Harrol the Pilgrim's page

Saint Lymirin's Letter to the Taldorans 12:21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Harrol has travelled from the quiet Andoran countryside to Mendev as a pilgrim, hoping to glimpse upon the Cathedral of Saint Clydwell and to pledge himself to the Fourth Crusade.

Harrol will be primarily a support character, taking pot-shots at opponents not yet engaged in melee and providing the party with buffs (eventually through the freaking awesome heroism domain). I'll be using magic stone and a sling, primarily. I'm looking at the cloistered cleric, but that diminished spellcasting really hurts a lot.

Personality wise, Harrol will be phlegmatic, kind-hearted and peaceful by nature. Quiet, unassuming and somewhat timid, Harrol has little to commend him among the ranks of great heroes. Like a certain other famous Hobbit, it's supposed to be a surprise when the little guy pulls through.

Harrol is the Naive Newcomer, and the Wide Eyed Idealist. He'll stick out among the grittiness of the setting for his Incorruptible Pure Pureness. A nice anchor to any Knight Templars in our ranks that might go to far. If the party were the Planeteers, he would be The Heart. At the same time, I want to work to make him a little more flawed. He'll also need one or all of the other party members to take him under their wings, to make a crusader out of him. This should prove a good vehicle for say, a Knight-Templar type to show his softer side, a jaded deserter to show his cynicism, or a knowledgeable character to show just how much he knows.

A Badass Normal. A simpleton with with More Than Meets the Eye... I want to be a little guy in a war much, much bigger than him, but thanks to his faith in his goddess, he holds his own. To this end, he'll be starting the game with nothing to set him apart from the average acolyte, even using hurled rocks as his weapon. I want to really learn to pull off a 'spiritual' character, complete with the right mannerisms, humility and knowledge of scripture that I don't think there are many examples of in the real world. In Terry Prattchet's Small Gods, the great god Om only appears to one acolyte. The only one among legions of faithful that actually, honest-to-goodness believes in the Great God Om (and is therefore by default, the chosen one). I want Harrol to be that prophet. The halfling that believes with all of his little heart. That's going to be the biggest part of his character.

The Acts of Iomedae 10:7-8 “And as you go, preach, saying ‘The Kingdom of Aroden shall return.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.”

Harrol shivers. The old keep is damp and drafty, and the silver sword and sunburst hangs heavily around his neck. He clutches it and mutters a wordless prayer. The one-eyed recruiter summons sellswords and vagabonds one by one. Harrol looks very much out of place among the mercenaries. He wears a dull gray pilgrim's robe, and carries a heavy leatherbound holy text and several scrolls. At a glance, you'd be forgiven to think the halfling was a scholar, but his calloused farmboy's hands, youthful features and guileless eyes rule out that possibility, as does the enormous holy symbol around his neck.

The recruiter does not seem to have noticed him yet. The halfling waits patiently until all of the recruits have been sworn in, before making himself heard. "... ex...excuse me? Begging yer pardon, m'lord. But I'd loike to sign up." he says, earnestly. "... and don't be lookin' at me loike dat. I've seen two and twenty winters, I have. I'm more than old enough!"

"My skills, milord?" he says, brow furrowing as the recruiter sneers down his crooked nose at him. "Well, I can clean a wound, set bones, tend a stable, give a blessing... I've seen a battle before, I'll have you know!" The recruiter finally speaks. We're looking for soldiers, not washerwomen. he says. The smile fades from Harrol's face, and he meets the recruiters eyes with a sullen expression. He'd already been laughed away by the Knights of Ozem. He wouldn't bear that shame a second time. "From the looks, and smell of things around here, it looks like you could use plenty of both." he murmurs, before abruptly slamming his holy text down on the table.

"Acts 10:35-38. 'Do not think that I came to bring peace; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. And he who does not take his sword and follow after me, is not worthy of me'." His expression is different now. In place of the earnest, wide-eyes of a young man is a steely glare that seems to pierce right through the maimed knight behind the desk. His voice drops close to a whisper, but it seems to reverberate from the walls. "The Inheritor is my strength and shield, and damn you, I mean ta foight!"

Harrol takes a deep breath, looking shocked for only a moment at the words pouring out of his mouth. For a moment, he looks worried the recruiter is going to strike him, but the man merely regards him with one last sneer before swearing him in. Very well. If you're so eager to get your fool-self killed, I won't stop you. May Pharasma have mercy on your soul.

