Punished GN
PapaOso
Skai
Crimson Flame
washcloth
PatientBean
Izurich
Melissa
5341Ace
Fading Memory
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Who I Am
Timber was always, pun intended, a straight shooter. He always wanted to do the right thing, and was so bad at lying because he would always snarl and show the teeth on the right side of his face. He was always loyal to his friends, trying unsuccessfully any time his friends got in trouble to take the blame for them. Of course, given everything that has happened since Ardenfeld, Timber now has a very difficult time trusting anyone beyond his friends. Since his home and family were slaughtered, everyone Timber has met has always been trying to use him for one thing or another. That being said, Timber has learned that the best way to handle these people is to never let anyone know what he was thinking or feeling. The more you keep your cards close to your chest, the easier it is to get by in this cutthroat world. While Timber works for criminals, he finds he has a code that he is willing to bend to help distance himself from the more nefarious criminal activities that occur in the world. While willing to transport illegal goods in exchange for payment, he tries not to steal anything himself unless absolutely necessary... and so long as he's stealing from someone who doesn't deserve to keep what is being stolen. It may be because of the complexities in civilization that Timber tends to identify himself more with the laws and will of nature. The only place he ever feels truly free or safe are in the forests on the way to Pallaviel, where he can slip through the trees off the beaten path as if he were a fish in water.
My Story
Timber knew from an early age that he loved the forest. He loved to gather berries with his father to preserve into jams, or to sneak about with his mother as she was on the hunt for dinner. It was a nice, quiet life in Ardenfeld. Timber was naive and loyal to all the others as best as he could be, being on the younger end and only 8 at the time of the raid. He would do anything for his friends, especially if it meant he would take the brunt of any scoldings or punishments. He hated seeing them in trouble. It was his job to be the one in trouble.
No one ever claimed Timber, and he couldn't really blame them. He was a scrawny weak kid in the orphanage, and was timid and unsociable to strangers. The last strangers he had seen took everything from him. He only had his friends, who one by one left him as well. So when time came to leave the orphanage, Timber decided he would try to make his way in the forest. He ended up wandering, gathering just enough to keep himself trudging on. It was winter, and the snow chilled him to the bone. He was weary and dizzy and just a few months older than 14 when he found a dying fire in the woods, a clear sign someone was camping. There was a bedroll that seemed to be stuffed and covered by some traveller. The traveller had even left some rabbit cooking and burning over the fire. It was a shame to be wasteful, so Timber crept up and devoured what he could. As he finished his small feast, he turned his gaze to the bedroll and saw a middle-aged man pointing a hand crossbow at the boy. This man, known as Dain, couldn't bring himself to shoot the starving boy. But there was no way the smuggler was going to let some wandering tabaxi spill the fact that he was using the forest to smuggle things in and out of Pallaviel. So, a deal had to be made.
Timber didn't have much of a say, as Dain kept reminding him. Timber owed Dain a life debt for saving him from starving in those woods. Dain worked on behalf of a criminal organization known as the Crimson Claw that specialized in the procurement and transport of illicit goods. And so Dain took to teaching Timber all he knew about travelling carefully through the forest to smuggle goods. And beyond this, Dain taught Timber how to survive in the wild if the law ever seemed to be catching wind of their work. They would smuggle art pieces or small relics throughout the land, usually running them up to Pallaviel where they could be fenced to the elite. But Dain and Timber didn't just smuggle. When Timber was seventeen and already proficient with a bow and his swords, Dain accompanied his apprentice on a more volatile task. They tracked and hunted down a former member of the Crimson Claw who was trying to make off with a valuable painting. Of course, Timber and Dain knew the forest like the back of their hands, and Dain forced Timber to take the shot. As Timber watched in horror at what he had done, Dain looked pleased.
"We are even, Timber. You're one of us now. Don't ever forget it."
For the last year, Timber has only worked a handful of jobs for the Crimson Claw to keep himself afloat. Dain has been letting Timber work on his own, giving Timber assignments here and there and moving into the roll of a fixer within the organization. Timber has been preparing and gathering basic supplies to get ready to make his way back to Ardenfeld, and preparing himself to face his friends again.
Going Foward
Timber is ashamed deeply for his past actions. He has been forced into service to the Crimson Claw because of his perceived debt to Dain... but now is bound to the organization by blackmail regarding his murder of a former member. The relationship between Timber and the Crimson Claw is purely professional, and Timber very much is hoping for a way out. He does not want to turn to the Claw, but has always found himself relying upon their support to keep himself afloat for the past four years. Regarding his friends, Timber wants nothing more than for them to not know what he has been involved with. He has not made direct contact with any, but would almost certainly put out feelers about their whereabouts and well-being indirectly through his contacts. He wants to ensure that they succeed in their futures, and he has a deep yearning desire to hunt down and stop the bandits who ruined their lives. Timber doesn't think about his own future too much, but does see the best outcome as one where he is free from the bonds of the Crimson Claw and living in the forest like he was always meant to. He fears nothing more than being under the Crimson Claw's thumb for the rest of his life. But despite being considered "even" by Dain, he can't help but think his debt will never be considered unpaid. And that's not something Timber wants to think about for too long.
Decided to go for it. The challenge of using almost entirely the PHB was fun to make a few character concepts, but Timber seemed to be the most interesting concept personally. Vague criminal organization connections, but most importantly just a guy with a bow who likes the woods felt the most appropriate for a low-magic setting.
