Eshara

[Eshara]

DOSSIER: Combatant; Sky Pirate
RANK: Cook (SS Emerald)

DETAILS

-NAME

Eshara "Shard". She has no last name, but will use that of whomever owns her at the time, or of previous owners if the situation calls for it.

-GENDER

Female

-AGE

25

-BIRTHPLACE

The Wilds

-BIRTHDATE

November 26, 415 A.R.

-THEME SONG

Black Veil Brides - Fallen Angels
Mat Kearney - Runaway

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-PICTURE

Spoiler:

-DESCRIPTION

-Standing at about 5'5", Eshara could easily blend into the crowd if the occasion called for it, provided enough of her were covered to make her inconspicuous. Her body, in a word, is earthy, from her warm, golden-brown skin and red-gold eyes to early-night black hair and slightly thicker curves. Shard's hair is somewhat long, going down to the middle of her back, and she prefers to keep it up either in neat, high pigtails or a tight braid. Because she works with food and it gets in the way, she rarely leaves it down, but her bangs are almost always swept to the side and fram the right side of her face. Shard is not overwhelmingly beautiful, but she is comfortably pretty, and her face is rarely seen without a devious smirk that tends to warn anyone nearby that she's about to get into trouble, or cause it. She wears very little makeup (though she does havea love of flavoured lip balms), but does love jewelry, even though she wears only small amounts herself. Usually her "shinies" are limited to stud earrings and cartelige earrings, a brass and opal ring, and a golden necklace with small crystals whose main gem is a small brooch Acrarus gave to signify that she was part of his ship.

Shard likes to keep most of her body covered at all times and prefers layers of clothing, either opting for high boots over tight pants and her cincher with short overskirts or several scarves, or more typically long skirts with overskirts kept in place by the cinchers. Shard has rather plain tastes in clothing, choosing function over attractiveness, and prefers the layers to hide her body as well as her thowing knives and anything she may be trying to skip off with. Cottons, leathers and rough dupioni silks fill her clothing chest, but are never terribly fancy; she sees herself as little more than a scullery maid, so what use for fine things does she have? However, the one thing that is consistent in her outfits is that her right arm is always covered, from just under her armpit to her fingers, usually with a special sleeve she made and a brown fingerless glove.

Where her clothes work to hide objects, they also hide her body. Her face is nice, but most of her body is dotted and slashed with pale, faded scars from the many times her mouth got her into trouble; a few of the ones that end higher on her back can be seen if her chemise or blouse bares her shoulders. Her right sleeve that never leaves her covers a different kind of scars in the forms of tattoos. From the time she was five this arm has been where every owner has marked on her that she was their property so that others would know exactly how many times she's changed hands, as well as who to return her to. To date there are five sets of tattoos covering the appendage. A red tribal tattoo wrapping around the middle of her forearm from her original seller; a thorny crest given to her by the Dominion above her elbow; a black tribal mark resembling a mask on her upper arm from the thievs guild; purple and green flowers on her hand from the brothel; and a small black unicorn on the underside of her forearm from the tavern owner. Even though Acrarus gave Shard her freedom, she doesn't dare leave the ship with her arm uncovered for fear of being caught and sold again since the original seller's mark will identify her as human property for the rest of her life.

Since Shard finds great diffuclty in shutting up (or being shut up), her manner of speech should be noted. Her accent is muddled from traveling all over and can't really be pegged as from one particular area or another, but she can fake it to sound like she's more from one than another if she tries. Her tone is a medium note and warm, but far from proper-sounding as she tends to drop a lot of her consonants and run some words together. (For example, the word "Mister" would be lacking the 't,' "how come" would be missing the 'h'. Think Mrs. Lovett) She tries to space them out, ut when she's mad and speaks faster, she can be difficult to understand.


-PRIMARY WEAPONS

Pouch of a dozen balanced throwing knives. Each knife is about five inches long with cord-wrapped ahndles and open rings at the pommel. She keeps the pouch attached under her overskirt that hooks to her cincher, and always keeps one knife wrapped in the waistband of her skirt.

