Description
Before you is a stout duergar. Shaped like a tree trunk this
brute stands roughly four and a half feet in height. His thick
frame seems as round as he is tall, with rippling muscles and
a barrel chest. His arms are muscular with unnaturally large
forearms that lend him a titanic presence despite his modest
stature. His skin is black, slightly lighter than that of a Drow,
and appears to be coarse with numerous blemishes and calluses.
His face is round with an abnormally large forehead which adorns
many scars and abrasions. Another scar runs across his face in
a slashing motion from his right eyebrow across the bridge of
his nose and then sharply down across his lips which grants him
a permanent sneer. His eyes are a lifeless shade of grey which
pulse periodically with a hint of red which stands out boldly
against his ebony flesh.
The most prominent aspect of this duergar is his beard which is
jetblack in color. The hair is kinky in texture and impressively
thick. It is greasy and tied into two large braids each of which
is tied off with finger bones at their end which reaches nearly
to his navel. His hair is shoulder length and black as well.
Unlike his beard his hair seems unkept and dirty. Upon his chest
is an impressive emblem of a Hook Horror's severed arm with the
words "GOLD IN PEACE - IRON IN WAR" printed underneath.
On both sides of the Hook are two runes of unknown origin. The
first is shaped like a "V" with sharp points at the top. The second
is an inversion of the first the tips pointing down.
Role
Gold In Peace - Iron In War
Added Tue Mar 7 04:45:59 2017 at level 31:
The origins of the Blodvrut clan are shrouded in mystery. They are a
common born family that worked largely in the Aran'gird slave trade
as hired swords and other manual labor. Then, at the end of the last
Age, the Blodvrut name suddenly came into prominence. Haglarn Blodvrut,
known to his family as "the old man", was unexpectedly named a nobleman
by the King of Aran'gird. What followed were slaver contracts, lucky
investments and bounties of war. In a few short years the Blodvrut
clan had gone from poor laborers to filthy rich nobles. When asked how
he accomplished this the old man responded: "Simple rule: find gold in
peace, and iron in war!"
This would become the motto of the newly noble House of Blodvrut and it
would govern their approach to all other factions and men in Thera. If
you could dominate someone then make gold. If you couldn't, then unsheath
the iron and get your payment in blood. It was simple, it was effective,
it was Duergan.
But much like many things in the Duergar society it was also a lie. The
hidden truth was something far more sinister than lucky investments and
ruthless war parties. The truth was that the old man had made a deal with
an ancient force.
A deal that would forever change him and all of his descendants.
A Heavy Price
Added Tue Mar 7 04:46:40 2017 at level 31:
The old man discovered a primitive shrine somewhere deep in the Underdark. It
was an old, crumbling marble altar with runes engraved deeply into it. He looked
about for relics but found nothing and moved on. Then, a few weeks later while
raiding a surface villager with his fellow raiders he discovered onyx runes that
were kept in a temple by Wood-Elves. He recognized these runes as being the same
that he'd seen prior in the altar. He took them and on his way back to Aran'gird
stopped at the altar and sure enough, they slid into place in the marble.
What happened next is debated even amongst the Blodvrut's as the old man would
never speak plainly about it. What is known is that the altar opened a portal
from which an ancient force emerged. It asked the old man why he'd summoned it
and Haglarn had no answer, instead he stuttered over himself. The force was angry
and the old man realized he'd probably summoned a djinn so he said "I want power!"
Which, wasn't a lie. The old man was born to the stars of envy and hated the pitiful
standing of his clan.
Next, as far as we can tell, the force and the old man haggled. The old man claimed
this divine-like being bestowed great power and influence upon him in exchange for
the Blodvrut name. This means that all of Haglarn's children would need to honor the
deal they made before that altar or the entire line would wither and die. An offer
that the old man quickly accepted.
Armed with his new "luck" the old man quickly established himself and his family at
top of the Aran'gird foodchain. But he also found that the only thing that appeased
his new Master was blood. The ancient force required blood sacrifice in exchange for
his gifts. As such the Blodvrut family ahd to constantly be out raiding. It gave them
a brutal reputation, even among the duergar.
Blessing And A Curse
Added Tue Mar 7 04:47:25 2017 at level 31:
The old man eventually died, fat and rich, claimed by the blade of old age. While his
descendants were plentiful they also had no knowledge of the anciet deity, or demon or
whatever it was that had "blessed" the old man years prior. Blodvrut men searched for
the altar and the runes but never found them. Soon they began to bicker amongst themselves
as some felt the exchange of blood for power was a gift while others felt it was a curse.
