Merlinda

Dwarf Female CN Fighter/Thief 6/7 Age 75

Full name Merlinda Mossbeard

Max HP 57 AC 7, 42,957/52,858

Str 15 Int 13 Wis 9 Dex 13 Con 17 Chr 7

PP 15 OL 35 F/RT 35 MS 90 HS 90 DN 15 CW 95 RL 0

Languages: Albanian, Bulgarian, Arabic, Greek

Merlinda was born the daughter of a brewer in the Albanian Dwarven Kingdom of Hair. Her father was one of the most popular dwarves in the kingdom, and rich to boot. His family had passed their secret moss beer recipe from father to son for generations. Merlinda's older brother Fatbardh was groomed for the role of brewer since birth, and Merlinda herself was expected to wed a brewer from one of the other Dwarven kingdoms in order to learn their secrets.

Merlinda spent her youth out of the house as much as possible, since the reek of fermenting moss mash was ever-present. She liked to play among the caverns and swim in underground streams, generally avoiding work and having fun. She also liked to spend more time outdoors than most of her kin, and she would always beg to accompany her father on his annual trade visits to the humans.

During one such visit Merlinda met and fell in love with a human midget named Ylli. He returned her affections, and she plotted to run away with him. They agreed to meet that night and sail away before her father noticed her absence. The plan went well, and she and Ylli ended up joining a circus troupe. Ylli was a clown, and Merlinda was his foil, using her Dwarven constitution to enable her to take more ridiculous pratfalls and be hit with bigger pies than any other clown. They were a hit, and they were happy. Their circus traveled far and wide, and Merlinda learned to speak the languages of all of their customers in time. After 20 years of such a life Ylli died in a tragic mad elephant accident while performing in Baghdad. Merlinda, overcome by grief, stayed behind when the circus left town. She blew her savings on crappy Muslim "juice" and wished she was back in Hair.

One night she managed to drink rather more than she could afford, and the management called upon their bouncer to kick this midget out. The bouncer was Akim, a dwarf himself. He was glad to see one his own kind, so he knocked Merlinda out and hid her behind the bar's trash heap until his shift was over. He dug her out, and took her out for drinks on him. She was glad to have companion who could match her swig for swig, and who was willing to pay to boot. They became companions, then lovers. Akim convinced Merlinda to give up the entertainment biz and take advantage of her toughness and lack of morals by becoming a fighter-thief like him. A botched job led to fleeing Baghdad, and after some time they wound up in Sicily. Upon hearing that TrapoII was taking on a crew they decided to join him together.

Merlinda was temporarily single again after watching Akim get torn apart by a hag. She was considering swearing off men, but her faith was restored when he was Raised by the Fatimid Caliph. She converted to Islam, and Akim changed to a Shiite.