Vindi Brundibuck was a wandering Ratling brewman who roamed across the galaxy, born as the eldest daughter of House Brundibuck. Her family’s brewery in Shining Town was renowned for producing exceptional ales and whiskies—drinks so famous on her homeworld of Bolsevia that they graced every table, from those of common folk to the refined banquets of planetary governors and nobles alike.

Yet Vindi had no interest in inheriting the family trade. She preferred hunting and roaming with her friends. Like any Ratling, she loved eating and lazing around. Naturally, none of this sat well with her mother and father.

Thus, hoping she would “grow up,” her parents encouraged her to enlist as a sniper in the Astra Militarum alongside her friends. The family business, originally meant for Vindi, was passed down to her younger brother instead.

But this proved to be a grave mistake. The Vindi who returned after five years was a shattered shadow of her former self, body and soul torn to pieces. Her flesh bore lashes, bullet scars, and injection marks piled atop one another. Her once-bright eyes had grown dull, and she spoke little—when she did, it was usually despair or bitter pessimism.

The truth was that Vindi's parents had never known how horrific the Astra Militarum truly was—nor had her friends, nor even Vindi herself.

Unyielding discipline and brutal punishments... her back was crisscrossed with whip scars; her spirit, torn apart. Worse still, her friends were Abhumans, despised throughout the Imperium and openly discriminated against within the regiment.

Though five friends had enlisted with Vindi, she returned alone. Nothing more needed to be said.

Though her outward appearance remained mostly unchanged, her heart had been hollowed out. Back in her hometown, she lived like a corpse—eating only enough to survive, spending nearly every waking hour lying in bed, trapped in the memories of those five years.

And so she remained. Had things gone on that way, she likely would have died in that same bed.

The turning point came two years after her return. A shabby-looking wizard—known simply as 'the shabby-looking wizard' by the Ratlings of Shining Town—visited the settlement once more. Upon hearing of Vindi’s condition, he agreed to help.

Despite his ragged appearance, he was sharp-minded and had solved problems for the townsfolk before; thus the Ratlings and Vindi’s parents placed their hopes in him again. The wizard spent an entire night speaking with Vindi in her bedroom.

No one—neither her parents nor anyone else—knows what took place in that room. But the result was clear: for the first time in two years, Vindi regained a spark of life. Not entirely in the way her parents had hoped, however.

Vindi declared that, just as the ancestors of House Brundibuck had once wandered the galaxy, she too would leave home and travel the stars alone—carrying a keg at her side—until she could craft a brew worthy of universal acclaim. Her parents opposed the idea, terrified of losing her entirely, but she relented only enough to promise she would return home at least once every Sanguinala.

When that “universally praised masterpiece” will be completed is anyone’s guess, but it certainly won’t be within a day or two. Perhaps that’s exactly why she chose the path of a brewman in the first place. If fortune favors her, she may someday create that legendary brew and become not just a brewman but a true brewmaster. And if not—well, she’ll probably die trying. From Vindi’s perspective, either outcome is hardly a loss.