Caretaker of the Shadows Some random lined art on a whim. The campaign (D&D -> Pathfinder) is coming to a close soon but I still love Fennel so much. For the heck of it, I'll dump all the lore that I have for Fen and her spooky coven under the cut.
Fen comes from the Avern, a group of nomadic trader-witches who travel in bands of 1-10 roaming the world in search of specific ritual reagents and artifacts. These items often have no rhyme or reason, ranging from mundane, but very specific, household items to tinctures of super rare plants distilled through weeks-long alchemical processes. In any case, most of the items they trade are useless or downright confusing for most mainline spellcrafters but occasionally there comes a time when a high wizard, in desperation, will seek out the witches in hopes they have what they need. Somehow, they usually do have or can get what they need even when the grand armies of kingdoms fail, but the cost in return is often very steep (or esoteric).
Each Coven of the Avern are highly varied but they share a few commonalities:
All are nomadic or form secluded shops.
Their coming-of-age ritual often involves a solo journey to find their first artifact.
They are very insular. Joining a coven after the age of 4 is very rare (but not unheard of)
Stick-and-poke tattoos are an artistic, ritual, and social event. They often have a large, winding tattoo over their entire body. Elders often have full suits.
First names are often object based and change throughout their lifetime.Â
Last names often refer to their place of birth or induction (e.g. Fen was born on a hill of limestone, hence kiln-stone)
Each group worships a regional Old One, they are often shadowy entities that watch over their small domain. Fen’s coven is bound to Krummholz (Twisted Wood), the one who watches from the treelines and between the trunks whereas a coastal coven might worship a leviathan in the deep. Typically only the Elder will communicate directly with the entity.
Trading (rumors, items, etc) between covens is common on the rare occasion they meet. Payment is usually through favors or an item-for-an-item basis.
Fen’s coven, has a few unique aspects:
In Fen’s coven, young members are named after small plants (Rosemary, Boxthorn, Moss) while elders are named after mighty trees (Sequoia, Larch, Cypress)
Krummholz (Twisted Wood), is a very large humanoid shadow that often watches just beyond the corner of the eye and lurks far from most populated places.
All members wear large coats and robes covered in leaves, plants, and mosses. This helps them hide from the monsters that roam the forests.
They travel through the woods to gather rare herbs and stones. Rarely they find items that, by all logic, should not be there.
The recent surge in magic and the subsequent blight has made it very difficult for them to travel the forest. During a solo journey, the Elder Redwood kun’Gurma has relayed Krummholz has fallen ill and has given them instructions for a ritual to combat the spreading taint. As part of her coming-of-age ritual, Fen has been given the task to find the Carrion Axehead. Fen is, by all standards, kind of weird. Has no sense of personal space and has a tendency to loom and stare at people. Lots of tattoos spilling out from her back and neck. She was adopted into the coven when she was 3 years old. She has a sister who, somehow, is in another coven. They know of each other’s existence but not their whereabouts or even if the other is alive. (Much later in the campaign, we finally chanced upon her! Named Penstemon, we fully did not realize she was Fen's sister until after we left.)
Krumholtz
Krumholtz represents the dark space between trees where imagination goes wild and paranoia blooms. It is the thing that children speak of when they get lost in the deep forest. An entity that has been here as long as the Duskwield has, it has seen much throughout the years and has opinions and knowledge about the major pantheon of gods and the progression of civilization. I use the term entity as their godhood may be debated. However, given the opportunity they would definitely attempt to dethrone one of the major pantheons and ascend to the prominence of Sylveste and Wydavera (two of the major gods of the setting). They are physically perceived and depicted as a large shadowy pillar with two beady red eyes and may occasionally be seen with antlers and evergreen crowns. To add to the dismay of lost travelers, they have also been seen with somewhere between 4-8 spindly arms they can use to tear apart trees. In general, they do not talk with anyone but the most senior members of the Avern but they do occasionally impart lessons of the junior witches or make pacts with the lost travelers of the forest. Redwood kun’Gurma is an outlier as she is seen as an equal in the eyes of Krumholtz and they maintain a casual running conversation with each other. Being an entity of the Duskwield, they are attuned to and reliant upon the health of the forest. The Blight is a major issue for them and has sickened them with its growing prominence. To this they have instructed Redwood to leave the forest and procure items and knowledge that may be used to contain and combat the spread of the blight. However, even in this diminished state they are still a force to be reckoned with.
Inducted Members
While the Avern, as a rule, are very secretive and picky with who they induce into their ranks, there are occasions where they may welcome a friend or married member. The most common way is for them to meet lost (perhaps purposefully so) travelers in the Duskwield and offer them guidance. Some of these wayward travelers may fit well with the rest of the witches and be offered a place if communally agreed upon and they are willing to fully give themselves to the rituals and rites of the coven. They wear the same robes and hats (often made by their significant other/friends) but keep their original first name until marriage (when they take their partner’s Avern last name).
There are old folk tales about the monsters of evil witches in the Deep Duskwield abducting and ferrying away lost children and young adults. Some of them may be rooted in truth, and of them some of them may have found their ways into the ranks of the Avern.
