Adurus Krupt's page

A facsimile of the righteous and noble traditions of Lastwall to the north, many have guessed that the true purpose behind the establishment of this Knightly Order is an attempt to paint an attractive face on the Molthuni war effort—a source of inspiration to Molthune’s citizenry and an honorable guise for the scrutiny of nations beyond. Though boasting few in number currently, the ranks are continuing to swell, and include followers of Abadar, Erastil, and Iomedae in addition to several noble-born scions and decorated war heroes.
You have been recruited into this burgeoning Order under the tutelage of Ser Eodric Teldas, an Abadaran Justiciar (“Paladin”) and younger cousin of the Imperial Governor. Eodric is a stern but fair man, and has thus far acquitted himself admirably as head of the Order.

Benefit: You receive a +1 trait bonus to Diplomacy, Knowledge (nobility), and Knowledge (religion); one of these is a class skill for you. Furthermore, your service to the Order earns you an annual stipend (You receive an additional 250gp in starting funds).

Abadar's Temperance: A prominent theme of Novennia's counsel and tutelage was ever the concept of self control. Raw, untamed power is a terrible thing to unleash, capable of unpredictable damage and disruption to the usual ebb and flow of civilization. When mastered, however, such a gift can be an immense boon. Just as a warmage is capable of imposing will and form upon the chaotic forces of magic, so too could Adurus be taught to master the fiery gift afforded him by the powers. During a particularly memorable lesson, she illustrated this point to Adurus by focusing the rays of the sun through a small, crimson crystal—a perfectly rounded thin disc. The gem caught the beams of sunlight and projected them into a concentrated stream that quickly caught fire to the small bundle of twigs and kindling she had arrayed before her. She allowed Adurus to keep the trinket; along the outer circle of the gem is an inscription that reads: versari et temperare — 'Focus and control'

Benefit: Adurus has learned to use Novennia's gift to augment his own inner gifts. Your fire breath ability now extends to 30' and deals an additional point of fire damage.

Adurus is a young Chelaxian man of 17 years. With charcoal hair, pale skin, dark green eyes, and a strong frame, he strikes a handsome figure. His garbs are reminiscent of a cleric of Abadar: a white tabard with gold trim over a suit of scale mail, topped with a white-trimmed barbute which doesn't quite hide his burn-scarred eyes. He also wears a shield, mace, and sling, furthering the looks of a warrior priest. However, the god's symbol is nowhere to be found on him. Adurus's demeanor is one of wary calm; he regards people and situations carefully.

Adurus is an individual who, in the end, is in it for himself. Though he upholds the law carefully, Adurus does not have any personal love for it; he might break it if it serves him and he could get away with it. He is kind to others, but not overly so, and doesn't go out of his way to help those in need. He is careful and calculating in both social and combative situations. He is particularly sensitive about people calling him blind; he has had to explain to too many people that he really can see, and it has worn thin on his patience. He is accepting of people of many backgrounds and beliefs; however, he holds a special grudge against House Thrune.

After his years being taught in the Golden Glory of the Lawgiver, Adurus has a serious and patient personality. He is a calm and patient sort, very difficult to get a rise out of. When he or another is seriously threatened, Adurus responds in kind, never escalating a situation if it can be defused otherwise. However, Adurus has a darker side; in extreme situations the flames inside him might rise and consume his caution in a wave of anger and rash action.

• Selfish: Adurus does things for himself first. Although he is not overly selfish, and won't demand a larger share than he deserves or anything like that, he is still primarily motivated by the need to watch out for and care for himself.
  
• Calm: Through two years of training, Adurus has a level head and is able to control his emotional flares.
  
• Accepting: Adurus was taught about many different religions, and as a result he has gained a greater understanding of people in general. He has become more tolerating of others' beliefs and opinions, regardless of whether he shares them.
  
• Cautious: Adurus is always cautious; sometimes even overly so. When going into any situation, he first spends time to learn the full extent of the circumstances and gauge the situation before coming up with a plan for dealing with it. He hardly ever brashly dives into an encounter, and never if he can help it.
  
• Untrusting: As with all other things, Adurus is cautious in placing his trust in newly met people. Although he will warm up over time, at first he may seem cold.
  
• Hot Streak: Despite his hard training to control the flame inside him, Adurus still feels its call, the insistent pull toward fiery action that gets stronger with his powers. Slowly his careful planning and caution will melt away, revealing the flames within.

Adurus Krupt (part of the Chelaxian house only by name) was born a laborer in the western Plains of Molthune, close to the middle point between Fort Ramgate and Braganza. Even in young age, Adurus was a wild child, constantly breaking things and throwing tantrums. Like thousands of other laborers, he spent his childhood learning the simple ins and outs of working on a farm. Adurus had 5 brothers and 3 sisters, being the fourth one born into the family. As such, he was not in line to take control of the farm anytime soon, meaning his options in life were highly limited.

