Sanity = 0
Dmg Bonus: ?? +0 I think...
HP: 11 (Major Wound = 6)
Power Point = 17
Exp Bonus = 6
Move rating = 10
Profession Skills (Occultist)
Fast Talk 65
Insight 65
Literacy 65
Knowledge (History) 05
Knowledge (Occult) 50
Language (Other) 25
Language (Own) 69
Research 30
Status 76
Persuade 75
It had been hard work all week as she went through the final ceremonies and test, but last night Gabrielle had finally been made into a priestess. She might have gone a little overboard with the celebrations, and her head is pounding heavily as she wakes up to the too-bright sunlight filtered through the window in her new rooms - as a priestess, she now has a larger bedroom than before, as well as a sitting room. Though not what she had been used to as she grew up, they feel quite luxurious after the cramped room she had had to settle for as a novice.
Once upon a time in the south of France, there lived a noble lord and his young beautiful bride. The two had been married in a joyous union of two houses, with much hope for the founding of a large family dynasty.
Unfortunately, this was not to be. Three years went by without the couple being blessed with a child. Their prayers to their Christian God seemed to go unanswered as the lady's best child-bearing years slipped by, and the couple's families began to grumble. The lord became irritable and angry with his wife for not fulfilling her obligations. Tension thrived in the court. Conflict was stirring in the land and still there was no sign of an heir.
At last, there came to the court an old woman of the peasant class. How she had found entry to the lord's greeting hall was unknown, but she quickly made clear her reason for being there. With great temerity, she told the lord and his lady wife that it was well known, even among the lowest classes that the couple was without child. The land suffered for their noble's woes, and the woman said that she had many years experience as a midwife, and that she had learned the mysteries of many herbs and poultices and concoctions that would aid in awakening the lady's womb.
The crone's words were audacious, and to save face, the Lord had her removed from his chambers. Yet he considered what she promised and quickly arranged for a private audience with her, where she might tell him more.
"By your leave, milord, let my daughter attend to your lady wife and brew for her the teas and burn the incense from far Cathay. These will bring life to her belly."
Dubious, the lord consented, though he was much pleased when the crone's daughter appeared - a buxom, raven-haired maiden, whose appearance was a rare natural beauty, coming from the peasantry. The girl attended the lady wife with potions and incense and teas with strange foreign leaves. Rumors from the servants also said she visited the lord's bedchambers while the lady slept under the spell of the tinctures given.
What relationship this mysterious girl and the lord had is unknown, but what is known for true is this: that three nights after being tended to in these strange ways, the lady did rouse from her bed and walked out of the castle in a fugue, walking away through the woods barefoot in her night clothes until she reached the shore of the sea, where it is claimed she bathed in the frothy waves under the stars of a full moon.
The lady said later that she had no memory of what she had done, but this was not entirely true. What happened that night, the murky, dark figure that had arisen from the waves and strode to her while she sat, paralyzed, hypnotized, her rational mind blinded with fear, unable to protest or balk as it stole her clothes from her and took her beneath the water...
She had returned to the castle, nude and soaked, with seaweed in her hair, numb to the world around her. The guards, recognizing their lady's face, brought her quickly to her bed. The lord was wroth, but the crone and her daughter held to their work.
"This is the sign we have been waiting for, milord!" The crone had cried. "Take your lady wife now, the awakening of life in her womb has made the rest of her body weak and enfeebled her mind, but she shall bear you many children."
Locked in a room within the castle, the crone and daughter waited for weeks as the lady recovered from her trance like state. Had their bid failed, they would both have been burned for witchcraft, but after months imprisonment, they were released. The lady had recovered her faculties and was with child. Exonerated from being frauds, the crone and daughter were paid a handsome sum and granted a farmstead in recompense for the lord's doubts.
And so it was that Gabrielle, the first daughter of Lord and Lady de Rigea, was born. Taking much after her mother, though with jet black hair and deep, dark eyes, this daughter grew up into a haunting, intelligent beauty whose fair demeanor and lovely voice became known throughout the land. A year after she had been born, in a happy coincidence, Gabrielle was given a baby brother, Robert, who would be the heir her father sought.
