Pherissa

Pherissa was a master of disguise. Almost nobody knew she was a tiefling since her looks suggested she was an elf of high status. Disguising herself was an important part of her life because that is how she got by. Her birthplace remains unknown, but her beauty captivated people, leading them to believe it held the key to her future. She almost was forced to work in a brothel and that was the beginning of skill in disguising herself to be anyone she wanted to be. Pherissa escaped the city's grip, which sought to shape her into someone she refused to become, and journeyed far away.   During her travels, Pherissa got by by applying to random jobs that involved healing and caring for people. Each job required a different disguise since she never wanted to be judged for it again. She had all kinds of clients who gave her lots of intel about the world. The ones treated ranged from soldiers who fought in wars, to common folk, to the wealthy ones. While treating a wealthy business owner, she overheard a conversation his financial advisors were having about some illegal goods that were selling like crazy. Pherissa was naturally not meant to hear and the business owner treatened her not to tell anyone about it. Of course, he would never recognise her again even if she did.   One day after a long day at work she sat down at a local tavern for something to eat. That is when a charming and charismatic merchant came in, Zharnon. They got to talking and shared ideals and their love for traveling around. He had a sprained ankle which she healed without hesitation. They kept on talking for several days after, becoming more and more in love after each conversation. Zharnon appreciated her beauty for who she was, not who she could be. From that point on the need for disguises became less and less.    They were the ultimate match as it turned out, romantically and in business. Zharnon shared his wealth and Pherissa her knowledge and skills. As is known, they made a name for themselves and wanted to branch out even further. That is when Pherissa mentioned how her wealthy client got his stolen goods from and how well that business was going for him. Zharnon agreed on the plan and cunningly managed to them into The Capital; Illumé. They settled down there to officially start their business in illegal goods.  

Live in Illumé 

The goods of Zharnon and Pherissa's business included all kinds of illegal things, dangerous alchemy ingredients and creatures from all across the world, necromancy spell scrolls, cursed artworks, holy books for evil deity’s and more. The Tieflings had created an entire network of smuggling goods into the city to sell them to its inhabitants. The network included five other people who were paid a generous amount. Two people acquired the goods, one brought them over to Illumia and the last two brought them to their underground shop but they were also look-outs. They did this using a secret entrance or pipes. Only a few Illumian’s knew about their activities or even their existence. No one ratted them out because there was no other way to get these goods without having to travel all the way to the mainland and somehow find them there. The business was going so well that the Tieflings decided to have a child. These golden days went on but the rewards for finding Tieflings and handing them over to the ministry of Illumia became higher and higher as did their popularity. A poor Illumian human called Rogrof who had no desire to buy illegal goods and only wanted coin visited the underground shop. He got this intel by overhearing a conversation of two drunks in the local Inn. After Rogrof had confirmed that the Tieflings were really there he gave the ministry a tip. At first the ministry didn’t react, it was only a shabby, dirty man after all. Rogrof kept on telling them and insisting that he should have a chat with the minister of Purity and Order, Kelos. Kelos, who was the first man that took Rogrof seriously and acted on his tip.   That same day the Tieflings did not have one child, but two. The first child was a boy with clear orangy-brown eyes and the pretty light skin of his mother. The second child was a girl with the most beautiful blue eyes and red-ish skintone. She already took the likeness of her mother but had her father’s skintone. Sadly, sometime later, through one of the pipes with which the Tieflings communicated to their above ground colleagues informed them of danger. The pair looked each other in the eyes; the inevitable day had finally come and they knew what they had to do. Pherissa ran with the children towards a secret exit but Zharnon stayed, his quarterstaff and magical traps at the ready. Once the Warforged found out that the other Tiefling was not there they searched the entire city but the mother of the two children who had always been a master of disguise was already on the edge of the city. She and the children who she carried underneath her dark cloak managed to slip past the Warforged that guarded one of the gates of Illumia. She traveled as far as possible from the city and she was successful for quite a long time but there came a day that she knew that she could run no longer. The Warforged managed to come closer and closer to her as she traveled to the harbor on the south of Fhanor. Her mother put the children, who were a little older now, on a cart that was loaded onto a merchant’s boat in the hopes that someday someone else could take care of them on the mainland.