Evie Black (Charlatan) & Tandari Michelv (Herbalist)
Header Art: Troubadour by Dark Sun Campaign Setting (4e) and Flemeth / Dragon Age Art by Marian Churchland
Evie Black - Charlatan & Thief
While she may call herself a performer, Evie Black is a charlatan... at least, according to the city guard who has tried on numerous occasions to capture her. She often works with a small group of pickpockets and thieves who, while she is distracting the crowd with a performance, are quickly cutting purses and lifting jewelry from her admirers.
Troubadour by Dark Sun Campaign Setting, Art Inspiration for Evie Black
Physical Description
She appears as a petite elf with long dark hair, a wry grin, and a bit shorter than most. While her clothes are various shades of desert brown, she wears a red sash across her waist with a matching cloak. Her cloak is reversible with a red exterior and light brown interior, and her rapier appears to be have been used for more than just for show.
Backstory
Originally named "Amaranthe Farsandoral", Evie changed her name when she came to the age of majority. She hated when her parents called her "Amara" or "Ranfie", thinking it wasn't an adequate name for the life she wanted, to that end she came up with the perfect name Evie Black. She ran away from her home in the Yggnatheil Forest outside of Garriston and slowly made her way to Serrat where she find a liking to the desert coastal city. With its bustling docks and constant influx of new arrivals, there is always someone new for her and her gang, the Black's Sand.
Life of a Thief. While Evie didn't think she'd grow up to be a thief, she knew she wanted to do something more than just sing to trees and explore nature. Her parents tried and failed, to get her to appreciate the beauty of nature, but she had a yearning for city life. Upon arriving in Serrat, she naturally began fitting into the city, seeing its buildings as her new trees to climb.
Now, she has grown quite a reputation for herself as a pickpocket and nuisance to the city, so much so that she has attracted quite a following of thieves and criminals. While she has no real interest in being a crimelord, she does find it much easier to steal items with the help of others.
A Big Score. Evie is constantly looking for her next big score and increasingly her crimes have grown in scale. So far she has been able to commit her thievery with little violence, but her next score is going to require her to either be very lucky or take a few lives. If that happens, she fears she'll lose something of herself.
Quick Reference Traits
Personality Traits. Evie constantly looks on the bright side of any situation, even when there is none.
Ideals. Evie does what she wants, when she wants, and doesn't owe an explanation to anyone.
Bonds. Once Evie decides she likes someone or something, she does what she can to help... Even in the city that she runs her cons in.
Flaws. Evie is greedy, even though she has no idea what she wants to do with money or jewels.
Adventure Hooks
Tapping out Thieves' Cant in a crowded bar, Evie is looking for new members to her gang so she can pull off the biggest job she's ever done.
Evie has made a few too many enemies in Serrat and now is facing a very real threat to her life. She is looking for some adventurers to deal with a powerful thug while she escapes.
The guards have placed quite a large reward for Evie's capture. It won't be easy as her gang has ears, and hands, on every street corner.
Evie has stolen something quite more dangerous than she realized and is looking for some protection as she crosses the desert and delivers the package to another city.
Tandari Michelv - Herbalist
Setting up her shop over 50 years ago, Tandari is a well-respected potion maker, specializing in the creation of various elixirs, oils, and other concoctions. Known as Tandy to her friends and customers, she operates a store front in one of the wealthier districts of Ferrum. She does a brisk business, and is well-respected by the locals.
As an elf approaching her 657th birthday, Tandy is seen as a grandmotherly figure to her patrons. Children adore her, and she delights children and adults alike with a delicious hard candy she makes herself. She always keeps a stash under the counter, and gives them out freely to all. Many of her clients come for simple items such as oils to keep one skin soft and supple, sleeping aids, and other concoctions, though these mundane items barely scratch the surface of her talents.
Tandari's potions attract those that seek glory and fame, along with the wealthy who can afford rare mixtures. Working in her private workshop beneath the store, she crafts custom potions for those that can pay, but such payment need not always be gold. Tandari is known to accept rare ingredients for special brews, which often require the capture or death of dangerous creatures.
Flemeth / Dragon Age Art by Marian Churchland, Art Inspiration for Tandari Michelv
Physical Description
Tandari is 5 feet tall, but looks much shorter as she is always hunched over. At over 650 years old, her skin is wrinkled, yet somehow soft to the touch. Her face always has a smile on it, and the twinkle in her eye conveys that she is always up for a little mischief.
Backstory
Daughter of an herbalist, Tandari is from a small elvish enclave on the northern shores of Eldeth. She first started working with her mother, Sandara, as a young child. Tandari studied the elvish methods of herbalism and learned how to fuse them with magic. Showing a natural aptitude for the craft, her mother used her as an apprentice throughout her teenage years.
While Tandari loves her parents and two small sisters, she left home at the age of 100, the traditional time when an elf reaches adulthood. Her mother was disappointed that Tandari was not going to take over her practice, but understood her daughter's desire to explore the wider world. Sandara gave her two gifts the night of her departure. The first was a complete book of elvish herbal recipes that have been passed down in her family for generations and the second was a magical notebook and pen. The book never runs out of pages and the pen never runs dry.
Tandari traveled the known world and even visited a few alternate planes for the next 400 years. Her natural charm and wit, along with her talents in the field of elixir-craft allowed her to work most anywhere she went. For a time, she worked with dwarven blacksmiths of the Adrikian Mountains on a new oil. With a band of goblin alchemists who loved explosive liquids. Learned ancient secrets from a couatl she befriended while on the Astral plane. Spent 25 years with a tribe of firbolg druids from the southern forests of Eldeth. Tandari even spent over 50 years traveling with a bugbear assassin where she learned how to create a variety of poisons. She developed a natural resistance to poisons during this time, exposing herself to ensure their potency. She now uses this knowledge to create antidotes for even the rarest of poisons.
By the time she arrived in Ferrum, Tandari was not only a herbalist savant, but an expert in alchemy, gardener of rare herbs, and a brewmaster.
Quick Reference Traits
Personality Traits. Tandari has a smile for everyone she meets. She is a kind soul, but with a sharp wit so as not to be fooled by anyone.
Ideals. She creates potions only to enhance a person's life. She will never create something that would knowingly harm another.
Bonds. Tandari feels a deep affection for her friends and clients. She provides not just her potions and brews to people, but a sympathetic ear to listen to their problems.
Flaws. Tandari's creative spirit has occasionally led to some minor issues such as fires in her workshop, polymorphing herself for days on end, and even a small explosion or two.
Adventure Hooks
Tandari needs the organs from a rare and elusive creature to complete one of her potions.
A client in a neighboring city needs an antidote to a poison their child was exposed to. It must be delivered in 48 hours or the child will perish.
Something is lurking in Tandari's underground workshop. At her age she would rather have a group of adventurers handle this issue than deal with the problem herself.
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