Description
Standing a hand under four feet in height, this gnomish lady has skin the
color of freshly churned butter. Her stature is somewhat boxy, average to
narrow shoulder width falling about even with her waist, hinting at former
girth. Walnut hair is pulled back in a loose tail, making her head appear
somewhat long. Her narrow eyebrows and light orbital bones are coupled with
an average hairline, giving her face a slightly pinched but not unpleasant
countenance. Turquoise-colored eyes sit above a beak-shaped nose, which sits
above plump, full lips. Seeming somewhat out of place, a stud piercing pokes
out from just below her lower lip, matching one in her eyebrow.
Her garb is well-kept and of high quality, if not grand. Green robes hemmed
with red fall to above her knees, while sturdy cloth breeches hang the rest
of the way to her leather-sandaled feet. Two sashes criss-cross her chest,
both of simple brownish gray cloth. Several rings can be seen on her fingers,
mostly plain bands of silver, which match the tooled belt about her waist.
Hanging from that belt are a motley assortment of pouches and a leather-bound
grimoire. Her hands are never far from a staff the height of a short cane for
most humans, and looking closer at her, it seems she is a most alert
individual.
Role
Youth: Rebelling Against Order, Creating a New Life
Added Wed Jan 10 17:23:24 2024 at level 40:
The adventurer currently known as Snarbeldina was born Willow HighHill in
Hillcrest. She comes from a noble family, and her father is a sitting member
of the City Council. Being a family in high gnomish society means a life full
of etiquette, expectations, duties, et cetera. A very ordered culture, in
short.
Young Willow enjoyed a happy childhood, where her happiest moments were in
the gardens first, and then gradually in the woods outside the city. She was
an excellent student and enjoyed her girl friends, but always looked forward
to her solace in the woods. She loved spending time examining the plants,
interacting with the squirrels, observing the deer - all the sorts of
activity one could call forest bathing.
As her primary education concluded and she went into secondary school, she
hoped to become a druid. Her parents, though, had other ideas. She was placed
in finishing school, Madam Blentress' School for Proper Gnomish Ladies, and
mandated to spend time with peers of her station. Willow longed to spend time
with the few gnomish rangers and druids amongst Hillcrest. Her mother put out
word that Willow's place was in finishing school so that she may find a
respectable husband, and that any gnome found aiding Willow in any other
endeavors would be shunned and lose any patronage from the ample wealth the
HighHill family spread around Hillcrest.
Soon it came to be that she found herself in a manufactured friendship with
the daughter of another family, Snarbella. She detested the other girls
company, not because she truly misliked Snarbella, but for all the lack of
control it represented. It grew even worse when she became betrothed to a
cousin, a truly boring gnomish logician.
Willow would constantly slip away into the woods, and constantly be brought
back. One day her parents gave her an ultimatum that she would indeed be
marrying this fellow in a fortnight, and she would learn to love her new
life, or they would cut her off completely.
She feigned acquiesce but began formulating her plan to move halfway across
Thera and create a new life for herself.
Young Adult into Academy: Creating a New Identity and Profession
Added Wed Jan 10 17:24:49 2024 at level 40:
Young Willow picked Arkham as her new home. Taking what funds she could, she
managed to conceal her identity and hire on as a cook for a merchant caravan
passing through Hillcrest. She stuck with that crew for a long, cold, but
uneventful journey to Hamsah Mutaz via Udgaard, Tir-Talath, and Voralia. Upon
arrival she took up cookwork at one of the Inns. She did not crave material
gain, or even money, but knew of no other way to survive.
While she had never been to Arkham, she knew it to be a somewhat dreary town
where folk mostly kept their heads down. She also knew her family had
resources to find her, so she changed her name. They knew she hated all
things high gnomish society, so she took the name Snarbeldina both for its
similarity to her peer Snarbella (who they knew she misliked). She also
believed the folk she met in Arkham were less likely to want to deal with a
gnome with an old-fashioned, stuffy gnomish name.
She had also picked Arkham for its proximity to the centaur outpost of
Evergrove. She reasoned she could learn more of the deepwilds, and the ways
of nature, from the folk there. Yet she ran into an issue: she had no skills
to even survive the wooded path from Arkham to Brittleaf.
