-Ferek Frostbeard-

[_Indy 135]

*Credit to Alastorus for the format, really love it*

(Updating this purely for my own records, I shall update this as his story unfolds)

 

☷ General Information ☷

☷ Full Name ☷
 Ferek Frostbeard, Son of Garrond

ᚠᛖᚱᛖᚲ ᚠᚱᛟᛋᛏᛒᛖᚨᚱᛞ

☷ Age ☷
Born: 1506

Died: He ain't dead yet

☷ Race ☷
Mountain Dwarf

☷ Sex ☷
Male

 

☷ Kin ☷
Hamnil Frostbeard (Brother)

Verthaik Frostbeard (Second Cousin)

Garrond Frostbeard (Father)

Kerwyr Frostbeard (Great Uncle)

 

☷ Physical Information ☷

☷ Weight ☷
 210 lbs 

☷ Height ☷
 4’10”

☷ Build ☷
A stout dwed, broad shoulders and legs like barrels, he is surprisingly quick on his feet

☷ Hair ☷
None, Ferek prefers to shave his head. His beard is jet black, with some grey whiskers working their way into the mane

☷ Eyes ☷

Deep Blue, and growing deeper by the year

☷ Skin Tone ☷

Pale, but tanned from years of use and abuse

☷ Facial Features – Structure ☷

Ferek’s face is a testament to his years upon the world. Worn hard by a hundred winters, with war wounds to compliment it’s already leathery appearance, he’s not the prettiest dwed to lay eyes on.

☷ Scars – Body Marks ☷

Ferek’s left eye was clawed out during his trial of initiation with his clan, the Frostbeards. He wears a simple black leather eyepatch to conceal what is left of his eyesocket. A sizeable hole-like scar can be seen on Ferek's right arm, a rare sight however, since Ferek almost never disrobes to anything beyond his well-worn tunic.

☷ Clothing ☷

Ferek’s garb of choice is padded mail with black and brown leather, complimented by gauntlets and boots of plated steel. He wears his white bearskin cloak proudly on his shoulders, it’s pale sheen a visible distinction from his kin. He travels with a silvery steel axe on his hip, and a canteen on the back of his belt, the contents of which is unknown to most. He has also been seen to carry a thick leather tome on his person as well, the text residing inside a dark-stained leather rucksack he carries upon his back.


☷ Non-Physical Information ☷

☷ Character Strengths – Positive Traits ☷
 Hardy 

-Like his Frostbeard brethren, Ferek is well accustomed to enduring physical hardship. Shlepping equipment up a mountain through a zero-visibility blizzard is a manageable stress to Ferek-

 Confident 

-Ferek has experienced enough tribulations to know when he is right and when he is wrong. When he is right, his confidence is unwavering. When he is wrong, he is quick to correct himself-

 Good with an axe 

-Ferek's years of travel forced him to learn how to defend himself in the wilds of the world, much as the Frostbeard ancestors who came before him. Armed with an axe and shield, he has proven both in combat and in sparring that he can hold his own against most opponents. He is beginning to practice with accurately throwing his personal axe, Hefjhorlossk, and is accurate up to 10 meters-

 Loyal 

-As to be expected of any dwed worth their beard, Ferek's loyalty, once earned, can never be lost. It is his single greatest strength, and weakness-

 Inquisitive 

-Ferek is always seeking new knowledge to augment his understanding of the world. Be it alchemy, smithing, grammar, cartography, or even baking, Ferek is always hungry to learn-

 Open-Minded 

-Ferek has an affinity for new experiences, and is more willing than some of his fellow dwed to accept or explore new ideas-
 

 

☷ Character Weaknesses – Negative Traits ☷
Loyal 

-Ferek's undying loyalty, once pledged, has on occasion gotten him into a spot of trouble. One could argue that his pledge of loyalty to Verthaik is now what drives his self-imposed exile from the Kingdom of Urguan-

 Fear of Swimming 

-Ferek has harboured a deep fear of swimming since he was a beardling. Even well into his years, he resents any form of aquatic immersion (except for his yearly bath)-

 

 

 

☷ Loves ☷

-Books-

-Cake-

-Dark, musty ales-

 

☷ Likes ☷

-Travelling-

-Writing-

-Metalwork-

-Reading-

-Drinking-

-Being Outdoors-

-Bacon-

-Botany, is an avid flower collector-

 

☷ Dislikes ☷

-Oathbreakers-

-Oren-

-Vegetables-

-Swimming-

-Courtship/Courting, Ferek's seen too many people die and feels too emotionally numb for such a concept-

 

☷ Hates ☷

-Small Talk-


☷ Personal History ☷

 

 

☷ Humble Beginnings ☷

Ferek’s story does not start with his birth in 1506, it in fact begins much later than that. Ferek’s story begins in the year 1625, when he found his way to the city of New Jornheim. He had spent the past half a century wandering the world, collecting knowledge of alchemy, seeking wisdom in its practice. After his trial and earning his bearskin cloak, he set out on his grand adventure. But after years of diligent study, he desired to return to his clan, to his home. He came to New Jornheim and set about aiding in the administration of the city and it’s inhabitants. Ferek acted as an assistant to the Steward of New Jornheim, Edel Silvervein, before being made the official Steward of the town. King Verthaik came to Ferek before open hostilities with Urguan began and asked Ferek to assist in the Kingdom's intelligence gathering. Subterfuge came naturally to Ferek, as taking notes on flora and fauna was not so different from compiling dossiers of valued targets. The King received many reports and advisory studies from Ferek.

