Name: Kristjan Viktorson Age: 32 Gender: Male Class: Rogue Appearance: Kristjan is tall, handsome, and broad-shouldered. With bright blue eyes, a mouth seemingly always on the verge of a slight smile, and graceful poise, the merchant naturally draws the eyes of those around him. He has short blond hair and a well-shaven face. Kristjan dresses well, but not garishly or opulently. He is always sure to wear a shirt and trousers with soft colors that are relaxing to the eye, and maintains a clean, well put-together look. He wears fine clothes for an individual living in one of the less populated regions of the world. As a traveler, Kristjan always has with him a warm coat, sturdy, worn boots, and thick leather gloves.
Kristjan owns two special rings. One is a simple gold band, a match to the ring he bought Ana for their wedding. The other is silver shaped to look like a braid. Like the gold ring, there is another ring just like this one, only it sits on the hand of Emma, not Ana. Kristjan is always careful to wear the appropriate band and hide the other when visiting one of his wives. Currently, as he is in Tunglland, he wears his gold ring, and with Ana trapped in the Grotto, the merchant finds himself fiddling with it, twisting it back and forth on his finger, lost in thought. Background: Charlatan Personality Trait: Flattery is my preferred trick for getting what I want.
I'm a born gambler who can't resist taking a risk for a big payoff. Ideal: I am determined to make something of myself. Bond: I’ve conned two people who are important to me. Now that this secret is at risk, I might lose everything. Flaw: I’m too greedy for my own good.
History: A long line of hunters and farmers. Peasants. Paupers. That’s all Kristjan’s family has ever been. His father, Viktor, was a good man, a generous man. He was a fantastic hunter and a wonderful father who taught and gave everything he could to Kristjan and his neighbors.
But all that ever got him was the same as every other good father in Kristan’s family tree. Nothing.
Kristjan was determined to be different. Sure, he could hunt… but he also had a way with words and a pretty face. Skills that were useless when stalking a deer, but exceptional when working over others. With these skills Kristjan became a merchant, a man who kept the bones and sinews off his kills after her carved the meat, and made trinkets. He traveled to nearby cities and sold these trinkets, claiming they were magical, mystical, powerful. Yes, sir, this will give you luck… of course madam, this will keep you beautiful… all of it lies. But that didn’t bother Kristjan one bit. He was wealthy, something no one in his family had ever been before.
But greed is never satisfied. Like most from Tunglland, Kristjan married a girl at a young age. Her name was Ana. He loved her when he married her, and he loves her still. But it wasn’t the same now. It had felt stale for some time. He found that spending time with Ana at home after his travels didn’t hold the same joy that it once had. More and more, he relished his time apart from her, if only for the change of scenery. And there was this pretty girl in Brekka, a woman named Emma, who would see him every time he came to town. He loved her too, but for different reasons. Spending time with Emma was something new, interesting, something exciting. Being with Ana was stable, dependable, but ultimately boring.
It wasn’t long until Kristjan married Emma. He now found himself with two identities, two homes, two wives. But it was all right. He could keep them separate, make it so neither found out…
Until now. With Ana trapped in Sibyl’s Grotto with the other denizens of Tunglland, and the closest town being Brekka, Kristjan was trapped as well. He needed to travel to Brekka with his fellow hunters, but once he arrived his secret life would be out. His fellows would find out about everything, including Emma.
Unless he could somehow find a way to trick everyone.
Personality: With a handsome face and honeyed words, Kristjan always makes a good first impression. While he gives of an air of being at ease, natural, and cavalier, internally Kristjan is constantly thinking. Planning. Scheming. He tends to approach conversations like a hunter approaching his prey. Flattery is his weapon, and his weapon works best when it finds it's way into his mark's heart.
