Don Loxo
Don Loxo
The party had disembarked on the Shut Up Idiot when giant frogs began leaping aboard. Don was riding one of those frogs. After getting frog guts everywhere, he introduced himself to The Sisafir Seven by offering to swab the deck.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Don is pretty fit for a retired, middle-aged Loxo who did a century of military service! Other Loxo at his age would probably be settling down for a cititzen's life after their service years.
Facial Features
Big ears for catching infrasonic vibrations. Big tusks for self defense. Big trunk for everything else.
Identifying Characteristics
Loxodons mainly identify each other by the shape of their ears. Wrinkles and veins in the ears are similar to fingerprints in humans. Tusks show age and wear/tear.
Apparel & Accessories
A fine coat of mud or sand keep Loxodon cool and bug-free. What's more fashionable than that? Powder up the tusks if you're feeling fancy. Formal wear for males includes their day-to-day armor, a polished weapon, and a brightly colored sash.
Mental characteristics
Sexuality
Don did his duty and mated every few years when the matrons wanted his genes to be passed along.
Education
In Loxodon society the Matriarchy rules everything from government to mating. Females are destined for a life of education and etiquette. Males are strictly trained for service in The Conclave.
Employment
From age 50 to 150: Broad Tusk Peacekeepers. Started as a cadet, then a town guard, and eventually commander of the entire constabulary for the last decade of his service.
Accomplishments & Achievements
Retired after working his way up to Commander of the Broad Tusk Peacekeepers. He was given a special warhammer shaped into his likeness, a tribute to his century-long career.
Met the party while riding a giant frog, which has developed into a quirk of Don's. He now keeps a list of exotic animals he has ridden.
Failures & Embarrassments
It didn't even occur to Don to ride the Baron Ridge Bulette... But Vimak went unconcious after one hit from the beast while trying to wrestle it- so Don's not that sorry he missed his chance.
Don was unable to stop the party from killing two werewolves. He later voiced his concerns to the two who dealt lethal blows but did not fault them for the loss of the innocent children's lives. It was a tragic outcome with only one redeeming factor: one boy, Rhine, was restrained and cured of his lycanthropy.
Mental Trauma
Young males who do not find a niche in society are cast out and usually join war-bands comprised of other outcasts. Loxodon, minotaurs, and court martialed human soldiers make up these bandit raiding parties. They cause a constant headache to civilized society in the Conclave, specifically to Don Loxo and his Broad Tusk Peacekeepers.
Intellectual Characteristics
Don was raised for one purpose: justice. Now that he is retired, he just wants to have fun. To someone who only knew enforcement for a century, a good bit of danger seems fun!
Morality & Philosophy
The Tenets of Heroism (UA)
Actions Over Words Strive to be known by deeds, not words.
Challenges Are But Tests Every hardship serves to challenge your abilities and harden your resolve.
Embrace Destiny You didn't choose this path, but it's yours to walk. And it will carry you into legend.
Hone the Body Like raw stone, your body must be worked so its potential can be realized.
Taboos
Don's god of honorable combat, Kiri-Jolith, is also worshipped by minotaurs. War-bands commit their raids in the name of their 'Emperor' deity. Blasphemy!
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Free of his service years at The Conclave, Don looks forward to a good bit of excitement along his exploration of the continent Fandriel. He likes to find exotic creatures and ride them, which is how he met the party!
Savvies & Ineptitudes
Don has little understanding of how the world works outside of his hometown. He chose to travel the continent after his service years to rectify this.
Likes & Dislikes
Likes a fruity beverage, an impressive weapon, and gets a thrill from riding dangerous creatures.
Dislikes thievery and banditry, leftovers from his training as a town guard.
Virtues & Personality perks
Universal to all citizens of The Conclave regardless of which gods they recognize, The Moral Truth provides pain and atonement to those who do wrong. There are very few incidences within the walls of The Conclave that require such action. Citizens carry two weapons each, one to represent pain and the other for atonement.
Vices & Personality flaws
It's hard for Don to resist the urge to ride large creatures, even when the rest of the party is trying to down the Stone Giant as fast as possible...
