Bertram Bilberry

Bertram Bilberry, born Bertram Summerthorn, was the father of Arlo and Gabrielle Bilberry, the husband of Evelyn Bilberry, and the brother of Felix Summerthorn. Before he became a father, Bertram was an adventurer alongside his more rambunctious brother Felix. After marrying Evelyn Bilberry, Bertram fathered his two children and retired from adventuring in Greengarden for a time, only to return to adventuring when word spread of strange happenings in a town called Demongrasp. After barely surviving an encounter with the Nightwalker there, Bertram returned to Greengarden to find it destroyed by an earthquake and his wife nowhere to be found. Heartbroken, Bertram fled with his young children to the remote town of Oldstar, where he became the mayor. Eventually, Bertram gathered some of his old companions to embark on a quest to rescue his brother Felix's soul from Lord Loss. Failing in this, Bertram and his companions were pulled into a fight to close the portals rapidly being opened by the minions of death. After successfully closed several, the group failed to close the final portal in time, and Bertram was killed bringing down the roof of the cavern he was standing in to save his friends. In the aftermath, his body was reanimated by Death to serve as an agent, only to be killed by Kleitos the Black a year later. Bertram is widely regarded as one of the most consequential background characters, as his influence led directly to Arlo's decision to become an adventurer, and the party he led successfully managed to stave off Death for several years longer.

Description and Personality
Bertram's battle prowess came from his inherent magical abilities, a byproduct of his brother Felix's dealings with Lord Loss. His power was immense; Bertram was able to shoot fireballs, fly, and conjure magical darkness, among other things. Even when he was brought back under Death's control, Bertram's magic remained undimmed, though his abilities took on a more sinister light. As seen in his fight with Kleitos the Black, he was able conjure daemons, create zones of harmful vapors, and stop time. Whether these were powers Bertram had always possessed, or whether it was Death's magic working through Bertram's body, is unclear, but even before his death Bertram had a number of singularly-powerful spells at his disposal. The most iconic of these was earthquake, which he used to create a massive earthquake that could destroy structures and cast his enemies into rifts. There are three recorded instances of Bertram using this power, twice while he was alive and once during his time as a puppet of Death, but each time the results were devastating.

Physically, Bertram bears a close resemblance to his son, Arlo. He is a short, red-haired halfling, with a single shock of white hair and a well-trimmed beard. Like Arlo, Bertram's face is freckled and his ears are slightly pointed. He stands just over three feet tall and weighs just over forty pounds. Thanks to the strain of his some of his spellcasting, Bertram looks about a decade older than he is, though as a halfling his age does not hinder him in the way it would a human. Bertram's eyes are the same shade of blue as his son's, and his skin is similarly pale. When he was possessed by Death, Bertram's skin took on a more pallid hue, and his eyes, rather than their typical blue, became a solid black.

In terms of personality, Bertram was much like his son, though there were a few notable differences. Like Arlo, Bertram was kindhearted and honest, but his years of experience also lent him a wisdom his young son has yet to match. Bertram had better developed his leadership skills than Arlo; it's for this reason that Nikanos, Navira, and others were so drawn to him. He was intelligent and charismatic, but after the destruction of Greengarden there was a sadness to Bertram that contributed to the sense of gravitas his words seemed to carry. Above all, Bertram was good to his loved ones. He was an understanding father figure to Nikanos, an excellent friend to Navira, and a wonderful husband, brother, and father to Evelyn, Felix, Gabrielle, and Arlo. His death affected everyone who knew him in different ways, but the sense of loss each carried afterwards is illustrative of Bertram's sheer strength of character.

Evelyn Bilberry
Bertram had a loving relationship with his wife, Evelyn Bilberry. Their wedding in Greengarden set the tone for what would be a long, healthy, and supportive marriage. Evelyn's influence caused Bertram to reevaluate his adventuring lifestyle, leading him to become a more responsible and available father to his children and a more constant presence in the Greengarden community. Evelyn's presumed death was a devastating blow to Bertram, leading him to leave Greengarden with his children and start a new life as far from any memories of her as possible. His affection for her persisted, however, as shown by the fact that, years after her "death," Evelyn's violin remained one of Bertram's most prized possessions.

Arlo Bilberry
Bertram was a kind and supportive father to his son, Arlo Bilberry. Arlo reminded Bertram in many ways of a shyer version of himself, but many of his personal characteristics also brought to mind Evelyn, Arlo's missing mother. These traits only strengthened Bertram's affection for his son, leading him to devote his life to the betterment of his children. Above all, Bertram wanted Arlo to find his calling and flourish in it, but Bertram refused to push his son to be something he wasn't. It is for this reason that, when Bertram discovered Arlo had been playing his mother's violin, he allowed him to continue and even encouraged his studies, though he had previously forbidden anyone from tampering with his last physical reminder of his wife. Bertram was the first person Arlo informed of his sexuality, and once again, he proved his commitment to his son's wellbeing by wholeheartedly accepting Arlo's word. Bertram's love and support were crucial to Arlo's development, and his death marked a turning point in the way his son viewed the world.

