Tiko Naught

## Basic information

**Occupation:** Leader of the Rosefern Hounds, Marquis of the Moon Pass

**Class:** Cleric/fighter

**Age:** 34

**Height:** 6’2”

**Weight:** 180 lbs

**Deity:** Wee Jas

**Motivation:** Restore family legacy. Be a greater man than father

## Appearance

Tiko is tall and skinny, with a strangely young but weathered face. His features are fair and his eyes are blue. When his hair began to thin, Niko began to keep a mustache, which his a point of pride.

Tiko wears slightly battered and rusty full plate armor. He carries a longsword and a tower shield with a faint etching of a woman's body in honor of his diety, Wee Jas. Like many Jasidin, Tiko wears jewelry, but he keeps it hidden beneath his clothes and armor.

As the leader of the Rosefern Hounds, Tiko wears a pink colored cloak with the guild sigil, ringed at the neck by the pelt of a coyote. He also carries the symbol of leadership, a canine head helmet.

## Character traits:

### Personality:

Pragmatic, Smart, Guarded, Prideful, Austere, Haughty

### Quirks:

Must have coffee

Disdains being dirty and unshaven but keeps an immaculate moustache.

### Fears:

Being looked down upon by nobles

Failing to live up to his destiny

### Flaws:

Tiko is shaky from coffee, poor diet, and bad sleep habits.

Tiko is murky eyed. He claims this occurred from getting a leech on his eye while saving a fellow Rosefern Hound from drowning in a muddy slough of the river of Nai'Ual. In reality, his penchant of constant journaling ran afoul late one night, when he fell asleep in his inkwell and awoke with forever obscured eyesight.

## Summon list

### Earth Elemental Dog [Ranger]

Pick 2 feats:

8 + 5 per HD after 1 [first hit die always use max, then half ) (3hd base of 18 hps then whatever con modifier is)

M Elemental (Earth)

HP xx (Xd8 + xCon) [15] [28]

AC xx (+1dex, +5nat) [16]

Touch xx | Flat-Footed xx

Elemental Immunities | DR X/Adamantium (see below)

BA + (3HD/4) [+5] [

Fort + (2+HD/2)+Con

Ref + (2+HD/2)+Dex

Will + (HD/3)+Wis

Bite +X  1d6+(Str[2] x 1.5)

⁃ Trip

Str 15 Dex 13 Con 15 Int 4 Wis 12 Cha 6

Earth Mastery (Ex): An earth element creature gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls if both it and its foe touch the ground. If an opponent is airborne or water- borne, the earth element creature suffers a –4 penalty on attack and damage rolls.

Burrow (Ex): An earth element creature can glide through stone, dirt, or almost any other sort of earth except metal as easily as a fish moves through water.

Feats

(R) - Track

(1) - Weapon Focus

Damage Reduction Table

1-3 : 1

4-7 : 3

8-12 : 5

13-18 : 8

19+ : 10

Size Table

1-5 : M

6-12 : Large (+2 Str, -2 Dex, Bite 1d8)

13-18 : Huge (+4 Str, -4 Dex, Bite 2d6)

19+ : Gargantuan (+6 Str, -6 Dex, Bite 3d6)

### Bone Soldier [base attack and saves the same as fighter in PHB]

12 + 7 per HD after 1 = 40

M Undead

Warrior 5

HP xx (Xd12) [40]

AC 22 (+4dex, +4arm, +2shld, +2nat)

Touch 14 | Flat-Footed 18

Undead Immunities

BA + 5 (HD) [5+3 = 18]

Fort + (2+HD/2) [4]

Ref + (HD/3)+Dex [1]

Will + (HD/3)+Wis [1]

Shortspear  +BA+Dex  1d6+3

Str 16 Dex 18 Con - Int 12 Wis 13 Cha 11

Feats

(H) - Weapon Finesse

(1) - Weapon Focus

## Backstory

I grew up surrounded by kin in a small cluster of squat mud houses in the Fallows neighborhood of Kingsmount, a far cry from the noble house my grandfather ceaselessly reminisced upon at the Moonfort. The pious few among us, worshiped devoutly to Wee Jas at the small hut with her likeness inside. These sessions were routinely followed by my grandfather’s lessons:

“Legacy, blood, dynasty, family. An unbroken chorus line united by blood from the primordial ooze unto the final darkness. Your blood is a river through time”

The old man converted his life force into executing the final steps of a long and winding plan that would put the Naughts back into their rightful place among the nobility. Unfortunately, no one cared. My father, the one chosen to wield the baton across the finish line, pissed it all away writing poems and walking the woods with my mother. My uncles and the other kin were not much better.