Kristjan dislikes direct confrontation. He is not particularly cowardly, but he is skittish and slippery. He is as prideful as he his greedy, often assuming that he is better at manipulating others than they are at manipulating him. Kristjan often excuses himself out of his misdeeds by convincing himself that others deserve the misfortune he brings. If they didn't want that necklace to be stolen, they should have guarded it better. Those who are too stupid to see this con coming would just lose their money to someone else. Oh, I'll only take a little bit, they won't even notice...
Kristjan might be flexible, but he is still stubborn. If one of his lies puts him in a precarious position, he is more likely to tell bigger lies, dig a deeper hole, than he is to admit the truth. And his favorite marks are the ones he has the hardest time deceiving.
RP Sample: Kristjan looked on as his life crumbled to pieces.
Four ogre stood in front of Sibyl's grotto, bashing and banging. They hacked away in futile fashion at the collapsed cave entrance. And Kristjan knew that his wife, Ana, along with the other denizens of Tunglland, were trapped inside. The merchant found himself praying, begging that the rocky barrier held. He wouldn't be able to bear the sight of those ogres eating the townsfolk, especially not his love. Alas, he knew he would have been enraptured in abject horror if that came to pass.
After a terrifying eternity spanning only a few minutes, the four monsters lost interest, wandered off. A wave of relief washed over Kristjan so powerful he nearly passed out. But it was not long until his mind was awash with thoughts, fear, what-ifs. In the midst of his mental turmoil, Kristjan found himself surprised. He had been so afraid to lose Ana, despite the interest he had lost in her. He had known that he cared for her, even loved her, but his terror had brought him to the deepest recesses of his heart. It was there, deep within long lost emotions, he found a spark. Something he hadn't felt for Ana in a long, long time. Something he had until now only felt for Emma.
"Emma!"
The name shot through his mind like lightning. The ogres were heading to Brekka, weren't they? What if they attacked the town, just as they did in Tunglland? Kristjan's heart leapt into his throat at the thought that his love would be hurt...
"My... love...?"
Another thought, this one quieter than the last to take occupancy at the forefront of Kristjan's mind. It seemed strange to Kristjan that he had referred to two women with the same name. The same emotions. Even though he had never minded in the past. After all, what did it matter? He loved them both. Certainly a man can fall in love once, twice, a hundred times even... right?
Kristjan shook his head, hoping to fling the thoughts from his mind like drops of water. He needed to focus, to act. With the ogre traveling to Brekka via the road, he needed a new way. A more dangerous, but quicker way. Banon Gar Ingen.
The Path No One Travels... there was a good reason no one used it. Those who do meet a fate worse than death. Most believed in the legend that wanderers foolish enough to take Banon Gar Ingen are eaten by monsters. They were half right. But what the legend often omits is exactly what the monsters are.
In truth, the monsters are fellow wanderers.
Kristjan knew well. The Path was cursed with old magic, the magic of an evil white dragon who once claimed the mountains as her home. The first group of people to explore the path had been trapped by snow and rock, stranded for weeks. Rations ran low, as did sanity. After more than a month, the survivors snapped. They slaughtered each other for food. They became cannibals. And when the curse wormed its way into the bones of each and every one who had eaten the flesh of his fellow man, they became something else. Something twisted and terrible, with gnashing teeth and vicious claws, withered, emaciated flesh, and an eternal hunger. They became a Grendel, cursed to forever hunt humans and consume them. And anyone who has entered Banon Gar Ingen will meet one of two fates. Either they will be trapped by the curse of the mountains, stranded by avalanches and storms, forced to cannibalize one another, and transformed into an eternally hungry Grendel. Or they will be ripped apart, piece by piece, by the Grendels that already inhabit the mountain.
For the third time today, Kristjan was awash with terror, this time at the prospect of using that cursed mountain pass. But it was to save both Ana and Emma. He forced his fear down and mustered his courage, before immediately being deflated with one more invasive thought.
"But if I travel to Brekka, my fellows will meet Emma. And Emma will learn about Ana. Ana will learn about Emma once we excavate the grotto."
"I'll lose them both."
