04 Night's Watch.pdf - Chaos Bleeds

CHapter 3: beyond the WallWhile working to unite the free folk under his banner, Mance sentTormund Giantbane to the ancient barrows of the First Men lookingfor the Horn of Winter, the ancient artifact Joramun blew to wake thegiants from the earth long ago. It is believed that the Horn also hasthe power to destroy the Wall, allowing the free folk to freely pass intothe lands to the South. Tormund was able to find the horn and bringit to Mance, but even with the horn in his possession Mance is loatheto use it.Mance knows the Wall is more than a physical obstacle; built byBran the Builder long ago it is a thing of magic in addition to beingof stone and ice. The Wall does not just block travel but stops the supernaturalcreatures of the Land of Always Winter from crossing intothe realms of Westeros to the south, forming the last line of defenseagainst the Others and their ilk. While Mance’s primary goal is to movehis people to the south, away from the encroaching Others, he wouldrather do so without destroying the Wall, so his people may find shelterbehind it as well. His hope is that the free folk can take the Gift as theirown, knowing from his own trips over the Wall that it has seen littleuse in recent decades. Having no interest in bowing to the lords of theSouth, Mance Rayder knows his people will not change their ways, andthus gaining the agreement of the Southern kingdoms to this arrangementwill be difficult to get at best. He hopes the threat of destroyingthe Wall will be enough to sway them. While Mance Rayder wouldrather have the Wall protecting him from the Others than destroy it,better to give his people a few more years away from the cold of theOthers than see them slain.Mance RayderThe current King-beyond-the-Wall, Mance Rayder is inarguably themost powerful mortal north of the Wall. Commanding a vast horde offollowers, he is set on saving his people by moving them south of theWall, hopefully without destroying the Wall in the process. If he succeedshe will change the free folk forever.HistoryMance Rayder was born among the free folk, adopted as a babe by theNight’s Watch. Mance grew up among the Night’s Watch, serving loyallyfor most of his life, doing well due to his natural cunning and skillboth in war and leadership. It was these skills that often earned him aplace among the rangings north of the Wall, and it was on such a missionthat his place in the Night’s Watch was lost.While ranging north of the Wall, Mance and his patrol were huntingan elk when they were attacked by a shadowcat drawn by the smellof the elk’s blood. Mance was badly wounded in the ensuing fight andwas taken to a nearby village of the free folk for treatment since hisbrothers did not think he would survive the trip back to the Wall. Thefree folk woman who cared for him also patched his rent and tornblack cloak using red silk taken from a wrecked ship from the FrozenShore, her greatest treasure. When Mance returned to the Wall, hewas ordered to give up this cloak that the woman had given so muchto mend for an undamaged black cloak, and this was not a choiceMance was willing to make. While the people of the South claim hewas motivated by greed or lust, Mance was in truth driven by a desirefor freedom where he could honor the woman who had done so muchMance RayderAbilitiesAgility 3Athletics 3Awareness 5 Empathy 4B, Notice 2BCunning 4Deception 3 Bluff 2BEndurance 3Fighting 5 Long Blades 3BKnowledge 3Language 3 CommonLanguage 2 Old TonguePersuasion 3 Charm 2B, Convince 1B, Incite 2BStatus 4 Reputation 3BSurvival 3Warfare 4 Command 1B, Strategy 1BWill 4 Coordinate 2BCombatDefenseAttributes11 (9 in armor,+1 with dagger)IntrigueDefenseHealth 9 Composure 12Destiny Points 2Benefits: Adept Negotiator, Blood of the Wildlings, DangerSense, Famous, Inspiring, Leader of Men, Mummer (wood harp)Drawbacks: Nemesis (Night’s Watch)Arms & ArmorHard Leather: AR 3 ❂ AP –2Bulk 0 (Movement 4, Sprint 16)Awareness 5 ❂ Passive 24 (Empathy), 22 (Notice)Longsword 5D+3B 4 damagefor him by wearing her gift. He left the Night’s Watch next morningfor the lands of the free folk.Mance quickly found a place among the free folk where his charismaand gift for song and tale telling made him popular among thesouthern tribes. His readiness to fight against the Night’s Watch allowedhim to quickly make his allegiances clear. Rangings becamemuch more dangerous for the Night’s Watch with Mance Rayderworking against them. While Mance helped the free folk against theirfoes to the south he could do little to help them against the ancientevils awakening to the north. At first, Mance had not believed thestories of the Others while he served with the Night’s Watch and duringhis earliest days among the free folk—but in more recent years, hehas had several encounters with them, each time only barely escaping.13Adaptable, Damage 5with both handsDagger 5D 1 damage Defensive +1, Off-hand +1Personal Gear: Longsword, leather armor, wood harp, dagger,winter furs79