Roll your own adventure!

[UltanBoyd]

Ultan Boyd O’tha Widden Bowe (An Bogha nAdhmaid)

 

·         Strength (STR) - 2

·         Dexterity (DEX) - 2

·         Stamina (STA) - 2

·         Constitution (CON) - 3

·         Wisdom (WIS) - 4

·         Charisma (CHA) - 2

 

Half-Sidhe Archer (Toolkitted Ranger!)

Racial Enemy: Trolls – The ones that bring a billion cakes into work especially!

 

Equipment: Four bows to choose from though Bow of the Strong Shoulder needs 5 strength to use so unable to equip at this time. A choice of the Arrows +1 (X7s) or Arrows of Speed (ACEs).

 

In the beginning (or shall we start in 2007) Ultan Boyd was a champion archer. Bedecked with glory he baked in the mornings and won medals in the afternoon. He’d just finished four years of walking around the library and reading rooms of a far flung distant land and returned home to get things in order before returning to his love and his adventure. Gone was the bakery in its stead a dark tower from whence Ultan would sally forth, often to the capital to beef up the defences of other dark towers, castles and bastions. These long journeys starting before dawn and lasting till long after dark meant Ultan required breakfast at home, breakfast on arriving as the tower canteens, a late morning brunch, an early afternoon luncheon and a hearty dinner on return home. This was great when Ultan adventured for the great cities of the land but when working in his evil master’s tower, sat sedentary in a darkened room he found it took some time to reduce the food intake to meet the requirement of this change of pace. This was different than the bakery where lifting 32kg bags of flour up and down a ladder all day meant he would lose inches around his waist indeed he did pile on the inches. Six in four years to be exact.

 

To combat the rise early in his time with his dred master he attended a sword class. This taught sword not as a dance nor as a sport but as an art of deadly form. The swords master was a man from across the narrow sea whom had leaped from the wings of eagles into battle in his home country. The sword lessons included a one and a half ahrns of ‘Warm up’ including exotic training moves from the unknown regions such as rabbits and frogs as well as arduous activities such as multiple forms of planks. This was followed by an ahrn of hand to hand combat and finally sword training could begin. However after 6 months the liege lord sent Ultan to quest to the Staglands and on his returns Ultan found getting through the warm up too much. Vowing to continue after one lesson Ultan was sent far away once more and the cycle of work for the liege lord and the inability to build strength for the sword. Time also became lax for anything else. Ultan worked upto 103 Ahrns a week. Archery had been his only release once the sword fell through and his bows grew in size to the point where 20 dozen arrows a week were enough to maintain strength and not build form or technique further. Then upon missing a week Ultan found he enjoyed the free time, his friends enjoyed the conversation other than about archery and a week slipped into 5 dark years.

Disillusioned Ultan found an opportunity to work for a new, seemingly kinder Lord and was this time sent across the country only this time for weeks at a time and staying in taverns of fine dining for two years Ultan found the tomes of Nerd Fitness and struggling to forego the free three course meals or full English breakfast he bided his time until this day. Now four further inches up from when he left his homeland at around four stone heavier and a lot less fit having failed a month ago to even string his bow of strong shoulder and unable to shoot more than 3 dozen arrows. Determined and with plan of action Ultan steps forth unto his new adventure….

 

Too much nerdery? 

[Morrigainz]

Perfect.

 

And welcome!

[UltanBoyd]

Thanks and I'm glad I appeared to have found the level!

 

That annoying time between dinner and gym (poor timetable today) has to be used somehow!

[Morrigainz]

That time really IS annoying, isn't it???

 

So what kinds of things are you into, besides swords and archery?

[wideeyed]

There is no such thing as too much nerdery.

[UltanBoyd]

That time really IS annoying, isn't it???

 

So what kinds of things are you into, besides swords and archery?

Well I think I hit ASoIF, Farscape, Firefly and my favourite D&D ruleset, AD&D 2nd Edition references in the blurb. Otherwise I like spending time in my allotment but having just bought a house I think I'm going to have to give that up really to concentrate on the house and garden. I'm pretty boring at the moment really though due to the work taking everything out of my life for 4.5 years and the past 2 spent working and doing a degree on block release. Add to that having no money because of taking a pay cut to get out of a job that was killing me and at the same time buying a house, an engagement ring and saving for a wedding even the gig and festivals that used to take my time have been cut out.

