Young Nuggins
Thanks to the crack research team at Perverse Osmosis, we have discovered this long-lost psychiatric profile of 7th-level bard Tiny Nuggins, whose bardic inspirations and discordant whispers have been integral part of the party’s recent success. However, as seen by this report, Tiny was not always the productive arsonist that he is now.
The document:
From the desk of Sage Sermin de Lescrop, head of the Luskan Home for Wayward Halflings
re: psychiatric evaluation of Tiny Nuggins, recent enrollee
I have observed and interacted with Tiny Nuggins on four different occasions in my official capacity. Three were one-on-one visits and a fourth consisted of watching Nuggins interact with other halfings in his class. It was immediately apparent in all four of these observations that Nuggins has an developing ego occasionally overwhelmed by his powerful id. There is no observable superego development; I surmise this is because, as far as any records indicate, Tiny has never been in any one place for more than two to three weeks. This peripatetic life restricts any growth in boundaries or stability.
When playing with his friends, Tiny wants– needs–to be the center of attention. His idea of entertainment is broad, running the spectrum to physical comedy to body humor to surprisingly complex word play. He will do almost anything to get a laugh. Much like this lack of superego development, the lack of stability has made this fallback to entertainment a way that he can make sure he is always part of the crowd and, therefore, likely to make the next move.
Perhaps more frightening is Nuggin’s propensity for setting fires. During the time I have been working with Tiny, he has burned papers, a trash can, several books, and a small shed. As yet, none of these minor conflagrations have injured any of Tiny’s fellow residents but the escalation of the size of the fires leads me to believe it is only a matter of time.
This tendency to pyromania is usually the result of trauma happening early in a halfling’s life. Tiny has likely blocked out whatever may have happened, which prevents this facility from easily accessing the root cause. With more opportunities to speak with Tiny and build a rapport with him, I might be able to develop enough trust to penetrate his veneer and help uncover the events that have led to his compulsion to “let the burning do the cleaning.”
This note was found in the smoldering wreckage of the Luskan Home for Wayward Halflings. No official cause for the fire was ever released, but investigators are fairly confident it was halfling caused.