Hipps Rykuh

Overview
Hipps Rykuh was an 83 year old Bardonian Dwarf who dwelled in Port Solanaria, Bardonia, in the north east of Rathnir and followed the religion of Tuberism.

He died on the 18th of March 2022.

Family
For the young part of his life, Hipps was a lone traveller. He had little memory of his parents or where he was born, but he remembered what was essential to survive. He spent most of his life plundering ruins, foraging and hunting for food in the wild.

However Hipps did eventually have one son who he raised as his own, Jorgel Rykuh, though Hipps never really met (or remembered meeting atleast) Jorgel's mother.

Joining Bardonia and Port Solanaria
Hipps saw a path of true beauty in the colour yellow. From his adolescence he devoted himself to Dandelism, because of his admiration of the dandelion's colour. He would usually forage and hunt near dandelion fields whilst he survived in the wild.

Later in his years at 42 he met the Bardonians, whom he respected for their love of the dandelion, as they inhabited the dandelion fields that he hunted on. He would go on to join Bardonia from this point. In his time in Bardonia he would join the town of Port Solanaria. It was in the town of Port Solanaria he was first introduced to the potato and the religion of Tuberism. He was in adoration of the potato's golden yellow skin, and would instantly followed the religion of Tuberism alongside Dandelism.

At the time of his arrival, Port Solanaria was small and mostly uninhabited. The citizens had recently suffered a wave of theft and destruction that left the town in ruins, with many inhabitants abandoning it. Hipps would spend day and night chopping wood and mining stone which he would then use to rebuild the town. After weeks of hard physical labour from the town's remaining citizens, the walls of the town had been rebuilt and expanded, the roads had been relayed and various buildings had sprouted up. Once Port Solanaria was rebuilt and rapidly growing again, Hipps would focus on learning the art of brewery. He would run a tavern that sold whiskey, beer and vodka to the townsfolk, and rumour circulated that he was selling other... more suspicious substances. As Hipps continued to provide for the town, even building a church to Tuberism, the mayor of the town would recognise his devotion and he would eventually be granted the title of Elder potato. This honour meant he was amongst the 4 other Elder Potatoes who played the biggest role in managing the town. His life was simple and care-free, drinking vodka and eating potatoes in a now prosperous town. But this fantasy would be cut short as the death of his first friend brought him back to reality.

3rd Mayor's Death and Soladium
On the 6th of August 2021, the town's 3rd mayor, Maximus Ida, would die due to a lethal drug overdose. Hipps would be the first to find the Mayor's body, shocked and confused at how the mayor had died he would look through his surroundings for a possible explanation. In doing this Hipps would unknowingly come in to contact with Maximus' soladium contaminated blood. Eventually Hipps found a note beside Maximus's body opening with: 'If you are reading this I would have likely died of soladium overdose, I never thought I would have fallen to such a monstrosity of a substance...'.

It was then that Hipps began to sweat and shake as he became rapidly unwell from the small dose of pure soladium he had accidentally taken. In a hurried panic he would run out of Idaho's town hall to his home where he would lay in a coma-like state for the next 3 hours.

After he first awoke he struggled to recall what had happened, but was reminded by the blood stained onto his hands. His initial thoughts as he washed his hands clean and changed clothes were to stay as far away as possible from the Mayor's office, but as the hours past by he had a craving to return and take the drug. Soon he found himself back in the Mayor's place of death, and although the mayor's body had been removed, he saw the mayor's stash of soladium. But before he took the drug again, he recalled what had happened to him earlier, and looked over at where he had saw the dead Mayor, his mind flashing back to the sight of his pale corpse. He resisted taking it, but instead stored the soladium in bottles, as he contemplated a safer way of consuming the drug to satisfy his new addiction.

Dishonourable Trade
After finding a suitable way of consuming soladium, Hipps decided he would sell his new product. He met little to no success in Port Solanaria, with its residents still fearing over what happened to the Mayor, and so he moved elsewhere. In Fornost Hipps would travel wearing a hooded cloak and carrying his belongings in a wagon in an attempt to sell soladium to the locals. One stranger in Fornost showed interest, but not in Hipps' soladium, instead in his battle horn he carried with him in his wagon. The battle horn was an heirloom, one of few things left to him from his parents. Hipps was hesitant to give the stranger the heirloom, but the stranger insisted and offered a high price. Hipps began to contemplate how badly he really needed the money, but whilst he did this, the stranger grew impatient, placing $250 on the wagon counter, taking the battle horn, and leaving.

