From the journal of Ardebast Raconteur :

When you’re a traveler like I am, you get to know the various rangers who are charged with keeping order in the stretches of land between towns. They’re the ones who keep the roads safe to travel after all. I’ve come to be friends with many of these earnest furs, but none so much as Tomaw the wolf.

I first met Tomaw when he was still a green recruit stationed in Lancton. This was back in my early travelling days and I was still refining my craft as a storyteller. During my stay in Lancton, I would spend every night in the main hall of the Inn telling stories to the kits and pups who would gather around me.

A few nights into my stay, I noticed that the same cloaked figure always seemed to be lurking about while I was spinning my yarns. He’d stick around until I had finished whatever story I was sharing that particular evening and then he’d head for the door. Now one of my flaws is that I’m as curious as a cat. I needed to know who this cloaked figure was and so the next night when I was finished with my tale I too took my leave so I could follow my mysterious audience member.

I suppose I was not at all discreet in my pursuit because almost at once he spun around to confront me. I assured him I meant him no harm, I just wanted to speak with him a moment. Even in the dark of night I recognized the tunic he wore under his cloak as that of a ranger. He told me his name was Tomaw. Lancton was his first assignment and he was a little homesick. He liked listening to my stories because they reminded him of his grandfather who was also a great storyteller. I told him I was honoured to hear that he held my meager storytelling talents in such esteem and was soon on my way back to the Inn and my bed for a good night’s rest.

After that night, Tomaw seemed to come out of his shell. He no longer lurked in the shadows to listen to my stories but rather sat front and center always with a kit or a pup on his lap. Once or twice he even shared a tale of his own and he was no slouch when it came to storytelling himself. He was always gracious and found ways to include me in the weaving of his story with a question or a comment.

After a fortnight in Lancton, I was ready to take the road again. Tomaw accompanied me along the road a ways. When it was finally time to part ways, he clasped paws with me and wished me good travels. Our paths have crossed many times over the years and each time I’m met with great enthusiasm. We’ve shared tragedy, as when Tomaw lost his wife to a wild bear attack and joy, such as when Tomaw introduced me to his adopted daughter, Deema, for who I’m “Fuzzy Dogwhiskers”.

Carja’s Notes:

When I brought the Deema character in to Age of Animus, I incorporated some of the details from the Star Wars campaign she originated from. One of these details is that Deema was adopted by someone from a different species. In Star Wars, she was adopted by Fab’s character, a human named Mowat. For Age of Animus, I scrambled the letters in that name and came up with Tomaw. I asked Fab what kind of animal he thought Mowat would be and he said a wolf, so that’s how Tomaw came into being.

Mowat was a taciturn character. I wanted Tomaw to be more gregarious, a charismatic father-figure that all the other characters couldn’t help but like. That was fine in theory, but not very funny. It also wasn’t something I felt I could accurately depict in just a few strips (which the original storyline was supposed to be in length). I needed another trait I could use. I knew I wanted to use Barnaby somehow in Tomaw’s storyline and that’s when I hit upon the idea of Tomaw having a grudge against bears. This somewhat paralleled the grudge that Mowat had against Trandoshans. The backstory of Tomaw’s wife being killed by a bear is the darkest element I’ve used so far in the Funnies, but I needed a good reason for Tomaw to hate bears. In retrospect, I’d say the bear was an awakened criminal bear because I don’t like the idea of Tomaw not being able to distinguish between the actions of a wild animal and those of an awakened one.

Finally, since Tomaw was a wolf, I thought it’d be funny if the gang mistook him for Nolan the Pickle Patch Bandit and that’s where the idea of Nolan and Tomaw being brothers came from.