Dafydd Cadwallon's page

Dafydd ap Roger Cadwallon, Davy to his friends, was born in May of 1900 to an ancient and noble, albeit low-profile Welsh house. His forbears claimed descent from no less a personage than Arthur Pendragon. Or at least one of the Knights of the Round Table. Probably one of the ones that are supposedly related to Arthur. The story's gotten a bit tangled over the centuries. Subjugated by the English, they bore a quiet grudge for centuries, but reluctantly accepted knighthood under Henry Tudor, for bravery shown at Bosworth Field. They are proud to say they accepted a title from no Englishman, but from the first Welsh king to conquer England.
Over the years their fortunes rose and fell; one ancestor created a Baronet by James I, his son and grandson died defying Cromwell, only for another son to be given back the ancestral lands by Charles II. By the time of Dafydd's birth the family lived quietly, uninterested in London's baleful eye turning upon them. Even if it wasn't illegal to be catholic anymore. It was into this atmosphere that a son was born to Roger Cadwallon, second son of the then-current baronet. Christened Dafydd, after the patron saint of Wales, the boy grew up quick of limb and wit, willing to follow the rules but happy to shirk them when it suited him. It was in this latter mode that, in August of 1914, he left home, lied about his age, and joined the British Army. Since he wasn't using his actual name, he got no special privileges, and was assigned as an infantry private to the newly-formed 25th Division. He served with some distinction, and eventually found himself granted a plum assignment; acting as batman to a lieutenant by the name of John Tolkien. They fought together at the Somme, but when Tolkien was invalided out with Trench Fever, Private Cadwallon was promoted to Lance Corporal and reassigned to the front lines, where he served until war's end. It was at the Somme that Dafydd first saw...unnatural things. Things that could not be; gas clouds that seems to come from nowhere, or move of their own accord, dead men still walking, and stranger things yet. It was these encounters, more than physical wounds, that saw Tolkien sent away. But Dafydd fought on, determined to end...whatever it was.
While he demobilized after the war, and went home to face his family (his mother was *not* pleased-oh deary me, not at all), he had trouble readjusting to civilian life, certainly there were things he could not have explained, even had he wanted to scar his family with his memories. Instead signed up with the Black and Tans, to fight the IRA, whom he suspected might have been in league with...whatever it was hhe had fought before. After two more years of war, he was exhausted, having seen violence to rival anything he saw in France, and done things he has never spoken of, except to his confessor, not to mention the ghostly things he had seen, wailing on the moors, the man-shaped wolves that attacked under the light of the moon...now, finally, he had seen enough to question his own sanity. He decided that he had had enough of fighting, and spent much of the next couple of years in obscurity, making a pilgrimage to Rome, and living in a monastery for a while. It was there that he first encountered the Order of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, in the form of inquisitors who questioned him closely about his military service, and made him swear holy oaths on saints' relics not to reveal his experiences to the world at large. having had no intention of doing so, he complied happily. In this day of science and industry, he thought, surely he would just have been called mad? Ultimately, however, monastic life did not suit him and he decided to attend Oxford, where he heard that his old officer Tolkien had just taken up a teaching position. He studied there under Tolkien, learning to read and write Old English, among other languages.
It was at Oxford that he became associated with the Order of Saint Nicholas, through Tolkien, his friend Professor Lewis, and a tight-knit group of others with similar experiences. It is not an order the Vatican discusses publicly, because their role is to combat paranormal and even supernatural threats to the church and humanity at large. Tolkien brought him into the society's orbit, and then its membership. Both had seen certain strange things during the Great War, and Tolkien knew Cadwallon shared their experiences. While the two professors channeled their experience of the supernatural into works of fiction, Dafydd determined to take a more active role in the Order's work, and spent his next several years at Caldey Abbey, back home in Wales, training in secret catacombs beneath the abbey, where he learned many truths about the paranormal, supernatural, undead, occult, and demonic threats that roam the world and, most importantly, how to end them. He spent some time working under a more senior knight of the Order, and has recently been released as a knight errant in his own right, trusted now to hunt threats down on his own.

