Zsófia Dobós's page

Zsófia grew up in what she always thought was a special school for gifted and talented girls in Restov. Her guardian, Sister Hannah, was a priestess of Shelyn, and she looked after Zsófia and twenty others in her tiny temple, all of them children of minor nobles or wealthy burghers. Zsófia had no idea who her mother was, but she did see her father from time to time as he stopped in to visit her while on his travels. He was a ship captain in the north, and he was always bringing her exquisitely-made presents that he acquired while working his trade. She thought she heard the Sister Hannah say once that her mother was from Taldor, so she always imagines her as a beautiful princess with purple eyes and blond hair.

Perhaps her favorite gift she ever received from her father was an intricately carved wooden sword that was shaped like the dueling swords of the Aldori Swordlords. She played with it for her whole childhood, until it almost became an extension of her arm. The temple school had a strong artistic bent, and Zsófia incorporated the sword into everything she did: when she danced she waved it and clacked it against the floor, and when she sang she punctuated her words with it like a conductor's baton. Her father was impressed when next he visited; his eyes glimmered and Zsófia was so proud.

When she was sixteen years old, he brought her an actual dueling sword, a true work of art, and cautioned her on the importance of her practicing with it, so that nothing she did while holding it was ever an accident. She was growing into the perfect young noblewoman, he said: accomplished at culture and grace, but also agile and sharp, and this sword was all of these things. She must become the sword, and let the sword represent her. With great dedication she devoted herself to this task, anxious to please her father again.

Soon Zsófia came of age, and her father asked her what she wanted. He had put aside money for her, and she could do anything she liked with it. He would buy her a house in the city if she wanted to practice a trade, or she could travel. Timidly, she asked if she could come join his ship's crew and learn to be a sailor, and he frowned. She quickly changed the subject and suggested that she would like to study at the Aldori academy instead, if she was good enough to gain admission. This also surprised him, but he enthusiastically smiled.

Zsófia applied immediately to join the school of the great Aldori Swordlords, and while she waited to be called she joined a smaller dueling school-- more of a club, really-- to perfect her art. It was run by a rebellious young street bravo named Moldov, who believed that to win a duel one had to employ unorthodox methods, methods that traditional duelists did not like. As the only woman in their dueling circle, Zsófia received a lot of notice, and found she liked embarrassing hotheaded proud young men who underestimated her abilities. And like she did when she was young, she developed her own style of fighting, where she would dance while she fought, and she found that there was a kind of divine magic in her steps, almost like a prayer.

Every day she would stop by the academy and ask about the status of her application, but for some reason the porters always put her off. Zsófia was not used to being ignored; she had a loud voice and specifically dressed flamboyantly to gain attention, after all. Yet for more than a year she could not get an audience, and finally she complained to her father in a letter. The next time he visited, he had bought her a title. She was now a baroness of a small estate somewhere in the Stolen Lands, willed to her by a Brevic noble family that had died without issue.

If "Zsófia" was unpalatable to the Swordlords, "Lady Zsófia" did no better. It seemed the Aldori fighters did not want to teach her for some reason. Hurt and angry, the new baroness threw herself into her dueling club with renewed vigor, and decided to embrace the term "bravo." She commissioned a specially-tailored dueling costume, with a plumed hat, long cape, and ruffled sleeves. Her reputation spread quickly, especially her hatred for the Aldori Swordlords, with whom she was especially brutal when dueling, cutting as deeply with her words as her blade. The public began to call her "Prima Sofia," like Prima Donna, and joked that she was the queen of the bravos.

Eventually she grew bored with the Restov dueling scene, and became curious about her estate. She decided to prepare for an expedition into the Stolen Lands to visit and take possession of her lands, and learned that the king was sponsoring expeditions into the wilderness to combat the bandits. She hired teachers to go over with her some of the skills she would need to travel in the wild, and she purchased equipment she would need to make the journey. Finally she wrote to her father to let him know her plans, so that he could come to say goodbye.

When he arrived, he said that he thought she was old enough to hear the truth. He was not just a simple ship's captain, but in fact an infamous pirate. And that wasn't all: due to an arrangement with King Surtova, he also held the title to large parts of the Stolen Lands, not just a small estate within them. Because of her father's illegal activities, his good friend the king had been forced to place a bounty on his head and could not acknowledge his claims-- but certainly his daughter Zsófia Dobós would be able to take possession in her own name.

