Lots of Grogs

Games Discussion Post a Day
21

Grog 20 : Gerrit/Gertrude, the actor

Age: 30
Story:
Gerrit/Gertrude was born in Utrecht to a travelling band of entertainers. Their childhood was spent going from fair to fair, telling stories and reciting poetry from memory to entertain the people. With their parents' passing, they took over the leadership of the small troupe and continued touring the Low Countries. Often having to negotiate with disapproving Church officials, they have learned how to bow and scrape them, in order to secure the rights to perform.
Their performance being witnessed by a Jerbiton tour, they were invited to join them in a Covenant, to become at least part time based there and to provide the Jerbiton with their entertainment.

Note: the next grog (Jan/Jute) is meant to tie in with them as a sibling. Although each can also be used independently. Also, the grog can just as easily be a man or a woman.

Appearance:
Gerrit/Gertrude is tall (like most Friese) have reddish hair and fair complexion. Their green eyes are sharp. Overall they leave a strong impression thanks to their well groomed appearance, and careful speech. They are very expressive in their demeanour and facial expressions, although this is a deliberate choice. Their optimism if often infectious.

Why are they in the covenant?

Life on the road is often difficult and uncertain. The offer of a constant roof over their head and food on the table all year around, especially in the damp dutch winter is very appealing. They will provide entertainment for the Covenant as well as being able to represent them as face to the outside world.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|-1
Sta|-1
Dex|1
Qik|0
Com|1
Pre|4
Int|0
Per|1

Virtue:Troupe Upbringing (+2 Acting and storytelling), Greater (presence), Wanderer
Flaw: Low pain tolerance (apprentice p13),Optimistic

Abilities:

Area Lore (Low Countries) (Politics) 2
Athletics (Walking) 2
Awareness (Searching) 3
Bargain (Selling own services) 3
Carouse (Beer) 1
Charm (Opposite sex) 4
Etiquette (Church) 2
Folk Ken (Cityfolk) 4
Guile (Lying to authority) 5
Intrigue (Plotting) 4
Leadership (Inspiration) 1
Low German (Story telling) 5
Profession (Actor) 5
Stealth (Urban area) 4

22

Grog 21 : Jan/Jute, the pickpocket

Age: 25
Story:
Jute/Jan was born in Nijmegen to a travelling band of entertainers. Their childhood was spent going from fair to fair, performing acrobatics and tumbling to entertain the people while the older family members sang and played music. With their parents' passing, the leadership of the small troupe fell to an older sibling (Gerrit/Gertrude) and they continued touring the Low Countries. They often resorted to pilfering, pickpocketing and theft to supplement their sometimes meagre income.
Their performance being witnessed by a Jerbiton tour, they were invited to join them in a Covenant, to become at least part time based there and to provide the Jerbiton with their entertainment.

Note: They are meant to tie in with Gerrit/Gertrude as a sibling. Although each can also be used independently. Also, the grog can just as easily be a man or a woman.

Appearance:
Jute/Jan is short, slim build and has light brown hair. While their sibling inherited charisma and always received the adulation of the crowds and their parents, they are very unremarkable, though very deft with their hands. They dress in flamboyant clothes for tumbling, but prefer dark brown shapeless clothes for the other times. Something about them upsets animals though, and dogs can sense the shiftiness of their character, often barking at them unprovoked.

Why are they in the covenant?

Life on the road is often difficult and uncertain. The offer of a constant roof over their head and food on the table all year around, especially in the damp dutch winter is very appealing.
Or maybe they got caught stealing? Despite being a good catburglar, everyone makes mistake, maybe a dog caught their scent and alerted the guards? Either way, they woke up in a jail cell, luckily one of the Jerbiton acquaintances of their sibling knew Necromancy and replaced them with a CrCo duplicate, leading the guards to simply assume that they had died in the night. Good thing that the body was thrown quickly at a crossroad, as by sun-down, the body had vanished, obviously eating by a wolf...

They will provide entertainment for the Covenant as well as being able to sneak around and acquire objects from those unwilling to part from them.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|0
Sta|0
Dex|3
Qik|1
Com|-1
Pre|1
Int|-1
Per|1

Virtue:Troupe Upbringing (+2 Tumbling and acrobatics), Light touch, Wanderer
Flaw: Offensive to animals, Pessimistic

Abilities:

Area Lore (Low Countries) (Geography) 2
Athletics (Acrobatics) 5
Awareness (Searching) 3
Brawl (Bludgeon) 1
Legerdemain (Filching) 5
Low German (Friese) 5
Music (Harp) 2
Profession (Acrobat) 5
Stealth (Urban area) 4
Swim (Rivers) 1

23

Grog 22 : Hana/Hans, the Failed apprentice

Age: 35
Story:
Hana/Hans was born to merchant parents, who were among the first to settle in Riga. They grew up as an irritating and off-putting child, and their parents were very happy to pass the child on to the Bonisagius mage who offered to teach him letters and how to become a bookbinder. After a few years as an unofficial apprentice, learning Greek and Latin from their soon to-be-parens, they were offered an apprenticeship, an offer they gladly accepted. The child was shaping out to be a very suitable apprentice, and had the potential to become an excellent researcher. Unfortunately for Hana/Hans who did not realise what they were asking for, their parens gave them an experimental longevity potion while they were still a teenager. This was a disaster, the child took on the appearance of middle age (an appearance that twenty years on they still have) and left them arthritic. Much worse, and maybe as a divine punishment for such hubris, this destroyed their gift and brought them outside of the mercy of God.
Their apprenticeship was terminated once the parens realised what had happened, but they stayed on as a helper for almost two decades. Handling their correspondence, translating texts from the Theban Tribunal and helping in the lab. They studied the code of Hermes in the hope of making a claim against their master, but ultimately realised that they would likely lose out in Tribunal. With the New Aristotle reaching them, they took a great interest in the book, having copied it twice already, joking that this brings them more consolation than Boetius.
After their parens went into a prolonged twilight, Hana/Hans returned to the Rhine Tribunal in search of a new Covenant.

Note: The Guardian of the Forest book does not list Baltic as a language, but it could be surmised as either Low German (Saxon or Pommeranian). My personal recommendation would be to make it separate but make it mutually intelligible with these two at no penalty (or bonus) as the first German settlers in the Baltic would most likely be speakers of these dialects (and Westphalian too, but I do not want to muddy the water further). This could be in a Novgorod tribunal book...

Appearance:
Hana/Hans appears close to 40, with arthritic joints. Their back is slightly bowed and move their legs with a distinctive gait. They were once joyful but premature aging took this joy away from them, instead they are resigned and depressed. They are of slightly below average height with dark brown hair, flecked with grey. They have not aged in almost twenty years, which still perplexed them. They dress much as German magi do, in wide warm robes. They often carry scrolls and quills with them

Why are they in the covenant?

