Editing Landsoftheblacksea:Main Page/players/veronique cardosa-cambra (section)

== Background ==

Veronique, known as Ronni to her friends, grew up in Blackport. Her mother, Aida, had died in childbirth, leaving her an only child. Her father, Claude Vítor Cardosa-Cambra, was the head of a thriving business, coordinating and shipping goods to and from all over the world.

That the goods and the ships that carried them were taken off the hands of their rightful owners by the pirates he employed was a detail that was only important if he decided to leave Blackport.

Claude Vítor practically worshiped Ronique, and could deny her nothing: her childhood was littered with indulgences, half-completed tutoring, broken toys, and dismissed servants. But he could not give her the one thing that a young girl desires more than anything – his time. His business had him out of the house long days and longer nights. He was strict about not bringing his work home – something about not wanting his business partners to know where he lived.

As a wealthy merchant with worldly connections, Claude Vítor was a member of Blackport’s upper-middle class – not wealthy enough to attract the attention of The Sovereign and be recognized as a noble; but wealthy enough that those who were knew him, respected him, and invited him into their circles. This afforded his family a measure of protection and safety in Blackport, so long as they stayed in the parts of the city where such things were possible.

Ronique began prowling the city in her late teens, seeking thrills and companionship to fill the void her doting but absent father and deceased mother never would.

There was a virtually infinite number of gambling rooms, hospitality houses, taverns and inns to discover, but she made a solid dent:

* Dancing and singing with the Rezidä and the other ladies of The Nine Maidens in Golden Way;
* Discussing philosophy and learning the basics of arcane magic from the thin, black-haired elf Áfatha while they sat on the cushions and drew puffs from the hookahs of Amphisbaena in Darklane;
* Arm-wrestling at The Valkyrie in Hero’s Gate – serving wenches at the beginning of the night, the Halfling owner, Odo Maggot, by the end of the night;
* Controlling the urge to flee or vomit at the sounds, sights and smells created as the patrons fulfilled their darkest desires at Balor’s Eye in Moloch’s Circus while the head bouncer, a massive half-orc named Saal, watched her with a bemused expression;
* Memorizing the shanties and stories of high adventure on the seas told by Rigger, the drunken old captain in The Keel, infamous as the lowest dive in Crossbones; and
* Hiding behind the huge ale barrels, beads of sweat from fear dripping down her face, while an ogre and troll nearly destroyed the common room of Tusks’ in The Maw after an argument about which part of her would be the most delicious as the owner, a fat old goblin matron named Ratmirt, shrieked and beat them both ineffectually with a broom.

Many mornings saw her slinking home stinking of ale and the reek of smoking weed, covered in love-marks, or nursing wounds from a duel in one of the gambling halls.

But she was always fresh and ready for more adventure the following evening.

Over time, she discovered she had a beautiful singing voice; and she could remember any poem or song or joke she heard. Her time in these places slowly shifted from listening; to singing along or calling out the punchline of the joke; and eventually, to being the entertainment herself, at least in places it was not foolhardy to do so.

The sudden appearance of a step-mother was an unpleasant surprise, and for the first time she could remember her father scolded her over her behavior. Her hatred of Catherine – tall, lithe, and unforgivably beautiful – was immediate and total, and she immediately began scheming to do away with the interloper her father had allowed into their house.

Schemes eventually gave way to more direct expressions of her disdain, culminating in the day that ended with Veronique standing over Catherine, having flogged the woman within an inch of her life with a scourge of leather and broken glass taken from one of the head-servants.

Once she healed, Catherine would still be tall and lithe; but her beauty was now a thing of the past.

Claude Vítor’s rage was unbounded when returned home to find his new wife’s blood specks liberally sprayed about the vestibule and living rooms of his house. He cursed Ronique for her wastrel ways, saying that she could not be satisfied with causing the death of his first wife, that she should now try to kill his second.

She remembered the air went from transparent to red. She saw her arm bring the scourge down on him, catching him once across the face and leaving a trail of bloody red gashes that ran from forehead to cheek. She remembered the painful grip as the house guards seized her and threw her onto the street, her father’s screams still ringing as the heavy bronze doors slammed shut.

She sat up, looking around – the temperature was dropping, and all she had were the clothes she was wearing.

For the first time in her life, despite all the dangerous situations she had been in, she felt afraid.

No longer would her father’s position and status protect her.

She was vulnerable.

She got up, pulled her tunic tightly about her neck, sniffed, turned in the direction of Darklane.

Perhaps Áfatha could spot her a drink and a puff of dream-weed, and help her figure out what to do next.

. . .

'''Claude Vítor Cardosa-Cambra''' – male human, Ronique’s father, resides in a guarded home in the Ironshadow District. High-Ranking member of the Blackport Merchants Guild.

'''Aida Cardosa-Cambra''' – Ronique’s mother (deceased)

'''Rezidä''' – human female dancer/singer at The Nine Maidens, a gambling house in Golden Way.

'''Áfatha''' – male wood-elf who frequents Amphisbaena, a tavern/smoking den in Darklane. Ronique’s magical mentor & teacher;

'''Catherine Cardosa-Cambra (ne Nicou)''' – female human, Claude Vítor’s 2nd wife, Ronique’s step-mother; sister of Averof Nicou, Captain of the pirate vessel Azrael, and business partner of Claude Vítor

'''Odo Maggot''' – male halfling owner of The Valkyrie, a tavern in Hero’s Gate

'''Saal''' – male half-orc bouncer at The Balor’s Eye, a pleasure house in Moloch’s Circus

'''Rigger''' – male human, retired sailor who haunts The Keel in Crossbones

'''Ratmirt''' – female goblin, proprietress of Tusks, a tavern in The Maw