Marching to a different Drum

[Drumheller]

"The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.
Today and tomorrow are yet to be said.
The chances, the changes are all yours to make.
The mold of your life is in your hands to break.


The greatest adventure is there if you're bold.
Let go of the moment that life makes you hold.
To measure the meaning can make you delay;
It's time you stop thinkin' and wasting the day.
The man who's a dreamer and never takes leave
Who thinks of a world that is just make-believe
Will never know passion, will never know pain.
Who sits by the window will one day see rain.


The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.
Today and tomorrow are yet to be said.
The chances, the changes are all yours to make.
The mold of your life is in your hands to break.”( Glenn Yarbrough)

[Drumheller]

Name: Drumheller Ironfist of Clan Ironfist
age:[//b] 12
[b]Sex:Male
Race: Half-Orc
Hair: Auburn with copper highlights
height & weight: five feet and eleven inches and growing 153 lbs.
Armor Iron half-helm, with studded leather vail, with the rest also being studded leather.
Weapons: Single-edged black iron long knife, black iron hammerax, and ceramic sheethed composite long bow.

[Drumheller]

Description

She heard him before she saw him, the faint slide step that was his normal stride, being quiet enough that only one with better than average hearing would have detected. She knew that he knew that she was there. He could no doubt smell her before he opened the door to a room that made a monk’s sell seem large. Her gaze once again was greeted with the distinctive features that were part and parcel of the half-orc named Drumheller, when he opened the chamber’s door and strolled in and placed his pack on a shelf and turned to put his hands on the back of the room’s lone chair. These distinctive elements were: First, the packs were travel hardened, having seen plenty of wear, but still in excellent condition. The quiver's utilitarian aspect, in stark contrast to many she’d seen, declared the seriousness of the owner to the art of archery more than any award or medal could. The pack was done up ranger fashion, the bed roll down tight, but well clear of the straps to the top flap. You could still easily remove the pack’s contents, while leaving the bedroll where it was. A canteen was strapped to the left side, right underneath a small metal case; a small shovel being strapped to the right. Second, there were the clothes; the hand that was resting on the back of the chair was clad in a leather glove, with tightly packed metal studs, which would protect its wearer from minor injuries. The index and middle fingers had the leather of the glove removed, and were replaced by coverings made of silk. That was common among highly practiced bowmen, as it made it easier for them to shoot their weapons more precisely and with greater rapidity. A tanned brown water proofer was thrown over a simple tunic, the leaf green coloration of which was only noticeable, as the sleeves of the water proofer were removed. This outer garment seemed a bit too large for the lad, as it ended at his knees. Studded leather trousers were the same coloration as the water proofer and covered with the same canvas material, with more than enough pockets to store all a healer’s paraphernalia and still have pockets to spare. The oak brown boots he wore, designed to grant good purchase on differing turf no matter the weather, looked like they had been custom fitted. That was an expense most did without, to their detriment often enough. Two bandoleers of pouches crisscrossed his tightly muscled chest and stomach, nestling snugly against a belt with more pouches. A single edged long knife almost as long as a short sword and almost as thick as an ax hung from that belt in a straight draw seats. A bow was hooked upon his back, along with a two handed hammerax, each of which could be removed without disturbing ax or bow or quiver. A studded leather vail covered his face, save his eyes and a patch of oakish colored skin around them. A dented and scorched mark half-helm made of simple iron sat atop his head, which like the iron studs, were painted to better serve as camouflage.

[Drumheller]

He was of a decent height for his age; he was already as tall as some men and he was far from finishing his growth. He had just started to begin filling out too, which was good. He had been too gaunt as a youth, which made it easier for other orclings to beat him bloody. He never complained about that either, but then again she’d never heard him complain about much of anything. There was something wrong about his eyes, she mused, not for the first time. She had noticed it the first time she saw him, and she noted it now. They were a brilliant indigo. A purplish blue that would make any gem envy. They shone like gems, like all the light in the room, and there weren’t much, were captured, amplified, and reflected in the half-breed’s orbs. At times they were like this, while at others they were like a jar of purple ink that someone left outside all night in the middle of winter and that had frozen solid. There was something almost crystalline about them at those times. Still at others the purple seemed to leak into some unknown place and all that were left there was the light blue of dirty snow. That look had truly made her anxious, for it, of all his looks, was the one that was most unreadable. There was more too, perhaps the most important of which was the lack of emotion that was always there. When she looked into his eyes all she saw was dead, lifeless, soulless intent. Orcs were nearly always easy to read, either as a consequence of an overabundance of facial muscles, or as a result of poor emotive control, she couldn’t say. Still she had prided herself on her ability to always read other beings, her job, no; her life often depended on it. Still looking at this one right that moment she might have been looking at a corpse. It worried her. The sudden realization that all the affect displayed before, the smile that never reached his eyes, the rich vocal inflections, were all a mask that covered the lifelessness that he carried around somewhere deep inside. The only feelings, the only true ones that Drumheller had displayed, and naturally felt, were a deep abiding sense of obligation and an even deeper abiding sense of shame. She didn’t understand either, and she didn’t think she ever would. What was more she had been charged with making sure that the breaking - no, the attempted breaking, as nothing that Gothmog and Curznack could have devised would have broken this one, did not turn fatal. The fact that he never begged them to stop, the fact that he never even screamed, hadn’t made matters easier for her or him. She was an Erinyes, she shouldn’t be feeling this way, she shouldn’t be showing any concern for this lad, but she was. It came to her then, as sudden as a flash of lightening. The eyes were of the aged that had thought too much and seen more still. Of a wise sage that had spent hours meditating on weighty subjects and had not liked the conclusions reached.

