Paletress, the Laughing Blade's page

Crowd Control: +1 AC and attack when adjacent to two or more enemies, crowds do not hinder movement. replaces fast movement

Traits
Elven Reflexes: +2 initiative
Heroic Heritage: +1 ability score (str) (Ask her about her father, see if you can run fast enough)

Remaining: 199g, 8s, 5cp

Born to an elven mother and an unknown father, Paletress was named for her almost white hair and carries the name with pride. A lonely and unforgiving childhood, her mother was the lone bright spot in her life, even though she would occasionally find her mother crying without ever explaining her sadness. As she grew older, she learned two things about her family: the first, that her father had been a great warrior from the north, and that her mother had been disowned for the audacity of marrying a human.

Her day to day life growing up was vicious, to say the least. In a mostly human environment, children will pick up on any difference and use it as the basis for some of the cruelest treatment. Her mother would teach her patience and understanding, but seeing the hatred in the eyes of her peers day in and day out made her question whether people could truly be considered inherently 'good'.

Her only friend, aside from her mother, was a small snow white kitten that she found shivering in an alley one day. It took one look at her and struggled towards her, and by that point she could not bear to leave it alone. Her mother, initially angry at having an extra mouth to feed, nevertheless saw the effect it had on her troubled daughter and helped bring it back to health. The two were inseparable, and for a while things were well.

Four years later, when Paletress was 14 and turning into a beautiful but withdrawn adolescent, she was attacked by several older boys hoping to take advantage of her seeming weakness and solitude for their own ends. Struck with several rocks, Paletress was knocked down and beaten, but her cat intervened, attacking the tormentors until the largest of the boys killed it, laughing.

Seeing her only childhood friend killed in front of her caused a part of her mind to snap, and no doubt the first thing that alerted the boys to the fact that something had gone terribly wrong was the horrendous laughter that rose from this previously timid and withdrawn girl. A rictus grin met their confused gaze, and she lunged at them. Though seemingly tiny and frail, she proved to her assailants that sometimes strength comes from the mind rather than the body, and a burst of pure cold rage resulted in none of her attackers escaping the melee unharmed.

As the others fled, she managed to trip up the boy who had slain her childhood friend and visited upon him such a vicious degree of retribution that the town spoke of Paletress' wrath in hushed whispers of dread for months after. She was found by several guards (one of whom promptly went into a panic attack), spattered in blood both her own and that of her former assailant, cradling the body of her treasured companion and sobbing.

Nobody ever bothered her after that. Some spoke of running her out of town, but such was quickly shut down by the phrase 'Are you gonna be the one to do it?'. She was alone, but unmolested. Her mother never quite looked at her the same way afterwards, saying that Paletress' grin had become... familiar. When she expressed an interest in going to the big city and becoming one of the city guard, mother was quick to encourage her departure.

Those hopes were dashed when her 'psychological concerns' (and terrifying laughter-fueled rages) rendered her unfit for service in the town guard, and she eventually found herself in the employ of a local crime ring, where her violent proclivities were more readily accepted and encouraged. Unsatisfied with her lot in life, she left the service of the crime ring (three dead enforcers bought her an otherwise uncontested exit) and struck out for the frontier, looking to find fame, fortune, and a way to use her 'unconventional battle cry' in a place where even the town guard might appreciate it.

Physically attractive but socially withdrawn, she seems to others as timid. She laughs at the strangest things, never quite explaining why, and thinks strangely compared to her peers. Things that seem obvious to others would require much explaining for her to understand, and she easily picks up on strange bits of information that others might overlook.