Fargus Droranath

Halfling, Mr. Down & Up, Godslayer, Son of Xen'drik

**Fargus Droranath** is a dwarf monk from the Tomb of Annihilation campaign, and a member of the Desolation Squad. Having spent over half his life fighting in the war, he became a battle-hardened, if rather ill-disciplined warrior. Left purposeless by the destruction of Cyre, he relished the chance to fight with the squad one last time, even as their mission took him to his birthplace of Xen'drik.

## Background

### Early Life

Fargus was born in 931 YK in Port Nyanzaru. His family ran a small shop selling imported dwarven goods from The Mror Holds. While business was good at first, the war made it increasingly difficult to stay fully stocked, leading to a decline in the family's fortune. Eventually, when Fargus was only 11 years of age, the family was forced to close down the shop and leave Xen'drik, settling down in the small village of Fort Droranath on the Karrnathi side of the Ironroot Mountains.

Fargus and his family lived a peaceful life in the village until Karrnath, growing ever more desperate for soldiers, started conscripting dwarves from the mountain regions. Rather then fight for the enemy of a dwarvish nation, Fargus, among many other young dwarves, fled the village. Unlike the others, he did not flee towards the safety of The Mror Holds, but instead traveled west into the Icewood and Karrnwood. For The next 10 years Fargus would travel the 5 nations, avoiding civilization as much as possible, until he joined the Cyran military.

### In Cyran Service

Fargus has never given much reason for why he choose to fight for Cyre, other then "to kick some Karrnathi ass!". He spent the first few of years as a scout, and while capable, trying to avoid a fight didn't sit well with him. He was therefore transferred to a regular army unit, serving primarily on the Breland and Karrnath fronts.

Fargus relished fighting, but did not take well to the disciplined life a soldier. He would often argue with his "incompetent" superiors, and took to drinking and gambling, more so then is normally expected of a soldier. It was not uncommon to find him in front of a disciplinary committee, garnering him quite the reputation. As one of his sergeants put it, "he was a great warrior, but a lousy soldier".

His final position in the regular armed forces was with the Jonestown Reavers, a company of raiders operating in Karrnath. After being removed from the company by Natalie Serrano, he was, unbeknownst to most, thrown in prison (for a crime he most certainly did commit), and was set to hang.

#### Joining The Desolation Squad

Further information: Desolation Squad
And hang he would, had it not been for the timely intervention of Daedalus d'Cannith. Given the choice between joining a new special forces unit, funded in part by House Cannith, and receiving a full pardon, or trying his luck with the hangman's noose, Fargus begrudgingly joined the squad.

It wasn't long, however, before he felt right at home with the group. The added freedom in how a mission should be executed was a blessing. Working with competent people for once was an added bonus. As such, it never really bothered him that their missions were dangerous, bordering on suicidal, and the glory nonexistent.

### After the war

The good times could not last. By a stroke of luck they were away on a mission outside Cyre when The Mourning happened. But that brought little comfort, for with one fell swoop his purpose in life had been swept away. And he was on he losing side no less.

He spent the following years doing a number of odd jobs, spending most of his earnings in gambling halls. He never stayed i one place for long, though rarely leaving Breland. Had the Desolation Squad not reformed for one final job, he most likely would have joined the fate of many an ex-soldier, but now, at least for a moment, he had purpose again.

## The Great Betrayal

Due to technically being a traitor to Karrnath, Fargus was never able to return home, even after the war ended. Seeing as news about a remote village in Karrnath is hard to come by even at the best of times, he was desperate for any information he could get his hands on. So when a mysterious and totally not evil person came to Fargus with said information, no price was too high. With said price being information on his 3 companions in the Desolation Squad, none which at the time seemed would become a major issue, Fargus didn't hesitate in taking the deal.

The information given was as follows:

* Neb: 2 of his identities were given up: His favorite hobgoblin (a minor inconvenience which Fargus has told Neb about), and a seldom used persona that totally hasn't, unbeknownst to Fargus, been used in a high profile assassination.
* E51U02: The name and date of his manufacture, and other details of this nature. Seeing as this location is obviously deep in the Mournlands, and therefor unreachable, there surely is no way this info will be useful.
* Daedalus: Simply confirmed the rumor that Daedalus was indeed involved in the removal of a rival family branch. And maybe a bit of murder was involved, but isn't it always with the great houses?

With the price paid, he finally got the information he seeked. But it was news of the worst kind: His village had been destroyed at some point before the wars end. Furthermore, the fate of his family was unknown, though their chances of being alive were slim. In this moment, Fargus truly learned the meaning of the phrase "Ignorance is Bliss"

The consequences for this minor betrayal has yet to be felt, but surely nothing major will happen. Surely.

## Rumors

During character creation, we were asked to create 5 rumors about our character. 3 of them should be true, 2 of them false. The other players do not know which is which.

1. At the 3rd battle of Kennrun, he charged the enemy lines absolutely naked.
	* Was referenced during the meeting with the Frost Giant Thyra. Fargus did not confirm if it was him, but he showed some admiration towards said individual.
2. Spent a short stint as camp cook. He was removed due to threats of mass desertion if his cooking continued.
3. Once killed a man over a rare bottle of whiskey.
4. Never officially joined the army. He just emerged form the woods one day in a Cyran uniform and grabbed a bunk.
5. Spent 2 months in prison due to "Unbecoming behavior" in the presence of a member of the Cyran royal family.
	* Was confirmed (or at least not denied) as being true in a conversation with Liara Portyr. What the "Unbecoming behavior" was is still unknown, but it allegedly involved alcohol.

