Images: http://1.fwcdn.pl/ph/70/41/97041/172554.1.jpg http://ilarge.lisimg.com/image/6299757/740full-anna-rust.jpg http://image.toutlecine.com/photos/f/r/e/freres-grimm-2005-05-g.jpg http://m.cdn.blog.hu/ta/talesfromtheblog/image/The-Brothers-Grimm.jpg https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/97/00/0f/97000fa3f7d542d65e7ad77a48a246f6.jpg https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/4f/ec/64/4fec641f309b3c613d46f61fb73cad95.jpg https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/19/ab/22/19ab22e266e17b91b0aaecfb7bc93861.jpg http://www.superiorpics.com/movie_pictures/mp/2005_The_Brothers_Grimm/2005_the_brothers_grimm_004.jpg http://www.hotflick.net/flicks/2005_The_Brothers_Grimm/005TBG_Lena_Headey_025.jpg Daughters: Svetlana (20) -- Keira Knightley (?) (Borgallian) https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/e9/f3/9e/e9f39e93398186bb839ef7a209b20658.jpg Jelena (18) -- Q'Orianka Kilcher (Ponallian) Ludmilla Ekaterina (16) -- Camren Bicondova (Elf) Gavriila (13) -- Sofia Wylie/Madison Pettis? (Dorgenian) Tatiana (10) -- Jodelle Ferland http://oi288.photobucket.com/albums/ll186/leigh_adams15/img104.jpg Gavriila (18) -- Tati Gabrielle (Dorginian) https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTQ3NjE2MDU4N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjY0NDYxOTE@._V1_.jpg http://sm.ign.com/t/ign_ap/screenshot/t/tati-gabri/tati-gabrielle-as-gaia-in-the-100s-dnr-episode_nn24.640.jpg https://scontent-amt2-1.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/16464566_384714175223850_7663413599682953216_n.jpg Jelena (13) -- Aisholpan Nurgaiv (Ponallian) http://www.trbimg.com/img-580fc89c/turbine/la-ca-mn-eagle-huntress-20160901-snap http://www.zekefilm.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Eagle1.jpg https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/entertainment/movies/2016/09/10/the-brave-15-year-old-eagle-huntress-who-overturned-tradition/aisholpan.jpg.size.custom.crop.1086x724.jpg https://dubaifilmfest.com/THUMBS/150153_gal_968_645_150153_58.jpg http://images.contentful.com/22n7d68fswlw/148VQ9SyhUW6Q48uKQCIOU/bc48408f4d0bf4691a5dcb07d8ac8d48/TheEagleHuntress.JPG?w=960 https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/eb/1e/a0/eb1ea05b926fbee4a7346452b47c0fd0.jpg https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/12/31/arts/31PIXINSIDE13/31PIXINSIDE13-master1050.jpg http://www.trbimg.com/img-56a7f47c/turbine/la-et-mn-sundance-eagle-huntress-20160122-003/650/650x366 http://s79f01z693v3ecoes3yyjsg1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AHUNTRESS.jpg http://images.contentful.com/22n7d68fswlw/RmhGRqWm88qQWuCMAi6SQ/d7bd9b1955fce8bff2414721b086708a/AnotherEagleHuntressIfWanted.jpg?w=1200&h=630 https://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/139B3/production/_93970308_aisholpan_getty.jpg https://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/7B58/production/_92967513_sonyap3.jpg https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7c2riLyZhHE/maxresdefault.jpg http://pictures.ozy.com/pictures/440x440/4/1/7/103417_eagle-huntress.jpg Jenna Ortega (Ponallian) http://celebritypictures.wiki/images/4911194/4911194_9.jpeg https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/a9/57/0a/a9570afa2c938d0a285545dde80a9461.jpg http://images.latinone.com/data/images/full/26561/instagram-gailbowmanphotography.jpg http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/moonshadows/images/e/e4/Jenna-Ortega-by-Russell-Baer-6.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160719021116 http://iv1.lisimg.com/image/13800331/740full-jenna-ortega.jpg http://img.poptower.com/pic-153663/stuck-in-the-middle-tv-show.jpg?d=600 http://img.poptower.com/pic-153653/jenna-ortega.jpg?d=600 https://68.media.tumblr.com/d3947294998fc83098c705712e045140/tumblr_njb8muPdtB1s46wipo1_500.jpg Janel Parrish Hayley Kiyoko Chloe Bennett Shay Mitchell Lana Condor Vanessa Hudgens Brenda Song Arden Cho Kristin Kreuk Phoebe Cates Devon Aoki Q'Oriana Kilcher Names: Angelina/Andzelika/Anielka (god's messenger) Milena (gracious, dear; rebellious + moon) Elizaveta/Elzbieta (promise of god) Ludmilla (one who loves people, favor of the people) Svetlana (shining woman) Ekaterina/Jekaterina/Karina/Katya (chaste, pure) Jelena (torch, moon) Natalia/Anastasia (birthday of christ?