Dafydd has seen a lot that he is loathe to open up about. He is wary and cautious around strangers, but around friends and comrades he opens up, and freely talks about his experiences...to a point. He is a man of deep and abiding faith, which plays a central role in his life and provides much of his reason for existence. Even so, as a catholic raised in an Anglican country, he understands the need for religious toleration and is relatively tolerant of others' faiths. He was raised in the household of a baronet (first his grandfather, then his uncle, and his father has since inherited the title), and received an excellent education, which led to a sometimes condescending or disdainful attitude towards commoners and foreigners (and even the English, to a lesser extent). His service in the War and time at Oxford, however, opened his eyes to the good in common men, and he has, to an extent, shed the attitudes of his youth. As far as the British peerage is concerned, he's a commoner, but he does hold a knighthood by virtue of his membership in a military order. He speaks several languages fluently, though mostly dead ones.

More than anything else, he is motivated by his faith. It propels him to carry on even in dark times, to rid the world of the evil and horrors that infect it.

Dafydd is Lawful Good (as you might expect from a paladin). He believes that a free people's rights are best safeguarded by just laws and an ordered society. Having been raised in a (minor) noble family, he is fairly conservative and decries the Parliament Act of 1911 as a great error. But he also decries much of the nobility as feckless layabouts coasting on wealth and power acquired by their ancient forbears. If he had his way, there would be more "churn" in the nobility, energetic and brave commoners rising even as scions of ancient families who did no service to the nation fell out. He thinks well of King George V, but does not look forward to the day when his wastrel son Edward takes the throne.

J.R.R. Tolkien-Dafydd served under him in WWI, later studied under him at Oxford, and was inducted into the Order of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker by him. He looks up to Tolkien as a mentor and something like an elder brother. He often goes to Tolkien seeking advice, and sometimes receives tasks for the Order from him.

Stefania Glen-An Anglo-Italian woman Dafydd met and grew close to during his time in Rome after the War. They remain friends (only friends, to Dafydd's chagrin), and correspond frequently. She works as a journalist, and frequently travels in Europe for assignments, especially to her mother's homeland of Italy. While she is not fully aware of his activities, she is aware of his interest in rumors of the strange or occult, and is often able to pass along information to him about things she has heard of or seen in various publications.

Hermann Muller-A German officer Dafydd glimpsed across the battlefield on a couple of occasions where strange phenomena were present. Dafydd does not know his name, but with his subsequent training, believes the man to be a necromancer. (He is correct. Muller is a wizard who specializes in necromancy, but also dabbles in summoning and is currently involved in Nazi projects aimed at discovering the secrets of Kabbalist golem creation techniques.)

Dafydd is a fairly tall, thin (some might say gaunt), somewhat dark complected man with dark hair and brown eyes. By habit, he often dreses in cast-off British Army or Royal Irish Constabulary uniform bits, randomly intermixed (never a complete version of one or the other, as he has left the service and does not mean to pretend he is still in). When social necessities call for it, he does have nicer clothes, but he has never cared for frippery. He carries a Luger he took off of a German he killed in The War and a dagger, both concealed.