They didn’t belong.

No lad his age should have those kinds of eyes, surrounded by thought wrinkles and worry lines and crow’s feet to make him look to be five and fifty, instead of his actual age of two and ten. Still with the vail up she could not see his face. She had seen it oft enough to know what was there, both before and after the fire. The fire that had been magically started… the fire that had been magically instigated by an incubus…. The fire purposefully initiated by her half-brother… The fire made of shadow that would have claimed her life, if this half-orc hadn’t intervened. She owed him, and she knew it, and she was the kind of devil that paid her debts. “To what do I owe the honor of your presence Mistress Calimar?” With that he removed the vail and the contrast between the loveliness of his utterance and the grotesqueness of his visage was made evident. At first glance one would undoubtedly, more than likely emphatically, declare the half-breed as most repugnant. The broad nose – that had been broken both vigorously and with rapidity – combining with his squarish jaw to give him a hastily finished look, but none of that held a candle to the other facial adornments. As for what exactly would serve as the strongest points for such a conclusion, as to what facets to his spoiled aspects would capture the eye first, she could not begin to hazard a guess. For her it was his skin that riveted her attention more than anything else – the fingernail wide fissures that coursed their way from mid cheek to chin, as deep and shadowed as canyon beds between towering mountains. There were plenty of smaller spider web cracks, but it was the facial crevasses that she noted first. There was new skin beneath she knew, but the light never seemed to show this. The entire skin from the bottom of his nose to his upper neck was one darkened blackened mess, like bacon that had been so long left in a pan that it had begun to curl and come apart under the heat – everything else was secondary: the pocked marks that marched from his right chin to ear, caused by the board and nails that had struck him carrying her out; the troll claw marks that adorned his left cheek and chin; the bit of missing right ear where some orc had bitten part off in the “Bracketing Pins”; The long old wound that nearly circled his entire head just beneath his hair line. All these scars were noted each and every time she beheld them, and served as reminders of remnants of aged wounds that were unseen, lurking beneath his garments. That was to say nothing of the mutilations to the youth’s mind and soul. She knew who was responsible, and the rumination filled her with an unholy rage. ‘I’ll kill them…I’ll kill them…I’ll kill them.’

“Mistress Calimar? Is something wrong?”
His voice, as much as it was fine wine to the ears had little emotion to it, but there was no doubt that there was concern in it, real genuine concern, pulled her from her dark reverie of blood and rending flesh. He had moved from out behind the chair, and the one great flaw, the one flaw that he bore from birth was once again revealed for her eyes as well. It was the source of the odd noises she heard earlier, although one would have to have preternatural hearing to be aware of it. Drumheller Ironfist had a clubfoot.
100

[Drumheller]

Voice Drumheller’s voice is probably the only aspect of his physical attributes that one will find appealing, although a few have found his eyes equally so. It is a rich dramatic deep base, by natural character, which can rise up to a deep dramatic tenor, if the need arrives. He can easily fall into a Coloratura as well, and often does so, when singing pieces composed in the dark elf tongue. His trade speak has a melliloquent that is so innate that the honey sweetness to the flow of syllables is a massage to one’s ears; the vocal thrum of chords hinting at power, even when he whispers, and which leads to an aged sagely cast to his doctiloquent, often giving statements an air of fatiloquent. Even his orkish, a rather harsh and guttural language in scope, has a suaviloquence, which takes others even more aback, especially those learned in the language. Indeed, his speech, for those not accustomed to it, often serves as the greatest shock for those encountering him for the first time; the almost sublime beauty of his utterances so at odds with every other aspect of his being. He does however have a strong halting quality to his Drow, indicating that while he is knowledgeable in the language, he is nowhere near a master of it. What is more, while he knows a great deal of the dwarfish tongue, thanks to a book he obtained from a merchant in his younger days, he is not fluent in the language, by any means.

