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Curiosity drives every fiber of Alice's being. She is always looking to learn more about the world around her, and especially the creatures within it. All she desires is to gain a better understanding of nature -- namely, demons and their halfling spawn.
Getting too emotionally close to someone makes Alice feel uncomfortable. Thus, she distances herself from those around her out of a fear of becoming attached. Whether socially, romantically, or sexually, Alice fears that becoming an intimate friend or partner will lead to a distraction from her passion.
Additionally, sexual intimacy is especially avoided by Alice. Sex has been stigmatized by the convent she lived in from the ages eleven to sixteen. She still considers chastity very valuable and worth maintaining.
Nothing will stop Alice from seeking out knowledge. She is always eager to learn and wholeheartedly investigates pretty much everything that piques her interest. Her inquiries are always based in an attempt to satiate her curiosity.
Alice lacks awareness of societal norms and social cues. She may unknowingly act rudely or speak without realizing that her words are misplaced, and she has a hard time interpreting subtle nudges. This is primarily due to her confinement within the nunnery, where her only social interactions were either with nuns or briefly with strangers while performing charity work.
Additionally, 'danger' is not a concept that Alice can comprehend. In the face of foes and monsters, she is completely apathetic to the threats they pose. She's just a bit dense.
- Alice usually presents herself as a young, twelve year old boy named Hugh (after her father). This guise allows her a social leg up (as it is the 1300s), while also compensating for her short stature and "pre-pubescent" voice.
- She trades her research with a demon hunting group known as the Angels. In exchange, she receives the Angels' research: biological demon studies that she would otherwise not possess.
- Alice spent the majority of her adolescence in a nunnery, where she was taught to read and write. She was a novice nun for four years, though she chose to abandon the lifestyle after her temporary vows had expired.
Alice Wendler is the young daughter of a Germanic scribe, originating from a countryside village. As a young girl, she was fascinated by the art of handwriting, and although her penmanship was lacking, she found a love for illustration and documentation as she tried to imitate her father's work. She had a knack for seeking out knowledge and would carefully study the small insects and animals that she came across.
Later in life, around the age of ten, Alice encountered her very first demon: a rat demon that had mauled her house cat. Rather than feel frightened or saddened by this, however, Alice became morbidly curious. She apathetically studied the oversized rat, and while the demon feasted upon her cat's carcass, she took note of its appearance and behavior in comparison to the house rats she had previously encountered.
It was from that point on that Alice felt a strange wonder about demons. They were so diverse, and they had so many characteristics that rivaled those of typical wildlife creatures. Her fascination grew and grew with each specimen she studied and took note of.
At the age of eleven, however, Alice's mother feared that she would never be able to find a suitor, and suggested to her husband that they send her to a convent. Hugh agreed, postulating that, on top of providing his daughter with a husband (God Himself), it would also give her a solid education, where she could better learn to read and write. Having come to a decision, Alice's mother and father soon took her to the nearest nunnery -- located in a more urban city -- and devoted their child to the convent, where she would presumably spend the rest of her life.
In her first year in the convent, Alice's hair was cut short, her clothing was replaced with simple, modest clothing, and she was taught reading, writing, embroidery, and righteous living. The convent was one of the larger ones of its time, spanning several acres worth of land and appearing from the outside as a fortified town. Alice was forbidden from leaving the premises. In her free time, which she had very little of, she would wander the open fields, carrying with her a journal provided by the nunnery. This journal was, of course, meant to be used for religious purposes only, but she would use it to document the wildlife.
Understandably, demons would still find themselves passing through the holy grounds' open fields. Alice would sit at the edge of a courtyard, quietly observing the monsters and taking notes. Even during times in which she was meant to be meditating or in prayer, she would sneak off just to see if there was a new creature to take a gander at. Occasionally, she was caught and reprimanded, but oftentimes she got away with it.
