Half Orc Acolyte of the Moon Rigamordus
Race: Half Orc | Class: Fighter (Eldritch Knight) | Background: Acolyte | Alignment: Lawful Good
Personality Trait 1: I see omens in many events, and many actions. The Lady Vara has her methods of speaking to me, I simply need to keep my eyes open.
Personality Trait 2: I never tell a lie, and always keep to my word.
Ideal: A life laid down in the defense of the innocent is a life with true meaning and purpose.
Bond: My Amulet of Vara, given to my by the priest who took me in, is my only prized possession.
Flaw: There is a streak of chaotic adrenaline in me, that has become more prevalent in my years with the Bloodwalkers. At times, I struggle with it to maintain control of my honor and humanity.
Description: Rigamordus looks more orc than he does human. His massive jaw, angled piggish face, and large tusks give him an intimidating presence. His pale eyes are rather human, however,
and betray his emotions easily. He generally has red war paint on his face, as is the custom of the Bloodwalkers, and has a viking-style haircut with a braided ponytail that goes down to his shoulders. An amulet in the shape of a crescent moon can be seen around his neck whenever he is not around members of his tribe, and he is never seen far from his spear.
History: The new, young Chief of the Bloodwalker orc tribe, Hegadonus, had amassed enough forces and had built enough reputation that his name was feared for miles. He didn't have to attack every settlement, every small cluster of civilization, to get the treasures he desired. Through mere threats, he could have human villagers send him their family heirlooms, have garrisons send him arms and armors, have farmers feed his tribesmen. He became rather fond of this. Eventually, a human woman caught his eye, and he requested her as a gift of appeasement. With the looming threat of the destruction of their village, a group of villagers forced the woman over to the tribe, where the savage Hegadonus had his way with her, then cast her out.
Several months later, Rigamordus was born in the human town of Theamoor. His mother having died of childbirth, those who helped in the delivery were taken aback by the fierce orcish appearance of the baby, and did not know what to do with it. They took the half-orc child to a nearby temple, under the reasoning that they would be the ones to deal with it. The priest there chose to give the child mercy, and also gave it a name, and a place at the temple. Rigamordus grew up an acolyte, a follower of Vara, the Good goddess of tradition, time, and the moon. Though treated with mild disdain at first, the people of Theamoor grew used to seeing Rigamordus walking the streets, and as a result he very rarely encountered racism in his childhood.
Meanwhile, Hegadonus feared for his position as Chief of the Bloodwalkers. He was getting older, and feared that soon he would lose his reign to a younger tribe member through a challenge. Upon hearing word that he had a son, he began a search for him, and located him in the town of Theamoor. The Chief, wanting to satisfy the bloodlust of the tribe, allowed a raid into the town. Much of the edge of the town was destroyed, and many denizens killed. Hegadonus then sent a message into the town, promising that it would be spared if his son, Rigamorus, would leave the human settlement and become a Bloodwalker. Rigamordus complied, and Hegadonus remained true to his promise, pulling his tribe away from the area, Rigamordus with them.
Not used to the brutal, chaotic life among the orcs, Rigamordus was forced to quickly adapt. He was fiercely trained by Hegadonus and his finest men, building Rigamordus up to be the future Chief of the tribe. His lawful ideals, his good nature, and his worship of Vara were all shunned by the tribe, and Rigamordus felt starkly out of place. He hoped he could, once he was Chief, initiate a change in the ideals of the tribe as a whole, and until then he simply had to keep his head down, and keep his worship of Vara private and secret. All went relatively well until the time came for Rigamordus to take over for his father. According to the laws of the Bloodwalkers, if a Chief is to appoint a new Chief rather than lose the position to a challenge of combat, the appointee must first complete a trial set by the current Chief. Hegadonus, knowing of Rigamordus' weaknesses, gave him this mission: Head back to the town of Theamoor, and bring back the head priest of the temple of Vara to the tribe to face execution for false worship.
Setting out, Rigamordus did not know what to do. His sense of honor and the threat of pursuit prevented him from fleeing, but the priest he was sent to recover was the human man who showed him mercy when he was a child. On his first night camping in the wilderness, he prayed to Vara for a solution to the situation at hand. He was greeted by nothing but silence and the encroaching of a cold, misty fog, and a sudden gust of wind that all but quenched his meager campfire.
Review Questions How does Rigamordus present himself publicly? Would he act subdued around a human populace or would he put on a strong front like the tribe has been training him?
Rigamordus has always been proud, and has never really faced the need to act subdued around humans. The folk of Theamoor were used to him after him being raised there, so he only really ever faced the odd sideways look of a traveler coming through the town or something similar. He did, however, have to keep his human virtues and worship under wraps while running with the Bloodwalkers. So to humans he presents himself with a strong and proud front. In the case of Vorostokov, it really depends on how the humans there react to him. He will expect them to treat him as any other, because that's the only way he's ever been treated by humans. If that's the case, his strong front won't be changed. If however he is treated with disdain, he will at first be confused, and then later probably act more subdued and let the more "normal" members of the party step in front of him in terms of social interaction. Especially in terms of a story that closely follows lycanthropes, men that transform into monsters, Rigamordus would probably find himself angry at the fact that many humans won't trust him who has good intentions, but will trust others who are monstrous inside. It's awfully poetic.
Aside from religion, what things does he prefer about human culture compared to orc culture?
Pretty much everything, save for a few exceptions. Despite the rough edges of the D&D alignment system, Rigamordus is pretty solidly Lawful Good. What I mean by this is that, after being raised by humans and adapting to their worship, believing in their customs and laws and their compassion as a race, Rigamordus is much more proud of his human side than he is of his orcish side. He was appalled upon seeing the atrocities the Bloodwalkers committed, how their mission in life included nothing but battle and conquest. He felt that bloodlust run through his veins himself, but at his core he believes in the power of a civilized society. He hoped to even establish some of this if he were to become Chief. The only things he might appreciate more about the orcish society are honesty and prowess. So I kind of reversed the question, as my answer is "Everything, but..."
Honesty: Within the orc tribe, orcs say what they mean and mean what they say. Rare are the deceptions, the white lies, the double-crosses common to human society. Rigamordus appreciates honesty as one of his core virtues and strives to never tell a lie himself.
Prowess: The orcs are ready for anything. Even children and those who aren't warriors won't be unfamiliar with an axe shoved into their hands, because fighting is so central to their society. If an orc camp were invaded, the invaders would meet resistance at every level. Humans on the other hand are usually not so battle ready. If a human village were invaded, many of the commoners would flee and hide. Rigamordus doesn't hold this as a negative attribute to humans - he views many of them as innocents to be protected - but rather views it as a positive attribute to orcs as he respects their readiness and in-training.