She used to have a proper name – but now she is just Rain. Her friends just started calling her Rain (probably because of her not so sunny disposition) and it stuck. Born, at the cost of her mother’s life, Cassi Greenleaf grew up in a small fishing village outside Westkeep, raised by her father and older brother Niccolo (by 4 years). Cassi’s father never forgave her for causing the death of his wife and spared little love on his daughter. Most of the time he stayed drunk and mean; often beating his son and daughter for the smallest offense. He would often leave and stay away for days or weeks stating that he was going to “the city” to make some money. Cassi and Niccolo grew to understand that their father was a petty thief of little import who never amounted to much; the only true ‘gift’ left to his children being a complete lack of morals where it comes to other people’s possessions. When Niccolo was old enough he left to make his own fortune and get away from their father. Things were harder on Cassi then, for as she grew to maturity she looked more and more like her mother and attracted a different interest in her father. Late one night when Cassi was 13 her father in a very drunken state came to her with not-so-fatherly intentions. This was the breaking point for Cassi; as she was chased around the house she grabbed her father’s dagger, turned, and then plunged it into his chest as he reached out to grab her. In complete surprise he fell to the floor and died choking and gagging on his own blood. Cassi gathered what useful things she could find in the house and fled the village before daylight – never to return.

She made her way to Westkeep where she has lived for two years on the streets known only as Rain. She shared a hovel with her small gang of friends, being able to keep away from, but not unnoticed by, the Scarlet Brotherhood’s monks, tribal warriors, and assorted humanoid troops. Her exploits did not go beyond pilfering food from the marketplace or the occasional stolen purse from non-locals. Recently, however, Rain’s luck changed. How was she to know that her latest mark had been the Captain of the Guard of the more recent occupiers from Keoland? He did not appreciate her “welcome” to the city and so she ended up huddled in a damp dark cell awaiting her fate.

It seemed days before anyone came for her. She clutched herself for warmth, as she had only her rags and the moldy straw of the cell for warmth and comfort. A chamber pot lay nearby where she could find it by touch if needed. There was room enough to stand, barely, and almost room enough to stretch out. But it was too cold and damp to stretch out. They had left her with her flute, and this whiled away a few of the hours when she was certain there were no guards or other prisoners nearby to overhear and possibly comment on her skill or lack thereof. Every so often a guard would come and push a bowl of thin rice gruel and a tin of brackish water through the food slot. Anguished screams could be heard echoing throughout the dark corridors, followed by harsh guttural laughter.

Just when Rain came to think she had been forgotten they came for her. She cringed away from the bright flare of the torchlight that was thrust into her cell. The guards hauled her to her feet and hustled her down the corridor and back into the light of the world. To Rain’s surprise she was brought into what seems to be a hall in the palace. There were only two other people in the room – the Guard Captain and a lady of the court. She was dressed in an unadorned white silk blouse and matching pantaloons. Rain noticed that she wore a pendant, the silver lightning bolt of the god Heironeous, the patron god of the occupation forces from Keoland. Her red hair was cut short but still very ladylike. Her freckled face had the ripe sweetness of a good-natured peasant, but at the moment her piercing blue eyes looked upon Rain sternly. She looked old enough to be Rain’s mother, or at least a much older sister.

“Is she the one?” the lady asked the captain.

“The very one,” he replied.

“Then you may go. And I thank you.”

She looked to the guards who brought you up out of the dungeon. “You two may wait outside.”

The captain hesitated and looked back, “Don’t you think you’d better…”

The lady cut him short with an even sterner look than she had given you. “You think I can’t handle this one?”

“No milady! My pardon milady,” he said and quickly bowed himself out of the room. The two guards followed him out, closing the door behind them, but Rain knew that, as per their orders, they were just outside.

“So, I have been told that you are called Rain. I am Lady Sedara. I am in charge of the ladies-in-waiting here in the palace, and I am the aunt of Prince Prospero of the House of Ilshar. I have need of a lady, a very special lady, and I believe you may have the talents and ability I require – if, that is, you are amenable. There is much that I can teach you if you are willing. If you are not, then you may return to your cell to await trial for theft and resisting arrest. It is your choice, so choose wisely. One path will lead you to salvation and a life that you perhaps could not have even dreamed of. The other, well, it could turn out to be quite a dead end. What do you say my dear?”

Rain considered silently for half a minute before answering, not out of rudeness but to think over what could be in store for her. Could be good – could be really, really, bad. But nothing could be worse than dying in that cell or at the hands of the guards.  “Hello Lady Sedara. I’m not exactly sure what ‘talents’ you think I possess which may be of use to you, but if it gets me out of that cell, I’m game. If you know anything about me at all then I’m sure you wouldn’t have me waiting on some nobles. What do you have in mind? And please tell me there will be food first” Rain had said without a smile but perhaps the hint of a grin.

