Turg (The Mighty)

Turg is one of the primary protagonists of the world setting. He was formerly known as Maximillian Hemswarden, a bard, but after the death of his wife (Helen Merrier Hemswarden), he turned to combat and destruction to cope.

## **Beliefs**

1. A leader's place is on the field of battle, heading his men, not sending them ahead on their own. Only a coward hides behind his army. *Example:* when Calio Rolan acted as a coward, fleeing the scene of the apocalypse and abandoning his men, Turg responded by choke-slamming him into a wall.
2. Nobility, dignity, and respect are earned, not inherited. Being born into a noble family makes you no better or worse than anyone else; it is what you do with your life that matters. *Example:* When Europe Belisarius treated a group of barbarians on the plains with disdain simply for being barbarians, Turg took it upon himself to admonish her attitude and explain why that viewpoint is completely wrong.

## **Instincts**

1. Protect the young and the weak at all costs. Having not had any family bonds with anyone for a long time, Turg prizes and cherishes those bonds that others have and will not allow them to be violated if he can help it. *Example:* When Turg found out how the Witch of the Greenwood was abusing her daughter, he flatly refused to leave her behind, even knowing that bringing her lowered their already abysmal chances of success.
2. Turg keeps his hammer in easy reach while he sleeps and picks it up first thing in the morning. The hammer gives him a sense of control and security, and he never goes anywhere without it. The hammer he carries was a souvenir his wife brought back from her travels, and he refuses to be parted with it.

## **Traits**

1. Turg is overly talkative, especially for a brutal fighter. Turg's former life as a bard has far more influence on his actions than he would like to admit, and he rarely misses an opportunity to share stories of his adventures. As much as he hates to admit it, part of Turg enjoys being the hero of the stories instead of just the teller of tales.
2. Turg processes information very literally. When confronted with an unknown situation, he struggles to improvise a solution and often makes things worse by trying. *Examples:* The following conversations actually happened:
	1. Orc (in an unknown language, gesturing Turg to move along): "NEXT!" Turg: \*cocks head questioningly at orc, cups hand around ear\*
	2. Orc (in an unknown language): "Hey, how's it going?" Turg: "SMASHING THINGS!" Orc: "Uh...what?" Turg: "GLASSWORK!" Orc: "Are...uh...you okay there big guy?" Turg: "Smashing...?"

## **Special Abilities**

Turg is mostly a fighter, though some remnants of his former bardic power still linger. His physical conditioning is impressive, given his relatively little formal training. Bigger and stronger than most normal men and even some orcs and ogres, Turg leverages this strength to great effect in close-quarters combat. Although he no longer does formal performances, he still can imbue his voice with power to grant boons to his allies.

**Warcry:** Upon killing an enemy, Turg builds up his power into his voice, letting out a bellow of "FEAR THE MIGHTY TURG!" This is equivalent to starting a bardic performance of Inspire Courage as a free action, though he does not need to continue the performance to apply the effect. This ability can only be used once per combat and lasts a number of rounds equal to 4 + Turg's charisma, for a total of three rounds. This ability uses Turg's combined bard and fighter level as the equivalent level for the inspire courage performance.

**Tackle:** When attempting a bull rush maneuver, Turg can make a grapple attempt to use his charge to throw his foe to the ground. Doing so requires a successful charge attack and a successful grapple attempt, the result of which is to pin his enemy.

## **Notable Moments**

* Early in his adventuring career, Turg tackled an orc chieftain off of the back of an owlbear
* Later on, Turg tackled a horse
* Turg broke the lock on a door to confront a monster within. Fargrim Ungart promptly dropped an outhouse on him.
* Turg was part of the defense force that attempted (and failed) to hold the portal against Oscarf's initial invasion force.
* Turg was part of a group that attempted to recruit the nomadic barbarian tribes to their cause. In doing so, he got into a brawl with the chieftain of one such tribe.
* Turg was part of a group that successfully escaped the clutches of the Witch of the Greenwood. His role included distracting the witch with ineffectual hammer blows and attempted tackling. He was saved by Europe, who used a ring bonded with another ring carried by Morgana to allow a teleportation spell to bring them all out safely.
* Turg was part of the force that recaptured Fort Torlem from a group of goblins, uncovering a plot to overthrow Ducava. His role included smashing three goblins with a single swing of his hammer.
* Turg became a legend in Khatar without ever setting foot in the city. An owlbear ransacked a bar with a parrot on its back screaming "Fear the Mighty Turg!" And then the people were assured that Turg was neither the parrot nor the owlbear, and the rumors began to fly.