Appearance:
The woman stands at nearly six feet tall, dark russet skin with honey brown eyes. Her hair is a fluffy mess of gray curls that is usually kept tame with a hair tie on the back of her head. Marty has a very sturdy, if not somewhat shapely build, though her shoulders are too broad for her to really be considered attractive.

While she keeps the majority of her skin concealed, she is all but covered in tattoos; A sun on her stomach, moon on her chest, a combination of the two on her back, a pair of black stars and a white one over the right side of her chest, various symbols for elements along her arms and legs all connected through an intricate series of swirling black patterns that cover most of her body. The outer edges of which can be seen in spite of her clothing around her collar and neck when she tilts her head.

Dress:
Marty, when traveling, writing or just not digging or carving in the stone, has taken to wearing a lightweight, brightly colored Kaftan. Along with a matching head wrap and simple, modest shoes. She’s become partial to the freedom of movement they allow her. Whenever she is digging in the dirt, practicality is her number one concern when it comes to dress, she often wears men's clothing in the manor of pants with suspenders over a long sleeve top. A leather half jacket, heavy work boots with steel curled from the toes and up the front and heavy duty gloves that go up past her elbow.

Personality:
Marty is the type that's unable to put self interests first. She’ll do anything for someone in need, and is always willing to give and share what she has to others. Its unsurprising she’s unwilling to raise a hand against another person or that she enjoys keeping busy. As friendly and outgoing as the miner is though, she is also set in her ways, unwilling to be swayed on certain matters.

Goals
*Short Term*
Hire councilors
Do something about hip pain

*Long Term*
Fix Nix
See Ravenna Thrive

Skills:
+-Trade-+
Mining
Marty has spent her entire life doing this, for a long time she thought she'd die digging in some hole. While she retains the hope she wont die in a cave somewhere there is little that Marty doesn't know about this, she can easily identify ores and how to mine them out.

Masonry
She learned this as she became an adult as she aided in the rebuilding and during the purges. Marty is well practiced at this, but meticulous in her work,

Healing
Marty has known basic first aid for most of her life, but didn't delve farther into the inner workings of the body and medicine until recently. This skill is still new to her and there is a lot she doesn't know, but she can effectively treat cuts, stabs, scrapes, mild infections, and broken bones. She knows most of the herbs needed for this job, but its again, a very limited knowledge.

Cook
Marty loves cooking, especially for those she cares about. She's no master chief but she can make a good meal and a great deal of baked confections when the mood strikes her.

+-Arts-+
Tattoo Artistry
Marty is able to draw well but not inclined to do so normally and generally limits herself to abstractions. Her tattoo work is extremely well practiced, especially as every few years she goes back over herself with her needle and Ink. She knows how to clean her needles to avoid infection and safe ways to make, store and prepare the dyes needed for this.

Sculpture
Stone carvings, ranging from making of simple tools to being able to chisel and sculpt the earth into likenesses of life. She's rather skilled at this though given her age it takes her a long time to finish projects.

+-Knowledge-+
Reading, Writing And Mathematics
Marty has known all of this for most of her adult life and has used it a great deal not only in running her own mines but in managing the small town of Auria.

Traits
Positive:
Selfless to a point of altruism
Kind
Sociable and Outspoken
Polite
Wise
Practical
Resolute and determined (on things she believes to be true)

Neutral:
Religious
Workaholic
Pacifist
Assertive
Old Fashioned
Arthritic (mostly in the hands)
Fierce Worrier

Negative:
Distrustful towards Xitians
Obstinate
Sluggish
Somewhat Jaded
Slight Photosensitivity

At Marty's age, everyone has their own horror stories about growing up under the Xitian rule. Marty being no exception; her parents were both active in the resistance, they were constantly traveling and taking their daughter along for the ride. Marty was always outgoing as a child, having to make fast friends with people knowing she’d never been in one place for long. Her father was a skilled healer and devout*, the type that would not raise a hand to another soul. Her mother however was a stubborn woman, bitter and hateful towards the Xitians. She was skilled warrior and was often the driving force behind aggressive attacks against Xitian forces. While Marty’s mother was able to protect her family for a time, the Xitians didn’t tolerate their dissidence for long. Her mother was killed during a resistance effort, leaving Marty’s father to protect her. Needless to say he was ill equipped to do so, Both he and Marty were easily captured, and separated, Marty never saw her father again after the Xitians ripped her from his arms.

