Herbie

### Family

*Adoptive:* Starbeam (Mother), Pollen (Sister), Morel (Brother), Dragonfly (Sister)

## Status

### Afterlife

N/A; Alive

“
*Don't talk to strangers? But then how are you supposed to meet people?*
”
— Herbie misunderstanding Gundren's good intentions.
**Herbie** is a Halfling Warlock participating in the quest for the Lost Mines of Colmanth.

## Description

### Appearance

Herbie is quite tall for a halfling, closer in height to a dwarf though his body is more elfin in stature. Whether this is inherited from his father or a consequence of his rearing amongst the fey, he could not say. His skin is tanned by the sun, though it is difficult to tell its exact shade underneath his coating of dirt. Likewise, his hair, a curly brown, is peppered with soil and twigs. This, combined with how he flits about, may lead one to mistake him for a human child, save for one feature that is almost certainly supernatural - his eyes. Grey, faded to the point of blending into the white, he has a piercing stare that seems to look straight into the soul, and how casually he seems to do so as he takes in new people only makes them more disturbing.

### Personality

Herbie possesses a restless almost unlimited energy that means he cannot stay still, which makes it surprising how quiet he can be given how light he is on his feet, and he suppresses it only while wandering through undergrowth. His demeanor is friendly, almost exhaustingly so, as this energy is accompanied by a similarly insatiable curiosity, though its target may be fleeting. He can focus surprisingly well on what fascinates him, but that which does not try to meet him will quickly be passed on for something else. This, combined with an already poor understanding of social cues makes it difficult to pick up on subtle intentions, though it does help him in perceiving his surroundings to find things others would miss. Such capriciousness should not be mistaken for callousness, as he generally genuinely wishes well for those around him, he just has a poor understanding of what that well might be.

## Biography

### Background

There isn't much Herbie would bother to say about his early upbringing if asked, but in truth, little as he cares for it, there is little he knows himself. He never knew his father, only his mother, and his connection with the rest of his family was severed when she was ostracized for bearing a child out of wedlock. Doing as best she could, she shielded Herbie from the disdain and made ends meet even through the harsh northern winters. Nevertheless, she tired year after year, and finally deciding that if she were to do this alone, they would be better off seeking milder climes. Thus they joined a merchant wagon travelling south, and it seemed they would finish the trip without a struggle, until one fateful day that they were crossing the Mzundian foothills.

A pack of wolves attacked the solitary wagon, and as the small group were surrounded, Herbie's mother pulled him up a tree that they might escape the predators' reach. Alas, the young boy lost his grip and fell, not just out of the tree but along the slopes, down and down, and when at last he picked himself up, bruised, beaten, and covered in thorns, he cried out, for he could not see where he had left.

How long he wandered he did not know - days, nights, weeks even - stumbing blindly through rock and bush, till finally he saw a light. Could this be? He rushed forward with delight, but paused at what greeted his eyes. What he had mistaken for fire was in fact several softer flitting glows, a family of pixies. Seeing the pained child, one flew to him, asking where he was from, but he could not answer. Knowing little beyond their grove, the pixie decided to cheer him up how it knew best, and pulled his shirt over his head. Momentarily knocked out of his grief, Herbie lunged, but of course missed, and after a few more dodged attempts, he began to forget his problems and laugh with them. Finally the one pixie said, they might not know where his mother is, but perhaps he would like to see their mother. Herbie agreed, and thus he followed them through groves that no longer seemed quite as scary. In a clearing better kempt than any other he met her, a shimmering figure of woods barely contained, who grinned down at him and tickled his cheek. The pixies asked if they could keep him, and she said why not. Thus was he welcomed by the minor fey, and he was allowed to stay in the world he would soon call his own.

Forever he may have stayed there, basking in ethereal magic, forgetting everything outside the groves, till one day he heard a voice not fey, a guttural but not unfriendly tongue. Thus he searched to meet its source, a stout figure before a wagon - a dwarf, a part of him recognized, a part that turned as if from a long slumber. The dwarf seemed taken aback at first, but once he calmed down, he explained he was looking for a font of magic, a cave of some timeless wonder. Still grappling with the barest memory of civilization and overset with a lifelong reared curiosity, Herbie asked the pixie mother if he could go see it too. She acquiesced, so long as he'd let her see it and be back by teatime. Overjoyed, he carried her gift of magic, and guided the dwarf - Rockseeker, he was called - through the foothills, beyond which the dwarf would reintroduce him to the greater world. Thus Herbie continued venturing, though never forgetting his promise, knowing that when the time was right, he would find his way back to his true home.

