About VermundrBefore you stands an imposing Ulfen man with the build and look of the classic viking sea reaver: hirsute, tall, broad-shouldered, and brawny. His rugged features are prematurely aged by a life of hard living and exposure to the elements and framed by the northerner's long pale blonde hair and shaggy matching beard. Dense thatches of slightly darker hair are visible on his forearms and chest and presumably elsewhere on his powerful thickly muscled frame. He's clad in a breastplate of rough blackened iron and tight doeskin leggings and armed with a deadly-sharp two-handed sword which is strapped to his back. A frighteningly large wasp with a black and yellow striped thorax buzzes calmly over his head. Background:
Born with one of the lesser strains of lycanthropy common among the northern peoples, Vermundr learned from his father at a young age the importance of avoiding the greater world of Man. Within his home, and the rest of the Land of the Linnorm Kings, such a condition was respected but the greater world often viewed such a bestial heritage as a curse and its bearer a dangerous monster. Beyond this caution, his father, huscarl to the hold's jarl, trained Vermundr in the warrior's ways, including how to battle with sword, axe, and fist; how to wear and tend a suit of armor; how to take a life; and how to honor a death. His mother, a talented Wind Rider, taught him how to survive in the harsh northern climes, how to influence wild beasts, and helped him hone his minor talent for magic. But the Land of the Linnorm Kings can be treacherous, even for the mighty, and one cold day one of the jarl's rivals launched a bloody coup in which both of Vermundr's parents were killed. Even though he was barely old enough to call himself a man, as the son of one of the previous regime's supporters the young ulfen's life was in danger as well. He had to choose: risk death himself should the usurper decide that he was a loose end that was better off tied up or flee his home and see his parents' deaths go unanswered. Faced with this difficult decision, shamefully, young Vermundr fled. His first refuge was the neighboring village. It was smaller than the hold he was raised in but similar enough and he even had a few cousins there to help him settle in but Vermundr found that it reminded him too much of what he'd lost, what he'd fled from, and the shame of doing so. So he traveled further east, through the witch-haunted lands of Irrisen and across the primeval Realm of the Mammoth Lords. Eventually he made his way south, ending up in Ustalav. The Nation that Was turned out to be a good fit for the displaced young northerner. It was full of wild isolated places and her people were a good deal smaller and leaner than his kin but they were also grim, pale, and superstitious in a way that was familiar enough to be a comfort. Over the course of several years, he scratched out a simple but comfortable life for himself as a hunter and trapper at the edges of the Lorzeri woods. Though he rarely ventured far from his little corner of the woods and the cabin he'd built for himself in it, he did travel to the nearby town for supplies he couldn't scavenge from the wild and to sell the stacks of hides and furs he'd collected over the past few months. During one such trip he encountered the traveling troupe of circus performers known as the Crooked Kin. Even though they were considered freaks or monsters by most, Vermundr couldn't help but feel some kind of connection with the group of mottled oddities. After all, he too was a monster without a home. It paid little more than a few coppers and three square meals a day but, after a short meeting with the Crooked Kin's ringmaster, Vermundr had a job as the troupe's bouncer. Vermundr
Familiar:
Zelda
Greater wasp familiar (protector) CN Tiny outsider (devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful) Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +13 -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 22, touch 16, flat-footed 18 (+3 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 natural, +2 size) hp 47 (3d10); fast healing 2 Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +4 DR 5/good or silver; Immune fire, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10 -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 20 ft., fly 50 ft. (perfect) Melee sting +14 (1d6 plus poison) Space 2½ ft.; Reach 0 ft. Special Attacks poison Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th; concentration +8) . . Constant—detect good, detect magic . . 3/day—unnatural lust[UM] (DC 14) . . 1/day—augury, suggestion (DC 15) . . 1/week—commune (6 questions, CL 12th) -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 10, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 20, Wis 12, Cha 14 Base Atk +9; CMB +10; CMD 21 Feats Bodyguard[APG], Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Weapon Finesse [b]Skills Acrobatics +9 (+5 to jump), Bluff +8, Climb +4, Fly +22, Handle Animal +11, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (arcana) +11, Knowledge (planes) +11, Perception +13, Spellcraft +11, Survival +10, Swim +4 Languages Common, Infernal; speak with master SQ change shape (boar, giant spider, rat or raven, beast shape I), empathic link, loyal bodyguard, shield master -------------------- Special Abilities -------------------- Bodyguard Use an AoO to use aid another to improve an ally's AC. Change Shape (boar, giant spider, rat or raven, beast shape I) (Su) You can change your form. Combat Reflexes (4 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed. Damage Reduction (5/good or silver) You have Damage Reduction against all except Good or Silver attacks. Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only). Empathic Link (Su) You have an empathic link with your master. Energy Resistance, Acid (10) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Acid attacks. Energy Resistance, Cold (10) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Cold attacks. Fast Healing 2 (Ex) Heal damage every round unless you are killed. Fly (50 feet, Perfect) You can fly! Immunity to Fire You are immune to fire damage. Immunity to Poison You are immune to poison. Loyal Bodyguard (Ex) Can use Bodyguard to protect master, even if not threatening attacker. Poison - DEX Damage (DC 13) (Ex) Sting—injury; save Fort DC 13; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Dex; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution-based. Share Spells Spells with a target of "You" can be delivered by a familiar with a range of touch. Shield Master (Su) Familiar can take half damage done to you, as shield other Speak with Master (Ex) You can communicate verbally with your master. |
