User Blog:
NPCs You Didn’t Know You Needed: The Butcher's Wife

This week you're going to meet Methilda Horn, the Bucher's wife. Tomorrow I'd like to treat you to a quick discussion on historical accuracy in fantasy roleplaying games but for now, let me tell you a truth you're just going to have to trust me on for now.

Depending on the time period we're discussing, women were not treated as badly nor as much like chattel as a casual glance at history would suggest. Matter of fact, there were some periods in European history when women had nearly as much power and influence as we do today. No, really. I'll prove it later.

Good, now, on to Methilda.

Description: Methilda is tall and powerfully built and considered quite fetching by many men in town though she is not traditionally beautiful. Rather, her face is easy to look at and expression regularly warm and welcoming. Her hair is long, kept both clean and groomed (to the point that the local clergy sometimes accuse her of vanity) and is roughly the color of hay. Her eyes are light brown, so light as to be comparable to honey.

Background: Everyone calls Methilda the Butcher's wife, or else the Butcher's widow since her husband died in the plague. Of course, old John died nearly five years ago with nearly half the men in the hamlet and the nearby city, so it's been up to Methilda to run the butchery since he's been gone. For whatever it's worth, she's actually a better butcher than old John was because she's still young and quite strong. (Being such a stocky girl comes in handy at least in this case.) She can dress a sou or buck in no time, though anything much larger and she likes a little help from some of the local boys who come around to moon at her. "If they're going to stand around and stare at me all day, I may as well get some work out of them," she's known to say cheerfully.

Roleplaying: You were raised in a fierce man's world expected to be a beloved wife and helpmate. John didn't need a 'helpmate' he needed actual help as his business grew and since he had no sons just yet, you were it. When the plague took him you were sad for a while, but you had taxes to pay and customers to satisfy. the demand for your husband's business only slightly diminished when he passed. Since taking over you've had to become harder than you would like; a number of local men have tried to take advantage of your situation. They tried cunning, you became more cunning. They tried the law, you learned the law to combat them. They threaten you with violence, you responded with a quick lesson on just how easy it is to yank a limb out of it's socket.