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Ratika
Lilka
Roinnsa (Lead Scout)
Ratika was born in Tiberias, Palestine, and sold into slavery when she was but a child. Taken from her mother at too young an age, to be
abandoned to the overlord was more than Ratika could bear. It ate
away at her as she aged and her rage intensified.
She never spoke of her treatment while at the Overlord’s; of the
various abuses she endured. She wanted no one’s pity. Her past was
just that, hers, and she wanted to keep it that way.
Her first kill came when at the age of twelve when she stole a dagger
from one of the guards. He was her first. That day she gained much
experience doing away with him, two other guards, and eventually
sneaking her way into the Overlord’s chambers to finish him while he
prayed his hypocritical prayers.
She took care of herself, becoming resourceful, and using the talents
she had learned while trying to disappear as a child. She was
scrawny and dirty, but she survived; eventually making a name for
herself and her talent of taking care of other people’s problems.
Her skills eventually made her a significant amount of money and
caused her to travel to many countries. Ratika kept a low profile by
necessity and a half of a desire to end the killing; but those who
could still find her paid quite well. Ratika gained notoriety as an
assassin.
It had been ten years since her first kill, ten years since her
escape from the Overlord. Ratika wondered for a second how long it
would take this next one to die. She felt the pounding in her chest
would give her away, but it never had before.
A woman walked into the room completely unaware while Ratika hid
behind the thick drapes near the window, near a quick escape. Making
sure no one else had come into the room, Ratika paused a moment and
then sprang forth, pouncing on her victim. With a clean strike, her
work was done. She eased the woman to the ground gently. She didn’t
know why she did that, really. It wasn’t as though she should be
concerned about a bump on the head at this point, but it did keep the
noise to a minimum allowing less time for suspicion and guards.
Ratika knew she would have to leave once again. Another village,
another city. Running from the consequences. Running from the
truth. Running from herself. No matter how far she went, she never
could shake the guilt.
Crouched next to the dark haired woman, Ratika hesitated. She looked
into the woman's eyes; something she’d tried never to do before. For
some reason she couldn’t keep from it tonight. The woman was looking
around, frantically at first, then weakly, clutching at her throat.
Ratika knew it’d be only a few more seconds, but those eyes! Such a
light blue. She realized she didn’t know this woman. She had a name
and an address and a detailed physical description, but she didn’t
know who the woman was or why she was destined to die by Ratika’s
dagger. She was just following orders.
Suddenly, she resented the weak sniveling man who’d paid her for this
one. Grey haired and small, so soft-spoken and cowardly, it made her
sick; as did the smell of his breath. "They told me you were the
one, The Rat. You can find your way in anywhere."
She hated that they called her The Rat, but it stuck; and kept her
true name a secret anyway. She hadn’t graced him with a good deal of
conversation. He wasn’t worth it. She snatched the bag of gold with
one hand, the parchment with the specifics with the other and was
gone before the smell of his dinner could plague her a moment
further. Only now she started to wonder, who he really was. Why he
would pay such a sum to make another person stop breathing.
This woman with the soft eyes. She could have been a mother. She
could have been pregnant. She could have been a priestess or a
teacher or a healer. This woman could have been kind, heroic,
gentle, or caring.
The woman gasped a few more times and Ratika took one of her hands
and held it until the movement ceased.
"What have I done?" she heard herself whisper. The sound of her
raspy voice snapped her out of her daze and she quickly dropped the
woman’s hand to the ground. She looked around frantically for a
moment and saw that she was still undetected in the lavish chamber.
Once more she reached out to the woman, closing her blue eyes.
Taking the bottom of the woman’s gown, she wiped the blood off her
dagger and leapt to the window, shrouding herself in her dark cloak
and escaping down the street.
She wandered for many days. The moon was a thin slice of what it had
been when she’d worked last. She hadn’t eaten and had only slept
when her tired limbs betrayed her, ceasing to carry her a step
further. Outside and alone, her clothes torn and dirty, she pushed
on as far as she can into the woods away from other people. Hungry,
tired and weak she collapsed there to die.
Until four women descended upon her from the trees, picking her up
and taking her with them. She was barely conscious and all she could
see were the masks they wore covering their faces. She’d seen the
tribal signs; the double axe, the rings of feathers, but she’d
ignored them and continued further into the woods. When they
appeared, she was too weak to fight and too numb to care so
helplessly, she went with the warrior women. Back to their village.
Ratika is 22, 5’6", 118 pounds, has red, shoulder-length hair and
bright green eyes. She wears dark colors, leather ties around her
wrists and gloves with the fingers cut out of them. Her cloak is a
deep green. She carries a scimitar at her side, a dagger on her
thigh, and a longbow & quiver on her back. Her horse is named Zuri.
Tae'Nah athelfi arche: 03
July 2004
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