Hana/Hans belongs to the Order, most magi feel sympathy for them, and many would want them in their labs or libraries. Many Covenants offered themselves as homes for such a useful character. Ultimately the party's Covenant was agreed as a compromise between competing powerful Covenants, who were happy enough to spite each other as consolation prize. They have shown little interest in teaching (their parens having abstained from taking a new apprentice after their mishap), though with a little practice they could teach useful skills to young magi and their apprentices. More importantly, they can copy magic texts and give great help in the lab.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|-1
Sta|2
Dex|-1
Qik|0
Com|1
Pre|1
Int|2
Per|1

Virtue: Failed Apprentice, Puissant (magic theory), Unaging
Flaw: Depressed, Arthritis, Offensive to Divine

Abilities:

Area Lore (Livonia) (Geography) 2
Artes Liberales (Rhetoric) 2
Awareness (Searching) 2
Brawl (Unarmed) 2
Carouse (Power drinking) 1
Code of Hermes (Apprentices) 3
Craft (Books) (Hermetic books) 5
Greek (Hermetic usage) 4
Latin (Hermetic usage) 4
Low German (Baltic) 5
Magic Lore (Magic creatures) 3
Magic Theory (Enchanting items) 5 (+2 puissant)
Music (Singing) 1
Order of Hermes Lore (House Bonisagius) 2
Philosophiae (Neo-Aristotleism) 4
Profession (Scribe) (Hermetic texts) 4

24

Grog 23 : Dana, the Dowser

Age: 30
Story:

Note: Dana can be either male or female (the nickname is unisex, being short for Danijel/Danijela.)

Dana is the last of a long line of dowsers and sensers. Often going from grandparent to grandchild or a nephew/niece, the power of dowsing and the sensitivity to magic has run in Dana's family since the first songs of the people. Once detected, these abilities would be fostered and expanded by their kin with the same gift. However, no one really found Dana's talent to be particularly strong and they rarely got the approval of their elder. With the passing of their mentor, Dana became the main local dowser, helping both Sorbs and Saxons locate water to find where to dig a well or searching for ore. Sometimes it worked and when it did no one seemed impressed (they only did their job after all). Sometimes there was nothing to be found and they'd get curses thrown at them for being incompetent.
This peaked when they were ordered by the village chief to find the iron ore source. A goat had been found with rust stains on its horns, meaning that iron was to be found, but despite days of dowsing, Dana couldn't find any ore and instead found and wandered into a regio. They returned after a few hours they thought, but in fact a month had passed. They had been declared outcast for abandoning their work for the town and forced to leave, without even packing anything. They had nothing but the clothes on their back and their dowsing stick. The nephew/niece which they had begun training was forbidden from talking to them further and so this part of Dana's life was over.

Wandering through north Germany, Dana was able to eek a living off the extensive forests and dowsing for people. Their fate changed again when they bumped into a Redcap along a highway. They immediately recognised the Redcap as a carrier of magic and the Redcap quickly realised that they were dealing with a magically sensitive person. The Redcap took them to a nearby Covenant, hoping for a reward, which was meagre. Dana did not stay very long in this first Covenant as it was implied that more sensitive people could be find, but maybe the Party's Covenant would take them in since they lacked such a specialist. Maybe they could cut their teeth there?

Appearance:

Dana is slightly stooped, very unimpressive looking. They have long messy light brown hair and have a musky smell. People generally overlook them and do not pay much attention, feeling that the brown peasant clothes mark them as unimportant.

Why are they in the covenant?

Dana is an outcast, and no one takes them seriously despite their clear skills which are very useful to a Covenant or even to anyone who wants to dig a well. Dana is a very perceptive individual but left somewhat scarred by the poor treatment they received over the years (metaphorically or not). Being so used to be treated as useless, they will be very grateful to the Magi who value them and treat them well. The offer of a stable roof will be an improvement on the otherwise solitary and wandering life they led.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|0
Sta|1
Dex|0
Qik|-1
Com|1
Pre|-1
Int|1
Per|3

Virtues: Dowsing, Magic sensitivity
Flaws: Outcast, Judged Unfairly

Abilities:

Area Lore (Brandenburg) (Geography) 2
Athletics (Running) 3
Awareness (Searching) 4
Brawl (Bludgeon) 3
Concentration (Dowsing) 3
Dowsing (Water) 5
Folk Ken (Farmers) 3
Low German (Saxon) 4
Magic Sensitivity (Auras) 5
Stealth (Forests) 1
Survival (Forests) 3
Swim (Rivers) 1
Teaching (Dowsing) 1
West Slavonic (Sorbian) 5

25

Grog 24 : Gottfried/Gudrun, the Pied Piper
Age: 25
Story:

Growing up among a family of poor family of German-speaking house servants, Gottfried/Gudrun grew up with the burning desire to own as much (and more) as their parent's master. As a child they were very charming and learned to show people what they wanted to see while understanding what they wanted. They took the greatest joy in playing the flute which they would do on the streets at all hours of the day, choosing to live off the offerings of impressed strangers rather than by bowing and scraping (like their parents) or through hard physical labour (like the apprentices of their age). It took several attempts to kick them out of Stettin as they sang and cajoled their way back into the good graces of the ones sent to chase them away.

By the time they turned 20, they had understood that they had a rare gift, especially the ability to have animals follow the tunes they played. As they made their way westwards, they just played their flute in town and all the rats would follow them. This was a lucrative trade, until they arrived to the city of Hameln, where the people decided not to pay them, seeing that all the rats had been drowned in the Weser river. Infuriated at having been cheated, they returned a few days later and entranced all the city's children into following them.
[I offer 3 options here:

  1. They had no idea how to feed dozens of children (or even themselves aside from playing in Inns for food and lodging), many of the children died of exposure in the first week, some escaped in the woods, never to be seen again. By the time they all arrived in Bremen, there were only five boys left who were sold off to a merchant ship to serve as crew on their ship.
  2. They traded them to faeries
  3. They ransomed them back to the town]

They continued their depredation for a while, until they over-reached and used their wiles to get magic items off of a Redcap on the road to Münster. It was only a matter of weeks before a squad of grogs led by a magus/maga came to recover the stolen property. Furious as they were at the theft, the turb was calmed by the soothing music and the mage reletented under the charm of Gottfried/Gudrun. Instead of a violent confrontation, a deal was reached where Gottfried/Gudrun would never again longer ply their trade on redcaps, join a Covenant of their choosing where they would conform to the rules in place.

Appearance:

Dressed in colourful and good quality but often mended clothes, Gottfried/Gudrun is nonetheless highly charismatic. They have piercing eyes, and despite their below average height manage to be the centre of attention anytime they want. They have a clear voice, well suited to singing and can make themselves very well understood when then chose to. Or they can simply convey their mood through tunes played on the flute. Their hair is kept in a bowl-cut and often kept under a ha

Why are they in the covenant?

