History

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Origins

The earliest memory we're introduced to from Billie is of him inhabiting a tree. He says he doesn't feel like himself. He has a memory of being very still, of being many things at once. He feels the sun on him, and he's alone on top of a hill. It's the early days of spring, and he feels his buds growing. He is a gary oak tree.

A family climbs the hill he's growing on, and place a small, sick child in his arms. They speak to him, but he's unable to understand beyond a knowledge that they want his help. After they leave, his leaves grow, but the child doesn't, and he can feel the life slipping away from the boy. He takes the body of the child, and puts the child in the tree. He wakes up in a blanket in front of a fireplace, and his adoptive father, Old Bill, is wiping the sweat from his face.

Old Bill was a kindly old farmer, who often left Billie in the care of his wife and his other children. All of the ones he can recall are named William or other forms of the same name, which is where he got the name Fat Billie. He still found himself a bit of an outsider in the rest of the community, however, as they did not appreciate his strange behaviour, or his manner of dress.

Billie was orphaned after his parents set off for Mudlark to seek their fortune digging in the mud, and as halfings are very insular when it comes to helping only their families and were not particularly fond of him to begin with. He was exiled after accidentally setting fire to several grain silos.

Season 1

Billie travelled with Tuck and Vyng for about a year before their arrival in Mudlark, where, among other jobs, they were given the task of bringing a stone box they had to steal from a group of bullywogs to the Vault, where it could be safely stored. This task was given to them by a group called the Menders, and they are each given a copper sewing needle to signify their alliance with the group, and introduced to Wicker - a black and brown cat who will be able to guide them on their journey.

Season 2

They, along with an acquaintance named Colonel Dan, are attacked by a group of goblins while investigating a derelict tower, and Vyng is poisoned by one of their spears. In the search for help, they find their way to Bullrush, a small fishing village. While there, Billie is attacked by a rooster, who tells Vyng that Billie isn't a boy, and calls him unsafe.

They're interrupted by a massive crocodile attacking a girl in a boat, and Billie, Vyng, and Tuck all go to her rescue. Billie loses control of himself, and repeatedly stabs the already dead crocodile with his dagger. He then attempts to kill the rooster who attacked him as well. He is stopped by Vyng, and given some herbs by the local doctor, Hudir, to sedate him until they can figure out what's happening to him.

Billie dreams about Lone Tree Hill, the town he grew up in, and with him is another presence that he can hear, but can't see. The presence explains that his name is Pellar, and apologizes for what he put Billie through, and explains that he gained, and then lost control over him.

Billie expresses his confusion and his frustration, and says he's just a kid. Pellar is surprised by this; he says Billie is far more than he realizes, and reveals that Billie is one of the fair folk. Pellar explains that he is a wizard, and is still trapped in the box. Billie asks if Pellar is good, and he answers that that is subjective, and says he would like to be free. He says Billie has a lot of potential, that they could make the world right again, and they will speak again soon.

Hudir examines the box, and is able to deduct that the box is magic and is likely having a negative influence on Billie, as she is able to feel the same magic coming from both the box and the boy. She consults her books, and tells Tuck and Vyng about a special waterway nearby that might be able to help flush Billie of the negative influences from the box and allow him to control his own powers again. They ask if he's being possessed, and she says no, it's more like he's being nudged by the being trapped within the box.

On the trip to the pool, they're attacked by a man-eating vine, and Billie is able to talk a local fruit farmer into taking them in for the night, where once again, he dreams of the wizard, who this time, tells him his name is Perell. He shows Billie his story through a series of images that play out in his magic cloak, and asks him again for help. He says he needs someone to help him - someone he can work through until he is able to free himself from his prison. He wants to finish his work, and bring magic back to the world, and he offers Billie power in exchange. Billie is curious, but is uninterested in power or changing into something other than what he already is. He agrees, but says he wants a cloak like Perell's. Perell agrees and creates him a similar cloak in the dream, and tells Billie to take the box and dispose of it and forget any of this ever happened. Billie says he wants to talk to his friends about it first, and Perell tells him not to, and their agreement goes from a yes to a 'well, maybe.'

He confides his dreams in Vyng as they continue on their journey, who asks Billie what he thinks they should do. Billie says he doesn't know, so Vyng says they should tell Tuck as well. Billie repeats the story to both Tuck and Hudir - Hudir urges caution as it could be a manifestation of the power influencing Billie, or it could be a dream, or perhaps it could be that there is genuinely a wizard trapped in the box.

