Mad Puppy
2018-02-12, 06:30 PM
Hello all,
I'm building a Level 3 Totem Barbarian (Goliath) that I'm envisioning more of a Native American style.
I've borrowed heavily from a Native American Folk tale...
Please provide insight and wisdom on my choices and background. does it sound like something as a DM you would find interesting? Something to build on?
I'm a little unsure about my end and reason for adventuring, maybe change it from rejected by wife to dream sequence with Shaman to lead a life in a far off Wild land?
Kuruk Enyeto "Walks like a Bear"
A large lumbering Goliath Kuruk is the manifestation of a bear in Manly form. Arms and legs like a Tree trunk, thick skinned and barrel shaped torso, he walks with a lumbering Limp not so unlike a bear walking. This is "partially" how he got his nickname from his tribe "Walks like a bear".
Kuruk was out hunting as his tribe was finding food more and more scarce in the mountain home that the tribe had always called home. He came upon a large bear, carefully he approached and launched his spear. Piercing the bear in the heart, or so he thought, Thinking he found a great feast for his tribe, surprisingly the spear was expelled and the bear began running the other direction. Kuruk pursued, Again he found the bear, spearing it with a mighty throw, knocking it over. But again to his surprise the bear again ran away.
Kuruk retrieved the spear and pursued, spearing the bear again and again, but this bear continued on slugging off the spear without worry. This continued Kuruk throwing his spear striking the bear who seemed to not bother with it slugging it off and lumbering on. Tracking this bear was easy as blood lined the path,
Kuruk began to tire but persisted, perhaps the bear was a Medicine man transformed, a spirit, perhaps he was a god? Again Kuruk pursued, surely this magical beast is worthy of counting coup!
Leading him high up and on a mountain It entered a cave, misty and eerry was this place. Upon entering this place Kuruk did n not see the typical bear den, but a firepit, trappings of a shaman, a bed of Deer and goat fur and some bear as well, A bow, totems of many animals, Crow, Eagle, Deer, Goat, snake, Squirrel, badger to just name a few.
the bear turned Stood on his hind legs roared, a numbingly loud roar, charged him with blood dripping from his mouth.
Now excited primal urges took over, Kuruk and the bear began a struggle to survive. He threw his spear piercing the skin but the bear slugged it off as if it was nothing but a cape. A titanic battle ensued, Dagger stabs, claw scratches and bites (from both man and beast), Rolling and fighting the two seemed destined to both die this day. A devastating bite of Kuruk's leg, and deadly stab at the bears neck, they rolled and tumbled, Exhausted and near death Kuruk and the bear rolled over and passed out… when he awoke the Bear said to him
"This is where I live," "we will fight no more you have earned my respect." By this time Kuruk was very hungry and was wondering how he could get something to eat. The bear knew his thoughts, and sitting up on his hind legs he rubbed his stomach with his forepaws--so--and at once he had both paws full of chestnuts and gave them to the Kuruk. He rubbed his stomach again--so--and had his paws full of huckleberries, and gave them to Kuruk. He rubbed again--so--and gave Kuruk both paws full of blackberries. He rubbed again--so--and had his paws full of acorns, but Kuruk could not eat them, and that he had enough already.
Kuruk lived in the cave with the bear all winter, until long hair like that of a bear began to grow all over his body and he began to act like a bear; but he still walked like a man. One day in early spring the bear said to him, "Your people down in the settlement are getting ready for a grand hunt in these mountains, and they will come to this cave and kill me and take these clothes from me"--he meant his skin--" but they will not hurt you and will take you home with them." The bear knew what the people were doing down in the settlement just as he always knew what the man was thinking about. Some days passed and the bear said again, "This is the day when the Topknots will come to kill me, but the Split-noses will come first and find us. When they have killed me they will drag me outside the cave and take off my clothes and cut me in pieces. You must cover the blood with leaves, and when they are taking you away look back after you have gone a piece and you will see something."
Soon they heard the hunters coming up the mountain, and then the .dogs found the cave and began to bark. The hunters came and looked inside and saw the bear and killed him with their arrows. Then they dragged him outside the cave and skinned the body and cut it in quarters to carry home. The dogs kept on barking until the hunters thought there must be another bear in the cave. They looked in again and saw Kuruk away at the farther end. At first they thought it was another bear on account of his long hair, but they soon saw it was Kuruk who had been lost the year before, so they went in and brought him out. Then each hunter took a load of the bear meat and they started home again, bringing Kuruk and the skin with them. Before they left Kuruk piled leaves over the spot where they had cut up the bear, and when they had gone a little way he looked behind and saw the bear rise up out of the leaves, shake himself, and go back into the Mountains.
When they came near the settlement Kuruk told the hunters that he must be shut up where no one could see him, without anything to eat or drink for seven days and nights, until the bear nature had left him and he became like a man again. So they shut him up alone in a house and tried to keep very still about it, but the news got out and his wife heard of it. She came for her husband, but the people would not let her near him; but she came every day and begged so hard that at last after four or five days they let her have him. She took him home with her, but he still had a bear's nature and could not live like a member of the tribe anymore. If they had kept him shut up and fasting until the end of the seven days he would have become a man again and would have lived with his wife again, but now he is cursed/blessed (Kuruk is not sure which), Having earned the name Walks like a Bear, he found himself unable to stay with the Tribe, more in tune with the beast than the tribe, his wife grew saddened and angry with him. She eventually could bear it no more and rejected him. He decided he must find his own way far from what he knew, where beast run free, where he can run free…
Wandering he has come the furthest possible from civilization, to Farwater…
I'm building a Level 3 Totem Barbarian (Goliath) that I'm envisioning more of a Native American style.
