[size=150]Gerhard the Shield Grog [/size]
Characteristics: Int -2, Per +1, Str +3, Sta +2, Pre -2, Com -1, Dex +2 Qik +1
Age: 34
Virtues: Careful with Single Weapon, Covenfolk (free), Puissant with Single Weapon, Warrior
Flaws: Disfigured (large scar on face), Missing Ear, Optimistic
Personality Traits:
Brave +2
Loyal +3
Optimistic +2
Abilities:
Area Lore: Lower England (taverns) 2
Area Lore: Friesland (military units) 2
Athletics (running) 3
Awareness (bodyguarding) 3
Bargain (ale and whores) 2
Brawl (grapples) 4
Carouse (drinking songs) 2
Charm (lookng innocent) 1
Chirurgy (binding wounds) 1
Craft: Carpentry (boats) 2
English (military jargon) 3
Etiquette (military) 1
Folk Ken (soldiers) 1
Guile (lying to authority) 1
Hunt (fishing) 2
Intrigue (gossip) 1
Leadership (in combat) 2
Low German (swearing) 5
Profession: Boating (small boats) 2
Profession: Soldier (guard duty) 3
Single Weapon (longsword) 5+2
Stealth (hide) 2
Survival (coastal areas) 2
Swim (long distances) 2
Teaching (single weapon) 1
Thrown Weapon (stones) 3
Equipment: leather scale - full, longsword, heater shield, dagger, 2 throwing knifes. (Total Load 8, Burden 3, Encumbrance 0)
Combat:
Longsword: Init +3, Atk +10, Def +9 (+12 with shield), Dam +9
Dagger: Init +1, Atk +6, Def +5, Dam +6
Knife: Init +1, Atk +6, Def +5,
Fist: Init +1, Atk +6, Def +6, Dam +3
Throwing Knife: Init +1, Atk +5, Def +4, Dam +5
Thrown Rock: Init +1, Atk +6, Def +5, Dam +5
Soak: +2 (+7 with armor)
Snapshot Personality: Having cheated death, Gerhard remains surprisingly optimistic for someone as badly scarred as he is. But to him, the worst has already happened. To him, each day is a day he should never have received, and is to be enjoyed. (Hmm, maybe he should be Carefree instead of Optimistic.) He is very loyal to Konrad since it was the magus who he credits with saving his life.
Childhood: Gerhard's family make boats in the town of Harlingen in Friesland. He worked at the family business until he was seventeen and ran away to become a soldier.
Background: It was during Konrad's last year of apprenticeship that a man staggered up to the outbuildings of the covenant, covered in blood and barely alive. The covenfolk couldn't tell who he was or even where he was from, since he collapsed into unconsciousness shortly after he arrived. But it was clear that he'd been in a bad fight. He suffered from multiple knife or sword wounds, and had had taken a blade to the face that barely missed the eye and left one ear hanging off by just a bit of flesh.
The covenfolk took him in, as any Christian would, but there was little they could do for him aside from binding his wounds. The injuries seemed too great for the poor man to survive. The magi of the covenant were not even told of the incident, for it was known that no one would care for the life of a wanderer like him. But Konrad, with his gentle Gift, was a different matter. He was more friendly with the covenfolk than the full magi were, and was considered less imposing and more approachable. He soon learned of the dying man and came to see him.
It was clear from Konrad's first look at the injured man that the fellow's chances were not good. But that meant little to the compassionate apprentice. He'd recently lost his sister and most of her family to plague, and was not about to let this man die without a fight. He tended the man's injuries, and used what magic he could to improve his patient's chances of living. He also convinced the covenfolk that it would be ill luck to turn out a dying man. Now, the man's fight for survival would begin.
Day after day, Konrad visited the injured man after his work as an apprentice was done; and little by little, the man's health began to improve. He had regained consciousness enough to eat and use the chamberpot, but he was still very weak. All Konrad could get from him was that his name was Heinrich, and that he was from the Rhine.
Weeks passed, though not without their crises. Twice it looked as if Heinrich would die, but each time, Konrad remained at his side until the crisis was over. Finally, it became clear that Heinrich would live, though it was equally clear that without Konrad's care - and the magic he used - Heinrich would now be with God.
During this period, Konrad learned more about his patient. Gerhard was a mercenary who had served an English lord for a time, but had been looking to head back to the Rhine when he was attacked by bandits on the road through the nearby woods. The bandits outnumbered him badly, but he wasn't one to go down without a fight. He took three of them down before he received the blow to his face. After that, he ran for it. They chased him for a time, but when he killed the first one to reach him, they let him go. They already had his horse and pack with all of his belongings. Seeing him dead wasn't worth the risk of dying themselves. After that, Gerhard had wandered through the woods, dropping his sword at some point, until he arrived at Negrisaxa just around sunset. The rest Konrad knew.
In time Gerhard could get up and walk, and Konrad knew that he would soon be able to tell the man he could travel again, if he were careful about it. During Gerhard's convalescence, Konrad said nothing to him about the covenant or the magi inside, allowing the mercenary to assume that the covenant was simply a center of learning. But people are people, and even covenfolk like to talk. The people helping to tend Gerhard had told the man enough for him to piece the rest of it together, including the fact that Konrad had used magic to drag him away from death's door. He was leery of wizards in general, having heard stories about them. But he owed Konrad his life. Besides, the apprentice wasn't at all like what Gerhard thought wizards were supposed to be. He certainly wasn't aloof from the common folk.
As he talked to the covenfolk, Gerhard also learned that the covenant employed soldiers. He even learned that certain of the soldiers were dedicated to protecting the magi. Gerhard asked if Konrad had such a protector and was told that he did not, still being just an apprentice. From that point on, Gerhard determined to be Konrad's protector. When he was fit enough to leave his bed, he went straight to the Turb sergeant and asked to join the grogs of the covenant. Once he was fit enough to demonstrate his fighting prowess, Heinrich was accepted. And when Konrad passed his gauntlet, Heinrich immediately volunteered to become his shield grog.