Gottfried/Gudrun reached this favorable deal with the thought of controlling whoever would be their new Coven-mates, not knowing that the Parma makes the mages immune to their supernatural skills...
They chose the Party's Covenant as the location seemed interesting and thinking that they could reach a position of power thanks to the Covenant's age.
They are very talented and very convincing, a veritable predator for unprepared grogs or the Covenant's opposition.
Their greed pushes them to over reach and they have little compunctions in using their powers on the unsuspecting.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|0
Sta|0
Dex|0
Qik|-2
Com|5
Pre|2
Int|0
Per|1

Virtues: Enchanting music, Great (Communication) x 2, Wanderer
Flaws: Greedy (major)

Abilities:

Area Lore (Pommerania) (Legends) 2
Athletics (Running) 2
Awareness (Alertness) 2
Bargain (Hard sell) 3
Charm (First Impressions) 5
Entrancing music (Animals) 5
Folk Ken (Cityfolk) 4
Low German (Pommeranian) 5
Music (Flute) 5

26

Grog 25 : Adam/Eva, the dog whisperer

Age: 20
Story:

All that is known from the early life of Adam/Eva comes from one scroll of research notes bearing the opening line "Would Animal work on a human raised by beasts?" and the name Moro ex Bjornaer (a recently deceased eremite mage [Order of Hermes lore check to know that heartbeast was a dog] who had lived in the northern areas of the Ardennes Forest). Reading the scroll it seems that they had entrusted
a child to a pack of wild dogs and had periodically come to observe the child and attempt to cast Animal magic on them. The entries are rather well ordered but it seems that the experiment was a failure. Moro did occasionally converse with the child, but only in heartbeast form and records that the child is very fluent in dog communication. They speculate that the experiment failed because the animals were too social and too close to humans, that a further study should take place but with a Bear family. Entries continue, stating that Corpus magic affected the child normally.

A second scroll explains that with the death of Moro, their heir took possession of their belonging, including these notes. Feeling sympathy for the child they went and collected the now grown teenager and brought them back to their Covenant. They attempted to socialise Adam/Eva (having them baptised under that name, as Moro's notes did not record any name). However Adam/Eva did not show interest in learning any more than the basic language of the Covenant, instead exploring the area. The teenager did show a great affinity with animals, and was accepted by the Covenant's pack of hunting dogs immediately, sleeping with them rather than in a bed with the Covenfolk in their main hall. Despite suggestions that Adam/Eva would be a fantastic animal trainer, they need to be trained to live with humans first, and kept away from alcohol (it is noted that it was a mistake to let their grogs give the child wine).

Appearance:

Adam/Eva is utterly disheveled, unbathed and uncouth. They have learned to wear clothes, which they do for the warmth and only in the cold season. Otherwise they are an absolute mess. They sleep in the kennels with the dog and smelled like one. They are unarguably in excellent physical form, with toned muscles and boundless energy, allow them to keep up with the hounds on hunts. Their hair is matted with dirt, but kept short by the Coven folk who are tasked with cleaning them once in a while.

Why are they in the covenant?

Moro's heir did not want to keep the Feral Adam/Eva in their covenant, and so gifted them (along with the two scrolls) to the Covenant. Adam/Eva has extraordinary talent with animals, just not with people... They are the ultimate hound master, but will but able to calm a panicked horse with ease.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|2
Sta|2
Dex|1
Qik|0
Com|-2
Pre|2
Int|-2
Per|2

Virtues: Animal Ken, Well travelled, Enduring Constitution
Flaws: Feral Upbringing, Short Attention Span, Social Handicap

Abilities:

Animal Handling (Dogs) 5
Animal Ken (Dogs) 5
Area Lore (Ardennes) (Geography) 3
Area Lore (Covenant) (Geography) 2
Athletics (Running) 3
Awareness (Searching) 3
Brawl (Unarmed) 3
Carouse (Power drinking) 1
Hunt (Dog pack hunting) 2
Low German [or whichever language is spoken in the Covenant's area] (Talking about Animals) 2
Survival (Dogs) 5
Swim (Rivers) 1

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27

Grog 26 : Edward/Edith, longbow captain

Age: 35
Story:

Edward/Edith grew up in Gloucestershire. They fell in love with a minor nobleman and lived a happy existence as their lover. The nobleman made suire that Edward/Edith was as well trained with the bow as any of their guards and becoming the nobleman's sergeant at arms as time passed. Living among the English, the Welsh and the Norman aristocracy, Edward/Edith had to learn all three languages.

When the call to arms from the King came in 1214, the Nobleman called up his troupe (a few dozen Welch longbowmen, and English spearmen) and took their ship to Flanders, where they were part of the king's host. To motion sick-Edward/Edith, this journey was hell, they spent the sea crossing vomiting overboard, and marched with the infantrymen rather than ride with their lover, the swaying on horseback having always made them uncomfortable.
They marched on Bouvines, confident in their numbers and in their arms. The battle was a triumph for the King of France and the Anglo-German alliance was soundly beaten. Their Noble lover was killed in a melee with a Colossal Breton knight. By nightfall, Edward/Edith and they Welsh archers numbered barely a score. They retreated with the German forces, but found themselves isolated. Edward/Edith was distraught over the loss of their lover and had to be carried catatonic for several days, but after a time, they regained their faculties. Knowing that there was nothing for them waiting back in Gloucestershire (their affair had been a scandalous thing), they mooted to the men becoming mercenaries. And so they lived off the land, lived off contracts and the occasional banditry for several years.

Note: see grog 27 for a typical archer from their band.

Appearance:

Edward/Edith is in excellent physical shape, muscular arms and strong shoulders trained by decades of archery. They have a frank manner and are keen to practice whatever language they speak with whoever they can. Only a mention of their lost lover will dampen their spirit, to the point where it has become taboo within the band to even say their name or mention Bouvines. They always wear leather armour and dress in otherwise drab functional clothing, much as the rest of their band. Their hair is kept shorn so that not a single strand is visible when they wear their helmet. They carry a dirk-dagger at their belt, a nasty little weapon that has shed much blood.

Why are they in the covenant?

One contract led to another, and some of the archers died along the way. By the time they were hired by a Tytlaus agent, only 8 of them remained. Having acquitted themselves of their task admirably, they were offered permanent employment as the Turb of a soon to be founded Covenant (as a gift from the Tytalus' Covenant). They accepted as years of itinerancy had taken their toll on the group and several saw their twilight years approaching. The group will form a series Turb of veteran archers, with Edward/Edith as not only a competent leader but also a possible interpret, as they speak several languages.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|2
Sta|0
Dex|2
Qik|-1
Com|1
Pre|2
Int|0
Per|1

Virtues: Improved Characteristics, Mercenary Captain
Flaws: Lost Love, Motion sickness

Abilities:

Area Lore (Gloucestershire) (Politics) 2
Area Lore (Lorraine) (Geography) 2
Athletics (Endurance) 3
Awareness (Alertness) 3
Bargain (Hard sell) 4
Bows (Long bow) 5
Brawl (Dagger) 4
Carouse (Power drinking) 3
Chirurgy (Binding Wounds) 1
English (West countries) 5
Etiquette (Nobility) 2
Folk Ken (Nobility) 2
French (Norman) 3
Intrigue (Gossip) 1
Leadership (In Combat) 5
Swim (Rivers) 1
Welsh (Slang) 4

28

Grog 27 : Welsh longbow mercenaries (typical names Dewey, Glyn, Gwilim, Huw)

Age: 30
Story:

These were just farm boys once, growing up on the Welsh/English border near gloucestershire. They all learned to shoot their longbows from a young age and were called up by their Lord to form a retinue to go fight the French in 1214.