With a wild nature such as his, Adurus resented the farmer's lot in life. He had heard tales and on occasion seen the finer life afforded to imperial citizens of Molthune, and greatly desired the higher standing afforded to them. Without the knowledge of his parents, the young boy conspired with two other farmer's children, and the three hatched a plan to join the Mothune Imperial Army and earn citizenship through 5 years of service. The two other children were his best childhood friends, a large boy named Gruckalus and a stubborn young Varisian girl named Bordana. At the age of 15, Adurus set his plan into motion, stealing most of his family's savings (about 15 gp) and running away from home with his two cohorts.

It was about 75 miles from Adurus's home to the city of Braganza; it took the trio almost a month to get there. Along the way, they had several adventures and unusual encounters, and they came out the other side of the trip with 20 more gold pieces and a well-cut topaz gem. Finally in Braganza, they pawned the gem, bought themselves some proper weapons (an adventure in itself), and applied to the Imperial Army. They were accepted into the recruitment training for the Molthuni Regulars, three excited children among the many recruits of the time seeking a better life. However, a few days into the selection process, disaster struck for Adurus.

It happened during a sparring match. Adurus had been matched against a pureblooded Thrune boy (or so the boy arrogantly claimed) named Manius, who had become something of a rival since they first met. When they clashed swords, things became heated, and it seemed they might actually fight in earnest. However, the instructor did not yet call them off. During this furious exchange of blunted blows and parries, Manius's blade sneaked into Adurus's guard and struck him in the throat, hard. As Adurus fell to his knees, grasping his throat, his eyes suddenly radiated a fiery light, and out of his mouth erupted a searing cone of fire. Manius and a few other unfortunate recruits fell to the ground in flames, screaming terribly. Adurus fell forward, choking violently and grasping his throat hard. His eyes were terribly seared, as if by a fire, burn marks fresh across a large part of his face. Most of the bystanders stood stunned for a few seconds following, until suddenly everyone sprung into action, putting out the burning people and restraining Adurus.

A few minutes later, Adurus was taken to the Priests of Abadar, his drill sergeant spinning tales of a demon or dragon in disguise while Adurus could barely croak out anything. Divining magic was employed, and it was discovered that Adurus was indeed a human boy, who came into divine magical powers accidentally. When the priests gave Adurus time to explain the circumstances of the fire coming out, and the council of judges discussed the matter carefully, it was decided that Adurus would not be detained in prison. Thankfully none of the injured recruits suffered permanent damage, and Adurus had no indication or knowledge of the origin of the fire himself. However, they did require that Adurus stay under the "protection" of the chruch of Abadar until his new powers were under his control. The drill sergeant was infuriated that Adurus would not be incarcerated, and vowed to insure that he never joined the Molthuni Regulars.

Adurus spent two long years locked deep inside the Golden Glory of the Lawgiver. It was quickly discovered that the burns across his eyes could not be healed by any magic, for he was chosen by the gods to be given the powers of an oracle. This made him a bit of a special case inside the church; many disciples of Abadar would stop by his holding cell, staring in as if he were some sort of freak show attraction. During his time inside the church, Adurus was tutored by a kindly but strict younger priestess named Novennia. She wore a magical necklace as protection against fire when teaching him at first, but as the months churned on and he gained control of his power she started teaching without it on. At first, the bouts of fire were spontaneous, occuring when Adurus was injured or otherwise acutely stressed. When that was controlled, Novennia moved to teaching him how to shape the magic of the gods into other forms. "Heat is the essence of life", she would tell him, "It can create as well as destroy." Classically Schooled trait.

The months of long tempering were not just spent in magical training; Novennia also taught Adurus about many other subjects a member of the church should know. She taught him about the many gods of Golarion, and how they all shaped the world. Ease of Faith She taught him the names of the planes of existence, how they all fit together, and what resided on the different planes. He learned the art of spellcraft, the anatomy of many types of humanoids, and even learned calligraphy. Finally, after two years, Novennia decided it was time for Adurus to show the priest-judges that he was in control of his powers, and could be released from his imprisonment. The tests the judges inflicted upon him were brutal; they probed his mind and used his deepest fears against him, they tied him to a post and lashed him with a whip, they starved him and humiliated him. Yet for those two excruciating days, Adurus did not use his powers. Finally, the judges decided he had passed the test. Finally, Adurus would leave the temple and return to the world. In order to insure Adurus wasn't simply detained for being a laborer travelling about, Novennia gave Adurus papers (with the church's seal and permission) that officially bound him as a laborer to the church of Abadar. This also meant that he could be called upon by the church at any time to repay the debt owed them for his time spent there. After bidding Novennia a heartfelt thanks and goodbye, Adurus stepped out into the world again.

