The Beast Fears Fire - Huldra

Huldra [Malevolence 5]
Impulse - To Test

It's possible that, like the pudding cloud, there is just the one. It's possible that there might be others, but there is just one in Crickton, to the best of anyone's knowledge, who haunts the areas where one would expect to find old Ash weapons.

The Huldra - it's possible that "Huldra" is the name of this individual, though she also answers to the name Thalia - spends a lot of her time in the form of a standing dead tree, the broken-off, human-high stump of a singed pine. She can hold this form indefinitely, and has used it to pass whole generations by in slumber. Otherwise, she appears as a young woman with light skin, dark hair and the tail of a cow. She does not always appear dressed (cold and weather does not appear to bother her in any state of dress), but when she does, it is in antique rust and slate colored Ash dress. She speaks the languages of the sea, but leans heavily on Demersal and Neretic and, thus can be hard for Cricks to follow (Crick uses only a handful of words from those languages - being mostly Litoral and Pelagic).

The Huldra is generally peaceful if approached cautiously and with respect. She enjoys conversing with people, as long as she does not judge them impolite. It's possible to speak to the Huldra for a short time without causing offense, and the people of the northwest are pretty well trained in this regard (you do not need to make any Moves in order to simply greet and bid the Huldra on her way). Not offending the Huldra during an extended or in-depth conversation, however, can be a difficult task - she's very sensitive about her tail and drawing or even paying attention to it will cause her to fly into a rage. She is also somewhat delusional and paranoid, and her use of sea-tongues that aren't commonly used by Cricks makes verbal slips easy to make. It may, however be worth the risk to speak to the Huldra, as she has a great store of knowledge on just about any topic and is an extremely powerful sorcerer.

Speaking to the Huldra is doubly dangerous in that her words are full of supernatural power, and a lot of people who are used to speaking with others (even practiced in speaking with monsters and spirits) find that conversation with her is especially tricky and dangerous.

Waking the Witch
When you seek information or tutelage from the Huldra, face Malevolence.
On a Hit, you make friendly contact and avoid offending her. The Huldra will ask for payment or service for her help or knowledge up front, and that is the price you must pay.
On a Hard Hit, the Huldra has judged you worthy. Her speech patterns change to match yours, her manners become a lot more relaxed, and she will usually help you freely. You can interact with her normally from now on.
On a Miss, you offend her, driving her into a rage.

Harm - 3, Peril [Cursed] If you offend the Huldra, she will turn her magic and her command of the Benthic and Abyssal tongues on you. Her powers often manifest as clouds of sparks, grayish horseflies and dry, broken pine needles sharp as steel. The Huldra has the powers to affect plant life and the earth as a wood and earth witch.

With friends like me, who needs enemies?
The Huldra is the source of most of our extant knowledge on the subject of the Ash people and their weapons, but the history of her own people is not the only knowledge she possesses. This can be more than a little problematic, in some areas, since it's well known that she knows the formula for making Trowir, and other equally dangerous things, which she will freely teach to anyone who does not offend her. As a result, there have been a few attempts on her life from people who would rather see what she knows forgotten or controlled. So far, none of these attempts have been permanently successful.

The Huldra will sometimes take someone she finds worthy as a lover. She has mentioned that she hopes to one day have a child, but thus far, all her pregnancies have produced hulder.