Willard Soggybeard

## Background

[TL;DR: An autistic hobbit monk. Very perceptive, but not very social.]

Twenty-odd years ago, on the outskirts of Piken Port, a caravan of merchants and wayfarers was attacked by bandits. The first passerby to discover the wrecked caravan was Tam, owner and barkeep of the local tavern Soggy Beards, while returning from his supply run. He scoured the caravan for survivors and found a swaddled baby Halfling boy, and, lacking discovery of his parents' origin, decided to keep and raise the child. After all, widowed and childless Tam would need someone to take over the care and duties of Soggy Beards, some day.

That's all Willard knows of his origins, as relayed by Tam. Well, besides his name: Tam first referred to him as the "wee lad," and it just sort of evolved from there. Willard's first memories are of the tavern. Just outside the heart of Piken Port--at the mouth of Bowl Bay, east of Song River, southeast of Asherdale, and south of Joyhill—Soggy Beards was an unexceptional tavern frequented by mostly humans, but non-human travelers weren’t uncommon. Odd place for a child it may be, Soggy Beards was home. He loved observing the patrons--listening to their stories, learning their bar tricks and games--almost as much as he loved solving the blacksmith's puzzles Tam occasionally bought for the tavern. Once Willard was big enough to handle a Halfling-sized broom, Tam put him to work. Willard swept and cleaned mugware, and Tam shared the ins and outs of brewing ale.

Life continued happily for a few years. Until the day Willard returned from the markets to find Soggy Beards aflame.

After, Willard was told it was due to a brewing mishap, and that Tam tried to stop the blaze instead of escape. He was also told he was lucky because a Tiefling monk passing through Piken Port heard of the incident and offered to bring Willard to the Pheonix Temple Monastery. "Lucky" because there wasn't really an alternative for him.

So Willard left to learn the ways of the monks. He never knew exactly where in relation to Piken Port the Phoenix Temple was, but the journey by sea was very long. Nestled in the mountains wrapping the frozen Phoenix Bay, the temple’s cold and arid weather was a stark change from Piken Port’s sunny and rainy. The monks were all Tiefling, but there were other plucked-away orphan students of various races.

He found a new passion in the Martial Arts. He also found he had an edge in the tests of wisdom served by his mentors due to the many life lessons gleaned from Soggy Beards' patrons. The only downside to the monastery was its deafening silence. Willard found his meditation only came where he could also find noise, the buzz of labor or nature or anything but quiet.

After ten years, Willard had learned all he could from his elder monks. With their blessing, he journeyed out into the world, set on claiming his own stories of adventure. And possibly, once adventure was spent, he might open a tavern to call home.

## Quests

### Goblins in the Forest

With the knowledge and skills bestowed upon me by the monks of the Phoenix Temple, I was finally ready to find my own adventure--or so I thought. Deciding to let fate guide me, I boarded the first vessel I could, no matter the destination. Fate chose Land's End.

A dreary village, yet unexpectedly quaint, Land's End didn't strike me as a land ripe for adventure, but I figured I'd stop by their tavern and ask around about troubles or oddjobs. I found it...and it was the most depressing thing I'd ever seen. The dilapidated tavern was completely void of the hearty bustle and commotion every tavern deserves to house. I jogged off to the inn to find out why, and there I ran into three other wayfarers with the same inquiry. We talked to Simon the Historian, and he said grain had been banned for non-food use ever since goblins invaded the Ash Forest. He said the villagers can't harvest their fields or collect lumber until they're dealt with. The other three and I looked around at each other and it was obvious we were all thinking the same thing.

We fetched Sheriff Orland so he could guide us and witness our efforts. As night fell, a torrential downpour removed any visibility the party had, so we set up camp for the night a short ways off the road. I stayed up for watch, and a few hours later, spotted some small humanoids headed the way we came down the road. Strangely, they were Dwarves impersonating Halflings, bare feet and all. I nudged FInrell, the gnomish wizard, awake. He proceeded to run out to them and loudly inquire as to their charade...After tensions were calmed, they explained they were on the run from Asmodeus's forces and needed a place for shelter and work. Fin pointed them in the direction of Land's End, then the party returned to our rest.