The land and its lord, it seemed, had been blessed. Yet, none but the crone and her daughter knew the truth - that Gabrielle was not the get of the noble lord, but of a servant of the deep Mother, an inhuman creature that had taken the noble lady beneath the rolling surf of the mare nostrum.
As young Gabrielle went through the changes of adolescence, she was wracked with strange dreams and nightmares - visions of herself swimming deep beneath the sea, where haunting music and ungodly things awaited her, welcoming her into the arms of the abyss. At the age of 16, she had her first fugue state, wandering from her room at night when the moon was full and finding herself by the sea.
That was where the crone and her daughter, now a midwife and small holder, awaited her. They gave her the tea to rouse her mind, and told her, bit by bit, many strange and wondrous things.
"Come to our farmstead, granted to us by your lord father. There we will teach you many things, and you will join our circle."
Ensorcelled and compelled by the crone's words, Gabrielle began to visit the farm, and in a cellar dug secretly out of the earth beneath the farm house, she was inducted into the Circle of the Embracing Sea.
Ungodly rites were enacted by the circle members, all the ranking ones of which were women. The only men there were silent, hulking guardians, completely in thrall of the female cultists. Names, the like of which mankind was not meant to know were uttered in the darkness. Prayers to the Great Old Ones, blasphemous pledges to the Elder God called Hydra, mother of dark things under the sea that would rise again when the stars were right.
Into this world, Gabrielle was inducted. For years she learned in secret, learning her new craft by night while appearing to be dedicating herself to God by day. Saying that she had embraced the faith and wanted to dedicate herself to heaven had been the only way to avoid a noble suitor and save her body for the purposes ordained by the dark mother.
And so she learned and read from texts that taught her eldritch things, driving the sanity of a goodly woman from her and replacing it with the fanaticism of a true believer.
At last, on the eve of her 19th year, she had been tested and found sufficiently prepared to be welcomed into the circle as a fully fledged priestess. Her novice robes had been taken from her and replaced with the sultry garbs of a bewitching priestess.
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Gabrielle rose from her bed and shaded her eyes from the sun. She did not like its light and was happier when the skies were overcast. Oh to be under the sea with the children of her dark mother, where she might be rid of the sun and daylight. But she knew that she had been given life for a purpose, and it was to serve her goddess on the land, to recruit for her more worshipers until the stars were right and Hydra's children rose to the surface to claim this world for their own.
She stretched and observed herself in the hand mirror. Yes, as beautiful as ever, but it was a beauty that she now wished to combine with the power of a true priestess. By becoming a member of the circle, she would be allowed to learn the secrets of her goddess' rites.
Exiting her chamber dressed in her new garbs, Gabrielle excitedly sought out her sisters in faith, eager to learn what her first task would be.
Decided to shave two years off... 19 sounds about right, and realistically was fairly mature for the middle ages. Also, here's a pic of Gabrielle.
As Gabrielle gets out of her chambers, she spots the high priestess at the other side of the hallway, in her sitting room, brushing her hair and singing in eerie voice. Though ageing, Marie is still quite beautiful as she turns to look at Gabrielle, smiling. "Come in, come in. How are you feeling, Gab? Ready to go on your first mission, or would you rather spend today recovering?"
Gabrielle approached the older priestess calmly, holding her hands together in front of her.
"I am most eager to begin with my first mission to serve our Goddess, Marie. I have strength enough in me - recovery is not needed. Do you know what my task is to be?"
"Your father would be proud. Very well, then." The woman pauses to think for a moment. "You've shown yourself to be quite talented in some aspects, but your practical skills are yet to be tested, are they not? The otterfolk, they've grown wary of us of late, and the accursed snakefolk are no doubt trying to sway them to their own purposes. We also need a new slave, the last one is quite worn out."
Gabrielle smirked. "What happened to the last slave? Are there any qualities I should look for in a new one? Would some criminal or guttersnipe that no one would miss do? Or does the Dark Mother require a slave of more substance?"
The new priestess then cast her mind over the subjects of the otter and snake folk. How well did she know about these strange peoples? Were they hidden from the world at large or was their presence known by many?
"The Otterfolk have a right to be scared of us, but perhaps with enough persuasion they could become pliable and willing slaves of our circle? The snakes might take more force, but they will be brought low as well."
