Oleander Hazelwind

Ollie is the golden retriever and resident conspiracy theorist of the party. Previously a junior researcher leading a quiet life working in Aster, they now spend their days going on dangerous adventures with the party, working on solving the mystery of (and possibly preventing) the impending Dies Auros. Their main role has been to heal and support their newfound friends and allies both in and out of the battlefield. When pushed to the brink however, they have shown capacity to deal serious damage to foes with their elemental magic.

Appearance
Ollie is a firbolg standing at a height of about 6'10, with pale blue-grey skin and fur, and teal eyes that flash different shades of green when casting spells. Their hair, which was short at the start of the campaign, grew longer when they offered up years of their life in Old Avencia in exchange for knowledge. It is dark brown at the roots and fades into a deep purple.

Ever since their staff was upgraded at the end of the Sunhaven arc, a myriad of small flowers (mostly heliotrope blossoms) is now a staple presence on their body, most often in their hair. These flowers increase in number when Ollie is in a heightened emotional state.

Their wardrobe mainly consists of comfortable clothing in shades of greens and reds, with their signature red beret (a gift from their mother) almost always paired with whatever outfit they choose to wear. Another signature accessory of theirs is the pendant they received from Fennel, during the Rebellion arc.

Personality
Ollie is sweet, earnest, and passionate about the things they are interested in. They have been described as “a gentle giant” on more than one occasion, owing to their introversion and soft disposition despite their size. They are also quite awkward and naive about certain things, due to their sheltered upbringing.

Ollie tends to fall into the caretaker role, trying their best to support their allies, even when it’s to their detriment. However, they have a mischievous side as well, which has been making an appearance more as they slowly come out of their shell.

They are generally patient and a pacifist, preferring to talk things out before resorting to violence. However, they are quite protective of those close to them, the urge to maintain their loved ones' safety often overriding their moral compass.

Ollie is also quite impulsive, abandoning their careful nature at times, especially when they are left to their own devices. They also have the tendency to downplay their innermost struggles, rarely letting their guard down fully even around those close to them. On top of that, they also tend to get swept up in their emotions when things get rough. These behaviors have caused problems on more than one occasion, with one such instance leading to the under-prepared party's disastrous first fight with Cadmus during the Hunt arc, after an emotionally charged conversation with the runaway king in a Dream. In the wake of disastrous events, especially those they played a hand in bringing about, Ollie takes a long time to forgive themself as well for the mistakes they perceive themself to have made.

Their worst fear has been implied multiple times to be ending up alone, exacerbated by their long lifespan and isolation due to the circumstances surrounding the firbolgs of Celeste. Because of this, they are often drawn to people who they can sense loneliness in as well, sometimes growing deep attachments to them.

The Amare Fire
Little is known about Ollie's life in Amare, as they were roughly just a year old when House Laurent burned the firbolg village to the ground in 690 AE, leaving them supposedly one of the last of their kind. They were discovered by Kiana and Baltur during Aster's investigation of the Oakheart forest fire and the reported sighting of a Luåmrhan (a mission spearheaded by the former). The only memory Ollie has from before their rescue and subsequent adoption is of a lullaby, sung during a storm (which is implied to have happened sometime during the night of the fire).

Early Life
Due to the delicate political situation surrounding them, Ollie was kept hidden from the outside world for over a decade. The Hazelwinds spent their first year with the family in a small house in Grendale, taking a long break from Aster (which helped to keep Ollie's existence a secret) to get the hang of raising a child. After the first year, the Hazelwinds spent a few more years in Oakheart before eventually starting to avoid it entirely as Ollie grew harder to hide. They would move from branch to branch within Sylvain frequently, both for work and to keep their child safe.

All the while, Ollie was kept mostly locked in whatever room the family stayed in as Kiana and Baltur went work, with only books and toys to keep them company. Their parents refused to answer any questions about why they had to stay in their room all alone all day and why they looked different from their parents, preferring to keep Ollie in the dark about the history of the firbolgs. While they were doted on whenever possible, they were still isolated a significant portion of the time. The occasional times they managed to escape their room to wander into the rest of the Conservatory or whatever green patch awaited nearby were their only respite. This lonely existence led to them growing up with selective mutism, which they would not recover from until the birth of their younger sister, Peach, many years later.

