Appearance:

Standing at 5’ 5”, Artemisia is about average height of a girl of her age. Her otherwise unremarkably sized bust is accentuated by her slender figure and a proper posture. Raised from birth as aristocracy, with the confidence to match, she is often dressed in dapper fabrics and cloaks, giving her a mature appearance that exceeds her diminutive size. Her hair is often done up with long, asymmetrical bangs with an unconventional ponytail, but on occasion her hair can be found simply let down.

Height: 5’ 5”
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Light brown

Personality.
Artemisia is a person that has seen far more than she should for a noble girl of only twenty-seven summers. From a land once prosperous, torn by war and disease, she has a tendency to become cynical, sometimes bitter. At face, she has a hint of sadness in her air. Nonetheless, she is a person that strives to be virtuous despite her failings, seeking to uphold her morals and her interpretation of noblisse oblige. Formerly rather arrogant and prideful, she can still be smug and still holds a good sense of self-worth despite being beaten down by her past. Influenced by her upbringing, she is yet still a sociable person; while not to the strictest definition of ‘friendly,’ she is possessed of a certain charisma and guile that can captivate many of those that she meets.

Artemisia has a steady, unyielding quality to her and can be stubborn as an ox. She upholds her bargains, and expects others to uphold theirs. Once she takes hold of a grudge, she will take it to the grave.

She has a great love for food, wine, and luxuries, despite her newfound circumstances. Dressing well is her particular weakness; in no uncertain terms does a traveling merchant adventurer –spice peddling or not-- dress in silk, gold clasps and finery. Artemisia does, and looks all the better for it. It does give her a bit of the occasional problem on the road, however.

History:
The United Provinces of Vruchtland, at best, can be described as a state in the business of keeping up appearances. A small nation, occupying the size of land a larger empire might call a province, it is a country of coastal lowlands, levees and costly reclaimed land. A nation of ports, a century ago, it was a maritime empire, ruled by the elite merchant-nobility class. After a hundred years of poor politics, expanding neighbors, and a following twenty years of siege and war, Vruchtland’s prestige was barely held together by the slowly unraveling glue of an aging navy, a strong currency, and the natural defenses of floodable lowlands. The port Neuben dictated the flow of many goods into the continent, and stood as the stalwart guardian of the Laagare River, the gateway to the rest of the country and its upriver trading port, Estiegnac.

Artemisia de Chauret was the fourth child of Fernand de Charuet, the marquess of Estiegnac, and a member of the merchant elite. As a member of a noble house in declining Vruchtland, Artimisia was groomed to take a position in the country’s political and economic sphere. Immersed in a life of politics and trade, she slowly integrated into the family’s affairs. At first, she sat in at discussions, threw parties with peers of her age at her family estate. Then, her responsibilities grew towards matters of state. Finally, as a merchant, she broached trade proposals, brokered agreements, and handled disputes in the name of her father. For a noble, she traveled well.

When the armada was destroyed, betrayed by Vruchtland’s closest ally, when the fleet’s captured remnants sailed up past the silent forts of Neuben and into the heart of the country, it heralded the beginning of the end. The country, which had been so hard to take from the frontlines, stood no chance attacked from within. In a few months Estiegnac was under siege. Another couple months later, it was hit by yet another disaster.

Artemisia and her family were caught in the siege. A few months later, plague wracked the city. Vruchtland dealt well with plague, but the ravages of war and a dearth of supplies soon reduced even the most practiced of cities. Artemisia, like many others, sought solutions to slow the death. In her own effort to turn back the plague, she dived into books, researching at first the esoteric, and then, as the situation grew more desperate, with her family dying around her, found herself going to the depths of the forbidden as the morbid circumstances drove her research into necromancy with an equally morbid curiosity.

Despite her own efforts, little worked, and hardly stemmed the bleeding of the city. In the following months, four fifths of the population perished. The reduction soon forced the city’s surrender; by the grace of god, what remained of the population was allowed to walk out. By the end of it, Artemisia was the new head of her family seat, but one in exile.

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Level: 20
Class: Necromancer
Profession: Merchant

Stats:
Strength (STR): E
Vitality (VIT): D
Dexterity (DEX): C
Intellect (iNT): B
Wisdom (WIS): B
Charisma (CHA): B

List of immunities:
N/A

Resistances:
Necrotic
Disease
Poison
Hunger

Weaknesses:
Holy
Close quarters combat

Equipment:
Ceremonial Sword – A small, thin, gilt weapon carried more as a dress weapon than as a weapon for personal defense. Nonetheless, the 90cm weapon functions perfectly fine as a self-defense sidearm.

Dagger – A simple well-crafted 30cm blade. It serves as a backup weapon in the direst of situations.

Artemisia’s Attire – Simple, well-made, but elegant. This often consists of a white blouse, dark skirt, boots, and a gilt black cape with a golden chain and clasp. More subtly, the buttons have her family’s coat of arms.

Ring of Estiegnac – A gold signet ring engraved with the Estiegnac coat of arms, belonging to the head of the house.

Inigo – Artemisia’s horse. Sturdy, reliable, but not the fastest. Fitted with a leather saddle and outfitted with a variety of bags for goods and traveling supplies, as well as an always handy to have change of clothes.

Leather-bound Journal – Notes, spells, grocery lists, whatever. Probably a grocery list for exotic food.

Skills

Diplomacy (Passive)
Deception (Passive)

Spells
Cure Wounds – Restores minor to moderate wounds to one’s self or another over the course of several seconds.

False Life – Fortifies one’s self or another with an imitation of life, temporarily boosting vitality.

Minor restoration – Cures one disease or condition.

Equilibrium – Saps and transfers the life force of one target to another, dealing minor damage while healing the secondary target.

Lesser Animate Dead – Animate a corpse with a mimicry of life. Raises a minor skeleton or zombie that follows Artemisia’s commands. The spell lasts for a day before the target reverts to a corpse.

Fireball – A very straightforward spell. Fires a ball of fire at a target.

Bog Strike – Unleash a bolt of negative energy that ensnares the target, dealing minor damage and encumbering them for a small duration.