Criella

The Natural Leader

Body Features & Mental Characteristics

Criella is a dark red-skinned Tiefling of medium build. Her long dark hair are almost always hidden under the hood of her favorite cloak. Ever since her promotion to the responsability of Leader of the Athkatla's Thieves Guild , she can be seen wearing a clean-ish formal blue soldier outfit, with a variety of pouches and leather straps added in order to always have her tools on hand. Criella is a go-getter who isn't afraid to be blunt, which can prove to be intimidating at times. She doesn't see herself settling down, but still enjoys the occasional playful flirt. She is not a killer and will try to flee from even the most dire situations.

Personal history

Criella |FAMILY NAME REDACTED| was abandoned too young to remember her parents. It was a miracle that she survived, having been left on the dirty streets of Athkatla 's River District. Life is usually hard for kids growing up in the river district, but even more so when the kid in question is an orphan and a tiefling. Some people say that tieflings are not of this world, that they are more demon than mortal. Much is said. but what is undeniably true is that their infants are not as helpless as those of humans. Criella was a living proof of that. Strong in spirit and in body, she hunted rats in alleyways , climbed the sheer stone walls around her, and slept under the eaves on rainy nights. She wrapped herself in rags, but never tried to hide her more outstanding features: her tail and horns. Criella was many things, but mainly a proud individual. Proud of what she was, where she was from and determined to live life the way she wanted. She had no care for the opinions or judgments of others and fought to help those around her do the same.
There came a time when she took to thieving, starting small by burglarizing homes, only taking the bare minimum to insure her, and the other kids in the River District's, survival. A few coins here, a trinket there. Soon enough, she started setting her sights on larger targets. Rumors of the sticky-fingered tiefling started running amongst jewelers and other shopkeepers. It was said that a greedy demon was running the streets of Athkatla, creeping through closed windows to take anything shiny enough to attract its attention.
This is when the guards of the city started looking more actively for her. Eventually, a Criella in her teenage years got surrounded by guards in a kill or get arrested kind of situation after stealing a precious heirloom from a local warlock. Unable to bring herself to hurt someone, she had no choice but to surrender. On her way to the local jail, she was rescued by a man in his 50s, Ceverus, and 3 of his partners. This man, a member of the fallen Shadow Thieves of Amn, now simply called Athkatla's Thieves Guild , had seen potential in Criella in the past months and decided to become her mentor.
During the following years, Criella showed more promise as a thief than anybody else in years. Thanks to both her exploits within the underworld and her benevolent charismatic personality, she eventually reached the status of cell leader, where she could slowly start training and shaping her very own crew. Some months after she obtained that promotion, Ceverus was kidnapped by the Gloomcloaks, a rival assassins guild originally from the Shining Lands trying to expand their influence on the western side of the continent. Criella's crew planned a heist against their hideout, hidden under the Hog's Wife's Inn in Reovera . Sadly, Criella was too late and witnessed the death of her master and paternal figure, shortly after being tricked by Cornelius, one of the cell leaders of the Gloomcloaks, into losing all of her magic. She would no longer be an Arcane Trickster, and she would no longer be able to speak with Ceverus. Those two thoughts brought Criella to chase and eventually murder Cornelius, by burning the man alive, leaving her emotionally scarred for the remainder of her life.
After honoring Ceverus' death in Athkatla, Criella annexed his old crew to hers, making her now large team of 12 partners the biggest cell in Athkatla's Thieves Guild.
About 15 years after her promotion to cell leader, the War of the Eclipse eventually reached the walls of Athkatla. A powerful presence named Liliana Vess , also known as the Moon Queen, took the reigns of the city, leading Athkatla into an even bigger economic disparity between the opulence of the rich and the poverty of the River District. Seeing her people suffer, Criella knew she had to act. Her crew, not sharing the tiefling's distaste of murder, organized an assassination mission against the Moon Queen, with the main goal being to give the power back to the people of Athkatla, by means of the gift of democracy. In the current state of the City of Coin, whoever owns the city's coffers if the official ruler. What if this money, as well as its associated power, was shared evenly between the people? Criella, seeing the possibility of a better future for the citizens of Athkatla, had to relinquish her morals and accepted to plan the assassination of the Moon Queen, but she wouldn't be on the field, as she was no expert with the blade. Her party accepted, and eventually attacked Athkatla's Keep (later know as the Castle of the Eclipse). Somebody had tipped off the lunar authorities, which led to the capture of Criella's crew. A year later, in 1492 after the Great War, Criella successfully recruited a party for a second assault against the Keep. This party, now known far and wide as the Golden Company , executed the Moon Queen and brought democracy and freedom to the people of Athkatla. Criella was never credited for this achievement, as her wish was to remain unknown outside of the underworld.
During the months following the liberation of the city, and of Criella's crew, the red tiefling was appointed by applause, a common custom within the guild, as the new Leader of Athkatla's Thieves Guild. Her goal is now to reclaim Waterdeep from the nefarious Xanathar who chased the former Shadow Thieves of Amn away years before Criella was even born.
In 1493 after the Great War, Criella was briefly abducted by Vittorio Marotta, one of Dirk Von Diamond 's leading henchman, in order to blackmail the Golden Company into giving him the Pelor Shield, an ancient artifact the party had stolen from Von Diamond months prior. Marotta's plan was upset by the Golden Company, and Criella was saved. But the feeling of helplessness that she carried with her that day never left, and this led to her asking Demi Spelunky, a dear friend and romantic companion from the Golden Company, to teach her to fight.
In 1495 after the Great War, the Golden Company  and Criella went on to raid the Xanathar Syndicate 's lair in an attempt to regain control of the Thieves Guild. This attack proved successful, and inadvertantly allowed Criella a second chance at avenging Ceverus' death, as it was revealed that Cornelius had lived through their first encounter. But she made sure he would not get up from this one. From that point on, Criella took the reins of the thieves guild in Waterdeep and relayed the leadership of the Athkatla's guild to her second in command: Bakuu, a young and ambitious black human that had also proven to be both wise and charismatic. She deemed him to be the best suited person for the job by far. 
In 1496 after the Great War, she gives birth to a daughter she had with Demi Spelunky, the only real love of her life. 

Education

Criella mostly learned in the streets and under the tutelage of Ceverus. She is a master of disguises, a dexterous calligrapher, a lock-picking expert, a nimble escape artist and an overall very inspiring and charismatic leader. She is what most would call the archetype of a Master Thief.  She learned to use weapons effectively from her partner, Demi Spelunky.

Employment

Former leader of the Athkatla's Thieves Guild, leader of the Waterdeep's Thieves Guild (formely known as the Xanathar Syndicate) and generous philanthropist.

Wealth & Financial state

None of your business.

Ethnicity Tiefling
Year of Birth Undisclosed, probably in the 1450s after the Great War.
Sex Female
Eyes Red
Hair Black, usually hidden under a hood
Skin Tone/Pigmentation Dark red, almost black
Height 5' 10"
Approximate Weight 145lbs
Honorary & Occupational Titles Chosen Leader of Athkatla's Thieves Guild .
Current Residence Somewhere in the River District of Athkatla, probably.
Known Languages Speaks Common, Infernal and Thieves Can't.