Once we trekked far enough into the Ash Forest to lose our bearings, some of the party went foraging while the rest of us tried to orient ourselves. Someone spotted a series of spikes leading up a tree--apparently they're of goblin make. I climbed them to the treetops where I spotted a tower a few miles deeper into the forest, so we headed for it. As we neared a clearing where the tower stood, we found a corpse: human, seemingly one of the hunters Simon told us had gone missing. As Fin went to inspect its pouch, a snare sprung around him, lifting him a few feet off the ground as a bell rang out. We ran for the clearing to make sure no one heard while Berrian, the Firbolg druid, cut Fin down. Luckily, the ring went unanswered.

We spotted a goblin keeping watch atop the tower. Fin supernaturally slinked across the clearing to a large rock, where he launched a barrage of magic missiles at the guard. Man, wizard's magic is strong. Those missiles wouldn't be fast enough to hit me though. As we all made it to the tower's entrance, we notice a goblin headed our way from across the clearing. We entered a hallway and waited just inside to ambush the goblin; I went ahead and listened at the only internal door, where I could hear two voices--one low and rough and one higher, presumably goblinspeak. When the goblin entered the tower, we pounced and tied him up. After a lengthy interrogation, we discovered he was FutFut, goblin chief, and that the tower was filled with many goblins, a few orcs, and even a treasure-guarding basilisk. Though we could technically return to Land's End with just FutFut's head to claim a nice reward, we remembered that doing so wouldn't solve the goblin issue entirely, and therefore wouldn't end prohibition. So we figured if we just kill the orcs, who are purportedly in charge, we can get FutFut and the rest of the goblins to leave Ash Forest.

Ready for anything, we entered the main chamber. No one was there, but we saw a lift system centered in the room that led underground and a staircase wrapping the chamber to a room above. Storming the above room, we found two orcs and two goblins. Finally I can put my skills to the test. I dashed in and sank a dart in the robed orc's chest, but it didn't fall. As the party rushed in and launched their own assaults, the armored orc shot a fireball at me, and I failed to dodge in my surprise. Then, ignoring the Sheriff in its face, the robed orc repaid me for the dart. All went black.

A surge of energy brought me conscious. Someone must've healed me. Seeing I hadn't been out long, I jumped back in the fight. Coming in melee range of the robed orc, I realized I would finally get to channel my ki in battle. I went in for the strike and....nothing. Where is my ki?? I missed in my shock, and one of my party engulfed the orc in flames. Though all our foes were down, we had no time to celebrate: voices and the clatter of armor were coming up the stairs. Orland barred the door while we thought of a way out of fighting. Finally, Fin decided to attempt to intimidate them with one of the orcs' severed, sizzling heads while the Gnome Snaps prepared a whirlwind spell to blow them off the stairs. Fin's verbal assault only paused the gang in confusion, though, and Snaps's whirlwind caught only one goblin.

The orc and remaining goblins burst into the room and attack. Again, I tried to channel my ki, and again, I failed. My shortsword missed its mark in the orc's armor, and it glowered down at me. THUD. Black.

I came to a while later to everyone nursing their wounds, surrounded by charred corpses and blood. Turns out they found gold, potions, and some magical loot while I was unconscious, and they were kind enough to share in their spoils. As we headed downstairs to learn of FutFut's fate, we noticed the lift had been lowered, and the chief was gone. Though not all at first, we agreed to investigate below. We pulled the lift back up, then Orland let us down the hole. With no clues to what waits below other than "basilisk," I decided to rejuvenate with my potion. At the bottom, we found a forking path. To the left, we indeed found the basilisk, indeedly guarding treasure. But one glance told us we had no chance of slaying the beast--not yet. To the right of the fork was the real surprise.