Scent: Drumheller’s base note is that of Oakmoss, a strong, earthy-mossy aroma; with a hint of almost honey sweetness with a bit of salty citrus to it, almost like a muted form of Neroli. This element gets stronger during those rare instances when he is nervous. The more he sweats however, the more the hint is lost to the Oakmoss. The advantage of his natural scent is that he can easily blends into woodland and grass settings without worrying about his scent giving his presence away.


Personality Attributes:
Extroversion:

With respect to Extroversion and Introversion, Drumheller leans more towards extroversion. He typically engages in activities that include participation with others, and often incorporates others, or working with others when planning a situation. That is not to say however that he doesn’t desire time alone. Indeed, reading, meditating, and self-examination are regular pastimes that he engages in on almost a daily bases. Still, it is quite clear to anyone that gets to know the half-breed, that he is more externally focused, than internally focused.


rationality:

Logical systems of thinking are one of the major guide posts of Drumheller’s life. A Consequence of one of the many books obtained by the merchant Jorus Whitefield, rationality has become a sort of watch word that he lives by. It is this rationality though that has led him to the conclusions regarding himself, his role in the world, within the orcish people, and lastly of the importance of Emotions in the functioning of living beings. This last aspect once again reveals the unusual, perhaps even crazy thinking of the half-breed. Typical conceptualizations of the logical/ emotion continuum see the two as incompatible. Drumheller has logically concluded that Emotions, on the whole, are vitally important for life and proper civil functioning, but that individuals might have difficulties in comprehending individual emotions when they occur, given the fact that so much is perpetually occurring when an emotion occurs. This miss-identification of individual emotion experiences, is partly born out of Drumheller’s own difficulties with both identifying, classifying, and expressing his own emotions, as he has little experience with the matter, and often considered them of less important than other momentary concerns. “What do you want in life,” outside of those facets of which he sees as related to core goals, would be as baffling, as presenting a child with a calculus problem. This lack of emotional intelligence is a further product of the harsh treatment he has received from his bond holders after the death of his father, and the initially believed death of his mother. While this bond service ended two years prior, the mental scars may never fully heal. Unfortunately, his frankness can and has hurt people's feelings, even though he had no intention of doing so.


Senses :

Drumheller take things in via his five senses in a literal, concrete fashion. Pragmatic to the end, he lives in a world of facts and concrete needs. He is constantly on alert, forever expecting things to change for the worse, he continually scans his personal environment to make sure that everything is running smoothly and systematically. He is a lover of order, but only so long, as they order is deemed efficacious for the functioning of a group on the whole. If he considered it unhealthy, or dangerous, then a system shift is planned, and perhaps if deemed acceptable, initiated.


Judging:

One thing is sure, Drum is a planner. Everything he does is part of a plan, or a backup plan, or a backup to a backup plan. Indeed, the development of several tertiary models of action might cause others to perceive him as one that often operates spontaneously, but nothing could be further from the truth. Drumheller simply knows that initial plans often require modification and possible points where matters might go sideways, responses and contingencies are developed. He is a rigid follower of a personal code of honor, which he has so far not deviated from, and is unlikely to do so.


leadership:

One of the rules of his code is to only take command when no one else will do so, or if he feels if he is the best one suited for the task. If he believes that there is someone better suited for the task, then he will support that person energetically
100

[Drumheller]

History

The birth of Drumheller Ironfist, son of Odette Baldwin & Arbáidjan Ironfist, cannot be over stated in its importance. The marriage of the two, and the later birth of their first and only child, represents a momentous occasion for the Clan of Ironfist, for the Black Eye Clan on the whole, and the nation of Andvall. While a non-aggression pact already existed between the respective groups, and while a trade agreement had existed between the orcs of Ironfist, the Lords of Northwatch, & The Five Points Trading Costar, the marriage represents the possibility of greater harmonization of the two groups, as well as the living symbol of the agreement of Ungthol Ironfist, Drumheller’s oldest uncle and Lord of the Ironfists’, to come to the aid of Northwatch should it be troubled. Something that was indeed done when Drumheller was five, when the district was greatly troubled by a horde of orcs from the No Moon Confederacy. In that battle Drumheller’s parents were believed to have perished, slaying Akktmanhtyr. In truth neither was slain, Drumheller’s mother, who he now knows is alive, is a captive of Hákkhna; while Drumheller’s father is the thrall of one of the Calimar quartet. Drumheller does not yet know this about his father, nor does he know that his uncle, the youngest of the three brothers of the Ironfist line, had a hand in his capture. Drumheller suspects that the Blockmaster Gothmog and a few of gálêwjan Stáinéin’s other friends are responsible, but does not suspect his uncle, nor does he believe that his uncle is yet aware of their duplicity. He is of course, quite wrong.

