A lady's hood on your head. It's not armor but it's better than nothing.

A sturdy wool dress

A hunter's bow, with 30 regular arrows. You'd taken up archery just before your untimely escape, but you were still a novice at it.

A balanced Gallian sword, you'd borrowed it from the castle armory to practice. Guess they won't be getting it back.

A dagger, you always carried this on you for self defense

A pair of blue hose. Argh, why couldn't you have grabbed your hunting boots?

Various bits of clothing and jewelry you can sell for 3d100 denars

A bottle of "antidote" found in your dresser

Your name is Alexandria du Bois. You came into this world 18 years ago, a daughter to declining nobility. After generations of having to sell off more and more of their holdings, your family owned only the house they lived in, ruling over a mere handful of peasants.You hail from the Kingdom of Gallia, a land which, though lacking Calradia’s reputation for constant warfare, is famous for the deadly games of intrigue played by its nobility.Your father had married your mother, the third daughter of the very wealthy noble Francis du Nice, in a last ditch effort to sustain even a meager level of luxury. Lord du Nice was a first generation noble, elevated to his station as a means of wiping out the vast debt owed to him by the crown. Many other nobles viewed him as an upstart merchant. He in turn saw the marriage as a way of cheaply connecting himself to a noble house with historical prestige.Despite your family's hardships, they afforded you a good education and trained you from childhood for the rigors of aristocracy and life at court. You started to learn about the world of nobility almost as soon as you could walk and talk. In particular, you had a good head for numbers and trade. Perhaps your family's hardships made you better with money than the average noble.You spent your early life as a page in Francis du Nice's castle. Your parents insisted that you and your sister, Sabine du Bois, integrate yourselves into his court, stating that you were destined for greater things than ruling a complete backwater and you'd have to make friends in high places to fulfill that destiny. There, your first lessons were in humility, as you waited upon the lords and ladies of the household. But from their chess games, their gossip, even the poetry of great deeds and courtly love, you quickly began to learn about the adult world of conflict and competition. You also learned from the rough games of the other children, who battered each other with sticks in imitation of their elders' swords. You found yourself with a talent for both verbal and physical sparring.Then, when you reached young adulthood, life changed, as it always does. You became a lady in waiting to Lord Francis’ daughter in law. Though the distinction felt sudden to you, somewhere along the way you had become a woman. You joined the tightly-knit circle of your peers at court, ladies who all did proper ladylike things, the wives and mistresses of noblemen as well as maidens who had yet to find a husband.You found your life as a lady of the court restrictive. You took every opportunity to borrow a horse from the castle stables and go riding in the nearby woods. You took to this new pursuit like a fish to water, leaving more than one set of guards in the dust. You also pledged to learn how to defend yourself. Though all the instructors you approached dismissed you or simply laughed in your face, one of your childhood friends, Charles du Vence, had recently started his training as a squire and taught you the basics of how to handle a sword.As the years go by, you find that while none of the ladies of the court can match your skill with a mount or blade, many of them perform brilliantly in the game of courtly intrigue. Within the circle of ladies you once saw as an inseparable union, you find politics at work as they scheme for prominence and fight each other bitterly to catch the eye of whatever unmarried man is in fashion at court. Through observation and careful practice, you soon learn ways of turning these situations and goings-on to your advantage. With this newfound ability the realization that you yourself could wield great influence in the world, if only you applied yourself with a little bit of subtlety.The luxurious life of nobility, after years of living like a commoner, goes to your head. You are not very nice to your servants, handmaidens, or the other castle staff. They quickly come to avoid you as much as possible.On your 18th birthday, walking along in a snit having just yelled at your chambermaid for not having a hot breakfast ready for you, you see see Francis du Nice's bastard son Enzo struggling to get a horse under control under the disapproving glare of his father. Frustrated, he strikes the horse, which proceeds to clamp its teeth around his shoulder and fling him against the paddock fence. As Enzo rants and raves, you approach the horse with your arm outstretched. You recognize her from your many visits to the stables, and she seems to calm down at your approach. You mount the horse easily and salute your grandfather. He looks at you and starts to laugh, while Enzo stares daggers at you and storms away. To reward your success, he gives you the horse as a present.You call her Blizzard, for both her beautiful white fur and the fierce temperament she showed you when she put Enzo in his place.Taking her out on your frequent rides, you’re amazed at her abilities. She is faster, more nimble, and more agile than any horse you've ridden before.The incident with Blizzard marks a turning point in your relationship with your grandfather. Before, you suspected, he saw you as a side effect of a pragmatic decision to increase his prestige. Now, he begins to dote on you as a loving grandparent. You know that your cousins and even your sister feel pangs of jealousy. With your knowledge of intrigue and your improved relationship with your grandfather, you begin to use your influence on court politics to help your immediate family.You manage to convince your grandfather and several other nobles to place an anti-bandit outpost on the outskirts of the village that your father rules. The soldiers don’t travel far afield to spend their coin, and much of it found its way into the pockets of your father, whose letters to you explain joyfully that he now lives in something that could be called a manor, rather than the simple house of your childhood. Things seem to be looking up for you and your family. Until the Purple Wedding.Your maternal grandmother had fallen ill and died suddenly. After grieving, Lord Francis sought to remarry. His reputation as an upstart had, it seems, passed with time, as he is matched with the first daughter of the powerful Duke of