Mariette Thibodeaux - Human Traiteuse

Mariette Thibodeaux, Traiteuse of the Lower Reeds

Female Human Traiteur 5
Medium Humanoid (Human)

Hit Dice: 5d6+10 (28 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft.
Armor Class: 12 (+1 Dex, +1 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+3
Attack: Sickle +4 melee (1d6)
Full Attack: Sickle +4 melee (1d6)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Gift of Aurelisse, Traitement (lesser, 4/day), Herbal Lore, Lay on Hands (15 hp/day), Marsh Sense, Remove Affliction (1/day)
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +6
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 13
Skills: Concentration +10, Diplomacy +9, Heal +14, Knowledge (nature) +8, Knowledge (religion) +5, Profession (herbalist) +11, Sense Motive +8, Survival +11
Feats: Skill Focus (Heal), Negotiator, Self-Sufficient
Environment: Warm marshes and bayous (Ville des Marais)
Organization: Solitary or with 1–3 villagers
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard (primarily goods, food, and offerings; minimal coin)
Alignment: Neutral Good
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —
Languages: Common, Cajun
Possessions: Simple linen dress, worn overtunic, cloth headscarf, sickle, woven herb basket, clay jars of poultices and oils, bone-and-herb charm necklace, walking stick, small river skiff, Charm of Quiet Hands (+2 competence bonus on Heal checks), Marshwater Phial (1/day reroll a Lay on Hands or Traitement healing result, must accept second result)

Physical Description

Mariette Thibodeaux is a weathered woman in her mid-40s, with sun-darkened skin and fine lines earned through years beneath open sky and reflected marshlight. Her dark hair, threaded with gray, is tied back with a simple cloth, though the humidity rarely allows it to stay contained. Her eyes are calm and steady, carrying a quiet attentiveness that suggests she is always listening - not just to those around her, but to the land itself.

She wears a loose, undyed linen dress belted at the waist, layered with a worn overtunic softened by years of use. The fabric is permanently marked by mud and water, the hem darkened from constant contact with the marsh. She often goes barefoot, her steps sure and practiced along unstable ground. Around her neck hangs a small charm of bone, twine, and dried herbs, worn smooth with time.

Lore

Mariette was raised in a small settlement deep within the lower reeds, where the land and water shaped every aspect of life. From a young age, she showed signs of the gift - small things at first, fevers breaking under her touch, pain easing when she sat beside it long enough. Her grandmother recognized it immediately and began the long, careful process of guiding her, never rushing, never explaining more than was needed at the time.

The knowledge of the traitement was not given all at once, but in fragments carried across years. The final words came only at the end, passed in a quiet moment at her grandmother’s bedside. Mariette has never spoken them outside of their purpose. To her, they are not meant to be understood, only carried and used as they were intended.

Now, she serves her community without ceremony or recognition. People come when they must, and leave what they can - eggs, bread, small kindnesses. She neither asks nor refuses. There are no signs marking her home, no formal title given to her by the people she helps. She simply remains, as steady and present as the land itself, offering what was given to her without claiming it as her own.