Hildigard Proudfoot

Hildigard "Hill" Proudfoot is a halfling, former oracle, and current warlock that has a pact with the Great Old One. He is a founding member of Goldband and longtime friend of Kai Vergo. He slew the Night Mother.

Barefoot with simple travelling clothing, aside from the shimmering of a fine chain shirt hidden underneath and a green crystalline leaf badge adorning his travelling cloak. A crossbow and sling are secured to his person, along with a backpack. The only thing indicating him as a magic user is a small nondescript wand tucked safely in his belt.

Standing proudly at 2 inches above the average halfling height, Hill has an air of self confidence about him. His eyes, while brown, are bright with life, always searching for new things. Pointed ears poke from his mop of brown hair, and his smooth skin is telling of his relatively young age. Thick curly hair rests atop his bare feet, as is usual for a halfling, and rough calluses protect them from harm while travelling. A few scars mark his arms and legs. Hill has a good story for each, but in reality, they originated from much more mundane accidents.

## Background

Born in a tiny halfling village called Grewood, in the foothills near [Oran’s Hometown].

Grewood was a forest town, and several of the homes there incorporated the trees into their structure. Some had trees growing straight through the middle of them, others would incorporate them into small porches, and some even carved tiny benches and chairs out of the larger trees. The village is situated within walking distance of the nearby river, which the human settlement upstream often uses to ship lumber down to other larger towns. Young halflings use the huge shipments of logs as a playground, balancing and jumping all over, practicing their acrobatics.

The people of his village frequently interacted with the human settlement, but they valued the privacy of their small collection of dwellings. Halflings take great pride in their homes, and often work very hard to adorn their dwellings in the finest of accommodations, as a sign of respect towards visitors and family. Hill’s home was one in the same. The comfortable little hut, while diminutive by the standards for larger races, had plenty of room for 3 halflings. Hill lived there with his mother and father for his entire childhood. He was blessed to have seen no real harm come to his home. A single death, no matter how peaceful, would have been a significant event for the village.

When Hill finally chose to leave his peaceful home, it was not due to some great tragedy. It was simply his adventurous nature and overwhelming desire to have new experiences. He had discussed hit heavily with his family, and after months of convincing, they finally gave him their blessing to strike out on his own. So Hill prepared his belongings, and gathered some supplies over the course of a few weeks. He didn’t have much gold, so he would have to find some way to make money wherever he ended up. He left a note for his parents when he was finally ready to go, and he left quietly so as to not have any emotional farewells.
 Using a drifting shipment of lumber as a raft, Hill coasted down the river for miles and miles. He tied two logs together for a bed, so that they would not roll over while he was sleeping. When he reached the next town, he had found that the local orphanage had been burned down. His curiosity piqued, Hill delved deep into the smoldering ruin.
 He encountered many charred corpses inside, but no children. Strange sounds followed Hill down the blackened halls, and cold air made the hairs on his neck rise. A sense of dread penetrated the back of his mind, but he believed his good fortune would keep him safe. After all, what could harm him in such an empty, desolate place? He reached a room that was blocked by a pile of stone rubble and smoldering wood. There was a gap near the ceiling that he was just small enough to squeeze through. The first thing he noticed was how cold it was, despite the lingering smoke and glowing embers. A pile of ash was settled in the center of the room, with a human skeleton half-buried within. As he inspected it, the ashes shifted at the slightest touch, and instantly an overwhelming cold wrapped around his mind. His consciousness quickly faded and he collapsed to the black stone floor. Only vague memories and feelings of what happened remain. Hill recalls terrifying shadows vying for control of him, and all he could do was close his mind’s eye, still feeling their presence around him. His resolve quickly left him, and he felt as though he would forever be lost in this horrible darkness. Finally, a flash of light and warmth revived him, and freed him from his tormentors. A divine presence filled him as he awoke on the floor of the ruined room. Quickly, he made his way out again. Fortune had favored him yet again, and he had escaped without a scratch. There was something different about him, however, and he soon discovered his new abilities…

