Mentality
Personal history
<You find a story scrawled in the pages of a plain journal>
I was born in the Drovinian Impirium. Well... created, is more like it. The Drow create magical beings, able to change their form freely. These creatures are called "Changelings." I'm one of them. My purpose? To replace the young Princess of Laelon. It all happened when I was around five years old. From the day I was able to speak, my Drow creators had drilled me on my purpose. "You're to mantle the role of the Princess. Gain their trust, and when the time is right, claim your kingdom. Marry if you must. We need you running the Kingdom of Laelon, child." Why? Who knows. Information? A step toward conquest? One thing was for certain: I was created for a purpose, and I intended to fulfill it. My "parents" depended on me.
On the eve of my fifth birthday, a Drow scout was assigned to lead me into Talbonisse. We traveled under the guise of night, until we reached the capital. The scout did his Job, stealing me into the Princess' bedroom. She was the same age as me. With a magical silence spell, he was able to strip her of her clothing, replace it with rags, and I was able to steal her face. I was here, in my new home. The scout left quickly, keeping up his magical silence bubble. Luckily, the Drow who taught me also briefed me on how I should be behaving. Qualities "befitting a pathetic Human Princess." The king, Alaf II, was none the wiser. Nobody knew their Princess was gone, and I was proudly doing my duty. Castle life was easy enough, but by far my favorite part was the manservant assigned to watch over me. He was missing his left eye, and so wore a leather patch. He had black hair, slicked back most of the time, and was clean shaven. Couldn't be older than seventeen. He would always play with me, and for hours upon hours every day, I forgot about my duties. He was my very first friend.
A couple years would pass, and I learned that my manservant was actually an agent for the Thieves' Guild. A group operating in secret under Talbonisse. I didn't care, and thankfully, he didn't seem to mind me knowing. He earned a position at the castle to spy on the King. Not so different from what I was doing. Over the course of time, I began seeing him less as a manservant and more like a brother. When I was with him, when we played, I totally forgot about my mission. It felt nice, to feel normal. Not like some infiltration tool. One night however, he came into my bedroom with a candle, a hushed tone, and slightly suspicious face. It was then he explained that his allies in the Thieves' Guild who were undercover in the Drovinian Impirium overheard a few Drow talking about their mission in Laelon. Of course, Thieves' have their way, and it was brought to their attention that the Drow had replaced the Princess of Laelon with a Changeling. Why they didn't alert King Alaf II, I still don't know to this day. However, Cal (my manservant, his name is Calvin but I called him Cal. Actually, I wonder if that's his real name at all...) didn't care. He came in, and told me everything. I started to back away, ready to run, but he simply smiled and pulled me into a hug. Cal assured me that he wouldn't tell a soul, as long as I kept his secret hidden.
It would be a few years before things started to fall apart.
During one of their annual "Witch Hunts," the group came across a woman who used Illusion magic to alter her appearance. When she was cut down, she reverted to her original form. News of this traveled from ear to ear, warping and becoming less truthful until it finally reached the ears of Cal. The version that reached his ears was that a Shapeshifter was spotted outside the city, but managed to escape after using a woman's corpse as cover. As you can imagine, this worried Calvin, and he immediately rushed into my chambers. I was only ten at the time. "Princess, you didn't leave this castle did you?! Did you let the guards see you transform? If they find out you're a Changeling, they'll kill you." I assured him I hadn't left, and he let loose a sigh of relief. The next day, Cal rushed into my room in a panic. A traitor in the Thieves' Guild sold out the Changeling secret in exchange for a bounty. Apparently the rumors of a Changeling has the city on it's toes, and one of the newer members was swayed by coin. Cal escorted me sneakily through the corridors, just barely avoiding the guards who stormed my room. It wasn't long before alarms were being sounded all across the city.
Cal brought me to the basement, and unlocked a door that was normally locked. I guess he had the only key. Inside was an unused storeroom, forgotten by the King. He instructed me to run through a tunnel, that it would come out near the entrance to the Thieves' Guild. He told me to find the Guild Master, and tell him a secret phrase that I wont be writing here. So I did, giving my best friend one last hug before running. I never ran so fast in my life. Who knows how long that tunnel went on for?
As I neared the end, I came out just outside the entrance to the Thieves' Guild. I reached up, and knocked. I heard nothing. So instead, I murmured the phrase, and the door slowly opened. I explained everything that had happened to the Guild Master, who told me the member who turned me in was already gone, fearing the worst. I told them of Cal, and how he helped me escape. The Thieves' were all surprisingly understanding. They took me in, and taught me many things. They taught me how to hide in the shadows, how to avoid guards, how to pickpocket, how to wield a blade with deadly finesse, and even how to snipe a target from the shadows with a bow or crossbow. I spent two years learning these lessons, seeing many people come and go. One face, however, I saw several times. Kasvaar, the leader of the famous Klif Company. A flirtatious man, but not really noteworthy... yet.
