Bill Hardinge

Image from Ironsworn Manual pg. 59

Feet by Robyn (Thunderscape7)

**Bill Hardinge** is a thief, pure and simple. He takes what he needs from others with little or no thought of how it affects them. Recently Bill had an attack of humanity. After witnessing the terrible murder of an entire family he has vowed to find and kill the bastard that did it. It's the bravest thing Bill has ever done and it scares the crap out of him.

## Mechanics

### Stats

* Edge:1
* Iron:1
* Heart:2
* Shadow:3
* Wits:2

### Vows:

* Bill witnessed a man murder a family, including a child, and took a vow to hunt that man down and kill him (Extreme)

* Find out where that bastard went after the murders (Formidable)
* ~~Fix the water supply in Kinheim Valley (Dangerous)~~ - *Unknowingly Forsaken*
* I will benefit others with my skills rather than acting to their detriment. (Formidable)

### Bonds:

* His hometown - 1

* The Sheriff of that town - 2
* Gihr Whitemane - 1
* Amala - 3
* Ceridwen Ennoellyr - 1

### Assets:

* Giant Cockroach, Feet, (companion, reskinned Giant Spider)
	+ **Discreet:** When you *Secure an Advantage* by sending your cockroach to scout a place, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit.

* Improviser (path)
	+ When you *Check your Gear*, you may roll +wits (instead of +supply). If you do, envision how you make dow tih a clever solution, and take +1 momentum on a hit.

* Infiltrator (path)
	+ When you make a move to breach, traverse, or hide within an area held by an enemy, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit.
* Shadow Walk (ritual)
	+ When you cloak yourself with the gossamer veil of the shadow realms, roll +shadow. On a strong hit, take +1 momentum. Then, reroll any dice (one time only) when you make a move by ambushing, hiding, or sneaking. On a weak hit, as above, but the shadows try to lead you astray. You must first *Face Danger* to find your way.

## Description

### Appearance:

Bill has been doing this for a long time. He is forty-four and looks fifty. He is wiry and thin but it's hard to tell because of all the heavy clothing and furs that he wears. A bear skin cape covers his shoulders, chest, upper arms and back. The rest of his thick clothing is held in place with straps and belts. Three thick leather straps hold the bearskin closed across his chest. A bronze knife is visible tucked into his belt and a shovel's handle protrudes from the top of his pack.

## Background

William "Bill" Hardinge is the younger brother of a semi-famous oddball who is known for digging up the countryside in search of "Stuff older than all of us are. Stuff older even than our grandpa". This brother, Phil, insists that there was a time not that long ago when people didn't have bronze and iron. They had been forced to make their tools from stone, flint mostly. Most people think Phil is quite mad.
In his brother's shadow Bill failed in one job after another. He started to drink even more and then, inevitably, he started to steal to cover his bar bill. In so doing Bill found his talent. He was, and is, incredibly fucking sneaky. Early on he stole from the powerful and strong.It was in a rich man's house that he met and befriended Feet, the giant cockroach. It's also where he discovered that powerful people protect their stuff with guards and traps and dogs. The second time he just barely got away he changed his targets. He now steals from the middle levels of society. Blacksmiths, farriers, fletchers, trappers etc. He doesn't steal from the poor, not because of any scruple but because they don't have anything worth stealing. He doesn't steal from the rich, that'll get him killed. He doesn't talk much about his past and he definitely doesn't talk about him occasionally stealing from churches. Not his church, just the ones attended by people worshiping a false god or gods.

## Character Information

### Notable Items

* Shovel: bronze blade, wooden handle, small iron pins holding the blade in place
* A nice wooden spoon stolen from Kinheim during second session

## Quotations

* "'ello Kinheim"
* (to Ceridwen and Amala) "South, 'eh? I've never been south of here. Okay, I'll go"
* **Bill**: (to Ceridwen ) "Where, if I might ask you, is the safest place to be when you're firing that thing?"
**Ceridwen**: "Probably not on my bad side"
**Bill**: "Oh, right in the metaphorical answer there miss. Understood"

* **Wina:** "As long as you travel with my apprentice, you will have the blessing of the crows"
**Bill:**"Not quite sure what that means, ma'am, but thank you. Thank you very much. Thank -- I'll just get on my way. I'll, uh, do my best to bring her back, ma'am"
**Wina:**"Oh you'd better"
**Bill:**"Yes, ma'am, absolutely-- I *will* bring her back, absolutely, yes"
* (when taking his Iron Vow) "This one I'm doing of my own free will. I *will* fix what's wrong with this river"
* (to **Amala**) "I'll tell you what, miss. You keep me out of the darkest parts of the shadows and I'll keep you in the bits what are safe"
* (to **Ceridwen**) "I ain't got but a passing resemblance of anything like the truth in all of me, miss. I don't know how not to lie, I don't know how not to steal. If I'd known you then like I know you now, I wouldn't have done that miss. I don't steal nothing from any o' you since I met you. This time. You don't understand you were a pile of sheets in the corner, miss!"
* "Thanks for not killing me, miss."
* "That would not be the first time nor the last time in twenty-four hours that I'll be surprised, miss. You lot are *nuts*."
* (to **Ceridwen**) "One more thing, Miss. You're not happy I stole them horses. Are you?"
**Ceridwen**: "No, but . . . I'm not happy that I made the decision."
**Bill**: "Well, here's something to think on, miss. How do you think they got them horses?"
**Ceridwen**: "There's multiple possibilities."
**Bill**: "That there are, miss. But they call come down to theft in the end, now don't they?"
* "You know what's scarier than scary you can see? Scary you *fucking* can't."