About Herand of the MoorGM use:
Character for GM Kobolum's WotW, focus/foible stat creation, background skills
Racial stat bonus to Strength Statistics:
Male Human Magus (Hexcrafter) 1
Melee Ranged ------------------------------
Traits
Feats
Skills (8 points; 2 class, 4 INT, 1 human, 1fcb)
Background Skills (2 points - level)
ACP 0
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies
Languages Common, Infernal, Abyssal, Draconic, Celestial Light Load: 50
Special abilities:
Arcane Pool (5) Spell Combat Skilled: Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level. Spell book:
None, only memorized spells in the tracking section Gear & possessions:
Tattered rags Background:
You might not know it by looking at Herand, but technically Herand's family is part of the minor nobility. By talking to Herand, however, you will certainly be reminded of that fact. Five or seven generations ago, the family had a small to moderate estate in southern Talingarde. In the meantime, poor choices and being on the side of losing battles has resulted in the holdings shrinking to a single fort just outside a village near a swamp. That the fort has 4 stone buildings with a wooden palisade but is spoken of by the family as if it were the largest and most ornate palace in the world. As the holdings of the family got smaller, they became desperate to maintain their position and wealth. Eventually desperation turned to depravity and their depravity and malevolence have increased over time. While careful to keep a clean and lawful appearance to the public, the family delved deeper and deeper into the workings of the occult. Eventually, the women developed the ability to tap into unknown magic and use it for their own purposes. Herand's mother, Norava, the current family matriarch, is a moderately accomplished witch and has been known to use her powers to gather wealth for herself or to curse her political opponents. Occasionally, Norava will summon creatures from other worlds to spy on others, find hidden secrets, or teach her new magic. Breaking with tradition because she had no daughters, Norava exposed Herand to the demonic rituals and their blasphemies since his birth. While not as powerful as his mother, Herand was a quick study and did receive some abilities with magic. To address his somewhat lesser magical abilities, he trained physically and practiced with weapons, becoming proficient with armor, sword, and spell. It is common to see Herand practicing with weapons and armor but he keeps his magical abilities concealed from all, lest word of his powers attracts the attention of the church. Now in his early twenties Herand spends his time being a noble, or at least acting like one as much as possible. He has only one close friend, Matteo, who he also calls his squire. The two of them spend most days riding across the country side to either hunt for game or to ensure that none of the local people fall afoul of wild animals or unusual travelers. Talingarde being a basically peaceful nation, there is precious little for Herand to do other than act as one of his station. This boredom occasionally causes Herand to get himself into trouble that he must either fight, talk, or bribe his way out of. My crime:
A pair of riders approach a village, dragging the carcass of a stag behind them. "That is odd, so many people in the village square during the day," said Herand to his squire. "Let us go and see what is the cause of this gathering." With a quick and subtle move of the bridle, Herand starts toward the center of the village. Covering the ground quickly, Herand approaches the small crowd. A small cluster of men man stand in the center, each dressed in white and copper robes with the symbol of scales bearing twin flames hung around their necks. Once he is close to the crowd, Herand dismounts. "Bishop, " says Herand with a smile to the oldest of the group, whose robes are noticeably nicer than the others, "I am Herand, of the local barony and this is my squire, Matteo. What brings you to our humble village? We do not usually see so many visitors here." "Not Bishop, Vicar. Vicar Dorsa." replies the man. "We are on a tour of the countryside, spreading the warm grace of Mitra to all. Should any not know of Mitra, we will also bring them into the fold." "I can assure you, Vicar Dorsa, that you will find none other than devout Mitrans here," replies Herand with a smile. "Perhaps you should focus your righteous efforts on more remote villages, where we might not be so sure of such things. I have this area under my eye and allow no deviations from law or custom." "Even the faithful find solace in their faith being reinforced, " retorts Vicar Dorsa subtly before he continues, "And it will be I who is the judge of faithfulness, not the word of a local lordling. Either way, we will be staying in the temple for the next few days. Do see it that your father pays us a visit." HRMPF, grunts Herand. "Let us not be too hasty. I do believe the scriptures say it is Mitra himself who does the judging." Then after a moment's pause, "But I will not let it be said that I would refuse a man of the cloth any hospitality." Herand dismounts and starts toward the stag he and Matteo have killed. "A gift for you and the village, Vicar. Take this and feast well." "I'm sure your kindness will be noted, " says Vicar Dorsa with a slight smile. "Henrico and Otto, give this man a hand with our feast," the says the Vicar to his assistants. After helping the Vicar's retinue move the stag into place and ensure it is hung correctly, Herand and Matteo leave the village and head towards Herand's fort. After they have moved out of sight of the village, Matteo asks Herand: "What do you make of that?" "I'm not so sure, " replies Herand, "but it seems a bit unusual." Herand and Matteo return to Herand's fort and relate what they had learned to his Father and Mother. For the next few days, they go about their lives normally. Several