Hecks Van Martelen

Half sister to Vechta Van Martelen.

## Description

Like most noble women who grow up on good food and good manners, Hecks is thin and tall at 6’ exactly. She then manages to usually achieve a towering height of 6’ 6’’ with heels. Her other measurements are 36’’ bust, 26” waist and 36” hips. She has worn a corset for 10 years now to help achieve this shape. Her skin is like smooth ivory and her hair like a midnight sky on a new moon. Her eyes, framed against her long dark lashes are pitch dark and seem to look straight into or through others. Hecks has the Van Martelen brow and jaw, high and angular with a taller than normal head. Her facial features most closely resemble her mother’s and someone who has not seen her mother since her transformation could easily get Hecks confused.

Hecks has a long slim neck and narrow shoulders which she often reveals in her choice of dress. Her breasts are firm and sometimes appear larger thanks to her corset or a low cut dress. She is very proud of her proportions and chooses garments that accentuate them. When she moves, it is smoothly and with grace, a gentle flowing purpose that took her years to master. She has mastered exactly how to sway her hips and long strong legs. The primary physical exercise she was given at home is carrying books from the ground-floor library to her tall tower chambers. Eventually she could have had servants carry books for her but she preferred the feeling of the smooth leather-bound vellum tomes in her arms as she flowed up the stairs. Hecks hands are the perfect picture of a lady’s: long, narrow and pale. She has worn many different sorts of jewellery on them at times, and while she showed little preference between gold and platinum, she often prefers either red or black gems set in her rings and bracelets. When she turned 16 she was given a signet ring bearing the Van Martelen crest. The crest features a three-headed wolf encompassed in a celtic knot which at the bottom forms into a slumbering dragon. The three heads represent the matriarchy of arcane power (mother, maiden, crone) while the wolf represents cunning, hunting, nocturnal, and unity. The sleeping dragon represents wealth and knowledge.

Hecks rarely shows her ankles but her feet she adores to decorate with various heels, boots and slippers in all manner of styles. Leaving her heel collection behind her when she fled was something she has regretted many times. Her favourite colours to dress in are black and red, though lately more cream white has been showing up thanks to the influence of Princess Scowl. Hecks voice generally has two tones: sweet and tinkling, or a vicious bark, snap and snarl. She can switch between her innocent lady-like manner and her commanding and demanding snarling disconcertingly fast. In summary, Hecks appears graceful, elegant, and refined but there is a harsh and sharp side to her just under the surface.

## Backstory

Hecks earliest memories are of the family castle, tall dark and imposing, she had no fear of it. With complete confidence she would run through cobweb filled secret passages and explore blood stained dungeons. Her little brother Brand and her even discovered the skeletal dragon lair at the very bottom of the castle.

They wound down into the very foundations and found a natural cave complex there. Nestled on a massive bed and gold was the skeleton of a massive dragon. Completely still. By the light of Hecks lamp and Brand’s torch, they squeezed down the slippery rocks into the Dragon’s tomb to look at the treasure. Never before had she seen so many pretty things in one place. Hecks began trying on the crowns, trinkets and necklaces, pretending to be queen of the entire hoard. As they laughed and pranced about the chamber dressed in jewellery and magic garb way too big for them, they didn't notice the skull of the dragon twist to watch them. As Hecks and Brand wrestled and tumbled down a hill of gold the dragon skeleton shook and began to rumble. It's growl made the entire chamber shake. Hecks and Brand in unison screamed and ran, gold jewellery and fancy garb falling off them as the ran and climbed the rocks to the small chink in the wall they entered by. The rumbling of the dragon got louder as they moved but it never reached out to strike the kids only rolling onto its side and flailed its arms in the air. Much later Hecks would learn from Brand that the dragon was an ancestor of the family and that it had been laughing at her playing and meant her no harm.

Hecks loves to read. It didn't matter what the content, she would read it, using magic to read in all the languages of the written races. She would spend every day she could in the library reading the poems and histories of her family and the larger world. The grim memoirs of her ancestors especially interested her as a child. Hecks never knew her Oma while she was alive. She had always been gaunt and skeletal and most importantly secretive. Oma would delight in her grand daughter and then ask her riddles about magic. “If a cloth is enchanted to be magical, and the enchantment goes wrong and imparts different properties than the creator intended, is the cloth repairable?” And “how many objects in this room could be used to kill an intruder? And if you name less than 167 you are wrong,” Hecks mother was human in Hecks lifetime. Her mother and father left on her 15th birthday on a journey and returned on her 16th with a small battalion of vampire servants and as full vampires themselves. This caused some contention with Oma. As mother began to hate even the lightest kiss of the sun, she retreated into the house while Oma began to care for the outside courtyards and castle grounds.

