Sarina vanHoek's page

About Sarina vanHoek

Born in Cassomir to parents of low rank within the bureaucracy, Sarina decided at an early age that she would not share her parents' path. This decision led to a falling out with her family by the time she was 15 years old and she was cast out from the family. While the move did hurt her, she does not hold this decision against her parents but instead holds a grudge against the inherent problems of the bureaucracy that runs the day to day affairs of Taldor.

She fended for herself on the streets of Cassomir for a little over a year, by thievery and performance, before moving on to the capital city of Oppara in search of a change of scenery and something more than Cassomir could offer. Within several months of moving to the capital, she learned of the heir apparent, Princess Eutropia, and her views of the current state of affairs.

The revelation of one of the nobility holding a view akin to her own brought a bit of light to Sarina's bleak vision of Taldor government. She decided she would do whatever she could to aid the recovery of Taldor while supporting the vision of the heir apparent, though she had no clue as to how to accomplish this goal. It was during the last year of her stay in Oppara that she stumbled upon her answer in a rather unusual manner: the Pathfinder Society.

She was in the midst of a time of economic hardship that she "acquired" the belt pouch of the venture-captain of Oppara. Within she found a Wayfinder and, realizing the implication of the item, hunted down her former mark. She approached the venture-captain cautiously, claiming to have "found" the pouch he had "dropped".

Though he made no sign of it at the time, the venture-captain saw through the ruse instantly. Intrigued by a thief returning freely gained coin, he invited Sarina to dine with him as a sign of his appreciation for the return of his "lost" property. The meal turned into the equivalent of a mutual "interview", both feeling out the nature of the other and their views, drives and ambitions. By the end of the meal, Sarina was certain of two things: that the life of a Pathfinder was what she sought and that such a move was the will of Pharasma. After all, why else would she have been cast on to the rough trail she had tread for the previous four years if not to find the answer Pharasma had laid out for her?

Sarina is of slight build, standing 5'4" and sporting short sandy blond hair which complement her dark green eyes. Her dress is relatively common, with colors primarily in greens and browns, but she favors a dark grey cloak to aid in her alternative night time "activities".

While she has thieving skills, Sarina prefers to earn her living by playing music in local taverns and inns, relying on her other skills only when money becomes short. This is not for the illegality of the actions themselves, but simply because she prefers playing her flute to skulking around dark alleys.

She will converse freely about minor topics, but when it comes to any personal information (her past, her political views, her religion, her family), she is very reserved. She does not trust people easily due to the falling out with her family, but once a person has gained her trust, she is loyal to them through even the worst of times.

Never having had any significant amount of currency on hand, Sarina tends to spend her money thriftily, buying only what is needed or she deems as a practical purchase. If she were to encounter a windfall, she most likely would have no idea what to do with it, though a sizable portion would go towards her parents. Not so much out of love or pity, but more to prove to her parents that she was able to survive and do well outside the bureaucracy to which they, in her view, enslaved themselves.