'Don't we all have dreams? Why should mine be any less important than yours?'
Name
Alaine Florence Rivers
"Alaine, pronounced 'Ah-Layne', means 'precious', a rather inappropriate meaning for myself, I have always thought."
Nickname
Ally
"Ally Rivers, at your service."
Age
Twenty-Eight
Sexuality
Heterosexual
"Although I have been known to seduce women, it's all part of the job."
Species
Human
Occupation
Talented Thief, Ruthless Robber
Leader of The Triad Gang
"Rather deficient in numbers at the present time."
'The things that make me tick.'
Money \\ Trickery \\ Good Food \\ Dogs \\ Stormy Nights \\ Crickets \\ Lazy Summer Days \\ Acting \\ Successful Plans \\ Ridiculously Wealthy and Stupid Individuals "All the better to trick them out of their fortune." \\ Lying \\ Cheating \\ Her Gang \\ Knives \\ Daggers \\ Archery \\ Horses \\ Horse Riding \\ Freshly Baked Bread \\ The Five-Fingered Discount \\ Rings \\ Jewellery \\ Winning \\ Theatre Plays \\ Heights \\ Jokes \\ Sarcasm \\ Beer
Dislikes
Getting Caught \\ Taking Orders \\ Ridiculously Wealthy and Smart Individuals \\ Failed Plans \\ Two-handed Weapons \\ Betrayal "Although in my line of work, it's to be expected." \\ Mice \\ Drowning \\ Snakes \\ Being Restricted \\ Feeling Vulnerable \\ Not Being Armed \\ Mould \\ Gambling \\ Being Treated Condescendingly \\ Sexism \\ Being Underestimated "Although I will use that to my advantage." \\ Unnecessary Killing \\ Marius La'fore \\ Hangovers \\ Whining \\ Heavy Handed Guards \\ Dungeons
Hobbies
Horse Riding \\ Whenever Ally needs to think or relax she will take her horse for a ride. She has always found riding is a good way to process her thoughts, not to mention the enjoyment she gets from galloping.
Slight of Hand \\ Whether pulling coins out of children's ears or taking goods with the twirl of a hand, Ally loves practising and using slight of hand tricks.
Fears
Drowning \\ Ally can swim and does when needed, but she isn't a particularly strong swimmer and fears being dragged under and drowning.
Snakes \\ Ally cannot stand snakes and often freezes, like a deer caught in the open, when confronted by the slithering creatures.
Losing Control of Her Body \\ Whether through magical means or old age, Ally fears not being able to control her body. It's the one thing in her life that has never let her down and she doesn't look forward to the day when it might weaken.
'Weaknesses only restrict a person who doesn't know how to master them.'
Thievery \\ It goes without saying that Ally is skilled at separating a man from his belongings. Whether it be pick-pocketing, highway hold-ups or (her personal favourite) elaborate schemes, she is generally able to come away unscathed and in possession of riches previously held by someone else. Lock picking, sticky fingers, slight of hand etc are all skills she has mastered over the years and talents that she will use to her advantage.
Stealth \\ Naturally, a thief must be quiet and all but invisible. Ally can move through the shadows without a single soul hearing or seeing her. She knows how to move to allow her to pass silently, whether in cobbled streets or a leaf covered forest. It comes in handy when stalking a target or breaking into places she isn't meant to be.
Agile \\ While Ally may not have the strength of a warrior, she is instead agile and quick. Light on her feet and with excellent stamina, she can keep up a pace that a heavier, stronger opponent might not be able to sustain. Her agility also helps her when climbing or when needing to make a quick getaway across roofs and through crowded streets.
Acting \\ It takes skill to gain the trust of your victims and if a con calls for Ally to play a particular part she will. She can act the noblewoman, dancing and curtseying as if she were born to it, or she can act a street urchin, a priestess and so forth. She's a talented liar, able to weave stories and not get caught in the act.
