Kurdran Graybeard's page

About Kurdran Graybeard

Kurdran Graybeard
Male Dwarf Witch 7
NG Medium Humanoid (dwarf)
Init +2; Senses Perception +, darkvision

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Defense
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AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+ armor, + shield, +2 Dex; +4 vs giant)
hp (7d8+14+7)
Fort +, Ref +, Will + (+2 vs poison, +4 vs spells, spell-like)

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Offense
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Speed 20 ft.
Melee warhammer +4 (1d8, B, x3)
Melee dagger +3 (1d4, S, 19-20/x2)
Ranged crossbow +6 (1d8, 80', 19-20/x2)
Special Attacks hatred (+1 att vs goblin, orc)

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Statistics
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Str 10, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 19(17), Wis 15, Cha 8
Base Atk +3; CMB +3; CMD 15
Feats steel soul, extra hex, craft wondrous item, ability focus (hex)
Traits ironfang survivor, glory of old, birthmark, overprotective (drawback)
Skills
Languages common, dwarven, goblin
SQ darkvision, hardy, iron citizen, stonecunning

Arms & Armor
Combat Gear
Other Gear

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Abilities
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TRAITS

FEATS
Steel Soul increase bonus from Hardy to +4.

RACE ABILITIES/QUALITIES
Slow and Steady base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
Defensive Training +4 dodge bonus to AC against monsters of the giant subtype.
Hardy +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities.
Stability +4 racial bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground.
Craftsman +2 racial bonus on all Craft or Profession checks related to metal or stone. This racial trait replaces greed.
Stonecunning +2 bonus on Perception checks to notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors located in stone walls or floors. They receive a check to notice such features whenever they pass within 10 feet of them, whether or not they are actively looking.
Hatred +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against humanoid creatures of the orc and goblinoid subtypes because of their special training against these hated foes.
Weapon Familiarity Dwarves are proficient with battleaxes, heavy picks, and warhammers, and treat any weapon with the word “dwarven” in its name as a martial weapon.

CLASS ABILITIES/QUALITIES

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Profile
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Appearance
The short block of a dwarf stands just over four feet of dense, corded muscle. Kurdran is not fat, quite the contrary, he is both strong and agile, bred to a keen level of adaptability as only war can draw out of a being. His hair is ash gray and muted. He is balding on top, and has taken to shaving his head, keeping only his beard, which he braids loosely. Generally garbed in dark leather trousers, a simple shirt with sleeves rolled up and a leather smith's apron, he does own both a coat of hides and a hefty warhammer. He is rarely without his hammer in one hand, though can also be found carrying a sickle or dagger.

Personality
Contrary to most people's expectations, Kurdran is a rather outgoing and friendly individual, especially for a dwarf. While not well spoken, he is happy to chat with those who come into the shop, whether it be to recommend a blade, evaluate a damaged shield, or simply discuss the rumors of Phaendar. Loyal to a fault, he has always dreamed of standing beside great heroes and fighting horrid enemies, as his ancestors did in days long past. He has a taste for ale and slow stewed meats, and is curiously known to hum while he works.

Background
Far to the north beyond Cairndubh lies Undred Kattor, the great dwarven realm of stone. Therein sit the six great dwarf clans. For millenia they have held firm to their isolation deep in their mountains. But if you speak with the elders, they will mention the seventh great clan, Clan Braehammer, those that defied the laws of Undred Kattor and ventured out into the land of men. Now more than two centuries past, the Braehammers have scattered across the continent, bringing their skill as both craftsmen and warriors to every edge of human society. And over time, the success of the Braehammer Clan in the world of men lead men to see trade with the kingdom of Undred Kattor, a situation which was most profitable for the realm. And so, despite there abandonment of the old ways, clan Braehammer is viewed with respect in the ancient Dwarven realm to the north.

Duglin was born and raised in Morningport, where his father Dolan made a good living as a master smith. Dolan had many apprentices, both human and dwarf, yet none showed as much promise as his son. The blood of the Braehammer Clan was strong in Duglin, and was most evident when he wielded a hammer atop the Anvil. An so Dolan challenged him, to grow and progress.

Dolan tutored his son throughout the day, then shared the tales of their Clan by the firelight. The Braehammers had been guardians in the ancient realm of Undred Kattor, having guarded the underrealm against countless adversaries, though none more vile than the Demon Lord Vangarox and his mighty orc horde. Beating the near limitless army back into the wastelands of the West, Axemarshal Hemdor Braehammer beheaded the demon Lord, ending the horrid invasion. But Hemdor knew Vangarox could reform himself in time, for he had not found the demon Lord's soul stone. So it was that an oracle came to Clan Braehammer two centuries past, with whispers of the return of Vangarox. So when a new horde of orcs was seen moving east out of the wastelands and down into the realm of men, Borgel Braehammer lead his clan out of Undred Kattor to join with the humans against the Clan's ancient foe. But the other Clans doubted the nature of the attack, and stayed within the great Dwarven realm. This was the Schism of the Clans.