And he found it just as it was before. Perhaps worse now, as he received many strange looks at his burns. Despite being in possession of incredible powers gifted by the gods for mysterious reasons, Adurus was still a laborer to the law, sitting very low on the totem pole. Knowing that he could not return to a mundane life after what he had been through and what he could now do, Adurus decided to continue his search for a branch of the Molthuni Army which would accept him into its ranks. For even though the Molthuni Regulars were now closed to him, there were many other branches which he could find a place in with his divine powers. Who knows, he might even fight alongside Gruckalus and Bordana one day...

"Would you hurry up already? It's gonna be dark before you're done at this rate!" Adurus called out, staring ahead while trying not to glance backward. He scrunched his nose and blew a few charcoal bangs away from his eyes, his hands impatiently worming around in his pockets. He and Gruckalus stood at the edge of the road, kicking the dirt, rocking back and forth, and forcing their gazes forward. "Sheesh!" Adurus huffed out, crossing his arms in front of himself and pouting. With a sidelong glance of crimson eyes toward Adurus, Gruckalus commented in his slow and long way of talking, "Come on, it ain't taking that long. 'Sides, she's a girl, she's gotta take longer." Gruckalus sniffed hard, the loud sound of snot regressing into his nose covering up another huffy sigh from Adurus. Shuffling in the bushes came from behind them, and a moment later Bordana hopped up next to them, tying the strings on her pants tight around her tiny hips as she said, "I'm done now. You two ready to go?"

The three trudged along underneath the cloudy sky and shady trees, walking side by side as they had for 10 miles now. The sky was growing dimmer, and a strong breeze picked up coming head on into the children. Each of the children held a piece of bread in their hand, munching quietly as the farmland slowly rolled by them. Gruckalus spoke up then, "Wonder how far it is until the city. Y'know, papa said the city is full'a huge houses with all sortsa funny people livin' in 'em." For a second, no one added to that, then Bordana ventured, "I don't think we're close yet. It's probably like, a week away." At that Adurus stopped, the others turning to him as he whined, "A week of walking. Ughh, my feet hurt. We should stop now." Just then, a CRACK of thunder broke overhead. Gruckalus said, "I think we should keep goin'." Adurus raised no objection, and the trio carried on.

A few minutes later, the rain started to come down, just as they approached an old farmhouse. A light sprinkle quickly became a heavy pounding, and by the time the three had dashed into the rickety barn their hair and shoulders were well soaked. Without much conversation, they looked around the dark barn from the doorway, a place seemingly abandoned for at least a few years. A rat or two scurried along the floor in between cracking posts and pitiful piles of what might have once been hay. They ventured further into the room, staying instinctively close together as their eyes darted from one object to another. The further they went in, the darker it became, and the closer they huddled, until Adurus realized how scared he was acting and exclaimed, "C'mon, get off me. You aren't scared, are you?" Bordana forwned at him and said, "No way! You're the scaredy cat!" As the two started shouting at each other, Gruckalus calmly stated, "Hey, we can get a fire started. 'Ve got a flin' and steel in m' boot." The other two looked to him, looked to each other, and looked away, blushing. Then they started searching.

They worked together in the gloom and gathered up a small pile of the best hay they could find, adding some of the rotting wood on top. Gruckalus was the strongest of the three, so he pulled the boards apart from the rest of the rotting wood and broke the pieces into smaller bits across his knee. When the pile was big enough, Gruckalus removed his shoe, turned it and dumped the flint and steel out of it, then set about igniting the hay. The other two sat watching him. After a few moments of waiting, Bordana began to sing a little nursery song, her fragile-sounding voice barely audible above the pounding rain.

The Pale Lady comes into the town today
there's someone here she's gonna take away

The tinder caught a spark under Gruckalus's flint, a small puff of smoke rising as the fire slowly spread to the rest of the pile.

The cold moon's shining on the cobble street
and may-be you'll be the one she meets

As the flames danced onto the wood, Adurus gazed intently into them, the fire reflecting off his thoughtful green eyes in the dark room. Gruckalus sat back, removing a waterskin he had strapped around him and talking a few deep gulps.

