Description
A hopelessly tangled mane of mingled grey, white, and fiery red dances
forth from beneath the helm of this sturdy, grizzled, if somewhat short
dwarf. His long, wild beard seems to be less of a matte of facial hair
than an explosian of curls from his head that trails down along his well
scarred and splotchy-red jowls and doesn't stop until it reaches his waist
where it comes together in a large five-pronged braid. Out from under
his helm is a long, puckered, obviously old scar. It cuts across from the
center of his forhead, slanting down and cutting a wide furrow through the
single wild hedgerow hedgerow that passes for his eyebrows.
His eyes glare out from between two tightly squinting lids as an emerald
gleam bright enough to seem incongrouos with the obvious age of the rest of
his body, and give the impression of gems set deep in dark holes filled with
water, all perched atop a large, pock marked, bluish, somewhat beak-like
nose.
His shoulders swing out wide, jutting from the side of what could be called,
loosely, his neck, in sharp angles that are reminiscent of worked stone, and
his form tapers slightly down to a healthy waist above two short squat legs
that seem to plant themselves right into the very earth beneath him.
Role
Valid travel companions, and Targets.
Added Thu Jan 15 20:38:58 2004 at level 32:
When Odrirg was young, he assaulted on two occasions those who were dark of
heart, under the rational that he needed to hone his abilities and learn the
skills necessary to become successful in the Hunt.
These two attacks, however left him quite hollow inside, and it did not take
much thinking to understand it.
Such attacks were not directly aiding Thera in moving towards his Goal.
It was with that realization, that he came to also realize that he would
under no circumstances aid someone in growing who had nothing but chaos in
their hearts.
For these reasons, he will not group with or aid anyone who judges or is
revealed by the commune "know alignment" to be utterly chaotic.
Also, he has ceased his random hunting, hoping to save his wrath for
Criminals, hardened criminals, and enemies of the Spire and his Lord alone.
This does not, however, preclude him from hunting down and destroying one who
has drawn first blood by striking Odrirg or those he is with at the moment.
Growing unease, and changing perceptions of the Empire
Added Mon Jan 19 15:14:27 2004 at level 38:
He began by thinking that the Empire might indeed be for an Order of a kind,
but that the Order that they preached was a false Order, filled with
despotism and despair and darkness. But as he has grown and had more contact
with Empirials, his view has changed.
With the seeming strategic placement of Centurions designed to limit the
movement of Magistrates and free trade, and Empirials striking off-duty
Magistrates, and the Provost ordering him to (in his mind anyway) bend over
and take it up the ass from empirials by forbidding him to strike a centurion
under any circumstances, Odrirg's discontent with the Empire was growing
fast.
And finally to top it all off, an Empirial Shaman with the strength of his
Lord started a world wide plague. That was what has convinced Odrirg that
even though the empire preaches that they are for a kind of Order....even
that is just lies, lies, and more lies.The indiscriminant Plagueing of an
entire world has nothing to do with Order at all. It was an act of pure
chaos.
Given that Odrirg forsees a time when the Empire puts more and more pressure
on the Spire now that the Grove was gone, Odrirg did not quite have the same
feeling of relief that many of his compatriots expressed. This is not to say
he did not count the final victory over the Grove as a great thing.
It was in this frame of mind that he was told by the High Priestess of the
Ki-rin of something stiring like a coming storm. Odrirg had suspected this,
but not in a conscious way that he was aware of until Servalia put it to
words. So Odrirg took this warning to the Provost, believing it was his duty
to let the Provost know so that preparations might be made.
Once again, Odrirg was shocked by the Provost's unwillingness to act. The
provost did not wish to put the Magistrates on guard, calling Servalia's
warning just a rumor and saying that she would not alert the Spire until more
was known about the Storm. Well, Odrirg believes that the time to prepare
for a storm is before it is at hand, so he once again strongly disagrees with
the choice of his Provost.
