Fainnare: Justiciar (Backstory/Character Sheet)

  • Elenwen,

                As you commanded, I have overseen the refurbishing of our headquarters in Castle Dour. An odd task for a Justiciar of my station, but who am I to question your orders? Should you deem it appropriate, the headquarters can likely hold a garrison of nearly a score of our number. I feel obligated to advise you that this seems like it would be a waste of valuable manpower, as I have not seen nor heard anything incriminating from any of our usual sources within Solitude. But, as always, you will preside.

                And now, with your implicit blessing, I will begin preparations to begin my circuit within the week. A rough outline of my travel plans was presented when I was dispatched to Skyrim, so I won't repeat them here. I expect that by the time I leave, you will have returned to the embassy from Helgen -- a matter that I won't discuss in this letter, which I am sending by general courier. You know much better than I how to best control the political climate. If you will let me do my job, then who am I to instruct you in how to do yours?

                I will contact you again once I am in Markarth. Until then,

                            Fainnare

    Fainnare of Firsthold, Thalmor Justiciar

                Fainnare was born in Firsthold in the first century of the 4th Era. While young, she learned all about the Great Anguish (also called the Oblivion Crisis) and the fall of Crystal-like-Law from her parents, who had both survived the tragedy. The image of the shattered tower, and the remembered horrors of the daedric invasion shared with her, resonated within her mind, and when given the opportunity, she eagerly signed on to serve the Thalmor. Her bloodline, while humble, was pure, and her parents supported their daughter. In the chaotic decades that followed the Void Nights, Fainnare was trained as a nightblade, using the powers of Illusion magic to aid in stalking, infiltrating, exposing and assassinating dozens of rebellious cells within Alinor and Valenwood. She became known to her superiors within the Thalmor as a master of disguise and infiltration, an impressive feat for a mer so young. Within the fledgling Dominion, she fought in a shadow war against the Blades, rebels, and others who sought to harm the Thalmor or weaken their political hold.

                During the war with the Empire, Fainnare worked as a spy. Her talents were put to good use, and she was instrumental in several key victories. When the White-Gold Concordat was signed, and Talos worship banned, her superiors quickly trained her to put her skills to the task of exposing those who sought to violate the treaty. Fainnare became a Justiciar.

                The following decades were relatively calm: Fainnare worked as an agent in Cyrodiil towards exposing any remnants of Talos-worship. She continued to please and impress her superiors and so, at the turn of the century, was promoted within the Justiciars, and dispatched to Skyrim. The ongoing Civil War, fueled in part by a faction that openly violated the Concordat, promised to be a fertile field for Fainnare to work in. Answering directly to Elenwen, the Thalmor Emissary, Fainnare plans on traveling throughout Skyrim: openly where possible, and in disguise (magical or mundane) where necessary. She will attempt to maintain an accurate accounting of everything she notes, sending word to Elenwen when appropriate, and solving "problems" herself when the option arises.

    Morality:

    Miscreant (Evil) 

    Virtue: Prudence- Fainnare knows the dangers of thoughtless action; a number of her targets have fallen to her because of it. She is a meticulous planner, and never takes the long shot when a little patience will put her goal within arm's reach.

    Vice: Envy - Fainnare craves attention, praise, recognition and, quite a bit deeper down, riches. The fact that she has risen through the ranks so successfully, and is considered to be very good at her job, means nothing when there are others out there still better than her.

     

    Motivation:

    Fainnare has a complicated relationship with Elenwen. Elenwen, many centuries her senior, often goes out of her way to give Fainnare tasks that Fainnare considers demeaning, and flaunts her affluence with Skyrim's most notable people in Fainnare's face. Nevertheless, Elenwen is good at her job, and Fainnare admires and respects her ability to so adeptly pull the strings of her puppets throughout Skyrim. With the sudden reappearance of the dragons, Elenwen finds herself in over her head, and Fainnare will quickly lose respect for the Emissary.

    Aside from her relationship with her superior, Fainarre does what she likes, and what she likes is being good at something. And Fainnare is very good at hunting Talos-worshippers. If the opportunity to kill for profit instead of ideology comes along, Fainnare will be very tempted to look into it.

     

    Religion:

    Fainnare worships the Altmeri Akatosh, Auri-El, though she does so in name only. In truth, religious and political ideology bore her, and even the temptations of Daedra worship don't interest her. She sometimes feels like there might be something worth worshipping out there, but has yet to find whatever it is. Until then, she's perfectly content just knowing that it's open-season on Talos worshippers.

    Profession:

    Fainnare has over one hundred years' worth of training as a nightblade, and is an Expert in the school of Illusion. She serves the Thalmor as a Justiciar, one of the agents tasked with tracking down, exposing and punishing Talos worship in Skyrim.

    Martial Talents:

    Fainnare is skilled with using Illusion magic to bend the will of her enemies to her own. When that fails, or proves inexpedient, she is just as comfortable dual-wielding daggers, or firing a shortbow from a safe distance away.

    Personality in Five Words: Crafty, greedy, stoic, cautious, decisive

    Special skill(s): Fainnare is passingly skilled with alchemy, with a rudimentary knowledge of Skyrim's flora- mainly in how to harvest without poisoning herself, and preparing it in concoctions to harm others. In her spare time, she indulges in her one guilty pleasure: cooking. One would never suspect, but Fainnare derives great pleasure from combining the ingredients just so, to create foods that invigorate the taste buds as well as the body.

    --My Dark Brotherhood character

Comments

3 Comments
  • Vazgen
    Vazgen   ·  November 13, 2013
    That's a good idea! Keeping a journal like that definitely helps :)
  • Seeker Marik
    Seeker Marik   ·  November 13, 2013
    @ Vazgen: Thanks! I've got a few ideas for something involving her and the rest of my characters, so this is just her baseline biography. As I play her, I think I might write a series of letters between her and Elenwen, and this just gives me something to...  more
  • Vazgen
    Vazgen   ·  November 13, 2013
    She looks like a very interesting character! Do you plan to write a story about her? If so, maybe it would've been better to keep some aspects of her personality in secret and reveal them through the story?