About Svetlana OrlovskyAppearance: Standing a willowy 5’10 and weighing 130 pounds, Svetlana’s large blue eyes and long blonde hair are hard to miss. Pale of skin, she tends to dress in provocative clothing and enjoys high fashions and jewelry when she can afford it. Naturally vivacious and sensual, she oozes sexuality. However, she also has a volatile temper and takes slights seriously. That said, those around her tend to appreciate her “live life to the fullest” demeanor and strong sense of purpose. Wise and thoughtful, she listens as well as she talks. Having been betrayed by those she trusted, she is very protective of and dedicated to those that stand by her. In addition to adventuring gear (as the situation requires), Svetlana is rarely without her Calistrian Whip. A whip with a Calistrian Holy Symbol as a grip, typically proudly displayed. Born into a middling branch of House Orlovsky, Svetlana is the youngest of three children and was at once willful, sweet, manipulative and woefully unbeholden to whatever rules her parents or caretakers put in front of her. A fairly wealthy family, her parents had hoped to marry off Svetlana to an influential suitor in a better positioned house in hopes of gaining power themselves. These plans slowly crumbled as the rather attractive and flirtatious girl grew into young adulthood. Trysts with muscular farmhands and other rabble were an embarrassment to her parents, but no amount of discipline or scolding would alter Svetlana’s ways. The problem came to a head when at a richly appointed party at the house of an up-and-coming branch of the Sertova noble family, Svetlana was caught in bed with a rather handsome but thoroughly un-noble serving steward. And this was made worse by the fact that she was discovered by none other than the Sertovan noble (a pudgy fellow with a bulbous nose) her family had offered Svetlana’s hand in marriage to that very night! Outraged and embarrassed, her parents ordered her placed in an Irioian monastery in New Stetvan to “contemplate” on her ways. They made it explicitly clear that she would be disowned if she did not comply. However, compliance was never Svetlana’s strong-suit and while being escorted in New Stetvan to the Irorians she managed to persuade one of her male guards to let her check out a shop…which she promptly ran out the back of. Alone in a new, unfamiliar city was exhilarating for her, but her time by herself ended quickly. Already in the Temple District, she wandered by several houses of worship before coming across a beautiful one with a highly attractive man in loose robes out front. Intrigued, Svetlana struck up a conversation with the man, whom she discovered was a priest of Calistria. It took little time at all for the man to convince Svetlana to come and join him in his chambers, where (amongst other activities) he explained to her all about the worship of the Goddess of Lust and Revenge. Here, Svetlana found her home. Over the next 5 years, Svetlana resided in the Temple of Calistria, learning to become one of the priestesses of the faith. In addition to her courtesan duties, she also honed her skills in listening to and influencing others, as well as to trick them when need be. Weapon training and combat was also learned, but was less interesting to Svetlana than other aspects of priestess role. This existence was well enough, but trouble again struck when Svetlana became involved with a senior government official in New Stetvan to benefit the temple. Grand Marshall Holgar was a powerful man in the city, and his surreptitious visits with the lovely Svetlana went on for several months before his highly jealous wife found out. Holgar disavowed the relationship publicly and lied saying that Svetlana had ensorcelled him against his will; this led to the city guard attempting to arrest the priestess. Knowing her life was in danger. She duped the first guards to arrive in believing she was not the accused and slipped out of town. With nowhere to go, she tagged along with a merchant caravan heading to Restov. The trip was uneventful, but for some reason Restov simply didn’t feel like her final destination. There she relied on her courtesan skills for a few days before one of her companions mentioned an expedition to head out from Oleg’s trading shop the following day. Knowing that Holgar could potentially still cause problems for her in Restov, and feeling that this expedition was her next calling, she decided to be at Oleg’s on the appointed day. Svetlana Orlovsky
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