Order of Aecus 13th Age/Bernd the Blackfriar

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Bernd is a wandering preacher who travels between remote villages and farmsteads around the Elfinwald teaching the faithful and performing sacrements as necessary. It's not unusual for there to be a few young couples waiting for his arrival in a village so they can get married, but more often he is sent for to ease the suffering of the sick and perform the last rites for those beyond the help of his herbs. He is a friend of the common folk, who generally appreciate his arrival and show him hospitality, but he is careful not to stay anywhere too long.

Appearance

He is of medium height and strongly built, with calloused hands from helping those with whom he lodges in their labours. His head is shaved and his beard is dark brown and bushy. He wears the black habit of his order, whence he gets his name, tied at the waist with a simple hempen rope. When travelling, however, he wears a well-made chain shirt and carries his walking staff, a quarterstaff of oak, shod with copper and carved with small runes representing the tenets of his faith. His forehead is marked with a tattoo of the setting sun, a variation of the Sun god's holy symbol that marks him out as a follower of St Malchus.

Background

Bernd was abandoned by his parents on the steps of St Fergus' Monastery on the edge of the Great Desolation,* on the western edge of the Empire. There was no suggestion as to who they could have been, or why they abandoned him, but with the care of the elderly monks, Bernd grew to accept that this was doubtless for the best. He was raised in the faith of the gods of light, according to the teachings of St Malchus, founder of the Order of the Setting Sun. However, one by one, the monks passed away, until only Brother Justus, the Infirmarian was left in charge of the teenage Bernd. Justus taught him much of herb lore, and began to initiate Bernd into the Order.

Seeing an opportunity for profit, the High Church bureaucracy decided to sell the monastic land to a local merchant lord, promising to relocate the two to a smaller, more comfortable retreat in the Elfinwald. This turned out to be a poky, draughty hermitage, full of damp and with rotting thatch. Despite their best efforts to patch the place up and make it liveable, a it was washed away in a flood, leaving the two homeless. Bernd took to the life of an itinerant preacher well for one who had spent most of his life within the confines of a monastery, and became known for his inspirational preaching and generally pleasant demeanour. Unfortunately, the road was not so kind to Justus, who died one particularly cold winter after catching pneumonia.

On his deathbed, Justus requested that Bernd travel to the Capital of the Empire, to the Great Cathedral City of the High Priestess, in order to complete his initiation as a priest of Light and a member of the Order of the Setting Sun. His teachers there found him to be earnest, knowledgeable about the scriptures and eager to learn, but felt that his understanding of church dogma was out of date. The teachings of St Malchus had fallen out of favour with the church hierarchy and, whilst he was able to complete his religious training, Bernd remained faithful to what he had learned from Brother Justus and the other monks. This did him few favours with the bishops, and instead of being placed in a parish church, as would be expected for someone of his grade and wisdom, he was given his staff of office and given a mission to teach the faithful of the Elfinwald*.

His wanderings through the forest have often brought him in contact with the followers of the High Druid. He has a mixed relationship with these, seeing them as part of his mission field and often finding himself sharing a bothy with one or more of them. However, he feels that their dedication to the natural order and the survival of the fittest is often at odds with his desire to be a friend to the poor and weak.

Unique thing: Bernd is the last surviving member of an order of warrior clerics who were instrumental in the defeat of the Lich King during the last age. The order has dwindled over the last century, as the church hierarchy has become complacent regarding such an ancient and possibly mythical threat as the Lich King.

Icon relationships:

• Lich King: 1 (Negative) Bernd is the last of the Black Friars, an order of priests who guarded the Empire against the undead forces of the Lich King and other unholy enemies.
• High Druid: 1 (conflicted) Bernd has an appreciation of the ways of the wild as he wanders the forest, but sees the benefits of civilisation and taming the land in protecting people from the dangers of the wild. Survival of the fittest would be the downfall of the poor people he sees as his mission field.
• The Priestess: 1 (Conflicted) Bernd is an ordained priest who spends his life helping the downtrodden and spreading the word of the gods of Light. However, he does not always see eye-to-eye with the church hierarchy, who view him as an eccentric throwback to a more primitive Rite and feel his style does not fit in with the modern church.

Stats

S 15

D 10

C 15

I 10

W 17

Ch 13

Derived Stats

HP: 3x(7+2)= 27 -8 -8=11

Recoveries: 8

Recovery amount: 1D8+2

Initiative: +1

AC: 14+1+2= 17

PD: 11+1+2= 14

MD: 11+1+!= 13

Domains

Sun - Every attack you make deals holy damage in addition to other types, if you wish. This typically deals triple damage to undead on a crit.

Invocation - If you used a daily spells this battle, roll a d6. If you roll less of equal to the escalation die, refresh that spell after the battle.

Protection - When you use a spell which has a multiple ally option, add one more target.

Invocation - Crits to you and your allies deal normal damage in this battle.

Knowledge - +4 background points for use on a knowledge/lore style background.

Invocation - Used in the first round of battle, Roll a d6 to gain a glimpse of the future. At any point after the escalation die hits that number, you can choose one enemy attack and it automatically misses when you warn them.

Spells

Turn Undead (Ranged, Daily) - 1d3 nearby undead that are level 4 or lower are targeted. Wis + Cha + Level vs. MD, the better the roll the stronger the effect. Hit - dazed until your next turn - Hit by 4 - 1d10 x level holy damage and dazed - Hit by 8 - Holy damage equal to half the target's maximum HP, and dazed till save ends - Hit by 12 or Natural 20 - Target is destroyed.

Righteous Spirits(Ranged, Once per Battle) - 3d6 + Wis holy damage to a nearby enemy and a nearby ally with the lowest HP, gains +4 AC until the end of your next turn, Wis + Level vs. MD to hit, on a miss a nearby ally gains +2 to AC until the end of your next turn.

Shield of Faith (Ranged, Daily, Quick Action) - Cast for power, One neaby ally gains a +2 bonus to AC for this battle. Cast for broad effect, three nearby allies gain +1 to AC for this battle.

Bless (Ranged, Daily, Quick Action) - Cast for power, 1 ally gains +3 attack bonus for this battle, +2 if the caster. Cast for broad effect, three nearby allies gain +1 attack bonus for this battle.

Healing: Allows yourself or an ally to spend a recovery.

Feats

Sun domain- +2 damage to undead

Reach tricks- interesting things to do with reach weapons

Background

Grew up in a monastery in the +4

Infirmarian's apprentice +4

Well-travelled priest of the Order of the Setting Sun +4

equipment

Copper-shod quarter staff (1d8)

Well-made but undecorated chain

Friar's habit

Holy symbol

Sling and bullets

Pocket of prayer stones