Snappy Shellston

Snappy posing with his staff

Thieves' Cant

**Snappy "Back" Shellston,** commonly referred to as **Snappy**, is one of the protagonists in the Lost City of Orion one-shot and a key member of the Eccentric Excavators. He is a Tortle Monk that took a job with the Krackoa Mining Company in hopes of finding secret riches to pay for his family's debts. He is played by AnerexoMexo.

## **Official Backstory**

*"Snappy once lived in a small nomadic tribe bordering the edges of King's Coast. After he reached maturity, Snappy promised his tribe that he would make a name for them in the city. Arriving at the city with his newlywed wife, Ryva, he found that rising through society's classes was harder than he thought. After his four children (Terrap, Kempley, Habill, and Logusk) were born, his new goal was to make sure his family didn't starve.*

*With a brutal gang war between the Dawnites and the Duskids, Snappy fell victim to racketeering from the Duskids and most of his income was drained to pay for "protection". But, after talking to his shop-owner friend Trort, he found out about a job that could pay back his debt and leave wealth for the family to indulge in. The Krackoa Mining Company offered a vast paycheck for whoever was brave enough to delve into their operation. Snappy agreed to the venture and met up with a group of co-mercs to uncover "The Lost City of Orion".*

## **Biography**

### *Modest Beginnings*

Along with his free-spirited tribe, Snappy roamed the lands of Nordheim without a care in the world. The food was plentiful, the air was fresh, and the tribe was bustling. But, some poor hunting and harsh weather quickly turned the tribe upside down, compelling them to pray for forgiveness from Shima, the goddess of tempest and knowledge. Their prayers went unanswered and the tribe feared disbandment. However, a young and intrepid Snappy swore to keep the tribe together at all costs. His plan was to journey to the neighboring town and rise up the social ladder, ultimately ending in the purchase of a tenant building for the whole tribe to live in. During the severe period, Snappy got acquainted with another tortle, Ryva, who stood as an advocate for his ideas. The two of them fell in love and soon married, swearing that they would both lead the tribe to enlightenment. Once they came of age, the newlyweds set off for the city, promising prosperity for future generations.

### *Crushing Fantasies*

Arriving in King's Coast from a nomadic tribe already presented some issues for Snappy and Ryva. Their lack of coin motivated the couple to hunt wildlife in the surrounding plains to sell the hides to the town butcher, Trort. The constant selling of pelts allowed Snappy and Trort to bond, becoming close friends. Soon with enough hides, Snappy and Ryva could afford a small shack on the outskirts of town. Living in the small shack was not the dream that Snappy had hoped for, but he had to start somewhere. While Ryva took care of the house and occasionally hunted pelts for extra money, Snappy turned his sights to a job somewhere in the city. Searching for positions as a baker, tailor, blacksmith, herbalist, or a barber, Snappy found himself at odds with the guilds that sponsored those jobs or the competition within the city. Finally, at the bottom of his list, gravedigging became his new profession as the old gravedigger, a sickly human man, resigned from his position. His measly job and her side hustle couldn't overcome financial stability, much less financial advancement.

The Shellston family continued to live in poverty, with their children being born occasionally. Things turned for the worse, however, when the Duskids (a criminal syndicate in the city) paid them a visit. A Duskid member visited his shack and informed him of the increasing hate crimes happening in the city (which weren't actually happening). Through this, the Duskid then gave him a proposition of protection money to defend his family from anti-tortle attacks. Fearing that hate crimes would drain his money more than protection money would, Snappy agreed to pay the fees. Though as time passed, none of these "hate crimes" ever happened and Snappy took out a loan from the bank of King's Coast to keep paying protection expenses. The Duskids wouldn't let him back out of the deal and he fell further into debt.

A opportunity arrived when the Krackoa Mining Company came to King's Coast. They promised a massive sum of money from the expedition as it was very dangerous. He took the job, said a farewell to his family, and met with two other adventurers under the mountains near Kalfheim.