They marched on Bouvines, confident in their numbers and in their arms. The battle was a triumph for the King of France and the Anglo-German alliance was soundly beaten. Their Master was killed in a melee with a Colossal Breton knight, and the Lord's English lover* took. The score that remained chose to become mercenaries as no easy way to return home was available, so they lived off the land in Lorraine, lived off contracts and the occasional banditry for several years. The hilly regions of Lorraine being not so different from their own homeland. Their numbers dwindling all the time they were happy to take a permanent contract to become the guards to some eccentric people i n an isolated location where they hope not to need to face charging knights ever again.

*Note: see grog 26 Edward/Edith for the new leader of the band.

Appearance:

These men are battle scarred, many disfigured by blows to the face, broken jaws, burns, broken nose and scars of all ilk adorn these men. They are dark blond to reddish haired, several of them pock marked from old disease. They wear leather armours picked from fallen foes as old bits needed to be replaced. Their clothes are drab and oft mended. The men are hardened to violence and have quick tempers, used to fighting rather than thinking things through. They often sing together at night, around the fire, mournful songs of their old lands, incomprehensible to all but them.

Why are they in the covenant?

One contract led to another, and some of the archers died along the way. By the time they were hired by a Tytlaus agent, only 8 of them remained. Having acquitted themselves of their task admirably, they were offered permanent employment as the Turb of a soon to be founded Covenant (as a gift from the Tytalus' Covenant). They accepted as years of itinerancy had taken their toll on the group and several saw their twilight years approaching. The group will form a serious Turb of veteran archers, they keep Edward/Edith as their competent leader. They are less refined than their leader, but know better how to live off the land. The men that lived this long are all strong, tough and agile, the survivors of skirmishes and diseases. They have picked up a bit of the language of the various lands they visited, but mostly the dirtier words, their approach to languages is to be truly foul-mouthed.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|2
Sta|2
Dex|2
Qik|0
Com|-1
Pre|-1
Int|-1
Per|1

Virtues: Puissant (Bows), Warrior, Wanderer
Flaws: Disfigured, Wrathful

Abilities:

Area Lore (Lorraine) (Geography) 2
Area Lore (South Wales) (Legends) 2
Athletics (Endurance) 3
Awareness (Keeping watch) 3
Bows (Long bow) 5
Brawl (Dagger) 2
Carouse (Power drinking) 4
Chirurgy (Binding Wounds) 3
English (Slang) 3
French (Slang) 3
Hunt (Poaching) 1
Music (Singing) 2
Single weapon (Short sword) 5
Survival (Hilly regions) 4
Swim (Rivers) 1
Welsh (Slang) 5

29

Grog 28 : Simon, Church lawyer

Age: 30
Story:

Simon was born and raised in Colmar by a devout family of merchants. The church offered him a succour from the other boys his age: always small, physically slow and soft he was picked on mercilessly by other children.Always a charming boy and attentive in church, he made his way through the ranks of the minor Clergy without problems. He showed great dedications to his letters and to his Latin. As a doorkeeper and lector he always applied himself to his utmost, having found his calling in the church. He hoped to progress all the way to priesthood, but the deacon saw a better use for him as a personal secretary. Simon was sent to perfect his learning in Strasbourg for a time, discovering the pleasures of the study of law, far more than in the study of the Bible. Returning to Colmar he was made the Archdeacon's secretary, and wielded some influence as he rode the coattails of an Ambitious churchman. His talent for law and rhetoric was used on several occasions to secure the maximal benefices both for the church and for the Archdeacon personally.

Unfortunately for Simon, two years ago his patron passed away and was replaced by a rival to the position of Archdeacon. Ill suited to the internal bickering of the Church, ASikon found himself at a loss. He was sent to travel the countryside to act as a wandering exorcist through Sundgau, a task to which he was poorly suited. Ill at ease on the saddle, he had a crisis of faith and opted not to return to Colmar. Instead worked as a lawyer for a time in Altkirch. But the prior of Saint-Morand sent word back to Colmar and Simon was summoned directly back to be disciplined.

Appearance:

Simon is a tiny man, with thin arms and poor coordination. He ways plain black robes suited to the profession of lawyer or otherwise the ecclesiastical robes of an Exorcist (a function that he will perform is calling upon). He takes the vows he took seriously, and still holding on to the hope of becoming a priest, he has sworn celibacy. His hair is light brown and tonsured. His beard is thick and kept squarely cut under his jaw.

Why are they in the covenant?

Maybe a mage used him as a lawyer or an intermediary? He had to run away from his new superior, but he remains a fine latinist and with some training would be a great teacher. He is a passable face for the party but will be at his best in court where his fine legal mind and rhetorics will put him above the competition. Having worked as an Archdeacon's secretary, his is well acquainted with the major clergymen (by writing at least) of the Rhine Tribunal.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|-1
Sta|-1
Dex|-1
Qik|-1
Com|2
Pre|1
Int|3
Per|1

Virtues: Clerk -Exorcist (The church, p 26), Educated
Flaws: Continence, Small frame

Abilities:

Area Lore (Sundgau) (Politics) 2
Artes Liberales (Rhetorics) 5
Charm (Being witty) 5
Church Lore (History) 5
Civil and Canon Lore (Church Lore) 5
Folk Ken (Church) 3
Greek (Religious topics) 2
High German (Alsacian) 5
Latin (Law) 5
Ride (Travelling) 1
Theology (Biblical knowledge) 3

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30

Grog 29 : Odile, the lusty nun

Age: 20
Story:
Born Juliette in Metz, she is the daughter of the head of the local smith's guild. Her childhood was easy, praised always lavished on such a pretty child. She was always her father's little princess, until her teenage years. Between her rich father and her beauty, there was no lack of suitors who approached either her or her father. They ask him for her hand in marriage and her for boons and tokens of affection. As her father started to suspect her tutors of impropriety, he had her sent to the famed nunnery of the Mont Saint Odile. Forced against her will to live in convent for a time, she made the most of it by delving into the philosophical texts stored there. She found close companionship with an older nun, herself a learned woman. After a year she was allowed to return home to her family, but the blooming and intelligent young woman attracted too much attention for her father's taste and it was not long before he had her sent back to the convent of Saint Odile, where forced to take vows, she adopted the name of Sister Odile. However, a lover from Metz found a Mage sympathetic to their cause and after much bagaining, cajoling and planning, she was sprung out of the Covenant.

Life on the road as outlaw lovers was not what she had imagined it to be, missing the comfort and content of a library, forced to live on the road, the romantic gesture soon lost its luster and the lovers broke up.

(note: in principle, the same character could be a young man send to a monastery, with no real change to their stat block)
Appearance:

Sister Odile isa beautiful young woman, she has pearly white teeth and alabaster skin. Her hair is like a cascade of red gold and her eyes are piercing green. She speaks clearly and is readily able to quote poetry or Aristotle, both of which she devours with great pleasure. She is charismatic and endears herself instantly to whoever she desires. She is of a fragile constitution, unaccustomed to leaving the fineries of the library. While she still has her nun's robes, she only uses them when she needs to make herself less noticed. She prefers fine dresses and given the means to do so, would clad herself all in silk.

Why are they in the covenant?

