Appearance: Gabby was born with a short, broad build, standing at a mere 5'1. Her shoulders are wide, and she isn't exactly the prettiest of women around, but most wouldn't call her "ugly" so much as "plain." She has blonde hair, a red nose, a blotchy complexion, and olive-colored eyes. She's missing two teeth in the middle-left side of her mouth.
Name: Gabriela "Gabby" Varanus
Age: 18
Personality: Clever, sarcastic, and inquisitive make for dangerous traits in Lucenrai, but Gabby nevertheless possesses all three of them. Her tongue wags more than it should; she's prone to making witty, barbed comments and smirking about it while she's at it. She loves cutting people down with her words, and she hasn't had to learn to deal with the consequences of that just yet.
Gabby is by-and-large a pessimist, though tutelage under good old Marius - her mage mentor - has made her grudgingly willing to help people. Still, she won't help without complaint or without compensation of some kind. She is a firm believer that most people will try to cheat you, and those that don't are going to have something unlucky happen to them. Her glass isn't half-empty - she just knocked it over and decided the question was for idiots who want to prove some point about always looking on the bright side. She hates those idiots.
Gabby has an adventurous spirit whose flame hasn't quite been stoked yet. She craves excitement of some kind; she has a strange fascination with the war on her heels, though not enough to make her deaf to reason (like "run away before you get stabbed by Varyans or eaten by orcs"). She'll take gambles other young mages might not.
"I'm standing here; you're standing there," Gabby has told people in the past. "Let's keep it that way." She doesn't like people getting too close to her property (unless they're buying something of course) and she especially doesn't like it when people hover over her shoulder as she's reading or while she works. A friendly embrace is out of the question. Personal space is big to her, and nobody enters it without a glare... or a lot of trust.
Killing is something that Gabby has done... once. She doesn't want to do it again, but she's promised herself that she will if she has to. She hates it, though, and the act of taking the life from another human being isn't one she takes lightly.
Gabby definitely has a "me first" sort of mentality, and she isn't very keen on sharing or generosity or any of that rot. She'll be helpful, of course, when the situation demands. For instance, she has every intent to contribute to the caravan's success because the caravan's success demands it. Stopping to help some stranger along the royal road, however, is not worth the risk to her. People are generally awful after all. This isn't to say that she's heartless; she knows when someone is suffering and she doesn't want people to suffer. She just isn't sure it's worth her resources, her time, or the risk of being grabbed and stabbed repeatedly in the back.
Gabby also is very good at keeping her promises... partly because she only makes them sparingly. To her, a promise or an oath is not to be taken lightly. She tends to swear by her mentor's grave IF she swears.
Finally, it's worth noting that Gabby loves winning and being right. Likewise, losing isn't something she takes well.
Backstory: Gabby was born to a merchant family with a slowly growing business. They ran a general store in Varya's capital. Gabby's mother would spin clothes to sell while her father handled the store itself; his three employees would get goods from the market for resale, salt meats and make jerky, and peddle unwanted or soon-to-spoil goods in the poorer districts at discount prices. It was a good enough trade to have, and Gabby's father would throw the occasional party for his employees, and he'd subsequently give them bonuses while drunk, but hey: it made them loyal and happy, and it encouraged his men to take him out drinking.
Being a member of the merchant class had a lot of benefits: clean clothes, full bellies, bathing more than once a month, and a bigger house (which, of course, doubled as the store). Gabby enjoyed all of these thoroughly as a child, and she flaunted her possession of these luxuries. She was a
nasty little girl. She teased poorer girls about their ragged clothes, made huge gestures and and forced gagging noises as she talked about their smell, and she loved to show them how good she was at reading - something most peasants can't do. Her mother tried to force that behavior out of her, trying everything from beating to pleading to ranting about how the powers-that-be in the heavens would punish her for acting so crass, but nothing really worked. It didn't help that her father thought it was the funniest thing he'd heard, and that he'd engage her in piercing insult contests.
