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COTW's second character this week, in support of the recent
re-print of "GURPS Celtic Myth", is a background villain
from the days of ancient Ireland.
Eremon; Fomorian blacksmith
(c) copyright 2001 Brandon Cope
Total Points: 502 Points
Age unknown; 6'7"; 240 pounds; when not disguised by magic,
Eremon appears as a hulking brute with stringy, dark hair
hanging down to his shoulders, and a thick beard. His eyes
are a cloudy blue colour, and his eyes are uneven - the left
is a half-inch too high, and the right is a half-inch too
low, though neither impairs his vision. His hands are also
noticeably large, thickly covered with calluses.
ST 15 [30] - thrust 1d+1, swing 2d+1
DX 13 [10] - basic speed 6.5, move 6, dodge 6
IQ 12 [-]
HT 13 [10] - hit points 19
WL 12 [-]
ADVANTAGES: Bellows Breath [25]; Dark Vision
[25]; Extra Hit Points +6 [30]; Gills
[10]; Literacy (Ogham) [5]; Recovery
[10]; Speak with Fish [10].
DISADVANTAGES: Bad Luck [-15]; Intolerance (Racial)
[-10]; Jealousy [-15].
QUIRKS: Grunts songs - rather than singing them - while at
work at his forge; Hates to eat fish. [-2]
SKILLS: Area Knowledge (Northwestern Eriu)-13 [2];
Armoury/TL2 (Swords)-25 [28]; Blacksmith/TL2-25
[28]; Broadsword-15 [8]; Climbing-15
[1]; Consonant Tree Lore-12 [4]; Cooking-12
[1]; First Aid/TL2-13 [2]; Hiking-13
[2]; Knife-15 [4]; Running-12 [2];
Survival (Island/Coastal)-12 [2]; Swimming-14
[2]; Teaching-12 [2]; Vowel Tree Lore-12
[4].
LANGUAGES: Fomori (native)-12 [0].
GRIMOIRE (all include +2 for Magery): Accuracy-12
[1]; Apportation-12 [1]; Beast Soother-12
[1]; Beast Summoning-12 [1]; Celtic
Shapeshifting-12 [1]; Earth to Stone-12 [1];
Enchant-12 [1]; Fortify-12 [1]; Great
Shapeshifting-12 [1]; Heat-12 [1]; Ignite
Fire-12 [1]; Illusion Disguise-12 [1];
Illusion Shell-12 [1]; Iron Arm-12 [1];
Levitation-12 [1]; Odor-12 [1]; Phantom
Flame-12 [1]; Puissance-12 [1]; Rejoin-12
[1]; Repair-12 [1]; Restore-12 [1];
Seek Earth-12 [1]; Shape Earth-12 [1]; Shape
Fire-12 [1]; Shape Stone-12 [1]; Shape
Water-12 [1]; Shield-12 [1]; Simple
Illusion-12 [1]; Slow Fall-12 [1]; Sound-12
[1]; Stone to Earth-12 [1]; Voices-12
[1].
RACIAL PACKAGE: Fomor (255 points) Fomor have ST+2
[20], DX +2 [20], IQ +2 [20] and HT
+2 [20]. They have the racial advantages Charisma +1
[5], Feth Fiada [35], Fomorian Blood x5
[50], Magery 2 [25], Monstrosity
[30], Unageing [15], and Wild Mana Generator
[50]. They have the racial disadvantages Appearance
(Hideous) [-20], and Capricious [-15].
EQUIPMENT
Aside from his trade goods, Eremon carries little with him.
He wears his blacksmith's work clothes almost continuously
and keeps his broadsword handy (base 2d+3 cut, 1d+3 cr,
treat as a Willful Weapon - see p.CM70, or Pyramid #14 -
with powers appropriate to the GM's campaign).
BIOGRAPHY
The third son of one of Balor's harpers, with both of his
brothers as noted warriors, Eremon realized early on that he
would have to do something different to distinguish himself.
So he chose to become a blacksmith. Like most Fomorians, he
had an innate ability to perform magic, but chose to put
more effort into learning the art of crafting weapons,
rather than enchanting them. He soon gained a small
reputation as a fine swordsmith and took great pride in
providing weapons to his brothers.
