Enris, militiaman and carpenter
ST: 10 [0] -- Thrust 1d, Swing 1d-2
DX: 12 [20] -- Basic Speed 5.5, Move 5
IQ: 10 [0]
HT: 10 [0]
Point Total: 25
Advantages: Fearlessness +2 [4]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Rapid Healing [5]
Disadvantages: Bad Temper [-10]; Duty to Lord (9-) [-5]; Technophobia [-5]; Unluckiness (Limitation: Only involving women: -33%) [-10]
Quirks: Sensitive about his illiteracy; Never cleanshaven; Likes hot weather; Likes to tell bad jokes; Dislikes blondes
Skills: Carpentry-12 [4]; Climbing-10 [0.5]; Cooperage-10 [1]; Crossbow-13 [2]; Glassblowing-10 [1]; Knife-13 [2]; Riding (Horse)-10 [0.5]; Savoire-Faire (Military)-10 [1]; Swimming-12 [1]; Stealth-11 [1]; Tactics-8 [1]; Traps-9 [1]; Woodworking-12 [4]
Languages: Native-10 [0]; Goblin-8 [0.5]; Gnome-8 [0.5]
Equipment
As militiaman: Crossbow (1d+3 imp, 1/2D 200), 20 bolts in hip quiver, large knife (1d-2 cut/imp, Parry 5), light leather vest (PD/DR 1/1), leather cap (PD/DR 1/1)
As carpenter: Large knife (1d-2 cut/imp), assorted tools, simple work clothes
Appearance
Enris is 22 years old, with freckled white skin, dark brown hair and brown eyes, standing 5' 9" and weighing 155 lbs.
Biography
The son of a glassblower, Enris would have followed in his father's footsteps had it not been for a pretty girl with long blonde hair named Cossa. He had been infatuated with her for years, but had done nothing until she began showing interest in another boy, named Fathan, who had recently joined the town militia. Not to be outdone, Enris also joined the militia and quickly proved his superiority to Fathan. However, at about this time a minor war broke out on the other side of the kingdom and members of the militia were randomly selected to serve with the regular army; Fathan got to stay home, where he would be near Cossa, while Enris was sent off to the front lines.
After one battle decended into utter chaos, he found himself alone in a hilly region. As he carefully made his way though the scrub, he noticed a small opening in the side of one hill. After further investigation, he saw that it opened into a moderate cave. There did not appear to be any signs of animals. Since he was tired and it was late in the day, he decided to stay there for the night. Just after dark, he made a small fire to cook a rabbit he had killed earlier. As he was eating and letting the fire burn itself out, he noticed an odd glint in the back of the cave. When he checked, he saw that a oak door with a brass knob was set in the rear wall of the cave. Quickly fashioning a torch, Enris grabbed his crossbow and opened the door.
Enris has kept most of what happened next to himself. After walking down steps carved into the rock, he came to a workroom. Inside there were indescribable machines of all sizes. To one side there were mechanical men and creatures and, far worse, some that were only partly mechanical. A man who was working in a corner turned and faced Enris -- who then fled up the stairs and out of the cave. He refuses to describe the man, saying only that parts of him were no longer human.
He doesn't remember what happened after he left the cave; the next morning, goblin hunters found him unconscious on top of a hill. When he awoke, he was in their village, tied up in a circle. For several minutes, he was certain that they were going to kill him. However, an withered old goblin, who he later learned was the village priest, motioned for his bonds to be cut and for him to be carried inside the priest's hut. For several days, the old priest nursed back to health; apparently the encounter inside the cave, and his subsequent flight, had harmed more than his mind. Enris found he had difficulty moving and had vivid nightmares of the experience. Gradually, over the course of several weeks, he regained his control of his body and the experience of that night became a hazy, half-remembered image. During this time he learned much about the goblins, who lived on the fringes of human society.
Eventually, a military patrol passed though the village and one of the soldiers saw Enris helping contruct a small hut. At first, the officer present was outraged and used the words 'traitor' and 'deserted' repeatedly; somehow, the old priest was able to calm him down, explaining that Enris had only recently become healthy enough to travel again (and no other humans had entered the village since his arrival). He explained that Enris had only delayed his departure slightly (not really true -- Enris had no plans to leave) to try to pay back the village for helping him. Eventually the officer yielded, but insisted that Enris return with him immediately. Just before Enris left, the goblin priest pulled him aside and told him he should not try to return the village; the being he had seen in the cave was still looking for him and it would not be safe for him to return to the area for a long time.
