Character Creation

The tenuous backstory I've developed for my gnome rogue is that he grew up an urchin in a big city, one of many thanks to any number of reasons: war, disease, famine, or bad deals with straw-spinning fey. He joined a gang of youths in similar circumstances and together they sustained themselves with petty crimes until they crossed the local thieves' guild. Kobbenkirk and his gang were pressed into service, running moonshine and other liquors for the guild to avoid the tax collectors, and through these means did the young gnome develop a taste for the good stuff; the stuff that'd put hair on your eyes and bite the tail that wags ya.

Knobbenkirk (or Knobby to some, The Knob to others) did his job and did it well, but he never quite amounted to much within the guild itself. He never got the recognition, the promotion, nor the all-important fair cut of the take. Knobby didn't mind, though; he skimmed his own profits from the top of the fermenting tubs and the jugs scheduled for delivery.

The dubious concoctions of alcohol and exotic ingredients did something to his mind, unlocking something in his ancestry and manifesting a latent magic that flowed through his liver. Knobbenkirk found some arcane formulas "from some old dude that didn't want them anymore" and practiced a few spells to help his work. The job of running spirits came easier to him with magical help, and so did the ability to level off the contents of sealed and unopened merchandise.

One day, for whatever reason, Knobbenkirk soon found himself running a new product: himself. He isn't sure if the guild is angry about his sampling of the wares, and it can't be that large sloshy jug he found on a dusty shelf in the guildmaster's office that he claimed as his own. The gnome is sure he could remember why he's no longer with the guild, if he's provided with enough liquid memory, but... now's probably not the right time for that.

Erias Trollsbane comes from a proud family of artisans and metal workers. He grew up in a cordillera of the Bastion Mountains, an acclaimed impregnable dwarven fortress built to repel troll attacks and withstand the blight.

Erias didn’t spend most of his time with his family. He was much more connected to the spirits of nature and felt at home in the hills and valleys at the base of the mountain, so he left the safety and security of the Bastion Mountains despite his family’s behest.

When the trolls slaughtered his family and the Keep was tainted by the blight, Erias vowed vengeance on the trolls. He committed himself to stopping the spread of the blight and live up to his family’s namesake.

Gulthrum grew up in a small tribe well into the remote wilderness. The tribe had few prospects for raiding, so the group maintained herds of boar and sow as their primary food source. Often the tribe would sit around the communal bonfire at the center of the tribe hovel and argue about whether or not they should move, find places closer to humanfolk that can be raided and sacraficed to Kartathok. The elders were mixed tho, so no change was ever made, but most arguments ended with an extra boar or two being blood-letted for the god to drink.

The troll-blight was minimal in those days, but always present. Gulthrum recalls only a single colorless patch on a hillside, presumably a troll's lair. Then years later, on her feast day when she turned 8 and was ready to grow fat with younglings in her belly, the herd tenders came back from the field with panicked news. The glade the herd had over-nighted in had become desaturated and gray, troll-blighted. Every last boar and sow and squealing was stricken with the blight too.

The tribe moved then, Kartathok's displeasure with them clear - no longer should they grow fat on meat not paid for with tooth and claw. As they traveled tho, each morning they would find the troll-blight had spread and threatened to overtake them. Weeks they traveled, changing directions and never sure what way was best. Eventually the tribe found themselves lost and surrounded by blighted land, devoid of color. Petrified and poisoned.

They began to die then. Gulthrum had become separated from the group, walking in a daze of exhaustion and thirst. In her desperation, she drank from a pond and succumbed to the poison.

A creature from the fey appeared over her, a walking tree riddled with termites, fungus, and rot, buzzing with flies. The blight had severed much of the creature's bond with the land and it's cycle of life and death. Gulthrum made a deal with the creature - part of the creature's essence to halt the poison within her. In turn, she would remove the blight from all lands.

Backstory so far:

Brunhilde is a stone mason and a smith and is the leader of her small family due to an incident that lead to most of the families leadership dying and the family falling out of favour with the clan. She’s brought her small group here to try and rebuild their fortunes by trading her services as a mason and to eventually raise an army.....her sights are definitely set on righting some perceived slights

Will flesh this out more over the next few days

Rava is the son of an elven warden from the forests near to Gravesford. Knighted in his own right and given to protect the land and its denizens, he has trained for decades to combat the threat from giants of all varieties, including the current Troll menace. While the blight itself is a new thing, trolls are not unknown to the Enclave. As part of his knighthood, he has agreed to a human generation of service to Gravesford, providing protection and such. He's six or seven years into this tour of duty, during which he met the other PCs in various capacities. Along with him are three family retainers:
Evelyn Macaree - half elf messenger. Daughter of a family friend spending time with me learning the ways of the world;
Stellythra Erenaeth - elven majordomo, younger cousin to Ravathyra. Runs my "home" when I am gone;
Duergan Hammersmeet - dwarven weaponsmith and armorer. Has learned leathercraft alongside more traditional blacksmithing to ensure my equipment is in working order before every mission.

When the troll blight began, he agreed to extend his duty to Gravesford for "free" for the duration of the work needed.

Brunhilde hails from the Stone Hall, a Dwarven settlement in the hills to the south of Gravesford. Known for her martial abilities she lead the families mercenary efforts leading her to frequently be away from home. It was on one of this excursions when she received word that Stone Hall had fallen to the Troll Blight and most of her family had been lost too (so she believes). She along with her two children have returned to Gravesford to see what can be done to tackle the Troll Blight, she left the remainder of her mercenary company in the field both to ensure the family continues on (her younger brother is one of the captains) and to hopefully gain alliances further afield for more assistance. Her current aims are to rebuild the families fortunes as much as possible here in Gravesford and to establish a permanent base before she musters what forces she can to take the fight to the Blight. She is sure of one thing, Stone Hall will rise again

Now she is the head of the family Brunhilde has adopted the family name (Rokingham), the other remaining family members keep their names reflecting their parentage.

Gauk Raknirson - Brunhilde's younger brother. Currently in command of their mercenary company in Brunhilde's absence.
Alvar Brunhildeson - Brunhilde's son, younger than Tovi.
Tovi Brunhildedottir - Brunhilde's daughter. A serious young dwarven woman who is very conscious of the weight of responsibiity sitting on her as he mothers heir.

Will add some more details around the extended family but as far as Brunhilde knew they were all killed when Stone Hall fell.

In my head, I'm now thinking of Knobbenkirk as mostly homeless. Towards that end I'd like to switch his attributes around by moving STR to CHA, CHA to CON, and CON to STR; making them STR 10, DEX 18, CON 13, INT 16, WIS 12, CHA 8.