Dwyne the Gardener
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From the Journal of D’Cameron, Herald of Norwick
Recently, I spoke with Dwyne, who was seeking work as a gardener in the Norwick area. Some of his answers were sufficiently interesting that I decided to transcribe our exchange.
So you are a gardener. What brings you to Norwick?
**I am originally from Mulmaster, on the Moonsea. Near that city I was apprenticed to Whys, a cunning man and literal “hedge wizard.” He taught me the trade.I wished to work in a bucolic setting with interesting flora, and managed to travel across Damara to Narfell.**
Tell me more about Whys, and how you became an apprentice.
**My earliest memories are from a childhood in a Mulmaster orphanage sponsored by the local shrine of Mystra. When I was nine, they saw me fostered with Whys, who lives in a village so small it lacks a name.Whys (pronounced ‘Wise’), also known as “Whys the Harpist” or “Whys the Blind” has an interesting tale. He is from the distant Moonshae Isles and somehow wound up in the Eastern Moonsea. He never did explain what prompted the move. Until I arrived, he lived alone in his hut.
From him I learned the languages of the Ffolk and the Elves, as well as runecasting and gardening.**
How long were you an apprentice?
As mentioned, my training began when I was nine and only finished earlier this year. I know that seems hard to imagine given my aged appearance but realize that my hair is prematurely grey. I am twenty-eight years old.You mentioned runecasting. Is that like fortune telling?
**Hedge magic is not flashy like that of an archetypical spellcaster. Cunning women and men help locate lost animals and produce amulets and talismans for common folk. For divination, we utilize the weave to determine a possible course of action but there is no divine or fiendish pact. It is not they way of the witch or warlock.In technical terms, I would call runecasting “Arcane Runic Divination.” If you are interested, I can perform a reading for you which might offer some clarity.**
Does that mean that you are a follower of Mystra?
**I admit that all the prayers from my youth were invocations to Mystra, but the relationship that a wizard has to the Art is more like a love affair than worship. In a very real way, Mystra is the weave. We reach out to her and embrace her, but it seems different than clerical devotion.I should also mention the Mulmaster orphanage again, as I understand that something similar exists with the joint temple at Peltarch. Being placed with Whys was life-changing for me. Several other orphans I knew are now mages or alchemists. This is quite different than the sad reality of orphanages as incubators for beggars and pickpockets.**
Are you also an alchemist?
Heavens, no! That craft never had an appeal for me. It seemed too dangerous with explosions and chemical burns being common. Plus, it is very smelly!Postscript
Dwyne is currently authoring a tome on “Arcane Runic Divination.” I persuaded him to allow a scribe to copy that work for inclusion in the Norwick archives and suggested that he negotiate a similar arrangement with the Peltarch Public Library.
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Dutifully, as a citizen of Peltarch, Dwyne enters City Hall and completes the necessary steps to receive an interview.
Including washing his hands.
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In one of his walks around the Peltarch commons, Dwyne is approached by a guard, and is asked to come to the city hall with him. When asked, the guard says it's something about a vacant job…