| Rachel Oxen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Rachel Oxen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Loving and motherly, Rachel cares for others. Despite her size she’s very kind and will happily care for those in need or starving, offering refuge and a warm bed to poor and weiry travelers. She is more than happy to house those who come through the rift for as long as they need, so they can get aquainted with their new surroundings. That being said, she doesn’t take kindly to violence in her establishment, or in the poor treatment of others, doing so would surely incur her wrath. She has a rather strong affinity to the earth, and as such sometimes when she’s angry enough she creates a small tremor in the immediate area.
Special Abilities
- Superhuman Strength
- Earth Magic
Special Skills
- Inn-keeping
- Cooking
- Cleaning
- Bartending
Special Equipment
- Apron
- Cooking tools
- Mop
- Keys to the Inn / Rooms.
- Key to the Cellar
Background
Not a lot is known about Rachel’s birth parents, they traveled around a lot but never used their real names. What was known about them was that they were traveling con artists. They often would travel to a town and then pretend to offer a valuable service, they took people’s gold, jewels, any kind of wealth they had, for false promises, blessings, benefits, whatever it may be. That eventually caught up with them in Whiteridge where they went by Joslin and Robert. Pretending to be priests they couple were unaware that Joslin mother was pregnant and managed to pass themselves off for several days collecting money from the farmers, promising the towns crops would be the most prosperous they'd ever had -- for a price. Eventually they were forced to run from the locals, one of the potions they had used in town had actually poisoned a local boy instead of healed him. When the couple blamed this on their parents lack of faith, they were run out of town and ended up hiding in the Erast Forest. The family of the young boy who died had prayed to Citona, the Goddess of Life to save their boy. Citona never answered them directly, but that night they somehow knew that while Citona could not return their child to them, their boy would find peace.
Seeking refuge near the Radiant Spring, praying themselves to Garus for a path to escape this, a death could send the townsfolk into the woods to kill them in their sleep, and they were afraid. One night Joslin heard the peaceful music of the flute, leading her and Robert to the Radiant Spring. They fell into a deep sleep by the pool of water, a feeling of intense calm coming over them so long as the music played. When the couple awoke, Robert saw an elderly woman standing in the water for only a moment when his eyes had just opened. The woman glared at him and it so terrified him that he ran immediately, dragging his wife with him. In the coming months the couple could not find even honest work or a place to stay, impoverished Joslin was forced to have her child in the deep woods.
The birth nearly killed her mother as Rachel was born as part-human part-cow hybrid to the con artists and thieves. Horrified her birth parents took her deeper into the Erast Forest and left her there. By pure chance, she was later found by a loving couple who took her in and raised her as their own, even with her animal like attributes. She was taught to walk, speak and raised with her adopted family’s ideals, of kindness and compassion for others. Rachel's adoptive parents told her often the story of how a young woman came to them in the woods and beckoned them to follow while they were gathering firewood. Once there, they found Rachel nearly dead from lack of care. The young woman who had led them simply smiled and then was gone, the couple had wanted a child but could not have one. They knew it was a gift, a gift from the Old Gods.
During her youth she had a bit of a trouble streak, if something wasn’t fair or she was bullied as she was at times for being different, she would attack in a rage, which due to her increased strength could do a lot of harm to others, and property. This caused troubles for her in her youth, and it took time for her parent’s to teach her self-control, and how her actions in her blind rage, can hurt those she didn’t intend to harm, through that and having her help those who’s homes and businesses she damaged, she learned much and would become less and less likely to outburst with anger.
After years of learning and trial and error during her youth, she became a loving pillar of the community, Her parent’s owned the Heart’s Refuge inn and she helped out throughout her youth, as well as doing other things around town. She greatly enjoyed helping others, and through her parent’s example, always found someone to help and provide a warm meal to. As her parent’s got older she took on more and more responsibility in the inn, so they could relax, later taking ownership entirely and the full responsibility of it, so her adopted parents could retire and relax, and so she could take care of them. She’s quite happy with the status of her life, and thankful to her parent’s teachings. She hasn’t wondered about her birth parents, and lives happily caring for others. She has at times wondered if she would find love at some point, maybe someone who wouldn’t fear her appearance who could lend a hand and aid in raising children with her. Until then, she’s more than happy serving others both in her inn and in the community.