Meet Amulette

It wasn't hard to find the banner belonging to the camp's witch. Pitch black was considered a sign of the demon lord, not to be used in any livery. Her banner contained it all the same, black with three white stripes drawn vertically across and a curled finger in the center. It was an eerie banner, one that would seem more at home in a vampire's castle than in a human camp. It made you shiver, reminding you that encounters with the forces of evil were close at hand.

… Perhaps even closer at hand than you'd imagined. The saintess witch could be seen outside her tent as you crossed the barricade, inspecting the cranium of a kneeling, animated skeleton. She wasn't in the least shy about using her dark arts, you quickly realized. Necromancy is about as dark as arts get, frankly, but she was making it one step darker, pouring some strange potion over the damned creature's head. Just when you were beginning to wonder if you should take this as a sign to head back in the other direction, the skeleton suddenly collapsed into dust, starting from its head, until its bony pelvis and legs were left standing.

"Success! Keeeeh heh heh heh heh..."

Her definition of success was a lot different than what you were expecting, as it seemed to involve dispelling her own Geod-forsaken minion. Finally, the witch spotted you staring, turning to face you with her gloved hands on her hips. You recognized her face from the earlier portrait, looking just as self-amused as you recalled, and her wide-brimmed black hat, but the rest of her outfit was a revelation: she wore a black band bra and miniature shorts, as well as a body-length cape of the same color and matching boots and gloves... but nothing else of substance. It allowed you to see a great deal of her body, which was short and slender, with the grayish skin of an unhidden demon army spy.

Her gloves were cut off at the fingers, allowing you to see an assortment of rings glinting as she approached. "Hmmm... The new squire has come to gawk slack-jawed at my splendor! Splendid! What do you think, oh squire? Is an ex-spy of the Demon Lord's army all that you imagined?" She paused for a moment to spread her cape out around her, letting you get an even better look at her body than her outfit already afforded. "Keee he he... Don't allow your fondness to grow too familiar! This form shifts like the shadows."

You took the impetus to introduce yourself, not wanting to give her a chance to shape-shift and sneak away.

"Oooh... Vin! I will remember it well, and you will remember mine: Amulette Bonewhistle! Amulette is the name the demon lord granted me. Bonewhistle I adopted myself, by my specialty: necromancy. Although perhaps I would have chosen something less pedestrian, if granted the benefit of more time to pick, kee he he he!"

You watched as she walked around you, sizing you up with a sly smile and a slithering, snake-like gait.{if Slight = True}

"Mmmm... what a sumptuous snack of a squire. They picked a specially sized one out for me, did they? So sweet." She bit the tip of one long fingernail as she continued her circle, standing behind you for a moment before placing her hands upon your hips, causing you to jump at the unusual coldness of her touch. "I approve. I have no use for the big and the burly. Men who rely too much on their muscles are nothing more than beasts. And a figure like yours is so much more..." she ran one finger up your back, while grinning broadly. "Malleable to my mischief."{endif}{if Servant = True}

You felt like you were being inspected like a piece of meat, but it didn't feel bad. On the contrary... Something about it was thrilling. The feeling of this dangerous woman eyeing you like her property was making you stiff as a board. She seemed to understand your reaction and, while not gazing too obviously at the front of your trousers, knew exactly how you were feeling. She let out another cackle, before finally stopping in front of you.{endif}

"I trust the trusty tattletale of a tutor already told you much about me, did he not? That I am a suspicious witch? Many squires have turned their noses up at me, they have! Can you imagine?" she shrugged, with a slight swish of her cape, then shook her head. "They do not wish to dance with the devil. But alas, tis their laughable loss! I have long since discarded the devil, though perhaps I am still a might malevolent. You'll take the measure of my meaning in our mutual misadventures."

Something about her behavior was taking the edge off of the earlier sight of her dissolving a skeleton. The more you spoke with her, the more her odd tendency toward silly alliteration made her seem whimsical, rather than dangerous. As though sensing you were getting the wrong impression of her, she set the dissolving solution down and fetched another bottle, this one strange-smelling and pitch black in coloration.

"I propose a toast, to tender our tender romance, Vin! If you truly trust me, you'll taste of this tonic." She jostled the bottle back in forth, pinched between two ring-encircled fingers, with a big grin on her face and her fangs glinting.

Now you were feeling uneasy again. The liquid in that flask might as well be oil, with how unappetizing it looked. {if Alchemy}Even your own chemical knowledge was insufficient to determine what was waiting for you in that glass vial...{endif}