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Horund Halloway

NPCs
Other: Bearkin of Whym (custom ancestry) · Druid, Circle of the Moon · Level 20

Horund Halloway

Druidic tribal representative and summit delegate
AC17
HP203/203
Init
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
ConditionsNone

At the table

Voice

A low, rough-edged voice with a breathy rasp, as if each sentence has to pass through a winter-dry throat. Before speaking, he draws one audible breath through his nose and leaves a small gap, a habit others notice quickly. When startled, that intake catches and becomes a short huff; when angry, his consonants sharpen and his words lose their usual measured spacing.

He speaks in short, complete statements, with pauses where he weighs a word before committing to it. His phrasing is plain and concrete, shaped by years of trail work and council duties. He rarely raises his volume; when rattled, his nose catches on a rough intake of breath and his next words arrive more bluntly, not more softly.

Speech patterns

He begins with a courteous acknowledgment, then states the concrete consequence he believes the speaker is avoiding.
He uses plain comparisons drawn from weather, animal trails, and shared labor, never as ornament.
When he is uncertain, he says so openly and asks who has direct knowledge.
He uses people's names carefully and rarely interrupts, but will cut in immediately if someone threatens a dependent or insults his people.

How to play them

Treat Horund as a patient listener with a firm threshold. Honest uncertainty and concrete evidence earn his attention; mockery of his tribe or attempts to use frightened people as leverage end the conversation quickly. He is willing to support outsiders who show that they understand the cost of their proposals, and he responds well to practical offers of help over grand promises.

Goal

Keep the wetland and its communities out of the causeway's path while securing respect for his tribe without provoking an island-wide feud.

Motivation

He believes strength is most useful when it lets others speak without fear. He wants his tribe to be treated as an equal partner, not as a convenient source of old wisdom or wilderness magic.

Secret · GM only

Appearance

Horund is a broad, bear-featured man whose dark umber fur lies thick over his shoulders and arms, thinning to coarse silver-brown down his chest. His muzzle is blunt, his nose black and pebbled, and his ears small and round against a heavy head. His hands end in blunt, dark claws, careful enough to turn a brittle leaf without crushing it. He moves with a forward-set, rolling gait that makes floorboards complain, then comes to a startlingly still stop. A curious detail for a tribal representative is the tiny, intricate basket he is almost always weaving from grass or rushes, even while listening to a dispute.

Clothing

A layered mantle of weather-darkened wool and supple hide, fastened with carved alder toggles. He wears a woven sash carrying tokens from the three tribal hearths, and a small bundle of reed strips for his basket work. His clothing is carefully mended, never ornamental for its own sake.

Body language

His shoulders tend to fill a doorway, but he keeps his paws folded loosely in front of him to appear less imposing. When considering a claim, he rubs a thumb over the ridged edge of a claw. At a threat, the motion stops; his head lowers a fraction and his weight settles over both feet.

Height
7 feet 2 inches
Build
Massive, barrel-chested, and powerfully limbed, with the dense, grounded weight of a bear rather than a bodybuilder
Eyes
Deep hazel with a green-gold ring around the pupil
Hair
Dark brown fur with silver-brown guard hairs along his chest and jaw
Skin
Dark umber fur over warm brown skin, with charcoal-brown pads on his palms
Age
About 118 years old, an adult by the reckoning of his people
Gender
Male
Size
Large

Distinguishing features

A permanent bear-humanoid form, with broad muzzle, small round ears, and heavy brown fur.
His breath begins with a soft, rough intake through the nose, followed by a brief pause before he speaks.
He is almost always weaving a neat, tiny reed basket while listening to serious discussions.
His enormous paws move with careful precision around delicate objects.

Personality

14 traits and drives

Horund is gentle without being yielding and brave without seeking danger. In private, he is warm, curious, and unexpectedly playful with children and animals. In council, he becomes formal and precise, restraining his dislike of political maneuvering because he knows his people's standing can be damaged by a single careless answer. When angry, he does not withdraw; he names the harm plainly and expects the other person to answer for it.

Alignment
Neutral Good

Quirks

Weaves miniature reed baskets while listening, sometimes finishing one before the other speaker has made their point.
Sniffs the air before answering questions about a place, even when the scent is plainly irrelevant.
Sets a cup down with its handle facing the nearest exit, then turns it inward if he decides he trusts the company.
Counts a pause by touching one claw to each finger, a private habit he thinks no one notices.
Leaves a single berry or nut on windowsills for birds, including in rooms where no bird could possibly reach it.

