Vinotis

Legend

“Subtle singing and subtile hinting of doom to come, he can Weave like none else.”

Skjald Sejrik

 

History

Fourth Age

Born on the northern isle of Mealis, in the town of Vinola. A beautiful old-looking town with cobblestone streets, at the shores of the Burfal Tributary just where the Kompaur Valley is widest. The son of a Carpenter, he learned the craft and trade of woodworkers from an early age. And as his skills grew, so did the quality of his work and its complexity, as he found great challenges doing inlaid.

The hunt for ever more precious and special inlaid made him hike further and further, even uphill into the rough lands of both Mealis and Thang and eventually into Pearlin and Osmes. And, as he told me, of all the places in Mealis, he loved Ivory Vale the most. Both for its beauty and for the variety of inlaid to achieve at the Gem Fair.

Skjald Valgrif

 

Around his 12th birthday, as he was in Passina at the shore of Bay of Burfal, he noticed a large noise arise from the harbor. Rushing there, he saw a gargantuan vessel anchored up out in the bay and a smaller boat coming towards the docks. He ran back to their booth and told his elder sisters that there was trade to be made at the docks. They ignored him, but he grabbed what was his and ran to the crowd… and stopped up. Slack-mouthed, he stared right at some Kinoblin setting up a booth while some others were talking with the town guard captain.

That day, he bartered himself to some rare and unique items in exchange for his inlay items and other exquisite materials he salvaged at odd places around the island. Such was his bartering and curiosity that at evening, when they packed their boot and were to sail out to their vessel, He tagged along and out of the ship; he saw many new and weird things, and at one point he noticed a cracked lute laying in a stack of ropes. When asked about it, a seemingly old Kinoblin said it was his. But sadly, another member of their crew didn’t like his song, so it cracked in the disagreement. Unable to repair it, despite the cost he paid, it was a rubble. Vinotis looked at it, then at the Kinoblin and back at it, then heard the words, “It’s yours if you like, lad.“.

Smiling, he jumped at it, grabbed it, and then found some rare Serandite nuggets in his pocket and offered them as payment. The Kinoblin examined the nuggets, then kept one and gave the rest back. “It’s a mighty price you offer for such a little lad; let me honour your offer with this one. The purest I’ve ever seen… and in return for it and the gesture, take this amulet.” And he pulled off his octagonal amulet and gave it to Vinotis.

Skjald Ulrich

 

The next morning, they rowed back and traded more with the now-flocking countryside folks. And while Vinotis guarded their family booth, he examined the lute more thoroughly. It was odd, but he was certain it was human-made. A fact he confirmed many years later, as I could easily recognise my father’s work in the hands of the performing apprentice at our gathering. And when I heard how he acquired it, I must say the boldness struck me.

Skjald Sigurd

 

Since then, he has practiced with that lute way more than he crafted, and within a few years, he was quite good at it. To accompany his tunes, he began to learn folklore songs, then met tales of the noble, and finally he dove into the events behind the lyrics. He still crafted things, though they were mostly jewellery and inlay materials; he no longer made larger things as his focus was on performing and entertaining.

All his hiking and mountain crawling had made him a rather strong man, and one day at a feast in Karoly where he was celebrating his 30th birthday, he involved himself in some arm wrestling. One of the men was Skrewball and the other was Bergon. He bested them both in either arm and won quite a lot of ale and silver, and the hour became late. So, with a heavy pocket and wobbly legs, he left for his rented room. But, at a corner, he was assaulted by an odd humanoid creature, stocky to bloated, and with two huge fangs from its fleshy face. It was like a walrus, but it had legs and arms.

As it attacked, he evaded, like his teacher, F.F. Jaeger in martial arts, who had taught him in the academy up in Falbur. and as it missed him in its raged charge, he grabbed one of the large tusks and yanked hard. His forceful yank and the weight and momentum of the foe made the tusk snap with a large crack, and it howled in pain as it turned. Just to see the tusk, tip first, being smashed into its left eye, where it sank deep into whatever brain it had. And it collapsed in a moaning sigh.