Dafydd
Male human gunslinger 1/paladin (tortured crusader) 3 (Pathfinder RPG Horror Adventures 65, Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat 9)
LG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +7; Senses Perception +13
Aura courage (self only)
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Defense
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AC 23, touch 23, flat-footed 17 (+1 deflection, +5 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 untyped bonus)
hp 48 (4d10+8)
Fort +12 (-2 vs the nauseated condition of a swarm’s distraction ability.), Ref +13, Will +12
Defensive Abilities second chance; Immune disease, fear; Resist cold 3, electricity 3, fire 3
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee +1 aldori dueling sword +12 (1d8+7/19-20) or
dagger +9 (1d4/19-20) or
unarmed strike +9 (1d3)
Ranged mwk pistol +10 (1d8+5/×4)
Special Attacks deeds (deadeye, gunslinger's dodge, quick clear), grit (4), gun training +5 (pistol), smite evil 1/day (+4 attack and AC, +3 damage)
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Statistics
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Str 11, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 18, Cha 10
Base Atk +4; CMB +9 (+11 grapple); CMD 27 (29 vs. grapple)
Feats Agile Maneuvers, Combat Expertise, Deadly Aim, Dodge, Possessed Hand, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Slashing Grace[ACG], Unarmed Combatant, Weapon Focus
Traits aldori caution, unscathed, warrior of old
Skills Acrobatics +12, Bluff +4, Climb +4, Diplomacy +4, Handle Animal +4, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7, Knowledge (engineering) +7, Knowledge (geography) +4, Knowledge (history) +4, Knowledge (local) +8, Knowledge (nature) +4, Knowledge (nobility) +8, Knowledge (Occult) +8, Knowledge (planes) +7, Knowledge (religion) +11, Linguistics +4, Perception +13, Ride +9, Sense Motive +11, Spellcraft +7, Stealth +9, Survival +8, Swim +4; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception
Languages English, German, Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Old English, Welsh
SQ alone in the dark, entomophobe, finesse weapon attack attribute, lay on hands 5/day (1d6)
Other Gear mwk aldori dueling sword[ISWG], dagger, mwk pistol[UC], 2,286 gp
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Special Abilities
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Agile Maneuvers Use DEX instead of STR for CMB
Alone in the Dark Can use lay on hands only on self, use 2 to gain use of smite evil, and auras only affect self (not allies).
Aura of Courage +4 (self only) (Su) Allies in aura gain a morale bonus to saves vs. fear.
Combat Expertise +/-2 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack.
Deadly Aim -2/+4 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage.
Deeds Use Grit to perform special abilities with your firearms.
Energy Resistance, Cold (3) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Cold attacks.
Energy Resistance, Electricity (3) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Electricity attacks.
Energy Resistance, Fire (3) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Fire attacks.
Entomophobe -2 attacks vs vermin & -2 save vs the nauseated condition of a swarm’s distraction ability.
Finesse Weapon Attack Attribute Finesse weapons use Dexterity on attack rolls.
Grit (Ex) Gain a pool of points that are spent to fuel deeds, regained on firearm crit/killing blow.
Gun Training On a misfire with chosen firearm type, misfire value only increase by 2 (instead of 4).
Immunity to Disease You are immune to diseases.
Immunity to Fear (Ex) You are immune to all fear effects.
Lay on Hands (1d6 hit points, 5/day) (Su) As a standard action (swift on self), touch channels positive energy and applies mercies.
Possessed Hand (1/day) As a swift action, retrieve stowed object of 5 lbs or less.
Power Attack -2/+4 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Second Chance (1/day) (Su) Use 2 lay on hands and establish a trigger to apply healing and a known mercy to self.
Slashing Grace (Aldori dueling sword) Treat chosen weapon as 1-handed piercing weapon and can add Dex instead of Str to dam.
Smite Evil (1/day) (Su) +4 to hit, +3 to damage, +4 deflection bonus to AC when used.
Unarmed Combatant Always considered armed, no attack of opportunity on grapple attempts.
Weapon Focus (Heavy Blades) Choose one weapon group. You become better at using that type of weapon.

Prerequisites: base attack bonus +1.

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on all attack rolls you make using weapons from the selected group. The bonus only applies

Relic Sworn Archetype
At 3rd level, the Relic Sworn gains a “Divine Pool”, that is equal to 1/2 paladin level + charisma (or wisdom in your case) bonus. This otherwise functions as the Arcane Pool ability of the Magus class.

At 3rd level, the Relic Sworn becomes bound to a weapon of significance. This functions as the Black Blade feature of the Bladebound Magus archetype. In addition, as long as the Relic Sworn has at least 1 point in their Divine Pool, they are able to dismiss or summon the blade as a move action. This counts as their 1st magus arcana. Every three levels after (6th, 9th, 12th, etc), the Relic Sworn may choose an additional magus arcana.

At 9th level, the Relic Sworn gains the Spellstrike ability of the Magus.

The Relic Sworn abilities replace Divine Bond and Mercies.