As fearful as they are generally inclined to be, the crowd of people in a clearing deep in the Quiverwoods are currently calm. Each of them sees the Maiden as a trusted figure, one they know and love, and they followed her here unquestioningly. They watch, silent, as two figures face each other in the centre of the clearing.

The smaller of the two figures, veiled in black, speaks. “I have loved you, my hart. But this path is not for me. I cannot keep your heart any longer. I return it to you, and choose my own path.”

The taller figure, crowned with antlers, replies. “I have loved you, my heart. And so I let you go.”

The smaller figure reaches into her own chest, spiders flowing out of the way to make a gap. Her hand closes upon the heart that beats there, red flesh standing out against the black mass of spiders. Slowly, she pulls the heart out, her features beginning to lose definition. She holds the heart towards her companion, who takes it solemnly. As her fingers close upon it, the shorter figure collapses. In moments, she is no longer recognisable as a person, and where she stood, a tide of spiders flows out, scattering into the woods.

At the same moment, the crowd of onlookers all collapse as well, like puppets with their strings cut. Only one figure now stands in the clearing, surrounded by corpses and a carpet of fleeing spiders. The Maiden of the Broken Hart stands, beating heart held in one hand, alone. She gave her heart to another, and was rejected. She will not leave herself vulnerable to that again. No other will ever possess her heart, from this day on.

Slowly, she brings the heart to her mouth. Her lips are bright, bright red.

Once upon a time, there was a fair maiden that lived in the woods. Some say she could be found in Abizyl, some in Epicentre, but the truth is that she dwelled wherever the woods were dark and deep enough. She tended to the woods, as a gardener tends his garden, and she loved them.

One day, a hunter came across her as she knelt in a glen, humming to herself as she dug in the earth with a trowel. Her beauty captivated him, and he lost his heart to her on the spot.

“Fair maid,” he called. “Don't you know that the forest is dangerous? Come with me, be my wife, that I may protect you.”

The maiden smiled. “The forest holds no dangers to me, for I belong to it and need no protection. I will not come with you.”

Disheartened, the hunter left the grove. But he never arrived home, for he was attacked by wolves and eaten, and the forest hid his bones.

One day, a noble came across her as he rode his horse through the forest. Her beauty captivated him, and he lost his heart to her on the spot.

“Fair maid,” he called. “The forest is no place for one as fair as you. Come with me, be my wife, and live in luxury all your days.”

The maiden smiled. “The forest holds all I could ever need, for I belong to it and it feeds me with its bounty. I will not come with you.”

Disheartened, the noble continued on his ride. But he never arrived home, for a fox's scream spooked his horse, and it reared. The noble was thrown from the saddle and broke his neck, and the forest hid his bones.

One day, a talent scout from Epicentre came across her, relaxing in a sun-dappled glade. Her beauty captivated him, and he lost his heart to her on the spot.

“Fair maid,” he called. “You have the loveliest form I have ever seen. You are wasted on this forest glade - come with me and be my wife, and I will make you a model, famous for your beauty.”

The maiden smiled. “I need no fame, and the forest is more beautiful than anything in the world. I belong to it and it knows me for who I am. I will not come with you.

Disheartened, the talent scout left. But he never arrived home, for a deadly snake slithered across his path and bit him on the ankle. He died to venom, and the forest hid his bones.

The position of Quiverwoods Representative was held for a long time by an enigmatic person known only as “The Maiden of the Broken Hart”. She was a key player in the early years of the Underlings' Union, having attended since near the beginning of its existence. The Maiden, as we shall refer to her, pursued an agenda of conservation for the woods, opposing any attempts at developing them, and repeatedly emphasising how dangerous the Quiverwoods could be.

It was while the Maiden was on the Union committee that it became apparent that stands of forest across Nequam were beginning to show characteristics similar to that of the Quiverwoods - shadows deeper than they should be, predators apparently thriving in an area that should be too small to sustain them, and so on. The Maiden seemed to consider this a good thing, though counseled the early Union that underlings should be warned off of these places, due to the danger.

The Maiden's first stretch as Quiverwoods representative was her longest, and she eventually lost the seat to Renata Harcoeur, of the large werewolf clan. She continues to contest the seat every few years, however, and has served several terms through the decades. Thus far she appears to show no signs of aging, so she may well continue to hold the seat on and off for decades to come.

- A History of the Underlings' Union, Dark Lair Publishing

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“Hello, my Hart. Will you hunt with me again?”