After her first year, Alice had to take a set of temporary vows at the age of twelve. These vows were the same as those a full-fledged nun would take (poverty, chastity, and obedience), but they would only last the four years she would spend as a novice. After which period, she would be able to choose whether she would devote herself entirely to the convent, or if she would leave her newfound lifestyle to find a husband and marry.
Over the next four years, Alice's desire for knowledge only grew. The few glimpses of demons she caught simply weren't enough. At one point, she had even managed to trap a dro within the convent so she could study it more closely. Of course, it eventually escaped after a few days. Being stuck within the walls of such a small area made the novice nun feel restless -- itching to leave. It was no surprise to anyone that, when the four years were up and at the age of sixteen, Alice chose to leave the convent for good, bidding farewell to her mentors.
In her first year outside of the convent, she took up travel, venturing outside of her city and into the unknown. At first, her trips were short, and she was able to return home upon nightfall. However, at some point, her journeys spanned more than a day's worth of travel, and she began mini expeditions -- still returning to the place she called home whenever she could, usually once every week or two. Once she began to venture into other towns, however, Alice began to notice a stigma being placed upon her. She was an older woman who bore no children and claimed to have a vocation. She would be mocked, questioned, and demeaned. To remedy this, Alice began cross-dressing, wearing boyish clothing and going by an alias: Hugh, after her father. In disguise, no one questioned her presence, and her travels became more seamless.
It was during this time that she made contact with a widespread faction of demon hunters: the Angels, who took notice of her studies. Though she refused to join them, she did agree to provide them with copies of her notes so long as they exchanged their own information in return.
At the age of seventeen, Alice came to the conclusion that there was a vast world full of demons she needed yet to see and that she was being hindered by her homebound habits. It was then that she decided to set out for a life of adventure, finally bidding her city goodbye for good.
She ventured far away, equipped with nothing but the clothes on her back, a sack of survival necessities, and most important of all, her journals and pen and ink. Though her ink would soon run out and her clothes eventually needed changing, Alice was prepared for a new chapter of her life.
Alice met many colorful people on her adventures, but she didn't dare let their foreign charm distract her from her studies. She may have traveled with one, two, or even ten people from time to time, but she would always part ways before she became too attached. After all, attachment would cause her to lose sight of her true desire: knowledge.
Now, of course, Alice always studied her specimen from afar. She knew better than to approach these powerful beasts (that is, unless they were dead). Therefore, her studies were surface-level and very rarely delved deeper than what could usually be observed from a distance. Even so, her pool of knowledge was ever-expanding, and she was finally happy.
Alice would bear witness to several varieties of demonkind, often following them at a distance to take note of their habits and behavior. Though she didn't know of a distinction between (or the existence of) half-demons versus full-blooded demons, she would note some more docile breeds and some more vicious breeds. She has only been travelling nomadically for about a year, and Alice is quite aware that she has yet to see the full extent of demon diversity, which she eagerly looks forward to with every new discovery.
Stigandr "kidnapped" Alice shortly after discovering she was an Angel ally. In reality, after sensing that this individual is a demon, she willingly went along with the stranger, under the condition that she could bother him with questions and he would answer. One thing led to another, and the two killed an Angel together (self-defense on Alice's part) before being escorted to Stigandr's father's camp. Though Stig is rather broody and edgy at times, Alice is fond of the demon. Though, her fondness primarily stems from the fact that he is a demon in the first place.
Otto, who is coincidentally a close friend to the person Alice and Stigandr had killed, is a young man who is fairly fresh to the Angel demon hunting group. The two first met when Alice jumped into his horse's path, thinking it was her travel companion, Stig. He escorted her back into town to aid her in finding the "friend," and later Alice attempted to steal Otto's horse after noticing that Stig was in trouble. She failed, to which Otto offered to take her back the way she came. This, unfortunately for Otto, led to him being dragged with Alice to Stig's dad's camp. The two have a quirky little quasi-friendship, and Alice appreciates his kindness.
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