Desire to help reduce the chaos of his City
Added Mon Jan 19 15:17:48 2004 at level 38:
One day while Odrirg was walking on duty, a fully formed thought popped into
his head, and he is convinced that it was a gift from the Ki-rin.
The thought was that if he was to be successful in the larger Goal, he needed
to be true to his Goal in all of the smaller matters. And just when he had
his thought he looked about himself and the despair, fear, and all around
chaos of his own city struck him as it had not struck him before.
So he has resolved to try to help the people of his city rebuild. He himself
is not a craftsman, and he knows that such craftsman as would be required to
rebuild an entire city are expensive. But he does know that he might be able
to Organize enough of the rich and affluent of Thera into donating enough
money to the Citizens of his city so that they can afford the Crafstman and
architects and laborers needed.
His first step is to find a bard to get the word out...
Disaster?...fuck no.
Added Tue Mar 30 13:46:17 2004 at level 51:
Demotion, perhaps disgrace? No, not disgrace. Well, maybe not. The office
of the Vindicator demands perfection, and Odrirg made a mistake. The Lord
Drunsthol actually took the same action of demoting him to the Empress' city
as Odrirg had suggested happen to the Provost.
The relative quiet of duty in that city has given him quite a bit of time
for self-reflection that he had not previously had the time for, and he has
come to a few realizations.
The first realization he came to was that going down the road of rationalizing
his mistake by thinking that it was a small mistake and that no Mortal is
perfect would be a useless excercise in self-pity. And he nolonger has any
room for that in his life. Sure, it was a small mistake, one that many have
made in the past. But that does not alleviate the seriousness of a Vindicator
having broken two laws.
If anything, his demotion, as well as the demotion of Daemar, has gone a very
far way towards re-enforcing Odrirg's belief in the System and the Spire,
because it is proof that the System works.
The second realization that he came to was one of his own self-worth. Before,
in his life, he had very little time from all of his duties to think further
than the next marker on the path to his Goal. This enforced reduction in
stature to the watch of a very quiet city has given him time to look back
over his life, and he has come to understand that it is *NOT* un-due hubris
for him to know how important he is to the Spire, to Thera, and to his Goal.
He may now be just a Magistrate of Seantryn Modan, but damnit he is still
the same Odrirg, and that counts for more than some of his enemies, and even
allies, would like to believe.
The above two realizations have struck Odrirg to the core, really, and have
combined, along with a realization that he is no-longer a YOUNG dwarf by
any stretch, in him to bring a certain Calm to his personality that perhaps
was scarce before.
Oh, he still gets pissed off really easily, but now the form of his anger is
as likely to take the form of a cold, calculating, deliberate rage as his
usual hot, mind-oblitterating frenzy that he has grown accustomed to. Already
he has had the chance to see the effects of this upon others, and he sees
that this cold rage can be just as effective as his hot frenzy.
His final realization came when he understood that he was not going to let
this obstacle drive him into melancholy like the First obstacle (his knees)
did.
He truelly does not know whether the path he was on to his Goal is closed to
him forever, forcing him to forge a new path, or if he will be able in time to
find his way back to that path.
And he has resolved that he is going to take full advantage of this time of
doubt, until his path before him is again clear to the Horizon, to strengthen
the Spire. Many people would doubt a fallen Vindicator and Magistrate of
a backwater city on the edge of Thera could do much to Strengthen the Spire,
but Odrirg knows different.
He sees this as an opportunity to show all these young whippers in the Spire
just how Magistrating is done, damnit. And they are all going to become
better for his example.
While the Future is often in flux and doubt, there is one thing that Odrirg
knows that can not be denied. With
Bruised Conscience, leading to a deeper anger towards the Empire.
Added Sun Jun 6 22:34:44 2004 at level 51:
Odrirg is no longer a young dwarf. A fact that actually hit him with more
than a little surprise. He did not see his old scars, the white and gray
in his beard, the slowness in his getting up and getting down, until his
young brother Alarian pointed out the gray in his beard as they talked
in the Temple.
