Madame Z

Maria has grey-blonde hair that is normally pulled up into a sloppy bun. She has emotionless crystal blue eyes, although there are exceptions. There a few people who could bring emotion to the dull hues, two of which being her deceased parents. The woman weighs 120lbs and stands at a height of 5'8". She almost always wears a large fluffy coat, which makes it hard to tell her size. Along with the coat, Maria tends to wear a pair of heeled boots and jeans.

Madame Z owns a giant forest, known as Le bosquet de la Sorcière. (The Witches Grove) It isn't completely forested, though. There is a large lake in the southern portion with small, enchanted islands within it. Her home rests in the center of the forest, along with many of her servants and pets. The grove is full of trees (duh), rivers, and other animals whether they be magical or not. Others do live in these woods, though. Morgan Less, a Margot le Fée, lives in the thickest parts of the brush, while Pontianak and Fantôme, Dames Blanches (ghosts), live near the rivers on the edge of the forest. One of her servants-- Kashchey, a Loups Garous (werewolf)-- lives in a small hut directly North of Madame Z's home. He takes care of Cheval, her horse.

-A heightened sense of smell - Can sense emotions, foods, and children from over a mile away.
-Pyrokinesis - “Flame manipulation” Manipulate, extinguish, or reignite the flame (Used often)
-Healing - Regenerate skin, blood, and bone. Does take up a bunch of energy, though (Used when needed)
-Evocation - Pull memories out of a conscious mind. Easier when victim/subject is willing. Can also “enter” one’s mind (Occasionally used)
-Potion Making - Creates various potion types with herbs and other ingredients (Rarely used)
-Telekinesis - Move objects with the mind (Rarely used)
-Telepathy - Mind reading or communication through thoughts (Rarely used)
-Appearance alteration - Can turn into another woman or animal. Takes a lot of energy (Rarely used)

=Likes=
Food
Cassoulet (White beans with any slowly stewed meat. Best in colder months)
Bordeaux wine
Calm, relaxed people
Smart People
Stella
Proper fashion
Fur coats
Warmth
Forests
Manners

=Dislikes=
Energetic people
Threats
Alive children (except Stella)
People
Desert
Curse words
Poor manners

=Language=
French accent
Also knows English, Russian, French Spanish, Italian, and Pig Latin
Rarely cusses in French
Uses the phrases “Enfant” meaning child, “Fille” meaning daughter, “Bonjour” meaning hello, and “Madame” or “Monsieur” meaning miss or sir.
Doesn’t use many hand motions
Has a slightly stern, yet soft and motherly voice

=Quotes=
“I’m just a tough old woman” - Marjory Stoneman Douglas
“Empathy only grows as we learn” - Alice Miller
“Anger only gets in the way” - Katherine Applegate

I found the character known as Madame Z in a book called, “The Door By the Staircase.” She was a Russian witch based mostly on Russian folklore. I wanted to do something like that, but I would much rather learn more about France than Russia. Plus, it would seem less like I was copying someone else. I did all the research by myself, learning about different French legends and mythology. I even based a bunch of the names and real animals on French people and names. Maria De Ximildegui was a real woman a while ago and Renard, Cheval, and Livre mean fox, horse, and book in French.

=Family=
Maria's parents are long gone, so she's been by herself for a very long time... Although recently, she has adopted a young 12 year-old girl named Stella. Stella is a young lady with her heart set on becoming a witch. Madame Z is slowly teaching her some of her magic. In the meantime, she has become a magician. She has fair, white skin, dark brown hair, and riveling brown eyes. Stella will typically wear some sort of flashy, cute outfit, though if she doesn't want to be recognized or noticed, the girl will wear just about anything to fit into a crowd. The young magician enjoys performing in front of crowds and audiences.

=Friends=
Ms. Less- Madame Z does have some friends/acquaintances. One being her clothier-- Morgan Less, or known by Stella and Madame Z as Ms. Less. She has a fiery personality and always wears the most impressive outfits. Ms. Less has firey, red hair and emerald green eyes, which always pulls her outfit together. She is known as a Margot La Fee, or a shapeshifter fairy. Morgan's favorite shifts are a malebete (a bear thing), Ms. Less, and a tall, gorgeous fairy.. or so she says. No one has actually seen her as a fairy.

Pontianak and Fantôme- A pair of ghosts tend to roam the woods and have befriended Madame Z. They are twin ghosts, and are almost identical. Pontianak has slightly broader shoulders and slightly smaller eyes than Fantôme. In French folklore, they are known as Dames Blanches, or "White Ladies," and wander around aimlessly, scaring people.

Kashchey- As mentioned before, Kashchey is a Loups Garous, which translates to "werewolf." Although, he isn't exactly your typical shapeshifter. Instead of shifting when there's a full moon, he can change whenever he chooses. He can also alter his appearance on occasion.

The Lutins- These are little creatures, almost like gnomes or hobgoblins that keep the house clean and help make dinner. In French "Lutin" can be translated to elf, goblin, pixie, or almost any other small fictional characters. There are three main helpers, Jetin, Crion, and Fee, the others just help out.

The Naines- Another group of little creatures is the Naine Rouges (red dwarfs.) They work outside the house and in the forest. These little, red creatures scout the forest for any trespassers, help when the workload becomes too much for the Lutins, or are sent to check out any new places. There are six of them: Louis, Aaida, Diable, Mauvias, Ecarlate, and Cramoisi

Livre- Basically a giant demon summoning book. It can shrink to a smaller travel size or can turn into your average cookbook.

=Pets=
Renald- Meaning "fox" in French, Renald is a Mandagot, or sometimes referred to as a matagot. He can shapeshift into either a fox, cat, dog rat or cow. The legend of these creatures is that if you manage to entice it with a plump, fresh chicken, scoop it up, and carry it home without looking back, it is yours. But there's a catch (of course there's a catch, why wouldn't there be a catch, there's always a catch.)
You must feed it the first bite of food and the first sip of your drink before each meal. If you do this the cat will both stay, and you will get a gold coin every morning. Although, you must let it go well before the end of its lifeline, or else you will suffer a painful, miserable death.

Cheval- Madame Z's horse, commonly known in French folklore as a Chevel Mallet, or mean horse, has been tamed by her, and her alone. The gorgeous white equine will either throw the rider off a cliff, into a rushing river or onto the ground to be trampled on if they do not have Madame Z's blessing or they haven't tamed her. Although, if the rider is unaware of this, they won't know until they're falling from a cliff, into a river, or have their skull crushed by a pair of hooves.