Background
Tory Lancashire is not sure what her original name was. In fact, she cannot recall much from her early childhood except living in a drafty flat where she never seemed to be able to get warm enough; her parents reeking of alcohol, handling her with fists or inappropriate fondling more often then hugs or comfort; and yelling and verbal abuse. Her last memory of her father was when she was eight—he returned to the flat drunk and told Tory that it was time she start earning her keep, and that she could start by showing the man who would be arriving shortly a good time. At this point, something in Tory snapped, so when her father ordered her to bring him some bread and cheese from the ice box, Tory returned with the requested food and a knife, which she plunged into her father’s chest while her father was distracted by the food. When a man arrived a few minutes later, he opened the door to find Tory covered in blood and clutching a knife, with her father dead. Not wanting to get involved, the man quickly turned and left. Unbeknownst to Tory, her father had been under observation by the Lancashire constables because he had done some odd and suspicious jobs for some bigwig they were investigating. When the two men watching the boarding house saw a man approach the rundown boarding house and then leave quickly, they figured they should check things out. They found Tory, and took her with them after carefully removing the knife from her shell-shocked hand. One of the constable’s men, Wensleydale (Dale) Stilton, took Tory to his sister, Annabel Stilton, who kept a house for wayward children. Annabel and Dale had a physician check Tory out, revealing the abuse that she had suffered from her parents, and Annabel told Dale that she would take Tory in. Since they did not know her name and when asked, the young girl was unable to give one, they named her Victoria (after the queen) Lancashire (after the city). Since Victoria seemed like a lot of name for a malnourished young girl, they began calling her Tory.

Annabel’s boarding house was not fancy, but it was clean and Tory was given her own small room off the kitchen of the house. While Annabel was not the warmest woman, she did care about her charges and did what she could to teach them basic math, reading, writing, history, and manners, so that they might become productive members of society. The first three years Tory was relatively reserved and did what she was asked, but tried to stay out of others’ way. Although she had seen no signs that Annabel or Dale, who also came to spend some time with the children, would beat the children or yell at them, Tory did not want to give them any reason to do so. The fourth year she was at Annabel’s, however, she broke out of her self-imposed shell. Annabel had taken Tory to the market with her, and asked Tory to go to the baker’s stand to get some bread while she was picking out vegetables at one of the farmer’s stands. After making her purchase, Annabel went to find Tory, surprised that Tory had not returned yet. She found a very angry Tory at the baker’s stand with the baker and his small son—Tory’s knuckles were a bit bruised and the baker’s son had the beginnings of a black eye so Annabel was briefly alarmed; but the baker quickly assured her that Tory was to be commended for protecting his son. The baker had left his stand for just a few minutes, which was long enough for a customer to try to take advantage of his 7-year old son being left in charge of the stand. When the boy would not give the customer what he demanded for free, he hit the boy, which is the scene Tory was greeted with as she approached the stand. As the customer was preparing to hit the boy again, Tory intervened and began hitting the man, telling him to pick on someone his own size. The baker came back just as this was happening, and insisted that Annabel’s purchase that day was on the house, and that she should be proud of Tory’s standing up for his son.

Annabel told Dale of Tory’s defense of the baker’s son, and after a couple of more incidents when Tory witnessed children being abused or beaten by older adults, and jumping in the middle of them, Dale decided that Tory needed some training so that she would not be putting herself in as much danger by trying to protect others. He began working with her on martial skills as well as teaching her how to use a dagger and sword. Given Tory’s past and her emerging drive to protect those who were abused, Annabel feared that Tory’s anger at those who prey upon the vulnerable would overwhelm her. To balance this tendency, Annabel began teaching Tory how to help heal those who had been attacked and/or taken advantage of.

By the time Tory was 16, she had received quite a bit of training in fighting and healing/caring for those who needed help. She still struggled to maintain a sense of control when dealing with those who obviously sought out and preyed upon those who were smaller and weaker than themselves, but was able to hold her own against individuals who were not overly skilled themselves, and whose main advantage over others was size. Although she had always empathized with victims of abuse, Tory usually showed this empathy through anger at the abuser rather than compassion toward the victims, although Tory was getting better at the latter, thanks to Annabel’s efforts. At 16, however, Tory’s anger at an attacker reached a peak again. While returning to Annabel’s after her fighting lessons one night, she overheard a young woman’s whimpers in an alley and had to see if she could be of help. She slipped between the woman and her attacker, and her anger at the perpetrator overwhelmed her and she ended up killing him rather than just teaching him a lesson. While the woman she saved was appreciative, she was also a little afraid of Tory’s fervor, and Tory fled to Annabel’s after the woman was no longer in danger. In the middle of the night, Dale appeared at Annabel’s and reported that a young noble had been killed in an alley and an investigation would be initiated, and Tory realized it would be best for her to leave Lancashire and not cause any suspicion to be directed towards Annabel or Dale through their connection to her. She thanked them both for everything they had done for her but said it was probably time for her to head out on her own, so they provided her with some funds and told her that she always had a place to which to return. Tory knew that they meant it, but also knew that it would be best for all of them if she left. Dale directed her to a ship that would take paying passengers and left for Freeport the next morning, and Tory seized this opportunity and did not look back.

Appearance
Although Tory is not quite as reserved as she was when she first came to Annabel’s, she does not do anything to accentuate her appearance or draw attention to it. She is a human with a slim, athletic build, chin-length dark hair, and pale skin. Although she is not classically beautiful, she has a striking face dominated by expressive and alert green eyes.

Personality
Thanks to Annabel’s and Dale’s influence, Tory is not as mistrustful as she might have been otherwise. She speaks in a relatively serene manner, due to her dislike of the yelling she was surrounded by in her earliest years and not wanting to attract undue attention. Tory has a strong need for justice, and for protecting those who are not able to protect themselves. She feels a vengeance toward anyone who abuses or takes advantage of women or children, and will do what it takes to protect these victims and stop their abusers. These situations are typically the only ones where Tory may raise her voice. Annabel’s efforts helped Tory to show more kindness to the victims of abuse, although Tory is still more comfortable feeling and acting on the anger she feels at abusers. She has trouble becoming emotionally close to others, and her need to protect others often outweighs any concerns she might have for her personal safety and wellbeing.

Secrets, Goals, and Plans
Tory had hoped she would be able to follow in Dale’s footsteps and work with the Lancashire constables, but fled Lancashire before being able to realize this aspiration. She has only heard bits and pieces about Freeport, but it sounds like a place in need of justice, where there are likely to be people in need of protection. She hopes to find a position or role for herself where her fighting and lesser healing skills may be of use.

Game Stats
Race: Human
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Climb d4, Fighting d12, Healing d4, Intimidation d4, Notice d6 + 2 (Alertness), Shooting d4, Stealth d6
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 9 (1); Toughness: 6 (1)
Hindrances: Heroic (major), Vow (minor), Quirk (minor) – calm/softspoken voice unless in
particular situations
Edges: Alertness, Two-Fisted
Gear: Leather Armor (+1 to toughness), Small Sword (Str + d6), Parrying Dagger (Str + d4,
+1 Parry), Stinger FP (range 2/4/8, dmg 2d6-1)
Backpack containing flint & steel, waterskin, hooded lantern, oil (2 pints), and 50 small
bullets in pouch.
Wearing a Traveler’s Outfit.