Barnabas Goldfield's page

About Barnabas Goldfield

Twenty years ago, Mägareta Goldfield (eldest daughter of House Goldfield, a family of financiers) set out from the Andoran city of Augustana. Desperate to prove her fitness to lead House Goldfield, Mägareta hoped to strengthen trade relations with the River Kingdoms.

Instead, her trade junket was waylaid by a syndicate of bandits who belonged to a much wider network of gangs in the wilds of the River Kingdom. Their leader Tarsk, a charismatic half-orc with pretensions of chivalry, treated Mägareta with a semblance of kindness.

Tarsk’s attempts to woo Mägareta were not entirely unsuccessful. Mägareta saw advantage in keeping her kidnapper happy. As she learned of the scope of the syndicate’s reach, she saw equal benefit in bending them to her own agenda—establishing distribution channels in the River Kingdom for House Goldfield goods.

Truth be told, she also found the bandit-king rather grossly attractive.

And so Barnabas Goldfield was conceived and born. Like many of the bastards born to House Goldfield, his parentage was officially denied. Instead, he was raised as a foster child and apprenticed to one of the House’s many businesses.

Barnabas’ father and his gang, made up largely of half-orcs and orcs, did recognize the boy as theirs. They put Barnabas through a battery of orcish rituals to forge him into a brutal warrior.

Ultimately, Barnabas’ father and associates judged him to be weak, however useful he might be as a tie to House Goldfield. Meanwhile, Barnabas’ human family and peers tended to ignore or humiliate him, with a few notable exceptions.

One such exception was Barnabas’ foster mother, devout follower of Shelyn. She appreciated the boy’s great intellect, and saw in him human qualities that deserved nurturing (though for her, this meant down-playing what orcish qualities he had inherited from his father).

Barnabas’ foster mother was also something of an alchemist, having crafted many perfumes and beauty products for Augustana’s wealthy ladies. Barnabas quickly took to helping her in her craft, which soon earned him the attention of more advanced alchemists. He was apprenticed to House Goldfield’s chief alchemist.

At some point in his studies, Barnabas learned of the elusive goal of many alchemists—the panchrest, or the universal panacea. Barnabas believes that learning to craft the panchrest would allow him to shed his orcish blood, freeing him from humiliation and the rage he carries inside himself.

Unfortunately, the panchrest was well beyond the knowledge of Barnabas’ master. With years remaining in his apprenticeship, Barnabas felt that he had no choice but to flee Augustana for the life of exploration promised by the Pathfinder Society.

Barnabas dresses very dapperly, spending well beyond his means to wear the latest looks of Taldor. He takes care to conceal the intricate tattoos that cover his body—legacy of the rituals that his father imposed upon him as a lad. He carries a finely wrought falchion. His orcish heritage is evident in his grey skin, prominent canines and enormous stature. Barnabas stands nearly seven feet tall, with wiry muscles.