Adventures in the Distal Provinces:Rufus Eldon

Rufus Eldon

FP: was 1, then 0 after Betic's condescending outburst, now 2 after Rufus self-compelled two aspects in the market to cause utter social mayhem Refresh: 1

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Picture:

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Aspects:

High Concept: The Ever Stranger Stranger

• Invoke: When seeming mysterious or special/different can be advantageous?
• Compel: He can't get away with blending in/seemling like a local, even in a place that 'knows' him.

Trouble: A Weakness for Underdogs (especially aakuana e)

• Invoke: Has a way of making people feel guilty for ignoring/abandoning underdogs
• Compel: When it's not in his (or possibly anyone's) advantage to come to their aid

Phase One: Yes, Please Underestimate Me (to your peril...) He's been the half-Orc orphan weirdo throughout childhood in his adoptive clan. He learned to be scrappy.

• Invoke: Underdog incarnate; being underestimated triggers arcane luck? Uncanny insight/foresight? Becomes a hard target.
• Compel: To make him try things that might be beyond his abilities

Phase Two: Homeless aakuana e-phile/seeker Having heard rumors about his aakuana e/Orc heritage throughout childhood, the idea is under his skin.

• Invoke: To notice or discover aakuana e things (maybe magically without his knowledge) that others don't
• Compel: To fail to notice or discover other things if there's a whiff of the aakuana e around

Phase Three: Anti-Orc Bias Without De-Personization (subconscious seek) Like the above, but having left the tribe after his adoptive parents died, Rufus now faces the possibility of meeting actual Orcs. His mental autopilot has prepared for that by giving him a prejudice.

• Invoke: Subconsciously seeks ways to prove his distrust wrong; when trust is not a focal point, might carouse with Orcs anyway, if advantageous
• Compel: Programmed to not trust Orcs, so default will be distrust when trust is a focal point, even if it causes trouble

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Skills:

Great (+4) Will

Good (+3) Fight, Shoot

Fair (+2) Notice, Crafts, Investigate

Average (+1) Physique, Athletics, Empathy, Deceive

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Stress:

Physical O[1] O[2] O[3]

Mental O[1] O[2] O[3] O[4]

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Consequences:

Mild [2]: _________________________

Moderate [4]: _____________________

Severe [6]: _______________________

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Stunts:

Arcane Blood: Triggered Stunt: Luck/Foresight/Prophecy/Precognition (starts small, triggered by GM, might get better with practice -- not yet known if Rufus will ever have much control over it, let alone understand why he can do this; first time, he'll assume it's his aakuana e heritage)

Grappler: +2 to Physique rolls made to create advantages on an enemy by wrestling or grappling with them; while skilled with bow, sword, javelin, and knife, Rufus came from nothing and definitely can handle himself when disarmed; he's good at using any objects as weapons, but he's also a natural with unarmed combat, finding soft spots, ligament locks, balance tricks; being unarmed/disarmed should not create as big a disadvantage for him as it might others; p.119

Eavesdropper: Investigate Stunt: On a successful Investigate roll to create an advantage by eavesdropping on a conversation, you can discover or create one additional aspect (thought this doesn't give you an extra free invocation; p.113)

Danger Sense: Notice Stunt: You have an almost preternatural capacity for detecting danger. Your Notice skill works unimpeded by conditions like total concealment, darkness, or other sensory impairments in situations where someone or something intends to harm you; p.117)

Hard Boiled: Will Stunt: You can choose to ignore a mild or moderate consequence for the duration of the scene. It can't be compelled against you or invoked by your enemies. At the end of the scene it comes back worse, though; if it was a mild consequence, it becomes a moderate consequence, and if it was already moderate, it becomes severe; p.127)

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Phases:

First Phase: That halfbreed kid...

Rufus was raised by desperately poor farmer-hunter-gatherers (humans) in the desert wilds of north Matan. It was his guardians, Glasgrell Sternspear and Brolo, who gave him the name Rufus Eldon. The clan couldn't afford to dispose of any able-bodied member, and it was Rufus' understanding that he'd come to them at the age of 3, past the danger years of common infant death. Or so they told him. It was no secret that he was not their child, but he never actually learned how he ended up with them. He was always told it wasn't important. They gave him a name they felt would grant him a better chance at success in the world than Fok Sternspear, the name Brolo's mother wanted to give him. He was never fully accepted, and had to learn to be scrappy.

Second Phase: Secrets, Rumors, and Lies

From age seven to age seventeen, he would occasionally hear stories about his origins. But the stories were inconsistent. He doesn't know if is mother was aakuana e or his father, or if rape was involved. He even crossed paths once with an old Orc woman who called him words with an unknown meaning, "Kekoa Kamaauoha". Does it mean accursed trash/leavings? Or does it mean something else? Who is he? And why is he?

Third Phase: Time to leave...

After Glasgrell and Brolo died recently, it was time for Rufus to go out into the world to find answers.

Extras:

Set (3) of Amentum Javelins: (Always retrieved! An amentum javelin has a twist of cord around the throwing end, hooked through the fingers for the throw, giving it spin and therefore spin stability, with accuracy out to max range of 80 meters [according to online sources]; but the javelin's pointed tip also needs to be axially symmetric, not just a short spear with any old tip)

Standard hunting knife: Probably always carried

Pauper Hood: (with just a hood he becomes a wretch that nobody wants to notice; not quite a stunt, but it's something he's done a lot his first year on the road)

Orc Roar: (throaty roar the Empire-descendants can't do; can be a momentary stun, or a useful animal-like ventriloquism type call, especially in the wilds)

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