Helli Gladstone

A gnome rogue with a taste for gems and books. Great at opening doors, climbing, and (occasionally) gambling. Less great at pick-pocketing.

Background
Helli spent the majority of her life in the peaceful village of Babblingbrook, apprenticing and then working as the local jeweler. Though it was just a stone’s throw from larger cities and towns, Helli never yearned for adventure.

While fascinated by the history of her craft, spending days reading lore and manuscripts about great treasure-seekers and glorified artists, she never spent much time worrying about the current state of the world. Caring much more for stories of the past and tales of great treasures, she was content to live out her fantasies through the written word.

As years progressed, friendship and then something just a little bit more developed between Helli and her business partner, Raslen Silverheart. Enjoying each other’s company and a shared interest in all things beautiful and shiny, the pair were well-suited to run the local jewelry/gem shop in the village. Raslen sourced the gems and precious metals from faraway lands and travelers, while Helli used her craftiness and tinkering skills to create wonderful pieces of jewelry and artwork. Time passed effortlessly; life was good for the gnomes.

Cracks began to form, however, just few years later. Tipped off by one of the gnomes who worked at the village trading post, Helli began to question Raslen’s integrity. He had been dealing their gems behind her back, swapping the quality gems and jewels for counterfeit ones, selling the prized gems to wealthy foreigners while stiffing local buyers. He had embezzled funds for years, leaving the shop unable to make good on its debts. Raslen fled with his gold, leaving Helli feeling betrayed and used.

The scandal rocked the tiny village of Babblingbrook. As rumors spread, Raslen’s reputation (and Helli’s, by association) eroded. Villagers began to frequent traveling merchants instead of her shop. She no longer had access to her prized books and manuscripts, unable to afford to purchase them and her contacts at the booksellers would no longer lend them out. Having hit rock bottom, her path forward was crystal clear: time to leave Babblingbrook. She left, vowing to prove her craft to herself and those who doubted her, by whatever means necessary.

Now, she travels the land, seeking new sources of gems and precious metals and, perhaps, a new place to call home. As she wanders, she collects stories and histories from the locals, following vague leads and rumored riches. Trading her tinkering skills for room and board or sneaking a stolen good here or there to get by, she travels with little more than her tinkering supplies and daggers to protect her treasures and goods.

Helli prefers to travel alone. Not interested in dredging up painful reminders of her past, she often becomes keeps tight-lipped about her history among strangers. She comes off as friendly, like many gnomes, but a bit aloof. She’ll happily sip an ale with a fellow traveler but is usually more interested in what stories they have or mysteries they’ve heard than in sharing about herself.

Story Highlights
Acquisition of the obsidian dragon whistle. When Set and Helli's sticky fingers raised skeletons from the dead.

Failed attempt to 'liberate' some goods from the Goblin Shopping Network. Felegum smoothed over things with the goblins while Helli was unceremoniously tossed from the room.

The legend of the Jalapeno Charizard, a meal fit for a king. Or two gnomes.

Midnight goods-fencing with the Greenrest unsavories. Lovely folk, honor among thieves and all that jazz. Turned some looted pointy things into cold hard platinum. Good friends with the Glijon Brothers in Paripas.

Friends and Family

 * Sovereign Dungeoneering Company
 * Babblingbrook locals
 * Ghileena Cobblemug - barmaid at the village tavern (The Jaded Toad)
 * Malili Dustfoot - farmer/gardener
 * Friddle Tinchest - blacksmith's apprentice

Enemies

 * Raslen Silverheart - traitorous ex-business partner, ex-lover, and all around nasty fellow
 * Durnen and the Red Eyes
 * Jalapeno Charizard - so delicious, but so incapacitating

Significant Possessions

 * Gems (2)
 * Swiped from the eyes of the dragon statue in the Kobolds' lair, deep in the Sunken Citadel. One magical, one not.
 * Danger Dagger (Dagger of Venom +1)
 * Snatched from Durnen during his semi-defeat in the groves of the sunken citadel. Activated by the phrase 'Stabra Cadabra', it oozes sticky, black, poisonous ichor.
 * Obsidian Dragon Whistle
 * Mysterious, possibly evil whistle taken from an alter in the Sunken Citadel. Magical. Has a necromantic aura. Coveted by the bard, Zeno Kelethin.
 * Big Emergency Necklace (Resurrection Necklace)
 * Gold chain with large (200gp) diamond in the center. Given as a gesture of good faith from Quincy while receiving compensation for re-establishing trade relations with the mermaids. Inscribed with "For When Bad Turns to Worse".