Early Life
Cudgel Carmichael was born to a poor family in Saint-Lumiere, Echelon. His father Maximillian Carmichael was a cartpenter and his mother Susan Carmichael was a travelling warlock who had settled down with Max a few years before.
Susan had recieved her latent magical abilities from The Fathomless, meaning she would have to need to return to the sea to charge her abilities. However she was ready to slow down in her adventures and wanted to let her powers fade away so she could have a more peaceful life.
Cudgel is born at this time, permentatly tying Susan to Saint-Lumiere.
Cudgel's early life was pretty uneventful, being another village kid in a small town where almost everyone knew each other.
Cuddles
Cudgel was young, just 4 years old when he wandered out of his house and into the streets of the village. The village itself was pretty safe in general, but still the announcment of a missing 4 year old freaked the entire town out who imediatly began a hunt for the missing kid.
They eventually found him nestled warmly in a pile of sheep, clinging to the wool as a nice blanket and using their bodies as his pillow. The town was relieved, and gave him the nickname 'Cuddles', a name which he used more and more often as he continued to sneak out and sleep nestled up next to the sheep.
This stopped when he was 7.
Susan Carmichael Goes Missing
Around the time of Cuddle's 12th birthday, his mother, Susan began to express some strange symtpoms. She would become dehydrated and had been baking in the heat. Local doctors feared the worst for her and ordered that she remain bed ridden until she got better.
Two nights later, Susan entered Cuddle's room and woke him up. She told Cuddles she loved him and stayed with him until he fell asleep. When he awoke the entire town was looking for her. Susan had left that night, no one in town ever found out where she went. She left him a blue scarf that she knit herself witha strange octopus/jellyfish on it. She used the wool from the sheep he liked to cuddle with.
Cuddles Becomes a Capentry Apprentice
Now 14, Cuddles chooses to follow in his father's footsteps, applying to become his father's apprentice. The official documentation would be run by the Lumara Carpenters Guild, of which his father was already a member. 4 years later and Cuddles would be a carpenter, just like his old man.
The Message
On Cuddle's 21st birthday, he recieved a message in a bottle from someone claiming to be a higher up in the Carpenters Guild, instructing him to come to the coastal city of Port-des-Fleurs, as the guild had a special assignment for him. Turns out the port was making ships for to sell to sailors who would become Freebooters, sabataging Crestoria's naval based economy and there wasn't enough Guild presence there.
Cuddles packed his things, and said goodbye to his hometown of Saint-Lumiere, taking the long and bittersweet journey to Port-des-Fleurs.
An Unexpected Welcome
Upon arriving in Port-des-Fleurs, Cuddles realized that there was actually an overabundance of carpenter's and that the Guild never actually called him there at all. He decided he'd spend a night and hunt for the person who sent the message.
His hotel, Les Vues Etoilees, was a tall seaward facing hotel with a gorgous view. The interior however was lacking to say the least, moldy, damp and endanger of being swallowed by the ocean should a wave hit its supports in just the right way. Cuddles found himself on the losest floor.
The first night, Cuddles was looking out his window when he noticed a ship sailing into the harbor. A better harbor was North of where the hotel was, so a ship coming here had business on this side of town. At first he thought nothing of it as he saw the crew tie the ship to the mooring vessel, but something drew him to investigate.
Cuddles went down to the dock and was shocked to see his mother, Susan, stepping off the boat. A very touching embrace and the two went to a local pub where Susan bought her son a dinner.
She explains that she was the one who sent the message. She couldn't be up front about who was sending it because she didn't want the whole town coming out. She explained to Cuddles that she is a warlock in service of The Fathomless, otherwise known as an undrowned, and she was called to the sea by her patron. More importantly, now she wished to turn Cuddles into a Scorcer as well. Cuddles would have the night to sleep on it and the two would meet in the morning.
Cuddles didn't sleep that night. He stayed up considering what servitude to the Fathomless would mean, and weighing the promise of great power that his mother was offering him. He wondered if it was possible to use that magic without committing to the servitude.
He broke into the local library and began reading about Artificers, people who practice magic by infusing spells into the items. He considers telling his mom about this, but something about the situation feels off so he decides to keep this information close to his chest.