Bordeaux, in exchange, of course, for a very generous dowry. During the wedding, the Duke insists that a bottle of his finest wine be shared with the families of the groom and bride. You, your mother and your sister do not partake, as your mother and sister are ill and you are mistaken for a commoner by a new guard who sees you coming back covered in mud after a day of riding, and holds you up until the wine is finished.The wine is poisoned.In the aftermath, your grandfather, his children, and your cousins are dead. Of the bride's family, two cousins and one of the Duke's sons have perished. The duke himself, as well as his other daughter, lie ill for a long time before recovering. His heir and eldest son escapes the scourge due to a past vow of temperance, while your father is spared due to a doctor's orders to avoid alcohol.As for the bride, she seems completely unaffected. Tearfully, she admits that she was pregnant with your grandfather's child, and had spilled her wine into a nearby plant in order to hide the fact she was avoiding it.Upon recovering the Duke and your grandfather's Castellan starts investigating the horrid events. The cup-bearer is brutally interrogated, but it is determined that he was not derelict in tasting the wine. Thus, it seemed, the poisoner had to be one of the people who handled the bottle. You yourself are questioned, but it seems you are in the clear, as everyone remembers you arrived after the wine had been poured.-------------------------------------One night, you are not able to sleep at all. You decide to take a walk down the halls of the empty castle, oil lamp in hand. You hear muted whispers coming from one of the rooms. You put your ear against the door and hear voices, many of which you recognize."... would she have for killing her own family?" says the Duke of Bordeaux"If you have evidence, show it now. I will not tolerate these grave accusations if they are unfounded." says the Castilian."My lord, I heard our lady ranting with jealousy over the fact her grandfather was to be remarried. She was angry and wanted revenge." says your handmaiden Ellie."Yes, I found this journal of hers. She talks about meeting with strange men from abroad about herbs and potions for some 'grand purpose'." says your servant Pierre."That does not answer how she was able to bypass the cup bearer." says the Castelian.You hear a hoarse female voice reply."My Lord, I do not know how. But I have seen the cupbearer in Lady Alexandria's room before.""Is this true?" asks the Castilian."...my lord?" responds the cup bearer, voice breaking from fear.In contrast the voice of the Duke of Bordeaux is full of cold fury."Let me be clear. I could have you flayed for your failure at the wedding, boy. But if you are merely an accomplice, give me the mastermind. You will be given a clean death and your family will be spared. Otherwise..."The cup bearer breaks down."... Lady Alexandria. She told me to poison the wine. Gave me an antidote so I wouldn't be affected. Pulled it out of a false bottom in her dresser. Threatened to geld me and kill my family if I didn't do it.""Tell me the plan..."In horror you recoil from the door. You dash to your room as quickly as possible. Under the false bottom of your dresser you find a glass vial containing a foul smelling liquid. It seems the plotters have considered the possibility of you locating that vial, as a quick check in the nooks and crannies of your room reveals many more. The bastards were thorough.You hear footsteps in the distance and realize you have to get out of here. You quickly grab a bag of personal effects and make a beeline for the stables. There, you quickly glance up at your windows and see shimmering light.As you frantically try to think of a way to get past the walls, you spot a group of night watchmen approaching the castle gates on their way out for patrol. As the gatehouse raises the portcullis you realize this is your only chance. Blizzard bolts in a full gallop as shocked watchmen turn around. As they yell, blizzardover their ranks and bursts through the gatehouse. You hear shouts of alarm from behind you but you dare not look back. Thankfully, the moon is full tonight and you can still see where you're going, even in the dead of night.You know the garrison has better riders than you, but you know these woods like the back of your hand. You decide to head for the lands of the Duke of Dijon. An unpopular man, he is likely to send riders to stop any search parties sent by the Duke of Bordeaux, whom he has feuded with for decades. Besides, his lands are known for their bustling ports. You could find passage on a boat there to Balion, Calradia or somewhere else far away.Your journey through the woods is tough, and you have to subsist on wild berries and nuts. Finally you rejoin the road in Dijon and head to the closest port.As a noble lady living in a castle, you don't have any personal money. You take account of what you do have:You have on you:You sell some of your clothes and all of the jewelry (except for a hairpin and a silver brooch with your family sigil) in order to raise some money. It is a good thing you have a head for trade, because otherwise these merchants would have probably fleeced you.114With cash in hand, finding a ship to take you as a passenger is easy. Finding one that would take Blizzard is not. You finally find a Rhodok Galley,willing to take your horse on board, provided it stays calm. Blizzard is a fine horse and you should have no problems with that.The captain's wife actually recognizes you! It seems she used to live in your father's holdings and holds him in high esteem. Deducing that you are in trouble, she convinces the captain to waive your fee completely. The captain then informs you that the ship is to leave tomorrow at dawn.You have several hours before dusk.You sit in a nearby inn. You spy a man in strange garb trying to peddle bottles of colorful powder to a few disinterested merchants. As the merchants leave, the man sighs and returns to his cups. You sit across from him and eye his wares. Wait, is that? You ask the man what he was trying to sell it for, and you struggle to keep your composure at the low price he repeats to you. Why is he having trouble selling? The answer hits you after a moment. His dyes are too good. Even sharply discounted, they are too expensive for the local wool, if the local tradesmen can even recognize Indus dye in the first place.Wait a minute, you're going to Jelkalla, right? You know the kingdom of Rhodoks has a thriving velvet industry. Your mind works at crunching numbers and you almost gasp when you realize you can sell the Indus dye at triple his asking price.[ ] No. You need your cash in hand.[ ] No, he might cut into your profits or think you're running a scam.