Vimbish Baxcol

The Mock Dragon

Vimbish Baxcol was the 19th Grand Wizard of the Draconian people, ruling over them during a time of great strife known as the Grand Wizard Struggle. He is best known for creating A Really Funny Hat, later known as A Really Funny Fit, an enchanted item that causes the target to laugh uncontrollably at the mercy of whoever wears the hat.

History

The exact circumstances of Vimbish Baxcol's birth are unknown. No records of the name Vimbish Baxcol exist until well into his adulthood, and so it is assumed that he was born under a different name and that Vimbish Baxcol was an alias he went by for some unclear goal, the most likely of which was that he believed his real name may make people take him seriously.
The only certainties are things he had stated for official records, which he rarely did. Baxcol did not like filling out paperwork and never took it seriously, but he was consistent in saying that he was born in Ealla, the Village of Bards.
He first was seen in Yirthum, however, where enchantment is the most common magical technique. This is where he created A Really Funny Hat, his trademark magical item.

Theories of Origin

Due to his infamy, and the acts he committed, there are of course many legends of why there are no records of him. Some say he did not exist before he killed his predecessor, eighteenth Grand Wizard Clothas Frofarn, and that he was created by the Goddess Helle (or any other divine being, with another common theory being the God of Devils, Satanael) to bring ruin to the Draconian people. Some called him a Demigod, though no one took him seriously enough to actually believe he was something so powerful.

Life

187 ME 232 ME 45 years old

Birthplace

Ealla

Place of Death

Zephys

Sex

Male

Gender

Man

Eyes

Orange

Hair

Oily, sleek, dyed purple. Naturally red.

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Red scales, purple and green dyed accents.

Height

10'1"

Belief/Deity

Helle

Aligned Organization

Magic College

Another theory, though it was only prominent before his death, was that he was some form of immortal trickster or divine being in disguise, messing with the Draconian people.
The final prominent theory was that Baxcol was some kind of homunculus created by Tamdian alchemists, seeking to replicate the evils of their rival bards from Ealla and control it, but failing to do so. As there has never been a recorded case of a successful homunculus creation, this is considered unlikely but more possible than some other theories.

Grand Wizard Struggle

Vimbish first appeared publicly during the Grand Wizard Struggle, a conflict that lasted hundreds of years and left a mark on the ruling title of the Draconian people.

A Really Funny Fit by Yumedatchi

During this time, the position had little respect from the people of the world and the people it ruled, and he did everything he could to lessen it to the point that no one acknowledged the true power of it, as they believed it to be held only by foolish mages seeking meaningless power. But he needed to get that position first.
It was the common tradition, since the start of the Grand Wizard Struggle, that the title would be taken not by the greatest mage, but by someone who was able to pull off a powerful trick and kill their predecessor.
Baxcol wanted a way to kill the eighteenth Grand Wizard, Clothas Frofarn. Ultimately, he devised something that was best suited to his own tastes and desires.
Vimbish Baxcol sought entertainment above all else, though his definition of that ranged from terrible jokes to watching people die in front of him. While he often hinted to this being tied to some event in his past, no concrete reason was ever found for either his sick tendencies or his terrible comedy.

A Really Funny Hat

Thus, he created A Really Funny Hat, a ridiculous piece of clothing that was enchanted to make anyone around it laugh at the behest of the wearer. The hat was more powerful the funnier the wearer perceived themselves, and thus Baxcol knew he would forever be unrivaled with it, as he believed he was the greatest comedian to walk Totania, even if others would say something along the lines of what the Noble Head at the time of Baxcol's Grand Wizardship said:

"Never has there been a man with a worse sense of humor. If I never heard a single joke from him, I believe I'd have lived another decade at the very least. Even the most stoic priests of Morrigan could illicit more of a laugh from me, and the only words on their lips are death and its companions."

— Unxod Ildial

Alongside A Really Funny Hat, an outfit was created. This was not enchanted, as far as people were aware at least, but instead was meant to make him look all the more ridiculous so that he considered himself funnier and so that he would be taken less seriously. A tattered, ripped skirt was the first piece, and atop it was a seashell bra and a cape that was, like the skirt, torn apart before he ever even worn it. The rips were comical, clearly manufactured by Baxcol for a gag and not made from actual wear and tear.

Unxod Ildial by Jarhed

Clothas Frofarn refused to meet with Baxcol, not taking him seriously at all. Baxcol appreciated this, as it was a sign his plan was working. If no one took him seriously, he would be safe when he became Grand Wizard, as no one would find merit in challenging him for any position he held. But he needed Frofarn to face him. So Vimbish Baxcol offered a wager. He would not fight Frofarn, but instead he would put on a comedy show. If he could make Frofarn laugh, the Grand Wizard would hear him out. If not, Baxcol would never face him again.
Frofarn did not consider Baxcol in the slightest bit funny, and of course he was in the majority on that opinion, so he agreed. He and his closest confidants gathered to watch Baxcol fail, but as they sat there, they found they could not help but laugh at his jokes. They were laughing so hard they could hardly breathe, and Baxcol laughed too. Right in the face of the Grand Wizard, as Clothas Frofarn was powerless before him, laughing himself to death thanks to the power of Vimbish Baxcol's Really Funny Hat.

