Hibblepibb

Hibblepibb is a male gnome bard in the Om campaign.

Hibblepibb “the Hilarious” is a wandering bard and comedian specializing in “dwarf comedy” jokes. He was framed for the murder of Harn Bronzeaxe at Midway Inn but was exonerated by the Royal Explorers. He later surfaced at Dunkirk, performing his act as part of a traveling circus. He was also in Waymere during the Battle of Waymere.

## Background

Hibblepibb is a traveling comedian who specializes in dwarf insult comedy, where he mocks dwarves using broad racial stereotypes. The act is often seen as quite humorous, though never by dwarves.

## Trip to Midway Inn

In the month of Gatekeeper, 465, Hibblepibb and his friend Anders Roth, a traveling cleric of Charno, found themselves visiting Midway Inn. The inns owner, Varis Dorn, agreed to pay Hibblepibb for some performances while he was there.

Hibblepibb's show was a hit, though the local cleric, Harn Bronzeaxe, and his acolytes, all of whom were dwarves, were not amused the tensions only escalated when Harn was found murdered on the 3rd of Gatekeeper.

## Murder Suspect

At the time of the murder a caravan of settlers led by Captain Hunter Brynan and the Royal Explorers was at Midway. Captain Brynan asked the explorers to assist First Rider Davin Firth, the head of the guard at Midway, with the investigation.

Hibblepibb was an immediate suspect but declared his innocence, claiming he was being framed by the real murderer. Almost immediately after the murder the senior of Harn's acolytes Gryff Stonepusher, demanded Hibblepibb to be turned over to them by the end of the day or they would take justice into their own hands. The Royal Explorers suggested Hibblepibb be secured in the local jail for his own safety, to which he reluctantly agreed.

As the investigation unfolded things looked worse for Hibblepibb, as his sword had been found along with Harn's bloody tunic hidden in the stables. Hibblepibb insisted upon his innocence, and it appeared the Royal Explorers, at least, believed him. They found evidence pointing to Davin Firth.

## Mutiny at Midway

As the investigation came to a head, three of the Royal Explorers, Wu Xen, Fernith, and Noel Gorehammer, believed that First Rider Davin Firth, the real murderer, would kill Hibblepibb in his cell and pin the murder on him. They demanded to see the gnome, but were locked in by Davin.

Firth then gathered most of his men and spun a tale claiming that Varis Dorn and the Royal Explorers were Orlesean spies and would need to be killed along with the caravan they Explores were escorting to save Midway.

Fern, Wu, and Noel managed to get a message to Fynn to warn Varis, but were still desperate to escape the prison to try to prevent a slaughter. They tried to bend the bars of the window to be able to get outside and asked Hibblepibb to assist. Citing his tiny physique and lack of preference for physical pursuits, he declined. He did, however, go into his dwarf insult comedy routine, which angered Noel just enough to be able to pull out one of the bars.

Wu equipped Hibblepibb with a magical axe, and the four slipped out of the prison. They saw that Varis and the Brightblades loyal to him had gathered in the courtyard along with Fynn and the rest of the Royal Explorers just as Davin and his men were emerging from the barracks. Unaware of the violence about to ensue, many non-combatants stood around gawking.

Wu asked Hibblepibb to get a group into hiding and made his way into another direction to do the same. The gnome did as he was asked, shooing a cluster of onlookers into the stables for safety, but he had no intention of sticking around to see how things went. Hibblepibb climbed the walls, called to all within earshot that it was “best to leave them laughing” and cast a spell on a nearby guard to cause him to laugh uproariously in spite of himself, and then leaped off the ramparts, casting another spell to land safely. As Hibblepibb fled Midway he heard a massive explosion and a chorus of men dying.

## In Dunkirk

Hibblepibb made his way to Dunkirk and was fortunate that there was a traveling carnival there when he arrived. He struck a deal with the owners to perform his show there, and began to perform multiple times a day. To his surprise three days after the debacle at Midway Inn, he was approached by Wu Xen after one of his shows.

Hibblepibb returned the magical axe he’d “borrowed” and a sister axe that he’d had likewise enchanted. He asked what happened after he left Midway Inn and Wu informed him that Davin Firth and those who had followed him had been slain, and that Gryff Stonepusher and the rest of the dwarven acolytes had met with a similar grizzly fate after performing a ritual and accidentally summoning a demon, which Hibblepibb found hilarious. He was also pleased to hear that his friend Anders Roth had become the next chaplain for Midway Inn.

Hibblepibb expressed his thanks to Wu for helping to save his life and invited all of the Royal Explorers to his next show, offering them front row seats, some of whom accepted.

## At the Battle of Waymere

By the 20th of Twins, 465, Hibblepibb had made his way back to Waymere and secured a gig to perform his act at the end of a grand parade that Duke Agrippa was holding to publicly execute a number of individuals condemned as traitors to the crown. As Hibblepibb performed his act, however, a combined force of Orleseans, minotaurs and pirates of the Brotherhood of the Coast attacked Waymere, streaming into Paradise Square where he was performing. No grand warrior, Hibblepibb fled the battle.