Mictēcacihuātl - Aztec Shepherd

Mictēcacihuātl

From the day she could walk, Mictēcacihuātl was drawn to the gentle art of healing. She spent her youth at the side of the tribe’s healers, gathering herbs in the thick jungles of Unktli, learning the melodies that calmed wounds and soothed spirits. But though her heart was eager, her mind stumbled. The intricate theories of body and spirit that the healers taught her—carefully guarded knowledge passed down from the first Nuqanchik—slipped away like mist from her fingers.

When Mictēcacihuātl came of age, she faced the rite of initiation with trembling hope. Yet her mind, ever quick to wander, betrayed her. She forgot the sacred steps, mixed the herbs wrongly, and answered poorly when tested by the elders. Her failure was undeniable. She was cast down to Michina status, her dream of belonging slipping away, leaving her adrift on the margins of her people.

For a time, she lived half a life, tending the sick and the old as best she could with the little authority she had. Her heart remained stubbornly gentle, her hands ever willing. And so fate turned when a young Qapaq, Coanacochtzin, suffered a terrible crafting accident. Deep in the jungle, far from the main camp, a carving blade meant for a ceremonial instrument shattered, slicing deep into his leg.

The others despaired. They ran for help, but Mictēcacihuātl stayed. She bound his wounds with what herbs and poultices she knew, whispering broken prayers. Where her learning failed her, her raw intuition, stubborn courage, and spirit did not. She kept him alive through the long, fevered night, until "real" healers came.

Word of her deed spread like fire through the tribe. To save a Qapaq was no small thing. At the next gathering, in the shadow of an ancient temple, the elders argued long and fiercely. But at last, swayed by Coanacochtzin’s public defense and the murmurs of the people, Mictēcacihuātl was given an unheard-of second chance.

Though older now, and burdened with past shame, she would be allowed to attempt the initiation challenge once more. Success would raise her to a full member of the tribe—perhaps even to greater things if the gods willed it.

The old temples loom ahead. The gods are watching. Mictēcacihuātl steps forward once more—not as a girl chasing a dream, but as a woman tempered by failure and filled with fierce, unshakable hope.

Ancestry: Human
Class: Shepherd
Lvl: 1

STR:  2   🗝️
DEX:  0 ↓
INT: -1
WIL:  2 ↑ 🗝️

HP: 17/17
Hit Die: 1d10/1d10
Speed: 6
Wounds: 0/6
Condition: -

Armor:
- Body armor 6 + DEX (0)
- Shield 2

Init: 0

-1 Arcana
-1 Examination
 0 Finesse
 5 Influence
 2 Insight
-1 Lore
 4 Might
 2 Naturecraft
 2 Perception
 0 Stealth

Specials:
- Searing Light (WIL(2) times/Safe Rest)
  Action: Heal or Inflict grievous injuries:
  • Heal WIL d8 HP to a Dying creature within Reach 6. OR:
  • Inflict WIL d8 radiant damage to an undead or Bloodied enemy
    within Reach 6.

Spells:
- Rebuke
  Cantrip, 1 Action, Single Target
  Reach: 4
  Damage: 1d6 (ignoring armor) + 0×2(0)
  Does not miss. 2× damage against undead or cowardly
    (those Frightened or behind cover)
  High Levels: +2 damage every 5 levels.

- True Strike
  Cantrip, 1 Action, Single Target
  Reach: 2 + 0×1(0)
  Give a creature advantage on the next attack they make
    (until the end of their turn)
  High Levels: +1 Reach every 5 levels.

Gear:
- Scaled Ichcahuipilli (Rusty Mail)
  Armor: 6 + DEX (0)
- Quauholōlli (Mace)
  1d6 + STR (2) Bludgeoning
- Chīmalli (Wooden Buckler)
  Armor: 2
- Bell
- Rope & hook
- 12gp