Oliver Springberry

Backstory

Oliver Springberry is a 2’8” Stout Halfling born in a very conservative town of Humans, Half-Elves, and other Halflings. In this town, the god Torm of Loyal Fury is the main deity and all of its citizens give him the utmost respect and uphold his commandments of righteousness, obedience, and self-sacrifice.

One loyal follower of his in this town is Barb’raa Softblom who had a fling with another Halfling named Samuel Springberry. When Barb realized she was pregnant, the two had a shotgun wedding to avoid controversy among the town and had a little girl they named Oliver for her dark green eyes. Oliver, in her mother’s eyes, was a strange child. Her hair was always tangled since Oliver would squirm whenever Barb tried to brush it and she’d refuse to wear any dresses her mother sewed for her. Rather, Oliver enjoyed playing in the mud and bringing home insects and rodents as pets as well as hanging out with the little boys in town rather than the little girls. Barb, expecting to have a child she could relate to, found herself frustrated at all points, while Samuel admired his daughter’s curiosity and actively encouraged her interests as they reflected his. The marriage became strained in later years, as Barb and Samuel found less and less in common with each other and simply stayed together for the sake of their daughter.

One day, a young, blue and pink Tiefling appeared in the town. She approached the local children looking for a friend but was scorned and the children left her in fear… Except for Oliver.
The Tiefling’s name was Hydrangea and the two little girls became fast friends. They admired each other’s weirdness and had constant games and sleepovers together, becoming the best of friends. This was to the disappointment of Oliver’s mother, as she believed Hydrangea’s Infernal nature and her heretic mother would be a bad influence on Oliver. But she kept her mouth shut for the time being.

Tragically, Samuel Springberry became very ill one day and was bed-ridden for a majority of Oliver’s 10th year. Soon, the day finally came when Samuel knew he would pass away. He held his beloved daughter close and told her to never lose her joy and wonder in the world. Oliver was devastated after losing her father, but found comfort in her one friend as they bore the pain together and took Samuel’s words to heart. And while Barb was certainly distraught by the death of her husband, she was ready to restart her life with someone she truly connected with and would remarry to a Halfling man named Larin Amberwood.

As Oliver grew into a teenager, many aspects of her life began to change drastically. Suddenly, she was the older sister to multiple siblings and found herself in charge whenever her mother or step-dad weren’t around (which happened more often than she’d like). She became more irritable with Barb and would hang out more and more at Hydrangea’s house just to get some time away from it all. While there, she would realize something about herself that would fill her with dread:
Oliver had a crush on her best friend…

Oliver would constantly go back and forth with her feelings, wanting to be with Hydrangea so badly, but knowing that the town was very disapproving of same-sex couples, as it was a sin in the eyes of Torm. After years of pining, Oliver would work up the courage to confess to Hydrangea. On the faithful day she met with her best friend to tell her the news. But before she could say anything, Hydrangea had news as well: she had a new boyfriend, one of the young Half-Elven boys in town named Vanxian Stormcloud. Oliver’s heart sank, but she kept up her smile for the sake of her friend and wished her new relationship well. After their meeting, Oliver raced home and to her room in tears, catching the attention of her mother on the way. Barb entered her daughter’s room to try and comfort her, not having seen her cry in years. Oliver relented after her mother’s prodding and told her everything. Though shocked, Barb tried to reassure Oliver that she could help fix her. To Oliver’s dismay, Barb decided it would be best to send her away to the Temple of Torm’s Coming in order to cleanse her soul and set her on the proper path that Barb had always wanted for her. Confused and scared, Oliver hesitantly agrees.

A few days later, Hydrangea notices Oliver’s uncharacteristic somber mood and is told about Barb’s plans to send Oliver away to a temple. The two are equally upset about being separated from one another, but Oliver reassures Hydrangea that this is the right thing to do. The girls embrace and within the following month, Oliver has packed what few belongings she’s allowed to take and sets off to the temple.

At the Temple of Torm’s coming, Oliver spends years living under the tutelage of Torm priests and clerics with nun-like duties. She begins adopting their ideologies of self-sacrifice and courage and becomes a loyal member of the church. One day, to Oliver’s surprise, she is bestowed a blessing by The God of Duty himself and is granted magical healing abilities. The clerics of the temple revel in her blessing and she is approved to train as an official cleric of the Order Domain. After learning basic incantations and powers, her mentors tell her to go out into the world and spread the word of Torm. Along the way, she must help any innocent humanoid that is in danger, no matter the cost of her own life, an ideal to which Oliver lives by now.

CURRENT STATUS

Traveling with a party of adventurers and her best friend Hydrangea as they are constantly teleported between the overworld and the underworld

Relationships

Hydrangea Verraten [ Best friend ]

Hydrangea is Oliver's childhood best friend. The two met at a young age when Hydrangea tried to make friends with the children closer to the outskirts of Floraison and was scorned for being a tiefling. Oliver accepted her and they were close ever since. But unbeknownst to Hydrangea, Oliver developed a strong crush on her in their teenage years.

Barb'raa Amberwood [ Mother ] 

Oliver has a complicated relationship with her mother. Barb always expected her to relate to her and enjoy the things she enjoyed, rather than playing in the dirt and collecting bugs. When Oliver was a teen, she felt pressured by her mother to take care of her new younger siblings and would spend as much time as she could away from their house. But despite it all, Barb'raa was the first person Oliver came out to...

Samuel Springberry [ Father ]

Oliver completely adored her father before he passed away. He would often encourage her unique interests like collecting animals and picking plants as he loved nature. He taught Oliver to enjoy life and to explore the world and was there for her whenever she needed him.