Upon arrival, they're discussing how best to safely submerge Billie in the pool, and he decides to just take off his clothes and climb in while Vyng, Hudir, and Tuck are still trying to make a decision. Vyng follows him in the of a crocodile to keep him safe, with Tuck holding onto him. Hudir puts her hand in the water, and explains that the pool itself is magic, and has more energy than she's encountered before.

Billie begins to feel a little light-headed, like he's been in a hot tub for too long, and he decides to let go in the water. He can feel energy running through him, and he can feel something moving through him. He realizes if he keeps letting go, it will come out, and he can feel it trying to escape. As he lets all the aggression and tension out, he starts to feel relaxed and begins to enjoy himself in the water.

The water starts to lap out against the edge of the pond, and Vyng notices immediately that something isn't right in the way it's moving, and warns Billie to get out, and takes the shape of a crocodile to face the monster. Billie turns to look, and he sees a pillar of water rising up behind them, and chooses to warn his friends instead of saving himself.

The water takes on a humanoid shape and Tuck and Vyng attempt to attack, but Vyng is injured as the creature hardens the water into ice around him. Hudir, Tuck, and Vyng all try to get Billie to run for safety, but he refuses, and attempts to help his friends.

Seeing the monster hurting Vyng and Tuck, Billie casts a spell for the first time, and attacks the creature with a beam of purple energy. It gives Vyng the opportunity to get the box to Billie, and tell him not to listen to his dreams and not let the box be destroyed.

Hudir and Billie run for safety with the box, and Vyng is killed by the water monster, which then pushes out into the tributaries that feed the pond.

Season 3

They return to Bullrush to try to grieve and try to figure out what to do next, and they end up choosing to make the trip to the Highspear Mall, after learning from an acquaintance that there might be a ranger there who could potentially help them bring Vyng back from the spirit world.

Billie is clearly grieving during this time - he's listless, and refuses to eat, and Tuck expresses concern for him. On the trip to Highspear, he stops and carves three lines in a post to represent Vyng's gills.

Once they reach the Highspear Mall, they discover the ranger they were looking for, Seathane Wyck, is working as the head of security. He agrees to help in exchange for assistance with some local criminal activity.

Seathane takes them to a fortune teller friend of his, and they are attacked by one of the gangs from the Mall. Enraged, Billie strikes first, killing the first one. A fight ensues, and Billie kills a second one as well. The other three are killed by Tuck and Seathane. The fortune teller agrees to help send the three of them to the spirit world via magic as a result.

Before making the journey to the spirit world, Billie has another vision of Perell. He explains that that it wasn't him, but all his negative emotions that got stuck in Billie. He offers to help Billie learn to use magic, and Billie turns him down, not trusting him. Perell says he will be nearby should he change his mind, but leaves him be.

As they journey through the spirit world, they're attacked by roots from a group of trees. They're unable to hurt the roots, so Billie, in his fear, manages to call for Perell. The wizard collides with the spirit of a koi who was serving as their guide, and ends up stuck in his form.

Billie introduces Perell to Tuck and Seathane as the Piss Monster that killed Vyng, and Perell explains that it wasn't really him - it was the frustration he had been venting that created a separate entity. Billie says he should be an adult and manage his emotions instead of taking it out on a child. Tuck takes out his frustration by trying to harm Perell by slamming the box into a tree, but it has no effect.

Perell says there is a power inside Billie, and Tuck says, yes, he has sweet knife moves, he's good at helping with poems, he's good at eating, and shares a story about how Billie once out ate a bear at a pub, winning them free room and board. Perell is frustrated by this, and says they all know Billie is capable of, and does he not want to learn to harness his abilities. Billie says it sounds like so much work, and Seathane points out these are the abilities that ruined the world, and that if he wants to help, he should help them find Vyng. Tuck offers to let him out of the box if he helps them save Vyng, and Perell agrees as long as they let him hold onto the box. After conferring with Tuck and Seathane, Billie offers to let Perell carry him instead. The wizard accepts, and changes his form into a strange fish - pony creature so Billie can ride him.

While Tuck and Seathane are attempting to smooth things over with the tree spirit that attacked them, Perell asks Billie if he's thought any more about his offer to teach him. Billie says not really, he just wants to focus on getting Vyng back, and gets frustrated when Perell reminds him again of the power he could use. Perell asks if he's had any other experiences with his power, and Billie says no, but reluctantly tells him about accidentally setting fire to several grain silos back home. Perell pushes him to accept his offer to teach him, and Billie declines again, saying he's too tired and too hungry to consider it now.