Lessons of the Fathomless
Cuddles asked his mother if she could show him some of her abilities as he was considering it but hadn't fully comitted to the idea yet.
She was all to happy to. She had become a very powerful warlock in her own right, using her magic. The two travelled to an empty part shore where the beach and the treeline almost touched.
First she cast Demiplane, creating a shadowy door that leads to a nice, safe room, Susans Demiplane pocket demision safe from all danger that. Standing inside the room was like standing in a bubble under the sea, with rays of light shinning down and fish swimming above. Inside was a desk, a small couch with a pillow and blanket, a dresser and a wardrobe. This was Susan's home office, a sanctuary that she could go to when she wanted to get away from the world. The plane creates its own air and food, when whoever's in it is hungry, and using it generates a small amount of power that is sent directly to The Fathomless.
Before leaving, Cuddles poked his hand out of the bubble and felt the water. It seemed to be real salt water. With his mother's permission, he took a vile of the salt water for his own expierments later. Susan explains that the water contains Pure Essence of the Fathomless, a highly consintrated elixar with magical properties. The two left the deminsion and Susan called the door away.
Next, Susan takes a step back and casts Crown of Stars, crafting a halo of stars to appear orbiting around her head. illuminating the area arround her before pointing at trees. Stars flew individually at their targets up to 20 feet away, the bark erupted into bursts of light.
Finally two squirels scurry along the ground. Susan looks down in disdain, a look the sinks a knot into Cuddles stomach. She casts Maddening Darkness, a large black sphere rushes out in a 60 foot radius. Cuddles hears painful whispers, telling him to walk into the ocean. After a second, Susan forces the sphere smaller and consintrated focused in on the squirels.
Cuddles needed a minute to catch his breath. By the time he looked up Susan had realeased the spell and was watching the squirels jitter and shake. They both turned and ran directly into the harsh waves of the sea. 2 large waves later, both Squirels were lost.
Before Cuddles could talk, Susan explained that the days of land creatures are numbered. The Sea is rising and the only way to remain safe is to stay loyal to those who follow the water. She saw what she did to the squirels as a mercy, not to pity them, but to be happy that they are now with The Fathomless. For she is cold, and unforgiving and wonderful all at once.
Susan gave her son another night to decide but let him know that the sea would not wait forever.
Susand and Cudgel
The night after the spell examples, Cuddles goes to work on a wooden mermaid sculpture. A small token that he practiced infusing spells onto it. The mermaid broke into 4 different parts.
While researching the artificer abilities, Cuddles came across a Permanent Binding Spell . Most artificer infusions require some form of consintration to work, but when infused with the pure essence of an ancient god, which is very rare to come across.
Quickly Cuddles began crafting infusions and spells, working through the night.
The next morning he met his mother for breakfast, who immediatly asked if he had come to a decision about becoming a warlock. Here, Cuddles outright declined the offer, opting to stay on land and not serve a patron.
He expected disappointment but what he got was an emotion he'd yet seen from his mother. Pure unbridled rage. Under her breath as not to make a scene at the local eatery she berated Cuddles. "The sea will take you child, willingly or not" She pleaded for him to come willingly, fight for what she called the obvious winning team.
"I will sink Port-des-Fleurs." She spat in a hushed tone.
Cuddles was running on 3 cups of coffee and adrenaline at this point. The diner sounds felt muffled under the deafening silence between the family. Susan, aged with a cold beady glare, and Cuddles with bags under his already sunken eyes and a determined expression on his face. The two go silent as a happy waitress bounces by and refills their coffee before fading back into the bustling background of the diner.
After what felt like hours but was actually less than two minutes, Cuddles left without a word to his mother. His mother followed behind angrily. "Get back here!" She demanded as the whole diner turned and watched their exit.
Now on the street, with the sea to Cuddles right and the diner back and to the left, Cuddles was walking back to his hotel, just ahead on the right. His mother "Cudgel Wait!" She pleaded, but behind her a man followed. The manager of the diner "Hey you gotta pay for your meals!"
