Judyn Burning Wheel character, played by John Kim === Overview === Judyn is a 40-year-old merchant woman, who has taken over the family business after her father died three years ago. She is known as a formidable haggler and dealer, but also a gracious host. === History === Judyn was born in Tashal, in wester Kaldor. She was the middle daughter of a crooked but successful merchantman, Tarsyn. After making his first success, he had married a beautiful young Jarin girl, Gwelen. She had little dowry, and he offered a generous bride-price-- so out of duty to her family she accepted the offer. Tarsyn later moved out of the city, distancing himself from his earlier life on the streets. It was a loveless marriage, but Tarsyn was eager to have a respectable household-- having risen in station from his youth. In the village he was a big man. He gave her space and outfitted his home well, and did little to interfere with her running of the household. He was often gone on his caravan runs into Tharda. However, he insisted that no sign of her Jarinese heritage be shown-- and beat her when she disobeyed. His was to be a proper Halean household fit for rich guests. Gwelen had three surviving child, all girls: Brenlyn, Judyn, and Karyn. (They also had two brothers, who died at 3 and 11.) In secret, Gwelen taught her daughter about the ways of the Jarin people, and of Ilvir. However, she never attended an Ilviran ceremony until late in life. Judyn grew up into a hard-headed woman, with business sense to help around the house and a skill for cooking. Her prettier and less sharp-tongued sisters were married off at an appropriate age, but lacking sons, Tarsyn preferred to keep his best worker around. Several times he announced that he had almost arranged a marriage for her. However, the deal always fell through at the last minute. Eventually, she realized that these were simply tricks to keep her strung along. Her father reacted savagely, though, at any hint of elopement or her mother's interference. She was severely beaten once after he chased an innocent boy from the house. She came to accept this, and in her twenties channeled her energies into dealing in the family business. She proved talented in this, and soon was effectively running much of this end of the business, and soon was travelling with the shipments to Coranan. She had a few discrete affairs, notably one with her cousin Cobart who helped direct the business. However, they were not the focus of her life. Four years ago, though, Tarsyn started to become more erratic mentally. One night, he privately told her he was going to retire and turn the business over to his totally incompetant son-in-law (i.e. her sister's husband), cutting her out of the business. She knew this would be ruin for everyone, and argued and fought with him. Their shouting was heard, but the household was used to that. After a nasty remark of hers, he hit her, she hit back, and he smacked her with a clay pot. He then assumed she was down and turned away. Enraged, she quietly stood and hit him several times with an iron pan, killing him. She carried his body out by the river, and made up a story that he had stormed out to go drinking-- as was common for him. Everyone knew he was acting quite erratically, so this was accepted without much question-- but there are those who suspect. She feels regret over that, compounded by how much she benefitted from his death. It's not so much that she is haunted by him. She hated him and sheds few tears for his passing, but she has a sense of injustice that it should have come to that at all, and to improve the world so that such events don't happen. After that, her world slowly shifted. At first, she carried on as before, taking over the family business. However, she felt an emptiness that she could not describe. She refused to marry Cobart, despite his asking several times in private. Instead, she went on a pilgrimage to Araka-Kalai, and went to the Second Stone. She came back a changed woman. She had a vision of Ilvir's will, and started to plan how to carry it out. That was when she encountered Brother Olrau, and sought him out to aid him in his mission. === Lifepaths === City born Smuggler Village Wife Village Merchant Village Merchant === Beliefs === 1) "Ilvir's people and his symbols should never be hidden" 2) "The people will convert if their leaders and wealthy convert" 3) "A sign from Ilvir will strike me if I am bold" === Instincts === 1) "Always be ready to receive guests" 2) "When threatened, pray to Ilvir" 3) "Always have a blunt instrument near at hand" === Traits === Paranoid Distracted Faithful === Description === Judyn is a formidable merchant woman, who has had a religious conversion to a mystery religion. I picture her like Frances Sternhagen -- cf. attached pictures. She should be stern-faced in her picture. She is 40, but these are medieval times, so it's fine for her to look like Sternhagen in her 50s. The expression in the black-and-white picture is good (though that is older than she looks). She is frugal and simple these days -- her hair will be nicely braided in medieval fashion. Her hair is reddish brown, straight with a tendency for a few hairs to be loose from her braids. She is healthy for her age, not overly muscular or overweight, but fairly tough. She is wealthy but not ostentatious. She will have a copper brooch with a symbol of her god Ilvir (see attached picture), but no other jewelry. Her dress will be green with embroidered trim (see attached picture), and she will also have a warm brown cloak on, held by the brooch.