He enjoys a good drink but his tolerance makes Don a lightweight.
Social
Religious Views
There are ten gods in Don's pantheon. He has reached a balance between Paladine, Habbakuk, and Kiri-Jolith: the gods of Law, Life, and Honor. This allows him to channel divine energy into fire and lightning during combat.
The three gods' intentions each tug in different directions with Don Loxo at the center, like a three-ringed Venn diagram. Don's devotion to Habbakuk pulls hardest, which leads him to be more aware of living things. Paladine and Kiri-Jolith may provide power but Habbakuk is Don's moral center.
Social Aptitude
Don is very friendly, but not very smart. He is used to taking orders from females in charge. He doesn't know much about how the world works outside of The Conclave.
Hobbies & Pets
Other than riding every critter capable of holding him, Don has recently taken up an interest in smithing thanks to inheriting smith tools from his deceased friend Vimak.
Speech
Don has a big city accent. It is somewhere between Donnie Brasco and Boondock Saints, which I realize are New York and Boston accents. I mix it up to cover the fact that I'm not good at either!
Wealth & Financial state
Don's military pension is deposited into his holdings every month. He cares little for material things and lives a nomadic life, earning enough to carry on from side quests. Maybe one day he will settle down and use his life savings.
This Loxodon's name is difficult to pronounce without a trunk. Just call him Don Loxo!
View Character Profile
Alignment
Lawful Good
Honorary & Occupational Titles
Commander (retired) of the Broad Tusk Peacekeepers
Age
200?
Date of Birth
Long time ago
Birthplace
Children
Gender
Male
Eyes
Brown
Hair
Sparse and rough
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Grey
Height
7.5 ft
Weight
400 lb
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Celesti-elk
Session 33
Last night Bartholomew dragged all of us through a stormy, muddy, dark stretch of forest so he could find a village called Roth. When we finally came upon the log walls of the town, Jorgen stopped to light his pipe under the awning where the gate guard let us in. The rest of us followed Bart, who was on a mission for his eldritch patron. As if doing Asmodeus's dirty work wasn't bad enough, Bartholomew has a tendency to be unpredictable. Bart lead the way to one of the few dozen huts- but before he could knock DangerBot ran up to the door and banged on it.
A man, Arthur, finally answered. He beckoned his son to go out back before the rest of us came inside. Bart had questions about a fire that threatened the town and how the man played a part in saving over 200 lives. Arthur claims to have called out to every god he knew of, but only one voice returned his cry for help. I started getting creepy vibes from this dude. While Qalirin headed out back to talk to the boy, I left to find Jorgen. Strange pacts with disembodied voices never turns out well.
After blasting a trumpet with my trunk, Jorgen found me fairly quickly. I spoke briefly on the situation as we headed out back of Arthur's house to check out a tree that he seemed defensive about during Bart's inquiries. By the time we arrived, a scuffle inside the house resulted in everyone being out back. Bart said something to the kid in a language I don't know, then fired a blast of eldritch energy skyward. To everyone's surprise, so did the kid! For some reason I was the only one who drew weapons. It's obvious to me where powers like that come from, but the kid sounded like he was tricked into serving Asmodeus- the same way as my aasimar companion.
We all settled down in Arthur's house for the evening, talking about how we could help Arthurson to understand his powers. As the party made plans to take the kid under our wing, my paladin senses were tingling. I turned toward the trees, scanning for sounds or smells. I found none, but I felt the compelling urge to charge into the nearby wilderness. I don't know what was leading me into the darkness of night? A calling from one of my gods?
I entered a clearing. It had been stormy and raining but in this clearing the moon and stars were bright. As I waded knee-deep in wildflowers I spotted across the way a large beast. It was a deer- no... An elk! I thought my eyes needed to adjust to the light, because this elk seemed to be made of night sky. Instead of fur all I saw was glittery stars. And then we locked eyes. His eyes glowed in the darkness, bright lamps compared to the backdrop of shadowy tree trunks.