Susan turned and immediatly cast Lightning Bolt at him, killing him instantly. Panic insued and was started as a nice sunny day quickly saw clouds gathering. Cuddles stopped and turned
"Oh so that got your attention?" She said, exasperated. "Is that what I have to do!?!" She screamed before casting Storm of Vengeance, the coastal town was not prepared as those clouds, turned dark and acid rained down on everyone outside, Cuddles and Susan included. Susan however tanked the burning damage from the rain, furiously casting Lightning Bolt at everyone who made eye contact with her.
Susan was approached by some sailors of the Echelon Navy. They stood no chance, but they did by Cuddles time to run back inside the hotel and get the items he was crafting.
Cuddles peered out the window, the acid rain had turned to thick pelting hail. He noticed that Susan had dispatched the soldiers and was looking directly into his room, on the street about 80 feet away. Cuddles ran and she began another cast in his direction.
The sea was sucked back into itself revealing the ocean floor, revealing some sunken boats and leaving a few unfortunate fish flopping on the now exposed sand. However, anyone who lived on a coast knows, that sand won't stay exposed for long.
Cuddles approached his mother, bodies of Echelon Sailors and Port-Des-Fluers citizens lay on the ground, the hotel collapsing onto its stilts in the sand behind Cuddles. Lightning strikes around the town as the only Susan and Cuddles stood on the baordwalk.
"The sea take us both!" Susan cries
"I'll go willingly!" Cuddles begs "I'll become a warlock, I'll serve the Fathomless but we have to leave now!"
Susan was queit, her eyes glowing blue, her tears left clean clear streaks down her face.
"We're no good to the Fathomless dead"
Susan closed her eyes looked down and let out a chuckle. "You have much to learn my child. We are nothing to the Fathomless." She said before casting Demiplane giving the two a place to regroup.
As they leave, the South side of the city is in ruins, the sotrm still rages as on the horizon a tsunami marches its way to the coast.
It crashes through the breakwalls and swallows the boardwalk whole. Les Vues Etoilees, his first smashed into two seperate sections against the breakwall it once stood on before sinking under the great wave.
What Must be Done
Susan and Cudgel appear inside Susan's demiplane. She puts her head in the bubble outside, washing the mud and blood from her head before taking a viel from her wardrobe and gathering some of the Pure Essence of the Fathomless.
She hands it to Cudgel and instructs him to drink but Cudgel requests she wait a moment. He first shows her a two scolls. Using an ink well quill on his mother's desk he writes 'Hello' on one scroll which appears on both. He explains that with this they could send notes to each other from anywhere.
She smiles warmly at her son, excited that he had become such a brillant engineer. But she knew something was wrong when her son couldn't meet her energy. "Why did you make this?"
Cudgel sighed and pulled out the mermaid. Because of this. Concerned Susan examined the mermaid and noticed a familar blue knitting. Sown into the woodworking of the mermaid, was the blue scarf she left Cuddles with when she left him in the old town.
Cuddles continued. "I had a feeling something like this might happen. This demiplane seems liek the perfect place to keep you safe"
"Keep me safe? Honey I'm not an animal"
"How many people did you just kill?"
"Landwalkers. I returned them to the Fathomless. They will be happier there, having accepted their fate!"
Cuddles sighed. "And I guess this is yours." He said as he clicked the final piece of the mermaid back into place.
The mermaid is a puzzle, it's unbreakable except by me. The head casts Dimensional Shackles, locking the target to this plane. The body is an Arcane Lock that only people only lets people with a key proceed. The Tail is a Glyph of Warding that prevents the use of any counterspell. And the base is a Permanent Binding Spell that makes the infusion perminent. You'll recieve all the food, water and oxygen you need and there's a library of books in the wardrobe that will keep you busy for at least a year. If you ever want to reach me, the scolls will let us communicate.
Susan looked at the item in wonder, how did her son craft such an item. She looked up with tears in both eyes.
"Brilliant. You're simply brilliant."
The two hugged. Cuddles took 3 vials of Pure Essence of the Fathomless and placed it in his pocket. His mother so proud that he thought to do that.
"Remember to write" he tells his mother "Who knows, maybe one day we'll feel comfortable letting you out of here."
"I'm sorry. I love you" She said under her breath as Cuddles left, sealing his mother inside.
Cuddles never recieved any replies back from his mother when using the scroll.
