Darkonian Kargatane Record
- Known Name: Catriona MacGranin
- Race: Human
- Apparent Age: Early 20s
- Birthday: 26 January, 732 BC
- Height: 5'9"
- Alignment: Neutral Good.
- Affiliations: Forfarian Community, Leiksburg Militia.
- Religion: Brigantia (Forfarian Old Golds).
- Character Class: Ranger.
- Place of Origin: Leiksburg, Barovia.
- Player/Type: NPC
Appearance
Catriona MacGrannin is a striking athletic figure with fierce determination etched into her every feature. Her long, wild red hair cascades down her back, a vivid contrast to the deep green of the forest that typically surrounds her. Freckles dot her pale skin, giving her a youthful appearance that belies her hardened nature. Her piercing blue eyes are sharp and alert, constantly scanning her surroundings for any signs of danger.
Catriona is typically found clad in a combination of leather armor and a traditional Forfarian war-léine, a war kilt that pays homage to her clan. The dark green and red pattern of the war-léine is a clear nod to the MacGrannin clan, blending her warrior spirit with her cultural roots. Her leather armor, though worn and scarred from numerous battles, is well-crafted and designed to allow for agility and freedom of movement. She is usually seen carrying two axes, one in each hand, with the confidence of someone who knows how to use them with deadly precision. A bow is also usually seen slung across her back, along with a quiver of arrows, making her well-equipped for both close and ranged combat.
Background
Born in Barovia to descendants of Forfarian refugees who fled Forfar (now known as the domain of Forlorn), Catriona MacGranin, the youngest child and only daughter of Saoirse MacGranin, grew up in the dense forests near Leiksburg to which she felt a strong connection from a young age. Catriona's lineage traced back to those who settled predominantly in Immol. However, a branch of the MacGranin clan relocated to Leiksburg, closer to the Forlorn border, to establish a support network for the druid enclaves within Forlorn. The MacGranin family, renowned in the Forfarian community for their magical aptitude believed to be a legacy of ancient Fey connections, produced numerous druids, including her brother Donnach, a respected druid and community leader.
From a young age, Catriona was known for her fiery independence and resistance to the traditional roles expected of women in her community. Rejecting the notion of marrying young and bearing children, she instead embraced her profound connection to the forest and trained as a Ranger, honing her skills in tracking, survival, and combat, studying the foes common to both Barovia's wilderness, as well as Forlorn.
Her talents did not go unnoticed. Captain Viktor Sarkov of the Barovian Guard in Leiksburg recognized her exceptional scouting abilities and conscripted her into service. Officially tasked with protecting the forests around Leiksburg, guiding travelers, and warning the village of any significant threats, Catriona excelled in her role and earned her the rank of Senior Militiaman, accepting a permanent role in the militia in charge of the scout branch of the Leiksburg Militia—a small unit of three other scouts within a total militia of eighteen conscripts and two voluntary Senior Militiamen.
Despite her militia duties, Catriona's primary loyalty remains with the Forfarian community. She often guides and protects pilgrims traveling to support the druid enclaves in Forlorn seeking to reclaim their homeland, using her intimate knowledge of the southern Barovian forests and pathways. This duality of roles underscored her commitment to both her community and her responsibilities as a militiaman.
Catriona's personal life is complex. Bisexual but discreet about her preferences, she fiercely resisted marriage all her life, fearing it would force her to abandon her career and personal freedom. Her romantic liaisons were carried out in secret. While casual dalliances were tolerated or ignored, a serious relationship with a non-Forfarian or another woman would be problematic as her community expected her to marry within the Forfarian lineage. She actually thinks the new Burgomaster is pretty attractive and likes her spirit, but she knows pursuing such an interest openly would be kicking the hornet's nest. That's not to say she might not do it anyhow. The new Mithral Knight in town has also caught her eye.
Catriona struggles against traditional expectations and remains dedicated to forging her own path. Balancing her militia duties and community demants with her personal desires in a challenging environment, Catriona MacGranin is a strong-willed and skilled Ranger, deeply committed to her community and her role as a scout.
Personality
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Catriona lives by the adage "work hard, party harder." When she is not out on patrol or performing her duties as a scout, which she takes with the utmost seriousness, she can often be found at the Misty Oak Inn drinking copious amounts of ale and dancing the night away. It has become a regular sight to see her drinking with Burgomaster Halloway, and the sheer quantity of tankards of ale that these two women knock back, seemingly unfazed, never fails to impress.
