Character Name: Bugbard
Player Name: Audric
Species: Bugbear
Career: Bard
Gender: Male
Age: 35 (middle-aged for his species)
Height: 7 ft.
Build: Muscular
Hair: Brown (coarse, prematurely graying)
Eyes: Yellowish White
Skin Color- Light Brown
Physical Appearance– Slashing scars across his arms and chest from bracing blows, black lighting face paint across the right side of his face (like Bowie), a missing chunk of his left ear from a large bite wound, a war hammer brand on his left pectoral marking him as a slave to the hobgoblins, ripped/patchwork clothes, studded black leather armor with lots of straps and silver pieces and a spiked bracer on his right hand
New scars: two large puncture wounds on his neck from a phase spider, second degree burns on his left hand from a wildfire explosion, slave brand tattoo carved off
Gear- A dented, wooden great club that’s been jury rigged with guitar strings of varying thickness (his Song Stick), a love letter from Beatrice
New gear:War hammer (The Hymn Hammer) and shield made by master woodworker Ixni using petrified wood (silvered), phase spider fang, Shoka’s shield (shield+3, angry lion engraving)
Jewelry or accessories- Beatrice’s amulet (beckoning crystal, worth about 100 platinum), golden hoop earrings (only worn on special occasions)
New: friendship earring from Yen Hui, oaken war horn from Yen (Greek style art on the side depicting cyclical rise and fall of a bugbear king), wolf’s pelt cloak, dragon tooth necklace from Hruggek(trophy)
Non-adventuring equipment- When dressing his best he wears noble clothes evocative of Italian Renaissance fashion (think Jan Gossaert, “Portrait of a Nobleman”)
Hobbies: Fist fighting, weightlifting, painting, drinking, live performance, gambling, horse-breaking, watching theater troupes
Motivations-
Ambition: To be the greatest musician ever known
Connections: Beatrice, his love
Drive: To prove himself worthy to the tribe who rejected him
Oath: To best the hobgoblin war chieftain of his former tribe, Hruggek
Belief: All people have something interesting about them, all gods are worthy of praise
Discovery: Discovered rhythm while beating someone to death, thus beginning a love of music
Innovation: Improvised instruments
Quest: Always in search of a crazy adventure to top the last one
Obligations: Bugbard’s notoriety as a local oddity is a double-edged sword– it makes him easy to track
Personality Traits:
- Scenes of battle lead Bugbard to recall past skirmishes during his time with the Ice Talons
- He is fascinated by local history and lore, and the people that make up each town
- He is infatuated with extraordinary women
- He can’t resist a brawl, good-natured or otherwise
- Though prideful, he will show mercy to worthy enemies
Ideals:
- Self-Improvement: Complacency leads to a stagnation of the mind and a corruption of the soul
- Freedom: Tradition is a leash used by the powerful to corral the weak from choosing a different path (Chaotic)
- Self-Expression: To reveal emotion is to exorcise demons from the heart
Bonds:
- Bugbard is attached to his Song Stick, the first instrument he ever made
- Old scholars remind him of Mishka, the surrogate grandfather who taught him the common tongue.
- He plans to best his former chieftain, Hruggek, and measures the worth of his accomplishments by how close they get him to this goal.
- He would drop anything to help Beatrice, no matter the risk
Flaws:
- Bugbard earned the ire of his former tribe, and has been branded a traitor and marked for death.
- He can overlook a slight, but not a challenge
- He can’t resist ego-checking prideful men, and does not believe imprudent rulers deserve their position.
Background-
On Beatrice, Bugbard’s Love:
Meet cute: Bugbard met Beatrice in a chance encounter in the mountains and it changed the direction of his life.
After rumors of dragon sightings in the north Beldane Mountains hit a fever pitch among Bugbard’s tribe, War Chieftain Hruggek (a hobgoblin) sent half his clan to investigate. Knowing dragons to be reclusive, Hruggek ordered them to locate the lair where a treasure hoard might lay. They were to steal the loot before the dragon intervened and kill it if necessary. And so, Bugbard and his mates trekked up to the treacherous peaks of the mountain range, braving freezing wind and snow to shine torches into caves with gold pieces in their eyes. Many goblinoids were doubly excited to slay a dragon for sport and bragging rights, though Bugbard found this idea shortsighted. Nonetheless, he was intrigued by the possibility of seeing a dragon up close.
Only they never found it, not a trace. They saw a winged beast in the distance, but no lairs among the mountain range during a week-long search. Convinced that his underlings had actually seen a lesser wyvern instead, Hruggek turned his men around for the long march home.
Seeking solitude, Bugbard found a quiet spot to set up camp, where he could play his Song Stick in peace around the fire. He played a mournful, lonesome tune (think“Old Snake” from MGS4) and Beatrice, a wiry silver-haired elf draped in wolf furs, left her hiding place to watch him. During his song, Bugbard heard the sound of a pebble skipping across the ground and locked eyes with Beatrice, hiding behind a boulder. He looked back down to his instrument and continued to play, inviting Beatrice to inch closer.
