Swan Bellstone

(a.k.a. Swan The Nimble, Bunny Grayhaven, Doe Endris)

Swan was the leader of the Bellstone Wedge , a group of Halfling bandits. She led small scale thieveries  and smuggler jobs against the Kingdom of Brennis and the Statehood for years going from place to place until her disappearance shortly after stealing a vast amount of wealth from the Kingdom of Brennis and the Alister Timber company in the famed, Greenbound Heist.

Physical Description

Facial Features

"Even in her older age, Swan had a beauty to her that anyone could appreciate. Not with makeup or anything like that, she had a soft, kind face, like a mother." - Magpie Smash-Apple, reminiscing with the Sanguine Seven.

Apparel & Accessories

Swan always dressed for function, but gave herself flair as well. Her trademark hat was an old farmer's hat she had stolen the third time she had stolen food to survive. Overtime with her wealth increasing and her self reliant skills improving, she had made herself a jacket from goat leather she stolen from New Haven. She dressed well, and it worked in favor of her charismatic charm.

Specialized Equipment

Swan's sword, Song was an old broken in half blade she had stolen from a old veteran in Hopeshelm. Useless in it's current condition, she spent time and money working on it and getting made into her own custom blade. Engraved on it was waves and the moons in the sky.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Very little is known about Swan's early life. According to her name she was born in Bellstone, a small village in Acaron, hence her last name.
She was believed to have been married once, but no record of what happened to her husband is known.
Swan arrived in Orisia with the group that established New Haven. She was believed to be a locksmith's apprentice at one point, but her master was killed during the Night of Blue Flame. Her history is mostly based on rumor for a while after that. Some claim that she remarried and had children but shortly after lost her family to illness, others claim that she went past the ambit and lived off the land in the Big Empty for a decade before returning back to civilization.
Her history reconnects about 12 years after her master had been killed. Broke and on the verge of starvation she started to steal from farms in Northern Brennis just to survive. Eventually she started stealing tools and other useful items, and then would take them a village over and sell them to farmers for a profit. After about a year of that, she took on another Halfing named Stoat, and the two of them continued this, though now stealing from one side of Brennis, and bringing the goods to the other side. The two of them were making good money and eventually were hired to smuggle things in and out of the Statehood. It was high risk, but Swan embraced the thrill of danger and the good pay she was making.
Part time thief, part time smuggler Swan took on more halflings as her business expanded, one of these was Magpie Grayhaven. She was stealing from people on both sides of the border walls while also helping them get what they needed. Though it's not confirmed, it's believed that the Sparrows did business with her group as well, helping them get information in and out of the Statehood.
Years later when the Statehood finally collapsed and the border walls were destroyed, the Bellstone Wedge found themselves out of work rather fast. The Kingdom of Brennis was now sending guards all along the nation to support newly acquired settlements, and by that time they knew all about the Bellstone Wedge, and had wanted posters up in most settlements up in the north.
After remaining hidden in the woods for a couple of months about two days outside of Hornfell, the group finally got some intel from one of their allies, a man named Lars. He told them of some new settlement down south in old Statehood territory that was increasingly growing in wealth and population, Greenbound Grove. He also had told them that the settlement was going to be having a massive gathering from all over the nation to greet people and have a festival. Swan knew that one of the best places for halflings to hide out would be in plain sight among tons of people, and so she hatched a plan to head out to Greenbound Grove.
The migration took about a week longer than it should had, but the group tried their best to avoid all roads and patrols in the area, once they had reached the former border wall Swan noted to her group how much harder it was to cross it.

"The walls may have been taken down gentleman, but the patrols around these parts have quadrupled. It was a lot easier when all we had to do was get past the wall... Those were the days..." -Swan Bellstone, two weeks before the Greenbound Heist.

