[b]The Kennels[/b]

[hider]If it hadn’t been for her father, things might have worked out ok. She was bred for beauty, you see. She was bred to be a champion. Her stock included Seneca, the first tiger-breed to sweep all ten categories at the Tellurian Servitor Show. Her stock included Maxima, the only Servitor ever to achieve perfect scores in the Poise and Posture categories. And there was pretty little Decima, who was better trained than any who came before her and set records on the obstacle course which hold to this day. Justus and Cato and even Aurelia contributed to her line. Her mother Aeliana gave birth while wearing all forty seven of her ribbons. 

If her father had been like the rest of them, her life would have been normal. She would have been normal. A Servitor of exceptional breeding to be sure, a champion, but a normal one. But there had been concerns about the progression of the shape of the legs in her line. Aeliana had to be retired early after she’d developed a bad walk! So the Master in his infinite wisdom looked for genes outside of the beauty stock, and paid the exorbitant fee to rent the great racing-cat Felix. 

She was descended from champions. She was born to rule the auction block. But as it turns out? She didn’t. The Master of the Kennels had never had a racer before. In the whole of Tellus, no one had ever seen a runner be so beautiful before. Certainly no Servitor had ever cost this much to produce before, and the Master was absolutely intent on receiving only the highest price for her. 

It didn’t matter how prettily she swished her tail in front of buyers, or how sweetly she batted her lashes. It didn’t matter that she could do a perfect cartwheel or when she ran so super fast around them. It didn’t matter that her diction and enunciation were perfect when she asked, “Please, Mistress~”, and it didn’t matter that she could sing five entire songs with the voice of a little kitty-eared angel. Nobody bought her: she was too expensive. 

One by one her friends and littermates were sold off. Month by month and then year by year she became lonelier and lonelier. 

At first, the Master was kind to her. She was, after all, the crown jewel of the kennels. He pat her on her pretty little head and wiped the tears from her eyes, saying that it wasn’t her fault, the poor dear, these buyers just had no taste. She’d do better next time. But then next time came and went without a sale, and the Master found it a little bit harder to praise her. Was she doing this on purpose? Was she a bad girl??

Sick in her heart with guilt, the kitten practiced harder than ever. She studied and she learned a whole bunch more tricks, even ones that adults struggled to master sometimes! It didn’t help at all, and the Master was getting angrier and angrier with her. Didn’t she understand how much it cost to keep her here? Well fine, if she wasn’t going to get herself a buyer, she didn’t need to eat so much! She didn’t need to be warm at night! She wouldn’t get any more pretty clothes for her auction days!

When she started getting too old for a good sale (that’s five years, so you know), the Master started hitting her. It hurt. It hurt so much, but what hurt even more than that was being a bad girl who nobody wanted. She didn’t know how she was doing it wrong, but nothing she tried worked and all of her friends were gone now and the Master would never forgive her now but please, please, please! Don’t throw her out the window, don’t! Just give her one more chance!

But then a miracle happened. No less than the Praetor herself came to announce that the Empress sought a young Servitor to be a gift for the Princess. Only the very best would be acceptable. The Master of the Kennels had the Imperial Purse opened on his head. The useless, rotten, good-for-nothing little kitten got washed and brushed for the first time in months, got put in the cutest little dress, and then the Praetor tied a shiny bell to her fluffy white tail and stuffed her inside of a box. 

The next time she saw the light, it came with a delighted squeak and a little hand reaching out to touch her. Then she got a hug, even though she flinched and growled when she wasn’t supposed to. And then for the first time in her life she got a name, and she was Bella. Because she was so beautiful! Or… maybe, because she was wearing a bell. The Princess was not the cleverest of girls.[/hider]

[b]The Palace[/b]

[hider]Officially, Bella was an Imperial pet. But the palace was huge and always in need of work, and simple-minded machinery could only do so much. There were so many chores, horrible drudgeries really, which nevertheless benefited enormously from the dedicated attentions of a Servitor. They had that, if you could excuse the expression, “human” touch. Besides which, Servitors love to work! They adore it! They were literally born for it, if you remember the histories! An idle Servitor is a mistreated Servitor, isn’t that the expression?

So Bella worked. She swept, she scrubbed, she did laundry for the Princess, the Empress, and half the Senate. She flitted about the palace in the early morning in her frilly little maid outfits and her mary janes, or she trudged through maintenance hangars in greasy jumpsuits and fixed worn down machines with instructions from the Palace AI. 

When she made a mistake, she got beaten. When she took too long, she was beaten much harder. Of course she was, did she really think that being an Imperial pet would mean nobody would hit her when she was a bad girl? How else was she going to learn? Still, she was a clever girl (even though nobody wanted that) and learned more quickly than most. By the time she was grown up, she was (almost) never whipped anymore. 

