Jasna Sobol - The Witch of Blackroot Cut: A Profile
Jasna Sobol - The Witch of Blackroot Cut: A Profile
Villainess or Victim of Circumstance
by Ms. Ava Nolan
Thirty-two years ago, on a bone-chillingly cold Colossus night in the year 1301AE, the residence of Eastern Kessex gathered in a display of vigilante justice. Shouts rang out through the trees, calls for blistering flesh and boiling blood. Acquaintances would be her executioners, the very ones who months to years previous had, in their darkest moments, sought the aid and wisdom of Jasna Sobol.
Desperate they may have been, they had nevertheless appealed to Sobol to conduct medical procedures too costly for the common-man. Yet now here they stood before her with jeers and scorn on their venomous tongues. ‘Baby-killer’ and ‘Murderer’ they spat in their anger. Defiance and an eerie sort of neutrality warred at her traditional Kurzick features, illuminated in the night as she was by torch-light that soon set ablaze her body bound to a wooden stake.
Who was Jasna Sobol?
Born into absolute poverty and a life of squalor, Jasna Mira Sobol was the oldest of the three Sobol children, which included a brother, Veselin Darko (1279AE - 1332AE), and a sister, Malina Iva who was immediately, post-birth, placed in an orphanage.
Jasna Sobol possessed a dominant personality. Her brother, Veselin, however, was passive and known to be enamored by her. The pair were said to be inseparable. A number of individuals interviewed insinuated they were “unnaturally” close, and yet, Veselin Sobol survived his sister, and her crimes, by thirty-one years to pass only recently, last year, at the age of fifty-three.
The informal and poorly conducted “investigation” into Jasma Sobol’s charges failed to identify Veselin as a person-of-interest. No interviews were conducted, and his person and premises were never searched.
In 1301AE, Jasna Sobol was charged with the following crimes: (1) Offered slapdash abortions to women in need—later declared a ‘baby killer’, (2) Offered paid ‘mercy killings’ by means of poison—later condemned for murder, (3) Corrupted near water sources, but was paid to purify them—later charged with murder, (4) Hiding of and occult use of human remains—later charged with desecration.
Cultist or Scapegoat?
Locals claim she was a disciple of Verata the Necromancer, a rogue Ascalonian who, after the cataclysmic event known as The Searing, relocated to the Kessex Peaks region of Kryta.
His insatiable desire for knowledge caused him to use forbidden practices to increase the speed of his research on undead minions by kidnapping and experimenting on citizens and wayward travelers. He was thenceforth cast out of The Order, an organization formed to prevent the misuse of necromancy – a branch of magic that, to this day, is poorly understood by the masses. It is both shrouded in mystery and misconceptions.
The Dark Arts
Necromancers draw their power from the sacrifice of blood (often their own) and by communing with the dead. Although they possess the skills to raise our dead relatives, this practice is widely discouraged across Tyria. Instead, necromancers who do summon the dead, and not all can or will, do so by utilizing a variable mixture of flesh, body parts and bones, often of animals, to form undead servants known as minions. Other such skills employed by the necromancer are curses, marks, spectral energy and life-force.
Holding the very power over life and death is a privilege not to be taken lightly, and it is understandable why so many remain wary of necromancy. Due to the sacrificial nature of their methods, Necromancers must practice patience and self-discipline not only to survive but to prevent the abuse and misuse of their power. Rules and guidelines for the practice of necromancy, such as those of The Order, must be strictly adhered and upheld by the current generation of necromancers to prevent individuals, such as Verata, who forge their own dangerous path paved with pain and suffering.
If Jasna Sobol was a follower of the Cult of Verata, where are her fellow cultists? There have been no recent reports, within the Kessex region nor from the Lionguard who patrol the roadways, of any occultist activity in the area. Today Blackroot Cut remains a dangerous swampland and one where the barriers between Tyria and the Underworld have weakened. From open portals, nightmarish creatures such as Aatxe, Shades, fleshreavers and imps pour forth to wreck havoc on the area.
Into the Unknown
We may never know the truth behind the case of Jasna Sobol: who she was, what happened and all who may have been involved but such controversial individuals are rarely born. They are made – by us. They are made by ignorance, and a lack of opportunities. They turn away from the norm to create their own. With the recent discovery of the revenant (made known by the famed charr Rytlock Brimstone) which involves channeling and unleashing the powers of the Mists, and the arrival of Dragonfall, it is imperative that Tyrians not give into the fear of the unknown. We must embrace the magical potential that have been bestowed upon this world and beyond. To quote the Priests of Grenth, “Death is simply another journey.“
About the Author: Ms. Ava Nolan ( @torunwiththewolf )
A freelance journalist based out of Lion’s Arch, Ava Nolan has reported on stories from the front-lines and refugee camps during the Battle for Lion’s Arch, as well as, the Tower of Nightmare. She is currently on assignment in the Shiverpeak Mountains covering the Vigil’s war against the Elder Dragon Jormag.