Horse Riding \\ Ally has always had a love of horses and whenever she has spare time she will happily take her horse for a ride. She is a fairly talented rider and has little trouble riding bare back.
Long Term Planning \\ Thievery isn't simply sticking the pointy end in your victim and running off with their stuff. The big pay-offs come from observing and patiently waiting for the right time to strike. It might take several weeks of small moves to finally put you in a position to pounce, and that is where Ally has always shone. She is always two steps ahead of her opponent, anticipating their next moves as she sets up her own.
Fighting \\ Ally wasn't the leader of the Triads for ten years for nothing. Throughout her rein she was challenged by countless upstarts and each time she defeated them with her trusted knives. She would rather tackle a battle side on than rushing in face first, her fighting style reflects that. She is as deadly with a pair of knives in her hands as any knight with a sword, more so because she isn't afraid to use whatever dirty trick she knows to gain the advantage. She's also a challenge for anyone without her trusted knives, her hand-to-hand combat just as good.
Marksmanship \\ Ally isn't a particularly brilliant archer, she has been bested many times. However, she is consistent. She can hit a target, moving or stationary, and has no problem shooting from horse back. Given time her archery skills have the potential to reach the level of grace she has with knives.
Greedy \\ Rather self-explanatory, Ally likes riches. She likes jewels, gold, silver and so on. Although she prides herself on her planning, sometimes her sticky fingers can get the better of her and her better judgement.
Sword Fighting \\ "What thief in their right mind would lug a sword around when knives are so much easier to conceal?" Having focused all her attention on fighting hand-to-hand and with knives, Ally is therefore rather hopeless when it comes to sword fighting. She knows the basics, but anyone with a hint of training would be able to best her in a sword fight. Needless to say she rarely lets herself be backed into such situations.
Strength \\ Where others might be able to rely on brute strength to get them out of a situation, Ally must rely on her wits, quick reflexes and sneaky tricks. She isn't strong enough to simply punch her way out of a situation. She's rarely seen this as a problem as her appearance often makes her opponents underestimate her to their lose, but should she find herself relying solely on her strength she would be in trouble.
Swimming \\ Swimming was never something that interested Ally and as a result she has only recently learnt to swim. She can swim slowly for short distances, but struggles with anything else. It is one of the few situations where she will lose her head, becoming distressed quickly if she feels out of her depth. It is something that she's working to improve.
Selfish \\ There is no way that Ally would have made it as far as she did if she put others before herself. In her eyes only the smartest survive, and if that means saving yourself at the expense of others then so be it. She might be able to work well in teams, but when it comes down to it, she'll save her own skin before anything else.
Trust Issues \\ Ally has trouble putting her trust in others. While she may allow others to help her and befriend her, it is a rare person indeed who earns her trust. While this guards her from opening herself up to harsh betrayals, it also closes her off from forming lasting, strong relationships. Perhaps in time she will learn that there are those worth trusting, but for now she will guard herself.
Wilderness \\ Ally is at heart a city girl. While she has some basic knowledge of the wilderness and some skill at hunting, she would be severely disadvantaged in a competition of survival. She can only recognise some plants (mainly those used for poisons or curatives taught to her by her brother), and perform basic tasks such as making a fire, preparing food and so on. If it came to tracking animals or people she would be way out of her depth.
Weapons \\ Twins daggers ideal for stabbing and slicing. These sit in sheaths strapped to her back. A collection of flat-bladed knives of various sizes that usually rest hidden under her clothes. All are within easy access and can be used as throwing knives or in close quarters fighting if she loses a dagger. Finally a small recurve bow used more often when she is on horseback.
Clothing \\ Ally has one pairs of pants, a pair of leggings, a tunic, a pair of leather boots and a warm, dark green cloak. She has a plain dress stored, although she prefers not to wear dresses.
Other Possessions \\ Ally managed to find a relatively decent set of lock-picks after her release from the dungeons. She keeps most of them stashed in her saddle bags with one tucked up her sleeve in case of emergencies.
