Monday, August 15, 2011

Villians, S&W Style, Part 6


Most people notice her bright orange hair at first.  The loud, shrill voice second.  Martina the Cursed has been run out of every village in the north kingdom.  Always in tow, her small son, Will.  She appears in villages for a short time to ask for help for her and her son.  She claims that she is ill and that her son is dying even though he is always active and thriving.  Most take pity on her in the beginning, but after a week when the charity wanes Martina gets angry and screams that everyone is against her. 

"My boy is dying.  My little boy is dying and you people don't care."  At this point, anyone who attempts to help Martina is threatened.  "I'll go to the baron and tell him everything you're hiding.  Tell him you sleep in instead of work the fields.  I'll tell them you steal because you're a thief.  A no good thief."   She has even threatened to go to the king and have everyone in the village hung.  Will just stands by her side with his head down.  Some speculate, because of Martina's advanced age, that Will isn't her son.

Eventually she gets frustrated and moves onto the next location.  This is when things tend to go bad for the people who have helped Martina.  Depending on how much the people helped Martina is how severe their bad luck will be.  Often when Martina stays in someone's home the household gets sick, house pets turn on their owners, food in the pantry goes bad and things break easier.  There are no known deaths due to her stay, but some of the effects remain permanent.  Geoffrey of Offcom could no longer live in his home after Martina stayed there for nearly a month.  He became sick to his stomach every time he entered and any food brought in one day would be spoiled the next.  The local clergy determined his home cursed and ordered a cleansing by fire. 

Martina does not know what happens to the people she leaves behind, but she carries an intense hatred for the people she believes abandon her and her son.  Many years ago, she was a healer woman of a village, then fell in love with a clergyman.  He was young and intelligent and corrupt.  He seduced her and passed her around to the others.  This continued on for eight years before they grew tired of her and threw her into the streets.

Soon after she bore her son, Will.  Will appears to be seven years old, but is actually twenty-two.  One of the clergymen was an incubus in disguise.  Will is a demon spawn with subtle magical powers.  He allows minor demons to use him as a portal.  It is he who causes the problems in the villages and the one who keeps his mother sick. 

Martina has no significant stats or abilities.  Neither does Will, but if he is killed he will evolve into his next form and his powers will grow significantly.  His death must be granted by another, should the incubus die by his own hand or actions then the incubus will be killed permanently.  If a player suspects Will's true nature the church or local temples will send their demon catchers to capture the boy.  Even during this Willl remains silent.  It waits for its death patiently. 

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