Suddenly, a goblin dropped down and clubbed Beatrice, knocking her out cold. Despite Bugbard’s protest, the goblin shackled her and she became their prisoner. Unaware of her true identity, the goblinoids nonetheless threw Beatrice in a cell, as a captive is always a potential coin purse. The plan was to interrogate her for her worth, and then ransom her back to whatever loved ones would pay for her. When Beatrice awoke, her curiosity for Bugbard prevented her from immediately breaking her bondage and slaughtering everyone.
Bugbard’s habit of befriending his captives reared its head again, and Beatrice remarked that he was a beautiful musician but a terrible jailer. They formed a bond right there, and they talked for hours about music and art and the things in life which have no monetary value but mean the world to people. He admired her confidence and fearlessness, and she his compassion and curiosity. Bugbard unbound her and noted that she did not seem phased, as if she was barely concerned about her shackles. Even so, he promised no harm would come to her, which Beatrice found sweet but unnecessary.
When Beatrice refused to name a family for the ransom, Hruggek ordered Bugbard to execute her, finding his recent behavior to be weak. Bugbard defied Hruggek, arguing instead for her release, and for his trouble he was jailed and sentenced to death along with Beatrice. Beatrice, seeing the opportunity to save a kindred soul, revealed her true form, transforming into the silver dragon the tribe was looking for. She destroyed the prison, picked up Bugbard, and the two escaped across the sea. The rest is history.
Beatrice’s Temperament: Beatrice is headstrong and independent, but also fiercely protective of her loved ones. Like a guardian angel, she keeps Bugbard one step ahead of any retaliatory goblinoid plot and visits him every so often through an amulet that lets her track his location. She considers Bugbard to be one of a kind and would loathe losing him.
However, she frequently fights and disagrees with him, finding the bugbear to be overly prideful and too fixated on the past. In many ways they are polar opposites:she’s not wild but polite, not impulsive but patient and forward thinking. Beatrice is prudent and respectful even to those who underestimate her. In ideal situations the pair learns from the other’s strengths. In the worst of times though, they storm away from each other frustrated and confused.
Unfortunately Beatrice has not been entirely open about why she often has to leave. The subject of family is something she dodges…
Fallout of his escape: Bugbard’s defiance impressed his goblin and bugbear peers, but deeply angered the hobgoblins furthest up the hierarchy. Hruggek and his generals worked to avenge this slight, slandering Bugbard’s name amongst the rank and file by calling him a traitor who chose a dragon over his own kind.
Bugbard and Beatrice’s escape killed two goblins and a bugbear, which were either crushed or fell to their death when Beatrice collapsed the perilous mountain prison to create an opening to fly through. The hobgoblins spun these deaths to paint the duo as malicious killers, but those close to Bugbard have their doubts about this story. Nonetheless, this was the last time Bugbard saw the tribe up in the northern reaches, and the threat of retaliation prevents his return. Though Bugbard does not regret his disobedience, he chafes at the thought of being rejected by his society and vows to prove his worth to them somehow.
Meanwhile, Hruggek, a wolf tamer and worg breeder, aims to add new war beasts to his army…
Character Questionnaire-
Past: Who WAS your character? Where did they come from? How did they grow up? Who were their closest friends/family/associates? Did anything happen to them? What was lacking in your character’s previous life?
Bugbard was born into bondage, raised to serve in a goblinoid warrior tribe called The Ice Talons in the mountains of North Beldane (an icy, snowy region). The tribe was a militaristic, hierarchical society in which hobgoblins reigned as leaders and generals, bugbears served as captains and enforcers, and goblins made up the bulk of the army as laborers and cannon fodder. They lived up in treacherous caves along the range, and would ambush trade caravans and travelers in the passes and valleys.
Being a subjugated race, Bugbard grew up with no knowledge or concept of his family. The hobgoblins intentionally broke up blood relatives to keep the bugbears from organizing into their own groups, instead training individual bugbears to command groups of goblins.
Bugbard’s parents are likely dead, having been killed in a skirmish or a raid on a humanoid settlement. Though he probably has many blood siblings, he knew none of them. Instead, bugbears in his tribe treated each other with a sort of universal kinship. They culturally sought challenge and glory, and were willing to risk death for bragging rights. They often led by example, and could be found in the vanguard killing the biggest foe they could find. Bugbard lost many a friend this way, but found a warrior’s death to be honorable and worthwhile.
Like many of his kind, Bugbard was raised by hobgoblins to be a brutal and single-minded warrior, knowledgeable both in single combat and guerrilla warfare. He was the best of the bugbear captains in his tribe and was eventually promoted to lieutenant, a rank only reserved for hobgoblins. His tenacity, creativity, and unpredictable tactics made him instrumental to any battle plan. Bugbard was not the strongest or fastest fighter, but he was usually the most cunning. Though he was not a part of the highest strata of society, Bugbard relished his position. He always wanted more- more loot, tougher fights, greater renown- as if trying to salve a deep dissatisfaction. But no amount of recognition sated the hunger in his soul for something… else.