As our gazes met, the celestial creature drew a bit of magical energy from me. I didn't resist- I let the celestial creature draw as much magic as it wanted, feeling a bond spark between us. I don't know how to describe it, but I knew its thoughts and it knew mine. This creature was home to the stars, lost on earth, and needing guidance. We approached each other, our thoughts becoming one as I jumped atop its back. Its name came to me as soon as we touched.
Wapiti.
Leaving Home
When I was young, the matriarchy selected me to become a peacekeeper. I was raised for justice. And I was good at it! War-bands were unsuccessful in raiding my districts. Moral Truth was dispensed mercilessly when necessary. I earned Penance, the warhammer that signifies I was once Commander of the Broad Tusks- symbol of my rank and trophy of my accomplishments all-in-one. I even earned a lifetime pension, not that I need it in the nomadic life I have since chosen after retirement.
My life had been dedicated to the citizens of the Conclave, to the Matriarchy. Within those great walls was an entire self-sustaining civilization. Once my service was over, I wondered what life was like outside the citadel walls. What landscapes do the kingdoms of Fandriel hold? What tasty beverages do they serve in faraway lands? Are dwarves really as short as they say? I was determined to find out. Most would settle down for a quiet citizen's life after their service years and purchase a farm in between the outer walls and the inner city. As peaceful as that sounds, I was more interested in what lie outside the citadel. I gathered a pack, strapped Penance and Grief to my back, and began my sabbatical from Loxodon society.
With the gates of the Conclave and its ten guilds behind me, I first headed east. I stuck to the borderlands between the Vale and the Mid-World while making a line for the coast. In the Vale, Loxodon are not an uncommon sight. The Mid-World is home to a legion of horse lords and military companies. I was still in familiar territory and couldn't wait to escape! Along the way I found a few villages charitable enough to stock my provisions. I also found a few humans who underestimated the holy terror that is an angry Loxo. The ones that survived the attempt at highway robbery may straighten their ways.
A few days later I arrived at the coast. I had never seen the ocean. When I first saw it, I had to commune with Habbakuk and thank him for the opportunity. After the vastness of the sea stopped overwhelming me, I laid down my things and began to swim. If I breathed through my snout I could walk beneath the waves. The sand was firm and packed beneath my feet, the sun was warm, and the water was soothing. How many citizens of the ten kingdoms spent their lives without ever swimming in the ocean? What other experiences did I miss out on by spending two centuries in the big city? I made camp on the beach, under the stars. The waves crashed relentlessly through the night- a lullaby of turbulence. I awoke with a renewed sense of purpose. I will never forget that day at the beach, a turning point in my life from faithful warrior to indulgent wanderer.
It was a few seasons later that I arrived at the great river that splits Sisafir and Delafir. Crossing the vastness would mark the furthest from home I had ever been. I booked passage on a ferry filled with all sorts from across the kingdoms. It was this fateful day that I would be introduced to a new passion and hobby. A shepherd was taking his livestock south to Delafir to sell at market. One unruly bull among the small herd was proving troublesome, perhaps out of fear at being afloat on an enormous river. It was clear to all aboard the ferry that the bull posed a threat to itself and was beyond the control of the shepherd. After kicking a man overboard, something had to be done. I decided since I was nearly the size of the bull that I would put it to sleep with a submission hold, a tactic used on minotaurs regularly back home in the Conclave. What I did not anticipate was the wild ride such a beast was capable of providing!
It was all so unexpected. When I leapt upon the bull's back, I did not even manage to get an arm around its neck before it started trying to buck me off. I thought this creature should get a fair price at market indeed if it was capable of throwing a Loxodon around like a rag doll. No one just picks up a Loxodon and heaves them into the sky. What a sensation!! I was thrilled, never having been flung about ever in my life, and was a little sad that the bull calmed after a few moments. Calamity averted, the ferry arrived safely in Delafir where my new search began: the chase for the thrill I had just felt. Riding the bull made me feel helpless and at the same time it was a bit of performance, a stunt that when executed correctly would propel me to a new level of ecstasy. I knew it would not be the last time I tried to ride such a creature...
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