Tara Fyre's page

To look at her, you'd think Tara has it all. But her beautiful exterior hides a history of pain and depravity. She was adopted as a child by an Ustalavian man with a propensity for young girls. A veritable slave, she was often beaten and molested. Until one day when she got very sick. As she lie helpless in bed with fever, the man spoke to her of how he would find a new child once she was dead.

But she did not die. As her fever crested, she had a vision, of a woman both hideous and lovely, but she was not afraid. "You can end it all, child," she said. "I will make you whole, and you will kill this man and bathe in his blood. Take my hand." As she did so, she awoke, hale and hearty. With her new strength, she did, indeed, kill the man; she flayed him and ate his heart, giving thanks to her savior. Then she washed herself, gathered some things, and fled as far as she could.

Tara wound up following a caravan of Varisians traveling from Ustalav to Korvosa. She would sneak about on the fringes of their camps, occasionally interacting with them, but mostly just watching. It was there that she learned that most children didn't have the "upbringing" she had experienced. On the one hand, she was glad that these people didn't seem so awful. On the other, she was terribly jealous of them. She had no family to support her, no one to take care of her, and she could now actually imagine a happy life.

And so it probably was inevitable that she would wind up with a group of Sczarni among the caravan. They caught her trying to steal some food. They admired her spirit though, and took her in. It was the Sczarni who would teach her subtlety. They taught her how to lie, how to run con jobs, and... how to dance. They also taught her that worship of Urgathoa was something that should be kept quiet. By the time she reached Korvosa, she had a "family," and all they required was absolute loyalty and a percentage of her take.

Over the next few years, she actually grew to be quite valuable to her new friends. Not only was she a superb confidence artist, her innate gifts and moral flexibility proved quite useful in removing troublesome enemies of the family. It wasn't always easy staying ahead of the law or the various factions of Korvosan life, but she finally had something of a home.

And then she met Dexter Drake. A dashing young Chelaxian, Tara saw him only as a mark. Sure he was handsome, but more importantly, he was wealthy. But her relationship with Dexter did not go according to her plan. She had merely wanted to steal a few things and go her separate way. But Drake was surprisingly honest with her. He was indeed rich, because he was an excellent, and cunning, business man. Like her, he tended to value people by what he could gain from them. And he proposed a partnership. Drake had acquired a winery that made excellent Chelish wines and he was looking for a way to cut "transportation costs" (by avoiding import taxes through smuggling). With his wine and her smuggling friends, they could reap huge rewards.

Tara and Drake made a smashing team. Still operating in Korvosa, their operation moved into Magnimar and Riddleport as well. They profited, the Sczarni family profited, everyone was happy. Getting married was almost an afterthought. Dexter even managed to convince her that her religion was bad for business. But he had one more place he wanted to move their operation into: Talingarde. This operation would be a little more challenging as neither of them had any agents on the ground. But the potential profits could set them up for life.

It was Dexter's own fault. Who knows how long he'd been cheating on me with that slut of his. I bet the whole goddamn town knew. Everyone but me. Laughing at me behind my back. Saying, "Poor, Tara. How can she not know?" To Hell with them. To Hell with all of them.

I hadn't reached out to the power in years. Oh sure, I've thought about it. Dreamed about it in fact. But I was trying to live a different life, one without so much blood. Maybe a rat or some cats or something now and then, nothing the Mitrans would notice or miss. Mitrans...pah! They should be on my side! He violated the marriage contract, isn't that unlawful?! Doesn't he deserve punishment?!

So yeah, I killed him, and his little tart. And I'd do it again. Sigh. Apparently, Brianne, or whatever her name was, had friends, friends in high places. Like "princess" Bellinda. Thinks she so special. There's only one princess that I acknowledge, the Pallid Princess. And given the chance, I'd send this whole damn nation to meet her. All I ask now, is that she give me the chance. Cause I guarantee you... if they don't kill me, I sure as Hell will kill them.