Morgiana

Morgiana (a.k.a. Morgiana the Clever)

Physical Description

Special abilities

Glamour Manipulation - Morgiana is a Boermerzh, a Bediz capable of drawing from the hud for cast magic, or Huderezh. Morgiana has proven, in exceptional circumstances, to be capable of controlling powerful bursts of Druidecht, but this talent is erratic, and her skill with the other aspects of Huderezh are virtually non-existent. Instead, Morgiana's true talent comes from a direct manipulation of glamour to create illusions. Morgiana does not possess a natural glamour of her own, but can draw it from external sources, such as Feth Fiada, and repurpose it. She uses this talent in small ways to enhance her performances.

Dancing - Morgiana possesses a natural grace and control over her movements, allowing her to excel at a wide varieties of dance. She is particularly adept at the Raks Baladi style, a dance with emphasis of the torso and the articulation of the hips, and raks al-saïf, an Ubarite dance featuring swords. The same skills that help her excel at dance also mkae her idea for second-story work. While not a seasoned fighter, Morgiana can hold her own in combat.

Apparel & Accessories

Morgiana often dresses in bright colours and clothing exotic to Letha, but associated with her homeland, playing up this angle in her shows and general presentation.
Most commonly, Morgiana wears an outfit reminiscent of a bedlah, with a fitted top of bright blue fabric, supported by three straps on each shoulder, with additional straps across her chest beneath her breasts. Across her right shoulder and wrapped around her left breast, she wears a lavender wrap with spirals of dark violet. Morgiana wears four golden rings on each wrist, attached to arm wraps of sheer azure Crystalsilk.
On her legs, Morgiana wears sheer teal crystalsilk harem pants, with dark blue briefs. Over this she wears an open-faced half-skirt of dark purple, tipped with two azure bands with a golden stripe between them. This skirt is adorned with small golden diodes hanging off it. She wears an elabortely decorated belt with three "golden" clasps and two crescent moons between them.
Morgiana wears dark blue silk slippers, raised to a point. She wears earrings on both ears, three golden rings within each other.

Specialized Equipment

Morgiana owns two scimitars with golden crossgaurd and pommel, taken from the leader of the Forty Thieves.
Morgiana has a small, but impressive collection of props, gadgets and tools she uses for her stage show. Of particular note are her sparkglobes, small clay balls that explode in a shower of sparks and smoke when smashed.
Morgiana owns a tambourine and silver dagger, her first possessions as a free woman, which she used in her assassination of Cogia Houssain.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Morgiana was born in the slave caste of Iram of the Pillars, where she was purchased by the household of Cassim, a wealthy grain merchant with a large house in a border town in Western Ubar. Morgiana gained a reputation for cleverness, and her life in the household was unremarkable, until a fateful discovery changed everything.