If she comes to my door today
I'm not worried because I will say
You can't have me, I'm the-

Bordana cut herself off suddenly, gazing wide eyed at the ceiling beams. Adurus and Gruckalus looked to her questioningly. She whispered in a low, dreamy voice, still staring up, "What is that thing?" As the two boys turned their gaze upward, a low, creaking growl like a sickly dog started from up in the rafters, steady getting louder. In the gloom the children could barely make out the shape of a human head, the eyes of which opened and glowed with a sickly green light. Adurus exclaimed, "What the f-" but was drowned out by a terrible, keening shriek from the head in the rafters. It pitched forward and fell, unfurling batlike wings and opening wide its horrible maw, revealing rows of long, sharp, and blackened teeth. It's keening wail continued, and Bordana and Gruckalus froze in place as it descended swiftly among the children.

Adurus jumped up into action, looking around for a weapon. He reached down and grabbed a sturdy piece of wood from the fire, but as he did so he heard Gruckalus let out a terrible cry that was swiftly muffled. Looking up, Adurus saw that the monstrous head had attached itself to Gruckalus's face with tentacles along its sides, and was reaching it's long putrid tongue down his throat. Gruckalus was finally able to move, and he flailed his arms at the terrible creature, feebly trying to break its grip on his head. Adurus quickly dashed over to Gruckalus and with a hard swing smashed the abomination with his makeshift club. The creature's tongue unfurled out of its victim's throat and its tentacles detached from his head as it was send careening into the wall of the barn. Gruckalus quickly bent over and retched.

Bordana snapped out of her trance then and drew a small kitchen knife from her side, holding it uncertainly toward the creature as it regained its composure and advanced again, this time toward Adurus. Not ready for the assault, Adurus held his club defensively in both hands, and was pushed to his back by the snapping abomination. He held the club inches from his throat, the creature's snapping jaws barely kept at bay, and squealed, "HELP!" Bordana rushed forward with the knife, her eyes barely open as she screamed and plunged it into the thing's back end twice. It keened again and flew upward and away from Adurus, and he regained his footing.

The monster circled around and came back at the pair, but this time Adurus was more ready for it. He planted his feet and delivered a solid swing with the club, splintering it and sending the head smashing into the fire. Its flesh ignited quickly, and the three children simply stared as it emitted the most horrible noises they'd ever heard, over and over until it was nothing more than a charred remain. Without another word all three children walked out of the barn and into the pouring rain.

Appearance:

Gruckalus is a big man, especially for his age. At 6'5" and 270 lbs, he certainly stands out in a crowd. He has a shock of unkempt, shoulder length, brown hair atop his head, and bright red eyes which always dart about nervously. He wears the simple garb of a laborer underneath his Molthuni Regulars uniform.

Personality:

Gruckalus has always been a simple person. Oft times in his youth, he was teased for it, even by his friends (though in a less cruel way). As a result, he is shy and reclusive, only making a couple friends and then sticking fast to them. He speaks in a long, drawn out manner, with a heavy country accent. He is a quiet and peaceful soul, who enjoys observing the beauty of nature. Many times, when put into a stressful situation, he freezes up, though his military training has helped to iron out this habit somewhat. His primary reason for joining the Molthuni Regulars is to achieve citizenship, so he can move his family into the city and afford them a better life.

After Adurus was kicked out of the recruiting, Gruckalus searched around town for several days for his lost friend. Eventually, the recruiting officer let it slip in conversation that Adurus was given to the Temple of Abadar, and detained there. Gruckalus went with Bordana to the temple, but they were disallowed from visiting Adurus, and were never told when he would get out. After about a year and a half, Gruckalus and his company were sent to Fort Ramgate.

Appearance:

When standing beside Gruckalus or Adurus, Bordana makes an amusing contrast. At only 5'2" and about 100 pounds, Bordana is a small woman, but she makes up for it with a big personality. Her curly blonde hair and violet eyes mark her as a Varisian by blood. She wears simple, sweat stained clothes underneath her Backar Forest Rangers uniform and armor. A red cloth strip keeps her hair tied back, revealing a couple bronze studs in one ear.

Personality:

Bordana is a woman who works hard to get what she wants. She doesn't let things such as her size or her status as a laborer get in the way of her goals. She has an energetic and joking personality, using her gift of glib to embarrass or compromise her way out of most bad situations. She is kind at heart, and often gives to those in need. Her primary reason for wanting to join the military is to escape the terribly boring life of a farmer's wife that she was headed towards.

After Adurus was kicked out of recruiting, Bordana asked around to figure out where he'd wound up. Gruckalus found out before her, and together the two of them went to the Temple of Abadar, where he was supposedly being held. However, although they learned he was indeed being held there, they were not allowed to see him. Bordana leaves the city for a few months at a time to patrol the surrounding areas, especially the Backar Forest. However, every time she gets back one of the first things she does is check at the temple to see if Adurus was released. She hopes one day the three of them can be reunited and have more adventures together.