Shandryss

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Shandryss is one of the belongings of Saret Neferti. She is tasked with designing the sword-fighting training regime for her mistress, and is very driven to provide the best possible training.

The empress regularly asks Shandryss to act as hostess when she receives guests, and as such Shandryss is well-schooled in dance, poetry, song, tea-serving and other hostess duties. Next to this, her mistress expects her to keep abreast of activities and personages at court, and discreetly relay messages and gestures upon command.

Shandryss came to Mirda at the age of three. She was found in a life-pod floating among the debris of a small freighter after a veolian patrol responded to an emergency signal. The freighter was destroyed by heavy gun fire, probably by pirates or bounty hunters.

Shandryss grew up in foster family in the capital city. She has two brothers and a sister. Her youth was unremarkable save for the fact that she showed excellent motoric skills and reflexes. Her parents encouraged her to take up competitive sword-fighting so she could try for a scholarship. At the age of 16 she won her first tournament, exceeding the two hemets participating as well.

While her brothers joined the ranks of the House Nehket house militia, she enjoyed further training under a number of excellent sword masters. This was made possible due to a generous scholarship from one of House Nehket's educational institutions.

At the age of 23 she finished her education, and returned home to the capital city to find that her parents had hit rough times. The district they lived had fallen under Khaw control, and house Khaw is well known for it's strict interpretation of the law (which does not favour peasants at all).

Unable to find a job and encouraged by her sister, who is a lowly servant at the imperial palace, Shandryss sent an application to the Imperial bureau of Recruitment. To her, and her family's, surprise she was invited for a follow-up meeting with Saret Neferti. At the meeting she was asked to partake in a few competence tests while the empress looked on, and after thoroughly trouncing the two sword masters responsible for the empress' training regime Shandryss was offered the option of becoming one of the empress' belongings.

After talking it over with her parents, Shandryss decided to accept the offer and her foster parents received a very generous compensation for the loss of their daughter. Incidentally, House Khaw suddenly deemed it no longer necessary to strictly enforce the law in her parent's district.