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Maria Hallows - Physician's Apprentice
Maria Hallows – Physician’s Apprentice
Name: Maria Hallows
Nickname/Alias: Maria, Doctor Hallows
Age: 26
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Height: 5’ 7” (~167 cm)
Weight: 120 lbs (61 kg)
Occupation: Apprentice physician
Personality:
Maria is a quiet, unassuming young woman who tends to spend most of her time with her head in the clouds—an optimist an academic by nature, she likes to read and discuss the latest ideas coming out of the schools and parlors of the nation.
Despite this idealistic bent, when it comes to her work in the clinic Maria is single-minded in her practice; she cares deeply about the people who come to Dr. Olivetto’s office, and she is devoted to her teacher and his art. It is her hope to eventually take over the clinic after Dr. Olivetto retires and to use her research and work to help change the hearts and minds of the magic-averse people of Salvar.
Recently, however, Maria has started to become more withdrawn, tired, and more easily startled. When others ask, she just waves them off.
History:
Maria Anya Hallows was born to a minor noble family in Knife’s Edge, Salvar. Raised in a world of privilege and wealth, she was largely insulated from the horrors of the civil war that raged around her. Throughout her childhood she was groomed for whatever suitable match her parents had in mind for her in order to strengthen the family’s position in the city—she was introduced to various potential suitors from a young age, and had a cotillion ball when she came of age. She was educated in etiquette, reading, writing, arithmetic, history, and by and large accepted her lot in life.
All of that changed several years ago when a stranger by the name of Dr. Olivetto arrived on the Hallows family doorstep with hat in hand. He introduced himself as a physician requesting donations from the nobility of Knife’s Edge to help him keep his newly founded clinic from closing its doors. Maria’s mother and father were unimpressed by the doctor, but Maria herself was captivated after spending the afternoon speaking with him about the beneficial applications of healing magic in the medical office—something which had been highly controversial in the magic-averse nation of Salvar. The theory was new and exciting, and Maria begged her parents to allow her to study with Dr. Olivetto, much to her mother’s chagrin; she wanted her daughter to be looking for a suitable marriage prospect, not working with the poor of the city, and certainly not as a mage. But Maria was adamant, and ultimately after a protracted stalemate that lasted several weeks, Maria’s father agreed to not only allow her to go and work with Dr. Olivetto, but also gifted them man with a small sum to keep his office open while he trained Maria.
Unfortunately, while Maria was enamored with the prospect of studying magic, other people in the capital have been less pleased to see a mage setting up shop so soon after the bloody, chaotic horrors of the war. Dr. Olivetto’s office is often the target of vandalism, and both the doctor and Maria have been harassed by groups of thugs eager to demonstrate their distaste for the arcane. Sentiments have been slow to change among the people of Knife’s Edge, as they always have been among a heavily indoctrinated population. Even so, among the poor and downtrodden who live in the vicinity of the clinic, begrudging, quiet gratitude is not uncommon.
In the past several months, however, Maria’s excitement has given way to dread as she has begun to doubt her sanity. She has started to see and hear things that no one else seems to notice—“echoes” or “ghosts” of the patients who have died in her clinic, or of the indigent who passed away in the streets nearby. She has learned that she cannot interact with them, despite her efforts to communicate and understand their desires—she is not even sure if they have any at all. Maria has also started to notice figures: Shadowy, black, thin creatures that are only seen out of the corner of her eyes. She hears their incomprehensible whispers in the day and dead of night alike, and swears that they have begun following her. She has no idea what she’s done to draw their attention, but she desperately wants to figure the mystery out before something awful happens.
Maria has not told anyone about these “visions”; she is convinced that no one will believe her, and she worries that they would be correct in doubting her. This constant state of anxiety and uncertainty has led her to develop health complications of late: She has had difficulty sleeping through the entire night, and has been missing meals recently as she digs deeper into Dr. Olivetto’s library for information on what is happening to her. Only time will tell what, if anything, she will find.
Appearance:
Maria is a tall young woman whose defining feature is that she often looks tired and ill, with bags under her dark eyes and a pallor about her complexion--an unfortunate trait for someone of her profession, but one which she can offset with her warm demeanor and gentle smile. Although never a chubby child to begin with, Maria has recently begun forgetting to eat at times, and she has become noticeably more frail. Her family has become concerned of late, as this unidentified malaise is a new development, one that corresponds with her starting to work with Dr. Olivetto.
Maria’s profession as an apprentice physician lends itself to simple, practical clothing and hairstyles—pants are less likely to catch on anything than skirts, and short hair is easier to manage in the lab.
Image:
Attachment 39
https://www.deviantart.com/art/short...rl-2-388917665
(credit given to kinohara-kossutaon Deviant Art)
Skills:
Medical Knowledge – As an apprentice physician, Maria has been trained in the theory of anatomy, physiology, alchemy / pharmacy, herbology, and in their practical applications in the lab. She can assess and treat injuries and illnesses and, with enough time and supplies, craft simple healing tonics / potions.
Well-Read – Having grown up in a noble house, Maria has had access to numerous books on a variety of subjects throughout her life. She can recall a limited amount of generally relevant information on a given academic topic, and / or she has a general idea of where to look for additional information.
Abilities:
“See No Evil, Hear No Evil” (passive) – Within the past year, since she started working with Dr. Olivetto in Knife’s Edge, Maria has started to see and hear things—things which she cannot explain. Maria occasionally notices “echoes” or “ghosts” of the people who have died in her clinic, or of individuals she has interacted with in the shops and streets of Knife’s Edge. She can sometimes hear snippets of conversations she had with those individuals happening again after the fact. More troubling, Maria has been seeing thin, black vaguely humanoid figures out of the corner of her eyes, and hearing incomprehensible whispers when they are around. She believes that the figures have noticed her as well.
Maria has not yet discovered a way to interact with these specters, and cannot understand the shadows' unintelligible speech. She does not even know if they are real. There seems to be no discernible rhyme or reason to which spirits she sees and which she does not, or when this occurs.
(This is purely a roleplaying ability—I do not intend to use it in any kind of combat context, and as of right now it has no practical combat applications. In the future I would like to continue to develop this ability in additional directions, but for now this is what I want)
Curative Magicks (active, non-combat) – Maria is a doctor by trade and is studying magical healing from Dr. Olivetto. She can use her magic to assist individuals in recovering from their minor illnesses and injuries more quickly than they could on their own. Maria's abilities can help to relieve the acute symptoms of poisons, sickness, etc. and help individuals to recover from longer-term illnesses at twice the rate of a normal, unassisted individual.
Weaknesses:
“Where is my Mind?” – Maria, a woman of medicine, is beginning to believe that she is losing her mind. The things she is seeing and hearing are well beyond the pale, and no one else seems to notice or react to the “echoes” when they are around.
Physical Frailty – Maria is physically weaker than the average person—she does not train for strength or stamina, and her malaise has further weakened her.
Equipment/Weapons:
1x Iron dagger
1x Surgical kit w/ scalpel, bone saw, thread, needle, forceps, etc.
1x Basic alchemy kit
Languages: Salvic, Tradespeak
