JZASHEDRA - Character Background
For years, until she was 12, Alicia actually thought she was the youngest daughter
of Gretta and Foebin Tessin. For the most part, they gave her no reason to think otherwise. Perhaps they disciplined her a little more harshly than their other 3 daughters, but then again, she was at least twice as mischievous as the other 3 girls put together.Marjorie, Mathilda, and Mayfair treated her just like a sister,too. Foebin made a decent living for his family as a trader near the Ahznomahn coast. He was a moderate landowner and had a few servants to help his wife care for the place.
Then came the letter.
Marjorie, only 3 years older than Alicia, was stricken with a young man in the town close to their home. Alicia penned a note in Marjorie's handwriting and gave it to the young man, Aldus van Bergen, detailing all the things Marjorie had confided to Alicia that she would like to have Aldus do to her. She also included a time for Aldus to sneak into the Tessin household. Needless to say , more than one person suffered embarrassment and humiliation when the young man's presence in Marjorie's bedroom was discovered.
When Marjorie found out that Alicia had penned the note, she was furious. In order to hurt her in return , Marjorie let her know that at least she had a real family of her own. Not just some nice people who had agreed to care for a babe born to a servant girl, out of wedlock. Alicia was stunned. She asked Gretta if it was true, but the look on Gretta's face was all the answer she needed. What had been only mischief before accelerated to a new level. Always finding new tricks to pull on the 3 girls (mostly Marjorie), Alicia kept finding herself in trouble at home. She began slipping off from her studies, out into the woods, out to ride, wherever, and most especially into town. Always "finding" enough coins at home to keep the Magicians and jugglers and other entertainers glad to see her coming .Learning more and more from the street urchins and the shadier characters in town than from her studies, Alicia came up with a plan.
Shortly after her 15th birthday, she started making friends with the latest gypsy caravan to hit town. With her lithe, athletic build she talked them into taking her on to perform a gymnastics and tumbling show. One of the gypsies honed her talents and brought out more so that soon she was amazing the small crowds with her abilities to get out of locked boxes, manacles, and all manners of knots and contraptions. She convinces the gypsies to let her leave with them. They readily agreed but told her that she would have to buy her way into the act, of course. The plan blossomed further in her mind. Of course, kill 2 birds with one stone.
By this time, Aldus had since come into his birthright as a wealthy landowner's son and was attempting to court Marjorie again, despite the previous incident. Marjorie was playing hard to get and Alicia decided to use that to her advantage. Again imitating Marjorie's handwriting, Alicia left Aldus a note that "she" couldn't wait any longer to be with him. It further read, that "she" would sneak into his house in 3 nights time but for him not to come by between now and then, to keep her father's suspicions low. On that appointed night, Alicia snuck out of the Tessin home for the last time.
She stole one of their horses and rode to Aldus'. She crept into his house and his bed under cover of darkness, never letting on that she was not Marjorie. She sated his every whim, determined to ruin him for Marjorie. Once he fell asleep, exhausted, she began to search the house. She found a "safe" place in a drawer with a false bottom and removed the two small sacks of coins and scroll tube. She opened the tube to find a map or a drawing with characters she couldn't understand and a small silver key inside. Quietly, she let herself out and rode to meet the gypsies. Trying to put her painful past behind her as much as trying to make it difficult for Aldus and the Tessins to track her down, she decided a new life needed a new name. Thus between the setting of the moon and the rising of the sun, Jzashedra was re-born out of legend and into this world again.
Learning about being on her own already, she put her scroll tube in the bottom of her pack and tied the key up into and underneath her hair with a small strip of leather. The coins easily bought her way into the gypsy clan, so no one else had to know of her own swag for the night's work.
Jza joined the gypsies at just the right time. Their next stop, Zha-nehzmish at Grand Circus time. Here she learns of the University and it initiated into the thieves’ profession. One night while working a bazaar in the city after picking a few pockets she found herself bracketed by a couple of thugs. When she ducked away from them in an attempt to escape, she found out surrounded was a better word than bracketed. She was slapped and pushed into an alley and then sapped. When she awoke, she was in a darkened room where she was the only one not wearing a black and white mask and armband. She was told that since she was obviously a novice and not a veteran cutpurse trying to cheat the guild out of its due that they hadn’t cut her throat or at least dumped her raped and penniless and naked outside of town. Jza readily agreed that she was new to the life. Her captors proposed admission to their guild through initiation rite. How could she refuse? It would be a trial by fire of course. The tests: 1) In the bazaar tomorrow night she must pick 10 pockets without getting caught and have no more and no less than 57 coins (denomination doesn’t matter). Passing that: 2) she must be able to find the secret in at least 3 of 4 items presented to her. Passing that she must 3) free a guild member who is incarcerated in the city jail.
