Privet Beccari - Firbolg Hermit Circle of Spores Druid

[Little_Rudo]

 

Privet Beccari
Firbolg Druid 1
Circle of Spores
Chaotic Good Hermit

The Witch of the Pale Wood

Character Sheet (D&D Beyond)

Subclass Speculation

I'm currently torn between Circle of the Land and Circle of Spores to show her unique connection to the land of Falkovnia. Let me know if you have thoughts! I feel Spores fits well for the concept of a Druid tied to a corrupted land, but I worry about picking a subclass that emphasizes one damage type (necrotic) that might be commonly resisted or immune during the campaign.

Edit: On further consideration, Circle of Spores seems like the clear thematic fit. I'm fully open to reconsidering when we see the party's set up though!

Description: 

Privet is a tall, slender young woman who is sometimes seen wandering the Vigila Forest between the mist-falls. Though she stands over seven feet tall, none would say she towers over them; she is lanky and meek, trying to take up as little space as possible in spite of her frame. Her long green hair is near-dead, feels like hay and is forever tangled and mangled, resembling a bird's nest more than a maiden's mane. She is always wearing a simple dress, layered skirt and a number of shawls of Vistani make. Her only jewelry is a simple necklace with a wooden butterfly charm, a gift from her father on her birth day; she otherwise goes ungroomed and unadorned.

The shirking part-giant woman has a demeanor as meek and mild as her stance. She was terribly shy even before being driven into the the forests she now calls home. Now, she watches strangers with wide eyes, always taking a half-step back when approached. She has taken to carrying a staff and a makeshift wooden shield, but she weilds neither expertly, seeming incredibly uncomfortable with the thought of bearing arms against another. She would much rather disappear into the mists and the shadows of trees to hide. She is most at ease in nature, speaking to the trees and the birds as easily as most would talk to their closest family, and the greater the crowd the more she longs for the wood.

Plothook: 

Privet Beccari is a strange, ethereal woman. She draws not just gifts but her very life from the natural forces of Falkovnia. While she is rooted (both figuratively and somewhat literally) in the land, her heart yearns to explore, to seek out the Mists and the lands beyond... but what would this mean for her? Her gifts? Her life? Regardless, she is both feared and desired as a witch by the common folk, able to bring healing and medicine but also the terrible force of nature in her hands.

Backstory: 

Somewhere far through the Mists, in another of the countless Domains of Dread, a Vistani caravan mourned. Their matriarch Suma had finally entered labor at dawn after a too-long pregnancy. Now, Suma wept silently as her husband and brothers dug their child's grave. Stillborn. A horror most mundane, but no less a horror for eager parents. As the men dug their dirt and sang their hymns, a voice called out: The Mists! They come! Shaking and sobbing, Suma stepped beside the hole, lowering the infant bundled in Vistani blankets into the hole. They had just a minute to shovel the dirt back onto the grave before clambering into their wagon, speeding away from the Mist's edge as it overcame the graveyard...

Privet was plagued by many nicknames as a child: Witch. Foundling. But most importantly, she was Little Privet, youngest daughter taken in by the Beccari family. They were but one of a dozen farming families who made their lives in a commune near the Vigila Forest; an idyllic gathering that hid in cellars beneath their homes each Mist, cultivated the lands between, and worked hard to appease the Talons to leave them be and not force them to Morfenzi. The strange inhuman girl had been found in a hole in a coniferous tree in the wood; pale, wailing and very much alive, to the surprise of those soldiers who found her! They carried her to the commune hoping for answers, and found none, but the moment Irina Beccari saw the babe she refused to let her leave with the soldiers and no hope of a home. Irina and her husband Dmitri took Privet in as their own daughter, raising her with little mind that the strange girl was clearly not human and soon grew taller and stronger than even her eldest brothers. She was clearly of the living, and in Falkovnia, those alive were strongest together.

Privet was certainly the strangest girl of the commune. Though the other families were wise enough to not say anything to anger Dmitri, for they needed all hands they could for each months' Mist-fall, they certainly spoke with their children about the youngest Beccari girl. Others gave her a wide berth, and while her brothers were rather protective of their youngest sister, there was enough work that she often had no other peers to play with. If this hurt the girl, though, she hid her pain well. She was fascinated by natural things: Talking to the chickens, tending the lone cow, and wandering the nearby Vigila Forest from dawn till dusk when time and chores allowed. Often her mother would have to call her name for minutes to draw her from beneath the boughs. There, where a thick fog often dwelled and the trees blotted out the sun, Privet felt truly safe and at home. She spoke to the trees; she was certain they heard her. The large coniferous trees felt strong beneath her fingers, and she could call to them, moving their branches and causing them to stir. Even their roots could make the ground tremble beneath her feet. She knew better than to touch the ring of pale trees, but they always spoke loudest to her, calling her... seeing them out of the corner of her filled her with both fear and awe of something she could not see. Mostly though, she wondered. She had been found here. She sometimes found old belongings and bones within the wood, different from the remains of undead she was used to finding elsewhere. Were these travelers like her? Did they belong to another realm? And was that realm where she belonged as well? She had to wonder.

