Ava Sansmark

The woman who calls the shots in The Thirsty Goat, Ava is not often seen leaving most of the work to her multiple children. When she is seen, she is often balancing ledgers in the back, or, if she is avoiding silent judgement from Birch, a glass of ale in one of the drinking halls. Those that sit near her will often hear her sigh, deep, heavy things followed by a strongly furrowed brow. Still, she seems to have a great tolerance for patrons and an ear for knowing when they are uncomfortable. Ava is quick to send one of her children to an unhappy table, or to take care of matters herself if matters are more delicate. She is known to keep hard-candies in her pockets and give them to the daring children who happen by her table. For the older children, Ava will often provide work when asked during busy seasons such as logging in the summer or the Great Hunts.

Physical Description

Apparel & Accessories

If one were to line up all the townsfolk in a row, they would not be able to pick out Ava based on her garments. Whether modesty or lack of desire to dress in extravagance is anyone's guess, but Ava adorns cotton and wool cloth in undyed fabrics. A coin purse, padded to prevent noise, is tucked into her many layers. While Spiderhaunt does not have a theft problem, the habit has never been shook from her days in Murghym.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Ava was initially raised at her mother's hip, literally, scouting the Mountains of Copper for signs of dragons. When she got too small to carry, much of her youngest childhood was spend with her grandparents and aunts and uncles, picking up pieces of learning the tavern business. Her young teens were full of conflict, caught between a mother's desire for her to live something larger and a family's desire to keep the family close and in Spiderhaunt. As a result, her time was spent bouncing between Spiderhaunt and Murghym. In the capital, she learned how to curse and smile when she didn't feel like it. From Spiderhaunt, she learned how to ferment ale and keep money moving from pocket to table. At age 16, she met Birch in a Temple to Torm when her frustrations with traveling and uncertainty drew her to seek a listening ear. Unwilling to leave an understanding, calm voice behind in Murghym, Ava employed all she'd learned to convince Birch to return home with her to Spiderhaunt. And, for years, it was a breath of fresh air in an old, stale town. The family viewed him with some amount of distrust, but at night she could air all her frustrations and he had nothing but soft advice. As their children got older, that relationship changed. Birch's dedication switched to the town, and Ava's did as well. In her mid-thirties, she was keeping the record books up to date, and advising her aunts and uncles on how best to run the business. A family of survival rather than heirs, the Sansmarks delineated more and more responsibility to Ava. In her fourties, her mother's mind started to show signs of fading, and the stories the tavern brought in reminded her of better days. She dedicated herself to the business with a ferocity, as though she could preserve old and bittersweet memories with them. By the time their last children were born, both Birch and Ava were linked only by the illusion of sharing the same mindset. But, the devout and strict living of a priest had never fully settled with Ava. Perhaps that was why she drunk so heavily the night The Twins split, or perhaps it was in spite of a fight earlier that day. Regardless, the birth of Ash the following year gave Ava hope for something different. Ava spent extra time with Ash for the first five years of his life, never having smiled as wide as when he did. But, time she spent doting on the child grew a bitterness in Birch that Ava recognized. She slowly spent less time with Ash, thankful when she could leave him with Rowan when their eldest returned home. But the damage with Birch never repaired fully, and Ava often has trouble meeting Ash's eyes as a result.