She was enslaved and sent to work in the mines at all of 10 years old. She, like everyone else, called them master, bowed to their whims and worked every day to exhaustion. She grew hard, and tough as the stone, seeing little hope of leaving her dim prison, but her heart and mind remained free. She turned to her Gods* for strength and eventually ended up etching meaningful tributes to them along the walls of her underground tomb, and upon her skin with needle and ink.

Marty survived for years like this, nothing having changed until her Xitian masters suddenly started demanding the already ragged miners to work harder. They punished any who couldn’t meet the new quotas, often making matters worse as miners started to die from over anxious beatings and just exhaustion. This bred more hate in Marty then she could stifle, and soon her carvings started to take on new meanings of thinly veiled messages of hate towards her masters. It took awhile for her Xitian’s to realize what these new images were about, but of course they were not pleased.

The miner was to be killed for her insolence and she welcomed the release from her slavery. Little did Marty know that the feverish pace her masters had demanded was due to the Lucin’s return. The war of the Veld had reached the mines; miraculously mere hours before the execution. That day was the only time Marty had ever struck a man with a pick and she never raised a weapon to another soul after. The combined effort of the Mesalians (both soldiers and miners) and their Lucin saviors saw the mine liberated and Marty saw sunlight for the first time since her enslavement began as a child.

For a couple of years she traveled, seeing the world, helping places already freed from Xitian rule rebuild, and over time she went back to working in mines, shaping shone and gathering resources for a nearby budding city. Marty also taught others her skills, when teaching others to ink skin she would allow them to do so on her once she was confident in their skill, as a sort of graduation from her tutelage. This is something she still does, and thus she is largely covered in inkings.

Marty was unable to move past her hate for the Xitians, she shed not a single tear during the purges and was glad to see the red-eyed monsters wiped from existence. Shortly after which Marty saw, for once in her life, prosperity. She ended up running a mine of her own, fell in love with a man by the name of Alli, married, and started a family. She had wealth, her husband became a pillar in the community of a thriving city and her two girls were both healthy and happy. Anette was a quiet girl, while Phorest was prone to misbehaving and deceit. Phorest came to her mother and told a wild tale of having spotted red-eyed men speaking with some of the noblemen that served the community along side Marty's husband. Marty scolded the girl for her tale and would hear nothing of it. Weeks went by and the incident all but forgotten until Marty's husband didn't come home from a civic meeting. She left her daughters asleep in their beds, asking a neighbor to keep watch on them while she went to find Alli.

She found him dead, along with most of the civic leaders, those that were alive screaming insults at one another, none hushing until Marty started wailing over husbands body. The civil war began that night for the thriving city, fires were started and fights broke out between the town guard and count's regiment. She watched it from the steps of the city hall, horror and fear gripping her until she could do nothing but tremble over her husbands body. By the time streets were clear enough to return home the fires had spread. Marty’s home was ablaze, her neighbor dead on the doorstep. In the chaos of the sudden eruption of violence looters and thieves had forced their way in, murdered the woman and carried out everything they could. This included Marty's two daughters.

For years she searched for them, whittling away what little she had left to her fortune. Phorest had died in the crossfire of another conflict in the civil war. By the time Marty found Anette she had managed her own freedom through working at a brothel, and would not forgive her mother for her doubting Phorest all those years before.

In spite of her efforts, which lasted for years, Marty was unable to find forgiveness with what was left of her family. Her desire to patch things up only managing to breed more contempt from the girl. So Marty once more found solace with the Gods* and with nothing but her memories she headed for the forbidden lands looking for not only a new home, but a place where she can live out her days in relative peace.

--------------------

Coming to Auria was one of the best (and only) things Mary had done for herself. She arrived in the little town, still recovering from the devastation wrought to it by angry storms. The mines she came to work were in disrepair, the miners, few, and scattered. For a while she did what she could for who she could, but all the while still wanting to work in the mines as it was the only work the miner's heart was set on. After a long enough time of disrepair, one of the councilmen of the little town had made her head miner in hopes that she might see the repairs completed after almost 2 years of disuse from the previous foreman.

