Wunjo Ballo
Contents
Talespinner Wunjo Ballo of Linnagond, Northern Empire, Goldenvale.
Eyes Shut, Soul Free
I'm You, You're Me
Come and follow in this trance
Drop your arms and start to dance!
- Wunjo's Charm Rhyme
Personal Biography
Wunjo AKA Tyler Salvador started playing V6 Amtgard in 2002 in Wolvenfang, then a Barony under Goldenvale. Starting with Barbarian, Wunjo eventually found his calling when switched to Bard. The large field meant battlegames were plentiful and pretty casual so he was able to focus on singing and merry-making while still being effective. Wunjo became known for setting up large Legend spells with engaging songs that would attract players that weren't event under it's effects! He received his Master Bard in 2006.
In 2005, he largely fell from the Amtgard scene until he moved to Toronto, Ontario and helped restart the defunct park, Mor Tur, reviving it alongside Nathanial Goldenleaf, Ursus, Calin, Glithus, Dracious, Wei Ying and Ausric. Wunjo's name submission was chosen by popular vote and the renewed park was christened Twilight Peak. During this time he also designed the heraldry for the Northern Empire.
Over the following years Wunjo would come to find his niche in the game as a quest-writer and game-runner. After being Twilight Peak's primary questmaster for years. Wunjo eventually set his sights on furthering his claim to the Smith ladder so he started to run other types of events. In 2008, Wunjo created the Godstone Fair, a medieval carnival (with games and prizes) designed to provide a positive, non-combat roleplay environment at large events. Debuting at ]]Battle of the Dens]] 2008, Wunjo would run the Fair at BOTD and Great Eastern every year until 2010. Also during this time, Wunjo created the Pitmaster Championship. a best-of-the-best fighting tournament to award a hand-crafted, leather wrestling belt to the best fighter in the north. After many alterations to it's distribution method, the Pitmaster Belt and it's 2v2 counterpart, the Gladiator Belts, would eventually find homes at Battle of the Dens and Team Tactics respectively as the yearly prize for winning their associated tournaments. Wunjo still supervises their distribution to this day.
In 2011, Wunjo dropped from the Amtgard scene once again due to work. He continued to monitor the Pitmaster Championship but other than that was largely inactive, maintaining connections with the game only through his friends.
In early 2016, Wunjo discovered a busy Wednesday field in the Barony or LInnagond (Peterborough, Ontario) and was finally able to fully return to the game. Quickly falling back into his old role as quest-master and game-runner, Wunjo learned the new v8 ruleset simply by watching others play. His time away had faded the memories of v7 and made this transition fairly painless. The biggest difference in v8 was the vastly changed Bard class. With v7 Charm and Legend gone, Wunjo felt the class no longer fulfilled the role that he enjoyed (and earned his masterhood with), so Wunjo switched his main class to Wizard - a class that now suited his tastes better.
Around the same time, Wunjo and Dorcas began working on a prototype for a new type of competitive battlegame format, the Phoenix League. Over the next year, Wunjo would build the Phoenix League Team and playtest the format extensively. In May 2016, the League announced itself to the international Amtgard community and was an immediate hit. Since then, Wunjo has been spending his time running and coordinating league-events with his team-members in kingdoms across Amtgard. In November 2016, Wunjo spearheaded a companion project to the Phoenix League format, the Paragon Academy, a Discord-based learning environment to help players strive and achieve class paragonhood.
Wunjo continues to lead the Phoenix League Team and the Paragon Academy to this day.
Character Biography
Born in the lands of the north, Wunjo's human parents are unknown to him. He was found and raised by a troupe of three dwarven bards in the service of a great dwarf king. They raised him as their own and taught him the ways of the spellsinger, powerful musicians who could weave the winds of magic into their songs.
When Wunjo was a teenager, the dwarf king was assassinated by dark elves and his adopted family was framed for the act treason. Using the power of song to quell the populace's call for execution, the family instead accepted exile instead; separated and scattered blindly in each of the cardinal directions.
Lost and alone, Wunjo wandered for weeks hoping to find his lost family but instead he found the then-barony of Wolvenfang. Unable to afford food, let alone a place to live, Wunjo took up residence in an old well, which happend to lead to a section of the abandoned catacombs beneath Wolvenfang. It's down in those dark tunnels that Wunjo met Gummy the Gremlin. They two became quick friends. Like Aladdin and Abu, they had to eat to live so they stole to eat. This lasted for some time but Wunjo was never able to amount to much until Vecna arrived.
When The necromancer Vecna rose to power in Wolvenfang, Wunjo and Gummy were forced to flee the attacking forces. Gummy was slain in the escape and, without any real ties keeping him in Wolvenfang, Wunjo decided to just keep running. He traveled south for some time until he came upon the shire of Twilight Peak.
In Twilight Peak, Wunjo found greater fortunes. He took a job doing clerical work for the shire and earned himself a small amount of wealth. Inspired my a glowing meteor that landed on the southern coast of the shire, he founded the Godstone Fair, a travelling fairground that he would tour across Goldenvale spreading joy. Using the meteor, the Godstone, as a light source, Wunjo build a lighthouse-casino on the original landing site to act as the headquarters for his growing entertainment business.
Over the years, the Lighthouse would become a favoured haven for sailors and other merchants to rest and unwind after a long day. In order to bring more excitment to the establishment, Wunjo created the Pitmaster Championship - a tournament where the best of the best could duke it out for the ultimate prize, a glorious mastercrafted belt!
As his reputation grew, so did the risks that came with him leaving to go adventuring. Never one to dive into danger in the first place, Wunjo used his spellsinging to animate a marionnate golem, M.A.U.R.I.C.E., which he could control manually or send out to assist adventurers autonomously. With this construct, Wunjo was able to fight the good fight while also running a thriving business.
His latest endeavor is the creation of the Phoenix League, a competitive scene for the most skilled wielders of might and magic in the land!
From humble beginnings, Wunjo rose to find himself and now focuses his efforts on spreading joy to those around him. It's rumoured that he spends the majority of his fortune hiring scouts, rangers and mercenaries to search for any sign of his lost dwarwen parents.
What lies in store for the Talespinner? Only time will tell...
Affiliated Groups
Ringleader of the Godstone Fair
Belted Family
Notable Accomplishments
- Creator/Headmaster of the Paragon Academy
- Co-Creator of the Phoenix League
- Creator of the Pitmaster Championship
- Creator/Ringleader of the Godstone Fair
- Lord - Given by King Akrith of Goldenvale, August 2008
- Talespinner - Given by Baron Padraic O'Loan of Caradoc Hold, June 2008
- Esquire - Given by King Goliath of Goldenvale, March 2007
- Master Bard - Given by Queen Elizabeth of Goldenvale, August 2006
- Designed the Twilight Peak and Northern Empire heraldry.
More Information
- Alternate characters (in order of creation):