Bugbard’s life changed forever when he discovered rhythm while beating someone to death in a valley, the sound of each blow echoing through the mountains. He felt a spiritual connection with the universe through his song, and a greater appreciation for life and nature. Thus, our hero resolved to be a self-taught musician, and earned the pejorative nickname “Bugbard” in the process from his hobgoblin superiors. This nickname replaced his slave name, and in time Bugbard forgot what his old name was.
Fighting now bored the bard, who recognized his thrill seeking as a poor attempt to overcome his reticence with banditry. He got distracted on raids, plucking melodies on his song stick. He won favor with his fellow bugbears and goblins, who were entertained by his solemn songs and theatrics. His superiors were displeased, perplexed by his change in priorities. They demoted him first from a lieutenant to a captain, then later from a captain to a kidnapper, and then finally to a jailer.
Bugbard spent his time as a jailer conversing with his prisoners, curious to learn stories of life beyond the mountains. Unfortunately, his rudimentary knowledge of common tongue limited these interactions. This all changed one day when a worldly old scholar named Mishka was thrown into Bugbard’s cell block. Mishka had traveled to the North Beldane mountains to map out the cave systems, and to study the indigenous wildlife (including local tribes). However, The Ice Talons did not take kindly to his note-taking, thinking him to be a spy trespassing in their territory probing for weaknesses. They killed Mishka’s guard detail, and nearly killed him before he explained (in Goblin) that he worked for a famous university that would pay handsomely for his safety. He was held captive for quite a while, the Ice Talons content to ransom him from his college in monthly payments in perpetuity.
To pass the time, Mishka struck up a mutually beneficial relationship with his bugbear jailer. The scholar taught his captor much about the outside world, including a mastery of the common tongue. In exchange, Bugbard allowed Mishka to continue his studies, providing writing material and even contributing his knowledge of North Beldane and the finer points of Goblinoid culture. The bugbear fascinated the human, who would return to his university with tales of the unlikely bard.
Mishka eventually talked his way out of bondage, parting by improving infrastructure for the tribe with sound counsel. He went back to studying other parts of the world, undeterred by his capture. Mishka left Bugbard with wanderlust; a desire to stay on the move and experience all that life has to offer. Bugbard thinks of him often, and considers him to be a grandfather figure.
Bugbard would get the opportunity to explore when a chance encounter with the future love of his life forced him to cut ties with his tribe. Now, his goals are to be the greatest musician ever known and prove himself worthy to the tribe that rejected him. He dreams of returning to his homeland and winning over his people with his deeds and legends.
Purpose: What is your character doing as an adventurer? Are they running away from or looking for something/someone? If your character is looking to prove themselves, what are they compensating for? If your character is looking for wealth, again, what are they compensating for?
Bugbard can’t NOT adventure. He loves treasure and gold, for it allows to him buy better armor and fancy clothes. He’s a restless spirit, and is not content to stay in one place. He’s a musician, and needs to tour around the countryside to perform. Publicly, he adventures to provide material and inspiration for his songs.
Privately, he seeks to become a legend and overcome the sense of rejection he feels from his exile. Only through stories of his valor and bravery does he feel better about his self-worth. His pathological need to be the best causes him to butt heads with his loved ones, and is often a point of contention between him and Beatrice.
Personality: How does your character act? What are your character’s two-three strongest personality traits? Why are these traits strongest in your character?
Competitive: Bugbard thinks in terms of hierarchy and has trouble resolving conflicts nonviolently. The warrior culture that he comes from values strength and victory, and although an exile from said culture he finds some habits hard to break. Regardless, he has with great difficulty come to appreciate the value of lateral thinking and impulse control.
Impulsive: When alone Bugbard stews in his failures, brooding over a past he can’t forget. He has two solutions to this problem: surround himself with people and continually seek new problems to bury the old ones. He isn’t hedonistic, he just prefers immediacy. This lifestyle can be chaotic, but it’s also a good time.
Compassionate: Although he is vain (perhaps because he is), Bugbard sees himself in others and so wants the best for them. His enlightenment has led him to an appreciation of all life, ephemeral as it is. He’s curious and social, and in a bind he will always want to help the little guy because he’s been in their position before.
Pros: Nobody’s heartless. What makes you a hero? Are you a scoundrel with a heart of gold? Are you on a personal journey, all-the-while doing the right thing as you venture the world? Maybe a code of honor keeps you from falling to pure nastiness?
Bugbard contemplates often on strength and power. However, he will never hurt anyone he feels doesn’t deserve it. He’s sensitive- for a bugbear. He will still refer to pets as food, but can understand the need for companionship. He writes sad songs, but speaks matter-of-factly- this is the contradiction of Bugbard.
Pathos: What makes you flawed? You might be great in general, but are you inherently distrusting of others? You might do the right thing, but perhaps your asking price is steep? Maybe your overconfidence gets you into trouble? Maybe your loud mouth gets you on peoples’ bad sides? It’s critical that you have at least one notable flaw to keep yourself grounded. This helps make your character interesting, almost above all else.
He does not want to remember the time before he was Bugbard, and if questioned he will say “there is no before.” He lacks a social filter, respect for authority, and restraint. He calls it like he sees it, which can get him into fights with arrogant men Bugbard feels need to be put in their place.