/resurrection) Gavriila (god's bravest woman) Tatiana (unclear) Daria/Elena/Irina (owner of goodness/light/woman of peace) Vladimira (greatest leader) Zora (sunrise) Annushka (gracious, merciful) Bogdana (lord has rendered) Galina/Halina (woman of serenity) Gennadiya (woman of generosity) Inna (coming from water of strength) Irinushka (woman of strength) Lesya (protector of humanity) Manya/Masha/Miriam (rebellious woman) Nadia/Nadezhda/Nadzieja (filled with hope) Natasha (birthday of christ) Serafima (the one that burns) Evgeniya (woman well born) Dominika (lord's child) Jirina (farming woman) Kaja (free woman) Madlenka (rebellious woman) Boris (short/wolf/snow leopard) Dmitri (of Demeter, earth mother) Yevgeniy (well-born) Ivan (god is gracious) Kir (far-signted) Lev (lion) Luka (from Lucania) Nikolai (victory of the people) Oleg (holy, blessed) Pasha/Pavel (small, humble) Pyotr (stone) Rodion (song of the hero; form of Herod) Alexei/Aleksandr/Sasha (defender of men) Valentin (strong/vigorous/healthy) Vladimir (peaceful rule) Jason Momoa images: https://brightcove.hs.llnwd.net/e1/pd/1106199504001/1106199504001_1316009348001_d5bf3ba8039c2084566a2f811b58ed02-mezzn.jpg?pubId=1106199504001&videoId=1315980641001 https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/b8/31/61/b83161564377135ee987337055a4386b.jpg Rachel House: http://www.theatrescenes.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/RACHsepia.jpg Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell: https://kiwicinema.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/oncewerewarriors2.png Rena Owen: https://www.99doing.com/upload/pages/media/f6131e32b36de241ddec44f34a33be92.jpg https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/c/1/1/o/j/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.620x349.1bzxdz.png/1464843886441.jpg http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2012/01/25/1226253/332865-120128-rev-straits.jpg http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/c/cd/Nee_Alavar.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130225161750 http://external-images.premiere.fr/var/premiere/storage/images/photos/diaporama/rena-owen/l-ame-des-guerriers-once-were-warriors-1994/4382491-1-fre-FR/l_ame_des_guerriers_once_were_warriors_1994.jpg https://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/2/2d/Renaowen.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20070706144448 http://aaanz.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/images/large/5b392d2c-4d1f-49a4-8ac4-00d0a1e95916.jpg Deborah Mailman: http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2011/05/06/1226051/346854-deborah-mailman.jpg https://www.themonthly.com.au/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/m/Themailmanexpress-a.jpg?itok=jl9ypLKy http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/153c1cd3cebdca413db0ee8eac04e5c4 http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4015210-3x4-700x933.jpg http://ilarge.lisimg.com/image/5787223/763full-deborah-mailman.jpg https://nowalls.qut.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/screen-shot-2015-06-29-at-3-01-43-pm.png http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/4ff11c72d2cfa6e694840dda3500b882 http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/04/08/01/275B2BDE00000578-3029556-image-a-12_1428451961267.jpg http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/img/jackirish_deborah.jpg CHARACTER CREATION QUESTIONS BASICS 1) Your full name? Milena Anielka (Voronina) Volkova 2) Your titles and nicknames? Does "that witch" count? 3) Your occupation? Midwife, herbalist, healer, town meddler 4) Place of residence? Saltmarsh 5) Birth date? 36 years ago, between the harvest and the first hard snow (November 18) 6) Place of birth? Bargal Valley FAMILY 7) Father's name and important information Anatoly Voronin, farmer 8) Mother's name and important information Jirina Voronina, herbalist/healer and diviner 9) Brothers and/or sisters and important information Madlenka, 16 years older; married and living in the next village before Milena was born Lev, 12 years older; 10) Other relatives of note and important information LIFE EXPERIENCE 11) What made you select your present occupation? 12) Did you do any other jobs or past occupations? 13) Any traumatic experiences that might have affected you in some way? 14) Role models: now and in childhood? 15) How do your relatives and friends view your present occupation? 16) Who or what had the most personal direct influence on your life? PERSONAL 17) What, in your opinion, do you do best? 18) What do other people tell you you do best? 19) How do you relax? Rituals, training the dogs 20) What do you do that you'd like to improve upon? 21) Who is your best friend? Why? 22) Who is your worst enemy? Why? 23) Do you have a significant other? If so, what is their name? Describe them. 24) What is your code of honor? 