Proverbs 21:15 "When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers."

Harrol's most treasured possession is a weather-beaten holy text, The Acts of Iomedae. Born to a family of free halflings that worked the riverboats along the Sellen, Harrol's family often bore crusaders, mercenaries and paladins making the long journey to the Worldwound. One such Paladin left behind his holy text, and certain his parents would not let him keep it, the youth hid it away. Having barely learned his letters, Harrol struggled. In time however, he grew fascinated with the heroism of the goddess, how she slew the King of the Barrowood from atop a flying griffin, how she ended the reign of the Whispering Tyrant, how she called upon the Undenying Light of Aroden to drive an army of ghouls from Absalom.

By the time he came of age, the young halfling was insistent that he would become a priest. He made the pilgrimage to the Sancta Iomaedea, the magnificent cathedral in Vigil. Where he would live for several years. Becoming first a stable-boy, then a messenger, then an acolyte of the third circle, and finally a surgeon on the back-lines. However, it soon became clear where this is where he would stay. Adamant that he should fight. He vowed to join the Knights of Ozem and push back the tides of evil. They laughed him away. Rather than return home in shame, Harrol steeled himself and took the long journey north to Mendev, with little more than the clothes on his back and a cudgel to discourage any bandits.

Harrol has idolized the courage of great heroes and saints since he was a small boy. He does not think himself half as courageous, but his faith in his goddess is enough to keep him going against the most terrifying of foes - (the courageous trait)

Harrol spent much of his time in Lastwall tending the magnificent warhorses of the crusaders, and has vowed that if any beast is to bear him into battle, it will be a Lastwall-thoroughbred (small-sized or no) - (the beast bond trait, UC)

If drawbacks okay, Harrol will take the Unlearned one so I can say I got SOME use out of Ultimate Campaign...

The light of the Inheritor shines strong through Harrol, allowing him greater skill at healing - (the blessed touch trait, CoP)

Why did the Knights of Ozem laugh him away? From Knights of the Inner Sea Adventurers who volunteer to join the Knights of Ozem are always welcome, as the order’s need is great and their threats ever-present.
Acolyte Harrol isn't an adventurer. Hell, I'd go to say that the Harrol at the start of the adventure isn't an adventurer. Not yet. The Harrol that wants to join up is a civilian, and while the Knights were willing to take him on in the capacity of a stablehand, surgeon or healer, there's really no place for a knock-kneed halfling on the front lines.
The Paladin code of Iomedae in Faiths of Purity demands that her followers strive to emulate the goddess as the ultimate symbol of knightly virtue. But Harrol is far from a knight, he's a young, unlearned halfling that's greener than a blade of grass. It's something I really want to play up. While he can't spend his days campaigning for honour and glory, he can strive to emulate her in word and deed.
The only thing I'm adamant on is that this is his second pilgrimage and he has at least SOME medical and theological experience, however narrow. Whether or not they actually refused him or simply denied him access to the front lines I'm up in the air about. Something else, whether prophetic dreams, a sudden realization or watching his fellow acolytes flock to battle while he is cooped up in Vigil made it clear to him that his place was in Mendev, not Lastwall.
Does Harrol have a Berserk Button?
Harrol is a young, inexperienced man. He's far from unflappable. When it comes to the little things, he's easily embarrassed, flustered and visibly upset. Any attempts to press his buttons will likely work, but he takes these remarks in stride. 'Turn the other cheek' doesn't strike me as an Iomedaean mantra, but it's definately a halfling one. (Also no Napoleon complex. They're for chumps...)
When it comes to the bigger evils, Harrol will meet those with sheer incomprehension. Mass-murder, the slaughter of innocents, and demonic sacrifices. Senseless ending of lives that he, as a cleric of Iomedae, is supposed to protect. In short, the horrible things he's likely to encounter on the way to the Worldwound. Those are the things that will cause him to snap, to awaken the (figurative) guardian angel in his tiny halfling breast, and bring out his scary side. I hope that isn't a cheap answer, but there you go. I want Harrol to have to be pushed REALLY far before he loses his idealism. If the rest of the party lose heart, I want Harrol to be the example that drags them up again.