Aggie (Agatha) Broadstride

Aggie is an 85-year-old human grave domain cleric who was training in Edwardsville when she witnessed the summoning of the Worldbreaker. She doesn't suffer fools gladly, she is very practical and she doesn't like it when people beat around the bush. She likes it when people get to the point (at age 85, she figures she doesn’t have much time left). She hasn’t been around nobles a lot in her lifetime, but according to Aggie, based on personal experience, the noblemen she has seen are just as likely as common folk to be assholes. She is also kind, particularly to young people and children, or those in need, and she loves soft things that make her comfortable and warm, as she’s usually freezing. Soft cozy socks are a particular favorite of hers.

Ever since Aggie was unable to save her twin sister, she has made it her personal goal to save as many people as possible from dying. If death is unavoidable, though, she will try and ease suffering as much as possible. She doesn’t condone violence generally, but if the death of one person will avoid the deaths of thousands, she could be convinced to see reason. Aggie also doesn’t have a problem sacrificing herself; she has lived a long life and most everyone she knows is dead. If possible though, she would like to die for an important cause. Last we saw Aggie, she was on her way to Longriver with Lyle Tealeaf and Larry the Lizard, who had just been Feebleminded by Xanathrax.

Appearance Edit
As Aggie is 85 years old, she is not particularly nimble or quick on her feet anymore and often uses a cane which her late husband Wexham carved for her not long before he died. When it rains, her arthritis flares up and her hands hurt quite a bit. She is short and kind of skinny, with loose skin; her face is weather-worn from being outside a lot, and she has white hair that has been cropped short. Her eyes are grey, and she lost the pinky finger on her right hand as a result of an accident. She has many scars as well from her time spent on the battlefield tending to the wounded.

Early childhood Edit
Aggie has led a fairly simple life, really, for the most part. When she was a young girl, she grew up on a farm in the town of Camor in the Crownlands. The area has very rich farmland, fed by a magically created river, and her parents made a decent living selling their crops to Highfield. Her father’s name was Boris Witherkind, and her mother’s name was Mellie. Aggie was the youngest child in the family and had 7 brothers and a twin sister Mig (Margaret). Aggie has always had a bit of a knack for healing. On the farm, she helped out the animals when they were sick, and helped the cows and horses give birth – and over time, that spread to people as well.

One of the most significant events in Aggie’s life was the death of her twin sister Mig. When they were 7, Aggie got infected with snow fever. She recovered, but Mig fell ill, and despite Aggie’s best efforts, she died. Aggie’s family couldn’t afford to call in a real cleric, and Aggie knew more than the local doctor. Aggie stopped him from giving Mig some bad medicine – but whatever Aggie did, and no matter how hard she tried, it wasn’t enough, and Mig died in Aggie’s arms. Aggie has felt guilty about her twin sister’s death all her life, as she doesn’t know whether she was the one who made her sick in the first place.

Hob-goblin conflict Edit
When Aggie was about 10, a major conflict broke out with the hobgoblins. Aggie’s brothers all joined the army. Six of them died or disappeared – the body of her brother Aldric was never found. But even if he did survive, he never made it back, and he would be over 100 now, were he still alive. Only Frederic returned from battle, and he had lost his mind. He had seen so many horrors on the field that he just couldn’t get over it. He was sent to a monastery, and died there. Aggie visited him before the end, and was there when he died, but she couldn’t really have a conversation with him anymore. He kept ranting about scary creatures and primordial angels.

Training and education

Having lost almost all of her siblings, Aggie wanted to help people with her gift, to try to cure them, helping out there where clerics wouldn’t or couldn’t venture. So she studied her letters and managed to join the Red Guards, a group of healers. It was the proudest day of her life, as a position in the Red Guards is highly coveted. After training in Highfield, Aggie tried to help where she could. She helped people at home – assisting in many births – and during times of war, she joined the forces on the battlefield as a medic. Aggie has seen much death over the years – some of it a blessing, and some of it terribly unjust. It’s amazing what some people can survive, and how some people die who look like there is nothing wrong with them.

First marriage  During her training, Aggie fell in love with a fellow student in the Red Guard, a High Elf named Fenmaer Stardew. He was from Za’Ramunz, a High Elf city in the Crownlands on the other side of the River Elementus, and they married in secret in Highfield, as Aggie knew her parents (who didn’t hold much with elves) would never have allowed a union like that.