Rerouting
With the buisness with his mother behind him, Cuddles began the long trek back to Saint-Lumiere, when he felt a strange call. Something in his gut told him there was money to be made by the Sea. He stopped by a local guild and asked if there was any job oppertunities Westward.
According to them Puerto Escondido, Crestoria was open for work, as the head of their local Guild chapter was recently killed by a Freebooter raid and a low level shop position had just opened up.
Puerto Escondido
By the time Cuddles got to Puerto Escondido, he was 22. The trip had been less straight foreward than he had hoped and he got there by travelling on different ships going in all different routes.
When he got there however, his position was still open. He would have a carpentry stand next to Samuel Florez, another skilled carpentery who struck up what started as a friendly rivalery between the two.
Sam noticed how Cuddles was using magic to help make his items, which prompted him to look into the practice as well.
The Magical Chairs
Cuddles began making magical chairs, infusing them with the water from Susans Demiplane. Cuddles had a limited supply but it didn't take much to infuse a low level illusion into the chairs.
Sam laughed at him as he didn't know that the Pure Essence would make the infusion perminent. To him, an enchanted chair would only remain enchanted as long as the artificer held the infusion. Selling an enchanted chair would be akin to a scam. To his shock, the chairs remained infused long after they were sold.
Sam asked Cuddles his secret, Cuddles showed him the water but didn't say what it was. A resentment grew and what started as a friendly rivalry grew into a serious competetion where over the next few years the two would compete to see who made better tools and furnature.
Sam would make better furnature to show off during the presentations, although the infusions would ware off after Sam lost focus, while Cuddles furnature was constantly sturdy and lasted far longer.
Sam began spreading rumors about Cuddles, turning other members of the Guild against him. This problem was amplified by the fact that he had the most buisness out of everyone in the guild.
The Rise of the Tavernknights
May 12th, 1714. Cuddles is 46. The Gauntlet War had been raging in the background for years at this point. The Crestorian Navy were done with the missmanagement of the King. Lead by the infamous Commander Elandra Varin, every ship in the Crestorian Navy lowered their Crestorian flags and flew the banner of The Taverknights.
This marked a shift in Crestorian polotics and divided the country. While Cuddles was happy with the status quo, many thought the Crestorian Royal Family needed to fall. The governments were corrupt and missmanaged, Freebooter raids were frequent, spies syphoned public funds to other countries, while the King hid in his estate.
Many publicly declared the allegence to the Taverknights, Sam being one of them, did so particularly loudly.
Cuddles opted to remain neutral in the situation. He didn't support the Tavernknights but at the same time, it looked like they would be in power soon, and to disparage them seemed counterproductive.
Changing of the Guard
The coup officially happened exactly one month later on June 12th 1714. Cities were in a panic. In the few hours between the change of command, desertions from military posts trippled. Some celebrated, others wept.
Commander Elandra Varin called all heads of the guilds to a meeting where he demanded they swear their feilty to him. At the meeting, head of the Lumara Carpenters Guild, Miguel Castillo refused to swear fielty to the usurper. Without a chance to reconsider, Commander Varin instructed his archers to open fire on the poor man, who was instantly shot down. The Guild was now in need of a head of the Crestorian faction. Leader of the Puerto Escondido branch, Juan Vargas had already swore his fielty and was immediatly picked for the job by Varins Cabinet. This left Juan's old position open, for which they promoted Samuel Florez.
The Drowning Barnacle
One year later, Sam, called Cuddles to his office. He ordered Cuddles to sail to Isla Tranquilla to represent their sect of the guild in a round table at Villa Dorda. Villa Dorda was known as a beautiful resort area, heavily fortified by Crestorian Guards with a warm tropical climate and beautiful white sandy beaches.
Something felt wrong from the moment he saw the ship. First of all, the name of the ship was The Drowning Barnacle. A small 4 person ship made by the first year apprentices of the Guild. Cuddles pressed on.
The sky was grey and a light drizzle was cast over the ship as his feet hit the unsanded wood of the boat. Once on board he found his crew was silent, refusing to talk to him. He tried to socialize but everytime he opened his mouth they would find another place on the ship to be.
With the day over, Cuddles climbed into his hammock that had a view looking out onto the deck. The red flag of the Tavernknights flew over her mast.
