Maria Mar
Maria Mar
Maria Mar is a Rus Skald that has strong connections to the city of Novgorod and the Dyatlov Pass in the Ural Mountains. Wise beyond her young age, she has led a life of joy and sadness so far. Marked by the Fey after a tragic incident in Maria's past, drives her on to right a wrong to her and others.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Maria is in excellent condition. Highly athletic, and dexterous, she has no scars on herself. Some would say that she is quite lithe. Most of the single male nobles have tried to woo her due to her natural beauty.
Physical quirks
One physical quirk of Maria is her hair. Every few days to weeks she can change her hair length & colour by using her Feytouched ability. Usually keeping her hair shoulder length, she keeps it primarily black or blonde / white depending on mood. A few times she changes the colour to a bright red, and in rare cases blue. In the latter instance, she sometimes keeps it no longer than her lower jaw line.
Special abilities
Maria has been Feytouched that allows her to speak with the Fey, as well as reading & writing their two languages (Sylvan & Elvish). At the same time, she can change her hair style at will as already mentioned. It seems that she has advantage against being charmed and has a heightened ability to her own charms. She can also use magic to a better degree than most humans innately and has the ability to spot Fey & their presence.
Apparel & Accessories
Maria usually dresses in leather armour ranging in colour from brown to black. Due to her contacts, she also wears velvet leggings, tops, dresses, and / or cloaks. These range in natural colours such as brown & green primarily. Sometimes these are black or white with dashes of colour depending on what her mood is. Jewellery made of silver and a bit of gold is worn on occasion taking in delicate craftmanship. Swedish Dwarven clans has fashioned many of these pieces for Maria and made them in the shape of stylised natural objects such as the moon or sun.
Specialized Equipment
On one occasion the Dwarven artisans have fashioned a longsword and a rapier made of Dwarven steel combined with silver and Dwarven runes. These have proven effective against undead, aberrations, and supernatural fiends.
Maria has unique items that have been gifted to her. She does not always carry these unless she feels like it or doing certain tasks like singing or travelling. One is a staff of solidified snow with an orb of ice at the top. A gift from the Fey, it allows Maria the power to cast one ice-based spell a week when in an emergency. It also never breaks. Another is a lyre made by a bard who placed magic runes on it that can be used once a month to boost her charismatic presence. The final item is a bone flute she found after killing a Wight in combat that seems to stir the dead attracting them to her presence. She rarely uses this as it appears to be made of a human femur, and with her hating the undead.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Maria was born to her parents Andrey & Ivana Mar in the outskirts of Novgorod, and the only child of this young couple. Andrey was a military man with the Rus title of Thegn. Ivana had some training in medicine & herbalism and accompanied her husband when the army needed such services.
Both spoke a number of languages and had some skill as musicians & storytellers, these they passed on to Maria. When they were in the Rus court in Novgorod, they would follow the old Skaldic traditions of the Eddas telling cutting stores & poems of both the Rus & the East Slavic Ilmen nobles. This proved popular with the nobility, partly that every one of them had their own poetry attached, along with stories of the individual deeds & heroics.
Fate though wasn't so fortunate for the Mar family. A few weeks after Maria's 9th birthday, Andrey & Ivana were attached to a force of warriors looking to destroy a tribe of horsemen bothering the northern Silk Road. Arriving at the southwestern end of the Ural Mountains the group soon found evidence of this tribe. They also found the gruesome remains of a Chinese trade caravan. The caravan had been butchered with much of the remains having their hearts removed. Tracks found by scouts pointed north of which they proceeded to follow.
After about half a day's travel they needed to rest at the edge of a pass. Known for its connection to the Dark Fey, the pass was rumoured to be cursed and an old crone called Dyatlov built her hovel near the entrance to it. The thegns of the Rus approached her including Andrey who was told that any that would proceed into the pass would be killed by the dead that resided here. They were to turn back and wait till the dawn and attack the horsemen when they left.
For the most part many of the force decided to venture in and try a night attack on the horsemen. This proved disastrous, their screams echoing down the pass to be heard by all in the camp including the Mars.
At this point it has to be mentioned that Maria had been taken with her mother who was teaching her the arts of herbalism & medicine with fighting training by her father. They also were teaching her the old ways of the Skald. And this proved to be a major mistake on their part. After the screams stopped, a force of horsemen rode out of the night, and soon proved to be a nightmare bathed in the blood of the recent dead & moonlight.
Dressed in scraps of furs, leather & metal armour, the horsemen turned out to be mounted on undead horses. As for the riders, each seemed to be the resurrected corpse of a Hunnic warrior with all the skill & ferocity still intact. Few Rus survived and those that did soon turned too madness and/or the bottle. Maria survived, if barely, hidden by her parents who were killed in front of her. Andrey was trampled to death while trying to fend of two of the undead, while Ivana was hacked to death by them shortly after while standing in front of Maria (who had hidden amongst the herbalist supplies they had brought).
