Dugald

Dugald was a human man of Damara and a cleric of Ilmater and St. Dionysus. He was a famous adventuring cleric of the Bloodstone Lands and one of its saviors.

History
Dugald was raised in a lower-class background, perhaps as a peasant, and behaved as such, even after he took his holy vows to Ilmater. He was looked down upon by his peers in the priesthood, for his rough, common ways and for his drunkenness and frequent involvement in bar fights, and they treated him like a peasant. Equally, Dugald had little desire to settle down and tend to a parish or to become a church leader and suffer the administration. Thus he did not rise far in the church hierarchy, and preferred the life of an itinerant friar. He found a kindred spirit in St. Dionysus of Ilmater and joined the Order of St. Dionysus.

So, in ruined Damara under the grip of Zhengyi the Witch-King in the 1350s DR, while his fellow clergy remained safe in their churches, Friar Dugald became an adventurer, out wandering and performing good deeds. He was among a group of refugees of Damara's northern provinces heading south in Valls where he took up with Gareth Dragonsbane, Celedon Kierney, Emelyn the Gray, Kane, Olwen Forest-Friend, and Riordan Parnell in the Year of the Prince, 1357 DR. In their heroic adventures together, they liberated the Bloodstone Lands of Damara and Vaasa, slew Zhengyi the Witch-King, stole and destroyed the Wand of Orcus, and slew an avatar of Tiamat in the Abyss, before finally returning to Damara to rebuild in the Year of the Serpent, 1359 DR. Along the way, Dugald was knighted for his services by Baron Tranth but refused to use his new title.

While on their quest, Dugald grew to like the people of Bloodstone Pass, and decided to settle down amongst them to minister to them. He made his home in Bloodstone Village, gathered a growing number of faithful, and became a close advisor of Baron, and later King, Gareth Dragonsbane. In his simple way, Dugald did as much as Gareth to aid in the growth and security of the Barony of Bloodstone and the kingdom of Damara. Friar Dugald and Emelyn the Gray provided magical defenses to the Cave of the Whispering Wind, the headquarters of Spysong, Damara's new spying and scouting organization. These glyphs and runes tended to explode upon trespassers. Dugald placed a bounty on members of the Thunkers, a band of giantkin and goblins terrorizing Damara, for their bombing of Bloodstone Village during the war.

Though he was one to have few possessions, Dugald had gained a fortune from his share of the gold and gems from Tiamat's hoard. He made massive 'anonymous' donations to the city of Goliad, and over 1 million gold pieces went into the construction of an impressive cathedral there, the Church of Dionysus. Although the money was donated anonymously, Dugald's identity was soon leaked—rather conveniently boosting his reputation. Some considered the Church's location to be a political move by Dugald and Gareth to win over the people of Goliad and the Duchy of Brandiar, though none doubted Dugald's devotion. In any case, it worked, and the people of Goliad and Brandiar were immensely grateful, giving enormous support to the project and cementing their loyalty to Dragonsbane. The money and construction project helped Goliad rebuild following the wars. However, despite his role in its funding and supervising its construction, Friar Dugald had no plans to serve as pastor for the church, and it wasn't even in his home province.

When not performing church services and advising the king, Dugald continued to live amongst the common people. Inconspicuously, he always paid attention to rumors of danger and threats to Gareth, and was especially interested in news about the bandit army plaguing Damara. He never put away his adventuring gear so that he could one day personally thwart the plans of the Citadel of Assassins and defeat Banak, the evil priest of Orcus.

Physical description
Friar Dugald was of impressive build and enormously fat, weighing almost 400 lb (181 kg), with meaty arms and a flabby head. He kept his head shaved bald in the way of many monks. He was usually seen smiling. His fat, jolly appearance misled many warriors into underestimating his power in battle, and he was actually quite fit and hardy.

Personality
Dugald was a jolly and good-hearted man, often smiling. He was a man with simple tastes, loving a good meal and a lot of drink. He was often drunk and always ready to get involved in a barroom brawl.

Nevertheless, he was entirely genuine in his faith, and a devout priest of Ilmater and St. Dionysus. He actively worked in their name and fought for good causes.

Abilities
Dugald was an extremely powerful priest of Ilmater.

His skills included mountaineering, swimming, fishing, riding, fire-making and, of course, drinking.

Equipment
He always wore a set of old, worn-out, brown monk's robes with a hood and rope belt. He also owned a suit of magical chain mail which he wore when needed, putting his robe on over his armor.

In battle, Dugald wielded a mace of disruption, that he normally kept tucked in his rope belt, and a powerful magic shield.

Although Friar Dugald generally did not own many possessions, his adventures brought him great wealth and magical items. In addition to his mace, shield, and armor, he had a ring of truth, a rod of resurrection, a figurine of wondrous power that conjured a marble woolly mammoth, and a selection of scrolls and potions.

He was also carried about by Otho, his draft horse.

Allies
Friar Dugald could count as allies his fellow heroes of the Bloodstone Lands: King Gareth Dragonsbane, Kane, Celedon Kierney, Emelyn the Gray, Olwen Forest-Friend, and Riordan Parnell.

Enemies
Dugald had a particular desire to defeat Banak, the evil priest of Orcus of the Citadel of Assassins and leader of an army of bandits and undead.

Appearances

 * Bloodstone Pass series:
 * Bloodstone Pass
 * The Mines of Bloodstone
 * The Bloodstone Wars
 * The Throne of Bloodstone
 * The Bloodstone Lands
 * Road of the Patriarch