Duglin studied diligently under his father's tutelage, driven to both make his father proud and live up to the Braehammer name. His skill as he progressed through adolescence was remarkable, yet he yearned for something more - to raise up arms as his forefathers had and defend the land against the evils of the dark. But Dolan forbade Duglin to join the Radiant Guard, the city watch of Morningport. He did however agree to train Duglin in the use of the weapons he crafted. As with smithing, Duglin took to the ways of war with ease and poise.

Finally the day came for Duglin to be judged as a smith and adult. He was given the task of creating a war axe, an honored weapon sacred to dwarves, and a coat of scales. It took him two weeks, but when he finally brought the items before his father, Dolan smiled. "Welcome to manhood son. You are now a smith."

Duglin was proud of his achievement, and worked with a renewed vigor. When word reached Morningport that the smith up in Sorrowmoor had grown old and weak without an apprentice to take over, Dolan told Duglin this was his chance to make a mark as a man. With little pause, Duglin agreed and they penned a missive to the aging smith, offering his services in his stead. Then Duglin packed his belongings and began the journey north. It was 3 days into the trip that he learned of the strange occurrences in the small hamlet he was traveling towards. It would seem he would have to use that axe after all...

Background
It is said that once upon a time the two races of dwarves were one people. That was eons ago, long before the Great Chaos torn the world asunder. In recent years, as the noble races have rested a measure of control from the horrors of the dark, hope brings about strange ideas. One such idea came to Ginborg Braehammer, cousin to Dorumar Morduum, lord of the Barrier Dwarves. Ginborg believed that if they could unite the two great dwarven people, that the dwarves would rise to heights unseen since the olde days, and perhaps be able to reclaim their ancestral homeland. With the blessing of Morduum he dispatched his son, Torbram, to take a small company and head south, seeking out the dwarves that live among the great desert. After months of travel across Wrack, Torbram and his company made their into the harsh sands and reached the cliffside homes of their southern kin. The Sand Dwarves accepted their northern kin, as was their custom, and listened to the words of Torbram. Like the Barrier Dwarves, the Sand Dwarves were very clan oriented and had an interesting response to Torbram's proposal of an alliance - a union of clans via marriage. Torbram would marry the Sand Dwarf lord's niece, Kataras. Torbram assigned duty, set forth by both his father and his uncle, their lord, was to accomplish an alliance with the Sand Dwarves. So, to do his duty to clan, Torbram accepted, and was wed to Kataras. Thus was Kurdran born.

Shortly after Kurdran was born, Torbram and Kataras ventured north to the Great Divide, proud to share word of the success of the venture and the new bond between the two dwarven people. They would live out the next span of years among the Barrier Dwarves. Kataras had brought a handful of Sand Dwarves with her, and though wed to Torbram, spent most of her time with her own people. Torbram, for his part, was happy to be back among his own people, and once again took up his role as a watch captain. So as a child, Kurdran heard much of the lessons of the Sand Dwarves from his mother and her comrades. The other dwarves looked strangely on the practices of Kataras and her people. Torbram was of a noble lineage, and so, despite other's objections, Kataras was afforded respect. Torbram too, though, saw that Kurdran was exposed to the traditions of his father's people. And so, the battle of two cultures started early for Kurdran.

And so his life would continue throughout his childhood and adolescence. Every few years, Torbram and Kataras would travel from one's homeland to the other. Yet in each place, both would live as married, but do nothing to learn the ways of the other, only maintaining their own traditions. So Kurdran always had to lives, running concurrently. In his mid adolescence, he lost his mother to a rock worm attack while venturing out of the great desert. This would be the last time he would see the sands of his mother's world. Returning to the Great Divide, Torbram once again took up his post, and Kurdran, already being trained in the art of war by his father, was fully indoctrinated into the militant culture of the Barrier Dwarves.

Order, discipline, regimented duty, thus was the way here. Yet the fire of the desert burned within him. He frequently found himself in trouble, not for a lack of skill or ability, but for his difficulty in submitting to the rigid structure. The solid shield walls of the dwarves, combining spear, axe, and pick, felt cold, unpassioned, and ineffective. His mother had taught him some of the dervish style of the south, but not enough to be proficient in it. One day while in the armory, he found a strange weapon. A length of reinforced wooden haft, topped with a corded and spiked metal head, tucked in a forgotten corner. Turning to the smith, Kurdran asked what it was. The smith chuckled, saying it was an idle project, an attempt to improve the spiked clubs that some of the human militia would bring with them to join service on the wall. Kurdran hefted the mighty weapon, and found a unique of brutality and order, of strength and efficiency, and smiled. This was a weapon for a lost soul, and Kurdran quickly became skilled with it.