Sharessa Stagwood

Sharessa "The Shadow" Stagwood was a pirate who was a loyal crew-member of the Kissing Shark helmed by Blackfingers Ralingor in the late 14 century DR.

Description
Sharessa was really beautiful, with a flawless skin and large and striking blue eyes, seducing brows, and long, silky black hair.

Personality
Sharessa was always flirtatious. However, she had a cynical view of people. Sharessa was interested in acquiring money.

Abilities
Sharessa was very able with the blade.

Relationships
Kurthe Lornar was really affectionate to only Sharessa. In time, she started to suspect the true nature and objectives of Belmer Droon. After the death of Kurthe Sharessa became the unofficial leader of the Sharkers. Only after his death Sharessa understood she truly had cared for Blackfingers.

History
Sharessa worked at the Ankle Bells tavern in Tharkar in the Free Cities of Parsanic for a season at some point before 1371 DR.

Sometime in the, the Kissing Shark was destroyed by a blast of smoke powder. Blackfingers Ralingor perished and only seven of the Sharkers survived; Sharessa was one of them. Together the Sharkers saved one chest off the Kissing Shark. Later, the group found themselves in the tavern of Donder's Dancing Masques in Tharkar. There a mysterious benefactor named Belmer Droon rescued them from one of the frequent bar fights, and helped the Sharkers avoid the brutal law enforcement of the Daggers of Tharkar.

Once the Sharkers and their savior reached the safety of Ankle Bells, Belmer revealed his agenda: for generous pay, he wanted to hire a group of mercenaries to perform a mission in the capital of Doegan. After the pirates agreed, Belmer had them sign writs and they embarked on a mission to find and assassinate a noblewoman, Eidola of Neverwinter. Sharessa signed on only for how much money she would gain and because she sensed herself leaderless.

Under the cover of night, in secrecy, the group boarded the ship Morning Bird. Soon after the ship left the port, it came under an attack from an unknown black ship that bombarded the Bird with fire pot missiles and terrifying bone balls that melted away in the flames revealing dancing floating armed skeletons. The Sharkers and their benefactors managed to fight off the undead and evaded the black ship with the aid of Belmer's box of mists and a prayer-token of Umberlee. The box transported the ship into a different part of the sea away from the pursuit, but the prayer token of the fickle goddess summoned her servants on board a ghost ship. The ship spawned the dreaded sea zombies and the crew of Morning Bird had to appease Umberlee by tossing their valuables overboard.

During the short respite, the suspicious employer mixed an exotic drug called yulchass powder in with the crew's food. The powder had a side effect of making its imbibers truthful. The ship followed them, somehow tracking them. After a long search, the Sharkers and Belmer found a magical scrying device hidden on the bottom on the Sharker's chest.

Soon after, the mysterious black ship, now identified as the Black Dragon, caught up with the Morning Bird. The pursuing captain was the infamous Orim Redbeard, the pirate responsible for the death of Blackfingers Ralingor. Kurthe Lornar's short temper and rabid devotion to his old captain pushed him to attempt to attack Redbeard. But Belmer, expecting this, hit the tall Konigheimer over the head, knocking him out. Orim Redbeard realized that he pursued the wrong ship, and left the Sharkers in peace. Meanwhile, Kurthe Lornar came back to his senses, fuming with rage over what he perceived as betrayal. He attacked the benefactor in blind rage, while his fellow Sharkers stayed out of combat. Belmer showed uncanny skill and finesse in avoiding Kurthe's brutal attacks. Giving the hotheaded pirates plenty of warnings, Belmer continued leaving cuts and slices on the Konigheimer's body. The pirate never stood down and died soaked in his own blood with Belmer's dagger in his neck.

After the Morning Bird sunk, Sharessa started to doubt her choices and the true objectives of Belmer Droon.

After arriving in Eldrinpar in Doegan, Sharessa and the surviving mercenaries led by Artemis Entreri were confronted by the paladins from Waterdeep led by Miltiades. One group was looking to rescue Eidola, the abducted bride of Piergeiron the Paladinson, and the other group to assassinate her. So she started a fight in front of Eldrinpar's Fountain of the Kraken and in battle her fellow pirate Jolloth "Anvil" Burbuck was killed. After the fight ended, Kastonoph Nesher joined the mercenaries and, while relaxing in a tavern, Sharessa told Noph about Jolloth Burbuck, saying he had been a good friend to them.

Later, during the fiends' invasion of the city, mercenaries and paladins joined forces with Artemis Entreri, blind Ingrar Welven, zealous Kern Desanea, Trandon, and Sharessa to enter the dungeons of King Aetheric the Third's palace to save Kastonoph Nesher's life. They found there a bloodforge and Entreri and Sharessa both insisted on recovering the artifact, before the fiends could seize it.

After the Mar politician and aide of the Emperor, Ikavi Garkim, also joined them, they entered the Fallen Temple and Entreri and Sharessa attempted to claim the bloodforge as their own but were stopped by now-monstrous Aetheric III. After the mad Mage-Emperor was defeated, Garkim and Ingrar, revealed to be the new Chosen of Tyr, took control of the forge in order to defeat the fiends and save the city. After Eldrinpar was secure, Sharessa was invited to Faerûn by the paladins but she decided to remain in Doegan to help Garkim and Ingrar to rebuild the place.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * The Mercenaries
 * An Opportunity for Profit
 * Conspiracy
 * Uneasy Alliances