This is how Privet was, through childhood and into her young adult years. She never thought of marriage or schooling like other girls; her future was one of vague uncertainty, as were most young people in Falkovnia. Talk in the commune had turned over the years; neighbors were growing older, and as some of the children came to lead their households, they urged the commune to go to Morfenzi together, using their combined bargaining to convince the Talons to give them a more comfortable life than most. As each month passed with a fearful night hidden in cellars while the dead roamed and tore through their farms, ruining homes and farmland alike, the elders began to be worn down by these arguments for comfort. The Beccari were the last of the holdouts, and one evening Privet learned why; she heard her parents arguing... about her. They both wanted the comfort and safety of Morfenzi, the farmland was too destroyed to hold much value for descendants. But they feared what the Talons would think of a strange inhuman girl like Privet. Would she even be allowed to join? Or, when they met the tall pale girl with an odd affinity for the soil and the beast, would they see her as a monster and slay her? Rather than listen for their decision, Privet knew her only choice... she bundled her belongings and disappeared into the night, leaving for the depths of Vigila Forest, to give her parents no reason to hold the commune. The next morning her mother called for her to come home, and her cries carried hoarse and mournful long into the night.

But Privet did not leave the woods. She had returned to her true home.
Eventually, the cries stopped, and the woods welcomed their daughter home.

Fears and Failures: 

• Buried Alive: Privet has always been afraid of dark, confined places. The monthly visits to the cellar while the undead roamed always terrified the girl; her tears and cries were the most emotive her family had ever seen her. She often has nightmares of being bound and buried by towering figures in the soil. She avoids small shadowy spaces whenever possible.
• Abandonment: While Privet seems aloof and shy, she is truthfully terrified... not necessarily of people, but of forming bonds and those bonds being broken. There was no hiding the Firbolg girl was not a true-born daughter of the Beccari family, but her mama and papa loved her like one of their own, her strange appearances and oddities and all. All it took was spreading rumors, her own panicking, the movement of the earth in response to her cries of fear... and that lifelong relationship burned away, leaving them no less fearful of her than the crowd, at least in her eyes. She now fears letting others close, lest they turn on her all the same.

Rumors:

• The Podling: Those who know the horrors of Ravenloft well know of the Bodytaker Plant, a horrid organism that looks like vegetation, consumes people and births a 'podling' that grows into a terrible replication of the person. Some neighbors whispered that the orphaned babe from the woods must be a fresh podling, perhaps of the Montesori's daughter who left a letter claiming to have run away with a Vistani boy some moons ago. Of course, this rumor may have simply been the Montesori's own way of coming to terms with their daughter being stolen by such a heathenous people, but who can blame them?
• The Blight Witch: Those who were neighbors of the Beccari family before their commune was relocated still whisper of the strange happenings with the family's now-missing adopted daughter. Remember when Zorya's cow caught ill and died during the winter? Or thirteen chickens went missing the night of the Mist even though the barn they were locked away in was never breached? What of the meat spoiling the very day Privet's menses began? They speak in hush tone of the witch who walked among the family; the family themselves rarely speak of Privet, whether due to agreeing with the rumors after seeing the earth react to her fear, or out of shame for abandoning their Little Privet.

Details: 

• Music: Privet's soul sounds like folk music and ancient, too-terrifying tales of mortality.
  • Bayu Bayushki Bayu
  • Green Man
• Pictures:
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Edited August 26, 2023 by Little_Rudo (see edit history)

[Little_Rudo]

Privet Beccari
Firbolg Hermit Druid

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AC: 15 (Leather & Shield) | HP: 10/10 (1d8+2) | Speed: 30'
Senses: Passive Perception 14, Insight 14, Investigation 11
Str: 11 (+0) | Dex: 14 (+2) | Con: 14 (+2) | Int: 12 (+1) | Wis: 18 (+4) | Cha: 12 (+1)
Languages: Common, Druidic, Giant, Sylvan

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Edited August 24, 2023 by Little_Rudo (see edit history)

[Pittance]

Great picture! I've never seen that one before.

Looking forward to more.

[Little_Rudo]

She should be ready for your review now! Please let me know if I got anything wrong or should modify anything. I originally had a more detailed background, but I decided to go more high-level and aim for 'vibes' instead of granular details that ultimately won't matter much. I think it works better for our little tragi-witch. :)

[Pittance]

I like the concept and the art!

Consider it approved!