Kelber Ornie

Ornie is a Gnome Alchemist and one of the Kelbers tasked with guarding the valuable Kelbana Stones that provide magic to the Land of Rymoor. Raised in Shel's Basin for the majority of his long life, Ornie is a walking compendium of knowledge. Although, he prefers to regale the party with tales of his past erotic adventures. Unlike most Kelbers who devote themselves to studying magic, Ornie prefers the study of alchemy for its practical applications outside the radius of Kelbana Stones.

HISTORY

Before he became a Kelber at age 112, Ornie began his training as an alchemist in his hometown of Torport alongside his childhood rival, Kirie. As he got older, he became a self-described roustabout. He did whatever he could to get by including gambling and whoring. After falling in love with a human pirate woman named Karoleena, he followed her out onto the high seas for a life of sailing. Due to his stature, the venture didn't work out very well for him.

Ever resistant to rules and authority, when he finally did become a Kelber, Ornie decided not to train in Kelbana Stone dependent magic and instead studied alchemy. Considered a waste of time by many of the other Kelbers, Ornie was quick to earn the ire of bullies (like Kelber Aticus) within the order.

THE RYMOOR REASON

Ornie first meets Adeline, Jünk, and Maatzyn working at Etonstone Kelbana Temple in Shel's Landing. His first interaction is giving them a sample of a stoneflesh tonic in which he added hamster testicles for flavor. Kelber Aticus advises the party to not interact with Ornie because he does not like or respect the elderly gnome.

Ornie's stoneflesh tonic keeps the party and Kelber Selfen safe after the explosion in the fallout of the Kelbana Stone theft causes them to fall into the caverns of the Etonstone Mine. Ornie then leads the party in escaping the mine and in the defeat of the burning out magical manifest, Sam.

Ornie advises the party as they decide whether to travel to Cragshore or Silver Hammer. Shortly after deciding to travel north, Ornie seranades the party with a traditional Gnome anthem, "The Red Hat and the Wind."

Ornie assists in battle against a green fire phantom in the form of Kelber Selfen's long lost sister, Diana. Though they destroy the magical source of the entity, Kelber Selfen dies in battle. Ornie is then prompted to sing a second song by Jünk, a traditional dwarven funeral song. Jünk accompanies him on the woodblock.

In the battle against Bergen and The Band of Elanoris, Ornie uses a sleep potion to great effect and puts a duo of cannibal archers to sleep. Later, despite falling from a horse, he proves he can wield his cudgel with great force when he manages to crack vertebrae in Bergen's back.

After reaching the desecrated city of Cragshore, Ornie is inspired to sing another song called "The Requiem of Dagra." At the summit of the rookery tower, Nora allows Ornie to read the messages from Silver Hammer and Norrence. With Norrence requesting aide, Ornie is quick to point out that helping should inspire the human kingdom to assist Shel's Basin against the attacking gnomes.

Arriving in Bogworth, Ornie is excited to go to the brothel, Madame Gernwilde's House of Leisure for a drink. He notes that his buddy, a Gnome called Endrie, has given him half-off prices in the past for any and all services inside. Although agreeing to help Idyllwyl's old friend, Fiero, Ornie is callous and dismissive towards the Elf on account of his occupation. Despite this, Ornie is pleased with Idyllwyl's rampant nudity in Chapter 3.

Ornie is uncharacteristically helpless during the altercation with Gernwilde and her sons after being knocked out with a bludgeoning weapon. After the trio's defeat, Ornie consoles Endrie who was discovered in the dungeon. In Gernwilde's bedchamber, Ornie reads aloud a letter from Duke Regent Doran Pentigrath. He also skims through Pentigrath's erotic play, "Sir Tomtim's Tallywacker," and decides it is not written well. Ornie introduces the play to the audience after Jünk suggests they perform it for the brothel employees and patrons.

In The Church of the Giant God, Amok, Ornie expresses a lack of belief and respect towards Revered Father Merson's religion. After Merson tells the tale of Amok and its relation to the origin of man, Ornie says dismissively, "that sounds like bullshit."