When they had arrived at Greenbound Grove, they found plenty of opportunity in this bustling settlement. The Bellstone Wedge was surprised to see so many buildings here already as well as how they looked almost like they had been carved into the trees themselves. Swan knew there would be plenty of chances here for small, good scores.
They had arrived early, and the festival prep had only just begun. Swan sent in her more subtle people in to gather information and supplies. After a few hours they found that the vast majority of people would be arriving in just a few days. They had also discovered that the owner of this settlement, Asher Dragon-Leaf, was quite new to being a lord, and had been given his title from the previous lord of the area. Swan knew that this could be perfect picking, and so she sent her people to work. The next few days people started to arrive and her gang went to work. They stole tools, supplies, jewelry, and even a few goats. The group was happy with the take and was ready to head out, but Swan wasn't content. She knew that they had to get more and more to retire on. They couldn't keep up this thieving life much longer, and it would be better to have a good nest egg for everyone to rest upon. Magpie advised Swan to just get and go now, but she wouldn't have it, and instead ordered her people to be ready to leave at a moments notice, but to keep going.
Waiting in a recently built tavern listening in on conversations as she was one to do, Swan was approached by a man who introduced himself as Asher Dragon-Leaf, the lord of the region. She and him talked for a little while. He had asked her if she had been enjoying herself as the festival, and she had told him that she was finding things that took her interest. Not that Swan had met too many royalty in her past, but this one seemed off, she wasn't sure if he knew who she was, or if he was just cluelessly asking people if they were having a good time. Eventually the man left asking people down at the next table the same questions. Swan kept her composure. Later that night Swan was approached by Stoat, they had told her something at camp needed her urgently.
When the two of them arrived they found the rest of the camp there huddled around a tied up dwarven man. Stoat told her that Ferret had learned the dwarf was the steward of Asher Dragon-Leaf and had been walking all alone near the mountains looking for minerals. Ferret had been tailing him for two days before knocking him out in his sleep and dragging him back here. Swan smiles and congratulated Ferret on a job well done. She untied the mouth of the dwarf and asked him his name. The dwarf cursed her the moment she had removed the gag, and she slapped him.
Swan kept the dwarf tied to a tree for a few days to weaken him. Hungry and tired the dwarf put up a bit less resistance. Swan smiled and asked the dwarf his name again, and he told her it was Angus. Swan thanked Angus for being more cooperative, and asked him what he knew that they would want to know. Angus seemed confused. Swan drew her dagger and stabbed into the tree next to his groin and asked again. The dwarf told her that Greenbound Grove didn't have a lot of money, and the income they were making from the festival was under heavy lock and key, he did however tell them about a possible deal going on between some lumber company up north and King Rain himself. That they were going to be exchanging a lot of money. Stoat commented that he had overheard some of the King's guards talk about having to head into the woods to meet a caravan sometime in the next few days, so chances are that's what he had been talking about. Goose also chimed in and said that the had heard guards local to Greenbound Grove were also heading into the woods, but he wasn't sure if they were looking for them, or someone else. Angus chimed in and said that a few men from Black Pillar, a radical-humanist organization, had approached the lord a few days prior asking for him to support their group financially, but he had rejected them, and told them they'd have to leave his land in a few days, never to return. Magpie commented that he had heard of the group before, and they weren't really liked among the Kingdom.
Swan took a moment to take in all the pieces she had learned from the dwarf, as well as other things she and her group had taken in days prior, and started coming up with a plan. The next two days were relatively quiet in the camp, she had sent off some of her men to confirm the news she had been given, while others were on standby ready to leave at a moments notice. Finally everyone had returned and everything she had been told was correct, and the deal was going down in just a few hours. She had also been told by Stoat and Ferret that they had knocked out the men of the Black Pillar camp.
Swan had her plan ready and informed everyone. They were going to rob the deal, knock out all the guards, steal everything from the deal, leave behind clues that the Black Pillar had been the ones to do this, send half the money down river to be collected by a third party, and head up into the mountains with the rest. The Black Pillar men would take the fall long enough to fool the guards while they escaped, and by the time they had uncovered the truth, they'd be long gone.
Magpie criticized the plan saying that the mountains were too dangerous, and that they couldn't afford the heat this would bring. That if they did this, they'd never be able to show up in Brennis again. Swan told him and everyone else that that was going to happen anyway, that they were already hunted criminals, and they needed this to survive! They argued, but Swan eventually reminded everyone that she was looking out for them, and had kept them safe from harm's way all this time. That she loved and cared about all of them. She said too that it was the middle of summer, and the mountains could be crossable, she had done it in the past, and they could do it again. Magpie conceded and the group hatched the plan into action. Swan, Stoat, Ferret, and Wolf went to the deal, while Magpie, Goose, and Cricket watched over the dwarf ready to leave when they returned.
When they had arrived at the deal they saw there were five private guards, two royal guards, and a representative from both sides making the final deal. Swan ordered her men to attack and arrows started to volley out of the tree line killing two of the private guards and a royal guard in seconds while the rest took cover behind the wagon. From the woods Swan spoke to the survivors, telling them they they were surrounded, and that the money they had wasn't worth their lives. One of the guards replied back they wouldn't give up, and that the bandits would be hunted down until they were all killed. Swan laughed, and ordered her men to fire again, killing another guard. The rest of the dealers took shelter within the wagon, and the bandits charged from the trees. Swan hopped onto the side of the wagon and started to duel with a guard while Stoat and Ferret dealt with another, and Wolf grabbed one of the dealers holding a knife to his throat threatening to kill him if he moved. Eventually the other two guards were dealt with while the final guard leapt from behind the cart and stabbed Stoat straight through the neck. Ferret saw his brother get stabbed, and screamed jumping on the last living guard and stabbing his face in over and over violently.