That's changing though. I've got my second degree (1. Electronic & Electrical Engineering 2. Power system management) I'm getting married in a year, my house has two rooms to sort out, two and a half beds in the garden are growing flowers so just the veg to get in, the archery is back on track and I'm getting back to fitness enough to take a French paratrooper making me bounce round the rooms like rabbits and hold four different planks for two minutes a time as a warm up for the sword. Now to find time to build my Mandalorian armour (search Wizard of Flight helmet templates. I have a massive head though and two 100% builds and a 105% sized build have not fit so far 

There is no such thing as too much nerdery.

Does having a favourite D&D ruleset not count? THAC0s anyone?

 

Oh and does anyone have any good excercises for archery related muscles? I'm enjoying assisted pullups and the tricep-ropey-pulldown&flareoutthing but need to get rhomboids and trap minors hard!

[Morrigainz]

You might want to check out my recent post in the powerlifting forums about "activating the mid-upper back". A few people posted some exercise ideas that might be helpful for you!

[UltanBoyd]

Awesome, a lot of information in there. I'll have to read through slowly when I get 5 mins. Until then I reminded someone that they hadn't sorted out a picture from Celebration Europe for me (that was 2007) and seeing as that's where the backstory began I thought I'd show you how today he delivered finally the dejarik pieces on the boards and how I looked at a young 22.

 

[UltanBoyd]

UltanBoyd travelled up the trail towards Swoleville. Being short on coin and resources he stopped in the local roadside tavern to find a bed for the night and a way to stock up on travel provisions. Upon meeting the friendly Leonin barman Ultan found he could earn his board for the night and a haversack by helping to clear out the basement. “Easy, probably just a few boxes and old barrels†he thought. However on entering the dimly lit basement he was shocked to see evidence of a rodent infestation and after lifting heavy boxes and barrels noticed tracks through the broken sewer grate. Ultan spoke with Johannes the Leonin who offered him a prized ring for ensuring the damage would happen no more.

 

So Ultan entered the sewers, slew giant rats until he met with an army of kobolds led by two gnolls. The kobolds would scatter but Ultan ran long and swift to cleave them in twain lest they regroup and pose him threat. A number of lesser gnolls fell as Ultan made his presence known. Ultan had been all through the sewers and had just eviscerated the last of the kobolds when he met Dreehunnerpand the gnoll patriarch and Doodwendypand the gnoll matriach.

 

Ultan quickly ran through the viscious gnoll shield maiden and struck down the gateguards. Doodwendypand’s shield maidens slashed Ultan before fleeing with the matriarch as Ultan cut his way through the elite. Leaving him to face the hulking, giant mace bearing gnoll general. Dreehunnerpand drew first blood, swinging the mace and catching Ultan’s chest with the vicious spikes that lined it. Ultan danced around the great beast and catching his breath struck a pommel blow to the gargantuan monster. The gnoll and the warrior lost their weapons in the ensuing fight which finished only when Ultan broke the back of Dreehunnerpand over his thigh. Ultan breathed a moment the foul stench of the gnoll camp before rifling around to find a mysterious note hidden in a mysterious wooden cup which told of more camps and a plan to overthrow Swoleville.

 

Ultan dragged the giant mace back to the sewer grate and used it to fix the grate so the cellar might be safe from the sewers. Upon meeting Johannes, Ultan was thrown in a bath and made to rest a day before being presented with a ring as payment. The ring was made of polished gold and set upon it was a giant rock that increased the wearer’s FOCUS and could be used to direct sunlight to cook with. People often from then would exclaim when around Ultan “Can you smell what the rock is cooking?â€

 

Ultan left the tavern in the morning and set once more on the road to Swolesville. There was something going on, he was sure of it. The gnoll lair had been planned. What if there were more bases being used to plan an invasion on Swolesville? One on every road in? What had happened to Doodwendypand? Ultan pondered as he brushed down his browncoat and strolled towards the new day.