Glumworth Cartwrong, Reluctant Witch

[AnemoneEnemy]

 

 

Basic Stats

Name: Glumworth Cartwrong

Race: Gnome

Class: Witch (Baba Yaga)

Campaign Background: Inexplicably Expelled

Link to Character Sheet: Glum Cartwrong

Appearance

The apparent cross between a gnome and a halfling, Glumworth Cartwrong manages to be gangly despite standing three-foot-six. He wears what must once have been a respectable suit, several dozen patches and repaired seams ago--at least, on the person it was actually sized for. His cravat is half-yellowed with sweat, and the fake gold watch chain tucked into his vest pocket doesn't actually have anything at the other end, which is why it's attached to a loop in the fabric inside the pocket.

He has large pointed ears, a narrow pointed nose, a scowl so deep it lends credence to the old "don't do that, it'll stick that way" adage of mothers everywhere, and a mop of unkempt hair the color of stale, spilled beer.

 

 

"Ambrost Mugland? That louse-ridden manure sponge?! I'll land one right on his ugly mug, see if I don't!"

 

 

Personality & History

Glumworth Cartwrong never asked for this.

He never asked for his parents--a gnome and a halfling--to be as mismatched as they were, nor to inherit their mismatched nature. He certainly never asked to be blessed--blessed! Cursed, more like it!--by a mysterious old woman attending his naming ceremony, and definitely not for the many things that have gone wrong for him since.

That is to say, all of them.

His ability to make his toys move of their own accord disturbed his parents, and the twisted shapes they laid themselves back down in--like cast bones communicating some dire prophecy--only made matters worse. He had to force his fleeing pen to return to his hand again and again simply to complete schoolwork. Even if the "blessing" that hung over him had not driven others away, the sour attitude he developed from living with it would have.

Let's pull a summary out of a long and unhappy story, like intenstines: the more young Glumworth was set apart from his peers, the more he longed for mundane respectability. He cultivated it however he could, his suits as impeccable as his manners. He twisted himself up inside keeping his "blessing" under control; when he did let it out, it was to force his cravat to adjust itself or tidy up in a hurry when guests came to call on short notice.

It will come as no surprise that attempting to control every element of his life with a death grip was not a long-term solution. His career as an alchemist--a respectable use for the inclinations he'd been gifted with--ended when a particularly obnoxious customer fled his shop, bludgeoned about the head and shoulders by his own walking-stick. His family had to formally renounce him when an aspiring mayoral candidate's attempt to win favor with the people of the town by blaming their minor problems on Glumworth's unseemly occultism ended with his own podium trying to eat him. His last-ditch attempt to avoid further stains on his reputation by traveling as a merchant were cut short when a major buyer was almost strangled to death by his own necktie.

He drifted half-aimlessly, even resorting to what technically wasn't banditry--the goods left various caravans of their own accord; he just happened to be nearby--until he was reminded of the Mana Wastes, and Blythir College. Even in Alkenstar, wizardry could be respectable; in the Mana Wastes, unpredictable magic was part and parcel of the environment. Blythir students that didn't blow something up or cause some kind of damage were the exception rather than the rule.

It was the thing he had always shied away from doing: confront his "blessing", embrace his magic, and learn to tame it. It was a desperate move: try to master his power alone and friendless in a foreign land. It was his last chance.

It was brilliant.

Wizards were allowed to be eccentric, and menacing, and everyone expected a certain amount of collateral damage for the benefits they provided. His ability to control objects allowed dangerous experiments to be performed at a safe distance, as reagents walked themselves over to beakers and jumped in. Alkenstar needed people willing to run the risks of working magic in the Mana Wastes, and who for whatever reason either wanted or had no better option than to deal with its fallout.

He was, it turned out, brilliant. With his mind turned towards academic and magical matters, Glumworth Cartwrong began to shine: a generational talent whose brilliance outweighed his sour attitude, his prickly nature, and his tendency to make things move about on their own accord. For the first time in his life, he felt the stirrings of something like hope and pride, and knew what it was to enjoy what he did, and even to relax a little.

When the letter of expulsion arrived on his desk, all of that went away. Accused of theft of property--physical and intellectual! As if he needed to steal ideas from these clods!--he was unceremoniously stripped of his stipend and tossed on the street.

Some hours later, a blind-drunk Glumworth used what money he had left to pursue the strings he knew must have been pulled with rabid intensity. If his notes the next morning could be trusted, one Ambrose Mugland was responsible.

Glumworth Cartwrong has nothing except the stained and ill-fitting (the good ones were confiscated) clothes on his back, the rapidly dwindling handful of coins in his pocket, and the tatters of his sole remaining chance for the respectability he'd spent his whole life chasing all around him.

That leaves him with nothing to lose.

 

[Faux Flag]

Hi @AnemoneEnemy, I like what you have so far with Glumworth's backstory.

 

I'm not sure whether you're ready yet or not but the link to your character sheet doesn't seem to work. When you are ready for me to take a proper look, just let me know.

[AnemoneEnemy]

Glumworth is done. The mechanics are done, too, but I haven't transferred them to a MW sheet yet; I'll do that tomorrow.

For now, the snapshot of the sheet is here: https://i.imgur.com/8CUwucN.jpeg

[AnemoneEnemy]

The post has been updated with a MW sheet so everything is complete barring input 

[Faux Flag]

@AnemoneEnemy, thanks for sending in an app.

 

Great backstory! Or should I say...brilliant 😉

 

Glumworth seems to really embody the continuous push for discovery and control over the uncontrollable that encapsulates the spirit of Alkenstar. Even as a spellcaster in the Mana Wastes, he sounds like he really fits in the setting. That he was finally able to find direction and control in his life, just to lose it because of something he didn't do, gives a good motive to engage with the campaign's hook.

 

Mechanically speaking, everything looks good. I'll mark Glumworth as complete!

[AnemoneEnemy]

 

Glumworth Cartwrong HP: 15/15 | AC: 16 | Perception: +4 Fort: +4 | Ref: +6 | Will: +6 ResourcesHalfling Luck - 1/day | SpellsFear Summon Fey L1: 2/2 | SkillsAcrobatics +6 Crafting +7 Deception +4 Intimidation +4 Lore: Academia +7 Occultism +7 Society +7 Stealth +6 Thievery +6

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"This is how I speak."

 

This is how I think.

 

This is how I act.