Rofupi

Information

Player: Krent

Character Full Name: Rofupi Sprogglegyro

Character In-Game Name: Rofupi

Association(s): Gnomeregan, Stormwind (criminal), Steamwheedle Arena Circuit

Race: Gnome

Class: Rune Master (Rogue)

Age: 52

Sex: Male

Hair: Bald. Rofupi shaved off his mohawk as a way of letting go of his former life.

Eyes: Purple

Height: 3'2"

Appearance

Usually very simple robes with a hood over his face. Rofupi's wardrobe is tailored around to what's most convenient, not stylish.

Personality

Life has taught Rofupi that he needs to think before he acts. The results of his intense martial arts training has transformed Rofupi's previous volatile personality into a disciplined one. Having suffered too much tragedy from his previous way of life, Rofupi now seeks to be a gnome of peace. He has learned to swallow his pride and be slightly more humble in his mannerisms, treating others with respect instead of calling them dumb mudda assholes.

The traces of his old personality still linger within him. If provoked enough, Rofupi will become the little ball of rage everyone has come to know him as. Along with his still lingering rage issues, Rofupi has not entirely let go of his racial prejudices. He does not trust humans, elves, or any non-Ironforge race, but no longer seeks to pick fights with them. Instead, the new Rofupi opts to avoid contact.

A new dimension to the gnome's persona is his contempt for mages, warlocks, arcanists, and anyone else who 'abuses magic'. Though not an expert in the field, Rofupi has learned enough about the arcane to know that those who utilize it do great damage to both the planet and themselves. At the very best Rofupi will not trust or want to associate with any individual who follows this path. At the very worst, Rofupi will try to destroy them before they become a threat to others.

Abilities

Due to his training, Rofupi has now unlocked the ability to learn runic magic. The gnome now spends the majority of his time seeking out the ley lines scattered across Azeroth for careful study and meditation. Once he has done so, Rofupi will gain the ability to inscribe runic patterns onto himself to use for his own purposes.

It is important to note that, thus far, Rofupi only has two abilities learned; The Rune of Heated Coals and the Pattern of Flowing Energy. All other abilities listed here will NOT be available for Rofupi until he's actually gone through the process of learning them. Which I'll keep track of in a forum post!

Pattern of Flowing Energy: Rofupi's first introduction to runic magic. By focusing the flow of arcane energy within his body, Rofupi can make otherwise lethal blows non-lethal, allowing him to spare an individual without holding back on his attack power. In addition, the pattern puts a protective barrier around Rofupi's fists, allowing him to smash them against armor without the worry of breaking every bone within his body.

(( Mostly done for logic. 'How can Rofupi hit plate mail without breaking his arm in 50 places'? This is how! ))

• Rune of Heated Coals: Allows Rofupi's fist to catch on fire, making them viable weapons in close combat. (( I do not demand any special roll bonuses for this ability. It's more for cosmetic purposes, to make combat sensible for the gnome. ))

Future Abilities

• Rune of Healing Springs: Learned by meditating at the ley line found within Mulgore's hot springs. Once learned, Rofupi will be able to inscribe a rune on his own body or onto others, allowing for a small burst of healing energy. This rune cannot be applied in combat and is only good for one use. Once used, it will have to be re-applied to the target. This rune shall not be powerful enough to heal 'major wounds' (Broken bones, excessive blood loss, etc), and most likely would only be able to buy time for a "proper" healer to work. The ability will not be on par with a priest, druid, paladin, or shaman's healing ability.

• Rune of Bending Grass: Learned by studying the ley line within the grassy fields of the Arathi Highlands. By disconnecting his mind from his body, Rofupi can enter into an unconscious state that heightens his natural reactions against physical attacks. Moving like a blade of grass swaying in the breeze, Rofupi's chances of dodging physical attacks are greatly increased. However, due to the necessity for the gnome to slip into an unconscious state, he will be unable to make any sort of retaliatory action. He loses all offensive capability for defensive purposes.

Upon leaving this state, Rofupi will suffer fatigue, making him vulnerable to an attack. It is also important to note that this defensive stance only works in regards to physical attacks. Magical attacks, as they are focused to home onto a target, are not effected in the slightest.

