Spindleshanks

Spindleshanks was a deep gnome druid, who had lived feral among bobcats for most of his young life after escaping the destruction of his home village.

Jailed in Session One for stealing food from a market stall (unaware of the concept of 'purchase', or money at all), Spindle joined the party after deciding he liked them, pretty much. He was a child of simple reasoning.

He was killed in Session Ten in battle with a manticore.

Personality
As a child raised by wildcats, Spindleshanks was much like a cat himself - playful, wild and stubborn to a fault. Whether he himself understood what species he was is hard to discern!

He knew little about the civilised world (recognising coins only as pretty trinkets until he recieved a thorough education in economics, and not understanding the concept of 'family' beyond parents and immediate siblings) but was more intelligent than he first appeared, especially knowledgeable in the ways of the wild. Tracking, hunting and navigating the undergrowth all came to him naturally. Like a cat, Spindle would instinctually hang limp if grabbed by the scruff of the neck or back of the shirt, which proved useful in extracting him from dangerous situations.

Impulse control was not Spindle's strong suit - he followed his whims wherever they took him, heedless of danger. And when he was already aware of the danger, his plan was usually to run at it claws-first. (It is safe to say that he clocked the highest count of traps triggered by any party member.)

Determined to prove his place at the top of the food chain, Spindle was fond of attempting to eat the meat of creatures he had slain (or been involved in the slaying of). Which is all well and good, but he was always out of his beast form and his body took it as well as most folks' would when trying to eat raw meat. (Or, on one memorable occasion, snake blood. He threw that up instantly.)

Background
After fleeing his burning subterranean village at only a few years old, Spindle lived feral in the woods above the ruins of his home. He likely would not have survived alone, but had the good fortune to stumble across a family of bobcats that not only tolerated his presence, but took him in and reared him as one of their own kits.

Barely recalling his life from before, Spindle became very much an honorary member of the litter. Living in such close connection with nature granted him more than just an emotional tie to his four-legged family - the powers of the forest granted him the ability to take on a form more befitting of his new life, and he lived among the bobcats as one himself, shifting between shapes as it suited him.

However, as with the rest of his brothers, he was expected to eventually leave home and seek his own territory. In doing so, Spindle wandered onto the homestead of a farmer by the name of Sam Shanks, who took in the wild gnomish boy, provided him food and clothing, and grew to regard him as a son of his own. (And, no doubt, as an excellent mouser.)

The sudden disappearance of his father prompted Spindle Shanks (who, not understanding the notion of fore- and sur-names merged the two into a single compound name) to return once more to the wilds, foraging and hunting for survival. His wanderings brought him to the outskirts of the town of Red Larch, where the tempting aroma of fresh food called to him from the market stalls...

...and that's how Spindle ended up in jail for theft.

Appearance
Spindle was sixteen years of age during Act One, and even for his age was on the smal side for a gnomish child, standing in at two foot seven including the hair. He had grey skin and a shock of blue hair, and the typical pale grey eyes of his deep gnome kin.

He emoted strongly, with exaggerated expressions and gestures for emphasis, and carried himself in an animalistic fashion, often preferring to run on all fours rather than walk.

Cleanliness was not a strong suit of Spindle's - his frequent scampering through the underbrush meant he was almost always to some degree dirtied and was typically carrying a bird's nest worth of twigs and leaves in his hair.

He wore a simple shirt, trousers and a modified set of childrens' leathers - all clothing that once belonged to his honorary father's late son.

(From Session Six to the end of Session Seven wore an upside-down halfling lingerie corset over the top of the rest of his clothes, that had been placed on him by Tsalta and he did not initially bother to remove.)

Relationships
Tsalta: Spindle took to Tsalta in no time at all, and was more than content to be petted and fawned over by her. Her sheer size compared to his own made her a living playground to tiny Spindle, and he delighted in climbing on her and treated her hair as a nest (this encouraged by Tsalta herself, who knitted him a little pouch to curl up inside on their travels).

Faeleth:

Nothing: Spindle and Nothing got on well enough, becoming quickly like siblings in their constant bickering. He thought her too cautious and was frustrated at her attempts to rein in his recklessness.

Sweet Loot, Items, Inventory Etc.
"The Boom-Boom Stick" - Taken from a goblin leader in Session Five, this wand was determined to in fact be a Wand of Fire Bolt. Spindle loved it greatly and refused to relinquish it, despite using it approximately once.

A small collection of eyes from creatures he'd slain:
 * Two intact lizard eyes.
 * A couple of darkmantle eyes, in less perfect condition.
 * I swear there was a third thing he got the eyes from, but I forget!

Unconsciousnesses and Major Injuries
Session One Session Six Session Nine
 * Fails to disarm a trap while at 2HP. BOOM! Unconscious, failed two death saving throws by the time he was healed by Moira.
 * Drinks a bottle of what had a fifty-fifty chance of being poison. It was poison. Drops to the floor and seizes before being fed a potion of healing by Nothing.
 * Attacked by manticore at close quarters, unconscious.
 * Immediately attacked again by manticore upon being healed by Tsalta, unconscious.
 * Dragged from Tsalta's arms by manticore upon being healed for a second time by Tsalta, attacked repeatedly until dead.

Trivia and Miscelleny

 * Spindleshanks' player, unknown to the rest of the group, had planned with the DM to have Spindle killed off some time in the late game as his character voice was growing taxing to maintain. However, his death in Session Nine was not his scheduled appointment with the astral plane - that was just the DM pulling no punches since Spindle was set to die anyway.
 * The rest of the party never learn that "Spindleshanks" was in fact supposed to be two separate names.