Eglë Marsk, of Marsk (and daughter) Wines and Spirits

[tarsiz]

Original artwork, and in-game portrait: “Annabel” by Sergey Gurskiy www.artstation.com/artwork/oVlQW

Subscribe to the FRC portrait pack on the Steam workshop to see her in-game portrait.
Other images on this post are AI-generated with some manual tweaks.

-

Description and Public Knowledge

Eglë Marsk in a young human woman in her mid to late twenties, with tan skin, raven black hair, and steel blue eyes. Her features are plain, with an aquiline nose too long for her liking, prominent cheekbones, and lips that seem perpetually stuck in a judgmental pout. Standing just under 5’6 (166 cm), she appears unimpressive at first, but a more careful observation reveals an athletic musculature barely hidden beneath tightly fitting clothes.

Eglë rarely presents a friendly outlook, yet will answer politely most of the time when addressed. She speaks with the vocabulary and mannerisms of someone who received formal education, and the arrogance of those born in wealth. Her Common is mixed with an affected Sembian accent, more or less pronounced depending on her mood. Having grown up a bilingual child, Eglë understands and speaks Damaran with an almost native accent but a lack of vocabulary that makes her reluctant to switch to the language. To most, she seems cold and snarky, but will occasionally open to those she has come to consider almost friends (or at least, useful enough companions).

Eglë has an eye for elegant garments, favoring red, black, and white tones. When battle becomes inevitable, she dons a cuirass made of darkened steel and adorned with golden embellishments. Her weapon of choice is a greatsword with a thin jagged blade of a sickly greenish hue. A golden gem is set in the black hilt of the sword, casting a soft yellow light on her command. Upon close inspection, the sword appears enchanted.

In combat, Eglë is best described as hard to kill. She employs a variety of tactics ranging from the most formal of fencing moves to the dirtiest of street brawl tricks. A trained swordswoman, her clean, academic, style allows her to seamlessly switch between stern defense and deadly offense with ruthless efficiency. She makes up for her lack of strength and her short stature with exceptional athleticism and precise footwork further developed by relentless physical conditioning.

“Combat is not about hitting the hardest, striking with the most flourish, or outlasting your opponent. It’s about being able to do all these things, and adopting the right strategy for the situation you are facing.”
– Quote by Eglë herself, surely on a day she was feeling particularly verbose.

Eglë moved to Cormyr in the summer of the Year of the Halfling’s Lament, 1386 DR, and seems to have been steadily employed as a mercenary since then. She has been known to work bounties for coin, helping those she dismissively calls “Purples” slay monsters for solid Cormyte gold. She has been seen to share the regular company of other fellow adventurers, among them the Hin Mereremeriamen (who pretends to be a Gnome), the Kelemvorite Dabria, the sailor Declan, the Jergalites Corvus and Morana, and the Elven priest Elvithralendir.

Eglë is a licensed merchant, and can be seen selling a variety of drinks in the name of Marsk (and daughter) Wines and Spirits, generally frequenting the Western Reaches or Suzail.

-

Born on the 14th of Eleasis, Year of the Turret (1360 DR) in Saerloon, south Sembia, Eglë Natali Marsk is the only daughter of Pavel and Tana, winemakers and merchants originally from Damara. As with most people, much about her can be explained by her upbringing.

My Father’s Glory – Pavel Marsk

“Wherever he goes, Father is always the smartest person in the room, and he enjoys nothing more than letting everyone else know it.”

– Quote by Eglë, on the rare days she feels like speaking of her father on almost laudatory terms.

Pavel Marsk, painted in 1374 by Shandri Sundance, iconoclast master of the Sembian Renaissance

of the 14th century. People always look better on portraits they commission of themselves.

Pavel Marsk was born the fifth child of a family of farmers in the Year of the Hightmantle, 1336 DR, on the day of the coronation of King Azoun IV of Cormyr (whether that event is related to the later exile of his only daughter to the Forest Kingdom is still up for debate to this day). His family toiled the fields and owned a small property on the outskirts of Ravensburg, the capital of the Duchy of Carmathan, in southern Damara.

A man of sharp intellect and quick wit, Pavel had high aspirations for the life he intended to lead. Marsk noticed the rich of Damara all seemed to import costly wines from exotic realms on the northern bank of the Sea of Fallen Stars. Determined to figure out what made the beverage so precious, he became an apprentice to Kulenov, a local winemaker, at the age of just 17. Brilliant with numbers and better even with people, Pavel quickly managed to make himself useful to his master.

In a few years, he had learnt everything he could about the art of winemaking, from the grape to the bottle. It was not the only way Kulenov changed Pavel’s life either. It was during that time that he courted his master’s daughter, Tana, one year his elder. In the Year of the Worm, 1356 DR, the two were married. And not a moment too soon, as both Damara and Vaasa were about to go through a period of upheaval…

-

My Mother’s Castle – Tana Kulenova

“Father’s affection for Mother has always seemed genuine to me. It might be the closest he has ever come to loving anyone other than himself.”
– Quote by Eglë, likely on a day she feels particularly generous to her father.