Fiercely loyal to her family and her people, Catriona has a deep sense of duty that drives her every action. She is courageous, often taking on dangerous missions to protect her clan and village, sometimes to the point of recklessness. Her fiery temper matches her hair, and she is not one to back down from a fight, especially when her loved ones are at risk. Despite her tough exterior, she has a strong sense of justice and is deeply compassionate, particularly towards those who cannot defend themselves.
Other Notes
To most Barovians, the Forfarians are a bit of a mystery. They stick out a Barovian Mile from the Gundarakite and Barovian population, who typically have heavy-set and stocky bodies and hair and eyes in shades of brown, and favour earthy and plain clothing. The Forfarians all have hair with at least some shade of red, from strawberry blonde to carrot orange to dark reddish-brown, have naturally athletic bodies, with the males often being quite barrel-chested, and favour (comparatively) colourful clothing, typically adorned with a kilt or léine displaying Clan MacGranin's unique tartan pattern and colours. The most puzzling thing to most outsiders, however, is the relationship between them, and most Barovians fail to understand the difference between Clans, Septs, and Families, all of which are unique, different, but related things that all Forfarians instinctively understand and accept as simple (and a source of pride and sometimes amusement).
The Forfarians as a culture are split into Clans. Each clan is a political entity as well as a literal family. All Forfarians married or allied to a clan are considered a part of the clan, even though they may not be family. In Leiksburg, all Forfarians fall under the banner of Clan MacGranin, which Catriona is actually family of, in addition to being a member of the clan.
Clan members typically marry outside the clan - and arranged marriages are common and seen as a way to encourage ties and bonds of loyalty and blood between Septs. A sept can be seen as a family unit - but this can include people who marry into the sept but are not born into the family. To outsiders, the difference between family and sept is a very blurry and confusing line, but the Forfarians accept Septs as being a more formalised and political type of family than plain "family". Septs are allied to and swear loyalty to the banner of a clan. They liken this to other realms having noble houses, which are bannermen to "great houses" in turn, except rather than simply oaths of loyalty, the oaths are often cemented by marriage. There are three Septs in Leiksburg:
- The MacGranins: The MacGranins are both a sept by definition, as well as the Clan the other septs are loyal to via oath and marriage. The MacGranins have historical mystical ties to the forest from ancestral fey connection that results in natural magic, leading to many druids (and some rangers) in the Clan. In Leiksburg, they work within the forestry and herbalism fields. They tend to nature and encourage its regrowth, whilst sustainably collecting and growing resources for Leiksburg and exportation. They are led by Donnach MacGraning, who is known by non-Forfarians to be the community leader and a respected forester/lumberjack, but within the Forfarian community is respected as a community leader by dint of being a druid and priest of the Old Gods. Although Donnach is the leader, his mother Saoirse (pronounced Seer-sha) is the village Taner - a title of respect by the Forfarian community given to the eldest (and thus considered wisest) member of the community. In many Forfarian communities, the Taner is the defacto community leader, but in Leiksburg her son Donnach has that role, although as Taner he values and relies on Saoirse's advice.
- The MacDougals: The MacDougals work in animal husbandry. They have the largest field and furthest from Leiksburg, run by herdsman Fergus MacDougal, the eldest member of the sept. There, they raise goats and sheep for milk production, and horses generally as draft horses, but they do selectively breed and train a few for use as warhorses. Fergus' daughter Heather is married to Donnach MacGranin and is a respected herbalist.
- The MacGregors: The MacGregors own the local inn the Misty Oak and have a brewery big enough to produce barley beer which is commonly drunk with every meal as well as their own, better-quality and much darker-coloured Forfarian ale. The inn and brewery do employ non-Forfarian staff to supplement the family members. The patriarch of the family is Gregor MacGregor, who works as the Innkeeper of the Mist Oak, and his sons Gregor and Torin run the brewery. Most of the women, whether Gregor's daughters or daughters-in-law, or Grandchildren, typically work at the Misty Oak as barmaids, cooks, or other roles. Gregor's daughter Morag MacGregor is married to Callum MacGranin, brother of Donnach and Catriona MacGranin.
Despite being three septs, the Forfarians are carefully about inbreeding, and a desire to strengthen ties to the outside. As a result, they keep close connection to the greater Forfarian community in Immol, as well as with those in their native land of Forlorn. Though they prefer to have wives from outside clans marry into the Leiksburg septs and clans, to increase their numbers and political ties, this is not always possible and they consider it a bittersweet moment when one of their daughters has to leave Leiksburg to move to Immol to be with her new husband and clan/sept.