There were a lot of disagreements between Gabby's parents - her father would stay out drinking until morning, for instance, or her mother would angrily destroy something precious of her father's - and those quarrels reached their peak when she was seven years old. Her father found his wife in bed with one of his employees. After much yelling, fighting, and a few broken pieces of furniture, Gabby's mother left the city with the man she'd slept with. Gabby stayed with her father.
Though he was wont to drink his sorrows and anger away, Gabby's father cast the stuff aside at the rousing sermon of a firebrand priest. His new drug became the blessings of the divine, and he spent inordinate amounts of time at the temple. He made donations to the church, too - large ones. His friends joked behind his back that he was still a drunk, just drunk with faith.
Gabby was expected to do as her father did. She went to the cathedral, but her enthusiasm was comparably lacking, and she was inattentive as a worshiper. Her father was greatly displeased, but he felt he could do little to sway her, and so remained disappointed... until, one day, one of the priests at the cathedral noticed her eying some markings on the wall at the end of service. When he asked what she was looking at, she answered "These are meant to keep bad things out, aren't they?" She was right, so the priest found a mage to test her for magical potential - and, oddly, she had it, though her father had no trace of the talent. The mage believed it must have come from her mother.
Her father was offered a sum of cash to let his daughter be taken to be trained as a mage. He accepted, seeing an opportunity to both make a profit and to ensure his daughter had a good education. So it was that Gabby became a mage's apprentice at the age of eight years old.
Her first apprenticeship to a very traditional mage was short-lived; he found her bull-headed and difficult to control. After discussing what to do with her with other mages, another candidate for teaching her was found: a crass old mage with a touch of madness living in a remote Varyan village. This man, Mad Marius, was able to deal with Gabriela's insubordination very easily: he'd simply ignore her or use his magic to punish her in weird ways, like giving her hiccups or pinning her to the wall as he studied some old text. Though unconventional, this manner of punishment was enough to dissuade her antics.
Life with Marius was not easy for Gabby to adjust to. For one, he lived in a woodland cottage near a village full of peasants whereas Gabby was used to having the luxuries of the city and the comforts a little wealth can provide. Secondly, she hated the forest, and she suffered from seasonal illnesses, always growing sneezy and stuffy in the spring. She complained frequently of these concerns and lamented wishing to go home, but Marius would have none of that talk.
Marius had Gabriela perform menial tasks at first: she would purchase alchemical components in town or fetch herbs from the woods; she would clean clothes for hours on end; she would fetch wood for the fireplace; and so on and so forth. Her requests (and demands) to learn magic were quietly and calmly rebuffed each and every time. It wasn't until after several months later that Gabriela was taught her first bit of magic, and by then she was an
eager student.
Gabriela seemed to have the most talent for abjuration - the magic of protective wards and warding off evil - so that is what she was taught first. She took to it quickly, and proved even quicker to show enthusiasm when Marius told her she could make a fair profit selling protective baubles to the townsfolk. They started making trips into the village, and longer trips to a nearby city, peddling magical and alchemical trinkets: fireworks, glowing rings, amulets that protected the wearer from bad spirits - small things that were relatively harmless in the hands of the peasantry, so said Marius, and were worth a lot to those without the talent for magic. In this way they made profit, and in this way Marius fostered Gabby's knack for bargaining and persuasion. He also showed her the art of alchemy: how to mix potions, how to identify herbs, how to identify certain poisons, and so forth. Gabby took to this as well, though she had a habit of keeping some dangerous things (like poisonous leaves) for safekeeping.
In time, Gabby's master decided to move to Edessa, having caught wind of the coming troubles and wanting to help. Gabriela did not have such benevolent desires - she only accompanied him so she might learn magic - but as his apprentice she had little choice unless she wished to find a new mentor. She prepared alchemical medicines alongside Marius, created more protective baubles, and started began focusing her studies on more aggressive magics ("Just in case," the old mage told her).
Such lessons continued until Gabriela was sixteen. Her mentor took ill that year, and while he was careful to see a physician as soon as he could, he died of swelling in his lungs, so the physician said. Stricken with grief (and surprised that she was), Gabriela nevertheless chose to stay in Edessa as her master had left her his house on his deathbed. She peddled magical wares on her own for the better part of a year, not quite ready to be mentored by someone else. Making a profit, at least, with her magical skills was a worthwhile way to live until she was ready.