As the cave opened to a wide chamber, we were met by Chief FutFut...and countless other goblins, most armed. But on closer inspection, the whole lot was in no fighting shape--either too young or too old or too hurt. Fin called out in peace, and FutFut passionately explained that the orcs kept the unfit down here, and that the one had cast him down here before coming after our party, leaving FutFut and his people with no way to the surface. With our unintentional rescue, FutFut agreed to lead his people out of Ash Forest and away from Land's End.

So we returned to Land's End, where we spotted the Dwarves from the road already working the lumberyards. We reported our deeds to Simon with the weight of the Sheriff's words to back them. We sat and recounted highlights of our journey, then in the realization that prohibition wasn't magically solved, planned out the next steps to raise spirits in Land's End.

And, surrounded by new friends, feeling the comfort of a tavern without one, I finally regained my ki.

*Next time, I'll prove myself useful.*

### Barley and Oats

* Cleaned the old tavern and preparing it for use.

### Pool's Closed

Willard's memory is foggy of the events on the pirates' island. Here are the details he remembers:

* Had to borrow the dockmaster's boat to head out to the island
* Finding only one pirate, we approached and were ambushed
* On the pirates' ship, we encountered a carrion crawler
* carrion crawler = pain
* Dockmaster's boat disappeared

### Harran's Tower

After a few days of channeling my ki to aid our barrel of mead, in the newly bought and newly named Kraken Heads Tavern, the itch for adventure crept upon me again. Coincidentally, a Land's Ender has asked for the aid a few adventurers to investigate a local myth.

       Mikhail Glask claims a crazy Tiefling wizard named Harran constructed a tower in the Blood Swamp centuries ago during a war. Supposedly, it still stands, only to be found on the nights of a full moon, and all who've ventured out on those nights have never returned. Since the moon would be full that very night, Snaps, Mahesh, Finrell, and I decided to follow Mr. Glask east for the Blood Swamp. We quickly discover Glask might not be the soundest individual--of his several outlandish claims, the most notable was that he was actually from the future and that Simon the Historian, then a powerful wizard, sent Glask back in time as a way of saving his life during a battle at Harran's Tower.

       Many miles into our journey, I spotted...*something...*at the treeline along the road. Fin sent his owl Hoothoot to investigate, and it brought back a dead rabbit. Convinced I saw something else, I dash for the treeline to get a better look, despite Glask's warnings of the swamplands within. Fin followed me, and after finding nothing, we turned back to catch up with our unstopping, uninterested party.

       That's when I felt the unusual urge to turn and look just once more... and there before my eyes stood the most beautiful creature in all of Aityr. Willowy and...uh...*willowy*, she beckoned me into the trees. Just as the thought to call for Fin floated across my mind, she brought a green finger to her lips, and the thought floated away. Somehow, I could understand her intentions without a word spoken: she, Lady Farael, had a gift of Natural power to bestow upon me that could help us in our quest! Since I'm quick on feet even by Elf standards, I knew I could catch back up to the party, so I followed her into the trees.

      On the path inward, I silently absorbed Lady Farael's situation. She is an ancient guardian of a Natural power, set in her task by machinations that can be tracked all the way back to Moradin himself. She has solitarily guarded this power for centuries waiting for a worthy mortal to find her and the power; then, she can be freed from her hermitic life. We made it to a clearing where several large, *willowy* trees stood, one circularly surrounded by the others. Lady Farael brought me underneath the central tree, where vines ceremoniously descended to cradle my weight as the tree began to faintly glow green. A smile from Lady Farael warmed my soul as I began my ascent to the tree's upper foliage. Then, I spotted my friends at the edge of the clearing. *Great! They can tell me how awesome this looks from the outside.*
       The party hurriedly approached, seemingly upset and yelling though I couldn't hear their voices. Neither could Lady Farael; she just continued to smile up at me. I tried to tell them everything was okay, but they didn't look like they believed me. Then one of them shot fire at Lady Farael! Her smile quickly inverted and she melted into the tree, telling me in my mind that my friends had come to kill her and take me away and that I should protect her. I sent back that of course I'd protect her, I just need free of these vines. But then the tree, or rather, Lady Farael shot vines out and ensnared most of the party.

