RPG A Day 30: Urgunn Harvir Dwarven Freedom Fighter

Libby Furr played the role of Urgunn Harvir.  A female Dwarven Fighter in my Reign of Winter campaign.  Urgunn is a character I will remember because she is the only character that made it from game 1 right through to the final battle.  In fact, it is more than that.  Urgunn died in the final battle.  The final death.  Killed by death magic, something that Jack Churches, the cleric, could not do anything about.  So in fact, the Reign of Winter campaign should have been named the story of Urgunn Harvir.

The Player

Libby is an American who lives in New Zealand.  She is an awesome person to get to know.  Libby was playing in this game to come back to role-playing after a time away.  She had played a lot of D&D and so this was her first go at Pathfinder.  Over the course of the game she picked up the rules brilliantly and Urgunn became a major force to be reckoned with.  From memory, I can not remember a single session that Libby had to miss and her effervescent personality has made gaming so much fun.

The Background

Urgunn’s background was genius.  Before we had even played a game Libby had come up with a background for the character.  It was pure genius.  Urgunn had left the Dwarven strongholds after paying off her own Bride Bond.  The dwarves of her stronghold had a tradition where a female was to wed a man chosen for her in an arranged way.  The only way to break this marriage and allow the woman to be free was to pay a Bride Bond in a gold figure.  Only being able to afford her own Urgunn headed out into the world to find gold.  Gold enough to pay off the Bride Bond for every Dwarven woman in her stronghold.  She wanted them all to be free.  I loved this background.

No Nonsense Heavy Hitter

Urgunn turned into a no-nonsense fighter.  She enjoyed a laugh but her mind was always on the job at hand.  Becoming impatient in conversations she often judged people quickly.  She was born with fire in her heart and she lived to get amongst the thick of a battle.  This was reflected mechanically in her build.  She chose feats that allowed her to follow combatants should they try to get away from her.  More than one foe was felled by her steady hand.

Her Death

In the final game Urgunn was fighting through extraplanar creatures to get to the evil nemesis, the witch Queen Elvanna.  Having broken a hole in the creatures the Queen knew her time was up if Urgunn made it to her.  With a powerful spell she let out the wail of a banshee and Urgunn’s heart froze solid in fear.  Her companion, Jack Churches, ran to her and attempted to give her the kiss of life but found that the spell was enveloped by the power of death.  Nothing short of the most powerful clerical magics could return her to life.  A task beyond Jack’s abilities as he followed a ranger and clerical path.  With the witch dead Urgunn’s companions travelled with her body back to her stronghold.

There they placed her body on a pyre and committed her remains to the earth where it was born.  In the light of the funeral pyre, the dwarven men lined up.  One by one they were paid their Bride Bonds owed.  They were paid by the party members of Urgunn.  In her death, all of the women of her stronghold had been given freedom as a thank you from her party members for her service.  They broke that tradition that night and now all women born in the stronghold are born free.  A law has been passed to allow it so.  It is called Urgunn’s Law.

A Beautiful Story

Urgunn’s story is an awesome one.  She was a brilliant character to have in a game and Libby is a great roleplayer!  I am having a really good time remembering these characters and over the next few weeks I will bring all of the stories of the characters that finished that campaign.  Keep rolling!