La'Marri is a well-knit comminuty that keeps to itself, eschewing much of the outside world...EXCEPT for the occasion where one wishes to join their population and abide wholey by their rules. This land is a magically-active place, practically alive itself. It is perfect for a village filled with mystics, alchemists, mages, sages, and other gifted sorts. They help one another, they tend to the needs of each other, and they do not bring trouble in from the outside.
Several years ago, they admitted a young woman, a most unusual one, at that.
She was a Beastkin, a beast that walks like a human being, like the Gnoll or the Draconian. Beastkin are of the animal and the human being in one. This one, in particular, was a Ferret, mostly black-furred with white highlights, with a natural mask-pattern on her face that is common amongst ferret-kind. She dressed in black and came to train in her talents of Ferromancy, the magic of metal. This was Keefe Zarla, who now lives in a house on the outskirts of town, owing to a preference to live closer to wilderness than others.
Years later, she brought in a human, claiming him as her protege'. This was Sano Alistair.
The community knew that Keefe was both talented in fighting and her magic, though how exceptional she was might only become well-known in her training of the young man for several years. They sometimes wondered just what she did on her many excursions, but as she said in regards to those, she stated that she would abide by all of La'Marri's laws and never bring trouble to their doorstep. She never did, and the young man's training continued, until...
One day, she had come back badly hurt, almost dead.
They had heard some of it from Sano, mostly that Keefe had been injured by someone, and that he needed a healer to look after Keefe until she was well. That was a while ago, and Sano had set out to 'take care of this'. He was noticeably scant on the details. Because Keefe had been just about stabilized with her emergency potions, the healing process was a matter of clearing up the damage and the trauma, and going through the recovery process.
We now come to today...
Keefe had, in these days, been sleeping in because she had to for her recovery. The body mended itself more in sleep. However, because she was also stubborn, when she awakened, she was also keen on moving about, even if it did not seem wise. The ferret's violet eyes snapped open in bed, a little earlier than intended and she sat up suddenly, wincing before gripping her stomach with a clawed hand. Under the shirt, that area was bandaged from where she had been stabbed and the cursed blood sprayed out. Keefe looked down at herself, clenching her fist.
Idiot...
That was directed at herself. Keefe had a very harsh opinion on failure, hers or anybody's. A failure of this magnitude had her cursing herself out with every complaint of her body.
Taken like an amateur...
She remembered that she needed water today. Throwing off the covers of her bed, she willed a metal cane to her side and made use of it as she got up. Her body was still not at one hundred percent, but her powers were okay. It was not recommended, exactly, that she do any activities, but she also refused to go soft on herself, not when she had allowed that monstrosity to beat her. That umm...was why she was up early, by the by. It'd been another dream of the encounter.
So now, Keefe was in an understandably sour mood. Hopefully, she won't be staying that way.