The Mock Dragon

Vimbish Baxcol became the nineteenth Grand Wizard after the Noble Council discovered what he had done. While the Noble Head, Unxod Ildial, did not like it, he followed tradition and allowed Baxcol to take the position.
The two years that Vimbish was Grand Wizard were met with nothing but disinterest and disgust from the people. The title had already been reduced to a meaningless position to most. While it still held power, only those who actually reported to the Grand Wizard acknowledged it, and the common folk held no respect for anyone who held it any longer. Baxcol made it far worse, as now the very power of the position was thrown into question, because no one believed a man like him was truly ruling the nation and running the Magic College as its headmaster.
This way, Baxcol considered himself safe. No one that was actually a threat would dare challenge him, because there was no longer any perceived worth in his title.
He particularly ruined the credibility of the position by carving a wooden dragon figurehead, modeled after the Dragon Lord that had created the Magic College and the city of Zephys itself that Baxcol ruled over, Kath the Eternal. He then placed this wooden dragon over a pair of curved rockers, creating a wooden rocking dragon, and bringing it with him to public appearances.
He would force people to ride the wooden rocking dragon, making them laugh painfully until they did so, then making them laugh in a way that reminded them of his power and created an entertaining image. This way, he humiliated his enemies but did not show too much power to the people. Intimidating yet not threatening them.
The rocking dragon became tied to him, the two synonymous with each other. Mockeries of Draconian culture and history, and thus it was where he gained his Draconian Nickname: The Mock Dragon.

"He intends to insult who we are, not just today, but who we have been since the first Draconians hatched. This is an issue beyond politics, but I cannot break tradition. That would only be embracing his view of the world."

— Unxod Ildial

Age of Plague

The Age of Plague began in the year 232 when a Tamdian appeared before Baxcol, infecting him with the very first strain of the disease known as Dragon's Doom.
Baxcol never learned the identity of his assailant, who would become his successor. He only knew that he had met his end at the fate of an alchemist, as he coughed himself to death, unable to produce even a single, solitary laugh in his final moments.
From there, Dragon's Doom would spread much further than the city of Zephys, a plague born from the blood of Dragons and spread by the former Draconian ruler's demise at the hands of his successor. While he was a victim of it, many blame Baxcol for allowing it to happen, as they believe that if he had been more careful he could have stopped the man that replaced him and prevented both Dragon's Doom and the Age of Plague.

Information

Religion

Baxcol did not worship publicly, and many believed him to not follow any faith in particular, but he made comments in some sets about the Goddess of Greed and Dragons, Helle, which made people believe he may have worshiped her.

"I was outside of the Temple of Helle the other day, attempting to get a loan. It's a temple full of gold, so I went there and asked, 'How much money can I borrow?'
The Archpriest looked at me and said, 'Borrow? None.'
So I laughed and said, 'Alright, then how much am I allowed to keep?'
I was promptly escorted away from the Temple under charge of attempted theft. I am no longer allowed in the vicinity."

— Vimbish Baxcol

Social Life

Vimbish Baxcol had a group of friends. Despite the majority opinion towards him being disdain, there were those that put up with him, known as the Zephys Comedy Club. Whether they actually liked his jokes or only allowed him to stay because he was the Grand Wizard is unknown, as none would dare say the latter if it were true.
Baxcol called them his dear friends, as they were the only ones to laugh at his jokes without him needing to use the power of A Really Funny Hat. It is unlikely they found him funny, especially with the jokes that were written in the Zephys Comedy Club official records, such as:

"A Dwarf made his way to Yirthum, at which time he asked the guard that lived there one simple question: 'Shall I be allowed to live in this village?'
The guard, a Draconian man, shrugged at his request, responding only, 'Why, I see no problem with it. The city is already full of Elves, so what's one more damned outsider? Maybe you'll all kill each other for me.'"

— Vimbish Baxcol

As with most of his material, Vimbish had notable hatred for those that were not Draconian in this joke. It is strange to note, then, that only about 70% of the members of the Zephys Comedy Club were of Draconic blood like Baxcol, while the others were from many different species.
All of the Zephys Comedy Club were infected with Dragon's Doom, dying at the start of the Age of Plague not long after Baxcol himself.

Abilities

Vimbish Baxcol was a skilled enchanter and was also adept with other crafts, such as woodcarving and making knickknacks. He was a craftsman, but more than that he was a comedian, loving to tell jokes even if no one ever found them funny. He did, and he had ways of making others listen to his opinion rather than their own.
His greatest asset was the enchanted item that he created: A Really Funny Hat, which caused anyone around him in a certain radius to laugh uncontrollably at a level determined by how funny Vimbish believed himself to be at the moment. While it was a rather ridiculous and ugly piece of clothing, it was a formidable tool that elevated Baxcol from one of the weakest mages of the 200s to one of the most threatening of the rulers from the Grand Wizard Struggle.
While he was from Ealla and did consider himself a bard for his use of comedy, it is not known if he actually knew Bardic Practice, as he relied almost entirely on his enchantments.

Magic

A semi-powerful fire mage, Baxcol always overexaggerated how skilled he was with fire magic. He made flashy spells, but they had little firepower and did not burn in a particularly potent manner. It was for this reason that he relied so heavily on A Really Funny Hat, for he could not produce a powerful offensive spell with his natural magic.