Fresse Aiken, skinchanger shield grog (Quercus)

Fresse Aiken, shield grog

Int 0, Per 0, Pre +1, Com 0, Str +1, Sta +1, Dex, +1, Qik +2

Age: 23

Virtues and Flaws
Warrior, Skinchanger (sparrowhawk), Tough
Covenant Upbringing, Missing ear, Delusion (all his good abilities come from his skinchanger amulet)

Abilities
Low German (Saxon) 5
Speak Latin (hermetic) 4
Rhine tribunal Lore (geography) 2
Saxony Lore (settlements) 2

Alertness (awareness) 2
Animal handling (beasts of burden) 1
Athletics (hiking) 2
Hunt (tracking) 2
Survival (forest) 2
Profession: shield grog (set camp) 3

Order of H. Lore (Rhine covenants) 2
Magic Lore (creatures) 1
Faerie Lore (fighters) 1

Folk Ken (mundanes) 1
Carouse (power drinking) 1
Etiquette (defuse social blunders) 2

Brawl (defence) 4
Great weapon (staff) 5
Single Weapon (defence) 2

Personality traits

  • “Magi are overconfident suicides that would do well to listen to their grogs” +3
  • Complainer +3
  • Brave +2
  • Dependable +2

Combat
Brawl (dodge) +2 +5 +7 +1
Brawl (dagger) +2 +7 +7 +4
Brawl (bludgeon) +2 +7 +7 +3
Oak Staff +4 +10 +11 +3

Soak: +4 (+10 with armor)

Equipment

  • Sparrowhawk claw pendant (skinchanger focus)
  • Linen clothes
  • Oak staff
  • Half chain mail (Prot 6, Load 4)
  • Dagger

Fresse Aiken is the cousin of Quercus. His family was offered a place in the covenant of Fengheld when Boniface adopted Quercus (then called Laus Aiken) as his apprentice. Since it was a clear improvement on their position as farmers, the two families accepted and Boniface paid their release from feudal obligations. He was very young when the family moved, and he readily integrated himself in the covenant’s community.

He has been trained as part of the turb since he was around 10 along with his two older brothers, all of them to be Quercus's shield grogs. However, only Fresse adopted his fighting abilities to the family name and Quercus' focus in oak magic while his brothers preferred to rely in steel weapons. That caused that when it came the time to chose a personal shield grog for himself, Quercus decided to adopt Fresse despite not being the strongest or biggest of the trio. His brothers protested at first, but having experienced life on the road with the Tytalus duo of Boniface and Quercus, they were quite happy to be left as part of the covenant's turb instead. Fresse, on the other hand did not really look forward to that assignment for the same reasons: he had seen too many grogs be seriously injured or even die during those reckless missions that these crazy magi always embark in.

Fresse was initiated by his grandmother in the familiar Mystery of Skinchanging into a sparrowhawk along with Quercus, and enjoys the experience of flying. He also trusts his sparrowhawk claw amulet to protect him and uses it like a more devout person would use a cross or relic, since he believes that his toughness comes from there instead of the excellent training and nutritional program for grogs that he has followed through his life.

Fresse has a rather grim view on life, and thinks that magi would do well listening to people with more common sense than them. That means listening to anyone, something they rarely do. He has already lost part of his hearing due to a hit to the head by a giant's cudgel, and he would enjoy not suffering further physical injury. He knows that this is something unlikely to happen. Obviously he will die due to his cousin's actions, but at least his situation is not so bad in the meantime. Or wasn’t so bad until they hit the road and started roaming like madmen all around the tribunal in abysmal weather. For years. But of course that was what Quercus wanted. How could he have doubted it?

In his years with Quercus he has developed quite a knack in fighting alongside the wood golems he creates. At least when the magus remembers to create support, that obviously is almost never.

reserved

If Tough is from an amulet, he won't be able to have it when he skinchanges.

Low German (Saxon)
He knows more about the Order than Quercus?
Herbam is not valid as a specialty for Leadership (see more below)
I think he should have some skill in Single Weapons, as part of a standard training. That way, he can also use a club if need be.

Only the caster can direct the actions of the golem, so I don't think that would work.

Otherwise, a nice grog.

Yes, he knows more about the Order than quercus. As opposed to the magi, grogs listen to people when they talk :mrgreen:

Low german (saxon) then, no problem
He can't be given power to direct the grogs? Like, Quercus saying "do what this guy says" to the golems? I thought it was a neat idea. well, I will tinker around and give him single weapon 2 or so.

No, he is tough. He believes that the tough virtue comes form the same amulet that allows him to skinchange, even if it is not true. It is a quirk, so I am not sure about making this into a full fledged Delusion or not (flaws are still to be completed).

That would suggest the golems can actually hear, and understand a language. I think that's beyond the scope of Herbam.

Ok, I hear both of you :slight_smile:

Removed leadership and gave him Single Weapon (defence) 2.
Changed the language to Low German (Saxon)
Made his quirk into a full fledged Delusion. He will be quite nervous if he loses his sparrowhawk claws pendant.

I think he is ready to roll. First think he knows, he is recovering from medium wounds so Quercus can get 2 meager pawns of herbam while residing in triamore. And to gift them away! Really, this guy is nuts. And now he has to move a whole cart full of valuables. Oh the miserable life of a grog....

Well, at least the new servant is pretty and seems more grounded than the tree-hugging moron of his cousin.

I detected a mistake in [strike]Quercus[/strike] Fresse: since I removed Custos he cannot have Latin as a language. So I changed pessimistic for Covenant Upbringing. This fits well with his idea that his skinchanger pendant is like a relic. He will still be grim regarding life (and expects to die young), so his personality will not change much. I also decided that Quercus' apprenticeship was in Fengheld. Since there are multiple chapter houses he might have met Japik in one of his trips, where they were residing together in the same place for a few days, but does not remember the event very well.

Xavi

That sounds good to me. Japik and his mater came to Fengheld in 1195 and stayed there until early 1203 when they went to Crintera. So during those 7-8 years they may have had chances to meet. If you want they may even have had the same teacher in Latin or Artes Liberales for a short while. But they never got a chance to bond or get to know each other very well.