Sam (for Chad's Game) character sketch

At first appearance, Sam appears to be a normal lad of 8 or 9 years old. Loose fitting peasant clothing and soft shoes conceal a number of small stilettos, each well balanced for hurling. A heavily patch worked leather jack (at least one size too large) makes a passable attempt at armoring Sam's light frame, as few opponents are likely to attack the legs of someone under four feet tall. The well worn brass hilts of a pair of gypsy style long curved knives can sometimes be seen in the shadows of the leather sleeves, and a broad elven style arrowhead hangs about her neck on a leather thong like an amulet.

What few find out quickly about Sam, is that she is a disguised halfling. Having grown up an orphan on the hostile streets of a port town, she quickly came to realize that being underestimated as a youth gave her a huge advantage. Most ruffians would never consider that a youth would possess any wealth to steal, and the few who tried rarely expected the fury of an accomplished knife fighter. She would have likely lived the life of the street forever if her secret had not been discovered by a member of the black spiders gang. Wishing to avoid becoming an example of why one should not cheat the local gangs from their percentage, Sam fled the city for the first time, seeking out an elderly half elven woodsman who occasionally sold his furs in town. Sam spent only a very short time as the apprentice of the woodsman before she was wounded in a battle with several goblins. Far from being upset at his apprentice's web of lies, the old ranger revealed that he had known the entire time, and was merely grateful for the company.

The pair traveled the land, ranger providing food and shelter, while Sam helped by setting snares and making trips into villages to sell furs and procure supplies. This was a fine time for Sam, where she learned many lessons. He taught her elvish speech and script, simple double blade techniques, and perhaps more important, his philosophy. Unfortunately, all things come to an end, and her friend's elven blood eventually ran too thin to overcome his human lifespan. After grieving beside his pyre, Sam decided that she would try to help others the way he would have wanted... the way he had helped her.