Hipps Rykuh

==Overview==
Hipps Rykuh was an 83 year old Bardonian Dwarf who dwelled in the town of Port Solanaria, Bardonia, in the north east of Rathnir and followed the religion of Tuberism. He was a merchant and tavern keeper to the locals in his town, and was given the role of 'elder potato' by the mayor, meaning he was an authoritative figure in Tuberism and the local government.
He died on the 18th of March 2022.
== Appearance ==
Throughout Hipps' life he has stood at 5'5''/1.65m tall, above most other dwarves, and had fairly pale skin. He had naturally brown hair in his younger years and grey eyes. Throughout his life his appearance changed:
* In his younger years he had a large brown beard and typically wore a wolfskin hide and rags
* After joining Port Solanaria his hair began to grey. He would change his facial hair and wear a brown pants and a white tank top.
* He was left injured after a duel in Fornost. His right eye was scarred, left ear sliced, chest cut and right arm removed. Hipps wore a bandage to temporarily attach his arm although it couldn't be used.
* His hair greyed further and he grew out his beard slightly more. His scarred eye completely shut and and he used a hook for his right arm. He started to wear a coat and shirt.
* His hair completely greyed and he began wearing an eyepatch over his scarred eye. He now also wore a layer of chainmail under his coat.
== Family ==
Hipps had little to no memory of his parents or where he was born, and spent the early part of his life alone foraging in the wild.
However Hipps did eventually have one son who he raised as his own, Jorgel Rykuh, though Hipps never learned who Jorgel's mother was.
== History ==
===Joining Port Solanaria===
Hipps hunted and foraged in the wilderness in the lands of Bardonia in Syltor. He went on to join the town of Port Solanaria, at the time a small town, which he stayed in for the rest of his life. He was introduced to Tuberism, the local religion, by the townsfolk and went on to follow the religion.
Port Solanaria had recently been ravaged by a wave of destruction and theft and few citizens remained. The mayor, Maximus Ida, however, planned to rebuild and repopulate the town in his plan called the Solanum revamp. Hipps would join the mayor's cause and help rebuild the city centre, construct a second story on the town hall and start his own personal tavern. He also created a new wall design which the citizens would use to replace and expand the old wall.
The mayor's plan succeeded and the town quickly grew in population, with some older members returning. The town's lands were expanded further and more buildings were constructed. Hipps would build the first Tuberist place of worship, a small chapel, and for his devotion he was granted the rank of Elder Potato. This meant he was among a council of five who led the town and the religion of Tuberism. Port Solanaria was prospering and exceeding its glory before the Solanum theft, but the citizens' mood quickly changed with the sudden death of mayor Maximus Ida.
===Death of Maximus Ida===
Maximus Ida would die due to lethal drug overdose after consuming the drug Soladium. This was a highly addictive drug created from poisonous potatoes and was highly potent and dangerous in its pure form. Upon finding the mayor dead in his office, Hipps accidentally came into contact with the pure drug and fell unconscious. After awaking Hipps developed a strong craving for the drug, even after seeing that it had killed Maximus.
Hipps used his brewery knowledge and equipment from his tavern and managed to brew the drug into a drink, which was safer to consume. He used this to satisfy the addiction he developed, and also decided to sell the drug, but saw no success in Port Solanaria with the locals still fearing about Soladium after Maximus' death.
===Showdown in Fornost===
====The stolen heirloom====
Hipps wore a hooded cloak and carried a wagon filled with soladium which he attempted to sell in Fornost. The locals didn't seem interested, however the wagon did catch one stranger's attention. She wanted to purchase a horn from Hipps, but the horn was an heirloom and one of few things left to Hipps by his parents. He refused to sell the item even for a generous price. The stranger grew frustrated and took the airhorn, leaving her money. Hipps didn't manage to catch her as she ran, but remembered what she looked like.
==== A duel in the woods ====
Eventually Hipps recognised the stranger in the woods outside of Fornost. He ambushed the woman and demanded she return the heirloom, standing behind her with his sword to her neck. She was a skilled fighter however and fought out of the position with an elbow, before turning and unsheathing her own sword.
The pair lunged at each other and began to fight with a frenzy of clashing blades. She struggled to stop Hipps' blade as he swung using his dwarven strength, and she was forced backwards into a tree. Believing he had her trapped Hipps went for a killing blow using all his power. But the woman ducked under the blade and side-stepped. Hipps' blade lodged itself into the tree and he stood in a vulnerable position. She slashed at his face, cutting his ear and eye. Hipps fought on, even half blind, but missed again with the next swing. He was punished with a vicious stab through his chest. Believing she had won, the woman stared at the wounded man awaiting his surrender or collapse, but he lunged once more with a yell. Although surprised she reacted quickly and cut off Hipps' arm as he launched at her, sending it falling to the dirt along with his sword.
