Pages

Friday, March 6, 2015

Fireside Chat with Tuilli MacAengus

For this chat, I left my beloved (and warm) wooded Harts Hollow and headed Northeast to Blackwood.  Not knowing much about Blackwood, I admit to getting a little lost in the town of Hammerstone before finding the right tavern.  I shouldn't have been terribly surprised to walk into a "There I was story", lead by none other than the person I was supposed to be meeting.  Whether he got bored waiting for me, or if this is just the way he is, I'm still not sure.  

Photo by Jesse G

"So, no shit, there I was, middle of Mother-forgotten swamp surrounded by some of the ugliest mostly-dead I've ever seen with nought but my son, my sword and my alarm horn.  I had no idea of where I was, nor who was near, but I gave my blasts on the horn and turned to fight them with my sons by my side.  We held as long as we could, but soon the next thing I knew I was being poked with a sharp stick by Jayne Wrath and being asked if I was a necromancer.  Those two steps.  Over.  And over.  For an hour.  Finally another Grimloch patrol came along, stopped Wrath's "interrogation", certified me as just a victim of bad circumstance and escorted me off to the nearest village where my son and I found work and started afresh.  Well, enough for now, I have a pressing engagement"   

Tuilli MacAengus was kind enough to bring glasses and a bottle of mead to the table.  One thing I am loving about meeting with people is the mead.  So much mead.  Oddly, he started our talk with questions.  No one ever asks me questions!
"So I hear you have some questions for me?  Let's see what memories I can conjure for you."

What are you most proud of accomplishing?  
I would say my ranking in the Order or the List tournament last year.  While I did not make the top 16, I placed rather well for someone unfamiliar with the weapons and styles that are common in this land, in my not-so-humble opinion.

If you could be granted any wish, what would it be?   
A coin purse that always provided one more gold than needed.  The extra coin as gratuity or charity.

What kind of charity would you be likely to contribute to?  A hungry child or a thirsty friend?
A hungry child wins over a thirsty friend.
Photo by Robyn N

Tell us about your favorite feast dish.  
Wow, that is a hard one.  So far the thing that comes to mind at the top was the cheddar and tomato dip at Feast of Leviathan.

What pets do you have?
Not a one.  I've had a few animals that have been silly enough to follow me, but most have ended up in a stew.

How do you earn your gold?  
I pick up jobs where I can.  Why?  Do you have an offer?   Mostly I am getting ready to open up shop with armor and metal goods by next harvest.

What was your most memorable questing moment? 
 I would say it would be the time at the Festival of Val Dara where I taunted a nigh-invincible Greater Lich at the tip of my sword for an hour and a half while the supposedly "thinky" people attempted to read the basic instructions of "Read this Incantation Out Loud" and failed.  Finally I went over, saw the instructions , read the incantation out loud (the language it was written in was close to my mothers tongue so it was easy to pronounce) and the Lich turned to mist.

Who do you admire most and why? 
There are a few who have earned my admiration.  Sir Eldritch of Grimloch for his martial skills (and his Whiskey), Prince Vex for his humor (and his Whiskey), Sir Tao for his cunning (and his taste in Whiskey).  

Tell me about your first adventure?  
Our people have (or had, I know not what happened to them), a strong martial culture.  My first foray outside of the village my sons and I were deposited was a Tournament I intended to try and win some coin at.  The Tournament of Tunics it was called.  Effa MacTyr of Grimloch was part of the patrol that came across my sons and I when we were found in the swamps, she had invited me to try my mettle in the tourney pits.  While I did not earn much in coin, I did earn some fine clothes which were lost to the fight against Bedlam.

You lost your clothes in Bedlam?  Nope, I don't want to know.  Lets move on.

Why are you called "The Bastard"?
My real name...  well, my mother named me Rowan.  I earned my nickname mostly through the curses of husbands "That Bastard's been here again, hasn't he!"  You hear that enough time creeping out the back door of a hut, the name starts to grow on you.  In my mother's tongue, the name Tuilli means the Bastard, so that name I took and made my own.  Too many people named Rowan who owe money around these parts anyhow...

What is your driving passion? 
To own a small plot of land of my own?  To spread our adopted family far and wide?  Earn fame, fortune and riches?  A bit of parts A, B and C perhaps?  Yes, that last part sounds good, write that!

In your opinion, what would you describe to be the biggest threat to the world at large?  
Mayerlings.  Without a doubt.
   Note, I think he muttered "Bloody bow jockies" under his breath.  Is that a bad thing? ---T

What was your life like before you began adventuring? 
My family formed part of the guard of our land.  We were part of a large network of families who helped keep the borders of our liege-lord 's lands safe from the raiders and spy's that would try to get past us.  One of my sons was Mother-touched, your people call them "magic-users", while my other son followed in my footsteps as a Guardian, or fighter.
The Mother is one of the Goddesses from the world before.

The world before what?
I pushed Tuilli a little on this.  To sum up, he is not from our world, as we know it.  Or, if he is, it is certainly not local.  When Tuilli says he was found in the swamps, its not like he was lost hunting.  He and his sons seem to have been transported to Grimloch on the day Effa found them.  They are luck it was her that found them, and not undead.  Or worse!  Like grouchy Guillium.  

Where and how do you spend your time when you're not adventuring? 
Mostly teaching my sons the ways of our village and helping them through this world.

I had run out of questions/gotten distracted with another (2? 3?) bottle of mead at this point.  I hunkered down in the unfamiliar town until morning.  My mount and I were both grateful for the well traveled roads clear of ice, but even more thankful to make it home again.  Blackwood seemed nice enough, but maybe Ill wait until the snow is gone to visit again.  Ill be by my fire if anyone wants to chat.