Wings of Fury 2

Name: Holek Sniffley

Species: Halfling

Song: Second song, food themed

Age: 50, a good year for adventure!

Origin: Alma, Saurgard, Village Of Strummhamm.

Home: The distant northern  kingdoms are known for their unity through hating each other, their horrifyingly cold winters, their sharp weapons which . They are less known for their wide variety of hardy fruit bearing trees and mushrooms that only grow in these climates, and which are also resistant to spoilage, if prepared properly. Many chefs and farmers, especially halflings and goblins, live in the forestry outskirts of these city states, being nice to each other in small hamlets. In fact, this rural pleasant culture has spread all over the northern Kingdoms, and the call of raiding and civil war has been slowly phased out in the main cities. Although the league is still pretty isolated, both geographically and politically, most people who are suspicious of the northerners' silence are awaiting a series of new attacks... 
While preserving food is a technique of skilled farmers, they do like to employ food mages to bolster their crops, and increase the quality of final products. After all, everyone wins this way: there is more food for everyone, and the farmers need less land to feed people, so there is plenty of living space for everyone.
But recently, they started to desire a new kind of raid. The eminent adventures once again gathered in their longships. Yes, once again, they travel south to find… new kinds of plants, recipes and spices. The Frigid Raids have begun.

Appearance: Pale skin with freckles, red hair that resembles hedgehog spines, a stubby nose. Not overweight, but definitely well fed. Wears Strummhamm style folk coat, folk trousers and folk leggings, along with a chef’s hat. Carries around a felt puppet in the shape of a human chef.

Personality: Holek suffers from anxiety, and mumbles quietly when addressed. However, with the aid of his hand puppet, he has uttermost confidence! Even if his face does not show it. He has been like this ever since his grandfather who was also his role model was humiliated in front of the chef league, for his idea of combining ham and ice cream, forcing Holek to hide behind a felt proxy to shield his fragile soul. Holek considerably speeds up if panicked, and becomes a nimble fighter. He is quick and methodical in his work, although if he uses his puppet to channel the second song, he displays a much greater affinity for theatrics.

Biography: Holek lived his early life in the village of Oakenham, helping out around his grandfather’s family-manor. As per family custom, at the age of twelve, he joined his grandfather’s apprentices, getting a formal education in reading and writing - recipe books that is. His siblings and cousins learned the secrets of the forest herbs and spices together, albeit, this did not extend to survival lessons, they much preferred to stay in their comfy manor. 
His skills grew fast, enough to be picked as his grandpa’s personal assistant for an upcoming exhibition of the Chef League, much to the envy of his siblings. Sadly, his grandfather’s creation of ice creamed ham was horrible, and received a scathing review from all the chefs. Thinking that it was his fault, he became much more quiet and withdrew from cooking. He was right in a way: he didn’t question his grandfather’s vision, and in fact, he has not even tasted the food to check if it is alright. 
After some time, he has learned that cooking is not just about memorizing old recipes, and replicating orders barked by chefs. No, you must feel the state of food with your heart, and understand the true reasons behind the ancient techniques. Still traumatized by the public humiliation, he gathered his resolve, and started to experiment with ingredients, and instead of following the recipes as written, he cross referenced them, and found truth in all of them.
Eventually, he announced that he will tour the northern kingdoms, and learn the second song: or rather, the announcement was in the form of an ornately penned parchment he put up on the message board. He reasoned, with the power of the second song, he would be able to draw out the true power of his creations, adding one final ingredient: a touch of his soul. But turns out, his voice was too meek and his words too minced to work properly. The school’s master of songcraft has offered him a solution that was used only a few times in living memory: an instrument, made of felt, that he could use to channel his song, and speak through it. And thus, be in harmony with himself. 
At the age of 40, he finally mastered this craft. With his puppet, he was able to truly make his creations ascend, their flavour and nutrition match his dreams. He combined his careful self, with a bold self. His methodical self and his experimental self. He truly has become a chef singer.
A decade later, he decided to join one of the Frigid Raids, to find more ingredients in the south, new recipes, and hopefully bring them home, and invent new fusion recipes, using Fire Signature.

He also learned how to hit people with a frying pan effectively, but there is nothing dramatic behind that, he just did.

Important Skills: Cooking, second song, improvised weapons, showmanship, shiphandling, foraging, penmanship, ventriloquism. Fryttertunge, Chunadie

Important People: 
Halvar Sniffley: Grandfather of Holek. Used to be the greatest chef in the local area, until one fateful day where he became a recluse. He is still alive and kicking, surviving on sheer spite.
Friz Kub, Supreme Chef: The current supreme chef, orc. Song user, second song, ice. Prefers to make frozen desserts as a main dish, and he is too large and loud to be stopped. Can Holek one day rise up to the challenge and challenge him?
Balvarda Sniffley: A cousin of Holek, thinks using songs to augment food is against the spirit of the thing. She has been to a Frigid Raid once, and recommended Holek to the raid leader.
Hada Sniffley: Cousin of Sniffley. She is an elite member of the hunters who fight against the lizards, and a supplier of lizard meat. She doesn’t care about cooking, but she cares about her family.
Rorak Blarholm: Human, Frigid Raid leader. Knows all the hottest food rumors, and charts the path and trains the crew of chefs to sail the boat safely and speedily. Has a fake hook hand, which he wears on a gauntlet, and is inconsistent about which hand he keeps it on.

Inventory: 
Felt human chef puppet - crucial!
Cooking implements - for cooking and fighting
Jars- for samples of rare items
Ornate diary and writing kit - penning recipes
Coinage - random jumble of coins from various countries
Casual clothes - when not in chef mode