Marimoo

Full name: Marimoo Tilltull

Nickname: Mari / Moo

Species: Halfling

Gender: Female (she/her)

Sexuality: Homosexual

Birthday: 14th October

Age: 25 years

Full of attitude and happy to question anyone, Marimoo has little care to not speak her own mind and acts very carefreely. She however loses some of this spunk when on her own, being easily anxious when not around her friends or companions. While proficient in playing instruments such as the guitar and harmonica, she much more prefers to sing, which she's often found humming while walking or chilling.

Wandering, never staying in one place before something rips her away, Marimoo knows not of the life of hearth and home. Despite being a halfling, a people with a culture that values home more than anything, simply knowing this feels just like another joke that the world keeps on pulling. Feeling cursed to never have anything to call home, she keeps searching yet, for one day the world eventually has to let up.

Raised on the road by her parents Garvan and Esvila, a halfling couple that have fallen upon bad times and forced to roam, to the pair she was a troublesome child. Trying to raise a child whilst traveling, constantly meeting new people and new problems, was quite the hassle. Having been used to the calm life from before their village was made to ruin, this was not something the family had been ready to deal with. Marimoo would constantly get into trouble or drive her tired parents insane with her antics. It created a thorny relationship from the very start, her parents were patient but it wasn’t uncommon for things to escalate, since lines were often crossed. Marimoo grew tired of her parents and their inability to settle down, having a hard time finding a place fitting to live and letting go of what they had lost, she thought them foolish for not just making a home anywhere after so long.

Marimoo’s departure from her parents came after an incident on the road. The family was traveling in the northern parts of Jesmen, having missed the rest of the caravan they planned to join from Garvan messing up fixing a broken wheel on their wagon. Forced to travel on their lonesome, the family pressed on through the night, the next town over just a little bit away - surely they could make it before having to set up camp in such a dangerous place. As their oxen came to a standstill in the middle of the road, the halflings became curious and alert, something was close and hiding in the dark. Pulling out their lanterns, the halfling pair tried to look through the dark, encouraging their child to do the same. Marimoo lit the small lantern she had in the back of the wagon with her, to see if anything was nearby. To her immediate shock a horrible beast was illuminated by the flame, its insectoid and monstrous face right at the end of the wagon. Letting out a terrible shriek seeing the monstrosity, a remorhaz which had managed to sneak up on the wagon and family, the monster grabbed onto the wagon and tried to pry its massive head closer to the fear struck halfling. Her parents alerted, Garvan managed to get the ox to gallop, while Esvila reached for her horrified child. Throwing the lantern and taking out the large, dagger-like pin in her hat, she stabbed the beast right in the eye - causing it to let go. Pulling her child up to the riders seat with her, the family just barely managed to escape the remorhaz. Finally arriving in town, the family made sure to rest at the inn, trying to calm down after the encounter. Marimoo was unsurprisingly still in shock, unable to sleep that night. Overhearing her parents discussing what had happened and bickering about their predicament, Garvan in particular complained that at some point he won’t be able to keep this up anymore, between constantly feeling unsafe on the road and having to deal with their meddlesome and ungrateful child. Esvila tried to comfort her stressed husband and defend her child, though at that point Marimoo had already left - deciding she had heard enough. That night in silence she stole a handful of things from the inn and her parents, in particular her father’s harmonica, and made her way elsewhere.

Making ends meet on her own was no easy task, she knew little of trade and wasn’t particularly strong, having to rely on petty thievery and the kindness of others. Eventually ending up in the city of Woodvale, she found herself a group of people to call home, not paying much mind to the fact that it was a group of criminals. At that point she was just desperate to have someone or something, that wouldn’t just leave her as soon as they saw no use of her anymore. Having been abandoned by previous “friends” multiple times, she didn’t want it happening again. Trying to make herself as useful as possible for her new gang, she learned to properly steal, letting herself act as bait or distractions and also picking up music as an actual interest. She did anything and everything to please her new friends, to their approval, perhaps losing track of her own morals or ambitions in the process. Spending a few years in their midst, she eventually grew particularly attached to one member - the tiefling barbarian named Bruiser - and the two ended up a pair. Growing inseparable, this development couldn’t but concern the leader of the gang, who encouraged to not make such relationships with people of the group. Marimoo and Bruiser thought it was just silly, but in reality there was a good reason for it. The full list of members of the gang were: Shallow (hairless tabaxi rogue, leader of the gang), Rok and Tok (half-orc half-gnome twins, both rogues), Alumin (human silver draconic bloodline sorcerer), Chestnut (bugbear circle of dreams druid), Bruiser and Marimoo. During this time with the gang she also learned the art of bardery from a backwater college, in particular the art of satire. She thought it fitting cause she keeps feeling like the world laughs at her, so why not give it an actual reason to do so. Despite her best efforts she’s not particularly good at comedy, perhaps because she pursued the path based on self deprecation, and not out of passion.

