Alma Harrison (she/they), 25

Gardener- Alma is descended from a long line of plant lovers and grows fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

Alma is a member of the Harrison family, a long-standing but smaller family in Little Avoning. Alma is the niece of the vicar. She has fond memories of growing up in the town, and was very close to their twin sister. The twins loved to spend time in nature together, and learned the skills of agriculture and horticulture from several family members. Alma used to live in the main home of the Harrisons, and was friendly with others in town, but spent most of their time with their twin. However, ever since her twin sister passed away from illness, she has kept to herself a lot more, and lives alone in a shed at the back of the large family garden.

Alma is planning on having a stall where they sell various crops and plants that they have grown over the summer. She does this every year, and is a key figure behind Little Avoning's excellent horticulture that is celebrated at the Rose Festival. This year is the first year they will be running their stall alone, and is determined for it to be successful in their sister's honour and memory.

Level 3: They experience the sensation of echoes more intensely, and with concentration may be able to understand the emotional nuances that generated the echo.

A dried rose petal, well-preserved and stored in a piece of muslin cloth:

The smell of fragrant roses in bloom, the warmth of sunlight on the skin, and the sound of delighted laughter and clapping. This is the memory of the first spring that Alma and her twin succeeded in growing a strong and pleasant-smelling rosebush without anyone else helping.

• Personal struggle: Alma struggles with connecting to other people, whether they are loved ones, acquaintances, or strangers, after the passing of her twin sister.

• Secret: The Harrison family believes itself to be partially responsible for the disgracing of Bartholomew Beaufort. Alma isn't sure of the full details, since she wasn't born yet when this happened decades ago, but apparently one of the Harrisons was growing a questionable plant for Bartholomew, who was Mayor at the time… Alma is worried that if the secret gets out, her business would be negatively affected, as she would be implicated in the scandal, as the trustworthiness of the Harrisons would be highly questioned.

Martin Fisher (he/him), 68

Fisherman

Martin is a member of the Fisher family, and when the family divided and many younger Fishers moved to the center of town, Martin and his new bride went with them. In his youth Martin enjoyed long afternoons drifting down the river and learning how to fish from his uncle, and didn't mind at all when he had to rely on his hobby as a source of income to support his wife and children. He's a cheerful getleman who has an inexhaustable ability to look at the positives in life, though his wife complains that the early mornings and cold winters do no good for his health.

Martin wonders sometimes if the fish haven't all grown legs and run away from town with the ever-diminishing yield in his nets, but the time spent on his little boat has made him an exeptional whistler. Martin can carve rudimentary wind instruments from wood, and his most patient daughter has done her best to teach some songs to him and his friends from the pub. Martin and his friends are planning to debut their all-whitsle band at the Rose Festival in a performace that promises to, at the very least, be heard town-wide.

Level 4: You are especially sensitive to echoes, and may even have a specific sensitivity for certain echo sensations (touch, sound etc.). This can become overwhelming. You have a good understanding of the emotions that have generated echoes and get a clear sensory experience from echoes.

Martin is especially sensitive to echoes with smell, and becomes easily nauseous.

Under the old bridge:

A sharp ache under the ribs and the sound of rushing water. Martin will never forget the time his uncle, distracted by his own story, forgot to duck under the bridge and was swiftly deposited into the freezing water below. It never fails to make him chuckle.

• A Close GM NPC: His Wife. Martin never regretted moving to the center of town, leaving the cold walls and comfortable wealth of the Fisher estate to start a family of his own. He knows his wife feels guilty, though, and Martin doesn't know how to show her that he wouldn't have it any other way.

• A Reputation: Nobody in town quite understands why Martin traded in a comfortable (but perhaps emotionally stifled) life at the Fisher estate for the frost-bitten life of a fisherman, but the facts of his situation are outshined by Martin's wide smile and positive attitude. Everyone in town is aware and slightly perplexed by Martin's ability to laugh in the face of the day, and everyone knows that when you pass Martin in the street or see him at the pub, you'll be greeted by a friendly wave and cheerful whistle.