Saraid Holstrom

[Gin]

SARAID "LYNX" HOLSTROM

GODSPEED THIS LETTER AWAY FROM HERE
i've sealed it with my tears
and stamped it with my fears

•• nicknames: Lynx
•• age: 25 years
•• birth era: Medieval
•• date of birth: October 21st, 1041
•• as portrayed by: Chelsea Hobbs

•• your character’s body: Being capable of disguising yourself as a man is hard enough, let alone when you are a female. Saraid has learned over the years how to achieve this at a moment’s notice. With a little help from the witch’s potions, Saraid can make her voice deeper, a great change from her naturally feminine voice. When it comes down to disguising her body, Saraid doesn’t have much to do. She is naturally lean but over time worked to create a toned body; Though still shaped like a woman, Saraid can pull off a man’s body with loose enough clothing.
But underneath the clothing really is a woman. With as much training as she does, Saraid has cut down her body fat so that her chest is small, easy enough to conceal. Her hair is dark brown and cut about level with her jawbone, long bangs over her forehead. The short cut makes it easier to pull her hair back out of sight. Her face is definitely feminine but a dark mask keeps that hidden. All that shows through her mask are her small, grey/green eyes. Though while with the thieves Saraid is fully covered in her disguise, she does spend a good amount of time acting as herself, totally removed from the thieves life. Though she has the chance, the only time Saraid actually spends outside is when she is training and she prefers to do that when there is less sun, sunset or sunrise. Thus, her skin is still fairly light.

MY WORK HERE IS THROUGH
i’m on my way to better days
and so are you

•• likes: taking risks, stealing, night, red, knives and swords, being spontaneous, being right, exercising, fighting, a good roll in the hay
•• dislikes: dresses, sharing, nobles, making plans, dogs, being told she is wrong/people standing up to her, sleeping in, summer, men trying to court her, being thought of as inferior because she is a woman
•• general personality: Saraid likes risks. She loves danger and putting things on the line. This is why she so much enjoys being a thief, and enjoys being the master that much more. She never did like people telling her what to do, though from her father she could tolerate it because he was teaching her what she wanted to know. It was he that taught her all about being a ‘man’. She picked up all her habits and interests from him and his buddies. They taught the young girl everything that should have been saved for the young boys. But instead, it taught the girl that boys were for nothing better than fighting with and keeping her entertained.
Overall, however, Saraid is moody and authoritative. If you question her rules, you better be ready for anything. She makes the laws and no one stands up to her without severe punishment. Saraid is hard-headed and not afraid to chase after what she wants with everything she’s got. If you stand in her way, beware; She will take you down without even a backward glance. She shows no sympathy or mercy to those below her. However, if you by some miracle gain her respect, you have it for life. So far only her father has managed this level of respect.
Men are essentially useless to Saraid, but then again, she thinks everyone is. On occasion, she may take a man up to her room for a night of fun but she would never lead them up to the room she keeps as a thief. Two rooms are kept for her, one in the tavern, that she keeps while acting the female that she is, the other hidden in the outskirts of the kingdom that she keeps as a thief. She rarely stays the night in this home, preferring the tavern over the home laden with her stolen prizes. To keep up with her two lives, Saraid is very secretive and quiet. She tells no one that Saraid Holstrom is Lynx and is amazingly skilled in keeping that hidden. However, though she much prefers her life as a thief master, Saraid does occasionally enjoy a day as a woman, playing with the affections of the men that attempt to win her. She always has fun, flirting and drawing them in before dropping them suddenly, without warning. Once she has started playing with the man, she likes to steal from him. He is usually a fairly rich man so she always gets away with a good sum before she discards him.

•• hometown: Oswick
•• job(s): Master Thief
•• general history: Saraid’s father never wanted a daughter, he wanted a son. But Saraid was the first and only child he had, his wife dying a few months after she was born. And so, he raised her like a son. She worked in the fields and helped him in the market and became the son he never had. He remarried when Saraid was 15 and the unfortunate woman tried to help Saraid become a woman but she was too far gone. Saraid had experienced the male’s take on life and she enjoyed it far too much to start acting like the lady her stepmother wanted her to be. After two long years of trying to convince Saraid that she should act like a lady, her stepmother gave up and told Saraid that either she behaved like a lady or she could not return home. It has been seven years past and Saraid has yet to return home, except for a few trips to steal things from her stepmother.
When she left, Saraid came into the city. Having been of a poor family, she had never been educated and thus could only find work cleaning. She did not approve of this and when an opportunity arose for her to use her thief skills, she took it. That night she had a full meal and rented a room in the tavern to sleep. Struck by inspiration, Saraid continued stealing, building up a good stash of wealth. Soon enough, other thieves began tracking her down, asking for her protection or advice. Loving the attention and respect these thieves gave her, Saraid made it known through the back alleys that she, Lynx, was Master of the thieves. A few have challenged her but none have risen above her.

Lyrics by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus