"I’ll wager most of the town will be gone in a week, and the rest will fall easily. Then, perhaps, the land can heal from the cancer known as Abberton!"
-Nemmia Bramblecloak
Nemmia Bramblecloak is an NPC from Extinction Curse. Formerly a peaceful hermit who worshiped the dualistic god of the Sea & Skies, Gozreh, Nemmia fell from grace for reasons unknown and settled on a single, pressing goal: the eradication of the town of Abberton.
Description[]
Nemmia is a short, squat Wildwood halfling woman with long, dark hair. She often wears a headdress in the shape of a rat’s head, its open mouth framing her face. Her clothes tend to be tattered and ruined, befitting her role as a hermit. When The Wandering Three first encountered her, she was visibly ill, with signs of mange and yellow cataracts, though this was slowly lessening the next time they met her.
Personality[]
Nemmia is a bitter and delusional woman, apparently convinced that the ecological troubles that the surrounding area is the fault exclusively of the people of Abberton. She took glee in setting up cruel traps around the town in order to drive people out. According to the Hawftons, Nemmia would often go on raging rants about her borderline ecofascistic views, always putting the blame on Abberton fully for what was happening. During the Wandering Three's later encounter with her, she seemed to have lost some of her bite, not having the energy or will to start a vindictive argument with Eriato Bati like she'd have done before.
Abilities[]
Nemmia is something of an accomplished caster; as well as having a selection of prepared Primal spells from her druidic training, she also has some innate Primal magic which allows her to communicate with and influence animals. Most often, this manifested in her charming a swarm of rats which followed her around and did her bidding. These innate abilities may have been imparted to her by the demonic corruption that she received at the Hermitage of Blessed Lightning.
History[]
The exact details of Nemmia's past are currently unknown. What is known is that she was once a member of the Hermitage of Blessed Lightning, and was seemingly present when the druids fell into the worship of demons rather than Gozreh. She eventually came to Abberton itself with the goal of forcing everyone out; she kidnapped the Lindel brothers and the Hawftons and took over the Lindel Farm, charmed wild boars into causing chaos around town, summoning mephits, infesting Hawfton Mill with wasp nests, and other acts of terror. At some point while she was in the Lindel Barn, The Beautiful Woman visited her, bringing two Vermlek Demons to occupy the Lindels. When she heard that the Circus of Wayward Wonders was coming to town, Nemmia intended to have everyone in the Circus killed to scare off Abberton for good. She staked out the Circus for a week before the grand performance from a nearby glade. The Beautiful Woman again met her here, though what they spoke of is unknown.
Nemmia started by causing problems around the circus camp before the show; she cast Goblin Pox on Mr. Tickles, had rats chew through The Feather-Fall Five's nets, charmed Bardolph and snuck Dream Pollen pods into Myron Stendhal's wagon. Ultimately, she committed her greatest crime when she charmed snakes into killing Thunder, setting the events of Extinction Curse into action. Nemmia tricked the grigs Tyrissa and Canonoe into thinking she was also a member of the circus, and gave them consent into sweeping the circus performers into a mighty dance in order to tire them out so she could easily murder them all. She was stopped by the Wandering Three, who fought her and quickly dispatched of her. She was knocked unconscious by Eriato's Glutton's Jaw, and was arrested the next morning by Mayor Jae Abber.
Nemmia stayed behind bars for the next week as the Wandering Three uncovered her crimes. When they stopped by the town hall to find information on the Mayor's whereabouts, she tried to taunt them, only to rapidly lose the energy to fight and give in when Eriato argued back. She is still presently in the Town Hall's jail cell.