Cricktwo Longwhisker
Many of the Folk who choose to follow the profession of Treasure Hunter - or Archaeologist, as they call themselves in Tyrnabay - have some sort of gift for finding locations where lost riches can be found. For some, it is a willingness to scour libraries for clues, and a logical mind to deduce likely sites from those clues. For others, it is a magical ability, either learned or innate, to locate valuable items. But one of the most successful practitioners of the Treasure Hunting craft claims something much simpler works for him. The Chittiki who goes by the name of Cricktwo Longwhisker claims that he can simply "smell treasure"; and all he needs to do is follow his nose.
Able to move out of the Undercity and afford comfortable housing above ground, Cricktwo came to realize that there were people in the world who would pay good coin for his talents. At first, it was people of Baron's Point looking for lost items, but eventually, he accepted a few commissions from wealthy folk of the First Kingdom to journey into the mountains north of Baron's Point and bordering Lanlokan to seek out lost shrines to Human saints. Though paid well for his efforts, he was not happy with the treatment the snobbish Humans of the First Kingdom afforded him. Eventually, he decided that Tyrnabay would offer more opportunities, and would possess a more accepting culture for a Chittiki. He resettled in the capital city of Wolf's Bay at the age of 23.
Date of Birth
24 Time of Aanarakka's Staff, 2244CR
Age
27
Born in
The Warrens (Chittiki homelands)
Current Home
Sweetwater, Tyrnabay
Occupation
Archaeologist (Treasure Hunter)
Goal
To retire in comfort (i.e. surrounded by opulence)
Attitude
Cricktwo is no longer excited by the seach for riches, but he understands that it's his talent and best source of income. When hired to find something valuable or ancient, his desire is to locate the thing, get paid, and go home
Stake
Cricktwo doesn't seek riches for his own benefit anymore; he's a "detective for hire" instead. When he believes he has located a site that he is being paid to find, he will explore only enough to verify the find. He will not risk his life venturing deep into ruins or dungeons; he gets paid to find them, not loot them.
The Chittiki's first foray under this arrangement was into the jungles south of Tyrnabay. On this expeditition, Cricktwo discovered remains of Dwarven settlements near the Grimstone Peaks. The wealth eventually extracted from these ruins was modest, but this discovery led to the identification of a significant grove of Firesap Trees that did not appear to be guarded by the Stone Giants or Dragons that plagued most such groves. As a result, the Marquis was able to establish a quite profitable business in Firesap acquisition, which in turn made Cricktwo rather wealthy.
Cricktwo discovered that being well - and regularly - compensated allowed him to stop focusing on the payment aspect of his chosen line of work. This allowed the thrill of discovery he remembered as a child to creep back into his mindset. Today, he claims that he truly enjoys what he does, and longs for the thrill of being the first person to discover (or rediscover) some long-lost remnant of the world before the god-war.
Recent rumors based on the activities of the Marquis suggest that Cricktwo may indeed have found this "Lost Academy", though these have yet to be confirmed.
Origins and Family
Like most Chittiki, Cricktwo comes from a large family; at the time he left home at the age of 14, he had 12 elder and 16 younger siblings. His childhood in the Warrens, the Chittiki homelands, was unremarkable, but his extremely acute olfactory sense began to show its value even in Cricktwo's youth. He tells of how he would help his parents find odd coins scattered throughout their underground home, claiming he could smell the gold, silver, and copper and root them out wherever they may have fallen.Young Adult Life
At the age of 14, Cricktwo left home for the city of Baron's Point to seek employment. Unsuccessful at most things he tried, due mostly to lack of interest, he eventually found himself living in the Undercity, but once there, his talent for sniffing out valuables proved to give him the opportunity to amass a surprising amount of wealth. He would alway quip that it was "remarkable what falls through the sewer grates of a city like Baron's Point".Able to move out of the Undercity and afford comfortable housing above ground, Cricktwo came to realize that there were people in the world who would pay good coin for his talents. At first, it was people of Baron's Point looking for lost items, but eventually, he accepted a few commissions from wealthy folk of the First Kingdom to journey into the mountains north of Baron's Point and bordering Lanlokan to seek out lost shrines to Human saints. Though paid well for his efforts, he was not happy with the treatment the snobbish Humans of the First Kingdom afforded him. Eventually, he decided that Tyrnabay would offer more opportunities, and would possess a more accepting culture for a Chittiki. He resettled in the capital city of Wolf's Bay at the age of 23.
Patronage and Recent Explorations
His first engagements in Tyrnabay were similar to the early ones in Baron's Point - rich folk losing something in their palatial home and wishing it found. His reputation for success grew quickly, though, and eventually he caught the eye of Marquis Wyrdswyrth Spikeberry, the noble responsible for managing the lands bordering the Broken Range of mountains in the west. After successfully completing a few minor jobs - Cricktwo was certain they were actually tests, an agreement was struck whereby Cricktwo would work exclusively for the Marquis in return for a generous, recurring "retainer fee" , plus 5% of all wealth recovered from the sites Cricktwo uncovered.Cricktwo Longwhisker
OGAS
The Chittiki's first foray under this arrangement was into the jungles south of Tyrnabay. On this expeditition, Cricktwo discovered remains of Dwarven settlements near the Grimstone Peaks. The wealth eventually extracted from these ruins was modest, but this discovery led to the identification of a significant grove of Firesap Trees that did not appear to be guarded by the Stone Giants or Dragons that plagued most such groves. As a result, the Marquis was able to establish a quite profitable business in Firesap acquisition, which in turn made Cricktwo rather wealthy.
Cricktwo discovered that being well - and regularly - compensated allowed him to stop focusing on the payment aspect of his chosen line of work. This allowed the thrill of discovery he remembered as a child to creep back into his mindset. Today, he claims that he truly enjoys what he does, and longs for the thrill of being the first person to discover (or rediscover) some long-lost remnant of the world before the god-war.
The Search for the Magical Academy
Soon after, the Marquis became obsessed with seeking out a particular ruin that had been lost for so long as to have been forgotten by all but a handful of history fanatics. The so-called "Forgotten Academy", a school of advanced magical study, was surely somewhere in the mountains to the west of Tyrnabay. Cricktwo was dispatched by the Marquis to seek it out.Recent rumors based on the activities of the Marquis suggest that Cricktwo may indeed have found this "Lost Academy", though these have yet to be confirmed.
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