Background for Rollo Mojo
Willa was a street walker in the rough part of the docks. Since she was also a raging alcoholic, she wasn't discriminating about who she'd bed. If they had a few coppers, she was theirs, whether human, dwarf, orc, or even the more bizarre races that would travel through the city's sea routes. This being so, she didn't think long when a tiefling threw down a shiny silver at her feel one cold and bleary night.
A year later, as she bore her bastard child in a rough alley, she wondered who the father was, but it was a passing thought. Really, it could have been anybody. All she knew was that now she bore another burden in her tragic life, and she wasn't happy about it.
Rollo grew up like most of the urchins in the docks, barely educated and mostly ignored by parents and adults in general. It wasn't until he was 8 years old that the first sign of his demonic father's heritage manifested itself.
Late one evening his mother was beating him, as she often did. She was drunk, as she often was. It wasn't worse than most of the beatings, but as she hit him with her strap, something happened. A bolt of pure energy burst from Rollo's hands, scorching the wall of their dreary room. A cold look of sobriety passed over Willa's face, as a vague comprehension came over her. Immediately, Willa thrust Rollo into the street, locking the door. When he tried to come back, days later, the apartment was empty, with no sigh of what happened to Willa.
At first, Rollo made his living as most street urchins do, begging of stealing a copper and living on moldy bread scavenged from refuse. Quickly, though, he realized that he could make much more performing in the street. Using his powers and natural charm, he'd perform tricks and scams in the market places, fleecing tourists and
simpletons of their copper.
Rollo spent the next 6 years this way. The steady(er) income made him a step above a common urchin, and he enjoyed the sense of superiority. However, at the onslaught of puberty, that all changed. While working his regular con, randomly a surge of power again burst from his hands, this time injuring a bystander and breaking a shop window. A small mob of angry townsfolk angrily chased him away, threatening him all
the while. Quickly he ducked into an alleyway and hid in someone's trash
bin. As the angry mob passed, a wizened old gnome appeared in the doorway of a dimly lit shop. Deegan the Alchemist heard the shouts and immediately knew what
was going on. He called Rollo into his shop to hide. After asking a few
questions about what happened, he offered to help.
Over the next two days, Deegan gave Rollo a concoction made from a rare material he called Green Star Metal. He told Rollo that this would help him control his powers (this was not true, but Rollo believed it...). In addition, Deegan gave Rollo some tips and
advice on how to control the energies inside him.
Sadly, on the morning of the third day, they awoke to the sound of a door being kicked in. The city watch dragged Deegan away, arresting him for selling controlled/forbidden substances. Deegan was thrown in a deep part of the dungeon, forgotten by all. All, that is, except for Rollo. Deegan's charity had been the only act of kindness that Rollo had ever experienced. He vowed that he'd help others the way that Deegan helped him.Over the last two years, Rollo has roamed the countryside, experimenting with his powers, trying to do good deeds, and searching for more Green Star Metal, which he thinks will help him control his powers better. He's studied a bit of alchemy and is starting to question whether this is true, but now he's followed a rumor to the mining settlement of Diamond Lake. If there is any Green Star Metal anywhere, this seedy mining town just might be it... And one thing is certain, there are plenty of lost souls here that could use a hand, the way Deegan helped him.
Rollo eventually ended up at the seedy bar, the Feral Dog, where he soon discover this could be the place for him a run his scams and make a few copper and who knows maybe more. It was one of these nights he was running the con on a few miners that a man was watching him. Rollo quickly realized that the man was on to him and all he had to do was point out the con and these miners would dump his body out back with the dead dogs from the night’s dogfights. Just as Rollo feared the man stepped up, but instead of revealing the con he help Rollo pull the wool over these miner’s eyes together they scored close to a gold piece. So was born the partnership or Rollo and Drake.
Rollo and Drake didn’t make a lot of friends, but they did make a lot of money. One of the people they did befriend was a singer who sang cool harsh sounding songs and would watch their backs if any trouble was coming. Another friend they made was a crazy dwarven warrior would was unpredictable and provided lots of distractions whenever he was around. It was this very dwarf that presented Rollo and Drake a chance to go adventuring and make enough money that they might be able to take their two-man team on the road. All they had to do was meet at an abandoned mine office a little ways outside of town in a couple days.
