LILY PAD LAUGHS-AT-DEATH
FeyFerrywoman of the River of Souls
"Everyone dies. It's the one thing you mortals all have in common. Well, that and terrible taste in last words. 'Tell my wife I love her'? Original. Very original.""
Identity
- Residence
- The Twilight Ford, where the living and dead can meet
- Civilization
- Fey
Appearance
• Physical: Her body seems made of flowing water, translucent and constantly moving. Water lilies grow in her hair and across her shoulders. Her feet never quite touch the ground—she leaves wet prints wherever she walks. • Clothing: She wears a gown of woven river-mist that clings and flows like water itself, belted with reeds. • Distinguishing Marks: Her reflection in water shows a corpse—her own, from when she drowned centuries ago.
Relationships
- Family - The river itself, which she considers her mother and her prison
- Allies - A mortal medium who sends her clients and brings her news of the living world
- Rivals - The Ferryman of the Dead, who considers her an upstart stealing his business
Personality
- Traits: Gallows humor, unexpectedly kind to the grieving, fascinated by mortality, deeply sad beneath the jokes
- Mannerisms: Laughs at inappropriate moments, collects last words like others collect coins
- Voice: Sounds like bubbling water, with an odd echo as if speaking from underwater
Backstory
Lily Pad was a mortal girl who drowned in a river that flowed between worlds. The river claimed her, but she refused to let it claim her spirit. She made a deal with the river itself—she would ferry souls across for eternity, and in exchange, she could continue to exist. She's been doing it for five centuries and has ferried everyone from peasants to kings.
Daily Life
She waits at the ford from sunset to sunrise, poling her boat across for any soul that needs passage. Between ferries, she talks to the living who come seeking dead loved ones—sometimes helping them make contact, sometimes convincing them to let go. She sleeps in the river itself, dissolving into it at dawn.
Story Hooks
- 1 A PC's loved one is among the hidden souls, and Lily Pad needs help keeping them hidden while they complete their unfinished business
Narrative Value
Connection to the afterlife, source of information from the dead, tragic figure with her own redemption arc, quest giver for death-related plots ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════