Esther Bishop is one of the members of the Six Reasons Why. She is also an enforcer in the Rubino mafia family. She uses the Bodhi Staff as her weapon of choice.
Biography
Early Life
Esther never knew her parents or what happened to them. She grew up in a shitty orphanage in a bad borough of Sombus (The Lirio Orphanage in Fayshine), but she did make some friends there, who'd go on to be lifelong friends. Things got worse though when her orphanage lost its funding and resources and went under, due to the neglect of the Borough President's corruption. Almost every other day she and her friends had to rob, assault, and steal just to survive. This went on for a good few years, until the "mafia" came in. She and her friends were picked up by the Rubino Family.
The Rubinos were criminals, but they had standards and provided to all the small people there. That was the only good authority figures she had seen till then, so she decided to join them. Some of her friends were scared and refused, but some joined her as partners in crime. They started small, but eventually moved on to bigger things.
She was involved in all sort of wetwork - deliveries, intimidation, assassinations, heists, etc. It was noticed she's pretty good at sneaking and occassionally killing - especially them mage types, which a lot of the fat cats of this city were. Despite being a criminal, she served the people as best she could by stealing magic artifacts from rich people to fund the poor folk, building new orphanges, or kill some corrupt or neglectful minor noble in charge, etc.
Sometimes she even took on contract jobs to protect people or do bounty hunting for funds, more legal work to pay the bills. She occasionally worked with the police in the East City to take down any rival wannabe gangs. She had a pretty good reputation with a lot of the common folk in Fayshine considering her a hero despite the blood on her hands. She started from nothing and has made rather something for herself, but she wasn't perfect. Her penchant for violence, or at times sloppy or reckless approach to work had gotten her under the attention of authorities, but she hadn't been caught yet. By 4E016, she often worked as a solo-act more than a mafia one, but she did come under the Rubino Family still as one of the respected enforcers. Maybe Esther could've been a capo like one of her childhood friends Luciano, but something was keeping her from that promotion- maybe her solo-acts or something else.
Beneath the Scarlet Spires
Check the main campaign page for the detailed plot summary.
In the midsummer of 4E016... Miri's parents worried about her job at the mafia-run Ruby Knightclub, hoping she’d perform at the carnival instead. In northeastern Fayshine, Esther Bishop left her flat, reassured neighbors after a cartel-related explosion, and was summoned to the Knightclub by Capo Luciano Caballero. That night, Luciano introduced her to Miri. During singer Rebecca Booth’s performance, she was poisoned and transformed into a monstrous aberration. Esther, Miri, and Luciano killed her, finding a broken Abyssal brooch. Unsure if this was cartel-related, Luciano paid Miri and asked Esther to contact “Diego.”
On 4E016/05/22, Martin Candlewynd, Luciano, and Loras Runestrong were murdered at the society’s warehouse, and artifact “VN Abyssal B” stolen. Cedrik, Tuskon, Vetri, Oscar, Silvius, Esther, Miri, and Edgar all converged on the crime scene and met Inspector Rorax and each other. They discovered signs of necrotic magic and a fourth attacker. Before they could investigate further, Ratti family goons attacked. The group fought them off amid stormy seas. Inspector Rorax advised them to stay together, and Cedrik brought everyone to Gwynne Manor. There, the party formally introduced themselves.
The next morning, the group shared breakfast at Gwynne Manor before Rorax arrived, questioned them, and formally declared them a party, giving them linked sending stones. Afterward, Cedrik revealed the fiendish angel within him. They split to investigate: Edgar, Esther, and Cedrik visited the Planar Pub, where Edgar met his cousin, negotiated with drunk Ratti goons, and secured invites to Don Ratti’s daughter’s wedding. The group regrouped at Martin’s penthouse, and took his black money gold bars. They uncovered a secret room, and recovered a demonic letter from Xarkos, gold, and a figurine of Varkanus. When Inspector Gailhel Redeye confronted them, she betrayed them, nearly killing Silvius. The party subdued her and her men, but Gail killed herself magically, revealing she was a Varkanus cultist.
