Barnabus Brior

Barnabus Brior was a Player Character and a Human Monk (Way of the Drunken Master) belonging to the Symphasian Order. Trained as both an expert healer and a formidable hand-to-hand combatant, his Symphasian values forbidding murder and emphasizing nonviolence was a controversial stance that sometimes divided the party but nonetheless led him to play somewhat of a moral anchoring role for the group, especially when up against V's often reckless violence.

## Barnabus Brior

### Aliases

Jackson "Jackknife" Wesley; "Barnie"; "Rowdy Randalfe"

### Occupation

Symphasian Monk; bareknuckle brawler (former); illicit homebrewer (former)

## Biographical information

### Place of death

Nymerian Jungle, while fleeing from Time Eater

## Current Status

Barnabus is currently presumed deceased by the majority of the party, as he was devoured by the Time Eater during the party's first encounter with the entity.

However, in an Elder Tree-induced vision, Wan-Ti relived a past memory of Liluth, in which he/she was forced into Dr. Perry's experiments with the Orb of Planar Melding. In the memory-vision, Wan-Ti, through Liluth's eyes, saw through to a dimension containing absolutely nothing, save for Barnabus curled up in terror. Barnabus, in this vision, recognized Wan-Ti rather than Liluth. The significance of this discovery is currently unknown.

### Lingering Injuries

* **Broken Nose** - Barnabus gets a broken nose from the metal dragon's tail. It has been healed, but is slightly crooked now.

## General Characteristics

Aged 66 during the events of the campaign, Barnabus was an eccentric elderly man with a penchant for fancy attire, rarely seen without a suit and tie or some other formalwear. Though his monastic teachings led him to place little value on opulence and monetary gain, he retained a fondness for certain luxuries, such as the aforementioned clothes as well as high-quality alcoholic beverages.

Barnabus' fighting style was adapted from the Symphasian teachings of the Way of the Drunken Master. Emphasizing deceptive posturing and flowing fluidly from feints into strikes, this martial art form allowed Barnabus to get opponents to underestimate his abilities by acting weaker, older, more frail, and/or more injured than he really was, even walking with an exaggerated limp during everyday life to "sell" the image. Using his hand-carved walking cane as a club to channel Ki through, Barnabus frequently aimed to get the upper hand by combining unexpected swiftness and precise strikes to disrupt opponents' focus and generally be unpredictable in the flow of combat.

## Background

### Birth

Barnabus was born in 1658 in Relminth, Nymeria to a single mother. He never learned his father's identity; "Brior" was his mother's maiden name.

### Bardic College and Subsequent Years

At 18, Barnabus was enrolled in the Relminth Institute of Bardic Lore and Crafts. However, by his second year, Barnabus was disillusioned by his Bardic education. Despite his early academic interest in Bardic studies, particularly magical woodworking and musical spellweaving, it became clear he was not excelling in his coursework. In addition, his avid participation as a pledge in the "Dancing Weasels" fraternity had led him to develop a serious alcohol habit. Disheartened but eager to prove his worth elsewhere, he dropped out of the Relminth Institute.

For the next three years, Barnabus would find himself meager employment from time to time in the Nymerian area. To fuel his burgeoning alcoholism at a low cost, he learned to brew beers and ales with homemade equipment, though he would not offer his wares for sale at this time. Despondent, and with growing jealousy at his former peers who were still studying the Bardic Arts, Barnabus eventually decided to venture away from his hometown in a sort of soul-searching journey with little more than a map and a backpack.

### The Symphasian Monastery

Through various means, Barnabus arrived at a monastery of the Symphasian Order, where the monks welcomed him, to his surprise. With time, he cultivated an interest in their teachings; he was drawn by their emphasis on a diverse "ecosystem" of the universe where everyone played a role, as he had previously felt aimless in life. As a student of the Order, he learned the Way of the Drunken Master and began the arduous climb out of his alcoholism. In the twelve years he spent as a Symphasian Monk, he not only successfully kicked his habit, but had learned to channel the innate mystical Ki energy through his body to maintain his physical health and improve his self-defense proficiencies. In the later years, he would even dabble in an informal apprenticeship in the neighboring regions, honing his skills as an ale brewer and picking up some Lizardspeak from the Lizardfolk.

### Life in Sirex

At the behest of Grandmaster Qutt of the monastery, Barnabus left Southern Aurelia to return northward, first making his way to Nymeria to return home. With a newfound wanderlust, he found little reason to remain in Nymeria for long. However, he remained for the sake of his aging mother, knowing she would pass away soon, and spent nearly a year with her before burying her in their home of Relminth.

