# #### **Basic Information** - **Name:** Marina Voren (Director of River Trade, Merchants' Consortium) - **Race/Species:** Gnome - **Class/Profession:** Expert Navigator/Trade Administrator - **Alignment/Morality:** Neutral Good - **Age:** 108 (Adult gnome) - **Gender & Pronouns:** Female (She/Her) - **Appearance:** Standing just over three feet tall, Marina is frequently underestimated—a mistake most make only once. Her vibrant turquoise hair is typically kept in an intricate braid adorned with small river-polished stones and copper ornaments. Her complexion bears the weathered quality of someone who has spent decades on river boats, with piercing violet eyes that seem to constantly assess currents and distances. Despite her small size, she moves with remarkable agility and balance, a skill honed from years navigating treacherous decks. She dresses in practical but well-crafted clothing when overseeing operations—blues and greens that complement her hair and blend with river environments—but maintains an impressive wardrobe for negotiation meetings. A distinctive silver brooch inlaid with river pearls and sapphires serves as her badge of office in the Consortium. #### **Personality & Traits** - **Personality Summary:** Marina combines typical gnomish enthusiasm and curiosity with hard-earned pragmatism. She approaches both river navigation and trade politics with the same energy and attention to detail, finding genuine joy in optimizing shipping routes and solving logistical challenges. Unlike many Consortium officials, she maintains a warm, approachable demeanor that earns loyalty from river captains and deck hands alike. She speaks quickly but precisely, often sharing fascinating (if sometimes tangential) observations about river patterns or trade dynamics. Though she enjoys the administrative aspects of her role, she still insists on personally piloting vessels through particularly dangerous passages several times a year to "keep her senses sharp." - **Strengths & Skills:** - **Master Navigator** – Unparalleled knowledge of the Sellen River system and its tributaries - **Logistics Expert** – Exceptional at coordinating complex shipping operations across multiple routes - **Inventive Problem-Solver** – Combines gnomish creativity with practical experience - **Weather Prediction** – Almost supernatural ability to anticipate dangerous river conditions - **Languages** – Fluent in Common, Gnome, Halfling, and several regional dialects useful for river trade - **Weaknesses & Flaws:** - **Hyperfocus** – Can become so absorbed in solving particular problems that she neglects other matters - **Risk Tolerance** – Will occasionally take calculated risks that more conservative merchants avoid - **Stubborn Independence** – Resists oversight and may act on her own authority - **Personal Vendetta** – Harbors intense hatred for river pirates due to past losses - **Mannerisms & Speech Patterns:** - Speaks rapidly with colorful river metaphors and occasional nautical terms - Uses her hands expressively when explaining concepts - Has a habit of orienting herself toward waterways, even when indoors - Tends to stand on elevated surfaces when addressing taller races - Carries a small piece of driftwood that she fidgets with when deep in thought #### **Background & Story Role** - **Backstory Summary:** Marina was born to a gnomish family that operated a specialized fleet of shallow-draft vessels designed to navigate the trickiest tributaries of the Sellen River. From childhood, she showed remarkable aptitude for navigation and a fearless approach to dangerous passages. Rather than simply inherit the family business, she apprenticed herself to various riverboat captains, learning different approaches to river trade and navigation. Her life changed dramatically when her family's trading vessels were attacked by the [[Lords of the Black Sails]]. Though she organized a successful defense that saved most of the crew, her parents were killed and their main vessel was lost. In the aftermath, she leveraged her connections and natural leadership abilities to build a coalition of river traders dedicated to mutual protection. [[Varrin Dulcova]], recognizing her extraordinary knowledge and organizational talent, recruited her into the [[Merchants' Consortium]], eventually promoting her to oversee all river trade operations—making her the highest-ranking gnome in the organization. Under her direction, the Consortium has established the most extensive and secure river trade network in the region's history, while her personal vendetta against river pirates drives her to constantly improve safety measures. - **Current Motivations:** - Expanding and securing river trade routes, particularly into the Stolen Lands - Systematically undermining and eliminating the [[Lords of the Black Sails]] - Developing innovative vessel designs for improved river navigation - Establishing standardized shipping practices across the Consortium - Proving that physical size has no bearing on professional capability - **Connections & Relationships:** - **[[Varrin Dulcova]]**: Her dwarven mentor and superior in the Consortium; she respects but occasionally challenges him - **[[Erik "The Scale" Belsov]]**: Halfling colleague with whom she shares a camaraderie as non-human Consortium leaders - **Captain Dorian Salvetor**: Her most trusted river captain and friend - **[[Lucian Surtova]]**: Leader of the [[Lords of the Black Sails]] and her sworn enemy - **Various river captains and crews** who view her as their champion within the Consortium - **Factions or Allegiances:** - **[[Merchants' Consortium]]**: Her primary professional affiliation - **River Captains' Alliance**: An informal network of loyal captains who follow her leadership - **[[The River Kings' Compact]]**: Has connections with this loose alliance of river traders and captains - **Gnomish community in Restov**: Maintains ties with her people, though her work keeps her traveling - **Notable Items or Equipment:** - **The Rivers' Confluence**: Her badge of office, a magical brooch that aids in weather prediction - **Captain's Whistle**: A signaling device that carries sound much further than should be possible - **River Charts**: Detailed, constantly updated maps of waterways with innovative navigational markings - **The Navigator's Compass**: A gnomish invention that always points toward the safest current - **Family Sextant**: An heirloom device used by generations of her family for river navigation #### **Additional Notes** - **Recurring Themes:** - Proving that determination and skill matter more than physical size - Justice and vengeance intertwined as motivating forces - Finding joy and purpose through one's vocation - Building security through cooperation rather than domination - **Player/GM Notes:** - Can serve as an important ally for river travel or trade missions - Might hire adventurers to investigate pirate activities or protect important shipments - Offers a more approachable face to the Consortium than [[Varrin Dulcova]] - Could provide valuable intelligence about waterway conditions and regional politics - Her gnomish enthusiasm and creativity make her a memorable character