Shire Garrick

Half-Elf / Rogue

Submitted character story

You are the rogue who trusts the Blackfen and the Silver Tongue because survival means knowing when to talk and when to disappear. What brought you back was the weight of a goddess choosing you in the moment you failed someone, sealing the bargain with wings burned into your skin. You keep secrets from the father who saved you, navigating underworlds he'll never see, carrying the loneliness of protecting people by becoming what they fear. They'll remember the girl who made them laugh while mapping every shadow, who bled divinity when it mattered most.

Defining moment: BACKSTORY

Elizabeth and Curwen Garrick are definitely tenacious folks, use to adversity and overcoming it, having come from hardy stock. Against all odds their ancestors had managed to earn citizenship in the trade city of Morencia, an honor only granted to foreign merchants under exceptional circumstances, and thus allowing the family to set up permanent residence there. Over the generations, the family had set about forming and building the Silver Leaf Trading Company, careful to deal primarily in raw resources, so as not to step on the toes of the Augustine Trading Company, given both companies deal with some relation to the arms industry.

The truest test of strength and resolve came however when the decision was made to adopt Shire. A human couple adopting a seemingly abandoned half-elven baby, whom they had found adrift in a basket while they were out sailing, is a challenge in its own right. Though there is the benefit of securing an heir who is guaranteed a long life, so long as that heir does not fall ill or are gets themselves killed somehow. Shire, unfortunately, was a hard one to keep alive from day one. Sickly and prone to fevers at first, once she fully recovered, the rambunctious child was all but impossible to tie down. Prone to wanderlust, she would take off when ever something took her interest with little care for her surroundings or personal safety. This was not limited to getting lost in crowds, but also included climbing trees and even buildings, racing out in front of carts, and suddenly diving into the water in order to reach what ever had tickled her fancy. There were times Shire's parents had to keep her in a harness with a leash when they went out. Keeping Shire confined to the home and family holdings proved futile as well. She endeared herself to the workers, insisting on being in the thick of things and helping with the loading, unloading and inventory of goods, eventually resulting in her accidentally stowing away on one of the family trade ships, leading to plenty of worry and heartache suddenly thrust upon her adoptive parents. Against perceived odds, Shire found her own way home, arriving safe and sound, to everyone's surprise however.

Now Shire's two saving graces where she was a very loving child, it hurt her greatly to see her adoptive parents constantly saddened and worried by her, and she was also an extremely intelligent child who loved to read. She just perceived and processed the world around her in a different manner then most folks. Recognizing this, her parents were able, at least for a time, to keep her focused and at home by teaching her everything they could about the family business, tossing book after book at her until her overly doting father had amassed quiet a personal library while feeding Shire's curiosity. Curwen even went so far as to hire a private language tutor and temporarily apprentice Shire to a jeweler when he realized she had an obsession with shiny objects, all in an effort to keep her mind stimulated and spoil her in his own practical way. The Garricks did not neglect Shire's physical health and growth either, instilling a daily rigorous exercise routine and teaching her some combat and self defense in order to both prep her for traveling should she start to wander again and burn some of her excess energy off. Eager to please and make up for her transgressions, Shire threw herself into her studies and training. While Elizabeth relaxed some, confident that her wayward daughter was fully capable of taking care of herself now, even if Elizabeth was not happy about the situation, Curwen was still dubious and constantly anxious about Shire's welfare.

As predicted, as she got older, Shire's wanderings again increased in frequency and started to take her further and further away from the city and for longer and longer periods of time. Concerned she might one day not return, Curwen seized on Shire's loyalty to the family and unique quirks in order to strike a deal with his daughter. Shire's parents would reframe from lecturing or punishing her if, when she went out, she'd make contacts to help expand the family business such as discovering new shops to supply or buy from, meeting people with knowledge of regions of interest, bringing back valuable objects and goods, and so on and so forth. In fact she would be rewarded with more responsibility depending on the usefulness of her contacts. This was all to give her insentive to not only stay alive but periodically come home to report her findings. Shire took this deal seriously, calling it her 'mission', and has been extra diligent in holding up her end of things. What her parents are not aware of however, is Shire also has taken it upon herself to learn about the more dangerous and seedier sides of Morencia and the other cities and towns she has visited. She believes if she knows how to navigate the underworld and black markets, use them to both her and other's advantage, she can help her family and Silver Leaf Trading Company to avoid them all together and thus keep those she cares about out of trouble and harms way. Her father would probably have a heart attack if he know half the situations she got herself into and out of following in order to pursue this endeavor. Though it bothers Shire that she has to keep this secret, being a naturally honest individual regardless of her more shadier activities, in her mind it is not actually lying if she never talks about it. 

DEFINING MOMENT

Shire stood, wooded, blood dripping down her arm and hand, in a ruined forgotten temple, before the crumbling statue of Helek, an ancient thought dead goddess of luck and second chances. An eldritch horror loomed over Shire and her companions. Shire's best friend's, Owen's, sister had been possessed and fought against them. She now laid dying in her brother's arms from a fatal neck wound Shire herself had inflicted to save her teacher and employer Spire from her. Owen's patron, a celestial seraphim named Alaunus, a minor deity of luck trying to fill in for aspects of the missing true gods, was holding the horror back but slowly loosing ground. Zoe, Shire's druid friend was unconscious. Alistair, Zoe's husband, was struggling to protect her from the horror's minions.  

Everything felt hopeless... and Shire felt it was all her fault... then a voice from the statue spoke in her mind. 

"You are no longer alone my daughter."

New strength surged through Shire and she instinctively swept her wounded arm across the scene before her, her blood splattering on the wounded.... and their wounds healed. Owen's sister came back from he dead. Alaunus was able to seal the edritch horror away. 

Shire collapsed after.... the wing tattoos freshly seared into her skin... she belonged to Helek now, her new seraphim. 

Laughs at the wrong moment. Friendly, goofy, nurturing free spirit. Crazy but not stupid, but sometimes does stupid things to entertain and confuse others for their and/or her own amusement. This masks how intelligent she actually is. Almost always honest and upfront otherwise. An autumn colored perky goth.