Buddrik "Buzz" Os'Budzek
Buddrik “Buzz” Os’Budzek, Fighting man/Tavern supporter/Chaser of pelts and poon from villages of the Shrike
Buzz had been Buzz since his 8th Naming Day when he and two friends climbed a tall tree to get a nice spot o’honeycomb and wound up getting stung 57 times, including on his tongue. A stout lad who’s family had farmed, hunted, fished and done other industrious work along the shoreside of the Shrike for 4 generations. Family tradition held that previous generations had come there from what was now known as the Stolen Lands. On days when Buzz had no other family work to be done, he would go fishing and sit and cloudgaze (day dream) about retaking his family’s ancestral home.
As Buzz grew to manhood, survival became more important than cloudgazing. The rough winters had taken a toll on his family and the young man worked various jobs hunting, pelting, timber cutting, arm-for-hire and the like. He ended his work days in the local taverns where he drank, gambled, chased wild women, cursed, brawled, sang drinking songs (poorly) and smoked whatever wild weed was available. It was during these years, he replaced his worship of the spirits of the forest with a newfound devotion to Cayden Cailean, a god whom he admired and respected.
As the next years past, the stout lad grew into a rather large man with the look of a mountaineer and the heart of the wilderness. He currently stands well above 6 ft tall with brown hair and green eyes. He sports a large bushy beard that is rather unkempt and speaks often of finding just the right woman who can make him cut it. There has yet to be such a woman made, so says Buzz.
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Three fortnights hence, Buzz was passing through the Whispering Way in the forest when he ran across a strange woman. The gypsy (Buzz’s best guess about what she was) beseeched him to sit by her fire. As Buzz already had caught two hare, he cooked them and shared a meal with the mysterious woman. Although light on discussion and news, Buzz listened to the woman, what little she offered, and kept an eye on the night woods. A little after middledark, Buzz awoke to the sounds of footsteps. As the figure stepped close to the sleeping gypsy, Buzz saw a glint of steel in the moonlight. He sprang forward and thrust his trusty starknife -- that he'd won in a game of skulls and kings -- into the figure, knocking it back. The blow sent the figure, now seen as a man, falling backwards, his hands rising to stop the flow of blood that spurted from his neck.
In the aftermath of that event, Buzz reassured the gypsy woman that he would protect her, but totally missed her calm lack of concern about her own safety. The night passed and the following morning when Buzz woke, the gypsy woman had prepared breakfast. As he ate, she sat in front of him and offered to tell his fortune. She pulled his palms out and examined them carefully. The pursed her face and raised her eyebrows thoughtfully and when her gaze met Buzz, she had a very serious look on her face.
“Warrior, I must leave you, but know that I am grateful for our path’s crossing. Your destiny is an interesting one and one for which you should be well suited. Know that while I cannot repay your saving of my life, you will receive the gifts that I can bestow. Rest well.”
Buzz was about to protest that he would escort her to the nearest town, but he felt very drowsy. As his eyes blurred, his face fell forward into the gypsy’s hands. And he slept.
When Buzz awoke, the woman was gone. He searched for tracks, but saw none. After midday, he gathered his things and moved on in his original direction. When Buzz reached the next town, he had quite the surprise. At the tavern, the barmistress gave him a slip of paper and informed him that he had a horse in the stable.
The note read: “Please accept this horse as a gift. Her name is Freida and she will serve you well. When last we spoke, I mentioned your destiny. Go to Restov and seek out the sword lords. They will have something that will aid you in coming days. Be bold and find glory.”
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And that is how Buzz found himself with the charter to claim territory in the Stolen Lands. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that the gypsy never said what exactly his destiny was. Perhaps this piece of paper would help him find Cayden’s chalice. Besides, it *would* be fun hunting on that side of the border.