Ishild, Bawdyhouse Manager

Ishild is a young woman who grew up on the streets of Orleans. An orphan from a the young age of 4, she had to fend for herself. The streets of Orleans can be tough, mainly for the cavalry regiments of the Frankish army based there, and she found her size & young age she was thankfully overlooked by many. Not seen as a threat and too young to be exploited in other ways, she turned to theft.

By the age of 11, she had fallen in in with the Thieves of Frankia who had her do pickpocketing & burglaries / break-ins where her dexterous hands & small build allowed her to get in where others couldn't.

Unfortunately, this changed by the time she turned 12. Caught during a burglary by the de Rais on one of their properties, the Thieves of Frankia had to step in. They paid off the de Rais family to keep Ishild's hands, let alone head on her shoulders, the Guild had little choice but to remove her from these types of jobs.

Most of the Guild couldn't bring to throwing her back on the streets knowing she couldn't survive without getting back into trouble, they came up with a solution of sorts.

Having connections with many of the bawdyhouses throughout the Frankish Empire, they persuaded her to start working at The Hung Horse in Orleans. There she learned the basics of general interactions with clients, male and female, and not always human, or male. Ishild was taught how to present herself, basic singing & dancing, food & drink preparation, and general house chores.

By the age of 14 though, Ishild had learned other methods of 'entertaining' the clientele, though this may be appalling & disgusting by modern standards, the 9th Century had different ideals when it came to consent. Ishild was quite popular making quite a bit of money from this over the years, especially when younger and eventually learned enough to request a move.

The Thieves had been underground in Eschbach for a number of years, and Duke Grimmaz Fyrwin took over, first as the local lord, then as the local duke, a deal was made for the Thieves to reveal themselves as per the secret deals they have with the nobility of Frankia. So far they have a number of interests in the new town, and regularly pay kick backs and doing jobs for the local authorities in which the latter don't want involved with, at least directly.

One of these is the local bawdyhouse, The Jolly Travellers Rest. This is situated to the far east of the town and sits at the very edge of it just beyond the Eschbach Swords. This keeps it generally out of view of the more wholesome side of the town and still caters to both locals, and the trade caravans that pass through.

Needing someone more experienced to run it, Ishild was the perfect choice. She was afresh face in town and managed to get it up and working in no time. She spends most of the working day, or night, running the bawdyhouse efficiently. There is a few aspects concerning it that only her, and the Guild, know that happens, and a few that Ishild maintains publicly:

• Theft of cash from clients can happen and never enough to be noticed, at least for a while.
• Theft of documents to be copied or replaced with fakes, and usually the originals returned.
• Assassination is not to be carried out in the bawdyhouse to stop any unnecessary attention.
• Clients & the workers are not to be pressured into anything they're uncomfortable with.
• Violence is unacceptable and severely punished by the workers, the Guild or the authorities.
• Privacy is expected, but not guaranteed. After all, blackmail is a good money maker for the Guild and good way for the authorities to enforce compliance with other laws.
• Any medical problems is to be dealt with by the local apothecary. They can do a good deal here & there, especially for the right price and they're not to be ripped off or abused.
• Homosexual acts are allowed within, and best left at the door. Unwarranted attention isn't needed, especially with certain religious authorities & general social norms of the population in the town. Other from that, the clientele can be themselves here without prejudice.
• And finally, everyone (workers, clients, and even the building & it's contents) are to be respected. Anyone who doesn't will likely get an unannounced visit from some rather shady individuals, who'll leave the troublemaker beaten & bruised out in the area beyond town with nothing but their underwear on if they're lucky.

So, Ishild is now still in gainful employment but now in charge. She runs a tight outfit and is welcoming of most. Her only thought is how to get the Duke, and some of his "cronies" in as she calls them, usually with a wry smile.