-SECONDARY WEAPONS

None

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-SKILLS

-Pick locks and knots with the best of them.
-Damn fine cook and drink mixer
-Highly skilled with throwing knives
-Is a trained thief
-Has a photographic memory for small details and physical things
-Good ad combat improvision

-WEAKNESSES

-Slightly claustrophobic, and so needs at least one open exit somewhere near her
-Shard isn't educated, and can only read and write well enough for recipes and inventory. Teasing or quizzing her on things she won't know will piss her off.
-Doesn't always know when to shut up or back down
-It takes her a while to warm up and trust someone's word, and tends to anticipate the worst in them and wait for the other shoe to drop until she's seen different
-Still sees herself only as property and worth very little
-Not very good with firearms beyond knowing which end to hold and what to squeeze

-COMBAT STYLE

Shard is not a fighter by any means; that's not to say she can't defend herself, but more that it's not soemthing she'll do unless she has to. She was trained to steal and run away and be quick about it, causing diversions or slipping into things in order to escape in order to avoid direct confrontation. Her throwing knives that are kept under her over skirt she will use as defense from a distance, aiming for eyes and throats, places where she knows they body is weak and not usually armed. Her aim is quite good with her knives, and sh always makes a point to retrieve or replace any she has thrown, keeping 11 knives in the pouch at all times; the 12th is always hidden on her body, usually wrapped in the waistband of her larger skirt under the cincher or in her boot.

When forced into close combat, Shard still lives by the principles of striking as hard and fast in vital places and running like hell. Surviving and getting away are her top priorities, and she will fight dirty in order to do so, using her knives to slash and stab at eyes, ears, throat, temple, armpit, upper thigh and groin, knowing some of those are places where people will bleed to death in minutes if she cuts there, the other places being areas that even the most brassy of enemies couldn't just laugh off. Shard keeps crouched into her own body, using speed to counteract her smaller stature, and her arms are habitually near to her body to guard her from attacks in sensitive areas.

-PERSONALITY

-The affectionate nicknames of "Trouble" and "Mighty Mouth" should give most people a decent hint at the kind of woman Shard is. If you hear the Captain shouting "DAMMIT, WOMAN!" that would be Shard he's fussing at. Unabashed, perverted, tempermental, and unapologetic are the first traits anyone who comes into contact with her will notice, and if they choose to stay around her longer, she only becomes mouthier as she goes. Eshara is obnoxious and has a severe problem with authority, even when being threadtened to be severely beaten for it. She will not back down if she sees something as wrong or if she's being forced to do something she doesn't want to do, even to the extremes of severely injuring the people around her. Shard generally comes off as very blunt and loves to tease, especially if it gets under your skin; she tends to keep a small scoreboard for all the times she manages to get under her Captain's skin and gets him riled up, only to bring him honey cakes with his tea later that night.

Despite her lack of any proper education, Shard isn't stupid in the slightest. She is highly perceptive and aware of those around her. She will scan around an area and see all the details she can take in before she makes her move, ensuring she has the best possible chance of getting what she wants and getting away with it while bringing as little attention to herself as possible. Eshara's photographic memory comes in handy here, particularly since it allows her to recognize tiny giveaway details of other people, or see bulges that may be concealed weapons, if someone at the table's cheating at cards, or even if there are any differences between a real jewel ring and the counterfeit you're planning to swap for it. Since reading isn't her strong point she learns more by doing, and has hundreds of recipes fully memorized, even if she doesn't know the actual measurements, working things until they look like they're enough. Her early years with teh Dominion made an impact on her, and so she does prefer to keep both herself, her room and her kitchen as clean as possible; if anyone works under her in the kitchen and it's not cleaned to her standards you will hear about it.

Eshara is full of life and forever hopeful, choosing not to dwell on her lot in life or angst over the fact that she doesn't know who her family is; in her mind, if she was given up so easily then she must not really be worth it, and neither were they. While she's quite good at the things she does and knows she has a lot of skill, Eshara is inwardly much less confident about herself and feels she has little to no real worth; she is still only property, and it'll only be a matter of time before the people on the ship and her Captain grow tired of her antics and hand her off to someone else. She's accepted this in the back of her mind as an inevitability, even though she won't outwardly mention it. For now, this is the best her life has ever been, so she'll enjoy it as long as Ancestors and her luck will allow. She believes in trying to understand people by what they do more than what they say, and knows that if her Cap'n had meant to throw her overboard by now, he would have, even though he is quite firm with her and the rest of the crew.