The following night the first test was going quite well. Jza was even managing to palm 2 coins per purse at the count site in case things got close later. This foresight probably saved her. The seventh purse was heavier than she had guessed and not even counting what she had palmed her count was 54. Over already! But only Jza knew this! Her mind raced. The probably knew she had been checking the tally sheet and thus knew she only had to bring 1 coin per theft for the remainder of the test. But what if they suspected she was holding extra out to make it appear she had the correct amount? What if they searched her? Then it struck her. Of course! Instead of stealing more, she would drop a few coins in the mark’s pocket each time and turn in only 1 coin each time, dropping all but 1 coin into the last mark’s pocket. She could make it work. And work it did. She was searched after the last turn in too, as she thought she would be. No honor (or trust) among thieves, after all. Some seemed impressed, some wanted her searched again, some seemed indifferent – more interested in their beer than the initiation.
Other called for the search test. So, they went to an old warehouse on the docks. The first item was easy. It was a desk and it had a drawer with a false bottom much like Aldus’. She had more than ½ of the sand left in the glass when she found it. The second search the told her was to be of the office that the desk was in. This proved harder. It was much larger an area to search for starters and you really didn’t know exactly what you were searching for. The glass was nearly ¾ empty before it dawned on her where she was and started searching the floor to find the secret trap door that led to the sewers and the ocean. She thought the third test would be easier than the first when she saw them bringing in a large chest. Even with a smaller sandglass for less time. How many secret places could there be in a chest right? Then she saw the padlock on the front and one of the thugs, a dwarf, lifting a key on string off the chest only to drop it inside his pocket. Laughing as he dusted his hands off. “Bet you don’t find this one girlie” he said as he patted the chest and went to sit down. Tougher, but still no problem after all she still had her tools. She went to work on the lock. She didn’t know if she would have enough time to search the chest thoroughly now even as small as it was. Sweat started to roll down the center of her back. Two bent picks later some one tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the empty glass. “Told you that you wouldn’t find that one girlie. Now you must find the last item’s secret. You may only have one failure.”
That chest was taken away and another brought and put in its place and the glass was turned to sand on top again. This one had no lock and she placed her hand on the lid immediately; ready to find its secret and find it fast to prove to herself and those watching that she was not a failure in spite of the last test. But something stayed her hand. Two chests in a row? And what could be simpler than searching chests? Was it her or was her pyramid growing warmer? Even with the sand running she decided to lover over the outside before proceeding; tapping here, tapping there, looking on the bottom. It seemed normal, if perhaps lightweight. It was fairly thin sounding poplar all over, except the back seemed heavier and probably oak. The top seemed thin poplar too. She stayed behind the chest and gave the top a very small amount of upward pressure. Even though it should have been enough to raise the top it didn’t. She decided to play out her hunch. She looked over at the dwarf who had told her she wouldn’t pass the third test and lifted the lid from behind. Even though she thought she was prepared for was to happen she still flinched as the short sword blade inside the chest was punched through the front of the chest by spring mechanism hooked to the lid. Now, more than a few were impressed. Several even came over to shake her hand and pat her on the back and welcome her into the guild. “But what about getting the man out of jail?” she asked. “A few bribes in the right place can arrange an escape far better than a rescue attempt and sword play with guards not on the pay roll girlie” says the dwarf. “And we paid most of that with what you made on your first test. Let me welcome you to the City Shadows as a member in good standing and let me introduce myself.
You may call me Kestarek and what may I call you?” She tells him that she goes by Jza short for Jzashedra. The dwarf raises his voice above the dim of the room and says “The first two rounds are on me at the Knotted New if the lady is drinking with me.” Jza nods and a roar goes up and many head out to take advantage of the dwarf’s generosity. Later on, after finding out that the dwarf is apparently immune to alcohol, Kestarek offers to walk Jza home. In the dark, he pulls out a band of black and white material and tells her to pull up her sleeve. He ties it around her arm and pulls her sleeve back down. He then tells her it is not for show, not for just anyone to see and know about but will identify her to other guilds in other areas. He also tells her, “Don’t worry about the chest. I’ve seen several initiations here and not one has solved Gorian’s chest. The masks are custom jobs, but you’ll only need it if you plan to attend an initiation or other formal guild business. Well I have other business to attend to before the sun comes up so good luck and well met.” Before she leaves the city, Jza has an image of the armband tattooed on her upper arm. The Grand Circus comes to its end when the Carnival King, wearing his mask and colorful clothes proclaims the week-long festivities to be closed and disappears in a flash of light.
