Mabelberry Hollyleaf

What kind of monster steals all the cheese? - Mabel

Abilities
Mabel's ability scores are as follows: She wields a +2 Mace, Mizzium Spiked Armor, and Amulet of Vrax'zor.

Early Life
Mable was raised on her family farm with her nine younger sisters. Their farm could be found in the midst of a forest, where they cared for wild orchards along with honeybees. Her family also had the responsibility of protecting the forest, which had been the Hollyleaf’s job for generations upon generations.

Although Mable did love her peaceful life on the Hollyleaf Farm, she eagerly awaited the monthly trips into town where they would sell their goods, the dandelion honey being a particular best seller. What Mable loved about these trips was getting to meet the different shopkeepers and shoppers. Spending the rest of her time watching her little sisters, it was refreshing to meet people with different views and experiences than her own.

That being said she loved her family, and actually enjoyed caring for her sisters. Her sisters went as follows: Mable (17), Phirie (15), Falee (13), Xillee (12), Clover (10), Fern (10), Vallee (9), Magrie (7), Faun (6), and Daisy (5) who was her favorite, though she’d never admit it to anyone. Although Mable was in charge of caring for her sisters, her parents were not absent. In fact, they were very involved in their children’s lives. Her father, Iandan, spent most of his time caring for the land along with the girls, as long as the forest did not require his protection or there wasn’t a meeting with other firbolg clans. Her mother, Valrona, spent her time teaching the girls different crafts. The weaving skills she taught the girls protected them from many days of frostbite, and her baking skills were unmatched. Valrona was also a strong believer of giving thanks to the gods, and taught Mable all about the gods of their land, specifically Oris who is the mother of life and had given them everything. Mable also felt especially tied to Oris as she too valued family and community above all else.

Unfortunately, these values ended up leading to Mable losing her family. Coming from generations of Firbolgs who lived in harmony with nature and had the responsibility of protecting the forest, Mable was raised with certain expectations and duties. One of those being that she was to put the preservation of nature above all else. Mable had already walked the line, and had received several warnings from her father for harming the wildlife to protect her sisters. Then one day Mable and her sisters were out foraging for marionberries, when Mable realized Daisy had wandered off. Her and her sisters split up and began searching for their youngest sister. After ten minutes of desperately searching for her baby sister Mable heard a commotion in the direction of the owl bear caves. As she neared the caves she heard men’s voices, and hid within the shadows and watched as six hunters stood around a tied up Daisy and demanded she lead them to the owl bear cubs. Daisy stayed silent, even with swords aimed at her, tears rushing down her face. As Mable tried to determine what to do she heard them tell Daisy that they would either take the cubs or take her to sell at the market, and with that Mable knew what she was going to do. She prayed to Oris for strength, and approached the men and told them she would lead them to the cubs if they would leave her family alone. She ignored Daisy’s objections as she led them to the caves, and even showed them how to lure the cubs out with handfuls of berries. She could hear the cries of the cubs as they were carried off by the men the entire walk home.

As the two sisters walked home Mable tried not to think of what would be awaiting her at home. Before she reached the farm, she gave Daisy one of two matching bracelets that she had braided with twine around flower shaped stones. The sisters did not say much, Mable didn’t know how Daisy would ever forgive her for what she had done but hoped she would. When they reached the farm Mable found her father waiting and knew that the forest had already told him of her betrayal. Mable didn’t apologize, because she knew that she would make the same decision again for any of her family members. Her mother came out of their home with a pack, and a tear stained face. They didn’t even say anything to her, just handed her the pack and averted their eyes from her. That day Mable left Honeyleaf Farm, was the last time she saw any of her family members or that farm.

Mable walked in the only familiar direction she knew, towards the little town where they sold their honey. Mable doesn’t even remember the ten mile walk to Greendale, only the empty feeling where her heart once was. Not knowing where else to go she went to the inn and booked a room, surprised to find that she had enough gold for two weeks worth of nights. As Mable went through her pack she found her mother had packed a small jar of honey with a chunk of honeycomb in it, her weaving tools, and a golden hair clip with a honey bee resting on a holly leaf.