After I left the Thieves' Guild, I quickly made my way out of Laelon. There was nothing for me there, not anymore. I decided to travel to Nisiar, first. The vast desert, home to those mages. To each new city I went, I adopted a new face. I never kept the same persona for long. Except for one. The form of a Fire Genasi, who I named Ember. I'd dance at Taverns in the evenings to earn some gold to spend on food and supplies. After my time in Nisiar, I decided to make my way back through Laelon, of course taking new faces. While there, I decided to stop back in at the Thieves' Guild and do a job or two for them. Extra coin? Don't mind if I do! Most of it was simple. Silence someone, or hunt an item down. Assassinate the occasional problem person. Either way, they seemed impressed with my discretion and effectiveness. Even Kas was impressed, the few times I saw him.
I eventually made my way to Dreazar, keeping to the same rhythm I had been. New faces, new personas. Along the way, I started to lose all sense of self. Who was I anymore? I had no identity, no name, no real face. Seeing women with their husbands, or children, I felt a strange heaviness in my heart, knowing I'd never have that. I took solace in fucking with Orcs, however. I'd stalk them for a while, use my skills in Illusion magic to confuse them, before coming in for the kill. I left maybe two or three Orc tribes in my wake during my travels, but one in particular stands out.
These Orcs had been ruthless in invasions. Slaughtering, raping, pillaging, burning. So, I decided to give chase. I stalked them for weeks before I found my opportunity. Their leader had gone out for a moonlight hunt, but would find himself the prey, rather than the predator. I came up from behind and stuck my sword through his neck. I would then take his face, and return to the tribe, acting as their leader. Orcs are dumb, aren't they? It wasn't too difficult to lead them into traps, or pick them off one by one, until the entire Tribe was dead. After that, I returned to Laelon.
Well, I returned just in time it seems. I happened to stumble across one of the very same "Witch Hunts" that outed me years ago. I stalked the group from afar, watching. Waiting. They were not even a little notable, except for two individuals. A half-Orc named Yitoshk, who seemed... off. But, not nearly as "off" as Cybil, who seemed to be leading this little crusade. I needed to know more, so I picked off one of the group who'd fallen behind. I killed him, took his face and armor, and joined the Witch Hunters. Of course, I did what I could to buy time for the mages to escape. No way was I gonna slaughter innocents, especially when I used magic myself. Thankfully, the Laelonians seemed to interested in slaughtering others to pay any mind to some nameless soldier. The half-Orc, Yitoshk. I noticed that he seemed to let the mages escape, even when he could have easily struck them down. Seemed like the guilt of this was wearing at him. Cybil, on the other hand... she slaughtered. And slaughtered. And slaughtered. Gosh, it was too much bloodshed, even for me! From my observations, it seemed like her and Yitoshk had some history, but I didn't really care enough to dig deeper. Maybe they were fuck buddies gone wrong or something.
Eventually, I let myself fall behind and left the group. I returned to the Thieves' Guild to exchange information and pleasantries. I stayed for a year or so, doing odd jobs for my "second family," before leaving again. They had little leads on the member who turned me in, sadly. But I wasn't going to give up searching for him either. I didn't forget. During the year I stayed, I kept hearing rumors of a split group of hunters hired to hunt down the Changeling that had impersonated their Princess. Whether they were the same group of Witch Hunters, or an entirely separate group, I have no clue. But it soon grew to be a little too close for comfort, as I started hearing that anyone suspected of being a Changeling was tortured for information, then killed.
After my year of rest in the Thieves' Guild, I adopted a new face and made my way back to Nisiar, the desert-kingdom of magic. However, on the border, I found a horrible sight. A merchant Caravan group being attacked by Witch Hunters. So many were slain, but many were able to escape. I couldn't help but worry, so I followed them. Unfortunately, so did the Witch Hunters. I did what I could to slow them down, but I couldn't do much without pegging myself as a target. Eventually they attacked again, but this time they were much more weary, and the Caravan had some unlikely allies. A Mercenary company, the Klif company. It wasn't as big as I thought, but it might've been just a splinter group. Either way, I joined in. Having stalked the Hunters for weeks, I knew how to deal with some of them. I picked off specific members by exploiting their weaknesses, and even if my efforts went somewhat unnoticed, I got a bit of pleasure killing them. I stayed with the Caravan and Mercenaries as we escorted them back to the capital. I made sure to stay low-key, as they'd probably be suspicious of a random face. However, I did meet a strange A'mau named Kevin. He was pretty good with Illusion magic, like me, and he seemed to have a generally good-humored personality. Considering the circumstances, at least.
