Higgins Dunstable the Fourth's page

About Higgins Dunstable the Fourth

LION BLADES PATRON: The Right Reverend Higgins Dunstable the Fourth
XP 600
Halfling druid 3
LN Small humanoid (halfling)
Init +3; Senses Perception +7
DEFENSE
AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 15; (+1 size, +3 Dex, +2 leather armor, +2 darkwood shield)
hp 16 (3d8+3)
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +7; +2 vs. fear
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft.
Melee small club +2 (1d4 B), dagger +2 (1d3 P)
Ranged small longbow +6 (1d6-1)
Special Attacks
Spells Prepared (CL 3rd, Concentration +6)
2nd – animal messenger, heat metal (Will DC 15)
1st – cure light wounds, faerie fire, speak with animals
0 (at will) – create water, guidance, light, stabilize
STATISTICS
Str 8, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 10,
Base Atk +2; CMB +0; CMD 13
Feats Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack
Skills Acrobatics (CC) 1 (+6), Climb 1 (+5), Fly 1 (+9, includes +2 for size), Handle Animal 1 (+4), Heal 1 (+7), Knowledge (geography) 3 (+7), Knowledge (nature) 1 (+7, includes +2 bonus), Perception 1 (+7), Ride 3 (+9), Spellcraft 1 (+5), Stealth (CC) 0 (+7), Survival 1 (+9, includes +2 bonus); Racial bonus +2 Acrobatics, +2 Climb, +2 Perception, +4 Stealth (size)
Languages Halfling, Druidic, Common (Taldan)

SQ nature bond (roc companion), nature sense, orisons, wild empathy (1d20+3), woodland stride, trackless step

Combat Gear longbow w/20 arrows, mw leather armor, darkwood shield (257 gp), club, daggers (2), wand of cure light wounds (CL 1, 10 charges, 150 gp), tanglefoot bag; Other gear exotic saddle (for roc), exotic mw leather armor (for roc), potions of feather falling (2), 5 goodberries, funky riding goggles made of leather and glass, dapper uniform
(780 gp)

Higgins calls himself the fourth in his line, but he’s actually the fifth ‘Higgins Dunstable.’ Nobody talks about his disreputable grandfather, and the numbering has been changed to help hasten the forgetting of that black mark on the family record. Coming from a line of Halfling stewards that work the fields west of the World’s Edge Mountains, the Dunstables have a special relationship with birds of prey, and every generation has had a Higgins Dunstable that has climbed the mountains and communed with Erastil, the family patron, seeking out the nests of various raptors, to populate the Dunstable Mews. Higgins the Fourth has gone one step further than his father, a Sorcerer who mastered the arcane ability of flight, and has bonded with one of the great rocs of the deep mountain clefts, whose fearsome visage adorn the tabards and shields of his clan. His entire family is thrilled at this development, and have showered him with unusual gifts, such as armor and saddle crafted specially for the animal, or potions of feather falling, ‘just in case.’

He serves the Lion’s Blades as a courier, as so many of his clansmen have over the years, taking on his father’s former duties as messenger and scout, delivering 90% official documents and 10% secret communiques, using the incredible mobility of his mighty aerial steed to good effect. He swoops over the lines, often travelling by night in dangerous times, trusting to his companion to guide them through the darkness, bringing communiqués and small, but vital, materials (potions and scrolls, most commonly) from encampment to encampment, and even flying behind enemy lines to pre-arranged meeting spots, to pick up or drop off new orders or intelligence, on those occasions where he is sent south from his families holdings, near the southern headwaters of the River Porthmos. The Lion’s Blade have regular need of swift courier services, and, barring magic, the Dunstables have always had some of the most reliable and speedy delivery services, through the use of various trained birds. Higgins the Fourth has taken this to an extreme, but still follows the family tradition, with his unique relationship with his fledgling roc.

He is profoundly protective of his companion, whom he has named Darius (and refers to as a ‘rukh,’ in the Qadiri fashion), and refuses to even land if the situation appears dangerous on the ground, using Ride-By Attack to snatch a required package, and similarly dropping non-fragile packages from the air, in passing, rather than risk injury to his feathered friend. Some of those he works with regard him as a bit of a fussbudget, and even a coward, due to this caution, but he cares little for their opinions, since it wasn’t them who climbed the World’s Edge Mountains as a child, seeking out a chick in the nest of the great rukhs, and risking being devoured in a single gulp by the territorial predators.

Any who helps rescue him from a jam, and especially, helps his companion, or assists him in the completion of a difficult delivery, will earn his favor. He is surprisingly un-versed in the secrets of the Lion’s Blade organization, like the rest of his family, serving only his very specific role. He has never opened a sealed package or read a document meant for the eyes of another, and his family (barring the unmentionable grandfather) has a trusted reputation in that field.

Boons The Dunstable Mews can provide trained falcons or other birds (owls, eagles, even ravens and courier pigeons) at reduced rates to those who earn the favor of Higgins the Fourth, and can even select specially-bred birds who are stronger, more dexterous or hardier than the average bird. (+1 to one physical attribute, but the cost for such a bird will be 50% higher than normal, and that’s with a ‘we owe you a favor’ discount, as the cost is normally doubled.)

A druid, preferably one of Erastil, can also be shown to the peaks where the great rukhs nest, during the season when it would be possible to attract a companion of that powerful breed, and with the right training, Higgins the Fourth can even instruct a ranger in how to attract such a companion over a month’s time. If that companion is lost, a druid who has learned the trick can replace it normally, but a ranger would have to return to the World’s Edge Mountains and spend a week replacing a lost rukh.