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Kurotatsu is one of the original litter of Worg pups that eventually forms the pack in the campaign "Adventuresome Misadventures of Adventurous Worgs". ==Kurotatsu's Fluff== ====History/Backstory==== Kurotatsu was born fourth of a large litter of six worg pups. But he was born... different. Unlike his brothers and sisters, who were normal worg pups of various sorts, Kurotatsu came into this world with tiny black wings, and as his mother discovered later as she licked him clean, tiny black scales across his muzzle, head, shoulders and back. He was, as she told the rest of her pack, proof that an ancestor had a dalliance with a black dragon. Kurotatsu and his siblings were only a few weeks old and barely weaned, when his life changed forever. Seeking to defend her pups, his mother was struck down by the elven ranger, Kaegyn. The elven ranger apparently felt remorse for slaying the litter's mother and took them in himself, carefully raising them and trying to teach them right from wrong, as best as he could, while being exasperated by their sometimes confused outlook on life. Kurotatsu proved one of the easier ones to raise, besides an occasional bout of indigestion that resulted in him throwing up a gout of acid far stronger then normally resides in a worg's stomach. The first time he did this, Kaegyn had picked him up to carry him and the startled ranger had to dunk his arms in a nearby stream until the burning went away. Even his lycanthropic regeneration took a few hours to deal with the acid burns. As the pups grew, they drifted away from the pack a little, always remaining close, but seeking their own answers in life. Kurotatsu's own wanderings brought him into a region controlled by a goblin band, and Kurotatsu only narrowly escaped capture and enslavement as a mount for the warchief, who viewed Kurotatsu as a powerful 'demon-wolf' that would terrorize his enemies on the battlefield. Kurotatsu did leave him a parting gift... a large bite out of the chief's calf that stood a fair chance of crippling him. Kurotatsu then spent the next two months running from his goblin pursuers, carefully leading them further and further away from the range his pack and Kaegyn lived in. It was here that he encountered his first humans. Kaegyn had described humans to him before, of course, but the reality was startling. A bit naive, Kurotatsu tried to greet them in friendly fashion, wagging his tail to show his peaceful intentions. The poor farmers though that this demonic-looking worg was instead pleased to find a nice meal, and before Kurotatsu could get more then "Hi! How-" out of his mouth, they went running back to their village, screaming at the top of their lungs. The next few days were even more unpleasant then the last two months, as Kurotatsu was hunted by a small band of 'adventurers' from the town, as well as the goblin warband pursuing him. Finally, Kurotatsu managed to lead the two groups into each other, and darted through the ensuing melee, making off into the underbrush. By the time the survivors of which ever group won had regrouped, Kurotatsu was a long way away and still running. He made his way back home, confused and angry by the hostile reception he met from the supposedly goodly humans. His bitterness might have led him to acts of rage against humans except for a chance meeting. As he was passing by a human village, he came across an old human being menaced by a starving rogue wolf. In a foul humor from his previous troubles, and in no mood to circle around the clearing, Kurotatsu bulled through the brush and viciously set upon the wolf, savaging it while complaining between bites about everything that went wrong recently. Finally, the poor wolf put his tail between his legs and scurried for safety, while Kurotatsu panted for breath and watched with a wolfish grin. He then turned his attention to the old human, who was watching his curiously, but not fearfully. "So, feeling better?" the human asked casually, having caught a fair amount of Kurotatsu's complaints, delivered as they were in Common. Kurotatsu considered this carefully and then nodded. "Yes, actually. You're going to run away and scream for help now, aren't you?" "Should I?" the old man asked. "I don't think so, but the last humans did. Kaegyn said that we shouldn't bite humans except in self defense, not even if we're hungry." Kurotatsu said, repeating the lesson that Kaegyn had repeated over and over and over to them. "Or