Argus Steelforge The Dwarf, Slayer of Legends
Argus Steelforge
Argus is a Dwarven Axe Master and master of heavy armor
Standing at a mighty height of 4'2, Argus is far from the most imposing of adventurers in pure height. However, all four feet and two inches of him are covered in thick, corded muscle. Argus is one of the most physically strong people you are likely to encounter, and this shows in his impressive girth. Flowing out from underneath his helmet is a long, red beard, Argus's pride and joy. To match this beard, his entire suit of armor is painted red. His skin is covered in scars and far more tan than the average dwarf's from a life spent, mostly, out in the sun. His dark brown eyes reflect years of combat, years of war.
Actual Age: Argus is 55, though young and proud
Race: Dwarf
Gender: Male
Rise to Power: Legends tell of Clan Steelforge's great rite of passage, wherein those who have come of age are sent out into the world with minimal training and terrible equipment (Argus himself still questions this) and are ordered to return when they have forged a legacy they are willing to live on. On a snowy day in the mountains, Argus's time came and he descended to the world that waited outside the mountains to forge his legacy. Once down there, he did what most youths of clan Steelforge did and signed up with a local mercenary outfit, looking to earn his glory through combat. This chapter of Argus's life lasted 4 long years, 4 years of fighting wars for the highest bidder, but for Argus, these 4 years were nothing but pure training.
After leaving the mercenaries behind, he resolved to pursue his true goal, to forge a legend that not only he could live on, but all who came after him. To do this, he would slay the dragon Ahmen'tep, the menace of the Steelforge clan. To this end, Argus spent a further 10 years training, pursuing work and gathering equipment from the most unlikely of places. From the great axe Blackfang, retrieved from the tomb of a fallen king, to the armor he still wears today, the Stone Armor of the Allfather. Over this time, Argus got up to what he likes to call some..side projects. He slew a demon whose name he cannot remember to this day, brought peace to a land embattled by the very ground upon which it stood, and became known as the ale drinking champion of the world. Amongst all of this, Argus also trained amongst the greatest smiths he could find, determined to forge his own legacy as literally as possible, just as he was told to do.
And so, with 14 years of training and combat behind him, and the equipment to match, Argus set off to the lair of Ahmen'tep. The fight to get there was brutal, slaying the dragon's spawn and those who worshiped it as god. Amongst these cultists, Argus found even his own father, corrupted by the sheer power of the dragon. In the end, Argus was forced to strike his father down, and was made painfully aware of his own strength by the slaying of the man who had once held Argus up with one hand. Continuing on, vowing vengeance on the beast that had twisted his father so, Argus arrived in the depths of the beast's lair. The battle was fierce, and Argus nearly met his fate at the hands of a blast of pure flame, saved only by his stone armor. In the end, Argus claimed victory, offering thanks and praise to his patron god, the god of Victory. With this, Argus used the money he'd saved up to contract some humans to help him strip the dragon bare of his scales and bones. From these bones, Argus forged an axe to replace Blackfang, which had broken in the battle. Dubbed the Axe of the Dragonslayer, it was then enchanted by a master Arcanist, who owed Argus a few favors. Just as Argus vowed never to forget the battle, so to would he never lose the axe, enchanted to return to its owner from wherever it may wander. Since, Argus's legend has only grown as he stayed active until retirement, protecting Clan Steelforge and the local kingdom from trouble whenever it rose, be it undead, dragons or something as trivial as invasion. However, at age 45, he finally settled down in his home, able to make a fantastic living off his legacy. He took a wife and now has a 6 year old son, Sugra.
Combat Skills, including any signature attacks:
Heavy Armor Mastery - Argus has never worn armor of any form that could not be described as "heavy". Even when encumbered by massive armor, created of the heaviest steel imaginable, Argus can move perfectly fine, and fight with it as though it were nothing.
Axe Mastery - Argus has used a two-handed Greataxe since he first began his career as an adventurer. As such, with two handed axes, he is a master beyond all compare. He can make the axe dance, weaving around, and often breaking right through, blocks as though it were a Rapier given the strength of a hammer. He can cleave through men in great steel and still kill the man to their right, such is his strength and skills with axes. So well does he understand the axe, he can even use it as a throwing weapon so long as he winds up properly, which works well with the enchantment on his axe.
Bar-room brawler - Argus is an alcoholic, and a chronic one at that, and has seen his fair share of brawls. As such, he can fight with his body almost as well as with an axe. His heavy punches and kicks can break a man's ribs with the first blow, so while he hasn't perfected the art of the fast fistfight, he has perfected the art of the heavy fistfight
Dwarven Toughness - Argus is capable of feats of completely insane endurance, often chalking up these feats to "Dwarven Toughness" or "Force of will" That said, it still baffles those he knows, as Argus can wade through things that would kill most men and come out the other side swinging. That said, he makes great use of this in combat, wading through whatever the enemy rains down so he can answer with a heavy strike of his own.
Almighty Cleave - A talent Argus has perfected over the years, this is the technique Argus used to slay Ahmen'tep. Putting his full strength into a heavy cleave, Argus sets himself up and fires off a mighty blow. None who have stood within it's reach, even those merely hit by the shaft of the axe, have survived the blow to this day, so it remains best to heed the usually fairly spry (for a heavy) dwarf's signs of "Charging" the attack and get away.
Hobbies: Argus is an avid hunter, master smith, and an alcoholic without peer
Your Gear
Stone Armor of the Allfather: This armor of Granite is rumored to have been forged by a god from the rock of the Earth. Regardless of who actually made it, it is the most protective armor encountered by Argus. Many things can slice through normal steel, but nothing has yet sliced through the enchanted granite of the armor. The armor is painted red, in honor of his beard, and gives off a faint red flow from its enchantments. The enchantments reduce the weight of the normally multiple ton armor to something more akin to conventional heavy armor, and make the already rock solid (pun intended) granite even hardier, to the point where many physical attacks wont even faze the wearer.
Axe of the Dragonslayer: An axe forged from the bones of Ahmen'tep by Argus himself, the Axe of the Dragonslayer is a large Greataxe, bone-white in color. It too glows with a faint red light, a product of its enchantment which allows it to boomerang back to Argus whenever he calls upon it. The axe is incredibly sharp and, when combined with its weight, this allows it to break through almost any guard and cut right through any armor, though he hasn't ever tested it on his own armor for fear of one or the other breaking.
Your retinue, Argus brings a few apprentices along with him, though with varying degrees of reluctance. There is Griffin, a lazy lay-about who seeks to become an adventurer as he was left with no other option. Simmins, a highly intelligent warrior who is always eager to earn Argus's praise. Dohnut, a man on the run from his home after being banished for unknown reasons, he shows a high aptitude for combat but is very reluctant to actually do it. Finally is Loohpez, a golem who speaks no language that Argus or any of the others can understand, though mysteriously Argus alone is able to understand him when the information is of actual import. They say Argus himself forged it, though he has no recollection of this.
Retirement: In the aftermath of his adventuring career, Argus went back to clan Steelforge. So great was his legacy that he was able to retire off it. Since then he has become a village training instructor, teaching the children the art of combat so that they can one day carry out their own rite of passage without it taking as long as his own.
Your family. Argus has a wife, Moira, and two sons, Sugra and Bjorn, with Bjorn being newborn.
Argus hates the color blue with an intense passion for some reason, and just as enthusiastically adores the color red.