After we escorted them back, I took off once more. I traveled for a few years across the provinces. I took Thieves' Guild jobs, danced at Taverns, and basically did anything I wanted to. The freedom felt good, but with each face I took, and each persona I created, I could feel myself growing more and more distant from my sense of self. I didn't have a real face, or real persona. Everything I was, was nothing more than a costume. An act. It started to hurt, if I'm being honest. I wanted a real face, real personality, with real friends. A few year passed, and I eventually found myself in the Capital of Nisiar.
I was there for a few weeks. I mainly stayed in my "normal" form. Y'know, the childlike one that's adorable. However, I would become Ember whenever I was at a Tavern. Oftentimes gentlemen would buy me drinks or food, and of course, the coin from dancing was nice. One night, I noticed a somewhat familiar face. Kevin! The little A'mau who was rescued years ago. Of course, he didn't recognize me like this. During one of my performances, he "crashed" it with his Illusions. I might have been put off, had it not been spectacular. After that, I offered him coin for helping with future performances while I was in Nisiar. He agreed, and helped a few more times. One day, however, I noticed Kasvaar waiting in the Inn. I was going to say something, but he wouldn't have recognized me as Ember. Curiously, shortly after, I saw Kevin enter and overheard the two of them discuss some magical Orb in a Ruin somewhere in the desert sands.
A magical Orb? Imagine how much I could sell that for! Still, it was Kevin and Kasvaar, so I couldn't very well steal it from them. However, what was stopping me from having some fun?
Nothing. Nothing was.
Soon after they left, I did too. I turned back to my "normal" form, and followed them for weeks. I woke early to ensure I didn't sleep too late, and made sure to never lose their tracks. One night, after the boys went to sleep, I scouted ahead. To my delight, the Ruins weren't more than a mile ahead! I decided to camp out, and awoke thankfully before they did. I managed to sneak into the temple, but closed the door behind me as to not arouse suspicious. I sneaked past all the traps and dangers, until finally I made it to the Orb. I waited for a while, until finally Kasvaar and Kevin entered. I was holding the Relic. "Well well, about time you two showed up. Honestly, I was about to run and keep this thing for myself." They both were surprised, but Kasvaar stepped forward. See, he recognized this form. He offered me a position in the Klif Company, to my surprise. Apparently my skills had caught his attention for a while now, and while he didn't say anything in front of Kevin, I knew he was impressed with my work in the Thieves' Guild. I thought about it for a moment. Here's a man who knew my secret, and (as far as I know,) hasn't told anyone. To Kevin, this would probably seem strange. Kasvaar seeing some random girl in a tomb and recruiting her. But Kasvaar and I, we went back since I joined the Thieves' Guild. Maybe I'd be safe among the ranks of the Klif Company. And who knows? Maybe Kasvaar would help me track the traitor.
So, I agreed, pledging my loyalty to the Klif Copmpany and handing over the pretty Orb. From that day on, I've happily been serving the company and having fun doing it.
Education
Ashe seems surprisingly well-read despite her somewhat childish behavior. It is unknown if she received a formal education or not, but she seems to have some knowledge tucked away. Perhaps from her explorations?
Employment
With her past being a well-kept secret, it is unclear what Ashe did before joining the company. Some have created rumors that she was an assassin who was caught, and forced to flee. Others assume that she had no job prior and joined the company as a first job.
Morality & Philosophy
Some might call Ashe crazy, or even capricious. She tends to have a strong will, and generally likes to act on her whims rather than what others want her to do. This is not to say that she has no sense of duty or morality, but Ashe does try to keep it light oftentimes.
person.sexuality
If you ask her outright, she'll probably start hitting on you. It's unclear whether she's straight, bisexual, lesbian, pansexual, or even asexual and just having a laugh at you.
person.gender_identity
Ashe identifies as a female.
Taboos
There isn't much Ashe is against. Everyone has their own way, right?
Known Languages
Common, Orc, Primordial, Undercommon
Social
Birthplace
Unknown
Current Residence
Floor 2, Room 4 of Fort Klifhelm
Contacts & Relations
Unknown to others, <enter Thieves' Guild contacts here, will edit>
Religious Views
Agnostic, but open.
Social Aptitude
Outgoing and charismatic, but sometimes comes off as childish. Usually willing to help, but also mischievous and enjoys friendly pranks. Also has a great love of messing with Orcs and other "dumber" races.
Mannerisms
Tends to dance a bit when extremely happy, or stick her tongue out.
Hobbies & Pets
No pets, and enjoys a healthy spot of gambling. Any game, really. Dragonchess, dice, cards...