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Jurak the Tracker; man of the woodlands
(c) copyright 2000 Brandon Cope
Total Points: 50.5 Points
Age about 50; 5'7"; 150 pounds; a grizzled middle-aged man
in worn leather armor, with shaggy black hair, brown eyes,
and weathered and tanned skin.
ST 10 [-] - thrust 1d-2, swing 1d
DX 11 [10] - basic speed 5.5, move 5, dodge 5
IQ 11 [10]
HT 11 [10]
WL 11 [-]
ADVANTAGES: Absolute Direction [5]; Absolute Timing
[5].
DISADVANTAGES: Duty (tracking for the local lord, 9-)
[-5]; Enemy (local Elfin nation, 6-) [-10];
Intolerance (Elves) [-10]; Loner [-5].
QUIRKS: Dislikes cities; Likes to tell people how great
nature is. [-2]
SKILLS: Area Knowledge (Lord's lands)-15 [8];
Camouflage-11 [1]; Climbing-10 [1];
Cooking-10 [.5]; Crossbow-12 [2]; Fishing-10
[.5]; Leatherworking-10 [.5]; Naturalist-14
[10]; Survival (Woodlands)-11* [0];
Tracking-18 [16]; Traps/TL3-11 [2]; Weather
Sense/TL3-12** [1].
*default from Naturalist
**low-TL Meteorology (p.B61), includes +2 for
home area
LANGUAGES: Anglish (native)-11 [0].
EQUIPMENT
When working or in the field, Jurak is always equipped with
a large knife (1d-2 cut, 1d-2 imp), a ST 10 crossbow (1d+2
imp) with a quiver of 20 bolts, a heavy leather vest and
boots (PD 2, DR 2), light leather leggings, arm guards and
gloves (PD 1, DR 1), a 60-foot length of rope, a bedroll, a
backpack, personal basics, a waterskin and dried rations
enough for three days.
BIOGRAPHY
Jurak was born the illegitimate son of a local trapper and
young, impressionable townsgirl. During his childhood, his
father had little to do with him, and he only got to know
the man after his mother died prematurely during an outbreak
of "the cough" in his ninth year. He moved in with his
father, into a small shack out past the furthest farm from
the center of town. Living with his father was not easy; the
old man was a sharp-tongued curmudgeon who lived an austere
life, and young Jurak found himself immersed in the severe
and intolerant culture of the hill-folk... He was trained in
the ways of the wilderness, and showed an affinity for
tracking. His father taught him the art, as well as the
basics of living off the land.
During the years that followed, Jurak spent more nights
under the stars than he did under a roof. He and his father
often spent weeks at a time in the bush and without
venturing into a town, stopping only briefly at the
scattered trading posts and merchant way-stations across the
region. Spending as much time as he did in the wilds between
settlements and towns, it was only natural that Jurak
eventually became something of a loner, ultimately becoming
uncomfortable around large groups of people.
When Jurak was in his late teens, a group of local Elves
caught his father setting traps on the edge of their lands,
and executed him on the spot. Jurak has never forgotten
this, and his hatred of Elves has grown strong over the
years. He has even taken potshots at Elves who encroach on
what he perceives as "his" territory, and is reputed to have
actually killed a handful. ("Fair is fair," he would likely
say with a simple shrug of his shoulders.)
ENCOUNTERED
Currently, Jurak operates in the hilled woodlands around the
village he was born in, usually travelling no more than
fifty miles from it. He still lives in the same ramshackle
hut his father built a couple of miles to the north of town.
Travellers aren't unwelcome in his home, but he doesn't
greet people warmly either. He is polite but cautious, and
is most likely to come off as a reclusive crank. If the
conversation turns to Elves, however, a distinctly darker
side of Jurak will become evident...
He knows the land exceptionally well, and hires himself out
as a guide for $20 per day. Since the region is often
crossed by escaped prisoners and fugitives, he periodically
assists the local lord's constables in hunting them down.
However, if the criminal is an Elf - or the people he is
guiding plan to kill Elves - his services are provided at no
fee.
CANONICALITY
Jurak is fully compatible with the standard GURPS rules.
WHAT IF?
Jurak works well in just about any other setting with a
wilderness. For example, change 'Elves' to 'Indians' and his
crossbow skill to Guns (Rifle) and he fits quite easily in
an Old West setting. In other fantasy games, Orcs or Goblins
could be substituted for Elves. In a somewhat darker, more
modern game, he could be an old codger in rural Appalachia,
intolerant of any number of other ethnicities, cultures or
appearances.
ADVENTURE SEEDS
Gold in Them Thar Hills: The party gets their hands on an
old map, which reveals the location of a treasure stolen by
bandits over two hundred years ago. Attempting to travel
light, the bandits apparently hid the loot in a ruined
temple with the intention of going back for it later.
However, the gang was caught and its members executed;
attempts were made to recover the treasure, but no one could
locate the temple. Eventually, it was forgotten. But now the
PCs have found out about it. As it happens, the temple is
just inside the border of the closest Elfin territory. Jurak
has been to the temple several times, but not since the
Elves have expanded their boundaries. He would be more that
willing to guide the party, and without his help, the PCs
are likely to get very lost (or worse, stumble into the
realm of the Elves and executed as trespassers or
spies).
- written by Brandon Cope (copeab@hotmail.com)
- editting/additional material by andi jones
(andi@angelwerks.com)
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