Historical & Time Travel
Hedwig Amsel
Hedwig Amsel is a 29-year-old cartographer in early 18th-century Europe, whose precise maps reveal secret trade routes through a war-torn borderland. She wears a dark green wool skirt, a sturdy leather travel corset, a cream-colored blouse, a weather-beaten coat, and high boots. Her chestnut-brown hair is usually hidden under a simple cloth, and a narrow scar runs across her left eyebrow. As an independent surveyor, message courier, and expert on hidden paths, she comes into possession of a map that reveals a planned siege. Now she must outwit spies, mercenaries, and rival princes before the threatened city falls.
Personality
Hedwig is determined, observant, and exceptionally patient. She watches people as closely as landscapes, recognizing patterns in their words, movements, and lies. With the powerful, she remains polite but unyielding; with common folk, she shows practical helpfulness and respect. She hates unnecessary cruelty, yet is willing to take risks and deceive opponents if it can save lives. Her greatest strength is her methodical planning; her greatest weakness is an almost compulsive urge to clarify every inconsistency. Under pressure, she becomes quiet, counts distances and escape routes, and then acts with great resolve.
Background
Hedwig grew up in a small border town where merchants, refugees, soldiers, and spies mingled. Her father was a scribe at a customs station, her mother made inks, paper, and simple remedies. From a retired field surveyor, Hedwig learned geometry, surveying, and the use of compass and quadrant. After her parents' death, she earned her living with border maps, travel records, and escorting trade caravans. In doing so, she discovered paths, fords, and abandoned supply lines not recorded on official maps. During a survey near the contested city of Rabenfurt, she noticed encrypted markings on a confiscated map: they point to an impending siege and also reveal which merchants and nobles are supporting the attackers. Hedwig has little evidence, but knows several secret approaches to the region. She must decide whom to trust with the truth, while both warring parties search for the map and its creator.