Browse wiki

Perronne was a mistake. Her mother was a noble, of a proud but not particularly remarkable Oathlands house, and her father a common guard. The lady and the guard had the sort of passionate affair common to the young, and during a few days of besotted excess, decided on the deliciously dangerous method to 'prove their love' by foregoing their Liberte during several trysts. They broke up several weeks later as the passion cooled, and it wasn't until a few months later that the lady realized that she was expecting. Being a woman of honor, if not necessarily of wisdom, she confessed to her family. Marrying the guardsman was out of the question (and, in truth, she had no desire to do so), but her house would never accept the shame of failing to do their duty. Thus, the father, Master Amboise, was contacted, told of his impending fatherhood, and offered a simple bargain: He would take primary care of the child, and the House would provide generously for its raising, education, and upbringing, but it was his duty to ensure the child never received ambitions out of line with its station and never to ask for more than he was given. Several months later, Perronne arrived. She was raised with more leisure and luxury than most commoners - the House was good on their word of support, and her mother often requested her presence for visits and inspections, necessitating that she have lessons in etiquette and comportment so that she might not embarrass her noble relatives. She and her parents had affectionate relationships, but never without the spectre hanging over them that she had been an unexpected arrival, and no matter how hard she tried, she would always be something of an embarrassment to them both - a reminder of young foolishness and a romance never meant to be more than a fling. The rest of her noble relations treated her politely, but never with warmth that might encourage her to expect more than the support already provided. As well-meaning as this all was, Perronne chafed beneath it, and when she was eighteen, she went to her noble relations with a proposition: If they would offer her a modest stake so that she might make her own way in the world, she would sever her fealty to serve the Crown, and never presume upon her connection or relations in any way, allowing the whole sorry business to hopefully be forgotten. After some thought, the family agreed - even her mother, who had married a suitable match, and had two more trueborn children to think about. With her stake in hand, Perronne set out. In the near decade since, Perronne has been a peddler, a trading clerk, a guide, and most recently, a freelance relic hunter of sorts. She gathers small expeditions to travel out to lands no longer patrolled by the Compact and investigate old ruins for trinkets, objects of art, and antiques, which she then sells at the nearest cities - often to the far-flung relations of those who once lived there. She's done quite well for herself through this work, enough that she finally feels ready to come to Arx, and set up something more permanent so that her business can grow.

Perronne stands a bit tall for a woman, a fact emphasized by her lean, almost skinny, build. She's a creature of browns - dark brown hair, olive skin turned more towards brown from years under the sun, nearly black freckles that live in abundance on her forehead and cheeks, and even her eyes are a muddy mix of brown and green. Her features are well-sculpted, with a thin, prominent nose and high cheekbones, and her ready smile forms dimples in her cheeks when it appears. There are numerous small nicks and scars on her hands and arms, but it's also clear that she takes care of her hair and nails, keeping them fashionably styled when inside city walls. Her voice is lively and well-trained to lift over a shouting crowd without loss of diction, and her manner of speaking betrays a higher class education than many in a hundred small ways.

Perronne has chosen to be an optimist. It isn't that she doesn't see the obstacles in her path, nor that she doesn't sometimes feel bitter or resentful of the accidents of birth that can see one person 'trueborn' and another 'bastard', but she's chosen to focus, instead, on the opportunities that she can see. Her focus on opportunity and her expectation of profit can sometimes appear grasping or ruthless, particularly for those who have never had to bargain for their suppers, but she tries not to outright exploit people who can't afford it. She's a bit of a thrill-seeker, loving the feel of exploring the unknown and gambling on whether what she finds will be profitable or not. She also prides herself on being able to suit her behavior to the venue, whether it's boisterous boasting with the lads and lasses in a trader's tavern, or a formal tea with a head of house to negotiate a trade or passage agreement. And, above all, she takes a deep pride in her personal honor and word, knowing that her reputation is the greatest asset she has.