Esther Barsham
| Nickname | Esther of Barsham |
| Ethnicity | Twelveswood Hyur |
| Profession | Itinerant psychopomp |
| Gender | Cis female |
| Orientation | Gay & repressed |
At A Glance
Agrarian Symbolism. You'd almost think her a farmer: the simple, hardy clothes made for field work or travel; the no-nonsense pigtails; even the farming sickle at her hip - oh, odd though, there's two of those, and they're engraved: I exist / even in paradise.
'Shepherd's' Cane. Not that kind of shepherd. There's no hook, only a brass ring with talismans hanging from it, the kind spiritcallers carry to help gather up the aether of lingering souls and send them on their way.
Atmospheric Weight. Some find her presence disagreeable. Not evil, not tainted, just of that elusive tragedy clinging to her like a cloak, that lingering reminder of something no one really wants to remember: it comes for us all, eventually, with time; the burden of executioners and undertakers.
Traits & Themes
Sickle-Sister from the Gentle Ministers of Thal’s Lantern and the Green Halls of Barsham; mouthful, honestly; monastic order of psychopomps in the Twelveswood dedicated to Thal; singular entity; “Nald is an Ul'dahn invention to support Ul'dahn greed!”; travels the countryside to soothe restless spirits and return them to the Wheel, or so she says; really, she mostly ends up repairing, cleaning, and upkeeping old, abandoned tombs; or helping farmers harvest their barley (ceremonially-trained).Openly reserved, quietly yearning; doesn't like to cut corners; diligent and conscientious to a fault; pretends to loathe laziness but mostly because it's a luxury she feels she's never been afforded; the burden of responsibility since a young age; can be quite stern and firm; or no-nonsense and direct; one of those student class president types with the unintentionally sharp stares; occasionally comes off as harsh, opinionated, and rude (because she is); often seen with her miqo’te attendant, Hypatia; people say her job sounds scary, but if she’s being honest? She sometimes wishes they were. Most ghost stories are just sad.
Story Hooks
The Gentle Minister
She’s who and what from where? She says it doesn’t matter, she just needs you to answer these questions, that’s all, okay good, now if you’re not too busy could you hold this for a second? Thank you. This way, now. An hour later, she’s fast-talked you all the way to the home of someone recently deceased or a stretch of catacombs left in disrepair. Things are about to get weirder, though.
Funerary Folly
You accidentally interrupt Esther while she’s in the process of gathering up the local pyreflies of the dead to hopefully send them on their way. It angers the spirits and now, either through a tunnel collapse or via “spatial alteration” you’re both now trapped in there and have to find a way to appease its residents or find another way out. She’s liable to take her time, though.
Graverobbing!!
You’re exploring an old tomb or ruin looking to raid it for valuables, as is the adventurer custom, or maybe you’re simply there to clear out the goblin nest and figure you might as well take what treasure you find since “no one’s using it anymore.” Unfortunately, Esther is currently cleaning and restoring the resting place. “Legitimate salvage” is unlikely to go over well with her. This does not imply combat.
Juris-My-Diction!
The Green Halls are a legitimate and authorised minor cult that recognises the Padjal as the authority in the Twelveswood. Unfortunately, passionate Sickle-Sisters like Esther tend to totally ignore jurisdiction and go about things their own way, often even circumventing direct orders from authorities. You’re either a Woodwailer, Padjal, or someone hired by them to drag Esther and her attendant from somewhere they’re not supposed to be.
things i'm about
brainstorming & gushing about character stuff together
maturity & kindness
headcanon & worldbuilding
being 23+ irl strongly preferred; i don't care what your character's age is, but it might understandably change the ways mine interacts with yours!
please, no
fascists, misogynists, israel apologists, transphobes, capitalists/libertarians, et cetera
acting like solution 9 and other sci-fi or modern tech is commonplace and normal; it ruins this character's vibe
miscellany
i have a few alts, and so although not necessary, i like adding people to discord if we vibe; it's just easier to get in contact with me!
sometimes i will eschew words like 'try' and 'attempt' because i think it's linguistically clunky; if i do this, i'm not seizing narrative authority from you, just explain what actually happens in your next post and i'll roll with it
be nice to me, it's the law