After a while the camp was set on fire and the dead were picked up by the undead Huns. Terrified and unable to move initially, the fire eventually drove Maria into the open, of which one of the two Hunnic undead who had killed her parents came for her. Running off she managed to use her size difference to go where the undead monster could not. Reaching the edge of the pass, Maria made a break for it and went deeper into it. This proved to be a mistake, though ultimately in a twist of fate, saved her too.
Roughly two miles in, and with the undead creature still searching for her, Maria could make out the sun break out over the top of the pass. A crack in the other side of the ravine looked as if would be big enough to fit her, so Maria made her way across to this. It near cause Maria her life in the long run, as the icy water pouring down the ravine started to sap her strength and with the next few hours hyperthermia started to set in. At the time of her escape across the ravine, the undead released an arrow at her that sunk into her shoulder as well.
Climbing into the crevice, Maria managed to find a small amount of brush and a solid stick. Making a makeshift torch Maria staggered further into the crevice, before noticing a mixture of paintings & carvings on the walls. These seemed to show humans & other humanoids interacting with a number of animals initially. After a while they showed other creatures too, brightly coloured with wings like birds & insects, with a few done in more muted & darkened tones. Almost immediately, Maria felt a word come to mind; Bereginyas (or Fairies in the local Rus dialect).
Eventually she reached the end of the crevice, with it terminating as a cliff overlooking a cavern. What she could make out was horrifying. A cavern stretched out left & right and miles long. Almost as deep as wide, it held what looked like a road with a fortress structure to her left, and in the distance a similar structure on her right. Marching up and down was the horrific sight of undead. Skeletons, zombies, and any number of horrific reanimated humanoids, all being overseen by cowled figures who directed them or raised more out of piles of corpses.
In shock, physically, mentally, and spiritually, Maria turned at tried to walk back the way she came. Unfortunately, she didn't have the fortitude to do so at her young age. Collapsing with exhaustion, Maria lay there in that crevice, barely able to breathe let alone move, she started to ask the gods for help and to the spirits of nature for whatever assistance they could provide.
Something called back. What it was, she couldn't make out, just that there was a warmth spreading through her tiny frame, and pain subsiding. Coming to, Maria realised that she wasn't in that crevice anymore. Instead, she was in a meadow, bright & sunny surrounded by flowers so colourful it was nothing she had ever seen before. The scent of the plant life was strong & intoxicating but what came next was like nothing she had ever experienced in her nine years of life. A voice shrill & friendly called out behind her: "Hello there little one. How are you feeling now? Better my dear?" Looking around all Maria could see was the ears of a rabbit, a rather large rabbit, poking up through the grasses & flowers a few yards away.
What happened next amazed her further.... the rabbit stood up on its hind legs revealing it was wearing a leather cuirass & leather belt round its waist. A shortsword in a scabbard hung from its waist and it held a white rose in one front paw. bounding forward on its legs it came to sit in front of her extending the paw with the rose and carried on: "This is for your my dear. Don't be frightened, I won't harm you, my name is Bushtail. I'm a Harengon, a native of this realm." How she understood was impossible to understand, but Bushtail went on to explain:
"We bound your wounds that now will never scar or bother you again and have given you the touch of the Fey allowing us to interact with
us. Even the Dark versions of ourselves. The magic used can be fickle that way. Now you are feeling better, I'm to bring you before the Seelie Court and get you home. By the way, I can tell you one more thing, you will have a destiny to fulfil. Heed the words of the court"
A short walk, through groves of fruit trees laden with all kinds of fruit, led from the meadow to a clearing where a feast was in full swing with Bereginyas of all kinds ate and drank and laughed. Stories were being told, songs & poems were preformed, minor plays and illusion spells were taking place, and a small group sat on a small, raised platform overlooking the proceedings turned to look. Each at the table filled with exquisite food smiled, and all were different. Elven in look they beckoned Maria forward and looked her up & down. The two in the middle both spoke as one. "We are embodiments of the summer & winter, and we welcome you here Maria. We are glad that you are now well. You are now Feytouched and will be forevermore. We have a task for you. You have to go back home to the place you call home. It has been prepared for your return and Bushtail will arrive there shortly to help you. You will bring joy to others for a while, but your journey will lead you back to darkness. At least for a while. Others will come looking for a way to circumvent the defences of an ancient enemy, the Necrocult and their allies, those that raise the dead in mockery of the natural order."