Seeing the intelligent, well spoken and eye catching young woman as a great addition to a Covenant, the mage (who helped the jail break) have them brought into a Covenant (maybe their own).
Or maybe a Redcap finds her on the road and brings her to the player's Covenant as a safe haven for their lover.
Maybe she uses her charm to climb into society until she hears of the Order and petitions them to join, upon hearing that they accept female scholars without the restrictions of a Convent (this would work best if she was aged by a few years).

That she speaks and writes latin will mark her as one of the higher ranked Covenfolk in any Covenant. She might attract unwanted attention from Church authorities as a runaway nun. Or her beauty and desires might lead to dissention within covenant grogs, or she might become the concubine of one of the magi, who appreciates her intellect and beauty...
She can be the face of a group of grog as they deal with educated folk and while she might have poor relations with the church, she will have some affinity with the more bookish among them.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|-1
Sta|0
Dex|0
Qik|-1
Com|0
Pre|3
Int|2
Per|0

Virtues: Clerk, Venus' Blessing
Flaws: Fragile Constitution, Lecherous

Abilities:

Area Lore (Upper Lorraine) (Legends) 1
Artes Liberales (Geometry) 1
Charm (Courtly love) 5
Church Lore (Nunneries) 1
Folk Ken (Men) 4
French (Poetry) 5
Guile (Lying to authority) 3
Latin (Church usage) 4
Philosophiae (Natural philosophy) 3
Ride (Speed) 1
Theology (History) 2

31

Grog 30 : Wolfram/Winfrida, the jeweler

Age: 25

Story:

Wolfram/Winfrida are covenfolk, through and through. They can trace their lineage (more or less directly) to the first Covenfolk of Dunremar. They grew up in a Covenant near Schwaebisches Gmund and were sent to town to be apprenticed there to a jewelsmith. Coming back aged twenty, they have worked ever since as an assistant to a Verditius mage, taking great interest in the new technological and magical development that the house performs. Little known to those outside the Covenant, their specialty is building jewelry with secret compartments, whether rings containing poisoned powders or a secret blade.

They take great pride in their connections to the Order and to their Covenant, somehow whener an ill is about to befall it, he gets a feeling for it. His fellow Covenfolk know to follow his intuitions, whether to avoid going on a hunt on a certain day, to to stay away from travellers the next.

Appearance:

Wolfram/Winfrida are rotundund. Only travelling between the laboratory, their workshop, the kitchen and the bed, they have hardly left the Covenant since their return from Schwaebisches Gmund, several years ago. They keep their darkish hair at shoulder length with a fringe coming down to their eyebrows. They are dressed like craftspeople, wearing most days a tough leather apron and carrying a few of the tools of their trade on them. They meticulously collect any metal dust from their clothes using a rabbits paw before leaving their workplace.

Why are they in the covenant?

Wolfram/Winfrida are Covenfolk, considering themselves proud members of the Order of Hermes. Having experienced the disorienting world outside of the walls of the Covenant, they prefer to stay surrounded by their kin and those who understand their calling. They have a fondness for House Veriditius, who they consider fellow crafts(wo)men.

For a summer-winter Covenant, they would have been part of the Covenant for generations, possibly all the way back to its inception, and would see the new Magi as interlopers in a stable place.

For a Spring Covenant, they might be "gifted" by their former Covenant, or maybe after the death/Twilight of their Veriditius, they would want find it painful to keep working in their old place, volunteering for helping found a new Covenant, channeling the pioneer spirit of their ancestors. Or, if one of the PCs is a Verditius mage, they might want to continue progressing in their art by working with a new "master" who they would have a chance to influence (more than a stuffy and mad old Verditius).

In addition to being a fantastic craftsperson, their premonitions would give the ST the opportunity to use them as a springboard for plot, or it might even be worth bringing them in a dungeon crawl to sniff out traps or magical dangers...

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|0
Sta|-1
Dex|3
Qik|0
Com|0
Pre|-1
Int|0
Per|2

Virtues: Premonitions, Puissant (craft), Covenfolk
Flaws: Covenant Upbringing, Obese

Abilities:

Area Lore (Covenant) (People) 1
Awareness (Searching) 4
Bargain (Hard sell) 4
Brawl (Knife) 2
Craft: Jewelry (Secret compartments) 5 (+2 puissant)
Folk Ken (Cityfolk) 3
High German (Swabian) 5
Latin (Laboratory uses) 3
Order of Hermes Lore (House Veriditius) 3
Premonitions (Threats to Covenant) 4
Teaching (Apprentices) 2

32

Grog 31 : Mael/Melita, the Ouessant Sailor

Age: 20

Story:

Mael/Melita was born and raised on Ouessant, an island far from the world and where cousins have married cousin once too many times. Mael/Melita's inbreeding becomes clear very fast, sometimes before they even start talking. However what they lack in brains, they make up for in sea worthiness. They know how to sail a ship as well as any islander and are not deterred by bad weather. Several times they have fallen overboard during a bad storm and everytime they washed up to the shore unscathed and breathing. No explanation was ever found for this, they simply seem to be unable to drown, much like their grandfather (or mother). While they dismiss this with a shrug, their family simply knowledges that they are born of the sea. They used to leave Ouessant almost to go fishing, until a storm wrecked their ship and landed them weeks later on an unknown shoreline. A redcap heard the rumour of a strange person washing up unscathed and unable to speak the local language and came across them. An intelligo item let them know that there is something supernatural about Mael/Melita whom they brought back to the order to understand.

Appearance:
Mael/Melita is visibly inbred, with exaggerated facial features and dull cow like eyes. They appear to be a particularly dim sailor. Despite this appearance, little escapes their notice and they are in excellent physical form: muscular arms and legs, callused hands and strong shoulders.They dress drably with whatever is made available to them, so long as it does not get in the way of their work.

Why are they in the covenant?

Mael/Melita is still young and will be able to develop their skills to match what the Covenant needs from them/teach them. They are a great sailor as well as sentry. They will go fishing day in and day out tirelessly and without complaining, keeping the food on the table for any seaside Covenant. They will sheepishly follow the magi (or other bossier grogs) on adventures to sail their ship if there is a need for them.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|2
Sta|2
Dex|2
Qik|1
Com|-2
Pre|0
Int|-4
Per|3

Virtues: Greater Immunity (drowning), Wanderer
Flaws: Simple minded, Social handicap (or disfigured, depending on how you'd prefer to represent inbreeding), Poor (Intelligence)

Abilities:

Area Lore (Breton islands) (Geography) 3
Athletics (Jumping) 3
Awareness (Alertness) 5
Brawl (Knife) 3
Breton (Ouessant) 5
Profession (sailor) (Fishing) 5
Swim (Sea) 3

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33

Grog 32 : Colin/Colette, the Covenant Cursor

Age: 25

Story:

Colin/Colette is the latest in a long line of Cursors. They have been born to run for the Order and they know it. They grew up in a Normandy Tribunal Covenant (either the players' if non-Spring, or another if Spring) and have been trained to run from youth. They might even be the result of Corpus magic tempering with their line as their stamina is exceptional, something they will display in any contest of endurance, or of drinking. They can drink prodigious amount of beer, wine and cider for their small frame, putting much bigger grogs to shame. They know their place within the order, to run all day at a good pace and to enjoy the rewards of their labour by doing little else than running around the Covenant to keep fit.