A year later, as she bore her bastard child in a rough alley, she wondered who the father was, but it was a passing thought. Really, it could have been anybody. All she knew was that now she bore another burden in her tragic life, and she wasn't happy about it.
Rollo grew up like most of the urchins in the docks, barely educated and mostly ignored by parents and adults in general. It wasn't until he was 8 years old that the first sign of his demonic father's heritage manifested itself.
Late one evening his mother was beating him, as she often did. She was drunk, as she often was. It wasn't worse than most of the beatings, but as she hit him with her strap, something happened. A bolt of pure energy burst from Rollo's hands, scorching the wall of their dreary room. A cold look of sobriety passed over Willa's face, as a vague comprehension came over her. Immediately, Willa thrust Rollo into the street, locking the door. When he tried to come back, days later, the apartment was empty, with no sigh of what happened to Willa.
At first, Rollo made his living as most street urchins do, begging of stealing a copper and living on moldy bread scavenged from refuse. Quickly, though, he realized that he could make much more performing in the street. Using his powers and natural charm, he'd perform tricks and scams in the market places, fleecing tourists and
simpletons of their copper.
Rollo spent the next 6 years this way. The steady(er) income made him a step above a common urchin, and he enjoyed the sense of superiority. However, at the onslaught of puberty, that all changed. While working his regular con, randomly a surge of power again burst from his hands, this time injuring a bystander and breaking a shop window. A small mob of angry townsfolk angrily chased him away, threatening him all
the while. Quickly he ducked into an alleyway and hid in someone's trash
bin. As the angry mob passed, a wizened old gnome appeared in the doorway of a dimly lit shop. Deegan the Alchemist heard the shouts and immediately knew what
was going on. He called Rollo into his shop to hide. After asking a few
questions about what happened, he offered to help.
Over the next two days, Deegan gave Rollo a concoction made from a rare material he called Green Star Metal. He told Rollo that this would help him control his powers (this was not true, but Rollo believed it...). In addition, Deegan gave Rollo some tips and
advice on how to control the energies inside him.
Sadly, on the morning of the third day, they awoke to the sound of a door being kicked in. The city watch dragged Deegan away, arresting him for selling controlled/forbidden substances. Deegan was thrown in a deep part of the dungeon, forgotten by all. All, that is, except for Rollo. Deegan's charity had been the only act of kindness that Rollo had ever experienced. He vowed that he'd help others the way that Deegan helped him.Over the last two years, Rollo has roamed the countryside, experimenting with his powers, trying to do good deeds, and searching for more Green Star Metal, which he thinks will help him control his powers better. He's studied a bit of alchemy and is starting to question whether this is true, but now he's followed a rumor to the mining settlement of Diamond Lake. If there is any Green Star Metal anywhere, this seedy mining town just might be it... And one thing is certain, there are plenty of lost souls here that could use a hand, the way Deegan helped him.
Rollo eventually ended up at the seedy bar, the Feral Dog, where he soon discover this could be the place for him a run his scams and make a few copper and who knows maybe more. It was one of these nights he was running the con on a few miners that a man was watching him. Rollo quickly realized that the man was on to him and all he had to do was point out the con and these miners would dump his body out back with the dead dogs from the night’s dogfights. Just as Rollo feared the man stepped up, but instead of revealing the con he help Rollo pull the wool over these miner’s eyes together they scored close to a gold piece. So was born the partnership or Rollo and Drake.
Rollo and Drake didn’t make a lot of friends, but they did make a lot of money. One of the people they did befriend was a singer who sang cool harsh sounding songs and would watch their backs if any trouble was coming. Another friend they made was a crazy dwarven warrior would was unpredictable and provided lots of distractions whenever he was around. It was this very dwarf that presented Rollo and Drake a chance to go adventuring and make enough money that they might be able to take their two-man team on the road. All they had to do was meet at an abandoned mine office a little ways outside of town in a couple days.
posted by Silent Ranger at 11:27 PM
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