As for Drumheller himself, before his birth it was agreed that he would serve as Saige & Shaman to the tribe, as to be a helper to the Clan Lord and the Clan as a whole. For this and other reasons, Drumheller began receiving, at least for an orc, an extensive education. From the time he could walk and talk, his learning in languages, his mother spoke several, and in other matters besides. When he turned five, his learning was given over to his aunt, ulubizisha Zozthkak, to whom he served as pupil & acolyte in addition to his duties to his bond holder lûtobkakk Helmbreaker, Narthákyk of the Fifth Cordon, who often handed Drumheller over to his Blockmasters Gothmog and Curznack, for their entertainment, and to ensure that Drumheller remained servile. In this last they failed utterly, but they do not yet know it. By the ninth of Marcimur Drumheller had managed to buy off his bond, through the calling in of certain personal debts, funds acquired through work with caravan groups connected to the Five Points Costar, and through the fortunate locating of a small vain of silver during his secondary shifts in the mines located Mount KrktzÃ*l. His goals are simple, very simple, but no less difficult in their obtaining: he will free his mother,; strengthen the Lord’s political standing within the tribe, and that of Kel’Kásh Bearbraker Narthákyk of the First Cordon, high Captain of the Blackguard, and loyal supporter of the Lord of the Clan; find out who is responsible for the death of his father; and continue to improve himself to further support the development of the Clan.

100

Skills

History | For an Orc, Drumheller has a rather considerable breadth of knowledge related to past events, especially those related to the Ironfist Clan, the Black Eye Clan, or Black Eye Confederacy, depending on who is asked, and to a lesser degree the surrounding territories. All this is a requirement for passing the tests to become a full Saige to either one of the Narthákyk, or sit on the Council; in this arena Drumheller is considered to be adept, but not yet of sufficient learning to pass his test.

Economics | Drumheller has a great deal of understanding regarding accounts, debts and their handling, of general commercial trends, and in all matters related to purchase and sells necessary to run a holding of any size. In this area he has already completed the test and is considered by all Saige’s and Shaman to have earned his first medallion, and is thus considered to be Adroit in this arena.

Tactics | another area where Drumheller excels is in the planning of military actions. This is a domain that his father placed particular stress on when he was about, and is one that Drumheller took to. Whether in the thinking of battle plans for small skirmishes, or full campaigns, Drumheller is good at assessing individual warrior’s strengths and putting them to good use. He is also quit skilled in determining logistical concerns, and in training, something that has sometimes been neglected by other Sages. All this is a requirement for passing the tests to become a full Saige to either one of the Narthákyk, or sit on the Council.

Ranging | another area where Drumheller is beginning to excel is starting to show his natural skill, but still needs to improve is in general wilderness survival. He can already engage in all the basic necessities that are required for living in the wild, and is particularly skilled in moving about quietly, of using his surrounding’s to good advantage, and how to keep from leaving tracks behind. What is more, he has a fine working knowledge of some types of animals, of their habits and movement, how to track them skin them, and so forth. Unfortunately, he has not yet learned the art of moving about without leaving some traces of his passage, a broken bit of bush here, a disturbed spider web there, which while making it difficult for others to track him, it is not impossible for them to do so. Add to this his working knowledge of a number of paths and travel roots, and his fine sense of smell, and one has all the makings of an exceptional scout. At present though he is only an Adept in ranging, do more to lack of practice than actual knowledge and capability.


Musical performance | Drumheller is a relatively accomplished singer and knows how to play the yarding, the goat pipes, and the foot drum. His skill in this area is more than adequate, but hardly so that one would find him a great singer. He is good enough to work a tavern crowd, but not good enough to entertain a King. Still he is young, and perhaps his skill will grow with time.

Woodworking | in this arena, thanks to long practice and experimentation Drumheller has reached journeyman status. The Journeyman woodworker graduates from constructing hidden items to working on the visible pieces. Due to their whittling, they are fully capable of constructing detailed designs into the wood with their chisels. Apprentice woodworkers are fully capable of working on their own and producing pieces without assistance. Because of this, it is not uncommon for apprentice woodworkers to branch off from the craftsman that trained them to start their own business. Their work and they are, at this level, fully capable of producing the general collection of furniture found in any given household and is often on par with the average craftsman and sells best among the low to middle class households.

