Octavia Willowspell
EDITOR'S NOTE FOR PRINTERS: Due to incidents listed, this article is shelved for printing until we can ensure that it will not place Octavia or the residents of Pigsty Hill in danger. This is for their safety as well as ours: the entire farming community would come for us, that ass Pelse would come for us, and frankly I'm still more scared of Octavia and her party coming for us. Hold off publication for the moment, but save the notes...
My attempts to interview the intriguing Octavia Willowspell ended with this as the entire quote she was willing to give:
"I grew up in the farms outside the city. I stole from a corrupt merchant to help the poor. Moved into the city proper in order to avoid the merchant in the future and have been living here for a long time. I have a reputation for helping the downtrodden as a tracker and occasional bounty hunter. But I’ve had a hard time making friends and trusting people because as a tiefling others tend to not fully trust or like me. So I decided to join the adventurer’s guild as a way to make friends. "
She then walked away without saying another word, speaking with her new guild companions and in particular the now-famous Thyrsus, who she seemed to fawn over (as, it must be admitted, do most). Only through diligent investigation have we fully encountered this much of her story, now recorded for future posterity.
On her birth, proud human parents immediately turned to shock: somewhere, in the past of one of her parents, a demon had mixed with a human, and the blood had run true to Octavia. Her mother was afraid but protective, not knowing what to do. Multiple stories tell that, according to her mother, upon taking hold of his daughter, her father’s eyes started to glow red, and as his hair singed, small horns started to grow from his head. At that moment, both parents knew whose blood carried the demonic line. Discovering his blood for the first time himself, her father dropped her to the ground in terror (Octavia actually managed to reflexively use her tale to make a clean landing on the ground in a little ball). The next morning he was gone, taking some food, clothing, and some of their hard-saved money. They never saw him again, and those who knew her say that Octavia's mother would say no more on the matter. She had a daughter she loved, and was determined to make their life work.
Growing up in the farmlands of Pigsty Hill, Octavia tended to stay to herself: despite a desire for friends, she was always mistrusted, and the very rural farmers tend to be very superstitious. Were it not for the remarkable events that followed, I suspect I'd have had no interviews at all. As it was, even those who seem to adore her heroism are superstitious to the extreme, and afraid to speak much of her. Those unfamiliar with tieflings are apt so suspect evil in their midsts, and many of the farmers are afraid that a demonic bill will come due for the aid they received from Octavia.
Octavia, inclined to do favors anyway, helping people became a desperate grasp at making friends. After her mother passed away from natural causes, the funeral was one of the few times that the neighbors really came to help Octavia. It was a respectful, if guarded, service. The farmers around banded together to buy the farm, not out of malice, but charity: Octavia would never have been able to manage it on her own, and they offered her pay and would let her keep her house while adding in their own workers to tend it.
During this time, Octavia spent more time hunting the wild beasts who pestered farmers, and became trusted to call upon when wolves or the like threatened animals. She still lived in her small house, but now the farmers who worked the land around it were more present, and now their superstitions about her appearance were augmented with the fears of her clear skill in hunting. Spending more and more time away from her home, she became more comfortable around nature than people.
Then one day in her early 20’s, Octavia returned home to chaos. Apparently, a merchant had come through offering outstanding prices on all products, buying in huge quantities. Everybody saw a chance to unload their products and have security, possibly for several years at the offered prices. They sold everything they could (and some they couldn’t but the money was too good, and it was clear that they could buy enough to get by until the next crops and still me way ahead). The next day, during rain, one of the overjoyed farmers noticed the gold sizzling and sparking, and suddenly melt away, revealing only cheap metal with unfamiliar denominations. Rapidly, the entire group of farmers discovered they had been paid in money coated to LOOK like the gold of the realm, but was actually practically worthless coin from another land.
On checking with the city watch, there was nothing to do. The merchant, which I've identified as the still operating Michael ‘Gilt’ Pelse, had discovered the easiest way to pass of his forged coins; the contracts the farmers signed actually DID list the currency as being what they really were, but the farmers were too excited about prices to read the text too closely; they thought THEY were the ones getting the steal. It was all, technically, legal (though I hasten to add that, should Lady Bree have been involved, things may have ended differently).