The castle itself Hecks loves. It is an ancient stone structure covered in withered ivy and cracked grey stone work. Raaf Kasteel was it’s name and was home for so long on its cliff above the town. When she was older she was often the only living human in the castle. Uncle Mortimer though technically alive didn't really count. He loved only three things: his dogs, his niece and nephews, and human suffering. Getting assigned jobs with him was a form of torture. He would never hurt his niece and nephew but he would try to impress and entertain them with barbaric acts of cruelty on monsters or captives. He would expect us to laugh along with him. Very awkward when you didn't find fluffy’s mum’s heads fighting over a still living man’s entrails. Hecks didn't see her brother's much in her late teens. Jäger was often away from home and Brand had had so many shouting matches with mum and dad, shouting matches that often ended in spells being flung, and things set on fire, that he spent nearly all his time in the town. So in the deathly quiet of Raaf Kasteel, she read and she read and she read. Oma’s hints and clues helped her advance rapidly in magical lore while her mother would periodically demand her presence to have her practice various rituals and castings for her. The movements of her wand and the pronunciation of her words of power were something she would practice for hours with mother, and then she would remember that mortals need food and rest and release Hecks to the kitchens.

Most of the servants were being “upgraded” or moderniseren as Oma would call it. Jeeves her tailor was one of the first to go. He was old and while his fashion sense was impeccable (in the family’s opinion at least) he was getting on in years and had never married. Rather than lose his expertise it was preserved instead in his skeletal body. Even after death he was the only one who could talk father out of a particularly silly hat.

When Hecks turned 18 she was given her title of Lady and her signet ring bearing the maiden rank of the Coven of the Van Martelens. This was quite a significant even for it put her below mama and Oma in rank it raised her above every male in the house, including her father, grandfather and older brother Jäger. This responsibility was a bit of a shock as she was put in charge of “human affairs” and had to greet foreign guests, settle disputes in the village (normally her chilling presence was enough) and become proficient in all the “Lady” skills. She had a lot less Time for reading and her wizardry research slowed. She didn't particularly enjoy all the various young men who came visiting. They tended to be emotionally whiny, or full of false bravado. A few like that strange Tiefling were at least entertaining but were too unpredictable. She began to feel lonely that there was not a single companion in her life. She summoned a familiar to try and help. But mittens soft fiendish fur while soothing was still no replacement for true kinship. This loneliness didn't make her sad and soppy though. Rather it made her irritated. She began to forget her lady-like politeness and became pointed and confrontational with her guests. A behaviour she got from mama probably. By the time she was 22 Hecks had earned a reputation for being ruthless with her judgements and tongue. And it was on her 22nd birthday that she finally encountered Oma again after she returned from some Journey. She walked with Oma in the grey gothic courtyard and told her about all the annoying young men (and vampires, revenant, and intelligent zombies) who had been calling at the castle lately. Oma listened well, like she always did. When Hecks finished though she could tell Oma was upset. “What’s wrong!” Hecks demanded, “Did I do something wrong? Should I have locked these visitors in the dungeons of Uncle Mortimer?” She challenged. Oma only continued to glare in the direction of the castle. “I did as mother taught me, I was polite and had Alfred bring us tea and refreshments. I listened to their boasting or emotional simpering or what ever it was they wanted to talk about. I took them on rides through the forest and made sure they were well accommodated.” “So much brain for riddles and magic. But she truly did not see this?” Oma whispered to herself. I will give you one hint. Why would a queen bring young men to visit their only daughter? Oma spoke directly into Hecks’s mind. The telepathy imparted her mood much more clearly than her words. She felt the suspicion and anger, anger not at herself but at her mother.

