Simon the Bugbear

Simon and Pursa Tomee

 

Simon and Pursa both were slaves raised by a wealthy Gnome Merchant in the city of Elaine. Pursa was captured as a young boy from the Northern forests of Alson. He is of the red-haired Barbarian Kayde people. Simon was born a slave. Both were raised in crowded slave pens amongst an assortment of various races to fight in gladiatorial arenas. One day their owner had to pay off some gambling debts and sold them off to a human fellow in in the city Nolos.

 

During their transport a storm broke out and they caravan shipping them was attacked by Hobgoblin raiders. Simon and Pursa managed to get away and were presumed dead by those with a claim on their lives. After a few months of wandering and laying low they made their way to the city of Scardale. Pursa was able to secure an abandoned stables for them to live in that was owned by a guy who worked at a local bar. Over the next few months the two managed to carve out a very modest survival for themselves as wanna be thugs, and petty criminals, often roughing up Johns' who got out of line at a local whore house, and beating up people for a local loneshark. They even managed to attract a group of assorted loosers and derilicts that did what they said in exchange for staying in the barn with them.

 

Then one day Simon and Pursa tried to test their luck as mercenaries, but no one would take them or their crew seriously. Then one day after waking up passed out along the docks after a long night of drinking, Pursa woke to find a Goblin spear fishing under the pier. Pursa was shocked, but less by the odd sight, and more by the creatures amazing skill with a spear. Pursa introduced himself and tried to recruite him into his gang, but the Goblin, who said his name was Reso, seemed uninterested.

 

Then Reso showed up at the barn the next day and was quickly brought on board.

 

One time they were paid by a whore house to dispose of a body of a John who got to rough with the girls and was stabbed to death. In exchange for this they gave the gang the dead John's belongings, including a large covered wagon with a few horses. Amongst the belongings was also a company log book for a company called Ficklestein Bestiaries, a Gnomish owned company that captured and sold dangerous animals to prospective buyers. This John worked for Ficklestein Bestiaries and was on his way to the town of Salsburg to pick up a new creature.

 

The gang decided that they were gonna go there and rob Ficklestein Bestiaries of whatever the creature was, sell it and take off for good far, far away.

 

Lyle, a worthless drunk in the group, led the wagon while Simon, Pursa and Reso hid in the back with a few Mongrels, and Dally, a halfling hooker who happened to be good with a sling shot so she convinced them that bringing her was a good idea. Lyle and Dally sat in the open, driving the wagon pretending to be wandering junk goods dealers while in route to Salsburg. The gang had a easy and comical trip cross across the eastern half of Regentum and surprisingly got away with at least that portion of their mission.

 

However during the actual robbery of Ficklestein Bestiaries things went terribly bad.

 

Ficklestein Bestiaries had captured a Bulette, a large and incredibly viscous creature that resembles a massive, armored four legged shark-like monstrosity of all teeth and appetite. When it got loose it made short order of the agents of Ficklestein Bestiaries and most of the gang. Only Simon, Pursa, Reso and a Mongrel called Jahger survived. Out of Ficklestein Bestiaries one Gnome survived and reported the incident to the authorities. All the gang members have a 800 GP each bounty on their heads put up by Ficklestein Bestiaries who wants their heads on sticks.

 

The four of them have been on the run in the past few months raiding farms and robbing people on obscure roads on the outskirts of the kingdom. Yet Pursa is becoming very troubled by Simon and Reso both. Pursa was always offended by the racism of his formers slave owner who always spoke of Goblins, Bugbears, Orcs, Ogres, etc. as being dumb, violent animals incapable of culture, order and civilization, and that their bondage elevated them to a more noble, civilized state. Yet with each passing week in the wild both Simon and Reso are getting increasingly more vicious and blood thirsty. Pursa is worried that the two will turn on him soon enough, and is saddened that Simon, some one he has has known most his life and thought of as a friend, may just be a violent animal at heart.

Done