FDG PERSONNEL FILE – CONFIDENTIAL

Name: Hetty May

Position: Custodian of the Strawman’s Vault, Rochester Facility

Status: Active, Restricted Field Duties

Clearance Level: All

Background: Hetty May joined the Faylinn Defence Group (FDG) in 1991, immediately after earning a PhD in Folklore Studies from the University of Kent. Her early research focused on agrarian rituals, scarecrow traditions, and the symbolic use of effigies in both human and fae cultures. She quickly established herself as a skilled field operative, known for her deep understanding of fae psychology and folklore. Her early career included multiple successful missions involving rural fae incursions and the recovery of powerful artefacts, many of which are now housed within the Strawman’s Vault.

Incident Report – 1997: In the autumn of 1997, Hetty was assigned to investigate a series of crop circle formations and missing persons reports near the Kent marshes. The mission went disastrously wrong. Hetty disappeared for three days and was found by local farmers, bound to a weathered post in the centre of a field. Her hands had been nailed to the wood, and her lips sewn shut with lengths of straw, preventing her from calling for help. A rough burlap hood had been pulled over her head, blinding her to her surroundings. Crows pecked at the ground around her feet, and the air was thick with the sound of rustling straw, despite the stillness of the wind.

Rescued by an FDG rapid response team, Hetty was taken to a secure medical facility where the stitches were removed and her wounds treated. It took weeks before she could speak again, and even longer before she could stand to hear the sound of rustling straw or the distant cawing of crows without flinching. Her recovery was complicated by the emergence of disturbing, unexplained symptoms, including straw-like growths from her right hand and a permanently mismatched eye, one iris now flecked with swirling patterns of gold and brown.

Current Role: Hetty was officially retired from active field duty in 1998, taking on the role of Custodian of the Strawman’s Vault beneath the FDG’s former headquarters near Rochester Castle. This is not a passive, symbolic position but a vital role that only she can fulfil. Hetty’s primary responsibility is to keep the scarecrows housed within the vault in their dormant state, preventing them from becoming restless or awakening fully.

She performs seasonal rituals and leaves carefully chosen offerings to ensure their continued dormancy. These rituals are conducted at key points in the year: spring, when life stirs; midsummer, when the veil between worlds thins; harvest, when the fields whisper of old pacts; and midwinter, when the cold holds all things in its grasp. Without these offerings, it is believed that some of the older scarecrows, those whose straw still whispers with the echoes of long-dead fae masters, might begin to stir once more.

Unique Abilities: Hetty’s ordeal in 1997 appears to have altered her perception in ways that are not yet fully understood. She claims to hear whispers on the wind and the faint murmur of ancient voices in the rustling of straw. She can sense the passage of time in the creak of old wood and the settling of dry stalks. More disturbingly, she has begun to understand the cawing of crows, which often gather on the roof of the vault and watch her through the narrow Georgian windows of her flat.

These crows are known in FDG circles as the ‘Dark Messengers,’ servants of the fae lords and ladies, capable of carrying whispered secrets across realms. Hetty’s unique connection to these birds has made her an invaluable source of intelligence, as she can sometimes hear fragments of their conversations. She has become known as ‘Mother Hetty’ among certain fae, who whisper to her through the beaks of their winged servants, offering secrets in exchange for her silence.

Psychological Profile: Hetty’s psychological profile remains a matter of concern. She exhibits a deep, instinctual understanding of natural cycles and the rhythms of the seasons, often speaking in riddles or archaic dialects when discussing her charges. She has a habit of referring to the scarecrows in her care as ‘children’ or ‘lost ones,’ and often sits among them for hours, whispering softly or humming old harvest songs. Despite her unusual habits, she is fiercely protective of the vault and its contents, viewing herself as the last line of defence against the horrors contained within.

Notes for Field Operatives: Approach Hetty with caution if seeking her counsel. She has been known to slip into a trance-like state when discussing the scarecrows, and some operatives have reported strange occurrences after speaking with her – the sudden appearance of black feathers, the rustling of straw in an empty room, or the feeling of being watched by countless, unblinking eyes.

Final Warning: Do not, under any circumstances, touch Hetty’s right hand without her explicit permission.

— End of File —