Extras \\ Ally rides horseback having borrowed a mount from the royal stables. She has named her horse Trouble. Naturally she carries the necessary items to care for her horse. As yet her saddle bags do not hold anything illegally acquired, apart from the food filched from the kitchens.
'Life has made me what I am today.'
[Calculating, Sarcastic, Ambitious, Patient, Selfish, Cunning, Intuitive]
Ambitious, talented and cunning, Alaine has never been one to let life's road blocks slow her down. She has always looked toward the future, waiting for opportunities to present themselves and, when none do, happily making her own.
Ally isn't someone who'll talk your ear off. She isn't shy or reserved, she just doesn't see the need that some people have to constantly talk just for the sake of it. Rather she will watch and speak when she feels her words would be most valued. The odd sarcastic quip isn't rare, but largely she will keep her words to herself unless she can see some advantage to speaking them. When she used to hold court for her gang it was most common to find her sitting and listening to what everyone had to say before weighing in herself. While many might consider this as a way of allowing everyone an equal chance to speak, it is rather a chance for Ally to weigh up the disadvantages and advantages of each option. By allowing others to speak first she can gather whatever information they might have and then put it to use herself. She is extremely calculating in this way, always reading people and striving to make the decision that will suit her the best. Ally is fairly good at reading people. She can tell the marks of a liar, notice the increased sweating of a nervous man and see the tell tale signs of a potential suitor. She needs to be able to read people in her line of work and, when her eyes fail her she will use her intuition to guide her. Her gut has rarely let her down and she has learnt to listen to it over her life time. Ally isn't particularly religious or superstitious, but if she has a bad feeling about something she will proceed with the utmost caution.
Having grown up in the city slums, surrounded by criminals, it's no wonder that Ally finds it difficult to put her trust in others. She herself has played the game often, making someone trust her, gaining what she needs from them before stabbing them in the back, literally or figuratively. Until she is absolutely sure of someone's loyalty she will guard herself well, physically, mentally and emotionally. Many of her associates barely scratch the surface of Ally's personality. Only a select few have ever earned her trust, her brother Hugo and a number of her gang. For these few they are treated to the unabridged version of Alaine Rivers. They are people that she truly considers friends and, short of sacrificing her own life, she would do almost anything for them. Of course, with her friends she can be a lot much more talkative and relaxed than she is normally. After a successful grab she and her gang would frequent the local pub where she would happily laugh and joke with her gang members. She has a sarcastic, casual sense of humour. She isn't afraid to turn her humour on others, often using jokes as thinly veiled insults to those who have displeased her.
Ally has always believed that a woman's body is her own to do with as she will. She has never been shy about taking lovers, but like her criteria for friends if it's a proper relationship they must earn her trust and respect first. Needless to say she has only had a handful of proper relationships throughout her life time and they have all generally ended when she grew bored with the lover. That isn't to say that she rarely gains the interest of the opposite sex, or even her own. She has never been in short supply of suitors. One night stands or brief trysts are not uncommon for the thief, although she refuses to sleep with anyone in dire need of bathing. Many would be suitors are only interested in conquering the Triad Leader, seeing her as a prize to be won. These individuals have lessened over time, particularly after she made an example of one boasting man by cutting off his privates and stringing them around his neck.
As the leader of the Triad gang, Ally is used to doing what she wants, when she wants. Authority figures, be they city guards, judges or even royalty, hold little sway over her. Ally feels no awe towards the nobles, no respect for law enforcers and no interest in scraping and grovelling at the King's feet. If it suits her she will make deals with them, but in the end she will only agree because the situation favours her. She dislikes taking orders from others, particularly those who she thinks are insignificant idiots. If it suits her she will put herself in someone else's power, taking their orders and so forth. But that will only occur if she there are advantages in the situation for her. A prime example would be the current quest for the Queen. Ally could care less about the Queen's safety, but she has agreed to join the group of seekers because of the promise of treasure at the end, not to mention the royal pardon that got her out of the dungeons.
As would be expected from the leader of Halcoin's most vicious gang, Ally is cunning. Deceit and trickery come easily to the woman and she thrives in situations where she can put it to use. She will lie to get what she wants, intimidate where it's needed and threaten or blackmail too. She is a thief after all, honesty and abiding by the law are hardly qualities she values or possesses. She is also a talented planner, often seeing the whole picture where others only see their next step. In this way she has been able to lay careful plans to bring about large profits for her and her gang. She is also patient, a virtue that she has always valued highly. Given patience she has been able to implement artful schemes, bigger and better than any rushed into. Patience allows her to carefully weigh situations, alter portions of the plan that need it and prepare for every circumstance. She isn't scared to spend weeks staking out a potential targets home, or to carefully watch an enemy gang's schedule. When battling rival gangs she had a talent for creating devious deceptions, aimed at distracting their opponents while the Triads swiftly stuck.
Many people have called Ally ruthless. Certainly, she has killed her fair share of opponents, but she has always seen it as survival of the fittest. If it has to be her or the other guy, she'll use whatever advantage she has to make sure it's the other guy. She has no honour code, if an opponent is unarmed she won't hesitate to strike, nor if they have their back to her. In her mind someone stupid enough to make such a simple mistake doesn't deserve any sympathy. Besides, she would expect her opponent to take advantage of her if she made the same mistake. While some might go on about honour and a decent fight, Ally has one thing to say to them: in the cut-throat underbelly of the city, you take what you can get.
'My life and choices are my own, I do not regret a thing.'
Life has not always been easy for Alaine Rivers. She was the sixth child born to Lenore and Frederick Rivers, Halcion farmers who spent all day working to earn enough to feed and house their large family. By the time Ally was born things had already started to go downhill for the farm. Two years of draught and an invasion of pests had all but nailed the lid on the family's fortunes. With nothing further to offer they sold their farm and moved to the capital where they joined the countless others who lived day to day in the dirty streets below the nobles.
While Ally may have been born on a farm, it was the city that brought her up. From the time she could walk she was always up and wondering, trying to explore the sounds and smells that drifted into their tiny living quarters. It was the job of her brother Tomas to watch her, but Tomas, with all the self-importance of an eleven year old, would always pass her off to a younger sibling or a neighbouring child. It was a wonder that Ally made it through childhood without being kidnapped or killed. Tomas' inattention usually ended with Ally wondering off down the street, a gleaming trinket having caught her eye.
Some people are pushed into thievery while others are born to it. Ally was born to it. It wasn't rare for her mother to find her playing with a neighbour's toy, or fiddling with a trinket she'd taken from the markets. At such a young age she couldn't be blamed for not understanding that stealing was wrong, her mother tried to drill it into her, but Ally never seemed to listen. Besides, her mother had five other children to think of and more often than not Ally wasn't the only one getting into trouble. Her eldest brother, Ethan, worked with their father at the docks. Only instead of putting the money towards family needs he would lose it all on gambling. Marian enjoyed fooling around with the neighbourhood boys and, on becoming pregnant at the age of fourteen out of wedlock, was kicked out of the home and went on to become a prostitute. Winnie ran off a scribe and was never heard of again, while Tomas fell in with a small gang of adolescent thieves. In fact the only sibling of Ally's that took an honest living was the sibling closest in age to her. Hugo, always the smart and honest one, became a doctor (a profession that has proved incredibly useful to Ally on more than one occasion.)
By the time Ally was seven she could already pick the pocket of any unsuspecting passer-by. She would regularly tag along with Tomas and from him and his friends learnt many handy tricks to unburden someone of their money bag. Of course, the small gang had little ambition. Their main target was anyone who wondered into their part of the city with a clinking money bag and a careless attitude. Their preferred method was distraction, sending in one of their own to distract while another member stole their coins. It soon became apparent to the group that Ally wasn't just good at this, she was brilliant. She could tease and distract even the most observant people. As she grew, her skill did too, not to mention her ambition. No longer happy to follow her brother, Ally began to offer suggestions of her own. She took it slow, but eventually the small gang came to rely on Ally to lead them. Her brother might not have been happy with the change in power, but he could hardly deny the success the gang was met with.