Duel in the Woods
After some time in Fornost, Hipps would recognise the stranger walking through the woods, it was here Hipps ambushed her. Both him and the stranger drew swords. As Hipps looked at the stranger he thought he noticed something familiar about her, but dismissed this as his opponent lunged forward. Hipps' dull tools and short height was no match. His right eye was grazed by her sword, his right ear cut off, his right arm was severed and the left side of his chest stabbed through with her sword. Quite unbelievably Hipps survived this brutal ordeal, although it is not known for certain how, the small doses of soladium he took may have played a roll in strengthening his body well enough to live after his injuries. However Hipps would fall unconscious in the forest, but his attacker would run away in regret and fear that they had believed they had killed him, only leaving Hipps' battle horn beside his body, as they recognised his unhooded face on the ground. Eventually Hipps would wake up in the forest, stumble back to his wagon and attempt to reattach his severed arm, he successfully ended up tying his arm back to his shoulder, but had no control over its movement.

Although Hipps would never know who his attacker was, and why they decided to return his battle horn after nearly murdering him, he had encountered them many times before. Zion Lelya-Earcala was the daughter of Maximus Ida, the 3rd Mayor of Port Solanaria, and unknown to Hipps, the true cause of his near fatal injuries. Hipps also never realised that it may have been soladium that kept him alive. He only saw it as the reason he got into the financial mess he was in, and what caused him to leave to Fornost and obtain his injuries. Because of this belief, Hipps would burn all of the soladium in his possession, but nonetheless, the drug would still circulate Rathnir.

Midnight Heresy
Hipps would spend a few weeks recovering after returning from Fornost. He continued to live his usual life, of farming potatoes and relaxing.

Although the mayor had died the town was still thriving. Solanaria was making a hefty income from its exports of potatoes and other crops from the vast farmland it oversaw. The town was recognised as the farming capital of Bardonia; it was the farms that put food on people's table and money in their pockets. So when news of an impending famine spread through the town, it was met with serious panic. Hipps and his fellow Tuberites began hastily filling up storages with potatoes early in the morning, and by the evening crops had already begun to rot and blight.

Rations were small and infrequent, whilst Hipps tried to make the most of his handful of potatoes, others were already taking to the streets to raid storages for themselves. As Hipps remained locked away inside his house, he noticed as the hours passed the violence outside only grew.

However by midnight, rioting had quietened down. The angry townsfolk seemed to have suddenly overcome their fear of starvation. With the quiet outside Hipps expected to rest with ease and be undisturbed in his sleep. He managed two hours of sleep before being awoke: quickly sitting up in his bed. Five loud fast bangs on his door sounded again. He crept down his stairs, taking a knife from his kitchen and holding it behind his back. After building up the courage, he swung the door open to confront the knocker...

"Hipps!" said the man, "They're going to get us all killed. I- I-..."

"What the hell are you talking about? And who even are you?" replied Hipps. Hipps watched as the man failed to get his words out, "Look, just get out of here. I haven't got time to hear some drunkard's story at this time of night."

"No- wait," the man sighed, "just- just look!" He pointed at a hill peaking over the wall.

It took a moment for Hipps to adjust his eyes, but he saw the cause for the man's alarm, and his heart dropped. A pile of beetroot 3 metres high blazing with fire and a group of men and women dancing around it in circles. Beetroot is a heretical food condemned by Tuberism, Hipps' religion. According to Tuberite law it should not be sold, bought, grown, eaten and most of all, should never be worshipped. Those who worship the beetroot will bring about a curse onto all those near. And now just outside of Tuberism's founding town, citizens were parading about a beetroot sacrifice.

"Tell the Solanum guard [Port Solanaria's law enforcers], I'll tell the elder potatoes," Hipps said in a hurried panic. Both men parted and Hipps made his way to Lnedible. Lnedible was already awake and listened to Hipps explain what he had saw. He assured Hipps that he would deal with the problem as he sharpened his sword.

Holy Beheading
A gathering had formed in the town square that Hipps' window overlooked. The people looked to Lnedible who spoke about the reports of beetroot worship. At this news the crowd murmured between each other, tensions between the people rose and some began to shout and hit each other. Hipps looked on worriedly through his window just before Lnedible announced that the beetroot worshippers would be found and 'executed'.

Lnedible's army marched towards the water-front area, home to most of Solanaria's non-Tuberites. Non-Tuberites hadn't been farming potatoes in preparation for the famine, leaving them with a shortage of food that could only mean starvation. At first their solution was to protest for food and access to the potato storages but this was deemed unnecessary when they found an alternative solution. Beetroots were seemingly immune to the affects of the famine, non-Tuberites naive to the Tuberites attitudes on Beetroots began to eat and praise the beetroot for saving them.

Hipps sat in his bedroom hearing blood-curdling screams and shouts from the water-front area. His mind raced thinking of how this crisis could end. Mass genocide of non-Tuberites was not aligned with the Tuberite way, and would not 'go down well' with other religions. He decided to write a letter to Zion, daughter of the previous mayor, for her to bring soldiers to sort the mess out. A day passed with no sign of a response and Hipps continued to fear the worst would happen. He visited the Tuberite Church and prayed that the beetroot worship and the violence would stop, and that Zion would arrive. As he sat on the pew and prayed, a rumbling could be heard approaching outside. The door to the Church was kicked open, Lnedible entered dragging a man by a chain wrapped around his neck. The man frantically clawed at the chain, screaming and proclaiming his innocence; a crowd flooded in behind Lnedible to see the spectacle. Lnedible held a sword to the man's neck and began interrogating him about the beetroot worshipping. Hipps realised the situation and would try to make his way to the door but couldn't push through the dense crowd. Hipps turned around again to see the man Lnedible was holding spit into Lnedible's face. Before anyone in the crowd could react, Lnedible sliced off the man's head with one slash. There was a pause before the crowd hesitantly cheered, and Hipps finally managed to rush out.

