Sunday, October 2, 2011

Crullen Blackstone


Crullen Blackstone – Wildcard Dwarf Warrior - Rick
Ag d6, Sm d10, Sp d6, St d10, Vg d8,
Pace 5, Parry 7, Toughness 6 (7)
Skills: Fighting d10, Notice d10, Stealth d6, Intimidate d6, Throwing d6, Streetwise d10, Tracking d4, Knowledge: Ansalon d10, Survival d4
Edges: Brawny, Trademark Weapon (Great Axe)
Hindrances: Phobia (Minor – unnaturally sized things…), Curious, Delusional (must smoke pipe or lapse into coma)
Gear: Great Axe (Str+d10, AP1, Parry -2, 2 hands, Pipe, Tobacco, Kilt, Backpack, etc…

Crullen Blackstone is a proud member of the Blackstone line of dwarves from the hill country of Neidar. Dwarves from this line are particularly long-lived, and this certainly applies to Crullen, who, though still not elderly, has long forgotten his younger years.

For the last several decades, most of those who know Crullen call him Curly. Some assume he got this nickname from his baldpate or because of the origin of his first name (which means “to curl”). But the real origin comes from his habit of always having his pipe with him, which he puffs on throughout the day, with curls of smoke regularly seen drifting above him. In fact, his fondness for his pipe leans toward the addictive. He usually spikes his tobacco with snuff known for its stimulant properties - and he firmly adheres to his delusion that, if deprived from his pipe for a lengthy time, he’ll fall into a deep sleep and stay that way until his pipe’s distinctive aroma returns to his nostrils.

Curly is a wanderer, and his insatiable curiosity about the hidden corners of Abanisinia will doubtless keep him wandering for as long as his stumpy legs will carry him. His endless travels have kept him from starting his own family, and he remembers little about the family from which he came. He vaguely remembers having numerous brothers and sisters, but it has been over 100 years since he’s had any contact with them or his parents. He’s an agreeable fellow (though not fond of goblins) and has made many friendships over the years - including his present band of traveling companions, who have just gotten back together again in Solace. Previous to this reunion, the companions had gone their own way for a few years, during which Curly supported his traveling by acting as a guide/guard for various trade caravans, using Solace as his base of operations.

Curly has seen both wondrous and terrifying sights in his travels, and has a fairly strong constitution. He does, however, have one minor phobia. Although his dwarven heritage makes him a bit shorter than most of his companions, he is very proud of his stature – knowing that he is of proper height for a dwarf, and all is well on that account. Unfortunately, his fixation with proper sizes goes a little too far – in that he has a great fear of beings or things that are clearly not of the right size. Thus, his wanderings have taken many a detour around such things as unnaturally giant spiders/goblins/etc or unusually tiny vermin/livestock/etc. In such situations, he takes comfort from the great axe always by his side (a trademark weapon acquired long ago during his travels in Ergoth) - but in the end, there is no reasoning with phobias.

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