Player Character Morgue: Dagklar Greysteel

[Continuing this feature from September 2007! Dagklar was my last great PC in one of my old friend Tom's campaigns. Tom would make elaborate, home-brewed worlds, but was a bit of a killer DM and...well, you can scroll down to the list of PCs in our party and see how few survived this campaign!

Dagklar's defining moment was early in the campaign when the Guardians were supposed to use a password to get past the elves guarding a mountain pass. Not one of us could remember the password Tom had told us to use! So, instead of hemming and hawing, Dagklar goes "Enough talk!" and draws his sword. We all died in that fight, but Tom called a do-over so the campaign would not end on a TPK (Total Party Kill). I lost Dagklar to the 2nd-in-command villain of the campaign, an evil fighter/wizard who's name escapes me. Dagklar challenged him to one-on-one combat and lost due to the bad combination of a low Armor Class on the bad guy and bad dice rolls from me. But even though Tom said Dagklar was dead, I couldn't accept it. I claimed that Dagklar had ascended to demi-godhood in his campaign setting and one of the other players, Ronny, even had his new character worship Dagklar! But I wasn't done there. Later, in my own South Province campaign, I had some of the players transported via a curse to a demi-plane where many of my old, presumedly dead PCs from Tom's campaigns were still alive but prisoners! Dagklar escaped from there into the World of Greyhawk and was briefly played as a Player Character by someone else sitting in on that campaign. But, below is Dagklar from before his resurrection, followed by my notes from Tom's old campaign. Enjoy!]

Name: Dagklar Greysteel
Class: Fighter (Hero)
Race: Half-Orc
Gender: Male
Level: 4
Experience Points: 13,241

Strength: 18/48
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 11
Dexterity: 11
Constitution: 13
Charisma: 10

Hit Points: 33
Armor Class: 1 (or 3)
Move: 9”
Encumbrance: 69.8 lbs.

Alignment: Neutral Good
Patron Deity: Nuada
Social Class: Lower Upper Class
Age: 15
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 180 lbs.

Special Abilities: Bastard sword specialist, infravision (60’), sweep attacks vs. 0 level targets, +1 to all saves.
Weapon Proficiencies: Bastard sword, short bow, quarterstaff
Non-Weapon Proficiencies: Reading/writing Common, swimming
Languages: Orcish, Human, Ogrish, Dwarven

Money: 15 cp, 17 sp, 11 ep, 26 gp, 17 pp (owed town council 346 gp)
Items: Helm, great; dagger & scabbard; handaxe & hanger; quarterstaff; belt; boots, soft, low; girdle; gauntlets, chainmail; backpack – holds flint and steel, hand spade, 50’ of hemp rope, 2 waterskins, dice cup with 6 dice); grappling hook, 2 torches (on or hanging from pack); beltpouch, small – holds 1 flask of lamp oil, 10 sticks of charcoal, 10 sticks of chalk, wooden comb & brush; large sack –5 days of iron rations, bedroll, small tent; fullcloth; quiver – holds spare tunic and hose.
Magic items: Splintmail Armor +1, Shield +1 (medium); “Gleam, the Sword of Truth” Bastard Sword +3 Defender (Ego 8); Potion of Healing.

Background: Nagdalar Greysteel was once a mere soldier in the orc army of Dgrobxk, but rose quickly to knighthood. A grateful orcish lord granted him a large landholding. Sir Greysteel may have been a ruthless warrior, but he proved to be a just ruler. It was on Lord Greysteel’s land that a daring human caravan came from Patr. Among them was a human, female merchant named Kallendra. Nagdalar was immediately smitten with Kallendra and in time she came to respect and then love the fierce-looking orcish lord. The love proved real and they were wed by orc law. Dagklar was the product of their union, but not long after his birth Nagdalar received word that his king was distressed by his marriage. Kallendra was told she had to return to her homeland, but the king said nothing about young Dagklar. Nagdalar bade his wife take the child to remind her of him.

Kallendra and Dagklar retired to a comfortable manorhouse in human-controlled lands. For seven years this continued, with Kallendra and Nagdalar keeping in touch via letters, until Nagdalar expressed a desire to see his son again. Dagklar was returned to his father where he would remain for the next seven years of his life. By the end of that time, Dagklar had become a man. He learned the ways of his father, training in warcraft from Nagdalar himself. Upon reaching 14, however, Dagklar wished to set out on his own and seek fame and fortune in his mother’s lands. His father gave him a generous gift of armor and weapons.

Dagklar’s travels took him south. He made a living for awhile doing guard duty, but longed for a life of adventure. He wished to do heroic deeds that would live long after him, since he knew half-orcs did not tend to live long lives. With mortality weighing on his mind, he regretted so late a start and knew that sticking to small hamlets in the middle of nowhere was no place to start on heroic deeds. But then he came to the hamlet of Autumn Grove, and…

Adventuring Party: The Guardians of the Gate
Guardians of the Gate Role Call:
Sir Ethan, cavalier (dead)
Galen Outback, ranger (dead)
Brother Kord, monk (dead)
Lucutus, elf magic-user/thief (dead)
Grugnor, dwarf cleric
Varoush, dragonman magic-user
Stegor, half-orc fighter (dead)
Lotthar, Halfling thief (dead)
Levar, elf fighter

Campaign Time: Dagklar died on the 17th day of the Month of the Goat (July), 449 Merchant Year.