As it turned out, there was no point in him leaving; the war had ended several days earlier and word reached Enris the day after he reached the nearest fort. Still grumbling, the officer told Enris he was free to return home. He packed what possessions he had left and returned to his home town. As it turned out, Cassa and Fathan had married while he was gone. Somewhat bitter, he constructed a small home on the edge of town and began hiring himself out as a carpenter and tried to find someone to make him forget about Cassa. Unfortunately, that has proved hard to accomplish.
The first woman he met turned out to have a jealous ex-boyfriend. Very jealous. Enris was almost killed and was forced to seriously injure the man to save himself; this angered the woman and she left Enris. The next woman had a very mysterious air about her that caught his fancy; unfortunately, she was mysterious because she was secretly a member of a banned cult worshipping a dark and ancient god. As he was arriving to visit her one night, the city guard suddenly appeared and apprehended her. Only the fact that two of the guardsmen were old friends saved Enris from being hauled off to the gaol. In less that a week, she was executed, hurling curses at the assembled crowd to the last. The third was the most mundane; she was merely as dumb as dishwater and nearly got him killed by offering him a potion she had concocted (her father being an alchemist). As it turned out, he was only bedridden for two weeks and spent all the money he had trying to get healed.
After that, Enris concentrated on his job. However, one day he was asked to repair the back door at the residence of a new scribe. While there, he feel in love at first sight with a young woman who was straightening out the library. His spirts were lifted further when, after some clever small talk, he determined she was not stupid, evil or being stalked. For the next several days, he made a point to stop by every day before his first job, offering her some object he had crafted the night before. While most were not fine works by any measure, they seemed to have an effect on her and she began to develop a fancy for him. However, ten days after they first met, disaster struck.
As he was handing her a gift that moring, the scribe, a rather old man, came outside. At first he started to ask the girl something, then saw the gift in her hands, which she quickly tried to hide behind her. Suddenly, the scribe's face became dark read and he screamed for his daughter to get back in the house, tearing the item from her hands. He spun to face Enris and told him that she was already promised to the blacksmith's oldest son and that if he knew what was good for him, Enris should never return. To punctuate this threat, the scribe threw the gift against the house. Had his aim been better, he would have smashed it against the stone wall. As it turned out, it broke through a window and hit the court wizard, who was visting the scribe on official buisness. The scribe immediately blamed Enris, saying the you man had thrown it in anger. The wizard scowled at Enris but said nothing before he turned and walked back in the house.
The rest of the day passed slowly as he finished his scheduled jobs. However, as he returned home, the scribe's daughter was waiting for him. She had no intention of following her father's wishes and still wanted to see Enris. Despite his concerns of her father causing problems for him, he didn't tell her to leave. In the weeks since then, two people he had done many jobs for told him not to return and job offers have been coming in at a slower pace. Enris is sure that the scribe is behind his reduced work offers. He is also starting to think that the scribe's daughter is not a young woman in love but a spoiled child who loves antagonizing her father, at any cost.
Encountered
Most of the time, Enris will be found performing some sort of carpentry work in town. Every now and then he will be called into temporary military service, usually to stand guard at the town gates or to chase after bandits in the nearby wilderness.
Canonically
Except for the limitation on his Unluckiness disadvantage, Enris conforms to normal rules.
What if?
Enris should fit most fantasy campaigns without too many problems. With some changes, he could fit into historical settings. However, his Technophobia should probably be no more than a Quirk by late TL4, perhaps replaced with a -5 point Delusion (Machines are evil). By changing the nature of what he saw in the cave (slightly), he would fit into a Horror campaign as well.
Adventure Ideas
The machine-mage might still be looking for Enris. PCs may find out about Enris' wartime encounter and want him to escort them back to the cave (perhaps to defeat the evil mage, perhaps just to plunder his labs, or perhaps they were hired by the goblins to protect them). Also, there is still some mystery as to what the scribe and his daughter with relation to Enris (as a twist, the scribe could care less about his daughter seeing Enris for the most part -- he was actually angry because he and the court wizard are plotting a coup and he believes that Enris, a member of the militia, is actually spying on him; the fact that Enris came by the same time as the wizard one day has only fueled his paranoia).