Because of her obnoxious nature, anyone who takes her on (in any way) honestly has to assert themselves as in charge and stay on top of it or she'll either run off or try to take the reins when you're not looking. She can be very good at talking her way out of trouble in some cases as well as clever bargaining skills that keep her on top. Eshara also has a rather perverted sense of humour, though most of it comes out as teasing and is generally aimed at the Cap'n. She is infinitely curious, argumentative and loud (unless she's stealing, then you might never hear her), and her opinion will be heard whether you want to hear it or not. If she doesn't really want to talk about or do something, her stubbornness will kick in, making her almost impossible to deal with; she will argue with you and threaten you with a spatula, and deny something until she's red in the face (especially her feelings if she doesn't want to admit them). This isn't to say that Eshara is a pill 100% of the time; she'll moan if you come into her kitchen and are hurt or feeling sick, but she won't hesitate to make a poultice, stitch you as best she can, or make something to make you feel better. Shard can be quite sweet and affectionate when the mood strikes her, and cares about people a lot more deeply than she'll admit to. While she has no use for fine things, she does admire them, especially music boxes and people who can play music.

-HISTORY

-Gambling is a nasty habit, especially when you use your children as betting pieces in a type of poker where the rules change every hand. Born in the Wilds to a poor dreamer, Eshara was dragged around listlessly by her father who sought his fortunes anywhere they stopped, but left before anything could have a chance to become good. They'd only stopped in the seedy bar to get some dinner, but Shard's father was all-too-quickly drawn into a game of Dragon Poker. One hand led to two, two to three, three to six. Soon he was out of money to bet and had lost all the precious little he had, leaving him only with his five-year-old girl. Using her as a betting chip as a last resort, he claimed he had every intention of finding work in the town in order to buy her back after he lost that final hand and was tossed out of the bar. In a single hand of cards Eshara's short life was starting over, now in the posession of a slave trader name Djarr.

Her arm was tattooed with his mark after she was evaluated, and she was quickly sold in Aenias City to the Dominion. Eshara's owner was the staff head for the Dominion, and the child was put to work in the kitchens, spending the years most children attend school learning how to cook and clean. Shard adjusted quickly enough to life within the Dominion, her owner, Arraris, teaching her to read well enough to know the difference between flour and sugar, and understand a menu or recipe, even if she didn't fully comprehend them. Though Eshara got into plenty of trouble when left to her own devices, what seemed to help keep her in line and not mind things so much was that there were other children there and she would spend time with them whenever she could. A little boy named Opal was only slightly older than her, and seemed to act as a good influence on the rowdy child. For the years he was there, Shard would have told anyone that Opal was her best friend and constantly looked to him for answers and loved learning things from him. But after Opal left, Eshara no longer had that connection and began to act out more and more.

Impending hormones make any child a pain as it is, and taking away the 11-year-old's best friend did nothing to help this. No amount of beatings or punshiments seemed to motivate her to do do her chores better, her moodiness and snide remarks not sitting well with her owner until finally he gave up, taking her back to the velvet underground and selling her. Then man who'd bought her was quite dapper with a grin like a crescent moon, stating that he was a merchant of all goods. Krim promised the child would be educated and well-cared for, and took Eshara far away from Aenias City to Dusktown, Peninsula. It was quite a culture shock for Eshara at the change in setting, temperature and lifestyle, and even more of a shock to find out that as her new owner branded her arm with his own inked markings that he hadn't been entirely honest. He was a merchant, but only of stolen goods. She would be educated in the art of thievery.

Eshara's induction into the thieves' guild, while sometimes violent and harsh, was very educating. She did miss the safety of the kitchens now and that at least at the Dominion she was fed regularly. Here, meals were often based on how well she performed and how well she was learning. It didn't take long to sink into her mind that doing well meant a better night with her "family." The way of the blade came easily to Shard, knife-throwing a discreet and useful skill to have as her profficiency picking pockets and shops got better. She was decent at what she did, and fast enough to slip poison into drinks and not get caught, and so was traded around various underlings as a tool to make more money for Krim. But skill alone wasn't enough to make her happy. She wasn't allowed to leave, and only had permissions granted to her by Krim. Eshara withdrew, growing to resent Krim more and more, almost to the point of getting caught stealing on purpose and ruining group jobs just to upset him and try to lead authorities to her owner.