This led her to the realization that she would have to acquire real skill to
live a fulfilling life. There had been some magic in her family background,
and she reasoned that learning to be a shapeshifter could help her get closer
to her beloved animals. So she managed to enroll in a beginner course under
Ravertom, the local shapeshifter. Finding enough talent to excel, she
advanced to the point where she decided to join the Academy.
Academy and Early Adventuring: Learning the World and Finding Thar-Eris
Added Wed Jan 10 18:08:25 2024 at level 40:
So we pick up the story after the newly minted Snarbeldina completed her
academy training. Learning some basic powers, she realized she should learn
to navigate the world better on her own. Taking work for coin from Simon led
to a number of other jobs for various characters. It helped her learn the
world, but she still felt unfulfilled. Too much of her life was spent doing
what she felt like she had to do to survive, and she still had not found a
way to pursue her love of the outdoors.
She grew, learning to advance in the guild and learning the lands well. In
the Academy she had read of the Outlanders of Thar-Eris but it felt very
abstract and distant to her. Still, she began to avoid traveling with those
she thought were counter to what an Outlander might be. Similarly, she began
experimenting with bartering only, and gradually stopped using coin.
One afternoon while exploring north of Arkham, she had the happenstance to
meet the Sunwarden. Taenya could not have been more kind, and for the first
time the Refuge became something real, and potentially attainable. While
nothing was decided in their first meeting, it helped Snarbeldina realize
that the feeling of being unfulfilled was due to lack of direction for her
energy and passions.
So she pledged to the Huntress. Soon thereafter, she learned of the story
stones and how Thar-Eris was founded. That lead to another long conversation
with the Sunwarden, in which Snarbeldina laid bare her history of working for
coin, and for certain unsavory characters. That was difficult for her, as she
feared rejection. But she found reassurance, and was welcomed into the
Refuge.
Since being given that chance, she has learned to pass on the compassion and
teaching she was shown. While she is becoming comfortable with bloodshed and
fighting, she is always on the lookout for opportunities to create meaning
and direction through word. She has privately resolved to balance compassion
and nurturing of the land and its folk with the violence necessary to usher
in the Return.
Ancients and Growth: Becoming Harbinger and Carving a Role
Added Sun Jan 21 16:15:46 2024 at level 51:
To say Snarbeldina was surprised to be chosen as the next Harbinger would be
an understatement! She believed her meandering path to finding the Refuge
would mean a longer adjustment period to being a Sentinel. Instead, she found
herself facing the thunderous voice of a Destructive Ancient, vowing with all
her heart to be chief amongst all Sentinels.
In the days and weeks following her accepting the mantle, she spent (and
still spends daily) time contemplating why she was chosen, and what about
herself and her actions reflected what the ancients sought in a Harbinger.
Snarbeldina has a great deal of respect for those sentinels that came before
her, and sees one difference in her desire and record of using talk and words
to nurture and combat
She believes this reinforces her views on balancing compassion and nurturing
with fire and claw. She knows she is not yet the most deadly of hunters, but
believes her mind, energy, and curiosity can be her greatest weapons as she
grows into this role. As she slowly learns her martial skills, and as she has
gotten to know some of the youth of the Refuge, she sees room to bring great
value by protecting the refuge and nurturing its initiates, especially those
who may have greener leaves than others.
As part of protecting, nurturing, and teaching those of the Refuge, she wants
to live as a good example. She looks for opportunities to inject
thoughtfulness into the talk amongst the Outlanders, and to engage potential
foes that are not, to her mind, completely lost. She does not believe all
dwarves are inherently bad, for example, but has no tolerance for those born
with unnatural heritage, like minotaur or the celestial, or those whose
cultures involve slavery. Similarly, she might try and convince an Imperial
to leave the Palace or a conjurer to leave its guild, but she is more likely
to use deed over word first there versus a loner thief.
She has also privately thought about her choice of names. As much as she
rebelled against her family, she never truly hated or even disliked Willow as
her given name. So she has mulled perhaps leveraging that what she does like,
whether Willow or something to represent some of her other valued aspects of
life.