They rejoin Tuck and Seathane, and agree to transplant one of the young saplings elsewhere in the spirit realm. The tree tells them that they will find Vyng in the hive of the wasp.

They are able to rescue Vyng, and end up setting the nest on fire to escape. Billie summons a shield to protect them with Perell's instructions as the fire rages out of control. They escape by planting the sapling and growing it with Seathane's light magic and Vyng calling on the spirit of water.

To return, Vyng switches places with Seathane. Billie is upset at this as it means Vyng will look like Seathane, but he assures the boy he will shapeshift so he can retain his own appearance.

Season 4

When Tuck, Vyng, and Billie return from the spirit world, they find themselves tied to chairs and faced with a teenaged boy named Meers. They originally met Meers at Mudlark, and he had joined up with the Menders after losing his hand. He fell, and his hand was eaten by a frog.

They are able to break free, but are confronted by the Menders leader, Maggie, who believes that they have betrayed her as it has been months, and the box has not been taken to the Vault yet. She demands an explanation, and they tell her everything that happened since the last time they saw her. She is not accepting of their excuses, but they manage to convince her to give them another chance to bring the box to the Vault, on the condition that they take Meers along to make sure they stay on task.

They learn in the months they were in the spirit world the world around them has changed significantly. The moon is broken, because of the incident at the pond, crocodiles are going extinct, soldiers are returning from a legendary war that took place a hundred years ago.

They tie up some loose ends around Highspear Mall, and purchase a cart and a hippopotamus sized furry pig named Francis, and set off for the Vault.

Billie spends a lot of time sleeping, and Perell visits him frequently, and tries to both discuss and teach him about magic. During this time, Billie has recalled that, even though the sapling they planted in the spirit world was the very first of its kind, this was the tree from Lone Tree Hill. He remembers being born as he is now from the woods, and William finding him. He now remembers that he is a very old fairy.

Billie is frustrated with Perell's attempts to teach him, but he does eventually begin to harness his abilities and learns to switch the taste of small items. For example, he could change the flavour of rocks to cookies - although the still remain rocks, and probably should not be eaten. Perell becomes very excited by this development as it's unlike any magic he's experienced before, and tells Billie he is very proud of him.

They end up visiting Pinewood village after exhausting their supply of food, and the locals mistake them for a group of mercenaries. They've put out a call for help after they've lost equipment and a team of lumberjacks. Another team was sent out, but they went missing as well.

Billie (after being woken up), attempts to negotiate a reward, and manages to secure them food, lodgings, and a party thrown in their honour. Near the end of the night, Perell appears to Tuck and Vyng. He warns them that with Billie coming into his owner power, the pair need to be more of a guiding hand, rather than letting him do what he wants, as he is a fairy creature. They're prone to following their own desires, which means Billie might choose to leave at any time. Tuck and Vyng both say they'll both support what Billie wants.

The next morning, they set off with a guide from the village, and find a clump of living moss, which Billie promptly tries to taste. Luckily, it's not poisonous, but it does sting his tongue a little. Perell appears and excitedly tells them it's magically active moss, but isn't able to provide them with any additional information.

They come across the logging camp after a brief encounter with a group of cabbage skunks, and it's been completely overtaken by the blue moss, except for in a small area that smells strongly of alcohol.

They hear someone crying for help from a nearby cave, and go to attempt to assist. Vyng happens to be carrying alcohol, so he pours some over everyone's heads in hopes of repelling the moss. They discover the call for help is coming from a dead body being controlled from the moss. The moss attacks, and Billie, at Vyng's urging, dives into an underground pool and turns the water into... milk, as milk is as intoxicating to halflings as alcohol is to humans. He tries again and is able to turn the water into wine.

They are able to escape the monster and recover a leather fanny pack that was being carried by one of the zombies, containing a forever tent, 400 gold coins, a ruby, and a lantern, which gets stolen soon after while the cart is left unattended. They discover another room that's marked 'Guest Room', but Billie is able to determine that it's a trap. Should one try to enter without authorization, it would lead to somewhere far more dangerous.

After a few more days of travel, they find their way to the Vault. It's a shack sitting in the middle of the pond on a small, soggy looking island. They learn the only way to access the shack is to not want to get there, and between the four of them, the only one who wants to access the Vault is Meers, so they leave him behind. Inside, the meet a stained glass golem named Chamberlain, who asks them to turn over the the box so he can keep it safe.

