Toma Tinbottom, Dwarf Swordsman

I'm going to take a quick side-path here and blog about an online OD&D campaign I'm getting ready to participate in.  Don't worry folks, the blog isn't going down a different path, it's still a blog about 4th edition, Dungeons and Dragons.  However, I'm excited about this campaign as I get to play alongside some of my favorite RPG bloggers.

Run by popular blogger, @newbiedm,  who decided one day on Twitter to crack open the D&D Rules Cyclopedia, the campaign is set in Mystara and features two dwarfs, a cleric, a wizard, a thief, and an elf. 

Since @SarahDarkmagic decided to blog about her character, Cassidy, Priestess of Apollo, I thought I'd let you guys in on my character:  Toma Tinbottom, Dwarf Swordsman.

I've played OD&D before, (back in the dim past), so I admit I didn't put as much thought into my character as Sarah did.  But since the dice rolled up a dwarf, I decided to kick him old school and bring out as many "dwarf tropes" as I could.

Tinbottom comes from a small clan known as the Allobottoms (think "alloybottoms").  They're not nearly as well off as the Goldbottoms, Silverbottoms, or even the Bronzebottoms, but they do better than the Orebottoms or Coalbottoms.

Tinbottom's father was highly skilled in the art of metal plating, and used his skill to give all kinds of objects a shiny sheen.  However, his father also had a rather heavy gambling debt.  One day, a local knight came calling for a silver plated sword (to hunt down some local werewolves), and Tinbottom (the elder) took the commission.  However, Tinbottom couldn't afford the silver, and instead, plated the knight's sword with tin.  The knight, pleased at the shiny appearance of his new sword, rode off, paying Tinbottom handsomely.

The knight was never heard from again.

Tinbottom was sure the knight came to a foul end at the claws of werewolves, but it could never be proven.  Disgraced and ashamed of his actions, Tinbottom's father gave up his trade and retired in fear (he quakes visibly when hearing the howl of a wolf) and obscurity.  Toma took another path.

Toma, also ashamed of his father's actions, gave up wanting to follow in his father's footsteps (as most dwarfs are want to do).  Instead, Toma decided to make use of his years of experience hanging around weaponry, and became a reasonably skilled swordsman.  While he has a decent enough heart, he's not afraid to wade in and do a dirty job.  He's not afraid to ask, "Does it need killin'?"  If the answer "Yes" is convincing enough, the sword comes out and the wet work begins.

Toma attacks these "dirty jobs" with a gusto.  He figures that every time he makes someone's life a little easier, he has in some way made up for the disgrace of his father. 

While Tinbottom would some day like to return to his mountain home and erase the deeds of his father, for now, he's content to wander the world a bit and see how best he can make his fortune.

Hopefully, he'll have plenty of opportunity to do that.

Until next time...

Game excellently with one another.