One of the more powerful figures in Caradsurga was a
figure of mystery, intrigue, and mistaken assumptions. Valla Giordia haunted the tiny maritime town in the guise of a high class courtesan, but was in fact a spy for the Cult of the Long Night. She had learned much about the town, the trade upon the river, and important men and events in Dorwinion and the Celduin valley. In her assumed role as a lady of the evening, she had accumulated many prominent contacts in the town and developed leverage with those men fearful of being revealed to their wives and families, or to respectable society in general. A real student in the art of blackmail, Valla had made it a point to commit to memory the foibles and personal history of her more influential liaisons. She had managed to compromise her contacts without ever actually succumbing to the rigors of her pretended trade through a remarkable combination of wit, charm, guile, and cunning. Mostly, she just listened to their problems and reassures them about themselves. Amazingly, this worked very well. In order to guarantee her influence, in some cases Valla had recruited believable witnesses that would swear that the victim had been patronizing Giordia for illicit purposes. For her most important targets, she had accumulated physical evidence that was false but would be difficult for the victim to refute. She was likely able to make damaging accusations against the most powerful men in town stick among them Morse Varlada and Jorga Bartaff, who were both completely beguiled by Valla's enchanting charms.
Valla was tall, dark-haired, and very beautiful. In particular, her eyes and finely-boned, angelic face were irresistibly attractive. She habitually wore long, flowing dresses, all in black and artfully adorned with jewelry, flowers, and lace. She wass not typically seen in daylight, but when she needed information or was curious about events in town she would venture forth in common male work clothes, invariably including a hood or wide hat. Valla was nearly anonymous in this garb, since she made it a point to avoid attention.
References[]
- MERP:River Running