Fenmaer was killed in action during the Hobgoblin Siege at Crescent, almost 65 years ago (the fortified town in the South of the province of Westshire). Aggie and Fenmaer were taking care of the wounded in the city when the wall was breached. They were instantly surrounded by enemies, and Fenmaer was killed trying to shield Aggie from them. Heartbroken, Aggie returned to her parents. A week later, Aggie discovered that she was pregnant. She couldn’t hide her pregnancy after a time, and her parents wanted her to give up her daughter Fenwyn; but Aggie couldn’t bear to do so, as she was the last thing that she had to remember Fenmaer by. Aggie and her parents had a bitter fight, and Aggie left home with her infant daughter. She never spoke to them again.

Second marriage Edit
Aggie resettled in a small town called Raymond Fjord (often just called Fjord). It is a relatively new town at the fork of the River Arcanus and River Elementus, and mostly serves as a stopping point for trade between the major centers of the Kingdom. The people of Fjord were friendly enough, especially since Aggie was a Red Guard healer, and there were so many widows in town that one more did not stand out. Aggie eventually met her second husband there, a kind man named Wexham Broadstride. Wexham used to run a rather well-known and popular Clock and Tinker’s shoppe. He treated Fenwyn like he was her real father, and was a great father to his biological children – 2 boys (Henry and Jack) and a girl, Stel.

Henry, Jack and Stel fell ill with snow fever as small children, sending Aggie into a crisis – but luckily they all recovered, and for a time life was very good. Fenwyn, however, never felt like she fit into small town life. Eventually, Aggie and Fenwyn decided that she might be better off with her father’s kin. Fenwyn left about 50 years ago to live with the Elves; the last Aggie heard, she was planning on training as a bard, or maybe a druid.

Life moved on at a slow and steady pace. But then, as inevitable as nightfall, death came knocking. Wexham died first of old age – he was 95, and had lived an unusually long and happy life. While Aggie was very sad to lose him, it was certainly not unexpected. Then a recent epidemic claimed both her sons’ lives, and Aggie’s daughter Stel died giving birth to her own daughter. Despite all this, Aggie doesn’t like it when people feel sorry for her. As a practical woman, she knows her own time to die is approaching, but she has always felt that she was meant to do something, and that she somehow hadn’t done that yet.

Aggie's vision and a new career path Edit
Then, about a month ago, Aggie had a vision in her sleep. Mig appeared to her, dressed all in white. Aggie told her sister how sorry she was about being unable to save her when they were seven. Mig said that she had only vague memories about her life, but that the thing she remembered most was Aggie trying to help her get better. She told Aggie that it would be her destiny to help people at the end of their lives – by either saving them or helping them cross to the other side, if they were beyond help. She then showed Aggie the other side, which looked like eternal summer, but shinier, and told her that it is a pretty amazing place. She asked Aggie not to feel bad for her. Aggie woke up with tears streaming down her face.

Mig also told Aggie she was to travel to Edwardsville and become a cleric of the Faith of the Great Four, and that there is where her destiny lies. Aggie was very excited about this prospect, as being a cleric would allow her to practice her medicine and help more people. Using magic would also require less strength, as she is not as spry as she used to be. Aggie sent word to Fenwyn (or at least to the place where she knew Fenwyn was a while ago), packed up her belongings, and came to Edwardsville, where she has been for the last month. She gets to do my work and training in peace, and the people in the temple are very kind and turn a bit of a blind eye when it comes to their oldest resident – but she finds life there a bit boring.

Family tree Edit
Note: names in bold are still alive

Boris Witherkind†            married to           Mellie Witherkind†

1.      Edmund† [died in hobgoblin war]

2.      Theoderic† [died in hobgoblin war]

3.      Merv† [died in hobgoblin war]

4.      Janus† [died in hobgoblin war]

5.      Aethelred† [died in hobgoblin war]

6.      Aldric [never found, presumed dead]

7.      Frederic† [died after losing his mind]

8.      Mig (Margaret)† [died age 7 from snow fever;twin sister of Aggie]

9.    Aggie (Agatha)   married  Fenmaer Stardew† [first marriage] - daughter: Fenwyn then married  Wexham Broadstride†[second marriage] - children: Henry†, Jack†, Stel†

Character Statistics
Current level: 5

Strength: 5; Dexterity: 8; Constitution: 14; Intelligence: 13; Wisdom: 18; Charisma: 14.

Passive perception: 19

Feats: observant, healer