Hill now had access to powerful divine magic. He did not know what entity had chosen to give him such power, but he was thankful for it. He now had the perfect means to provide for himself as a wandering healer. After a couple weeks, he began to become competent in his use of a few spells and he started offering his services to the local townspeople. He was able to keep a room in the local inn, and people began to regularly call to him for healing. He lacked any structure to his days, which was as he liked it. His meals were often at awkward times, and his sleeping schedule fluctuated constantly. For every day of hard work, he made sure he had two where he was not bothered. This allowed him to wander the lands around the town, and get familiar with the area. Eventually, Hill grew discontent with life as ‘the local healer’, and he decided he wanted to strike off again. He continued to follow the river, bringing him to an entirely different sort of town.
 This place was a slave town. He had heard talk of this place in the last town, but he could not really imagine what it must be like. The idea of slavery made him twitch. Personal freedom was something he valued above all else. A nagging fear of being forced into a cage made him wary of his new surroundings. At first, Hill was reluctant to make is abilities known. He was sure that if word got out, he would be enticed to start healing the warrior slaves of the arena. It would be good money, surely, but he could not help avoiding that place to the best of his ability. The need for coin soon swayed him, though. He needed a place to stay, and food to eat. He began healing locals, and sure enough, one day he was approached by a man by the name of Lacius. Hill could have sustained himself just fine by healing free citizens, and at first he refused Lacius. The offer seemed to get sweeter and sweeter, though, and eventually Hill agreed to heal some of the slaves. Lacius had a strong enough need for him that he was not required to work on a schedule, which was one of the many reasons that he did not want to work for him. The very first day he went into Lacius’s barracks, he met the man who would be his adventuring companion for the foreseeable future.

After healing the new warrior named Kai, Hill was asked to deliver messages for him. Hill was reluctant to agree, as this could get him on Lacius’s bad side. That was the last thing he wanted to do. Something changed his mind however. As he stood next to Kai, contemplating his request, Hill felt a breeze on his neck and a ceramic pitcher of water was tipped from a nearby table. The words seemingly drifted from his lips of their own accord. “I’ll see what I can do.” Hill turned and left the compound. What had he gotten himself into? Hill told himself that it would be fine, and Kai might prove to be an ally in whatever trouble may befall him. And surely, fortune would favor him.

Once Kai finished his training and started his real fighting career, Hill began to attend the fights that Kai participated in. He saw that Kai was indeed a talented warrior. The stunning upset gave Hill a dangerous idea. He could bet on Kai, and as long as he won, some serious money could be made. Perhaps enough to buy his freedom, along with his cousin’s.

The two worked towards this goal for a long while, and the routine of betting on matches, healing up fighters, and trying to lay low began to wear on Hill. He began doing more to influence the matches that Kai fought in. He began to use his spells to give Kai an advantage in combat. This was incredibly risky, Hill knew, but actively influencing the outcome of this gruesome sport was the most exciting thing he’d ever done. And after speaking with Kai after the matches, Hill realized that he was none the wiser. He chose to keep his actions a secret. The fewer people that knew about what he was doing, the less likely it would be that he would be caught.

Eventually, fortune seemed to finally turn against their plans. A visiting warlord had taken a liking to Kai’s cousin, Moria. Hill feared that she might soon be purchased from Lacius and be taken far away. They had not saved enough coin to purchase both their freedom, so Hill had to come up with a more daring plan. If he could smuggle Kai out of the compound, and then free Moria, they could purchase passage for Moria across the sea to safety. He discussed this with Kai, and decided on the specifics.

Fortune finally seemed to be in their favor again, and the first part of the plan had been executed without issue. Kai was successfully freed from the compound, and they were able to smuggle Moria out as well. Kai left to bring Moria to the boat and bid her farewell. Hill went to grab his things from the Inn. On his way back, Hill was walking through the street which was now somewhat crowded in anticipation of the imminent match between Kai and his challenger. Hill was confident that it was going to work out afterall. He was so confident, in fact, that he didn’t see the group of armed men tailing him. He was struck from behind with a blunt weapon. Hill was flung to the ground, and he rolled to regain his footing and flee. If he had already donned his travelling gear, he would have likely collapsed to the ground and been beaten to death. He supposed that was some small fortune. As quickly as he could, Hill fled from the men. As he tried to disappear into the gathering crowd, the men were yelling things like “CHEATER!” and “SCHEMING HALFLING.” Hill managed to escape them in the mass of people and make it back to the inn. He gathered his things and tried to go find Kai.

When he finally found him, he lied about what happened. He didn’t want Kai to know that his manipulations had ruined everything, but he had to convince him to flee. He told him that the scheduled match had been moved up, and because he was nowhere to be found, Lacius was calling for his head. It seemed to convince him well enough, and they fled together.