Edith O'Hare's Questionnaire

I live in the woods closer to the border of Canada than any city. The cold suits me, and the woods around here are beautiful. My home is a log cabin I made myself after a few months of dedicated work. I had decided to move into the woods to be closer to the hunt, and because I wanted to challenge myself. To see if I really could make a self sustaining home for myself. I was right, and I have never been more proud of myself. These woods are strange at night, but now I don't need to worry about being unable to talk to a barista if I just, never talk to people.

I make my money by selling meat and furs to locals in Maple Falls. It's people are nice and I know a few folks who prefer their meat fresh and I charge less than the grocery stores. I make sure to hunt carefully, never killing so many as to hurt the local animal populations. Usually I just hunt deer, they're plentiful and venison is in surprisingly high demand. If I could I would hunt just for food and the honor of Artemis, but there are things I enjoy that I cannot make myself, and for that I need money. This includes rice, coffee, and proper care for my off road motorcycle.

In a world such as ours, the supernatural can hardly be called exceptional by this point. Magic is real, and seems to have many ways to hurt humanity as a whole. I wish to make a world where magic has become another fact of life, for the better. Hospital's should be operated by experienced wizards, curing cancers and re-attaching lost limbs. Energy should be born of closely studied runes generating motion. I cannot help but imagine a great glowing city powered by nothing but magic, uplifting the downtrodden and tearing down oppressors with tools beyond the imagination. No one would need to sell their souls to Microsoft if their needs can be met by a spell you can find in the local library.

The defining moment of my life was the signing of a different contract. I made a pact with the Goddess Artemis to help grant me the power to become a legendary monster hunter. When I was younger, my parents were quite religious, but I was never that much of a believer. The Messiah of Nazareth never spoke to me, their scripture was too full of holes and people twisting it to their own means. It wasn't until I found the Agrotera that I understood faith. This was a god who embodied the world, who did not pretend to be all loving, who listened to her followers prayers. So I sought to make a pact with her. I offered her my voice, my devotion, and regular sacrifices from my hunts. She listened and granted me a tool to slay the great and powerful monsters of the world, but gave me more rules to follow. I am to dedicate all my kills with this holy weapon to her, to never betray my fellow hunters, and to never let her weapon leave my side. She was merciful to me, and decided not to strike me down if my breach the terms of my pact, but to instead inflict me with mental anguish until I can correct my mistakes. I accepted eagerly.

Grandma Josie, she's my best customer and was eager to learn ASL to communicate with me. I don't know what her full name is, she's just always insisted I called her Grandma Josie, that was fine by me. She makes good tea and scones, so dropping off my haul with her is always a treat. I think she's 70 years old? She finds it funny to make people guess so she's never told me. She also knows things. I don't know what her past was like, but she's helped me preform sacrifices to Artemis without blinking, so she clearly has had some interesting experiences.

Beth, she helped me build my house. Without her I can pretty confidently say I wouldn't be living the life I am today and for that I am forever thankful. She works in construction (big surprise) and I met her when she was working in Maple Valley for a time. She moves around a lot for work but apparently she calls San Francisco home. She was excited to have someone to practice ASL with, and I happily obliged. Thing about learning a language with someone is that you need to talk to each other, so we got to know one another pretty quick. She's really nice! And pretty. That is unrelated.

Preston is my mechanic. Our relationship is pretty strictly professional, but I can admire his dedication to his craft. I think the longest conversation we've ever had is when we first met each other. He's the only deaf mechanic in town I know of, so I was glad I wouldn't need to be writing back and forth with someone constantly. It gets annoying.

My childhood was uncomfortable. Not in the material sense, my parents were well off enough that we didn't have to worry about much, it was uncomfortable in the sense I constantly felt stifled. I went to a religious school dedicated to the Messiah of Nazareth, his catholic incarnation, to be specific. The lessons taught to me felt hollow, the world was such a grand place full of mysterious things beyond anything we could imagine, and I was told to believe in the one thing that hadn't made an appearance in centuries. My questions were stifled alongside myself and I hated it. My parents tried to get me to have proper faith but nothing they did could convince me. The children around me were of a similar attitude to the church, seeing my questions as off putting. I wound up with the kids who didn't like the school same as I did, but I was always distant. Like we were on two different planes.

