Ursool is called the Woman of the Wood by those who respect her. Those who do not use such names as hag, demon spawn, or simply witch. Once, she was beautiful, a young woman with prospects and a future. But she ran afoul of another—a malignant creature, from Ursool’s perspective—who offered her a choice: become the Woman of the Wood or watch everyone you love die.
Before the creature presented this choice to Ursool, folk knew her by another name. But once she made her decision to take up the mantle of the Woman of the Wood—for what other choice did she have?—she surrendered that name, along with every other aspect of her prior life. Without even the chance to say goodbye to her friends and family, she was transformed from a simple woodswoman into Ursool and forced deep into the Dormont Forest, where she dwells in solitude to this day.
Her life is a lonely one. Few know the location of her home in the woods, and even fewer choose to visit her there. The eslar mercenary, Ensel Rhe Alon, is one such person. He offers her companionship from time to time when the opportunity and his mood align, and sometimes trappers or hunters will come seeking a salve or potion, but Ursool spends the remainder of her time alone.
Folk avoid her for good reason. Ursool is a witch of great power, and while she is not overtly evil, her disposition grows fouler the longer her choice weighs on her. She disguises this well most times, but the curse, as she calls it, drives her to make dark choices. More than anything, she seeks a way to free herself from the dark magic taken hold of her, even if the price is a terrible one.
Ursool appears to most as a beautiful maiden. Perhaps this vision hints at her previous appearance. It is most certainly not her true one. The price she paid for saving her woodland town was more exacting than simply giving up her identity. She gained immense power, but that same power rendered her an ugly, misshapen creature, a being so hideous her true appearance is not fit for the eyes of sane people. What Ursool has become shames her, so she hides her true appearance with her magic, allowing others to see what she wishes them to see. More often than not, this guise is that of a homely woman of modest beauty who might catch one’s eye initially but is otherwise soon forgotten. Ursool believes this is the best and only way she can exist now. The few times her magic failed her so that others witnessed her true appearance were painful experiences she would sooner rather forget.
Little is known about the one who left Ursool with the heavy burden of her curse. It is rumored, though, that Ursool’s decision saved the folk of her town and all others in the Dormont.
WITCHCRAFT
Ursool commands powerful eldritch magic. As the Woman of the Wood, she can control the forest and everything within it, including the vegetation, animals, and insects. Also, she has familiarity with the spirits, though mastery of them is often a fickle thing as fits their demeanor. Those times when her and their dispositions align, they are a powerful ally, granting Ursool near sorcerer-like powers.
As a witch and a woodswoman before that, Ursool has extensive knowledge of herbs, roots, and crystals used in creating potions and elixirs. While she crafts few love potions, it is not unusual for her to trade a healing elixir, a potion to ward off drowsiness, or a solution to calm the nerves for supplies not so readily available in the forest.
URSOOL’S HOME
Ursool lives deep in the Dormont Forest, a woods of dense ash and pine frequented by hunters, trappers, loggers, and others who dwell in one of the many woodland towns found here and there throughout the Dormont’s wide expanse. Her home is a place of ultimate solitude, hidden from most by its remoteness and the occasional spell cast by Ursool for those times she truly wishes to drown in her sorrow without prying eyes intruding on her.
Her home is small but more than adequate for her modest needs, with an area for sleeping, a hearth for warmth and cooking, and a table she uses for eating and working.
FIRST APPEARANCE
Ursool first appears in Engines of Alchemancy (The Alchemancer Book One).