25) Is there anything you absolutely will not do? 26) Do you have any fears or phobias? 27) What are your weaknesses? 28) At present, what is the most important thing to you? 29) To what lengths would you go to achieve a goal? 30) List your bad habits 31) List your personality quirks 32) List your vices 33) List your prejudices 34) List your good qualities 35) List your favorite: color, food, clothing, weapons, drink, etc 36) What morals do you have? 37) Describe your general personality 38) Describe any personal tragedy 39) Who is the last person you would like to run into? Why? What would be your reaction to them? 40) Do you have a motto or favorite saying? If so, what is it? 41) Rate yourself with these traits on a scale of 0 (you barely, or do not, possess this trait) to 10 (you have great amounts of this trait): Calm temper Cheerful Courtesy Curiosity Forgiveness Generosity Helpfulness Honesty Loyalty Optimism Patience Self-sacrifice Valor Wit OCCUPATIONAL 42) How do you get along with others in your occupation? 43) What do you consider success? How important is success to you? 44) What are your immediate goals? (Where do you see yourself in a year?) 45) What are your long-term goals? (Where do you see yourself in 20 years?) 46) What are you willing to do to obtain those goals? 47) What (if anything) would make you leave your current occupation? (i.e. death of a loved one, physical mutilation, enough money to retire on, marriage, etc)? PHYSICAL 48) Handedness Right (weakly dominant) 49) How attractive do you consider yourself? 50) How attractive do others consider you? 51) Any noticeable birthmarks, scars, and/or tattoos? Whare, what, and how did you receive it? 52) Any hidden birthmarks, scars, and/or tattoos? Whare, what, and how did you receive it? Does anyone else know they exist? 53) Do you wear any identifiable jewelry, clothing, weapons, or other equipment? 54) What is your most valuable physical asset? 55) What is your least valuable physical asset? 56) What sort of vocal tone do you have? 57) Anything else that you can think of that would help to visualize your character? MOTHER: Confession: Even if the cost is great, the secret must be revealed. Either the emotional toll of keeping the secret is too high, or remaining silent will prevent the goal from being reached. (OBV: Secret) (Emotion) FATHER: Time: Time is of utmost importance, whether it is the ticking of a bomb, the passage of hours, years, centuries, or millennia. (OBV: Stasis) (Wealth) STRENGTH OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP: The Samaritan: The kindest of souls is found in this person, one who has dedicated his or her life to helping others. (OBV: Grifter) (Emotion) PROBLEMS BETWEEN THEM: Harmony vs Adversity: Whether taking the form of the physical environment or the general populace, the forces of the external world are united in providing support/Someone just can't get a break; the world or its people seem to be determined to provide nothing but resistance (Destiny) CIRCUMSTANCE OF THE CHARACTER'S BIRTH: Order: Order prevails. Even if things go poorly, they behave as expected. (OBV: Chaos) (Destiny) COMPLICATIONS, IF ANY: Desire vs Aversion: A fire burns inside, filling one with a deep passion to possess someone or something, even if he or she must surmount substantial obstacles to acquire it/Whether through a phobia or from genuine distaste, someone is strongly repulsed by something and may go to great lengths to avoid it (Wealth) UNIVERSE'S INFLUENCE ON HIS/HER NATURE: Relapse: Forces or patterns that were thought to be left behind rise anew, stronger than ever (OBV: Rebirth) (Destiny) EARLY STRENGTHS: Creation: Something is brought into existence where before there was nothing (OBV: Loss) (Wealth) EARLY WEAKNESSES: Fame vs Infamy: A person's name is known and celebrated by all, or someone has a strong desire to have such fame/A person's name is known by all, but rather than praised, he or she is cursed, reviled, or feared (Identity) EDUCATION: Assassin: Whether driven by vendetta or ideology, this hunter will stop at nothing until blood has been spilled. (OBV: Executioner) (Identity) BELIEF FOUNDATION: Fear: Terror controls one's actions, causing paralysis and blindness to reason. (OBV: Courage) (Emotion) LIFE EXPERIENCE: Self Defeat: It is not external opposition that causes one to fail, it is his or her own weakness or other internal flaws (OBV: Antagonist) (Destiny) SHAPING EXPERIENCE IN RECENT TIMES: Epiphany: In an overwhelming instant, the true nature of