Zori Abbott

**Zori Marro** née **Abbott**, also known as the **Widow in Red**, is a Half-Elf Rogue/Warlock. She was born to Geoffrey Abbott and Lucille Kingsley on sea near the Fractured Isles. She was once an infamous, promiscuous pirate that roamed the seas all across Toril.

During her time in Calradia, she ascended to nobility, marrying Lord Jiveté Oceiros and bearing two children by him. Yet, following their separation, she wedded Lord Yorreyl Reddhigwen. Unfortunately, their relationship did not last long, as Zori departed from Iythos.

In 1490 DR, Zori became the Hand of the Queen of Ailish Ocethion, on the Council of Advisory. However, just before the Battle of the Raven Queen a year later, Zori chose to step down from her position and officially retire.

## Description

### Appearance

Zori herself is only 5'5" in height, though she often wears high heeled boots that raise her up to 5'8". Her hair is long and wavy, and is a rich auburn in hue though in recent years, strands of silver hair begin to show from her age. She always styles her hair in such a fashion that her right eye is hidden beneath her long bangs. The reason for this is that her eyes are heterochromic, with the exposed green eye being the one she favors to show. Her hidden eye, however, is all black, sclera included - the mark of a mysterious power she received when she was very young. The hint of wrinkles have barely begun to show on her face as well, with crow's feet at the corner of her eyes and laugh lines at the edges of her high cheeks and lips, the latter often painted in red when she is out and about.

Beyond that, her physique is unremarkably fit, though she has molded her fashion sense over the years as a blend between her pirate era and her noblewoman era. She is never without the color red in her attire, be it her signature red admiral's coat, or a specially-made eye patch over her magic eye with a red rose embroidered atop a black field.

### Personality

Zori is a friendly extrovert for most kinds of people, but has a particular disdain for the undead. Though she can be kind and hospitable otherwise, she is prone to gossip and is always curious about the latest escapades of those around her, especially once she starts drinking. In more serious situations or encounters, she is the kind of woman to utilize her cunning and natural charm to solve problems or gain information, as opposed to utilizing raw power from her magical skill to overcome obstacles. Though she is not as powerful as many of her more famous and infamous peers nowadays, her ambition to gain all the finer things - wealth, love, status, knowledge or fame - has never wavered. When she wants something, she will find a way to obtain it.

As a retired adventurer now, however, she has tried to live an honest, domesticated life.

## Biography

### Backstory

Zori did not come from a loving home in any way, shape or form. When the pirate ship's doctor declared that a member of the captain's harem had given birth to a healthy baby girl, Captain Geoffrey Abbott was indifferent to the child - that is, until she could walk and talk. Which, of course, meant that she could work. Zori's own mother died of complications from childbirth, and thus never really known her. For the first 13 years of her life, Zori was a cabin boy on her father's crew, and like most members of the crew, was a victim of the captain's verbal and physical abuse. She picked up the ability to use fencing blades from different crew members, as well as other useful skills for survival. However, at age 14, Zori had joined her fellow crew members in a mutiny against Captain Geoffrey Abbott, leading to his death and the disbanding of the crew. In a foreign land who's name Zori had long since forgotten, she began her journey to find a proper education, so she may give herself a better chance at life.

Her chance came during an odd job delving into an old crypt for a long-forgotten family, looking for riches. Within she discovered a shrine to an ancient god, and the cult surrounding him. Discovered by the cult members, Zori's life, by all means, was supposed to end there at the curved blade of a sacrificial knife. Instead, the knife never pierced her chest, and the spirit of the dead god instead looked upon her as an opportunity to regain the power he had once lost. Despite his domain being that of watching over humanity, and Zori's humanity only making up half of her entire self, he offered her a pact - spread his true word of influence across Faerun and the nations beyond, and he will grant her the knowledge and power she seeks. Zori did not hesitate to take this deal, gaining control over the god's domain of divine magic.

With this newfound power, Zori began to amass the first part of what would later become her wealth. She became a full-on adventurer, and for the next 6 years of her life she grew into the promiscuous woman known today by her peers. She learned to tone her body and hone her natural charms into charisma, and her wit into wisdom, using her skills gained to better herself - and, whoever it was she would profit off of at the time. That is, of course, until she met Salvatore Marro, and made a series of mistakes that led to her greatest project: Zori's eldest daughter, May Abbott-Marro, was born when Zori was only 20 years old, in the home of a doctor in a village lost to time. With the miraculously-born infant left in Zori's care, her perspective changed. No longer could she fight, gaslight, or delight others for personal gain - she had to care for May, after all. When Salvatore Marro died in battle before he could legitimize his only heir, Zori had no choice but to leave for wealthier pastures.

Zori had to marry rich, and fast.

## Relationships

**May Abbott-Marro**

May is Zori's eldest daughter, born in 1475 DR. Although her relationship with her mother was almost perfect in her early years, a lack of a permanent home and father figure planted the bud of resentment in the girl's heart from an early age. May never wanted to end up like her mother, even as a child. Though, when the girl was 11 years old, being placed into the realm of a Calradic God of Dread, War and Destruction sealed the deal for May - Zori Abbott is a piece of shit, and does not deserve to be in May's life. Although Zori will always hold love for May and have her best interests in mind, May will never forgive Zori for the life she had given her, and has disowned her mother entirely. When May escaped from that realm with no help from her family, 10 years older (in spite of the sentence only lasting a few months on the Material Plane), May left home to never return, even though she broke her stepfather Yorreyl's heart.

**Yorreyl Reddhigwen**

Zori met Yorreyl through her friends in the Calradic Noble House of Angelos, where at the time Yorreyl was an adopted brother to the house head, Gwynnor. Although their initial meeting was formal, and their terms were platonically friendly as they often worked together during various crises of the late Calradian Empire, the pair's bond did not truly begin until a drow elf assassin from Yorreyl's past came back to haunt him and ruin his life. This led to the assassin targeting Zori, believing that she meant something more to Yorreyl than a mere friend. Perhaps his hunch was right, for when Zori was ambushed and kidnapped from her own home, Zori grew a terrible resentment and vendetta for the assassin who dared to hurt her and her ally. Defeating him came with quite some effort, and the pair grew closer and fell in love, hard and fast. Their wedding was a private affair only, witnessed by May and the minister who ordained them.

Their marriage only lasted a few years, however, as various dark turns of events in the late Calradian Empire led to Zori changing for the worst, at first by outside influences, and then changes wrought by her own will. Eventually, after May left, Zori made to decision to divorce Yorreyl, alongside cutting all of her other ties with her friends in Calradia and Agriosa. Today, although Zori regrets leaving him and still cares deeply for Yorreyl, he no longer holds such feelings for his ex-wife.

## Trivia

* Zori is a polyamorous bisexual.