Upon hearing this, it was clear that the farms were doomed. Pelse had not only bought them out of everything they owned at a fraction of its value, he’d hobbled them such that they would have no choice but to sell their homes and farms just to survive…and Pelse happened to be the one bidding. When the neighbor who’d orchestrated supporting Octavia after her mother’s death came to her (a decent human named Bill Masters, who only spoke once I'd confirmed that this story would be held until I could confirm safety for all), tearfully apologizing and begging forgiveness, a focus hit Octavia that terrified all who saw it. She grabbed her bow and gear…and began her first hunt not of animals, but the beast named Pelse, now called ‘Guiltless Gilt’ as a curse from the farmers. To this day, anything called ‘Gilt’ is a curse and warning from all the farmers and ranchers in the south of the city.
It appears that, over several weeks, she stalked Pelse and his caravans with the patience of a skilled hunter. She was amazingly careful: nobody noticed what looked like everyday city crime in rough parts of town upon personal guards who were not too bright. It took all my skill and contacts to piece together the puzzle. Then one day, she sprung her trap: when Pelse unloaded a huge consignment of his ill-gotten goods, she cleverly led the group carrying the chest away from the main streets and struck.
Nobody was killed, but that in its own way became a problem. Tieflings are known in the city, but not exactly common, and the survivors gave a description. Here was the deepest secret I uncovered, and the one placing many, including myself, at the most risk (EDITOR'S NOTE: YEAH, THIS, THIS IS WHY WE DON'T PRINT THIS YET). Racing home, she returned to Bill Masters, and gave him the chest. He rushed her to the cellar, and they talked tactics. The money would be used sparingly, as Pelse could never know that the village was suddenly alright. For the next year, it was crucial that the area LOOK like it was struggling, but stubbornly holding on to pride to prevent a buyout. Pelse would think he’d get an even better deal, as they’d be desperate in the end, but the money would be secretly feeding everybody. Careful work would rebuild the farms and ensure enough of a harvest to survive for a year, then another, and so the area would survive Pelse’s attempt.
Octavia could not return to her home. There was known to be a Teifling living in that small farmhouse, and it would certainly be staked out by Pelse, who would certainly be hell-bent on revenge. Moreover, magic was common enough in the city that precautious had to be taken. In the dark of night, they went to the cabin one last time and grabbed anything that could be used to magically trace Octavia. She gathered what mementos she needed, and the rest were taken back to Bill’s cellar. Then they burned down the house. It would be unsafe, however, for Octavia to ever stay for too long, as Pelse kept a regular eye both for another chance to take over, and for the Tiefling he wasn’t sure was dead.
Octavia initially seems to have survived quite well in the woods, but began to crave human contact (and the comforts of civilization). She was careful slowly working her way into the city, using her meager stash of coins and some income from simple hunting to stay in an inn for one night while learning the lay of the land, then returning to the woods to hunt and survive until she could manage another stay. Slowly but surely, she learned more of the city, and began to develop a home base when she stayed in the city: The Cat Full of Coppers, the Brotherhood of the Brew's Temple Tavern, where I gained much of my initial information about her. She met people, and would sometimes have a nice evening conversation, but it was always the random chat of the happily drunk, never a permanent friendship. Her caution also tended to keep her leaving the city before too long.
She DID however, discover a MUCH better source of income than selling hunted game. She discovered the Rat in Hand, home of the guild of exterminators, and lesser known (but totally legal) business of bounty hunting. They have a reputation of bringing in their contracts alive if at all possible, though ‘unharmed’ somehow never got written into contracts. The Rat in Hand is a place of XXXXXXXXXXX smells. (EDITORS NOTE: I'M NOT GOING BACK TO GET A BETTER DESCRIPTION OF THE SMELL. JUST CALL IT ODD, AS I DON'T WANT YET ANOTHER ANGRY GROUP AFTER US). The guildmaster, a gnome named Cray Pendle, is bough gruff and fair, and also a fiendish chess player and strategist. He’s grown to trust Octavia with more difficult tracking assignments. He’s not a nice man, however, and not exactly what one would call a friend.