The disappointment nearly killed the old man. I always hated my father for that. Why should a family, a whole lineage, a thousand future sons and daughters of the Naught line suffer because of his indifference? My grandfather retreated to a hovel by the libraries of Stonetrick of the Ancient Hall, and I followed. Before I left, I climbed onto a rock so I could look my father in the eyes, and I told him that I would become the man he could not. My drunk father dropped to his knees with laughter.

The Naughts disbanded, scattered across Western Koena and poorer than ever.

Alone now with our faith and united by a shared dream of reclamation, we went to work. I trained in sword and shield while my grandfather crafted one final last ditch effort to bring the Naughts glory. Again, I listened to his words, over and over as I fell asleep on the cold dirt floor by a weak fire:

"The blood of the manyed one, echoes lapping on the shores of eternity. A hook through thy soul, pulling forward to destiny. The call of countless future kin to come in days unpast and deeds not yet done."

One day, I woke up and my grandfather said the day had come. I left Cas in search of the Rosefern Hounds.

## Marriage prospects

Lady Elysia Ravenswood

Lady Ophelia Montclair

Lady Gwendolyn Sunderglass

Lady Arabella Evergreen

Serra, the Village Seamstress

## Memories of guildmates

### The mayor of Gullstown

I remember when Grim took point on that mission in Gulltown while the rest of the guild settled in with the Nosegay Baron. Really it was more of us keeping a lid on our previous work in the thieves war decades earlier.

Anyways our services were needed because the peace we had played a role in establishing between the tag alongs at the docks and the lichen men on the Gulltown walls had given way to violence. The trader table that oversaw the illicit markets of Gulltown could not abide any break in business.

The problem was over the lichen men’s cut of the smuggler tax. I remember the tag alongs tried to get us on the back foot by staging the meeting on a morgue ship.  Instead, the death seemed to energize Grim. He was at the peak of his powers. He heard both sides out, then demanded the books and records from every merchant and smuggler in town. For those without books, he had us bring their money men to him. He didn’t even go to the Inn to do his work. He set up an office right there in the morgue ship. All I had to do was whatever he asked, mostly guarding the door.

After this hasty audit, Grim found a way to solve the money disputes. Apparently three separate money men in the vast criminal “bureaucracy” were siphoning funds toward various ends. One spent it on men, one on some strange spiritual enterprise, and the last was associated with a court lady in Kingsmount. Grim sniffed them all out and cut the tap.

We did what we had to do to round up the responsible parties in town. They were gull food after long, and with the money flowing fairly again, the peace was restored. Although the size of half a man, Grim proved himself a businessman head and shoulders above the criminals of Gulltown. Gullstown hasn’t had a real mayor for as long as I remember, but i know who’d be the perfect halfling for the job.

### The red wolf ambush

I never liked drinking because it reminded me of my drunken parents, but I remember the first time I got sideways as a hound.

Do you remember that time Dagr—the old grey hound or ole emerald tooth as I used to call him—sent us Othor for some rest during that brief Red Moon truce? And those stuck up bastards wouldn’t let us stay in the walls! I am of noble descent, but of course they didn’t respect that. Things would be different for us now that we are landed, but I digress.

They forced us to sleep out by a pit the butcher used to toss scrap meats. We set up camp and went in for drinks. Grim went off alone to ruminate somewhere. He did that often if I recall. Anyways at the inn, I remember a goliath solider from an Uthor guild, maybe Hinter Blade or was it Fawt Afibi?—it doesn’t matter. In any case Bard was playing and some gnomish merchants were enthralled when the solider put his big fat finger on a single string. Well, the whole bar paused for a pregnant second. Then, all hell broke loose. We were escorted out quite harshly by the town guard if I recall. On the way to the dungeon, one guard had Bard under one arm and Coppergullet in the other. That is until Bard bit his ear and he let him go! Coppergullet gave him a right kick in the manly parts too! We ran faster than I though drunk men even could.

Back at the camp, we were about to fall into a drunken slumber when we heard footsteps. I could see a shape. It was about the height of a halfling. Bard, assuming it to be Grim, began to recount the nights events. Coppergullet stumbled toward the figure, joining in. As they’re both excitedly talking over each other, the figure reaches the edge of the camp. Even in the pitch black I knew, it was a red wolf.

“WOLF” I yelled

We were in no shape to continue the timeless war of dog against wolf. Bard was quick on the draw but his aim was false. As an arrow zipped into my tent, Coppergullet gave a valiant charge. The wolf dodged him easily and charged at me where I sat. I stood up and smacked into my tower shield, falling back.

