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• Saza

Something of a local enigma in the circuit of towns she travels between, Saza (as she calls herself) is a street performer known for her displays of acrobatics, gymnastics, juggling, and general physical flexibility and agility to entertain an audience. She is also a local curio for her prowess as a martial artist, and sometimes teaches women and girls personal defense techniques when her instruction is sought out. Rumor has it that she is skilled and precise enough to perform devastating qi-blocking attacks that render opponents paralyzed, although she steadfastly refuses to acknowledge or teach such methods.

Appearance

Saza has long black hair, blue eyes, a slender but defined build, with a slightly below-average weight and standing slightly taller than average for women in her area. While performing, she usually wears brightly colored outfits over appropriate modesty clothes for a contortionist (short pants and chest-concealing undershirt). In her off time, she dresses in non-distinctive female fashions common to the area she's in and doesn't stand out.

Possessions

Saza owns a long, straight-bladed sword, although she has never used it in her act and no one has ever seen her draw it. She also owns several wooden staves of various lengths, which she does frequently use in performances of juggling, twirling, and vaulting. Similarly, she sometimes shows her proficiency with a wide variety of throwing knives and stars, batons, nunchucks, and sundry other performance items. Most of what she owns can be either worn on her person or fit into a large backpack.

Professional life

Saza's primary work is as a street performing contortionist and acrobat. She is sometimes hired to perform for a set rate at events to help attract attention and bring in crowds, but most days performs independently and relies on the voluntary generosity of her audience. The income stream from voluntarily crowdsourcing her pays is, predictably, inconsistent and often disappointing. Because of this, she often resorts to earning extra money by working with local bookies to take a cut of gambling proceeds in exchange for participating in knife-throwing and other contests of dexterity or aim. These contests may or may not be rigged by those organizing them.

Occasionally she also supplements her income by selling an unusual (for the region) alcoholic drink made by fermenting honey, or mixtures of honey and fruit. "Saza's special" as she calls it is uncommonly available, her appearances in any given town being only periodic. It is generally considered a luxury item and has developed a small following among a few upper-class administrators of the towns she circuits between. Especially in demand (when it can be made seasonally) is the variety that uses mulberry juice for the fruit component; mulberries and their association with the expense of silk give a connotation of wealth and high status to the consumption of mulberry products. She isn't able to produce very much of this drink, given her often itinerant professional life - to make it, she has to rent a modest brewing and racking space in the wine cellar of a tavern in one of the towns she spends time in, making her brewing schedule dependent on her traveling performance schedule. Honey is expensive in any case, and sometimes she doesn't have the funds to invest in the ingredients for making a batch. Nonetheless, her willingness to provide the local administrative authorities with this delicacy when she has some to sell them has helped shield her from official interest in prying much into her background or private life.