the universe and one's place in it are revealed (OBV: Obliviousness) (Destiny) EXPERIENCE THAT LEFT SCARS: The Black Bird/The MacGuffin: A legendary object of incredible value or power that many would be willing to fight, kill, or die to possess/The object believed to be valuable is actually worthless. It may be a forgery or misidentified. If it IS the real thing, it has lost whatever qualities once made it so precious. (Wealth) STATE OF CHARACTER AT BEGINNING OF STORY: The Meddler: Even the most genuinely concerned relative can be too eager to assist. This help may be unwelcome or driven by selfish motives. (OBV: Relative) (Emotion) Ludmilla's background: MOTHER: Obliviousness: The truth missed, refused, or ignored, no matter how dramatically it is revealed. (OBV: Epiphany) (Destiny) FATHER: Weakness: Either through physical weakness or a lack of conviction, failure is likely. (OBV: Strength) (Destiny) STRENGTH OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP: The MacGuffin: The object believed to be valuable is actually worthless. It may be a forgery or misidentified. If it *is* the real thing, it has lost whatever qualities once made it so precious. (OBV: Black Bird) (Wealth) PROBLEMS BETWEEN THEM: Fan vs Secret Admirer: The person deeply admires someone and seeks every chance to sing his or her praises/?? (Identity) CIRCUMSTANCE OF THE CHARACTER'S BIRTH: Dilemma: The choosing of a path is uncomfortable. Either none of the choices are attractive or one may be facing a situation where the wrong choice can be catastrophic. (OBV: ??) (Destiny) COMPLICATIONS, IF ANY: Secret vs Confession: The consequences of the secret being revealed would be catastrophic. It must be kept at all costs./Even if the cost is great, the secret must be revealed. Either the emotional toll of keeping the secret is too high, or remaining silent will prevent the goal from being reached. (Emotion) UNIVERSE'S INFLUENCE ON HIS/HER NATURE: Grifter: When a stranger offers to help, their motives may not be purely altruistic or sincere. Their assistance may come at a price. (OBV: Samaritan) (Emotion) EARLY STRENGTHS: Mentor: This person might be a professor, a professional who takes an apprentice, or even a martial arts sensei. His or her gift is helping others with growth or training in a specific skill or craft. (OBV: Master) (Will) EARLY WEAKNESSES: Envy vs ??: If one feels the universe is rewarding others unfairly, the bitterness that sets in can be all-consuming/?? (Wealth) EDUCATION: The Monster: Raw, unthinking destruction, chaos made flesh. This is the bogeyman, the ripper, the source of all fears and nigthmares. (OBV: ???) (Will) BELIEF FOUNDATION: Health: The body is strong and free from disease. Can be a generally good constitution or a return to health after having been injured or sick. (OBV: ???) (Identity) LIFE EXPERIENCE: Victory: Glory rains down as opposition is overcome and the goal is achieved. (OBV: ???) (Destiny) SHAPING EXPERIENCE IN RECENT TIMES: Creation: Something is brought into existence where before there was nothing (OBV: Loss) (Wealth) EXPERIENCE THAT LEFT SCARS: Time/Stasis: Time is of the utmost importance, whether it is the ticking of a bomb, the passage of hours, years, centuries, or millennia/??? (Wealth) STATE OF CHARACTER AT BEGINNING OF STORY: Wealth: A gain or increase in material wealth. Could manifest as a comfortable house, a well-paying job, or just cold hard cash. (OBV: ???) (Wealth) Age: 4: Brother killed 14: Flees village after the harvest, joins Nikolai in tracking the black beast 15: Svetlana conceived after beast killed Svetlana born late summer 16: Vision of retribution from village elders Journey into Rantokc's realm Join small caravan traveling southward; hire on as healer Jelena conceived 17: Jelena born Journey east 18: Ludmilla conceived Arrival in Saltmarsh 19: Ludmilla born Establish home, animals, and business 21: Gavriila conceived 22: Gavriila born 25: Tatiana conceived/born 35: Current age Moral Dilemma: NATURE OF DECISION TO BE MADE: Illness: The body falls prey to a disease or injury (OBV: Health: The body is strong and free from disease. Can be a generally good constitution or a return to health after having been injured or sick.) (Identity) WHAT IS MAKING THE DECISION DIFFICULT: Forgiveness/Wrath: As hard as it may be, it is time to let go of grudges and forgive those who may have caused harm/Vengeance can not be denied. The wronged can not rest or even think of anything else until the offenders have paid dearly. (Emotion) CONSEQUENCES OF AVOIDING THE DECISION: Greed: For some people, the