Lady Sedara gave the girl a warm smile and then took Rain’s hands. “I was hoping you would agree. Like many in this town, you are a survivor. You had to be. But, unlike all too many here, I sense no evil in you. I need someone who is local, who has the skill and cunning to survive, but who has not been tainted by the struggle to do so. I believe you may be the one I have been looking for, the one who can help us save this city, this land, from the slavers, the pirates, and these corrupt brotherhoods who seek to restore an evil empire of a past age that is deservedly forgotten. You do not trust us yet, neither my Prince nor I. That is probably smart. I hope we can earn your trust. I hope you can earn ours. We are willing to give you a chance, please give us one as well.”

Then it is as though a cloud passed over the sun. She released Rain’s hands, crossed her arms, and stepped back with an appraising look. Not unfriendly, just – professional. “But now I must make clear the nature of our relationship. I will be your teacher, your liege, from here on. You will be well paid for your services, but first you must be trained. Then you will be able to act as my eyes and ears and occasionally hands and feet throughout Westkeep and perhaps beyond.”

So began Rain’s training. After being given a bath, fresh clothes, and some real food, Rain was assigned to quarters among the servants and for awhile attended Lady Sedara as one of the many seamstresses and ladies-in-waiting of the court. Rain is accepted readily enough among them. As she had said, Lady Sedara is the aunt of Prince Prospero of the House of Ilshar, the governor of the Hool Marshes Protectorate of the Kingdom of Keoland based in Westkeep. Sedara explains to the courtiers and other ladies that she is “adopting” Rain, passing her off as “of a noble line, dispossessed by the Scarlet Brotherhood when they seized the Hold of the Sea Princes.” No one questions this. In private she tells Rain that she does not actually consider this a lie. “You, all beings, are of the noble line of the gods, if you, if they, only knew. And certainly all within the Hold of the Sea Princes have been dispossessed of their true heritage by the lies and depredations of the Scarlet Brotherhood.” She said this with an undeniable sincerity and even ferocity. Rain eventually gains some polish and social skills that bring out a natural charm after a couple weeks as an attendant. “But don’t get carried away,” cautions Lady Sedara. “You aren’t that charming, and fooling some courtiers is one thing, but we have more in mind for you than that.”

Once established among the ladies-in-waiting, Rain began more specialized training with Lady Sedara. In the privacy of her quarters, and in unused wing of the palace, she honed and refined Rain’s skills at keeping balance on narrow and treacherous surfaces, diving, flipping, leaping, rolling, avoiding attacks, and bewildering opponents. She taught Rain how to climb up the palace walls with or without a grappling hook, pitons, or other climbing gear. She taught her how to improve her ability to blend into the shadows and walk softly without a sound. She taught her how to be a better pickpocket and cutpurse. She even sent Rain out to practice on the Captain Bodwyn, the very one who brought her in the first time. To his chagrin, Lady Sedara returned the Captain Bodwyn’s belt pouch to him later that afternoon with a warning to be more watchful. Rain is amazed at the skill of this woman, though Sedara often wistfully remarks that she has passed her prime but not so past it that she can’t show Rain a thing or two.

Then Sedara began teaching Rain other things, things beyond what any mere cutpurse or burglar in Westkeep would need to know. She taught her how to conceal daggers and draw them in a flash. She drilled her in knife fighting, and also how to fight with clubs, cudgels, spears, crossbows, and the like. Then they moved on to more tricky weapons like the sap, the hand crossbow, the shortsword, the shortbow (wherein she commends Rain’s quick reflexes and sharp eyes), and even fencing with a rapier. With a practice dummy Rain is taught and trained to go for vital spots to either swiftly kill or knock out an opponent. She drilled Rain in donning and moving about in padded armor, leather armor, studded leather, and even a chainmail shirt that can be concealed beneath other garments. She taught her how to open locks, find and disable traps, and even commit acts of sabotage. These skills were practiced in and around the palace, though all locks and traps were reset, and all ballista and catapults fixed right afterwards. She also taught Rain to attune herself to the magical and divine forces at work in the world just enough to be able to decipher magic scrolls, activate wands and other magic items, and to find and disable magical wards.

Then Sedara attempted to teach Rain how to focus and observe her surroundings more carefully and how to read people’s intentions and pick up on those physical signs that betray falsehood, though here she despaired of Rain’s lack of discipline, will power, and awareness. “You might have the makings of a good burglar, Rain, but you had better not try to earn a living at three dragon ante, nor enter a monastery. Let’s move on.”