They decide instead to trust Perell and free him from the box. Perell kills Chamberlain easily, and although Billie's arm is broken in the fight, Perell is able to heal him.

Meers is less than thrilled with this turn of events, and goes into the tent to make some food. Billie follows him, and tells him that Perell is like the uncle, or the teacher he never had. He trusts him, and he's been learning magic from him. He tries to show off his abilities by turning some of Frances' hair into chives, but he fails, and turns them into worms instead. Meers says this is why magic is dangerous and can't be trusted, and Billie tells him to grow up and storms off.

Perell suggests the best way to cover their tracks is to fool everyone into thinking nothing ever happened. He recreates Chamberlain, and gives him a recreated version of the box and tells him to deposit it in the Vault. As a reward, Chamberlain gives each them a ring made from one of his fingers, which they will later learn helps magic come easier to Billie.

Season 5

The group decides to take a break and go to Crystal Bay, at Billie's suggestion, after deciding it's a good time to take a vacation. They pass through the town of Lil Sir, who's mayor is a cat in a bowler hat of the same name to resupply.

Billie feels slighted by one of the shop owners after being told to move away while Vyng is buying some halfling pipeweed. He attempts to steal a poison, and spills it all over himself, causing him to immediately fall asleep. The shop owner offers to reverse the effects for a hundred gold, and Tuck ends up threatening to throw Francis through the store window. The shop owner agrees to tell them the solution for 20 gold instead and reveals all they need to do to reverse the poison is give Billie some of the pipeweed. They leave the shop to take care of their boy and manage to salvage some of the poison as well.

Billie dreams about his exile from the halfling lands. He had eaten a storage of yams that belonged to another halfling named One Legged Bill. He hid behind a grain silo, while One Legged Bill screamed for him. Billie is so frightened, a tinder ignites, and Billie in his attempts to extinguish the fire, unfortunately, encourages it by blowing on it and fanning it. He's caught by the the other halflings, including Old Bill, all asking, "What did you do?"

He wakes up, crying, but quickly wipes away the tears, and Vyng asks the same thing he heard in his dream - what did you do? Billie says nothing, and repeats, "What did I do?" Vyng explains what happened with the oil, and reassures him that it's okay.

They end up agreeing to help the mayor deal with a rat problem, in exchange for a supply of fish for the rest of their journey and affection from Lil Sir, and Billie steals the mayor by smuggling him out under his shirt.

They resolve the issue with the rats by helping two townspeople fall in love, and move onto Crystal Bay after collecting their supply of fish, and their mayor cuddles.

In Crystal Bay, they eventually run into Tuck's ex-girlfriend, a succubus named Alison, who is being hunted by the Light Guard, a group that is known for hunting demons. She asks for their help escaping the resort town, as she is unable to leave on her own, and the party agrees.

They fall in with a group of local pirates, led by Ruby Tuesday. They originally offer one of her people 300 gold coins to smuggle Alison out, and after realizing that this was far, far too generous, they lie and claim he misheard them and it was actually supposed to be 30 coins. Ruby is about to have him executed when Billie lies, and claims the pirate is his father. Instead of being killed, Milton is given work as a scribe to allow him to maintain his employment, but keep him out of harm's way, since he has a small child to consider as well.

They are able to convince Ruby to help them smuggle Alison out of the Crystal Bay, as long as they recover a ship and its cargo that was seized by the Customs Office, which proves to be no easy task. Billie is discovered while trying to find the cargo, and is and captured by one of an officer by the name of Jack Boot. In the attempt to rescue him, Tuck and Vyng cause significant damage to the building, and are captured as well. They manage to escape, and steal the ship, but significantly damage the docks, and the other ships in the process.

They return the ship to Ruby, but she isn't happy that they failed to recover the black market make up the ship was carrying as well, nor the attention the party has managed to bring to themselves. She still agrees to smuggle Alison out of Crystal Bay, but demands they join her for the next six months. Tuck challenges her to a duel - if he wins, they serve on board the ship for two weeks, if she wins, they comply and give her six months. Tuck is victorious, and they spend the night celebrating.

Unfortunately, the Light Guard arrives with the Torch of Makaal, having heard about the upheaval in the land since the party's return from the spirit world from the Menders. They also somehow know about Perell being freed from his box, instead of stored eternally in the Vault.