With documents proving her lineage, Zsófia made her way to New Stetven and an audience with the king. She charmed the herald into announcing her to the court as "Prima Zsófia Dobós," and to her great delight it was clear from the whispers and raised voices that the Swordlords in attendance knew who she was. The king proposed that he could affirm her ancestral claim to lands in the River Kingdoms, but that since large parts of the territory were reportedly uninhabited or overrun with wild animals and other hostile creatures, she would have to first secure the lands herself. Prima Dobós agreed. It was whispered in the court that King Surtova was pleased to be able to send a representative to the new kingdom who did not owe her allegiance to the Swordlords, and that the two of them had an understanding that would help assuage the king's doubts that the new kingdom would be an ally to all of Brevoy, rather than just Rostland.

Armed with this royal blessing and her trusty blade, Zsófia has arranged to join a company of explorers hired by the Swordlords to travel to Oleg's holdfast and discover the state of the region. Once she has proven herself capable and trustworthy to her new companions, she intends to then breach the matter of her title and holdings. She would like to get a sense of the layout and culture of the new kingdom as it develops, and especially get a look at her barony (the Narlmarches, as it is apparently called) and its seat at Candlemere. The more she knows about these lands that she intends to make-- at least in part-- her own, the stronger her claim upon them will be.

Zsófia looks to be in her late twenties, still young for a human, with blonde hair dyed red and blue sticking out below her wide-brimmed plumed hat. She wears a luxurious blue cape, weighted at the base, over exquisitely-made leather armor and boots, both laced with blue ribbons. At her hip is a finely-crafted Aldori dueling sword with an oversized hilt. She has a rich, high and cultured voice, and wears pleasant-smelling rose perfume. She looks fit and perfectly at ease in her surroundings, buzzing with wiry and gleeful prowess.

Zsófia is ambitious, curious, flamboyant, and rebelliously proud. She is generally kind and merciful, though she does find it fun to embarrass people who underestimate or oppose her. She believes the Stolen Lands are hers by birthright, and she will show everyone that disagrees that she is worthy. She is usually high-spirited and optimistic, and not very sneaky. She often sings while she travels and also while she fights. Because of her upbringing she is surprisingly pious, and she honors Shelyn with prayers before meals and before bed. She loves jokes and witty humor, and especially loves mocking her enemies.

Step 1 (Write 5 background and concept elements that you feel are important to your image of the character. These can be a concept overview, a list of important life events, a physical description, a personality profile...whatever you need to get an image in your mind. 5 is just a minimum...more elements are encouraged!)

• 1. Zsófia is a brash, swashbuckling pirate's daughter raised in Restov by a priestess of Shelyn to become a dashing and dangerous young noblewoman.
  
• 2. She applied for the Aldori dueling academy but was apparently rejected without an interview, and consequently resents them.
  
• 3. She perfected her swordfighting as a bravo in private and street fencing clubs, where she enjoyed embarrassing hotheaded noblemen who underestimated her.
  
• 4. Though for many years she thought that her father was a simple trader, he is actually a notorious pirate with ties to the royal family, and she was unknowingly raised to be the perfect heiress, to take back the Stolen Lands for her family when the time is right.
  
• 5. She is quite pious and devoted to her patron goddess Shelyn.
  
• 6. She instinctively distrusts faerie creatures, though she is not quite sure why.
  

Step 2 (List at least two goals for the character. At least one of these goals should be one that the character has, while another should be one that you, as a player, want to see developed over the course of the game.)

• 1. Zsófia holds petty grudges, and has decided the Aldori Swordlords are her sworn enemy. She would dearly like to embarrass them by demonstrating she is better than all of them.
  
• 2. I'd like for her to eventually gain the attention of her goddess through her actions, and receive a divine blessing from Shelyn.

Step 3 (List at least two secrets about your character. One is a secret the character knows, one is a secret that involves him but that he is not actually aware of yet.)

• 1. Zsófia's father Vali Dobós was a pawn in a political game between Rostland and Issia; for years he has been the lost heir to the Stolen Lands thanks to a bequeathment from a distant relative, and House Surtova has held him hidden until they were ready to use him. However, he resented this treatment, and instead used his privilege to become a wealthy pirate, by essentially blackmailing the royal family with embarrassment to keep himself from facing consequences.
  