Marie's smile stays unchanged as she still keeps brushing her hair. "I'm glad to see such confidence in you. Just remember not to let it bring you low. The slave should be young and strong so she'll last for a long time. Your main task, however, is to spy on the otterfolk. I suggest disguising yourself as a traveler and going alone - they might recognize our guards. Their village is to the southeast, you'll find it in a day or so if you follow the coast. Beware of the lamias, for they have quite a keen scent for recognizing our kind."
"I shall acquire a suitable slave, but Marie... I have not yet been taught the arts of our order yet. Am I not to be given access to the tomes of the Dark Mother before I set out to watch the otterfolk?"
Gabrielle worried that without the much desired lore that she had longed to discover by being accepted as a priestess in the circle, she would be partially defenseless if left alone in otterfolk territory. She had her skill with a spear, but still, she was no warrior.
Gabrielle hesitated, not liking the way that Marie said the word 'delay.'
Hanging her head contritely, "Forgive me, Sister... I had only hoped that with my rise to the Circle Sisterhood, that I would learn your arcane arts. Perhaps I have been overly presumptive. I will show you that I am deserving of my station. A slave will accompany me back to the circle, and she will serve the needs of the Dark Mother well."
So saying, Gabrielle bowed her head to Marie. Even though Gabrielle outranked her easily in the outside world, within the Sisterhood, noble's blood did not give one seniority. Only time and the blessings of Mother Hydra would do that. She had to believe that her successes would be rewarded with ritual blessings.
By Marie's leave, Gabrielle would gather her few possessions, including her stout staff, and leave the farmstead to trek towards the otterfolk's lands.
"All of the library is now open to you, priestess. I will make sure that you'll have plenty of time to study the tomes after you return," Marie says soothingly, laying down her brush and handing Gabrielle a tightly bound leather scroll that makes her skin tingle where she touches it. As she returns to her room, one of the guards comes in, bringing a leather outfit suitable for a lone traveller as well as a backpack filled with some supplies: food enough for a few days - including actual beef! - another outfit, a few waterskins, a sturdy knife and a few other odds and ends.
Gabrielle packed the extra outfit, foodstuffs, and waterskins into a backpack, slipped her gorgeous, well-formed body into the leather traveling suit, and set off down the road. She kept the scroll in her backpack as well, intent on studying it well once she prepared to stop for the night on her journey.
She was excited to be assigned her first task and confident still that she could manage to trick at least one simple girl to follow her back to the circle. All she needed to do was put on some charm - for she had been gifted with a haunting beauty by the Dark Mother, with which she could ensnare the hearts of men and women alike.
Setting a determined pace, Gabrielle walked down the road in the direction of the otter village.
Two guards at the gate bow to Gabrielle respectfully as she passes, and in only half an hour she reaches the main road, running from west to east. The sun is shining brightly and the day is promising to become hot, but a south wind brings pleasant moisture from the sea, making the heat more tolerable. Not long after she comes to the main road, a simple peasant driving a cart passes her, but otherwise the road seems abandoned.
The man - a nondescript farmer, perhaps 30 years old - grunts. "Hop in, girl. Are ye lost or running from something? No-one comes here unless it's one or the other, and you don't look like a king's man, either."
"No man am I, good sir. I am a sister of the faith, wanting to spread the divine word. I run from nothing, and I cannot be lost, for I am guided by a higher power."
She smiled at the farmer charmingly. "I thank thee for your generosity and shall not trouble thee."
So saying, Gabrielle hopped onto the back of the wagon and rode it for as long as it was going along the path to the otter village.
"'Tis strange to see one of your kind here, Sister, especially clad like you are. Not many people here to listen to your holy word, see." The farmer replies, sounding somewhat suspicious as he snaps his whip over the horse, getting it to move again at a leisurely pace, though still faster than Gabrielle had been walking.
"We cannot always wear the habit while traveling, good sir, but as for the local populace - every soul matters, whether they live together in the cities or alone in the wilderness. My work is not done until all hear the truths I have to tell." Gabrielle replied, taking pleasure in deceiving without uttering a single lie.
The farmer grunts again as an answer before falling silent. The trip continues for several hours, and Gabrielle feels like she's being watched several times until a small farmstead appears near the side of the road.
"Is this your farmstead? or is it a part of some village on this road?" Gabrielle asked of the farmer. She wanted to gauge how close she was to the otterkin.