• Rune of Burning Plains: Learned by examining the brush fires that occur randomly in nature. Can be learned at any ley line where such events happen. Increases Rofupi's running speed, allowing him to run much faster than average.

• Rune of Leaping Sparks: Learned by examining the ley line close to Stormwind, where thunder storms regularly occur. Allows Rofupi to jump much higher than he normally can.

• Rune of Solid Rock: Learned by examining the ley line in the Thousand Needles. Inscribed on his legs, Rofupi will gain the ability to transform them into solid rock, increasing the destructive powers of his kicks. (( I don't want any special roll bonuses for this either. This was chosen just to give Rofupi the option of kicking things in combat, in the same manner that the fire-fists do. I figured combat would get boring if he was forced to only rely on punching attacks. Plus, when combo'd together with the Leaping Sparks rune, this allows Rof to do Kirby-style stone drops. Cool, eh?))

• Rune of Falling Water: Learned by examining the ley line found near the flowing waterfall of...somewhere (( What's a good place that has a lot of waterfalls?!)). By learning to be like the essence of flowing water (( Lookup Bruce Lee's 'like water' interview )), Rofupi can make multiple attacks against a single enemy or group of opponents adjacent to him. Each attack will be quick and in rapid succession to one another. However, due to the hasty nature of the attacks, they will have no chance of scoring a critical hit. Also, each attack will suffer an attack roll penalty, to compensate for their volume. (( The specifics of this will depend on whichever system the people I'm RP'ing with decide to utilize. If I were going by the 'default' system, I'd say Rofupi could make 3 attack rolls, with no chance of critical, with a -20 applied to each roll. I'd be more than willing to adjust this for balance, depending on what others think. Too powerful? Underpowered? What ya'll think? ))

Final Ability

• Rune of Savage Striking: Learned by meditating at the ley line found near the Blackrock Spire. To say this will be a dangerous journey would be an understatement. Once found, Rofupi will meditate on the true nature of combat, reflecting upon the brutal conflicts of the First War. Upon completion, Rofupi will have an understanding of the savage nature of war, being able to materialize his own attacks into projectile energy. With the Runes of Savage Striking, Rofupi will be able to attack opponents that are far away from him. (( In short; HADOKEN. I won't ask for any special properties either. This is just me being flashy. The projectile attacks would act like any other projectile attack. The same way a bullet, fireball, shadow-skull, what-have-you operates. No bonus, no special property, nothing of that sort. It'd just be really. Really. Really cool. ))

(( If any GM feels like these need to be adjusted, removed, or re-tweaked for balance purposes, please let me know.))

History

Once upon a time, two gnomes met each other. Ropni and Laen. One was a man who had spent his life fixing the braking mechanisms on steam tanks. The other was a woman who had spent her life as a subterranean network engineer. They met. They fell in love. They married, and had a 3 children together in the pits of Gnomeregan.

Malyin, Jegnas, and Rofupi. These were the three children of the newly formed Sprogglegyro family. Jegnas being the oldest by 10 years, Rofupi being the middle child, and Malyin being the younger by 6.

They were a good family. Nearly perfect. The parents loved each other, had stable employment, and were looking forward to raising their children. What more could they want? As it had turned out; money. They weren't doing too bad down in Gnomeregan, but in order to pay for adequate schooling for the children, the parents needed more money.

An opportunity presented itself when, while Rofupi was in his 20's, the High Tinker announced an innovative project; The Deeprun Tram. It would be a natural fit for the family. Rofupi's mother, Laen, would be one of many gnomes working on constructing the tunnel while Rofupi's father, Ropni, would work with others in working on the braking system.

The family left their modest life in Gnomeregan to settle to the newly reconstructed Stormwind. The city, having suffered devastation in the First War, was not in the best condition. The Sprogglegyros found living within the "Dwarf District" of the city. Cramped, overcrowded, and constantly filled with smoke, the new Sprogglegyro residence was unlike the quaint setting they had in Gnomeregan. The humans presented themselves as either being overly pompous, wary, or outright hostile to the presence of the gnome immigrants. To make matters worse, the engineering academy in the Dwarf District wasn't nearly as advanced as the ones in Gnomeregan.