"We will help guide them to you, and you can find a different peace knowing that they will make such abominations pay for centuries to come. Bushtail will set you up as a Skald, allowing you access to many snippets of information, and the means to hit them hard in our name, the Seelie & Unseelie Courts. Now go child, your destiny awaits."
At this point Maria was aware of a portal appear in front of her like a shimmering mist disturbing the very air. Bushtail, standing slightly behind her, stepped forward taking her hand, led her through the portal appearing at the mouth of the pass overlooking the ruined camp of the Rus. Looking at Maria, Bushtail proceeded to lead Maria away from this comforting her all the way to Novgorod.
Upon arriving home, the nobles were informed of the death of force and what attacked the by Bushtail who made a case to care for Maria until otherwise noted at the family home. He managed to do a great deal in this time with Maria, teaching her musical instruments, singing, stories passed down orally by the Rus, and poetry. At the same time, he managed to contact members of the Bards 'college' or swords, giving her access to the skills in weapons needed to slay others, and magic in areas he could not teach. All the while they hunted the servants of the Necrocult, the Children of the Nazarene, and other such cultic monstrosities.
So far, Maria has picked up a number of these skills, along with a loose network of information brokers across the Baltic Sea region. These extend into the Germanic tribes and even into the horse tribes of the Cossacks & remainders of both the Huns & Kurgans. Information has recently reached her of an attack by the Saxons of Old Saxony against the Franks in the city of Aachen, where they had help from a branch of the Necrocult. Beaten back by the Frankish military and a small number of mercenary heroes who are making a name for themselves as foes of the cults that are now appearing, they are in possession of a number of skills & information concerning links between a number of her enemies. They also are looking for a way into the Necrocult branch that killed her family and have a name of one that serves the Necrocult, a being calling himself Lord Diablos.
Education
Maria had her basic training with her parents and has been taught further by Bushtail to a high degree. After meeting other bards, and being introduced to a few Fey that Bushtail knows, she has been able to learn a greater level of musicianship & storytelling. Coupled with this, her swordsmanship & magic use has also increased considerably.
Employment
Maria is regularly employed by the nobles of Novgorod as a Skald to entertain the people of the city. Sometimes she will do this freelance to earn extra cash, in some of the mead halls or during festivities at different times of the year.
When not working as a Skald, she regularly hunts out evil cults in Rus lands, especially if it involves cults of the dead. During these times she will collect as much information as possible, and will look to assemble teams of specialists who have experience in undead hunters.
Accomplishments & Achievements
Maria has many achievements, both for her Skaldic accomplishments & for breaking up the cults she hunts. In one major incident that really made her name, she managed to break up a cult led by a being called The Bone Gnawer (a ghoul-like creature that commanded a swarm of flesh-eating zombies & cultists). This gave led to the King of the Rus to class her as having a rank of Thegn like her father and the authority to assemble up to ten fighting men / women of any rank or specialty. She can use this at any time when the threat from the undead gets severe enough immediate action is needed.
Failures & Embarrassments
One failure has marked Maria's past. This is an incident closely following the defeat of the Bone Gnawer. Upon its defeat, Maria made a discovery that a creature calling itself Lord Diablos controlled the Bone Gnawer from afar. Realising that there was a power behind the threat she never noticed, the creature attacked a prince that was courting her at the time, killing him and flaying the body. Diablos left the corpse in full view of the palace and the major thoroughfare for all to see. It made the nobility a tad wary of getting on the wrong side of the Necrocult and attracting attention of Maria's enemies.
Mental Trauma
Maria has suffered having witnessed the dead killing her parents, and then a noble suitor. This has caused her to have flashbacks at times, similar to PTSD, especially at night. Sometimes this causes her to have the effects of insomnia over the course of a few days, while having horrendous nightmares when she does get sleep. This appears every few months, and randomly occurs. Occasionally she has visions of a bleak city underground populated by the dead, led by a skeletal 'king' or sorts in a bone crown, tattered purple & red robes and a staff made of carved bones topped with a horned humanoid skull. During this it seems to stare deep into her soul and regularly happens at the same time as the nightmares are occurring.
Intellectual Characteristics
A major trait of Maria is her ability to be able to read a room and adjust her temperament to suit the occasion. She can quite accurately read emotional cues far better than most and helps her in her profession. She can use this in elements such as deception and being able to persuade others to do tasks for her quickly, while not putting them in harm's way, at least usually. The living is far more important than the dead after all.
Morality & Philosophy
Maria believes that life is highly important and at least some form of ethical & societal cohesion is important. Tyranny and exploitation are to be treated as barbaric, especially if used by force. This may sound strange about an individual Rus, considering they are slavers, though in cases here as long as the slaves are well-fed and not unduly harmed, and the breaking up of families are abhorrent to Maria.
