About Virid DillestBackground:
Virid eyed his grandfather warily. The old man was surprisingly nimble, and he never made these practice sessions easy on Virid. “Don’t whine” he’d bark when Virid complained that he’d never really need combat training, “the world is full of things and people who take glee in destroying beauty. A whip is the perfect tool for protecting.” His grandfather feinted left, then forward, trying to bait out the lash, and when he finally charged, it took all of Virid’s reflexes and luck to snake the lash out and snare Zalus’s ankle; fortunately, speed and luck were the two things Virid had in abundance. “They’re just about the only things I have” Virid thought, feeling a bit sorry for himself. It wasn’t true of course. He had a loving family; a safe, if simple, life; and no one in his close-knit village called Knob’s Mine had ever gone hungry. On the other hand, he was as ugly as his father, and as slim and willowy as his mother, hardly an inspiring combination. His father liked to joke, “You have my nose. I never had to wonder if you were my son”, always delivered with a wink and a cuff on the shoulder. Of course, no one had ever wondered that.
Back in the day, Virid’s grandfather had been a respected cleric of Sune, stationed in the capital city of Heliogabulus. With his golden voice and handsome features, women had loved to hear him teach of beauty and love. At least that’s how he told the tale. In any case, that had all changed. When a young orc, starving and haggard, arrived at the city, Zalus had spoken in his defense. “Sune acknowledges beauty in all its forms” he argued. “The fact that this creature has renounced the ways of his kin and chooses to pursue a peaceful life is one of the truest expressions of beauty!” The guards and citizens refused to accept such a monstrosity however; half-orcs could be tolerated, but their tempers were bad enough at times. When some of the more hot-headed men ignored his message and roughly seized the Orc, Zalus snatched a whip from the seat of a nearby wagon and proceeded to lay about with righteous fury, provoking surprised squeals of pain as he thumped and tripped the offenders into submission. Zalus was stubborn, and when his religious superior told him that he must issue an apology for the rampage, he refused. “Sune is about more than just giggling in bed and painting red-heads!” he snapped. He then announced that he would be leaving the city and taking the orc boy with him, the follow the true mandates of the goddess of beauty. And so it was that Aron, Virid’s father, left the great metropolis under the adopted parenthood of Zalus. At some point in their roaming, they arrived at the little town of Knob’s Mine, and found a community too isolated from the greater world to care overmuch about prejudices. One young woman in particular, Shari, had a heart after Sune’s own, and grew to love the soul beneath the monster, and so it was that Virid the half-orc was born. Virid may not have been ostracized by their neighbors, but they couldn’t help but glance twice at him and the odd outcome of his mixed parentage. “Come over, little Vir! Have a meat pie”, a housewife might say, carefully staring at his relatively normal hands. It was subtle, but he always knew that he was accepted in spite of his appearance. As a result, although he did play with the village children, he spent most of his time with his odd little family. Zalus taught him of Sune, and of the principles she valued, and so Virid dutifully washed his hands in lavender water each morning, and painted eye-catching patterns during meditations; he also proved to be a somewhat talented dancer, but was too embarrassed about being stared at to ever perform publicly. Although it always seemed odd to Virid, worshipping a goddess of beauty when he himself was so ugly, she frequently answered his prayers and bestowed minor blessings upon him. “I told you, she sees past the surface”, Zalus would say. “The gods don’t respond to those who don’t embody their principles. Did I tell you she spoke to me once? It was after the monthly feast, and there was this girl…well, that’s not important. The point is, she came to me and blessed me. Would she have done that if I was preaching her ways incorrectly? No. Now, practice…”. Zalus lacked the muscular build and casual grace of a warrior, but by Her grace he wielded the whip with reasonable ability, and taught Virid to do the same. They were far from master combatants, but there was nothing that needed fighting in Knob’s Mine anyway, and no bandits or destroyers of beauty ever came this way. Still, the practice brought with it a sort of comfortable confidence, and it was likely that shred of competence that led to the Baron’s messenger hesitating, then pointing a finger at Virid. “You”. Virid simultaneously embraces the entire town of Knob’s Mine as his own, and believes that he himself doesn’t quite deserve equal footing with the more typical residents. Although he is ashamed of his own appearance, he is fiercely protective of his father and mother. Jests about his father’s looks or his mother’s tastes are among the few things that can work him into a seething rage. A girl about Virid’s age, Zarah, had been exceptionally free and easy around him. Feeling truly comfortable with someone his age for the first time, Virid eventually worked up the courage to ask her to dance at the most recent town festival...and received the evasive stammers that he’d grown to expect from everyone else. Disheartened, he hasn’t made himself vulnerable in that way since. Virid is terrified of living up to the unspoken expectations for his orcish heritage. He is afraid that he might lose his temper and prove the assumptions right: that he is a beast, and incapable of being trusted by civilized folk. He also fears heights, an issue that rarely came up in a small-town setting, but greatly amuses others when it did. “How can you be afraid of heights, Vir?” they’d say, gesturing above their heads. “You’re always up high!” Although he has some connection to his deity, Sune, Virid doesn’t quite accept her teaching in his heart. He wants to believe, and fervently supports the dogma, but secretly feels that it really applies only toward those who are attractive and pleasant on the outside, that the skin-deep beauty is what really counts and allows people to prosper. Despite his doubts, Sune sees his sincerity and blesses his efforts. I would like for him to find success through faith, a defining moment where he finds peace because of Sune’s teaching, or something that gives him hope that the teaching will improve the world and not just be an empty platitude. Virid has long suspected that, once his “grandfather” and parents die, he’ll be alone in the world. I hope he will discover a relationship, likely romantic but possibly platonic, that provides a sense of security for the future. Crunch:
Virid Dillest Male Half-Orc Warpriest 2 NG Medium humanoid (half-orc) Init +4; Senses: Perception +2 -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 20, Touch 14, FF 16 HP 16 2*(1d8+2) Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +7 -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 30 ft. Melee Attack Block: Whip +6 (1d6+1/x2) Ranged Attack Block: Javelin +5 (1d6+1/x2) 30ft Throwing Shield +5 (1d6+1/x2) 20ft -------------------- Racial Abilities -------------------- Intimidating: +2 racial bonus on Intimidate checks. Sacred Tattoo: Half-orcs with this racial trait gain a +1 luck bonus on all saving throws. This racial trait replaces orc ferocity. Weapon Familiarity: Half-orcs are proficient with greataxes and falchions and treat any weapon with the word “orc” in its name as a martial weapon. Darkvision: 60 Ft -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8 BAB +1; CMB +3; CMD 16 Feats: Weapon Finesse (1st), Weapon Focus: Whip (Warpriest), Weapon Proficieny: Whip and Throwing Shield Traits: Second Chance: Reroll saving throw 1/day Fate’s Favored: +1 increase to Luck bonuses Bred for War: +1 to Intimidate and CMB Drawbacks: Family Ties: When a family member makes a request of you, you must fulfill that request or take a –2 penalty on all Wisdom and Charisma-based ability checks and skill checks until you either do what was requested or succeed at a DC 20 Will saving throw Skills: Know History +1, Know Religion +4, Linguistics +1, Sense Motive +6 Languages: Common, Orcish, Literate Gear:
Favored Class Bonus:
Character Sheet |
