Ilya_BG

You have experienced the underbelly of society and the outskirts of the law. You have spent a lot of time among petty and less patty criminals, and have a lot of insight in  the criminal underworld. You’re far closer than most people to the world of murder, theft, and violence that pervades the underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society.

 

Ilya was found in what passes for wilderness in the city, at the edges of PudaBest where the [fantasy equivalent of various Roma peoples] live. Notoriously apart-but-not-separate from the city council, the area is poor, somewhat self governing, and proud of its (considered backwards by some) traditions and culture. Whereas in the rest of the city, Tieflings or Tiefling adjacent such as Ilya have become more accepted- mainly due to their magical prowess and capacity for water cleaning- in the areas further from the center, old prejudices and superstitions still reign. While Tieflings are no longer killed on sight, people still often feel uncomfortable around them, consider them omens for bad things to come, perhaps cursed, in spite of their ability to purify water, perhaps the most valued skill a citizen can have. So when Ilya is found here, among these people, her life could have gone two ways. She could have been taken in by people who feared her, who did not understand her, where she came from, her natural inclinations- who would abuse her emotionally, not knowing any better, not considering themselves wrong. Or, she could have been brought to the city- not to live in splendour, certainly, but to live a comfortable life as a slave to a system that would’ve squeezed her magic to the very last drop, that would ensure she knows she is not a person, an individual, that her soul means nothing, but that she is first and foremost a very very valuable tool. As one might expect from an adventurer- of course, neither of these things happened. Instead Ilya was found by an exceptional eccentric, a woman named Karacsony Eszter. Eszter, Eszti for short, had the most brilliantly sharp mind, and ran an Arcana store in the shitty part of town, right where all the [fantasy Romani] lived. An inbetween, half-thing herself, neither here nor there, the human Eszti was born of a [fantasy Romani] father and an exiled [fantasy Gadji] mother. Neither [fantasy Romani] nor [fantasy Gadji], Eszti walked the line between two cultures, fitting in nowhere and yet everywhere. Clever and enterprising, Eszti escaped the poverty of her parental home to start a modest Arcana store combining the common knowledges and products with that of [fantasy Romani] tradition and the Arcana knowledges of other minority cultures. She set up a broad network of people from all kinds of enclaves throughout the city, not only to gain their clientele but to gain their trust, and more importantly, their knowledge. Being an in-betweener, and growing up (though as a partial outsider) in the poor side of town with the [fantasy Romani] who had their own sense of right and wrong, she, like many of the downtrodden of the city, had a healthy suspicion of the city’s governing powers. So it was Eszter who found Ilya, and Eszter who did not fear Ilya’s heritage but rather felt her fate resonate painfully, thinking of her own in-between childhood and life. Eszter took Ilya on as her ward, and taught her everything she knew; kept her in the back of the store, or behind the counter- she did not particularly hide her from the clientele, but didn’t encourage her to socialize either. Only when the rare, more wealthy customer from the old inner city came to the store, or any customer that Eszti didn’t know from Eve and trusted inherently, she told Ilya to stay in the back and entertain herself quietly, to only come out when Eszti told her it was safe to do so. Eszti encouraged Ilya to use her inherent magic to quietly purify extra water for them and the community around them- because as we all know, even fantasy governments are corrupt, and somehow the people in the outskirts of town were considered to need less clean water than those in the inner city by the water board. So Ilya grew up with a guardian who loved her in her own way, in a community that feared her but that was itself also feared and therefore closed ranks around the half [fantasy Gadji] woman and her demon ward. This is how Ilya was protected from the scarier parts of the city- scary not to the civilised elite, but scary to the underbelly of the city, who didn’t belong in the center, surrounded by people who didn’t understand them and considered them the dregs of society. Fairly isolated, mistrustful of the authorities and mistrusted by her close community, Ilya grew up from isolated and lonely child into an isolated and lonely teen. Shunned by her peers, she turned towards the next best thing- the smorgasbord of vermin and non-humanoid city dwellers; pigeons, cockroaches, rats, mice, bats, you name it. Like her, they were part of the city, and like her, they were mistrusted by the society they lived among. Noticing her interest in urban wildlife, Eszti found a way to nurture Ilya's individual interests, and help her develop in her own way, beyond everything Eszti alone could teach her. There was one [fantasy Romani] woman who was old, and strong, and unafraid, and not set in the old ways as much as some of the younger, radical members of the community. This woman was a druid, had learned the ancient craft and traditions from and old woman when she herself had been young, who in turn had learned the craft from an old woman when she had been young, and so on and so on. It was to this woman that Ilya was sent, to learn the old old [fantasy Romani] ways of interacting with nature. She begrudgingly respects this mentor, who besides her guardian is the wisest, and possibly most frustrating, person Ilya has ever known. A few months ago, Eszti suddenly turned very, very ill. None of the healers and wise persons in the community could figure out what happened, and not even Arcana could save her. Eszti died, much too young at fifty something. In her last moments, she told Ilya she was proud of her, and that Ilya is made up of the best parts of Eszti. It dawned on Ilya pretty quickly that she was not able to keep the store running, and that she really wasn't capable of keeping herself out of the government's reach. Whereas, out of respect for Eszti, the community had been willing to hide her away for more than 20 years of her life, with Eszti gone Ilya knew a clock started ticking, and the time until the community with it's wary eyes turned against her was coming closer and closer. Briefly she considered running, living among the plants and wastes at the outskirts of the city, but her consideration was only brief. She knew there was only one future for her now. She packed everything of value from the shop, and everything of emotional value that belonged to her and her guardian, said goodbye to her Druid mentor, and set off to the nearest government office. There she was immediately enrolled as a water purifying agent, and moved to the city center. She doesn't enjoy her new digs, particularly, doesn't consider her work furfulling (although she does it dutifully), and she now has a social standing among people she feels revulsion towards. She hasn't made any friends yet, although she does have a rapport with some of her colleagues, in particular the other Tieflings in the service- before joining the service she had never even seen anyone like her.

