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<blockquote data-quote="tglassy" data-source="post: 7930817" data-attributes="member: 6855204"><p>I'm going to go with a Half-Orc Druid. But I'm not going the usual "Tree hugging, civilization hating, nature must be balanced" kind of druid. He's using the "Circle of the Moon" as his class, but he wouldn't call himself a Druid. He would call himself a Predator. He lives by the code of the wild, where the strong eat the weak. He cares little for whether civilization tames the wild, as if civilization can tame it, then civilization was stronger. He does feel like Civilization, while stronger as a whole, makes the individual weaker and less capable of taking care of themselves. It makes them dependent, and he is anything but dependent. </p><p></p><p>In another departure from the stereotype, he's also Lawful Neutral, and is a Bounty Hunter who hunts his prey relentlessly. His prey being whoever he is hired to bring in. He is "lawful" in that he fulfills his contract, to the letter. While he's beholden to no one, he can be trusted to follow his word. He is basically a wolf, and he thinks like one. </p><p></p><p>Backstory time!</p><p></p><p>Keth doesn't know much about his mother, other than she was a human, and either her or one of her blood had proved themselves in battle. His father was the War Chief of the tribe. Keth grew strong in the tribe, learning the ways of the Orcs. Even from a young age, he seemed to have an affinity with the world around him. He understood animals, and the nature of plants and the elements. There were times when he thought he could feel their power swirling, especially in the earth itself. </p><p></p><p>He proved himself strong and capable in the tribe. The chief, his father (though in Orc society, few know, or care, who their parents are), watched him with a wary eye, for it looked as if young Keth would one day surpass him. Indeed, he grew in renown, fighting off goblin tribes with his brothers, and was well known for his devotion to Gruumsh, the one eyed god of the Orcs. It came that one day, he received a vision from Gruumsh, singling him out amongst his piers. </p><p></p><p>The touch of Gruumsh seemingly awakened something within him, something that, perhaps, came from his unknown mother's side. His understanding of nature grew, his mind expanded, and he SAW. He could see the subtleties of the natural forces, the way the Predator hunted its prey, how the Earth's power granted strength beyond reason.</p><p></p><p>And he could tap into it. </p><p></p><p>It was a glorious time for him, learning his new power. He fought many, mostly goblins but also others, and distinguished himself. His devotion to Gruumsh grew, as did his power. In a vision, Gruumsh offered him more power, the power to become the ultimate Predator. To become an Eye of Gruumsh. In the middle of the tribe, before all who watched, he gouged out his left eye, and Gruumsh blessed him for it. </p><p></p><p>Now, he could grant himself the attributes of animals, and eventually, he could BECOME those beasts, the predators that ruled the land. He drew his power from the Earth itself, even as he bowed to Gruumsh for showing him the way. </p><p></p><p>Everything was looking up. He was a mere twenty years old, which is late middle years for an orc, but being half human, he knew he had many decades of battle before him. He would soon trump the War Chief, and rule the tribe! </p><p></p><p>But it was not meant to be. A dragon came, demanding allegiance from the tribe. Some wanted to follow the great beast. Keth was among those who did not. The dragon commanded those who followed him to slaughter the rest. A bloody battle ensued. Keth led those who resisted the dragon ultimately to victory against those who had sided with the dragon. It was a glorious day, as he slew his father in single combat. </p><p></p><p>Then the Dragon proceeded to slaughter the survivors in one, horrible breath. Keth only survived by transforming into a small animal and escaping into a hole in the ground. When he came out, everyone in his tribe was gone.</p><p></p><p>He wandered for a time, living off the land. He spent much of his time in animal form, as it was often easier to hunt when one is a Wolf. He did not feel pain at the loss of his tribe. Not really. But once the shock of the loss ebbed, he did feel...lonely. </p><p></p><p>Eventually, he came to a settlement. A small village. </p><p></p><p>His tribe was never one to blindly race a human settlement. In fact, they had often traded with Humans and Dwarves (Elves could all go to hell), and Keth had even learned to read and write Common, being of the more intelligent of his kin. Curious about this part of himself he did not know, Keth went in to the town. He found it hounded by bandits who would come periodically and take what they wanted, leaving the