Lady San
Lady San is a highly respected member of upper class society on Tolsta, owner of Lady San's, The Seelie Retreat, and head of Lady San's Network.
Early Life
Lady San was born Aisla Beresan, the only child of an elven couple living in Talmine on the island of Kimber. When she was ten years old her father perished in a mining accident and her mother moved them to Tolsta, where it was easier to find work. Her mother worked as a maid for various wealthy families in the Upper Central District of the city, eventually gaining employment as a live-in domestic servant and nanny for the Ellian family. The Ellian children - Ceryn, Sol, and Riva - were similar in age to the young Aisla, and she was raised to see them as peers rather than superiors, despite her mother’s position in the home.
Aisla was precociously intelligent, and while she was not allowed to formally attend the Ellian children’s lessons, no one objected to her sitting at the back of the room and quietly absorbing all the education she could. However, once the Ellian children reached their teenage years they began to attend Tolsta Academy, and the home tutoring stopped, cutting off Aisla’s only source of formal learning. She was encouraged instead to help her mother with the upkeep of the household, and spent most of her early teenage years running errands around the city.
It was during this time that she began to commit petty thefts, primarily of reading material, but occasionally of jewellery and other finery which she could sell. She became acquainted with an early incarnation of The Swiftblades thieves’ guild, but did not engage formally with their activities. This was, however, when she formed many of the contacts which would help her establish her network in later life.
Marriage & Later Life
Aged 20, Sol Ellian completed his education and prepared to take his place in upper class society. He proposed to Aisla, and while she had little romantic inclination towards him, it was a mutually beneficial engagement: for her, a way into the social circles she would otherwise have no access to; for him, a wife possessed of great beauty, intelligence, and charm, and an understanding of how best to use them. The marriage was childless but content, lasting until Sol’s death at the age of 72.
Following his death Aisla took over all his affairs and interests, including a club he owned called The Rose Leaf. It had always done well financially, but under Aisla’s ownership it grew to become arguably the most desirable entertainment spot in the whole of Tolsta. Rebranded as Lady San's, it employed only the most talented musicians and entertainers. It also became the headquarters of Lady San's Network: the most successful, and most hidden, spy network in The Fallen Isles - and, in later years, all of Tanera.
Present Circumstances
Lady San continues to reside in the home she shared with her husband in the Upper Central District, but is frequently on site at her club and conducts most of her business there. She is fair-minded but ruthlessly protective of the Network’s interests, a sought-after ally and a dangerous opponent. She demands absolute loyalty from her employees, but her willingness to reward talent and innovation - particularly in those who may otherwise struggle to climb the social hierarchy - means such loyalty is usually willingly given.
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