Habits

He listens to an entire argument before speaking, then asks a practical question that reveals which facts were omitted.
He checks wind direction before entering an unfamiliar room, habitually angling his body toward an open door.
When someone is frightened, he lowers himself to their eye level rather than reaching out without permission.
He accepts ceremonial food but quietly saves a portion for whoever is missing from the table.
If a negotiation turns insulting, he becomes more direct and physically still, not louder.

Traits · 4

He would rather share a meal than win an argument, but will not let hospitality become a way to silence his people.
He is openly compassionate toward individuals and suspicious of causes that demand sacrifice from people who are absent.
He dislikes praise, yet quietly takes pride in being trusted with a responsibility no one else wants.
He can be patient for hours, then act decisively when someone crosses a clear boundary.

Flaws · 3

He takes responsibility for decisions that should belong to a whole council.
His dislike of political theater can make him slow to recognize when a seemingly trivial courtesy matters to someone else.
He protects his people so fiercely that he sometimes treats compromise as a burden only he should carry.

Fears · 3

That the summit will turn the wetland dispute into a feud that outlives everyone who began it.
That his tribe chose him because he is useful as a symbol, not because they trust his judgment.
That his permanent wildstate is slowly narrowing the parts of himself he can still share with ordinary folk.

Wants and needs · 4

Evidence about who ordered the survey stakes placed.
A workable alternative to the causeway that protects travel and the wetland.
A chance to repair his relationship with Halla without surrendering his convictions.
To be heard as a living person, not merely as a symbol of his tribe's ancient traditions.

Combat

AC 17 · HP 203 · 30 ft.

Horund prefers to prevent a fight through positioning, entangling magic, and clear warnings. If combat begins, he protects vulnerable allies, uses control spells to divide hostile groups, and reserves Wild Shape for emergencies or for holding a dangerous foe away from others. He does not pursue fleeing enemies unless they remain an immediate threat. Against a large force, he favors terrain-changing spells and summons rather than trading blows.

Horund Halloway

Large humanoid (other: bearkin of whym (custom ancestry)), neutral good
Armor Class17
Hit Points203
Speed30 ft.
Level20
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
Saving ThrowsIntelligenceWisdom
SkillsAnimal HandlingInsightMedicineNaturePerceptionSurvival
SensesPassive Perception 20; keen smell gives Horund advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Languages
Common,
Druidic,
Sylvan
Archdruid. Horund can use Wild Shape an unlimited number of times. He can ignore verbal and somatic components, as well as non-costly material components, for druid spells.
Timeless Body. He ages slowly, needing only a tenth as much food and water as an ordinary person.
Bearkin Wildstate (custom): Horund's druidic bond holds him in a stable bear-humanoid form. This does not grant the full statistics of a bear or prevent him from casting spells.
Circle of the Moon. As a bonus action, Horund can expend a use of Wild Shape to transform into a beast of CR 6 or lower, following the normal Circle of the Moon rules.
Spellcasting. 20th-level druid; spell save , spell attack +11. He has 4 1st-level, 3 2nd-level, 3 3rd-level, 3 4th-level, 2 5th-level, 1 6th-level, 1 7th-level, 1 8th-level, and 1 9th-level spell slot.

Spells

Fog Cloud (level 1, conjuration). A sprig of mistletoe or holly is required as the material component. Creates a 20-foot-radius sphere of fog that heavily obscures the area.
Cure Wounds (level 1, evocation). A creature Horund touches regains hit points, plus for each slot level above 1st.
Barkskin (level 2, transmutation). Creates a magical ward that grants one creature temporary hit points and a bonus to ability checks and saving throws for up to 8 hours.
Spike Growth (level 2, transmutation). Creates a 20-foot-radius sphere of difficult terrain. A creature in the area when it appears must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be restrained by the plants.
Cloudkill (level 3, conjuration). Creates a 20-foot-radius sphere of fog. A creature that starts its turn in the fog must make a Constitution saving throw or take poison damage and become poisoned until the start of its next turn.
Plant Growth (level 3, transmutation). Plants seize creatures in a 20-foot square. Each creature in the area must make a Strength saving throw or be restrained; a restrained creature can use its action to attempt to escape.
Wall of Thorns (level 6, conjuration). Calls forth a wall of thorns that blocks movement and deals piercing damage to creatures moving through it.
Control Weather (level 8, transmutation). A storm cloud appears, allowing Horund to call down lightning bolts as a bonus action on subsequent turns while he maintains concentration.
Meteor Swarm (level 9, evocation). Horund chooses a point he can see within range. A 60-foot-radius sphere of fire and ash erupts there, dealing fire damage and bludgeoning damage, with a Dexterity saving throw for half damage.