town wounded. </p><p></p><p>At first, Keth didn't care. He merely wanted to enjoy cooked food and companionship again, even if they were savages who preferred to live in wooden houses to the more sturdy caves. But his year in the wild had, oddly, tempered his savagery somewhat. He knew Gruumsh had blessed him, how else could he become the beasts like he could? But his tribe had died. Everything he'd known had gone with them. </p><p></p><p>It was in this vulnerability that he met a few people in town who accepted him, with no reservations. They asked his help, offering him food and shelter. They were weaker than he, though much more intelligent than his kin. Not as much as he, as he had been touched by Gruumsh and therefore had capacity beyond most, but it was refreshing to have conversations with individuals who could comprehend higher thought. </p><p></p><p>He accepted their offer of work, and worked with the same fervor he had done everything in his life. They didn't seem to care he was half orc. Perhaps his humanity was enough to pass among them, or perhaps they had known other half orcs. Thankfully there were no Elves there. </p><p></p><p>When the bandits returned, they weren't just attacking random people who couldn't fend for themselves, they were attacking...not his tribe, but something close. The closest he'd gotten to a tribe in over a year. </p><p></p><p>He found he liked these people, and their simple ways. He found that there was more to him than blood and death, predator and prey. </p><p></p><p>The villagers asked for his help in fighting them, offering to pay him. This is how he learned of bounty hunting. The bandits fell that night to a Dire Wolf looking for prey.</p><p></p><p>It has been three years since then, and Keth One-Eye has made a name for himself as a bounty hunter of some renown in the land, including as far away as (Enter main city name here). He has revisited that small village a number of times in his travels. There is a young human woman there, Kayla, who works at the inn. He thinks of her at times, when the storms hit and he is huddled in a tree, shaped as a hawk or panther. He grew up in such a different culture. Orcs did not have pair bonds, like humans did. They simply mated when it was time. But these feelings he had, he could not simply dismiss. It was foreign to him, this longing. </p><p></p><p>Recently, he received a missive with a summons, speaking of dragon attacks, and old memories have resurfaced. Memories of a massive red dragon, breathing flaming death upon his kin. Now, a Dragon would be prey to talk about.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="tglassy, post: 7930817, member: 6855204"] I'm going to go with a Half-Orc Druid. But I'm not going the usual "Tree hugging, civilization hating, nature must be balanced" kind of druid. He's using the "Circle of the Moon" as his class, but he wouldn't call himself a Druid. He would call himself a Predator. He lives by the code of the wild, where the strong eat the weak. He cares little for whether civilization tames the wild, as if civilization can tame it, then civilization was stronger. He does feel like Civilization, while stronger as a whole, makes the individual weaker and less capable of taking care of themselves. It makes them dependent, and he is anything but dependent. In another departure from the stereotype, he's also Lawful Neutral, and is a Bounty Hunter who hunts his prey relentlessly. His prey being whoever he is hired to bring in. He is "lawful" in that he fulfills his contract, to the letter. While he's beholden to no one, he can be trusted to follow his word. He is basically a wolf, and he thinks like one. Backstory time! Keth doesn't know much about his mother, other than she was a human, and either her or one of her blood had proved themselves in battle. His father was the War Chief of the tribe. Keth grew strong in the tribe, learning the ways of the Orcs. Even from a young age, he seemed to have an affinity with the world around him. He understood animals, and the nature of plants and the elements. There were times when he thought he could feel their power swirling, especially in the earth itself. He proved himself strong and capable in the tribe. The chief, his father (though in Orc society, few know, or care, who their parents are), watched him with a wary eye, for it looked as if young Keth would one day surpass him. Indeed, he grew in renown, fighting off goblin tribes with his brothers, and was well known for his devotion to Gruumsh, the one eyed god of the Orcs. It came that one day, he received a vision from Gruumsh, singling him out amongst his piers. The touch of Gruumsh seemingly awakened something within him, something that, perhaps, came from his unknown mother's side. His understanding of nature grew, his mind expanded, and he SAW. He could see the subtleties of the natural