He took little notice of the coming of the Children of Danu
to Eriu - after all, the Children of Domnu had seen several
races come and go - but he later wished he had. Instead, he
spent his time fashioning weapons in his undersea forge a
few miles off the eastern coast of Uliad. As a result,
Eremon was taken by surprise when the Tuatha de Danaan
revolted against the Fomor. He quickly packed up the
weaponry he had spent years forging, but it was not nearly
enough.
At the second battle of Moytura, both his brothers were
slain (one dying when Balor's venomous eye was dislodged).
Eremon got separated form the other Fomors and fled to the
northwest, losing most of the weapons he had created.
Fortunately, his pursuers gave up after several days and
went after other Fomor who were counter-attacking. When
Eremon reached the northern coast of Connachta, he learned
that his father had been one of those killed when Lugh, the
Dagda and Omga invaded Bress' underwater palace to retrieve
the Dagda's harp.
Eremon headed west, along the cost, until he ran into a
pitiful band of Fir Bolgs in hiding. Rather than kill them
(as he easily could have done), he built a forge in a cave
overlooking the sea and began making weapons. They weren't
as good as what he had crafted for his Fomorian brethren,
but they were superior to anything these Fir Bolg possessed.
After several weeks, he had equipped all their warriors and
trained them in the proper use of a sword. He used them to
raid the Children of Danu for many years, without much
success. Then came the Milesians, and most of the Tuathans
were driven out of Eriu. But that was not enough...
By then, nearly two millennia had passed since his people
had been forced out. Eremon hated everything that was not
Fomorian and began to trade with both the Fir Bolgs (what
few were left) and the Milesians (obviously, he could not
trade with the Sidhe), equipping them both to fight each
other as well as the Sidhe. Which is just the way he wants
it.
ENCOUNTERED
Eremon will usually be found trading in a dun (or the road)
within a day or two of his cave on the northern coast of
Connachta, which he dislikes leaving for extended periods.
He carries a finely crafted blunt broadsword of his own
creation.
CANONICALITY
Eremon is designed using the standard rules in the Basic Set
and Celtic Myth. GMs who would like to use him in a normal
fantasy setting should note that spell prerequisites are
often different in Celtic Myth and that the Wild Mana
Generator advantage can be very unbalancing outside of a
high-mana setting with powerful heroes and druids to counter
it.
Also, note that his racial package is the same as that for
the Sidhe (p.CM70), except that his Appearance is Hideous
instead of Handsome, as well as Monstrosity (see
p.CM65).
WHAT IF?
Although designed for mythic Ireland, Eremon can - with some
tweaking - be changed to other settings. He would be much
the same during the time of the Tain Bo Cuailgne, though
getting rather old. (The Fomor, like the Sidhe, are not
truly immortal.) Unless suspended in time somehow, he would
be unlikely to appear in the latter adventures (such as
those of Finn Mac Cool, or even King Arthur). Another option
is that he could be the descendant of such a survivor of
Moytura - however, he would likely no longer be a
pure-blooded Fomor.
Supers/Horror: If the GM chooses to go with some form of
suspended animation, however, there is no reason Eremon
could not appear today, in a modern Horror or Supers
campaign. Perhaps he works as a gunsmith for the IRA,
transforming their mundane guns into enchanted weapons (or
even willful weapons!). He would not be supporting the
Catholics over the Protestants - if he can make both equal
in power, it is more likely they will both weaken themselves
to the point where any other Fomor that are left (which may
be a very small number) can retake Ireland. This could prove
interesting if any of the PCs (secretly) have at least some
Sidhe blood.
ADVENTURE IDEAS
Aside from the ideas above, for adventures set shortly after
the Milesian invasion, the PCs may learn of many weapons of
an unusual design being found in the hands of primitives in
northern Connachta. If they investigate further - perhaps
questioning some prisoners - they will hear talk of "an
ancient giant in a cave who breathes our weapons to life".
Unless the party is especially powerful, it is unlikely that
Eremon will be defeated in their first encounter; quite
possibly, the PCs have just gained a 500-point,
2000-year-old Fomor as an Enemy.
- written by Brandon Cope (copeab@yahoo.com)
- editted and formatted by andi jones
(andi@angelwerks.com)
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