Characters

Jill

Born in the sleepy town of Wolfville, Jill’s life is thrown into chaos as her home and her family are attacked by the Illgari, and forced to flee. Jill alone escapes the carnage, washing up on the shores of Sapling Grove, where she is found and taken in by the lost children of Treetop Village.

Now, all Jill wants is to find a way back home to her parents, but that will be harder than she thinks, as an army of Illgari led by a vindictive Witch, and many other threats stand in her way. But, with the help of her new friends, she just might make it home…

Jill’s favorite food: Stormberries

Jack

Jack is the self-proclaimed protector of Treetop Village, home to over a dozen lost children displaced from their homes and families by the expanding Illgari Empire, and it’s xenophobic take-over of Grimmvale. Jack was one of the founding members of Treetop Village, and currently serves as the town’s only explorer, gathering resources the other kids might need, and bringing in other lost souls that find themselves stranded in Sapling Grove.

Jack has burdened himself with this responsibility, that it makes him less polite than some would like. He’s not out to make friends, but is instead more concerned with everyone’s safety. However, with Jill’s introduction to Treetop, and also taking on the role of explorer, maybe Jack can begin to let others share his load, and let others in…

Jack’s favorite food: Magic beans

Greta

Greta is a bright and excitable young girl with an arsonist streak a mile wide. She is delighted and fascinated with flames, and loves to watch foliage burn. Upon being introduced to Jill, and her fiery orange hair, she declares Jill to be her “Bestie”, and does her best to earn the title by helping bridge the gap between her and some of the other children that are harder to communicate with.

Greta cares deeply for her brother, Handel, and will do whatever she can to keep him safe. Although, she isn’t above admonishing him for rude and antisocial behaviour. Greta also shares a home with Gail, one of the more responsible kids in Treetop, though this might be less because they’re friends, and more because someone responsible needs to keep an eye on Greta to make sure she doesn’t burn the village down on a whim.

Greta’s element: Fire

Greta’s favorite food: Firey orange

Gail

Gail acts as the town secretary, keeping track of every resource coming in and out, managing the other kids, and aiding Peter, the town’s mayor, in his tasks. With how busy she keeps herself, Gail ends up having little time for herself, not that she seems to mind, as her work keeps her in close proximity with Peter, who she seems to admire quite a lot.

Jill’s arrival in Treetop means a lot more work for the busy secretary, but it also means potentially having more tasks taken off of her plate. Hopefully Gail will be able to catch a break soon, before she works herself to death.

Gail’s element: Air

Gail’s favorite food: Airsimmon

Minty

A local troublemaker of the town of Sugarshade, Minty spends her time stealing from other Candians, running from the local soldiers after messing with them, and hanging out with Mr Bones in the town’s old rundown chapel that she calls home.

Minty lacks any friends or connections in Sugarshade, with the exception of Cookie, the captain of the Candian Soldiers, who treats her with a level of restraint and patience. She also seems to dislike talking about the local Candy Witch, but as to why is unknown…

Minty’s element: Nature

Minty’s favorite food: Sugarstone

Gizmodan

A strange contraption of clockwork and steam, the Automaton known as Gizmodan is discovered by Jill in a mysterious facility in the middle of Hexenmist Swamp. While he resembles many hostile ancient machines encountered by the party, this one seems friendly.

Having been activated by Jill, Gizmodan has nothing but loyalty and respect for his new master, and will follow Jill to the ends of Grimmvale to assist her in whatever mission she seeks out… or help her face whatever evils pursue her.

Gizmodan’s element: None

Gizmodan’s favorite food: Oil

Blanca

Originally from a small farm in Ambervale, Blanca lived a peaceful life with her parents and younger sister, Muffet, until the Illgari came and kidnapped her and her sibling. The two were loaded up onto a ship, but during the transit, a storm hit and caused Blanca to fall overboard, where she washed up on the shores of Sapling Grove, alone.

Blanca eventually found herself in Treetop Village, making a home among the other victims of the Illgari’s machinations. Blanca is very quiet and shy, not engaging with the other kids very often, instead spending her time around animals, who she seems to have an odd affinity with, even when they should be more aggressive, like her pet Badger, Miss Snuffles.

Blanca’s element: None

Blanca’s favorite food: Frost peach

Bella

Bella is yet another victim of displacement at the hands of the Illgari’s genocidal campaign. Her home used to be the picturesque Lunar Lakefields, but after the Illgari invaded, Bella watched as her home was left in ruins and turned into the backbone of the Illgari war machine.

Having fled south and found Treetop Village, Bella dedicated herself to protect her new home from any and all that would threaten it. It also helps that compared to most other kids her age, Bella is built like a truck, and is blessed with incredible strength thanks to her affinity with her Earth element.

Bella’s element: Earth

Bella’s favorite food: Metal mushroom (Iron shroom)

Woodsman

The mysterious Woodsman lingers in the depths of Sapling Grove, half a day out from Treetop Village. Few have ever met this individual, but Jack says he meets with him from time to time, to get more processed wood for their treehouses. As far as Jack remembers, the Woodsman has always been there, living alone in the woods.