Awaited Arrival
By a week later, most of the town's non-Tuberite population had escaped, been imprisoned in the town's dungeons, or been killed. Intervention was now vital if Hipps didn't want to live in fear and submission to Solanaria's new tyrannical leader. But still it seemed no one would show up. Although it was now peaceful and safe to walk on the streets, real horror still lied underneath the town. He tried thinking of various plans to overthrow Lnedible without turning the town against him but met no success. In one plan he thought of contaminating Lnedible's rations with poisonous potatoes, but Hipps saw the barrel of poisonous potatoes he planned on using thrown into the sea by a stranger. He felt he was left with no option but to leave the town. Perhaps he would spread awareness and try to rally others to restore it with him, or perhaps he would never mention it again.

The next day Hipps made his way to the gate, but Lnedible's loyalists had shut it. He demanded to know why and was told a crazed woman was outside threatening to bring down Lnedible. Hipps went up a watchtower to the top of the wall, and sure enough, a young woman below demanded that Lnedible be brought to her to pay for his crimes. The guards mockingly asked the girl of her name. She replied "Zion Leyla-Earcala." The guards began to murmur in confusion as they recognised the woman; she was of course the daughter of the previous mayor, but she had also been found and arrested the day prior after sneaking into the walls, and locked in the dungeons. Eventually the guards decided that if she could escape so easily and would continue being such a nuisance, she was better off dead. Lnedible arrived at the gates with his sword to make an example of her.

The gates rose and both fighters leapt forwards. The duel was bloody and long-winded. Both fighters landed devastating stabs and slashes, mutilating each other and painting the town's entrance bridge with blood. Hipps and the other spectators looked on in silence as both carried on swinging despite their injuries. Finally after a long battle, Zion strook the side of Lnedible's neck with her dagger and he fell down choking on his blood. Lnedible was exiled in his crippled state to Patania, and Zion took control. Relieved, Hipps would decide against leaving. In time for the end of the famine, he would hand out free drinks to the freed prisoners and clean up the blood and destructions caused by the riots.

Humble Endings
Years passed from the riots and return of Zion. Hipps had seen little violence since, with the exception of quarrels between independence activists in the town. He spent the time continuing his peaceful lifestyle and raising his only son, Jorgel. Hipps had been promiscuous in his younger years, but never expected to be left with a child on his front door step on one Sunday morning. Nevertheless he raised Jorgel, who was supposedly his son, and as people and mayors in the town seemed to come and go, Jorgel would eventually be one of few friends he had left. Hipps grew old with his son, he taught him the ways of Tuberism and the history of the Port and Bardonia, though Hipps left some things out.

Under the Surface
Hipps took his son one day to the town well. The town well was the gateway into the catacombs where many artefacts, tombs and statues could be found. He saw it as the perfect way to show his son some of the beliefs and history of the local area, particularly about the garfists who protected the relics in the catacombs.

"Well go on, jump down," Hipps said.

"Into the well...? Why?" asked Jorgel.

"You'll find out. Trust me, I'll be right behind you," Hipps responded. Jorgel hesitated and sighed before jumping in. "That's the spirit!"

Hipps jumped in shortly after Jorgel, the pair swam downwards towards the light at the bottom. As they got nearer the light, there appeared to be a shaking sensation, and in a gust of wind seemingly from nowhere, the torches in the tunnels below blew out. Hipps clambered his way out of the water in the darkness, gasping for breath. He felt around him for Jorgel, and then the torches reignited. He found himself in a long stone corridor underground, with Jorgel nowhere to be seen. Still dripping wet, he called out for Jorgel but got no reply. Walking down the corridor, he continued to call out until he reached the end. He pushed open a large wooden door into an overgrown room. In the centre on a podium was the silhouette of a person, Hipps rushed up the steps towards them with relief. As Hipps got close to who he thought was his son, he realised he was instead looking at a stone statue of Garf. For a moment, he stared into Garf's eyes as Garf looked back emotionless, but he was then alerted by a blood-curdling scream from elsewhere in the catacombs. Jorgel's scream for help echoed off all the walls; Hipps turned quickly running down towards where he thought it had came from.

"Jorgel... JORGE-," He shouted, slipping down the wet steps in his hurry. His upper half flew forwards and his head plummeted into the stone steps. But his frail body wasn't what it once was, and the impact instantly killed him.