Of course, as Ally led the small group into bigger and better grabs, they drew more attention from both the authorities and other interested parties. It was at the age of twelve, while conning a pair of noble ladies out of their money, that Ally was confronted by the then leader of the Triads. Nicholas King was in his late twenties and had headed the infamous gang for twelve years. He had heard rumours of Ally's little gang and, on observing them in secret, found that Ally had a particular talent. Seeing the potential and the profit to be made from her skills he approached her and offered a deal, to join him in the Triads where he would teach her everything he knew.
Ally was never particularly sentimental and seeing the potential in King's offer she was quick to accept, saying goodbye to her little gang with little or no regrets. What followed was an eye opener. Ally was not only taught the finer points of theft, but many other things besides. She was taught to fight, something she had thought she was already relatively good at, but the messy street fighting she had learnt in back alleys was nothing compared to the graceful and deadly fighting that King taught her. That wasn't all, she was taught to read and write, how to balance money, how to dress and behave like a lady, how to dance, ride a horse and so on. In short King was teaching her to fit into any level of society. This would allow her to move amongst the nobles or the merchants, drawing no suspicion while working them out of their valuables. Where others might have given the hard work up as too difficult, Ally understood that this would ultimately help her. She picked up most ideas quickly and soon enough moved from being King's young prodigy to a valued member of the group.
The first time Ally killed someone was during her second mission with the Triads. They were targeting a wealthy merchant who had made the mistake of boasting about a large trade at a local pub. Ally, only thirteen at the time was simply meant to act as a look out, a job that wouldn't have seen her see any action had the plan not gone askew. The Triads ended up fighting for the goods and one cowardly man from the merchant's party, decided to run for his life. When he ran into Ally he barely paused to take her in, thinking the small girl as not much of a risk. That was his fist mistake. Ally pounced, slashing with her knives as the man rushed towards her. The first cut harmlessly through his thick shirt while the second found muscle in his arm. His second mistake was to turn his back on Ally as he tried to run away. She didn't hesitate to stab him in the back, ending his life without a second thought. Of course, later, curled up in bed she couldn't help but relive the moment again and again.
But life for Ally continued. She had found her place in the Triads and was doing relatively well for herself off the profits. Then Nicholas was killed by a rival gang and the Triads, now leaderless, began to fight internally over who would be the next leader. Only sixteen at the time, Ally was happy to sit this one out, but watched the politics and the games carefully, taking note of the strengths and weaknesses of everyone. Eventually, after only three deaths, the victor stepped forward, a weasel of a man named Jok, who preferred cutting throats to trickery. Under his leadership the Triads cut and murdered their way through many rival gangs until they had sculpted for themselves a vast area of control in the city. Jok, however, lasted merely two years before meeting his down fall. Too cocky by half he had failed to bribe the right authorises and had upset the Thieves' King, the man who oversaw the Criminal's Court and held as much authority in the criminal world as the King of Halcion did over everything else. In fact Jok had become openly hostile towards them, all but declaring himself as Lord of the City. Of course, the authorities had issue with this and quickly declared a bounty on his head. But what really nailed Jok's coffin shut was his provocation of the King of Thieves. The Court of Criminals was usually a chaotic place, but Jok's power grab had turned it upside down. The King approached Ally, promising her royal favour and extra territory if she took out Jok. Ally grabbed the opportunity, anonymously tipping the authorities. Jok was captured and hanged with little ceremony three weeks later.
