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Fiona Watcher

Childhood

Fiona grew up in the politically tumultuous Vallaki. The prior Burgomaster, Vargas' father, wasn't a great leader. He ruled Vallaki like a police state, with early curfews and strict rules on propaganda. Vallaki was the kind of town where people got black-bagged in the night for even talking about Strahd. Public hangings were quite regular during the time.   When the former Burgomaster died and left Vargas in charge, the town rejoiced. Vargas was known as a young idealistic man that always smiled when you spoke to him. However, after only a few years into his rule, Vallaki found out he was little better than his father. He just wore a happier face when he made people disappear. At the very least, the public hangings stopped, replaced with the stocks and plaster donkey heads.   Fiona hated the rulers of Vallaki and could never quite understand how such horror managed to take over the town. Compared to the violence and fear she saw every single day of her childhood, a distant vampire lord hardly seemed like a threat. And yet the general public's fear of that same vampire lord allowed people like Vargas and his father to abuse their people. Even her own parents had come to accept and even advocate this way of life.  

Meeting Strahd

When Fiona was fifteen, she convinced her parents to let her take a trip to the Village of Barovia to see if they could make some political connections. However, she took a little detour to Castle Ravenloft to meet the infamous devil that everyone was so afraid of.   Strahd didn't have a real interest in Fiona, but acted as a gentlemanly host during her visit. Fiona was never the most beautiful of girls, but she'd sharpened her mind and charismatic skills pretty well for her young age.   While Strahd never had a romantic interest in her, he saw her capability and potential and offered Fiona a place among his consorts as a vampire. Fiona politely declined and said that she could more adequately serve him as she was and perhaps provide him with information on Vallaki. Strahd happily agreed to the alliance. In return for her service, Strahd gifted Fiona with a few tomes on magic as well an Imp to act as her familiar so that she'd "never truly be alone in this world."   Thus, Fiona's servitude to Strahd began.  

The Prophecy

On her way back to Vallaki, Fiona made yet another stop at the Tser Pool encampment to meet the famous Madam Eva. The Vistani welcomed Fiona, as they always do to travelers, and Madam Eva gladly read her fortune.   Madam Eva saw the following in Fiona's future:   First, there would be the coming of an outsider to Vallaki, foreign to this land. The coming of this outsider would mark the beginning of a new age in Vallaki.   The coming of the outsider would also bring a great ruin. A purge on the town like none other.   But when the ruin was done, the blood of the outsider would shed sunlight on Vallaki yet again.   In general, prophesies can be interpreted in many different ways. There's no absolute way to fulfill one. And that's the general trouble with fortune telling. However, Fiona latched onto this fortune and it became her obsession.  

Fiona's Cult

Fiona knows in the depths of her soul that Vallaki will be rescued from the darkness and corruption that has overtaken it. She preaches that the coming of the outsider will purge the wicked from Vallaki and that afterwards sunlight will shine on them.   So not only is Fiona preaching that the corrupted Burgomaster is going to be overthrown, she's also telling these people, Barovians for goodness sake, that they're going to see sunlight! That's an amazing thing and something definitely worth following.   Because of the whole "purge" thing, Fiona actively condones putting "the wicked" to death. She believes that the death of unclean souls act as sacrifices for her prophecy's fulfillment. Every so often, a guard or avid Vargas supporter might go missing because Lady Wachter's cult abducted them to be sacrificed. It's bloody and awful and Fiona really hates having to kill anyone, but she and her cult do it for the sake of sunlight. To them, that's an entirely worthy reason to murder people.  

Family

Fiona's late husband, Nikolai, was her world. He was one of the first people to hear her beliefs and then support them. They met when Fiona was sixteen and Nikolai nineteen. Nikolai was no more than a banker's apprentice, but his willingness to actually listen to Fiona, who felt so alone in Vallaki, won her heart.   The two fell madly in love, much to the chagrin of Fiona's parents. Fiona threatened to elope if they didn't let them marry, and rather than go through that scandal, her parents allowed it. The only condition was that Nikolai take the Wachter name, instead of Fiona joining his household. And so they were married.   Fiona's three children, Nikolai II, Karl, and Stella, are great loves to her. Fiona's actually been a pretty decent mother to them. There's been no abuse or neglect, as we see so often in CoS, and the three have grown into capable young people.   Stella's fall is something that pains Fiona enormously. She actively hates herself for not seeing the true cause of Stella's condition before it was too late. It's also another reason Fiona holds a very personal grudge against the Burgomaster's house.   While Fiona does care for her family tremendously, her belief always come first. She is, at her core, a fanatic. Going back to another religious example, there's a story in the Bible about a man who has to murder his only son because god asked him too. He takes his boy up to the altar rock, weeping all the way, and just as he's about to kill his son, god stops him saying that it was a test of the man's faith. Fiona is this type of person exactly. She would sacrifice one of her own children if she had to, but it would hurt her very much to do so.  

Roleplay/Personality

Fiona never raises her voice and always speaks in a calm, unhurried manner. Her voice is both comforting and commanding, like that of a stern mother figure. When someone is speaking to her, she actively and ardently listens, so that whomever has her attention usually ends up feeling very important. Fiona's strongest trait is her charisma, and she sure as hell knows how to use it.   However, Fiona is not afraid of doing bad things to get stuff done. According to her own beliefs, there must first be a purge before paradise. Sometimes, sacrifices must be made. And to Fiona, the ends always justify the means.

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