     The party fought and fought, most freeing themselves of the vines, all the while I hung in shock, unable to cease the fighting. Then, after taking several magical volleys, the center tree began glowing red. It dropped everyone, and the leaves of all the trees exploded from their branches and flew up into the air. The leaves began to churn into a deadly storm of leafy blades, and Lady Farael boomed in my mind:

      "GIVE ME ONE REASON I SHOULD SPARE THESE PITIFUL MORTALS"

       "They're just trying to protect me."

       "FOR CENTURIES I HAVE EXISTED, ALONE, AND NOW THAT I FIND COMPANIONSHIP, I'M MET WITH VIOLENCE??"

       As she spoke, the potency of her presence began to wane on my mind. I started to understand her true motives, and the ruse she fed me. Instead of anger, I only felt pity:

      "They'd be your friends too if you'd let them..."

      "DO YOU SERIOUSLY BELIEVE THAT??"

      A divine sense of confidence flooded over me, not unlike a surge of ki. I responded both mentally and out loud:

       "...I do."

      And with that, the leaves froze then fell harmlessly to the ground. Lady Farael dis-integrated from the tree and I raced to make peace between her and the party. I described our quest to her and asked if she'd join and return with us to Land's End, where she could find companionship of all varieties. But she sadly explained that, as a dryad, she is bound to this central tree and can only travel a short distance from it. However, she knew of Harran's tower and pointed us back in the right direction. She asked if I'd visit her again, to which I vowed not only to do so, but to also find either a way to free her from her tree or to move it closer to Land's End.

      Sure enough, we eventually found a leaning tower poking through the swamp's canopy. Once we made it to the clearing, though, we discovered that strange things were afoot. Atop the tower was a goblin, bow taut and trained on us. A pulleyed oversized bucket sat at the towers base, acting as a lift to the top; there were no other visible entrances to the tower. Near the lift stood another goblin receiving payment from a masked figure, very ominous and sinister looking. Behind him, a team loaded dead bodies from a massive pile onto a wagon, and shortly later, the team and the leader wagoned away down a well-worn path.

      On closer inspection, we realized the dead bodies were very similar to one another--too similar, in fact. They were all identical, all with the same face--Mikhail Glask's. When shown, he just looked shocked and confused. The party then tried conversing with the businessgoblin to find out what was going on and to negotiate a way into the tower. The negotiations were short. Little information was gained before somebody drew a knife, and after the goblin fell, his skyward companion withdrew into the tower, where we could hear an alarm bell ringing. On the goblin we found the currency used in his last transaction: five blood-red gold coins. I pocketed them, and Mahesh summoned a staircase of clouds for us to climb to the top of the tower.

      The tower's trapdoor entrance dropped us into a bed chamber. Upon inspection we found Harran's journal in the bed; for the most part, it read like the ravings of a madman. Next, we found a restroom, of which Fin insisted on searching every inch. We then descended to the next level, where we found a skeleton pinned to a table by a sword and a sealed iron door. We decapitated the skeleton as a precaution then exhausted our repertoire of door-opening techniques to no avail. The next level down, we found four goblins barricaded behind a sideways table. The party's magic and my scimitar made quick work of them. We quickly realized we were in a series of chambers and hallways that circled around the rounded tower. In one direction, we entered a hallway where standing water and webbing intensified the further in you traveled. Once we heard skittering and heavier thumping, we retreated the other direction and closed the door to the hallway. The hall in the other direction led us to the occasional room branching inward.

