Found as a baby; a wretched, wet newborn swaddled in canvas amid the beached wreckage of a frigate that has run afoul of a violent storm.
The Mjaori islanders who found him took it as a sign that the gods had marked this child for greatness because the very seas could not claim this new life. He was given the name Rongo and accepted into the tribe as a ward of the chieftain. Years passed and as the Rongo matured, his Orcish ancestry manifested both physically and psychologically. As a race that holds physical might in high regard, the Mjaori welcomed Rongo’s primal nature as a manifestation of their gods’ strength. Rongo is proud of his adopted heritage and wears the facial Tā moko tattoos with pride. Yet, Rongo knows that he is different to the other Mjaori and despite their welcome; he has always felt somewhat apart from them.
Now of age, Rongo seeks to investigate his true heritage. He has left the cooler isles of the south upon a passing merchantman. Now bound for the mighty city of Rel-Draxa, Rongo has taken to sea life easily. He commits to memory the tales of his fellow travellers and at night, performs the haka on the upper decks to appease the spirits. Though unused to the clothes of civilised countries, Rongo wears simple mariner’s clothing, his weapons stored in his belt and bandoliers. His great axe and accompanying hand axe, a gifts from his adoptive father, bears the same Tā moko pattern upon the head. This he wears on his back and uses only when the need is desperate.
NOTES:
Right or wrong, Rongo is very much a ‘noble savage’ that has come to civilization. He wears the clothes in keeping with the local fashion so as to fit in, but is easily recognizable because of his facial tattoos. I first became enamoured of the ‘Savage Bard’ class variant when first presented in 'Unearthed Arcana' for 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons. In light of that though, Rongo is presented here as a traditional bard. I wanted a character that performs an aggressive dance when performing their bardic abilities (instead of a more stereotypical lute-playing, flute-blowing, or drum-banging bard). Having seen a haka first-hand, I can assure you they are quite impressive to watch. By using shouts, cries and basic movement, this keeps Rongo’s hands free for holding weapons and a shield. A player seeking to multiclass Rongo is suggested to take levels of Barbarian or perhaps Druid, as these are the favored classes for Half-Orcs. However Fighter, Rogue and especially Ranger would also round Rongo out quite nicely.
One thing I have noted is characters that have a ‘tribal’ bent. Rongo marks two of two and as I look at my Iconic Characters, I see more coming. At the very least, I may have to change one or two to diversify things.
The Mjaori islanders who found him took it as a sign that the gods had marked this child for greatness because the very seas could not claim this new life. He was given the name Rongo and accepted into the tribe as a ward of the chieftain. Years passed and as the Rongo matured, his Orcish ancestry manifested both physically and psychologically. As a race that holds physical might in high regard, the Mjaori welcomed Rongo’s primal nature as a manifestation of their gods’ strength. Rongo is proud of his adopted heritage and wears the facial Tā moko tattoos with pride. Yet, Rongo knows that he is different to the other Mjaori and despite their welcome; he has always felt somewhat apart from them.
Now of age, Rongo seeks to investigate his true heritage. He has left the cooler isles of the south upon a passing merchantman. Now bound for the mighty city of Rel-Draxa, Rongo has taken to sea life easily. He commits to memory the tales of his fellow travellers and at night, performs the haka on the upper decks to appease the spirits. Though unused to the clothes of civilised countries, Rongo wears simple mariner’s clothing, his weapons stored in his belt and bandoliers. His great axe and accompanying hand axe, a gifts from his adoptive father, bears the same Tā moko pattern upon the head. This he wears on his back and uses only when the need is desperate.
NOTES:
Right or wrong, Rongo is very much a ‘noble savage’ that has come to civilization. He wears the clothes in keeping with the local fashion so as to fit in, but is easily recognizable because of his facial tattoos. I first became enamoured of the ‘Savage Bard’ class variant when first presented in 'Unearthed Arcana' for 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons. In light of that though, Rongo is presented here as a traditional bard. I wanted a character that performs an aggressive dance when performing their bardic abilities (instead of a more stereotypical lute-playing, flute-blowing, or drum-banging bard). Having seen a haka first-hand, I can assure you they are quite impressive to watch. By using shouts, cries and basic movement, this keeps Rongo’s hands free for holding weapons and a shield. A player seeking to multiclass Rongo is suggested to take levels of Barbarian or perhaps Druid, as these are the favored classes for Half-Orcs. However Fighter, Rogue and especially Ranger would also round Rongo out quite nicely.
One thing I have noted is characters that have a ‘tribal’ bent. Rongo marks two of two and as I look at my Iconic Characters, I see more coming. At the very least, I may have to change one or two to diversify things.
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