Appearance:

Colin/Colette looks much like any peasant of their home region, but lean with long legs and little fat.
They enjoy dressing in bright colours, taking pride in their Covenant and wearing its official colour if applicable. While slightly aloof, they do know how to bow and scrape to Magi and are accustomed to the formality of Tribunals and are often trotted out before visiting magus, much as a fine horse might be shown by a nobleman to his guests. They are missing most of their front teeth due to having fallen face first during a race due to having ignored a root, this is not a mistake they will make again.

Why are they in the covenant?

They are purpoise bred covenfolk, bred for speed and endurance. Either their family has been part of the Covenant for several generations (for an older Covenant) or they were gifted to a new Covenant to help them establish themselves (maybe by a generous parens to their freshly gauntleted pupil).
As a Cursor they are an essential member of any Norman Covenant, if the party is willing to risk them on adventures, they are decent outdoors thanks to their athleticism and their survivability.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|-1
Sta|4
Dex|1
Qik|2
Com|-1
Pre|-1
Int|0
Per|0

Virtues: Puissant (Athletics), Improved (Stamina)*,Covenfolk
Flaws: Covenant Upbringing, Afflicted tongue
*: this could be taken a second time and balanced out by another flaw

Abilities:

Area Lore (Covenant) (Geography) 2
Athletics (Running) 5 (+2 Puissant)
Awareness (Alertness) 3
Brawl (Unarmed) 2
Carouse (Power drinking) 4
Etiquette (Order of Hermes) 3
Folk Ken (Covenfolk) 3
Latin (Formal locutions) 1
Local language (Covenant dialect) 5
Order of Hermes Lore (Normandy Tribunal) 3
Survival (Forests) 2
Swim (Rivers) 4

34

Grog 33 : Perrin/Perrette, Pugilist and Thief

Age: 25

Story:
Perrin/Perrette has grown up in a Covenant, ever a nasty child they were always getting in fights, with older kids, other bullies and as they grew a little older they would not hesitate about getting into fights with the Turb. Seeing the natural talent of Perrin/Perrette, the head of Turb did little to discourage this but instead encouraged them and even coached them on what they had learned of Greek art of Pankration. By their early teens it was clear that they were unusually agile and it was decided to teach them larceny. After all, no one would expect the Covenant's best pugilist to be a cat burglar... And so by their early 20s they had become both the Covenant's champion for unarmed combat (the magi vetoed teaching them weapons due to their volatile character) as well as an exceptional agent used in more discreet endeavours.

Appearance:
Perrin/Perrette keeps their dark hair shortly cropped around their head to avoid giving any grip to their foes. Their face is an absolute mess, the nose broken and reset in several places, their left ear was bitten off in a nasty bar fight and their brows crooked and swollen from unparried blows. They have fists like stone, callused inside and out and a muscular frame to challenge even a rower. They move with the menace of a wolf, sure footed and fleet of foot to boot. They prefer tight fitting dark leather clothing which might help cushion what blows come their way.

Why are they in the covenant?

They excel at non lethal combat, easily able to grapple a knight into submission or to strangle and pommel anyone out of armour into submission. They will represent the Covenant as a champion for such matters that can be resolved by fists, as well a "performing" at Tribunal meetings.
The violent pugilist is not their only trole, they are also as good as any as a thief and burglar, with great athleticism, grace and natural talent.
Like any character with Covenant Upbringing, they either have been in the party Covenant from birth or were gifted to them by the Tribunal/parens to aid in the foundation of the Covenant.
They are fairly unpleasant lacking social graces or skills. but in a world where might makes right, why ask for what can simply be taken?

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|3
Sta|2
Dex|4
Qik|1
Com|-2
Pre|-2
Int|0
Per|0

Virtues: Puissant (Brawl), Improved (Dexterity), Improved (Characteristics),Covenfolk
Flaws: Covenant Upbringing, Disfigured, Missing ear

Abilities:

Area Lore (Covenant) (Inns) 2
Athletics (Climbing) 4
Awareness (Searching) 5
Brawl (Unarmed) 5
Legerdemain (Pickpocket) 5
Local language (Covenant dialect) 5
Stealth (Sneaking) 4
Swim (Rivers) 1

35

Grog 34 : Flemish Pikemen (Baldwin, Conrad, Florens...)

Age: 25

Story:
These men were apprentices of the Smith's guild in Flanders, growing up in various places they were all drafted and trained in arms as part of the local militia. But after a few skirmishes, they found that they took greater joy and found better payement for their time wielding iron weapons than they did forging them. The rest of the militia disbanded to return to work for the guild but they did not. The biggest, meanest and most violent of the lot decided to band together and go offer their services to whoever would pay. They were expelled from the guild and declared outlaws and contacts by their home cities, decried as oathbreakers by their peers.
They worked as caravan guards and as hired muscle when one lordling needed more armed to fight one another. They can take care of their gear thanks to their earlier training, and they can take care of themselves on the battlefield. It was only a matter of time before the Order needed such men, after all, magi need to resolve some issues violently sometimes.

If taken alone, then the story would be that of a soldier of fortune, who might be the last of his band, or the only one of his militia to have turned away from the forge in favour of battle.
As former craftsmen, they could still serve in the Covenant's forge, maybe having instead chosen the opposite path, started as a soldier but then decided that the forge was a safer place to work than the battlefield.

Appearance:
Big blond men, eyes like blue steel and hardened to the world these men form a professional if not outstanding core. They are quick tempered and used to getting their way. Loud and flemish speaking, they have nonetheless picked up a bit of French as their contracts took them from place to place. Square shouldered, they form a tight mass of flesh, leather and iron when push comes to shove.

Why are they in the covenant?

As a group, they would form the core of a Turb. Big violent men knowing the profession of arms, they could have simply been hired by a Covenant to be their guards. After all, it is not much work, just standing around and there are less chances of been sent into the meat grinder or getting charged by knights.
if going for the reverse story, this is a soldier who learned smithing and is now choosing to retire to a Covenant where they can practice a safer profession.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|2
Sta|1
Dex|1
Qik|1
Com|0
Pre|0
Int|0
Per|1
Siz|1

Virtues: Large, Warrior
Flaws: Outcast, Wrathful

Abilities:

Area Lore (Flanders) (Legends) 1
Athletics (Endurance) 3
Awareness (Alertness) 4
Brawl (Dagger) 2
Carouse (Beer) 3
Chirurgy (Binding wounds) 4
Craft (Iron) (Repairs) 4
Folk Ken (Cityfolk) 2
French (Military) 2
Great Weapon (Polearm) 5
Guile (Lying to Authority) 3
Low German (Flemish) 5
Profession (Mercenary) (Contracts) 2
Smiths Guild Lore (History) 2

36

Grog 35 : Templar Brother Knight Ponce

Age: 30

Story:
Ponce was born to a well off noble family of the vendome countryside. He grew up receiving the finest education that his rank could command, receiving tutorship in arms, religion and letters. With no land to inherit, rather than taking his chance as a knight errant his devocion led him to the Orders and he was welcomed with open arms in the Templar Knights, where he was able to further his biblical learning as well as his fighting skills. After a while, he was sent to the Holy Land where he led men against the muslims. He learned of their ways and their language, gaining an appreciation of their mores. He drilled a troupe of local freshly converted infantrymen for a year, until he felt they would be ready to wage war on his side.

