Grolomnik "Grolo" FeyseekerLevel 1 Gnomish BardArtisan of the First Tongue, Master Storyteller, Tall Talker, Impulsive Prankster, Support CasterAge: 61
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Appearance: Grolo stands at a normal height for gnomes, although he is especially thin. He is somewhat handsome, gifted with an honest and endearing face. Most notably, he possesses a stunning mane of brilliant red hair the color of maple leaves in autumn. A patch of white hair sprouts from the top left of his forehead. Grolo claims it is the scar he received while defeating a powerful sorcerer in a battle of wills over the heart of a young gnome girl (don't believe him, it's just a birthmark). He wears a small pair of spectacles when reading, but prefers to store them otherwise. His clothing, often a utilitarian vest over a fine shirt and trousers, are well-fit and impeccably maintained. He doesn't bear any scars, but he does have a small tattoo over his solar plexus, which he goes to great lengths to keep hidden.
Personality: Eccentric, charismatic, curious, good-natured, extroverted, self-centered, prideful, spontaneous, mischievous, distractable, easy-going. Grolo is a bundle of nervous energy, and his seemingly unlimited potential constantly manifests itself through his actions and speech. Grolo sees life as one big mystery set in an endless party. He fancies himself the man on the case, the lone hero seeking to unravel the threads of destiny leading to the one final truth, but he is instead constantly waylaid by merrymaking. Grolo rarely treats life seriously, a smile always plastered across his face and a roaring story on his tongue, and as a result often finds himself in trouble when he dismisses otherwise serious matters out of hand.
It is not a matter of naivety, but of perspective (or so he claims). He maintains that the world is a ludicrous place, and worrying too much will just give you bad bile and kidney stones. Unfortunately, most of his attempts to evangelize this philosophy (often through "harmless" albeit good-natured pranks) result in him being chased out of town. While he could sweet-talk his way out of most of the bad situations he has found himself in, Grolo simply chooses not to, preferring to stick to his way of looking at the world. Some people may suggest that this hints at a surprisingly complex and rigid internal moral framework buried deep beneath his raucous exterior, a rational impetus for his seemingly naive view of the world. Some people may have then visited the outhouse that very same night only to find a very angry badger locked inside.
Background: Grolo loves to hear his own voice, unless it's talking about the time before he came to Brevoy. Suffice it to say that he came from a distant land, and that Brevoy was simply the last leg of his journey to reach the Stolen Lands.
His arrival in Brevoy was humble, to say the least: passed out snoring in the haycart of a farmer crossing the western border via Numeria. Grolo arrived in Port Ice shortly thereafter, quickly making a name for himself with his grand oratory skills and skillful illusions. He bounced from inn to inn, repeatedly forcing the proprietors to decide if they valued Grolo's crowds more than they did their sanity. Grolo eventually left the city after "accidentally" setting an innkeeper's beard alight. He set out to the south, earning enough gold to live comfortably and tempting the tempers of countless villagers and nobles. At one point he lived with a traveling group of gnomes for nearly a year before inexplicably stealing away in the night.
Although he meandered considerably and took every opportunity to delay himself, Grolo eventually made it to Rostland over the course of three years... just in time for the local lords to hand out charters to willing adventurers. And here was Grolo, a self-styled Artisan of the First Tongue, who had long expressed curiosity in the "thin" qualities of the Stolen Lands and the numerous gnomish expeditions that had vanished therein, and who had suddenly lost the desire to trawl inns for cheap tips.
How unbelievably convenient... (Don't listen to him, he planned it all along!)
Meta: First off, Grolo's character sheet was constructed around my initial mental conception of his character. That is to say I'm not powerbuilding or min-maxing, nor am I striving for an optimized build.