Kristjan collapsed to his knees. He knew what he would do. He had to save Ana and Emma, even if it meant losing them. But the thought of losing even one of them was unbearable, even if he knew it was a risk he needed to take.
That didn't mean he'd give up on trying to come out of this with all his secrets intact. Kristjan might still be able to keep both wives. Somehow.
Kristjan Viktorson, The Philanderer Merchant, Level 1 Rogue HP: 8/8 ; AC: 13 ; Passive Perception: 9 ; Initiative: +8 Weapons:+5 to hit ; 1d8+3 damage ; Ammo 20 ; Range: 80/320 ; Loading ; Two-HandedLight Crossbow ; +5 to hit ; 1d8+3 damage ; FinesseRapier ; +5 to hit ; 1d4+3 damage ; Ammo: 2 ; Range 20/60 ; Finesse ; Light ; ThrownDaggers Feats:+5 to initiative ; Cannot be surprised while conscious ; Other creatures do not gain advantage on Kristjan as a result from being hidden from himAlert ; Kristjan has made connections, spun stories, laid all the groundwork to create a fake name for himself: Aron Alexanderson. He typically uses this name in the town of Brekka.False Identity Abilities:1d6 extra damage when attacking a target Kristjan has advantage againstSneak Attack ; Double proficiency bonus on deception and sneak checksExpertise: Deception and Sneak
Last edited by TitchyGren; Oct 31st, 2017 at 10:40 PM.
I Feel far more comfortable around animals than people.
I place no stock in wealthy or well-mannered folk. Money and manners won't save you from a hungry owlbear.
Ideal: Life is like the seasons, in constant change, and we must change with it.
Bond:An injury to the unspoiled wilderness of my home is an injury to me.
Flaw:I remember every insult I've received and nurse a silent resentment toward anyone who's ever wronged me.
Appearance:
Bryllyn leans more towards elf than human. She is tall, slender and has a grace to her movement unheard of in her tiny village. Her stony, hardened expression belies a soft, round face that now bears the remains of many scars. Bryllyn has mismatched eyes, a hazel left one and a blue right. Since her father's eyes are blue, she surmises that her mother's would be brown. Her blonde-brown hair is usually carelessly tied into a thick, messy braid off to one side.
The half-elf is usually dressed in modest leather and furs appropriate to the wintry climes of her mountain village. She is not one for jewellery and embellishments, except for a bracelet with a bright blue uncut crystal that she never takes off. It is the only thing of her mother that she has. When she was left at her father's doorstep, it was around her neck. For years her father had locked it off in the attic. One day she found it and asked her father what it was. Since then she has worn it. First around her neck, then on her wrist.
Personality:
In her nineteen years, Bryllyn has never felt a sense of belonging. The humans of the village always treated her like an outcast. A few years back, she built a dwelling for herself out in the forest and started living there full-time. The little time that she spends in the village, she is either trading furs or taking care of her father. Hansen, her father is suffering from a debibilating illness that has left him nearly bedridden. Bryllyn comes home every night for a few hours to cook and and clean, and give her father his medication.
For the longest time, the half-elf blamed her father for her fate. She was angry at everything and took it out on him. She blamed him for taking her in that frigid night and often wished that he would have left her to die. After a while though, she realized how much Hansen had to sacrifice for her sake and they grew much closer. Unfortunately, this came at a time when Hansen was not long for the world.
Bryllyn appears intense and serious. Her human interactions are curt and tense. She prefers her own company, out in the woods. After spending so many years of her life in the wilderness, she now feels a deep connection to it and does not take too kindly to ones who would do it harm for selfish reasons. And while she not vengeful, she will never forget not forgive all the insults and disrespect she received from the villagers over the years.
Underneath the cold hard exterior however, there still lives a girl who wants to be loved, to belong. She manifests herself sometimes when Bryllyn is alone by some brook, carelessly humming to herself. With a bit of understanding and effort, the real Bryllyn may yet be coaxed out. Or be lost forever, depending on which way her story goes.