But the pay the Sprogglegyros received for the Tram's construction provided enough incentive for the family to endure all hardships. They had planned to save up all of the money from this project and move back to Gnomeregan as higher class citizens. The children would enroll in the top engineering schools while the parents would look forward to a comfortable retirement. Except, once Rofupi was 34 years of age, a slight problem arose.

Gnomeregan no longer existed.

The ultimate tragedy had struck. Thermaplugg's great betrayal. The only member of Rofupi's extended family to have escaped was Aunt Haljya. Everyone else the Sprogglegyros knew either perished or mutated into a deranged leper. The event was a great shock to the family, shattering that fleeting dream of going back to Gnomeregan in luxury. But the family considered themselves incredibly lucky, so much so that Ropni considered converting to the Holy Light. Laen quickly talked him out of it, citing basic statistics that disproved the concept of divine intervention.

So the family pushed on with their life in the Dwarven District, grateful to be one of the few gnomes untouched by the greatest tragedy of their race. Rofupi, Jegnas, and Malyin grew very close together during their lives in Stormwind. They had to be, as the average human held a great deal of hostility towards the immigrants.

Life went on as it did, until another great tragedy struck. It came from the very vessel that was supposed to bring the Sprogglegyros prosperity; The Deeprun Tram. Aunt Haljya was such a lonely old woman, having lost her husband and children in The Great Betrayal. Once the Deeprun Tram was built, the Sprogglegyros made routine visits to her every chance they could.

Laen and Malyin went to go visit Aunt Haljya. All of the Sprogglegyro men were unable to attend. Rofupi and Jegnas were buried in their engineering studies, and Ropni had an extra work shift to pull. The women boarded onto the tram after saying a quick goodbye, promising to be back by the end of the day.

They didn't.

A malfunction occurred in the Tram's braking mechanisms, resulting in the vehicle increasing velocity where it should have decreased. Little remained of Laen, Malyin, or any of the other passengers on board. The event was traumatic for the Sprogglegyros, particularly Ropni, who felt responsible for the incident due to his involvement in developing the brakes.

Fate had decided to treat the Sprogglegyros with a great deal of irony. The statistical odds of the braking mechanisms failing in the way that they did was less than .001%. They were one of the few families to be unaffected by the tragedy of Gnomeregan, but ended up suffering a .001% chance accident.

They were never the same. Ropni had taken the blow the hardest, having lost the woman he loved and one of his children from a device he helped design. He became an empty shell of a gnome, turning to drink and depression. Near lifeless, he spent all of his time either drunk, sobbing, or a blurry mess of the two . Jegnas, the eldest brother, grew to become cold hearted and distant from the rest. His coping mechanism came in the form of complete dedication to his academic studies. Shut off from the rest of the world, Jegnas became an anti-social engineer who rarely interacted with others.

As for Rofupi, he had placed all the blame on engineering. The gnome had struggled in his classes before, and now came to resent his studies. Rather than let himself properly grieve over the loss of his mother and little sister, he acted out with a new found aggression. It didn't take long for the gnome to drop out of his classes.

Rofupi underwent a complete attitude change. It started with his mohawk, then moved onto his manner of dress. Before he was like any other gnome, who loved playing games and studying engineering. Now he stood as a rage filled punk, out pick a fight with everyone around him.

The Sprogglegyro household became a scene of chaos. Ropni regularly getting into heated arguments with Rofupi's new way of life. Rofupi and his father would spend night after night screaming at each other, while Jegnas calmly adjusted his glasses and used his studies to ignore the new dysfunction.

Soon it became violent. Rofupi and his father fought each other, braking many things in the household. The end result was a bruised, bloody, and spiteful Rofupi limping out of his house, swearing to never return. He knew from that moment on the Dwarf District would not be a place he could stay. There was only one destination for a homeless gnome without an education.

Old Town, the poverty stricken slum of Stormwind Nothing but petty criminals and green recruits fresh from the barracks. It wasn't a welcoming environment for anyone, most specifically a lone immigrant that screamed 'easy target'.