This sudden realization that he was beginning to get on in years led to
two things. The first was trivial. He realized he had passed the age
at which dwarves usually added braids to their beards, a sign of age
and responsibility, so he moved from 3 forked braids to the five that
he now had earned.
The second was a reflection upon his life.
This reflection began to have an effect on him. He remembered far too
many lightwalkers bleeding under his axe. Oh, he knew that in each case
he had only done what he had to do, and while it had indeed hurt him
each time to be forced to fight those who were of the light but worked
for Chaos...looking back at all of them at once was a new thing for him.
Why was this? Why were so many *MORONS* who would otherwise serve the
Light turning to Chaos and thus utterly undermining the peace,
prosperity, and the road to the perfect world. This question puzzled
him for some time. But he finally came to realize, he had been under
estimating the Empire.
Those fargers, aside from being evil, were damned cunning. It was an
ancient ploy in war, and he was ashamed for his fellow lightwalkers,
because it seems to be working...divide and conquer.
Many in Thera see the Empire and think "Order and Darkness" and think
that they must fight against both in order to fight against Chaos.
And this sure does make those who lead the Empire happy.
Because the Empire is not about "order and darkness". Those fargers
are about Darkness...using Order as a tool. But it gets more devious
than that. The slaves and the lackeys of the Empire might truly
believe that they are to use Order as a tool, but that is not the
real reason that the Lords of the Empire have gone out of their way
to claim Order.
Odrirg knows that it is truth that it is the most basic of corruptions
at the most basic level of the fabric of Thera called "Chaos" that
is the foundation for all other corruptions, even corruptions of the
soul that are called collectively "Evil". Odrirg also does not
underestimate the Power of the Lords of the Empire, and he knows that
they know this truth as well.... that Evil can only exist where Chaos
exists.
This is the real reason the Empire claims Order. Because the Lords of
the Empire know that many of the Empire's enemies will be moved
stupidly to fight against Order as well as darkness. Thus the Empire,
by claiming Order, is forcing it's enemies to increase Chaos...which
in turn increases Evil...
The Empire Lords have turned their enemies into their most powerful
tools in their unholy quest for power and Darkness.
He has been trying to get this message out, preaching to all of the
Moron lightwalkers that have been Agents of Chaos, but they do not
listen. Faced with the Truth, and proof of their own stupidity,
every single one has retreated further into the warm cuddliness
of the Lies of the Empire and chaos that rule their lives.
All this has serve
First steps down the path...
Added Thu Jan 15 20:33:30 2004 at level 32:
Odrirg was successful in finding and contacting the Lord of the unnamed
priest. By speaking with Velkurah's first disciple he learned that the
strange Lord was indeed the Ki-rin Lord. After long journeys and a bit of
mountaineering, he found the Temple of his Lord and talked with three
Ethereal voices for a time. At this point he was granted the Strength of the
Ki-rin to drive towards his Goal, and one of the Voices bade him to return to
the Temple to speak with the Lord once he thought himself worthy.
And so he went out into the world, knowing what his next goal would be upon
the path towards his Goal. To join the Spire.First he had to learn much
of the ways of the wide world of Thera and it's cities but he set himself to
these tasks with a vengeance and it was not long before he was granted a
position as a Magistrate of the Seantryn Modan.
At this point his Lord himself graced him with an audience in the Spire long
enough to ask him what his next step would be. Odrirg answered quickly and
truthfully that his next goal along the path would be to prove his worth to
the Spire enough to get promoted to the watch of a more active city,
eventually Galadon, where his drive and his gifts could be used to the
fullest extent and do the most good. Here his Lord left him and right after
Odrirg realized he did not answer completely.
For there was another goal that Odrirg was now working towards, to become
worthy in his own eyes to return to the Temple to seek out the Lord. What
must he accomplish before he can think himself of worthy? Well, first (but
not most importantly) he felt he must grow in his guild and learn to better
use his gifts to furthor his Goal. Secondly, he must prove himself by
bringing down criminals.