I've borrowed heavily from a Native American Folk tale...
Please provide insight and wisdom on my choices and background. does it sound like something as a DM you would find interesting? Something to build on?
I'm a little unsure about my end and reason for adventuring, maybe change it from rejected by wife to dream sequence with Shaman to lead a life in a far off Wild land?
Kuruk Enyeto "Walks like a Bear"
A large lumbering Goliath Kuruk is the manifestation of a bear in Manly form. Arms and legs like a Tree trunk, thick skinned and barrel shaped torso, he walks with a lumbering Limp not so unlike a bear walking. This is "partially" how he got his nickname from his tribe "Walks like a bear".
Kuruk was out hunting as his tribe was finding food more and more scarce in the mountain home that the tribe had always called home. He came upon a large bear, carefully he approached and launched his spear. Piercing the bear in the heart, or so he thought, Thinking he found a great feast for his tribe, surprisingly the spear was expelled and the bear began running the other direction. Kuruk pursued, Again he found the bear, spearing it with a mighty throw, knocking it over. But again to his surprise the bear again ran away.
Kuruk retrieved the spear and pursued, spearing the bear again and again, but this bear continued on slugging off the spear without worry. This continued Kuruk throwing his spear striking the bear who seemed to not bother with it slugging it off and lumbering on. Tracking this bear was easy as blood lined the path,
Kuruk began to tire but persisted, perhaps the bear was a Medicine man transformed, a spirit, perhaps he was a god? Again Kuruk pursued, surely this magical beast is worthy of counting coup!
Leading him high up and on a mountain It entered a cave, misty and eerry was this place. Upon entering this place Kuruk did n not see the typical bear den, but a firepit, trappings of a shaman, a bed of Deer and goat fur and some bear as well, A bow, totems of many animals, Crow, Eagle, Deer, Goat, snake, Squirrel, badger to just name a few.
the bear turned Stood on his hind legs roared, a numbingly loud roar, charged him with blood dripping from his mouth.
Now excited primal urges took over, Kuruk and the bear began a struggle to survive. He threw his spear piercing the skin but the bear slugged it off as if it was nothing but a cape. A titanic battle ensued, Dagger stabs, claw scratches and bites (from both man and beast), Rolling and fighting the two seemed destined to both die this day. A devastating bite of Kuruk's leg, and deadly stab at the bears neck, they rolled and tumbled, Exhausted and near death Kuruk and the bear rolled over and passed out… when he awoke the Bear said to him
"This is where I live," "we will fight no more you have earned my respect." By this time Kuruk was very hungry and was wondering how he could get something to eat. The bear knew his thoughts, and sitting up on his hind legs he rubbed his stomach with his forepaws--so--and at once he had both paws full of chestnuts and gave them to the Kuruk. He rubbed his stomach again--so--and had his paws full of huckleberries, and gave them to Kuruk. He rubbed again--so--and gave Kuruk both paws full of blackberries. He rubbed again--so--and had his paws full of acorns, but Kuruk could not eat them, and that he had enough already.
Kuruk lived in the cave with the bear all winter, until long hair like that of a bear began to grow all over his body and he began to act like a bear; but he still walked like a man. One day in early spring the bear said to him, "Your people down in the settlement are getting ready for a grand hunt in these mountains, and they will come to this cave and kill me and take these clothes from me"--he meant his skin--" but they will not hurt you and will take you home with them." The bear knew what the people were doing down in the settlement just as he always knew what the man was thinking about. Some days passed and the bear said again, "This is the day when the Topknots will come to kill me, but the Split-noses will come first and find us. When they have killed me they will drag me outside the cave and take off my clothes and cut me in pieces. You must cover the blood with leaves, and when they are taking you away look back after you have gone a piece and you will see something."
Soon they heard the hunters coming up the mountain, and then the .dogs found the cave and began to bark. The hunters came and looked inside and saw the bear and killed him with their arrows. Then they dragged him outside the cave and skinned the body and cut it in quarters to carry home. The dogs kept on barking until the hunters thought there must be another bear in the cave. They looked in again and saw Kuruk away at the farther end. At first they thought it was another bear on account of his long hair, but they soon saw it was Kuruk who had been lost the year before, so they went in and brought him out. Then each hunter took a load of the bear meat and they started home again, bringing Kuruk and the skin with them. Before they left Kuruk piled leaves over the spot where they had cut up the bear, and when they had gone a little way he looked behind and saw the bear rise up out of the leaves, shake himself, and go back into the Mountains.
When they came near the settlement Kuruk told the hunters that he must be shut up where no one could see him, without anything to eat or drink for seven days and nights, until the bear nature had left him and he became like a man again. So they shut him up alone in a house and tried to keep very still about it, but the news got out and his wife heard of it. She came for her husband, but the people would not let her near him; but she came every day and begged so hard that at last after four or five days they let her have him. She took him home with her, but he still had a bear's nature and could not live like a member of the tribe anymore. If they had kept him shut up and fasting until the end of the seven days he would have become a man again and would have lived with his wife again, but now he is cursed/blessed (Kuruk is not sure which), Having earned the name Walks like a Bear, he found himself unable to stay with the Tribe, more in tune with the beast than the tribe, his wife grew saddened and angry with him. She eventually could bear it no more and rejected him. He decided he must find his own way far from what he knew, where beast run free, where he can run free…
Wandering he has come the furthest possible from civilization, to Farwater…