      The first such room assaulted us before we even saw its contents. A putrid menagerie of everything rank laid within. This was clearly where the goblins stowed their refuse, so naturally Fin decided to search every pile. As he neared completion, I caught wind of a familiar scent under the other filthy layers of smell: one that struck a vivid memory, or rather, a nightmare.

      "CARRION CRAWLER!!!" I yelled, readying my scimitar. Everyone looked around, seeing nothing, then looked back at me in confusion. Then Fin reached for the final pile of refuse where the crawler pounced from within. Wary of my last encounter with a crawler, I raced into action to wrest my friend from its clutches. After I struck true, it dropped unconscious Fin and focused on me. *They said the last one wouldn't let go of me for anything. I guess Halflings make a tastier meal.*Snaps ran to revive Fin, and once they began assaulting the crawler with their magic, it turned and began spewing acid all over them. With Mahesh's hex and eldritch blast, and with my scimitar and ki-powered fists, we finished off the abomination. *These things aren't so tough after all!*

     After we'd collected ourselves, we headed for the next room, which we noticed was just before where the standing water and webbing started on this end of the hall. Inside, we found a scared goblin shaman named Gerdurr. He explained he had been trapped by the spider, and he freely told us what he knew about the tower and those within if we'd help him escape. He said their chief Gruuduu could be found in the basement, surrounded by more goblins and worgs, and that the tower is but an entrance to an extensive cave system. On the topic of Glask, he said all he knows is that every day, one shows up and they kill him, then the masked guy regularly shows up and pays for them. Fin bullied Gerdurr into giving up a health potion, then when we were stuck deciding how to handle him, Fin unceremoniously killed him with a single blast. *I'm so sorry Gerdurr. May you rest under the wings of the Phoenix.*

      On our way out, we contemplated facing the spider, but the returning skittering noise changed our minds. We headed back for this level's central chamber to head downward into the basement. After disarming a trap halfway down, Snaps boldly and rather unstealthily peeked into the basement, where he was greeted by a face-full of crossbow bolts and worg teeth. As the brawl began, I took down a worg and caught a crossbow bolt mid-flight. Fin teleported further into the room and cast a sleeping spell on the farthest group of goblins. Then Gruuduu stormed into the room from the far door, accompanied by more worgs.

      Since fin had teleported further into the room, he was quickly swarmed by the surprise additions and knocked unconscious. I ran in to distract Gruuduu into a duel, in which I discovered I could punch him in the face while using my oversized blade defensively. Snaps again revived Fin, and the fight continued. Gruuduu's dual scimitars began to glow green, charging them for a special attack. After another assault on our part, he unleashed a devastating spinning attack on the gnomes and me, as we were close to him. However, we all jumped out of the way just in time. Mahesh then began an intensely chanting, but by its end, nothing happened; his eyes just went wide, face frozen in shock. Then Gruuduu's swords began glowing green again--this time, mid combat. He spun again, catching the three of us small folk soundly: Snaps and Fin were knocked unconscious, but I barely held on. With a final push I channeled my ki and let off a flurry of blows, and Mahesh ran up and unleashed the mightiest eldritch blast I've ever seen cast.

      We spared the only remaining sleeping goblin for questioning, but after no progress could be made, he was unjustly cut down in another fit of gnomish impatience. *May you also rest under the wings of the Phoenix, friend goblin.* Unbeknownst to us or Glask, a couple of Land's Enders were being held hostage down here, so we freed them. The far door led to Gruuduu's chambers, where we were greeted by a scary illusion of a hulking humanoid. We found a bountiful chest and a secret passage, hidden on a wall of maps, that led to the cave system below. Deciding the caves would have to wait for another time, we gathered our loot, I gathered the potentially useful maps, and we ushered the Land's Enders back to town. *Though I may have caused some unnecessary trouble, I feel like I'm finally holding my own in our adventures.
       I can't wait to tell Lady Farael all about it.*