It was during a chase that Marimoo would eventually have to split from her group, what she had grown to consider family. An individual had somehow managed to pilfer the item that Shallow held dear while the group were at rest in their usual hang-out spot, who went on the run with the gang in tow. The thief in the midst of the chase turned out to be a werewolf, leaping into the nearby woods outside the city to escape the pursuing gang. Knowing the danger, Shallow warned the group to approach and follow carefully, the woods are not kind and he did not know the true intent of the thievery - what if someone powerful and unknown had commanded to steal the item? Marimoo, ahead of the group did not heed her leader’s warning, pulled by the desire to return the item and be appreciated for her unwavering dedication in the face of danger. This would however turn out to be a foolish decision. Eventually reaching and cornering the werewolf, which had torn asunder the bag that contained the item, it turned to face the halfling which stood her ground. While the two stared each other down, it turned out the werewolf was not alone, as from the trees a wereraven pounced on the distracted halfling. Wrestling and trying to keep the sudden attacker at bay, the two had been lunged into the brush, though even with utmost struggle Marimoo could not seem to keep the aggressive bird away. The rest of the gang eventually arrived at the scene, scaring off the werewolf and a few other were-creatures which had appeared from the forest, taking back the item which was still intact. Searching the area for their hasty teammate, Shallow found Marimoo and the wereraven, scaring off the beast. Concerned for her health, the rest of the gang wanted to approach, but were given the command to stay away by Shallow. He could tell that there was a good chance after such an attack that the wereraven would have left its permanent mark, the disease and curse it carries, and did not wish to risk any chances. Remaining to observe if he was correct, the rest of the gang left to head back to the city, Marimoo’s begging for them to stay overshadowed by Shallow’s stern orders. As the minutes passed by, Shallow’s suspicions would be proven true, and with seeing the desperate halfling losing herself to the whim of the curse - he left, apologizing, yet also reminding her that if she had listened maybe things wouldn’t have turned out this way. Never getting to say goodbye to her friends, she had been lost to the woods, forced to live another life away from what she held most dear.

Marimoo never truly wanted to succumb to her curse, fighting it back at every turn, the small glimmer of hope to maybe one day return to her friends giving her the spark necessary to not give in. During the years which she essentially fought against herself, quarreling with the new alien instincts and thoughts which had grip of her mind, she began to reflect on what she is and the things she had done. How cruel the world was, but in truth, is it not deserved? She had committed so many horrible deeds seeking approval by those who she thought loved her, not thinking much about it - because the approval, the love, was always more important. Perhaps she wasn’t that good of a person, and this was just another punishment among others. It didn’t help that she’d attack people and other beasts in her uncontrollable state, fueling her regret further. She eventually with time tempered her inner beast, forcing control over herself, all so she could go back to what she had lost. Though her heart would only break again, when seeing her girlfriend had moved on to another, she never ended up meeting up with her old gang again because of this. Wandering the road once more, this time to seek somewhere else to call home and find people who won’t abandon her - as well as not wanting to get herself into trouble, being a wanted criminal in Woodvale after all.

Eventually ending up with Septum, having followed the small group of odd-balls to survey if they’d potentially be viable people to make friends with, she enjoys traveling with them as they don’t seem to particularly judge her. She still keeps things hush-hush because she’s never one to burden others with her baggage, but also because frankly she just wants to move on from the past she’s been running away from. If she doesn’t say much about it, then surely nobody will care to try and make her face it again, right? Though it still weighs heavy in her mind, at least all the other wacky things happening are good distractions.