word 'enough' has no meaning. Whether it is food, wealth, or pleasure, if it is available they will take as much of it as possible, whether he or she has earned it or not. (OBV: Contentment: One is satisfied with the level of wealth he or she has attained. While having more might be welcome, it isn't necessary or even strongly desired.) (Wealth) NATURE OF THE OBVIOUS PATH: The Consultant: Whether they are paid or just willing to share the benefits of their experience, this person can be looked to for solid guidance and advice. (OBV: The Know-It-All: Someone offers advice and guidance, but their expertise may be questionable or their motives disingenuous.) (Wealth) CONSEQUENCES OF TAKING THE SELFISH PATH: Relapse: Forces or patterns that were thought to be left behind rise anew, stronger than ever. (OBV: Rebirth: What was lost is suddenly regained. Health returns after being sick, injured, or even dead. Could also be a metaphorical rebirth, a rekindling of purpose, or escape from damnation.) (Destiny) POTENTIAL REWARD FOR TAKING THE HARD ROAD: Destruction: A catastrophic physical disaster may affect only a single individual or threaten the entirety of humanity. (OBV: Demolition: Though something important is destroyed, the loss clears the way for something new.) (Destiny) Karen (and Russ) -- Here are some of the details I've worked out for my character's background and current circumstances, at least as far as Kat knows them. (Russ, I've also got some additional information/thoughts that won't necessarily be known to the other PCs at gamestart but that might provide some hooks. I'll send that along separately. Eventually. :) ) Early history: Kat knows that Milena has/had a much older sister, Madlenka, who may already have been married with a child or children when Milena was born, and an older brother, Lev, who was killed as a young teenager in some sort of wild animal attack on their village when Milena was very small. Her father was a farmer (there were goats involved, at any rate), and her mother was a healer; Milena has been helping deliver babies since she was barely more than a baby herself. It's difficult to tell how much of Milena's stories of her early life are literally true and how much are metaphorical: when she relates them they have an almost fairy-tale quality that might come from the haziness of recalling very early but formative memories, or could be a language issue. (For example, it is not entirely clear what kind of animal killed her brother; Milena only refers to it by a phrase in her native tongue that translates as Black Beast of the Mountain, as if that is its proper name.) Milena left the Bargal valley at about age 14 because "it was necessary, and it was time"; but her daughters suspect there may have been an arranged marriage or unpleasant suitor involved in her decision to leave. If ever they ask her about it, she just makes a guttural sound, mutters the name "Bogdan," and then spits on the ground. Family in Saltmarsh: Milena's three older daughters were all conceived before she moved to Saltmarsh (although Kat was born in Saltmarsh not long after Milena settled there). Milena does not talk much about those few years, although she seems to have been quite nomadic, with no real settled home until Saltmarsh. Although her younger two children were both conceived in Saltmarsh, evidence suggests that their fathers are not local, either; in fact, Milena does not seem to keep a regular lover among the locals (in part because she has her reputation as a slightly terrifying witch to uphold). Svetlana (20): It is almost certain that Svetlana's father was also Bargallian and from the same village as Milena. Kat suspects Milena was/maybe still is actually in love with him: on the rare occasion she mentions anything at all about it, she refers to him by a phrase roughly translated as "the one with whom I share a heart". Kat also may get the feeling that Milena shows favoritism towards Svetlana; perhaps because she is the oldest, perhaps because she seems to have more compatible personality traits with her mother, or maybe because she reminds Milena of a fondly remembered lover. Svetlana is learning her mother's healing/herbalist arts and is also skilled with a bow. She tends toward a serious demeanor and is a keen observer of people. She is by far the most conversant in Milena's native tongue (although all the girls have at least a passing understanding of it.) (Casting: Keira Knightley) Jelena (18): Milena must have migrated into or near Ponallian lands at some point, or met an adventurer from that