Schirf
Settling in Altera
(The following is my brother's D&D character from the 1980s. I've posted this many times, in many places.)
Born Bjorn Greatstart, Bjorn was nicknamed Greatsword by a local knight who saw the youngster dragging his father's two-handed sword around at the age of 10. By 16 Bjorn was built like an Ox, and was just about as smart. It was at this stage of his life when he set out on his own. After a few years guarding fur traders and fruit stands, Bjorn decided to try the mercenary life. Unfortunately, the mercenary bands he joined were often made up of cut throats and thieves. Good hearted by nature, Bjorn just didn't seem to fit in. Drifting from town to town, he eventually ended up in the small village of Stonebridge. Stonebridge is located on the border between Kent (think Norman/Saxon) and Oan (think Celtic) in a region full of excitement. It was here that Bjorn fell in with a band of adventures out to save the world. That's when his troubles began...
Before joining the group Bjorn didn't respond to threats or grow upset when provoked by bullies; he just sat back and smiled. One morning, after a night of drinking with his mates, Bjorn woke to a throbbing head. As he met the day with a loud yawn a great light filled the room. To his surprise, the light was coming from his mouth! Bjorn's new friends had decided that they liked his smile so much that one of them had placed a Continual Light spell on his teeth. Bjorn's name was changed, without his consent or approval, to Beoran Greatsmile, the human lamplight. It was almost a year before Beoran got used to the name... but he NEVER got used to the glowing teeth. Sure, it freed up a hand when fighting in a dark cave, but the jokes were too much to take. The incident changed Bjorn's disposition a little. Anyone who makes more than one comment about the glow is scowled at and sometimes even punched. Mysteriously, no one could be convinced to remove the enchantment.
Even though they picked on him, Beoran's friends did respect, and even love him. This, of course, is why they always let him sample the magic potions they found. Any potion that appeared to aid in the great man's ability to fight was surrendered by the group without complaint. Unfortunately, one of the potions had severe side effects. It appeared to be a potion of invisibility... and it was. Unlike "normal" potions of invisibility, the last potion Beoran EVER drank didn't wear off. The invisibility seemed perpetual, with two exceptions: whenever he smiled the light in his mouth partially pierced the spell. To others Beoran appeared as a glowing skull! Also, when he struck another creature his entire body appeared for several minutes (sometimes hours). While at first this seemed to be a great advantage, Beoran soon discovered that social interaction was extremely difficult. Again, his "friends" decided to change is name, opting for Burt Greatsoap.
Burt was unable to have the "curse" removed for several years, which put a serious cramp in his love life. During this time his friends began to notice other changes in Burt's character. Mood swings became common place. You would sometimes hear him hold long conversations with himself about suicide. The only positive things noticed were that Burt started to sing and read alot; two things most people didn't even know he could do; and it was frightening. Imagine a glowing skull, hovering over a children's book, singing bawdy bar songs. A magical tome the adventurers discovered increased Burt's intelligence, and he moved on to books without pictures.
A Priest was finally found to remove the curse. The glow in his mouth was also removed. Bjorn was thrilled. He decided to tell everyone about it in by singing his life's story. His stage name was Bill Greatsong, but everyone called him Greatgums because, sadly, the continual light spell had consumed most of his teeth. Bill was a flop. He took up his sword and decided to stick to what he knew best. Things were back to normal.
That changed when Bjorn gazed into a magic mirror located inside a wizard's keep. He walked up to it a man with years of experience fighting monsters. He left as a woman with nightmares about running from them. She called herself Bronwyn Greatstack, but a quick communication with a minor deity informed his/her friends that this was indeed Bjorn. It only took the adventurers a month to remove the curse, but it was too late. Bjorn's sanity was now quite gone. One day he's ok, while the next he's convinced he's re-living some part of his life. He may believe himself to be Bill, singing an off-key tune, or Burt, turning himself invisible by waving his arms, or Bronwyn, turning men on with the bat of an eyelash. Some days he even decides to give up fighting and become an elven mage named Bifflin Greatshade. Of course, he isn't elven and can't cast a magic spell; but that doesn't stop him from trying.
