Name: Fiep
Played by: Joel Robertson
Race: Syndar (Serous)
Gender: Male
Age: 63 (269/2020)
Class: Cleric
Occupation: Barkeep, Enforcer, Taskmaster
I am a drop of water in the crashing wave, a dagger in the fortress armory, and an old page in the library; but I’m accepting of these thoughts. My purpose was never for greatness or to be a shining beacon. It was never to be written in history, and definitely not to be chosen by the gods. Known only as Fiep now I carry only my dreams and where fate lands me is where I will rest.
The fall of Faedrun was something of an experience. I can still feel my fingers shake when my memories flood back. It almost feels like another life, which I have taken to heart. I view it as if it was but a long dream; remembering my parents and pulling experiences from it, nothing more.
From the moment I stepped off that seafaring vessel I became lost. So few of our race had made the journey, or even had the chance to start it. Even over here, conflict was still a normal occurrence from the mix of panic, stress, and unknowns of the new world; so I guess we know what fate’s only consistency is. My dream experiences left me with few options for my life, most of which involved creating or solving violence. I couldn’t join the military, I’m afraid that my dreams will become reality again if that happens. Luck found me somewhere else, as one night I found myself walking the streets listening to the city sounds when I heard smashing glass and shouts from a nearby tavern. Two drunkards were attacking the barkeep for cutting them off. I’m not one to prefer violence, but I aim to protect others who do not deserve it. I blinded one of them with a flare and forced the other to the ground by targeting their knee with my walking staff. With no pause I brought the other one down in a similar manner and soon after the barkeep jumped the bar to help me keep them pinned while a patron grabbed the New Hope guards. The one thing I didn’t expect from this was a job offer, but I found myself favored to accept it.
I had to be trained in barkeeping first, but was told that he chose to hire based on the man and not the experience. I didn’t do well at learning the variety of drinks but found myself skilled at inventing my own mixes as needed. After that I was working full time with serving drinks and handling difficult customers. Sometimes I can only remember what I did in those intense moments like they were a dream, perhaps because of Faedrun. The tavern owner was the first person to call me the name “Fiep”, as I did not like using my own name. The name Fiep came from his joke about how I would fight and barkeep, nothing more. From my work I made many connections and business friends, finding myself taking on side jobs out of interest and to make some extra coin to send to my parents; these jobs often included killing rodents, guarding packages, and catering public events.
I continued this life for a few years and got pretty good at it. My name became well known in this sphere and my services were in decent demand, turning me into more of a taskmaster. This allowed me to choose a bit, so luckily no more killing rats in basements. It was at this point that I got a job from an unexpected client, a noble. This was more than I ever expected as I was ready to live out the rest of my days in simplicity. A man who owed a great debt was hiding in the city and the noble knew where he was, but wanted someone to catch him without causing commotion. Well luckily for me I knew a tavern owner in that area, so I took the job. I informed my associate of the plan and paid him a cut, which then I worked at the tavern for a couple of weeks waiting for my target. Eventually he showed up at the tavern and all it took from there was waiting for him to get drunk enough and then help him home, more specifically to the nobles home. Job done clean and quiet, walked away with payment and a pleased noble. I guess news traveled in his circle as I received more job requests from other reputable sources.
There’s an odd feeling I could never shake though. They saw me as a taskmaster but they didn’t see me as a living soul. They saw me for what I could do for them as a tool and nothing more. I’ve now realized that I found that out too late though, as repetition found me and I simply became what they thought of me. I reached my peak and would be nothing further than doing these jobs for them, with me as a living being never being in their concerns; thus ceasing to be of my own concern as well. Sometimes when you live in fog for so long you forget what clear skies look like and just accept the fog as your existence. A whole year of my life just feels empty when I look back.
I’m unsure if it’s fate, luck, or coincidence but I was pulled from the fog. I thought it was just another long term job, but this one is different. They’re not just hiring the skill but the person behind it, and it caused me to realize the fog that I was in and that I could be more than where my life had been led and treated. I think I’ll take their offer and see what happens, either way I have a lot to reflect on. I’ll be honest that I’m a bit nervous, this is my first time leaving New Hope.