Bobwhite Rindherder
 | |
| Level | 4 |
| Race | Lightfoot Halfling |
| Class | Rogue 4 |
| Armor | Studded Leather |
| Weapon(s) | Dagger and light crossbow |
| Hometown | TBD |
Bobwhite Rindherder is a Road Halfling from [some origin story place]. He grew up with his clan, but found himself separated from them at a young age, and finished growing up as a wayward urchin on the streets of Achenveltd, where he made a name and a living for himself by getting into places that are hard to get into. A couple of years ago, he was reunited with some of his family: Four, Beldon and Banner, and they've since banded together as their own little branch of the clan, animals and all.
Beginnings
Bobwhite began his life on the road. Not metaphorically, which is true of almost all Road Halflings on the Mainland, but literally, his mother giving birth in an emergency stop just past [insert location here]. Joyous as the event was, it was met with little fanfare or celebration, because his parents knew who ruled that road, and it was not the Travelers who claimed its jurisdiction. Ma Sparrow knew the risks and did hope to travel quickly to avoid them, but her little boy had other plans. His precocity would prove to be an omen. So, too, would his luck: the group was not found, and they finished their journey unmolested.
Bobwhite grew up surrounded by brothers, sisters and cousins. Ma Sparrow headed her clan with her newest husband (and, as near as anyone could guess, Bobwhite's father, but it's sometimes hard to keep track), Billup, and her family was both large and well-respected. She kept that position with a mix of warmth and generosity tempered by shrewd cunning, governing with plump carrots surrounded by vicious sticks. She would occasionally disappear for weeks at a time, and return, flush with gifts for friends and relatives. Nobody knew where she went on these trips, and in truth, what was there to gain by asking? In any case, Bobwhite didn't lack for comfort, and while the clan would occasionally have its lean times, he grew up mostly knowing where his next meal was coming from. He learned his letters and he learned respect for his family, and to value their love.
This all changed on a routine caravan trip to [some place]. To this day, Bobwhite doesn't know why, but a constable had gotten it into his head that Ma Sparrow was head of a [addictive drug here] smuggling operation, and resolved to shut it down. The night was a whirlwind of screams and blood: The last Bobwhite saw of his mother, she had a crossbow in hand, rushing to a front room while Billup shoved Bobwhite into an empty feedbarrel and pushed it into the river.
The barrel came to rest against the bank some time later, just outside of town. Bobwhite pulled himself out with care, and took stock of his situation. For the first time in his life, he found himself alone, and he did not enjoy the experience. He cried quietly, and stayed put, hoping his parents would find him. They didn't.
The surrounding cold, the strange noises of the night, and the occasional passing rivercraft weren't enough to rouse Bobwhite from his funk. But time passed, and he eventually found himself still alone, and famished. He couldn't control the former, but there was something he could do about the latter, and so he began the next stage of his life.
Urchinhood
There's precious little to spare for the underclass that lives on [cityname's] streets. Here, Bobwhite found his size to be his biggest advantage, subsisting on meager provisions and keeping his head down. Over time, he turned these advantages into real strengths, and found the value in smallness. Gradually, he was able to make a bit more comfortable of an existence for himself, learning the ebbs and flows of city life, finding all the best nooks and crannies to shelter himself from danger, and keeping himself from standing out too much when bigger folk came around to show off their muscles.
Ironically enough, all his effort to remain hidden did not remain unnoticed, and the sturdier, louder individuals would sometimes contract small jobs with him when they needed a subtler touch. With some canny business craft and a big dose of lucky, he managed to keep a neutral reputation as a freelancer: valuable enough to keep around, but not so valuable to make disappear.
Toward the end of this career, this all paid off for him in a big way, as he came into his most prized possession. While tasked to steal a bauble from a traveling hedge mage, he found the mage's book of tricks, all written in a code that, to his delight, was still based on Ubrekti. Although he wasn't able to carry the whole thing, he managed to grab a couple of pages, and ever since, he's poured himself into deciphering the text and practicing its precepts. He's made almost no real progress so far, but always insists that he's just on the verge of a breakthrough. Luckily for the thief, the mage himself either didn't bother too much with the book, or never discovered who took it, because Bobwhite hasn't heard from him, since.
Reuniting with Family
One day, [he finally found other Mattiverse people, they all hugged and cried and have since been besties]. He now travels with them, seeking Ma Sparrow and the rest of her clan in hopes of finding all the rest.
Dogmoot, and Destiny
With kin again, they traveled for a while, getting into scrapes and having each others' backs. They eventually come around to noticing that they're all having strange dreams. Talking about this in front of an old-timer, he butts in to chide them for not knowing the omens of an impending dogmoot. He urges them to follow the signs, for Dogmoot only comes once in a generation, and the people who visit it are ever changed.
It doesn't take much to get Beldon fired up, and the rest all thought it sounded like a blast, too. They loaded up the cart and headed West. After a few harrowing adventures, they make it in, and it all goes down. At various points, Bobwhite nicks a purse from a childhood bully, gets slapped by a fairy, pukes into a barrel, discovers that he has been designated the Herald of the Lance of a legendary leader of a clan of his nomadic ancestors from prehistory, fights a flaming horse, and pets an extraplanar dog. It was, to say the least, formative.
He spent a few days really getting into the idea of connecting with his ancestors, although he was hindered somewhat by only having a faint clue what they were like. He started adding bits of wolf hide and such to his attire and soaking up whatever he could find that might give him clues to the culture of his people--diligently recording any visible writing, asking for stories, and parsing old songs for clues. Then, he had to give up Good Luck, and the second piece of the Lance of the Wolfen-Khan changed hands to his half-brother Beldon. It took a bit to wear off, but he had a small epiphany as he pulled the trigger on a terrified bandit running for his life. He questioned why he had become so into this lifestyle in such a short period of time, and what the Lance's role in that might have been.
Traits
- Personality Trait: I tend to clam up around strangers, unless there's something very important to say.
- Personality Trait: I'm very generous with friends and family, and am always on the lookout for little gifts they would appreciate.
- Ideal: People. I'm committed to the people I care about, not to ideals.
- Flaw: I make cats look incurious; it takes little to pique my interest and a lot to shake it.
- Bond: Banner Rindherder is my own blood, and I would do anything for them.
- Bond: Beldon Rindherder is my own blood, and I would do anything for them.
- Bond: Four is my own blood, and I would do anything for them.
- Bond: I want more than anything else to be reunited with the rest of my family.
**'WARE YE, WHO SEEK NOT SPOILERS, A CHARACTER SHEET LIES AHEAD**