Cherise Beaumont

Cherise was the youngest of seven children of a working-class family,. It did not take long for her elemental status to be discovered, as he parents spotted the dragon marking on the back of her neck shortly after her birth. Still, she stayed with her large family during her younger years, though the knowledge of her status led to some difficulties. Her parents deeply favored the girl, and several of her siblings were jealous. Cherise often got away with doing very little work around the house, and with the added advantage of being a very pretty child, soon learned a few key ways to draw favors from outsiders as well. She learned early how to draw sympathy from others. A mischievous girl, Cherise managed to cover her misbehavior with the excuse that she didn’t know or couldn’t control what she was doing. In truth, she had learned a few small tricks before the age of ten – nothing major, but enough for a few practical jokes.

At the age of thirteen, Cherise began her official training. Her teacher was a very formal older woman who liked to hear herself speak, and Cherise was quickly bored with her. As she grew, she took pleasure in finding ways to try and mess with her, and as the woman possessed a greater skill than her, she enjoyed the challenge of trying to find a sneaky way to succeed. Unfortunately, the woman was as strict as she was long-winded, and made sure to discipline her when caught. Cherise soon discovered that her old tricks no longer worked, and the new treatment shocked her. Still, it did not derail her from her playful ways, and she attempted to find new ways to sway the woman to her side without actually putting the work in. She also began to learn the art of the bow, which her trainer insisted was a natural art for the air elemental. This, at least, she took to with excitement, finding an obvious and near-sighted advantage in it. Similarly, she discovered as she grew that men in particular were easily swayed, and soon understood why. She learned to flirt, tease, and even lie. She heard impressive stories, and started to come up with her own.

A normal five-year course took six and a half for Cherise, not for a lack of ability, but for a disinterest in putting in the required effort. At the age of nineteen, she finally escaped the clutches of the grumpy old woman and moved on to bigger and better things. She started off small – drifting trivial objects from inside a shop into her open palm. With time, she became more brave, daring the classic pickpocket technique with a touch of her elemental flair. She became an expert at diversion, and used her abilities to develop new techniques for stealth. As her successes piled up, so did her confidence. She started to steal for money as well as pleasure, taking jewels and other rare items from unsuspecting shops, often in broad daylight. She learned how to pick locks. Her accomplishments gained her infamy, and although her actual identity was not yet known, the public gave her the title of The Golden Rogue, as someone had managed to catch a glimpse of her long blonde hair.

She managed to stay unsighted for two prosperous years, keeping her head down and selling on the black market with the aid of her abilities to keep her distance. It was her greatest heist that she was finally spotted – and nearly caught. She had decided to go for a much larger prize, a gem kept in one of the temples just outside of the city. She could taste success, when it had all fallen apart. There had been a guardian on the premises at the time, and they had caught on to her aura. While she was able to make a narrow escape, the guard had caught sight of her. By the next day she was a wanted criminal, though she might like to brag to some that she was simply famous. She has since spent several months on the run. Her name changed as often as the roof over her head.