moneylizard

Rattas was born in a undocumented halfling village in eastern Atlas that consisted of only six different families. Born in the year 1690, he was one of the youngest halflings in the village. This small village was rarely found by outsiders so Rattas grew up with trust in everyone because they were very close community. His father was a village hunter and his mother was responsible for cooking most of the meals for the village. This led to Rattas’ love for food from a very early age as he was her “tasty tester” before every feast.

At the age of 18, Rattas was a very happy, but anxious youngling. Always curious about the world outside the village, often he daydreamed by the small creek at the foot of their village, barely outside of shouting distance from the first home. It was during one of these daydreams that something very strange happened. As Rattas “awoke” from his most recent daydream, he realized it was very quiet... too quiet. Curious as to what would cause such a disturbing calm, he quickly shuffled back to the village there was no one to be found. There was foods in pots over the fire, but they were unattended. Homes had open windows and doors, but no one inside. He called out for his parents, his friends. He received no response, just silence. Where did they all go? It didn’t make any sense. With his belly growling, he decided to have a bite of food before looking again. After eating, he wandered around the forest and still found no one. He went back to his small home and waited... and waited. Nine days had gone by with not a single sign of anyone. He was alone and he decided it was time to roll the dice.

Confused by the events that led to this mystery disappearance of his entire village, Rattas made the decision to pack his belongings and leave his home. Not sure where he was going, he stumbled along through fields and forests, not really noticing the world around him as he was lost in thought about his missing family and friends. After weeks of traveling, he found a human ship docked outside a small town. Sneaking on quietly in the cover of night, he stowed himself in a small chest inside a dusty storage room in the hull. As he lay inside the chest, he realized that he was on quite an adventure, and  as he thought about this new life he was starting, the confusion began to fade and excitement began to rise. New places to see, new food to taste, and new friends to make. He vowed he would return to his village one day in hopes that everyone had returned... but for now, he would find adventure.

After what must have been a day or two, with cramped legs and arms, the boat had settled and appeared to have docked. This was further evidenced by the sounds of footsteps, yelling, and wood knocking together. He heard people yelling the words “Arcas” and “tavern” and “wine” and “traders” as the footsteps clunked all around him. He waited what seemed to be ages for the noises to stop, and slowly opened the chest. The room was empty. Tiptoeing out of the boat’s hull, he sneaked his way off the boat and onto dry land. With a sigh of relief, he moved with a new spring in his step as he made his way towards his new adventure.

Over the past 20 years, Rattas has frequented many human, elf, and dwarf settlements on his grand adventures, always eager to meet new friends and try new edible delicacies. Never settling down for more than a couple weeks at a time, he has traveled many miles by foot and always had a cheerful demeanor. The exception to his “two week rule” was only broken once... as he was stuck inside a human settlement for nearly a month due to what was called the Three Month War. The human settlement was cut off and under siege. Rattas was only able to make his escape due to his size and a nice little hole in the outer fence. Once he was clear of the chaos, he decided it was time to find a safe place to settle down. 

Present day...