Gwald

Gwald the Red Grizzly

Race: Human, Class: Barbarian (Totem Warrior) Background: Outlander, Alignment: Chaotic Good Patron Deity: Uthgar Factions: {{{Factions}}}

Ability Scores

Strength 18 (+4), Dexterity 15 (+2), Constitution 16 (+3); Intelligence 10 (+0), Wisdom 12 (+1), Charisma 9 (-1)

Proficiencies

Bonus: +2 Saving Throws: Strength & Constitution Skills: Athletics, Intimidation, Nature, Stealth, Survival Tools: Hand drum (musical instrument) Languages: Common, Bothii, Daraktan Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons

Traits

Wanderer • Rage, Unarmored Defense, Reckless Attack, Danger Sense, Primal Path (Totem Warrior), Spirit Seeker, Totem Spirit (Bear)

Feats

Athlete, Charger

Combat

Attacks: Battleaxe: +6 to hit, 1d12+4 dam or 1d12+6 dam when raging (Heavy, Two-handed) • Handaxe: +6 to hit, 1d6+4 to hit or 1d6+6 dam when raging (Light, Thrown 20/60) Armor Class: 15 (Unarmored), Initiative: +2, Speed: 30 ft Hit Points: 39, Hit Dice: 3d12

Social

Personality Traits: {{{Personality}}} Ideals: Glory in battle • Personal honor over stifling laws • The places of the Uthgardt must remain for them alone • I protect those who cannot protect themselves Bonds: The clan of the Blue Bear • My good name • My trophies of battle • Rauldo Flaws: Violence is my first resort • I resent being made to feel stupid or lesser • I do not forgive slights quickly • Overly protective of my dog. Oh, also my friends, but mostly my dog • Hate orcs

Let us go forth with fear and courage and rage to save the world. -Grace Paley

Origin

• Born to an unmarried Uthgardt shield-maid named Tarida.
  • His father was Vendrall Markaen, a coppery-haired outlander, a traveler of some sort whom his mother took an interest in.
  • She found him along a game trail; he was injured from some kind of major bite wound, and she brought him home to nurse him back to health.
  • They stayed together for two weeks, and then he went his way. Shortly after he left, Tarida realized she was pregnant.
• As a small boy, he often went with his mother on her patrols, and she taught him woodslore and survival.
  • He often acted as a look-out for his mother, and a spear-bearer, and she taught him to fight with spear and axe.
• When he was eight, an orcish raid on his village killed his mother, but not before she slaughtered a half-dozen of the beasts.
  • He was taken in by her younger brother Elrud, and his wife Kamia.
  • He didn't like life with his uncle, however. Like most Uthgardt, they struggled to feed everyone, and as the oldest child, Gwald felt like every morsel he ate took from one of his cousins', so he took to staying away for days at a time in the wilderness.
• When he was twelve, a small band of gnolls caught him in the wilderness and pursued him.
  • He fled them, hiding and evading them for hours, until he could get close enough to the village to raise an alarm for help.
  • After his uncle heard his story, he knew the boy was his mother' son and too wild to be forced to remain safe, so he did the next best thing: he got the boy a guardian.
  • One of the chieftain's bitches had thrown a litter of pups, and his uncle Elrud secured him one of them to serve as his guardian.
• Gwald raised the pup, naming it Rauldo, and took to the woods more often.
  • Eventually, he started trapping and skinning, raising money at the towns nearby and bringing back food to his uncle's table.
• In time, both he and Rauldo both grew to tremendous size, and everyone whispered that the big red boy was blessed by Blue Bear.
  • In the annual summertime games, he often defeated all comers in the wrestling, and earned the nickname "the Red Grizzly" among his fellows.
• At the age of seventeen, Gwald was caught in a bit of a compromising position with one of the chieftain's sons, Dovis, by Dovis' own older brother.
  • The chieftain blamed Gwald for the "foolishness" and censured him publicly, calling his manliness into question.
  • In response, Gwald challenged the chief to a duel, and soundly thrashed the older man. This was the first time his barbarian rage ever manifested, and the elders said they could hear Blue Bear in his bellows.
• His manliness firmly established, Gwald left the village.
  • He knew that he was permitted to stay - he'd broken none of the laws of the Uthgardt - but he also knew that the chieftain would make his life and that of his family difficult.
  • He would treat Gwald badly from that day forward, and so would everyone else, or else risk the chieftains displeasure. So, rather than force people into that position, he elected to leave - though not before spending one last defiant night with Dovis.
• Gwald became a hunter and a trapper, selling skins and furs to earn his living.
  • He has supplemented this income through sell-swording before, most often as a caravan guard, but finds that the notion of taking orders from men who are weaker and stupider than he sits poorly with him.
  • He has also done some adventuring here and there, but not to much profit.
• In recent months, he's found himself allied with a band of adventurers, and their futures seem promising.
  • And by promising, he means fun because battle seems to trail them wherever they go, and of all the things in the world he can do, he's best at violence.

Appearance

Gwald is a very tall, broad-shouldered Uthgardt barbarian, standing some six-and-a-half feet in height, with fiery red hair and beard. His garb consists of buckskins and furs he's tanned and stitched himself, and a set of good sturdy boots he bought in Everlund several seasons ago.

Traits

Outlander Traits

• Wanderer: Excellent memory for maps and geography. Can always recall the general layout of terrain around me. Can find food and water for myself and up to five others per day, as long as the land offers such resources.

Barbarian Traits

• Rage (3/day): Enter a rage as a bonus action; lasts for one minute or until knocked unconscious, or if haven't attacked or taken damage since last turn. May end as bonus action. Gain the following benefits:
  • Advantage on Strength checks and saves.
  • +2 bonus damage to Strength-based melee attacks.
  • Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, slashing damage; gain resistance to all damage except psychic due to Totem Warrior Spirit Seeker (Bear) trait.
• Unarmored Defense: When not wearing armor, AC equals 10 + Dexterity modifier + Constitution modifier. May still use shield.
• Reckless Attack: Gain advantage on Strength-based melee attack roll, but attacks have advantage against you until your next turn.
• Danger Sense: Advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that can be seen; must not be blinded, deafened or incapacitated.

Path of the Totem Warrior

• Totem Animal: Blue Bear (Bear)
• Spirit Seeker: Can cast beast sense and speak with animals as rituals.
• Totem Spirit (Bear): When raging, gain resistance to all damage except psychic damage.

Feats

• Athlete: +1 Dexterity • Stand from prone costs 5' movement • Claimbing doesn't halve speed • Running jumps after 5' of movement instead of 10'
• Charger: May use a bonus action to attack with a melee weapon or Shove attack when using Dash • Gain +5 bonus to attack damage or Shove distance of 10' if moving at least 10' in a straight line before attack is made
• Future: Mobile, Savage Attacker, Tavern Brawler

Resources

• Moneys: 0 pp, 0 gp
• Carried Equipment: Greataxe, 2 handaxes, explorer's pack (backpack, bedroll, mess kit, tinderbox, 10 torches, 10 days rations, waterskin, 50' hempen rope), Uthgardt hand-drum
• Stored Equipment: None
• Lifestyle: Wretched. Though others consider his style of rough living to be the very definition of poverty, Gwald does not see it that way. He camps in the wilderness, hunting and foraging for his food. He bathes when finds a large source of water, and sleeps in caves and beneath large trees, beside a campfire.
• Typical Downtime: Trapper. Gwald is a furrier, spending his time hunting and treating furs, and then bringing them back to civilization to trade. (Suggested Mechanic: Use the "Crime Spree" Additional Activity, reskinned for the life of a trapper. Results that lead to warrants might be his own normal trouble with the law.)

Locations

Gwald's roaming to date has kept him mostly around the Nether Mountains.

• Stone Stand: Blue Bear Tribal Mound. The ancient Uthgardt burial mound and holy site called Stone Stand also has a village some three hours walk from it where the Blue Bear tribe dwell. It is a small, poor community for the most part, guarded mainly by its women and old men, because its men are often out raiding along the roads into Sundabar and Everlund.
• Silverwood: A small crescent of woodlands west and south of the Nether Mountains, the Silverwood is where Gwald usually does his trapping. Minxes, foxes and other fur-animals are there aplenty, though they lack the rarity and richness of some of the furs he can get in the High Forest.
• Jalanthar: Trapper Hamlet. The small settlement of Jalanthar is a haven for trappers and skinners, and is Gwald's preferred place to come in out of the cold when he's alone. He often sells his furs there after an extended trapping trip. It doesn't have much in the way of fine accomodations, however, so he usually just takes a barge to Everlund from there. He is a regular in its single tavern, however. He has helped defend it from orc raiders from out of the hills to its east more than once.
• Everlund: Large Town. The closest thing he has to a home base, Everlund has his favorite inns (the Battered Hat and the Seeking Arrow when he's flush with coin) and taverns (the Old Sword Sheathed and the Stag at Bay). He often stops in after an extended guarding or trapping trip, and enjoys what civilization has to offer. It was in Everlund that he met his adventuring companions.
• Silverymoon: The City of Silver. Though he tries to hide it, Silverymoon deeply intimidates Gwald. It is too beautiful to be real, so he tends to stick to the less affluent parts of town. He is drawn here inevitably, however, as so many of the area's roads (and thus merchant destinations) lead here. Plus, there's one other thing that draws him back over and over: the handsome joy-lads of Silverymoon's festhalls. Though he can usually find a handsome bedmate when the mood strikes him in other places, he finds his time in the arms of his Silveraen boys to be the finest in life. Though he can't often afford it, when he can, he treats himself to a night of luxury.
• Silverymoon Pass: Gwald knows Silverymoon Pass like the back of his hand, having not only trudged it himself on multiple occasions, but also acts as a guide or caravan guard for plenty of caravans along its route. He's had to face down his own kin more than once, usually calling out to them to choose another target, for he's given his word to protect it, even against his own tribesmen. He's got enough of a reputation among the Blue Bear that most choose to back down and find another target.
• Sundabar: The Bastion Town. Prosperous and secure, Gwald has been to Sundabar a few times. He even signed on with one insane merchant looking to head up Dead Orc Pass, but the caravan was killed and Gwald barely escaped with his life. These days, Sundabar is mostly a place where he finishes an assignment, guarding them from either Everlund to Sundabar, or Silverymoon to Sundabar. Unfortunately, his method of unwinding after a guarding job means the local guard in Sundabar knows him quite well - and he knows the inside of its jails quite well, too.
• High Forest: The High Forest is a scary place, and that's why Gwald likes it. He gets some of his best furs here, with high payments for them, but it's always dangerous.

