About Bastagar SwiftthicketInit: +3, Senses: Perception +5; low light vison DEFENSE
OFFENSE
ATTRIBUTES
The Lay of Grungir Wood:
cross whale-road and rocky sea,
An earnest youth, unblooded he. Travels far, finds glory naught. Wither-death takes him by the hearth. Down frozen road to rocky fjord, Through Thanelands vast and forests thick Deep in Grungir's grove is found There, the liesmith, Lantern King... Thence the fearsome fairie king
Bane of the wood burns bright in hearth
For stolen-silver stashed away,
"Weather of wolves is come again
Summary:
Character Summary: Bastagar is an otherworldly being, a gnarled, white-haired creature old as the ash trees, although not nearly as tall. He serves an otherworldly master, and the suspicious folk that inhabit the lands near the Grungir Forest, even his fellow Gnomes, are quick to cast him as a witch, evil spirit, or worse, forcing him to live in hiding. He takes freely from the villages he inhabits, though often leaves repayment in work or service. The terms of this arrangement, however, are always up to him. When asked about his goals, however, he chuckles merrily and taps his crooked nose, stating that they are for "Me to know, and you to ponder."
Background Summary: A wanderer and scribe for the Pathfinders, Bastagar lost his nerve after a brush with death and lived a life of seclusion in Delgan's Grove to the north, withering away under the curse of the Bleaching. Cast out by his kinsmen unwilling to see him wither into madness and expire, he wandered deep into Grungir Forest and begun worship of the Lantern King (whether the Eldest of the First World himself or some malicious fey trickster or other), who began to whisper lies into his ear, ways to steal back his youth. The wisdom of his early years half-lost to madness, he lives a life hiding in dank cellars and haylofts, chuckling wildly as keys, trinkets and valuables are inexplicably lost, driven from village to village by suspicious townsfolk damning him as an evil spirit or worse. However, he has increasingly come to believe that the long winter is linked to the bitter chill of the Bleaching. If he can undo one, he might just undo the other... Appearance and Belongings:
A crooked grin and twinkling eyes peer out behind bushy white eyebrows the colour of winter, and a bushy, tangled mess of hair, filled with bits of straw, leaves, and the occasional cobweb, it's clear it's been a long time since this gnome has slept in a bed. Gnarled and crooked with age, he stands barely over three feet tall, and seems something out of a skald's tale than a creature of flesh and blood. He wears no bright colours, in fact the colour seems drained from him as if sucked out by some demon, and the only fine thing in his possession are his handsome, curled brogues, which the gnome seems eerily attatched to, polishing them to a mirror sheen each morning.
His true prized possession is a boon from his master, a branch from a dryad's heart-tree. This acts as a wand of goodberry with a few charges remaining, sprouting and bearing fruit when he whispers to it. This is the secret to his survival, and he clings to it dearly, his only tangible connection to the First World and his fairie masters. Bone Bag: one of the items Bastagar lifted without knowing it's purpose, it is a small black leather bag that has a half dozen vertebrae from animals within it. All vertebrae bear a horizontal nick from when they were used as sacrifices to a dark god. The residual magics have faded... but animals still hold an unnatural aversion to it.
Personality and Traits:
Wily: Bastagar is a canny trickster with many aces up his sleeve, and a cunning only slightly lost to madness. Bastagar has travelled very as far south as Kintargo, and as far north as the Thanelands, and has much experience to draw from (as well as a wealth of unconvincing tall tales to tell.)
Zeal: Despite the Bleaching, Bastagar is still a gnome, and powers through life with a mixture of senseless optimism and stubborn persistence, that often tends to rub off on those around him. Restless: Bastagar is in constant motion, as if fearing as soon as he stops his frantic activity his heart swill stop with it. He is the last to leave the fireside and the first to rise, and it would take the most vigilant observer to determine if he sleeps at all. His haste often leads him into dire situations, but so far lies and magic have been tools enough to weasel out of them. Mad: Mind frayed by the rigors of the Bleaching, Bastagar is prone to shrieks of laughter, mad ramblings and nonsensical tunes, as well as deep fits of lethargy and sadness, when all the world seems to hold no colour for him. His movements are stiff and erratic, more like those of a toy-soldier than a human, and his eyes beady and frantic, often setting those that come across him on edge. Level Up:
L3 Stealth +13, Disable Device +9, Escape Artist +9, Knowledge (arcana) +7, UMD+9; +1 Fort +1 Will, mending FEAT L4 Stealth +14, Disguise +7, Disable Device +10, Escape Artist +10, Knowledge (arcana) +8; +1 Ref, +1 BAB, woodland stride, vanish entangle, L5 UMD+10 Disable Device +11, Knowledge (arcana) +9, Acrobatics +8; +1 Will ((+1 4/6, 4 2/6, +2 2/6)), mage hand, hideous laughter/alter self/[/ooc] FEAT L6 Assassin +1 BAB, +1 Fort ((+2, 4 5/6, +2 4/6)), sneak attack, death attack, poison use, 6 free skill ranks (UMD to max, linguistics, swim, appraise, craft (alchemy/poison), diplomacy, fly, spellcraft, acro, perform, swim) L7 Trickster - ranged legerdomain, (knowledge (all) snowball, glitterdust FEAT |