During the battle with the animage, Sosian, Ornie performs well, using a potion of cure condition to absolve Maatzyn of paralysis, a poultice of empowered rage to inflict berserk upon an abyssal skeleton, and a potion of frost burst to damage Sosian in his hydra form.

At the lost Temple of Rasa outside of Misty Cross, Ornie displays a contempt for The Demon Goddess. And after Asteria shows her true colors, Ornie is quickest to treat her fully as an enemy, striking her with a Poultice of Blistering Death and finishing her with his cudgel. He prepares a potion of restoration for Jünk and tells the party it is strengthened by mourner's tears, which neither he or Maatzyn can appropriately muster. Adeline, however, adds many of her own. When Jünk joins a willful covenant with Rasa, the need for the restoration potion is rendered void.

Jünk's choice leaves his relationship with Ornie strained. At the Haunted Horsewoman Inn in Misty Cross, Ornie attests that Jünk's choice to submit himself to Rasa is selfish, cowardly, dangerous, and insulting to his abilities as an alchemist. It also makes Ornie wary of his ability to trust Jünk as a warrior on their quest.

After battling mist nereids, Ornie agrees to help Kaius Falchion III reclaim his rightful body and throne in hopes that he will aide in the coming conflict with the Gnomes. Though the party travels in crates together, smuggling themselves into the capital, Ornie becomes separated from the party when they wake up in Red Anchor Keep's dungeons. Ornie is able to help the party from afar, bring them weapons, and study up on the hand of Almone and the ebony Skull. And at the end of Jünk's battle with Janessa, he violently kills Archmagus Philimus, after slashing his Achilles tendons.

Ornie uses the Ebony Skull and the Hand of Almone together to teleport back to Silverhammer with the party. His belief is that it will take him to the closest magical power source which would theoretically be Silverhammer's Kelbana stone. However he is shocked to discover it took them instead to a cavern beneath the Gandra Pit in the ruins of the village of Dagra.

He travels with the party and Laila Erenyes to discover native magic re-growing beneath Rymoor and Temmushalyn Shrine. After a battle with the Centipriestess and a Cockatrice on the surface, Laila parts ways with the party after dipping Ornie and giving him a big kiss.

Outside of Falkre, Ornie agrees to navigate The Moonwalk with Fenfaril under Minister Rathiel's beckoning. Of the four trials of The Moonwalk, Ornie's called Le Salis or Wisdom. He has the easiest time with his and bashes the skull of his deceased bully, Kelber Aticus, to earn his passage.

Sometime before embarking on an Elfcork raft down the Sansi River, Ornie formulates Ink of Directional Intent after being inspired by Fenfaril which helps guide the party on their travels. It is on the Sansi River, that Ornie sings the song, Ol' Sansi River which tells of the dangers that lurk in Feirus Lake. When given the choice between a whirlpool, a swarm of Bees called Fenom, and a monster called Mon Grul, the party (along with Rin) chooses to face Mon Grul. Ornie is instrumental in the defeat of Mon Grul when he destroys a regenerative tuber flower root on a hill beneath an unmarked grave.

Ornie assists as well in the Battle against Rasa's Champion Ugu-Ta in Rasa's Sanctum. Towards the end of the battle, he is nearly killed when Ugu-Ta throws one of her spears at him with all her might. Ornie is revived by Jünk and Adeline after finding his own healing potions in his bag. Ornie is happy to return the favor for Jünk, assisting him in the removal of his false heart and at last uses his restoration potion to bring Jünk back to life, free from Rasa's control.

Ornie then advises Rin not to take her own life and instead offers her a chance to seek revenge on her former master, Doran Pentigrath. He concocts a plan involving him and Rin getting the jump on the Gnomes and Filgarth, as they would more easily blend in than Adeline, Maatzyn and Jünk. He uses the Hand of Almone, and the Skull in conjunction with the Ink of Directional Intent in order to assure correct directional travel. He wishes the party well and bids them goodbye.