Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone
When your sister asks for help with the backstory for their D&D Character. I think she was a Halfling Rogue Charlatan? I purposefully always called her character by her full name, pronouncing it flawlessly each time. What's the point of having a long name if no one is going to say it aloud?
Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone grew up in Frostburn. She was abandoned in a dog sled when she was only nineteen days old (according to the partial birth certificate found in her coat pocket)and was discovered only a few hours later (if it had been any longer than that, she would have surely died), by a migrating family of civilized penguins who took her in and raised her as their own. On her fourth birthday, she received a life-changing gift. She was given a newborn unicorn. She named the majestic creature, Iliana. She and Iliana became very close and Iliana taught her many things. In a tragic attack, while trying to protect the creatures in the area, Iliana was killed by an evil sorcerer who sought the rumored treasures of the frozen wasteland. This sent Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone into a deep depression, as well as bouts of furious rage and questioning. Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone has now made it her life goal to track down and destroy this villain, in order to obtain closure, as well as prevent him from causing any further heartbreak in the world.
After finding no treasure of value, the sorcerer speedily departed. As he left the wasteland, he dropped a satchel that identified him by the name of, “Bruhkell.” Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone also found a map, left behind with the satchel. The map gave clues to his next stop. After having some penguins deciphered the map, Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone discovered that the next stop on this villain’s travels was a tropical island named Chult, where the map has written in red letters pointing to a forest that there is an ancient artifact, a gem of unimaginable value and worth. Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone broke off a large chunk of thick ice use as a raft, she used pine wood and fronds to form the top of the raft, and used a flat piece of ice to connected with Pine fronds to use as an oar, and she propelled herself toward what she hoped was North.
After traveling for about a month North, the temperature increased to the point where the ice raft had started to melt. Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone had planned for this, she had killed a seal by suffocating it, and after it died she had cleared out the insides of the seal, and sanitized the insides as well. She took the fronds and pine wood to create a palm tree and made it appear as if the land was an island by covering the all noticeable ice with fronds. She then placed herself inside the body of the seal , and placed her arms inside the flippers, and her legs in the tail flippers. She barked distressfully to the attention of any compassionate people nearby. She barked helplessly for a few weeks until finally a small dingy steamboat floated nearby and one of the rock gnomes on the ship noticed the seal lying helplessly on a “tropical island”.
Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone then proceeded to look as cute as possible, she won the heart of the rock gnome and soon the entire rock gnome crew. The rock gnomes pulled her aboard and put her into a giant crate in the Storage compartment that was a giant freezer that is stock full fish and ice blocks. Unfortunately she doesn't know where they are going. She needs to get to Chult for revenge, but in order to convince the Rock Gnomes to go to Chult or ask them where they are going, she would have to reveal her true self. She is worried that if she reveals herself then the Rock Gnomes would be angry for taking advantage of their hospitality and compassion by getting them to take her aboard by dressing as a seal. She decides she can’t risk revealing her identity, so Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone slips out of the freezer when everyone is asleep, she does note that a few crewmates must be awake to make sure that the ship is going in the same path that leads to Rock Gnomes destination.
Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone sneaks slowly around the ship looking for where the crew must steer the ship, she find the place where the helm should be but instead there is another room with lots of metal boxes inside full of buttons and levers, and a helm that is spinning on its own, seemingly controlled by the boxes and is connected the boxes rubber rope. Try as she might she couldn’t turn the helm, even when she took her hands out of the seal suit. She looked at a map, and found they were not going to Chult, they were going to a mountainous land where the Rock Gnomes probably lived.
She gave up on changing the direction of the boat and headed back toward the freezer. However, a Rock Gnome Spotted her on his way to the bathroom, which was just a room full of buckets. Luckily the gnome still thought she was a seal because she was still in her seal suit, so he led her to the freezer, and this time placed a box in front of it so she couldn't get out. Probably about a month later, the boat stopped, Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone hadn’t realized that boats could actually stop.