Well, I don't think I've ever been in love, no. I was never really interested in relationships, to be honest. I have been pursued before, and I had some fun with those women, but they were never very serious. I suppose I've always had my head too in the clouds for that. But there is someone more recently. I wouldn't be so foolish as to call it love per se, but I think I might have some interest in her? It's Beth, she is beautiful, and her laugh sounds like Apollo himself has come down to preform for me. She has also proven to be a true friend, and is incredibly confident in everything she does (with good reason, I might add). I doubt she would ever feel the same, though. She can do better than a hermit in the woods.

I believe what I fear most is spiritual imprisonment. To be bound in one way of thinking, one way of being. I could live in a cell for the rest of my life, but if my will, my personhood was altered without my consent, I could not imagine anything more horrifying. My entire life, I was surrounded by people trying to tell me how to think, how to behave. It sickened me to my core. For the last last nine years of my life I have dedicated myself to living according to my own creed and serving my own gods. To take that away from me would be worse than death, it would be an insult to all the effort I have put in. It would be spitting in the face of all the bridges I had to burn to get here.

Sometimes I'm afraid it's already happened, honestly. When I look at my devotion to Artemis I can't help but ask if I'm just another of the Messiah of Nazareth's followers, blindly following a force that may not even be there. But I need to remind myself I'm not, and that even if I was, it's a decision that I made myself. I was not raised according to Artemis' teachings, I decided to follow them myself. That is the most important part, after all.

While I hesitate to call him a possession, it would be my dog, Jupiter. I found him living as a stray in Maple Valley, poor thing was all skin and bones. But when I saw him I saw what he could be. A proper hunting dog. I immediately took him to a vet and paid for all the treatments he needed. Jupiter was lucky that I found him when I did, he was very sick and would most likely not survive the next few days without treatment. Once he got the okay from the doctor I took him home and started training him in tracking. The dog had a good nose and took to it quickly. I don't know what his family tree looks like but he clearly has some bloodhound in him. He's become one of my closest companions and has seen me through my worst days.

Oh, and also The Maiden, of course. But The Maiden is more of an extension of myself, honestly.

The biggest problem I have in my life today is that I haven't started pursing my ambition properly, yet. I don't have many resources, and I'm no wizard. If I want to achieve anything I need to start looking into spells and artifacts that could be used to fill basic needs. Rio mainly had information on wards, but maybe I could visit and talk to him about where he learned such things. Then I could recruit Ware to help fund the projects, I think she might do it for just the scientific curiosity, honestly. I could also try to reach out to the gods, but I believe that may not be the best course of action. Organized religion never goes very well, and I would hate for people to be forced to cooperate with a corrupt church to get their food. But they could help me find the correct path. Maybe Hecate could offer guidance? I'll need to see if I can get her attention.

I awaken before dawn and wash myself. I don't have a water heater, so it's a very shocking way to wake up. But I'm never drowsy afterwards! After drying off I make a cup of coffee, get dressed in my hunting garb, and head out with Jupiter. I go out to check my traps for rabbits and the such (assuming that it's the season for them, anyway). It's a bit of a pain but they taste really good. Once I'm done I take them back home and butcher them properly. With the morning chores done, I change into my normal, every day clothes. I don't think to much about what I wear anymore, honestly. I've made most of my clothes myself so I already like how they all look together. Once I'm comfortable I feed Jupiter and make myself breakfast. It's usually homemade jerky with rice. I don't spice it up very often because I never really feel like putting much effort into cooking after prowling through the woods for over an hour.

I haven't been in a situation where I need to dress up in years, and it was usually just my "Sunday Best". But now that I have a bit more control over my life, I think I'd try to make something myself. Maybe try to put together a suit with some leftover deer hide, line it with coyote hide? It would look strange, but frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way. To prepare I would make an offering to Dionysus since this is probably a social event. But if it were a date I would make one to Aphrodite. I'd probably even go into town to get special scented soaps instead of the usual unscented stuff I make myself. To calm my nerves I'd make sure I have plenty of time in the day to get used to whatever I'm wearing, maybe play with Jupiter just to get my mind off it. Oh gods, I'm getting nervous just thinking about it, now.

For my next birthday, I'd probably fly out to where ever Beth happens to be and have a little party. Maybe invite Ware and Liv if they can make the trip out. Normally I'd do a hunt, but I don't my friends would actually like that very much. We could go more mundane, just watch a movie and get drunk? Though I've never actually been much of a fan of modern movies, so I don't even know what we'd watch. Y'know what? Keep it simple, just a dinner with my friends sounds nice. I bet me and Beth could cook up something nice for everyone.