Now the wolf was on me and I held his gnashing mouth back with my hands around its neck. Bard and Coppergullet, too drunk for weapons, took turns jumping on and being tossed off the beast like a bucking bull.

As my strength began to fade, I heard Grim’s voice. “What are you doing captain?” I looked up, Grim and Coppergullet were wrestling one another to the drunken death. I was in a grapple with my own shield. We had a good laugh and went to bed. Grim never made fun of us for that.

### The last mossback

I remember when the last of the mossbacks passed. Ole Rimi. He never did take a last name like most of us do now. That old hound had stood at the Rose Oasis the day the hounds were formed, when my great uncle Tyron II, the deserter, met that nascent army and they made the sand pact. I mean he actually saw it. He was but a young boy, an orphan thief, and probably the youngest of the group. He saw it all. The Hawk Kaladesh campaign, Mount Khal, the war of thieves in Gulltown, the raid at Laketown. He survived it all! Who knows how many men he killed. Who knows how many pups be sired HA! I know quite a few of the original blood flows from his. Anyways that old dog made it all the way back to Baaz before he died. He must have been over 100 years old.

Anyways we were to have a proper funeral. The Nosegay baron let us use the castle grounds for the day. We did our traditional ceremony and  it was time for burying. I will be damned if every shovel we had broke against the rocks in a matter of minutes. The whole guild was staring and waiting, the last mossback’s body souring in the high Baaz sun. We were on the verge of catastrophe when Joelle struck. She had just recently taken

the reigns of the hounds with her father and brother passed. She had not yet had the chance to prove herself of the houndmaster title in action. This would be the day that would change in my eyes.

Joelle walked up the place we stood, shovel handles in hand. Then, she let out a whistle command I had never heard any other trainer use. For a moment nothing happened. Everyone side eyed one another. A moment later, from over the hill, every dog we had raced to meet her. The dogs began to furiously scratch at the ground. They bloodied their paws in the effort but none stopped for even a second until the second whistle came. Where she stood had become a pit worthy of burial.

With that, ole Rimi was put to rest. And with him, an era of the Rosefern hounds came to an end. Joelles mother Mara beamed with joy and I knew then the hounds were in safe hands.

### The charge at big rock willow

I remember one the first jobs we had for a perfume baron, the charge at Big Rock Willow. We were told by Baron Nosesay to take out a thieves crew, the Ghouls, that was plundering his shipments. We thought they were resting at the big rock willow, unarmed and unaware. We had intelligence from some scout in service the the baron, but I remember Bard cautioning against it. In fact I remember Bard and Dib decided to stay back without the crew. This was the last time I doubted either. Anyways, we figured they were unarmored sitting around a pot of river cooter soup or whatever dreck thieves eat. I led a detachment of a couple dozen Hounds, Joelle at point with a pack of howlers. Grim was there too running with his short legs. He was always in the back with me and my armor. Anyways, as we piled down the ravine toward them we realized all too late that they were about as ready for us as could be. We were outnumbered , outgunned, and out strategized. Now, the Ghouls were fierce. Ex-soldiers from Kingsmount. They took orders very seriously. Whatever they were ordered they would do, but they also wouldn’t do anything unless ordered. As we charged, they their at the ready, staring at us from the edge of the camp. They had arrows knocked but none were loosed. We began to truly bear down on them, the hounds and THE HOUNDS barking and howling. I remember when we got close enough to see the whites of their eyes, they all started to look back to the commander for an order. My eyes followed theirs. It was then I saw. For a second I couldn’t believe it. Their captain started to howl too. It was then it dawned on me. Dibs, that sly bastard. He must have followed from a distance. I always wondered if Bard had a hand in disposing the original captain but in all the business that followed, I never thought to ask.

## Lineage of Naught Rulers

### 1874-1876

   ⁃    Tibalt II, born 1854, died without an heir

### 1876-1883

   ⁃    Tyler, born 1816, second son of Tibalt I

### 1928-1987

   ⁃    Tibalt III, born 1914, grandson of Tywin

### 2110-2178

   ⁃    Tigon II, born 2081, second son of Tibalt IV

### 2183-2207

   ⁃    Tyler III, born 2172, third son of Tyrion

### 2207-2207

   ⁃    Tyrion II, born 2188, left with most of the remaining coffers to form the Rosefern Hounds

### 2207-2220

   ⁃    Tytos II, born 2191, second son, lost the rule due to his debauchery

### Other members

Tigon, born 2212, Tiko’s grandfather

Tybold, born 2243, Tiko’s father

Tiko, born 2275