The first item he believes he is close to finishing, as he has been promoted
to the Watch of the Ruined city, and believes that the time when he can
convince his Provost to promote him to the Galadon watch is near. The second
item has as of yet been elusive. As he was younger, there was no chance to
face any criminals, and only now has he only ever seen one criminal that he
could touch, and that one hid before Odrirg could find him.
But he grows, and the more he grows he knows that the more chance he will
have of bringing down criminals.
Goals, and reasons the behind them.
Added Wed Jan 7 20:43:28 2004 at level 1:
Because Odrirg has had his first dream taken from him by the whims of chance
by the ruining of his knees, he has had to cast about himself in an attempt
to find a reason to live.
It took him a while, but through the influence of that unnamed Priest, he
finally came to understand that it is not sufficient to have such petty goals
as can be achieved in a few years time, such as following in your Fathers
profession. Even if that is achieved, what next? He realized that all of
his life, he held following in his Fathers footsteps as a goal, when it is
more rightly described as a possible PATH that could be taken towards a Goal.
With his inbred distaste for disorder of any kind, and the bone-deep, rabid
hatred that he has towards any sort of injustice, it did not take Odrirg long
to realize what his Goal actually was.
He still wishes to live a life that will make his Father proud, but he knew
that with the closing of his path into the dwarven military, as well as his
awakening to the understanding of a wider purpose to his life, his new path
would necessitate him going out into the wider world. First to search out
that strange Lord as the nameless Priest urged him to do.
Personality
Added Wed Jan 7 20:42:04 2004 at level 1:
Odrirg has always been in awe of his Father. His father could do anything.
He was a warrior, a leader, a sculptor, a wood carver (built all of his own
furniture), and later in life a skilled diplomat.
All that Odrirg wanted to do, since before he could remember, was follow in
his Fathers footsteps ...to make him proud.
Unfortunately, his damned knees fucked that all up. And that will probably
act like a rabid scorpion in his craw for the rest of his life.
Even though he has since come to a way of looking at life that embraces all
of the obstacles that he has been given as Gifts that will help to prove,
both to himself and to the whole damned world, that he is worthy to at least
be the Son of his Father ...
Well, just because he enjoys his obstacles now as gifts to fuel his not
inconsiderable pride, that does not mean that all of the scars they left on
him in his youth are washed away.
In short, he is often an ornery, mean bastard.
Also, because of his unfortunate childhood, he also comes close to losing it
whenever he witnesses the injustice of an underdog being assaulted or being
made fun of, and he has somewhat taken it upon himself to set it right
whenever he witnesses such.
While his military training was years ago now, and it wasnt all that long,
he was raised by a very military father, and sometimes in times of stress
Odrirg has a tendency to lapse back into the Command voice that his Father
used whenever his Father needed to be obeyed ...by his son or his
subordinates.
About his accent. Odrirg tries very hard to speak in the way that is
common and proper in the outside of Thera, because he wishes to
largely avoid any disagreements or misunderstandings that might come from
a thick accent like that which he grew up with in the Dwarvenhome,
as he sees that kind of misunderstanding as a way that Chaos might
gain a foothold in the interactions of the people of Thera.
However when he gets angry, which is not uncommon, he often drops back
into the thick accent of his youth.
Growth in the teachings of the Ki-rin
Added Thu Jan 15 20:35:59 2004 at level 32:
In his younger days, he saw and spoke with his Lords first Disciple often.
In the last of these conversations he was asked what he thought about the
natures of Order and Chaos and Light and Darkness.
He answered as he was brought up to believe, that Darkness only existed
because of the Foothold that chaos has in this world, and that should he
succeed in his Goal of driving out or destroying all of the Chaos in Thera,
there would nolonger be a place for Darkness to breed in the hearts and souls
of the Populous.
