Early Sunday D&D: Canceled

Fate has smiled on me and upon our hero, Thergale the Verdant. I was not going to be able to make the game session today, what with my being in our nations capitol taking in the sites and experiencing the full bosom of our democracy. The game was scheduled to go on without me and without the noble leadership and guidance of our favorite fae blessed warlock. But, alas, turnout was low and the session was canceled.

I feel for my fellow gamers, it is a sad day when the dice do not roll, but this does assure that I will not be left out of the major decision that sits upon the shoulders of our brave band of adventurers.

This does, however, offer us yet another chance to delve a bit deeper into the persona that is Thergale the Verdant.

Is it true, for example, that on his own world our hero began his career as something of a charlatan? Thergale has always had a way with people. Knowing what makes them tick, teasing out their hearts’ desires after but a few minutes of conversation, and with little more than a few leading questions can read them like they were children’s books. It’s a useful talent, and one that he's perfectly willing to use for personal advantage.

I’m a born gambler who can’t resist taking a risk for a potential payoff. Flattery is my preferred trick for getting what I want.

Thergale knows what people want and delivers that very thing, or rather, he promises to deliver at some unspecified time in the future. Common sense should steer people away from things that sound too good to be true, but common sense seems to be in short supply when he’s around. The bottle of pink-colored liquid will surely cure that unseemly rash, this ointment — nothing more than a bit of fat with a sprinkle of silver dust — can restore youth and vigor, and there’s a bridge in the city that just happens to be for sale. These marvels sound implausible, but Thergale has a flair for making them sound like the real deal.

He has a certain proficiency with the skills of deception and slight of hand that have come to be useful on more than one previous adventure. Combine those talents with a familiarity with the tools of disguise and forgery and you have a rogue with a long train of tall tales and exploits bequeathed to him and his abilities.

Independence is paramount. I am a free spirit—no one tells me what to do.

While we know him as Thergale the Verdant, there are many who would recognize him only as Therman Grenstone. This second identity, fully realized and absolutely fabricated, allows our hero to avoid a parade of inconveniences, accrue an assortment of benefits,  and compile obligations from two seperate lifestyles.

While this sounds undesirable, it is not malicious or wicked. Thergale the Verdant is a man aligned with the forces of chaos and beneficence and acts as his conscience directs, with little regard for what others expect. He is not an agent of order, status quo, or balance. He is fey-touched. Fey-bound. He is a being of  whim and circumstance. These are traits that have earned him the endearment and favor of his archfey patron, Lilliane.

I’m always in debt. I spend my ill-gotten gains on decadent luxuries faster than I bring them in...

Thergale has chosen to live a wealthy lifestyle whatever his personal circumstances. He lives a life of luxury, though he has not achieved the heights of social status he aspires to, as he is neither old money or nobility. He is always on the lookout for a path to a life aristocratic. As is, he lives a lifestyle comparable to that of a highly successful merchant, a favored servant of the royalty, or the owner of a few small businesses. He has respectable lodgings in the capitol city of Geblhom, having a spacious home in a good part of town. He has a small staff of servants consisting of a butler (Grieves), housekeeper (Scarlanne), cook (Broost), chauffeur (Tradesway), and several lesser staff.

I swindled and ruined a person who didn’t deserve it. I seek to atone for my misdeeds but might never be able to forgive myself.