When Maryska was six she watched, unblinking, as a pack of ghouls ate her family.
Her father was an Ustalavian trader of very modest success, and her mother a Varisian nomad. They met on the road and fell for each other; It helped that his profession suited her cultural wanderlust. Maryska was born a year later, and the couple was formally wed not long after.
Maryska's early life was happy, if constantly in flux. They did not have much, but Maryska saw most of Ustalav and some of the other nations surrounding Lake Encarthan before everything changed. At an early age Maryska demonstrated a sharp wit: her parents could never get anything by her and she was rarely surprised. But whatever woman would have been made by a happy life on the road died at the age of six. No one is certain how Maryska survived the attack, not even herself.
A kind soul found the girl wandering the road listlessly the day after the attack, and she ended up in the care of an orphanage ran by the church of Pharasma. While traumatized beyond most's ability to grasp, Maryska's wit and quick read of people remained and she realized adults gave her more space when they felt she was "doing better", so that was who she became. It was the first of many masks she would wear in her life.
In addition to the orphanage's mandatory religious studies she also had frequent sessions with Professor Lorrimor, who had taken interest both in her first-hand encounter with ghouls and her mental state. She refused to speak with him at first, but repeated sessions with the kind man, and his insightful observations that she was "acting" when forced to deal with people eventually wore through some of her barriers. To this day, he is the closest thing to a friend she has ever had and the only person to have ever met the wounded, kind-hearted woman beneath her litany of facades.
She did eventually find genuine comfort in Pharasma's teachings. It's focus on the cyclical nature of life and death and abhorrence of undead held unsurprising appeal for Maryska. She applied to the clergy, but once her grim, uncompromising demeanor and skill at both reading people and telling them what they want to hear became apparent the church decided she would be of best service in a more pragmatic role: Internal Affairs.
As an Inquisitor of Pharasma her primary role is to ferret out heretics and splinter cults within the faith. She spends her free time, such as it is, hunting down and destroying undead and practitioners of the necromantic arts. She is very good at her job.
Maryska is an excellent infiltrator and hunter, possesses wide range of knowledge in many subjects, and is quite good at solving most of the problems one encounters on the road in a dangerous line of work. On the other hand, she is terminally self-reliant and slow to trust others. She most appreciates the company of those who prove themselves both useful and pragmatic. She has less than zero tolerance for undead, and will do everything in her power to destroy any she encounters. She will cooperate with those who engage in necromancy only if there is absolutely no other way to accomplish her goals, and she may still stab them in the throat afterwords.
When undercover or dealing with common folk she often passes herself off as a rogue or cleric, depending on the situation, and will construct personalities for herself as needed. Those operating closely enough with her to know her true profession and identity are met with her final and strongest mask: the uncompromising, emotionless agent of vengeance.
