Lord Roland Gustav LaPorte Gribitt-Gribitt IV
Race: Frogkind
Height: 3'0”
Weight: 59lbs
Roland is the prime specimen of a handsome frogkind, a rather rotund race of short humanoid frogs. His healthy green flesh is touched with just the right amount of shimmering moistness, his eyes are dark and slightly bulged, and his white belly's girth indicates a healthy noble diet. For the uncouth barbarians unfamiliar with frogkind, some may call them a squat bipedal amphibious race with stubby arms and a healthy appetite. But those are uncultured imbeciles unaware of the dexterity of frogkind's delicate arms, and the raw power of their larger legs. Roland's noble birth makes him all this and more, boasting an impressive roundness and three feet of height, practically a giant amongst frogkind.
Clothing makes the frog, and Roland wears the choicest clothing available only to frogkind nobility. His flowing purple collared cape is embroidered with golden patterns of the lilies from home, and lined with the finest silk. Underneath is a small purple vest of fabric unique to frogkind, that is able to stretch almost as much as their bodies. This is generally only for riding and battle though. His more casual outfit is a soft white vest, open for obvious reasons, and a boater hat. His belt, made from rare marsh leather, stretches to accommodate his ever changing proportions. In turn the belt is decorated by a golden buckle of his family crest, two ornate holdsters for his pistols, and an increasingly ornate sheath for his sword. His small round framed glasses are perched at the very tip of his... nose? Snout? Whatever.
Racial Features
Corsicain Body
[Level 3] - Rubbery and resilient flesh.
Frogkind are blessed with one of the most mailable and durable bodies on the face of the planet. It is said that they developed this out of millions of years of being squashed, punched, punted, plucked, and otherwise physically abused. Now frogkind have little abuse to fear with their incredibly mailable bodies. Blunt damage means little to them, and like a cartoon they always seem to stretch right back into place. Roland, as a noble frogkind, has trained carefully to maximize the power of his body. Which comes into play with many of his abilities.
Champenois Hop
[Level 2] - Really really good at jumping.
All frogkind can jump, Roland however can jump with such grace and beauty great poems were composed on that subject alone. He can jump high, jump off walls, and has even masted a technique that allows him to jump off the thin air once per jump adding even more mobility. However high one may jump, one still has to come down, Roland has learned to overcome this though his corsican body. Taking a great inhaling breath Roland fills his entire body with air, puffing up like a balloon and floating gently to the ground.
Savoie Appitite
[Level 3] - Hungry hungry froggie.
All frogkind appreciate the culinary arts, mainly because their race seems designed to eat and Roland is no exception. When he is not enjoying the finest of cuisines, he can turn these ability to more aggressive uses. For one there is his tongue which can stretch out a good two meters and capture plenty in its sticky grasp. Then there is the fact his corsican body can allow his stomach and frame to expand a good deal more than it should. Finally he can spit out indigestible objects with great speed and force.
Jurian Breath
[Level 2] - Amphibious Nature.
The average frogkind spends equal amount of time in and out of water, even their dwellings are built above and blelow the swamp. Thus not only are they great swimmers they can also breath under water. However, they do like to keep damp.
Bergerac Genius
[Level 3] - Good blood means good brains.
Roland has spent years dedicated to the frogkind arts of beauty, only assisted by his noble blood and wealth. He is an accomplished painter, though most Gaians do not understand the intracies of frogkind art. A master musician and poet, though he refuses to lower himself to the simple standards of most of Gaia thus his music is lost on most. Of course he is also a great warrior and tactician, though there is the question of how much that can make up for his stature.
Equipment
Alsace
[Level 1] - Frogkind Rapier
Without the physical character brutish Gaians use to wield massive hunks of near unsharpened iron, frogkind prefer the grace of the rapier. Glancing blows and pinpointed strikes are no problem for the nimble frogkind with their natural ability to jump all over the place. Like all metal in the Lillypad Kingdom, it's treated to survive even long periods submerged in water. Roland's is crafted by the greatest smiths in his domain, and its shining ornamentation was designed by one of the kingdom's finest artists.
Burgundy and Bordeaux
[Level 1] - Frogkind Derringers
The use of firearms in the Lillypad Kingdom provides multiple multiple problems. For one the beautiful marshy geography does not mesh well with firing mechanisms. Secondly, limbs designed for finer arts have difficulty with the barbarically large calibers that have come in vogue around Gaia. Thus the greatest of frogkind gunsmiths have created weapons that not only adapt to these factors, but are things of beauty. However, the waterproofing seems to have led to a decrease in power, and combined with the lower caliber this leaves a lot to be desired. Honestly the only killing shot is probably point blank aimed at someone's eye. However, Roland does not let these details derail his adventures, what his weaponry lacks in killing power he makes up for in creativity. Or at least ammunition, which he seems to have a near infinite supply of.
Other Equipment
Incidentals
Clothing - All Roland's clothing can stretch with his body, they're also impressively waterproof.
