Gúrda Thérun
A howl pierces the woods, shattering the night air. Then a flash of red light illuminates the trees near the top of the hill. As a villager in this Domian village, you are immediately intrigued by this event and - against your better judgement - decide to investigate.
As you near the crest of the hill, you can see firelight playing off of nearby trees and the comforting smell of roasted meat. A small dwarf, young by their standards but likely twice your age, sits at the edge of a small campfire as a portion of deer meat cooks on a stick stuck in the ground. The dwarf holds a small totem in his purplish-blue hands, an indication that he is a Frost Dwarf.
As you think back to the last time you've seen a Frost Dwarf this far east, you accidentally step on a branch, and the snap echoes through the woods. Before you can even blink, the dwarf has disappeared, and in his place, a snarling wolf looks in your direction, maw wide and showing rows of sharp teeth. You bolt, and hope this strange creature doesn't rip you limb from limb.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Gúrda is not a very strong or powerful dwarf in a physical sense, but they are quite agile and make good use of their animal forms when brute force is needed.
Body Features
They have the purplish-blue mottled skin that is normal for a dwarf of their kind.
Identifying Characteristics
They have several large scars that adorn their back and arms from their fall into the chasm.
Physical quirks
Due to their fall into the chasm, they have a very awkward left arm that appears longer than the right arm. This often means that they sit in an awkward position or walk with a slight shift.
Special abilities
Beyond their magical spells and rituals, they can also turn into an animal for an unlimited period of time. They usually choose a wolf for this form due to its agile body and lowness to the ground, but they have used other forms before as well.
Apparel & Accessories
Beyond their armour and their totem, they only wear some regular dark green clothing that they have purchased since arriving in the Empire.
Specialized Equipment
They wear a totem of white wolf fur and dried wood that is used to channel their magical abilities. For protection when not in animal form, they wear a complicated set of hides that provides some basic protection from weapons.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Born and raised among Frost Dwarves that had eschewed the caves and mountains of their kind to be among nature, Gúrda grew up in the woods west of Lake Coldwater. Back then, they were called Gardayn, whose father was a powerful druid and whose mother took care of their five siblings. They spent many years of their childhood travelling along the mountain paths and rivers.
One day, Gúrda was travelling along one of the more treacherous mountain trails when an avalanche struck, sending them into a nearby chasm. Dazed and nearly dead, they were visited by nature spirits, who spared their life. They then harnessed their natural powers for the first time, transforming into a great eagle and flying away.
Later that night, after a celebration hosted by their father, they were visited in their dreams by the Primal Beast, a creature of shifting forms and great power. The Beast told them of a great and coming evil, and as a reward for their service to the Beast, they were allowed one question. They asked whether the form of the Beast was male or female and It replied "I am neither. Nature is not two things, but a Whole." So Gúrda dropped their previously male name and joined the Beast in being a whole that could not be divided into male or female.
However, their father and village did not take well to their new lifestyle and cast them out. While they became stronger and more powerful in druidic lore and rituals, they made their way to the human settlements at the northern edge of The Gratic Empire in Domiel. There, the Domian people spoke widely of the power of the Empire, and they decided to see it for themself.
Gender Identity
Due to their genderless identity, they prefer to go by the equivalent of they/them pronouns. That being said, they are used to being called he/him by passerby and strangers who don't know this.
Education
Their father was very thorough in teaching Gúrda all that there was to know about the plants and animals of their homeland and which flowers could heal, which ones could be eaten, and which were deadly.
Mental Trauma
Being a clear foreigner wherever they go and due to the betrayal of their father, Gúrda has significant difficulty making friends and having faith in themself.
Intellectual Characteristics
They are almost always thinking, often spending hours on a problem or practicing their spells.
Morality & Philosophy
They have spent very little time in the Empire, so many of their actions are probably against the laws of the land by extension of the fact they don't know those laws. If they did, though, they wouldn't be too inclined to follow them anyway, as the strict society of dwarven clans made them leave their home in the first place.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Gúrda would love to prove their worth to the spirit of the Primal Beast; they aren't quite sure how to do that exactly, but their work with the Drakeslayers seems like a step in the right direction.
Savvies & Ineptitudes
Due to education from their father, Gúrda is adept at travelling the woods, foraging for food, and identifying natural beasts and animals. They are also very skilled in using healing herbs and salves, although the concept of bandages and healing potions is a bit new to them.
Months of travelling in foreign territory has also made them cautious of shifty people and they can now identify those kinds of people on sight.
Likes & Dislikes
Gúrda prefers to be alone, and they often leave conversations once they have nothing more to gain from talking or once the conversation shifts to something uncomfortable for them.
Naturally curious, they love learning new things about the world around them and eagerly join other members of the Drakeslayers on their errands just to catch a glimpse of some cultural detail or new item that they have never seen before.
Virtues & Personality perks
They have a significant number of positive traits, including:
- An ability to adapt to nearly every situation with ease;
- A curiosity that allows them to truly immerse themself in new cultures and surroundings; and
- A drive to become the best at what they do and prove those who anger them wrong.
Vices & Personality flaws
A rough childhood has made Gúrda into someone with these character flaws:
- A skittishness that might make them abandon their friends if it means survival; and
- A reservation in telling the party about their past which may come back to haunt them.
Hygiene
Cleanliness was not emphasized among the Frost Dwarf clans of the northern forests, so Gúrda is not one for keeping hygienic. The sole exception is their beard, which they trim very often.
Social
Contacts & Relations
- The other members of the Drakeslayers have fought alongside them and piqued their interest.
- They have befriended the members of The Stalwart Shield through the Drakeslayers.
- Although they may have been sent out from their clan in the forests, they still have some clout with other dwarves which may come in handy.
- The Magistrate of Freebrook is a good friend of them due to their protection of his town.
Family Ties
Gúrda has been separated from their family for many months and it is unknown whether the feeling is mutual.
Social Aptitude
They tend to hang back in social interactions, preferring to speak only when necessary. That disappears, however, when talking to other dwarves. They have good manners only because they don't interrupt people and try not to make a fool of themself.
Speech
They are prone to stuttering when very nervous, and their pitch varies widely when speaking. Their accent as a Frost Dwarf is actually rather light.
Wealth & Financial state
The Frost Dwarves make little use for money or wealth, so the concept of having to use money to buy things is still very new to Gúrda. That being said, they understand the uses of coin and have enough from their exploits with the Drakeslayers to live comfortably and have enough left over for ritual components or purchasing magic scrolls.
Current Location
Species
Ethnicity
Year of Birth
1977 CE
Birthplace
Coldwater
Children
Gender
Male
Eyes
Dark green.
Hair
Shoulder-length and red.
Height
4' 7" (5 handspans).
Weight
134 lbs. (405 IS's).
Aligned Organization
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments