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20
Gender:
Female
Occupation/Class:
Thief/rogue
Kingdom of Origin:
Lusk by birth, Aressa by choice
Nicknames/Aliases:
'Ima the Wisp' to her contacts, the 'Cloaked Woman' or 'Hooded Thief' to the authorities until they discovered her identity.
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5'1 and 103 pounds
Eye color:
Golden brown
Hair color:
A deep russet with darker undertones.
Description: Out of a need to remain largely unrecognizable, Ima has become accustomed to concealing her features under hoods and cloaks. She is rarely seen without some covering that serves to conceal her form. Even so, her fragile build and small frame give her an unimposing air, reinforced by the soundless way she moves. Her goal has long been to leave no lasting impression of her presence, and she usually succeeds. It is easy to forget that the small, silent figure is there, and she encourages this whenever convenient.
Still, she is not as meek and reserved as initial appearance would suggest. Her topaz eyes often flash with annoyance, her mouth pulled into a tight frown, presenting a cynical air to the world at large. Though she is skilled at schooling herself to a neutral expression, she cannot help the brief flashes that reveal her true thoughts. Her features are bird-like, thin, narrow, and delicate. Slim brows rest over deep set eyes, easily pulling down into a disapproving scowl or look of concentration. Her long, thin nose leads down to wide, bowed lips that rarely deviate from a stubbornly straight line.
There is normally an underlying tension to the way she holds herself, making it clear that she is ready to spring into action at the slightest trigger. She moves with a confident grace that makes every step seem intentional. Still, Ima's body language tends toward ambiguity, leaving precious few clues toward her thoughts unless one catches a glimpse of her eyes at the right moment.
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Her weapons and tools are mostly small, scattered discretely in hidden sheaths and pockets about her form. She has more than a dozen thin throwing knives concealed at her wrists, waist, the small of her back, and the top of her boots, allowing her access to a weapon from a wide range of positions. She has a couple longer daggers, mostly used for utility, and a long, sturdy dirk that she keeps in a sheath at her shoulder. Its handle is easily accessible, protruding slightly over her left shoulder. Her lockpicks and other tools of her trade are usually kept in pouches at her belt.
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Ima has a rather dry, caustic sense of humor. Though she is content to be a silent observer to whatever happens, there is often a wry twist to her lips. There is little she enjoys more than witty banter. Though her teasing can make it seem as though she is taking down to people, if she likes them it will tend to grow more affectionate. If not, she does not mind cutting someone's ego down to size. In most situations, she usually has no issue with speaking her mind, and it is rare that she will stand down when she wishes her opinions to be known. It is easy to tell when she is irritated or wary when she starts to clam up. Her replies become more harsh and terse, making her tension clear. Her anger is cold rather than passionate, and it does not take much to lose her respect.
As rational as she may appear and as much as she tends to mock others for acting foolishly, Ima is a woman with definite superstitions. From always pulling her left glove on first to looking to the sky whenever silence falls to leaving one object of value untouched on each job, she has many small quirks that usually remain unnoticed. She follows them religiously, and will only give a scoff in reply if any call her actions into question.
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If she respects someone, or needs them, she may give them a chance to explain or regain her trust. If not, she would just as soon leave them to the wolves, even literally. She has no issue with taking drastic action to eliminate obstacles, though she is less likely to commit murder than simply to leave someone in a tight situation. This sort of revenge appeals well to her sense of justice, as it leaves judgment up to Luck, which is, consequently, the only deity she follows.
- Stealth
- Pickpocketing
- Knife throwing
- Lockpicking
- Close combat
- Very simple trapping
skills
- Her sister
- Low damage attacks
- Light armor
- "Does not play well with others"
- Very little strength
- Has rarely been away from
civilization
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Ima relies very heavily on the element of surprise to give weight to her attacks. When stealth is no longer an option, all she can hope for is to find some weakness to exploit before she tires too much to continue fighting.
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Since children tended to go missing in Lusk, especially girls, Ima spent most of her childhood passing as a boy. Her mother kept her her in breeches and cut her dark hair ragged and short. Since the active girl could hardly be isolated, it was the best her mother could do for her. From necessity, Ima grew to be cunning and street smart at a young age, developing quick hands and quicker feet. The tiny, dark haired girl became adept at blending into the background, though she was only one of many skilful thieves in the city.
Her small successes often meant the difference between dangerous scarcity and having enough to get through, especially when her sister was born six years later. Little Esra inherited her mother's grey-blue eyes, along with fair hair. It was a combination that would always mark the child out as little more than slaver's meat in the impoverished slums. Their mother was careful to keep the child isolated as possible, and Esra never grew out of her timidity and frail health. Ima began taking bigger risks out of pure need. She was forced to think on her feet, to determine whether the outcome was worth the danger, and to learn well the first time, since any mistake could be fatal. Still, she was soon able to defend herself well, both with her wit and with weapons.
When Ima was only eleven, a dreadful famine swept through Lusk. Though displaced farmers swarmed to the cities, within a year, fishing also began to fail. It was a time of more desperation, violence, and riots than Ima had ever known. Even much of the nobility found themselves far in debt and overextended. More than one unfortunate lord found himself a mere scapegoat to the very rabble he had so carefully ignored. The country was disintegrating rapidly, and Ima's efforts yielded less and less reward.
