Tumma Keza
There is peculiar peninsula on the Eastern coast of Lake Vesi, called “Devil’s Nose”. Some of the earlier memories of Tumma Keza were of the times when his mother would take him there to see the stone drawings of birds, boats, strange fish and men. One of them, larger than most, in a place of honor, was of a gigantic man with a strange spear.
Tumma Keza's mother, Pairuk, would point at that figure and tell Tumma Keza that the drawing was of Tumma Keza's father, but that he must keep that as a secret. Tumma Keza could understand the reason for the secret, that drawing look nothing like his short and venerable father, Seltner, a fisher in the nearby village.
Tumma Keza, a sickly and small child with rough skin, saw himself starting to tower over his friends of the village, after his 13th birthday. In two years, he would tower over all the adults in the village. At the same time, the hearth of his home grew colder, as a silence fell between his mother and his father. Elders from the village would look at him with some fascination and apprehension. His strength made him prone to hurt others during games; he started to spend more and more time alone.
On the other hand, his fishing improved and Tumma Keza would almost feel he could understand what the creatures under the water were saying and that they could understand him. Tumma Keza kept remembering the large drawing on the rock at Devil’s Nose. Were the fishes telling him to go back there? Tumma Keza decided to look for the place again.
When he arrived to the place with the drawings he found a man there, as tall as Tumma and even stronger. The man looked at him and said “Son of Pairuk, give me a hug.” Tumma Keza approached the man, he noticed a strange trident on the ground behind him, and the stranger embraced him in a sort of bear hug that soon had Tumma Keza gasping for air. Tumma Keza lost consciousness.
In a dream the man called him son and taught him water magic, to talk with water creatures and to go and see the dominions that the water put within reach of him. Get bigger; learn to use the trident and to direct men in battle. Then, come back to your village, protect it. The people around Vodla river have been good to me; I alone however, cannot do all I would like to do for them. Be a good son and help me with that. But first, you must travel, grow, learn, and mature.”
Tumma Keza awoke to find a trident by his side. Grabbing the trident he said to himself - "Besov Nos I will call you." He heard men talking and found a group of merchants in a boat sailing around the lakes in the area transporting silver, marble, and other trading goods. He joined them as an escort and for the next 7 years gain experience in arms, in hunting, sailing and commanding men. His travels took him far and he saw white bears, people that used large deer to move sleds and seemed to live on the edge of the white world. He even saw giants.
After seven years, Tumma Keza decided to start his trek back home. He would take a long and slow way, as every day survived was an experience that would harden him and teach him something. He was young, he had time, and he could tell he was not ready.
Then one night, strange sounds awoke him while camping near a forest. Tumma Keza got out of his tent just as something that in the dark appeared as a furry tree teared his tent apart and stomped his camp. Tumma Keza got a hold of his trident and ran towards the creature that in stomping his camp appeared to have step on the glowing ambers of his fire and was now limping away. Tumma Keza went after the intruder and attacked the creature, his trident bit deeply into a leg that seemed as thick as a tree trunk. The giant fell, Tumma Keza jumped on its back and his trident found the base of his neck. Silence. When light came, Tumma Kesa saw a creature he had heard of, this must be a Volot. Except for his trident and clothes, the Volot had smashed and destroyed practically most of his possessions.
He managed to save a few tools, the boar spear, and some food. Then, he took with him a brown wool overcoat that the Volot had been wearing. At the next town, a seamstress cut the overcoat to a closer fit for Tumma Keza and made a sack for his remaining possessions in exchange for the rest of the material cut from the overcoat.
Then, desperate for work, Tumma ready to employ himself as a mariner, a mercenary, a messenger or anything else that will put him back on track. Fortuitously (or not), he ran into some strangers on his way home from the city of Krinets. They had just been deposited at that spot by Baba Yaga, and still had the air of the Otherworld about them. It turned out that they were traveling north, and Tumma Keza offered to be their guide for a steady pay (though one of their number, Sasha, attempted to trick them).
Tumma conducted them back to Krinets, for they first had to buy supplies for their journey. He conducted them to a tavern called the Prince of Fishes, and later, helped save Sasha's life when she was attacked by a bear that ran away from a troupe of traveling musicians. After this incident, Tumma attached himself to Chonkorchuk, who seemed more trustworthy than the others, and was, like him, a Kuz'. He acted as his bodyguard and advisor at a feast they attended in town, and again helped to protect him and the rest of the group when they were waylaid by navii in the city streets.
Word of the latter incident reached an official of the city watch, who already had occasion to deal with the party after they killed the runaway bear. The incident was murky, and clearly, some sorcery was afoot, but Tumma convinced him the official and Chonkirchuk to only take him into custody. It was expected that he would be released in the next few days, but this did not happen, so Tumma told Chonkorchuk to leave and meet him in his home village of Kaverinka, as the group decided to stop there on their way further north. Tumma said he would meet up with his companions then, and they would continue the journey to the Northern Sea together.
He has not been seen since.
Tumma is tall and broad. His skin is rough, almost scaly. Wild brown hair and beard. Wears an over sized brown wool overcoat crudely cut at the sleeves and lower fringe to accommodate him.
A large sac from the same material as the overcoat is hangs from his right shoulder over his chest resting on the left side of his torso.
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