One of their earliest memories is managing to escape their room and sneaking into the archives in the Oakheart branch as a small child. As they wandered around, a taxidermied Luåmrhan in a glass case caught their eye. They stared at it for a while before an old man - whose face they can't quite remember - asked them what they were doing. Ollie then quietly pointed at the bird and tilted their head in inquiry. Sighing, the old man picked them up to give them a better view of the specimen. The detail they remember most clearly from the encounter is the now fuzzy figure's profound sadness, although it would not make sense to them until much later (in-campaign).

Ollie started displaying an interest in science and illustration from an early age, and their first teachers were their parents, with their mother especially instructing them in the latter. Their druidic abilities manifested in their late teens, as the Hazelwinds had felt it was now safer to let them out more and decided to bring them along on an expedition in the forests of Northern Sylvain. During the trip, a wild pack of wolves ambushed the group, and to their surprise Ollie cast Speak with Animals for the first time in an attempt to calm the wolves down. From that point on, Ollie would then hone their magic under the guidance of Kiana and a few other druids in Aster.

Education & Work in Aster
Ollie officially enrolled as a student of the Institute at the age of twenty, first entering the Department of Medicine. While they did well during their stay in the department, they transferred to Nature after a couple of years. They spent the majority of their college life stationed in the Mythwood branch, as the nearby forests and mountains appealed to them. (There was also the fact that their parents were not nearly as strict about their activities as they were in the areas closer to Oakheart, for some reason.) While they thrived in terms of studying and such, they found it hard to make any friends, as they were unused to being around people.

Towards the end of their college education, Ollie fell into a deep depression as they noticed that they were starting to age much more slowly than their younger sister and most of their peers. The realization that they were likely to outlive their family and whoever else they would come to love coupled with their growing doubts about their gender exacerbated their loneliness, causing them to shut people out for a few years and focus mostly on their work. In spite of this, their thesis was delayed by a year due to Lavender stealing their samples, and they graduated at the age of 27.

After a particularly long solo study out in the mountains involving ptarmigan droppings and a whole lot of soul searching around the age of 29, they returned determined to live the rest of their life ensuring their loved ones were happy, for as long as they can. Their family was relieved to see them return to a semblance of their old self before the depressive spiral. They collectively decided to bury that period of time, which remains a sensitive topic still, in the backs of their minds.

Right before their first meeting with the party, Ollie finished a study on mountain goats, and was contemplating filing for membership in the Department of Conservation as well.

Campaign 1
Text

Arc 1: Beginnings
"A Summer Afternoon" (1x01)

text

Arc 2: Rebellion
"Lakestar Adventures" (1x07)

chenen

"Oakheart" (1x12)

blep

"The Great Old Forest" (1x13)

slay

"The Last Firbolg" (1x14)

lmao

"A Matter of Pride" (1x15)

sksk

"The Heart of the Forest" (1x16)

hello

Arc 3: Scarecrow
"The Lost Prince" (1x17)

meow

"The Ambush" (1x18)

hm thinking of which other seshes need to be added

Arc 4: Islands
"A Future Dictated" (1x30)

mhm

"The Grick" (1x33)

yippee

"The Iron Whale" (1x34)

haha

"Aster Conservatory" (1x36)

blep

"The Waters Below" (1x37)

lol

Arc 5: Fate
Text

Arc 6: Sunhaven
Text

Arc 7: Ghosts
Text

Arc 8: Hunt
"Deals and Diplomacy" (1x85)

lol

"Kindling" (1x86)

lmao even

"The Hunt Begins" (1x87)

haha

"Predator" (1x88)

yippee

"Lost in the Wood" (1x89)

sigh

"Guided by the Moon" (1x90)

therapy

"Secret Tunnel" (1x91)

so much therapy

"The Ruins of Arkheart" (1x92)

yep

"Call of the Mistress" (1x93)

yeppp

"The Secret Heart" (1x94)

mhm

"King of Thorns" (1x95)

alexa play heartshaker by twice

"Diverging Branches" (1x96)

