"A table, my good man."
Thomkin Ballyforth III, the halfling proprietor of the Traveler's Rest, was sitting in a corner of the empty bar at the inn, doing a little bookkeeping. He muttered to himself as he ran his fingers through his hair, then rested his head on his hands and sighed. He hadn't even noticed that a frail-looking woman in clerical robes had entered the bar, followed by a small figure.
"Ahem."
"Whaaat! Oh, I beg your pardon, Edwina. I didn't see you come in. Here, let me get you a table next to the fire," he said, moving surprisingly fast for a man of his bulk. Hopping down from his stool, he lead her and her companion to a table. "Would you like a bit of wine, my dear. Perhaps a bowl of water for your dog," Thom asked.
"Excuse me?" said the dog.
"My goodness, you've taught it to speak. How clever!" he said.
"That's it, I'm leaving,"
"Oh no, Sapphire. Wait!" said Edwina as the small figure made a U-turn and abruptly left the inn. Edwina gave the innkeeper a look that would have melted steel as she tried to catch up to her friend. "Thomkin Ballyforth, how could you," she hissed as she hurried by.
"What did I say?" Thom shouted at her back.
Sapphire, the clanless
Neutral Good, 2nd level Cleric of Oghma
Dwarven Female, 42 years old
3'8", 140 lbs.
Str 9 Con 13 THAC0 20 Wis 16 Dex 9 Hp 16 Int 15 Cha 4 AC 7
Weapon Proficiencies: Footman's Flail, Morning Star
Non-Weapon Proficiencies: Ancient History, Artistic Ability: Embroidery, Brewing, Religion, Read/Write Common, Read/Write Elven
Languages: Common, Dwarven, Elven
Equipment: Studded Leather, Flail, Morning Star, boots, cloak, robe, sandals, belt, backpack, two small belt pouches, papyrus, writing ink and quill, flint and steel, lantern, flask of oil, rope, sewing needle and embroidery yarn, wine skin filled with homemade dandelion wine, bottle of homemade cherry ale, dry rations, a book called "The Magical and Medicinal Properties of Herbs," book of elven poetry, vials for saving various samples to be examined and studied.
Magic Items: 2 healing potions
Comments:
Sapphire is, despite appearances, not a dog. She is a dwarf. Not a terribly attractive dwarf, mind you, but a dwarf nonetheless. She was found in the outlands by Edwina, priestess of Oghma, where she had been wandering after she was shunned and exiled by her clan.
In her, Edwina found a kindred spirit. Sapphire loves to read. She will read any book even if she doesn't really understand everything in it. She is in love with the idea of spending one's life as a scholar, seeking out knowledge for its own sake.
Sapphire secretly wishes she had been born an elf. To her, they personify the kind of attitude towards life that she would like to emulate. She would love to be graceful, happy, and a lover of knowledge and beauty.
The only other activity besides reading Sapphire enjoys is embroidery. She has embroidered almost every piece of clothing she owns, including her clerical robes. If she likes someone, she will usually embroider a grt of some sort for them.
Not that she's had that many friends, however. Often they are put off by her looks. Furthermore, she can't get anyone to take her chosen lifestyle seriously. Her clan, for example didn't understand her and tried to mold her into the kind of cleric they were accustomed to. Much to her dismay, her elders interrupted her studies and made her learn to fight. She does have some knowledge of the morning star and flail, therefore. Then they insisted that she study warfare and military tactics. She didn't mind that as much, actually. At least it was some kind of learning.
Sapphire was finally kicked out of her clan when she refused to follow their god of war, Discord. She wandered the outlands for a while, wondering where to go, until Edwina found her and introduced her to Ohgma, god of knowledge. She has been following Edwina ever since as a novitiate. She hoped that this would be the start of a new life for her. However, most of the people she has met in the world don't understand her any more than her clansmen did.
(c) 1996 by Erica Woollums