As the Triads began to argue over who would lead them next, Ally decided it was her turn to step in. She won their loyalty in one decisive move, by bringing them the head (quite literally) of their largest and longest rival gang. (Consequently the rival gang leader was also out of favour with the Thief King). Any questioning glances were met with a steely gaze and the offer of a fight. Any who challenged her were easily beaten, even those who boasted years more experience. Nicholas King hadn't trained her for nothing. Before the week was out the Triad gang was unquestionably Ally's. Her rule of the gang ushered in a new golden era. Already one of the most feared gangs in the city, Ally sought to extend their power across the whole country. However, rather than do it by force as Jok had done, Ally approached the task another way. By keeping the gang's numbers small she was able to focus their talents on well laid schemes with high profits.
For ten years she led the Triads to victory, gaining influence, power and wealth as they went from scheme to scheme. Of course, not everything went smoothly. She was challenged multiple times, had her life threatened at least once a year and not every plan went as she had pictured. Navigating the politics of the Criminal Court was always a mind field, but that too she managed efficiently. Her gang remained loyal to her and she was all but untouchable. She had a loyal and trustworthy medic in the form of her brother Hugo. He was in fact one of the few people she trusted wholeheartedly. If ever she was in need of stitching up it was to him that she meant and she made sure to always pay him what he had earned. Her other family members she was not quite as close with, but when she needed any of their assistance she never hesitated to find them. Marian was particularly useful in gathering information through her prostitutes (she had moved up from prostituting herself to owning her own brothel). Her brother Ethan, while seemingly always throwing his money away at gambling, was also able to pass on interesting titbits to Ally. In return she offered them what protection she could.
Life was going well. That is until she made the mistake of trusting Marius La'fore. He came to her with an idea to rob a wealthy noble's treasury, a scheme that would take both his gang and hers to pull off. Naturally hesitant, it took a lot of explaining and cajoling for Ally to consent and in the end she put it to a vote with her gang. The plan would have worked, had La'fore not betrayed Ally and the Triads, taking the money and leaving them to fight off the ambush of guards. The numbers were overwhelming and the guards much better equipped. Indeed, La'fore had tipped off the city guard that Ally and her gang would be there, no doubt hoping to get a piece of the bounty on Ally's head. In the end the Triads were captured, killed or scattered throughout the city in hiding. Ally was captured and taken to the dungeons where she spent the better part of a year in near darkness cursing La'fore and her own stupidity.
However, the surprise visit by the King himself gave Ally the opportunity she needed to turn her fortunes around. He offered a pardon in exchange for her skills in helping to track down his wife, the Queen. Ally was likely to accept, simply for the pardon, but what really caught and held her imagination was the hint of endless treasures to be found in the dragon's lair. With that amount of wealth she could buy her own land and live in lavish luxury for the rest of her life. So, Ally accepted and she soon found herself equipped from the Royal armoury and in possession of a horse 'gifted' to her from the royal stables. Or borrowed, the phrasing makes little difference.
Other
Ally named her 'borrowed' horse Trouble.
She despises gambling because of the toll it has taken on her brother, but would still use it to her advantage when needed.
Relationships
Bellona Shield \\ Ally and Bellona have only met once and they spent more time trading blows than talking. While enjoying a few drinks with her gang Ally and her team began to talk about the Royal Dog, in less than complimentary tones. Bellona, sitting nearby, heard and quite obviously took offence. Of course, Ally didn't know who that the woman in the tavern was actually the Dog herself and the two ended up getting into a bar fight.
Herne Fitch \\ Ally hired Herne to track and kill a former associate of Ally's who had run off with something valuable to her. The Huntsman took the job and Ally, needing to make sure that everything went as she wished, sent one of her gang members with him. However, before he could return Ally was captured and sent to the dungeons.
Lady Gwen \\ The Criminal Court and Gypsy Court frequently overlap. It was because of this that Ally met Lady Gwen. A young Gypsy had been causing trouble on Ally's territory. Rather than kill him, Ally took him to the King of Thieves who in turn organised a trial with the Gypsy Court. While attending the trial Ally, curious about the famed Lady Gwen, sought her out.