Faye of Trier

"*You wardens...you pretend to be **dead inside**. Like you don't feel any of it. Normal **pain**. Normal **joy**. Normal **love**. Normal **hatred**. **Fear**, **regret**...even **sadness**. [...] If you're afraid, know that you don't need to be. **Not with me**. Cause I'm not afraid of **you**,*"
—Faye to MacDuff before the Battle of Hog[src]
**Faye of Trier** is a former hunter for the Inquisition and nordling convert who encountered the Black Blade Company during their trek to Hog. Having long ago abandoned hunting mages - while retaining her mistrust in magic - Faye reluctantly joined the company as their guide through wildling lands. Initially only loyal for the coin, she came to befriend the company, especially Zolton and Fiona, and fought alongside them in the Battle of Hog. She has also, to the surprise of most, formed a bond with MacDuff, one so strong that she decided to join him on his mission to find Vedma, if only to finally put to rest her guilt over her past as a witch hunter.

## Biography

### Early Life & Background

Faye was born to a fent mother and a wildling father in the city of Trier in eastern Bohaem, on the edge of the Bohaemian plateau near Mistwood. Her father's tribe worshipped Vedma, eldest among the stringmaidens, but Faye was raised under her mother's religion, the nordling pantheon. Born during a solar eclipse, Faye was thus "darkborn" and naturally immune to magic. Her parents' romance was fleeting, and her father returned to the wilderness before she had the chance to form any memories of him.

When Faye was still young, the Red Death struck Bohaem; her mother was one of its many victims. Left an orphan, Faye was taken in by a mission that worshipped the Lŷrian Flame; Faye converted to the Flame within a year of arriving at the mission. As an omen, she was shunned by all the sisters except for one, a kind priestess who took on the responsibility of educating the girl; part of this education involved languages and the art of archery.

When she reached legal adulthood, Faye was banished from the mission and forced to live on the streets of Trier, armed only with her bow. When she was 20, she stumbled across a company of witch hunters that were engaging a group of renegade mages and was caught in the crossfire; the hunters noticed that Faye was immune to their spells, including fire. Having learned to distrust magic from her time at the mission, Faye aided the witch hunters in apprehending the mages; she was invited into the Inquisition thanks to her skill with a bow and magical immunity. With nowhere else to turn, she reluctantly accepted.

Faye diligently served with the witch hunters for the next decade, earning a name for herself as one of the finest archers and trackers that the Inquisition had ever seen. She spent some of that time as a lieutenant to Kaleb Croft, commander of the witch hunters and high-ranking member of the White Orchid, and became well-versed in Croft's cruel and callous hatred towards mages and magic in general. With even Croft endorsing her skills and loyalty to the Flame, Faye was on her way to becoming a leader within the Inquisition, possibly even the White Orchid.

However, everything changed at the end of the 8:480s, when the Inquisition began turning on non-humans: dwarves, elves, halflings and other intelligent humanoids. Faye witnessed horrific atrocities committed against innocent creatures, many of whom were noble alchemists or herbalists with no magical abilities, and at times was forced to participate. The final straw was an Inquisition raid on a non-human slum in Trier, her home; unable to convince her fellows to walk away from massacring innocents, she reluctantly slaughtered her entire company before going on the run, branded a traitor by her former comrades. As an expert tracker that knew every trick the witch hunters used, Faye was able to cover her tracks so well that her former allies would never find her. She abandoned the Flame and returned to the nordling gods while settling on the slopes of the Gnawed Mountains, where she took to guiding travellers through wildling territory, using her knowledge of their language and her skills with a bow to pass through safely.

## Powers, Equipment & Abilities

### Powers

* **Darkborn:** Born during a total eclipse, Faye is darkborn and thus completely immune to all forms of magic, including mind manipulation, blood magic and even magical fire.
* **Dark magic sensitivity:** Prolonged exposure to felsteel during her life as a witch hunter allows Faye to detect dark magic, giving herself and her allies advanced warning before such a threat presents itself. Her reaction to dark magic manifests as a burning sensation on her skin.

### Equipment

#### Weapons

* **Bow & arrow:** Born and raised in the Bohaemian countryside, Faye has wielded a bow and arrow for most of her life; alongside Fiona, Faye serves as the company's primary ranged combatant. Her aim and draw rivals any elven archer. Her bow is made from ironwood, making it a powerful melee weapon.
* **Sword:** Faye carries a steel sword at the base of her back, although she is rarely forced to use it.