She was born Dona Sofia Ines de Alvarez y Cartagena. She was the only child of Don Fernado de Alvarez. Her father was a minor Castillian Noble who had served in the King’s navy with distinction. Her father married the love of his life and was devastated when she died giving birth to Sofia. Sofia reminded him of the love of his life and doted on her. He spoiled her and taught her things that were considered unseemly for a woman of her class. Don Fernando did not care as it gave him the opportunity to keep his daughter at his side. He took her to sea with him and taught her everything he knew about sailing and naval warfare. Don Fernando taught her how to use a blade. She began training at a very young age. She was an expert and could beat him by the time she was a teenager. She was young and fell in love with a minor noble who was a self made man. He had built a merchant fleet and built his fortune on trade to the new world and the riches to be gained from the east. Her father would never deny her and saw her happily wed to the love of her life, Don Rodrigo de Moreda. Her name changed to Sofia Ines de Moreda Y Cartagena. She went with her husband as he sailed the world on business. He taught her everything he knew about business. He had been expanding his holdings in the Antillean Archipelago. He had set up offices in the town of Free Sail. He had expanded his shipping fleet to include 6 ships. His prize vessel had been a wedding gift from her father, a modified Castillian Galleon that was sleek, fast, and had a large cargo hold but still had enough guns to protect itself and be a terror on the high seas. Rodrigo’s business, The Silver Bear Traders grew in wealth and influence over the years. Sofia lived a life of privilege and wealth. She was a happy woman who settled down to raise their three children. Rodrigo had built a huge manor house in Free Sail for his family. It was called the Silk Rose due to its opulence and beauty. Sofia’s favorite place was the gardens where he had roses brought in for her from Castille. Sofia had three children, two sons, Juan and Roberto, and one daughter Maria Rose.

While Sofia and her family had been happy and living a good life, others were jealous of Rodrigo’s success and plotted his downfall. Late one night a crew of assassins and cutthroats attacked their home. Rodrigo and her children were killed. Sofia had fought like the devil to protect them. She had been shot in the back and hit over the head. They had left her for dead as the villains took what loot they could before setting her home on fire. Sofia woke up surrounded by smoke and fire. She barely made it out of the house alive.

Sofia swore that those who had killed her family would pay. She used the wealth and assets her husband had left her to accomplish this. Her initial investigations and bribes led her to those who had done the deeds. It had taken her two years to hunt them all down. She had bought a dockside tavern and used it as a base for her investigations. She staffed it with people she knew to be loyal to her. She staffed with people she had rescued from dire straits and injustices of their own. She had created a persona to hide her identity, Maria Rose, La Conquistadora. She wore a golden silk mask of roses and thorns to hide her face. It was as she was exacting her revenge on the last one that she learned they had been hired to do it. They had been hired to kill her family and make it look like a burglary. She wanted the people who had signed the orders. Her latest clue said that the crew of the Crimson Demon pirate ship were the ones who hired those sent to kill her family.

Sofia began to build a network of spies, thieves, and cutthroats of her own. Her elusive goal to find who had ordered the death of her family. She takes her ship out as La Conquistadora seeking answers on the high seas. She used the ship to lure pirates in and take them out as she searched for information on the Crimson Demons.

As a player, what do you hope to accomplish and where do you want the character's story/stories to go?

The character works to right injustice while she seeks the answer of who ordered the death of her family. The seemingly charming noble lady that was widowed and continues to run a shipping empire by day. Emerges as a vigilante seeking justice for the death of her family. She refuses to let injustices go when she finds them. She uses her wealth and knowledge to build her own criminal underworld network. I want the story to lead from one good lead to another, one adventure to another as she explores the seedy underbelly of Free Sail.

What is the thing your character wants more than anything in the world- what would they fight, kill, or die for…and just as importantly why do they not have it yet?

The character wants justice. She wants to kill those who ordered her family killed. As she investigates that crime, she is exposed to more injustices of the world. She can’t right the wrong done to her yet, but she can help others. Fighting under her alias Maria Rose, La Conquistadora, gives her a way to vent her rage. It gives her purpose. The people who ordered her husband’s death are well connected in the Exchange. They ordered his death because they had hoped to kill off the business. They were upset that the Silver Bear Traders were cutting into their business. The members of the Exchange that hired the folks to kill Rodrigo and his family were smart and used multiple cut outs to prevent the crime from being linked to them. Every time she thinks she has found the answer, it leads to yet another person. The loss of her family has hardened Sofia. She no longer lives a happy content life of prestige, coddled and naive about the world. She has witnessed the cruelty of the world first hand. Having the ability to do something about it, well that is all that keeps her sane.