area, because Jelena is clearly half Ponallian. She has an affinity for nature and is most likely to volunteer for treks out to find wild herbs (or anything to do with looking after the dogs). (Casting: Qorianka Kilcher) Ludmilla (16): Milena does not really talk about the circumstances of Kat's conception and birth, but there was clearly something challenging or painful about the situation, and it seem to have been the impetus for her to settle in Saltmarsh. (Casting: Camren Bicondova) Gavriila (13): Half Dorgenian, Gavriila is not (yet) as rebellious as her older sister Kat, but she also has started expressing curiosity about her background and heritage -- particularly the use of magic. (Casting: Madison Pettis) Tatiana (10): Apparently Jhoynian, Tatiana seems to have inherited her mother's talents for prediction and insight... to an extent that borders on creepy. The pronouncements themselves are generally not so different from Milena's, but somehow it's much more unsettling coming from a doll-faced ten-year-old. (Casting: Jodelle Ferland) The dogs: The family dogs are all descended from at least one dog that came with Milena from Bargal valley that may have been some kind of dog/wolf hybrid. Subsequent generations have cross-bred with some of the dogs of Saltmarsh, but most of them are still quite large -- and very intelligent. The three most senior dogs, bonded most closely to Milena, are Boris (who is so large Kat used to ride him like a pony when she was a little girl), Ivan, and Laika. They take turns watching the house (and keeping the goats out of the garden), and patrolling the streets of Saltmarsh to keep their children safe (where in their minds all of Milena's daughters and all the young children of Saltmarsh count as "their" children). Each of Milena's daughters also has at least one dog of her own. Day-to-day life: Milena's work has her making house calls to deliver babies and treat some illnesses that leave her clients unable to come to her, combined with also seeing some clients in the house to discuss their needs. The house is arranged mostly as one very large room, with public space, the hearth, and a large dining table toward the front, room for preparing and storing herbs, other medicinals, foodstuffs, and other supplies in the back, and a large shared sleeping loft above the work/storage space. (I imagine Kat has arranged her own sleeping space in a hammock in the rafters.) The interior of the house is always just a bit hazy and generally smells of fish and strange herbs. There is a small walled garden for herbs and some food, and a couple of milk-goats (who also provide wool) who live mostly on the roof. Because of her background, Milena still stubbornly does many things for herself that the typical Saltmarsh resident might purchase or hire, and she has a tendency to hold onto and repurpose things that others might consider garbage. ("Do not throw away. Waste is death.") Milena punctuates her daily (/weekly/monthly/yearly) routine with rituals that seem to be some combination of religion, superstition, magic, and theater. Some are simple daily habit (an acknowledging of the gods and their blessings akin to saying grace before meals, for example), while others are elaborate affairs that involve chanting, the burning of herbs or incense, sometimes gesturing or dancing, sometimes nudity, sometimes a little bloodletting. (Kat suspects the most elaborate of these are mostly meant to keep up Milena's eerie reputation.) She has made no demands for her daughters to join her in these rituals, although Svetlana in particular has picked up some of the small daily habits (and Tatiana seems to be inventing her own rituals). Milena is a fierce defender of the rights of women and children, although her methods are often subtle. She does not consider marriage a necessary goal for women. She is not so anti-marriage that she would try to prohibit her daughters from doing it if that is what they wanted -- but any potential suitor is likely to be vetted to an embarrassing degree. Rolls: 6 5 3 1 = 14 5 5 4 1 = 14 6 3 2 2 = 11 4 3 1 1 = 8 6 4 2 1 = 12 6 6 2 1 = 14 73 STR 8 + 2 DEX 12 + 1 CON 14 INT 11 WIS 14 + 2 CHA 14 Here's what I'd been thinking about the circumstances around her leaving, before last night's discussion about the effects of the return of Ravenloft and the coming of the darkness: Bogdan was (is?) a cruel man who tried to amass what little power could be had in Bargal Valley, mostly through intimidating his neighbors and controlling as many (sparse) resources as he could. He was careful not to do anything