The natural world should be aided according to her views and anything that uses the darker aspects of magic should be stamped out were found. At the same time, the latter should be studied as to better understand it and allow for those who encounter it to counter it as best as possible.
Equitable means should always be reached, and kindness should always be repaid in kind.
Taboos
The dead should be respected and left well enough alone along with any form of black magic. Maria just cannot understand why any creature would want this whether forcing it on others, or by wanting to become immortal in this way. Anything related to this is avoided by Maria, and she takes a very dim view of any that do this.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Maria has an intense hatred for the undead, and after elements of the Necrocult killed her parents, she is driven to destroy them at all costs. Willing to settle for the disruption of their machinations are a bonus to her. At the same time, keeping the memory of her family and their traditions run strong too, and she happily tells the stories & poems alive at any cost. Always willing to learn more stories & poems, as well as gather further information, drives Maria to travel far and wild in search of these.
Likes & Dislikes
Maria has one major like, free hugs from her friends and fans of her Skaldic work. She doesn't suffer fools gladly and will be quick to correct them. Though saying that, she still feels terrible at times for doing so.
Virtues & Personality perks
Honest and direct, Maria is also charming & quick to put people at ease. This has served her well in life and has helped to get her out of trouble in a number of occasions. She is regularly the centre of attention for these qualities and can be very entertaining. Coupled with her stunning looks, she has had many suiters but regularly has to turn down their advances unsure of their motivations.
Vices & Personality flaws
Sometimes Maria can be a tad too honest to a fault & direct, and this can easily rankle others. This is especially true in the noble class where a certain decorum is expected, and certain turns of phrase & subtle hinting is the socially acceptable approach.
Maria likes a glass or two of wine when relaxing and has been known to slightly overdo it in that regard. She also has expensive tastes in wine, and imports the odd bottle where and when possible, from the Italian Peninsula & Southern Frankia especially. It is the one main luxury hat she seems to have.
Social
Contacts & Relations
She has contacts in the Skaldic / Bardic College of Swords. She is also well-respected and known in the noble class of Novgorod which she entertains noble & commoner alike during feasts, religious holidays & celebrations.
Religious Views
Maria is a Rus Pagan and believes closely in the Aster & Vanir. Having grown up in Novgorod, many of these beliefs are also closely tied to the beliefs of the Slavic communities there, especially the Ilmen tribe.
Having been saved by the Fey as a child and being partly raised by them, Maria has come to take in spiritual beliefs in the Seelie & Unseelie Courts. This is most evident in believing that the Fey Elves are semi-divine beings or avatars of the Elves found on the worlds of Alfheim & Svartalfheim.
Social Aptitude
In general, Maria is found regularly in the company of others. Whether performing or mixing in general in the mead halls & great hall of Novgorod, she is a regular face when not away on her travels. A small band of regulars in each are generally in her presence, especially when recounting one of her tales. Highly charismatic Maria can easily impress most neutral and unfriendly people while regularly stopping hostilities in a few instances.
Hobbies & Pets
Music and storytelling are a major part of Maria's life, and many a tale escapes Maria's ears. With her knack for languages, and her connection to the Feywild, Maria knows a great deal of tales to tell.
Her mother was an herbalist, and Maria still practises this although not to the level of her mother.
A one-eyed raven regularly accompanies her on her travels, and sometimes found in in her presence when she is performing. The raven seems to understand & respond to Maria when she speaks in Sylvan or when it hears Elvish, hinting it is tied to the Feywild or Elves in general.
This article is factitious and is only a passing resemblance to the real Maria Mar. More of a fan fic piece. Information about Maria, her band Omnimar, and associated record label (DarkTunes) can be found at the following link: https://darktunes.com/en/releases/O/31-Omnimar. Also, her official Twitch stream is: https://www.twitch.tv/maria0mnimar
Skald from Novgorod Trained by College of Swords Hates undead
Character Location
Current Location
Novgorod
"Seen her perform once and had to try to work with her. Amazing singer and poet. Could be the best experience while on the road. Afterwards, she took out some dodgy being that attacked one of the nobles in a corner of the great hall. Sharp swordplay besides a sharp tongue. Marvellous!!!"
Dirty Raph the Frankish Troubadour
Alignment
Chaotic Good
Current Status
Reciting poetry & music in a Great Hall
Current Location
Species
Ethnicity
Other Ethnicities/Cultures
Honorary & Occupational Titles
Maria is usually referred to as a Skald, a poet or storyteller, and musician from the old traditions of the Rus.
Age
27
Children
Pronouns
She / Her
Sex
Female
Gender
Female
Eyes
Blue
Hair
Naturally Blonde, though can be changed to Black, Red or Blue
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Light
Height
5'7"
Weight
72.2 kg
Belief/Deity
Pagan
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
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