Suddenly, Ima's unstable world was shattered. Her mother was stabbed for a couple concealed coins one day when she went to what was left of the market. By the time Ima found her, she had been bleeding out for some time, beneath the notice of all but the shopkeeper who had dragged her out of the way of his scanty business. Ima was able to get her mother home and tend her, but it made little difference. She did not last the hour, much less the night. With that, Ima and Esra were ejected from the only home they knew, even if that home was a brothel.
There was no future left for them in Lusk, and no hope. They became refugees and traveled slowly southward, their pace hampered by Esra's ill health. The weather remained damp and chilled, and it was not long before the frail girl took a turn for the worse. Ima was coming to the end of her wits, sure she would lose the only family she had left. Their fortunes turned when a wizened old trapper found Ima trying to steal from one of his snares. Though the man was pitiless at first, something about Ima's manner and stubbornness caused him to have a change of heart.
Though Ima was wary of the man, she had no other options. They sheltered in a small hunting cabin. With the slightly improved diet of the creatures the trapper caught, Esra gradually pulled through. Though Ima tended to stay close to her sister, she learned small tidbits from the man, mostly through observation. The weeks passed and Esra regained her strength. When she was ready, she and Ima slipped away in the night. Ima was not big on farewells, though at Esra's insistence, they left a couple tokens of gratitude: a bouquet of wildflowers, and a carved bear emblem on a thin leather cord.
They soon entered Yulia, but the strict codes and stricter enforcement made it difficult to blend in, especially for two foreign girls still learning the language. Even with Ima's high level of care, she was nearly caught more than once. They once again moved on, stealing tidbits to survive and narrowly avoiding trouble where possible. Pradus, already conquered, presented similar problems to Yulia. Even more so since many of the citizens had been forced into near slavery and had little worth stealing. Miriand was only marginally better, with plenty of the nervous, superstitious, and distractible folk that Ima could easily pickpocket. However, within a year of their arrival, Miriand came under attack by Yulia. As it was obvious the nation would not hold out long, Ima and Esra once again became refugees, fleeing to Aressa.
In the capital city, Ima found a more ideal environment for her trade, and enough of the well-to-do to prey upon. She was able to blend well into the less reputable society of the city. After some time, Ima's skills and stubbornness were recognized, and she was able to find a mentor of sorts in a man known as Hox. She shifted from simple street cons and pickpocketing to burglary and lockpicking. Her ability to learn fast soon proved vital, since Hox's teaching methods often involved leaving her to figure a way out of messy situations.
The years passed, and Aressa held out a long while against the threat of Yulia's conquest. Even when Yulia managed to disrupt the monarchy and take hold, little changed in Ima's day to day life except for an increased caution about appearances. Still, as time went on, Esra's condition worsened. She needed expensive medicines that Ima could hardly afford with her best hauls, medicines that were past her skills to steal. As Esra's need became more desperate, Ima had to reach higher, and that became her downfall.
Her final target was a noble, Lord Beauford, who was popular among the people as well as moderately wealthy. Though he was a noble of Aressa who had capitulated to Yulian rule, he still had more covert dealings, especially with the resistance movements and the black market. It was through this that Hox heard of the man and some of his acquisitions, and he recommended that Ima target the noble. She was hesitant about the job, but too desperate to turn it down. Though it was a near thing, Ima managed to get out with plenty to take care of Esra even after Hox got his cut.
Ima hesitated only a moment before she lunged across the room, breaking through the thin glass of the window and landing on the adjoining roof. She dropped into the alleyway, but her progress was halted by the waiting guardsmen who stilled the struggling girl with a solid blow to the back of her head. She awoke in a prison cell. Ima was framed for Lord Beauford's murder and sentenced to execution. In one move, the Inquisition had taken out a popular leader while avoiding riots from those who followed him, able to pin the murder on a burglar who was proven without a doubt to have been there the night the lord had been assassinated. Ima was set up knowingly by her mentor, betrayed by the very man who had taught her for years.
She was, of course, offered an alternative: to enter the walled lands and bring back a secret of magic. In return, her sister would be taken care of and they would be freed. Esra, of course, would remain little better than a prisoner until Ima succeeded, leaving her with an uncertain time limit. Knowing her sister's very life was at stake, Ima accepted without hesitation.
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If questioned, followers of Luck will tend to say they would rather not tempt Fate or attract the evil eye, if they answer at all. It is considered bad luck to even mention the name Vicis, which can also provoke caution toward referencing her in any way. Ima also bears a depiction of the 'eye of the Lady' (as pictured to the right) on the inside of her left wrist. Unfortunately, in the end this served as yet another condemning piece of evidence in the eyes of the Yulian inquisition.
Finally, as a foreigner who spoke the language of Lusk throughout her formative years, Ima still bears a vague accent. There is a slight upward lilt to her tone that makes it seem as though she is always questioning or disbelieving. Her vowels tend to be softer, and her r's slightly trilled, especially when she is more worked up. This can give her speech a slight musical tone, though it is sometimes hard to pick out with her quiet voice.