Crooked Crowns, and Twisted Baronies
Name: Medeia LeFonte
Nickname/Alias: Medeia LeFoe/Shadowsnake
Age: 20
Race: Human/High Elf hybrid
Height: 5'
Weight: 106 lbs
Occupation: Adept Thief
Personality: Energetic, hyper and talkative, Medeia will talk to just about anyone. Just... make sure your coinpurse and anything shiny are well out of reach of her sticky fingers. She remains very secretive of her past, and rarely will discuss anything of true impart with others, excluding Garron.
History: Born the illegitimate, half-human daughter of the baron of Tylmerande, Titus LeFonte, the first few years of Medeia's life were difficult and trying. Her mother was a servant in the Baron's own home, most likely the reason for Medeia's conception. Medeia's mother never told her daughter who her father was and it was never brought up in conversation while the Baron's wife still lived, but anyone could see that Medeia resembled her father in all aspects apart from height.
From the time she able to carry a basket, Medeia helped her mother with the chores, all the while suffering abuse at the hands of her half-siblings. It was not an uncommon sight to see Medeia plowing through the halls with an armful of bedding bigger than she was tall. She was an ideal worker, save for the fact that anything that caught her eye ended up stored beneath the boards below her bed. No one ever found that though, and other reasons were always blamed for the various disappearing things. Until the age of thirteen, Medeia lived in service to a father she never knew. After the death of the Baroness due to complications from a drawn-out illness, the Baron shocked all of Tylmerande by taking Medeia's mother as a second wife. Incredulous if for no other reason than she was a human, most of the upper class citizens were outraged. None were more furious than the Baron's other children themselves.
Perhaps the Baron did not think through his decisions thoroughly, or perhaps he just didn't care. Either way, he legitimized Medeia and made known that Medeia was his own flesh and blood. It was unknown what horrified the other siblings more: the fact that Medeia was their father's own blood, or that they were somehow related to a maid. The other three were satisfied with just making Medeia's life a living hell for the first couple of years. Teased and taunted, Medeia at first just took the verbal abuse. By and by, however, she started retorting back, and became quite well-known in her early adolescence for how sharp and quick her tongue was. Tutors were brought to her, and through one of these, she learned the Silvered Tongue. (That is a story for a later date, however.) Through it all, the only source of support and comfort came from a boy her own age, Garron Cadeyrn, a boy running from his own past. As Medeia grew older, she grew more handsome and learned all that a baron's daughter ought. She detested needlework and the finery of a woman's life, and missed the days she could run through the market dragging Garron behind her to practice throwing knives or shooting arrows into Madame Charletran's stuffies. She still did, as often as she could, anyway, but age and status bring little more than responsibility and propriety, both things which Medeia detested down to her bones. She still had an eye for pretty things, and she dipped her fingers into the pot every occasion she could get. The Baron doted on her, the child of he and his new bride, and this only fueled the jealousy of her "siblings".
She had resigned herself fairly well to this future, until she learned of her father's future plans for her. He planned to wed Medeia off to a neighboring lord, a man at least ten years her senior and famously foul-tempered. This was to broker a peace with the LeThroup's, who owned one of the larger pearl diving fleets in all of Tylmerande. Yet, with Garron's confession just the day prior, Medeia was livid. What good was finery and wealth, money and status, if she could not share it with the ones she loved? After a heated argument with her father, Medeia ran off, Garron in tow. Her siblings, jumping at the chance to knock Medeia from favor with their father, devised a scheme to steal an entire vessel belonging to the LeThroup's, holds laden with virgin pearls. Blame was pinned on Medeia, who with her history of nicking things a well-known thing, and word was spread throughout Tylmerande and the neighboring small harbors that she was to be caught at all costs and hanged along with her accomplice. (Garron) Not long after Medeia's death sentence was pronounced, Baron DeFoe passed away, most say because he could not live with the shame. Medeia's mother was thrown into the harbor prison, accused of orchestrating the theft with her daughter. With the death of the Baron, Tylmerande passed on to Medeia's siblings, and the middle and lower classes were subjected to their pettiness and cruelty. Currently, Medeia and Garron are constantly on the move, ducking guards and performing small chores and hits to earn a meal and a warm place to sleep for the night. However, Medeia is patient, (sort of), and awaits her chance to take revenge on her siblings, free her mother, and reclaim what she feels is her due.
Appearance: Medeia is a waif-like creature with dramatic features and searingly green, almond-shaped eyes. The left one is characterized by a crescent-shaped birthmark, with each half curving inward above and below the socket. Wisps of hair the color of warm molasses brush gently against slender shoulders. Full lips, never graced with any artificial pigment, usually keep to a lax pout. Normally, she dresses simply, if somewhat man-like. A leather curaiss is cinched over an intricately embossed breastplate, which merges with the cured leather pauldron on her left side via a series of gherkin straps. Leather, fingerless gloves adorn her deceptively slim arms, and she wears simple black leggings, featuring cross-stitches leather ornamentation down the outer curve of her legs. A worn pair of shoreman's boots crafted of highly polished black leather provide a soft step and secure footing. Her attire is completed by elbow guards, and a thick forest green serape, which is normally wound loosely about her neck, obscuring the lower half of her face from view.
Skills:
Master Lockpicker- There has never been a lock that Medeia couldn't tumble, pick or otherwise incapacitate. A trig ear, deft hands, and a determination only thwarted by her own short attention span make her one of the most capable thieves around.
Adept Archer- Medeia's aim is a thing of legend. On a clear day, she could shoot an apple from a tree bough thirty stones length away. (Aprroximately 80 ft.) The further out of range her target, obviously the less accurate her shot becomes.
Novice Bladeswoman- While it could definitely use improvement, Medeia's blade mastery is serviceable. Her true strength in blades lies within small throwing blades, however.
Abilities:
Shaded Footholds- Medeia has the ability to blend in with her surroundings, merging in with the shaded parts of an area. This ability does have its limitations, as the sudden introduction of bright light will reveal her with ease. She can keep herself shaded for only short periods of time, however, and she must allow herself to re-assimilate with the shade before she can again slip into its embrace.
Silver Tongue- Medeia could talk a mermaid into buying bottled water. Literally. With a penchant for words nurtured by time at her father's side, she is a well-versed player of the Castles. This form of compulsion makes her a valuable edition to any mission. Subtle suggestions from her lips influence most she comes in contact. The stronger the mental fortitude of her target, the less chance of success she has. In extreme circumstances, a talented psyche user could reflect her own spell back at her.
Equipment/Weapons:
Crossbow (Iron and yew composite)
Set of five throwing knives (Iron)
The Boddice-Ripper [a uniquely bladed dagger] (Iron composite)
