Home

Personal Arts

Literary Arts

Visual Arts

Needle Arts

Network Arts

Writings

A Mother's Tale

Through Shadows Falling

Respectable Roguery

Respectable Roguery: The Silver Corsair

Copyright 2003 Amie Marie Holloway

We've all heard of her: The Lady Ashni Yanova Mehal, Merchant and Adventurer, Purveyor of All There Is To Be Had. Most often referred to as "The Silver Corsair", she is quick to point out that she "trades" in more than that particular precious metal. "From the latest in Vorpal swords to goldfish for your boot heels; if you want it, I can get it!" assuming you are willing to pay the price and don't mind her sometimes unorthodox means of obtaining the item in question. "Hey, I acquire my goods in at least technically legal ways," is her reply to all charges of roguery. And it would seem she speaks true, as no legal proceedings brought against her have been successful thus far.

The Silver Corsair is the subject of a few legends and many, many bawdy songs. Lowlanders delight in hearing of her latest exploits, whether true or not, just as much as The Lady delights in telling of them. She is a shameless self-promoter. "It's all marketing--I have to get my name out there. People need to know who they can go to to get that special something." So who, really, is this "technically legal" corsair?

Her childhood is a bit of a mystery. Several different versions of events exist, ranging from theft as a babe to the tragic death of her entire family to escaping slavery. What is evident is she left home at an early age to make her own way. She claims a heritage of Aert'Lan (mother, father, or both, depending on the time of day), which would explain her extraordinary coloring. Says one of her longtime companions, "Yeah, she's got a room of her own in the house of a Palline family. They're on real good terms. She calls them 'Aunt' and 'Grandfather' and 'Cousin' and she's very protective of them. She even made me return a few trinkets that I accidentally packed with my own stuff when we left." I could find no evidence of a "Mehal" family and have come to the conclusion that this is not her true name. However, when pressed The Lady would not reveal the name of this family, as she "doesn't want some Lowland gossip monger bothering them with a bunch of stupid questions." Lady Ashni becomes very defensive when certain areas of her life are questioned and I was told (in rather shocking terms) to leave her be.

Very few will claim publicly to have known her when she was young and I had some difficulty finding anyone who would be willing to go on record with their knowledge of her past. "What Ashni don't tell you herself, I ain't gonna tell you" was the most common response I would receive. I finally convinced one gentleman to part with a few tidbits of information on condition that I not reveal his identity. "Poor thing, when we found her she was scared out of her head. She'd been lost in that wood for nigh on a week, and looked it, too. All torn and dirty and starved. She wouldn't say, but she must've been sore mistreated to have taken off like she did. No food, no weapons (not that she would've known how to use one back then), no money, only the dress on her back, nothing to save her from the cold and damp. Damn pathetic sight she was." His company apparently took pity on her and took her in. "At first she was real quiet. Like she was scared we'd turn her out. When she figured out we weren't gonna do that, she really came out of her shell. She wouldn't leave us alone--pestering us with questions and demands. 'How do you use a bow?' 'Why do you hire yourselves out?' 'Show me how to ride a horse!' It got so we started to think maybe we should drop her at a village and make a break for it. But she's alright, once you get used to her."

Opinions on her character vary widely, and would seem to be dependent on whether she is within earshot. Many of her clientele will, in front of her, praise her charm and ability to obtain the unobtainable, but will disparage her fees and methods when she has gone. I think the most reliable judgments come from members of her traveling company. Maurie, one of the few other females in The Lady's group, describes her as "Basically a decent person. She's not one of those 'with a heart of gold' people that seem to populate the ballads. She's just a person trying to make her way through life the best way she can. She just seems to have a lot more fun while at it than most. I love her ferrets."

"She's a thief and a scoundrel! No sense of responsibility at all. I wouldn't trust her with my fichus, much less my life. And where the hell is my gold? I paid good money for, uh, something, and never received it. I want my money back!" was the reply of Gwydion ("The Silly Wizard"), another longtime companion.

"Gwydion has no sense of humor. He also doesn't understand that his 'uh, something' is going to take time to acquire if he insists that I get it legally."

"Of course I want it legally, Ashni! The last thing I want is the Guild coming after me for stolen goods! Especially that kind of stolen goods. And I despise your ferrets."

The bickering continued for a good hour more. Maurie told me that, as vitriolic as it was at times, this is a favorite game of these two. "Personally, I don't think there is any 'uh, something'. They just like to argue." I must admit, it was amusing to watch these people who have known each other so long and with enough intimacy that they can throw these jibes at one another. There does not appear to be a "significant other" in Lady Ashni’s life at the moment. Frankly, I don’t think she has either the time or the temperament for such a personal relationship. It would seem she share’s this sentiment. "Dear gods above, can you see me as a wife? Hardly. I would drive any man foolish enough to marry me to an early grave." This received quite a few nods of agreement from the men around us, much to The Lady’s amusement.

What does the future hold for The Lady? "None of your damn business." And I suppose we must leave it at that.