A few Rock gnomes came and activated a contraption that pulled the freezer out of the boat through a large metal door that opens up into a ramp that leads onto a train of large carts, one by one the Rock Gnomes roll large crates, including the freezer, onto large carts that are connected by a metal mechanism to make sort of a train. Each large cart gets one large crate placed upon it, then the Rock Gnomes chain the crates to the carts so they don’t fall off. After all the crates including the freezer were placed each on separate carts, that are all connected, a handcar in front of the train, is connected to the cart train by a metal mechanism, that is kind of like a chain but springy so if it stops suddenly then the hand car won’t be rammed into.
2 tiny Rock Gnomes start to slowly pump the Handcar and slowly the train starts to slowly accelerate. The train heads into a mineshaft, in a tunnel, in a mountain, Massive metal gates block the entrance, but are opened when the Rock Gnomes that were working the handcar get off and use a key unlock a panel where they push and pull many buttons and levers, and close and lock the panel. They then unlock a hidden door to a hidden room in the mountain and go inside to spin the axle of a wheel and axle mechanism which has metal rope/metal cable that connects the wheel that is spun by spinning the axle, this pulls the metal rope to roll around the wheel and axle and slowly opens one side of the gate.
Then one of the Rock Gnomes runs to the handcar and move the train into the mineshaft, once the last cart of the train is safely within the walls, the Rock Gnome that is still out side closes and locks the secret door and pulls a lever alongside the mountain and runs inside as the one side of the Massive gate slowly starts to close. Once inside the Gates the Rock Gnome waits until the gate is completely closed before getting on the handcar to continue hauling the train deeper into the mineshaft.
Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone fell asleep after they were inside the mountain and woke up when the train came to a screeching halt. A crowd of Rock Gnomes came to the train and started unbarring and unlocking the large doors on the crates and the freezer, all of the doors open up into ramps that smaller crates can slide down. A Rock Gnome gets a wheelbarrow and places Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone in it, thinking that she is a seal and would have a hard time moving on her own. The other Rock Gnomes take the Cubes of Ice out of the Freezer. The Rock Gnome that is wheelbarrowing Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone, takes her to a gigantic underground reservoir that has been dedicated to act sort of like an aquarium but where the inhabitants of the lake are treated almost as intelligent life. There are some non-intelligent penguins in the aquarium.
Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone, assuming the penguins are intelligent, tries to secretly explain her situation to the penguins and ask for their help, but there is no response from the penguins. A Halfing that is in charge of the aquarium comes in and notices the seal whispering to the penguins in Common. The Halfling knows that this is not normal behavior for an unintelligent beast. She slowly sneaks over towards the seal and then asks, how are you speaking common, the Halfling asks in common, because that is the only language that she for sure knows the seal can speak.
Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone sure that she has been caught starts acts aghast and says “I’m an a intelligent seal, like these penguins.” The Halfling says “Those are just normal penguins, they're not intelligent.” Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone says, “How dare you, I bet you would hate to have someone call you unintelligent.” The Halfling says, “I’m not saying it to be rude I’m saying it because it’s true.” Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone replies, “ I bet you would hate to be called unintelligent regardless of whether it was true or not.” Halfling is not getting flustered, she can’t believe she is arguing with a seal. Halfling yells, “It doesn't matter if the penguins hate to be called unintelligent, because they don’t understand Common! They don’t know what I’m saying!”
Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone has had enough of this nonsense, “I’ll prove that penguins know common.” She goes over to a penguin and says “Please friend, prove me right, show that creature that you are a smart, intelligent, and wonderful Penguin. The Penguins stands up, takes a deep breath, puffs out its chest, “SQUAWK!!!” Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone falls on her back and plummets into the water, she is so surprised and offended. When she returns to the surface she is in Tears. “Please friend, Mind your language! I’ve never been so insulted in my life!” The Halfling says, “WHAT? The Penguin didn’t even speak Common.
Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone then says, “I’m Bilingual, and I know penguins are smart, just this one is a jerk.” The Halfling then notices that the seal's mouth is not synced to the words she speaks. The Halfling then opens the seal's mouth to find the face of Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone. Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone says, “I told you I was intelligent.” You’re a Halfling!” The Halfling says in Halfing. “What? I don’t speak gnome.” Says the confused Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone. “You don’t know Halfling?” Asks the Halfling.
Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone smartly replies, “Well…no, I was raised by penguins.” Halfing says, “Then how can you speak Common?” Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone screams, “The penguins taught me common, They taught me everything!” Halfing is startled, “everything?” Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone sighs, “Well no I also was taught by my best friend Iliana she was a fantastic unicorn, and actually she the reason I am here. You see, a villainous person murdered Iliana because he thought she would get in the way of him taking treasures, he was wrong. Iliana would not have gotten in his way, because there was no treasure. I now seek to bring him to justice, and make him pay for making my friend and me suffer!”
Halfling in a quiet voice whispers, “Oh, I’m sorry.” To make a long story The Halfling was named Dave and took Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone in and adopted her. After many years of learning the Halfling language and other civilized skills she hadn’t learned from the penguins, she decided it was time to make good on her vow to slay that villainous man who killed Iliana.
Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone sets off on a Steamboat with some Rock gnomes and a Dwarf captain. They were willing to bring her to Chult because they had some business there themselves, but Dave had an awkward conversation to convince them to bring Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone along.
Dave: ”Would you mind bringing my daughter Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone with you to Chult. You wouldn’t have to bring her back.”
BreadBeerd: “Wait, you have a Daughter, that means you must have a wife, that means you must be married. How did I not know about this!”
Dave: “You never come to the aquarium.”
BreadBeerd: “Oh. That makes sense, yeah. I’ll bring her along, but why don’t want her back?”
Dave: “She’s 40 she can make her own decisions.” BreadBeerd: “You’ve had a child for 40 years and I never knew!!”
Dave: It’s been 60 since me and you had contact, I think it is quite reasonable for you to believe I have a daughter, You would have met her before if you had came to the aquarium.”
BreadBeerd: “Ok, you win, I gather my crew and we will set off in a week.”
After about 2 months of travel to the Island of Chult in sight. “Land Ho!” Shouts BreadBeerd. They were about a mile from the shore when a giant Dragon Turtle leaps from the water, grappling their steamboat and roaring. BreadBeerd began to frantically but expertly give commands, “Arm the Cannons! Mount the Ballista! Load the Trebuchet! Prepare the Mangonel!”
Yes, viewers, this is a battlecruiser Steamboat, but with medieval technology, except for the steamboat part. All the dragon turtle wanted was treasure, but it decided that it’s life was more valuable than any amount of treasure this war vessel could hold. The Dragon Turtle left the Dwarven Steamboat Battlecruiser alone and harassed other ships attempting to port at Chult. Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone reached the port and pulled a crate with wheels under it behind her, it carried all her luggage and supplies. It would have been really easy to steal from because it was so large, but also because it was so large no one would have been able to steal the crate.
Unbeknownst to Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone many people peeked inside her crate but left empty handed and disappointed that there was nothing of value. Within the crate appeared to be wood, one time a robber was convinced that there must be a valuable thing in there but Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone caught the robber noisily, and savagely rummaging through her crate. She scared him off and decided to set up shop in the Grand Sooke.
She had in her crate a wooden stand that could be set up into an ice cream shop, a small shop, about 5 square feet large. Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone proceeded to sell ice cream to all that would buy, and was attempting to gain enough money to buy all the supplies needed for her adventure into the Jungle of Chult to find the villain that is in search of the pulse of Chult which is inside the jungle.
One day in the newspapers, the face of Bruhkell appeared with the title “Pulse of Chult found.” A month later a new title with a different picture of the same man says, “Businessman fraud never had Pulse of Chult, tried to sell a fake.” Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone giggled a little but was absolutely distraught after reading further that he was caught trying to sell a fake in the land of Waterdeep but has escaped authorities, search continues.
Ellalynn Xyratris Gladdenstone wasn’t gaining enough money fast enough to be able to catch Bruhkell before the authorities did. So she didn’t break the law, she just convinced people that what they are paying for is better than what the product is that they were actually buying. She basically cheated people when it came to sales. She finally gained enough money to buy enough supplies to go into the jungle and buy a ship to go find Bruhkell, however she has realized after being in Chult for 2 years and recently turning 42, she has learned the answer to life, the universe, and everything.
Well, actually she just realized she needs more experience before she sets off to find Bruhkell. She’s now swindling people for their money and selling ice cream at extremely high prices. She is looking for some capable adventurers to help her become a seasoned, experienced, veteran fighter that is capable of taking down Bruhkell when she finally meets him.