About Ulfbrecht ThragimthalUlfbrecht Thragimthal
LANGUAGES Common, Dwarven, Gnome, Goblinoid, Halfling,
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AC 15 (10+2 dex +3 armor)
+3 save vs arcane spells/effects
Hræfn's Bec +1 | 1d10+1
+1 BtH vs goblins and orcs
STR 14 (+1) (PRIMARY)
BtH +0 | Melee +1 | Ranged +2 +2 on wisdom checks to identify unusual stonework (+4 if actively searching)
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Hræfn's Bec (Bec de Corbin) 10 lbs / EV 5
Coin: 1 gp ER 14
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WEAPON PROFICIENCIES Any
COMBAT MARAUDER +1 damage per level to Humanoids
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SIZE Small
ANIMOSITY (ELVES) -2 on charisma checks with elves to whom not closely associated
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TERRAIN LORE (WIS) Underground (Caverns)
The skills of terrain lore denote a character’s familiarity with an unusual (i.e. not forester, farming, or mariner) terrain type that they lived in for some time before adventuring (or is the predominant area they adventure in). Only one terrain per skill is allowed and must be declared upon character generation. The various facets of the terrain lore skill can cover a wide range of abilities germane to the terrain in question; such as woodland lore, setting small snares, identifying local flora and fauna, etc. Background:
Ulfbrecht was born as the second son of a reasonably wealthy mercantile family in the settlement and clanhold of Glorigirn. His family invested itself in several business operations; primarily serving as an intermediary between raw materials and manufacturers; the members would acquire such materials from other dwarven outfits or surface traders and redistribute those goods to smiths and other producers. In lieu of wholesaling, they would also broker contracts between different groups and ultimately established themselves as key players in the surface trade, gaining a fruitful position in their community. Ulfbrecht was brought up in this culture and environment but did not ever have quite the right mind or knack for it; negotiating and numbers were not a strong suit. His brother Hrothulf was thus more favored in adolescence, taking to the family enterprise with keener acumen. Such an arrangement did not bother Ulfbrecht, for as the expectant familial focus on him waned, he found much more time to do what he enjoyed. Ulfbrecht found he enjoyed working with his hands, particularly in carving, etching, and whittling. He discovered pride and joy in working small pieces of wood, bone, and soft stone, creating pieces that he gifted or sold to earn coin and respect for himself. Notably, Ulfbrecht greatly enjoyed the journey of procuring the materials with which he would work. Exploring the tunnels and caves in and around the settlement, finding new paths further from it, and even making small excursions to the surface. He became quite good at finding his way around, even in places unfamiliar to him, and gained experience on how to find the things he was looking for; following the trails of animals that had made a kill in order to salvage bones, finding the particular roots and trees he preferred, and the like. As he aged, these little excursions became longer and more frequent. His family's views on him ranged from displeased to indifferent - some in the clade saw his activities as undignified or too whimsical, though his parents did not seem to mind much, and if anything, were at least receptive to what they saw as an entrepreneurial spirit. His brother was less satisfied, always badgering Ulfbrecht and calling him elf-kin or some other name, believing his gallivanting was unbecoming of a member of such a family. Ulfbrecht had never had much friction with his brother in their younger years, but as they grew, the rift between them grew larger. Ulfbrecht eventually enlisted in Glorigirn's guardhall, serving as both a sentinel and a scout, and found that such a life was much more aligned with his strengths and interests. He still maintained close relations with his family and would sometimes even be assigned to escort trade expeditions to the surface for them. In this time, Hrothulf married and had a daughter, Milde, with whom Ulfbrecht grew very close in spite of strained relations with his brother. Ulfbrecht treated his niece as his bond with the girl swiftly became unbreakable. His duties at the guardhall would soon see Ulfbrecht away from home more as Glorigirn began a drive for expansion, testing new caverns and depths deeper and further to claim new territory and resources. Ulfbrecht's service as a scout and pathfinder put him out on the frontiers increasingly often, skirting the unknown, dangerous outskirts of known subterranean land. He found himself in skirmishes with goblinoids, orcs, and other unsavory folk, evading a few close calls. Notably, he took a poisoned goblin spear tip to the cheek that nearly got the better of him and left him with a patch of withered, blackened flesh on the left side of his face. His fellows in the guard took to calling him Trolljaw or Shaleface after that. During this time of expansion, Ulfbrecht's parents both died of natural causes, and his brother Hrothulf took control of the family and its business. The chasm between the brothers reached its apex thereafter, as Hrothulf's pride and greed came out in full force now that he was the head. Hrothulf had always nursed a streak of avarice, but Ulfbrecht had not expected it to manifest as strongly as it did. Unfortunately, without the wiser and more leveled heads of his parents and others, Hrothulf's business acumen suffered. A series of poor decisions and cut corners led to contracts failing and not being renewed and trade contacts seeking other opportunities. The family coffers dwindled, and each time Ulfbrecht returned to visit Milde, his brother was further out of sorts. It was during one such visit - after a long stretch of lost money and lost business - that the final wedge was driven between Ulfbrecht and Hrothulf. He learned that, in some combination of desperation, greed, and insanity, Hrothulf had begun to strike deals with slavers. Hrothulf's business opportunities and reputation had apparently dwindled so much that dealings with criminals became his way out - exchanging goods and materials with them instead of legitimate operations. Ulfbrecht confronted Hrothulf, and they had it out, an argument bolstered by years of stifled misgivings - Hrothulf blamed Ulfbrecht for abandoning the family and the business to waste his life aimlessly running around tunnels and surface roads, and that these dealings were the only way to get the coin to reestablish the family. Ulfbrecht threatened to expose his brother, but ultimately, with Hrothulf invoking the honor-binding of kin, the guilt of doing so kept him. Instead, he admonished his brother as a traitor and a fool and bid farewell to his beloved niece before leaving his family home for good. Ulfbrecht took a permanent post with Glorigirn's expeditionary force. He was often conflicted about how he left and always wondered if he should have turned his brother in, and how such actions were antithetical to their people and their family, but ultimately he simply could not do it. He could not do that to his brother, or rob Milde of her father. Some time later, Ulfbrecht was given word that his brother was on his deathbed and had requested Ulfbrecht's presence. Returning begrudgingly to his family home, he met with Hrothulf one last time, but he was alone; neither Milde nor her mother were present. Hrothulf's misdeeds had caught up with him, and he owed more to the slavers than he could supply. Further, inquiries were being made into his dealings by others, and Hrothulf had decided to take his family and flee, but the criminals he dealt with were on his trail. They attacked, killed his wife, beat Hrothulf, left him for dead, and took young Milde with them. Hrothulf was found by locals and brought back; he had survived, but his injuries had been great, and spending a few days lying near- death before being found had caused other problems. He had only wanted to live long enough to see his brother one last time. Ulfbrecht was filled with anger towards his brother for all of the suffering his dishonor had wrought—most of all the kidnapping of Milde. Hrothulf beseeched his brother's bond with the girl and begged him to find her as his last request. That night, an unbreakable Blood Oath was made in Hrothulf's final moments, and Ulfbrecht took the honorbound duty to find Milde or die trying. There was no need for a Blood Oath; Ulfbrecht would have done this of his own accord no matter what, but it served as a poignant end for the brothers. Afterwards, Ulfbrecht divested his family's home and remaining assets to Glorigirn and the wisdom of the elders and left the settlement behind him. |