Which Rofupi was. His small stature and weak physique, combined with his stuttering common, made him far too tempting for the vicious criminals and prejudice guards. The gnome was assaulted regularly. Anything he managed to scrape together was quickly taken away from him with force. The humans used the small gnome to take out their aggressions on. They humiliated him, beat him, and took anything of value he managed to gain.

Such treatment brought Rofupi two things. An extreme hatred for humans, and an unique fighting style born out of necessity. Rofupi didn't have anything other than his bare fists, and his life depended on learning how to use them. After a few rough months of struggle, Rofupi went from being an easy target to a small-time celebrity in Old Town, earning the name 'Lil Wrecka' for his ability to smash in the faces of those who took him lightly.

And that's where the gnome was by the time he reached 40. A mohawked punk strolling around Old Town, starting fights, swilling booze, and wrecking face. Rofupi became notable enough to attract the attention of a small gang that ran an illegal fighting circuit in the infamous Cutthroat Alley. The illegal street fights soon became Rofupi's main source of income. He found it to be such a simple system. He'd walk in, fight someone, and get enough money to drink and smoke until the next day; a routine he fell into for the next couple of years. A blurry mess of promiscuity, violence, and intoxication. It was a hollow existence which only offered fleeting comfort to the pain swelling within him. Eventually, it all caught up to him.

Having never let himself properly grieve for the loss of his sister and mother, Rofupi's habbits became more and more self-destructive. He became completely dependant on his substance abuse to cope for his undesirable position. Eventually, it all peaked when the gnome got black-out drunk and high one night. Without realizing it, Rofupi went on rampage, charging an entire platoon of guards without any care for his own well being.

For a gnome that challenged 8 fully armed guards with nothing but his fists, Rofupi did quite alright. He did enough damage to them to face heavy consequences, having sent three to the hospital. Due to the nature of his reckless crime, and the damage he did to the guards, Rofupi was sent to Stormwind's maximum security prison. The Vault. There he faced four whole years with the worst of criminals. That long period of prison time made Rofupi reflect on his life. He sat face to face with murderers, rapists, and deranged sociopaths. Was this the type of life he wanted? Was there any kind of future in this?

Introspection took it's course. Looking upon the gnome he was today to the one he was so many years ago, Rofupi felt a large degree of guilt and sadness. What would his mother think if she saw him like this? What would his sister do? Such thoughts plagued the gnome's mind during prison sentence. Eventually his prison term ended, Rofupi having lost 4 years of his life within those dark cells. Walking out of the darkness and into the world, Rofupi resolved to start a new life.

But it wasn't easy. Rofupi had turned his back on engineering and education, still having a strong resentment for them. He might have been the only gnome in Azeroth who couldn't tinker to save his life. Rofupi didn't have any other professions to fall back on, either. No skills in blacksmithing, no skills in alchemy, weaving, or scribing. The gnome could barely speak common, and turned out to be quite illiterate. When it came down to it there was only one thing Rofupi could rely on; his fists. They helped him survive in the turbulent slums of Old Town, and perhaps they'd help him find new life as a free man.

He couldn't go back to street fighting, though. Not back into that den of thugs and addicts. Rofupi would find going back to the wild blur of his old life far too tempting. For all he knew, he could end up repeating all the same mistakes he made in the past. No. The gnome needed something more. A new horizon to strive for. A new dream.

Which Rofupi ended up finding in a dirt-covered flier for the Ratchet Arena. A professional fighting league would be just what he needed in order to find purpose in his life. No more roughing up thugs for a handful of copper, it was time to test his skill against the true warriors of the world. After a long and arduous journey, Rofupi found himself in the arena of Ratchet.

It did not end up as Rofupi would like. The gnome was great when he fought against the average gang-banger in Cutthroat Alley, but when it came to fighting against a real warrior, the skill gap was quite noticeable. Rofupi's arena career wasn't a glamorous one. He kept a constant 6:1 loss ratio, and barely made enough coin to cover his medical bills. Yet despite it all he kept training. Going out to the Barrens to work out, trying to hone his own fighting technique. His skill in unarmed combat and strength steadily grew . Rofupi thought he was on the verge of turning his losing record around when someone called out to him.