Looking at the corpse and the protruding tusk, he stepped on the face and broke off the other tusk as well. Then I pulled the first from the eye and spat on the corpse.

I had just met Bergon on the streets when we heard the noise; it was melee for sure, so we rushed the streets and cornered a house. We saw Vinotis with two large tusks in his hand while spitting at a fat corpse on the ground. Running up, we asked what happened, and after we had studied the corpse, Bergon said he would take care of the corpse and I should follow Vinotis home. As I looked at the tusks, he said, “These came in handy, and I plan to use them.”.

I don’t know what happened to the Whalruz. but when I met Vinotis a year later, I noticed he had an odd weapon, a Nunchako, made of something quite familiar. He saw my stare and grinned while he nodded a ‘yes’.

Skjald Valgrif

 

He spent the next 7 years travelling the islands, learning every tale he could, and one day while he performed, someone stepped out into the circle and claimed his tale was so flawed that he had to speak. As Vinotis became quite upset at being interrupted, he slid his hand to the weapon and swung it with speed at the forehead of the intruder. The large smack was followed by utter silence from the crowd, and as he withdrew his weapon, the stranger snapped it right out of his hands. “Please excuse me, I’m Ulrich, 1st of Skjalds, and I need to correct you on that topic. And this toy, you can have back when you can tell proper and behave.”

Utter silence, then Vinotis, and then the crowd laughed. “My apologies, good Skjald.” That was the first time they met, and the following year, Vinotis was tested as Skjald and passed.

Skjald Sejrik

 

After he was accepted, he spent 2 years at our own library, and as the century passed, he travelled to other libraries. He spent 15 years studying books and scrolls, then another 15 journeying from court to court. When he finally went to the Free City of Muldum he met F.F. Jaeger and puzzled about the name he asked his ancestry. It was odd to meet the grandchild of his old teacher, and they talked much about martial arts as well as Crafting lore. At some point during their talk, F.F. Jaeger noticed the Amulet Vinotis and asked about the material. Vinotis did not know and told about it being a gift from a Kinoblin.

Impressed and puzzled, F.F. Jaeger told Vinotis about a place called Mt. Vula. and that he could invite him there. Intrigued, Vinotis agreed. The next day, they travelled to a remote place in the hills to see some crumbling, ruined pillars. Oddly enough, as they approached, it was as if the pillars began to glow and the tiles began to hum. F.F. Jaeger smiled broader than ever before and said his suspicions were right. He had heard about them but never seen one, and this had to be a Magic Shard.

Under his guidance, Vinotis used the amulet, and indeed, it activated the Astral Site/Gate. and they entered the Astral. Vinotis had never been there before and was quite stunned, especially as he felt he could hear F.F. Jaeger’s voice inside his head, almost as if sharing thoughts. As they strolled down odd paths and weird bends, things shifted, and he had a feeling they moved far longer than at a normal pace.

Skjald Yell'a'Beard

 

They said that a hand came forth…

A voice demanding a key…

F.F. Jaeger hammer it’s head…

Vinotis rubbing its jaw…

Teeth splintering, creatures sobbing…

And then Mt. Vula…

Skjald Kazumix

 

Smacking that monster in the head and in its kisser had a vague effect on it, and they agreed that it was lucky they came out before that fight had any length. As they talked, some teeth from the creature fell from their clothing. As the mouth smack had been Vinotis, he got the spoils. Those are now dangling from his necklace.

Vinotis stayed at Mt. Vula for 15 years, as he was far more skilled in crafting than most would have believed. Some, like Lord Nam and Skrewball, told me that he even worked with some Kobold and Drakk Alfar. Then, while teaching him, he let them study his amulet, which resulted in extracting its name, Eye of Mumra, and it was indeed a magic shard to all Astral Sites and Gates. Due to his explanations of activation and travel, they suspected it was able to enter through any astral site or gate in the world in one go—even Mt. Vula. So F.F. Jaeger had been right.

But when he heard rumours of something brewing at Midgard, he went back. And it is said he became involved in the presentation of Black Oak as the first High King of a united Realm.

I did not see him at the coronation, though. But I know he resided at Grimsborg when The Great Invasion came.

Skjald El Mary