Maridian "Marin" Tobbs

Born in Sunspar, one of the cities of Zadetsu, Marin led a mostly peaceful, if ostracized early life. Her mother and father raised her, but she lost her father to one of the King's last drafts during the last Age of Rule. Her mother and grandmother (Grandma Tarin) raised her during the last age of rule and the first age of piracy.

Marin grew up as apprentice to her mother, one of Sunspar's wise women, herbalists and witches. Despite on good terms with the city, when her mother spurns a blue witch hunter in a tavern--one of the rare nights she was in town, tending to the miners staying at said tavern--he decides to make an example of her. Because the Blues didn't have enough hatred pointed at them. Marin is 14. She spends the next four years training under her grandmother, who was more the witch than her mother, who was more the herbalist. Marin finds she has a talent for hexing, though she's eager to start spellcasting.

## - Nobody, storm years at end of first piracy -

Marin's life as a herbalist takes a turn as the storm years approach. Ships in town are rumoured to be preparing for various shady enterprises the moment the storms end. Some are looking for doctors, which interests her, as does expanding her knowledge of her mother's ways.

She is asked by some of the townsfolk if she can deal with a haunting. The local priest went into a manor house at the edge of town and hasn't been seen. She investigates and finds the priest possessed, mutating. She manages to Bounce its attacks, Hex it to impotence, and Quiet the house, exorcising the demon (yup, demons are a thing, a type of terror usually) out of the priest. A mask drops to the floor, containing the demon. The priest Blackbone (ursa; family trait, black claw colouring) becomes Marin's friend, and offers her training.

> infamy 11, free language, 6xskills

Marin accepts and begins marrying her training. She becomes comfortable with the miners of Sunspar, who respect her more as both a witch and priestess, given her association with Blackbone and her Grandmother.

Grandma Tarin, seeing Marin shun the boys of the town whenever they try to court her, settles herself that Marin's future will not be bound to Sunspar. She goes through her family treasures and finds what she was looking for after a journey into mountains (ostensibly to gather herbs). She returns with a wrapped package that she dug up, the Thilde Sword--a dormant relic of Azath. By the end of the storm years, Marin will become known, and will decide to travel the skies. Upon their parting, Grandma Tarin gifts the young witch with the blade.

Also during the storm years, a witch hunter somehow makes it to Sunspar and, hearing about Old Crone Tarin and her granddaughter, the Witch Priestess Marin, moves to kill them both. He attacks Tarin while Marin is away and wounds her mortally. Marin, feeling the pain, runs home and hexes the witch hunter with all her spirit, hex burning herself in the process. The witch hunter is beaten to death with a stone mortar, stripped and disposed of, bones going to charms, meat going to bait and clothing and gear retailored to fit Marin. Though no one accuses Marin, her departure mixed wth the disappearance of the witch hunter earns her the title of Witch proper, rather than vacillation between witch (negative) or priestess (positive). Witch Tobbs is how she is formally addressed, with respect and an edge of fear.

## - Second piracy, Known -

Too many whispers keep courting men away from Marin, who is curious about the skies beyond Sunspar and zadestu. She decides to leave as soon as the storms lift, and her grandmother supports her. Marin develops several spells so that she can promote herself as a wind witch, and markets herself as a navigator, doctor and wind witch in order to find a crew.

She finds a home aboard the Silent Prophet, charged with exploring the northern soares of San Vito. There she meets Chase of Meriel's Apenny Court, the Fall Fan Dancer. Chase is a retainer and warrior, a courtesan and fan dancer who acted as protector to a lesser lord. When her lord was assassinated, she took on the mantle of mercenary, using her military training to land her a spot on the Silent Prophet as key and guard. She is an excellent fighter, attacking with whatever she picks up, or her sharpenend war fans. When she has the chance, she enters into a fight with a her (ronin) performance mask on. She appears androgyneous, long ago deciding that a she can adopt whatever gender suits her person, the female dancer, the male courtesan, the neutral fighter and retainer.

Chase accompanies Marin on her journey, becoming her bodyguard after Marin saves her life. During a pirate attack on the ship. The two become fast friends beside Chase's devotion.

## - San Vito, Northern Soar -

Here the Silent Prophet meets a band of pirates operating out of a LowSky port of call previously unmarked, hidden by the rising and falling mists. They raid whatever ship sails past, rising fast in clusters of small skiffs to swarm larger ships. The Prophet gets attacked but is able to repell the invaders, rising high and freeing themselves. The Prophet sits in HighSky as the captain debates what to do. During that time, the captain decides it's their responsibility to clear out the pirates. The crew is divided, but follows the captain (moral drop, risk mutiny). The Prophet dives.

The pirates have built a fortified port in their crag of a spire, and the Prophet is woefully outclassed. The ship is swarmed by pirate skiffs and two pirate jays and a pinace. While a good deal fo the Prophet's crew is killed or captured, Chase and Marin defend themselves in the lower deck, bottle necking and taking out a fair number of pirates. When the dust settles, they're pinned, but unyielding. The pinace's captain, Ridue, parleys with them and invites them to stand with the other survivors. When questioned, they are offered positions as pirates, gangpressed or they'll dive to the cloud floor. Only the first mate is killed after spitting in the pirates face. Everyone else accepts. Marin and Chase, however, demand parley to the ruler of the cove.

## - Rockwave Cove -

Inside a hollow in the lowsky spire, the pirates have constructed a port in what they called Rockwave Cove. The Prophet is hauled in, and plundering and reconstruction begins. Marin and Chase are brought before the leader of the captain's, John Soyo, a Medua with a knack for management and swordplay. Recognizing the use of a witch (though Soyo praises her medical and herb training more), both are offered positions in port.

While they find their place, they are seen as outsides and are attacked several times, barely defending themselves in each case. After a month and seeing their positions will lead to them getting abused eventually in very dark ways, they decide to flee. The pair steal a skiff, Marin covers their tracks, and they sail north to Damac.

The skiff wasn't large, but free from the pirates (who were beset by torrential downpour, marking Marin), the Witch and the Fan made their way north to Damac, crossing several ships, though none took interest.