Mary Maxwell

"She was drowning, but nobody saw her struggle."
— Sarah Dessen

Drowned Mary

Background

They said she drowned. Slipped on wet stone, fell into the black river and vanished. No scream. No bubbles. Just… gone. The water never gave her back.

But the truth was stranger, older, and crueler. Mary Maxwell was taken. Her captor—the Thing in the water—fed on sorrow and silence, making her relive her pain until she could no longer feel it. She screamed until the river forgot her voice.

When she stopped crying, it gave her water to drink. And when she drank, something left her that she never got back.

Now she lives above Galloway Drugs, a little mom-and-pop pharmacy in Red Hook. She works the counter by day—kind, sweet, always helpful—and disappears at night into the Hedge. There, she keeps a marsh-bound Hollow called The Still, a garden of grief where she brews tokens and potions out of memories, pain, and ghost-fruit.

She is a Lethipomp, a vessel of Lethean waters. She helps others forget. Sometimes she helps them remember. But she always remembers who made her drown.

Personality

Mary is the embodiment of “sweet on the surface, still on the bottom.” She’s friendly, nurturing, and warm in ways that don’t feel fake—until you realize she never quite answers personal questions. She has a soft voice, a kind touch, and a blank space inside her where panic used to live. When angry, her entire demeanor shifts. The sweetness drops, and what’s left is clinical, cold, and terrifyingly precise. She doesn’t scream. She doesn’t fight. She remembers—and makes others do the same. Her kindness is real. So is the part of her that bottles pain and watches it steep.

Description

To the world, Mary Maxwell is an adorably witchy young woman with an air of eerie poise. Her porcelain-pale skin and platinum-blonde hair, streaked with soft pink or lavender hues, give her a whimsical yet

deliberate edge—like a modern-day hedge witch curated through an Instagram filter. Her sharp, ice-blue eyes hold unnerving steadiness, like someone who’s seen far more than she should have. She dresses in layered blacks and grays, mixing lace and leather, with subtle jewelry carved in symbols most wouldn’t recognize: moon phases, protective knots, bits of Appalachian folk magic. Her demeanor is calm, reserved, and unfailingly polite—but there’s always a lingering sense that she’s watching you more than anything else in the room. In the right light, she looks like a ghost with perfect skin and perfect posture—a pharmacist with eyes like river glass.

In the world beyond the Mask, Mary walks as something the river tried—and failed—to keep. Her skin is cold blue-white, like waterlogged porcelain, marbled faintly with dark veins beneath the surface. Her long hair hangs in wet, heavy curls that float and drift even when the air is still, always dripping, never dry. Her lace dress clings to her frame like a burial shroud, tattered at the hem and embroidered with fine green filaments of moss, algae, and symbols no longer taught. Her lips are slightly parted, as if caught mid-scream, but no sound escapes—only the occasional trickle of water. The air around her is humid and chill, thick with the scent of crushed lavender, damp earth, and forgotten streams. When she moves, the floor beneath her seems to darken with moisture, and sometimes, if you listen closely, you can hear the quiet sound of weeping—not hers, but the Keeper’s, echoing through time.

Public Effects

Striking Looks 2 (Adorably Witchy): There’s something strange and beautiful about Mary—soft and spooky, like a ghost wearing perfume.

Autumn Mantle 3: The air chills when she’s near. People get quiet around her. Shadows behave oddly.

Hedge Sorcery 4: Mary is a strong Hedge Witch, learning quickly the ways of Hedge Sorcery.

Professional Training (Harmacist) 4: Blends folk healing and science.

Role-Play Hooks

Counterside Manner (Anyone): Mary’s the pharmacist over at Galloway Drugs, a little mom & pop drug store in Red Hook. She dispenses prescriptions and gentle advice in equal measure when she’s not helping the owner fuss with the credit card machine.

The Drowned Girl (Urban Legends, Local Kids): Some kids back home whisper that a girl who drowned in the river came back different. They say she watches from the marsh when it rains, and if you hear humming, you better not hum back.

Witch in the Hollow (Freehold Members, Autumn Court): Among changelings, Mary’s known as a Witch and a ritualist. Her Hollow, “The Still,” is a haunted garden where sorrow grows like fruit—and you can bargain with her for memory or mercy, if you’re brave.

Memory for Sale (Changeling Healers): If you're burdened by something too painful to carry, Mary can take it from you. You’ll forget the worst of it… but she won’t. And sometimes, it echoes back out of her during rituals.

She Remembers You (Survivors, Emotional Wrecks): She has a way of looking at people like she knows their worst day. Some find that comforting. Others can’t stand being seen that clearly.