Vivian Tipril (VIV-ee-an TIP-ril)

Race: Gnome (Rain-Touched)

Role: Farmer, Herbalist, Apothecary Supplier

Vivian Tipril is two hundred and thirty-five years old, fabulously wealthy, largely unbothered by what anyone thinks of her, and firmly of the opinion that soil is better company than most people. She is a small gnome woman who goes barefoot in her gardens whenever possible, talks to her worms by name, eats pest insects directly off her plants without ceremony, and commands such respect from the local merchant community that grown men hold their breath waiting to see if she is displeased.

She comes from a family of apothecaries — Pop-Pop’s Pop-Ups, a thriving business across multiple towns — but the day-to-day running of shops has never interested her. What interests her is the soil. She has an almost spiritual connection to it, an instinctive understanding of what to plant and where, and a gift for coaxing from the earth produce of such extraordinary quality that it is pre-sold before it arrives. Her deliveries are announced with countdown signs. Customers line up. Her produce never has bugs, worms, or bruises. It is not allowed to.

The Rain changed her when she was just eight years old — a golden spark of divine energy touching her fingertip as she ran toward it with her hands outstretched, thinking it was something beautiful to catch. She was right about the beautiful part. What followed gave her a connection to growing things that defied ordinary explanation, a knowledge of medicinal herbs and roots that made her family’s fortune, and a secret she shared with only one other person in the world — her grandpop, who was changed alongside her that same night. When he died, she retreated almost entirely from human company. The soil and her secret friends — the creeping things — have been enough.

She is not unfriendly. She is simply very clear about her priorities.

Interesting Facts:

• When Vivian sings on the road, crickets keep time and butterflies appear from nowhere. She has never performed this for anyone. Her grandpop was the only person who ever witnessed it.
• Her one great personal indulgence — after decades of quietly accumulating a fortune she never spends — was commissioning a custom-made rocking chair with a hidden footrest, sized for her frame. She paid an extravagant amount without blinking. Some things are simply worth it.