They manage to uncover as well that Alison has not been honest with them. She isn't being hunted by the Light Guard, she's working for them as an advanced scout. She insists that she's been passing false information along to them, and has said nothing about the party.

Billie recalls seeing the Torch talk to a travelling bard named Jaunter. It becomes clear that Jaunter is one of the Menders as he's talking to the Torch and telling him that everything has been greatly exaggerated by Maggie and there's no issues in the Principalities that the Light Guard needs to be investigating. The Menders use traveling minstrels to pass information - nothing gets written down. He recalls as well seeing the Torch heat up a kettle of tea with a flame from his own body.

When Billie opens his eyes, Tuck and Vyng open their eyes as well. Somehow, Billie was able to share his memories with the two of them. He looks down and realizes he was gripping Chamberlain's ring. They are now aware that the Menders, Customs House, and the Church of Makaal are all looking for them.

They manage to get Alison to Ruby so she can be smuggled away, and there is an arranged meeting between Jaunter and Meers the next day in the library. The meeting does not go well as Jaunter has a trap prepared, and it's revealed that he is the water monster created from Perell. Perell and Billie are able to trap him in a vase, but in their attempt to escape, Vyng sets the library on fire. Vyng and Billie are rescued by a Thunderbird Vyng has bonded with, but Tuck, Perell and Meers are all captured by the Torch and the Light Guard, and taken on board their ship, The Purifier.

Vyng and Billie stage a rescue, and the group is confronted with an Icon of Truth. It looks different to each of them, except for Tuck, who can't see it at all. Vyng sees a monstrous creature, and Billie sees himself. It forces Billie to reveal that he is a Spring Fae of the Endless Boughs, and forces Vyng to reveal he is the prince of the Boreal Reach.

Perell uses his transformation magic to turn the deck of the boat into mud, and they're able to escape into a lifeboat in the ocean. Billie, because of Perell's use of magic feels an excess of the same, and uses it to help Vyng shapeshift into a large orca, and tows them to the cave where the Crystal Bay pirates are.

They head out on a ship as part of the crew, with their old acquaintance Colonel Dan, acting as a figurehead of a captain. Unfortunately, both the Customs House and the Purifier both pursue them.

Vyng calls on the Thunderbird and rides off into the storm. He harnesses the storm, and brings it back with him to the where the ships are, but he's unable to control it for long. In the chaos, Vyng and the Thunderbird crash into the mast of the Purifier, and all the ships are destroyed.

Season 6

Billie, Vyng, and Tuck are rescued from the water by a sailboat with a single mast, covered in protective runes that's being captained by the former captain of the Purifier. Perell is nowhere to be found, but with the help of the captain, they're able to determine that he is alive, but very far away.

The captain introduces himself as Chimes, and brings them to Hither and Yon - a mystical bar that changes places at will, to give them all a chance to recover. While there, Chimes is able to help Billie remember the his origins, but warns them that he will likely not remember it very long. Vyng and Tuck promise they won't let him forget.

They spend the night in the bar, recovering from their wounds, and forming a plan to find Perell. The next day, Chimes allows them to use his boat to set off to find their friend, but refuses to go along, saying it would make them more of a target. Meers also ends up happily staying behind at the bar with Francis, as there won't be enough room in the boat for them as well.

They set off again, but the voyage is less than smooth. They managed to escape from a large crab that wanted to crush them, and spoke to a dragon who agreed to scout around to see if she could find anything about where Perell might be in exchange for them telling everyone how magnificent she is.

The storm begins to close in on them, and as they do, the wind seems like it's being sapped away from the sails, preventing them from escaping. Thanks to the runes, the water immediately around the boat stays calm, but it makes it still incredibly hard to see and find their way. Billie sticks his hand in the water to try to tell if they're going in the right direction, and he catches the fanny pack that contains all their possessions, including the vase containing Perell's water monster. Billie is so afraid to tell Tuck and Vyng he lost the bag, he makes himself sick. Tuck reassures him that it's okay - it's just stuff, the main thing is Billie himself is okay. Billie is finally soothed when Tuck gives him some granola to eat, they all feel the boat suddenly shoved to one side as the storm tries to force its way through the magical barrier protecting it. Things are looking bleak, but because Billie is so afraid he is able to call on his magic to summon Vyng's Thunderbird to come to their rescue. The bird grabs the damaged boat, and drags it to safety.