Important Individuals

• Elrud Shieldborn: Uncle; Stone Stand. The second-born child of the shield-maid Aratha Greenshadow, Elrud was born in the middle of a battle. His mother Aratha could not keep herself from battle even at her most pregnant, and Elrud came into the world covered not just in his own birthing blood, but that of Aratha's enemies as well. He was carried home on her sheild as a cradle. Despite this heroic origin, Elrud has never truly had the heart for combat - he always left such things to his older sister Tarida. He himself has a charming voice, and studied with the tribe's loresingers. Such an undertaking has never been prosperous, but he holds importance in the Blue Bear tribe that outstrips his wealth. (42 years)
• Kamia: Elrud's wife; Stone Stand. Elrud's beloved wife, Kamia is a healer and herbalist. Their family prospers mostly through payments for her services and goods, but Kamia wouldn't have it any other way. She is clearly madly in love with the shy but silver-tongued loresinger that is her husband. Her children are their pride and joy. (39 years)
• Tamlayn: Elrud & Kamia's firstborn son; Stone Stand. Gwald's oldest cousin - three years his junior - used to follow him around when they were children. Gwald always found the little pest endearing, though, and was very protective of him. It was Gwald who taught him to fight, and now Tamlayn earns his family a much improved life (in comparison to the days when Gwald lived with them as a boy) through raiding with the tribe. When he is not out raiding caravans, villages and farming steads, he can usually be found guarding Stone Stand (20 years)
• Mindarn: Elrud & Kamia's secondborn son; Stone Stand. The boy who used to follow Tamlayn the way Tamlayn used to follow Gwald, Mindarn has some fighting prowess, but seems to be coming into a different sort of legacy. Plagued with crippling headaches since the age of ten, and full-on visions since he was thirteen, the tribe's shamans seem to believe that he will become a holy man of Uthgard, a visionary for the tribe. Though he has fought the iea for a while, this past year has seen him come to some peace with the notion. He has begun learning some of the tribe's legends from his father. (16 years0
• Aettia: Elrud & Kamia's firstborn daughter; Stone Stand. The young daughter who grew up on Gwald's stories about his mother, Aettia has set her mind to it: she is going to be a shield-maid and a raider. Already she shows some fine skill with the spear and a thirst for battle, and despite their mother's objections, Tamlayn has given her a suit of leather scale, a spear and a shield of her own. He has promised that when she is sixteen, she can come raiding with them. (14 years)

Rauldo

Rauldo

• Rauldo is Gwald's mastiff, who he has raised from a pup.
• He's well-trained, although far from tame.
• Rauldo is a significant contributor to Gwald's reputation as a trouble-maker.
  • He's fond of invading others' spaces, rooting through peoples belongings looking for food and even taking other peoples' food, boldly walking up to them and pushing his way into their laps or onto their tables with his massive head and eating what he finds.
  • Gwald, for his part, finds Rauldo's manners hysterical, and encourages people to stand up to him, claiming that if they don't give him a good thump, he's never going to respect them.
  • Strangely enough, this seems to be true - someone who gives him a good shove aside, or a solid (non-injuring) blow with fist or foot to dissuade him is usually enough to get him to at least acknowledge their personal space.
  • Someone who strikes an actual injury will be met with a growl and Rauldo backing off. Which is good, because that means he won't be in the way when Gwald kills that person.
  • He's still really bad about begging, though, even when he respects someone's space, and he's constantly testing those limits.
• Gwald sleeps draped over Rauldo, and vice versa, and usually smells like dog as a result.
  • Look, it's the North. It gets fuggin cold out there, although it seems like Rauldo manages to worm his way up under Gwald for warmth more often than the reverse.
• Gwald has very strong opinions about people who dislike his dog, but those who are flustered or charmed by him usually win his approval.

Projects, Goals and/or Downtime

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Experience Points

Total: 900 xp

• 0.0.2014: x