Years later, he would find himself in the heart of Sirex proper, enthused by the faster-paced lifestyle; he was able to open a small business as a brewer and make some additional money on the side as a street performer of the didgeridoo. Here, he met and later married Kenneth J. Winterbridge, his first husband, who was an employee of the Protectorate government under the Oddleifus administration. When the Protectorate-Orc War broke out, both Kenneth and Barnabus knew they would be drafted; while Kenneth managed to find protection by requesting a reassignment to a different government project, Barnabus was only able to dodge the draft by taking up an apprenticeship with some Dwarven clans to the far east. Following the conclusion of the apprenticeship, Barnabus resumed life with Kenneth for several years before the groundbreaking public reveal of the crimes of the Bureau of Magic Defense was published, at which point he discovered that Kenneth had been involved in the B.M.D's atrocities. They divorced in 1706, and did not contact each other thereafter.

### Outer Lands and Return to Sirex

With the War radically changing life in Sirex and his perspective on the Protectorate, Barnabus moved to the Outer Lands, traveling from town to town. In 1711, he met Duncan Henderbenderson, and subsequently got engaged with him; however, before their wedding, Duncan mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Though he would spend several years searching for what may have happened, he would come up empty-handed. By 1716, he had largely given up on this endeavor, uncertain where to look next. During his search, his need to investigate the Syndicate landed him a job at The Tipsy Snake, a Mendez-controlled casino, where he enjoyed relative safety from Syndicate hostility. As entertainment and supplementary income, he partook in the (also Mendez-controlled) bar and fight club, the Bottle and Blade, where he adopted the persona of "Rowdy Randalfe" and frequently won fights in the bareknuckle (nonlethal) division of the club.

## As an Adventurer

### Introduction to Party

Barnabus first began associating with the party as an informant and insider to Delphine's casino in Sirex, acting as a minor accomplice to their mission to assassinate the Yuan-Ti crime boss.

### Implication in Shadh Assassination Plot

Trouble came in the form of an anonymous note left for him, advising him to meet at a certain time and place. There, he found Eldon, who provided enticing information regarding the whereabouts of his fiance, Duncan.

### Death

Following the discovery of Dr. Perry and her experiments with temporal manipulation, the party was forced to flee the Time Eater as it besieged the hidden research facility. In the ensuing chaos, despite Barnabus' usually unparalleled speed, the Time Eater's abilities and Barnabus' accumulated injuries from the previous days led him to fall behind the rest of the party. Having witnessed the entity's unforgiving method of predation, in the moments before its approach, he chose to end his own life with a dagger to his throat; however, the Time Eater, for reasons yet unknown, rewinded time to bring him back to life before de-aging and consuming him whole as an infant.

Barnabus is presumed deceased, although some party members reported his voice screaming from the Time Eater's maw at them to run. Whether this is evidence of Barnabus' unfortunate survival or the Time Eater's unexplored abilities is unclear.

### Last Words to Rellia

Dear Rellia --

I'm sorry.

If you're receiving this message, that means I have died.

When I took my leave from Sirex to pursue my journey, I knew -- I hate to admit, but I just knew -- there was a chance I would not return alive. I'm sorry I didn't admit it to you at the time, but you were -- you are -- still young. You were an orphan when I found you; another loss was something with which I surely did not want to weigh you down. Your life deserves peace.

There's only so much I can divulge regarding my present circumstances at the time of my recording this message. So, I'm sorry that there's only so much closure I can bring you. But I want you to go on as best as you can. There is potential in you, Rellia, that I recognized in you from the day we met. I have done my best to help you realize that potential, and I am sorry I could only do so much. Nonetheless, I would hate for you to squander that potential. That is why I have left you funds for your education. I hope it will take you far.

I ask of you only this: do not search for my remains, for it will be fruitless; do not resent whatever killed me, for anger clouds your judgment and burns you. Do not regret, for it is without end; do not forget, for it is impossible. And please, please do not mourn, for it only compounds sadness.

Everything ends, and endings are ugly. But if we were to always sit around and stare at the ending, hoping it will one day turn beautiful, our lives would be filled with ugliness. And there's no sense in that. Death is but an end, and with the whole of life to remember, fixating on its end has no use.

Do us both a favor. Grab yourself one of those salmonberry icicle treats you love. Sit by that old juniper log I taught you to recognize, on the edges of town. And remember me. Tell me stories. Don't be afraid to cry, but don't forget to laugh.

Be strong, Rellia. Take your time in the realm of the living. And when you've had your fill, come and join me on the other side. And we'll sit, share a salmonberry icicle, and take as long as we like to catch up on what we've missed.

I'm sorry. And thank you for being a wonderful daughter.

Love,

Barnie