Glasses - His glasses seem to somehow always stay perched on his nose. Enchanted? Who knows.
Wealth - Roland carries a seemingly infinite amount of small gold coins stamped with his likeness.
Fighting Styles
Rhone Style
[Level 1] - Sword and pistol by his side.
While Roland has trained and mastered every frogkind fighting style, his favorite is by far the Rhone style. With Alsace in one hand and a pistol in the other Roland demonstrates his ambidextrous ability. Chiefly the style focuses around frogkinds high mobility though hops, and quick pericing attacks. The pistol, due to its lack of any power, is used mostly as a distraction or way to force an opening. Simple, but effective.
Languedoc-Roussillon Style
[Level 2] - A cloud of tiny tiny bullets.
Alone a frogkind derringer may not amount to much, but together they may amount to half a gun. Gripping both Burgundy and Bordeaux Roland tries to use raw numbers to make up for power. The secret of Languedoc-Roussillon is mastering the quick reload, while each gun only holds six bullets one would never know with Roland's lighting fast reloads. The style is best used to pin opponents down, keep them at a distance, distract like crazy, or punish thin skined foes.
Special Style: Loire Sword
[Level 2] - Holding only his sword one frog stands alone.
Training day and night Roland mastered one of the greatest styles of his people, the Loire Sword. This technique allows for a frogkind to make up for the very few disadvantages of his noble race. Firstly one must draw one's sword, and only one's sword, and remember one's training. Roland often skipped breakfast, unheard of for his people, to practice stabbing a single point hundreds of times. Thus with the speed of a demon, Roland can stab ten times for every one thrust a normal person could make. He even passed on his second desert to meditate in the deepest of swamps, learning to forge his sense of beauty into tangable form. With every slash he can use this will to extend his blade a full meter in a swipe of beautiful and deadly colour. Unfortunately with this strength and reach all frogkind would want to master the Loire Sword, but it is not for the weak. Even a noble heart like Roland's can only maintain a Loire state for three posts once a fight.
Gribbit-Gribbit Family Secret: Provence Swarm
[Level 3] - Frog Spawn.
Roland's ancestor Pierre Guy Jacques de Couve Gribbit-Gribbit IX was as much a painter as a fighter. One day while finishing his forty-fifth self portrait, Pierre contemplated introducing more beauty into the world by increasing his own presence. It took many years and much study of beauty, but Pierre eventually had the breakthrough he wished for. The details are uncertian, but Pierre ensured that all his descendants would learn how to harness the natural power of beauty in this way. Roland can do so himself by breathing deeply and drawing thoughts of all things wonderful into his body. This raw force briefly turns Roland from one frogkind into five. These five frogkind can utilize both Rhone and Languedoc-Roussillon over the period of one post to lay siege and ensure that Roland's foes know the true terror of sublime beauty.
The Song of Roland
Far far away from Barton's walls and Durem's towers there is a kingdom of beautiful marshes, swamps, and forests. This land is known by its people by an indecipherable series of croaks and ribbits, but most know it simply by the mildly racist “Lillypad Kingdom”. Frogkind, the inhabitants of this land, forgive the barbarism of Gaian's for this slur as they are an affable and gregarious people. Yes, the average frogkind spends their days in search of beauty be it through art, music, cuisine, or even war. Though a more ceremonial and gentlemanly kind of war, and mostly amongst their own regions. I mean who wants to invade a bunch of marsh?
Anyway, Roland Gustav LaPorte Gribitt-Gribitt IV was born amongst many brothers and sisters as is the tradition of his people, but from an early age everyone knew he was destined for greatness. He could jump the highest, sing the sweetest, cook with the most delicate of flavours, paint with all the pallet, and even fight with kingdom renowned grace. It is little surprise that between this and his family's great wealth he would become the lord of his own domain. But for all these talents though he was perhaps known above all for being the kingdom's greatest lover. Yes, no frogkind that Roland chose to court could resist his charms, even though they all knew that Roland had no wish to settle down. Yes, they all wished that they would be the one to turn him from his wandering ways, but in the morning he would be gone. Perhaps to train some new technique, or to gather the rarest of spice, or even liberate a domain through his wits alone. There have been many ballads written about Lord Roland Gustav LaPorte Gribitt-Gribitt IV, and none of them as beautiful as the one he composed himself.
However, no one outside of the Lillypad Kingdom has ever heard of him.
He will tell you that it was boredom that lit the fire of wanderlust in his heart. That he had tasted all the treats, witnessed all the splendor, wooed every lady, and he still thirsted for more. Thus he had to venture out into Gaia to spin new tales and find exotic new companionship. Still, anyone with half a brain would tell you it's pride. The pride that is injured every time a traveling merchant says “who?” in response to his name. Gaia will know Lord Roland Gustav LaPorte Gribitt-Gribitt IV, and by god he won't shut up until they do.
