History:
Xiomara was born to a family of small-time merchants in the small kingdom of Derya. Although her early years were fairly peaceful and happy, a civil conflict would slowly intrude on her childhood. There was a rebellion against the kingdom's ruling class, and Xiomara's father, Darren, was on the side of the rebels. Like others who had no formal claim to nobility, he saw an opportunity for power in the new government. He spent most of the war apart from his family, trying to secure finances for the rebel government and even fighting in several battles. As it became clearer and clearer that the rebellion was going to be put down, Xiomara's family had to flee the country. Xiomara's mother, Mariam, had to get her children out of the country alone after her husband failed to meet her. The perceived abandonment would cause a lot of tension in their marriage later on.
The small family reached a neighboring empire and reunited after a few months of searching. Darren was embittered at the rebel's loss, and Mariam was embittered at the whole situation and his failure to take a more vested interest in his family's safety. She blamed him for the hardships they suffered during the war, perhaps unfairly, and he was unhappy because he was no longer able to continue his bid for power and wealth. After years of bitter arguing he simply walked out the door, leaving his wife and children for good. They fell on desperate times without anybody to give them financial support.
Xiomara began her career as a thief at the age of fifteen, pickpocketing and sometimes stealing food. At first, it started out as a way to survive in a large, foreign city. Her mother actually found out and put a stop to that behavior quickly, making her daughter promise never to steal again.
After some searching, Xiomara's mother found work as a tavern waitress. The owner of the tavern was also a refugee of war and immediately agreed to take Xiomara and Remigio in as well and has essentially treated them like her own children ever since.
Despite their turn-around in luck, Xiomara never stopped stealing. She simply learned to hide her hobby from her mother. As the years progressed, she got better and better at it. While Xiomara's skills as a thief are mostly self-taught, it IS clear that she has received some sort of training with swords, daggers, pistols, and rudimentary explosives. She remains tight-lipped about where she actually learned these skills, often claiming that it's something she's “picked up” over the years.
One day, she was attempting to steal from the treasury of a powerful noble house when she was caught. Instead of turning being turned into the authorities, she got a better deal. Liana Dasra, the noblewoman who ran the family was actually impressed by the ingenuity and offered to enhance her skills- in return, Xiomara would do work as a spy when the noblewoman needed.
Xiomara continues her life as thief, sometimes stealing secrets instead of gold, sometimes venturing far outside her home town. She has managed to keep her 'double-life' a secret from her mother after all of these years, but it has obviously been increasingly difficult as her notoriety rises.