• 2. Zsófia's father believes that her mother was a Taldane priestess of Shelyn, because she looked so much like popular depictions of the goddess, but it troubles him that she basically came to him for exactly a year and a day, just long enough to seduce him and have a baby, which she left behind. There are stories of goddesses doing that, especially ones that meddle in human affairs like Shelyn is reputed to do, and it is a private point of pride to him that a goddess found him alluring enough for a dalliance. In fact, Zsófia's mother was actually a faerie who adopted the appearance of the goddess. She is a servant of Nyrissa who was sent to investigate the contacts of House Surtova and who became smitten with Vali. Her mistress was furious when she discovered this, and stripped her of her name and powers, imprisoning her in her faerie realm for eternity. Zsófia doesn't know any of this, but perhaps because of her religious upbringing and her father's suspicions she has always distrusted the fey. She has not realized yet that she has fey blood.
  
• 3. Neither Zsófia nor her father knows that she is one of the last descendants of Choral Rogarvia. Fortunately for her, her faerie blood keeps her mystically occluded from the dragons' divination magic, but the same is not true for her father. Caelyndraxis has recently identified him and discovered where he is, and has put plans in motion to ambush his ship and take him captive. When she does, she will eventually learn from the interrogation that he has a daughter.

Step 4 (Describe at least three people that are tied to the character. Two of them are friendly to the character, one is hostile.)

• 1. Captain Vali Dobós is one of the most active pirates on the Lake of Mists and Veils, though these days he only makes one or two voyages a year and spends the rest of the time traveling Brevoy in disguise-- or rather, not in disguise, as his pirate costume is over-the-top and memorable, but not at all what he really looks like. He keeps an eye on his daughter, though he is careful that she doesn't know how closely.
  
• 2. Moldov is a hotshot bravo who ran a street dueling club in Rostov for many years. He took his defeats at Zsófia's hand with grace, and first coined her nickname "Prima." When she left the city for her estate, she told him where she was going and said he would always have a place in her court should he desire it.
  
• 3. Jamandi Aldori is the head of the Aldori Swordlords. Now in her fifties, she has worked hard to ensure that her dueling record remains unbroken. She instructed the porters to turn away Zsófia from the academy, and is aware of Zsófia's grudge, but so far she does not believe her to be a threat to their organization.

Step 5 (Describe three memories, mannerisms, or quirks that your character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor.)

• 1. Zsófia can't resist gloating over a fallen opponent, nor can she help mocking them while they are dueling. The banter is most of the fun.
  
• 2. Zsófia is always seeking attention; dressing flamboyantly, decorating her horse with ribbons, singing as she walks, speaking loudly, dancing as she fights, drawing with a flourish.
  
• 3. Every night before she goes to bed, and before every meal, Zsófia recites a short prayer to Shelyn.

Dodging Panache (Ex): At 1st level, when an opponent attempts a melee attack against the swashbuckler, the swashbuckler can as an immediate action spend 1 panache point to move 5 feet; doing so grants the swashbuckler a dodge bonus to AC equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 0) against the triggering attack. This movement doesn’t negate the attack, which is still resolved as if the swashbuckler had not moved from the original square. This movement is not a 5-foot step; it provokes attacks of opportunity from creatures other than the one who triggered this deed. The swashbuckler can only perform this deed while wearing light or no armor, and while carrying no heavier than a light load. Note: As an alternative to Dodging Panache, I suggest we substitute in the Social Panache deed from the Noble Fencer archetype instead. I've included the text of that deed below.

Social Panache (Ex): At 1st level, a noble fencer can spend 1 panache point when he attempts a Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, or Sense Motive check to roll 1d6 and add the result to the check. He can do this after he rolls the check but before the result is revealed. If the result of the d6 roll is a natural 6, he rolls another 1d6 and adds it to the check. He can continue to do this as long as he rolls natural 6s, up to a number of times equal to his Charisma modifier (minimum 1).

Just before a verbal duel, a noble fencer can spend up to 4 panache points. For each point he spends, he selects a tactic for which he has chosen Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, or Sense Motive as an associated skill and gains an edge he can only use with that tactic.

