Tilly Appledore's page

Matilda (Tilly) Appledore was the only child of Wesley (Wes) and Lilian (Lily) Appledore. She was born in the village of Bree in Bree-land. Her mother was an only child, too, and her father’s people, the Appledores, seemed to make up for her mother’s lack of relations. They made their livelihood from apples; running and managing the apple orchards in Bree-land. Her family’s orchard lay to the north-east of the Great East Road. At times, the Appledores served as gate-wardens/gatekeepers of the West-gate of Bree. Her father’s cousin, Rowlie Appledore, more so than the others, but when she was old enough, she did her duty as a gate-warden much like her cousin, Rowlie. Tilly did have a position as a Bree-warden to help keep the peace and maintain law and order. However, more often than not, she merely wandered the streets, engaging in pleasantries and local gossip or managing the large crowds gathering on the Green on market day.

As a youngster, Tilly learned what she could of plants and herbs from her mother. Her father taught her how to whittle and repair the broken hafts of axes and shafts of spears. Having no son, her father made do with a daughter he hoped would someday take over the farm and run the apple orchard for the next generation of Appledores. The young Breelander possessed a burning desire to learn more of the world outside of Bree, which was met with some surprise and mocking by the Appledore cousins and other village folk. Where most of the simple farming folk in town were content to live their lives as they always had, Tilly was eager for a story or song from any traveller coming into Bree or any passing tradesmen staying at The Prancing Pony, only fuelling her desire to protect those who could not protect themselves. And even content as she was in her happy life with her parents in Bree, Tilly yearned for more, to do more, hoping to be better than she was or any of the incurious Big and Small Folk of Bree. The tales and songs of adventure, of legends old, ignited her desire for adventure. But, her family did not leave Bree-land, and so she had remained day in and out, doing her duty by her family and people, secretly hoping to accomplish more.

Tilly had an easy disposition, with goodly manners, and this helped people open up and share their stories more readily than not. Tilly possessed a modest singing voice (at the least she could carry a tune) and often hummed as she worked; humming songs of adventure and great tales she had heard and saved to memory after the travellers had long moved on from Bree.

1) What is your near term goal in life?

Keep the village safe and work the orchard. But secretly, Tilly wants to see more of the outside world.

2) What long-term goal do you envision pursuing if adventure doesn't sweep you away?

Running her family's apple orchard and continuing on in her gate-warden duty.

3) What do you think about adventures in general?

Tilly has never been on an adventure, so she is a little wary. But deep down, she is willing to find it and see if she can make her own way outside of Bree. (Tilly believes that if she ventures out from Bree (and goes adventuring) she will learn and discover more than what she's heard and then she can bring that knowledge back to her home to be able to better protect her loved ones and village (she's one of the locals, so they would trust her word more than a passing stranger's). If she happens to help in removing an encroaching threat, then all the better.)

4) What is most precious to you?

Family is most precious to Tilly. Their well-being, safety and prosperity.

5) What would cause you to give that up?

Nothing could as Tilly comes from a close-knit family who live and work side by side and such loyalty has been instilled in her since birth.

6) Are you married? Do you want to be?

No. Where her female cousins had been married for a few years and even born children, Tilly had remained discerning and concerned with other matters. One day she hopes to settle down and have a family of her own (with plenty of children), but for now is content to be unattached. Tilly has never been in love.

7) Goblins, wizards and walking trees? Do you think they really exist?

Tilly's heard stories - grand tales and legends - and she believes, although has not seen many of the strange, wondrous things she has heard of and recollected.

8) You carry an item that is precious to you. What is it?

When she was younger, her father carved for her, out of rowan wood, an apple and lantern and Tilly wears them tied on a cord around her neck, always.

FIRST AID
Player-heroes may reduce the severity of their injury with a HEALING roll. Player-heroes who are not unconscious may attempt the roll themselves.

A successful HEALING roll reduces the severity of an injury by 1 day, plus 1 day for each icon scored (to a minimum of 1 day).

Each hero may be administered a successful First Aid only once. A failed HEALING roll cannot be repeated until at least a day has passed, as the failure of the treatment isn’t immediately apparent.

* Wound Severity: see p. 101 of Core Rules pdf

LOWER HILLSIDE: At the southern end of this ‘old town’ is the ancient quarry of Bree, clearly visible as a deep cut into the hillside, the result of centuries of excavations. But the most important landmark in the lower hillside is the Old Town Well. A source of pride to all the Bree-folk, the Well is said to grant luck to any traveller who takes a drink from it before heading off on a journey down the East Road. Given that it’s the source for the water used to brew Barnabas’s Best, perhaps it’s true that there’s always a taste of home on the lips of those travellers who partake of this tradition. Many Bree-folk looking for a bit of adventure often gather around the Old Town Well after Market Day is over, hoping to sign on with a caravan of Dwarven merchants either travelling west to the Blue Mountains or, in rare cases, far east to Dale and the Halls of the Lonely Mountain.

Whether because of tradition, superstition, or some ancient enchantment, there is a strange luck associated with the Old Town Well. Player-heroes
tossing a coin into the well on the same day that they depart for journey from Bree gain (1d) on their first roll for Event Resolution made during that journey.