And with that realisation, Hecks life, not perfect but in retrospect seeming so precious shattered. Her mother had been showing her suitors. She wanted Hecks to fall in love and marry one of those men. But family tradition indicated she could not marry and retain her rank of maiden in the coven. She would have to fight and murder either Oma or mother. She now knew why mother had the men visit while Oma was away too. She wanted Hecks love to be secret so that mother and Hecks could overthrow Oma together. She suddenly knew too that once she married and if she lived she would be expected to produce a female heir who would be destined to partake in this great conflict too. The history book had hinted at this vicious van martelen cycle. But she had never wanted to believe it. Never wanted to see that all those undead armies raised and fighting each other, the dragons and giant mercenaries, the demons and devils had all been used in family feuds over coven positions. Hecks left Oma in the garden and ran to her tower. She collapsed on her bed and screamed and cried for hours. She wailed at the horrible unfairness that she would have to fight one of the women she loved. And that those women would fight each other. In fact, she would have to fight both of them eventually. No wonder so much military tactics had been taught her despite the land being at peace. Hecks felt like such a fool and an idiot. She felt like her innocence and belief in a loving stable family had just been stripped off her and ice water tossed in her face. She contemplated long and hard about what to do once her tears had finally run out. At first she was at a loss. She could marry and fight. Or never marry and never know love like mama and Oma do. For eternity. From Hecks reading, most people in stories could not resist falling in love. Sometimes they would just see someone and bam it would happen or other times it snuck up slowly on you from someone you'd known a while. Hecks couldn't hide from love forever she knew.

She was suddenly afraid for mama though. Now Oma knew of mama’s scheming, she might act without Hecks support. If mama didn't know what was coming it could be terrible. So she wiped her face and went to her mother’s study. She confronted her mother and told her what she had realised, that Oma knew and that she hated it and didn't want the family to fight. “Oma will probably now try and marry me off and kill you too.” I finished accusingly. Mother then looked at me like she was only just seeing me for the first time. “My most precious and beautiful daughter, thank you for telling me this. Now, I have some books lichness I'd like you to read and see if you can't help me find Oma’s phylactery. I will meanwhile hide my coffin better and make sure it cannot be tampered with. Please be discrete darling.” Numb with shock Hecks took the books. “Together we can do this Hecks. You've always been so good at researching and know the castle better than even I do. I know you didn't mean to tip off Oma to our plan but if we act swiftly there will still be time.” “Our plan?!?” Hecks roared, “this is not our plan, you used me like an unwitting pawn mother!” Then Hecks began to step through the icy mists of her magic before her mother could finish her next sentence, “I was keeping you sa…”

Hecks appeared in a hallway two floors below her mothers study and stormed off down it. She found Jeeves and ordered him to pack her clothes and some supplies for they were going out. She encountered Jarvis in the main library and ordered him to find a map out of the valley or a guide if necessary. She found Alfred in the kitchen and ordered him to pack food and water for 10 days for herself. And so Jeeves, Jarvis, and Alfred put Hecks into a carriage pulled by skeletal horses into town. Hecks had been quietly crying on the way down. Her tears turned to harsh words as Brand opened the carriage and hopped in. Stale drink on his breath he hopped in and told the driver which road to take out of town. Hecks wondered why her brother was here. Was he spying for mama or Oma? Not likely. Oh… she realised. Jarvis got him to navigate us out of the valley. I suppose Jäger wouldn't have done it. I hope he doesn't come hunting us. Ever since fluffy grew up and was given to him that dog has been more vicious to me that when he was a pup. Jäger also had seemed a lot more detached and rude to the family lately. So many mysteries she had ignored now came crowding her mind. She wept some more at her own foolishness and childish dream of a united happy family being crushed to dust. “Forgive the intrusion my lady,” Jeeves began, “but this note from your grandmother was given to me before we departed.” Hecks took the folded parchment. Read it then crumpled it up in disgust and tossed it out the window. Brand hit it with a bolt of fire before it touched the ground. “That bad eh?” He said sympathetically. “Just another riddle for me to solve.” I replied. The note read: “There is always three and there must always be three. Together, three threes can accomplish anything.” We rode on until we needed to send the carriage back and then continued on foot.

## Individuals of Importance

* Oma: Heck’s primary tutor in arcane theory, and wizardry.
* Mama: Heks mother and primary tutor of courtly skills.
* Brand: Heks Sorcerer brother who was considered a black sheep.
* Jäger: Heks older brother who loves hunting with his two headed death dog.