Marycople

Your character has just arrived in a swampy, dim town. As they look around, their gaze is met with shacks and cabins. It smells of rotted wood and wet moss. They duck and step into a tattered tent, illuminated by a series of candles suspended in the air. At the back of the tent, an old hag raises her head, “What brings you to this dingy town? She begins, then pauses to study your face—”Ah, it’s you. I’ve been expecting you. Sit,” she gestures at a cushion, “Tell me your story.” "Oh, I just, uh…" you stutter, tensing up. You eye the crone, then back outside the tent. For a moment, the air thickens with anticipation, until… "I was born the daughter of a minor scribe" She starts. "In a modest human settlement, far removed from courts, armies, or noble intrigue. From a young age, I learned that words lived longer than people and that the world, if watched patiently enough, will reveal it's truths. While other children chased rumors of monsters with fear, I was struck with curiosity. And started following those so called monsters" "Monsters like "The tall ones" fascinated me. But my curiosity didn't end there. I saw that not everyone was asking themselves the same questions as I. One of them... Could life be extended?" "Time flew by around me, people grew old and eventually died, animals got sick and met the same fate, crops rotted and sttoped giving food... But for some reason, these so-called monsters... didn't. Why? I wondered. The idea itself consumed me day and night for years" She took a moment to catch her breath. "And as I grew older, so did my curiosity. I apprenticed for a time under a scholar who found my interests fanciful—dangerous superstition at best." In the end, I always took refuge in my favourite scholar of all time; Vincent Divine. He was, and still is, my inspiration for my quest for this knowledge. Things that no one has ever questioned. One of his quotes that I love is: "Knowledge is power—something that has been reiterated many times in our existence. With knowledge we unlock the key to any desire. [...]". My favourite work of his -obviously- is "The Pursuit of Immortality", which I had the great pleasure of reading. I'm not sure if it was the original, which I highly doubt, or if it was a copy... Also questionable. But at the time I was so excited that I didn't question the man who lent it to me." "But- As I was saying, it was when I attempted to theorize on the extension of life through magic that my notes were confiscated and burned. That night, I left, taking with me what knowledge I could salvage and a quiet resolve to continue alone." "But since then, I have been living the life of a wandering scholar, bartering notes, charts, and translation for food or shelter. My investigations have been slow, deliberate, and calculated. I do not hunt the undead; I avoid reckless exposure of any kind. I investigate the aftermaths— the marks, the possibilities. Whatever it takes to get me to the big answer that scared Vincent so much. But maybe he wasn't scared, just silenced, that's why I have this urge to find out the truth. Whether this insight or folly— the truth of the matter— the judgment, remains to be seen. And... that's how I'm here... hehe" Avery finishes the statement by lowering her head a bit as she realized she had maybe said too much.