Kildrak was born to a dwindling clan that could trace it's line back to Dammerhall, from a handful of dwarves that were away from the city or had moved elsewhere - but the bulk of the Clan had died with the city. He can forge, but it's not his passion. He is an avid book reader, an archaeologist and a wizard.

In reply to Reizzok Stoneaxe (msg # 13):

Yeah i can definitely see that working out as he oftern trains young warriors so tranalating him to a weapons master makes sense. Kroland would have been a very demanding and gruff instructor focusing more on the kind of fighting that will kill quickly and efficiently rather than anything particularly flashy. What was Reizzok like a sa young warrior? did he listen and practice diligently or was his head filled with dreams of heorism and standing out amongst his peers? Did he like Kroland as a weapon master?

In reply to Bugrem Stonesinger (msg # 14):

Possible that you will have trained under kroland with Reizzok? If so you would not have been given an inch of leniency haha

In reply to Kroland 'Ironleg' Rocksinger (msg # 16):

Reizzok is/was grounded, no dreams of heroism. His parents were rigorous with him growing up, Father at the forges, and mother on other tools and history stuff, so he would have been no stranger to long boring repetitive practice.

That said, I doubt he would have *loved* tough instruction from Kroland. So"like" might not be the right word. Respect Kroland? For sure. But unless/until they have some non-teacher/student relationships/downtime I doubt there will be "like" in there :D

In reply to Kroland 'Ironleg' Rocksinger (msg # 17):

Yeah, caught between him and his “protector”, Jothoun. Lots of opportunities for his instructors to conflict

Sounds good and kroland can live with respect and not liking. After all his job wasn't to make freinds  ;)

The ones who will know Joskar the best are probably going to be Lyesri (he seems to be one of the few not worried about her obvious dark side), and his fellow Cavers/Rangers.  And anyone with the Miner background.  He will probably be know peripherally by those with whom he trained in survival and combat skills.  Most would know him as a quiet loner who is usually in a good mood (which is probably why he is a quiet loner, and possibly why he is known to be quite the brawler, having defended himself against a number of angry or sullen drunks who did not appreciate his optimism and general contentment)

It’s possible that Jothoun, Bugrem’s clan retainer, will have sought Kildrak out to tutor him in clan history - him and Ysgard, who is collecting tales

Ysgard has been traveling for the last ~35 years learning the bard trade from his maternal grandmother Skerri. In that time they spent about a year in any location they planned on stopping in, so there is time to encounter them.

Her clan name is left blank for now in the event of possible family ties with someone else.

Ys is quite the instrumentalist and practicing throat-singer, so he would stand out by that, but also braids decorative wooden beads into his beard for all the places he's been and people he has met to the point he is starting to sound like a rainstick. RIP stealth.

So Flint is pretty young for a dwarf, only in his mid 60s. He was born and raised in human lands after his clan fled their homeland from dragons. Flint has a bit of a rebellious streak, at least for a dwarf. It's possible he has met those who still preferred to live underground but unlikely.

If he has a connection to another character it could be a friend of the clan? You guys have to trade with someone on the surface right?

If anyone else spends more time in human cities than caves then it's very plausible we've at least met before.

Kildrak is often both in cities and in ruins, lol! For instance, he likes to buy new books, read them and then sell them, so he could easily have met Flint.

And anyone could have been guarding him on a dig, or on a way to/from a dig, or something else as well, if anyone else wants to have a connection.

I just finished the character sheet and new background.

Braelig is interesting in discovering all information regarding the old kingdom, and has spent years in search of a way to reach it. He is skilled in a wide variety of crafting professions, and could have spent time with anyone who shares in any of them either from working or training with them.

He's an expert in History, Investigation, and Religion, and has read tons of books on all of these and more. Anyone interested in learning anything other than heavy armor and martial weapons has an easy tie to Braelig.

Tools: Cartographer's Tools, Jeweler's Tools, Leatherworker's Tools, Mason's Tools, Smith's Tools, Thieves' Tools, Woodcarver's Tools

Kildrak's love of books certainly fits.

