Thurgrin Axebender

Thurgrin Axebender · Post by **Thurgrin Axebender** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 10:53 am

General: 
Race: Shield Dwarf&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Profession: Fighter Age: 50&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp 
Ht: 4 ft. 4 in. Wt: 235 stones Eye Color: Green Hair Color: Deep Red 
 
Appearance: 
 
Due to his great strength, Thurgrin appears to be almost as wide at the shoulders as he is tall. 
 
Background: 
 
When Delzoun, the Northkingdom of Dwarves, fell in –100 DR, Clans Darkaxe & Brightforge fled to the mountains to the northwest and settled an area near what is now known as Mithril Hall (note 1). The location of clanhome, known as Deep Axeforge Hall, is unknown to the outside world. After settling clanhome, Clan Axeforge became one of the Hidden clans. 
 
Clan Darkaxe specializes in creating weapons and armor from adamantine while Clan Brightforge knows the secrets of working mithril. As time passed, the two clans merged to become known as Clan Axeforge and combined their collective smithing secrets. Through this melding of knowledge, they developed an astounding adamantine-mithril alloy with which they now produce an improved version of Foesplitter (note 2), the infamous keen battleaxes of Shanatar lore. These axes are common only to Clan Axeforge. Very rarely will one be found outside clanhome except perhaps with dwarves of Clan Battlehammer. 
 
Thurgrin was born of Thorsgrim & Ula Darkaxe. As shield dwarves near the age of maturity, they are selected to undergo apprenticeship in various professions to find one that is suitable to them and beneficial to the clan. Thorsgrim is the clan’s Master Weaponsmith & Forge Master. It was only natural to select Thurgrin to follow in his father’s footsteps until it was discovered just how inept Thurgrin was at crafting and forging. His axeheads were always warped, his shafts always bent, and the alloy was never in the correct proportion which resulted in brittle axes that disintegrated into the separate metals when dropped or struck. He was the worst apprentice-smith the clan had ever seen. Other apprentices took to calling him Thurgrin the Axebender or worse. It was with a heavy heart that his father did not allow him to complete his apprenticeship. 
 
After failing at craft and forge, it was decided that Thurgrin should begin studying the catechisms as a sonnlinor or Cleric of Moradin under the tutelage of his mother Ula, one of the clan’s higher ranked sonnlinor. He could not seem to concentrate on his studies. Most telling of all, Moradin did not seem to be with him. A sonnlinor is granted his powers from Moradin himself. Thurgrin seemed to lack power or conviction. His spells of healing often went awry or did nothing at all. Fearing for the safety of clan members, as his father had done before, Ula had no choice but to deny Thurgrin further advancement in his studies. 
 
Given a third chance, he was placed within the engineer corps responsible for upkeep of the clan home and excavating new passages, closing old passages and other tasks associated with stonework. One incident almost cost the life of the Head Engineer and his class of fellow apprentices. He failed that apprenticeship as well. 
 
Life among the Hidden is still dominated by craft and forge. Thurgrin’s outlook was bleak indeed. He had failed three apprenticeships. The clan had never had such a thing happen before and debated his future. During this period of time, other youngsters made fun of Thurgrin and in frustration, he got into a lot of fights. He would always walk away the winner. His father realized that perhaps that was his son’s only chance at a profession. After using his influence and some clandestine meetings, it was decided Thurgrin would be sent to Clan Battlehammer for training as a warrior. 
 
A special Naming Ceremony was held for Thurgrin before he left for Clan Battlehammer. He was stripped of his surname Darkaxe and given the new surname Axebender. He was sworn never to reveal the location of Clan Axeforge. He loved the rigors of training and knew he had found his calling. He excelled in small unit combat tactics. His patrol leaders recognized his abilities and they made recommendation that he should be given advance training. Thurgrin suddenly found himself at the most prestigious school of warfare, the famed Furyondan College of War. 
 
In the third year of his training at the college, a military exercise went awry. A half-orc instructor at the college laid the blame solely on young Thurgrin. He was dismissed from the college without honors. 
 
He could not bear to return to the clan nor face his father. He has since wandered many lands and has most recently come to the northern regions of The Vast. 
 
Personality Traits: 
 
Thurgrin has a guardian type personality. He is a fierce warrior and highly protective of that which he holds close to his heart be it people or town or beliefs. 
 