The Sons of the Sands

Cassim's brother was a poor woodcutter in the same town named Ali Baba. While out collecting firewood, Ali Baba witnessed a pair of thieves returning from a successful raid in Outremer, pulling a cart laden with treasure. As he hid, the woodcutter watched as, with the words of "open sesame" a door opened in the rock itself, revealing a large cave inside, laden with glittering wealth. Sensing an opportunity, Ali Baba snuck inside after the thieves had left, stealing a small bag of gold coins.
Ali Baba borrowed on of Cassim's scales to measure the coins, triggering the suspicions of Cassim's wife, who thought that the woodcutter was attempting to enter the grain business. She attached a small bit of wax to the scale to catch the grain, but when the scales were returned instead found the indentation of a valuable foreign coin. Cassim confronted his brother and pressured him into revealing all. Learning of the treasure, Cassim set out immediately, opening the cave with the magic words. Seeing the vast treasure fueled his greed and he overloaded his donkey and person with as much as he could carry. The thieves returned, finding Cassim in the entrance, slowed by his haul, and cut him down. When he did not return, Ali Baba set off towards the cave, finding his brother's body left in the cave entrance as a warning to others who would dare interfere with the gang, The Sons of the Sands
Ali Baba brought his brother's body home, tasking Morgiana to convince the town that Cassim had died of natural causes, to avert the reprisal of the Sons of the Sands. Morgiana, seeing the danger posed to her and the others, set about the task, first purchasing medicines from the apothecary, explaining that her master had fallen gravely ill. Then she hired an old blind tailor, Baba Mustafa, to stitch Cassim's body together. The next day, it was announced that Cassim had died. A quick burial in accordance with religious tradition followed without any fanfare or suspicions raised.
The thieves returned and found the body gone, proving that their secret has been found by at least one other. They began to search the neighboring towns, and two of them learn of the tailor's strange housecall when they overhear the old man talking to his friends. The informants demanded he lead them to the house where the deed was performed, and then marked the door with a white mark to alert the gang. Seeing this occur, Morgiana marked ever doorway in town with an identical symbol.
When the killers arrived in the dead of night and find the mark on every door, Cogia Houssain, the leader of the gang, killed the informant in a rage, demanding his friend to make up for the failure or suffer the same fate. The survivor again demands Baba Mustafa show them the door, marking a less conspicous place with a red mark, which Morgiana again mimicked on every door on the street. The second informant is killed, and Houssain personally accompanied the tailor to Cassim's doorway, memorizing every detail of the structure and path, but leaving no mark.
Houssain, posing as an oil merchant, sought Ali Baba's hospitality, bringing a large caravan of mules carrying oil jars, some containing oil, but 37 containing the gang members. Once night fell, they would spring out and slaughter everyone inside. Morgiana, tasked with the hospitality of their guest, prepared the dinner, but discovered that the household was running low on lamp oil. In a hurry to finish her tasks, she snuck out to the stable where the "oil jars" were being kept. When one of the thieves, hearing noise, mistook her for their captain and asked if it was time to slaughter the household, Morgiana realized the danger they were all in. Knowing that raising an alarm or delaying her response would lead to the deaths of everyone in the house, master and slave alike, she acted quickly. She disguised her voice and pretended to the the Cogia Houssain, urging them to wait a while longer, repeating the exchange at each jar until she had uncovered the number of assailants. She took the oil from the decoy jug and brought it to a boil, pouring it into each of the false vases and sealing the lids. The muffled airtight jars prevented each killer from alerting the others, allowing Morgiana to eliminate each in turn before they could launch their attack. She then returned to the kitchen, finishing the preparing the soup as she fretted about the last and most dangerous killer.
Houssain, snuck out after the meal to spring the massacre, but, finding his men dead, fled into the night. Morgiana, seeing him flee, finally could rest easy and go to bed, safe in the knowledge that no innocent blood would be shed that night. The next morning, Ali Baba found his guest vanished, but the oil jars remaining in the stable. He awoke Morgiana, who revealed the thieves treachery, opening a jar to reveal the armed and armoured body inside. After the intial shock had worn off, Ali Baba, so overcome by gratitude for her saving the lives of his family and friends, granted Morgiana her freedom and welcomed her into his family, taking over Cassim's household and business. With the wealth from the thieves cave, the woodcutter was able to provide for his and his brother's families in comfort.
Cogia Houssain had survived his failed attack and swore revenge. He disguised himself once more, establishing himself as a merchant from Outtremer and forging a friendship with Ali Baba's adult son, who had taken over Cassim's lucrative business across the border. Houssain showered Ali Baba's son with attention and gifts, building up a negative Dle. To offset this, Houssain was invited to Ali Baba's house for a feast, as the son's modest city living would not repay Houssain's generosity. The bandit leader, claiming dietary restrictions, refused to take any meal with salt to avoid a violation of Hospitality as he prepared his revenge. This caught the attention of Morgiana, first annoying her with the inconvenience as she prepared the meal, then suspicion once more. When she saw him, she recognized the killer immediately, and saw his dagger, ready to cut down Ali Baba at his first chance. She set a desperate plan into motion.
She offered to perform a sword dance for the guests, as was often her custom. In the middle of the dance, she dives across the table, stabbing the would-be killer in the heart. Initially angered by the apparent breach of Hospitality, Ali Baba was swayed when Morgiana revealed the true identity of the "merchant." Grateful once more, Ali Baba announces that he would adopt Morgiana as his own daughter.

The Flight

During this time, the forces of Outremer took the surrounding region from the Caliphate, placing it within Outremer and the jurisdiction of Lord Godfrey Mortain, Ruler of the port of Ocina. Morgiana's home was left alone, and little changed in daily life despite this shift. But the family's happiness was short lived. The Sons of the Sands were part of a powerful network of assassins, pirates and slavers. With Cogia Houssain dead, a new shadowy figure consolidated his grip on power. Seeking to send a message, he arranged a "bandit" attack on Morgiana's town. Morgiana, Ali Baba and other family members fled with only what they could carry as their home burned.
The family fled to Ocina, not realizing that the mastermind of the attack was in fact Lord Godfrey himself. Godfrey initially welcomed them with open arms, but Morgiana grew suspicious of the Lord, and the strange people surrounding him. She snuck around the castle, learning of Godfrey's true nature. She warned the others, and plotted their escape on the next boat out of the city. Morgiana slipped out to arrange the voyage, but they were betrayed and Godfrey appeared with his guard at the dock. Claiming that the they were the last of the original "Forty Thieves" active in the region, he ordered them captured for execution. The soldiers rushed forwards, capturing the two men, and killing Ali's son as he moved to protect the others.
Unknown to Morgiana, she was a latent Boermerzh. Her rage exploded in a burst of raw Druidecht, the waves of the harbor rushing over Godfrey's guards. Morgiana and Ali Baba fled onto the ship as it pulled away. As Morgiana reached the top, she turned, watching in horror as Godfrey's arrow stuck down the old woodcutter, his lifeless body tumbling into the sea.

