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IN MEMORIAM: Halfberry Berryfull
By Lady Iscikella Zinnonn

This is the story of another halfling hero. He wasn't too bright, he wasn't too strong, and in the end he didn't succeed, but all in all he is still a hero.

He could only read "a little", couldn't write at all, and referred to himself always in the third person because it seemed his "master", the infamous Lord Thurfel, never made him feel like a being important enough to use "I" in speech. His name was Halfberry Berryfull, a kind of funny yet-at-the-same-time sad name because it seemed to say, if the family was a full berry, he himself was only a half of one.

He told some that he never remembered a time when he hadn't served Thurfel, though Thurfel apparently treated him very badly and beatings were a common occurrence in Halfberry's life. Many months ago Thurfel himself had told the story of a halfling boy who introduced him to certain wonders: a rusted metal pyramid and the skin of a teal crocodile. Halfberry insisted that boy was not he, but something inside me just says he was and was afraid to admit it, afraid of Thurfel's powerful wrath. The pyramid, ye see, now stands upon Thurfel's Island in IceMule, its secrets yet hidden well from outsiders. And the teal crocodile? Well, that is the beginning of this particular hero's story...

A few months back, frustrated by the lack of signs from Liabo Arkati as to what should be done about the growing power of the snakes because of Lord Thurfel in IceMule, Arimantis, a cleric of Ronan, decided to attempt commune with the god of sleep. Ilvane, the dreamer of Ronan, seconded this idea, and the two of them were kind enough to ask me to attend this ritual though my service is to Lumnis, Ronan's mother. Also in attendance at this ritual were Nofret and Jipzy, both followers of Ronan, and Lady Kadesha, cleric of Lorministra.

The commune was a quiet affair and we were uncertain if anything would come of it, but much to our surprise... and chagrin... several manifestations began right off once Arimantis had made spiritual contact. The chagrin was caused by the fact that these manifestations were not of Ronan, but appeared to be of Luukos. A serpentine shape formed in the flame of the candle, a chill wind filled the hall as the icy breeze eerily caressed my cheek, another serpent curled itself about the ankle of Arimantis, and a cold whisper was placed in Kadesha's ear in a tongue she could not understand. Then the serpent in the candle flame became "flesh" and skittered behind one of the altars in the Hall of Mind, and we became aware of other mortal presences in that room as Lord Armaxis and Lord Setzier spoke from the shadows mockingly, thrilled that Luukos had come to answer this call and not Ronan.

There were several other Luukosian manifestations, including Armaxis' eyes glowing red as his body was seemingly "taken over" by another force. But in the end Ilvane, with tears in her eyes, begged Ronan to cleanse the hall and the god of sleep obliged. The candle roared up into a cleansing flame and the manifestations of Luukos ceased. Yet here is where Halfberry became part of this incident.

After all was done and had been quiet awhile, after Armaxis and Setzier had taken their leave from the shadows and those of Liabo sat pondering Ronan's cleansing of the hall, we heard a bump and a small cry. We saw nothing... at first. But then Nofret noticed a small teal crocodile pin suspended from a crimson thread hanging from the grey altar of Lumnis. She picked it up, we all examined it, and she loresang it, but we could glean nothing as to the nature of the little crocodile ornament. Yet for some reason we all knew it was Halfberry who had "left" it there. In fact I went so far as to yell into the night, "Thank ye for the gift, Halfberry" never realizing that "gift" was the start of a chain of events which ended in Halfberry's heroic death.

A few days later Halfberry came looking for the pin. He was very upset and nervous. He said the pin was a powerful artifact and that Thurfel would be angry with him for "losing" it. He called the pin "god's eye". I tried to confront Halfberry about spying on the commune, but he evaded the question. At the time this caused much mistrust in me for him. But I realize now he probably didn't want Thurfel to know he had been watching the commune in secret. I think Halfberry was "deciding" how to make his approach to those of Liabo.

Halfberry left without the pin, of course, but apparently a few days later he did make his approach to a few folk, Ilvane and Arimantis amongst them. And he also made known to them about an orb he had taken from Thurfel's keep, another very powerful artifact though Halfberry did not know the full extent of its magic, and in the end this proved his undoing.

He did say, however, that he needed to strengthen the seals on Talbot's tomb and that Thurfel wanted to destroy the "ice town". Halfberry, it seems with the determination of another halfling -- that old warrior Talbot Dabbings himself, had come to the decision he was not going to let Thurfel do that. That he would thwart him through use of the orb. Through the orb Halfberry also showed those who he trusted the inside of Thurfel's keep, or at least the cellar in there, a most disturbing place:

[Thurfel's Cellar]
Placed with precision about the room are several tables bearing thick leather straps. Each table is perfectly spotless. If they have been used recently, considerable care was taken to clean up any mess that was made. The floor, however, is not nearly as pristine and is covered with splotches and stains. You also see a gleaming silver pole.

Halfberry explained that he did not himself know very much about the orb other than its spying capabilities. He suspected there was much more to its magic, but admitted no written documentation relating what it might do was anywhere to be found in Thurfel's keep. So while he tried to determine the full use to which the orb could be put, Halfberry went into hiding and asked those with whom he spoke to keep what he had shown them to themselves, since he was much in danger from Thurfel for taking the orb. And, in fact, Lord Thurfel's Castellan, Lord Rills, went on an intense manhunt for Halfberry in his master's behalf. This manhunt included a foray into the landing when Rills insisted to Thurfel that Halfberry was being hidden by the dwarves in the dyers' tent. The result of this accusation against the dwarves by Rills was the death of all who worked in that tent, as Thurfel burned it to the ground, intent on securing or destroying Halfberry and not very particular as to which occurred.

But the dwarves were not hiding Halfberry, and the apprentice managed to elude his master's fiery grasp for another fortnight or thereabouts. But then Halfberry determined the time for hiding to be done, that he must strengthen the seals of the mausoleum and use the orb against Thurfel at last.

And here is where the bravery of the little halfling apprentice -- who didn't read much and couldn't write at all, who never knew what real freedom was, who never had much of a life beyond the pain associated with servitude - became undoubted and worthy of song and legend. As Thurfel confronted Halfberry in the mausoleum of Talbot Dabbings, Halfberry took his life in his hands and pronounced: "And now, I seal you! I have had enough of you, you don't belong in this world THURFEL!" And raised the gold crystal orb up high above his head! The orb flashed for a brief instant, and then went dark. He had not learned to control the magic. He tried twice more, with the same result. And though Thurfel chuckled at the failure of his apprentice's efforts, and though he callously then commanded his Castellan to have him killed, and though Halfberry at that moment knelt in submission to his fate, there can be no question that little halfling -- who then fell in one swift blow from the longsword of Witlass upon Rill's order, had shown a spirit similar to that of the old warrior in that tomb in attempting to seal Thurfel within the crypt beside the other nine of the Council of Ten.

The body of Halfberry, once that killing blow had been struck, turned pale and drew in on itself. For a brief moment, the shattered frame convulsed, before disintegrating into a fine white powder that seeped into the cracks in the floor of the mausoleum. And he was gone. The frightened little halfling who went past his fear to stand firm against something he saw as wrong.

A true hero is not one who doesn't fear. A true hero is one who does fear and yet pushes through that fear. Halfberry did just that. He didn't win the war, but yes, he won the battle. He let folks see that standing up for what ye believe in, no matter the cost, brings a nobility nothing can erase. And though he is gone, that nobility of spirit cannot be forgotten. Nor account him anything less than a true hero.

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