From 104d05f9f67d71b1de093d7c9b0d7645337059de Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Bill Niblock Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2020 18:50:47 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] New Post: Dabbledop backstory --- _posts/2020-10-23-gnome-cleric-wizard.md | 81 ++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 81 insertions(+) create mode 100644 _posts/2020-10-23-gnome-cleric-wizard.md diff --git a/_posts/2020-10-23-gnome-cleric-wizard.md b/_posts/2020-10-23-gnome-cleric-wizard.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2fc3b9d --- /dev/null +++ b/_posts/2020-10-23-gnome-cleric-wizard.md @@ -0,0 +1,81 @@ +--- + tabtitle: "Character Write-up: Dabbledop Humblebumple" + title: "Character Write-up: Dabbledop Humblebumple" + topics: [gaming, writing] + pub: "2020-10-23" + short_desc: "The backstory of a Gnome cleric/wizard I played for a single + session!" +--- + +Gnomes are interesting. I can't help but play them as small frantic stressballs. +Like hobbits from _Lord of the Rings_, dialed up to 11, minus the extra +breakfasts, and plus ceaseless banter. Gnomes are fun. This write up was for a +character for the same campaign as [Halvar], when he had to step away for a bit. + +## Backstory + +Nothing is more tiresome than midweek afternoon service. All the candles, and +the verses, and the never-ending procession. Odin’s great and all, but I don’t +think he cares about this. Of course, I mention that one time to the head priest +and it’s latrine duty for the week! I guess now it doesn’t matter. All these +acolyte duties were from many years ago. It was pure fate, the day my current +teacher Maell’ezharon wandered into our village. He needed certain gemstones, +which my family was renowned for, and which I was responsible for that day. I +just happened to bring exactly the number he needed with me to the church that +day. That’s a habit I have. The priests say I’m “blessed by foresight.” + +Anyway, Maell’ezharon wanders in, and finds me, and I tell him I know he’s +looking for these gemstones, and he’s a bit surprised, but mentions that he +hadn’t had his serious anti-divination protections up, since he figured no one +would care. I told him I didn’t know what that meant. The priest chimed in that +I was blessed by foresight. Maell’ezharon said that was shit. I was blown away. +The priest huffed and wandered off, and I just stared at this elf who seemed +completely unphased by an ability the priests couldn’t stop fawning over me for. +So I push him a bit on it, and he says that divination is mighty common, and +that if I wanted to learn more he could teach me, and he’d be willing to give me +a discount on his services if I gave him a discount on the gems! + +And man temples are booooring! So yeah, I just packed up some stuff and told the +priests I had to go because “foresight told me I had to!” and caught up with +Maell’ezharon and off we went! I brought some extra gems, and a few extra +sandwiches (which he seemed off-put by, which I account to his dainty elf ways, +which meant more for me!). + +For the most part, it was kind of boring - but not as boring as the temple! +Nothing is as boring as that. Trust me. Just routine travel along “safe and +well-known roads” (says Maell’ezharon) to “respectable and trustworthy +merchants” (says Maell’ezharon) for “law-abiding and fair trade deals.” (says +Maell’ezharon). I was a bit surprised to find myself still saying a prayer here +and there but old habits die hard. The more we travelled, the more Maell’ezharon +would teach me. First he helped me refine my portent abilities, and got me a +spellbook, and let me copy some of his spells into it. Then, in each town we +went to, we would combine our powers to get the best deals possible. I would +call upon my divine powers to aid him, and he would wheel-and-deal his way +through trade deals and contracts. He insisted, time and again, that we do +things “legally and fair” (his words) which was fine by me. + +Then, the event happened. And magic suddenly left, and Maell’ezharon… did not +take that well. I should say, this was probably 5 or so years into his +mentorship. He had taught me many things, and I was developing into “quite the +capable wizard, if I do say so myself” (Maell’ezharon said that). We had +travelled all over the place, and eventually Maell’ezharon decided he’d like to +“invest in real estate since it’s like free money” so he bought a tower and did +the whole typical wizard thing: magic plants, and a few animated objects as +guards, and what not. I helped with that too, which was really fun. Anyway when +the event happened, we were trading and suddenly I just felt this… emptiness. +Like, a part of my body was suddenly missing. I looked at Maell’ezharon and he +was pale as bone. He just stared at his hands, then looked at the merchant and +told him he had to go, and he just left. He didn’t even get his things, he just +stumbled out of the shop. I grabbed anything that was ours, and walked outside +and saw him just standing there, waving his arms and trying to say the words, +and his eyes were a bit crazy-like, and he was sweating. After about 20 minutes, +he just sat down and stared. It took me almost 4 hours to finally get him up and +to an inn. The next day we went back to the tower, and it was really quite a sad +sight. The plants had all died (and not because I forgot to water them I always +watered them I am responsible), the guards were piles of rubble. I helped him +in, to his room, to his favorite chair, where he just slumped down and stared +into the empty, cold fireplace. For a few weeks I tended to him, making sure he +at least ate. And I kept up the place, cleaning as best I could. But after a +while, I started worrying about my family, and so I hired a local farm boy to +take care of Maell’ezharon while I was gone (feed him twice a day, make sure he +uses the loo, and don’t let him hurt himself).