I'm slowly going through the connections and what everyone has posted but it's going to take me a little while to get everything sorted out.

For characters that have a reputation for something I will put
- Known for (specific skill, tradition, religion etc)

Eg Ysgard
- Known for throatsinging

Holy...crap. How did you get so many tool proficiencies?!?!?

I have Cartographer's Tools as well.

Using Tasha's to dump my redundant racial armor/weapon proficiencies.

I'm guessing the same way that Reizzok is proficient in: Alchemist Supplies, Cook Utensils, Jeweler's tools, Leatherworker Tools, Smith's tools, Thieves' tools, Tinkers Tools, and Woodcarver's Tools :D

But I'm still waiting on 100% confirmation that we're allowed to do the racial proficiency swaps from Tashas.

We good. =)
From what everyone else has provided, the ones most likely to have any connection more than a passing meeting might be:
Murli Frostjaw - fellow bard in the pursuit of knowledge
Grenda Clawhammer - similar goals, different means
Toramar Greymane - also a young dwarf, grandparent influence, bardic songs about grandfather
Kildrak Fireforge - Ys is very much a surface/city dwarf and makes the rounds from place to place performing
Flint GoldHelm - archaeology + books = lore~ ++ arcane magics there could easily be some crossovers there

As for anyone being related via maternal bard Grandma: still open.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:09, Sat 10 July 2021.

Morginn is likely to have little to no connection directly to the group, though it's more likely those founding the expedition know of her clan and intend to recruit their aid in traversing the Underdark.

That said, I'm idly curious about potential heritage relations.  If a given clan shares a similar surname as another, does that indicate a potential distant familial connection that gradually spread apart over time?  For instance; would there be any possibility of Kildrak, Lyesri, and Morginn's clans (ie, "forge" suffix clans) having some shared history together far back in their lineage, making them far-flung cousins or the like?  Or is it just more a case of certain surnames being really common and thus shared broadly without any real connection otherwise?
This message was last edited by the player at 02:28, Sat 10 July 2021.

In reply to Morginn Hollowforge (msg # 32):

It could be either, really. The name could stem from a literal forge and the traits of it, or part of the name of the location it was founded in, where the material for it was found/mined, etc. It could be a split in the family, keeping part of the name for heritage but changing a part of it to differentiate us vs them. Could also be same family, but different sides of the mountain, and so on. Could be pure coincidence.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:35, Sat 10 July 2021.

Bugrem will bite; he has proficiency in the Horn, which he might have picked up from her, and is a student of History



Bugrem's clan hold was destroyed by dragons, perhaps the same one?



Acquaintances from Bugrem being hired as a dig guard?



DM, I believe you have Bugrem's connections listed under Braelig right now?

Otherwise, he is known for being a follower of Dumathoin, a crack shot with a crossbow, and wandering on the fringes of the wilds and society
This message was last edited by the player at 08:36, Sat 10 July 2021.

In reply to Bugrem Stonesinger (msg # 34):

Interestingly enough, Ys also knows how to play Horn, so I would think they learned together in this instance. Any interesting tidbits that would have been exchanged in the learning time?

In reply to Ysgard Rumnaheim (msg # 35):

You potentially know a bit more about his clan and the lengths he’s had to go to to keep their memory alive - consorting with human criminals and the clanless, taking on rough work and odd jobs before he swore to the Stoneaxe clan. Your bardic ear would note he’s fluent in both Goblin and Orc tongues. Like his signet ring, the horn he carries is his fathers
This message was last edited by the player at 11:15, Sat 10 July 2021.

DM: Kroland known for being a veteran officer, the ironleg epithet because of martial and general stubborness and as a wepaonsmaster that trains new recruits and drills the newer warriors.

In reply to Morginn Hollowforge (msg # 32):

that is a possibility...a long lost cousin

Dwarven familial and clan relationships get convoluted.