About LothacCulture: Dunlending
Character:
Common Skills
Favored skills in italics. BODY...................HEART....................WITS...............SKILL GROUP Awe: 1...................... Inspire: 1 ............... Persuade: 2............... PERSONALITY.....OOO
Weapon Skills
-Rewards-: None
Gear
Endurance: 22 Starting Endurance: 22 Fatigue from Encumbrance: 9 Fatigue from Travel: 0 Total Fatigue: 9
Wisdom: 2 Valor: 1
Fellowship: 0 Advancement: 0 Treasure: 0 Standing: 0 Courage: 0 Fierce Folk: When a Dunlending receives a loss of Endurance that would make him Weary or reduce him to 0 Endurance, he may choose to gain a point of Shadow and cancel that Endurance loss. Grim of Aspect: If you can approach servants of the Shadow before an armed confrontation becomes inevitable, you may interact with them using the normal rules for encounters. So long as you keep Elves and Dwarves in your company out of sight (or bound as “prisoners”) most Orcs, Bandits and other foul folk will not attack you without cause. Additionally, if you are using the rules for Eye Awareness, your individual score is considered to be equal to -1 (subtract 1 from the Starting Eye Awareness of your company). Mountain Savage: The majority of the folk of Dunland live by hunting, trading, animal husbandry and simple farming – but not yours. You come from the people of the eastern heights, raiders famed for their brutal attacks and ruthless tactics, even against other Dunlendings. As you came of age, you realised there were other ways to live than those you were raised to and set out to lead a different sort of life. The fierce warrior that lives within you, though, is never far from the surface… Fire-making: You know how to make a fire almost anywhere out of almost anything, if needs be. Tracking: You find it easy to recognise and follow the paths created across the wild by the passage of beasts and men, and to distinguish between them. Grim: Your countenance is threatening, and betrays the harshness of your spirit. Wild: You value little the comforts of what others call civilisation and prefer to trust your instincts when you must deal with others. Dunlending: The Riders of Rohan call the hillmen ‘Dunlendings’, for they are mostly swarthy, with dark hair and eyes. They live a hard life in the empty lands west of the mountains, roaming the Dunland Fells and the land between Isen and Adorn accompanying their herds and shunning other folk. Men and women alike weave their hair in intricate braids, and wear clothes of dull colours, as the hillmen favour dyes that allow them to blend easily with their surroundings. The Dunlendings despise subtlety in speech, and they are quick to take offence and slow to give their trust to anyone outside those who speak their own tongue. Frugal: Frugal folk usually sleep in comfortable common halls (or tents, if nomadic) and eat the produce of their own lands and pastures. They wear simple clothes at most times, although they may possess finer garments for special gatherings like season festivals, marriages or funerals. Jewels and other superior ornaments, if any are in the keeping of members of the society, are treasured as possessions belonging to the community, and are passed down through generations of appointed keepers. Adventurers coming from a Frugal folk do not usually carry anything of unusual worth (unless as part of their war gear), with the possible exception of one or two pieces of expensive clothing or common jewellery, like a rich mantle or a golden necklace or bracelet; probably a token of their status among their peers. Consequently, Frugal adventurers can rarely afford to pay for anything, and prefer to find or make what they need instead. Leadership: You possess the capability to win the trust of others and push them to action. When under pressure, other men naturally turn to you for guidance, as ducklings follow their mother, or wolf pups heed their father. Leader: The Wise know that advice is a dangerous gift, as all courses may run ill. Worse is the case of a leader of men, as when his actions go amiss, many suffer as a consequence. But when the world is on the brink of ruin, it is the duty of all men of worth to rise and take the lead, whatever the risk of making the wrong choices. You have decided to put your judgement to the service of others, to guide them in this dark hour. But you don’t want others to heed your commands out of fear or obedience – you want them to follow you because they trust in your counsel. Background:
There are clans among the Dunlendings which are known for being so fierce as to raid as a way of life, striking out against even their own people. They are bandits who are feared even among the Hillmen, whose ferocity has earned them a reputation for being wicked and untrustworthy. Some even whisper that the mountain dwellers have consorted with goblins in recent years. Perhaps there is truth to that.