That said, I imagine Grolo acting in two primary capacities: an in-combat support caster using typical bard buffs for the party and ranged attacks when he runs dry, and an out-of-combat sweet talker, bluffer, and all around get-us-out-of-this-situation-without-resorting-to-fighting-er. IC, Grolo is a skilled orator and has successfully made a living by talking to people, so I figure he's pretty good at it; this will be reflected in his skills (and possible feats). While his impulsivity makes him a poor diplomat, he excels at other forms of peacefully defusing situations, such as bluffing or intimidating. This also includes using illusions (e.g.
Silent Image), deception, and stealth.
In terms of alignment, he's squarely in Chaotic Good. He won't jive well with party members who do blatantly evil acts, nor will he accept whatever justifications they may offer. Finally, I've glanced at the "Leadership Roles," and I think the only ones that make sense for Grolo are Councillor and General. Basically, he excels at whipping people up and getting them into a certain mindset, and Grolo actually has a moral code and specific set of principles that would work well in the sense of him psyching soldiers up for battle. I guess the fallback could always be "Court Bard."
Ability Scores--
STR (6): "What do I look like, an orc?." Grolo possesses a great many talents, but he has never considered picking up heavy things to be one of them. He is weak even for a gnome, the inevitable result of a relatively comfortable life where the heaviest object he's had to lift was a bar stool.
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DEX (14): "If your fingers are quick enough, you won't even need magic." A career spent dodging drunken punches and rotting vegetables has made Grolo quite quick on his feet. In addition, he has naturally nimble fingers, useful for embellishing stories and dazzling eyes while he makes a getaway. Finally, his dexterity reflects his frequent practice with bows and throwing knives.
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CON (14): "Rub some dirt on it you milksop." Gnomes are surprisingly durable despite their willowy frame, and Grolo is no exception. Many a night spent sleeping on hardpack beneath an open sky and many a morning spent nursing a frosty ale has toughened him up considerably.
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INT (12): "Nothing is particularly hard to learn when you break it down to the basics." Grolo prides himself on his extensive and thorough memory, a definite boon when he may have to recite
Bron's Epic or the
Frightful Fate of the Falcon King at the drop of a hat. He is also a quick learner, able to acquire new skills at a rapid pace. He may not be a wizard, but Grolo can usually hold his own in a battle of wits.
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WIS (8): "Oh dear Lisa, you must understand, just this one thing: my tongue is both my most treasured ally and my most reviled enemy." For every brilliant performance, Grolo will be sure to somehow ruin it with a rash action or thoughtless statement. His impulsivity, lack of restraint, and frequent obliviousness all stem from the same lack of wisdom.
--
CHA (18): "That woman tried to impale me on a pitchfork last night, and I
still managed to talk her out of her smallclothes!" Grolo's striking hair, warm expression, and well-kept appearance reflect his gregarious and outgoing nature. He can easily attract a crowd with a few choice words, enthralling them with grand comedies and epic dramas, or riling them into a frenzy if he so chooses. On a more personal level, Grolo thrives off of attention, and will readily approach strangers and attempt to befriend them through conversation.
Personal Restrictions: All of the normal stuff. In terms of sexual content, I'm A-okay with it being in the game. I personally prefer to fade-to-black on sex scenes involving my characters, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the romance, drama, and relationships that spring up before, during, and after. I'm also cool with character death, so long as it makes sense and fits in with the plot. In terms of posting, I can churn out a quality post on average every 1-3 days due to my frankly ridiculous schedule. I can certainly post quicker if need be, although it'll probably only be 2-3 paragraphs long.
Time Commitment: This is tricky. I primarily do group games, even though many of those putter to a grinding halt within a few months, usually because either the GM vanishes or a player sets off a chain exodus by dropping out. It's the nature of the beast. However, to put your mind at ease, I will point to a couple of games I've had that went for a long while:
Peace Summit was a Warcraft themed game I ran for a year or so before a main player dropped out, and I'm going on six months in a 1-on-1 game called
Yor. In addition, I've been active on E for over 6 years, so that should count for something.
