Born into the underbelly of Mere, Veronica never knew her parents. She was raised by smugglers, thieves, and mercenaries who ran the town’s criminal networks. As a child, she learned the art of survival: how to read people, how to lie convincingly, and how to disappear when necessary.
At sixteen, she joined a smuggling crew running stolen goods and contraband through the marshlands surrounding Mere. She quickly rose through the ranks, earning a reputation for being ruthless when needed but fair to those who served her loyally. When the former leader of The Black Roses, an aging half-orc named Garrik, was betrayed and killed, Veronica seized the opportunity to take control. Rather than ruling with brute force, she solidified the Black Roses’ power by forging deals with key players in Mere, including corrupt town officials and mercenary groups.
To maintain a respectable front, she took ownership of The Broken Keg, a tavern that had long been a hotspot for backroom deals and secret exchanges. Under her rule, the Black Roses became the most efficient smuggling operation in the region, dealing in rare goods, weapons, and sometimes even people, though Veronica had strict rules against human trafficking, considering it “bad for business.”
Mere’s Influence
With Daveed’s mind guiding her, Veronica began to shape her vision for Mere, convincing herself that it was for the greater good. She believed she could make the city thrive under her rule, control the flow of goods, people, and power, and ensure her own empire was the strongest. She told herself that her ambitions were noble and that the end would justify the means.
Yet, as she used Daveed’s mind to climb higher, she found herself losing her own. The whispers and thoughts that had once been a tool became a curse. She could not separate his intellect from her own. His calculated, cold logic overshadowed her emotions and her empathy. What began as a thirst for success and control turned into a consuming obsession. The people she once thought of as pawns now became obstacles. Her growing desire to protect her empire turned into a hunger for more: more power, more wealth, more influence.
Now, the line between her thoughts and Daveed’s has blurred. The hunger for success is her only drive. She no longer questions her methods or the cost of her actions. In the quiet of her own mind, she hears Daveed’s cold logic urging her to act, to take what is hers, to secure her reign no matter the price. His mind has shaped her, and she has become a reflection of his cold, calculated nature.
The very intellect that once helped her survive has now become the engine of her corruption. Veronica knows, deep down, that she has crossed a line. But the whispers will not stop. They never stop.
The Group’s Influence
Veronica has always understood the rules of the game: if you make a deal, you live by it. When she took Daveed’s mind into her own, she did so knowing the cost. For years, it paid off. She sharpened her empire into something undeniable: slick, profitable, and far-reaching. Under her guidance, the Black Roses spread into every major city. Trade flowed through her like blood through veins. Gold, power, leverage—all came easy when the whispers guided her hand.
When the chance came to give it up, she did. Without hesitation.
She passed the burden to Rona, not out of cruelty, but out of practicality. The curse had served its purpose. The whispers, once a tool, had become a poison. She told herself that once free, she would feel clean again, clear, and whole.
But guilt does not fade with silence.
Now, with her mind her own again, she finds herself sitting in quiet rooms surrounded by ledger books and paper promises. Names, homes, futures—all mortgaged to her. Families who gave up everything for a chance at something better, only to be swallowed by her empire. She tells herself it was just business, just the cost of ambition.
But was it worth it?
The empire stands. The coins still flow. At night, she looks at the ink on those pages as if it were blood. The silence left in place of the whispers is louder than she expected. She thought she would be relieved. Instead, she is haunted.
She built something unstoppable. Now she does not know how to live in its shadow.