From this came two clans of Blodvruts. One who sought to honor the deal and the other who
left the Underdark to try and escape it. The latter all drowned on a ship bound for the
southern continent, just days after leaving the comforts of Aran'gird.
For those who remained they took this as a sign of the ancient force's powers both over the
realm and their family. They doubled their efforts to keep it pleased, shedding blood at
every turn. Even going so far as to enter their kin in the pitfights at the Slaver's tunnels,
a "privilege" usually left to the slaves.
Then in the present day came the fourth generation of Blodvrut men. Led by Karagul and his
eldest son Halvgeir. Together they formed a plan to appease their unnamed God and to better
further their own interests at the same time.
The Pillars of Order
Added Tue Mar 7 04:49:12 2017 at level 31:
Now it might be easy to think that men under these circumstances would fall to the trappings
of chaos. But the reality is quite different. The Blodvrut family maintains a strict, orderly
approach to their cursed blessing. They understand that they are a vessel for this being,
whatever it may be, and that they must do more than just run about slaughtering anyone they
find in it's unspoken name. If it has given them this much influence for that. What would it
grant for a great war? A war that would cause all the rivers of Thera to run red?
And so the plan was hatched. Halvgeir was to head to the mainlands to join the Empire and to
lead them to war against all the realm. But upon arriving in Galadon Halvgeir noticed a few
things that would make that difficult.
First and foremost the Emperor seemed a bit insane. There were many Anathema, all of whom were
claiming that they did nothing to deserve their current standing. Secondly he noticed that all
the sects seemed to despise one another and were just as quick to stab their fellow Imperials
in the back as they were to stab their enemies in the front. Thirdly he found that the Empire
had none of the power they claimed to possess. No one obeyed them but their own tax paying
members. No one cared about the word of Emperor outside of his Kingdom.
But the Spire, he noticed, commanded respect and even submission from all the Kingdoms in the
realm. He noticed that even cities which were not under their protection took up arms against
those they had branded wanted. This was true power, true reach, true influence. In response to
this Halvgeir sent a crude note back home telling his father he would execute their plan through
the ranks of the Blood Tribunal.
Rivers Of Blood
Added Tue Mar 7 04:51:26 2017 at level 31:
Halvgeir's plan, his beliefs and his wider aspirations, are as follows:
1) Join the Blood Tribunal and begin militarizing it's ranks against the enemies of Order.
From here he plans to build on the governing principle of "Gold in peace, Iron in war."
by amassing (i.e. exploiting) wealth as he can under the protection of the Law and by
shedding blood of all enemies of Order.
2) Born under the stars of Destruction he feels compelled to destroy all that stands in his
way. Not only for the sake of keeping up his family's pact with the Ancient but also for his
own pleasure. He genuinely enjoys war and it's spoils.
3) He wants to see the influence of the Tribunal expand. He wants new cities under it's banner
and for the forces of the realm to obey the Law in theory and practice. In many ways he wants
to apply some of the ideology of the Empire to the Spire. More offense, more influence, more
war, more gold, more blood. He wants people to fear the Spire and the long arm of the Law.
4) He has no idea what the Ancient force that his great-great-great grandfather bartered with.
It's entirely possible that such a force doesn't even exist and that the old man was just
talking out his ass and all his kin who drowned was just a pure coincidence. But the truth
does not matter. Halvgeir believes it and he works to please the force through bloodshed and
attributes all acquisition of power to this adherence.
5) He will work to discover this force's name and it's true aims. He aims to prove himself to
it by executing the above and turning the rivers of Thera red with blood.
PK Wins
Mar 30, 2017|Lv 36|The Galadon Sewers|Jsu vs 1: [36] Halvgeir (100%, flurry)
Mar 30, 2017|Lv 36|The North Road|Jsu vs 1: [36] Halvgeir (100%, infernal power)
Mar 31, 2017|Lv 40|The Vale of Arendyl|Felston vs 2: [32] Vramun (66%, punch), [40] Halvgeir (33%)
Apr 2, 2017 |Lv 40|Galadon|Sporana vs 2: [40] Halvgeir (96%, slash), [37] Illaeth (3%)
Apr 3, 2017 |Lv 49|Northern Foothills|Thaedan vs 2: [51] Aarusemilar (83%, divine power), [49] Halvgeir (16%)
PK Deaths
Apr 8, 2017 |Lv 51|The Eastern Road|vs 1: [51] Fethelera (100%, flurry)