Rosetta (Rose and Etta)

A pair of conjoined twins were born to an Outsider mother seeking shelter from a storm. No one knows where she went or why she left the babes, though it was the man who found them who defined most of their early life. It was an Elven man, The Magnificent Merzen Malcov, who found the twins as his circus was passing through the Outlands. He bought the girls from the temple there and named them “Rosetta”, determined to turn them into an otherworldly attraction should they live long enough to be taught to perform.

He raised the two girls, teaching them dance and various instruments from a young age. From as young as five the two were expected to sing, play, and dance before a crowd. They didn’t mind this, in their minds it was great fun and it made people happy. It wasn’t until they got older that they didn’t have a choice in the matter. Rosetta, or Rose and Etta as they had come to start calling themselves at age thirteen had begun to have their freetime and time spent alone limited. And when they made the mistake of speaking of plans to one day leave and travel the world in earshot of Malcov, they found themselves regularly left in chains to prevent them from dreaming of going away from his side. Malcov became more forceful, and the fact that he had bought them as his ‘property’ became more and more obvious. The truth of that circus and the fear of the man that ran it that all the members had become clear to them... and for the first time they realized what their current place in the world was.

Their lives changed when they turned eighteen. That night, after a large performance to celebrate the coming of age of the Conjoined Outsider Bards, they found themselves addressed by a Daemon man named Varkas Etrian who offered to take them to travel the world in his wandering bard’s troupe instead. They were offered wages and their own tips - something Malcov had never allowed. He was surprised to hear that the girls had not earned their own coin, and further disturbed as they broke down and explained their situation to him. Etrian left the girls with a few coins and a small stone he told them to keep on their person for good luck. He told them to stay someplace as quiet and private as they could for the evening, and told them that they should avoid Malcov’s tent that night.

The girls were confused, but otherwise grateful for the coin and the colorful stone they were given. They hid it in their pockets and went to sleep for the evening. They did get to stay by themselves that night, albeit in a cage locked away by Malcov to ensure they would not flee in the night. They could not sleep. Something was different and they could not place it. But soon they heard hushed voices and the clanking sounds of a keyring. They prepared for the worst, but were met by a halfling woman coming to their door and motioning for them to stay quiet. She produced Malcov’s keyring and freed them, telling them that they were leaving that night.

They were led away by the woman, who introduced herself as Jinxed Latch. She lead them to where a group of bards and rogues were waiting. When Rose and Etta asked what was going on Etrian appeared from the treeline, checking to see if they were followed. He smiled at the girls and told them that they had a choice. They could go back to Malcov and have their lives unchanged, they could leave now and try to escape alone, or they could come with him and his crew and be protected by them with a place to stay as full members of the troupe. The girls whispered between themselves for a moment, before taking his hands and agreeing to flee from Malcov with him.

Rose and Etta started their new lives traveling and Performing with The Enchanting Entertainers, Etrian’s wandering troupe. He and the three other performers and rogues took to them well. Jinxed Latch, a halfling rogue and escape artist, seeing them as younger sisters and training them in basic acrobatics. She-Who-Speaks, a lizardfolk story teller, taught them about the world and the many stories she had picked up in her travels. And finally, Mordrough, an orc strong man, taught them how to defend themselves on the road as well as a great man jokes to help them in their future boring situations. Etrian himself taught them the greatest of the gifts given to them by the troupe - how to perform magic, how to be confident, and greatest of all - how to be independent.

It was Etrian’s teachings that took them the longest to learn. They still had scars that lingered with them, both physical and emotional. But he was patient with them and took things step by step as they traveled. He taught them how to schedule their own days, manage their own money, how to talk to people and look them in the eyes... so many little details that they had to learn to be their own people he patiently explained to them over the course of six years. The rest of the troupe helped, but it was Etrian who went the extra mile to make sure the two young women were safe and supported as they learned how to heal.

They traveled and performed with the troupe for years. They saw the world, the people, the vast and changing landscapes. They sailed on ships and traveled beneath the surface through the caverns of The Underworld. They sang and danced, laughed and cried. But most of all they found the most important things of all. Among those members of the troupe they found a home - a family.

When Rose and Etta were twenty four, Etrian was starting to look to return from the life of a traveler. He was getting older, and his bones ached to settle down, but he knew the rest of the troupe still wanted to wander and to see the world. He gathered them all together and told them his plans to settle. While everyone was saddened to see their friend and mentor go, they were glad that the wanderlust within him had finally been sated. He put it to a vote as to who should be the next leader of the troupe and any future members. After a long few moments, the rest of the troupe had chosen Rose and Etta to fill in Etrian’s travel worn boots.

The two protested at first, but it was Mordrough who convinced them with heartfelt words. He told them that the girls had come a long way, and would travel even further yet. They would meet new people and cherish the ones they knew. They were ready to start the next chapter of their lives, even when the rest of them eventually settled down they would still wander. So it was them who needed this experience to grow and to keep seeing that wide and wonderful world they loved so much. And with this sentiment, the twins agreed.

Rose and Etta never really stopped wondering if Malcov would find them. If their past would catch up to them. If their paths would lead them far from what they had known, but with their troupe - their family - they would be ready. And when they would finally part ways, they still would be ready to seek new adventures and tales and songs to learn.