Actions

Rowanwood Staff. Melee Weapon Attack: to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 () bludgeoning damage, or 12 () if wielded in two hands.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 () slashing damage. Horund can make two claw attacks when he takes the Attack action.
Spellcasting. Horund casts one prepared spell of 1st through 9th level, expending a spell slot as normal. His spellcasting ability is Wisdom.
Wild Shape. Horund uses Wild Shape to transform into a beast of CR 6 or lower, or into a creature he has seen that meets the feature's normal restrictions. He retains his game statistics except where the feature specifies otherwise.

Reactions

Grounding Brace. When a creature Horund can see within 5 feet hits him with a melee attack, he can use his reaction to impose disadvantage on that attack's damage roll, reducing the damage by . If this reduces the damage to 0, he can push the attacker 5 feet away. Custom feature.
Interpose with Root or Word. When a creature Horund can see within 30 feet makes an attack against an ally, Horund can cast a spell with a casting time of one action that targets only that attacker, provided he has the spell prepared and an available spell slot. He cannot use this reaction to cast a spell of 1st level or higher unless the spell's normal casting time is one reaction. Custom feature; uses his reaction and spell slot as appropriate.

Services they sell

Can interpret signs of local plant, animal, and water conditions.
Can provide healing and restoration through prepared druid spells, if the request does not put his tribe at risk.
Can mediate introductions to Whym's tribal elders and guides.
Can lead a party through wilderness routes known to his tribe.

Rewards they can give

A recommendation to the elders summit, granting access to clan representatives and sensitive negotiations.
Safe passage through the tribe's lands and an introduction to its healers and guides.
A small woven reed basket, traditionally given as a sign that Horund has listened seriously.
If the wetland is protected, his tribe's lasting support and knowledge of Whym's old trails.

Equipment

  • Rowanwood staff (weapon and druidic focus)A polished staff cut from a fallen rowan, wrapped at the grip with worn green cord. It serves as his focus and weapon.
  • Travel mantle (clothing)A thick, weatherproof mantle with carved alder toggles, reinforced at the shoulders.
  • Field pouch (druidic supplies)A pouch of dried herbs, seed packets, and small bits of bark used as ordinary druidic materials.
  • Tribal tokens (symbol)Three smooth hearth tokens, one from each ancestral settlement of his tribe.

Possessions

Rowanwood staff
Weather-darkened wool and hide mantle
Druidic field pouch with herbs and seeds
Three carved tribal hearth tokens
Reed strips for weaving small baskets
A folded map of the Whym wetland marked with water levels and nesting places

Background

Horund belongs to one of Whym's three ancient druidic tribes, raised among people who regard the boundary between human and beast as a living path rather than a disguise. His bearkin form emerged during a winter pilgrimage when a whiteout separated him from his mother and a young cousin. He survived three nights by following a bear's tracks to shelter, then returned changed, his body settling into a permanent hybrid shape. The tribe's elders interpreted this as a bond, not a curse, and trained him to bear its responsibilities. Years later, during a famine, Horund defied a neighboring clan's demand to divert a stream by opening a blocked channel into both valleys. The crop loss was smaller than feared, but his own tribe accused him of surrendering leverage; his cousin, now an elder, has never forgiven him for making the choice without their council. Horund was selected to represent the tribe at the annual elders summit of Whym's seven original clans and recognized factions. He dislikes the summit's performance of courtesy, but accepts the duty because outsiders have repeatedly mistaken his restraint for weakness. This year, the old stream dispute has returned in a sharper form: a proposed causeway would cut through a wetland sacred to several clans, and Horund has learned that someone is quietly encouraging the factions to blame one another for the first survey stakes.

Role in the story

A formidable but approachable envoy who can make the Whym summit feel like a living political gathering rather than a backdrop. Horund can become an ally, a mediator, or a principled obstacle when a party's plans threaten his people or the wetland. His concealed knowledge about the survey stakes gives players a path into the summit's tensions and a difficult choice about protecting Sivet.

“His bearkin form emerged during a winter pilgrimage when a whiteout separated him from his mother and a young cousin.”
From their background
Faction
A representative of one of Whym's three ancient druidic tribes; invited to the annual elders summit of the seven original clans and recognized island factions

Known connections

His cousin, Halla, is one of his tribe's senior elders. She loves him, considers his summit appointment a risk, and still resents his unilateral decision during the stream crisis.
A young marsh-courier named Sivet brings him reports from the wetland and has become his most trusted source at the summit.
The elders of the other six original clans know him as an unusually patient negotiator, though several mistake patience for an invitation to press him.
His mother lives at the tribe's winter settlement and sends him small, practical gifts that he pretends not to worry over.
Major secret · GM only
Minor secrets · GM only

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