Marcia Overstrand facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marcia Overstrand
Septimus Heap character
Marcia Overstrand as illustrated by Mark Zug
First appearance	Magyk
Created by	Angie Sage
Information
Nickname(s)	Marcia
Aliases	The scary lady
Occupation	ExtraOrdinary Wizard
Title	The ExtraOrdinary Wizard

Marcia Overstrand is a main character in the Septimus Heap book series by Angie Sage. She is a very powerful ExtraOrdinary Wizard, which is the highest rank a wizard can achieve. Septimus is her apprentice, meaning she is his teacher in magic.

Who is Marcia Overstrand?

Marcia is a tall woman with bright green wizard eyes and long, dark, wavy hair. She always wears a deep purple tunic with a special belt. This belt shows she is the "ExtraOrdinary Wizard". She also wears a purple cloak that is part of her magic. Around her neck, she has the "Akhu Amulet of Hotep-Ra". This amulet is the source of power for all "ExtraOrdinary Wizards".

Marcia also wears pointy purple python skin boots. A shoemaker named Terry Tarsal makes them for her. Terry doesn't like snakes, and he thinks Marcia orders snakeskin just to annoy him! Marcia has a strong magical aura around her. She can be very interesting and bossy, and sometimes a bit scary to others. But she is also very determined and wants to achieve her goals.

Marcia's Story

Becoming the ExtraOrdinary Wizard

Marcia always dreamed of becoming the "ExtraOrdinary Wizard". She trained with Alther Mella, who was the ExtraOrdinary Wizard at the time. Alther was a kind teacher and a skilled wizard.

After Marcia passed her final wizard test, a new baby princess was born in the Castle. Marcia and Alther went to congratulate the Queen. Sadly, both the Queen and Alther were attacked. Before Alther passed away, he gave Marcia the "Akhu Amulet". This made Marcia the new "ExtraOrdinary Wizard". Marcia quickly protected the baby princess and gave her to a Wizard named Silas Heap to hide. Silas raised her as his own daughter, Jenna.

Protecting Jenna and Septimus

When Jenna was 10 years old, Marcia took her away from danger. Silas, his son Nicko, and a "Young Army" boy named 'Boy 412' helped them escape. Marcia used a powerful Projection spell to trick their pursuers.

At Zelda's cottage, Marcia learned that the evil Necromancer, DomDaniel, had taken over the Wizard Tower. Marcia wanted revenge, but Alther's ghost warned her to be careful. While teaching the children magic, Marcia discovered that Boy 412 had amazing magical powers. She asked him to become her apprentice, but he said no at first.

One day, Marcia received a message from Silas and went back to the Castle. It was a trap! DomDaniel's guards captured her. DomDaniel threw her into "Dungeon Number One" and took her amulet. This made her lose all her powers.

Boy 412, with help from Jenna and Nicko, bravely boarded DomDaniel's ship. A big fight happened, and Marcia got her amulet back. They all escaped on the Dragon Boat. After this, Boy 412 agreed to be Marcia's apprentice. Marcia then learned that he was actually the real Septimus Heap.

Challenges and Triumphs

Marcia returned to the Wizard Tower in Flyte. She cleaned out the dark magic left by DomDaniel. But she couldn't get rid of a strange shadow that followed her. Marcia built a Shadow Safe to trap it. However, DomDaniel's bones had been placed inside! The bones later reformed and tried to harm Marcia. But she recognized them and defeated them.

In Physik, Marcia found out that Septimus had been sent back in time. He was pulled through a magical looking glass by Marcellus Pye. Meanwhile, the evil spirit of Queen Etheldredda was released by Silas Heap. She caused a lot of trouble in the Castle and spread a sickness. Marcia did everything she could to get Septimus back and stop the sickness.

Jenna, Nicko, and Snorri went back in time and brought Septimus home. Sadly, Nicko and Snorri got stuck in the past. When Septimus returned, he and Marcia created a cure for the sickness. Marcia learned that Etheldredda wanted to harm Jenna to stay queen forever. Marcia decided to destroy Etheldredda. She made a huge bonfire using Septimus's pet dragon Spit Fyre's fire. With powerful magic, she pulled Etheldredda's spirit into the fire and destroyed her forever. She also destroyed Etheldredda's pet, Aie-Aie, who caused the sickness.

To keep Septimus safe, Marcia took his Flyte Charm and locked it away. An ancient ghost named Tertius Fume called for the legendary Queste stone to be drawn. Marcia helped Septimus escape this danger. Jenna and his friend Beetle helped too. Beetle discovered that going to the House of Foryx would help them find Nicko and Snorri. He also realized that going there was actually the Queste.

Marcia tried to find Septimus using her magic. She even asked Simon for help with his tracker ball, Sleuth. When hope seemed lost, Septimus sent her a message by writing on a twin of Marcia's door. She took Sarah Heap and rode Septimus's dragon to the House of Foryx. She banged on the door, and Septimus, followed by the others, came out. They all returned to their own time safely.

In Syren, Marcia promoted Septimus to Senior Apprentice. He was the first to complete his Queste and return alive. Septimus immediately wanted to visit Jenna, Nicko, and Snorri, who were across the sea with Milo Banda. Marcia reluctantly let him go. At the end of the book, Tertius Fume tried to harm Marcia with an army of warrior jinnee. Septimus and his own jinnee, Jim Knee, quickly froze the whole army and saved her.

Marcia's Character and Powers

Magical Abilities

Marcia is an incredibly powerful wizard. She can perform many different kinds of magic. She can create a fog and a projection at the same time. Even Silas, who often disagrees with Marcia, admires this skill. She also knows a bit about healing magic, like when she cured Septimus's spider bite.

She can transport herself freely from one place to another, as she did in Magyk or Queste. She is also good at everyday magic, like cleaning and changing things. For example, she added hands to Zelda's desk in Magyk and quickly cleaned up the scribes' mess in Queste. She knows how to get rid of dark magic, like a placement spell, and escaped from one in Flyte. She is skilled at disabling magic, such as restrain, silence, and freeze spells.

Personality and Possessions

Marcia can be short-tempered and impatient. She often gets annoyed with Sarah, Septimus's pet dragon Spit Fyre, Silas's wolfhound Maxie, or the chief scribe Jillie Djinn. Her temper is what scares people the most about her, though Marcia doesn't believe she is scary.

At the same time, she is ambitious and very knowledgeable. She deeply cares for Septimus and Jenna and shows her softer side to them. Even though she and Silas often argue, they respect each other. She is on good terms with the ghost of her mentor, Alther, and still asks for his advice. She really dislikes Aunt Zelda's cabbage sandwiches. In Queste, she decided to be patient with Marcellus Pye, even though she didn't like him, because he could help her find Septimus. Among Marcia's favorite things are her purple python skin boots. She has many pairs because her favorite ones were ruined in an adventure.