But her most important job of all was taking care of Princess Redana. She woke the Princess up every morning with a tray carrying her breakfast. She could always tell when she did a good job with that, because Redana would squeal and demand that Bella have some too, never having any idea she was sharing Bella’s own cooking with her. She gave the Princess her baths, she attended her during training, she stayed up way too late with her best and only friend staring at the stars and talking about what might be up there past the immutable border of the Empress’ will. She sang the lullabies that finally coaxed Redana to sleep, or put her back under when the nightmares started up again. If she was lucky, she’d spend part of the night curled up on that big soft bed in her Princess’ arms. She spent the rest of it in her own tiny “bed” on the floor. She had to be sure she woke up early, or there wouldn’t be time for all her work before the Princess needed breakfast. 

She even helped the Princess with her studies. Redana’s grades took a dramatic (if still not acceptable) upswing when Bella started watching her study, reading over her shoulder and then playing the role of the silly kitty who needed the big scary concepts explained to her in simple words whenever she reached a passage she knew the Princess would bounce off of otherwise. 

She was a clever girl. She was a silly girl, when her Princess needed that more. She was a Good Girl. And every day, she tried not to be jealous of her Mistress for having everything she could possibly want and still somehow have the audacity of dreaming to have more. Sometimes she even succeeded.

Then came the day the pair of them escaped the confines of the Imperial Grounds for their grand adventure in Ecumenopolis. Bella’s giddy excitement lasted her as far as the gate. Then she thought about the punishment that would be waiting for, and started tugging on her Mistress’ sleeve to go home. And then she saw the squalor. She saw the huddled masses, the pain and the hunger and the fear, the Servitors crammed into alleyways to be chewed to death by mange while they wasted to nothing on the scraps of scraps that nobody else could be desperate enough to consider food. 

And she saw at last how far she might still fall. And she understood instinctively that this was where she was supposed to wind up, before her Princess asked for a pet. She understood, and her heart hardened into diamond, and she tugged on her Princess’ sleeve harder than ever before, until there was no choice but to finally go home where they could be safe again.

Redana betrayed her. Redana ran away. Redana beat her up and tied her up and told her lies like “I’m sorry” and “Be safe” and then she disappeared on that pathetic little sloop and left her Bella to the most vicious and savage punishment of her entire life.[/hider] 

[b]The Games[/b]

[hider]Empress Nero had never looked so furious. She held her head and squeezed her eyes shut and said that Bella should be killed. Then she changed her mind and said she should be exiled. Then she changed her mind again, and said that Bella should go and retrieve her precious daughter, because by whatever accident of Fate this useless, stupid Servitor knew Redana best and might manage to retrieve her where a bounty hunter might fail. 

If! Only if Bella proved herself. Only if she washed the stench of failure from her body and showed that she was Redana’s equal. Only if she won the Olympic Games in full sight of Zeus and every other god. 

Bella trained like she’d been possessed. She broke herself on the wheel of toil and taught herself everything she could about boxing, wrestling, fencing, chariot riding, and racing. She sharpened her body and her claws, and even managed to keep up with her chores. But it was pointless. With enough effort she might be able to win the race, but the Games were sacred. The greatest athletes across Tellus would be there, and Bella was bred for being admired. She had no lineage for this, and nobody anywhere could be the best in anything overnight. 

She cried every night, instead of sleeping. And when she thought no one was listening, she prayed. She prayed and she offered up everything she had, and then she prayed some more. Every night she cried into the emptiness and the moonlight, all alone. Then only her very last night before the competitions, Hera appeared before her. She brushed Bella’s hair, caressed her tear soaked cheeks, and smiled like a mother should when she said that Bella couldn’t possibly win the Games, silly girl. She wasn’t meant to. 

But what could she do?

“Cheat, of course.”

And did she ever! In the sight of Zeus and every other god in the pantheon, Bella made a complete mockery of the games. She drugged wrestlers, and when she couldn’t she bit them and clawed them and strangled them with her chain until they were too weak to resist her. She threw sand and spit oil from the maintenance decks in the eyes of every boxer. She smashed every chariot but hers ahead of the race. The marathon… the marathon she might have won herself, but even still she set traps and threw obstacles and shot the other fastest runner with a pacification bolt she stole from a guard along the route. She won the laurel wreath in every event, just like she was… well, she won them, anyway. 

The people were outraged. They booed and spit on her, they stripped her medals, they tied her to a post and had her flogged in the name of Zeus. The Empress herself came, and stared at Bella as she slumped and bled into her ragged clothes. She sniffed haughtily, and turned her back.

“You will come back with my daughter,” she declared, “Or you will not come home at all, Praetor.”[/hider]

[b]The Servitor[/b]

[hider]Bella is a beauty pageant queen masquerading as a soldier. She wears Imperial black and gold on her fancy dress with its long flowy sleeves, pleated skirt, and heavy boots for travel. But around her neck she wears the thick, black collar that marks her true position in society, whatever titles might be sprinkled on top of her, and on the back of that collar a heavy chain dangles  all the way down to her knees. She stands tall in spite of it, to show how strong she is. She wears bells on her sleeves and on her tail. For… for luck, she says.

Yes. For luck. 

