Shemelda Taridsdottir

Shemelda was born to a family of coopers running a small business in Cherafir supply the maritime trade. The family where originally from Ivinian, but have been settled in Cherafir for several generations. She was their fourth child with three older brothers and a younger sister and brother. Though loved by her parents, her elder brothers where seen to be the future of the family's business and they got all the attention. After she went her own way, her family largely forgot about her. Her eldest brother died when a barge capsized drowning him, so Tarend, the 2nd eldest (and a journeyman cooper) will take over the family franchise.

Description: She is tall, slim and a bit gawky with a light, delicate bone structure, which adds to her attractiveness. She does not have a very rounded figure and could easily pass herself of as a man, apart from her hair and face. Her eyes are pale grey and hold more than a hint of steel, she has a narrow face with prominent check bones, which is framed by her shoulder length wavy mid-brown hair.

Clothing: Her favoured clothing consists of a leaf green russet tunic, drawn in by a black studded leather belt, with deep blue worsted leggings, which she wears with black calf high boots. When on the streets or when her shop is open she wears a soft leather instead of her russet ones. When wet she wears a black silk lined (red) linen hooded cloak.

Equipment: From her belt hangs a money purse and a sheath for a dagger. The inside of her right boot has a sheath for two taburi daggers. Whilst on a mission or when expecting trouble she will often wear armour (see below), carry a shortsword in a fancy scabbard of a weapon belt, and normally have a small shoulder bag (most of her stuff is kept on a mule). All her equipment and clothing is made or has fittings of the highest quality tooled leather, which her way of advertising her business.

Shemelda is a quick thinker, able to hold her own in an argument. She has excellent memory which she puts to good use whilst on a 'mission'. She is not interested in magic, believing the Shek-Pvar are over-rated

Though generally even tempered, when Shemelda does loose her temper she does it in spectacular style lashing out (often with a knife) at anyone within range. Whether she should also be called a 'sexual deviant' is open to dispute, but she has no known partners (see background)

Shemelda would say that she was technically a member of the Naveh church, in practice she has only minimal contact. She does take care not to offend the church/god however

Most of the physical skills practised by Shemelda are those connected to her role as an assassin, in particular her climbing and stealth. She is moderately good a dipping, a skill she use to progress her job rather than for personal gain. Her most unusual skill is her dancing, which has all been learnt from sailors in the dockside taverns.

Though she has acting skill, this reflects her ability with disguise and assuming roles. She has never appeared on stage. Her lovecraft skill is again limited, in this case to seduction, which she is good at. She is, however, single with no known partners. She may even be a virgin (see background).

Shemelda's main craft skill, and guilded profession, is that of a hideworker. She is a clack (a specialist leatherworker who makes belts, straps, bags, etc) running a one woman workshop (see background). Her skills in metal and woodworking both where both started in childhood in her father's workshop. Her apprenticeship added her textile and alchemy skills along with her hideworking excellence. Foraging, survival, bow and tracking skills where developed during a long trek through central Harn, though tracking is the most practiced now. After joining the Slayer's Brotherhood (see background) she developed skills a number of skill. In particular her alchemy and lockcraft skills along with her physical ones. Her frequent brushes with the law and love of gemstones explain her last skills.

Shemelda is not a great one for combat, particularly in a fair fight. Her combat skills are with light weapons, but she has honed her skills to high levels with lots of practical use. Her principle hand-to-hand weapon is a dagger, unless she was expecting a fight when she use her gladius and a dagger (she does not use a shield). Her left handed fighting technique has thrown a lot of opponents.

She always has at least three taburi on her, her favourite ploy is to throw them at opponents before they engage with her (or preferably from somewhere where they can't engage with her). Her enjoyment of hunting lead to her developing her skills with a shortbow, however the Slayer's Brotherhood prefer the crossbow which she switched to with gusto (particularly with poisoned quarrels). Unless forced she'd never uses unarmed combat and will prefer to withdrawal rather than engage in melee combat

Shemelda normally wears a supple leather jerkin in town which provided adequate protection against randomly encountered thugs. When she is expecting combat she wears a ringmail Hauberk, over quilted cloth and wears soft leather leggings and a steel helmet. Normally she isn't wearing this, except if encountered on a 'mission'.