Gabrielle Bilberry
As with Arlo, Bertram's relationship with his daughter, Gabrielle, was an entirely positive one. She was more outspoken and extroverted than her brother, and her adventurous tendencies occasionally worried her father. Still, he generally respected her choices, knowing her hunting abilities and survival skills would help her when she left Oldstar as she eventually planned to do. Bertram sought to help his daughter flourish, similarly to Arlo, and he appreciated her ability to keep his brother, Felix, in check.

Felix Summerthorn
Bertram's relationship with Felix Summerthorn can be divided into two distinct phases, one before and one after his brother's transformation. Prior to Felix's final deal with Lord Loss, the brothers spent a great deal of time adventuring together. Generally Felix, as the older brother, took the lead in these endeavors, with Bertram following his brother's example and trying to check his more erratic tendencies. After his marriage to Evelyn, Bertram became increasingly reluctant to go adventuring with his brother, which perplexed and frustrated Felix. Following the Demongrasp incident, the brother's last adventure together, Felix was horrified to learn of the fate of Greengarden, his brother's new home, though Bertram blamed himself, not Felix, for its destruction. Regardless, Felix sought help from Lord Loss, who turned him into a ferret and took possession of most of the halfling's soul. This significantly regressed Felix's personality, making him even more reckless, erratic, and immature, and erased his memory of his brother. Bertram was suddenly forced into a supervisory role for Felix, and grew increasingly worried about this new, more short-tempered Felix's influence on his children. Still, he loved his brother, and before his death had hoped to find a way to restore his original body.

Navira
Navira was one of Bertram's oldest and closest friends. The two shared a number of adventures together, and Navira attended Bertram's wedding to Evelyn, helping him through the challenges set by Evelyn and their other friends. When he met Navira, she was young and anxious, but she came into her own as part of Bertram's adventuring group, helping shape him into the mentor to his children he would one day become in the process.

Nikanos
Bertram had a close friendship with Nikanos, who regarded him as something of a father figure. The young man's troubled past won him Bertram's sympathy, and Nikanos quickly found in Bertram something of a kindred spirit, a man who, like him, had been granted powers for which he'd never asked that, occasionally, caused him lasting consequences. Bertram's support and kindness won him Nikanos' fierce loyalty, and the psychic warrior was devastated by the halfling's death, retreating from society to mourn.

Philip Summerthorn
Little is known of Bertram's relationship with his father, but based on their interactions in "Greengarden Wedding," it is clear the two had a close and supportive bond. It is unknown if Philip has learned of his son's death, but it is likely he would be grief-stricken to hear of it.

Andromeda Summerthorn
Though they have had few interactions during the Wish Campaign, it is clear from "Greengarden Wedding" that Andromeda and Bertram were on very loving terms. As with Philip, it is unclear if Andromeda has received news of her son's death, but it is likely that, when she does, the news will hit her hard.

Leoné Lasson
Leoné Lasson was more Felix's friend than Bertram's, and prior to their quest together, the two had few interactions. From what he knew of Leoné's past, Bertram was happy Felix had found the fighter and taken him under his wing. Bertram respect his skill, but the two had little in common and were closer to acquaintances than true friends.

Quill Bristol
Bertram's relationship with Quill Bristol was peripheral, but respectful. The two rarely interacted before their quest to rescue Felix, but Bertram quickly came to respect Quill's determination, clear-headedness, and strategic vision. The two were able to put into practice a plan to rescue Felix from Lord Loss, and worked well together before Bertram's death.

Davros the Deadly
Bertram's relationship with Davros the Deadly was somewhat complex. On the one hand, it was Davros who pulled Bertram out of retirement for a chance at rescuing Felix, and Bertram came to respect the aged sorcerer for his skill and dedication to Felix's rescue. On the other, Davros only became interested in the material plane following the events at Demongrasp and the destruction of Greengarden, and therefore became something of a reminder to Bertram of what he had lost there.

Equipment

 * Magic staff
 * Royal blue robes
 * Reading glasses
 * Elven chainmail

Trivia

 * Bertram is generally considered to be the most important background character in the Wish Campaign, alongside Felurian. His influence on the story can be seen in almost all of Arlo's actions as well as his own, Nikanos', and many of Felix's and Navira's.
 * Bertram was the first protagonist to be possessed by Death, which revealed a previously-unknown ability possessed by the series' main antagomnist.
 * Bertram's signature spell, earthquake, has been used three times in the Wish Campaign. Each use has had a profound impact on the plot. The first may have caused the destruction of Greengarden, the second led to Bertram's death, and the third caused Kleitos the Black to act against Felix's direct wishes by executing the possessed Bertram.
 * In "Greengarden Wedding," Bertram is visibly younger, and lacks his signature red beard. In the Prologue episodes, however, Bertram has noticeably aged, and now wears a beard. This is due as much to his wild magic as to the passage of time.
 * So far, Bertram is the only one of the protagonists' parents to have any dialogue during the events of the Wish Campaign, though it was as a ghost in the Spirit Library.