Dido

The woman now known as 'Dido' has led an extraordinary life. Sad, but extraordinary. Being of black african descent, she was captured at a very early age in the Sudan region of Africa by cruel slavers and forced into harsh menial service. Much to her misfortune, as she grew into puberty, she found herself becoming quite attractive, and for a slave girl, this isn't necessarily a good thing. She soon found herself at the carnal mercy of her disgusting slavemaster and contemplated suicide more than once. That is, until the gods showed mercy and her master was murdered by a slave-trading rival. As the slaves traded hands, she was deemed 'damaged goods' and swiftly sold of to the slave market. It is here that her fortunes turned, though it would take quite some time for her to realize.

Before she knew it, she belonged to a new slave master, a white European noble who now claimed ownership over her. Though this new master was much more attractive then her previous owner, she still loathed the thought of being an 'object of carnal desire' and dreaded the moment that her new master would 'claim ownership' of her. Only, much to her bewilderment, that moment didn't seem to come. Instead, her master dressed her in fineries, those usually given to the most attractive and well-born women, yet time and again refused to touch her.

## The mistake

This entire dynamic very much confused Dido. What could her purpose be if not to 'belong' to the master? Her new owner seemed content with her accompanying him in public, dining in great luxury, and showing social presence. As time went by, she much discovered the nuances of social interactions among the upper classes and, together with her companions (two other pretty ladies that landed in that same strange situation) very much drew the wrong conclusion. They figured their new master was weak (for in her cynical mind at that point, this could be the only reason for him not using his advantage), and that they might well take advantage of his wealth by using their newfound social shrewdness against him. This ended very poorly. When his patience finally ended, he came down very hard on the women. They were given the choice between three avenues :

* a ) be tossed on the street right now, dressed in torn slave rags (the only thing they truly owned) and made 'free', to fend for themselves on the cruel streets of Caïro ,
* b ) submit, repent and beg for mercy, but forever lose grace and be forced to work for a black halfling in the master's service, as 'prestige maids', until the day they died; and finally
* c ) play for the win, start from the bottom again, learn things the harsh way, and maybe work themselves up to a position of freedom and respect at the end of it all.

While her companions instantly groveled and chose the 'b' option, Dido was too proud for that. She went 'all in' (c) and was about to go through a cathartic experience.

## Redemption

From this point on, 'the master' no longer looked upon her. She was no longer invited to dine with him, or even allowed speak with him, but was given a soldier's uniform instead. The company was going on a dire march into the misery of Africa, and she was given a simple mission : survive, come out on top, or die unburried in the desert. Marching with the soldiers was brutal and harsh. There were moments she contemplated using her 'carnal' advantage to gain protection from the soldiers, but every time again, she still decided not to. She soldiered on, toughened up and managed to make it on her own strength and will alone. She later realized that this was part of the test all along: to see whether she would discover a worth and power within herself that went beyond base whorery. She did, and it changed everything.

## Purpose

At the end of it all, after all her misery and suffering, she did survive, and her master did keep his word. She was far elevated above her previous peers, now discarded into hotel servitude, while she was made a free woman. Though given the option to part ways with a generous purse to start building a simple life of her own, she declined. Dido had realized now what she didn't understand at the beginning. Louis Philippe had never singled her out as a 'whore' to begin with, but had much bigger plans. The world of Terredei is a brutal one, and nobles cannot survive without talented allies and agents. The luxuries were bestowed to make her accustomed to upper class life, and the salons attended to teach her social graces, for it is this that spies and assassins need. Unbound by any form of social link or obligation to anything European, and hardened by the misery of Africa, she now realizes her own worth. The other 'consorts' had failed, but she had not. Many European spoiled ladies are weak, just like her previous companions, and wouldn't go the extra mile. She would and will. As the Enfants household rises, Dido now understands, so shall she. Everyone in the household plays his part, and Dido has discovered her own. She knows she has a strength that softer-raised humans cannot begin to understand. She is since in sincere training with Maestro Fausius, and discovering secrets of spycraft she never even dreamed of. Killing, poisoning, blackmailing, all these things mean very little to her. Dido is hard as nails, and has very little pity or mercy for fat spoiled Northerners who have never seen an inch of misery in their lives.