She held her sword to his neck contemplating whether she should finish the man, but as she looked closer at his hooded face, a realisation came over her. She sheathed her sword and quickly fleed, dropping the horn. Hipps would collapse and lay unconscious for several hours, but survived his injuries thanks to the strengthening powers of Soladium that he was unaware of.
Hipps never recognised the identity of the woman Zion Leyla-Earcala, the adopted daughter of mayor Maximus, but the extreme injuries he received convinced him to overcome his Soladium addiction, and stop selling the drug.
=== The Solanum Famine ===
==== The rioting and ration shortage ====
Hipps returned to Port Solanaria where he settled back in to a life of farming potatoes and running his tavern. Word spread of an impending famine that would plague the now large town. For a farming town like Port Sol, this was devastating news and the Tuberists immediately worked to gather a supply of potatoes to last the famine. Other non-religious townsfolk did not start harvesting as quickly, and when the news became true and crops started to blight, there were not enough rations to feed the whole population.
Rioting occured as non-Tuberists looted the supplies of rations prioritised for the Tuberists to avoid starvation. But the rioting ceased when an alternative crop, seemingly immune to the blight, was found.
==== Heresy and genocide of non-Tuberists ====
Consumption and worship of the beetroot is the worst heresy in Tuberism, punishable only by death. The beetroot had survived the famine and was being consumed and worshipped by the non-Tuberists who praised it for saving them. But this caused great unrest among the Tuberists who viewed beetroots as cursed and an evil force. Hipps was the first to be made aware of the beetroot worship and informed the elder Lnedible, who had taken over in mayor Tntore1234's absence, of it, pleading that he do something about it. Lnedible promised, as he sharpened his sword, that he would deal with it.
Lnedible would incite the crowd the next day to fight against the beetroot worshippers and led an army into the harbour district, compromised of the most non-religious townsfolk. A massacre would occur over the next few days as all non-Tuberists were accused of beetroot worship, captured, tortured, executed or simply slain in the streets. The gates were shut and no citizens were allowed to leave.
Hipps seeing how Lnedible had taken the response too far, called for help from a relative of the former mayor he trusted, Maximus' daughter Zion. He asked her to return and calm the fighting. Hipps waited for many days as the atrocities continued, but eventually Zion made her arrival and demanded to see Lnedible. The pair met at the bridge to the main entrance, and began to duel. After a long fight, Zion came out on top and took over as the mayor. Lnedible was temporarily exiled to Patania and the fighting stopped. Hipps wrote a witness account of the events of the Solanum famine in the book Potato Bloodbath.
=== Hipps' end ===
==== A fulfilling life and a legacy ====
Years passed after the famine and Zion's return and Hipps had seen many more mayors had come and go. During the Solanaria civil war over independence Hipps had been labelled as traitor and pro-Bardonian along with Clippen Ida, who had a bounty placed on her, for not supporting the town's independence. The war was short-lived as Bardonia demanded the town return. Aside from this, Hipps' life remained peaceful.
He spent his older years raising his son, Jorgel Rykuh, who was left to Hipps by the boy's unknown mother. He taught his son about the Tuberist way of life, looking to raise someone who could take his position one day as an Elder.
==== A wrong step ====
Hipps took his son one day to the town well. The town well was the gateway into the catacombs where many artefacts, tombs and statues could be found. He saw it as the perfect way to show his son some of the beliefs and history of the local area, particularly about the garf statue who protected the relics in the catacombs.
The pair swam down, but a strange gust of wind blew out the torches in tunnels. In the darkness the father and son were separated. Hipps shouted out after his son but heard no response. He investigated the tunnels and eventually found a room containing a figure in the centre. Believing it was Jorgel Hipps ran up to it in relief, but soon realised it was instead the stone statue of Garf. It was then that a blood-curdling scream could be heard echoing through the tunnels.
Hipps panicked, running towards where the scream had came from, but slipped on the wet steps to Garf's statue. His old body flew onto the stone below, killing him.
== Death ==
Hipps died on the 18th of May 2022 and was found dead on the 19th. His cause of death was severe head trauma. 
In memory of him, a small viking longship was pushed out to the seas outside of Port Solanaria, the town he had spent the longest part of his life in and the town which he had called home, and set alight with his body on it. The ship had white and green sails to represent Hipps' peaceful ways and his lifetime allegiance to Bardonia. His friends, neighbours and son would all watch as the ship blazed and mourned for him.
Hipps Rykuh, July 2021 - May 2022
Category:Characters
Category:Lore
Category:Traveler's Era