elves, dwarves, half-elves, gnomes, halflings or monkeys. Though we're still debating with him about the monkeys." The old man laughed "What a wise worg this Kaegyn is." he said. "Oh no, Kaegyn is an elf!... Usually." This piqued the old man's interest. "And elf? How unusual! And what do you mean by usually? Is he a druid?" Kurotatsu hesitated for a brief moment, and then said "He turns into a wolf." "Hm... a druid then. Odd, and on good terms with some of the worgs around here. But you! You're no ordinary worg, with those wings! Could I ask you a few questions?" "Um... sure, I guess..." "But not here! Come, I have a cabin nearby, and I'm sure I can find a bit of steak for you." "Is steak good to eat?" "It's very good to eat, my friend." And thus Kurotatsu met William Torvald, an old, retired mage who had settled out on the frontier where he could find the peace and quiet he craved to enjoy his books. His desire for peace and quiet was often thwarted by his raging curiosity about the world around him. He was startled to find Kurotatsu with his head sideways, reading patiently along one of his many bookcases, and stood quietly in the doorway and Kurotatsu delicately pulled a book out with one paw, caught it on his other, and carefully put it on the floor and opening it with a dreamy look in his eyes. "A worg that reads even! Well, that's no common thing." William said, putting a plate near Kurotatsu with a chunk of raw steak on it. Kurotatsu nosed the book aside and gravely sniffed the steak before eating quickly. Without a word to William he walked out of the cabin, leaving William baffled and disappointed. His disappointment disappeared when Kurotatsu came back an hour later with several rabbits, which he nosed towards William with grave formality. "In friendship." the worg stated simply, wagging his tail as William politely picked up the rabbits and immediately set about roasting one. "This searing of meat... is it a custom?" Kurotatsu asked curiously. "That might be the easiest way to explain it." William said, before eating the meal Kurotatsu caught him, and sealing their friendship. Kurotatsu spent several months with the old wizard, amazing his new friend with his understanding of the world around him - and his lack of understanding of human culture. Most of all, William was surprised and pleased at Kurotatsu's magical aptitude, and he felt that Kurotatsu might make a decent Sorcerer... if only his interests were less wide ranging. Kurotatsu seemed to want to know everything, to read everything, and all at once. William would find the worg sitting among a half-dozen open books, moving back and forth between them as the mood struck him. As it was, William managed to teach the Worg a few spells, some from descriptions in the books Kurotatsu read, and others by showing him that the effect could be achieved and then letting Kurotatsu figure out how to create the necessary gestures. He found that while humans had to wave their arms and hands (so silly, waving your forepaws!), he could creature the necessary gestures with his tail and ears and a shift of expression or two. As the season waned, Kurotatsu became more and more distracted, before finally closing his books and neatly shelving them. "I have been away from my pack for a long time, William, and I should go and see them. I hope to see you again soon, but I need to be with my pack once more." "Of course, my fine young friend, of course. Family should not be ignored. But you should not neglect your studies, young worg!" "I know, I'd like to keep reading, but I'm afraid that there's a distinct lack of book stores out in the woods." Kurotatsu said with a wolfish grin. "This is true, this is true... which is why you should carry a small library with you instead!" "Well, I might be able to carry a book in my mouth, but it'd get nicked and damp, and that wouldn't be good for it." "Oh, there are ways around that, for magic shall provide... indeed, it already has." Grinning slyly, William held out a backpack with a central strap in the middle and one near the top. "This is a variation of a handy haversack... very useful item! I doubt you'll carry much in the way of supplies, but you can certainly store plenty of books in here! Best of all, if you think of the book you want, it'll be right at the top when you reach inside. And.... well, it has a small library inside already! I've been finding some of your favorite books here and there, as well as a few that you haven't read already! Truth be