Pickle

Deep, in the tunnels and mine shafts a echoing melodic voice was heard.

🎵 “Pick pick pick away, shovel through the dirt and stone, we work all day we work all night to keep our neatly home.” “A thousand generations past, since our mother went and gone, she told us to be better than the rest” “Take our skills and use them well, the betterment of everyone, we sustain ourselves and live our lives in peace“ 🎵

Continuing to whistle the tune the kobold put aside his pickaxe, continuing to shovel the loose dirt in front of him. Shovel, shovel, bonk! He hit something hard. Digging at it with his bare claws he uncovered something, a skeleton engraved with tribal runes and silver filligree. And it had something in it's hand,  something shiny. A red gem, it was pretty, so pretty, It spoke to him, told him how to dig faster, to dig better, and most importantly where to find treasure, oh the wonderful treasure!

It promised more if he helped it. He could be more than just a miner, he could be important, he could be powerful, and rich!

The kobold had never seen far beyond the warren, only heard about it from his elders. The histories of their people, the exploits of Slink, Sip, Armond, Alton, and Fogel. Supposedly those people even knew the god Vyodros if such a thing could be believed. He always wanted to be like the heroes of old, but he never had the power or strength to do so, until now of course! He got out of Slinkheath and headed south, waiting for the gem to tell him more secrets, he kept it hidden, occasionally taking it out to gaze upon it's magnificence. He met two big travelers on the road, one looked like the statue of Fogel so he must’ve been what they call a human, and the other like a bigger copper Kobold. One claimed he was a dragon and Pickle did not believe him, but when he demonstrated his power Pickle realised the safety in staying with these people. So he told them of his ability for sniffing out treasure and valuables. They seemed impressed and allowed Pickle to tag along. But asking to have him part with his gem? No he would never part with his beautiful gem.

A Kobold wanting more
"I am Pickle the hero, the Carver of mountains and bringer of justice and peace"

Pickle lived his entire life in the tunnels of Slinkhearth Warren, raised among his kin on the stories, songs and histories of their people. Enamoured by the words of the Great mother Sip spoken and spread amongst their kind by her descendants he was instilled with a yearning for adventure and exploration. Many in the tribe wished to return to the old ways of Kurtulmak after the Great mothers passing and Pickle found his nature hard to ignore, they were and would always be Kobolds. Wanting to find an answer himself he decided to leave but failed and almost got himself killed by wildlife. The outside world was incredibly dangerous for one Kobold to traverse and few Kobolds had travelled far outside the warren, keeping themselves isolated for decades. Pickle was frustrated with his own powerlessness but resigned to working in the tunnels and mines.

Pickle liked digging and working in the mines suited him greatly. He would always dream about seeing the outside world and would entertain himself by singing songs about it.

One day while working alone in a mineshaft he would come across a long forgotten burial chamber, in it was a skeleton richly decorated with silver and a beautiful red gemstone hanging from it's neck. Curious Pickle took the fine gemstone and it began talking to him! It told him of omens and secrets, of preminisions possibilities and promises. It taught him how to hear the earth, to feel every vibration and movement and to move it through force of will. He was given strength and a new objective, in return he could finally fulfill his dream of becoming a hero.

Personality
Pickle carries with him a childlike sense of wonder and excitement about the world outside his people's warren, often expressed by a flurry of energetic expressions. His desire to become a hero but his lack of knowledge on how to become one has led him on a journey to discover what a hero is. His naivety and willingness to learn from anyone he meets has sometimes led him to adopt strange conceptions of what is "heroic" and "unheroic", generally as a guideline of things he should and shouldn't do. He means well, though his ignorance and naivety have sometimes led him into trouble, such as when he gave his Terra stone to Markus Tosima.

Despite his pursuit of heroic virtues Pickle has an insatiable thirst for treasure, gold and trinkets. A vice he is seemingly unable to overcome. Fawning over precious gemstones and trinkets, chief among them his Terra stone.

Whilst his reasons for wanting to become a hero have remained largely unspoken aside from personal wonder and fascination with heroic figures, the kobold has hinted that he wants to become a hero to keep his people from "losing their way". He has on multiple occasions mentioned his dislike and distrust of Zitus and their followers, citing the historical grievances of the church with his people.