But then war came to Edessa, first from orcs and then from expansionist Varyans. Gabriela was accused rather quickly of being a Varyan spy, so she was tempted to retreat to the Varyan lines; but upon doing so she found herself treated like any other Edessan peasant. She barely managed to escape execution, and she had to kill a young soldier to get away. Now 18 years old, the young mage Gabriela has decided the safest thing she can do is travel away from Edessa and away from the war that is coming. The safety of a caravan, even if her Varyan accent is as clear as day to the others, is something she can ill-afford to walk away from.
Truth be told, though, something in her finds the whole affair exciting.
Skills and Abilities: Adept Abjuration - Magical barriers and wards against evil are something Gabriela specializes in as a mage. It is a difficult art to master, but she's well on her way to becoming a full-fledged abjurer. She can create shields of magical energy rather easily, and they're strong, sturdy things. She's also believed to be able to keep evil spirits away, but that may just be superstition.
Adept Haggling - Her words may not be honeyed, but Gabby is still is great at driving bargains home. She has a real talent for buying and selling goods at prices others can't.
Adept Alchemy - Wonderful potions, poultices and salves can be produced with the proper application of magical talent and herbal know-how. Gabby possesses both of these things. She can make potions that slow bleeding, pastes that eat through wood, oils that make old ladies' joints hurt a lot less, other such things... And fireworks. She can make fireworks. This doesn't make her good at healing people; it just makes her good at making stuff that can be used to heal people.
Journeyman Academics - Math! Science! Astrology! Gabriela is decently well versed in academia, though it was not the focus of her training like it is with other mages. Still, she's a good reader and knows enough book stuff to be bookish.
Novice Herblore - With the knowledge of alchemy comes a basic expectation to know what plants will help you and what plants will poison you if you chew them. Why would you chew poisonous plants? Yeesh. Gabby knows just enough herb stuff to know what will be good for a potion or salve... (Note: Gabby is meant to be on the lower rung of "novice" in this department.)
Novice Acid Magic - Gabby finds that acid is a wonderful substance to wield. It can melt through wood, stone, and even metal if it's powerful enough, to say little of flesh. She's still working out the kinks of how to wield it properly, but at least she can spray a jet of it or lob an acidic ball at someone's face. It's a start.
Novice Light Magic - Just as useful is the ability to manipulate light. While it can't be used to hurt someone - at least not by a novice practitioner like Gabby - it
can be used to illuminate dark places. More experienced practitioners can do so much more, but Gabby isn't one of them.
Novice Bludgeon Wielding - Gabby knows a bit more about clubbing people than your average untrained peasant. Call it a talent, if one that most wouldn't be proud of necessarily. Her talent hasn't been accompanied by much training, however; but she has had some rudimentary lessons in walloping from a local militiaman in Edessa. Just... not much.
Equipment:Green focus crystal - A shimmering crystal that Gabriela uses as a focus for her magic. She can cast spells without a focus, but it helps to have something of this nature when she needs to quickly throw up a barrier or blast someone with a spray of acid.
Gambeson - A simple, protective padded cloth armor. Gabby bought this just before being forced onto the road. While it's not as effective as leather or chain or pretty much any sort of not-made-of-cloth armor, it's lightweight and only somewhat difficult to get used to. (Image link:
http://www.esford.com/Gambeson/AH6074%20gambeson%20front%20lg.jpg)
Traveling clothes - Simple brown pants with a silver-embroidered blue tunic. This outfit has lots of awesome pockets and belts and stuff that make it perfect for carrying lots of things... like alchemical components, money, or just a handful of sand.
Alchemical components - A few basic goods to make some medicinal salves or blinding powder at short notice. Comes with mortar and pestle.
Morningstar - Hey, everyone needs a weapon, right? This is a simple spiked club used to beat people's faces into a bloody pulp. It may not be especially effective in the young mage's hands, but if Gabby runs out of options...
Gardening knife - A tool meant for cutting plants and stuff. Also can peel tomatoes. Rad, huh?
A small cheesecake - No, you can't have it. It's for emergencies.