All took a turn for the worst during a routine patrol in the region of Canaan, where his scouting party was almost wiped out by an Infernal Djinn. As he struck the killing blow, some of the evil of the Djinn was transferred to him and lingers on him. This invisible stain on his soul makes all that he meets distrusting of him, realising that something is off but unable to put their finger on it.

Learning of this encounter a local Tytalus took interest in him and sought to find out more. Combined with suspicions within the Templar hierarchy, it was decided to send him back to France where he would be off-putting to someone else. Using this opportunity, the Tytalus used his agents to have Ponce sent not to a normal Commanderie but instead to the party's Covenant, where the learned knight might put his skills to a more useful end, for the Order of Hermes anyway.

Appearance:
Ponce is an elegant tanned man, his skin is weathered by years in the Middle East, the desert having melted away much of his fat. He is athletic and well build. He bears relatively few visible scars. He still dresses in the manner of his order, though he lacks the politeness and formality expected of a man of his rank, having grown too used to barking orders rather than bowing to a secular lord.

Why are they in the covenant?

Tainted with evil due to their encounter with the Infernal Djinn, he was sent to pasture where he would be out of the way. Thanks to a Tytalus intervention, he was sent to a Covenant rather than a Convent... There he can fight as the champion, lead the Turb (if they learn to trust him), joust and also act as a translator as he is not only polyglot but writes arabic and latin thanks to his fine education.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|2
Sta|2
Dex|1
Qik|0
Com|0
Pre|0
Int|-1
Per|1

Virtues: Warrior, Brother Knight Templar, Privileged upbringing
Flaws: Humble, No sense of direction, Tainted with Evil

Abilities:

Arabic (Levantine) 3
Area Lore (Anjou) (Politics) 2
Area Lore (Levant) (Politics) 2
Artes Liberales (Arithmetic) 2
Athletics (Endurance) 3
Awareness (Alertness) 3
Brawl (Wrestling) 2
Folk Ken (Soldiers) 2
French (Military) 5
Great Weapon (Longspear) 5
Latin (Church use) 3
Leadership (in Battle) 3
Ride (in Battle) 5
Single Weapon (Lance) 5
Teaching (Single Weapon) 2
Templar knights Lore (People) 2
Templar Knights Sign language (In battle) 1
Theology (Lives of saints) 3

1 Like
37

Grog 36 : Sir Sebastien, faithful Norman Knight

Age: 25

Story:
Sir Sebastien is a minor knight from Normandy, the latest in a line that started with a petty warlord that stretch back over two centuries. He grew up on his family's small manor where he was taught the ways of the sword by his father and uncles, but his education was lacking in courtly skills. To him, a wife can take care of the domain (as his mother did) while his role as knight is to wage war, which is the only thing he has learned. After receiving too many blows in sparring bouts, his hearing started to deteriorate as a teenager, leading him to shun social events other than the hunt. He enjoys falconry above other courtly hunts, though he must rely of servants to train the birds.
He is a pious man, having been named after Saint Sebastien and he carries around his neck one of the arrowheads which failed to kill the martyr. He never misses mass on Sundays and frequently confesses his sins. He prays to his namesake saint for his hearing to improve but a miracle has yet to manifest.

Appearance:
Sir Sebastian is fair haired and pale eyed, he is a bulky young man whose strength is made visible by his musculature. He mostly wears light leather armour in day to day life even if fine robes would be more appropriate to the event. He is somewhat aloof in social circumstances and his poor hearing has left him often uninterested in lengthy conversations which he often daydreams through.

Why are they in the covenant?

Sir Sebastien might be a neighbour of the Covenant with whom friendly ties are maintained, he is not a wealthy knight and so would need allies to protect his domain while he goes to war or is called with his men by his liege lord. He might even be struggling enough that he views the Covenant loosely as his liege and serve as their champion in exchange for being maintained by a wealthy and old Covenant.

Alternatively, he might not be the heir/lord of any domain and instead see himself as a knight-errant who put himself in the service of magi to secure glory and fight monsters. If one of the Magi is particularly faithful or bend on demon-hunting, then Sir Sebastien would find this laudable and be inspired by the example.

Stats:

Attribute|Score

Str|2
Sta|2
Dex|2
Qik|0
Com|-1
Pre|-1
Int|0
Per|0

Virtues: Knight, Relic
Flaws: Pious (minor), Poor Hearing

Abilities:

Area Lore (Normandy) (Politics) 2
Athletics (Endurance) 3
Awareness (Alertness) 3
Brawl (Wrestling) 2
French (Norman) 5
Great Weapon (Greatsword) 5
Hunt (Falconry) 3
Ride (Speed) 5
Single Weapon (Lance) 5

38

Grog 37 : Joan/Azalais, the Lace Merchant
Age: 25

Story:
Joan/Azalais was born to a lace making family of Limoges, but suffering from shaking hands from a young age they were unable to learn the family's art. Instead they were trying to bring customers to the family business. Over time a division of labour was instituted between them and their siblings. The siblings made the lace they hawk the merchandise.
Joan/Azalais is fun at parties and easily makes friends, even if it means struggling to wake up the next morning as they recover from the last night's socialising.
They have travelled all around Limousin, and have regular contact with the Anglo-Norman nobility who buys their wares, they have refined their manners to deal with nobility, hoping to gain an advantage over their competition through this.
Unfortunately for them, they were part of a caravan which was ambushed by Routiers (out of work mercenary turned bandits). Left for dead and with all their wares gone they were found by a wandering friar who helped nurse them back to health. Penniless, too ashamed to return to their family, they stayed for a while in the sick house of the local abbey where they ingratiates themselves to the local monks. One of them, a visiting wandering friar recommended they join a Covenant, as people of talent are always welcomed there.

Appearance:
Joan/Azalais is a smallish lightly tanned brunette. They dress well, using lace decorations, their appearance being an advertisement for their wares. They are well kept and groomed, They are more comfortable on horseback than their birth would predict.

Why are they in the covenant?

Too ashamed to return home, they took the advice of the Wandering Friar who had recently visited the party's Covenant and went to offer their service there.

They are a highly social character able to not only represent the Covenant on purchasing expeditions but also will be able to ingratiate themselves to nobles better than most. They are a good face character and especially if the Covenant has a (magically enhanced) cloth making operation, they would be an ideal representative.They might also be able to leverage their skills and old connections to secure good purchases for the Covenant if they want to get into the cloth resale business...