Upon the start of Jill’s journey, the Woodsman aids her, saving her from the Shadows that plague the night, and ends up offering her his old reliable axe made of sugarstone. While it has lost most of it’s power, he insists it will be useful for her. Whether or not Jill will see this mysterious old man again is something time will tell…

Woodsman’s element: Darkness

Woodsman’s favorite food: King Cabbage

Mouse

Mouse is an oddity in Treetop Village. Firstly, she’s not human, but some kind of mouse beastfolk. Secondly is the fact that while most kids in Treetop fled from the Illgari up north, Mouse made her way to Treetop Village from the south instead. All of this has led to a slight mistrust of her amongst the other children, who haven’t bothered to get to know her.

Mouse spends most of her time in the worker’s tent, which she also calls home, tanning hides that Jack brings her and crafting clothes and armour for the other residents of Treetop. While this has made her useful, it has also made her smell something fierce, leading to yet another reason why the kids of Treetop don’t associate with her, and why no one wants to share a Treehouse with her.

Mouse’s element: Water

Mouse’s favorite food: Dew-berries

Goldie

Uptight and snobbish, Goldie doesn’t have many friends in Treetop Village. She holds herself to a much higher standard than the other children, and it is rare she will associate with anyone she views as “below her station”. How she wound up slumming it here is anyone’s guess…

In truth, Treetop Village would be in much more dire straits if not for Goldie’s knowledge of the arcane. Goldie is the one who has enchanted the statues outside Treetop Village to offer protection from the growing number of Shadow Monsters that roam the woods at night. Now if only she could enchant herself to be more polite to her fellow kids…

Goldie’s element: Light

Goldie’s favorite food: Guilded pear

Woodrow

Of all the odd kids in Treetop, Woodrow takes the cake as being the oddest of oddities. Woodrow is a living wooden doll. He doesn’t know how he’s alive, where he came from, or who he used to be, but as far as he knows, his life began when Jack found him washed up on the shores of the Lethe river, and brought him back to Treetop one day.

Since then, Woodrow has worked to find out more about himself. He now knows that he loves to spend his time fishing, and that he’s a crack shot with a slingshot. But as for more personal information, he’s still drawing a blank. Overall, he’s well liked by the other kids, acting as the town’s lookout, since he doesn’t need to sleep.

Woodrow’s element: Water

Woodrow’s favorite food: Wood varnish

Red

Red has been in Treetop arguably the longest out of any of the kids there, with her treehouse being one of the first ones ever built, before the village itself was a thing. Red is a Bearen, normally found in Cinderfell, so it’s a bit of a mystery how she came to be here. Unfortunately, Red can’t tell anyone the answers to that, as she’s mute.

For the longest time, no one could understand Red, until Greta arrived in Treetop, and the two slowly worked out how to communicate in hand-speak, allowing Red to finally talk to the others. It was then that everyone discovered that Red didn’t have much to say, but was instead a great listener. Also, she’s surprisingly efficient with a Scythe of all things.

Red’s element: Energy

Red’s favorite food: Lightning leek

Cookie

Sugarshade takes great pride in it’s soldiers, each one mixed and baked to be the best soldier they can be. And no more is that true than with Sir Anzac Gingersnap, the Twice-Baked… or Cookie to his friends. Biscuit-Breath to one particular mint-coloured rapscallion with a lack of respect.

Cookie is the most loyal soldier to the Candy Witch, who presides in Sugarshade as the guardian of nature and of Sapling Grove. He would give his life for her if she ordered it… but instead she’s ordered him to go investigate some magical nonsense with some fairies down south. What a pain.

Cookie’s element: Nature

Cookie’s favorite food: Howling ginger

Erika

Erika is a unique case in Treetop Village. She heralds from the region of Ambervale to the East, rather than Lupine Forest, like most of the other lost children. She is very adept with a sword, but chooses not to wield it or become an explorer like Jack, and instead works alongside Auran in the town’s Orchard, despite requests from Peter to do otherwise. However, Treetop Village doesn’t pry into people’s pasts or demand answers, and so Erika has been free to live a peaceful life, free from any personal demons she might be running from.

With Jill’s arrival in Treetop, Erika inexplicably offers to help her in her Explorer tasks, offering to use her innate Light Magic to protect her. While some of the other children might raise an eyebrow at this, no one calls her out on it, as Treetop Village does not demand answers…

Erika’s element: Light

Erika’s favorite food: Glowing grapes

Ali

If there is a shady deal to be made, or a bargain to be had, you can bet your shards that Ali will be there, taking advantage of the situation. Quick-witted and cunning beyond his years, Ali is keen find ways to benefit himself, and the few others he’s willing to call friends. Though for him, ‘friends’ may as well be called ‘accomplices’

No one’s entirely sure when Ali arrived in Treetop Village, and everyone is less sure why Peter allows him to stay. In truth, Ali is just too useful for them to get rid of, being able to haggle better than anyone else and get their struggling community better deals and resources they sorely need. Even if he’s skimming a bit off the top and charging said community an arm and a leg to do it.