Other personalities:
Bo Greatstuff (athlete)
Borax Greatscrub (anal retentive maid)
Bosco Greatsnack (the over-eater)
Brownbag Greatswill (town drunkard)
Borg Greatspock (trekkie geek)
Bozho Greatshtick (court jester)
Bono Greatshow (self proclaimed messiah)
Bob Greatslack (secret identity)
Born Bjorn Greatstart, Bjorn was nicknamed Greatsword by a local knight who saw the youngster dragging his father's two-handed sword around at the age of 10. By 16 Bjorn was built like an Ox, and was just about as smart. It was at this stage of his life when he set out on his own. After a few years guarding fur traders and fruit stands, Bjorn decided to try the mercenary life. Unfortunately, the mercenary bands he joined were often made up of cut throats and thieves. Good hearted by nature, Bjorn just didn't seem to fit in. Drifting from town to town, he eventually ended up in the small village of Stonebridge. Stonebridge is located on the border between Kent (think Norman/Saxon) and Oan (think Celtic) in a region full of excitement. It was here that Bjorn fell in with a band of adventures out to save the world. That's when his troubles began...
Before joining the group Bjorn didn't respond to threats or grow upset when provoked by bullies; he just sat back and smiled. One morning, after a night of drinking with his mates, Bjorn woke to a throbbing head. As he met the day with a loud yawn a great light filled the room. To his surprise, the light was coming from his mouth! Bjorn's new friends had decided that they liked his smile so much that one of them had placed a Continual Light spell on his teeth. Bjorn's name was changed, without his consent or approval, to Beoran Greatsmile, the human lamplight. It was almost a year before Beoran got used to the name... but he NEVER got used to the glowing teeth. Sure, it freed up a hand when fighting in a dark cave, but the jokes were too much to take. The incident changed Bjorn's disposition a little. Anyone who makes more than one comment about the glow is scowled at and sometimes even punched. Mysteriously, no one could be convinced to remove the enchantment.
Even though they picked on him, Beoran's friends did respect, and even love him. This, of course, is why they always let him sample the magic potions they found. Any potion that appeared to aid in the great man's ability to fight was surrendered by the group without complaint. Unfortunately, one of the potions had severe side effects. It appeared to be a potion of invisibility... and it was. Unlike "normal" potions of invisibility, the last potion Beoran EVER drank didn't wear off. The invisibility seemed perpetual, with two exceptions: whenever he smiled the light in his mouth partially pierced the spell. To others Beoran appeared as a glowing skull! Also, when he struck another creature his entire body appeared for several minutes (sometimes hours). While at first this seemed to be a great advantage, Beoran soon discovered that social interaction was extremely difficult. Again, his "friends" decided to change is name, opting for Burt Greatsoap.
Burt was unable to have the "curse" removed for several years, which put a serious cramp in his love life. During this time his friends began to notice other changes in Burt's character. Mood swings became common place. You would sometimes hear him hold long conversations with himself about suicide. The only positive things noticed were that Burt started to sing and read alot; two things most people didn't even know he could do; and it was frightening. Imagine a glowing skull, hovering over a children's book, singing bawdy bar songs. A magical tome the adventurers discovered increased Burt's intelligence, and he moved on to books without pictures.
A Priest was finally found to remove the curse. The glow in his mouth was also removed. Bjorn was thrilled. He decided to tell everyone about it in by singing his life's story. His stage name was Bill Greatsong, but everyone called him Greatgums because, sadly, the continual light spell had consumed most of his teeth. Bill was a flop. He took up his sword and decided to stick to what he knew best. Things were back to normal.
That changed when Bjorn gazed into a magic mirror located inside a wizard's keep. He walked up to it a man with years of experience fighting monsters. He left as a woman with nightmares about running from them. She called herself Bronwyn Greatstack, but a quick communication with a minor deity informed his/her friends that this was indeed Bjorn. It only took the adventurers a month to remove the curse, but it was too late. Bjorn's sanity was now quite gone. One day he's ok, while the next he's convinced he's re-living some part of his life. He may believe himself to be Bill, singing an off-key tune, or Burt, turning himself invisible by waving his arms, or Bronwyn, turning men on with the bat of an eyelash. Some days he even decides to give up fighting and become an elven mage named Bifflin Greatshade. Of course, he isn't elven and can't cast a magic spell; but that doesn't stop him from trying.
Other personalities:
Bo Greatstuff (athlete)
Borax Greatscrub (anal retentive maid)
Bosco Greatsnack (the over-eater)
Brownbag Greatswill (town drunkard)
Borg Greatspock (trekkie geek)
Bozho Greatshtick (court jester)
Bono Greatshow (self proclaimed messiah)
Bob Greatslack (secret identity)