so blatantly evil that it would motivate the village to take up arms against him -- but there were certainly whispers that the accidents and (sometimes fatal) "illnesses" that befell those who displeased him were directly of his doing. Unfortunately, on a visit to check on one of Bogdan's wives who had recently given birth to a daughter, and who was now quite ill, Milena's keen-eyed mother discovered that Bogdan was cultivating a poisonous herb mixed among similar-looking benign herbs, with symptoms that matched those of the new mother. Milena's mother tried to take the baby to save it from poisoning (alas, it died anyway) and to tell all the neighbors what she had found so they would rise up against Bogdan. But whether they were all too afraid of Bogdan to act, or Bogdan did too good a job planting doubt about her story, she could not rally them to action before he started sending his own thugs to mess with her family. Concerned that he would try to take or hurt Milena in retaliation, her mother sent her to hide in the mountains until things (hopefully) blew over. Meanwhile, her brother Lev's closest childhood friend Nikolai had taken a vow after Lev's death that he would one day kill the beast that had killed his friend, and had spent the intervening decade building his skills as a hunter, tracker, and trapper to make himself ready. He spent most of his time in the mountains hunting for food/skins/fur and warding off any other beasts that might threaten the village. Milena found him in the mountains (by luck or by the will of the gods) and convinced him, after a very long argument, that she should tag along with him for a while. (Her winning argument was that she had the right to choose the death she would face, and she would much rather die by wild animal attack while trying to protect her village than to sit around waiting to die at the hands of a cruel tyrant she didn't yet have the power to take down herself.) So they traveled together for a while, with Nikolai showing her a bit of what he knew about wilderness survival, and how to skin and dress small game, and how to shoot a bow; while she helped prepare meals to promote strength and endurance, mended clothing and gear, tended any injuries, and kept a watchful eye on any signs or portents that would assist their quest. After some time, they found evidence that the black beast was out of its lair and moving around the mountain. After a lot of tracking and a lot of careful planning, they were able to lure it into a trap, with Nikolai delivering the killing blow. Following some deep instinct, Milena took her knife, cut out the beast's heart, and offered it to Nikolai, who took a bite and then offered it back to her to do the same, like something out of the ancient stories. High on the rush of completing the quest and claiming the life-blood of their foe, they threw down their weapons and offered their bodies to one another in celebration (in Milena's case, because she had a powerful sense that it was the right thing to do) -- and thus was Svetlana conceived. Once their thoughts settled back toward rationality, they discussed what to do next. A flash of insight (perhaps brought on by the eating of the heart) told Milena that she needed to leave the valley, but that Nikolai was still needed there as its defender. She helped him cut up the remains of the beast with careful attention to those sections likely to have medicinal (or possibly magical) properties, with instructions that he should deliver those to her mother. She also gave him a piece of her bloody clothing as "proof" that she had been killed in the struggle with the beast, so that perhaps Bogdan would call off whatever plans he might have had for her. Now, thinking about all that in the context of other Maerson events, the following things occurred to me: 1) Possibly one of the reasons Bogdan is so feared is that he somehow tried to leverage the undead plague for his own ends. Possibly he has some minor magical power, and he really committed to the vilest sorts of it when it looked like the world was going to end in an undead apocalypse. 