Russwin Ardath's page

Starting Wealth: 300 gp
Current Wealth: 18 gp, 18 sp, 20 cp

Ranseur (10 gp, 12 lbs.)
Javelins (5) (5 gp, 10 lbs.)
Cold iron dagger (4 gp, 1 lb.)
Chain shirt (100 gp, 25 lbs.)
Alchemist's fire (2) (40 gp, 2 lbs.)
Rogue's kit with masterwork tools (120 gp, 37 lbs.)
--Backpack
--Bedroll
--Belt pouch
--Caltrops
--Chalk (10)
--Flint and steel
--Grappling hook
--Iron pot
--Mess kit
--Mirror
--Pitons (10)
--Rope
--Soap
--Thieves' tools (masterwork)
--Torches (10)
--Trail rations (5 days)
--Waterskin
Lapis lazuli and bronze necklace

Total weight carried: 87 lbs.
Carrying capacity: 100 lbs. (light), 200 lbs. (medium), 300 lbs. (heavy)
Push or drag: 1,500 lbs.
Lift off ground: 600 lbs.
Lift over head: 300 lbs.

Russwin Ardath is a 25-year-old native of Korvosa. His mixed Chelish and Ulfen heritage manifests itself in his wavy shoulder-length brown hair, his stubble that never seems to go away, and his sullen brown eyes. He wears his chain shirt under a simple gray linen shirt and an overcoat, woollen trousers, boots, a belt, and a dagger at his hip. When on the hunt, he carries his javelins ("ratskewers") in a simple sheath at his back and his ranseur in his hands.

Russ grew up on the streets of Korvosa, an orphan along with his older sister Calasta ("Callie"). Russ had been too young to remember their parents except for the occasional image of his mother, covered head-to-toe in flour... or bruises... or both. Callie remembered, but didn't talk about it much. Russ was fine with that.

Russ remembers very little about his twelfth birthday. Fevers will do that to you. He remembers his sister leaning over him, trying to keep him awake. He remembers her words, "I'm sorry... It's the only way... we need the money. So you can get better." He remembers recovering as Callie started to show; she was going to have a child. She didn't talk much about how that happened, either, but as she had been spending so many nights away from home, and as they suddenly had enough money for food and medicine, Russ figured it out on his own.

Life got tough for a while. Raising a child wasn't easy, and Russ saw less and less of his sister as she worked longer hours and he started catching rats on the streets and in the sewers. They didn't fetch much, but every copper helped. Eventually he learned he could cook them himself, but the baby didn't like them much. They named her Mara, "after our mother," Callie explained.

One day, when he was sixteen, Russ came home to find his sister in a crazed sleep, dreaming vividly and shivering all over. From that point on, he sort of took over. He found as many odd jobs as he could stay awake for. Callie always promised to stop buying the drug, but she was never off it for long. A year later, she died. Too much shiver, or maybe she was just overwhelmed and lost her will to live. Probably some of both.

Russ raised Mara, and things weren't so bad. He found a decent job loading and unloading merchandise, and he won some money arm-wrestling. He would fight for coin in the seedier taverns from time to time, but Mara didn't like it much, so he only fought when they really needed it.

Then, Mara disappeared. She was twelve, he was twenty-four. That was a year ago.

He's been looking for his niece ever since, from the roofs of the city to its deepest sewers, and he suspects Gaedren Lamm might have "recruited" her to his little gang. Last week, he was perusing the various blades at a weapon dealer's shop, and his eyes fell on a cruel-looking little dagger with a fancy sheath. The shopkeeper chuckled. "That there's an elven dagger, come all the way from Kyonin. Made of cold iron. That's for killin' demons, son." Russ's fists clenched, and he looked at the dealer with murder in his eyes. "Perfect," he said, "just what I need."

Russ devotes his time to searching for his niece, Mara. This includes looking for rumors and endlessly exploring the streets, sewers, and rooftops of the city. Russ's temperament prevents most people from being willing to help him, so he mostly searches alone. Russ used to have a steady job, but now he makes his money hunting stray animals and fighting at taverns. He's not very skilled at unarmed fighting, but sheer strength lets him beat most opponents.

Sister Korva: Sister Korva is an acolyte of Calistria who Russ met the first time he visited that goddess' temple, after he had learned that Lamm was responsible for Mara's disappearance. Korva has subtly stoked the fires of revenge in Russ's heart, and while she has also tried to stoke certain other "fires" in him, he has been oblivious to her efforts, focused as he is on finding his niece.

The Cracked Shield: The Cracked Shield, a tavern frequented by off-duty guards and street thugs alike, is where Russ currently "lives" and sometimes "works." Fights for coin are easy to find, and the barkeep Garol lets him stay and eat for free on the nights that Russ fights. Otherwise, he pays for a stay in the common room.

North Bridge: Russ spends a lot of time at the North Bridge, where the absence of nearby buildings gives him a clear view of the Sable Company rangers patrolling the skies above Korvosa on their hippogriffs. Lately, he's been spending more time staring down into the waters of the Jeggare River than he has watching the rangers.

Skill Ranks
Acrobatics 2
Climb 1
Disable Device 2
Knowledge (local) 2
Perception 2
Sleight of Hand 1
Stealth 2
Survival 2

Possible Feat Plan
1-Power Attack, Combat Reflexes
2-Precise Shot or Point Blank Shot
3-Deadly Aim
5-Quickdraw
6-Improved Precise Shot
7-Vital Strike or other melee...
9-Melee...
10-Combat style...
11-Melee...