days later .... A peasant man knocks on the gate of the fort where Herand and his family live. "Masters and Mistresses, " announces the peasant, "Come quickly to the village. There is a ruckus about in front of the church!" Hearing that, Herand and Matteo strap on a small amount of gear and ride quickly to the village, arriving promptly because the distance is short. There are 15 or 20 people gathered around the church of Mitra, with Vicar Dorsa and his followers standing on the steps of the church, nailing a large parchment on the door. "Make way! Make way!" shouts Matteo as he and Herand move toward the door of the church. After they move through the group, dismount, and approach the steps around the door of the church, Herand finds himself face to face with Vicar Dorsa. "What is the meaning of this, Vicar?" asks Herand, "It is the middle of the day and these people should be working. No good will come from people avoiding their fields." Vicar Dorsa smirks, "That appears to be true regardless of one's station in life. I see news travels quickly here." "News, what news? " asks Herand incredulously. "We only came because of this ruckus." "Well, then," says Vicar Dorsa, "let me be the one to tell you personally." He points to the parchment that is nailed to the church door. "This is a notice of trial, which starts tomorrow. Your mother stands accused of heresy and witchcraft! Do be sure to arrive at high noon." Herand gasps, "This is preposterous! These accusations are without merit and baseless." Vicar Dorsa interrupts, "Then I am sure that the fair and just Mitra will see to it that your mother is found innocent and set free." "You do not see the ", says Herand then continuing. "Even such an accusation is enough to stain our honor beyond repair. I must seek satisfaction now, with the old ways of our lands and family!" Herand approaches Vicar Dorsa until he is within arm's reach. He then moves with unexpected quickness, slapping Vicar Dorsa with enough force to turn his cheek but stopping short of drawing blood. "I will let this go no further! I demand immediate satisfaction in a trial by combat," he shouts. The crowd gasps as the challenge is offered. Vicar Dorsa raises his hands to his shoulders, showing his lack of combative intent, then says "Surely you cannot mean to challenge an unarmed old man. That would hardly be befitting of a reasonable trial by combat." "Surely, one of your retainers could be a second, " nods Herand before continuing, "And on the subject of arms, use mine." With that, Herand draws his sword from its sheath and pushes it into the ground, point first. "I will use my short blade to not be accused of unfair advantage in equipment." "Rudio, " says Vicar Dorsa evenly, "you are in chareg of security for this investigation. I believe this makes the duel your responsibility." "Y-Y-Y-Yes, Vicar, " stammered Rudio as he walked toward where Herand's longsword was sticking out of the ground. As he gets closer, the small crowd recedes giving Herand and Rudio plenty of room in the village square. After a few tense and silent moments, Herand speaks, "As the challenged party, we start on your mark." Little changes as Rudio slowly prepares himself. He removed any unneeded equipment, tests Herand's longsword for balance with some swings in the air, and does some basic stretching. After what could be a few seconds or an eternity, Rudio says clearly: "Mitra preserve justice and protect his servant. I am ready." He raises the sword to a defensive posture, gripping it in both hands with the point facing Herand. Herand bolts quickly, closing the distance between himself and Rudio while mumbling to himself Bh zmy easyr ao zmy kyhalv, quwz!. With what appears to be no more than a twist of the fingers, a flash appears in Rudio's eyes, keeping him occupied for just a moment. Using Rudio's momentary inaction as an advantage, Herand strikes. His blade pierces Rudio's chest and blood sprays from the wound. Almost as quickly as it started, the duel ends with Herand standing over Rudio's still warm corpse. Turning to the church, Herand addresses all that are gathered in a loud voice but faces Vicar Dorsa. "There will be no need for a trial. My mother's good name and that of all our family should be secure once again. Never again should these false accusations be mentioned. Vicar, you may take your man for burial rites." Feeling satisfied, Herand wipes his blade on a rag and mounts his horse. "Go in peace, good Vicar," he says before riding out of the village. Wisely trying not to provoke any further conflict, Vicar Dorsa makes no further protests. Mumbling quietly so that only his retinue would hear, he says "Oh, we will go but we will also be back and be back in force." Appearance & Personality:
There is a scar in the shape of a large runic "F" on the outside of Herand's right forearm, starting at the wrist and stopping just short of the elbow. It is visible unless Herand is wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Herand is above average in most respects, either a little or by a lot. He's tall, agile, healthy, smart, reasonably good looking, and fairly charming. He is loyal to his family but has few friends, and only one close companion, Matteo. When meeting new people, he will assume that he is always the social superior until he is shown otherwise. He's also proud, slightly impulsive, and puts his goals before most others. He does understand the value of working with others but would prefer to be in charge than to be the one being told what to do. Herand keeps track of debts, both owed to him and that he owes, and will do what he can to use those to his advantage. Should he be obviously outclassed, he will try to befriend those more powerful than himself and learn what he can about their base of power, so he can use it for his own ends. Height: 6'
Tracking/Consumables:
Gear Weight: 1 Memorized spells
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