NPCs · Mythic/ Historical · Mystical
Four Arms
A noble barbarian warrior who seeks to bring down the trappings of civilization and return humanity to the wilds.
Special Equipment:
Ancestral Odro(Special tribal weapon, noted below), 'Krenatewar'
Appearance:
Four Arms is usually in Wolf-Human Hybrid form, being a wolf-headed humanoid with silvery white fur and, strangely, four arms! In human form, he appears as a young muscular male with a thick head of braided silvery white hair. He has pale green-white eyes and is seven feet tall in both forms. He has only two arms in human form. In both forms, he wears several animal skin pelts around his waist in a loose, skirt-like garment. He wraps his hands(Sometimes all four of them)and feet in cloth wrappings marked with holy symbols of deference to the nature spirits. He wears necklaces of fangs, claws, bones, beads and chunks of crystal. Recently, he has begun to grow antlers and small bird-like wings in both forms. Due to Fey magic, he will never die of old age.
Background:
On the fringes of the weak man's prison called 'civilization', the primordial wilderness is home to the strong ones, those who still follow the old ways, those that the weak men call barbarians. Years alo, among the forest tribes in the north, a tribe called the Bone Faces, known for their tendencies towards hereditary lycanthropy, began to become...Different. They began to become quieter, less aggresive toward their neighbors. They had found a crack in the fabric of reality, an opening into the Fey Realm, a realm where the great lords of nature held court. The pure, primal chaos and wildness of the Fey Realm began to transform the Bone Faces. They began to manifest strange mutations, usually beneficial, and more powerful and wilder lycanthropic forms. Eventually, a child was born named Four Arms by the Bone Face shaman, Yob-Flame, because of his quadripartite arms. Four Arms quickly grew to maturity, to fast for natural children, and completed his first hunt with ease, becoming recognized as a man at age 14. At age 17, Four Arms defeated and ate the former Bone Face chieftan, Hides-His-Eyes, becoming the next chieftan. In two years, Four Arms' military genius and powerful Fey abilities led him to unite the Bone Faces with the neighbor tribes into a single force, though the tribes kept their individual customs and cultures. Taught to see the people of civilization as weak and stupid, Four Arms seeks to bring all of Creation back to nature. Of course, the civilized 'weak men' see Four Arms as a hideous demonic abomination and his people as savage barbarians. In many frontier cities, Four Arms is feared as an evil demon lord who ravages and kills with abandon. To the tribes and himself, he is a strong and mighty hero who liberates the weak from the oppression of civilization. Only time will tell if this bizarrely mutated warlord will ever meet his goal. But he must be careful, for though he cannot die of old age, he can on the field of battle, and if he does perish, the unity he has brought to the tribes may crumble.
Roleplaying Notes:
-Odro: A tribal polearm consisting of a tall (Height of the wielder) staff affixed with animal antlers or horns, claws, and coral. Four Arms' Odro is made with steelhorn elk antlers (Antlers as hard as steel) and has been passed down through generations of chieftans.
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This is an insanely cool idea. My mind wraps around an entire campaign with the characters just trying to figure out, and fight, this new enemy from the far reaches of civilization. (weak man's prison is great!)
I like the idea of a small group of these that continue to morph and the opportunity for more to be created if needed. The characters may meet, and almost defeat, an enemy in one shape, it gets away and heals and in the process morphs something else that may make him less familiar until the truth is revealed somehow. The joy of the unique battles fighting never before met creatures that have the power of the Fey and have united an army. Man, this is a whole campaign waiting to be played. I love it.
Could even maybe have the characters find a place where the Fey can effect them, maybe not 4 arms but something. By that time, the fear of mutants should ravage the land. The character may get some kind of benefit but is forced to hide it when visiting civilization and must be careful when they use it otherwise they get lynched by the fearful mobs.
Of course, I should say that you could also present the 'weak men' as the antagonists, but it would be more difficult.
For those of you who don't know what Lycanthropes are,(You're roleplayers! You should be ashamed!)they are werebeasts, like werewolves, werebears, weresharks, wererats, and so on.
Ya know, I didn't know there would be such a positive response to this character. I thought that he may have been deemed 'too wierd'. Hmmm...
BUMP!
Hmmm...Well, Anonymous....
It was my theory that it was the tribe's tradition for the new chief to eat the old chief.
This is actually nice, most nice.
And as for your worries - it will never get weird enough! Just keep getting weirder! The players will love unique opponents.
I agree with the suggestion that, while he is a positive character, Four-Arms should be an antagonist for the weak men hiding behind the false shelter of civilization, forfeiting individual power for the might of the masses...
Tremble, spoilt weaklings, at the fury of nature unleashed (down, bad dog, nooo!)
I just found this, it is perfect for the campaign that I am running. Thanks again for another great idea.
A great idea for any barbarous tribe, human, orc or otherwise. He could indeed be the product of infernal congress.