HMMM...I have finished HALO and am posting to the Rogue's Gallery again! Coincidence? You decide.
"He was new to this forest that the locals called Orloff’s Woods, but since he was given the sole rights to hunt and trap in it he felt responsible for any persons who disappeared or found themselves lost in it. He did find it odd that the Trapper family had given him charge of the largest track in the area, but he figured they were just comfortable with their usual grounds. Small village folk tended not to like change, he guessed."
Ander guessed wrong and encountered the most fearsome creature he had ever imagined-Orloff the Bear.
Not much is known of the beast Orloff, but there are plenty of rumors. Some say that he was the animal companion of the Great Druid of the North before his madness overtook him. Others say that he was the Avatar host of the Great Mother when Cronus returned and cast the Gods from the heavens and now he guards the One tree, source of life. Some even say that he is nothing more than a myth, or an overgrown brown bear.
What is known is that he haunts the northlands, especially the area now called Orloff's woods, protecting these lands from any who dare trespass, and he has done so for a long time. Even the dwarves who mined the area long before humans ever settled here, recorded tales of the great bear with mithral claws. The barbarians of the north worshiped the legend as an extension of the Earth Mother Goddess, and it was a test of manhood to sleep one night in the protected woods.
In recent times his legend keeps the trappers from entering the northern woods of Icemist and protects the city from barbarian attacks. Many hunters have come to claim fame for tracking the beast and only a handful have ever returned, and those that did never speak of the tale.
Few have seen him past or present, but those who have say he is as tall as the trees and swift as the wind. He moves silently and without a trace. His fur is knotted and hard, clumped with rocks and bark, like makeshift armor. His eyes are intense and full of rage and his teeth and claws are as long as swords. His gaze would unsettle a dragon and his roar would scatter an army.
Only Icemantle is known to enter the woods on a regular basis, and some believe that it was Orloff, not a pack of Winter Wolves, that raised the Ranger. Icemantle is a mystery himself and has never answered when queried so. The ranger does warn those who come seeking fame that Orloff is not natural and the forest will protect the bear just as the bear protects the forest, so if you hunt the bear then the spirits of woods are your enemy as well.
Orloff Large Awakened Dire Bear/ Druid 3 / Barbarian 3
Str 37 Dex 19 Con 25 Int 12 Wis 16 Chr 13
HP: 255
AC: 24 (-1 size, +4 Dex, +7 Natural, +4 Armor)
Ref +14 Fort +21 Will+12
Speed: 50 ft
Attacks: 2 claws +26 (18-20 threat) Bite +21
Dmg: 2d6+13, 2d10 + 6
Skills: Hide +16, Listen +20, Move Silently +16, Spot +10, Swim +21, Wilderness Lore +15
Feats: Scent, Improved Grab, Improved Bull Rush, Combat Reflexes Class Feats: Trackless step, Rage, Increased move, Uncanny Dodge, Animal Companion, Woodland Stride, Nature sense
Combat: Orloff likes to gain surprise and try to scare his opponents into fleeing. If he considers them a threat to his home than he will attack from this surprise. He prefers to bull rush and push groups together and use his combat reflexes to attack as they try to scatter, but he is not opposed to bear hugging his opponents one at a time. He will use the terrain to his advantage and retreat if necessary.