2) It sounds like the darkness happened right about the time Milena was escaping up into the mountains, which may have been why Nikolai had chosen that time to hunt: the beasts that normally lived under cover of darkness were now free to roam. ...and now you know why she calls Mikolai "the one with whom I share a heart". Apparently present-tense and past-tense can be difficult to interpret for non-native speakers. :) The fact that Milena -- who is embarrassingly open about sex and the normal facts of life under regular circumstances -- has been reluctant to talk about this even when Kat asks her questions tells me that it was a pretty bad situation that she is trying to shield her daughter from. My thought so far is that she was taking a brief break near the northern terminus of the caravan (probably not much more than a hundred miles outside Bargal Valley) while Jelena was still an infant. Somehow a rumor got back to Bogdan that she might still be alive and nearby in Rantokc's Realm, so he tasked one of his thugs with putting together a posse to drag her back to the valley. The thug took a couple of Bogdan's loyal goons, but realized once they got over the mountain that they could use the assistance of someone with better local knowledge (and more subtle breaking-and-entering skills), so they hired a young half-elf, unsure of his place in the world, with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder, and just starting to establish himself in an adventuring career. The thugs may not have been entirely up-front about the nature of their mission -- only that they were retrieving a missing person, and possibly implying by omission of certain relevant facts that they were saving that person from her abductors or something. They successfully found where Milena was staying, broke in to nab her when she came home... and then were completely surprised when she turned out to have two children, which they had not prepared for. An argument broke out over what to do with the children, with two of the thugs saying they should just kill them and be done with it, another arguing they should take them back for Bogdan to decide, and the half-elf trying to figure out how to get himself and the children out of the situation without getting everyone killed. When he tried to intervene on the side of reason and compassion, the three goons turned their ire on him, the outsider, and let loose a long stream of racist abuse at him. Milena was held firmly by a thug with a knife to her throat, but she at least managed to use the distraction to hand the baby off to Svetlana, who scooted away under a table in the corner and out of immediate harm. When the thugs started yelling that the half-elf should prove his manhood on the whore or they would kill him, too, Milena subtly signaled to him that he should do it -- she had a plan. They were partway into the act, both feigning a lot more pain and brutality than they were actually putting into it, when Milena, pretending to try to push him away, grabbed a dagger from his boot and shoved it into the throat of the goon holding her down by the hair. The half-elf, catching on immediately, grabbed the dagger from his other boot and flung it, in a very lucky shot, straight into the eye of the second goon. The third goon, caught completely off-guard, turned to flee and immediately stumbled over his own boot-laces, which had been knotted together by 3-year-old Svetlana (a trick taught to her by another child in the caravan) while everyone was distracted. He was addled enough that Milena and the half-elf were able to bind him hand and foot. Milena gave him a shallow slash across the face with one of the daggers -- not deep enough to cause serious injury, but deep enough to leave a scar -- and told him, "Tell Bogdan that if he ever comes after me or my family again, I will kill him." She left the half-elf with instructions to wait a day and then alert the authorities about their prisoner; if he hadn't managed to free himself by then, at least someone would come get him before he starved to death. Then she gathered up her children and her few personal possessions and headed as far south as she could. She never found out the half-elf's name, or what happened to him after that. (We have established that Reg could not possibly be Kat's father, but I am open to her father being one of his heretofore unknown offspring.) The stories for the younger two are much more mundane; both fathers were adventurers or other travelers from out of town, just passing through, but Milena had omens or strong feelings that she needed to find them and conceive a child with them. I'm pretty open to the specifics of who they might have been. Aaaand that's probably enough for now. :) I have at least a couple of casting pictures to send along for Nikolai (casting: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, because of course it is) and for the half-elf (casting: Thomas Brodie- Sangster, specifically in the most recent Maze Runner film, who to me really really looks like he could be Kat's father).