Things that heroes do
This is a collection of things that Pickle has learned about heroics from his friends and allies

Wear bow-ties in front of royalty, they make you look important - Kreev to Pickle before meeting the queen of Elderfall

Don’t steal loot from your party - Ana after Pickle's greed got the better of him

Burying creatures of nature is heroic - Ered after the party encountered a family of Owlbears

Fergus is a true hero - Fergus

A hero insults his opponents with witty banter - Kreev

A hero breathes in and out before a fight and asks himself: Am i strong enough for this foe? - Kreev to Pickle after they spoke about his gem

"What's yours is yours. Kreev is a wonderful performer, but no one comes between a dragon and his treasure. Remember that." - Said by Dazomar to pickle during the expedition to the temple of Danu

Dont be sad about making mistakes, be glad that you can learn something from them - Alzara to Pickle after the battle of Elderfall

Basics

 * Height: 0.76 m (2 ft 6 in)
 * Weight: 13kg (30 lbs)
 * Current Location: Freehearth
 * Education: The kobolds of Slinkhearth don't waste too much time one educating Kobolds that might die when they are young and therefore they are taught only what they need to know given their task in the tribe. As a miner Pickle wasnt taught much outside of basic math, language and religion but all Kobolds in Slinkhearth learn about their people's history from a young age. Outside of Slinkhearth Pickle has been very eager to learn

Physical appearance

 * Eye Colour: Vermillion red
 * Hair Colour: No hair
 * Skin Tone: lime green scales
 * Build: diminutive
 * Ears: I have earholes
 * Distinguishing features: A slightly prehensile tail, curved dragonlike horns and a tattoo of his tribe's sigil on his lower back
 * Preferred Outfit: Wearing simple travellers clothes made from goatskin with a small dark green cape and a light brown vest with an excessive amount of pockets on the breast area. He wears sturdy workers pants with grey leather wraps covering his legs beneath the knee. He does not wear shoes
 * Accessories: Usually carries with him a Pickaxe slung over his shoulder, dry dirt and mud used to be lodged in between his scales but since he signed the contract with Caoránach the dirt has fallen out and now ethereal infernal flames dance between his scales.
 * Level of Grooming: Pickle was always covered with dry dirt and mud from all the digging he did. One might assume this meant he seldom cleaned himself but Kobolds are very clean creatures and they love baths, Pickle is no exception. He took the dirt lodged in his scales as a sign of pride which is why he always lodged it in his scales using terramancy before he signed the contract with Caoránach
 * Other Details: a slight smell of suplhur lingers near him

Behaviour

 * Movement: Energetic steps and bounds or runs like an excited child
 * Finer Details: digs his claws into the dirt, ripping up a lot of dust and debris wherever he goes
 * Quirks: Greets almost anyone with the same friendlyness thanks to his isolated upbringing, is incredibly trusting even to relative strangers and beings that others would view unfavorably

Speech and Communication

 * Talk Speed: Varies depending on mood
 * Style of Speech: High pitched, energetic and swingy
 * Accent: Kobold (IG) Kobold (IRL)
 * Posture: All over the place
 * General Expression: A happy smile
 * Do they Gesture?: Yes, wildly
 * How much eye contact that they like to make?: If they feel ashamed not a lot but if they like something they will make a lot of eye contact
 * Personal Motto: "I want to be a hero"
 * Speech Impediments: None
 * Distinguishing Speech “tics”: Will say "Really?" a lot in response to explanations
 * What's their laugh like?: Almost hissy in a way
 * Describe their Smile: Wide grin from ear to ear, showing lots of pointy teeth, warm and innocent
 * How emotive are they?: Incredibly, Pickle wears his emotions on his sleave and generally comes off as very earnest in his feeling

Trauma
After their visit to the village of Ballyargus Pickle was infected with deadly spores that nearly killed him. Not wishing him to die Auxley and Kreev called on the devil Caoránach to sign the contract Pickle had recieved to save his life.

Ever since that experience Pickle reacts negatively to the sight of mushroom spores

Trivia

 * Favourite Colour: Green
 * Favourite Food: Pickle loves a lot of things and there are few he would truly call favorites but ever since Raisuboi shared Elderflower cordial with him it was his favorite drink
 * Pastimes: Pickle is what many would consider a workaholic and does just about everything in his freetime. Building, being a priest, a warden and doing oddjobs. This nature is a result of living isolated in Slinkhearth for all of his life
 * Stories: All of the stories about the adventurers of the past, especially ones about his own tribe the adventurers guild of Eskarya that helped to stop the illithid threat 200 years ago

Heroic Relics
-Stoneguard Shield, a shield made from the remains of an earth Elemental. The face on the front mirrors the true feelings of it's attuned wielder. In Pickle's hands it's expression is one of wonder and excitement.

-Half plate armour crafted to fit his tiny body. The helmet is shaped in the form of stag's head, fit so that his horns appear as the stags antlers. The collar has a metal "bowtie" so that Pickle may appear important and heroic in front of royalty.

-(Former)Terra Stone of Foltchaín, a relic that Pickle was entrusted with as it's guardian before a near death experience forced him to sign a contract with a devil named Caoránach to stay alive