There is, of course, a second side to this story: these folk are often the poorest of the clans, forced into a meager existence by Rohan and their own kin alike. They live often in the mountains or in the most inhospitable parts of Dunland, and they harbor a deep and seething anger. It is from these folk that Lothac hails, and it is this lifestyle of banditry that he has always known. Lothac has always had a particularly dark fire in him, and his people have long recognized his potential as a leader. He is a grim and able warrior with a cunning mind, and he has always tried to prove his worth by returning home with the greatest bounty of all the warriors. His clan has made forays into Breeland before, and he has oft relished the prospect of raiding such a fertile land: its people have always been easier prey than other Dunlanders, and they carry more impressive wealth at that. So it surprised none of his clan when he volunteered to join a raiding party aiming to ply their trade in that region. Things did not go entirely as planned. Lothac's band was met by a surprising amount of resistance, and though none of them was slain, they were forced to retreat west of Bree, closer to the Brandywine. A fortunate thing happened then: a Hobbit lass - those small folk who were not uncommon around Bree - was traveling by herself, and was unaware of the Dunlendings waiting in ambush. She could not have fought them off; Lothac and the others came out from the bushes with their spears, bows, and axes ready, and they promptly made her prisoner. As the Dunlendings made camp that night, Lothac was given the responsibility of watching the prisoner. Against his better judgment, the raider spoke with her, learning a little of her story: why she was traveling, why she was willing to take such a wild risk as to go to Bree alone, and how she had never imagined such terrible things as what awaited her. He listened too to her simple wish to be able to decide her own fate. Lothac began to feel regret - for this deed and for others - and though he could scarcely believe it, he acted on instinct and cut her bonds. Then, gesturing for silence, he helped the Hobbit escape, leading her out of the camp and guiding her to Bree. As it stands, the Dunlending is uncertain of his current path, unsure if he has made the right choice. However, his instincts tell him that the girl, Primrose, is a good soul, and that he must have much still to learn about how the world works. And so, Lothac has chosen to accompany the Hobbit for the time being, at least until she finds her uncle Bungo. After that, perhaps he can begin searching for treasure to bring to his people, or for a better way of life he can lead his folk on... Lothac does not know this, but he has met Berethor before. The two of them fought years ago when they were both young (though Lothac was the older and stronger of the two) in a Dunlending raid of
Questions:
1) What is your near term goal in life?
I will find Primrose's uncle. It is as simple as that. 2) What long-term goal do you envision pursuing if adventure doesn't sweep you away? After I have helped Primrose find her uncle, I will search for a new way for my people to live. My clan and others like it survive through raid and plunder - there must be a better way... 3) What do you think about adventures in general? Traveling is good. Traveling to new places is better. I want to see the world, find its secrets, and test my mettle against fearsome creatures. That is what 'adventure' means. 4) What is most precious to you? My pride. I am a warrior. I stand tall. 5) What would cause you to give that up? One of the first stories I was told when I was young was of the wickedness of the Men of Rohan, of how they forced us into our meager existence. And a meager existence we have: we Dunlendings have begged, have scraped, have farmed infertile lands, have had to steal from the lands we once called our own. We are a proud people, but our pride has been spat on by foreign folk. As my mother once said, we must take for nothing will be given; we must hate for we will not be loved. All my life I have kept a balance between pride and survival. It will be harder now, for I know that not all those who are strange are wicked, and I will judge myself more harshly for my deeds. But pride alone does not feed my belly, so I would tarnish it if I must to survive - even if that meant bowing and scraping before lords of realms I harbor no love for, or making parlay with beasts like orcs. If I must first walk in shame to lead my people to a prouder future, so be it. 6) Are you married? Do you want to be? No. I would like to be, yes - but perhaps not yet, not now. I must see the world and bring something back to help my clan. 7) Goblins, wizards and walking trees? Do you think they really exist? There is no doubt of it. My people have long been guided by the White Wizard, Saruman, and owe him much. My people have fought goblins in the past, and at other times have made deals with them - or at least agreed not to kill each other. 8) You carry an item that is precious to you. What is it? My mother makes things. She works with wood and bone, making tools and arrows and bows. But when I was a child, she took a horn from the head of a great bull and from it made a musical instrument. She gave it to me, and taught me how to play. This horn I still keep. It reminds me of home, and it gives me hope.
Personal Possessions:
Horn of the Lion - a horn made from a mighty bull that can serve as either a musical instrument or as a signal horn. Lothac loves this horn above all his other possessions. |
