It is said that one of Jo'Arca's swamps was once home to a witch. However, unlike the witches of fairytales and children's stories, this swamp witch was friendly and traded the potions she brewed with anyone willing to trek through the wilderness to find her. Her concoctions were known to be some of the best in the land, made of hard to find flora and exotic ingredients. They were used as medicines for rare diseases, or for tasks as menial as keeping one's home smelling fresh. She was a recluse, certainly, dwelling far from any other civilization; but all who had met her spoke with unmistakable fondness.
One day, however, a traveler from a nearby town returned to his home empty handed, proclaiming that the witch's hut had burned to the ground. He said he saw no sign of Alois, the swamp witch, and that he could find no trace of her within the rubble.
Still, rumors come and go that lucky travelers may still come across Alois deep in the swamp. Some even say she is a ghost or StarRobber, forever haunting her old swamp to get revenge on whoever ended her life so soon.
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In reality, Alois was a bit of a klutz. What was said to be an act of malice by some was really just a stupid mistake made by the witch as she was brewing a potion. She knocked over a vial of ingredients which toppled into her mixture, causing an unintended reaction that sent her whole home up in flames.
Yeah, it was as embarrassing as it sounds.
Luckily, Alois’s magic allowed her to protect her spirit from any harm as her body perished in the flames. With a bit of effort she can give the ghostly form physical presence, allowing her to continue making her potions for anyone that isn’t scared off by her new form.
Today the witch was on the edge of the swamp, perhaps the closest bit to civilization, where the murky water and tangled tree roots gave way to a plain of tall grass. It was crisscrossed with roads frequented by merchants and travelers of all kinds, so Alois stayed in the shadows of the trees, plucking mushrooms and flowers from the ground and dropping them into a woven basket. Once in a while a merchant whistling a tune would draw her closer to the road subconsciously to listen and hum along, though she’d dart back between the trees as soon as the sunlight hit her eyes.
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((Open RP! Feel free to notice Alois and come say hello, or get spooked by the ghostly StarDasher lurking in the trees. She’s (mostly) friendly, if not a bit of a trickster with her newfound ghostly-ness.))