Big B
Big B (he/they/bush) is a character played by Jules (they/them) in the nonfiction one-shot Baba's Black Cauldron. They are an earth Genasi (flavored as a bush made sentient) grave Cleric with the Criminal/Spy background.
Description
Bartholemew Bushington, the Bustleberry Bush Bannerman of Brandobaris, is to the naked eye, a bush. Specifically, he is a rare, fruit-bearing conifer whose prickling, green nettles can be used for defense against his foes as well mashed into curatives for those he tends. The berries that grow on this barely 3-foot tall son of nature and audacity are a tart, deep purple recognized by their unique shape which appears as if a large berry is growing a second smaller berry out its top. Though he is a bush, Big B is not without style. The original bush kept its previous incarnation's signature plum bowler hat and many versions of Big B wear their own centuries later in solidarity (or maybe so Brandobaris can find them in a crowd). For centuries, Big B has been called reckless, restless, and rakish and all are true. He often seeks adventure beyond his means to safely complete and though he cares about his commitment to Brandobaris, 700+ years of tending to the needs of others can grow tiresome.Backstory
It has been over seven centuries since Bartholomew Bushington was killed. A Halfling Rogue fleeing a burglary gone wrong, he was chased into the depths of The Redwillow Forest where he was outmatched by the many vicious and mysterious horrors of the magic wood. As Bushington crawled his broken and bloody body against the forest floor in his decidedly fruitless effort to outrun his pursuers, the god Brandobaris extended an offer: In exchange for saving his life, Bushington would serve the halfling deity of thievery in his effort to support those children of Brandobaris as they work (less than legally) to survive against all odds across Kauvet. Bushington agreed, and so, Brandobaris reached out their godly hand, caught Bartholomew’s dying breath and transferred its essence to a bustleberry bush thriving nearby. Now, Bartholomew lives as a helpful and watchful presence in the Redwillow while the winds of Brandobaris carry seed pods across the valley to where her influence is needed most, making Bartholomew Bushington, the Bustleberry Bush Bannerman of Brandobaris, aka Big B, her most widespread agent network in eons. Big B’s presence in the capital is comparatively recent. Only a few years old physically, a sproutling with the wisdom of a great tree, he is still trying to bring Brandobaris’ good graces to the many downtrodden of the Acropolis QZ. Few in the world know of Big B’s unique existence, but word of hope travels fast among the hopeless. News of a budding bush sprouting in the Bone District whose bounteous fruit replenishes unnaturally fast quickly spreads among the hungry, whose nettle treats wounds faster than any common bandage spreads quickly among the wounded, whose mere presence seems to invite warmth that can make even the most far gone return to good humours. What’s more impressive, any agents of the crown who attempt to harm or remove the bush are decidedly unable to do so and some even leave with injuries or frightful experiences that have them swearing never to return to the Bone District. And when all else fails, quarantined citizens of Acropolis swear they can hear the bush weeping as its flowers are picked and fastened into garland for the funeral processions of those it couldn’t help. The bush performs one service no common citizen of the QZ knows of. Brandobaris took care to drop his seed from the wind in a patch of earth near a sewer entrance, and so Big B uses his natural affinity for disguise to help conceal the workings of a brave few utilizing the sewers as an underground haven from the terrors of the king, making him, at least tangentially, an early agent of The Swamp Rats.Trivia
- Big B was gifted the witherbloom primer and periapt of wound closure as magial boons from Brandobaris
- A friend of Jules has drawn a picture of Big B, seen here
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