Jaegrudai disagreed vehemently.His contention was that Order and chaos were
not linked in any way to the Light or the Darkness. And here he put forth a
philosophy that Odrirg had not heard before, and found intriguing.
He taught that it was desire that brings the combat that feeds the very way
of the Ki-rin's holy Order. That Order brings about creation, and if you have
any pride in that creation it brings about the desire to FIGHT for that
creation.
After that conversation Odrirg has earnestly hoped to meet Jaegrudai again,
for he hopes to continue that conversation and to learn more about his Lord
from his Lord's Disciple. But he has not yet been able to find the Disciple,
and he will not yet let himself return to the Temple itself, as he was bid to
return when he found himself Worthy, and he does not yet count himself as
such.
After long internal thought and debate, much of which Odrirg (soldier at
heart that he is) lacks the vocabulary to put into proper words, Odrirg came
to the belief that what he had said about the nature of Order and Chaos being
linked to the Fortunes of Light and Dark in Thera is not incompatible with
the philosophy that Jaegrudai put forth.
As it is now, while he has a hunger for furthor enlightenment on the subject,
he knows balls to bones that he has enough of it right in his head to work
towards his Goal without faultering.
Background formative occasions
Added Wed Jan 7 20:36:41 2004 at level 1:
Now that he is old enough to look back over his life, there are times during
what he calls his blue moments, when he thinks to himself that his drive
and his compulsive tell it like it is attitude have been more of a curse
than anything. But these moments never last very long before he realizes
how weak such moments make him and how lesser people than him have pushed on
through harder obstacles, and he thinks to himself how lucky he is, and
besides that...to the Hells with anyone who does not want to hear the truth
when he is talking.
It started early. His father, heir to the high-seat of the ancient Gorimm
family, was a commander of a prestigious unit of Mountaineers called the
Scalers, renowned for striking the enemy in the rear not by go at them
through the tunnels, but going out to the outside face of mountains, then
around behind the enemy position, then burrowing in. As such, he was often
called upon to move about and give training to various units.
Odrirg was always very active as a child, and a natural at the sports and
games that Dwarf children play.Unfortunately, because he was always the
new kid he was almost invariably stuck on the team of the unpopulars...
the weak, the too-smart, the effeminate, the unpopular.
On one of these occasions, under his awkward leadership, the unpopulars were
actually winning. Well. The popular children could not let that happen, so
they cheated. Afterwards, they bragged about their victory for a week until
Odrirg could take no more. He put on the voice of command that he had heard
his father use, and upbraided the fools as honorless dogs no better than the
greasy Duergar ...for being proud of their faithless cheating.
He was immediately unpopular, as can be expected. Unfortunately, a few
months later his Father retired, and settled in that community for good ...
meaning Odrirg had to finish growing up the target of vicious pranks and
name-calling, even a beating here and there, for the rest of his childhood
...which isnt really surprising, for there are seldom any creatures crueler
than children ...of almost any race. (sure those elves claim that they are
different, but those uppity bastards would ...high and mighty ...)
Despite this, he was a Dwarf male of a proud family, and made of stern and
strong stuff, through and through.
So it was that he grew up, always wanting nothing more than to follow in his
Fathers footsteps and join the Scalers. And he did. He began his training
at a young age.
He showed early on great promise. For growing up as he did he had an
extremely military mind and outlook on life. He was even given the position
of trainee commander.
Then fate tried to once again test his resolve.In a nasty fall due mostly
in part to a lack of safety precaution on the part of the instructor, Odrirg
injured both of his knees severely, and trainees in his program were
forbidden any divine healing of woe, weariness, or injury. He was allowed a
few weeks of convalescance ...but that just put him behind in the training.
Overnight, he had gone from highly-motivated, hard charging leader to
Shitbag in the eyes of the instructors and his fellow students.
But he toiled on, despite the intense pain from his knees. In a program that
had an 80% wash-out rate of HEALTHY dw