PK Wins
Jan 8, 2024 |Lv 37|The Outlander Refuge|Ecnalap vs 3: [37] Faerwynn (25%, surprise attack), [37] Snarbeldina (12%), [51] Ryfin (61%)
Jan 25, 2024|Lv 51|Ruins of Maethien|Ivyln vs 2: [51] Snarbeldina (49%), [51] Sinnyah (50%, claw)
Feb 20, 2024|Lv 51|The Tahril Mountains|Ixen vs 2: [51] Laureon (55%, disembowelment), [51] Snarbeldina (44%) *Disemboweled*
Feb 21, 2024|Lv 51|The Outlander Refuge|Skaya vs 2: [51] Snarbeldina (74%, bite), [51] Sinnyah (25%)
Feb 23, 2024|Lv 51|Forest of Prosimy|Merigan vs 2: [51] Braughe (43%, serpent strike), [51] Snarbeldina (56%)
Feb 28, 2024|Lv 51|The Outlander Refuge|Draakor vs 2: [51] Hrendya (75%, punch), [51] Snarbeldina (24%)
Feb 28, 2024|Lv 51|The Imperial Lands|Hranik vs 2: [51] Snarbeldina (44%), [51] Burgolt (55%, KB)
Mar 20, 2024|Lv 51|Forest of Prosimy|Brenwade vs 2: [51] Zolgandor (0%), [51] Snarbeldina (100%, crush)
Mar 20, 2024|Lv 51|Forest of Prosimy|Brenwade vs 2: [51] Snarbeldina (17%), [51] Zolgandor (82%, KB)
Mar 29, 2024|Lv 51|Akan|Gabley vs 2: [51] Snarbeldina (70%, crush), [51] Zaurea (29%)
Apr 4, 2024 |Lv 51|The Keep of Barovia|Gabley vs 1: [51] Snarbeldina (100%, KB)
Apr 11, 2024|Lv 51|Mansion of Twilight|Gabley vs 2: [51] Sinnyah (31%), [51] Snarbeldina (68%, crush)
Apr 11, 2024|Lv 51|The Outlander Refuge|Gabley vs 2: [51] Snarbeldina (46%, crush), [51] Sinnyah (53%)
Apr 12, 2024|Lv 51|The Coastal Plains|Najaraa vs 1: [51] Snarbeldina (100%, KB)
Apr 18, 2024|Lv 51|Arkham|Vizbahk vs 3: [51] Snarbeldina (45%), [51] Sinnyah (33%), [51] Urmbeg (20%, beating)
Apr 29, 2024|Lv 51|Forest of Prosimy|Kolgrek vs 2: [51] Snarbeldina (79%, bite), [51] Urmbeg (20%)
May 7, 2024 |Lv 51|Feanwyyn Weald|Ahbichruz vs 1: [51] Snarbeldina (100%, poison)
May 9, 2024 |Lv 51|Domain of Eternal Night|Vashrii vs 3: [51] Snarbeldina (31%), [51] Yerial (36%, vicious attack), [51] Zaurea (32%)
May 24, 2024|Lv 51|Aturi Timberlands|Hametrius vs 1: [51] Snarbeldina (100%, crush)
PK Deaths
Dec 27, 2023|Lv 14|Arkham|vs 1: [14] Celatrix (100%, punch)
Jan 2, 2024 |Lv 33|Arkham|vs 1: [35] Vahkun (100%, crush)
Jan 14, 2024|Lv 49|Seantryn Modan|vs 1: [51] Darbod (100%, blazing slash)
Jan 22, 2024|Lv 51|The Sewers of Seantryn Modan|vs 1: [51] Woreich (100%, virulent venom)
Jan 24, 2024|Lv 51|The Coastal Plains|vs 2: [51] Jezzrima (56%, mental assault), [51] Phavoen (43%)
Jan 25, 2024|Lv 51|The Spire of the Blood Tribunal|vs 1: [51] Aesrii (100%, icy needle)
Feb 1, 2024 |Lv 51|Galadon|vs 4: [51] Iahhel (1%), [51] Skaya (19%), [51] Woreich (39%, KB), [51] Aesrii (38%)
Feb 8, 2024 |Lv 51|Aturi Timberlands|vs 1: [51] Woreich (100%, virulent venom)
Feb 12, 2024|Lv 51|The Tahril Mountains|vs 1: [50] Idrepi (100%, surprise attack)
Feb 27, 2024|Lv 51|Organia, the Veil of Shadow|Snarbeldina committed suicide
Feb 27, 2024|Lv 51|The Jade Mountains|Snarbeldina committed suicide
Mar 22, 2024|Lv 51|The Jade Mountains|Snarbeldina committed suicide
May 21, 2024|Lv 51|The Jade Mountains|Snarbeldina committed suicide