Strolph

Information

Player: Gibbousmoon

Character Full Name: Strolph Baelreaver

Character In-Game Name: Strolph

Nicknames: None.

Race: Dwarf

Class: Warrior (retired)

Age: 243

Associations: Ironforge, Stormwind

Height: 4' 5"

Weight: 220 pounds

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Gray and white, worn in long braids. His beard is also worn in two long braids, with ringlets at the tips. Bald on top.

Appearance

Usual Garments/Armor: Plate armor.

Alignment: Chaotic Good.

Other: He is rather muscular, but also has a slight paunch. Strolph likes jewelry. He can usually be seen with gold rings in his beard and multiple rings on his fingers.

Personality

Strolph is grumpy and irritable, as humanoids sometimes become as they get older. He thinks pleasantries are a waste of time, and will say exactly what's on his mind, even if it is likely to offend. He runs a small blacksmithing shop in the Dwarven District of Stormwind, and only the high quality of his craftsmanship keeps him in business. His customers certainly don't come for his cheery disposition.

He loves to drink, and is partial to dwarven stout ("the blacker the better!"). Taverns are where you are most likely to see him laughing.

Strolph has an intense dislike for the Dark Iron Dwarves, even more than his fellow dwarves. He supports the Alliance cause against the Horde, but more out of loyalty than of active hatred. Strolph is fiercely loyal to the Alliance, especially where Ironforge's interests are concerned.

Strolph spends most of his time working alone, though there are a few fellow dwarves whose company he is more willing to tolerate, especially when they are buying the drinks. He does business with humans but generally does not socialize with them. About 15 years ago, however, he began to develop a friendship with a local tailor named Heath, who was a teenager at the time. They became acquainted through mutual business needs, and Strolph rather enjoyed the verbal sparring that resulted from the teen's sarcastic remarks. Strolph lost his children to war, and Heath lost his father at a young age, so many assume the relationship to be one of mutual surrogate roles. Indeed, Strolph still sees Heath (who is now 32) as a child in many ways. He is trying to train Heath to be more of a warrior (Heath is a consummate rogue), and one can often see him screaming at Heath to hold his sword up higher, or widen his stance, or some other particular of fighting technique.

History

Strolph comes from a long line of warriors. The Baelreavers fought valiantly for their king for as long as anyone can remember. During the War of the Hammers, Strolph remained behind at the request of the king, who insisted that his blacksmithing skills were more urgently needed than his prowess on the battlefield. His wife and two daughters, however, marched into battle. They never returned.

Strolph was a broken man after this, and the quality of his work gradually declined, as did his reputation. This did not escape the attention of the Ironforge government, with whom he continued to enjoy official blacksmithing ties. Due to his frequent missed deadlines, they eventually severed the relationship.

Some years later, when Stormwind put out the call for dwarves to help with reconstruction, Strolph saw it as an opportunity to begin his life anew, and to leave the city that continued to carry so many memories of his wife and daughters. He was very active in the construction of the Dwarven Quarter. Now, years later, very few in Stormwind know his name, but he is determined to rebuild his reputation back to the level it was once before. This goal, and his father-like friendship with the human named Heath, are what motivate him to keep moving forward. These are the seeds of hope inside what others see merely as a grumpy old dwarf.

Extra info: Heath is another (approved) character on the server, also played by me. Though I have created a connection between the two characters, my goal is obviously to enhance opportunities for developing relationships with other players.

For an extra insight into the interactions between the two, here is a brief bit taken from my introduction post:

"No, no, no! That won't do at all!"

Heath dropped his sword point-first into the damp soil and pushed his brown hair out of his eyes. "I still don't see why this is necessary. A dagger to the back will take down most any foe."

Strolph spat, his spittle catching the light of the sun as it neatly arced into the hollow of a nearby rotted stump. Heath looked up from the stump just in time to see the elderly dwarf's elbow flying into his midsection. "Oooff!"

As Heath doubled over, Strolph wrapped one muscular arm around the human's neck, his hand firmly clenching the opposite soldier. The other held a a short sword, its tip now inches from Heath's throat. "Aye laddie, it will. And how do ye plan on gettin' to that point, while ye still got to deal with my point?" He let go, and Heath sat down hard. "Yer seein' my point now, ain'tcha laddie." Strolph chuckled at his own joke, his shoulders shaking beneath his armor.

Heath pushed himself up from the wet ground and wiped his now-muddy hands on his pants. "Okay gramps, okay. Let's do it again."