Character Bible: Untitled Project
Legend: [N] = from your notes, [S] = suggestion.
1. Story Snapshot
This is a cozy fantasy novel [N] about a retired dragon hunter who now runs a mountain bakery and gets pulled into one last job, only to learn the dragon isn't what the town thinks [N]. The tone is warm and funny with real grief underneath [N]. The setting is Hollin's Reach, a mountain town [N] in a valley [N], home to Mara's bakery, The Ember Loaf (locked) [N]. The pressure comes from an upcoming harvest festival and traders scared off by the dragon [N]. Assumptions: Hollin's Reach is a small, close-knit town where everyone knows everyone's business [S], and dragons are rare but real enough that "dragon hunter" was once a recognized trade [S].
2. Cast Roster
| Name | Role | Age | One-line description | Profile type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mara Voss | Protagonist | 52 [N] | Gruff, secretly soft ex-dragon hunter who bakes the valley's best cardamom buns [N] | Full |
| Tobin | Deuteragonist / apprentice | 19 [N] | Clumsy, chatty apprentice baker who wants adventure [N] | Full |
| Old Cinder | Misunderstood "antagonist" / hidden ally | Not yet defined (centuries old [S]) | A dragon the town fears, who is actually protecting her eggs [N] | Full |
| Mayor Pell | Antagonistic pressure / authority | Not yet defined (mid-50s [S]) | Pushy mayor who wants Cinder gone before the harvest festival [N] | Card |
| Elias | Deceased; Mara's partner | Not yet defined (died at about Mara's age then, early 40s [S]) | Mara's partner, lost on her last hunt 10 years ago [N] | Card |
| Elias's sister | Possible future character | Not yet defined | May exist "somewhere" [N]; unnamed and unconfirmed | Card |
3. Main Character Profiles
Mara Voss
At a glance: A retired dragon hunter who swapped her blade for a rolling pin and would rather burn a tray of buns than hear anyone call her a hero [N].
Identity:
- Full name: Mara Voss [N]
- Nicknames: None in notes. Suggested: Tobin calls her "Chief" once, gets a floury glare, and keeps doing it [S]. Old hunting circles called her "the Voss" [S].
- Age: 52 [N] (see Contradictions: one drafted scene says 48)
- Pronouns: she/her [N]
- Occupation: Retired dragon hunter [N]; owner and baker of The Ember Loaf [N]
- Lives: Hollin's Reach [N], in a small room above the bakery so she's up before the ovens [S]
Appearance:
- Build: Broad-shouldered and solid, with forearms that still look like they could haul a crossbow [S]
- Distinguishing features: Grey braid [N]; burn scar on her left forearm (locked) [N]
- Typical clothing: Rolled sleeves, flour-dusted canvas apron, sturdy old hunting boots she refuses to replace [S]
- Signature item: A dented copper bun tin [S], or her old hunter's knife, now used only for scoring dough [S]
Backstory: Mara spent most of her adult life as a dragon hunter [N]. Ten years ago, on her last hunt, she lost her partner, Elias [N], and she has blamed herself ever since [N]. She walked away from hunting and built a quiet life baking in Hollin's Reach, where her cardamom buns became the best in the valley [N]. The town remembers her as a hero; she remembers the hunt that went wrong [N/S].
Key formative events:
- Takes up dragon hunting young, possibly following a parent or mentor into the trade [S]
- Partners with Elias; they become the team other hunters talk about [S]
- Last hunt, 10 years ago: Elias dies; Mara blames herself [N]
- Retires and opens The Ember Loaf [N for the bakery; timing S: about 9 years ago]
- Takes on Tobin as apprentice [N], likely against her better judgment [S]
Want / Need / Fear:
- Want: To be left alone to bake in peace and never pick up a weapon again [S]
- Need: To forgive herself for Elias, and to let people (Tobin, the town) care about her [S]
- Fear: Getting someone else killed, especially Tobin [S]
Core flaw and strengths:
- Flaw: Gruff to the point of pushing people away [N]; she carries guilt alone instead of sharing it [S]
- Strengths: Secretly soft and deeply caring [N]; expert knowledge of dragons [S]; patience and precision (shared by bakers and hunters) [S]; master baker [N]
Arc:
- Start state: Hiding from her past behind ovens. Refuses the title "hero" [N] and refuses Pell's job [S].
- Option A, "The Last Job Isn't a Kill" [S]:
- Turning point 1: She accepts the hunt, mainly to keep Tobin from going alone [S].
- Turning point 2: She finds Cinder's eggs [N for eggs], and Cinder speaks to her [N "maybe"].
- End state: She protects Cinder instead of hunting her, confronts the town, and finally talks about Elias.
- Option B, "Cinder Was There" [S]:
- Twist: Cinder was the dragon from Mara's last hunt, and Elias's death wasn't what Mara believed.
- End state: The truth eases Mara's guilt without erasing her grief.
Voice:
- Speech patterns: Short sentences. Answers questions with instructions. Talks to dough more kindly than to people [S].
- Vocabulary level: Plain and practical, with occasional old hunter's jargon that slips out [S]
- Verbal tics: "Mm." as a full response. Uses baking terms as threats ("Don't make me knead you.") [S]
- Never says: "Hero." Elias's name, out loud, at the start of the book [S].
- Sample lines [S]:
- "Buns first. Feelings never."
- "I'm not a hero. I'm a woman with an oven and a short temper."
- "Stay behind me, Tobin. No, further. Further than that."
Habits and tells:
- Mannerisms: Rubs her left forearm scar when she's lying or remembering [S]
- Stress response: Bakes more. A counter stacked with cooling buns at 3 a.m. means something's wrong [S].
- Comforts: The smell of cardamom [N/S], the first quiet hour before dawn, a chipped mug of strong tea [S]
Secrets:
- She blames herself for Elias's death [N]. The town may not know the