Reese Drumlin

Reese Drumlin (33 years)
Level 8 Ranger
Alignment: True Neutral
Patron Deity: Yuma
Portrayed by Feldspar

"I am the wild hunt!"

—Reese (intoxicated)

Description

Reese is a decidedly mundane human specimen. He stands at 5'11" and weighs an unremarkable 155 lbs. His face is gaunt and weathered, bearing swollen eye orbits and other early signs of aging. An unkempt beard covers his collection of facial scars. He wears clothes typical of a Meryndan commoner, i.e., a loose fitting shirt, breaches, mud-caked boots, and a warm, woolen cloak for travelling. Two rune-encrusted hand axes flank his hips, hanging from a belt.

Personality

Reese speaks with a gruff bellow and only raises his voice when he's fighting or loosened by a few tankards. He is often paranoid and distrustful, opting to watch his back when exploring new places and meeting new people. Those that he perceives as trying to control him, are treated with indignant hostility. This used to include those who pried into his past, however Reese has since let his guard down on that matter.

Biography

Years before Reese was born, his mother, Bridget, sailed to Meryndan from a distant land. She soon fell in love with a low-born commoner, Marcas, and together they started a new life in the Meryndan countryside, just south of Nestwood. They were so enamored with each other, they decided to forgo their heritage and mutually adopt the title "Drumlin", named after the land on which they built their home. Bridget soon bore two sons.

Early Life

For a time, Reese's childhood was calm, often idyllic. Around the age he was old enough to help his father in the wheat fields, his baby brother Cullen was born. By what could only be described as The Mother's loving grace, their crop harvests were never struck with blight, rot, or pests and they prospered by selling grain to nearby Nestwood. The Drumlins did so well, they were able to afford a sturdy, reliable horse to assist in plowing the fields. Occasionally, Marcas would let Reese ride the horse around the community.

Reese was sixteen when his brother was ten. Reese often took him on 'adventures' where they would wander around the countryside and explore their small world. One day the two happened upon an ominous crypt. Despite Cullen's protestations, they went inside. Tragedy struck. In his panic to escape, not even Reese fully recalls what happened in that crypt. Needless to say, Cullen fell victim to vengeful undead assailants. A despondent Marcas led the village's efforts to search for Cullen, however Reese could not remember the crypt's location and broke down crying. After two straight days of searching, they finally gave up the ghost. Reese stood outside the cottage listening to his father's shouts and his mother's sobs. Unable to handle the possibility of retribution, Reese decided to flee his home and never return.

Isolation

Sixth Winter

Reese assumed he would not be allowed into the high society that was Nestwood so he fled east to Kingsrun. There, he worked in tavern kitchens and performed odd jobs for less than reputable employers. Despite this, he often found himself sleeping in the streets until the city guard caught wise and kicked him out for vagrancy. Reese meandered back west until he found The Whisper Hollow, a place away from the king's reach and a place to think. There, he would live for months on end.

Surviving in the Hollow presented many challenges. Not only did Reese have to look out for his needs like acquiring food, water, and warmth, but at any moment he could attacked by one the the Hollow's many hostile denizens. Over time, he learned how to slay undead with canny efficiency. Reese made coin on the side by endearing himself to elven caravans looking to save time by cutting through the forest. When winter arrived, Reese would put the money he earned from escorting traders to lodging in public houses near the forest.

As years passed, Reese became adept enough to outlast the Hollow's colder months. He was content enough to die a hermit. This was not to be, however. As fate would have it, he began getting strange night terrors in his sleep. The visions only grew more vivid and ferocious with time until he could no longer stand it. He left the Hollow without caring where he ended up. Reese figured if he could just keep moving, the terrors wouldn't be able to follow him. His travels would land him in a curious town called Farshore. What followed, no man could foresee.

Trivia

• Reese never learned his parents' original surnames
• Habitually sleeps very little
• Ambushed and killed three dozen orc scouts by the time he reunited with the Hunt