Marsh

## Overview

Marsh's parents disappeared from their plot near Downslope when she was just 4. She is raised by her Uncle Per who she loves as a father. Her was raised with her cousin Daniel who has an unrequited crush on her.

By the time she is a young woman she is working as a courier with hopes of being apprenticed as a seeker. Her life takes a turn when a delivery is interrupted by raiders and she becomes guardian to Tamlin and Aisha. Because of the talents she displays she also becomes a trainee Shadow Mage apprenticed to Roeglin.

Marsh is naturally a Shadow Mage but shows an aptitude for other magic. Using magic drains her energy and using non-Shadow skills drains her faster. Skills she exhibits over the course of the series (book indicates where the ability first manifested):

* Speaking with animals (Trading into Shadow)
* Unconsciously trigger defensive shadows when she feels threatened or angry (Trading into Shadow)
* Sense lifeforms from a distance (Trading into Shadow)
* Speaking with shadows (Trading into Shadow)
* Fade into the Etheric to move quickly and even pass through solids, called shadow stepping
* Create weapons and armor from Shadows (Trading into Darkness)
* Pull shadow poison from a wound (Trading into Darkness)
* Create a shadow storm outside the shelter she is in killing all the attackers (Trading Close to Light)
* Pull energy the earth and plants in addition to other mammals (Trading Close to Light)
* Block mind walkers from reading her mind (Trading Close to Light)
* Create fire balls (not well) (Trading by Firelight)
* Restore glows from nature (Trading by Firelight)
* Grow and glow and send it to an enemy so they are visible in the dark (Trading by Firelight)
* Talking mind-to-min (Trading by Firelight)

## Activities

### Magic Below Paris

#### Trading into Shadow

Marsh has contracted to be a carrier for Kearick of Kennerin's Ledge to take a package toward Ruin Hall. The caravan she is with is attacked by raiders using shadow monsters. While escaping she takes 2 children who have lost their parents.

#### Trading into Darkness

When Roeglin is cut with a blade that contains Shadow Poison, Marsh learns she can use her shadows to 'lure' the poison out. The poison come out as a dagger that is burning to the touch. She has mentored a healer who hadn't used magic into using magic to heal Roeglin's physical wound.

#### Trading Close to Light

Marsh learns she has to be careful when she goes to a higher state of alert because her shadows respond to protect her even when she is surrounded by allies. She also realizes her flippant attitude toward authority figures has been picked up by Aisha when Aisha encases Mage Captain Envermet's legs in stone to prevent him from stopping Aisha and Marsh from healing wounded soldiers of shadow poison. The two have pushed Enverment to punish them with stable and latrine duty. This leads Marsh to clash with Envermet over the level of punishment for Aisha. Marsh, as Aisha's guardian, determines enough is enough and confronts Envermet when he pushes the point. Her reaction triggers her shadow protectors and Roeglin separates them and helps Marsh deescalate the situation.

At Kennerin Ledge they find the city has determined they need to have gates and lock down in the evening. They are on their way to Marsh's Uncle Per's waystation for room and board when Marsh takes an unplanned detour to Kearick's office and gets them taken into custody for breaking and entering. When brought before the city guard leadership Marsh recognizes Asher, one of the raiders that took her to the slave camp. She kills him before he escapes and Roeglin is able to convince the guard they have raiders inside their gates.

At Per's emporium Marsh finds out that Per can also talk to animals when he meets Mordan.

At the request of the Kennerin Council Marsh, Gustav and Roeglin travel to some of the outlying farms to look for children developing magic. At the first farm they find Felicity and Claudette, mother and daughter, who both show aptitude for magic. When they arrive at the next farm the farmer, Davide, disables Marsh with "Snot Dust", a toxic compound made from spoiled mushrooms. He reveals he has been turning over children who display magic to the raiders. Claudette kills him with a shadow dart. The team gets the children back to Kennerin with the promise of getting them training in their magic.

#### Trading by Firelight

Marsh returns to Downslope to find her cousin Gabe managing the family homestead with a group of wolves. The alpha wolf Ironshade has to be assured she will not lay claim to the homestead or displace Gabe's mate Ursula before he grudgingly lets her in. She finds he has 2 boys living with them who can wield magic. Geralt is a mind walker and Jean can manage fire magic. The boys had kept their skills a secret.

On the way to Dimanache, Marsh and the group meet the druid Alois who is protecting the farmers near his cave. He helps Marsh understand on to create glows, a skill she has struggled with. Much to Mordan's chagrin, on of her kits decides to stay with Alois.

At Dimanache Marsh and her team find the city controlled by 5 business owners. They work together with the defense forces there to assault a 100+ strong raider group, killing most of them and driving off the leadership. They discover one of the owners, Piermonts, have been working with the raiders and escaped with a shadow mage through a portal.

#### Trading by Shroomlight

Marsh and the lead team travel to Ariella's Grotto to establish another ally. They find an agricultural community that has hunkered down to establish defense perimeters. After a rough introduction they join forces to beat back the raiders. Marsh has emotional challenges on 2 fronts. Tamlin is becoming more resentful of the time she is spending away from Aisha and him and an elder mage forces Marsh and Roeglin to confront their feelings for each other.

Marsh shadow steps away from the grotto for privacy to think about her relationships. As she muses, she sees a large group of raiders climbing in the direction of the Grotto. To get back as quickly as possible she creates a portal that takes her back to the dining hall shocking everyone.

Once calm is restored Sulema and Gustav realize the raiders are too numerous for a direct assault. They decide to do hazing attacks to wear the force down and use magic with the plants to reduce the possibility of reinforcements.

#### Trading into Daylight

Gustav has been taken by the raiders. Marsh and the mages travel to areas the raiders control to free him and the rest of the people who have been abducted. The find a trio of children, Vi, Basil and Jens, who are able to tell them what is happening.

Initially, everyone is kept separate. After a week of testing the magic users are identified. Those people who can be controlled are put to work in the fields. Others are evaluated, some kept as local slaves, some sold to slavers and others are sent to a place called the Library that no one returns from. When Marsh and team are rescuing the abductees they find out Gustav was sent to the Library.

The raiders are overcome by the mage team and ex-raiders who were coerced into service under threat on their families. Many of the abductees are recovered and both Kieran and Salazer are killed. 30 of the fighting force are going to stay at the Library while the rest of the team are going to escort the abductees back to safety.

#### Trading by Stormlight

After investigating the assassin's cottage and finding it empty, they head back to join the convoy of abductee's. Mordan senses something odd with Gerry and when they just he has been infested by one of the creatures the raiders use to control the remnants and some of the raiders. They've seen that when the creature was killed it also killed the host so they have to work together to remove the physical as well as the mental connection before the kill it. They do with Ozmay and Aisha clearing his mind after the creature is separated from his body. They kill the creature before it can infest another person.