After several years on this path, it appears that Octavia finally decided she wanted, needed, and was ready to join the Guild of Adventurers. And thus, another hero's story begins...
My attempts to interview the intriguing Octavia Willowspell ended with this as the entire quote she was willing to give:
"I grew up in the farms outside the city. I stole from a corrupt merchant to help the poor. Moved into the city proper in order to avoid the merchant in the future and have been living here for a long time. I have a reputation for helping the downtrodden as a tracker and occasional bounty hunter. But I’ve had a hard time making friends and trusting people because as a tiefling others tend to not fully trust or like me. So I decided to join the adventurer’s guild as a way to make friends. "
She then walked away without saying another word, speaking with her new guild companions and in particular the now-famous Thyrsus, who she seemed to fawn over (as, it must be admitted, do most). Only through diligent investigation have we fully encountered this much of her story, now recorded for future posterity.
On her birth, proud human parents immediately turned to shock: somewhere, in the past of one of her parents, a demon had mixed with a human, and the blood had run true to Octavia. Her mother was afraid but protective, not knowing what to do. Multiple stories tell that, according to her mother, upon taking hold of his daughter, her father’s eyes started to glow red, and as his hair singed, small horns started to grow from his head. At that moment, both parents knew whose blood carried the demonic line. Discovering his blood for the first time himself, her father dropped her to the ground in terror (Octavia actually managed to reflexively use her tale to make a clean landing on the ground in a little ball). The next morning he was gone, taking some food, clothing, and some of their hard-saved money. They never saw him again, and those who knew her say that Octavia's mother would say no more on the matter. She had a daughter she loved, and was determined to make their life work.
Growing up in the farmlands of Pigsty Hill, Octavia tended to stay to herself: despite a desire for friends, she was always mistrusted, and the very rural farmers tend to be very superstitious. Were it not for the remarkable events that followed, I suspect I'd have had no interviews at all. As it was, even those who seem to adore her heroism are superstitious to the extreme, and afraid to speak much of her. Those unfamiliar with tieflings are apt so suspect evil in their midsts, and many of the farmers are afraid that a demonic bill will come due for the aid they received from Octavia.
Octavia, inclined to do favors anyway, helping people became a desperate grasp at making friends. After her mother passed away from natural causes, the funeral was one of the few times that the neighbors really came to help Octavia. It was a respectful, if guarded, service. The farmers around banded together to buy the farm, not out of malice, but charity: Octavia would never have been able to manage it on her own, and they offered her pay and would let her keep her house while adding in their own workers to tend it.
During this time, Octavia spent more time hunting the wild beasts who pestered farmers, and became trusted to call upon when wolves or the like threatened animals. She still lived in her small house, but now the farmers who worked the land around it were more present, and now their superstitions about her appearance were augmented with the fears of her clear skill in hunting. Spending more and more time away from her home, she became more comfortable around nature than people.
Then one day in her early 20’s, Octavia returned home to chaos. Apparently, a merchant had come through offering outstanding prices on all products, buying in huge quantities. Everybody saw a chance to unload their products and have security, possibly for several years at the offered prices. They sold everything they could (and some they couldn’t but the money was too good, and it was clear that they could buy enough to get by until the next crops and still me way ahead). The next day, during rain, one of the overjoyed farmers noticed the gold sizzling and sparking, and suddenly melt away, revealing only cheap metal with unfamiliar denominations. Rapidly, the entire group of farmers discovered they had been paid in money coated to LOOK like the gold of the realm, but was actually practically worthless coin from another land.
On checking with the city watch, there was nothing to do. The merchant, which I've identified as the still operating Michael ‘Gilt’ Pelse, had discovered the easiest way to pass of his forged coins; the contracts the farmers signed actually DID list the currency as being what they really were, but the farmers were too excited about prices to read the text too closely; they thought THEY were the ones getting the steal. It was all, technically, legal (though I hasten to add that, should Lady Bree have been involved, things may have ended differently).
