About Malothor, the BloodhoundPersonality & Appearance:
The malodorous hobgoblin slouching before you, keeps his eyes on the floor and bobs his head gently as he moves and speaks. He reeks of dog, decaying fish and saltwater despite his best efforts at grooming and washing his clothes regularly. He rarely looks up and never looks his betters in the eye. Small, skinny, and meek are good words to describe Malothor. Barely clearing 5 feet, his hunched shoulders and slouching posture give him the appearance of being shorter, and his lean and wiry frame, under ill-fitting rags, reinforce the perception of weakness and frailty. He is however hardened by years of physical, hard labor and hours and miles walked and run each day. He hides his face under a filthy skull cap made of leather of uncertain origins and his stringy, long black hair is braided into long tendrils around his shoulders. Small red-rimmed black eyes, a squat broken nose and sharp incisors jutting out of a thin mouth complete the unflattering face of the Hound keeper.
Background:
He was the runt of the litter, bullied and mistreated within his tribe the Steel Claw Hobgoblins of Molthune. Unfit to be a soldier within the ranks of the hobgoblin army, he escaped an immediate death sentence by his uncanny ability to empathize and train the dogs, wolves, warthogs, and other beasts used by the Steel Claws during raids and the battlefield. He became the keeper of the animals, although the beasts earned respect and better treatment as they fought alongside their hobgoblin masters. Malothor was relegated to just a step above the human slaves captured during raids. Then three years ago, Malothor's life took a turn for the worse, if that is even possible. The Steel Claws suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of the Nirmathas Skirmishers. Few survived the precisely executed ambush and ensuing slaughter, and it was only Malothor's uncanny ability to survive by disappearing into the background that saved him. The Molthune forces that reinforced the Steel Claw position imprisoned the few survivors and sold them into slavery as punishment for "desertion". Malothor eventually ended up in chains on slave merchant ship, the mistreatment and abuse continued, but again Malothor found a way through his natural guile and servile attitude to earn a position as the Quatermaster's assistant taking care of the Captain's bytches (literally) - two massive bloodhound / mastiff mongrels used to hunt and capture escaped slaves. In this position he finally gained a smattering of respect amongst the slavers, as they valued his skill in finding, tracking and capturing new and escaped "cargo". He has earned the enmity of most of the slaves, who see him as a traitor to their shared plight, but is also not accepted by the slavers. Hence Malothor is shunned by all, except the beasts he keeps, sleeps with and loves.
Smoke:
During a hunt for new captives along the coasts of the Mwangi jungles, Malothor encountered an injured tigress of massive proportions. The tiger had been protecting her newborn cubs from local villagers, and the scene he stumbled upon was ghastly... the villagers had been ripped to shreds, and all the cubs slaughtered. The tigress herself was injured beyond Malothor's abilities to heal, but as she passed away she rolled over and revealed that the runt of her litter was still alive, hiding beneath her massive girth. The little cub was all grey with dark black stripes, an unusual color for the species. Malothor took the cub back, but hid her in a shelter close to where the ship was anchored. During the three weeks the crew hunted for new captives along this coast he took care of the little tigress, feeding her and nursing her back to full health. He named her Smoke due to her unusual coloring and ability to blend with her surroundings. When the ship was ready to sail, Malothor was distraught as he knew Captain Blackburn would never allow him to keep Smoke. He slept little the night before they were to sail, and for the first time he dreamt of escaping and hiding in the jungle. In the early morning, when the sailors were preparing for departure he slipped out into the sea and swam to shore. Malothor and Smoke escaped into the jungle and hid for weeks from the enraged Captain and his crew, who refused to leave without first finding the wayward hound keeper. Eventually the bloodhounds Malothor cared for so deeply discovered his hideout and he was surrounded and recaptured. The Captain upon seeing the tigress Smoke, called for his first mate to kill the beast... Malothor flung himself at the Captain's feet and pleaded, "Please Captain let her live... I swear I will never run again... Pleeease!" he wept pitifully. The cruel Blackburn just laughed and kicked the hobgoblin aside. Then curled in a ball and watching the crew advance on Smoke, Malothor pleaded to Erastil for a miracle. The tigress suddenly disappeared leaving a small stone statuette in her place. The crew were surprised and shocked in place... and then Malothor saw, for the first time a glimmer of fear and apprehension in the Captain's eyes. Malothor had never revealed the Gift to call upon and manipulate the magic of the earth and sea, of nature itself. The Captain surges forward and picked up the statuette... then looking at Malothor in this new light, "What else have you been keeping from me, dog? I will keep your pet, but from now on, no more secrets. You will use your nature magic to aid us, and should you ever think of running away again, or turning on this crew...", he starts crushing the fragile sculpture and just as it is about the crack, grins evilly and tucks it into his pocket.
Character Stats:
Malothor, the Bloodhound Male hobgoblin druid (nature fang) 3 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 92, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 175) LN Medium humanoid (goblinoid) Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +9 -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +4 Dex) hp 26 (3d8+8) Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +5 -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 30 ft. Melee . . club +4 (1d6+2) or . . . . Ranged . . shortbow +6/+7 (1d6 / 1d6+1 /x3) . . . . Special Attacks studied target +1 (1st, move action) Druid (Nature Fang) Spells Prepared (CL 3rd; concentration +5) . . 2nd—web shelter (x2) . . 1st—cure light wounds, ice armor, obscuring mist . . 0 (at will)—create water, detect magic, resistance, stabilize -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 13, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 8 Base Atk +2; CMB +4; CMD 17 Feats
Traits dangerously curious, fast-talker, reactionary
Skills
Languages Common, Druidic, Giant, Goblin
Combat Gear Other Gear --------------------
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