### Adventuring

Every moment since leaving the clearing has been an adventure, as far as Herbie is concerned. Though Rockseeker would focus more on some of their mountain treks, Herbie thinks more of the first joining with his mining crew (their tongue was a bit gruff, but their drinks gave him a sort of lightheadedness that made him feel right at home) and entering the town of Seidell (people can get so big, how do they fit so many so close together?). He's had to spend a bit more time here while Rockseeker sets the boring business meetings up but that's okay. Being friends with the Jolly Joel, bartender of the Big Dipper, means he gets to meet all kinds of people and hear their stories, including Rockseeker's other friends. There is so much he has to look forward to, and Rockseeker's latest adventure for the Lost Mines promises to bring even more excitement.

The adventure would indeed prove to be a blast - one Herbie often found himself on both ends of. Before even managing to deliver Gundren's supplies to Phandalin, his convoy was ambushed by goblins with dynamite, leading Herbie and his new group to trace them to their cave. Here, Herbie's illusion magic proved useful in scouting and wrecking the place before the party even entered, and indeed, he would find himself the impromptu rogue on several more occasions. By the time the group finally reached Phandalin, they discovered that Gundren had disappeared, and the town had been taken over by a possy of brigands known as the Redbrands. Together they drove them from the streets, and then from their manor, where they discovered an abberation and a pair of cursed rats, all of whom were liberated in short order. The town's troubles didn't end there though, as it was threatened by zombies, orcs and more goblins, and thus the newly labeled Lost Miners scoured the surrounding area.

Herbie would kill two birds with one stone by charming the orc leader, convincing him to lead the raid on the goblin's castle, and upon finding the conjuring necromancer, he earned directions to the goblin castle by setting the spirits of a burned town to rest. Scouting the goblin castle did not go quite so well, as he was discovered and driven out with arrows biting at his heels, but the orcish army did their part, and in the end the place was laid bare. Yet not all was well that ended well - a sorcerer, presumably their leader, blew a fireball at the party to escape, and here Herbie finally found the fate of Gundren Rockseeker, killed for a sacrifice. It is in that foul mood that the group returned to Phandalin, to discover a dragon had taken wing nearby, and thus the party tricked a set of wandering knights into helping them drive it away. This impressed a local druid, who revealed to the Miners the location of Wave Echo Cave, the place that Gundren had been seeking. The sorcerer had holed up there with his goblin forces, and battered them through the tunnels, but Herbie had finally learned the power of fire to use against him, and blow by blow, at long last the sorcerer and his throng were vanquished. With this, Phandalin was finally safe, and thanks to the Miners' protection, it would indeed prosper in the future.

All that was left now was to figure out where to go from here, but wherever he might end up, Herbie is sure to find some way to spice up...

## Character Information

### Abilities

* Fey Presence: Starting at 1st level, your patron bestows upon you the ability to project the beguiling and fearsome presence of the fey. As an action, you can cause each creature in a 10-foot cube originating from you to make a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. The creatures that fail their saving throws are all charmed or frightened by you (your choice) until the end of your next turn. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
* Agonizing Blast: (2nd level warlock invocation) When you cast Eldritch Blast, add your Charisma modifier to the damage it deals on a hit.
* Beast Speech: (2nd level warlock invocation) You can cast Speak with Animals at will, without expending a spell slot.
* Pact of the Talisman: (3rd level pact boon) Your patron gives you an amulet, a talisman that can aid the wearer when the need is great. When the wearer fails an ability check, they can add a d4 to the roll, potentially turning the roll into a success. This benefit can be used a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and all expended uses are restored when you finish a long rest. If you lose the talisman, you can perform a 1-hour ceremony to receive a replacement from your patron. This ceremony can be performed during a short or long rest, and it destroys the previous amulet. The talisman turns to ash when you die.
* Devil's Sight: (5th level warlock invocation) You can see normally in darkness, both magical and nonmagical, to a distance of 120 feet.

### Belongings

* Herbalism kit
* A carving knife and a hunting knife which can be used as weapons
* Leather armor
* Starbeam's amulet
* A wand of smiles

## Quotations

* "Don't talk to strangers? But then how are you supposed to meet people?" - Herbie completely missing the point Gundren Rockseeker was trying to make hoping to protect him from his naivete.
* "I'm not looking down at you, you're looking down at me!" -A retort that may or may not have led to the above.
* "I've found the trail!" -After getting caught in a snare trap.
* "Hi Not Rat!" -In response to a cursed rat claiming 'I am not Rat'.
* "No matter what, Mom will always look after you." -Soothing the ghostly child, Clara.
* "*BOOM!*" -As sender or recipient of a fireball.

## Appendix

Lost Mines of Colmanth PCs
**Genevieve** (Half-Elf Bard) **·** **Godric** (Human Fighter) **·** ****Herbie**** (Halfling Warlock) **·**
**Sofiel** (Heavenborn Cleric) **·** **Redmond** (Hellborn Cleric)