Vengeful Heart (Ex): Some swashbucklers are driven by vengeance above all else. At 1st level, the swashbuckler gains the samurai’s resolve class feature, treating her swashbuckler level as her samurai level. Whenever the swashbuckler spends a use of resolve, she must also spend a point of panache or a use of charmed life, or the use of resolve has no effect.

Resolve (Ex): Starting at 1st level, the samurai gains resolve that he can call upon to endure even the most devastating wounds and afflictions. He can use this ability once per day at 1st level, plus one additional time per day for every two samurai levels beyond 1st.

• Determined: As a standard action, the samurai can spend one use of his resolve to remove the fatigued, shaken, or sickened condition. If the samurai is at least 8th level, he can alternatively remove the exhausted, frightened, nauseated, or staggered condition. If the condition has a duration longer than 1 hour or is permanent, this ability removes the condition for 1 hour, at which time the condition returns.

• Resolute: Whenever the samurai is required to make a Fortitude or Will save, he can spend one use of his resolve as an immediate action to roll twice and take the better result. He must decide to use this ability before he rolls the saving throw.

• Unstoppable: When the samurai is reduced to fewer than 0 hit points but not slain, he can spend one use of his resolve as an immediate action to instantly stabilize and remain conscious. He is staggered, but he does not fall unconscious and begin dying if he takes a standard action. He does fall unconscious if he takes additional damage from any source.

ZSÓFIA

Dressed in her most outlandish and colorful attire, her signet ring and dueling sword plainly visible, Lady Zsófia proudly returned to Restov after her business in New Stetven was concluded. Having learned that the Swordlords were hiring mercenaries for a journey south, she knew that it would be important for her to present her best face to the representative organizing the expedition. Surely my royal sanction will carry some weight, she thought dryly, but mayhaps they would love an excuse to refuse me for other reasons. I must remain politick, no matter the provocation.

If she were being completely honest with herself, it still rankled her how they had treated her when she applied to join the academy. It was years ago, and yet the cuts felt as fresh as yesterday! Still, she was determined to give no sign of her wounded pride in order to further her goals. Likely that would be her biggest challenge in this interview. I must try to limit the number of Swordlings I challenge to-day, she thought wryly. Though if it is to be a duel of wits only, I feel it is cheating to fight an unarmed opponent. She smirked to herself.

When she arrived at the meeting-hall, she looked around for one of the porters to announce her. There was no point in trying to disguise herself, she decided, for besides being dishonorable it likely wouldn't do any good. While she waited for her reception she curiously studied the others gathered there in the audience chamber. No one she knew previously, but that was to be expected. There were fewer fellow aristocrats than she would have thought, though of course they would not consider her titles valid. Especially not those high and mighty countesses of House Orlovsky! An elven woman impeccably attired in well-made court clothing caught her eye, but though she was dressed like a noblewoman, Zsófia did not recognize her sigil. A foreigner? she thought absently, even as her eye passed on to a blond-haired man dressed like a ranger or huntsman, and past him to another elf dressed in a similar fashion. I suppose outdoorsmen are to be expected for this sort of mission, she considered, but if all of my competition is as drab as these two, I should have no trouble making a memorable impression.

She swiveled her head to note the small, grizzled man who entered with a list of names, and stood in anticipation that her name would be called first. Fortunately she was correct, and she was pleased to note that he pronounced it properly, with the emphasis on the first syllable. She swept the long ribbons hanging down from her hair behind her and preceded him through to the next room as he held the door. A single chair opposite a desk was all that she found there-- not even a window-- and she walked forward carelessly to flop into the seat with only a practiced flick on the handle of her blade to ensure it did not impede her descent.

"Greetings, Lady Zsófia." said the man she assumed was a maester, seating himself opposite her. "I am Ser Hartheart. Do not trouble yourself to hide your smile, I am aware that my rather alliterative name sounds mirthful. Forgive me, but I am afraid I must move swiftly to get through all the questions that my employers have bid me ask you. So: let us begin with the difficult ones."

