Editing Elsa Gildenstern (section)

==Background==

Elsas background is an all too common one in the slums of Altdorf: her father, not much of a provider in the first place, was sent to jail for thievery and fraud when she was very young - perhaps he died in there, perhaps he languishes still; she doesn´t know and doesn´t much care. Her mother died shortly thereafter by an infected wound after being kicked by a horse, leaving Elsa and her three older siblings to pretty much fend for themselves.

Her eldest brother Ander got in touch with a small theatre, where he became an apprentice. The twin sisters (x) and Bianka managed to get taken in by a local Shalya adept, who gave them a position as kitchen servants in the church. This left Elsa, who made her way however she could. Her brother did his best to provide for her, but seeing as how he didn´t have all that many resources she (and he) was forced to beg, run errands, steal and whatever else that might cause a brass coin or some food to turn up in your hands.

Elsa and Ander remained in pretty close contact, while the twins grew more distant in their relatively privileged position. As they grew up, they both came into their features - good looks were a trait of their mothers´ that they both seemed to have inherited. Anders youthful good looks made him a perfect fit for the "young female" roles in the theater, which proved to be his way inside as an actor rather than just a stagehand and errand boy.

It also opened up another position of influence entirely; playing the role of beautiful young women gained him great popularity among a certain clientele of "connoiseurs", and he quickly gained some admirors that were all too happy to shower him with gifts in exchange for favors of the more intimate nature. Elsa watched and learned, and together they started to make up schemes to make as much from their situation as at all possible: theft, information trading (through pillow talk) and outright blackmail.

Eventually, though, Elsa moved on to her own line of "business" - mostly gambling and low-level cons - to support herself independently. Unfortunately, she managed to become circumspect in a deal gone all wrong and had to abandon Altdorf´s spires for greener pastures - because anything is better than a blade in the gut, or whatever ill fortune an enraged merchant with a surprising adversity to foul play might be able to rain down on her!