He fights with a ferocity that borders on insanity. He is constantly battling within himself not to succumb to mindless rage on the battlefield. He carries a huge amount of shame for his inability to craft or smith. He despairs knowing Moradin is not fully with him. He hopes that one day, he’ll have accomplished something great (such as discovering an ancient dwarven stronghold) that will bring honor to the clan and approval from his father. 
 
Thurgrin is in some ways a typical shield dwarf in that he keeps to his word, whatever the cost, and is incredibly stubborn, unwilling to concede an inch much like his forebears. Although in his long journey east and his many encounters with other races, he has learned to compromise if only but a little. 
 
Thurgrin is usually blunt and always honest. He does not believe in mincing words. He is unusually talkative for a dwarf of his lineage. He also has the typical dwarven thirst for a good ale. 
 
Relations with other races: 
 
Thurgrin treats most beings of other races with a guarded attitude. He gets along well enough with humans but given their short life span, he tends not to forge too deep a friendship. 
 
Most elves and half-elves he considers flighty and haughty but can put aside his differences in time of need. 
 
Given the longstanding enmity with descendants of Clan Duergar and shield dwarves, Thurgrin will attack one on sight. The dwarven hatred of drow is also deeply ingrained into him and he will attack a drow, full blooded or half-breed, on sight as well. 
 
Shield dwarves in general, see half-orcs as little better than their hated brethren. Thurgrin’s dislike of half-orcs is greater than most. Given his two previous encounters with them, one in which he was betrayed by a half-orc that cost him his hard won scholarship at the Furyondan College of War, the other in which he was attacked by a half-orc within days of his arrival at Dragon Dale, located in the northern section of The Vast. 
 
Religious beliefs: 
 
Thurgrin follows Moradin as he is the patron deity of Clan Axeforge. However, given his failure as a cleric, he knows Moradin is not the right deity for him. He knows that a deity or Power-That-Be saved him that day in the West Warrens of Mhyrrwood Forest in The Vast. He thinks it was Moradin but lately, he’s not so sure. 
 
Thurgrin for some inexplicable reason has taken to wearing bronze armor. (Note 3) 
 
Player’s notes: 
 
1. Clanhome location: 
 
(Refer to Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting Sourcebook, map on pg 174) 
 
The entrance to the caverns leading to Deep Axeforge Hall is found by triangulating the midpoint of Mithral Hall, Great Worm Cavern, and Castle of Illusions. The realm of Clan Axeforge extend east toward the castle and south towards Mithral Hall. 
In following a promising vein of mithral, the miners blundered into the tunnels of Clan Battlehammer. Axeforge now secretly manufactures arms and armor for Clan Battlehammer. 
 
2. New versions of Foesplitter: 
 
+2 keen battleaxe or 
+1 battleaxe imbued with an elemental damage i.e. fire, electrical, sonic, or ice to a maximum +2 points of elemental damage. 
 
3. After much research, I’ve decided that Gorm Gulthyn would be the most appropriate deity choice for Thurgrin, given his protective nature. Clangeddin Silverbeard at first looked to be the right one but in the description for Clangeddin, it says that his clerics learn and teach methods for crafting weapons and armor. Thurgrin will never be a craftsman nor an armorsmith or weaponsmith. I’ve not fully decided yet if Thurgrin will ever be able to become a cleric, in the meantime, Thurgrin has adopted the same armor as Gorm Gulthyn without even knowing why. 
 
Reference sources: 
 
Forgotten Realms, D&D Campaign Setting 
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp The Vast, pgs 214-215 
Sword & Fist: A Guidebook to Fighters and Monks 
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Warmaster, pg37 
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Weaponmaster, pg 38-39 
Races of Faerun, D&D Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory 
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Dwarf, Shield, pgs 17-20 
Faiths & Pantheons, D&D Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory 
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Clangeddin Silverbeard, pg 116 
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Gorm Gulthyn, pg 118-119 
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Moradin, pg 121-122 
Player’s Handbook, Core Rulebook I , 3rd Edition 
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Dwarves, pg14

pcpaf · Post by **pcpaf** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 4:49 pm

I only have one thing to say. WOW

Jeaze Mcleod · Post by **Jeaze Mcleod** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 11:44 pm

And I have to say double wow... Indeed good research at its best!

imanujakku · Post by **imanujakku** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 9:20 pm

the character bio by which all character bios will be judged ;-)

The Vast

Thurgrin Axebender

Thurgrin Axebender

Re: Thurgrin Axebender

Re: Thurgrin Axebender

Re: Thurgrin Axebender