In the commotion the dealer Wolf had control of saw the knife that Stoat had dropped and grabbed it stabbing Wolf in the chest. Swan saw that and turned slicing the man's head clean off with her sword. Wolf fell to the ground clutching at his chest while Stoat gasped and writhed on the ground. Ferret turned and saw his dying brother and sprang from the dead guard, covered in his blood. He cradled his brother in his dying moments while Swan turned to the other dealer, a servant of the King, and held the sword to his neck telling him she'd kill him if he moved. He nodded in agreement and didn't resist. She called to Ferret, still holding his dead brother, and ordered him to return to camp to get help, she had to yell at him twice before he broke out of his stupor and ran off into the woods.
Ferret arrived at camp covered in blood and screamed for the others to come help, they all ran leaving the dwarf alone.
When they had returned, those who hadn't yet witnessed the scene were blown away by the carnage. Magpie tried to help Wolf while she and Swan argued, Goose and Cricket tossed out the Black Pillar badges around the area, and Ferret held his dead brother once again in tears. Swan ordered the servant to open up the chest in the back of the cart, and told Goose and Ferret to bring back Wolf to camp. Ferret told Swan he wouldn't leave his brother there, and she agreed, telling Cricket to help. The servant opened up the chest and both Swan and Magpie were blown away by the sheer amount of coins as well as gold bars, which they hadn't expected at all. As Swan cheered and tossed the coins in a bag, Magpie told her they wouldn't be able to carry all this money over the mountain. She told him they they could leave most of the money in the hollowed out log and sent it down river, and then grab the rest and the bars and head over. Magpie said that's not what he meant, and reminded her too that they still had an entire camp's worth of things to carry as well as Wolf. She told him they could tie their lighter things to the goats and drag them along as well. After arguing Swan turned her attention to the servant and smiled, asking him what he had seen here. The man, panicked, told her that a bunch of men from the Black Pillar had come and attacked them and stole everything. Swan smiled and nodded praising the man for the good faith, then sliced his throat clean open. Magpie was shocked by the violent act and asked her why she had done such a thing. She told him that he'd crack the moment he was found by others and tell them what really happened.
After she and Cricket returned putting the extra coins in the hollowed out log and sending it down river, she and the rest of the group returned to camp and quickly grabbed their things. She told Ferret to say goodbye to Stoat, and that they didn't have enough time to properly bury him. Ferret, a little more clearheaded agreed and placed his brother under a large tree. Swan walked up to the dwarf and thanked him for all his help, before cutting his stomach open and letting his insides pour out. Magpie turned white seeing the horrific acts Swan had been doing, but didn't say anything, getting everyone out was his top priority.
The group left and headed East towards the mountains. Every time the group thought they could rest, they looked over and saw lights in the woods behind them, and knew they had to keep going. After about two days they had reached the base of the mountains and Wolf shortly after died from lack of proper treatment. With the rest of the group disheartened and exhausted, Swan told them they'd only have to walk about another day's journey into the mountains before they'd be safe, that they'd lose them there. Everyone agreed and kept going another day. Going up the mountain was extra difficult given their lack of energy and the extra equipment and gold they were carrying.
Finally, feeling somewhat safe, they hid inside a cave for a day to rest. Hardly a word was spoken among the group, Swan kept an eye out at the valley behind them, she could still see lights in the far distance, but they didn't seem to close in. Magpie watched her at the cave's entrance as he lay in his bedroll. He wasn't sure what had happened to Swan in such a short amount of time, but his longtime friend had changed so quickly, or maybe he was finally seeing her for who she truly was.
The group carried on the next day going further up and into the mountains. As they rose in elevation they came across piles of snow. Magpie knew there would be snow up here, but he remained quiet as they walked. Suddenly one of the piles of snow leapt up at Swan and Goose as if it were alive. Swan jumped out of the way, but Goose was grabbed and the strange snow pile turned clear above him, turning into a gel. Swan and the rest of the group circled around him, Swan reached her hand into the gel only for it to burn her hand. She pulled her hand free and saw she was missing two fingers, the others saw Goose under the gel start to melt away into nothing, as another pile of snow started to move and lunged at a goat, they panicked and fled. After being far enough away from the snow piles, Swan looked at her wounded hand and her missing fingers and gave into her pain. Magpie ran over to her and wrapped her hand. He told her that it was far too dangerous around here and they they should turn back, Swan told him that whatever those things were, hadn't been up here when she was here last. She then yelled at him that they couldn't return and they had already lost too much. She stood up from him and continued to lead the way. Magpie and Cricket looked at one another, not saying a word, but both knowing things were not going to end well.
The group decided to avoid higher elevation for the high amounts of snow, and avoid the lower valleys because they could see patches of snow down there, like the ones that had attacked them. This meant they were stuck to the sides of mountains, which was the most dangerous path to take. A few more days of walking along the side of cliffs, and the goat that Cricket had been walking with collapsed from exhaustion off the side of the ledge, dragging him along with him. Magpie leapt and grabbed ahold of him, getting knocked off the cliff as well. Magpie's grip was quickly giving as Swan and Ferret tried to pull him up. Cricket took a knife from his side and cut away at the rope tied around his leg attaching him to the goat. The rope cut slightly and moved the goat's weight causing a shift in momentum. Magpie's grip gave out and the three of them fell down 40 feet. Cricket died on impact while Magpie was badly wounded. He weakly called for Swan. Swan and Ferret saw no easy way to get down to them, the cliff they had been on had almost completely broken from the fall. Magpie called her again, as his vision blacked out, he saw her tear up, and turn away from them. Swan and Ferret left Magpie to die and continued on into the mountains.
Magpie didn't die however, and after weeks of slowly limping out of the mountains, had returned to Brennis alone. During this time his hair had grown out so much and he had lost so much weight that he didn't even look like the same person. He avoided prosecution and left his old criminal ways behind. He never saw Swan or Ferret again. Their fate is unknown.
The Greenbound Heist is still talked about today as the largest heist ever done in the history of Brennis. The story of Swan's gold still being lost somewhere up on the mountains after her assumed death is popular among adventures, travelers, and tavern patrons.

