Jul 20

Jul 20 Tharrak Ashfury (Guard) & Togruth Brink (Assassin)

Header Art: NPC Codex by Paizo Publishing & Wizards of the Coast

Tharrak Ashfury - Blackstone Guard

A powerful warrior, Tharrak is part of an elite guard that stands at the very mouth to the Dark Below, standing over the subterranean tunnels that lead to a world below our own, where powerful monsters dwell. It is Tharrak's job to ensure that his kin are left unharmed by the foul creatures that pour up from the dark tunnels, destroying creatures that devour minds and fending off drow raids.

**Art Inspiration for Tharrak;** *NPC Codex, 2012 by Paizo Publishing*

Physical Description

Standing at four and a half feet, Tharrak is a heavily built dwarf with a thick, squat frame. Thick scars criss-cross his face, a testament to a life of conflict and battle. He has thick red hair pulled back and a full beard kept short. He wields an axe etched with intricate runes and carries a shield covered in spikes stained dark from repeated use.

Backstory

Tharrak grew up in a poor family in Krishna, a dwarven mountain city that has largely hollowed out the mountain they reside in. Beneath the city are endless miles of mine shafts and twisting subterranean tunnels that lead to the world below the surface, the Dark Below. Down here are locked away monsters, creatures who devour brains, strange tentacled monsters that reside in the Bleak Ocean, and others who have yet to be seen by the surface dwellers.

Blackstone Guard. Tharrak never had had the intention of becoming a guard, let alone one that stands guard against the horrors below the world. The Blackstone Guard is an elite group formed from all manner of dwarves, some who willingly join, and others who were sentenced to death or imprisonment in stone, but can regain their life if they serve in the guard for a number of years.

Tharrak, in his youth, had never thought he would end up in such a place with such people. This changed when he made a grave mistake and ended up killing a small shopkeeper who he had been trying to rob to feed his family. He hadn't meant to kill the shopkeeper, and barely remembers what happened in the exchange, but he was soon caught and sentenced to death, to make a show of him, or to join the Blackstone Guard to try and make up for him taking a dwarven life.

In the present day, Tharrak is a watch captain and finds he actually enjoys focusing his life towards fighting off the forces of the evil that would sweep across his home.

Quick Reference Traits

Personality Traits. Tharrak can stare down a screaming horde of monsters without flinching.
Ideals. He is ready to lay down his life for his kin.
Bonds. He fights for those who can't.
Flaws. Tharrak made a mistake in his youth, breaking the laws of his land. He worries he might do it again and embaress his family again.

Adventure Hooks

Tharrak is in charge of a patrol sent into the Dark Below, alongside a hired adventuring party to determine what happened to several lost patrols in the area. Tharrak believes it to be the work of the drow.
Finding the remains of a lost patrol, it seems as if many of those who have died have large holes bored into their heads. These wounds are unlike anything Tharrak has seen and is worried what new foul creatures have burrowed into the subterranean tunnels beneath his home.
With evidence of the lost patrol, Tharrak wishes for his patrol, and the adventuring party, to capture one of the creatures responsible for killing his kin and bring it back to his people for questioning and further study.

Togruth Brink - Thieves’ Guild Guildmaster

The Guildmaster of the Thieves' Guild in Ferrum, Togruth worked hard to reach his station. The leading crime lord within the city, Togruth is a cunning mastermind who controls those under his purview and keeps a close eye on those that are not.

**Art Inspiration for Togruth,** Bugbear by Conceptopolis and WIzards of the Coast

Physical Description

Togruth stands 6 1/2 feet tall, and his muscular torso is hidden under his dark gray fur. Unlike most bugbears, his facial expressions are usually neutral, but he will flash a wicked scowl when a member of the guild fails him.

Backstory

Joining the guild at a young age, Togruth found a home within the guild. He spent his formative years working under many older rogues, absorbing their knowledge and teaching like a sponge. The combination of his natural skill and tireless work paid dividends in whatever he set his mind to.

Togruth felt the guild had grown stagnant and complacent, and the same could be said for the guild master Fortuna Barith. Knowing he could take the guild to new heights, he challenged the previous Guildmaster for leadership. Under the original guild charter, such a challenge was decided by combat, often to the death. Togruth was proved correct when he quickly dispatched Fortuna, who was out of shape and weak.

Togruth has set up several legitimate businesses throughout the city, using them as fronts and money laundering establishments for the illicit work the guild undertakes. Most of the current guild activities occur out of city limits, and many locals respect the guild for this. Woe is the rogue who works within the city, for Togruth wants nothing more than to maintain the peace with local law enforcement.

Quick Reference Traits

Personality Traits. Quiet and alert.
Ideals. Loyalty to the guild.
Bonds. To those loyal to him.
Flaws. A quick temper for those that cross him.

Adventure Hooks

Togruth hires the party to eliminate an upstart gang and wants them to keep the guild's involvement out of it.
Togruth has a job for the party, with success meaning honorary membership in the guild.
A simple endeavor in a nearby city by some of Togruth's top rogues has gone awry. They have not been seen or heard from in a week, and Togruth wants the party to discover their fate.

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