Brooke

## Backstory

Brooke was born just outside of Vorrin, the sprawling, snowy capitol of Kharmont. A ruthless nation, the Republic of Kharmont has long been known for its brutal culture. Brooke's first hours in many ways branded her a true Kharmonthian. Mere hours after her birth, she found herself swaddled in a basket and crying on the freezing steps of a semi-rural orphanage.

Kirigin and Lydia, the couple that ran the orphanage, were followers of the traditional Kharmonthian Way of the Oath. Worshippers of the god Faine, they had dedicated their lives to serving the children of Vorrin who had nowhere else to go. Anyone that knew them counted them among the most virtuous people around. They raised Brooke, along with a constantly cycling ~15 other orphans, treating each like their own. Though their means were simple, every child had the necessities. Kirigin and Lydia had both been well educated through their youth, and did their best to teach their many children. For a majority of cases, it simply wasn't enough. During a time with little upwards mobility in the Kharmont social ladder, most of their orphans were simply never going to get a chance to succeed.

Some of the children recognized this at an early age. Brooke, whose tiny frame and innocent visage belied a rapidly growing sense of cunning, became close with the other orphans. Turov, her closest friend, helped her to group together the brightest of the orphans. They knew two things: First, that they were unlikely to ever amount to much. Second, that every day they spent doing so was a drain on Kirigin and Lydia's resources. Their adoptive parents had shown them a kindness they still weren't mature enough to fully understand, and each of them would have done anything to lighten the burden. They opted to run away and join the growing street-rat culture in Vorrin. The note they left spoke nothing but kindness and appreciation. To Kirigin and Lydia, it was the purest heartbreak they could have experienced. It also let them know that they were truly making a difference. The orphanage ran for many more years.

Vorrin's countless alleys and side streets made for a thriving lowlife scene. Now living full-tilt in it, Brooke and her fellow orphans were forced to beg, steal, and coerce to survive. After several weeks of acquainting themselves with Vorrin, they joined the Gilded Fang, one of the many gangs that control various territories within the city walls. The gangs offered food and shelter in exchange for disposable grunts with questionable morals. Gilded Fang controlled one of the neighborhoods bordering the inner wall - which separated the nobility from the commoners. What few knew was that this neighborhood had a valuable secret - a hidden hole in the wall just big enough for some scrawny kids to slip through.

Brooke and Turov spent the next several years performing petty theft in the upper city. Turov was quick enough to run away when caught, and Brooke had enough guile to talk her way out. The city did a good job keeping the miscreants out of the upper city, so many of the citizens that lived there had their guard mostly down. When Brooke was first in her teenage years, she was finally given a target whose guard couldn't have been further from down. When she arrived, ready to pilfer some expensive rings he had been seen buying the previous day, he was sitting in a large, comfortable chair, waiting. Turned out that he was in need of a new apprentice since his prior had been slain. He had been observing Brooke, and deemed her perfect for the job. Though it took her several weeks of early tutelage to piece this together, his name was Zhikin, a member of the high nobility. He needed a new assassin.

Because of her unassuming appearance, Brooke was able to get away with being places she shouldn't. Kharmont's nobility have long been known for their cut-throat politics, and Brooke became a piece of that puzzle quicker than she ever could have imagined. Quality killers are in high demand during Vorrin's election cycles, and retaining secrecy is a must. In the upper city, you're more likely to walk by a murderer than you are a stable-boy, though low class peasants can’t be seen in the upper city at all. At any given gathering the question isn't whether there is an assassin in the midst, the question is who it is. Brooke became someone you would frequently see around, and few thought anything of it. Most assumed she was some nobleman's brat, out to make trouble where there need be none.

Brooke spent several years learning the ropes before she was granted her first job, which went off without a hitch. Sense of purpose had been calmly drilled out of her, but taking her first life still hit hard. Zhikin had foreseen this, and had several more jobs ready for her. His way was that of subtlety through brute force - he could keep her moving fast enough that nothing had the chance to distract her. Before she had the chance to take some time and consider what she had done, it already felt normal. She never had time to come to terms with what she was becoming. Several months later, she was sent to assassinate a member of Duke Vardun's family. One of the major noble families in Vorrin, this was a difficult job. She ended up consulting with Turov, who she had kept in touch with. He knew the manor well, as he had stolen from them several times. He advised her of some hidden paths and set her on her way.

When she got to the manor and elected to take those paths, she was confronted by Turov and several Gilded Fang thugs. He had alerted Duke Vardun, selling her out in exchange for some petty amount of coin. They offered her vague assurances that she would be safe as long as she didn't go through with the job. Turov promised that he hadn't told Vardun her identity. She had been trained better than to believe them. She managed to kill two of them before the others could react, but even then they didn't stand a chance. Turov managed to slice her arm, but by the time his swing was complete she had already slit his throat. She completed the job quietly and quickly before leaving and heading back to her safehouse. It turned out that Turov had told the truth - Vardun did not know of her identity. She was safe, but utterly alone.

She spent the next decade performing all manner of unsavory and deadly tasks for Zhikin, living comfortably. As an assassin, she was widely known to be the most dangerous person in the city. As a person, none save Zhikin knew who she really was. When Zhikin died, she had nothing left. She never particularly cared for how she lived, and found herself lost. When Zhikin's family came to claim his belongings, they assumed she was a hidden mistress. She was given nothing, and promptly left Vorrin to see a world she never thought she would.

She was eventually contacted by a powerful Aramoran noble, Serenity Rhoane. Serenity's two daughters were apparently often out and about, and needed a seemly protector who wouldn't look too out of place. Her spies in Vorrin had long had their suspicions as to her identity, and decided this was the right time to put their cards on the table. The money for the job was lavish, and Brooke decided that she had no better options. She has now been serving as Sara and Samara's bodyguard for several months, still unsure of her life's direction. With few that know of the life she lived and the crimes she committed, she feels she has an open book and nothing but time.

Personal Skill - Killer Instinct: Crit multiplier increased against full health enemies

## In Gameplay

### Bonds

* Alden
* Cia
* Lincoln
* Sloane
* Benji
* Sara
* Samara
* Ford
* Monroe
* Wren