Journey to Letha

Morgiana's ship landed in Maleth, but Godfrey had allies among the Black Order, and she quickly moved on, making her way to Serenissima. Morgiana set herself to understanding her new powers and while she was unable to attain the same levels of druidecht, she discovered she was quite skilled with the manipulation of glamour. Her funds ran out, and she took to petty theft and grifting, using her new talents and innate cunning in the floating city. Godfrey, having learned that his lie about the Forty Thieves had been closer than he could have imagined, renewed his efforts to tie up the loose end that was Morgiana. Finding a massive flotilla of ships from Outremer approaching, Morgiana fled once more, ending up in the Tolosan port of Marselha . With the last of Ali Baba's gold, she purchased a donkey, who she named Sesame.
In Marselha, Morgiana honed the skills she had started using in Serenissima, making the acquaintance of the Kriores grifter Birou and the Teuz cutpurse Sizailh. At the time, an outbreak of the Yellow Plague had struck the city, and the Malandrin-backed merchant council, eager to protect themselves, had begun hording lifesaving medicine and selling it at exorbitant prices. Morgiana orchestrated a complicated plot. The thieves would hit the homes of the plague dead, and, upon their capture by the city or rival gang, offered up a "miracle cure" that allowed them to escape unharmed, in reality a result of Morgiana's careful planning and staged scenes. Using this miraculous concoction, a mixture of red wine vinegar and various herbs, as a hook, the Forthaves launched the second part of the con, trading the vinegar for the real alchemical concoctions, disseminating them among the vulnerable population.
With the profits of their con, The Forthaves Vinegar Company left Marselha, heading West once more, passing through Tolosa and Port De La Lune, before arriving in Aleth.

Sexuality

Morgiana is pansexual, open to relationships with individuals regardless of biological sex or gender.

Education

Morgiana has no formal education, having been born a slave and remaining so until her release by Ali Baba. She did receive some brief instruction to carry out necessary household tasks and errands. She has learned how to read, and to a lesser extent, write in the alphabet of the North, but not consistently in any one language.

Employment

Morgiana is the self-proclaimed "Operations manager and primary talent" of the Forthaves Vinegar Company, reporting directly to Mssr. Orum, a job which typically involves displaying her talents of illusion and stage magic, taking time for petty crime where it arises, as well as the occasional return to selling her spurious medical treatment.
Within the Forthaves, Morgiana takes on roles of grifting and second story work, being the primary for each in many jobs.
Morgiana often entertains at The Ash and Hazel with illusions, dancing and stage magic, as well as working as a scullery maid and bartender in exchange for a place to park her cart and meals.

Mental Trauma

Morgiana's harrowing experience with the Forty Thieves and the Sons of the Sands, have left an impact on her. She is emotionally closed off, behind a facade of arrogance and bravado, hiding behind a built up legend that she herself often believes, even referring to herself in third person.

Intellectual Characteristics

Morgiana comes across as arrogant, boastful and proud

Personality Characteristics

Vices & Personality flaws

Morgiana is incredibly prideful, to the point of narcissistic. When forced to admit a mistake, she will mumble it through gritted teeth. She has a tendency to act defensively when put on a spot, and can be passive aggressive and sarcastic.

Personality Quirks

Morgiana typically possesses a smug, almost condescending smirk during normal engagement with others.
Morgiana has a bad habit of playing with her smoke bombs, occasionally dropping and activating them.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Gwaeron Sulime Dethemir - Gwae initially deeply mistrusted the Saracen Illussionist, convinced that the thief was planning to betray her for a hefty reward. The stubborn Eladan had to begrudgingly admit that her initial assumptions were incorrect, but she still finds Morgiana's close-contact interactions and bombastic personality difficult to handle. She is frustrated by Morgiana's preference for stage magic over developing her true huderezh, seeing great potential in her magical abilities. Morgiana, for her part, is much more friendly with Gwae. She is aware of Gwae's unspoken feelings for her bodyguard, as well as her easily triggered jealousy. Morgiana enjoys making a game of flirting with Kathalia to rile up Gwae, then turn her full flirtatious attentions to the flustered girl.

Kathalia Bisclavret - Morgiana began working with "the Wolf of Frehel" since she set up shop in Aleth, working as a fence and fixer for the highwayman. After the events surrounding the Archimago's Ring, they began working more closely together. The alliance of convenience has developed into a professional respect, then the start of a true friendship. The two get along well with each other. Morgiana has recognized Kathalia's repressed sexuality and enjoys teasing her with overt flirting, triggering embarrassed panic from the normally composed sellsword. It is unclear if Morgiana's flirting is just to trigger a reaction or if it hides a genuine interest.