By 16 the girl, though very talented as a thief, was useless to Krim as she would rather be beaten if it meant getting under his skin and ruining his night's profits. Frustrated beyond measure with Eshara, Krim sold her while she was out one day, grinning wickedly when she came home only to be immediately hit by her new owner, Tevlan, as soon as she started to mouth off about why her things were packed and there. Eshara was dragged to another part of Dusktown, horrified that she'd been sold to a brothel. Terrified and upset, Shard was very quiet and still as her hand was inked with the purple and green flowery vines on her hand, waiting for the moment to show her new owner just what he'd bought. It was quickly concluded that Eshara hated the taste of human blood as much as she hated being beaten, but the satisfaction of biting a chunk of Tevlan off of him and the way he screamed made it worth the pain. Eshara was never one for blind submission, so her short time there was painful. Some days she was more cooperative than others, but for the most part the main complaint from guests was that she'd bite and attack them, injuring several of them. It was her shortest ownership ever, twelve weeks of refusing to be good until finally Tevlan saw her as too much of a liability. After maiming a wealthy client who insisted he could break her, Ehsara was beaten to within an inch of her life.


While many ignored her cries for help, as they grew quieter Eshara's luck perked in the form of a fat man visiting the city. Sardo inquired as to the girl's crime as he looked at the bloodied mess of a teenager. She never understood why he did what he did, if it was pity, mercy, or really just wanting her for his own needs. In any case, she was at least a little grateful that Sardo paid to take her off Tevlan's hands and took her with him back to his home in Port Victory. Sardo ran a tavern and inn at the port and did quite a good amount of business. Shard was given time to heal, and carefully instructed that in this area she needed to keep her markings covered and address him as her uncle in the public eye. His own mark marred her underside, the black unicorn that matched that of his sign, and thenw as hidden under long sleeves always. Eshara was still the same mouthy brat and had the same problems behaving, even though she worked hard to keep guests happy at the tables, allowing her cooking skills to flourish.

Eshara's smile was bright and her cooking was great, but she was still unhappy in her life as it became clear that her "uncle" enjoyed her company too much for her liking. As Sardo pointed out, Eshara was the perfect woman; young and pretty, good cook, and cheaper than a wife. Shard stayed at that tavern many years, though, Sardo managing to keep her in line for the most part. Some part of her was starting to accept that this was all her life was; she was a slave, and to be used, bought and sold until she died. Even if she worked to get away from Sardo, who was to say her next owner wouldn't be worse and just kill her? Old habits are hard to break, and sticky fingers often find goodies. Or in this case, destiny, in the form of a flame-red sapphire lifted from a tall man's deep pocket. She was quick enough to get away with it, but not without him seeing her face and chasing her. She got away with her prize and was smug as she went back home to work. Things were going smoothly until the dinner shift when she'd laid down a dinner plate for a guest, shocked as he grabbed her wrist. He took a good look at her, and she recognized his face and panicked. Not only was this the same tall man she'd robbed earlier, but sky pirate captain with a repitation for being quite fierce.

Shard insisted the gem was no longer in her hands and wouldn't have robbed him if she'd known. Captain Acrarus demanded Sardo release the young woman to his custody as his own as repayment; she'd live and work off what the jewel was worth aboard his ship, or he'd kill her. It was an offer Shard couldn't refuse and so her she and her small bag left the tavern and Port Victory, now the slave of the pirate captain. The SS Emerald was beautiful, but Eshara was oddly not fighting as she accepted that her fate would be as a whore for a ship of pirates until they tired of her, and that'd be that. She was shocked as she was shown the kitchen and the stores of food and kitchen supplies, as well as the little room attached to the kitchen that was to be hers. She was given a small tour by the Captain and told her rights and his rules; she held her breath in his quarters as he told her he was going to give her his mark for the Emerald. Eshara bared her tattooed arm for him and braced herself, but no stinging needle or brand came; instead, a small brooch in her hand. Eshara was shocked beyond words as Acrarus gave her her freedom, and told her he'd like her to stay and work as the ship's cook, but she was free to come and go, and wouldn't be made to stay against her will.

At first she thoguth it was a trick, but the Captain stayed true to his word, and none of the crew touched her. She was somewhere safe, and after about a month on board with he and his crew, Eshara returned the large jewel to the captain, baked in a teacake on a tray she brought for him one night. It wasn't an apology or a thank you directly, but something that was silently both, as well as showing that she was his. At first she stayed because she didn't know anything else or what she'd even do with herself, and marked as she was, who would believe her that she was free and not just re-sell her? But over time, Eshara found that she was staying on the Emerald because of all the places she'd been, on the Emerald she was actually happy. Now after two years of being his cook, Eshara wouldn't dream of being anywhere else.

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-CUSTOM RANK

- Thieving Cook

-ALIAS/NICKNAME

Shu

-OTHER CHARACTERS

None

[Opal Hutchinson]

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