forces, the way the Predator hunted its prey, how the Earth's power granted strength beyond reason. And he could tap into it. It was a glorious time for him, learning his new power. He fought many, mostly goblins but also others, and distinguished himself. His devotion to Gruumsh grew, as did his power. In a vision, Gruumsh offered him more power, the power to become the ultimate Predator. To become an Eye of Gruumsh. In the middle of the tribe, before all who watched, he gouged out his left eye, and Gruumsh blessed him for it. Now, he could grant himself the attributes of animals, and eventually, he could BECOME those beasts, the predators that ruled the land. He drew his power from the Earth itself, even as he bowed to Gruumsh for showing him the way. Everything was looking up. He was a mere twenty years old, which is late middle years for an orc, but being half human, he knew he had many decades of battle before him. He would soon trump the War Chief, and rule the tribe! But it was not meant to be. A dragon came, demanding allegiance from the tribe. Some wanted to follow the great beast. Keth was among those who did not. The dragon commanded those who followed him to slaughter the rest. A bloody battle ensued. Keth led those who resisted the dragon ultimately to victory against those who had sided with the dragon. It was a glorious day, as he slew his father in single combat. Then the Dragon proceeded to slaughter the survivors in one, horrible breath. Keth only survived by transforming into a small animal and escaping into a hole in the ground. When he came out, everyone in his tribe was gone. He wandered for a time, living off the land. He spent much of his time in animal form, as it was often easier to hunt when one is a Wolf. He did not feel pain at the loss of his tribe. Not really. But once the shock of the loss ebbed, he did feel...lonely. Eventually, he came to a settlement. A small village. His tribe was never one to blindly race a human settlement. In fact, they had often traded with Humans and Dwarves (Elves could all go to hell), and Keth had even learned to read and write Common, being of the more intelligent of his kin. Curious about this part of himself he did not know, Keth went in to the town. He found it hounded by bandits who would come periodically and take what they wanted, leaving the town wounded. At first, Keth didn't care. He merely wanted to enjoy cooked food and companionship again, even if they were savages who preferred to live in wooden houses to the more sturdy caves. But his year in the wild had, oddly, tempered his savagery somewhat. He knew Gruumsh had blessed him, how else could he become the beasts like he could? But his tribe had died. Everything he'd known had gone with them. It was in this vulnerability that he met a few people in town who accepted him, with no reservations. They asked his help, offering him food and shelter. They were weaker than he, though much more intelligent than his kin. Not as much as he, as he had been touched by Gruumsh and therefore had capacity beyond most, but it was refreshing to have conversations with individuals who could comprehend higher thought. He accepted their offer of work, and worked with the same fervor he had done everything in his life. They didn't seem to care he was half orc. Perhaps his humanity was enough to pass among them, or perhaps they had known other half orcs. Thankfully there were no Elves there. When the bandits returned, they weren't just attacking random people who couldn't fend for themselves, they were attacking...not his tribe, but something close. The closest he'd gotten to a tribe in over a year. He found he liked these people, and their simple ways. He found that there was more to him than blood and death, predator and prey. The villagers asked for his help in fighting them, offering to pay him. This is how he learned of bounty hunting. The bandits fell that night to a Dire Wolf looking for prey. It has been three years since then, and Keth One-Eye has made a name for himself as a bounty hunter of some renown in the land, including as far away as (Enter main city name here). He has revisited that small village a number of times in his travels. There is a young human woman there, Kayla, who works at the inn. He thinks of her at times, when the storms hit and he is huddled in a tree, shaped as a hawk or panther. He grew up in such a different culture. Orcs did not have pair bonds, like humans did. They simply mated when it was time. But these feelings he had, he could not simply dismiss. It was foreign to him, this longing. Recently, he received a missive with a summons, speaking of dragon attacks, and old memories have resurfaced. Memories of a massive red dragon, breathing flaming death upon his kin. Now, a Dragon would be prey to talk about. [/QUOTE]
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