Combat Style
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Catriona is cunning, adaptable, but a little arrogant. Whilst she abhors having to kill, it is plain to see she enjoys combat, as she obviously enjoys challenges of skill and ability - whether this is dancing, drinking competitions, axe-throwing games, or personal combat. She by far prefers to engage in melee combat and her weapons of choice are her twin axes - one a handaxe that she calls swiftstrike, and the other a throwing axe that she calls Whistler. She wields these weapons in unison, with the left primarily serving as a parrying weapon and secondary attack weapon, and her handaxe the main weapon. Against nearby targets, she will throw Whistler, which makes a whistling noise as it flies through the air. What is not common knowledge, and she uses to her advantage, is that both axes are enchanted - and Whistler will return to her hand moments later ready to be used once more. Her primary weapon, swiftstrike, appears less obviously enchanted and exciting to watch, but its subtle enchantments make the weapon far more agile and allows Catriona to make precise strikes at weak spots with accuracy that allows her to inflict as much damage with precise hits as a much stronger person with greater force. Observers once noted three bandits overconfidently approach Catriona with drawn sword and demand her money and equipment, and Catriona allegedly laughed lightly, shook her head, threw her hair back, casually took out her axes and, with a grin, said "come and get them..."
She is skilled with bow too, though less of an expert. She prefers to carry a shortbow as opposed to a more powerful longbow because she usually operates either in either the dense Barovian forests, or urban environments such as Leiksburg. Longbows can be more cumbersome to use in these confined spaces, but shortbows more adaptable. As it is a secondary weapon, typically used for ambushes, opening volleys, or fighting aerial creatures, she considers the versatility and convenience more worthwhile than a little more damage potential. She will typically draw her bow when she wishes to keep a distance from a foe, or needs greater range than she can muster with her throwing axe.
Catriona keeps it low key, especially from the paranoid and suspicious Barovians, but she has inherited her family's affinity for divine nature-related magic. Whilst not very powerful, she does have access to a handful of ranger spells that she can use. By default, her prepared spells are usually a mix of defensive and offensive spells, which make her faster, tougher, or her weapons more damaging. She usually only uses this when she realises a foe is more dangerous than initially anticipated, and needs to even the odds a little. When there is needed, she may instead prepare more utilitarian spells, for example if specifically desiring to investigate the forests or search for specific creatures or other purpose.
Social Style
Catriona likes to think she is a good judge of character and quickly warms to like-minded people who show respect to her, her role as a scout, and her Forfarian culture. She has little patience for deceit or cowardice, and she values honesty and bravery above all. Demonstrating a commitment to the safety and well-being of her clan and village will earn her respect. She has a particular fondness for those who can keep up with or even beat her in drinking ale and generally cutting loose at the Misty Oak Inn when they’re not out risking their lives. Sharing a drink with Catriona and keeping pace with her at the tavern is a surefire way to earn her camaraderie and trust. Doing things that either help to protect or otherwise aid the community (especially the Forfarian community in Leiksburg) will greatly aid this. As the old expression goes, "actions speak louder than words" and Catriona is a woman of action (even if those actions may be drinking copious amounts of ale in one sitting).
Signature Equipment
Armour & Weapons
- Forest Stalking Armour: This +2 Forest Stalking studded leather armour is enchanted and when activated helps the wearer blend in more naturally in forest surroundings, granting them bonus to both conceal themselves and to their perception in this terrain.
- Swiftstrike: A +1 Agile Handaxe of Forfarian design that allows her to use her high dexterity to apply more damaging attacks equivalent to a much stronger person.
- Whistler: A +1 Returning Throwing Axe of Forfarian design that flies through the air back to the creature that threw it.
- Dagger: A masterwork dagger of Forfarian design that Catriona uses more for utility and as a survival tool than as a weapon.
- Composite Shortbow: a masterwork composite shortbow adjusted for someone of Catriona's above-average strength. Less strong individuals would find the pressure of the bow too high to pull easily.
Magic Items
- War-léine of Brigantia: This léine of brightly colored tartan is magically reinforced, granting Catriona increased durability and mobility. She gains increased natural armor a competence bonus on acrobatics and dancing checks. Additionally, once per day when an adjacent foe attempts to take a 5-foot step away from her to disengage, she can immediately make a 5-foot step to remain adjacent and engaged to that foe.
Mundane Items
- Silver Pendant of Brigantia: A simple black leather cord with a small silver pendant depicting Brigantia, one of the Old Gods of Forfarian culture.
Signature Quotes
- "The forest never lies; it’s the people in it you have to watch."
- "A good axe and a strong drink—those are the only friends you need in Barovia."
- "You want to impress me? Then put down your drink and pick up an axe. Let’s see what you’re made of."
- "To our clan, our land, and the next round of ale!"