Ali’s element: Air

Ail’s favorite food: Midas Nopales

Handel

The level headed twin brother of Greta, Handel has always had his hands full when it comes to his firebug of a sister. Years of dealing with her excitable nature and putting out her fires (literally most of the time), has led Handel to become a bit of a stress-eater, and somewhat impatient with others and their nonsense, since he’s seen it all before.

Despite his grouchy exterior, Handel does still care for his sister, and puts his own affinity with Fire to use by using it in cooking, hoping that his practical applications will rub off on Greta someday, and get her to apply herself in a more constructive manner. Until then, Handel will keep making delicious food, and eating it to cope with the stress.

Handel’s element: Fire

Erika’s favorite food: Embrocolli

Olive

Olive is a brilliant Goblin Inventor from the Southstone Mountain Range, forced into military service by the villainous Troll mercenary, Fagin. She first meets Jill in Hexenmist Swamp, on a mission to assist the Orcs retake their ancestral city of Ku-Loreng from the vile Valekin.

Olive wants nothing more than to keep her people, and their small town of Gobolin Towan, safe from the Troll’s raids. Perhaps with Jill’s help, she can find a way to do that without selling herself or her soul to these vicious mercenaries…

Olive’s element: Fire

Olive’s favorite food: Snow Peas

Stone-Hoof

Legend speaks of the powerful Miran-Tor; half-man, half-bull, and all extremely violent and strong. These beastfolk once served as the bulwark of the Beastmen Horde in ages past, tearing a path through the Ongrom’s Spine mountains and creating the Scarred Pass, before abandoning their duty, and disappearing out west, beyond the now desolated Nymph Grasslands…

Stone-Hoof is a far cry from the legends of old. A wise and calm scholar that Jill and company find lost in a pile of tomes deep within the Archivist’s Tomb, Stone-Hoof is a relic from a different time, having literally lost track of time, and lost track of his people. The last Miran-Tor in Grimmvale, and he prefers a good book over a blade… not to say he can’t smash some skulls if pushed.

Stone-Hoof’s element: Earth

Stone-Hoof’s favorite food: Crystallime

Carol

Carol is a young Leporit girl that has been living a most peaceful life in the underground town of Shimmerton, deep within the Verdant Undercroft. Her life was turned upside down when a dishevelled old man crash landed into her living room, leaving her needing a new dining table.

Her life was then turned upside down again, or perhaps right-side up, by the arrival of a young, red-headed girl, lost and alone down in the Endless Warrens that surrounded their town. Seeking to aid the young Jill, and being small enough to fit into a satchel, Carol decided to tag along on this child’s quest to find her friends and escape the Undercroft, not yet knowing the evils that were now pursuing them both…

Carol’s element: Light

Carol’s favorite food: Carrot

Andrew

Andrew is the resident alchemist of Treetop, if you can call him that. He knows the recipe for one kind of potion, which is one more than the other kids know, so he’s been nominated as the expert.

Andrew likes to spend his time studying new lore and information, which is difficult while stranded in a bare-bones village like Treetop, in the middle of a genocidal campaign led by a bunch of crazy wolves, but Andrew makes do with what he can get his hands on.

Andrew’s element: Water

Andrew’s favorite food: Sea gherkin

Peter

Peter is the elected Mayor of Treetop Village. Originally, Peter worked as an explorer alongside Jack, but an injury to his leg led to him having to remain in the village, and so it only made sense to make him the Mayor, where he could keep an eye on the village stock-house and protect it from thieves.

Peter is extremely welcoming to Jill when she arrives in Treetop Village, as while it’s another mouth to feed, Jill quickly shows an innate talent for exploring, taking the pressure off of Jack, himself, and Gail, who he worries about constantly with the amount of work she takes on as his secretary. Peter hopes that this newcomer will help bring safety to his fellow lost children, and security to the Village.

Peter’s element: Nature

Carol’s favorite food: Amber pumpkin

Auran

Auran is a simple kid with simple goals. He likes to grow apples, tend to crops, and manage fields. And that’s about it. Strong as an ox, and about as smart as one too, Auran’s biggest concern right now is the dietary health of everyone in Treetop.

Auran’s element: Earth

Auran’s favorite food: Apples

Hariette

Hariette is Treetop’s resident flower tender. Normally that wouldn’t be an important job, but Treetop Village is in close proximity to a bunch of Pigmen villages, and those Pigmen LOVE their bright and vibrant colours and dyes, so Hariette’s flowers are key to Treetop’s continued viability and survival.

Hariette won’t venture from the village very often, often relying on Jack to bring back new and vibrant flowers and seeds to craft into new dyes, much to Jack’s boredom and chagrin.

Hariette’s element: Nature

Hariette’s favorite food: Boiled sweet