Accomplishments & Achievements

The Greenbound Heist is still regarded as the largest theft ever in the Kingdom of Brennis.

Mental Trauma

Swan had spent most of her life wanted by the law, she didn't mind this, she saw the law as someone trying to force their way of life onto good people and she detested that. 
It seems though that in the weeks prior to the Greenbound Heist, she was becoming more and more paranoid. There were men hunting her by name and face, and as such she knew she needed something big to keep her and her family safe. One final job, to give them the lives they deserved.

Intellectual Characteristics

Swan had been a loner most of her life, having lost her husband at an early age, and her locksmith master a few years later, she struggled to make connections and attachments with people. As time passed and she started to be a thief, she became more charismatic and as she slowly made a crew of thieves, grew into her leadership role quite well. She was seen as a mother to all her friends, she took care of them, and they took care of her. They were a family.

Morality & Philosophy

Swan felt that since the dawn of time, people have hurt and killed one another to survive, and that had never changed, but she didn't want to be a part of that, she and her gang would work together to survive and thrive, and not kill or destroy to live. She told her gang that once they had enough money saved up, they could live a good honest life, and keep it that way. She saw her and her family as better than kings and queens because of that.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Swan and the Bellstone Wedge had a number of allies and contacts that aided them in exchange for money. While they weren't an official part of the Bellstone Wedge, they were considered friends and good people by them.

Social Aptitude

Swan was a natural born leader. She put herself at the head of the family, but because she cared about the good of her group. She was always up for debate among her family if they disagreed with her, but with others she would stand firm.

Alignment

Neutral-Evil

Species

Halfling

Ethnicity

Stout Foot

Age

Early 50's

Circumstances of Death

Disappeared shortly after the Greenbound Heist

Gender

Female

Eyes

Light Brown

Hair

Gray-Brown

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Light Tan

Quotes & Catchphrases

"I've got a..." - A common saying of Swan's before talking about a scheme.

"We all came from dirt, barely living, barely surviving! We've helped one another rise up from the mess, and you've done your part to make me live once again. I am alive because of all of you good people. You are my family!" - Swan's speech before deciding to head to Greenbound Grove.

Aligned Organization

The Bellstone Wedge