Tork
1st level Barbarian, 8th level Monk (Open Hand).
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Tork is not handsome, even for a half-orc. Most of his scars are emblems of tribal pride, but the big lightning scar that slashes across his whole body, starting from the side of his face down across his torso to his upper thigh, actually helps by giving the viewer something dramatic to focus on besides his facial features. He's tall, but not excessively so for his tribe - in a crowd of Traladarans he is quickly noticeable. And, while well-built, he's not as bulky as the average half-orc, but a little leaner and more dexterous.
Apparel & Accessories
He wears simple boots and practical garments, suitable for living outdoors and adventuring without armor, and the conical hat common to his monk sect. This hat is the only thing day-to-day that marks him as a monk, while having the benefit of partially obscuring his face.
Tork leads the very simple life of an itinerant monk. He still has the habit of keeping things in a wilderness cache, but he's not sure what for anymore - previously he was saving for a dowry or the like, but now it seems kind of pointless. He has yet to break himself of this habit. Tork does store a few things of more immediate use on the Everlasting Light, but he carries very little on him besides his practical adventuring gear. On the ship he keeps his one set of "dress robes" for formal occasions or when we wants to look like a real monk.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
While he has not divulged much of his past, what is known about Tork is that he comes from the Dhauwurd Wurrung, a tribe of half-orcs living in the foothills of the Cruth Mountains.
Tork's childhood was really pretty stable and happy, as these things go for a half-orc barbarian. His world made sense to him and he was content with his place in it. He was just a little unusual for his kind, more dexterous and thoughtful than strong and brash. But his talents were useful for hunting and even combat, and so he was a welcome and generally accepted member of the tribe. He caught some flak for being an oddball, but nothing that would turn him into a serial killer (no more so than other barbarian half-orcs).
As he was preparing to become an adult, he began the rites of manhood to become a Totem Warrior, as per his tribal tradition. Normally during this ordeal the youngster has a vision of which beast will become his totem and guide, but Tork's experience was shockingly different. Instead he experienced a profound vision of the oneness and inter-connectedness of all things, the haunting truth of the wheel of birth, suffering, death, and rebirth, which can only be escaped through enlightenment to the true nature of the universe. He was moved and joyful beyond measure by this epiphany, but when he returned and tried to share the wonderful news with his kin they were not too impressed. In fact this was kind of the last straw that marked him as a true weirdo (not even in line with the stuff Shamans come up with!). He wouldn’t let it go, which caused a bit of a break and placed him outside of the normal flow of daily tribal life.
This quickly became very uncomfortable and couldn't last. But Tork knew in his bones the truth of what he had experienced. So he left in search of someone who would understand and perhaps help teach him more so that he could master this. He vowed to one day return to his people and convincingly show them the true way. He wandered until he stumbled across an old hermit monk named "Ikkyu" deep in the Achelos Woods, who promptly told him to fuck off to the Waxing Moon monastery on the other side of the river in the hills north of Luln past the edge of the Riverfork Woods. There he was accepted and became a monk. He lasted about 10 months before “the incident” and he fled. Now a bit lost, but determined to continue his journey.
Tork eventually made his way south, gradually joining travelers he spied along the roads and making his way to larger cities. He took odd jobs, taking any opportunity to see new places and new people, until he found himself in Saltmarsh.
Needing to work again for a time and to think of where he should go next or what he should do, Tork found employment as a patrolman for some warehouses on the docks, where he met Stavos.
Comments