Epiphany Bluntridge's page

Epiphany, or Pifs as she is more frequently known, grew up in Taldor to a proper wealthy family. But a consummate tomboy she always chaffed at the idea of being married off, or indeed getting married and settling down at all.

Whenever possible Epiphany would steal away from her stuffy tutors, or her overbearing mother, tearing off fussy dresses and petticoats and wearing a set of ragged clothing that had once belonged to an amorous stable boy who had made the mistake of going skinny dipping with her sisters. She was horse mad, and had claimed Benson, a young stallion who was supposed to belong to her sister Aderline, though her sister could not bear horses. When she could manage it she would spirit Benson away and ride for hours, when circumstances prevented her taking the horse she would visit Two Copper Iris an old woman who lived in a hut a few miles away and made cheap sausages from unspecified meats she got through an elaborate series of traps. Epiphany spent many happy and informative hours with the lonely old woman, skinning mice, setting and checking traps, and fishing in the river Riot.

The Blunts achieved their wealth, through Ephiphany's great grandfather a notorious Highway man known as The Rovenhurst Reaper. And when she was fifteen hiding from her tutors in the attic she came across a box carefully buried under piles of furniture. Curious she could not resist excavating and opening the box, in which she found a beautiful red enamelled crossbow.

She reached out to touch it, and only came to her senses some three years later in the Riverlands as the Witch made intelligent heavy repeating crossbow Red Maim was knocked from her hands by a dying merchant guard.

In truth there is no magical effect blocking Epiphany's memory, she has simply blocked it out with a conscious effort that has long since become unconscious. But occasionally she recalls the sound of her own maddened laughter, the thunk of bolts tearing into flesh, and the screams. She often sleeps poorly as she relives these horrendous events and hears Red Maim's luscious feminine voice whispering terrible things to her in an alarmingly reasonable way.

Fleeing the scene Epiphany gradually pieced together what had happened, the insidious female voice of the crossbow curling about and ensnaring her mind. She recalled flashes of slaughter, as magically enhanced bolts tore people apart. She had killed dozens of people, many of whom were innocents.

It has now been some nine months since then and Epiphany, has decided to try to atone, by seeking to do good. She is sensible enough to realize there was little she could have done against such a powerful magic weapon, and rarely intentionally tortures herself with guilt about the actions she was forced to take any more.

After being freed from Red Maim she fled the river lands hiding, starving, and distraught. Gradually her common sense prevailed and she recalled some of the traps and fishing skills she had learnt in her youth, managing to catch enough food to survive. Almost unconsciously she made for Taldor and home, but upon arrival found she simply could not face her family, or their constraints again. So she slipped in at night and stole her father's fine, but barely used crossbow - the weapon upon the Bluntridge arms - and her favourite horse, Benson. She left a note on the chalkboard in the stable saying that she was safe and well, but could not be, who, or what, they wanted her to be, and fled.

Epiphany has had a frustrating time since, struggling to find ways to atone and often seeming to spend more time scrounging up dinner for herself and Benson than truly trying to atone.

Her one great success came after finding a wrecked carriage hastily concealed in woods by the side of the road with a dead driver. Following the tracks she came across a clearing where three woman lay bound and gagged while four young men argued over who was to "have" whom - albeit in far coarser terms. A bolt in the throat silenced the largest and loudest, and the second was down clutching at his thigh before they could so much as react. The other two seeing a woman charged towards her, but her bolts proved swifter wounding one, but failing to down him. As they closed Benson reared crushing the uninjured boy, for up close he seemed younger that even Epiphany's tender years, into a bloody mewling thing. The last bandits rusty sword caught her calf, bringing heat and pain, but she guided Benson back and buried her last bolt between his eyes.

The worst of it was that as she "heroically" freed the captive she could not stop sobbing like a hopeless child. Young faces marred by rage and fear were all too familiar, and to her shame she could not even find the stomach to put her dying foes out of their misery, only flinching as their cries faded to gurgles, and then silence.

Since then she has performed a few good deeds here and there, but for the most part they have been trivial and done little to assuage her guilt.

10 Minute Background:
Epiphany is a bit of a day dreamer, and read too many romance novels as a girl. But being a tomboy she tended to identify more with the heroes and finds the idea of herself in a romantic scenario confusing and tends to sidestep any such suggestions, or take them as jokes.

She hates controlling people, and is more wary of such control coming from men. Being controlled magically again is a terrifying concept and she will go out of her way to target and kill anyone trying to do so.

Epiphany believes she is less attractive than she is, due to a childhood being told so by sisters, nannys, etc. She does not really care about her appearance, and tends to dress for comfort, usually in men's clothing.

Since she spends a great deal of time alone Epiphany has developed the habit of anthropomorphising and talking to both Benson, her horse, and Lurlene her crossbow.

Epiphany tends to think that "proper" women are better than her, an idea which annoys her. So with attractive women she can be in turn deferential and then snappy.

Goals

She would like to feel she has saved more people than she was forced to kill, and keeps a mental track. Currently her tally stands at 3 saved and 42 slain, she does not count those slain while trying to do good, but does count evil men slain without direct cause.

She would like to destroy Red Maim, and discover who created it - and kill them if they are still alive.

I would like to see her come out of her shell a bit and make friends with the group, and maybe gradually take on a leadership role.

Secrets

Red Maim released its hold upon Epiphany several times, but always in situations where she would not survive without its power. So she has been forced to kill innocent people of her own free will to defend herself after Red Maim killed their companions.

Under Red Maim's influence she joined a band of notorious Mercenary killers called The Grave's Kin. Red Maim turned on them during a battle with a tribe of trolls. Killing their leader, Evidd, before having Epiphany hurl his flaming sword into the swamp and leaving the rest of the Kin to the trolls.

Mannerisms

She counts the bolts in her quiver by feel, reaching over her back when nervous or bored.

She often finds it easier to say uncomfortable things if addressing something other than the person she has the problem with - unless that person is an enemy in which case she is more than forthright. So she might say now Lurlene its rude to swear, don't you go picking up any bad habits.

She tends to be hard on herself, but forgiving of others.