Lady Zsófia preened slightly when the little man addressed her by her title, and if she was surprised that he knew so much about her, she certainly didn't show it. Perhaps he has contacts in New Stetven, she thought, watching his eyes as he asked his interview questions. Rather than being nervous, she felt a rush of confidence at being given so much direct attention. She nodded in acknowledgement of his respect and smiled as if she welcomed a challenge. "Agreed; 'strike hardest first and you may have no need of a second,'" she smirked. Her smile broadened as she thought of how delightfully layered that duelist aphorism was.

Ser Hearthart continued: "What hereditary claim to the Stolen Lands do you believe you have?"

Zsófia tossed her hair and sat up in her chair as straight as she could. "As you are no doubt aware," she said, with a slight trace of haughtiness, "after Choral the Conquerer united Issia and Rostland, he granted to his cousin Zoltán Dobós and his descendants the rights to 'all the lands of the Shrike river.' Though these lands were never formally taken in battle, it stands that they were legally awarded to the Dobós family by the rightful monarch, and thus they must remain a part of their hereditary holdings as far as Brevoy is concerned. I am myself distantly related to Zoltán Dobós, as this document I have from the king-regent attests. Furthermore, some years ago His Grace granted me the honorary title of Baroness of the Narlmarches, in recognition of the bond between our two families." Her eyes unfocused slightly and her voice became slightly distant. "Of course some may say such appointments have no standing beyond the borders of our kingdom, but surely these naysayers would not wish to provoke the ire of our beneficent ruler by voicing such opinions before his loyal subjects."

The knight clad as a maester nodded, and scribbled some notes on a bit of parchment. Zsófia could only read her letters with some difficulty, and since she could not make out any of the words upside-down she had no idea what the message said. She looked away as if it were unimportant. Presently he returned his gaze to her. "In what capacity do you serve the Swordlords?" he asked, narrowing his eyes as if he understood the intricacies of the question.

Zsófia laughed. "None," she said directly. "In no capacity have I ever served the Swordlords, except to serve them humiliation on the dueling grounds. I applied to join their Academy when I was young and inexperienced, and they would not give me the time of day. Why, they never even gave me the courtesy of a refusal! So, I took it upon myself to learn their ways on my own, and I have never once looked back. I daresay I must have frightened them terribly."

Sir Hartheart blinked at the vehemence of Zsófia's reply, and dutifully continued his notetaking. "What were the specifics around your interactions with the King Regent?" he asked casually, as if it were not on his list of questions but was indulging a personal curiosity.

"Ah, that would be telling," Zsófia said with a soft chuckle. "Nothing untoward, or salacious, or dishonorable I assure you. Noleski is an old friend of my father. Of course it is not for me to speculate about His Grace's intentions or motivations, but I suspect that when he heard about the Swordlords' charter he decided it would be wise to assert Brevoy's authority in this matter as superior to that of the Free City's. If he sees me as a friend to the Dragon Throne, who wouldn't want to see their friends advance in the world? And I, in turn, would be happy to look after the Throne's interests in that same spirit of friendship."

The little man watched her for a long moment in the silence that followed her reply. Zsófia sensed he wanted to ask something else about their arrangement. Probably wishes to ask if we are secretly engaged, she thought. Or perhaps what his sister thinks of our relationship. Her face was a mask of calm innocence, and eventually Ser Hartheart looked back at his parchment and continued. "What skills do you bring to our endeavor?"

Zsófia relaxed in her seat slightly, leaning back to appear a bit more comfortable. "I am tolerably skilled with the sword, and familiar with many of its uses," she said with aplomb. "Ah no, I exaggerate for the sake of good humor but I have no cause for modesty; I am one of the best duelists this region has ever produced. You will find me a great foil to bandits and other lawless types who might plague the Stolen Lands. And I must say, I set a good example for others." She smiled so broadly that she almost winked. "By Shelyn's glow, and like my sword, my company is never dull."

Ser Hartheart made a few more scribbles on his note-page and then stood up. "Thank you, Lady Zsófia," he said brusquely, crossing to the door and waiting there for her to follow. "If you would be so good as to wait within, we will be in touch shortly."

Zsófia nodded as she passed, and strode back into the waiting hall with an air of someone who had no cares. Instead of sitting, she crossed to one of the long windows and watched the city streets outside. Her thoughts raced, analyzing her performance, but she made herself relax and focus as if she were still in a duel. The die is cast and the dance is done, she thought. We shall see what fortune decrees, if Shelyn wills it so.