Sera Sherovina

• Full Name: Wen Selay, alias Sera Sherovina
• Gender: F
• Profession: Factory Headmistress
• Age in 1554: 28
• Birthplace: Goldbranch
• Residence in 1554: Fort Street, Tenpin

Sera Sherovina (sha-ROV-na) was born Wen Selay and raised as an indentured maid and cook in Goldbranch, southwest of Dearworth. Her mother died when Sera was only nine, but not before teaching her daughter to despise the life of a servant.
Wen left that life at nineteen, by stabbing her mistress, stealing her valuables, and riding through darkness to Tenpin. She does not know if she left her mistress alive or dead, and she really has no way to find out.
In Tenpin, she took the name Sera Sherovina and found work in the Fort Street Factory, eventually rising to the level of Headmistress. She now oversees the Valley’s single largest textile mill, which manufactures everything from sail canvas to dress uniforms. She has a husband of two years, Keril Lipkin, and an 18 month old daughter Breanne.  
Sera lives in constant fear of her old masters, and has aggregated a band of strong and violent men to stand in her defense. These men have other jobs, since one rarely needs defending from one’s dark past, but Sera can summon them in an instant. Sera also maintains a home for other wayward youths and runaways, and through their works, Sera’s reputation and influence extend throughout the lower city.
Sera keeps just one reminder of her life in Goldbranch, a tiny gold and emerald brooch in the shape of a dragonfly. It was a gift from her mistress when they were both ten years old, on the first anniversary of her mother’s death. It seems a trifling ornament, but its workmanship is unmistakable to a native of the city.
She keeps the brooch in a locked drawer, which itself is known only to her closest friends (not including her husband). One of these dear friends, Tanis Helar, is himself a young runaway from Goldbranch. In truth, Tanis has come to Tenpin in search of Wen Selay. Though he has no idea that Sera is his target, he will soon put the pieces together and attempt to capture Sera and return her to her old mistress, who is still very much alive, in exchange for the promise of his own freedom.