### **Kressle – The Bandit Queen of the Stolen Lands** --- ![[DALL·E 2025-02-22 15.05.13 - A fierce bandit leader with a tall, wiry frame and sun-kissed skin. She has dark, unruly hair tied back in a loose braid and cold, calculating eyes. S.webp]] #### **Basic Information** - **Name:** Kressle - **Race/Species:** Human *(A survivor, a fighter, a queen of outlaws.)* - **Class/Profession:** Rogue (Scoundrel), Bandit Leader, Warlord-in-the-Making - **Alignment/Morality:** Chaotic Neutral *(She does what she must to survive, and what she wants to thrive.)* - **Age:** Late 20s to Early 30s *(Old enough to know better, young enough to still take risks.)* - **Gender & Pronouns:** She/Her *(As sharp-tongued as she is sharp-bladed.)* - **Appearance:** - **Tall and lean, all wiry muscle and coiled aggression.** - **Sun-kissed skin, calloused hands—proof of a life lived outside the walls of civilization.** - **Dark, unruly hair, usually tied back in a loose, practical braid.** - **Cold, calculating eyes—like a wolf measuring whether a fight is worth the effort.** - **Wears a mix of scavenged armor and stolen finery—functional, but with just enough flair to show she’s more than a common cutthroat.** - **Twin hatchets rest at her hips—fast, deadly, and wielded with the kind of precision that makes them more than simple tools of war.** --- #### **Personality & Traits** - **Personality Summary:** Kressle **did not ask to lead, but she will not be ignored.** She **was once just another brigand in the Stolen Lands, but now? Now, she has people who listen when she speaks, who follow when she moves.** She is **ruthless when necessary, practical when it serves her, and clever enough to know when to cut a deal rather than a throat.** - **Doesn’t waste words. If she speaks, you’d best listen.** - **Not interested in grand ideals—survival is her only real principle.** - **Brutal when she has to be, but not cruel for the sake of it.** - **Understands power better than most nobles do—because she has to fight for every scrap of it.** - **Willing to make alliances… but only if they serve her interests.** - **Strengths & Skills:** - **Deadly with Twin Hatchets:** **Fast, precise, and utterly merciless in a fight.** - **Master of the Wilds:** **Knows the Stolen Lands better than most so-called rulers ever will.** - **A Natural Leader:** **People follow her not out of fear, but because she gives them purpose.** - **Unpredictable as a Storm:** **She doesn’t play by anyone’s rules but her own.** - **Knows When to Cut and When to Talk:** **Survival isn’t just about fighting—it’s about knowing when to strike and when to negotiate.** - **Weaknesses & Flaws:** - **Trusts Few, if Any:** **Everyone is a potential enemy until proven otherwise.** - **Holds Grudges:** **Cross her once, and you’ll never get the chance to do it again.** - **Hates Authority:** **Kings, lords, councils—it’s all the same to her. People who want to take what they haven’t earned.** - **Too Proud to Kneel:** **She’d rather die on her feet than live on her knees.** - **The Past Haunts Her:** **She doesn’t talk about it, but there’s a reason she became what she is.** - **Mannerisms & Speech Patterns:** - **Speaks in short, clipped sentences—she’s not one for flowery words.** - **Rarely makes direct threats—just quiet statements of fact.** - **When sizing someone up, she tilts her head slightly, as if deciding whether they’re worth the effort.** - **Always keeps one hand near a weapon, even when she’s ‘relaxed.’** - **Smirks when she’s winning, scowls when she’s losing, laughs when things get interesting.** --- #### **Background & Story Role** - **Backstory Summary:** Kressle **was never meant to be a leader. But life doesn’t care about what people are ‘meant’ for.** - **She grew up rough, learned fast, and learned early that strength was the only currency that mattered.** - **She ran with bandits because it was better than starving.** - **She survived when others didn’t—because she was smarter, meaner, or just luckier.** - **Somewhere along the way, people started listening when she spoke.** - **Now, she commands her own forces—not just bandits, but something more.** And **if the so-called rulers of Rivermarch think they own the Stolen Lands, they are sorely mistaken.** - **Current Motivations:** - **To carve out a place that is hers—truly hers.** - **To keep her people alive in a world that wants to see them dead.** - **To see if Rivermarch is an opportunity… or a threat.** - **To prove that she is more than just another bandit.** - **To make sure no one ever controls her again.** - **Connections & Relationships:** - **[[Tybalt Rattigan]] (The Only One Who Talks Straight):** **Tybalt plays his games, but at least he doesn’t pretend to be something he’s not. She respects that.** - **[[Brinn Whitewood]] (The Noble Who Thinks He Can Tame the Wilds):** **She doesn’t hate him. She just thinks he’s in over his head.** - **[[Brinnard Whitewood]] (The Old Warhound):** **She knows his type. Old soldiers trying to pretend they can still rule by force alone.** - **[[Gideon]] (The One Who Sees Too Much):** **He’s smart. Too smart. She doesn’t trust people like that.** - **[[Maximus]] (The Walking Ironclad):** **She doesn’t know what to make of him. Machines don’t bleed, but they can still be broken.** - **[[Tartuk]] (The One Who Thinks He’s Smarter Than He Is):** **She’s met manipulators before. She wonders if he realizes how obvious he is.** - **[[Linzi Fairwind]] (The One Who Keeps Watching):** **Linzi writes everything down. That’s dangerous.** - **Factions or Allegiances:** - **Her Band (Her People, Her Power):** **Not just raiders. Not just criminals. Survivors. And they look to her.** - **The Stolen Lands (The Place That Made Her):** **She knows these lands better than any lord or mapmaker.** - **Rivermarch (An Opportunity… Maybe):** **She doesn’t want to rule, but she won’t be ignored.** - **Notable Items & Equipment:** - **Twin Hatchets, Worn from Years of Use:** **Fast, brutal, and as much a part of her as her own hands.** - **A Leather Cord Wrapped Around Her Wrist:** **She never talks about it. But she never takes it off.** - **A Map of the Stolen Lands, Covered in Markings:** **Not just roads. Not just rivers. Routes, hideouts, ambush points.** - **A Single Gold Coin with a Hole Through It:** **A memory. A promise. A warning.** --- ### **Recurring Themes & Story Hooks:** - **"Survival isn’t about being the strongest. It’s about knowing when to strike."** - **"I don’t take orders. I don’t kneel. I don’t forget."** - **"You think you own this land? It was never yours to begin with."** - **"Brinn, I’ll give you this—at least you have guts. Let’s see if you have sense."** --- Kressle **is not a queen, not a warlord, not a ruler.** But **in the Stolen Lands, power belongs to those who take it.**