Character Exploration 53 - Brun

I have to admit that this week’s random rolls posed a difficulty for me. The base stats and the random background tidbits all sang to me about one thing, a swashbuckler from an ethnic group not usually known for their panache. The harrow reading, however, went nowhere near what I had in my mind and I had to work hard to add bits that fit with the story. But that is the joy of the challenge and eventually I made everything work.

Harrow Interpretations

Signifier Card: The unicorn represents generosity, to offer up what one has to others. In this case is see that working very closely with this character’s idea of loyalty; Give to those until they prove they aren’t worth the aid. I also see this feeding into his upbringing. Being a peasant he understands what it’s like to have-not and thus gives to those in need.

Card One: The Owl represents where the character came from and shows an understanding of the hardships of life. The life of the peasant isn’t easy, and in the circle you serve the lords, and the animals serve you. Also being the youngest of three siblings there is a natural order to that dynamic as well. They can possibly get away with more than the ones that came before, but they’re also left with hand-me-downs instead of things that are new.

Card Two: The Hidden Truth shows the character seeing the greater truth of the world. In this case I see it linked to his choice to not worship the gods. After living a hard life. He learned the only thing he can rely on is himself. The truth is that the gods care little for mortals except as pawns in their wars against each other. And so that truth has made him an atheist of sorts.

Card Three: The Sickness represents an ability that the character would have. In this case I see it as saying that character has gained the ability to better resist sickness. But the character has a low fortitude, which doesn’t translate well. Story wise I see the character as having survived a disease at a young age. This has made him physically weak but it has given him resistances against diseases. This will be represented in the Trait Disease resistant as well as the Eldritch Heritage line of feats up to Improved Eldritch Heritage in the Pestilence Bloodline.

Card Four: The card that represents where the character is going is The Wanderer. The centaur is also known as the collector. As this represents where the character is going, I see it as he is going to be collecting things. And since swashbuckler is the class I’ve decided on, I like to think he collects the swords of those who lose to him in duels.

Brun

Although the Kellids are known as hardy folk, the perils of the Numerian wastes are not always conducive to prosperity. When Brun’s father was killed working as a laborer for an expedition with the Technic League, his mother took him and his older brother and sister across the border into Brevoy. A new chance in a slightly more fertile land was all she wanted for her children.

Settling in a small village in in the western lands of House Garess, the Kellid family still had their homeland at their backs as a reminder of where they came from. Brun’s mother, who had a way with animals, worked with the local farmers, tending their herds. His older brother had a strong back and worked as a laborer. Life was hard but at least the terrors from the stars were left behind in Numeria.

Brun’s distaste for the deities of Golarion began early, he blamed them for not protecting his father. When the wasting disease came and took the lives of his siblings, as well as crippling him, he blamed both Urgathoa for bringing the plague and all of the good deities for not stopping it. “You can’t rely on the fickleness of these divine beings so you should rely on yourself” became his motto. To deal with his feelings of disgust for the deities he would often cause trouble for the local churches. Never anything serious, mainly petty theft or vandalism.

Although his body was irreversibly damaged by the plague that killed his siblings he built up a higher tolerance for diseases. After the wasting disease, Brun rarely took ill even when everyone else in the village did. Some say he was touched by the pestilence, claiming either Urgathoa or the Horsemen of Plague had claimed him as his own. This immunity was small consolation for the frail frame he was left with.

In his early teens Brun took to sword play. He was a natural and could fool his opponents by switching between quick finesse attacks and brute strength assaults. He eventually took to entering in the tournaments that the folk of Brevoy so enjoyed. Unlike many of the other entrants who received sword training from childhood, Brun was self-taught—for which he was often ridiculed.

Brun never paid any mind to the voices that spoke ill of him. At the age of sixteen he eventually won a local tournament, despite many of his opponent’s attempts to cheat the poor foreign boy. His victory also brought other attentions. A wandering swordsmen took notice and entreated Brun’s mother to be allowed to take her son as an apprentice. Wanting better than a life of toil for her son, his mother agreed.

The wanderer, as it turns out, was a retired Aldori Swordlord. He traveled Brevoy on a self-imposed exile and had been looking for a pupil to pass his knowledge of swordplay on to. Like Brun, the errant duelist found little succor in the deities of the world. He consistently remarked that the only thing a man can trust in the world is his own steel.

Brun’s training lasted for four years before his master succumbed to the ravages of old age. His dying request was for Brun to bring his dueling style back to the world. Brun took this request seriously and now, like his mentor, he wanders Brevoy. Unlike his master, instead of seeking a pupil he seeks to prove his teacher’s superior style. Armed with the Aldori dueling sword that was left to him by the former Swordlord, Brun has already bested two other would-be duelists. For every duel he wins he adds the sword of the loser to his own collection.

There you have it, a Kellid swashbuckler from Brevoy. What class would you have chosen for this character? Why does this character choose not to have any god as a patron? How did you interpret the harrow reading?

Just as Brun collects swords so to does the CRB collect stories. If these character backgrounds spark your imagination please consider donating to my Patreon. Looking for more from the CRB? Come find me on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open for questions and comments on all platforms.