(Friends Character) Mercille (Mercy) Silverwit - Half Elf Bard (Satire College) Mercille (Mercy) Silverwit sounds like a made up name that lacked any form of pride, heritage, or emotional connection, yet potentially accurate beyond words can describe. You would be correct in making that assumption. Mercy was born to a Free City of Greyhawk high priced whore who was exceptionally good at her job and a horrible mother, whom could not stop making half breed babies if she tried. Every year her mother would be impregnated (Usually within a month of birthing) and carry the baby to full term while maintaining her alternative lifestyle. Luckily for most part, and for her, their mother did not drink heavily, ate well (even when her kids do not), and was in extremely good health (sturdy constitution). This allowed her to become one of the highest paid, highly sought, brothel whores in nearly all the Free City. Meanwhile, at her home (where she spent very little time, sometimes going days without returning), the children of her ripe rewards were tending to themselves, and providing for themselves and their siblings. It was an unspoken family tradition that when the newest children were born, and the eldest have reached maturity, the elders would leave the household to follow their dreams (being as self reliant as they clearly were by this point). They would pass the torch of elder to their oldest sibling and impart wise knowledge unto them as a rite of passage. This sounds more noble and fascinating than it truly is. The words of wisdom imparted usually consisted of sentences like "Try not to let anyone die" or "Remember, the guards break your hands for stealing. You got two hands. Do what you must" or "I left you a surprise in the cupboard" (There was no cupboard). Now there were all walks of life living in this rebuilt dreadfully old house in one of the more moderate districts in the Free City of Greyhawk. This was purchased after her first successful years into her career as a whore and soon after spent very little time within it. The babies that followed were taken care of by neighbors and locals in the area for she would leave them helplessly in the home and simply wander off to work. The guards were summoned a few times to deal with this awkward situation but they always found her in the middle of her work and had no patience to wait nor interrupt. Eventually they all learned not to make a fuss about it and helped raise the little ones. Truth is, it gave access to the decently priced (at the time) home so many of the less fortunate were more than happy to help rear children in exchange for food and shelter. Their mother would come home occasionally, enter into an argument with those helping, and ungratefully kick them out. The following day she would leave and the helpers would return with not one nice word to say about the selfish woman. This went on for a decade until the older children were capable of taking care of the younger. Once this revelation was accomplished it put an end to outsiders taking advantage of their humble abode (which was in need of repairs by this point). They had learned how to bring in coin (by hook or by crook) and they were pretty good at taking care of the younger ones (They taught themselves that family matters). They would begin sending out the elders to learn a trade while the middle ones took care of the younger. It was a collective effort and it worked for years, until the elders decided to leave, and thus began the tradition of passing the torch. They all usually left one by one; Usually. Mercy was a half elf. This meant that her father was some elf who wished to taste what a human was like and paid a pretty pouch of gold to see this happen. Mercy held onto her elvish features with far more grace than other half breeds gripped their heritage. Those elven features shined through in flying vibrant colors and the only human touches one could see was ever so slightly in the skin coloration and the barely noticeable wider berth to her stature (as elves run towards thin and taunt). By the time Mercy came into this world their mother did not even bother naming them. She would leave the day after giving birth to rest alone for a couple days (at the brothel) and quietly return to work as soon as her stamina returned. Her employer always took mercy and gave her the easier of the clients to handle (meaning the less well endowed). This gave the house free reign to name them as they saw fit. The first name was always the easiest as it went off first impressions, current events, and popular consensus. It was amazing how quickly a group of related people can come to an agreement on a name. Once it was decided, they intentionally spent the next week repeating their name over and over as to help everyone memorize it and secretly welcoming the child into this world with love (unlike they already experienced). Mercille was her given name and it was granted to her by her siblings (sometimes called parents depending on the context). It had nothing to do with her directly. There was a large woman who came to frequently visit, to exchange gossip, check on children, bring food, and generally be a helpful soul. This woman was very large. Every time she arrived, she was winded and needed to sit for a moment to catch her breathe. It was like clock work. She would pant for a few minutes and then declare extremely loud ..."Mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy! It be a hot one today for sure!" It took two visits from the fat woman before they voted to name her Mercille (Mercy for short). There was something about it all that brought a smile to their faces and this is what happened when they gazed upon the tiny little child. It was only fitting to them. Their vote sealed it to be. Ironically, this is exactly what Mercy would do as well they just didn't know it yet. The last name came before they left. Sometimes it would take years and years before a last name would present itself. Other times, it would only take a short time. Mercy took a little bit of time for her name to settle in with the rest and it surrounded around her speaking, articulation, and of course, sarcasm. They mixed the term "Silver Tongue" with the word "Whit", abbreviate a little bit, and you arrive at Silverwit. Even by a very young age she displayed a superior intellect and often showed off her vocabulary in story and song, signing at the mere sight of a butterfly (which she loved to catch, let go, and catch again, all while signing a newly crafted song). Mercy spent her days pouring over various lore (After she refused to give some books back to the library she had to get inventive to feed her starving mind) and spent every last copper to purchase her own journals for story and song (her passion if you have not noticed). Every single one of her owned books had a butterfly somewhere on the cover or binding. It was her signature mark. One generation behind her was her favorite sibling of all, Thorrax. Her baby brother (even if only marginally) was the most brash and brutish of them all being part orc. He was a walking nightmare and trouble naturally followed him where ever he went. This was not his fault really. He was so gullible that he would believe even the worst lie and take violent aggressive action as a result of the lie. There were many times (even at a young age) where he dished out a beating and the subject of his aggressions had no idea why they were being beat or yelled at for ridiculous reason (like taking someones soul whom was standing ten feet away laughing hysterically). There was an unspoken but acknowledged bond between the two and it was the contributing reason to why they were the first in the history of family tradition to leave the home at the same time. By the time they both reached adulthood, she had become a beautiful half elven (often confused for full elf) woman who wielded a tongue sharper than most swords and a matching intellect, while her counter part was a bulking meat bag whose first, second, and last course of action was to beat it with an axe until it stopped moving. It was now that the pair had departed the house together. Thorrax, the personal chef (for he was fired from every tavern and inn in the entire Free City of Greyhawk) and Mercy, entertainer of extreme satire and wicked inspiration (Whom declares she loves Thorrax's cooking but no one can quite tell if she is being sarcastic or not). They have imparted their wise words to the next oldest siblings (one of which was a tiefling - There is much speculation on what happened there). This is what they had to say .... Mercy: "Try not to eat the children unless Thorrax is here to cook them for you" Thorrax: "Okay bye!"