Marie deCygne - Morgiana has a somewhat adversarial relationship with the bookish bard, finding her performances of epic lais and courtly romance to be "boring, sentimental and sappy", often putting down her companion's work. Strangely, of the group, Morgiana is also the one who seems to know the most details of Marie's stories and can recall them with specificity. Outside of their artistic pursuits, the two get along well enough while taking on jobs, with Morgiana the most likely to reassure the hesitant Marie.

Enora de Chinon - Morgiana is quite annoyed that Enora considers her "an accomplice" to Kathalia, rather than a threat or criminal presence in her own right.

Patav Lourdaud - Morgiana found her freewheeling days as a traveling grifter cut short when a con brought her into the sights of the Crime Lord Gourmand, who exerted control over Morgiana's operation, both as a threat and an offer. Pleased by her takedown of the Maladrin in Marselha, he gives the Forthaves a certain amount of leeway, but always reminds them who holds the keys in the criminal underworld. Her primary contact with Gourmand is the Paolig thief, Jenovefa.

Family Ties

Abdalla - Another slave in Cassim's household, and Morgiana's superior during her time there.

Ali Baba (Deceased) - Morgiana was initially a slave in the service of his brother, but had a good relationship with the woodcutter, who showed her kindness and encouraged her talents during his regular visits to Cassim's house. Ali Baba ultimately released her and adopted her, and she looked to him as a father figure, assisting him against the Forty Thieves at great personal risk. His death at the hands of the Malandrin greatly affected her.

Birou - Morgiana met the Kriores grifter as the two attempted to con the same mark in the streets of Marshela. Impressed by the logistical mastery he displayed, she noted that his stature and physical appearance were holding him back from accomplishing true masterstrokes of the criminal arts. The pair became partners as they moved against the Merchant's Council for the score that would launch their joint career. Birou largely serves as Morgiana's promoter and roadie, helping with her performances and keeping things running efficiently.

Sizailh - Morgiana was impressed when the young Teuz cutpurse managed to lift her coinpurse almost without her notice. Morgiana managed to tale and corner the thief, discovering a young girl. Sizailh looks up to Morgiana as a big sister, and idolizes her as the "Princess of the Sands", as Morgiana initially introduced herself. Morgiana arranged for her to work as a maid in the Ash and Hazel, secretly hoping to push her out of the criminal world.

Religious Views

Morgiana belongs to the Ubarite faith of Kanisat Alaliha, but is not particularly strict in her adherence.

Social Aptitude

Morgiana is charismatic, witty and clever, but also egotistical, boastful and proud. She is quite confident in her abilities, but can be dismissive of others to the point of rudeness.

Mannerisms

Morgiana is a very dynamic, animated speaker, constantly gesticulating and moving with bombastic and flowing gestures as she talks.

Hobbies & Pets

Morgiana owns a donkey, Sesame, who pulls her cart. She purchased her in Serenissima. While Sesame is a beast of burden, Morgiana treats her like a pet and dotes on her constantly, calling her her best friend.

Speech

When she is "performing", Morgiana refers to herself in third person, usually preceded by flattering adjectives, although she will drop these patterns when the situation becomes serious, she is opening up emotionally, or she is caught off guard.
Morgiana sometimes forgets words, filling in similar, but incorrect ones, or oddly describing them until she comes up with the correct one. This is less common in her "performance" persona.

Wealth & Financial state

Despite her success as an itinerant performer and petty thief, Morgiana has little in the way of permanent stable wealth, quickly spending whatever her earns. She is eager to avoid drawing attention from the Sons of the Sands or their Northern allies, the Malandrin, and has little desire to repeat the fate of Cassim, Ali Baba or the Forty Thieves, or the horde that brought misfortune to them all.
A good portion of her gains go to Gourman and his Coquillard as "tribute" and protection, while the rest is spent on food, drink and necessities. Morgiana donates the bulk of her income anonymously to charitable causes of her choosing.

Current Location

Naoned

Species

Bilqis

Ethnicity

Ubarite

Date of Birth

20, Gwenngaouenn

Year of Birth

1212 SI 27 Years old

Birthplace

Iram of the Pillars

Current Residence

Morgiana's Cart

Pronouns

She/Her

Sex

Female

Gender

Woman

Presentation

Feminine

Eyes

Lavender, Almond shaped

Hair

Dark brown, copper hair, kept chin length and straight

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Caramel skin

Height

158 cm

Belief/Deity

Kanisat Alaliha

Aligned Organization

The Forthaves Vinegar Company

Known Languages

Morgiana speaks her native Ubarite dialect fluently, as is proficient in Brezhoneg. She can speak enough Gallian, Manchais and Occitan to make it seem like she is more skilled than she actually is.

Related Historical Events

• 1212 SI
  Morgiana is born