Gaarbi Ibarra is a military veteran who runs a small rumormonger's shop on behalf of her patron, the wealthy and regionally influential merchant Arrate Urquhart. Her job involves collecting and spreading information but also can involve simple storytelling for entertainment. She is chivalrous, forgiving, helpful, frivolous, and self-sufficient.

History

She was raised the fourth of five children by her father, a former soldier and recent immigrant, who worked parttime as a tinker and sometimes did mercenary work for the confectioner's guild. Her family was poor and her father struggled to fit in with the country's society. As a child, Gaarbi discovered the ability to enchant vegetables. Soon after she ran away from home and spent five months on the streets before finally returning. After that, her father was very supportive of her interests.

At age 13, Arrate took Gaarbi in and became her patron, training her in reading, writing, and economics, and teaching her various skills that would be useful to her business. She sometimes had Gaarbi do things that needed to be done but would put her own reputation at risk, such as offending foreign dignitaries, running the rumormonger shop, providing support to fringe political groups, and poaching, which Gaarbi did a lot of.

As soon as she reached adulthood, Gaarbi patriotically enlisted in the military as an archer and proved herself. She was promoted to corporal, but in her second campaign, the disease-ravaged army of her country ultimately lost the war they'd become involved in. Gaarbi left after that, having been the only surviving member of her unit.

Trivia

• same world as Roon
• an idiot
• skilled at rapid battle analysis, crossbows, trailing people, and tracking animals
• born in the palace of a foreign ruler during a stormy eclipse night which was also the day that ruler died (July 5th)
• dad was good at spears and swords but Gaarbi didn't really want to use the same weapons he did
• has a tattoo of a wing on her right shoulder drawn by a friend who's since passed away
• veggie golems are watching you
• likes her boss a lot
• values honesty despite spreading rumors, is skilled at implying things indirectly
• most expensive thing she owns is this gilded hatstand she found at a flea market, very proud of it
• drinks a little too much alcohol
• dislikes having to rely on others, excepting her patron
• dislikes cold weather & sheep