Marty was eager to get to work, gathering the miners, all of whom she'd gotten to know well; Gump, a blind man who was suspicious of people, but good-natured and kind, Timothy, who'd been a little distracted by falling in love to tend the mines and Gerolf, an engineer who had a slightly unorthodox method of mining (explosives). They set about replacing the questionable supports, that had either broken or rotted over the years, the work was as dangerous as they'd feared, and there was a cave in. Marty narrowly avoided injury thanks to the quick thinking Gump. Gerolf was not so lucky. His injuries were so severe that he never did return to the mines. The cave in was almost deadly, but everyone managed to walk way (mostly), and though a rough start, slowly, over the next year, Marty and Gump removed the rubble, and replaced the rotted supports with sturdy stone ones.

Working together Gump and Marty had become close friends. So when Marty set about building herself a permanent residence in Auria, she invited the man to stay with her. Gump's reaction to her invitation was so much shock the man couldn't speak or stand. He was curious, and very kind, often looking out for Marty and helping her get over her long standing fear of Xitians. It was the combined effort of Gump, Timothy and others that got Marty to give the logical healer, Snow, a fair chance. Marty was shocked to learn what she'd been missing in a friend when it came to the young mother.

It wasn't long after Marty started to settle into her life as head miner that the Mayor of Auria went missing. His disappearance prompted an election, that continued on even after he returned. Marty was unsure of running, and for a long while had thought perhaps it wasn't something she would get into. She had everything she had on the mainlands. But after a long thoughtful while she decided that indeed, she did want to not only run for the position, but she became determined to earn it as well. She spent less times in the mines, and focused on encouraging people to vote. Not just for her, but vote at all, Marty wanted to see the peoples voice heard, winning wasn't as important to her as Auria getting the leader she wanted. You can imagine Marty's surprise when she won.

She became the mayor of Auria, and set to work on some of the shaky infrastructure. Things were difficult for her though, the council consisted of three men; Caius, whom supported Marty fully and treated her with respect. Conradian, the previous mayor who was constantly distracted by his projects. And finally Scipio, whom not only held no respect for Margretha but was involved in fights! But Margretha was nothing if not determined and productive, She worked on a drainage project to avoid flooding which caused considerable damage the year before her arrival in Auria, she worked tirelessly on Auria’s legislation, and she supported a festival on the 25th anniversary of the end of the Veld war, which did wonders for morale but were haunted by strange earthquakes that grew more serious as time went on

By the festival’s end the earthquakes were a serious concern. Marty asked everyone in town about them and what could be causing them. She found out that there was a volcano relatively close to town. After a brief discussion on it with one of her councilman Marty made arrangements to make a shelter out of city hall. It was a good thing she prepared for the worst, because it wasn’t long before the worst quake of them all hit, afterwhich the skies darkened and a wall of ash washed over Auria. Marty and most the town was locked inside town hall as the vibrant jungle and quaint town or Auria was buried and choked with ash.

They remained there for what felt like ages. Taking stock of who was there it didn’t take Marty long to learn that they were short a few souls, a sad story and a note told Marty that her best friend Gump had been lost to the ash and destruction. Leaving her caretaker for his teenaged niece, Nix. When they dug free of the town hall to survey the damage, Marty saw the town she’d been tasked with managing in ruin. She couldn’t help but break down in the ash at the sight of so much devastation in a place she’d loved for its peaceful beauty.

--------------

Help arrived by ship, a kindly captain offered to take the citizens away, most of which took him up on the offer and set out from their home to unknown lands. Marty did not; She remained in Auria as she felt obligated to see to its repair and recovery.

Things were a little rough at first. Those that remained first tended to the dead, seeing that they were buried as was proper. Then came the difficult task of repairs and rebuilding. Most of the town was lost, the weight of ash had collapsed roofs and buildings all over town, the ash had choked the jungle and for the most part, the animals and dusk fiends in it. Though the remaining townsfolk were nothing if not determined. Marty and the others worked on clearing the streets and getting new buildings up. During this time, Marty helped the local healer with her communication skills, and in turn, learned a better rounded understanding of healing. Folks filtered slowly into town, their various skills put to work, some even continued on after the townsfolk to wherever it was they’d set out. The rest worked hard to clear the streets of ash, take down ruined buildings and replace them.

