You and your sister come from a humble social rank, born to a simple hunter and his apothecary wife in a cottage on the outskirts of the mayor’s manor house grounds at the edge of the forest. Your mother's unfortunate death in childbirth left your father a broken and distant man, but he nevertheless did what he could to provide for his daughters-- even if little affection could be spared for the both of you. The people of your home village have regarded you and your sister with suspicion and mistrust for as long as you can remember. The two of you have never quite fit in with the other children, preferring to spend your days rifling through your mother's old books in the attic or playing pretend with the few pieces of her alchemical equipment that your father wasn't forced to sell. It was in her old work materials that you and your sister first discovered your primer in magic, written in her own hand in a small unassuming notebook. From her rudimentary scribbles on the arcane, you and your sister unlocked a new world of wonder that you were both anxious to unravel and explore.

The two of you quickly found that the equations and ritual of manipulating the weave of magic came naturally and easily to the both of you. For years many of your waking hours were poured into study and experimentation. On the eve of your nineteenth birthday and after intense study and preparation, the two of you performed a ritual that took you and your sister years to devise and perfect. In an effort to breathe arcane life into two books that each of you lovingly and painstakingly handmade, you and your sister poured all of your respective magic and intent into the books in an effort to advance your magical studies. The ritual was a success, and a consciousness was awakened within each of your spellbooks to act as a mentor in your respective arcane pursuits. 

Unbeknownst to the both of you however, the village mayor, an arrogant and unapologetically ignorant man, happened to witness your ritual from a window in his manor. Threatened by his mistrust and lack of understanding of the arcane, he spared no time in whipping up the villagers into a frenzy with fears of “evil witchcraft, filthy necromancy, and the summoning of foul demons to murder wee babes and defile the pure and innocent maidens of the village.”

What became of your father that night is a mystery to you and your sister. He woke the both of you from a deep slumber and told you to run, having seen the torchlight of the approaching mob in the distance. You had just enough time to get dressed, gather your supplies and spellbook, and a small satchel of gold from your father before he directed you and your sister down a path in the forest. He instructed the both of you to follow the path to a cavern deep in the heart of the wood and wait for him there, and so you ran without stopping or looking back.

 As the two of you progressed through the dark forest barely illuminated by the moonlight, a heavy fog began to envelope the forest around you. For hours you continued, and through the darkest hours of the night to the earliest light of dawn you wandered without finding the cave your father had directed you to. Instead, just as the first blush of morning light flooded through the forest, the mists began to part and you and your sister found yourselves at the edge of an unfamiliar village the two of you would soon discover to be the infamous hamlet of Barovia...

Skill Proficiencies: Arcana, Investigation

Tool Proficiencies: Artisan's tool, Leatherworker's tools

Equipment: Leatherworker's tools and an artisan's tool of your choice, a set of common clothes, a heavy cloak, and a pouch containing 10 gp

Suggested Characteristics

A folk hero is one of the common people, for better or for worse. Most folk heroes look on their humble origins as a virtue, not a shortcoming, and their home communities remain very important to them.

d4	Personality Trait
1	I always repay my debts.
2	I can be a little reckless with my spellcasting, and I've set fire to more than a few of my sister's pillows practicing my evocation spells.
3	Lying is always an option.
4	I don't usually let people get the best of me, but when they do, I get even.

d2	Ideal
1	Power. I vow to become powerful and right the injustices my sister and I have suffered. I swear that no opponent will ever be a match for us while we still breathe.
2	Mastery. I refuse to be spat at and shunned by the people of my village any longer. When I return they'll all bow before me, or be crushed under my heel.

d2	Bond
1	My sister Iva is the only person I fully trust; I intend to protect her with my life.
2	My sister Iveta is the only person I fully trust; I intend to protect her with my life.

d2	Flaw
1	I’m impulsive, and often jump to conclusions.
2	I love secrets and deal only in half-truths.