My greatest regret? I've tried my best to avoid those in my life, kinda the whole point of running away to the woods of Washington. As much as I'd like to brag, it wasn't a clean cut away. Before I left, I... I got in a fight with my parents. It had been building for years, every little spat, every act of rebellion, and every time they tried to tell me how to think, it all just boiled over. This was back when I had my voice, and I used it to say some nasty things. That isn't really the part that I regret, the part that I regret was that I didn't mean a word. There was so much... hatred, I said anything I could to hurt them, and I have never felt more ashamed of anything I've ever done. My mom and dad weren't the best, and I would still be living in Washington regardless, but I can tell now they were just trying to raise me the best they could.

Last I heard they're still living in Ireland, not that I would ever consider going back.

Now, I don't know the specifics exactly, but I can tell they are boons from The Agrotera. Normally I wouldn't assume I was worth such special treatment, that's a fast track to being struck down for hubris, but I know what her power feels like from when I made the pact with the Goddess, and that was long before I started doing contracts. Each new power comes when I make an offering to Artemis after a contract. Now, either the contracts are granting me enough glory in the eyes of the gods, or the harbingers put a spotlight on me in return for a job well done. They are... strange. And I wouldn't put it past them to be able to get in contact with the Greek pantheon. I know it has to be something, because I don't think Artemis would normally respond to strongly to a regular sacrifice of squirrels and rabbits.

I am very spiritual. The world is full of many strange and mystical happenings, it would be foolish to pretend that there are not things outside of our perception that can affect our reality. In regards to religion specifically, I think it is very obvious that I am religious. I am devoted to Artemis, and work to represent the Huntress' ideals and domains. But it is more than that, I am polytheistic and agnostic. I have chosen to follow the old Greek pantheon because Artemis is the goddess that spoke to me most personally. Thanks to how the Greek pantheon works, I am not damned for thinking there is more than just them out there. But none hold a candle to Artemis in how important they are to me.

That being said, I do not support organized religion. Any church that forms around a specific belief will inevitably corrupt the ideals it was founded on to serve the leaders of said church. Your relationship to faith should be personal, about what speaks to you as a person. Never let someone else tell you what your faith should be.

The contracts have not too deeply conflicted with my worldview. I already knew the world was a strange place. Magic has been present for most of my life, and learning of a system where a bunch of bizarre individuals are given gig work for magical power honestly explains a lot. I don't know how else the world would be so fundamentally strange. Who knows! Maybe the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was a contract gone laughably bad. Or all according to plan! I can't think of a better explanation for how many coincidences stacked on top of each other to make that shit show happen.

The most the Contracts have thrown me off is when they put me in a place where I must work extra hard to hold true to my beliefs. I have been put in a position where I had to choose my morals and the Contract exactly once so far, and I chose my morals. It was surprisingly easy, no temptation of the powers I could possibly obtain from completing the job, I just knew what I had to do. It worked out in the end, but I think I'm proud of myself for being willing to put aside power to do the right thing.

Ware, she's a lanky scientist. We met on our first job and we've been hitting it off ever since. She's strange, but in the same way I am. That's why I think we get along. Ware is also.... stupid rich. Like, stupid rich. Not even she knows exactly how much money she has. But it's been inherited, and ever since she got her hands on the money she's been trying to put it to good use. She's actually made it her mission to bring down Capitalism, which, hey, that makes her more than alright in my book. Ware is also a bit of a tech wizard. She's made me and Liv these power armor suits, and holy shit they're something else. I honestly couldn't tell you how many times mine has saved my life.

Liv, an animal welfare activist with a wild set of eyes. When I first met her I was honestly a little scared of how she would see me. I wear my pelts proudly, and I don't hide my method of making a living. Once we got to talking though, she actually seems to like the way I operate. There was a brief time where we were flirting with eachother, but I shut that down pretty quickly when I figured out she was a full decade younger than me. She's got some scary powers, a lot of demon magic. But she has her heart in the right place, and she's fun to talk to.

Alright my perfect room is a bit esoteric. First, there's plants all over the place. And I don't mean houseplants, I mean things growing out of the floors, the walls, the ceiling, you name it. Hell, maybe even some trees. There isn't any furniture, in fact, the only furniture is the plants. You just need to find one that would be half decent to sit on it you want to rest your legs. Speaking of, the plants aren't just growing through hard wood or carpet. They make their home in this substance made up of thousands of years dead things, their nutrients all working to fuel the plants. It's also soft, so soft that some animals are actually able to burrow in it and call it their homes. This room is also open air, and massive. So big you can't even see from one end to another, actually scratch the ceiling. This room has a view of the sky through the leaves of trees.

It's a forest. My perfect room is a forest.