Alyson Rolfe
Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 9:20 pm
Name: Alyson Rolfe
Race: Human
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Appearance: Alyson has dark blue eyes and dark blonde hair that reaches just past her shoulders. She is slender, yet toned from years of physical labor. She is short in stature, reaching only two inches above five feet.
Occupation: Bond-Servant to a baker in the town of Shim.
Personality Alyson has a quiet, nurturing, contemplative personality. She is extremely observant, noticing everything but revealing little about what she really is thinking. She longs for friendship – but her position makes that difficult.
Strengths: A deep inner strength that has kept her from succumbing to the coarse life she has been exposed to, morally and in her speech and manners.
Alyson can read and write, a rare ability for someone of her station in life.
Alyson has what can best be described as an ‘awareness’ of magic, though at present she does not recognize the feeling for what it is. If around something or someone who has magical abilities, Alyson feels something stir inside her – but she dismisses the feeling quickly. It is possible that with the right experiences and training she could learn to harness that awareness into something more, but whether that will happen remains in the hands of fate.
Weaknesses: An often too-trusting nature that can put her at risk for being used.
Occupation Clarification: A bond-servant is one who is bound to service without wages, usually for a set length of time. This places them slightly above a slave in rank, and below that of a paid servant. An example of a typical scenario for one becoming a bond-servant might be a tenant whose farm was failing, causing him to become indebted to the landlord. Rather than lose his farm or face jail time for his debts, the tenant might give one of his children to the landlord as a bond-servant. The child would serve the landlord for a set number of years calculated to pay off the debts of the tenant. Unfortunately, the situation could often be abused causing the bond-servant to remain in the service of the landlord without pay indefinitely.
In Thar Shaddin slavery is illegal, and so the use of bond-servants is extremely limited, but not unheard of. Those falling into debt might find unscrupulous persons who would be willing to set up a bond-servant agreement, quietly so as not to attract attention from the authorities. The one to whom the money was owed would use the term “apprentice” instead of “bond-servant”, and would sometimes have their new “apprentice” placed with a local tradesman in a secret agreement to even further protect themselves from legal trouble.
Alyson’s situation is unique in that her education level implies that her parents were of a higher station in life… one not usually forced to resort to such drastic measures as selling one’s child into bondage. In the relative seclusion of Shim, however, there are few to notice or question her position.
History: When she had barely reached the age of twelve, Alyson awoke to find herself in an unfamiliar room, facing a stern and unfriendly looking man. He informed her that she now belonged to him… bound as a servant until her twenty-first year. She would quickly learn that Tomas the Baker – for that was his name – was a harsh master, determined to get his worth out of his serving girl. Failure to meet his expectations meant punishment – in the form of cruel whippings that would leave scars on the girl’s back for life.
Alyson’s previous life was a mystery… forgotten in a muddled fog that filled her mind whenever she attempted to remember her past. Who her parents were, what her life had been, why she had been sold, were all questions she was unable to answer. All that was left to her was her name – Alyson Rolfe. A surname was unusual for one of the peasant class, but Alyson’s master was certainly not inclined to help her find out if anyone around might recognize the name. On the contrary, he considered himself blessed to have found a servant who was intelligent enough to learn his trade and manage his accounts – yet was timid enough to be obedient for fear of stirring his anger.
As the years past, Tomas became more and more cautious with his servant. He kept her busy indoors, out of sight of even most of his customers. Only at night after Tomas had left to go home could Alyson find a moment’s peace – and the freedom to step outside for a breath of fresh air - but she was usually too exhausted to venture far. His words and behavior to her remained severe and demeaning. His greatest fear was that she would attract the interest of someone who would demand to release her from her bond…
Alyson, for the most part, had accepted her lot in life. As she left her teenage years, she had long put aside dreams of escape and adventure. Due to the verbal abuse she received daily, Alyson’s self-image was reduced to such that she hardly believed she was capable or worthy of any other life. She also knew – and had often seen with others of her class – that being released from servant hood was not a simple task. A word from her master was all it would take to extend her bond… indefinitely.
As young woman, more than what she seemed, yet unable to see her own potential, Alyson would need something dramatic to happen to awake in her the dreams she had long forgotten.
