# [[Hearthmother Saesella]] ![[Hearthmother Saesella.svg]] ![[uu-hearthmother.png]] Saesella is the Hearthmother of [[Arbor Felix]] — its spiritual leader, healer, and reformist voice. A devoted follower of [[Erastil]], she works to soften the village's strict xenophobic traditions while keeping the survival practices that have kept it alive. ## Role & Background - **Hearthmother**: Spiritual leader and chief healer of [[Arbor Felix]] - **Faith**: Devoted to [[Erastil]], god of community and family — the same god [[Esefna Menhemes]] taught the village to follow when she founded it - **Reformist, accepted**: Considered *"one of them"* by the villagers despite her openness to outsiders - **Religious continuity**: Saesella has kept Erastil's tradition alive even as [[Hunter Elise]] has diverged from it (Session 077) ## Connection to Esefna and the Roseguard A Session-077 revelation through the [[Zarmavdian]] clone tied Saesella's lineage of practice deeper than the party realized. - **Foundation of Arbor Felix**: Founded by [[Esefna Menhemes]], who taught the villagers Erastil's ways - **Recognition through Bond's cloak**: Noticed [[Jaspen Bond Callistair]]'s cloak and immediately recognized Esefna's name when the party first met - **Saw the Desolation Locket**: Viewed the [[Desolation Locket]] taken from Esefna's tomb without alarm - **Common ground with Zarmavdian**: The Zarmavdian clone revealed Saesella and Zarmavdian have a lot more in common than previously thought - **Implication**: Confirms a deep historical connection between Arbor Felix and the [[The Roseguard|Roseguard]] through Esefna ## Abilities & Skills - **High-level divine magic**: Cast *Blessing of Defiance* on [[Vayle]], [[Jaspen Bond Callistair|Bond]], and [[Davios]] for a +4 Fortitude bonus before the werewolf battle - **Healing**: Comparable in scope to [[Zuhri]]'s - **Alchemy**: Creates elixirs that temporarily enhance Fortitude; agreed to make up to 4 for the party - **Water creation**: Created a natural spring and small pond for the village ## Reformist Acts The mosaic of small choices through which Saesella has been reshaping Arbor Felix. - **Welcoming Gazzo (Session 071)**: Invited [[Gazzo]] — a non-pureblood kobold — to stay in the village - **Ceremony democracy (Session 070)**: Asked the villagers for objections before offering [[The Apometi]]'s blessing — leadership by consent - **Helping Davios become a Daskalos**: Recognized his abilities and supported him through the role - **Persuading Elise**: Acknowledges Elise's importance to the village while seeking the party's help in changing her mind about outsiders - **Selective testimony**: Spoke as one of the villagers whose voice was weighted heavily during the post-battle debriefing ## Gifts to the Party A running list of items Saesella has handed out to the Undead Unkillers. - **Vayle**: [Moonlit Chain](https://app.demiplane.com/nexus/pathfinder2e/items/moonlit-chain-rm) (Session 076) - **Grumblebum**: Eternal eruption crystal ball (lava bomb fireball, 5d6 in 70 ft) and a Feather Token Balloon (Session 076) - **Pre-werewolf battle (Session 069)**: *Blessing of Defiance* on Vayle, Bond, and Davios ## Relationships - **[[Erastil]]**: Patron deity - **[[Esefna Menhemes]]**: Founding ancestor of the religious tradition Saesella keeps alive - **[[Davios]]**: Values his abilities; helped him become a Daskalos - **[[Hunter Elise]]**: Acknowledges her importance to the community while seeking to soften her stance - **[[Marmanak]]**: Worked together on the werewolf-battle preparations (Juggernaut Mutagens for the party) - **[[Gazzo]]**: First major outsider she personally invited in - **Party**: Trusts them; was nearly killed alongside them defending the village ## Notable Events - **First meeting** — *Erastil Recognition*: Met the party through Davios; recognized Esefna's name; viewed the Desolation Locket; agreed to make elixirs in exchange for assistance - **Session 069** — *Defence Preparation*: High-level spell support for the party; her west-side hunters coated their arrows with poison; nearly died during the battle - **Session 070** — *Apometi*: Bitten by a werewolf but resisted transformation; asked for objections before offering The Apometi's blessing; presided over the formal acceptance ceremony - **Session 071** — *Integration*: Invited Gazzo to stay - **Session 076** — *Gifts*: Hands out the Moonlit Chain (Vayle) and the eruption crystal ball + Feather Token Balloon (Grumble) - **Session 077** — *Zarmavdian Connection*: Reveal of common ground between Saesella and Zarmavdian; reaffirms her ongoing worship of Erastil ## Open Threads - What exactly is the common ground between Saesella and [[Zarmavdian]]? - How far can her reforms go before tradition pushes back? - Will the party bring back enough evidence about Esefna and the Roseguard to deepen Saesella's understanding of the village's roots? %% # Text Elements # Drawing ```json { "type": "excalidraw", "version": 2, "source": "https://github.com/zsviczian/obsidian-excalidraw-plugin/releases/tag/2.1.4", "elements": [ { "id": "7qSogdPD", "type": "text", "x": 290.3999239206314, "y": -308.87487030029297, "width": 3.8599853515625, "height": 24, "angle": 0, "strokeColor": "#1e1e1e", "backgroundColor": "transparent", "fillStyle": "solid", "strokeWidth": 2, "strokeStyle": "solid", "roughness": 1, "opacity": 100, "groupIds": [], "frameId": null, "roundness": null, "seed": 1894374050, "version": 2, "versionNonce": 2094291134, "isDeleted": true, "boundElements": null, "updated": 1713723608868, "link": null, "locked": false, "text": "", "rawText": "", "fontSize": 20, "fontFamily": 4, "textAlign": "left", "verticalAlign": "top", "containerId": null, "originalText": "", "lineHeight": 1.2 } ], "appState": { "theme": "dark", "viewBackgroundColor": "#ffffff", "currentItemStrokeColor": "#1e1e1e", "currentItemBackgroundColor": "transparent", "currentItemFillStyle": "solid", "currentItemStrokeWidth": 2, "currentItemStrokeStyle": "solid", "currentItemRoughness": 1, "currentItemOpacity": 100, "currentItemFontFamily": 4, "currentItemFontSize": 20, "currentItemTextAlign": "left", "currentItemStartArrowhead": null, "currentItemEndArrowhead": "arrow", "scrollX": 583.2388916015625, "scrollY": 573.6323852539062, "zoom": { "value": 1 }, "currentItemRoundness": "round", "gridSize": null, "gridColor": { "Bold": "#C9C9C9FF", "Regular": "#EDEDEDFF" }, "currentStrokeOptions": null, "previousGridSize": null, "frameRendering": { "enabled": true, "clip": true, "name": true, "outline": true } }, "files": {} } ``` %%