Upon hearing this, it was clear that the farms were doomed. Pelse had not only bought them out of everything they owned at a fraction of its value, he’d hobbled them such that they would have no choice but to sell their homes and farms just to survive…and Pelse happened to be the one bidding. When the neighbor who’d orchestrated supporting Octavia after her mother’s death came to her (a decent human named Bill Masters, who only spoke once I'd confirmed that this story would be held until I could confirm safety for all), tearfully apologizing and begging forgiveness, a focus hit Octavia that terrified all who saw it. She grabbed her bow and gear…and began her first hunt not of animals, but the beast named Pelse, now called ‘Guiltless Gilt’ as a curse from the farmers. To this day, anything called ‘Gilt’ is a curse and warning from all the farmers and ranchers in the south of the city.
It appears that, over several weeks, she stalked Pelse and his caravans with the patience of a skilled hunter. She was amazingly careful: nobody noticed what looked like everyday city crime in rough parts of town upon personal guards who were not too bright. It took all my skill and contacts to piece together the puzzle. Then one day, she sprung her trap: when Pelse unloaded a huge consignment of his ill-gotten goods, she cleverly led the group carrying the chest away from the main streets and struck.
Nobody was killed, but that in its own way became a problem. Tieflings are known in the city, but not exactly common, and the survivors gave a description. Here was the deepest secret I uncovered, and the one placing many, including myself, at the most risk (EDITOR'S NOTE: YEAH, THIS, THIS IS WHY WE DON'T PRINT THIS YET). Racing home, she returned to Bill Masters, and gave him the chest. He rushed her to the cellar, and they talked tactics. The money would be used sparingly, as Pelse could never know that the village was suddenly alright. For the next year, it was crucial that the area LOOK like it was struggling, but stubbornly holding on to pride to prevent a buyout. Pelse would think he’d get an even better deal, as they’d be desperate in the end, but the money would be secretly feeding everybody. Careful work would rebuild the farms and ensure enough of a harvest to survive for a year, then another, and so the area would survive Pelse’s attempt.
Octavia could not return to her home. There was known to be a Teifling living in that small farmhouse, and it would certainly be staked out by Pelse, who would certainly be hell-bent on revenge. Moreover, magic was common enough in the city that precautious had to be taken. In the dark of night, they went to the cabin one last time and grabbed anything that could be used to magically trace Octavia. She gathered what mementos she needed, and the rest were taken back to Bill’s cellar. Then they burned down the house. It would be unsafe, however, for Octavia to ever stay for too long, as Pelse kept a regular eye both for another chance to take over, and for the Tiefling he wasn’t sure was dead.
Octavia initially seems to have survived quite well in the woods, but began to crave human contact (and the comforts of civilization). She was careful slowly working her way into the city, using her meager stash of coins and some income from simple hunting to stay in an inn for one night while learning the lay of the land, then returning to the woods to hunt and survive until she could manage another stay. Slowly but surely, she learned more of the city, and began to develop a home base when she stayed in the city: The Cat Full of Coppers, the Brotherhood of the Brew's Temple Tavern, where I gained much of my initial information about her. She met people, and would sometimes have a nice evening conversation, but it was always the random chat of the happily drunk, never a permanent friendship. Her caution also tended to keep her leaving the city before too long.
She DID however, discover a MUCH better source of income than selling hunted game. She discovered the Rat in Hand, home of the guild of exterminators, and lesser known (but totally legal) business of bounty hunting. They have a reputation of bringing in their contracts alive if at all possible, though ‘unharmed’ somehow never got written into contracts. The Rat in Hand is a place of XXXXXXXXXXX smells. (EDITORS NOTE: I'M NOT GOING BACK TO GET A BETTER DESCRIPTION OF THE SMELL. JUST CALL IT ODD, AS I DON'T WANT YET ANOTHER ANGRY GROUP AFTER US). The guildmaster, a gnome named Cray Pendle, is bough gruff and fair, and also a fiendish chess player and strategist. He’s grown to trust Octavia with more difficult tracking assignments. He’s not a nice man, however, and not exactly what one would call a friend.
After several years on this path, it appears that Octavia finally decided she wanted, needed, and was ready to join the Guild of Adventurers. And thus, another hero's story begins...