Auria is now a much smaller town than she once was. Though most of the ash had been cleared from the town, relocated to an area just referred to as ‘The Pit’ across from the docks. Auria was far from what she was, but she is still there. Over the years, Marty started to worry for those that had left with the captain, and those following the group. All had vanished, none had sent word back. So much so, Marty started making arrangements to leave. The first step, was breaking the news to Nix. Who was determined to stay with her, in spite of the apparent dangers. Marty couldn’t talk her out of it, and loved her too much to try all that hard anyway. Next, she held a new election; The relatively small population didn’t struggle much to find a replacement. It wasn’t long after this was finished Marty used what little money she could call her own to hire a few able bodies to escort her, and aid in survival and food preparation.

Marty had no idea what she was getting herself into, but she’d soon share in the travelers woe. When Captain James came back for trade she asked him to take her to where he’d left the rest of the the Aurians. So he took her the long voyage to the fishing village he’d left them, the kindly captain, weighed anchor while Marty and her escorts searched the area. It became clear the group had left, but they had discovered ruins promising a land of riches at the end of a trail of lights. The gods were leading the good people of Auria someplace, but Marty knew not where.

Marty and her escorts set out to follow the group on their pilgrimage, she ran with terrior fueling her steps through a putrade cave of death. Past which were untouched valleys and endless forest. Eventually she came across a healthy farmstead, there Marty met a kindly farmer, who gave her good news of her quarry, their growth and that they’d continued on. Mary’s entourage came across a hostel, where she found Zerek and a monk of Isohel who wouldn’t speak. She spent a bit of time here, enjoying wordless prayer to Isohel and catching up with her friend before she pressed on.

They traveled exclusively during the day, and often times long and hard treks, there was not a day that they traveled Marty didn’t all but collapse in her rucksack at the end of. Marty had brought light traveling cloths and a gnarled walking stick with her, but the toll it took on her was still high. They had to move fast as to avoid attracting the dusk fiends. The men she’d hired to help her through this pilgrimage knew their craft and how to avoid the hordes that wandered the lands, but that meant moving quickly, quietly and all day long.

Marty had welcomed the respite the outpost offered, though dreaded what it meant for the rest of the journey, they made what preparations they could before entering the desert, she even offered her escorts the opportunity to leave, should they not wish to undertake the dangerous crossing. She knew without them her and Nix were unlikely to survive but she would not force anyone to do anything so dangerous, not under any circumstances. But the three men that accompanied them were honorable men, who seemed to sympathise with Marty’s earnest desire to see that the people she’d called her own had made it to safety.

So the desert was just as hard, the dawn and dusk of each night was full of trudging, the days spent sheltering from the sun and the nights, huddled with Nix around a fire for warmth. Her skilled escorts did well, but sadly, the desert took its toll. The youngest of the the escorts perished from a scorpion bite a few weeks into the sands. Marty of course felt terrible over it, though in a way thought that if Sulena wished to claim the man she’d of had him by whatever means she choose. By the time this happened it was too late for any of them to turn back, so they pressed on more weary and worried than ever. What little there was in the desert gave Marty both hope, and dismay. The signs and the left behind cards told her that the group pressed on, that they survived, and that she wasn'€™t far behind them. But she also saw blood in a crypt that was nowhere near as old as the bones on the walls. Lives had been lost outside of those in her group, and she feared for all those who’d left Auria.

She’d been traveling after the group for almost a year by the time they'€™d crossed to the other side of the desert, her escorts bid her and Nix farewell as this fools errand had been more of an undertaking then their wills or sympathy for the woman would allow. So on their own Margretha and Nix continued on, following the beacons, then an old warn trail, finally they came to a very old sign in a fork that had a simple message, but one of hope and home...

'Ravenna --->€'

Enslaved at 10
War starts at 13
Liberated by 20
Assists resistance until 24
Starts family around 25
Civil war starts when she’s 35
Losses family at around 38
Finds Phorest dead at 41
Finds Anette at 43
Leaves for forbidden lands at 46
Heads the mines at 47
Becomes Mayor at 48
Sets out for Ravenna 51
Arrives in Ravenna 52
Named Council Elder 53