Patia Lark
Age: 65
Occupation: She spends her days fishing and causing a ruckus
Appearance: Patia has tan leathery skin from fishing almost everyday she can remember, where she wouldn't die trying it. Whether it's a sun burn, or a burn from the ice, her skin is no where near pretty a smooth. She's got wrinkles, but it gives her character and her spindly black hair is usually up in a loose bun or down around her which only helps the 'mad' look on her short semi-plump body.
No one bothers her about her clothing or how she looks. As long as she sells her catch and doesn't smell too much of fish the world puts up with old Patia.
Personality: She is your crazy family member that is fun to be around but you wish you weren't related to. Patia never met a stranger. She'd talk it up with anyone, she's even taught some of the kids that roam the streets how to fish so if they want to be old and crazy one day, they could grow up to be just like her.
She can be serious, she knows when it's time to get things in action but it's not what she's known for.
History:
Patia grew up a gypsy. She left the Gypsy camp when she fell for one of the boys here in Oldcastle. Patia was young, fun loving, a dancer and good judge of character. The boy she left her family for she ended up marrying, James Lark. They lived in town together, but spent most of the day out of the town, fishing on his boat and sometimes hunting game. James was a great tracker. If there was any trouble, he was one of the men people went to kill a boar that killed some children or find a missing person.
However, as most big brave men do, he fell in action. One wrong move, and James was gutted by a boar. Patia was heart broken. She roamed the forest for weeks, not knowing if she was looking for the boar, or looking for hope. She found her way to what she could feel was a magical place. The spirits there were ancient, and concentrated around a tree. Patia had almost stepped on it.... There at her feet was a totem.
She almost left it there, unsure if it was a good sign or bad, but something drew her to it. Patia could almost feel the life in it. Maybe, her husband's soul had come to rest in it, though it was a long shot to think about. She brought it home and left it on the kitchen counter. Everyday she found herself staring at it for hours until one day, it moved. Then a crashing sound behind her and she found herself in her home with a fawn.
That fawn was Osa. Half from grief, she took to Osa like a pet or child. He grew with alarming speed, and followed her at her heels just about everywhere. For 40 years the two grew together. Osa grew into a large handsome buck, he could be found trying to spear fish out of rivers where she fished, and Patia would have to help him get the wiggling prey off his head. He protected her many times from dangers she only noticed at the last second, and when she was younger, the two even wrestled some.
Now, their life hasn't changed much. But Osa can feel something is changing. Patia's senses in that area have sharpened while her others have begun to dull. This winter was one sign she could not ignore along with Osa's concerns. She had to survive to see the summer.
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