Bart Swanson SWRifts's page

Toughness 2+ ½ vigor + armor. 2 +4+ 1(Brawny)+5 armor, 2 T from armor

1 Increase vigor to d8 (Novice increase)
2 New edge: Extraction (one foe doesn’t get free attack when withdraw)
3 Skill increase: Electronics d4, Riding d4
4 Skill increase : Boating d4, Common know to D6
5 Strength to D8, Seasoned increase
6 Edge: Dodge (-2 to be hit by ranged attacks)
7 Skill increase: Healing and electronics to D6
8 Spirit to D8, Veteran increase
9 Edge: Block (+1 to parry, ignore 1 gang up bonus)
10 Edge: Combat reflexes (+2 Spirit versus shaken and stunned)
11 Edge: First strike (free fighting attack when foe moves into reach)
12 Agility to D10, Heroic increase
13 Skill increase: Fighting and shooting to d10

Bart Swanson had the unfortunate pleasure of being born in the Federation of Magic. If he, like his parents, had the spark for magic it would have been a very different life. He did not though. His mother was tall and thin. His father short and round. The best of t heir physical qualities were passed to bart. He grew tall and strong. Like most boys an young men, the dangerous forests were their playground. Bart felt more at home there than his tiny room at home. As his teenage years progressed with no magical ability he was given work doing what he did well, scouting and hunting. By the time he was sixteen there were only four others with magical lineage in their families who had not ‘burgeoned’ as the authorities would say. One was a visitor from another land, an honest to goodness Elf. While she was amazingly beautiful her relationship to Bart became more like an older sister. They were inseparable.

Several years later Bart was 19. Areala, his adopted sister, was of similar age but seemed much older and wiser. There were only three of them from their group who were still mundanes. They started receiving more dangerous missions and realized they were being challenged to either ‘spark up’ or die as useful servants. His parents were, sadly, ideologically in favor of the Federations policies and ways and for over a year had been vocally wondering what was wrong with Bart. Areala and Stef, the other two were being treated similarly.

On their last mission they were sent to scout well south of the official borders. Fearing the killer dinosaurs they had been told about the climactic battle that would change Bart’s life forever ended up being with bears. Not ordinary bears, of course, something had mutated them, giving them incredible toughness and savagery. A low level Mind Melter by the name of ashore, behind his back, of course, was leading the group. It was some kind of test for him as well. Thankfully mama bear, all ten foot and ton plus of her, pounced in him first. Bart had to admit the rest of them may have waited a few precious seconds to open fire. When they did, they found their weapons to be much less effective than planned. Then ‘baby’ bear, only six foot tall, came from the other side and disembowled Stef. That one fell to a laser pulse into one eye from Areala. By this time Momma bear was done with her snack and charged into the two of them. It charged Areala and body slammed her into a large tree. She then turned and swiped Bart twice. He was able to dodge back but to enough to escape the blows.

One caught him in the face. Three claws made purchase, from the left side of his face to the right. One only made contact for a few inches, it tore into his chin at an angle and caught part of his lower lip. The next caught his cheek and gouged a path through the middle of his nose and into the other cheek. The last hit under his left eye, mercifully missed the eyeball but tore through the area above his eye and into his forehead. The other claw destroyed his chest armor and left gouges from his upper chest on his right side to below his rib cage on the left. It was a gruesome wound.

Bart fell back and down and the bear stood over him, growling with drool dripping on Bart’s wounds. Then a blade, the tip of Areala’s longsword, appeared out of the front of its throat. It stepped forward and turned, bashing Areala into the air again before wandering a few feet and collapsing. Bart heaved himself up, ignoring the pain to stagger to Areala. He held her as the life passed from her. They spoke to each other for the last time, Areala demanding that Bart take everything useful from the bodies of his group, including her, and try to get to the castle they had heard so many stories about. She also gifted him her necklace. It is in the shape of a dragon, made of some metal from her original word with a small gem in the center. She never told him what its significance was, just asked that he wear it close to his heart in her memory.
Some time later, bart gathered the healing kits and patched himself up as best he could. He found a bog to give Areala and Stef a quick burial and started walking. There were many adventures between that fateful day and when he finally spotted Castle refuge but all were forgotten when he spied that amazing sight. After being challenged and brought in for questioning he was eventually entrusted with small jobs and then bigger ones. It did not take long for him to become a trusted woodsman and a little bit of a jack of all trades.

Bart is a tall human male, around 6’ 2”. He has a large frame and impressive musculature but also still moves with grace. He has short black hair and brown eyes. Other than his size he would be non descriptive but for the signs of a rough life.
Three scars run across his face. His lower lip is slightly misshapen but not enough to affect his speech. The scar running through the middle of his nose shows where he had some medical work done but the nose is still misshapen in that area. The last scar is the scariest. If whatever made it had another half inch of reach it would have gotten his eye as well. That one is still an angry red in color going a few inches into his hairline above the other eye.
If seen without his short the scars on his chest and abdomen are even worse. The scars turn an ordinary looking large man into a slightly scary looking and unattractive one.
He is usually seen wearing camo or colors matching the surrounding area and it would be rare to see him unarmed.