The Priest of the Æsir

Name: Broggan Hrafnstunga (Ra-fins-toon-ga)

Age: 60

Sex: Male

Race: Dwarf



Personality: Low Openness, low neuroticism, medium agreeableness, high conscientiousness, low extraversion.

Reverent, chaste, and even-tempered, Broggan is an oddity of a dwarf, however he's always liked reading books, performing rites for the gods, and preaching their wisdom to those who need it. Broggan is also not opposed to having a good time, however he strongly disapproves of letting loose, and would prefer people indulge in their vices and passions with a measure of respect for what is dignified, and civilized. He is a strong proponent of civilization, and good decent manners, and believes that because the potential to maintain civility over savagery exists in the sentient races, one of his duties is both to set an example for that very thing, as well as to engender and encourage it in others.

Backstory: Born and raised in a secluded farmer's temple, became a devout novice of the cult of the Æsir when he was still a child. Eventually became the Head Priest when his uncle died. Broggan was very aware of the beginnings of corruption when it started to seize the land, and he was not surprised when a crew of brigands burned down his chapel.

Ever since then, Broggan's been the wandering preacher. The lost soul, trying to gather other lost souls into the welcoming arms of the gods. A holy man by trade, practice, and demeanour, he has never allowed himself to sink into destitution, and has no qualms about getting dirty doing good honest hard work. Many's been the time he's weeded a garden for a copper, or cleaned the stables, or emptied chamberpots. Broggan's philosophy has taken him all the long way from his idyllic childhood into the grim present day, where the man of faith occupies himself currently as both a street-preacher and waiter at the Bloodied Wolf.



Magic:



Misc: Broggan is intended entirely as a support character, and is incapable of defending himself when casting any of the above rituals. Naturally, some of these rituals have a very offensive potential, however it should be borne in mind that each offensive ability is a ritual that requires ample time and warning to prepare, activate, and re-apply.

Broggan can Hurry his ritual prep, halving the time needed to prepare, but multiplying the chance of the ritual failing by 1.5x. If the ritual fails, the components are still consumed.

Broggan can Rush his ritual prep, quartering the time needed to prepare, but multiplying the chance of the ritual failing by 3.0x. If the ritual fail, the components are still consumed.

Broggan's pouches have room for approximately ten ritual focus components, and their accompanying catalysts.

Name: Grimlock Lifesbane (Formerly Randolph Beuller)
Age: 32
Sex: Male
Race: Human

Personality: Charismatic and light hearted, trained to honor the living and dead alike, Grimlock strives to uphold the values of the temple even after he has walked away from it. While he is often considered an angry or violent individual at first glance due to the appearance of his armor, Grimlock is a very friendly person. Self sacrifice and determination are the cornerstones of his life now.

Rarely backing down from an opponents challenge, Grimlock is known to be a bit of a boaster.

Backstory: A denizen of the underground city known as 'Avernus', built in a massive cave system below the fetid swamps far to the north. Rarely do people venture from to/from this place teeming with monsters and brigands. It is one such being that changed the path of Randolph when the weakened man wandered into the cavern systems.
Found collapsed on the smooth stones covered in wounds, young Randolph ignored the dangerous looking armor and focused on the dieing person inside. Three months it took for this silent man to heal from the many terrible wounds, every day he was treated with respect and no judgement by the clergy.
Their talks often became one of the darkening skies outside their home. Deaths on the roads, blades clashed on the regular, and assassins were hired to kill what an army could never approach.

Clad in armor made of wood, steel, and bone, Grimlock was one such assassin who had taken life for coin. In the darkness of the caverns is where the light had finally found him. Indebted to the kindness of the people and those of the faith in their slumbering gods he would teach the willing to wield a blade to defend their home, protect their families. Randolph studied the way of the sword alongside the ways of his faith.
When the man in strange armor fell silent for good he mourned the loss as one would a brother.

When the same fate took the life from his father it was time to make a decision. The temple needed a new high cleric to fill the position and it was Randolph left to decide what path he would walk.
The path of his father or the advice of his father.

Randolph dawned the outsiders strange armor and left the city under the mans name, determined to make the world remember a good mans name. Armed with the miracles of his faith and the strength of his arms he would meet destiny many times on the road.