Sitting in a bar on the outskirts of Zha-nehzmish, the capital of Ahznomahn, as she ponders the Carnival King’s exit a figure walks up to her table and asks in a quite voice if this seat is taken. She looks up to see a hooded man hidden inside a dark cloak. “Look”, she says, “the show is over and I am not for sale or for rent, so go away.” The last three words are punctuated by her placing a dagger on the table. “Calm down, young one,” he speaks as he reveals his face. The hood falls back to show a fine looking half-elven man. “I have a need to speak with you Alicia”. Her hand grips her rapier as she studies her opponent closer, all the calmness caused by the wine fades as her senses come alive. “Yes, Jzashedra, I know your real identity, but that is not why I have seek you out. Do you still have in your possession a key, a silver key?” “I have no idea what you are talking about,” she says. He sighs, “Look, I know you took a silver key from Aldus van Bergen and he offered me a lot of money if I would bring you back to him. But, I don’t give a **** about him or his money. I have a message to give to the key holder, do you have the key?” He asks has he held up an envelope. “Look, I am trying to relax, go away” He sighs again and holds out his hand; in an instant the key rips itself from her possession and into his hand. She springs to her feet and the rapier leaps out of her sheath. He looks at her smiling and says, “so, you do have a key and this message is for you, please sit down and listen.”
“A noble in a foreign land handed keys out to people over 50 years ago and upon his death he bequeathed everything he owned to the people in possession of the key. You, have in your possession a key, which makes you an heir. You have one year from this date to arrive at the West Wood Barons, next to the Kalasali Woods in the country of Kalamar. If you are not there at the designated time I will retrieve your key like I just did and you will not receive any of your inheritance. Do you understand?” Dumbly she shakes her head yes with a million questions running through her head. But before she can ask, with a pop of dispersed air, the half-elf disappears.
After the half-elf’s disappearance, Jza stares in disbelief at the space where he was until her hands make contact with the key, the envelope and the money pouches left on the table. She quickly puts them all away, picks up the bottle with the remainder of her wine and goes to her room. Not until the door’s locked does she open the map, the envelope, and pouches. “Never count your profits at the bargaining table” her da… Foebin Tessin always told her. . The envelope contains a map from Zha-nehzmish to the West Wood Barons, 100 GPs, and the following letter:
It is with great sorrow that I must inform you of the passing of Baron Paytro NcMoren. You are invited to the reading of his will at the town of Weston. You will find directions and traveling money with this letter. If you are not on time your inheritance will be forfeit and be split among the others present. In addition to the note explaining about NeMoren there are a few small maps. She would easily recognize the one of Ahznomahn even without the Merchant’s speak letters labeling much of it. The others, she is glad, are labeled as well.
Though she has heard of Reanaaria Bay and Kalamar, heard much in fact, she knows she would not have recognized them just from their topography. In fact she only recognizes two other names – Whimdol and Elos Bay – out of the set of maps. Both are from Tessin’s background in trading. She wonders if the Watcher might have started out in a manner as simple as this, as she toys with his symbolic charm around her neck – the pyramid with an eye inside its apex. She decides to go to the University tomorrow before she and the gypsies move on to the mainland.
After arriving at the University she asks to see one of their learned men. The man at the desk asks her in reference to what subject. She says “A man named Baron Paytro NeMoren and a town called Weston or a place called Kalasali Woods.” The man leaves the atrium for a short while and then returns and asks Jza to follow him. He leads her back through the hallways to a door with “A’skerba – History and Geography” lettered beautifully in calligraphy upon it. She knocks. “Enter” creaks a deep but disused voice. Jza goes in. A spindly old man, bald on top but the hair that is there hanging to the middle of his back, looks up from the tumult that is his desk to her. “Yes?” he inquires. “I have come looking to trade coin for knowledge of a person and two places not near here, “ she states. “Well, I can assure you I have not always been here in this room, young missy,” he says. “Ask your questions and I’ll tell you how much coin it will cost you.” “I want to know about a man named Baron Paytro NcMoren, and about Kalasali Woods and a town called Weston oh sagacious one, “ she replies. “I don’t think you can afford my research fees so I’ll tell you what I remember right now for a gold piece, lunch and keeping an old man company this afternoon.” She grasps his hand in hers and pats his knee, “If only others could be half as kind as you are, sir! What would you like for you meal so that I might run and fetch it before you change your mind for I know I have come out on the good end of the bargain.” She passes the afternoon with the old man, making him feel good by entertaining him with stories. The old man keeps his end of the bargain as well, relating to her what he knows of the Baron and of the Kalasali Woods and of Weston. He rolls out her map across a desk, pointing out a Weston neighbor – a town called Salireta. He points to Weston, explaining that what is marked on the map is probably the old limits of the city, since Weston is said to be home to only 70-80 people now. “What happened?” she asks, the Watcher asserting himself. It is said to be under a curse. Jza tells him she will be back in 10 months or so to see what else he has found out.
The gypsies and Jza move on to the mainland and Ozhvinmish. The caravan first stops at Nenehi for two weeks. Then they move on to Svomnahni, probably the largest city in all of Svimohzia. In her two weeks here, Jza learns of the large thieves’ guild located there and how they and the pirates co-exist profitably. Traveling westward, they reach Anowhizh and finally Ashoshani, the capitol of Ozhvinmish, and home of King Shahn III. She learns of a vast tomb works, resting place for over 200 kings and royalty. The temptation was high. She could hear Risk almost demanding she try it but the six-dozen black and silver clad guards in real Plate armor and their cleric support made her decide discretion is the better part of valor. From Ashoshani, they travel nearly a month to the capitol of Meznamish, Monam-ahnozh. Monam-ahnozh is roughly the size of Ashoshani and is home to King Warven II and about 2000 dwarfs. It is also as far west as they will travel since the hobgoblin kingdom of Ul-karg lies west.
From there, they turn southeast and go through the Tanezh Mountains to enter Zazhni. The first stop is to be Zhanohven. Here is Zazahni. There is no central government like the Parliament of Ahznomahn or King like in Meznahish or Ozhvinmish. A duke, each of who sets his own law, rules each section of land. From there, southwest to Zenshahn, next to the Nohven Jungle. Here she meets with the Dark Omen guild. A strange guild really. Their only enterprise is black marketeering. After their two weeks there, the gypsies travel the jungle border for two weeks until they get to Emosvom. By now her Fhokki has become quite polished from her continued practice with the big Lummox. After their stay here, the cross the Izhoven River by ferry since there are no bridges to get to Wimish some four days to the north. After that they continue north to Svomwhi for two weeks. Then they turn east and head back into Ozhvinmish to Zomo-wim. Then they head back through Ahznomahn back to Zha-nehzmish.
Once in the city, Jza goes to the City Shadows and tells the guildmaster that she would like to see Gordian’s chest that night. “What for?,” he asks. I think I know its secret she tells him. She meets him at the same warehouse along with several other members who had heard she was going to try Gordians chest again. Jza walks right up to the chest, hands him the key which was still hanging by its cord and pulls prybar from under her coat. Struck dumb in surprise, he can say nothing before she is under the hasp and loud shrills of protest shriek throughout the warehouse. They stare in amazement as she uses the bar to pry the hasp, lock and all, completely off the chest. She hands it and the bar to him and starts to walk out . He says, “Aren’t you even going to look for the secret compartment after that?” She stops and turns to face them. “I don’t think I need to look in it to find it ,” she says.”Try the key in the lock.” He does as she asks and even though there are sounds as if the tumblers are opening the lock doesn’t yeild no matter how many times he turns the key. She smiles and turns to go again just to have him call to her again, asking who told her, and how did she know and such things like that. “Some problems just can’t be solved with just skill and finesse,” she says, “so that only leaves force.” That having been said, she turns and does leave this time, a smile on her face as she listens to the excited discussion her actions just sparked.
Now, after about ten months on the road, it is time to check in with the sage again and get ready to go to Kalamar. What had once represented rebellion and freedom now seems as restrictive as her schoolgirl classes. A little more drinking and debauchery and changing scenery perhaps, but still too orderly for her. Almost stifling in its routine. Shows at certain times, so many shows a day, blah, blah, blah. So Jzashedra slips off again. This time away from the gypsies instead of to them. She has learned much with them and from them, including the ways of the Watcher and those of Risk but it is time to move on. Time to travel and learn on her own.
After visiting the sage, Jza books her passage on a galley sailing for Bet-Kalamar and returns to her room to prepare for the trip. Jza, though normally her rooms look like a whirlwind has struck them, is meticulous about anything concerning travel. So she organizes, picks up and packs everything tonight that she will take with her tomorrow. She will rise early, eat a breakfast of fresh meat, soft bread, and honey here at the inn before beginning her journey.
After spending a week puking over the rail they finally sight land. Jza goes from the ship to an inn and books the night and stables her horse. It is, she thinks, the most restful night of her life. She even regains her appetite by the morning. She gets her horse and starts out for Salireta and Weston and the Kalasali Woods.