Race: Human
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Appearance: Alyson has dark blue eyes and dark blonde hair that reaches just past her shoulders. She is slender, yet toned from years of physical labor. She is short in stature, reaching only two inches above five feet.
Occupation: Bond-Servant to a baker in the town of Shim.
Personality Alyson has a quiet, nurturing, contemplative personality. She is extremely observant, noticing everything but revealing little about what she really is thinking. She longs for friendship – but her position makes that difficult.
Strengths: A deep inner strength that has kept her from succumbing to the coarse life she has been exposed to, morally and in her speech and manners.
Alyson can read and write, a rare ability for someone of her station in life.
Alyson has what can best be described as an ‘awareness’ of magic, though at present she does not recognize the feeling for what it is. If around something or someone who has magical abilities, Alyson feels something stir inside her – but she dismisses the feeling quickly. It is possible that with the right experiences and training she could learn to harness that awareness into something more, but whether that will happen remains in the hands of fate.
Weaknesses: An often too-trusting nature that can put her at risk for being used.
Occupation Clarification: A bond-servant is one who is bound to service without wages, usually for a set length of time. This places them slightly above a slave in rank, and below that of a paid servant. An example of a typical scenario for one becoming a bond-servant might be a tenant whose farm was failing, causing him to become indebted to the landlord. Rather than lose his farm or face jail time for his debts, the tenant might give one of his children to the landlord as a bond-servant. The child would serve the landlord for a set number of years calculated to pay off the debts of the tenant. Unfortunately, the situation could often be abused causing the bond-servant to remain in the service of the landlord without pay indefinitely.
In Thar Shaddin slavery is illegal, and so the use of bond-servants is extremely limited, but not unheard of. Those falling into debt might find unscrupulous persons who would be willing to set up a bond-servant agreement, quietly so as not to attract attention from the authorities. The one to whom the money was owed would use the term “apprentice” instead of “bond-servant”, and would sometimes have their new “apprentice” placed with a local tradesman in a secret agreement to even further protect themselves from legal trouble.
Alyson’s situation is unique in that her education level implies that her parents were of a higher station in life… one not usually forced to resort to such drastic measures as selling one’s child into bondage. In the relative seclusion of Shim, however, there are few to notice or question her position.
History: When she had barely reached the age of twelve, Alyson awoke to find herself in an unfamiliar room, facing a stern and unfriendly looking man. He informed her that she now belonged to him… bound as a servant until her twenty-first year. She would quickly learn that Tomas the Baker – for that was his name – was a harsh master, determined to get his worth out of his serving girl. Failure to meet his expectations meant punishment – in the form of cruel whippings that would leave scars on the girl’s back for life.
Alyson’s previous life was a mystery… forgotten in a muddled fog that filled her mind whenever she attempted to remember her past. Who her parents were, what her life had been, why she had been sold, were all questions she was unable to answer. All that was left to her was her name – Alyson Rolfe. A surname was unusual for one of the peasant class, but Alyson’s master was certainly not inclined to help her find out if anyone around might recognize the name. On the contrary, he considered himself blessed to have found a servant who was intelligent enough to learn his trade and manage his accounts – yet was timid enough to be obedient for fear of stirring his anger.
As the years past, Tomas became more and more cautious with his servant. He kept her busy indoors, out of sight of even most of his customers. Only at night after Tomas had left to go home could Alyson find a moment’s peace – and the freedom to step outside for a breath of fresh air - but she was usually too exhausted to venture far. His words and behavior to her remained severe and demeaning. His greatest fear was that she would attract the interest of someone who would demand to release her from her bond…
Alyson, for the most part, had accepted her lot in life. As she left her teenage years, she had long put aside dreams of escape and adventure. Due to the verbal abuse she received daily, Alyson’s self-image was reduced to such that she hardly believed she was capable or worthy of any other life. She also knew – and had often seen with others of her class – that being released from servant hood was not a simple task. A word from her master was all it would take to extend her bond… indefinitely.
As young woman, more than what she seemed, yet unable to see her own potential, Alyson would need something dramatic to happen to awake in her the dreams she had long forgotten.