As Rain’s weeks of training come to an end, she becomes far more than a mere cutpurse. Her old friends from the gutters of Westkeep would barely recognize the woman she feels she has become. And now strangest thing of all – Lady Sedara is kicking Rain out of the palace and into the barracks, under the command of the Captain of the Guard, the very man who threw Rain into the dungeon. “As I said, you will be well rewarded for your service, beyond the training you have received and the equipment you will now be given as part of this assignment. Be patient. Many of troops we have brought to Westkeep are mercenaries, and it is entirely possible that there are Scarlet Brotherhood agents among them. I need you to report to me any unusual activity so we will know who to watch. And of course, we will be watching out for you as well.” Lady Sedara gives you a wink. Rain has learned that there is a side to Sedara that is very stern, all business, but sometimes she can seem like a warm hearted and concerned mother, and sometimes Rain gets the feeling, as now, that she can be a bit impish as well. 

This fortunate turn of events for Rain is surprising and she plans to make the best of it. For the first time in a very, very long time she is gathering hope. She is trying not too but just can’t help but begin to feel real affection for Lady Sedara, her being the only person of such caring, and even discipline, in her life since the loss of her mother. She is wary, but still just cannot help herself. Because of this she resolves to make everything she can of her new position.

And so it is that Rain finds herself issued a longbow, shortsword, new dagger, complete set of leather armor (and helmet), and clad in the red tabard of the Westkeep Guard. After a few days of practice, Rain is put on the regular rotation in Commander Gorman’s Company, currently on the night shift. Her immediate superior is Sgt. Apone. Rain introduces herself to her squad and makes an effort to get to know each of them. She also tries to employ her new observational skills to this purpose, attempting to get a feel for what each of them is about. At the same time she makes it very clear that she is by no means the “kid” of the squad. She has enough naiveté and bravado to think that, after all, she has led a gang around for over a year, and she figures this shouldn’t be too much different. She is willing to get into words or even a fight to prove this too.

The most intriguing of her fellow guardsmen is the squad magic user, a half-elf named Aramek. He seems nice enough for a sorcerer and an herbalist or alchemist or whatever else he claimed to be, though unfortunately given to flighty elvish fits of doggerel poetry.

Concerning Aramek, Rain recalls the Captain Bodwyn talking to Sgt. Apone one day after several drinks. “Ha! Get this, no really, get this, I told him, no wait for it, I told him, heh heh, that ferrets were illegal in this town. I said get rid of it or get out of town! Haw haw haw! When Parwyn said he was a sorcerer, I told him that in that case he could keep it if he joined the Guard! Hahahahahah! Bwahahanana!” With that the Captain and Sgt. Apone both roared with laughter.

For his part, Aramek seems to be very curious and quite gregarious, but for some reason, the other members of the Guard are quite wary of him and keep their distance, though they are careful to treat him respectfully. Rain finds out that his ferret is named Snoop. Inquiring into what kinds of treats ferrets like, it turns out that they particularly likes boiled eggs! In fact, so does Aramek! So Rain made an effort to always have some on hand. Aramek immediately takes to Rain. Since Snoop has accepted her, that’s good enough for Aramek! Rain even gets the sense that Aramek feels a bit protective towards her.

Rain earns two silver hawks a day alongside the troops, but Lady Sedara sees to it that she also gets one Keoland gold lion a day as her informant. A secret letter drop is arranged where Rain can leave coded messages behind a loose stone in the wall in a corridor just off the lower hall of the palace. This is also where she picks up her lions and any further instructions (encoded of course) for her work. Rain usually checks it in the morning after the change of the guard and before dinner (the morning meal). Lady Sedara instructs Rain to leave notes at the drop area at least twice a week – to at least report on what she is up to. When Lady Sedara has special instructions for Rain, she sends a servant to deliver extra spices for the guard station gumbo as a treat for the watch shift. This is the signal to make sure to check the drop point the next morning. If Rain needs to leave a message for Lady Sedara, she alerts her by asking one of the ladies-in-waiting to thank Lady Sedara for her gift of spices (even if she hadn’t sent any the night before). They will not question this but will just deliver the message so that Lady Sedara will know to check the drop point. Other than that, Rain has no further personal contact with Lady Sedara since the beginning of her current assignment.

After the night shift and dinner, Rain is able to sleep in the barracks. This allows her to get up sometime late in the afternoon. There are times when she is called to drill and train with the troops, but most evenings she is free to wander the city as before. She never wears her Guard tabard or carries her bow when off duty as this would draw too much attention. She does wear her armor, shortsword and, of course, dagger. She makes her way through the city wrapped up in her cloak with her hood up, which is sensible enough in the rain or fog.