Elsa Gildenstern

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Elsa.jpg

A character in the The Sorrow of Bolrech Bog PBP WHFRP game.

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!

Ye Olde Tenne Questions

Where are you from?

However charming, Elsa is a born gutter-child of the less than nice parts of Altdorf - meaning that while she does her best to appear amiable, her language is still heavily colored by gutter slang. She´s also very pragmatic to the point of severe cynicism - she´s out to provide for herself, but she´ll abandon ship in three seconds if it looks like bad luck is clamping down on her.

What is your family like?

Raised more or less by herself and in part by her older (by four years) brother, she learned early that no one will look out for you - you´ll have to manage all by yourself. Perhaps paradoxically, her "upbringing" has brought with it some sympathy for people who has had it just as bad yet still manages to make way - she does her very best not to steal from or cheat anyone who doesn´t have it better than herself.

She and her brother suffered plenty of abuse and indignities as part of growing up on the streets of Altdorf and in the lower theatre circles - she has no illusions of justice as anything more than an empty concept, and views those in power with skepticism and some fear.

What is your social class?

Perhaps not as low as they get, but pretty darn close.

What did you do before you became an "adventurer"?

Conwoman, gambler, cheat and (in desperate times) thief.

Why did you become an adventurer?

Mostly out of necessity - because staying on her home turf in Altdorf had gained her too many enemies! She´s pretty easy to motivate with promises of easy coin and better circumstances than at present.

How religious are you?

Elsa is very superstitious, as the people of the streets tend to be; messing with priests or the church is a bad idea, and you better observe dozens of little daily rituals not to suffer bad luck, curses or raids by the Watch. You simply incorporate it in your life so as not to be hindered by it. As many Altdorfers, she prays to Sigmar at irregular intervals.

Best friends and worst enemies?

Elsa´s best friends are her brother Ander and the tavern keeper Oswald Boelcke who tends to give her a room, some pieces of bread and peace of mind whenever possible. She has a close circle of friends who frequent the same world as she - bawds, prostitutes, gamblers and conmen - and a wider network of acquintances.

She never bothered with much of any actual thievery or contact with the Thieve´s Guild, though - and this distrust of even the most shady of authorities hasn´t really won her any friends.

Lately, the crooked merchant Matz Schiller took offense at Elsa playing with loaded dice; rumor says that he has hired some very unpleasant people with sharp objects to cut her throat and dump her in the river. She´s not staying to find out.

What are your prized possessions?

Elsa very much loves her finer set of clothes - scavenged from the theatre as a kind of gift from her brother - and a small, painted picture of her and Ander made by a street artist who lost it to her free and gratis after a duel of wits. Other than that, she is unsentimental (if rather greedy) when it comes to possessions.

Who are you loyal to?

She loves Ander dearly and would do pretty much everything for him. If pressed, she´d probably give up a lot for her sisters - they are family. Very few people has ever genuinely stood up for her; if anyone did, she´d probably meet the gesture with some suspicion. If they passed that test, she has the capacity to be fiercely loyal.

Who do you love/hate the most?

Aside from still harboring resentment against her (probably deceased) father, Elsa doesn´t really have enemies as such.

Stats

Race Human

Career path Rogue

Age 18

Gender Female

Eye Colour Copper

Hair Colour Dark brown

Weight 110lb

Height 5´6”

Star Sign The Greased Goat (denied passions, ironically)

Number of Siblings 3

  • Ander, 22, Entertainer (actor)
  • The twins Solveig and Bianka, 20, Servants

Birthplace Altdorf

Distinguishing Marks Tattoo (shoulder - a winding path and a hangman), Earring

XP: 200 (+5 Int, +5 Fel)

Attributes

WS 33/33

BS 33/ 33

S 32/32

T 31/31(Shallyas Mercy)

Ag 35/45 (Free advance)

Int 38/43

WP 33/33

Fel 39/44

A 1/1

W 12/12

M 4 /5

Mag 0 /0

IP 0 /0

FP3/3


Skills

(+1 from Urban: Silent Move) Sleight of Hand: 40

Silent Move: 40

Gossip : 44

Speak Reikspiel *2: 53

Common Knowledge: the Empire: 43

Blather: 44

Charm: 44

Evaluate: 43

Gamble: 43

Perception: 43

Haggle: 44

Perform: Storyteller: 44

Talents

(+3 from Urban: Lightn. R, Fleet footed, Street F.)

Lightning Reflexes (+5 to base Agility.)

Fleet Footed (+1 to base Move.)

Street Fighting (+10 WS and +1 damage on Unarmed attacks (total base damage = 0 instead of -1).)

Streetwise (+10 on Charm & Gossip w. criminals and the like.)

Strike to Stun (Can try to stun opponents in melee - see WHFRP2, p. 101.)

Luck (+1 Fortune Point/day, for a total of 4.)

Public Speaking (Can affect *10 amount of people w. Charm = 40 in total.)

Trappings

Sturdy, worn clothing

Tucked-away purse containing 6GC+8SC

Knife

Hand weapon ("The Stick" - Traveller´s staff/club)

Set of best craftsmanship clothing (male)

Deck of cards

2 sets of bone dice; one regular, one fixed

Sling bag (equivalent to backpack)

  • Blanket
  • Wooden tankard
  • Wooden cutlery

Summary

Elsa´s basically a young no-good rogue, inspired in part by Geoffrey Chaucer (Paul Bettany´s character) from A Knight´s Tale with a little Jack Sparrow (pure affected theatrics) and general lowlife gambler thrown in for spice.