The next day, Esther turned in Luciano’s stone at the Rubino Villa and learned to conceal her Rubino ties if conflict with the Ratti arose. Vetri studied the figurine until Oscar and her noticed the weird actions of one of the Cogwork Archvists. They called the party, until the tampered archivist revived a T-Rex fossil in the museum.They brought the damaged construct to Yizuko Labs, where Esther awkwardly reunited with her ex, Xoe Yizuko. With Xoe and Faktoré, they confirmed the archivist had been remotely controlled by another artificer. Xoe agreed to investigate further and look into the Varkanus cult.
Esther and Miri attended Luciano’s funeral, meeting his ex-wife Noelia, son Camilo, and the four Rubino capos. Esmeralda Castrillo, Esther’s mentor, mourned Luciano and entrusted Esther with his ring while offering Miri a performing outfit Luciano had commissioned. She hinted at promoting Esther to capo once Don Rubino returned, and asked her whether she wasn't ready for it, to which Esther didn't have an answer yet.
The next day, the party dressed for Angelica Ratti’s wedding in Sewertown. At the chapel, they met Don Ratti, who offered condolences and called Esther "Alfieri", her assassin nickname. He revealed his son Rico Jr. had been in charge the night of the murders. The group joined the festivities, but Cedrik noticed Rico sneaking away. Following him, they were ambushed by Carlos, who poisoned Esther and Cedrik. After a brutal fight, the party defeated him and pursued Rico Jr., discovering a prison beneath the sewers. Cedrik disguised himself as Carlos while Miri made Esther invisible. They learned Rico Jr. was working with dangerous allies who wanted the party dead. Esther freed Mya, an imprisoned Rust enforcer, and escaped with her and a gagged Carlos. The group fled through sewage pipes, battled giant cockroaches, and emerged in the Cristol River, hiring a boat back to Gwynne Manor.
Under Zone of Truth, the party questioned Carlos, learning Rico Jr. was greedy but not a cultist. He’d been tipped off about Luciano by Selda Hightower. After handing Carlos to the police, they headed out. At Yizuko Labs, Xoe revealed the cogwork archivist was altered with a psionic shard, and gave Vetri shooting gloves and Esther the Planar Cirque she had made for her some time back. The group then sold loot at Hana’s House of Hex, where Miri rebuffed Hana’s offer to “buy” them. On their way to CU, Jamison ambushed them near the Starling Agency. After a fiery fight, Vetri downed him, and Rorax arrested him. The party spent the night at the Agency, where Esther flirted with Edgar and Silvius acted as a chaperone.
The next day, they plotted to confront Selda. Ignoring Clara’s suggestion of a formal inquiry, they tracked Selda to West Sombus Train Terminal. Disguised as Rico Jr., Silvius drew her out, learning she answered to Xarkos and believed she had met Varkanus. She spoke the code phrase “3 tickets to Madness,” transporting everyone into a demiplane with a giant glowing eye. Selda summoned an Aboleth Spawn, but Vetri quickly downed her and the others destroyed the monster. The eye demanded Vetri’s Varkanus figurine and marked her when she resisted. The party interrogated Selda, confirming the cult’s structure and that Rico Jr. was only a minor pawn. Suddenly, cultists and a plague-masked paladin named Yulis arrived, forcing the party to use the exit code “Tickets to Sanity.”
Timeline
3E462 - Esther is presumably born in Sombus. With no parents, she is sent to the Lirio Orphanage in Fayshine.
3E478 - The orphange lost its funding, and 16-year old Esther and her friends were forced to live out on the streets.
3E481 - When she was 19, Esther, Luciano, Arthiel, and Diego were picked up by Esmeralda Castrillo and inducted into the Rubino Family.
4E011 - After only dating for a year, she and Diego break up. Diego leaves the Rubino family altogether, and becomes a pirate affiliated with the Roja Cartel.
4E013 - Esther and her friends managed to restore some funding and reopen the Lirio Orphanage after 35 years of closed doors.
4E015 - After only dating for about six months, Xoe Yizuko breaks up with Esther.
4E016 - The events of Beneath the Scarlet Spires begin.
Gallery
Esther in a suit (Credit: Daibik)
