## Basic Information - **Race:** Human - **Role:** Herbalist and midwife - **Location:** Duskwatch, Deadwood Glade region, South Angoria - **Alignment:** [Likely Neutral Good] - **Occupation:** Healer, Herbalist, Midwife ## Personality Gentle, kind, cautious ## Background Marenna Vey is a widow who has dedicated her life to caring for Duskwatch's sick and poor. Having lost her own spouse, she understands grief and loss deeply, which informs her compassionate approach to healing. Her knowledge of herbal medicine and her skill as a midwife have made her an essential figure in the community, particularly among those who cannot afford more expensive healing magic from the Concord of Laurel. She is beloved by the common people of Duskwatch, who see her as a selfless caretaker rather than a political figure. ## Role in Duskwatch Marenna provides essential services: - Treating injuries and illnesses with herbal remedies - Delivering babies and caring for new mothers - Tending to the poor who cannot pay for magical healing - Counseling the grieving and dying - Creating medicines from local and rare herbs Her home and workspace serve as an unofficial clinic for Duskwatch's lower classes, making her one of the most trusted individuals in town despite having no official title or power. ## Political Position Marenna deliberately stays neutral in political conflicts, viewing all factions' disputes as secondary to the immediate needs of sick and suffering people. However, her neutrality and her importance to the common people make her valuable to every faction. Guild leaders, religious authorities, and political figures all court her favor, hoping her endorsement might influence the populace. She resists these pressures, maintaining her focus on healing rather than politics. ## Allies & Enemies **Potential Allies:** - The common people of Duskwatch (deeply loyal to her) - Anyone who values community welfare - Other healers and caregivers - [[High Priest Daren Hollis]] (respect for her charitable work) **Potential Enemies:** - None currently (her neutrality and charitable work make her universally respected) - Potentially those who want to exploit her influence **Courted By:** - [[Guildmaster Thalia Crenn]] (seeking popular support) - [[Mayor Elira Vanneth]] (wants her political backing) - All major factions (need the common people's favorite) ## Adventure Hooks - Asks adventurers to find rare herbs growing near Rift Scar pools - May need protection while gathering herbs in dangerous areas - Could request investigation into disease outbreaks - Might ask for help delivering medicine to remote settlements - Could need escort for pregnant woman traveling to safety - May discover medical evidence of undead activity or planar corruption ## Connections - Respected by all major NPCs regardless of faction - Works with [[High Priest Daren Hollis]] on charitable projects - May know secrets from treating important people - Probably has relationship with Innkeep [[Innkeep Varric Dolm|Varric Dolm]] (treating travelers) ## Notes for DMs Marenna represents goodness without naivety—she's kind but not foolish, gentle but not weak. She understands Duskwatch's political tensions but refuses to be drawn into them, maintaining focus on what she can control: healing the sick and easing suffering. **Character Dynamics:** - **Universal Respect:** Even enemies respect her - **Moral Clarity:** Knows right from wrong but doesn't judge harshly - **Practical Wisdom:** Understands herbal lore and human nature - **Quiet Strength:** Gentle demeanor masks strong will **Campaign Uses:** 1. **Quest Giver:** Provides herb-gathering missions with good motivations 2. **Healing Services:** Offers affordable healing when temples charge too much 3. **Moral Compass:** Her opinions carry weight with common people 4. **Information Source:** Treats all factions, might overhear things 5. **Protected Asset:** Factions might compete to protect or influence her **Plot Possibilities:** **Rare Herbs Quest:** The herbs near Rift Scar pools could have unique properties due to planar corruption. This creates opportunities for: - Exploration of dangerous areas - Discovery of planar anomalies - Encounters with corrupted creatures - Finding herbs with unexpected magical properties **Political Pressure:** Multiple factions pressure Marenna to endorse their position: - Players might be hired to protect her from this pressure - Or to convince her to support a faction - Her refusal might anger powerful people - Her eventual choice (if any) would significantly impact Duskwatch politics **Medical Mystery:** Marenna discovers a pattern in her patients: - Strange symptoms appearing in specific populations - Evidence of magical corruption or undead influence - Disease that shouldn't exist in this region - Signs of poisoning connected to factional conflict **Kidnapping/Targeting:** As a beloved figure, Marenna makes an excellent hostage: - Faction might kidnap her to force compliance - Players must rescue her without starting a war - Her absence causes immediate suffering in Duskwatch - Common people might riot if she's harmed **Planar Corruption Study:** Her medical knowledge might reveal effects of the Rift Scar: - People living near it showing subtle changes - Herbs growing near it developing strange properties - Patterns suggesting reality itself is being altered - She becomes key to understanding planar damage **Moral Dilemmas:** - Should she treat a known criminal if he's dying? - What if treating someone enables them to commit more harm? - Should she share medical information that might be politically valuable? - Can neutrality be maintained when one side is clearly evil? **Character Development:** Marenna's caution comes from experience. Consider giving her backstory depth: - Her spouse's death taught her about loss - She's seen what happens when healers get involved in politics - She knows herbs near the Rift Scar are increasingly dangerous - She's witnessed the cost of faction conflicts on ordinary people **Using Marenna Effectively:** Don't make her a damsel in distress or passive NPC. She's actively healing, making difficult medical decisions, and navigating complex ethical situations. She has agency within her sphere of influence, even if she avoids broader politics. When players need healing, she offers affordable rates but might request assistance in return. When they need moral guidance, her perspective as someone who sees the human cost of political games provides valuable insight. She's proof that not every important NPC needs combat stats or political power—sometimes the most important person in town is the one who delivers babies and tends wounds.