Metal Worker | As part of his Sagely training Drumheller has begun to work iron and other basic metals, he can make most types of tools, hinges, nails, and various pots and pans. He is not yet graduated to the making of weapons or more complex items. In this domain he is more of a mere novice, but he shows signs of rapidly improving.

Archery | another area that has been as much a product of practice as parental training, Drum is a skilled archer, and is quite good at shooting while on the move. Still for all his relative skill, he is still a lad, and his experiences have been more of a hunter than of actual combat. In this domain he is still a novice.

Alchemy | Drumheller’s aunt has just begun to truly instruct Drumheller in the deeper mysteries of the alchemical processes. Thus while he knows a bit more than the average novice, he knows many differing substances and their properties, as well as the secrets in making soaps and beer; he still has a great deal to learn. In this domain he is still a novice. It will be some time before he can be tested in this area

Hand to hand combat | this is one area where Drumheller has had little actual instruction. He was meant for a Saige after all, and this combined with circumstances has left him with little direct combat training. His bond master wanted it this way, and is secretly attempting to ensure that Drumheller doesn’t learn to much combat skill at present.

100

Abilities:

Scent | Do to his orcish ancestry Drumheller can discern aromas and odors with all the skill of a hunting hound. While he can’t tell exactly where a person is by scent alone (i.e. an invisible person can still hide), he can tell where they are in a general sense. He can track individuals by scent alone, if they haven’t taken precautions to hide it or mask it (I.e. using certain types of herbs, animal Uren, but not merely walking up stream). In wilderlands Drumheller will have an easier time tracking by scent than in a city, given the greater variety of competing smells and odors. Females of any species will be easier to track then males, given the greater carrying nature of their scent (moderator’s note: I will be contacting individual players if this comes in relation to them, if this is in a PVP situation, or in situations where Drumheller must track them for any reason. Other players will have the final say).

Aura Sight | Given that Drumheller’s mother was a sorceress, the ability to wield magic is in his blood; while his on magical talents have not yet begun to manifest in any major way, he does have the ability to discern qualities about objects and beings, due to the variations of colors and ocular impressions that they give off. Unfortunately, he cannot always discern what these visual stimulations precisely mean, he has no power over the kind of information obtained, and many individuals with magical abilities of a strong enough nature can hide their aura. Furthermore, this type of sight doesn’t seem to help him in dealing with most types of invisibility spells, or magical darkness

Iron willed | It is by will alone that the mind is set in motion and it is by will that many find the internal fortitude to continue in the face of arduous circumstances. Once Drumheller has put into his mind to do something, only strong logical argumentation can alter his mind. He seems to have a strange immunity to charm based magic, and those trying to control his mind through psychic means will have to work twice as hard as they would with the average person.

100

Flaws:
Clubfoot | Drumheller cannot run as fast as the average person, due to his misshapen foot. While this handicap as allowed him to develop greater endurance, it has made him slower.

Ugly | While Drumheller usually keeps his face covered, if he is forced to remove his vail, the average person will find him most unpleasant to look upon. In negotiations where others have viewed his actual physical appearance, difficulties might arise as a consequence.

Traumatic experiences | As a consequence of his experiences as a bond servant, Drumheller is uncomfortable with physical contact of any kind. He will move away from anyone that looks as though they are going to touch him, and if physical contact is made, he will immediately tense up. While he doesn’t have flashbacks, he does have unusual sleeping habits as well.

[Cards of Fate]

All I need you to do is tell me what your gear is made of and we should be good!

[Drumheller]

Would I be allowed to cover the bow in a light protective earthen and bone Syramics? Also, could the iron of the knife and hammerax b an iron, zinc, and lead alloy? This wont made the blades any stronger, just protect them from rust.

[Cards of Fate]

Im not sure about the bow, would it make it any stronger? As it stands you can use any real world wood. For the iron alloy, thats fine from an rp standpoint but any ability that could rust your metal still can.

[Drumheller]

Sure they'd bee stronger than the zinc could protect. And no, just keep it protected from the elements. instead of a cloth sheeth, its syramic. Let me explain, composite bows during the medival period and before had to be covered with something to protect them, because they were essentally in three parts. Hide or leather was the norm. this is cyramic. It can be broken like any normal bow, will shoot like any normal composite bow, just that Drum doesn’t have to worry about it getting wet. Made changes to weapons, let me know if I need to do anything else, and really thanks again for being on top of this.

[Cards of Fate]

It all looks good! Approved