PLAYER NAME: Kathy Beltran
CHARACTER NAME: Magdelena
GENDER: Female
PRONOUN(S):she/her
CLASS:
AGE: 30ish
RACE: Human
HAIR: Blonde
EYES: Blue
OCCUPATION: Owner/Operator of The Gilded Griffin Tavern and Inn; Companion; Escort
KNOWN SKILLS: Barkeeping, Accounting
BIRTHPLACE: Faedrun
NOTABLE TRAITS
RELATIONSHIPS: Many. If they have passed through Starkhaven, they likely either had a drink or stayed at her business. If they live there, the chances are much higher.
RUMORS: Many. She encourages them by adding on her own embellishments. Most don’t know what is true and what is not.
BIO / BACKGROUND HISTORY
EARLY LIFE
Magdelena was born into a modest, hardworking family in a small village on Faedrun. From a young age, she showed an exceptional intellect, an uncanny ability to make fast friends who would pour their heart out to her. Like many, her village was caught in a battle in the battles against the Undead and Penitent. With her family dead and her village burnt to the ground, she became another war orphan.
ON FAEDRUN
Magdelena moved to areas of Faedrun untouched by the war. Destitute, she took up odd jobs as available. This usually meant cleaning or being a serving maid. In the taverns and inns her personality shone through, and she quickly made a modest living that way. However, a young woman with good looks and charm can also make money in other ways. Many people will pay for company, especially with someone like her. So she took up being an Escort as well as a Tavern maid.
Magdalena was doing that when she was discovered by a well known Madam. Seeing her talent wasted, Magdalena was swept off to Southern Vandregon for education in being a Companion to the wealthy and powerful. There her talents flourished. As time went on, she was entrusted with running one of the Madame’s establishments as well, turning it into a thriving social venue for high and low born alike.
LIFE ON MARDRUN
As the war worsened, Magdelena saw the writing on the wall sooner than most. That is what happens when the high and mighty will let slip their worries to you. As such, she packed what supplies and coins she could, and made for the colony of New Hope. She was well enough known that she could get a job in one of the budding taverns. However, much of her support and connections never made the trip over. She was back to the beginning.
Over the years, she managed to slowly save enough silver through her work to be able to afford her own place. Unfortunately, New Hope had grown and was saturated with taverns. However, she learned that the Order colony of Starkhaven had started to grow again after a long decline. Seeing an opportunity, she readied to move there. The Order Civil War briefly paused those plans, but afterwards provided even more opportunity to rebuild. Bidding New Hope farewell, she made the trek to Starkhaven to open her own tavern.
RUNNING THE GILDED GRIFFIN
Magdelena now runs the Gilded Griffin with the care and precision of someone who has built something entirely her own.Though she started small, the tavern and inn situated in a comfortable corner of Starkhaven, has earned a well-deserved reputation for warmth, hospitality, and quiet charm. From early morning until the hearth burns low at night, the Gilded Griffin remains a steady presence in the lives of locals and travelers alike.
The main room is inviting, filled with polished wooden tables, rich red draperies, and the warm scent of bread and stew. Magdelena oversees it all with practiced ease—welcoming guests with a kind smile, smoothing over disputes with a gentle word, and making sure no tankard sits empty for long. Her eye for detail ensures that everything runs smoothly, from the kitchens to the guest rooms upstairs.
Though she hires capable staff, Magdelena is never far from the work. She can often be found tending bar, accounting ledgers open at her elbow, or quietly speaking with regulars who seek her advice. Her presence brings a sense of calm and order to the tavern, and her reputation for fairness and discretion has made the Griffin a favored gathering place for merchants, guards, and travelers from across the region.
The upstairs rooms are modest but clean, with thoughtful touches like fresh linens, sturdy locks, and warm lighting. Guests who stay the night often comment on how peaceful the place feels, as though trouble knows better than to cross its threshold.
While the Griffin is a public house, those with discerning tastes or quiet needs know to inquire subtly about the private rooms and finer services the inn occasionally provides. Magdelena is known not only as a skilled tavern keeper but as a discreet and charming companion to those of influence—offering conversation, counsel, and cultivated company to those who seek it. These services are not advertised, but in Starkhaven, little stays secret for long—only quiet and well-managed. Her reputation for discretion and warmth makes her a favored host among the town’s notables and passing dignitaries alike. Some speak of evenings spent in her company as equal parts relaxing and enlightening, describing her with words usually reserved for old friends or wise confidantes.
Above all, Magdelena runs the Gilded Griffin not simply as a business, but as a refuge. She treats her patrons with genuine care, offering a warm meal, a quiet place to think, and, when needed, a sympathetic ear. She rarely speaks about her past, but there is a sense about her—a quiet strength and worldliness—that hints at a life beyond tavern walls.
CURRENTLY
No one really knows how Magdalena became entangled with the Militia Commander. Some say it is because he used the Gilded Griffin as a meeting place for a Syndar from the Fire Isle. Either way, her skills were noticed and she soon was called on to take a greater role in the affairs of Starkhaven and the Order.