**Race:** Human **Age:** 71 **Specialty:** Medicinal herbs, folk remedies, fortune telling **Alignment:** Neutral Good ### Appearance Old Marrow is a weathered crone with sharp green eyes that miss nothing. Her face is deeply lined, hands gnarled with arthritis, but she moves with surprising energy. She wears layers of shawls covered in herb bundles, creating a walking apothecary. Her gray hair hangs in wild tangles decorated with dried flowers and seed pods. She smells of sage, lavender, and earth. Her fingers are perpetually stained with plant dyes and dirt. ### Background Marrow (her given name is lost to time) has lived in the forests near Oakrest for fifty years, longer than many villagers have been alive. She learned herbalism from her mother, who learned from hers—knowledge passed down through generations of hedge witches and wise women. She's seen Oakrest shrink, watched the Glade's borders creep closer, and helped deliver half the village's current population. She's midwifed births and sat with the dying, healing what can be healed and easing what cannot. ### Personality - **Blunt and Cryptic:** Marrow speaks in riddles and harsh truths. She has no patience for fools or false politeness. - **Deeply Knowledgeable:** Her understanding of plants, local ecology, and folk magic is encyclopedic. - **Unsettling Presence:** People respect her but find her unnerving. She knows things she shouldn't and speaks of them casually. - **Protective of the Young:** Despite her harsh manner, Marrow has soft spot for children and helps mothers freely. ### Market Stall A ramshackle tent covered in hanging herb bundles. Inside: jars of dried plants, tinctures, salves, and mysterious bags of "special ingredients." The stall smells overwhelming—a mixture of dozens of herbs creating an almost narcotic atmosphere. ### Goods & Services **Medicinal Herbs:** - Healing poultice: 5 gp (heals 1d4 HP over 1 hour) - Fever reducer: 3 gp - Pain reliever: 2 gp - Sleep draught: 5 gp (induces 8 hours of restful sleep) - Antitoxin (weak): 25 gp **Specialty Items:** - Lucky charm: 1 gp (worthless, but believers swear by them) - Protection bundle: 5 gp (herbs against evil—actually works as minor ward: advantage on first save vs. fear) - Dream tea: 10 gp (drink before sleep; vivid dreams, possible visions—DM's discretion) **Services:** - Fortune telling: 2 gp (she throws bones and reads them—surprisingly accurate) - Curse diagnosis: 5 gp (can identify curse symptoms) - Custom remedy: Varies (she'll create specific treatments for specific ailments) ### Special Knowledge Marrow knows: - Which plants grow near the Glade and their corrupted properties - Folk remedies for supernatural ailments (some actually work) - Local legends and ghost stories going back generations - Who in the village is pregnant before they announce it - Signs of Glade corruption in people, plants, and animals ### Personality Quirks - Refers to everyone as "child" or "dearie" regardless of age - Throws bones to "consult the spirits" before important decisions - Sometimes speaks to invisible presences (spirits? Madness? Both?) - Refuses payment from mothers with sick children ### Quotes _"The Glade's growing, dearie. I've watched it spread like a rot for fifty years. Soon it'll swallow us all—best make peace with that."_ _"You want a love charm? Fool. Love's no charm—it's work. But I'll sell you something to smell nice. That might help."_ _"The bones say you'll walk into shadow soon. Mind you bring light, or shadow's all you'll become."_