Tana Marsk, painted by Shandri Sundance in 1374 DR. Legends say that on one of his visits to Ed

Greenwood’s house on Earth, Elminster mentioned her an uncanny resemblance to Hollywood

Golden Age actress Gene Tierney. An unsubstantiated myth that, obviously, cannot be verified.

In the winter of the Year of the Snow Winds, 1335 DR, Astana “Tana” Kulenova was born the eldest daughter of the Ravensburg winemaker, Ivor Kulenov. With her alabaster skin, long black hair and bright blue eyes, her striking beauty gained her many admirers among the most eligible bachelors of the city.

Tana, however, was hardly interested in courtship. Educated and well-read, she sought adventures in foreign lands, and spent most of her free time riding horses around the countryside. When frequenting the local high society, she turned down empty compliments, preferring to them clever comebacks and deep conversations. Drawn to Pavel Marsk for these very reasons, the two became fast friends, and soon after, lovers.

Old man Kulenov had initially been opposed to the marriage – for his secret hope had been to marry Tana into the nobility of Heliogabalus. Eventually, her obvious attachment to her beloved and Pavel’s usual eloquence overcame his reticence.

Less than one year into their union, however, the political situation in Damara soured, and news of trouble brewing in the frozen wastelands of neighboring Vaasa reached even the southernmost recesses of the realm. With the looming threat of the Witch King Zhengyi and his legions of undead ever increasing, Pavel and Tana took the decision to leave the country. Their destination? The city of Saerloon, in Sembia, chosen for its Glowfire wine – Pavel’s all-time favorite.

-

Queen of Serpents – Eglë Marsk

“Most of those who have seen me fight will tell you how good I am. And the rest? They haven’t survived long enough to tell the tale.”

– Quote by Eglë, boasting about her own abilities, pretty much on any given day.

Eglë Marsk, painted by Shandri Sundance in 1381 DR. Much to her father’s dismay,

she insisted on wearing her armor while posing for the painter. He reluctantly accepted,

hoping for it to be a phase that would soon pass.

It did not.

Eglë Natali Marsk was born on the 14th day of Eleasis, Year of the Turret, 1360 DR. By the time of her birth, her parents had established themselves in Saerloon. Initially destitute, their work ethic and Pavel’s business shrewdness had promptly gained them a place of choice among the Sembian middle class. The Marsks bought a house in the city centre, and eventually, an estate in the countryside. By 1371 DR, Pavel finally realized his dream, and produced his first batch of wine. Marsk Wines and Spirits was born.

An only child, Eglë received the best education money could buy. She was taught literature and court manners as befit a young woman of good birth, and algebra and trade languages to take over the family business (Pavel Marsk is nothing if not a practical man). Perhaps it was her parents’ will to ensure her an easier life than the one they led, or a cheap ploy from her father to marry her off into the Saerloonian nobility (Eglë, of course, chooses to believe the latter).

Eglë was a smart child with a curious mind, and far too much energy to be contained in a dusty classroom with a boring tutor. The turbulent young girl eventually turned into a rebellious teenager, whose love for mechanisms became a problem when she was found in the possession of valuables who clearly did not belong in the Marsk household. Desperate to keep his daughter out of trouble – when no lock can stop her from seeking trouble in the streets of Saerloon – Pavel Marsk hired Harmel Artru, a notorious local master swordsman, to teach Eglë how to fight.

This partnership was initially successful beyond his expectations: the hyperactive young woman reveled in the exercise and rapidly became a gifted warrior. The thrill of learning combat, and her quick infatuation with Harmel kept her out of the streets… for a time. In less than a year, they became lovers, and Harmel began taking Eglë with him on his nocturnal escapades. The duo spent months duelling, robbing, gambling, and occasionally sleeping with some of the most colorful characters of the docks and slums of Saerloon.

Eventually, they drifted apart, and Eglë, now well in her twenties, was still restless and unmarried – such an embarrassment for the most dignified Pavel Marsk!

Despite his brilliant intelligence and all his people skills, the biggest tragedy of Pavel Marsk’s life was that he never understood his own daughter. Determined to settle her down, he arranged her engagement to Radan Foxmantle, the third son of a rich family of merchants. They met once – during a dinner party the Foxmantles would not soon forget. Furious about her father’s disregard for her own desires, Eglë stormed out of the house… but not before copiously insulting each and every of her father’s guests. The next day found her on the road west with nothing more than her clothes, a sword and what little coin she had left with her.

A tenday later, by late Flamerule of the Year of the Haflings’ Lament, 1386 DR, she was granted an adventuring charter at the border post of Cormyr, and teleported to the village of Greatgaunt.