 

☷ Fall of Urguan ☷

When Clan Frostbeard, and Kaz’Ulrah as a whole, called it’s banners for their assault against Urguan, Ferek answered. On the field of battle, Ferek held his own and was able to effectively engage enemy infantry, earning several kills of his own. He was involved in several of the initial battles, leading reconnaissance parties and directing warriors to the best paths across the various battlefields. However, in an ambush, an enemy spearman managed to pierce Ferek's right arm with their polearm during a frenzied melee, leaving a sizable hole in the dwed's arm, forcing him to leave the battlefield for some time. In the end, Kaz’Ulrah was victorious. Ferek would spend the next decade continuing his study of alchemy, and would run a semi-successful medical practice in Jornheim. He would continue to assist his brother Hamnil with domestic affairs and administration of the city.

 

☷ The Long Walk ☷

A few decades after securing their kingdom, Ferek decided to travel the world, seeking this time to document the major events of the age. He was inspired by the events of the Fall of Urguan, and sought to document, with unbiased effort, the major events of the world. It was in 1665 when he left, and it was 1705 when he returned, but Ferek had no recollection of where he had been or what he had done. His memory seemed to have been altered by an outside force, one beyond his control. He sought to reconnect with his now far-strewn Frostbeard brothers, and to discern who or what had taken him in those years of wandering.

 

☷ Arcas ☷

When Ferek returned from his travels, he found that his brethren had been scattered to the winds, his once beloved kingdom brought low, and his place in the world completely in question. After contemplating the horrors of war that he was exposed to, Ferek realized that his own kind had forgone the paramount rule of the dwed: that kinslaying was the lowest act concievable. Realizing his error, Ferek swore to never take up arms against his own kind ever again. However, as Verthaik had never released him of his oath to the Kingdom of Kaz'Ulrah, he could not settle with his kin in the Kingdom of Urguan. Resigned to his self-imposed exile, Ferek proceeded to travel the world as a wandering scholar, studying the music, cartography, and alchemy of Arcas. He eventually settled in the town of Thalor, far to the Western-Wildlands, where he became a member of the town council. It was there that he again practiced his skills in combat defending the town from the occasional bandit raid, where he was wounded several times more in the proceeding melees. Eventually, the town of Thalor fell to squalor, abandoned to nature. Ferek continued to reside within the abandoned town, living as a hermit while he studied his accumulated books and tomes from his personal library. Barring the occasional bandit passing by, he was totally alone. With the impending doom of the invading demons and otherworldly horrors, Ferek packed his scant belongings and hopped aboard a ship bound for Almaris...

 

☷ Almaris ☷

...it was in Almaris where Ferek was able to put his wandering spirit to good use. He mapped and explored the Southern Deserts of Almaris, becoming intimately familiar with the rolling dunes and mountains of stone that dotted the land. His published reports of his findings earned him the attention of a fellow scholar, Dilvyn Dereval, who invited him to join his group, the Northern Geographic Society. Happy to have finally found a group he could belong to that involved neither state-craft, subterfuge, or kin-slaying, especially where he could practice the skills he enjoyed, Ferek joined the society at the first mention of an invitation. He initially spent his time with the NGS surveying the lands of Almaris and writing various reports on the fauna found within. After some time, he decided to finish his Encyclopedia of Dwarvern Language, a project he had begun almost a century ago but gave up on due to lack of motivation. The tome was published and well received within the Realm of Urguan, a copy of the First Edition sent to the High Remembrancer for the Library of Urguan. It was also during these early days of his time in Almaris that Ferek picked up his old yew mandolin, and began playing at taverns and inns throughout the human domains, namely Norland and Haense. As the years went on, Ferek was inducted into the Circle of the NGS (c. 14E2); a position of high regard. Ferek swore to uphold the expectations of his fellow explorers and continue his work for the organization. It was also during this period (~16E2) that Ferek would begin to be seen in frequently within the lands of Urguan. His thirst for knowledge and a thawing of his previously icy relations with the Grand Kingdom prompted his growing involvement in the realm.

 

In the late 20's to early 30's of the Second Age, Ferek would formally re-enter the Grand Kingdom of Urguan, joining his clan in the city of Kal'Darakaan. It would be there that he would begin authoring several books on dwed history and military literature, which sold with success, enough to finance his endeavors in the lands of Almaris.

 

However, as is part of his nature, Ferek felt the call of the wild. He grew restless in his abode within Rhewenholm, the comforts of the mountain no longer sated him. Thus, he packed his rucksack, grabbed his mandolin and Hefjhorlossk, and headed out to the wild edges of the world, seeking his next great adventure...

Edited September 16, 2022 by _Indy
Updated as of 20220916