[hider=Rose]
[b]Name:[/b] Rose. She has never, to her knowledge, possessed a surname. Sometimes she picks one for her amusement or to hide herself- Halwell, Sommers, Causwell, Hosner, Red. The last one she finds particularly hilarious. She has had a title applied to her by the people of a town near the forest which she resided in: The Trickster Witch. 

[b]Race:[/b] The girl at the very least appears to be Human. The truth may be more ambiguous. 

[b]Appearance:[/b] Rose possesses a slight figure, standing at 5'2". Her frame is slim, possessing little muscle or fat to speak of. Despite her diminutive stature her gait carries with it a sense of confidence and experience seemingly beyond her years. Her skin is a pale white, her face sprinkled with a small amount of freckles. One would be like to place her in her early to mid twenties, as the girl has a youthful and exuberant look to her. Her face is pretty- in fact many would call her gorgeous, her seductive features accentuated by striking deep green eyes. A tumult of wavy brown hair parades down past her shoulders, messy but in a manner that speaks to intention, as it is clearly clean and well kept. Her face is prone to conveying a range of emotions, but she keeps a mask of joy even in dire situations. One can often find a sly smile, one that may speaks of mischievousness or perhaps a sense of danger. One may also see the wide and wild grin that comes to her easily. Her smile is pretty, but also dangerous- her teeth are ground to fine points, a most curious feature for the otherwise beautiful women. What one is not prone to see in her face is fear or doubt; that sense of confidence in her gait carries to her demeanor. Sometime when no one is looking, or at least when she thinks that no one is looking, the expression of joy which she always seems to keep melts away. In her eyes a sense of longing and melancholy can be found, her mouth drawn into a hard line. Despite her hidden sadness the thought of Rose shedding a tear seems to be almost unthinkable. She wears a green tunic paired with form fitting black breeches, complemented by a fine silken cloak dyed black. She possess one of the pointed hats that has inexplicably become attached to witch folklore, aware of the ridiculousness of the garment but donning it proudly nonetheless.
 
[b]Inventory:[/b] Rose's primary weapon is a [b]staff[/b] hewn from a Rowan tree that serves as both a weapon and a focus for Rose's magic. The staff feature a deadly looking blade that can be retracted with the tap of a button near where she places her hands. Rose is a proficient fighter, but she is far from a master of arms. She has a [b]backpack[/b] containing several witching supplies, some of which may repulse her companions. [b]Phylacteries[/b] filled with [b]blood[/b], a [b]bag[/b] of [b]bones[/b], pouches filled with [b]reagents[/b] such as roots, plants, eye of newt, wool of bat, and whatnot. She has a number of [b]scrolls[/b], a series with combat spells inscribed on some while many remain blank. Her final item is a pair of ornate [b]hand mirrors[/b], one with a frame of gold that she will be reluctant to part with and one with a frame of silver that she is more likely to share.

[u][b]Special Abilities[/b][/u]
[b]Witch's Ritual-[/b] The magic of witch's is a tricky art indeed. Her spells are versatile and she knows many, but she's severely limited in her ability to use them. Her magic is a very exact art which require very precise rituals, meaning it is not something that she can use off the cuff. These rituals are often multi-step and require some sacrifice such as blood (A ritual may call specifically for her own blood), bone, or perhaps a living sacrifice. Additionally they may call for some of the reagents which she carries, which are in limited supply and may be difficult to find if she runs out. If she performs a misstep, either due to outside distraction or her own incompetence, the results may be disastrous. This sort of magic relies on consorting with demons or even minor gods for a piece of their power, and if they are displeased with the ritual's execution they may harm Rose and those around her. 

[b]Scrollcraft-[/b] One product of these rituals may be magical scrolls inscribed with a spell. These scrolls can be used to cast the spell without the required ritual, instead requiring an incantation, but they are destroyed with use. Complicated spells cannot be placed on them, strictly limited to combat and some utility abilities. Rose has a small collection at the moment but can create more with relative ease provided the proper reagents- the ritual to create a scroll is fairly simple after you first learn it. At the moment she has three scrolls inscribed with the ability to cast a fan of flames, three that allow her to call down lightning from above (The lightning is a magical construct and does not require the visibility of the sky), and five that will fill a room with light. It is important to note that others can use Rose's scrolls, but they must pay heed to use the proper incantation or they will not work.

[b]Scrying-[/b] Rose's mirrors are not without purpose- they are used for scrying. She is not a fortune teller, but is instead able to project her image on reflective surfaces. In turn the image of what she is scrying is returned to her. This has a number of useful application: She may communicate with others by projecting her voice through mirrors, look at things which she cannot see, or spy on others. This ability comes with two caveats, the first being that if the surface is poor quality, the surface of a lake for example, the image will be muddled and perhaps indecipherable. The second is that this ability is poor for spying, as her own image is projected on the surface which she is scrying. Although this is a boon when communicating it is a quick giveaway if she is trying to view a location people do not want her to- covering the surface will render the ability useless.  