## Mechanical Stats

AC

19

Max

23

HP

84

Temp

79

Initiative

5

Speed

40

Passive Perception

14

Attributes

Strength

10
0

Dexterity

20
5

Constitution

16
3

Intelligence

8
-1

Wisdom

18
4

Charisma

10
0

Skills
Acrobatics: 9Animal Handling: 4Arcana: -1Athletics: 4Deception: 0History: -1Insight: 8Intimidation: 0Investigation: -1Medicine: 4Nature: -1Perception: 4Performance: 0Persuasion: 0Religion: -1Sleight of Hand: 5Stealth: 5Survival: 8

Saving Throws
Strength Save: 4
 Dexterity Save: 9
 Constitution Save: 3
 Intelligence Save: -1
 Wisdom Save: 4
 Charisma Save: 0

Proficiencies

Simple WeaponsShortswordsBattleaxeLongbowSpear

Light Armor
Medium Armor
Heavy Armor
Shields

Brewer’s suppliesLeatherworker’s toolsPainter’s suppliesDrum

Monk (Way of the Kensei) Abilities

Martial Arts Die: d6
Ki Points: 9
Ki Save DC: 16

Kensei Weapons: battleaxe, longbow, spear

Unarmored Defense

While you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier (**19**).

▼Martial Arts

Your practice of martial arts gives you mastery of combat styles that use unarmed strikes and monk weapons, which are shortswords and any simple melee weapons that don't have the two-handed or heavy property.
You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding only monk weapons and you aren't wearing armor or wielding a shield:

* You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes and monk weapons (**5 vs 0**).
* You can roll a d6 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike or monk weapon.
* When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action. For example, if you take the Attack action and attack with a quarterstaff, you can also make an unarmed strike as a bonus action, assuming you haven't already taken a bonus action this turn.

▼Ki Abilities lvl 2

You can spend these points to fuel various ki features. You start with the 3 features below, and learn more ki features as you gain levels in this class.

When you spend a ki point, it is unavailable until you finish a short or long rest, at the end of which you draw all of your expended ki back into yourself. You must spend at least 30 minutes of the rest meditating to regain your ki points.

Some of your ki features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:
Ki save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier (**16**).

* **Flurry of Blows:** Immediately after you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 ki point to make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action.
* **Patient Defense:** You can spend 1 ki point to take the Dodge action as a bonus action on your turn.
* **Step of the Wind:** You can spend 1 ki point to take the Disengage or Dash action as a bonus action on your turn, and your jump distance is doubled for the turn.

Unarmored Movement lvl 2

Your speed increases by 15 feet while you are not wearing armor or wielding a shield. This bonus increases when you reach certain monk levels.

At 9th level, you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the move.

▼Deflect Missiles lvl 3

You can use your reaction to deflect or catch the missile when you are hit by a ranged weapon attack. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your monk level (**15-24**).

If you reduce the damage to 0, you can catch the missile if it is small enough for you to hold in one hand and you have at least one hand free. If you catch a missile in this way, you can spend 1 ki point to make a ranged attack with a range of 20/60 using the weapon or piece of ammunition you just caught, as part of the same reaction. You make this attack with proficiency, regardless of your weapon proficiencies, and the missile counts as a monk weapon for the attack.

▼Way of the Kensei Kensei lvl 3

* **Kensei Weapons:** Choose two types of weapons to be your kensei weapons: one melee weapon and one ranged weapon. Each of these weapons can be any simple or martial weapon that lacks the heavy and special properties. The longbow is also a valid choice. You gain proficiency with these weapons if you don't already have it. Weapons of the chosen types are monk weapons for you. Many of this tradition's features work only with your kensei weapons. When you reach 6th, 11th, and 17th level in this class, you can choose another type of weapon – either melee or ranged – to be a kensei weapon for you, following the criteria above.
* **Agile Parry:** If you make an unarmed strike as part of the Attack action on your turn and are holding a kensei weapon, you can use it to defend yourself if it is a melee weapon. You gain a +2 bonus to AC until the start of your next turn, while the weapon is in your hand and you aren’t incapacitated.
* **Kensei's Shot:** You can use a bonus action on your turn to make your ranged attacks with a kensei weapon more deadly. When you do so, any target you hit with a ranged attack using a kensei weapon takes an extra 1d4 damage of the weapon’s type. You retain this benefit until the end of the current turn.
* **Way of the Brush:** You gain proficiency with your choice of calligrapher's supplies or painter's supplies.

Slow Fall lvl 4

You can use your reaction when you fall to reduce any falling damage you take by an amount equal to five times your monk level (**45**).

Stunning Strike lvl 5

You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Extra Attack lvl 5

You can interfere with the flow of ki in an opponent's body. When you hit another creature with a melee weapon attack, you can spend 1 ki point to attempt a stunning strike. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn.

Ki-Empowered Strikes lvl 6

Your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

▼Ki-Empowered Strikes Kensei lvl 6

You extend your ki into your kensei weapons, granting you the following benefits.

* ***Magic Kensei Weapons:*** Your attacks with your kensei weapons count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
* ***Deft Strike:*** When you hit a target with a kensei weapon, you can spend 1 ki point to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target equal to your Martial Arts die. You can use this feature only once on each of your turns.

Evasion lvl 7

Your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a blue dragon's lightning breath or a fireball spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Stillness of Mind lvl 7

You can use your action to end one effect on yourself that is causing you to be charmed or frightened.

Hill Dwarf Traits

Darkvision:
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Dwarven Resilience:
You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage

Stonecunning:
Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.

Dwarven Toughness:
Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.