Stats:

Attribute Score
Str 0
Sta 1
Dex -1
Qik -1
Com 1
Pre 3
Int 0
Per 1

Virtues: Gossip, Merchant, Well travelled
Flaws: Nocturnal, Palsied hands

Abilities:

Anglo-Norman (Trade) 2
Area Lore (Limousin) (History) 3
Bargain (Clothes) 5
Carouse (Being fun) 3
Charm (First Impressions) 3
Etiquette (Nobility) 3
Folk Ken (Cityfolk) 4
Intrigue (Gossip) 4
Occitan (Limousin) 5
Profession (Merchant) (Clothes) 5
Ride (Long distances) 2

(nb: they are 5xp in debt with regard to being 25 year old)

39

Companion 38 : Sir Baudoin, the Leper Knight (companion tier)
Age: 30

Story:
Baudoin was a glorious knight, born and raised near Cambrai and squired in the court of the Bishop of Laon. A big lad, a fine career as a warrior was ahead of him. Knighthood came early, as did the trophies, rewards and adulation that comes to those who win the melee and tournaments.
He waged war and won, men followed his orders, and riches came to him. Until he contacted leprosy that is, then all the glory was as sand flowing through his fingers. He was only recently diagnosed, which has led him to cast aside his old life. He staged a funeral for the man that he was, and gave the land and manor to his son, swearing that he would never be seen again in his homeland. Leaving his castle with his trusty axes, a pack horse and his war horse, he threw all that he could not pack into a bonfire.

[Two stories are possible, I leave it to you to decide which]

a- The faithful knight of Saint Lazarus
[In this case keep Pious, and the virtue Knight should be replaced with Brother Knight]

Baudoin was uncomprehending as to why the God he had always worshipped would turn on him and curse him so. Was he a modern day Job? Was this punishment for the pride he had felt at winning tourneys? For the men he'd killed in battle?
Seeking redemption, he joined the Order of Saint Lazarus, hoping to earn remittance for his sins. He is now the guardian and benefactor of a Leper hospital run somewhere in France by the order of Saint Lazarus.

b- Punishment Divine
[In this case keep Knight, and the Flaw Pious should be replaced with Depraved]

A Knight who knows no equal scorns the Heavens above him, is there even such a God that could be so superior as to forbid him anything? To him who knows only victory? Baudoin enjoyed the rewards of his strength at arms, women, wine, pillaging... He was the darkest knight, raiding into enemy lands and leaving a bloody trail in his wake. Discouraging his men from even sparing churches or nuneries from pillaging. He was a terror on the field and openly encouraged others to join his impious lifestyle.
Now, he has left his family behind and was contacted by a a Tytallus Leper mage, who has brought this dangerous weapon into the arsenal of the Order of Hermes.

Appearance:

Baudoin is a massive man, trained to war from infancy, hardened to blows, stronger than all but the village blacksmith and as quick as any tumbler. He was once called beautiful, and enjoyed the admiration of women and his peers. Now, he is wrapped in rags to hide his rotting skin. The once glorious colossus is wracked by leprosy and his flesh is sloughing off in many places. He only wears very fine leather gloves.

Why are they in the covenant?

He is a formidable axeman who will both lead the Covenant's turb in battle or act as a terrifying champion for the Covenant, his leprous touch being a more insidious but just as deadly thing as his axe.

a- The faithful knight of Saint Lazarus
The Leper colony is close to the Covenant, after all, where else to be undisturbed than where no one will go? Friendly terms are established between the two centres and Baudoin will faithfully return any favour done to him or the colony.

b- Punishment Divine
The Tytalus plague mage is keen to find a cure to Leprosy and having found such a healthy specimen will glady experiment on him. Already afflicted, the Tytallus mage had nothing more to fear and the two have formed a bond through their shared disease and anger at receiving such a curse. The Tytalus mage might come and visit once in a while, or might even be the senior mage of a winter Covenant. Baudoin will need his own dwelling maybe a little way away from the Covenant, where he broods nd curses a merciless Heaven.

Stats:

Abbr Score
Str 2
Sta 2
Dex 4
Qik 1
Com 0
Pre 0
Int 0
Per 0

Virtues: [Brother-] Knight, Great (Dexterity), Improved Characteristics x2, Large, Privileged Upbringing, Puissant (Great Weapon), Warrior
Flaws: Disfigured, Leper, Pious [or Depraved] (major), Reckless

Abilities:

Animal Handling (Horses) 4
Area Lore (Walonia) (Politics) 2
Athletics (Running) 3
Awareness (Searching) 4
Brawl (Wrestling) 4
French (Military) 5
Great Weapon (Poleaxe) 5 (+2 Puissant)
Hunt (Deer) 4
Leadership (In combat) 4
Ride (In combat) 5
Single Weapon (Axe and heater shield) 5

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40

Grog 39 : Benoit, the Failed Mason
Age: 20

Story:
Benoit born in a large town (by local terms) close to the Covenant, he is the fourth son of the town's doctor. His father made sure that he would get a good education, learning letters and the arts (and even some of his father's profession), however as the fourth son, he could never hope to take over his father's practice as his elder brothers were more skilled in the art and coming first in the inheritance. Instead he was apprenticed to the local mason, his father knowing that it is a lucrative craft. Benoit learned well and with his intelligence and education, his father hoped that he could become a master mason. During his apprenticeship his lecherousness was often overlooked, as merely a lad having fun by his master, who'd joke about doctors' fertile loins.
Unfortunately this was not to be. Having celebrated the end of his apprenticeship a little too hard, he was found in bed with his master's wife the very next day. Not only did the master beat Benoit unconscious, he had him thrown out from the guild and barred from ever practicing masonry ever again. Once healed back to health, Benoit's father suggested that he seek employment elsewhere as not only was his carrer but customers had dried up from the doctor's practice as well.

Appearance:

Benoit is a good looking young lad, he smiles frankly and does not shy from eye contact. He keeps his dark blond hair clipped short, mostly to avoid them getting into his eyes while he works. While he lacks the formal manners of the wealthy and powerful, he makes up for it by being charming. He has grey eyes, though he often squints.

Why are they in the covenant?

With no recourse against one of the mightiest guilds in Europe, Benoit set off. He was advised to try his luck at the nearby Covenant as they are free from the influence of the guilds and always looking for talented individual who no longer fit within the city-society.

He has much to offer the Covenant, as an educated man he knows a little latin and has a respectable score in Artes Liberales. More importantly, he has a good communication which would make him a good teacher in the long run.
He is a fully fledged mason and can handle most of the simple Chirurgy that a Covenant would need performed.
He has yet to grow into whatever role will be his, but his social skills will make him a passable face, so long as it is not with people who know who he is...

Stats:

Attribute Score
Str 0
Sta 2
Dex 1
Qik 0
Com 1
Pre 2
Int 2
Per -1

Virtues: Educated, Improved characteristics

Flaws: Failed Journeyman, Lecherous (minor)

Abilities:

Area Lore (Covenant region) (Legends) 2
Artes Liberales (Geometry) 4
Athletics (Climbing) 2
Bargain (Own work) 2
Brawl (Bludgeon) 2
Charm (Opposite sex) 4
Chirurgy (Setting bones) 4
Craft (Mason) (Stone things) 5
Folk Ken (Cityfolk) 2
Latin (Official documents) 1
Local Language (Covenant region) 5
Mason Guild Lore (Regulations) 2

Reputation (Failed Journeyman) 2

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