Equipment:

• Faithful - More of an executioners chopping blade than a true sword but as Grimlock shows, it can be put to deadly use. Heavy as it is sharp this weapon can just as easily crush a foe as split them. Can be used effectively in one hand but is slower without two hands.
• Eternal Sun - A sacred piece of holy cloth worn by the highest ranking members of the sunken temples. It is their symbol of status, easily distinguishing them in the crowd with the pure white silk and gold thread. The piece of cloth is stained with dirt and a bit of old blood around its edges but retains its color.
  Grimlock can cast two spells with the use of his sacred cloth.

Blessed blade - swiping the edge of his blade with Eternal Sun activates the holy magic imbued into the weapon, creating a trail of dancing sparks across its surface that shock enemies hit.

Blessed body - Kneeling down and placing the Eternal Sun against his forehead, Grimlock releases a portion of the stored energy to increase his own strength temporarily along with a very minor regenerative effect.

Only one of these two spells can be cast at a time.

Misc:

Personality: Marcus is a blunt kind of person. Utterly unafraid of confrontation or humiliation, given or received, and will tell you his thoughts when he feels it is appropriate. Most obstacles are approached with a calm mind and a rational train of thought, but anyone who has spent time with him on his travels will tell you there is a darker creature lurking in his heart. It thrashes against his sanity relentlessly when the fighting is over. This is a man who teeters on the razors edge of insanity.

It is manifested in his often self-destructive use of magic.

Backstory: Fate. Everyone wishes to believe they are destined for greatness or dread the idea of wallowing in despair and depravity as they lick the boots of their betters. Your role in this lifetime, this universe, is nothing more than the plaything of a god. A deranged being of unlimited power and knowledge that sees past, present, and future, simultaneously with ease as they determine where you fit on the grand chessboard that is.. Fate.
Life and Death.
Some come to accept that they are predetermined to die and eagerly run into battle without fear of what will steal their life forever. The corruption of this world has destroyed the fates so it seems, my predictions often speak of ghastly ends and dark times. People have begun to break under the weight of their hopes shattering around them and now rush headlong into their deaths with reckless abandon.

In my youth I have tried to divine my purpose through the cards and rarely was the same answer given, never is the future clear. Circumstances can change in an instant. All it takes is one person.
When the corruption took the lands I learned of my future. The cards speak of my fate as the end of fire. Does that mean the magic I wield will be lost forever, or does it mean my life will end? There is no way for me to know. Countless times over the years since this premonition was first shown to me and still the answer has not changed. It is the same cards over and over to the same question..

All it takes is one person to change everything.

I will not fade away quietly.

Equipment:

• 2 sets of Tarot cards, and one set of standard playing cards. The standard cards are incredibly worn as they have seen the most use over the years, with random cards from other decks found in his travels having been added to it to refill the cards he has literally thrown away.
• The first set of Tarot are used to foretell the future of companions and strangers alike. They dance to his command, drawing the eye inevitably to them as he reads of fate.
• The second set is more valuable. These cards are relics from history, found on the skeletal remains of some poor soul more than a century ago. Yet whatever magic blessing these ornate cards has kept them pristine through the years and use. Rarely will Marcus allow others to see these beautiful cards. They are used for personal tellings exclusively.
• Marcus' armor is incredibly resistant to fire, preventing it from being damaged by his reckless use of wild magic. The same cannot be said for his scarred and burned body.

Spell list: Enchanter / Ability mage

• Immolation
  True to its name, Marcus imbues an item with endless fire that burns the item and everything around it.
• Volatile flame
  Imbues an item with living fire. After a set time, the item will explode dealing fire damage in a small area. Multiple instances of volatile flame can be stacked on top of each other for a greater effect.
• True fire
  A runic enchantment placed on all of the tarot and playing cards in Marcus' possession. The effect is similar to immolation, except it does not injure the wielder and object imbued with fire, but still does a moderate amount of damage to an enemy.
• Regeneration
  An enchantment placed upon both rings he wears. When activated, they will slowly heal his wounds until the magic stored is depleted. At such a point it is a matter of restoring the rings as well.
• Attuned cards
  expending a small amount of his mana, Marcus can control his cards with a few simple hand gestures. The more cards used this way means drains his magical power very quickly so it is usually limited to only a few of his cards at a time.