Vasha nocked her arrow, slowly allow the wooden shaft to rest crosswise along the belly of her bow.
Ahead of her in the glade the shaggy Bouphon raised its head from the stream and looked around.
The huntress knew she needed to act fast before the horned creature realised she was crouched in the nearby treeline.
Taking a deep breath she cuffed an errant lock of her copper hair from her brow and drew back her bowstring.
Suddenly the shaggy creature in front of her let out a wild growl and spun around - but it was not looking in her direction, instead the creature was starting toward a man clad in rough homespun who stood stunned, mouth open and rooted to the spot.
The dumb farmer had blundered into the clearing and disturbed Vasha's hunt.
With a bellow the Bouphon charged, it's head lowered and it's huge horns before it.
The farmer was still standing rooted to the spot when Vasha released her arrow.
The shaft sped straight ahead, taking the creature low in the gut.
She'd had a clean shot lined up until the beast moved and now the thing ploughed into the ground with thud and a pitiful cry of pain.
The farmer began to blubber thanks as the huntress left her position amongst the trees and approached the thrashing beast.
Ignoring him she placed her bow on the ground and drew a long hunting dagger from her belt.
The Bouphon looked up at her, pain had wracked its large, heavy features but there was still fight in it yet.
Quickly and cleanly she ended its suffering.
"Be still my brother, forgive me."
Vasha the huntress
Strength 1
Agility 2
Mind
Appeal 1
Brawl 1
Melee
Ranged 3
Defence
Barbarian 1
Hunter 2
Soldier 1
Thief
Lifeblood: 1 Hero Points: 5
Protection: 1 - Vasha wears enough leather and pelts to stop a sword slash or a weak spear thrust.
Long bow, dagger
Languages: Lemurian, Valkarian
Boons:
Keen Scent, Tracker
Flaws: Taciturn
Vasha the huntress was born into a minor clan in the Valkarian wastes.
She was the 12th child born to her father, the clan's chief hunter and from a young age she was taught to hunt with the bow and the spear to earn her keep.
Life is hard in the Valkarian lands and everyone, regardless of gender, must earn their way in the clan.
She showed great skill as a hunter, especially with the bow and she brought down great snow bears and the Volf - the six legged wolves of the icy wastes - for her clan.
At 16 while hunting a rogue snow ape that had been attacking people she was caught up in a blizzard and found herself far from home.
Lost and all alone she kept heading south, hoping to eventually find the lands of the friendly Nuash clan, she figured she'd eventually find the nomadic people and they could feed her before sending her back on her way.
Much to her dismay the land became warmer and more hilly until she found herself on the edge of the Arnian League.
Totally naive in the ways of civilisation but still intrigued by it all she wandered into the small border castle town of Nicol. This strange, busy land was alien to her but she quickly found a place as a archer in the lord's company.
The League is forever eyeing the surrounding lands with greed and her first years in their employee she saw frequent action against the troops of Tyr-Sog.
Sick of being constantly outflanked by Tyr-Sogian troops who knew the ground better the lord of Nicol commissioned several of his more promising officers as scouts and deep raiders.
Vasha was picked to serve in the 1st Arnian Irregular company, who spent much of their time behind enemy lines, scouting, raiding and headhunting the enemy leadership.
Many of her comrades were folks who had worked the slightly shadier side of the law in their civilian days and Vasha became adapt at moving quietly, theft and cutting down the enemy from behind.
Finally the league and the Tyr-Sogian empire settled once more into a bitter, sullen truce and the irregulars were no longer required.
Now in her 20th winter Vasha roams the lands, bow in hand.
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