My Favorite PC I've ever played.

THE STORY OF VALGAR BLOODFLYTE

My favorite campaign instance as a player was long ago back around 1986. Near the end of my RPG days back then because work, guitar/band practices, and playing gigs on the weekends were over-riding my gaming time.

The game was standard D&D, the DM (Ted) was pretty good at off-the-cuff adventures. Taking an idea out of thin air and rolling with it with minimal prep.

The player group was between 4-7 players, depending on work, most of us were Security Guards who were night-owls due to our schedules. Others were GF’s and other acquaintances. A span of about a dozen players played through this campaign for about 2 years.

Everyone rolled 4d6 drop lowest… roll for height/weight and later, those who survived, we all rolled secret backgrounds.

My character was a male human, with a sailor background (seafaring mercenary), name Valgar Bloodflyte. I rolled exceptional 18+ strength (46%) and my rolls for height was 6’6”, yeah, BIG.

The only other stats of note were a 15 charisma and a 16 dexterity, the others were in the 10-13 range.
He used the Bastard Sword as his main weapon.

Ted started us off in “medias res” on the road with Captain Karn, (the Baron’s Step-son), a select few of the Baron’s guards, and the party (consisting of various ½ elf and humans of different classes).
Our mission was to rescue the Baron’s daughter, whom was abducted by the Elves of the North.

It became quite apparent that Karn had a dislike towards the ½ elves in the party, Valgar befriended on of the mixed-race members of the band and Karn’s distain spread towards Valgar as well.

Ted had been DM’ing another group as well and decided to pull the 2 groups together as an encounter. The Second party was mostly Elves and ½ Elves and a Dwarf, working for the Northern Elven Kingdom, looking for the Baron’s daughter as well.

It had become quite apparent that something was a-miss, both camps met on opposing sides of a clearing. Valgar was ordered ahead with his ½ Elf friend to “talk”. Karn was hoping that we would meet death at the hands of the Elves.
After engaging in banter with the Northerners it was evident that the Elves did not have possession of the Baron’s Daughter, and were in fact trying to track down the real culprits of the abduction.

Valgar returned to Karn’s camp, letting him know that the Elves had no intention on attacking.
“Good!” said Karn, “then ready the men, we outnumber them 2 to 1, it should be easy to take their camp by surprise!”
The attack did not go as Karn intended, as in mid-charge, Valgar turned on the Baron’s men.
Karn escaped though, and the remaining PC’s that survived, formed a new party.

The new group followed the trail of the real culprits, Brigands from Karn’s homeland. It was quite possible that Karn wanted to do away with the Baron’s heir, leaving him as the sole benefactor upon the Baron’s demise.

It was quite the overland trek, Valgar slew an Ogre and started a trend, that he would keep as a trait… collecting trophies. The Ogres skull was turned into the facemask of his helmet. Later Valgar was mauled by a grizzly, but the party managed to end the fight, the party thought Valgar earned the skin after being the party “meat-shield”. Bear-skin Cloak.
A fight with a fire-drake… the scales were turned to armor.

Soon enough, the group found the location of the Brigands camp. I believe Ted possibly used some of the Slaver’s series for the setting. Valgar unfortunately became one of the captives with his friend, the Dwarf named Magnus. As the two toiled in the mines they discovered a false-wall in the caves, finding a long chasm leading to a hidden ship, and a way out to the sea. 2 items of note were the Dead Captains Greatsword and his Amulet. Valgar took these as weapons to help him break out of the mines.

The other half of the captive party found the imprisoned Baron’s Daughter, and with chaos ensuing on the Brigands the entire party escaped with their belongings… Valgar Sailing the ship out of hiding, and escaping.

The Sword and Amulet were not without a curse, driving Valgar into periods of alcoholism. His other findings were a Ring of Feather-fall and Boots of Levitation. The sword also was a Flame-tongue.

Finally landing at port, as close as he could towards the Baron’s domain. He sold the ship to fund the means to cross a great swamp to return the Daughter. Karn had sent various mercenaries out to stop the Baron’s Daughters’’ return, by all means necessary.
Valgar, normally Chaotic-Good (under the influence of the amulet was Chaotic-Neutral) Causing all kinds of devastation as his means to escape the Baron’s men (swayed by Karn’s influence) and Mercenaries alike. Unfortunately, assassins caught up with the party in the swamps, and due to open rolls of critical misses aimed at Valgar, the Baron’s Daughter was inadvertently killed instead.

The near impossible trudge through the swamp forced the remaining party to lighten the load… laying the Baron’s Daughter to rest in the mire. Valgar had an idea… resurrection. We only need a piece of the Baron’s Daughter to make it happen. So, in a sealed jar of wax, was her hand.

Bear with me. 6’6”, Skull helmet, flaming sword, Chaotic-neutral, alcoholic, burning death to all who oppose him, near impossible to capture due to being able to leap off high cliffs and buildings, and ascending the same. With the Baron’s Daughters’ hand in a jar.

His best friend is a Chaotic Dwarf drinking buddy, and a ragtag group of followers (we were around level 8-9 by now). Hunted down occasionally by well-meaning, mis-informed PC’s.

Ah, the secret background, his was rolled on a d100. 01= lowly pauper, 100= Royalty. I rolled 97.

As Valgar’s new goal was to gain the means of resurrecting the Baron’s Daughter, and bringing her back to her home. He was then tracked down by the emissaries, whom believed Valgar was an heir to their lands over the sea. Managing to have the amulet finally removed, Valgar returned to chaotic-good intentions (but a lot less “fun” at the taverns, as Magnus has said).

As you well know, those of us who have played for many years. Groups eventually die, and most Campaigns are without conclusion. Yes, this was one of those casualties of time management.

Ted moved away and I was way too busy to play anymore. Ted did call me a few years back for some Space 1889 notes, as he remembers the Space 1889 campaign I had them playing for a year. He needed the low-down on some of the adversaries they faced, as he was planning on using them to continue the game I started… with the original players. Ah, Space 1889. That is another story all together as one of my favorite games to GM (the original GDW version), but for another time.