 

Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Stealth

Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set, thieves’ tools

Equipment: A crowbar, a set of dark common clothes including a hood, and a pouch containing 15 gp

Suggested Characteristics

Criminals might seem like villains on the surface, and many of them are villainous to the core. But some have an abundance of endearing, if not redeeming, characteristics. There might be honor among thieves, but criminals rarely show any respect for law or authority.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I always have a plan for what to do when things go wrong.
2	I am always calm, no matter what the situation. I never raise my voice or let my emotions control me.
3	The first thing I do in a new place is note the locations of everything valuable—or where such things could be hidden.
4	I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy.
5	I am incredibly slow to trust. Those who seem the fairest often have the most to hide.
6	I don’t pay attention to the risks in a situation. Never tell me the odds.
7	The best way to get me to do something is to tell me I can’t do it.
8	I blow up at the slightest insult.

d6	Ideal
1	Honor. I don’t steal from others in the trade. (Lawful)
2	Freedom. Chains are meant to be broken, as are those who would forge them. (Chaotic)
3	Charity. I steal from the wealthy so that I can help people in need. (Good)
4	Greed. I will do whatever it takes to become wealthy. (Evil)
5	People. I’m loyal to my friends, not to any ideals, and everyone else can take a trip down the Styx for all I care. (Neutral)
6	Redemption. There’s a spark of good in everyone. (Good)

d6	Bond
1	I’m trying to pay off an old debt I owe to a generous benefactor.
2	My ill-gotten gains go to support my family.
3	Something important was taken from me, and I aim to steal it back.
4	I will become the greatest thief that ever lived.
5	I’m guilty of a terrible crime. I hope I can redeem myself for it.
6	Someone I loved died because of a mistake I made. That will never happen again.

d6	Flaw
1	When I see something valuable, I can’t think about anything but how to steal it.
2	When faced with a choice between money and my friends, I usually choose the money.
3	If there’s a plan, I’ll forget it. If I don’t forget it, I’ll ignore it.
4	I have a “tell” that reveals when I’m lying.
5	I turn tail and run when things look bad.
6	An innocent person is in prison for a crime that I committed. I’m okay with that.