Her white fur is soft and silky on her arms and legs, but has been chemically stripped from the rest of her body during her time in the Kennels. It’s considered more beautiful to look this way. Easier to paint. The hair on her head is a deep blue-black, and dangles all the way down to her back. She says it’s so long because  it helps her hide the chain. It has nothing to do with Redana liking to brush it and style it, ok? Nothing!

Her eyes are sharp, feline, and shaped from liquid gold. Her tail is exactly 27 inches in length. Her ears are perfect twitchy triangles. The Master of the Kennels had her whiskers pulled when she was four because she was a Bad Girl, but you can’t really see the scars anymore. She’s built tall like an Amazon, with wide hips, a slinky waist, and the sort of soft, ample chest you would expect from someone bred for generations to be the perfect beauty. Don’t tell her that. But don’t not tell her that either, ok? 

She’s here for one thing, and one thing only. She’s going to find Redana, and she’s going to bring her home. She’ll drag her back if she has to, drug her, beat her, she doesn’t care anymore. Whatever it takes, she’s going home. Where it’s safe. Where she’s loved. And if you think you’re going to stop her, that’s a mistake you don’t get to make twice.[/hider]

***

[h3]BELLA, THE NEMESIS[/h3]
Marked by Hera and Aphrodite

LOOK
[img]https://i.imgur.com/6ISxlyR.png[/img]

AGENDA
Inferiority Complex (prove your worth, at all costs, and at every opportunity)

STATS
Blood 0
Courage +2
Grace +1
Sense -1
Iron +2

MOVES
[b]A Moment’s Hesitation:[/b]
When you make a move against the Fellowship, they may erase a Bond they hold with you. Choose one: show them mercy, tell them something important, or act anyway, rolling with Despair

[b]Steel Heart:[/b]
Your Wisdom stat has been replaced by Iron. You cannot Speak Softly without a Wisdom stat, and cannot Talk Sense with Wisdom or finish with Wisdom, either. When you Finish by outlasting them in a contest of power or endurance, roll with +Iron. On a 10+ they pass out

[b]Tenacity Incarnate:[/b]
On 6- or a Fellowship 10+, gain Vigor and you cannot have Despair
[b]Dark Authority:[/b]

Your companions are Threats and follow Threat rules. They make cuts and do not roll dice. When a threat harms the Fellowship and survives the scene, you may forge a bond with them. If you need more minions, damage a stat and forge a bond with a local Threat, recruiting them instantly. 

[b]Speak Harshly:[/b]
When you demand answers from someone weaker than you, roll +Iron. On a 7+, ask 2 questions (they must answer honestly). On a 9-, one of the answers may be a lie. You will not be told which one, or even if there is a lie. On a 6-, you may only ask one question.
[list]
[*]What can you tell me about the Fellowship?
[*]What are you hiding?
[*]Where is ____?
[*]No more questions. You deal damage to them, ending the interrogation.
[/list]
[b]The Bad Guy:[/b]
You are not part of the Fellowship. Any 10+ Finish attempts by either you or they against the other cause the target to damage all their stats and be Taken Out instead of killed. When you are Taken Out, you are out of play for the rest of the session, but will Recover between sessions. You do not Recover when the Fellowship does. When you join the Fellowship, temporarily or otherwise, replaced this playbook with The Redeemed.

[b]Cut Them (Loveless Family):[/b]
The Nemesis may make Cuts under specific situations. If the Fellowship ignores you, you may Cut them. When you Cut something under the protection of the Fellowship, it begins as a Soft Cut. If nobody can responds, or if they respond but fail, it becomes a Hard Cut. Cuts made against targets the Fellowship cannot protect may be as hard or soft as you like.
Bella may make Cuts when she acts in Redana's best interests (according to Bella or Empress Nero)

[b]Cornered [s]Rat[/s] Cat:[/b]
While you are Damaged, your attacks gain the Dangerous tag

[b][s]Avatar[/s] Imperial Regalia:[/b]
You have Protection. This gives you immunity to a Location stat of your choosing, and you may choose which one to be immune to at the beginning of any scene.

[b]Dark Power:[/b]
You are a Threat to the World

[b]Alone Against The World[/b]
When you fight against them by yourself, you can try to Keep Them Busy no matter who they are, how outnumbered you are, or how poor your position is, even if they are a Group, Gang, or Army.
When you Keep Them Busy by yourself, they take damage once you are done Keeping Them Busy.

[b]Limitless Skies[/b]
You can appear anywhere you can see, effectively teleporting through the air. Whether this is actual teleportation, divine insight, or extreme speed is up to you. You roll with Hope when using this to Get Away.

GEAR

Bella is a melee weapon
Clever Tricks (Useful, 2 Uses)
High Mobility (Armor, 1 Use)

The Empress Nero Claudius has given Bella a ship, a crew, and a command. It is ridiculous to expect her to grant a twice-marked failure real supplies. Bella’s title is worse than just for show, but by Zeus’ glittering smile, do not suggest that where she can hear you.

BONDS
"I will capture Redana, no matter what the cost."
"My feelings for Redana confuse me."
"I do not understand why Alexa acts the way she does."
"...Redana [i]betrayed[/i] me."