told... neither have I, so once you're done... perhaps we can trade?" William said, and Kurotatsu jumped up at the old man, licking his face joyfully, both for the gift and the sacrifice William was making, for the old mage was loathe to let new knowledge slip away without being read first. William smiled, and didn't even mind that his face felt slightly sunburned when Kurotatsu was done licking. ''Optional//Dependent on starting wealth - start'' "In addition... well, you're a good friend, Kurotatsu, and the woods are dangerous out there, pack or no. I had a few pieces of armor that I never found a use for, and I worked with the smith in town to create armor for you. I even enchanted it to provide you more protection, as well as a rather handy feature for one like yourself, who lacks hands as such..." William said, bustling back into his storeroom and coming out with a stack of silvery metal plates, curved and with straps to hold them to someone's body. "Here, you say this..." William said, whispering the word into Kurotatsu's ear "And then you stand still and let the magic work! Give it a try, I've been dying to see if my enchantment works." Kurotatsu blinked at the plates curiously, but dutifully spoke the command word. He yipped in surprise as the plates floating into the air and towards him, but held still as his friend instructed. The armor quickly fit itself to him, bucklers closing themselves, laces tying themselves securely, and the armor shifting for the best fit. In a few minutes, Kurotatsu was wearing gleaming barding, and he turned around a few times to look at his side and flank in surprise. "It's mithril, actually, wonderful substance, Kaegyn should recognize it, elves simply love mithril... light, strong, durable, it should protect you well, my friend." This time, William went down under Kurotatsu's ecstatic nuzzling. ''Optional//Dependent on starting wealth - end'' Kurotatsu left William and returned to the forest, finding his way back to his pack's range and reuniting with his siblings - and a pair of new arrivals. The reunion left the pack overjoyed, and in the celebration, Howler got Kurotatsu to sing with him and they discovered that Kurotatsu had a decent singing voice - not as good as Howler, but a decent accompaniment. Howler's been trying to talk Kurotatsu into forming a band with him ever since, but Kurotatsu hasn't devoted much of his time to singing yet, preferring to read the new books William found for him. ==Kurotatsu's Crunch== '''Kurotatsu ECL6''' Male Worg Bard 1 NG Medium Magical Beast '''Init''' +5; '''Senses''' Darkvision 60ft., low-light vision, scent; Listen +9, Spot +9 '''Languages''' Worg, Common, Elven, Draconic ---- '''AC''' 17, touch 15, flat-footed 12 (+5 Dex, +2 natural) '''HP''' 40 (5 HD) '''Fort''' +6, '''Ref''' +10, '''Will''' +4 ---- '''Speed''' 50ft. (10 squares) '''Melee''' Bite +8 (1d6+6) '''Base Attack''' +4, '''Grapple''' +8 '''Attack Options''' Trip ---- '''Abilities''' '''Str''' 18, '''Dex''' 20, '''Con''' 15, '''Int''' 14, '''Wis''' 12, '''Cha''' 14 '''SQ''' Bardic Knowledge '''Feats''' Alertness, Combat Expertise '''Skills''' Diplomacy +3, Hide +13, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Listen +9 Move Silently +13, Perform (singing) +3, Spellcraft +3, Spot +9 Survival +8, Swim +6 ---- Spells Known: 4 (0th level: Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Detect Magic, Know Direction) Spells per day: 2 *Trip (Ex) A worg that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip the opponent (+3 check modifier) as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the worg. *Skills A worg has a +1 racial bonus on Listen, Move Silently, and Spot checks, and a +2 racial bonus on Hide checks. *A worg has a +4 racial bonus on Survival checks when tracking by scent. *Wyrm Blooded [Trait] One of your ancestors was a half-black dragon. You have some sort of distinctively draconic feature, be it reptilian eyes, scales on the backs of your hands, or tiny vestigial horns on your head. *Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus on all saving throws against acid effects, a +2 bonus on Swim checks, and a +1 bonus on Listen and Spot checks. *Drawback: Your body isn’t quite as limber as it should be. You take a –1 penalty on Reflex saves. *Special: This trait is intended for use in the Shackled City Adventure Path. It may still be available in other campaigns, however; check with the DM. [[category:Adventuresome Worgs]]
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