Shemelda was born the 4th child of a family of coopers in Cherafir. As a daughter and a young one at that she wasn't expected to have much to do with the family trade. Since her family where too poor to send her to church school, but wealthy enough not to need her labour, she was left to her own devices. She developed a tom-boy out look no doubt partially due to her boyish looks."

She took to hanging around in the neighbouring craft workshops and helping her father's (rather attractive, if the truth is told) journeyman in the cooper's shop. Though she learnt the very basics of woodworking and smithying, her real interest was in a nearby leatherworker, Gerak, who when she became old enough took her on as a apprentice.

The Hideworker guild was shocked by his choice, but since he was a senior master, his will was respected. She prospered under his tutelage and was a able and fast learner. Just before she was due to reach journeyman status, Gerak died and no other master was willing to take a woman on. She decided to seek her fortune in Kaldor, joining a group of like-minded youths.

This was the start of her 'adventuring career' during which time she trudged through central Harn, and into Rethem and Tharda earning a living as a small time trouble shooter and scout, and learning how to live rough. She found Tharda must more to her liking and settled in Coranan for a while, joining the Lia-Kavar for a while, but basically acting as a thief and swindler. She continued to take on small jobs out of town, often gaining the wrath of the local lord, due to a spite of deaths. However, most of the arrest warrants where for false names and she was careful never to go back."

Without going into details of those days, something she rarely discusses, she did become renown for two things, the first of which earned her the name Shemelda Mankiller. In combat, especially against a foe unable to defend himself, she took to aiming her dagger thrust for the lower abdomen / groin which became her trademark, and often proved fatally for her opponent.

Her second 'foible' was her way of gaining money when broke. Basically she took to letting wealthy looking men seduce her in taverns. When she left them their expectation of a good night in where to be dashed, often by use of a dagger. The victim was found the next, minus any valuables and his manhood. Discovering this was a good ploy she took to acting like an innocent 'girl' to attract victims. Her height was a disadvantage but she soon learnt how to get round that.

Warning: She still doesn't like people trying to pick her up in bars.

Having gone for one victim too many she was forced to leave Coranan, in fact Harn as a whole, and travelled to Eshaple (Shorkyne). There she quickly fell in with the Slayer's Brotherhood. For those of you who have not chanced to meet this organisation it is a loose federation of mercenaries, guards, assassins and adventurers. If you need someone dead or what to protection yourself from death they are the people to see. Her background in violent death along with her skills as a thief and alchemist where ideal for advancement. And advance she did until she became one of their top 'terminators'.

Seven years ago she desired to retire and using her accumulated wealth and a bit of string pulling by the Slayer's the Guild of Hideworkers was delighted to offer her a franchise. Shemelda runs a leatherworker's shop where she sales all manner of belts and bags she makes herself. the business as such is legitimate, but the majority of her customers aren't. Shemelda specialises in making equipment in leather for thieves and assassin which just can't be got elsewhere, such as false bottom bags, concealed sheaths and tool rolls. If it can be made she will make it.

Obviously she has close contacts with both the Lia-Kavar and the Slayer's. She acts as a tutor for the latter on occasion. The City Watch are aware that she isn't quite legit, but haven't proven anything. She is infrequently searched, but the watch has not found her hidden workshop and any suspicious artefacts are quickly lost by the local sergeant who knows more about the Slayer's than he should."

Shemelda doesn't need to work, she is independently wealthy with left with a local usurer, as well as a secret cache in the nearby forest. When ever she feels broke she takes on a assassination job ('to keep her hand in...').

Shemelda's home is above her workshop, which is located in one of the artisan areas of Eshaple, not far from the city's docks. Her nearest drinking house is the "Trident Tavern", but she is more often found in the Southgate Inn, Eshaple.

Shemelda can be most often found in her workshop. She does travel to Harn on assassination 'missions', often in disguise. She yearly visits Cherafir to see her family and to conduct business with a usurer their.

Since, in her various personas, she is wanted as a felon in many parts of Tharda and Rethem; and would be hung if either her Navehian connection or assassin occupation where know in most of Harn, she is careful to maintain her anonymity.

Physical attributes

Psychie

Physical skills

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Combat skills