Emma Sharpe
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Emma is a young woman making her way in the world by any means necessary.
A bit shorter than average with shoulder length brown hair, Emma is very good at not standing out in a crowd, unless she wants to. She usually affects a somewhat scholarly persona complete with glasses and plain clothes.
Aspects That Stand Out:
Money is everything in Ul’dah; power, comfort, most of all it’s a measure of your moral worth. If you’re poor, the thinking goes, it’s because you’re too lazy or too stupid to make something of yourself. Emma was born poor, with a different name. Her mother was a street vendor, addict, and casual prostitute; her father was probably one of her mother’s boyfriends or customers. Emma grew up in the streets, running with one of the numerous gangs of street urchins. Quiet and unobtrusive, she excelled at petty theft, pickpocketing, and courier work for gangs of older criminals. She was also adept at settling scores and petty squabbles with fists, feet, and the occasional knife.
Old Bob was a plodding, shuffling drunk. The old man claimed to have a been a priest of Naldthal, not that anyone believed him. During intermissions of relative sobriety he picked up a few coins by teaching the neighborhood children the rudiments of reading and writing. A clever child, Emma did well at reading and writing, but she also got some lessons of a different sort. The old drunk wasn’t much of a mage, but he could still teach a promising student a few tricks. “The real magic’s not the stuff they stuff they peddle at the guilds,” he would tell her, “It’s out in the world. You gotta find it for yourself.” She wasn't much of a mage, but between native talent and Old Bob's uneven training Emma could still drop a spell or two into a street fight or use one as a distraction for a robbery. Puberty hit Emma with the force of a hammer and seemingly overnight the skinny urchin was attracting attention of a different sort; some of which included offers of coin. Emma was smart enough not to take the first or even the second offer that came her way and eventually ended up in a pillowhouse in the Fronds. It wasn't one of the high class places, but compared to life on the street it was unbelievably luxurious. Regular meals, clean clothes, and more coin than she’d ever seen. The owners of the pillowhouse had their own ambitions so there were lessons in deportment, makeup, and other skills designed to attract a better paying class of customer. The pillowhouse owners squeezed their employees as well as their customers and Emma watched her wages dwindle as the charges mounted - food, lodging, classes, clothing - all at exorbitant prices; it was the way of things in Ul'dah. It didn't take Emma long to figure out that she’d be out on the streets with nothing but debts once she stopped attracting customers. A childhood of thievery came in handy as small valuables occasionally disappeared and customers found themselves with a little less money than they remembered. There were suspicions and searches, but nothing was ever found and the lessons on pleasing customers had made her a smooth liar and plausible actress quite capable of deflecting suspicion onto others. Besides, these things happened in pillowhouses; it was the way of things in Ul'dah. Emma was one of their more reliable workers, so it was to the displeasure of the pillowhouse owners when she announced she would not be renewing her contract and produced a sufficient sum to pay off her debts. They scowled and argued but the coin was sufficient and even the notary could do no more than agree the debt was paid. They were even more displeased when they discovered a someone had been systematically pilfering the expensive wines reserved for customers. So it was that Emma Sharpe found herself in rented rooms in a modestly respectable part of town with a store of coin, a new name, and boundless ambition. Her hands were quick, she was still attractive, she was good with a knife or a spell, and she was going to be respectable and rich, no matter what it took.
Emma has picked up a variety of abilities from her checkered past. She's good with a knife, is a talented (although poorly trained) mage, an excellent actress and liar, is still good at picking pockets and other larcenous arts, and is widely, if unevenly, read. On the other hand, she has no formal education, is physically small and fairly weak, and her lack of magical training puts her at a serious disadvantage against a real mage.
Emma is a very good actress; she is unfailingly pleasant and very good at telling a mark what they want to hear. She usually tries to come across as polite, harmless, and a bit prim, but she will drop the mask a little when among fellow criminals. The politeness hides an iron determination to avoid poverty and a willingness to do almost anything if the long term payout is sufficient. A life on the streets has convinced her that hard work and honesty are for chumps; ruthlessness and luck are how you get ahead.
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