That night Mable prayed to Oris, asking her for guidance. She did not get an answer that night, but the next morning as she came downstairs to get some tea she found the innkeeper putting up a help wanted poster to find a new baker for an inn in a city several hours from here. Mable knew this was the chance Oris was giving her, she could make a decent bake, and it would be good to get farther away from her family. Less chance of seeing them and being shunned. She hitched a ride with a produce farmer she had befriended, and arrived in Arrowell several days later.

She went straight to the Burning Lantern Inn, and approached a gnome woman manning the bar. As she inquired about the job she learned that the gnome woman, Romerna, was the owner of this inn, and that she would have to prove she could bake. She was allowed into the inn’s kitchen to prepare her dish. She made honey buns with the honey from her family’s farm, knowing that no one could resist their high-quality honey. She got the job, and was given a small room and a modest wage for her service. Though Romerna was tough, Mable enjoyed working at the inn, and spent the mornings baking and the evenings waiting tables. She found the rambunctious energy at the inn in the evenings exciting, and enjoyed joking with all the travelers.

When she wasn’t working at the inn she was pouring over cook books on the hunt for new recipes, or she was visiting the temple of Oris. The warm and welcoming atmosphere of the temple and the priests lead to Mable spending a good amount of her free time there, usually with a basket of treats in hand. She felt connected to Oris, especially when she was sharing her time and gifts with others. She knew Oris understood her, and also valued people and relationships above all else. By the end of her first year working at the Burning Lantern Inn her baked goods had become well known among Arrowell, her Pecan and Peach Muffins being one of the biggest crowd pleasers. She also felt like she had a family again. Romerna and her husband the cook, a stoic dwarf named Thonar, although they were a bit rough around the edges, really valued her and loved having her working at the Inn. The priests at the Temple of Oris’ had also become dear friends.

Then one day at the market she saw six familiar men dragging a wagon full of empty cages behind them. Without a second thought she followed the men, and as they rounded a corner onto an empty street she called out to them, asking if they remembered her. At first they were confused, but then realization spread across one of the men’s faces and he laughed asking if she knew of anywhere else they could find some cubs. Filled with rage over what they had led her to lose, she called upon the power of Oris and cast a burst of flame at the wagon of cages. As the wagon erupted in flames the men angrily charged her and with a burst of radiant light she knocked them all prone. She approached one of the men, ready to cause him more pain when she heard Oris speak to her. She told her that her power is meant to protect others, not for revenge. With that Mable’s head was cleared, and she healed the men, and then quickly left the wreckage.

After that Mable spent the next few years dedicating her time to the people around her. By the end of those few years anyone close to her now owned a hand knit sweater or pair of mittens, and every teapot in the Burning Lantern Inn had an accompanying teac cozy. As her third year in Arrowell ended a man named Malcolm Gusit appeared, and began telling people he was a prophet and that he was now in charge. At the beginning people resisted him, but he had brought an army with him and he progressively became more and more powerful over their land.

Mable joined a resistance, knowing that this is what Oris meant when she said to use her powers to protect others. She trained with her team, and became a skilled fighter. As they travelled from battle to battle, sabotaging Gusit where they could, she did her best to bring homey comforts to their travels. She did her best to have some sweets at the ready at all times, and if there was a fire burning then she had a pot of tea brewing. Her team consisted of a pair of Orc twins named Urgh and Hanz, a skilled elf assassin named Thalia, and a wizard by the name of Sebastian. Though there were many others who were part of the resistance, as the year went on Gusit only grew stronger. Then one night when her team was sabotaging a caravan of soldiers they were all captured. Mable was imprisoned, and with no hope for an escape she prayed to Oris asking how they could stop Gusit. Oris answered her that there was a team of people in another dimension who were following a path that would lead to the destruction of Gusit, and that they could use Mable’s help.