Gail Winter
One of the main characters of the freeware RPG Dragon Warrior IV: Renaissance.
An ageless and enigmatic wandering musician and treasure hunter. Behind Gail's colorful costume and perky, amiable demeanor lies a victim of a horrific betrayal. Gail used to have a stable life (complete with a husband and two children) when she was an entertainer and senior administrator at the traveling "Carousel" festival, but the country of Endor wanted the fair for its own. Under Premier Gregor Lorius Sobel, Endor was rapidly growing, and had its eyes on the Carousel as both an attraction and a source of revenue.
Sobel and his cabinet offered the Carousel's owners a life of luxury if they gave their properties to Endor. All the officers agreed to do so except Gail, who felt the Carousel belonged to the entire world and not just Endor, so she urged the other officers against compromising their virtues and giving in to Sobel's wishes. Because Gail was the only obstacle standing between Endor and the Carousel, her husband and two children were brutally murdered by a squad of assassins sent by Sobel. She survived the attack, but continues to blame herself for not being able to save her family in their time of need. Today, she travels from town to town in search of work and shelter, sometimes relying on her thievery skills just to get by. Because a group of Endorian gangsters has been pursuing her, Gail joins forces with the hero, Isod Mackelrain, and his friends midway through the game's fourth episode. She also appears to have ties with Isod from his past.
As you progress in the game and uncover more of Gail's mysterious past, you also unlock a great number of weird and wonderful skills for her. She is unique in that there are essentially two ways to use her, depending on what weapon she is equipped with at the time. When Gail is carrying a lute, she can accompany herself while singing mystical songs with various defensive effects. The knowledge of these songs are kept by local minstrels in almost every town in the game, but they will only share their knowledge with Gail after she runs an errand for them. When she wields a pair of sharpened knives, she can either use them for a quick double slash move, or coat them with toxins and throw them at an opponent. In addition, regardless of what weapon she has, she can steal items from the enemy, some of which are very rare and useful. While she is neither a physical fighter nor a magician, Gail's techniques and worldly wisdom can sometimes get you out of the most unfavorable situations.
Felix Trapper, a writer and programmer at Brasington Lane Software Planning, created Gail as a tribute to his late grandmother.