A figure, short and stubby, draped in brown robes. Rofupi had no idea who this person was or why they were calling him out. The figure revealed herself to be Rhaecrion Harrowcrag, an old dwarf martial arts master who took an interest in the young gnome. Despite his failing win-loss ratio, Rofupi had become somewhat of a celebrity among the arena crowd. The idea of a gnome stepping into the world of professional unarmed fighting was unheard of. Although he did not do well, Rofupi's persistence and dedication to bettering himself enamored him among fans. The “Lil Wrecka” became a small-time favorite.

But, Rofupi could be so much better. Rhaecrion wanted to hone Rofupi into a true fighter, someone who could fight for things beyond fame and fortune. She offered to train Rofupi under her guidance. And so, Rofupi trained. With Rhaecrion's training, Rofupi steadily improved his fighting technique. Though her methods were harsh, they brought forth the elements of discipline and guidance Rofupi had been lacking for most of his life. For three years he trained under grueling physical conditions. Running barefoot across miles of jagged stone, slamming his fists into burlap bags of granite, slapping his palms sore against rivers of water and maintaining all sorts of difficult stances.

Rofupi had endured a multitude of different exercises over the years. The ordeal were not limited purely to the physical, but went into the mental as well. Rhaecrion slowly beat out the self-destructive psychology Rofupi held and taught him new outlets to deal with his emotions. They came in the form of seeking inner peace through meditation. No longer would Rofupi rely on the vices of his old life. Letting go of such inhibitions were an integral part of his training.

Rhaecrion's plans for Rofupi extended beyond physical and mental rehab. Despite being an elderly dwarf, the woman proved to be an incredibly powerful fighter capable of seemingly-impossible feats. For the longest time it bewildered Rofupi. How could a gnome, in the height of his prime, be continually beaten by an elderly woman who spent most of her time picking herbs? Rhaecrion kept the truth of her technique a secret, until she felt the time was right.

Rhaecrion revealed herself as a practitioner of runic magic. The dwarf had been a long time studier of runes, ley lines, and their intricate relationship with the world. She devoted her entire life to this practice and, in the twilight years of her life, had taken it upon herself to bestow the teachings to individuals she thought worthy. While Rofupi didn't know it, the effects of the three wars had left their toil on his master. Rhaecrion suffered the same cycle of turbulent addiction and reckless behavior that Rofupi did; it was what drew her to him.

But, the power Rhaecrion commanded took decades for her to master. Even though Rofupi's period of training was incredibly intense, it wouldn't be enough to bestow him with the same mastery that Rhaecrion held. The culmination of Rofupi's training ended with Rhaecrion bestowing the Runes of Heated Coals, a simple pattern inscribed onto the gnome's fist that allowed them to catch on fire for a short period of time.

Although the Runes of Heated Coals were considered 'simple', the process of gaining them was not. Rofupi had to spend a lot of time learning the proper ways of atunement, focusing himself to be one with the power coursing through Azeroth. Even after Rofupi attained the runes, the effects of wielding arcane power-a sensation he never experienced before-caused him to vomit and faint only after a few seconds of activation. For this reason, Rofupi's 'mastery' of the runes is noticeably amateur. As he is now, he will only be able to use his new-found abilities for a minute or two.

Once Rhaecrion had finished showing Rofupi the bare basics of rune attunement, she had decided that his initial training was 'complete'. She had done all she could for the young gnome. Where he went from there, what powers he would seek and techniques he would learn, would be all up to him. For that reason, Rofupi's true training was far from complete. He had only taken the first step of a long journey of understanding himself, runic power, and the wisdom lying within.

After three long years of intense mental and physical training, Rofupi's initial training had completed. No longer a rage-prone drug addict, Rofupi walks through life with a new sense of purpose. Although he doesn't entirely know where life will take him, the gnome has made the resolution to use his new found strength for a greater good rather than satisfying his own ego.

The next chapter of Rofupi's life will revolve around an endless journey. Wandering the world, Rofupi seeks to better himself through attuning himself with the power of Azeroth. Given that the knowledge of such things is limited, there's no telling what he may find. Where ever his journey takes him, Rofupi hopes to use his newfound ability to help out with what little he can.