When he awoke he found that the rest of the crew had abandoned ship. They had taken the navigation tools and set fire to the main sails. Luckily for Cuddles, the rain wet the rest of the sails, stopping the fire from spreading.
Cuddles remained calm as he inspected the ship. Water was slowly leaking in through the lower hull and the pulleys were not set up properly. There was no land in sight, but thankfully he was able to notice a seagul. Cuddles patched the hole in the hull as best he could before returning topside and sailing towards the bird, hoping it will bring him to land.
As he sailed he notices the waterline slowly rising along the ship's exterior. He returns below the hull to see 4 more holes had been punctured. The wood was cut too thin to be used for the hull.
Running back and forth between the lower hull and the upper deck, Cuddles amazed himself with how calm he was. Thankfully he saw land on the horizon, if the boat could last a little longer, he could sail right up on the beach. As he made his way back into the lower hull, the a loud smash was felt across the ship. Cuddles fell down the stairs and shatter his remaining bottles of Pure Essence.
Without thinking about what he lost, he regained his balance and went to see the damage. Those 5 small holes had collapsed in and became one large one, taking in water at a rate Cuddles could not fix. The ship was doomed.
His mother's voice echoed in his head. "The sea will take you child, willingly or not!"
Cuddles gathered himself and returned topside where he found an empty barrell marked 'rations' He tossed the barrel into the water along with a 2x4 plank of wood he could use as an ore. Thinking fast, Cuddles set fire to the hemp rope that was kept dry on the topdeck. This made a thick billowy cloud of smoke that could be seen for miles. He then lept off the starboard side and climbed into the barrel,
He managed to make his way to the island. A small deserted island. Thankfully with fruit and trees. He could survive there for at least a few weeks if he rationed his food properly.
The Rescue Party
Cuddles had been living on the island for 4 weeks, and was nearly out of food, when finally he noticed flags on the horizon. A mustard yellow flag above a large hull. Thinking quickly, Cuddles burned a pile of palm tree leaves that he had gathered for this exact sitatution. The ship noticed and turned to investigate.
The ship was the MRN Resolute, a Mythorian Royal Navy patrol vessel. The vessel was not supposed to be this far South and such couldn't return Cuddles to Puerto Escondido. The Taverknights were considered hostile and they didn't want to risk a war. As such they returned the marrooned man to Fort Iorncoast, the Southernmost coastal city inside their friendly territory. While on board, Cuddles was forbidden from practicing magic as a former crew memeber nearly killed the entire crew with their own practice.
Life in Fort Ironcoast
Cuddles was afraid to announce that he was part of the Lumara Carpenters Guild as he didn't want the information getting back that he had survived the The Drowning Barnacle. He did however learn that the Tavernknights were making their own enchanted chairs, that have infusions that last seemingly indefinitly.
Cuddles began plotting to get back at Sam, but realized he couldn't just walk into Puerto Escondido and call him out.
The Freebooter movement was still going strong. Cuddles was called to Escondido in the first place because the current city guild leader was killed by priates. He knew that he could threaten the guild while still keeping the secret that he's alive from Sam himself.
Cuddles began training to make tools, furnature and repairs for pirates. Never actually sailing on the ship, but rather working on the docks. Cuddles managed to the talk to the head of the guild in Fort Ironcoast, James Sawyer.
James was sympthetic to Cuddles plieght, understanding the underhanded tactics of the Tavernknights. He managed to keep his guild membership without letting the secret slip to the higher ups.
Cuddles could work on the dock, but would not have his own storefront, inorder to avoid word of his survival from getting back to Samuel Florez
Joining the Plein Air Pirates
In 1719, a ship rolled into port, a grand vessel with a crew of Freebooters who were just beginning to gather steam. The Slippery Jib, headed by Captain Charlie Coal and sailed by The Plein Air Pirates. Cuddles and Captain Charlie, or 'Charcoal' as some of his mates refered to him, was looking to grow his crew, hiring Cuddles as the ship's carpenter. It took some convincing as Cuddles had come to enjoy his time on land, but Charcoal promised that they could raid Puerto Escondido first hand when their crew was fully assembled. Cuddles couldn't pass this up.
He informed James Sawyer who simply requested that when they killed Samuel Florez, they burn The Taverknight flag flying over the Guild hall there.
