Mountain Traveller

This background is only available to the Frostbound Campaign.

You are one of the many nomads that inhabit the Throat of the World, embracing the difficult life of the mountains and traveling across its many peaks. The people and places of this isolated region are just as vibrant as any other land, it merely takes an appropriate set of eyes to see its beauty. Survival and perseverance rule your life as you've carved a life from this inhospitable region.

Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from Athletics, History, Insight, Perception, or Survival
Tool Proficiencies: Any one musical instrument or gaming set of your choice
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: One set of traveler's clothes, a trinket from your travels, any one musical instrument or gaming set, a map of the region and a pouch containing 2 rations.

Feature: Nomad

You have an excellent memory for maps and geography, and you can always recall the general layout of terrain, settlements, and other features around you. In addition, due to your extensive time on the road, you know how to find water, food, and shelter if the land provides. When in town, you can find a place to hide, rest, or recuperate among other commoners, unless you have shown yourself to be a danger to them. They will shield you from the law or anyone else searching for you, though they will not risk their lives for you.

Variant Mountain Traveller: Lowlander

You have left the civilized world of Haven behind and ascended the Throat for a simpler way.

Rather than proficiency with a musical instrument or gaming set you might be proficient with an artisan tool of your choice. And instead of a musical instrument or gaming set, you start with a climber's kit.

Nomadic Drive

You’ve been to strange places and seen things that others cannot begin to fathom. Consider some of the distant lands you have visited, and how they impacted you. You can roll on the following table to determine your drive for continuing a nomadic life, or choose one that best fits your character.

D8	Nomadic Drive
1	Your small village was too constricting.
2	You are on the run from some past crime or wrongdoing.
3	You desire to see the wonders of the world.
4	You have been searching for someone.
5	Your town and family were killed and there is no home to return to.
6	Every place has something new to learn.
7	You seek new ways to test your abilities everywhere you go.
8	You search for the answer to an ancient secret.

Suggested Characteristics

Those that live their lives on the road are shaped by the experiences they have there. Their encounters with different peoples and cultures along with the trying nature of mountain life shape their ideals and behaviors. Their bonds may tie them to specific people or places they hold especially dear from their journies. However, many have good reason to live the harsh life of a nomad, never making a true home wherever they go.

D8	Personality Trait
1	I don't like turning down people that ask me for help.
2	I don't like spending to much time in the same place. Adventure awaits!
3	Nothing can shake my optimistic attitude.
4	I am incredibly slow to trust. Those who seem the fairest often have the most to hide.
5	The best way to get me to do something is to tell me I can’t do it.
6	I like to talk at length about the things I find interesting.
7	I eat every meal like it is my last.
8	I begin or end my day with small traditional rituals that are unfamiliar to others.

D6	Ideal
1	Order. The rule of law is all that seperates mortal man from the mountain beasts. (Lawful)
2	Greater Good. Survival at the cost of others isn't survival at all. (Good)
3	Nature. The natural world is more important than all the constructs of civilization. (Neutral)
4	Survival. People's needs are what truly matter. Law is inconsequential to that. (Chaotic)
5	Power. The strong survive and the weak perish, such is the way of the mountains. (Evil)
6	Loyalty. I’m loyal to my friends to a fault. I will never leave anyone behind and will do anything to protect them. (Any)

D6	Bond
1	I have a trinket from a special someone back at home that I hold dearly.
2	There's always a road I haven't traveled before. I'm always looking for new places to explore.
3	I have a book in which I write my discoveries and experiences along with useful information that might be helpful in certain situations.
4	I would lay down my life for my companions.
5	My freedom is my most precious possession. I'll never let anyone take it from me again.
6	Though I had no choice, I lament having to leave my loved one(s) behind. I hope to see them again one day.

D6	Flaw
1	I become impossibly stubborn when I think I am right.
2	I easily become obsessed with things I find interesting and important but I just as easily leave it and move on to the next thing.
3	I have trouble trusting in my allies, I am convinced they will turn against me.
4	I have certain compulsive habits that I must absolutely do in certain conditions.
5	I have no empathy whatsoever. I really can't put myself in another person's shoes.
6	I have a weakness for the exotic beauty of the lands I pass through.