Ba'ob

Played by Abby. Ba'ob is a high elf druid/ranger.

### Backstory

Once, there was a wolf. He was an odd wolf, with no fur to warm him and blunt teeth not good for tearing. But his pack loved him all the same. They kept him warm during the cold nights, let him chase the prey while others caught it, and took advantage of his clever paws for scratches.

Until one day it all changed. The pack had just finished a hunt and were resting when the orc-scent hit their noses. The pack knew better than to be near them. Unfortunately, the orcs had other plans. They chased the pack down, butchering them one by one. The strange wolf pup was caught quickly, held alive and watching helplessly as his family was killed.

The orcs kept the strange wolf pup for a while. They enjoyed kicking him around, tying him up and leaving food just out of reach, and laughing when he whimpered and grovelled. But eventually they stopped by a human’s territory. They left with supplies, and the wolf pup stayed behind

The human was strict. He wouldn’t let the pup crawl on all fours. If not upright his cane would lash against the pup’s legs. If the pup didn’t go along with the lessons on sounds and symbols, he wouldn’t get fed. But slowly, the sounds began making sense to him.

He wasn’t a wolf, he was an elf. His name was Ba’ob. He was a slave, and the human, Billy-Joe, was his owner. He worked, and in exchange Billy-Joe fed him and didn’t beat him.

Ba’ob thought that arrangement was terrible. Billy-Joe cracked him across the back hard enough to bring tears to his eyes.

Not long after that, Ba’ob started making plans to escape back to the forest. Billy-Joe was old, and frail. He wouldn’t be able to catch up. Billy-Joe then sold Ba’ob to an elf that passed by.

Ba’ob’s plans to escape were clamped shut when a magic cuff was locked around his arm. Gavril let him run that night. And then caught up to him the next morning, curled around his arm, sobbing in pain. How it worked was simple: If Ba’ob left the range that Gavril allowed, the cuff would get hotter and continue to get hotter the further Ba’ob went. Running away wasn’t an option.

If Billy-Joe was strict, this elf was cruel. Any hunch to Ba’ob’s walk would earn him a beating. Any trace of an accent to his words would earn him a beating. Anything at all that displeased Gavril would earn Ba’ob a beating.

Ba’ob quickly learned to behave. Even through the beatings he didn’t deserve. Even through the starving that left him scavenging through the trash for scraps. Even when Gavril cut his range to two feet and then locked him in a closet and left on his errands. It made a rage burn deep in his bones. Each day adding more and more fuel to the fire.

The only bright spot was a fellow slave. A teifling, by the name of Bryseis. She taught Ba'ob a lot of things. How to clean the house so the master wouldn't beat them, how to play poker (she always won but never kept the winnings), even how to speak Infernal. She always had a smile for Ba'ob, a joke, brightening the day just a bit.

Until the day she slept in, and when Ba'ob when to check on her, she'd hung herself. A resolution formed that day. Ba'ob was going to kill Gavril Sokolov. If only life provided a chance…

Eventually it did. Gavril came home drunk, and demanded Ba’ob help him to bed. With the arm slung over his shoulder, it was easy for Ba’ob to slip the ring off. It made his cuff burn, but he could stand it. He stood it as he dumped Gavril on the bed. He stood it as he ran for the kitchen. And he stood it as he ran back and slit Gavril’s throat.

The cuff went dead instantly. Ba’ob slid the ring on and ran. He was caught within the day.

Gavril was a wealthy, influential member of Rondell’s upper crust. The trial was rushed, and Ba’ob sentenced to life. At first it might seem like a mercy. It was quickly apparent it wasn’t.

At best, the guards regarded him with cold disdain. At worst, Ba’ob was reminded of his time with the orcs. Fortunately he’d managed to hide the ring, and without that, the slave cuff was an inert piece of metal.

Patience was the key here. Slowly, Ba’ob hollowed out an escape route. It was laborious, and slow going, but eventually it was done. Then it was a matter of waiting for the right time. A guard to get drunk and pass out, his snores echoing up the passageway.

This time, Ba’ob made it. He ran fast and he ran long, using every bit of what he could remember from the wolves to dodge the pursuit. It worked. Even so, he kept moving, getting far enough away that he wasn’t likely to get caught again.

He ended up hanging around a sanctuary of Eldath.

### Allies

Wolf: She's a wolf. Best wolf. Stays with Ba'ob through everything.

Azriel: New master. It's okay. No hitting. Good to Ba'ob (better than he should be).

Jasper: Great. Good hugs, no hitting either.

Abel: Scary but nice. Doesn't hit either.

Mahto: Fun! Has dreamweed.

Ombre: Foxy lady! Pretty. Sweet. Wonderful. Soft. Great. Forgiving.

Hansel: No hits. Okay? For orc? Thinks it's okay Ba'ob can be animals.

Goro: Ombre's friend. Promised not to hit. So far living up to it. Not sure what to think about him.

Big Turtle: Funny!

### Testimonials:

"You seem like a normal person but what is *this*?" NPC upon seeing Ba'ob.

"I think he was legitimitely raised by wolves??" Azriel, trying to explain Ba'ob to said NPC.

"Ba'ob would never premeditate a murder ... he'd just do a murder" -- Izzy

"Ba'ob, you are the bane of my existence, and I love you so much." --Azriel, to Ba'ob while he was high.

"Ba'ob outsourced his [self-restraint impulse] to Abel." -- Abby

"Ba'ob is such a good boy" -- Jen

### Vignettes

* Alone Ba'ob's first meeting with the wolf.
* Obey Ba'ob asks Bala for his ring back.
* Nature Ba'ob's transformation into a druid.
* Voices Ba'ob does some introspection. Abel assists.
* Kind Ba'ob and the wolf say goodbye.