hehe diverging branches

"Interlude" (1x97)

so much is gonna go here fr

"The Coronation" (1x98)

sksks

"Love and Duty" (1x99)

this session popped off

Arc 9: Divinity
Text

Kiana Hazelwind
Text

Baltur Hazelwind
Text

Peach Hazelwind
Peach is Ollie's adoptive younger sister, and Kiana and Baltur's biological daughter. She is fifteen years Ollie's junior. Ollie regards Peach as the first (non-romantic) love of their life, describing the day she came home from the hospital as "the moment [their] world took on color". Growing up, Ollie had to step up and take care of Peach when their parents were occupied with work in Aster. Due to this, the siblings are incredibly close, and exchange letters regularly in spite of their busy lives.

Hugo Laurent II
Text

Geddon Quinemin
blep

Kibble Cobblestone
blep

Lunaris Evelwyn
blep

Seiradriatha Fein
blep

Racial Traits
Ollie is a firbolg, granting them the following characteristics:
 * Firbolg Magic
 * Hidden Step
 * Powerful Build
 * Speech of Beast and Leaf

Class Abilities
As a druid under the Circle of the Moon, Ollie is able to harness the power of nature to cast magic and transform into a wide variety of creatures, ranging from tiny insects to Elemental forms. Ollie's signature damaging spell in combat is Call Lightning, often finishing off worn down foes with a lightning strike. They also have a tendency to cast Entangle on their conversational partners when flustered/provoked, a habit they learned from their mother.
 * Druidic language
 * Spellcasting (Wisdom)
 * Wild Shape
 * Circle of the Moon
 * Combat Wild Shape
 * Circle Forms
 * Primal Strike
 * Elemental Wild Shape

Feats

 * Telepath - taken at level 8, obtained in-game as a boon from Myria

Proficiencies
Saving Throws Skills Tools
 * Intelligence
 * Wisdom
 * Animal Handling
 * Investigation
 * Medicine
 * Nature
 * Survival
 * Herbalism Kit
 * Painter's Supplies

Notable Items
Attuned Non-attuned
 * Bonded Scimitar - +2 magic scimitar; bonus action to switch places with person wielding partner scimitar up to 60 feet away, range increases to 500 feet if both are attuned; action to establish a telepathic link with partner (currently Luna) for up to a minute as long as they are on the same plane of existence; action to share senses with each other when link is established (once per long rest).
 * Circlet of Astra (dormant) - +1 to spell save DC; superior Darkvision; access to Dunamancy (Graviturgy) spell list (doesn't count under prepared spell list).
 * Dream Mantle - disadvantage on Perception (Wisdom) checks and ranged attacks on wearer from creatures 30 ft. away; ability to cast the Dream spell (with a seven day recharge time).
 * Ironleaf Shield - +1 shield; grants +1 to AC when in Wild Shape (bestial forms).
 * Gloves of Healing - grants a bonus to healing spells equal to one's proficiency bonus, on one target
 * Staff of Flowers - their arcane focus, upgraded at the end of Sunhaven arc; ability to sprout any type of non-magical flower a limited amount of times per day; holds a teardrop-shaped Scrying focus.

Influence
As a commoner who previously worked full-time as a junior researcher at Aster, Ollie holds no significant influence in the Empire nor in Terra. However, they have regular correspondence with people with influence in Aster, Aurora, and the Sylvain nobility.

Quotes

 * "What else can you really wish for in life? Other than seeing the people you care about happy." ("A Dance to Remember", 1x65)
 * "I mean, I guess male lizards do have two appendages. I suppose, dragonborn..." ("Diverging Branches", 1x96)
 * "If the time ever comes... I hope our story's even more insufferable to read through than Exidia and Morgan's." (to Hugo; "Turbulence", 1x101)

Trivia

 * Ollie is the only player character to be fully present in all campaign arcs to date.
 * Ollie and their player found out about the genocide at the same time; their original backstory/prompt consists of a couple short paragraphs. Their life pre-campaign was fleshed out over the course of the game.
 * They are one out of countless TTRPG PCs named by their player after flowers, along with Larkspur and Lavender.