Willamina – Introduction

Willamina was a gnome. An unusual gnome at that. While most gnomes her age were into tinkering and blowing things up in unusual ways, Willamina would sit at home with her bow and arrow (a gift from uncle Cogbit that neither parent approved of) attempting to shoot apples off of her brothers and sisters heads. To add insult to injury, she was actually GOOD at this pass time, and injuries were not the results of her efforts. Her entire family looked at her as some sort of freak of nature.

Being who she was, she rarely let their opinions get to her but every so often a stray comment would give her pause. What was so bad about wanting to be a ranger? When she first told her parents that she wanted to fight for the Qeynosian Guard not as a master tinkerer but as a ranger, they just about had a heart attack. Why was that such a big deal? She just couldn’t understand it.

As soon as she turned knee high to a grasshopper she decided it was time to broaden her horizons and move out. This would give her the freedom to explore her craft fully without the watchful eye of her family judging her.

“I-I have decided to move out now.” She told her parents one warm evening. Tinkerfest had just passed and the comfortable home she had known all her life was absolutely packed with cogs, gears, whistles and other do-dads. Her parents had brought home every item they could possibly find, plus a few extra.

“That’s nice dear.” Her mother said, obviously not paying attention. Willamina was used to this response, her parents were always lost in their own inventions. Willamina sighed, they never took her seriously. She had already packed up anything she thought she may need on her adventures, and shaking her head, she headed off to the stables, waving goodbye to the home she had known for so long.

Her heart didn’t stay low for any amount of time, especially upon seeing her fine mount stabled. It was the one luxury her parents had (eventually) relented on. While most in her family were traveling Norrath on magical carpets (that had a high tendency to roll up mid-flight) and other tinkered items, Willamina was given a rare frost dire bear for her previous birthday.

She had even been allowed to name him, and so Gumpy Nattoo he was, Gumpy for short.

“You’re excited about this adventure, aren’t you boy.” She put on her thermal gloves and groomed Gumpy as he practically rumbled with a purr. “I figured as much.” She giggled.

Her first goal was to head into Qeynos and track down the Qeynos Guard. She would present herself as a recruit, and see if they had any work for her. She had read all sorts of stories about adventurers bonding together to rid Norrath of the evils (what evils exactly it was never said, but she could only imagine that they must be formidable) and she wanted to be one of those people.

Willamina gave another wave to her home in Baubleshire, promising to write back every week, and without a second glance she rode out down the docks to begin her adventures.