Kalandra “Kali” Brandath

It’s something of a joke in the Brandath family that Kalandra was born serious, but the truth is, Kali does most of her smiling when her parents and siblings are looking the other way. Kali was a natural athlete from an early age, but as the third-born daughter of the noble-by-marriage family, she was expected to learn courtly dances, engage in superfluous conversation, and comport herself in a regal and sophisticated manner. Instead, most of her noble peers find her to be plain and dull, with some of the most-biting remarks frequently coming from her noble cousins, the Hunabars.

Kali’s mother Adalia came from a family which built their fortune on the import and trade of fine textiles from the south, so she expected her children—and especially her daughters—to be fashionable, if not trendsetters. While suffering under her mother’s sartorial attentions, Kali would often frequently remind herself that one of her ancestors had built the Brandath fortune on piracy, including raiding Hunabar ships sailing the Sea of Swords.

Eventually, Adalia was forced to concede defeat when it came to Kali: the young woman’s secret sword fighting lessons with the one cousin she actually liked, wrestling matches with her older brothers, and foot races with street urchins had resulted in shoulders too broad and musculature too heavy for waifish fashion. Finally able to escape from familial obligations, Kali began plotting her next step: getting out of Waterdeep, even if only for a little while.

Traits

“I’m an expert at pretending to be dull and uninteresting. I’ve successfully gotten away with several harmless pranks because no one thinks I have a sense of humor.”

Ideals

“After spending so long fighting against being forced to be someone I’m not, I’m eager to find out who I am.”

Bonds

“Waterdeep is as much my family as anyone, and I definitely have a complicated relationship with my family.”

Flaws

“I’ll never understand why someone would choose a life of crime or begging on a street over having a job and purpose.”

“I Know a Guy”

The one cousin Kali actually likes is Renaer Neverember; he was the first person to teach her how to fight with a sword. Though he is twelve years older than she, the two bonded over the disconnect they each felt from their parents: Kali from her overbearing mother, and Ren from his calculating father. She’s also friends with Shanith Thann, a young noblewoman with similar discomfort with the trappings of high society.

Friends & Enemies

Kali’s efforts to not call attention to herself at society functions has had the benefit of insulating her significantly from the politics of the aristocracy, but even if she were to drop her surname, her bright copper hair and distinctive nose would easily mark her as a Brandath among those in the know, a family which has historically had a cold relationship with the Helmfast, Irlingstar, and Ulbrinter families owing to the activities of that long-ago pirate, Kulzar Brandath.