotha. " So, she headed to the inn she had discovered in the "bad" part of town she now haunted... The Viper's Inn. There, she saw other S'kra, and togs, and took the lockpick out of the sack, and showed it to the owner, a curious sort of fellow, named Amfitro. "Can I exchange this for some stew?" "Where did You get thisss?" .... wait... tell both of us... together. He gestured to a nearby s'kra, who had a limp... the 3 of them went to the backroom, and Schvartzgonif told them her story. The whole thing, leaving out nothing. Question after question, although Amfitro left at one point and returned with a generous helping of stew. She continued, telling them things about her fathers business dealings as she understood them, the visitors her father had had for dinner, the classes in the academy, her lockpicking antics there... they seemed strangely amused by that... they seemed to want to know everything. Including the warrent. They told her... "there is someone we work for.. You might be able to stay with me for a little while. If you work out, you can go to work for Our boss. But you will have to leave the lockpick with us." You have the desire? You have the need? You have the hunger? the hunger in your very soul?" the questions were strange... "you will be tested".... she stayed with the s'kra with the limp for a few weeks, doing what she thought were very strange "odd jobs", but she did as she was told... then one day, he came to her... "I think you will work out. But you have to want to be something - within yourself --... something that your father despised... the word is spoken with contempt... but those who see the truth we know, do not hold it in scorn. It is time you meet the boss... you will have to ask about what is truely in your heart. What do you really want to be? And, who do YOU think that we are?"

they had been traveling, through sewers filled with silverfish... they left her alone with that question... she searched, but did not see them. She did, however, see a line of a door....