Vark Bruvran, Retired Vintner turned Adventurer

It is unusual for a bugbear to become a vintner. Indeed it is such a novelty Vark found it made for a great "about" section on the back of each bottle. But despite the fact this made guild applications and paperwork (which had a tenancy to be unnecessarily bureaucratic at the best of times) exceedingly difficult at first, it was through persistence that Vark made his way into the profession.

And what a career he had; from his time as an apprentice using his large Goblinoid feet as the vineyards' best pair for grape-treading, all the way until he was giving orders to others after sampling the wine grown on his own land. Vark lived winemaking and despite his background he became respected within the profession. Though it was always kept as a secret between him and his master as to how Vark first arrived at the occupation, anyone who dared question it quickly became too drunk to care.

Another thing of note is that in Faerun such positions rarely exist without at least a bit of the arcane involved. After all, it's oft forgotten that the bardic arts extend to wine as well as song. As such Vark picked up a trick or two over the years, entertaining with magic to pick up any lulls in conversation. Most of these tricks were standard parlor tricks taught by the guild, though a few had the potential for more practical application.

Which brings us to Vark's retirement. On his sixty-second birthday Vark was thrown a fantastic leaving party by the guild, it was a lavish affair (not least because it made the Guild look really diverse in the local paper despite the fact its membership was overwhelmingly elven). Many of his colleagues were genuinely sad for him leaving, but he always said he wanted to spend more time with his wife Zuzaan in his winter years.

This was until one winter season in those winter years when the air filled with a flurry of white that covered Vark and Zuzaans' homestead in a thick layer of snowfall which kept them trapped inside for days. Then weeks.
It was a freak storm they said, nobody saw it coming. And with their children having left home they had nobody come to check on them in those two and a half weeks. They lived off of the contents of the larder, but the real issue was when the firewood started to run out. They covered up with blankets, but it wasn't enough. Two weeks into their confinement Zuzaan was taken ill, marred with a heavy fever. She refused to let Vark brave the storm, lest they both get sick. She passed from pneumonia, and Vark was left alone in an empty vineyard.

After the funeral Vark felt there was nothing for him at home anymore, his children having left and his wife gone. And so he split his savings and sent them to each of his sons before scouring through the paper to see any advertisements for travel that caught his attention. And he saw an advert that talked of a whole new continent, Kantas, far to the west. And what better source of excitement through travel than the New World? Vark packed a suitcase and headed to the docks, eager to spend what time he had left enjoying life and experiencing new things while he still could. It's what Zuzaan would have wanted.

Vark spent some time exploring local culture, he was introduced to the local contingent of the Vintners' Guild and wandered around his new home city of Daring Heights. However there wasn't much daring-do at daring heights, much to Vark's dismay. And so Vark said bugger it; he was going to try being an adventurer. Yes, if he was going to die anyway, he might as well make it exciting. Besides, he had a bit of magic at his disposal so he could certainly handle himself. And though he had a tenancy to be a bit traditional he thought he'd be personable enough to get along with some youngsters.

And so Vark started looking in the local paper, searching through the advertisements for anything promising...