Jarl Coolgruuf — Roleplayer Guild

Art by Cristi Balanescu



Race: Human
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Birthplace: The woods just south of Dol Blathanna
Profession: Spy/Scout

Appearance

A man of moderate height with little fat but a great deal of lean muscle from a life spent in the wilderness and eating only what he can find or kill. Although he hasn't begun to gray yet, his face betrays his age with clear lines and weathering. As a measure to cut down on parasites, he tries to keep his face as clean shaven as his travels will allow. This often leaves him with varying states of beard length that can vary wildly within the space of only a few months. His are a deep, dark green much like his hooded cloak was many years ago, and set in a face of sharp, angular features. Cheekbones that jut out from his face like sheer cliffs and a nose that comes to a blunt point fit well with his angular jaw and gives him a countenance of roughly carved stone.

Renar selects his clothing from a balance of durability and cost. Leather boots, rough spun pants and shirt, and a plain hooded cloak would not make him stand out too terribly in any given crowd you'd find in the cities. What gives him away are his mannerisms. He doesn't speak very much and is prone to answering questions with nods or hand gestures if the question isn't complex. This quiet extends to his feet as well. He walks in near silence wherever he goes as his modus operandi and is prone to accidentally sneaking up on people who aren't paying attention. Another of his off putting habits is his complete lack of understanding for many societal norms. He's often impolite without malice, tactless without ill will, and lacks any form of subtly in conversation. He'll often avoid eye contact even when speaking directly to someone.  


Personality

Reserved and blunt but surprisingly friendly... in his own way. Renar has a certain method of going about things and it's worked so far and he likes the way he does things. He is rather curious about many things and the ways of others, he just doesn't feel comfortable doing things the way other people do them. He enjoys the company of others, but you could be easily be forgiven for thinking the opposite. He's just not well versed in manners and more complex social interaction and isn't a fan of crowded or loud spaces. That being said, he tries his best. He even procured a Gwent deck. He's terrible at the game but he finds that opening with an offer of a card game helps break the ice even if the other person doesn't own a single Gwent card. On the job, Renar is dependable and incredibly thorough, often exceeding expectations. Nothing distracts him when he has a task ahead of him and he never relents until he finishes what he set out to do.

The Wild Man has a great affinity for the animal kingdom and is said to be able to call animals to his aid or tame a bear with a look. In reality, he just knows how to interact with most animals in a way to put them at ease, or at the very least not cause them to attack him. He has a great respect for nature and the creatures of the world and has spent many, many years learning how they live and interact.

Despite being almost illiterate, he's very clever and is almost always thinking about one thing or another. In addition, he's very perceptive and notices small details. Together, these two facets of his personality lend him to think remarkably quick on his feet. He may not be a classically learned man, but he's creative in his own way and often thinks outside the box and finds rather unorthodox ways of solving problems.   


History

Renar was born in a shaded clearing miles from the nearest settlement to a traveling hermit and an unknown father. The young boy showed none of the same talent as his mother, but he learned quickly the ways of the forest and how to survive far from luxuries such as oil lanterns and agriculture. She taught him how to hunt and forage and even the art of falconry, a skill usually reserved for nobility. They traveled together for several years, enjoying no company but that of the animals and each other. Eventually, his mother grew sick and died. Renar misses her to this day, but it was her time. For years after, he traveled the lands from the Dragon Mountains to the southern tip of Nilfgaard and back. He mostly kept to himself, only stopping by towns to buy extra provisions with labor for especially long journeys. It wasn't hard for folks to pick up on how odd the man is, but he didn't bother anyone and worked honestly for what little he bought so that was enough for most to leave him be. In this solitude he gradually perfected the arts of animal handling and learned the ways of the wild creatures as he slowly migrated south over many years.

He always preferred the quiet and stillness of the forest to the noise and crowds of the cities. All the hustle and bustle of civilization can easily overwhelm him. It was by his 30th year that he decided to settle down in one spot and found a section of forest to his liking just north of the Nilfgaard empire in the shadow of Tir Tochair. Unbeknownst to Renar, this area would soon become a hotspot for military movements. Tir Tochair provided a perfect landmark for navigation in the same way one can follow a river, units could simply keep the mountains to their right and make progress. Renar quickly found himself helping mercenary companies and dignified knights alike move up and down the continent purely out of a desire to get them out of his home. The faster they moved, the less time they spent making noise and trampling all over the nice, soft fields. He just wanted to be left alone, but he would soon find himself suffering from success.

His natural talents for scouting and navigation soon spread by word of mouth and Renar's little corner of the world became an increasingly popular highway up until the Northern War. It seemed every week some Nilfgaard company would come stomping through his home and making a ruckus. He did whatever they wanted him to from scouting to the occasional act of espionage and even outright sabotage just to make them leave. If one good thing came out of the constant parade of sensory overload was the compulsion of some of the officers to give him coins. Renar never understood money or why people valued it so much, but he knew enough that if he gathered enough of these coins and gave them to a blacksmith, he'd give him very nice tools in exchange. A stone axe is all well and good, but it can't compare to the ease of using an iron hatchet.

These monetary goods only offset the annoyance of dealing with soldiers for a few more years before Renar had enough and fled north to escape. Much to his dismay, his reputation precedes him and it was mere months before his services were "requested" by none other than King Foltest. In exchange for a pardon for the crime of aiding Nilfgaard and committing treason against a kingdom he barely knew existed, Renar was ordered to accompany the expedition or lose his head. The Wildman isn't afraid of death, but he'd much rather die from old age than a headsman's axe.


Skills

⯇ Animal Handling ⯈
⯇ Bareback Horse Riding ⯈
⯇ Falconry ⯈
⯇ Navigation ⯈
⯇ Being Terrible at Gwent ⯈
⯇ Wilderness Survival ⯈
⯇ Stealth, Sabotage, and Skulduggery ⯈
⯇ Game Hunting ⯈
⯇ Tracking ⯈
⯇ Trapping ⯈
⯇ Sling Use ⯈


Specialty:His skills as a forward scout are supreme. Terrain and weather seem to hold no sway over him as he moves across the land like a shadow and disappearing just as quickly. Some believe him to be a sorcerer or even a ghost, but he is only a man with a finely tuned set of skills.

Equipment


Weapons:
⯈ Sling

Armor:
⯈ Gambeson Shirt

Utility:
⯈ Hunting Knife
⯈ Dried provisions (7 days)
⯈ Cord (50 ft)
⯈ Falconry Glove (right handed)
⯈ Hatchet
⯈ Whetstone
⯈ Various pouches and pockets
⯈ Water Skin
⯈ Gwent Deck

Other
⯈ A mare with a chestnut coat and no name
⯈ A young hawk he simply refers to as "Hawk"

Misc

⯈ He's not a fighter and would much rather flee than face someone in a direct fight. 
⯈ Provided he's not working, Renar rises with the sun and sleeps when it falls. Early to bed and early to rise.
⯈ He's not a picky eater by any means and readily eats overcooked, burnt, unseasoned, and down right bland food with gratitude.
⯈ It's hard to tell because he never writes anything, but Renar is ambidextrous.
⯈ He refuses to touch things without wearing gloves unless it has to do with animals
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