[b]Witch's Sniffing-[/b] Rose has spent some time around the dark arts. It's not uncommon for witch's like her to develop the ability to smell the touch of darkness. She can discern those who use or have been affected the dark arts- other witches, undead, vampries, those who have been cursed, and such. She needs to be relatively close to smell it, however, the threshold being about 20 feet.

[b]History:[/b] Many tales hide in tomes of forgotten lore scattered throughout the land. One such tale is that of Rose, known to the people of a dreary village called Everfall as the 'trickster witch'. The old books tell many conflicting stories, although a few key details always remain the same. They all agree that Rose appears as a young, beautiful women, although some posit that she is a actually a withered hag that uses the souls of her victims to maintain her youth. They all agree that she brings weary travelers into her swamp hut, although there is a debate over whether this is to help them or hurt them. They all agree that after a terrible defeat she has disappeared. Of course, these books are all old, which begs the question: If these books are truly about the Rose that has appeared at the Endless Halls, how old could she possible be? But, before I get ahead of myself, there is one more key detail that the books lie in agreement on: All roses have their thorns, particularly the Trickster Witch of Everfall.

William Humphrey's book "On Monsters and Mysteries" is one book that tells the tale of Rose. In Humphrey's tale he writes of a hag that takes the form of a young maiden, stalking the roads about Everfall posing as a young gidl in peril, her true goal to prey on lone men. She plays the part of the damsel, conjuring wicked abominations for travelling men to save her from. Of course they always succeed in slaying Rose's conjurations, at which point the liberated maiden implores them to escort her back to her swampland home, stringing them along with promise of... an enticing reward. Upon reaching her hut the witch invites them inside, entering into a darkened room. As the door swings shut behind them it locks, sealed by some form of magic, and the room illuminates to reveal the horrid interior of the witch's lair. Humphrey describes the interior in great detail, painting a picture of a slaughterhouse filled with human remnants, strange brews, demonic symbols, and much and more depraved sights. Finally, as the prey realizes they have fallen into a trap, the witch's skin melts to reveal her true form, a withered old women. She then presents them with a riddle. If one answers it correctly they leave with their life. However, if they do not the witch will kills them, using their remains and their soul itself to fuel her demonic magic, particularly that which gives her life eternal.

However Humphrey's version of the story is not the sole account of Rose. Indeed there are many more, all conflicting. One other story is that told in Henry Bisland's "The Lore of the Wispy Woods", an account of the legends of the city of Everfall and the darkened woods around it. Rose's is not the only legend of Everfall, its inhabitants will tell you that the forests around it hold all sorts of dark mysteries and twisted monsters. However, in Bisland's tale Rose doesn't take the form of a malevolent hag. Bisland's account claims that she was indeed the age which she appeared, and uses no sort of demonic magic to achieve longevity. Instead the young witch roams the woods, playing harmless pranks on the people of Everfall and seeking to help lost or injured travelers in need. Those she finds in need may be taken back to her hut to rest and recover, by Bisland's account a warm and pleasant nook. Bisland describes her as a healer and a generally pleasant person to all who cross her path, likening her to some sort of whimsical forest spirit. 

Both tales although differing do have the same ending, only some details changing. They both say that one day Rose encountered a valiant knight on the road, a champion of his hometown and a mighty warrior with wile to match. The tale splits here, with Humphrey's Rose using her trap to lure the knight back to her hut. Upon being presented with the witch's riddle he quickly deduces the answer, leaving unmolested. However in Bisland's tale the knight encounters Rose and the young witch becomes enamored with him, inviting him to sup at her home. The knight came to stay in Everfall for a time, and the witch came to love him. The knight too loved Rose, and as time went on the two would soon wed. However, Rose concealed from the knight that she was a witch, knowing that his chivalric code compelled him to slay witches. Inevitably the truth would be revealed, and the knight would flee in disgust of his lover's use of demonic pagan arts. 

Both tales converge when the knight returns to slay Rose. Humphrey's Rose slays the knight, forever imprisoning his soul in a hell crafted for him. Bisland's Rose, spurned by her lover, escaped the knight's clutches and curses him, casting a hex on him that will cause misfortune for him wherever he goes. Bisland's legend says that the knight is eventually stripped of his lands and dies a lonely death, but Rose was never seen by the people of Everfall again.

No one can truly say which story is correct, and the truth is likely somewhere in-between the many accounts of her life.
[/hider]