A nameless rusalka
The rusalka claimed to have been married to the nameless tender of cows killed and devoured by Alden.
She was encountered on two occasions. The first time, she was a luminous woman clad in white, who emerged from the woods around a campsite used by the Kochmaki raiders and their captives, and later stayed at by the party. She was walking toward them, singing haunting melodies. In response, the party quickly cleared out.
The second time, the companions encountered her late the following night, after her husband had been eaten by Alden. She charmed most of the party into submission, and learned which of them did the deed, and then lured Alden into the nearby stream, and attempted to kill him by drowning and biting him. At this point, Fedor identified her as a rusalka. She was then distracted by Lokan, who resisted her mind control, and by Yuri, who was charmed by tried to help the rusalka by pulling her out of the water. While she was thus distracted, Alden managed to escape, and swam out of the stream on the other side. Exasperated or disgusted, the woman says that Alden can live, but as a curse on his companions. She then swims away. Alden is left in a weakened state, and it takes a day for him to fully recover.
Later, Hegumen Mitrofan told Yuri that he does detect a curse lying upon him.
The current whereabouts of the nameless rusalka are unknown - presumably, she is somewhere near the hamlet where her husband lived.
She appears in Chapter 6.
Comments