Luke Hartman is a character I play in a Curse of Strahd campaign that’s been going on for over a year now. All I knew when we started playing was that he was looking for someone. I kind of… found his history out as the campaign went on. Here’s what it eventually coalesced into:
He was a toddler the first time it happened. His older brother – Wes – was telling him a scary story. Just as the monster revealed itself (“BOO!'”) Lucas tried to scream, but pink bubbles burst out of his mouth instead.
The next time it happened, he was eleven. At the edge of his sleepy, riverside hometown, a wizard had built a tower long ago. Some said that the town was actually built around the tower, but the wizard never told anyone either way. Luke had snuck in one night with his friends. Inside they found a library packed to the absolute brim with tomes and manuscripts of all kinds of arcane knowledge. Luke opened one up at random and began attempting to recite the words he found inside. He finished, and to his great disappointment, nothing seemed to happen at all.
When the book snapped shut of its own accord and flew itself back onto its place on the shelf, Luke almost reacted before he found himself standing on top of one of the tall bookcases. An exceptionally creepy ethereal hand grasped his shoulder and forced him to turn around, bringing him eye-to-eye with the reclusive wizard; a Rock Gnome woman named Virra Silverthread.
Recognizing the potent energy tucked away inside Lucas’ body, she offered to teach him what magic she could to help keep it under control. Under Master Silverthread’s tutelage, Lucas’ knowledge and control of his powers grew – however slowly. His ‘incidents’ became a rarity, and they were always minor mishaps. Hair loss here, change of skin color there, maybe an accidental summoning of butterflies or the odd modron once or twice. Overall though, he was doing very well for many years – until the arrival of Argenthrixus the Indomitable Blight.
A powerful green dragon at the command of a legion of Hobgoblins, Argenthrixus assaulted the town to steal away the many magical secrets and treasures Virra Silverthread had collected in her tower over the years.
While Master Silverthread battled against Argenthrixus from the top of the tower, Luke stayed behind with a squad of iron golems to hold off the Hobgoblins. After what seemed to Luke to be an eternally long battle, the golems were able to fend off the attackers. When Luke went to the roof to help Master Silverthread, he found almost no sign of her – or Argenthrixus. There had definitely been a battle up there, but its outcome was a mystery. All that was left behind was Virra’s slender rosewood wand.
In the town below, the Hobgoblins either hadn’t realized their master was gone, or just didn’t care. They were promised a day of pillaging and conquering, and by Maglubiyet, they were going to get it! Luke knew that the magic that animated the golems would only work inside the tower. Without thinking too much about it, he took up his master’s wand and rushed out of the tower to defend the town.
The remaining guards were still putting up a fight, but in the opening salvo of the attack, the dragon had dealt them a heavy blow. They would clearly be overrun without help. Ignoring pretty much all the advice Master Silverthread had ever given him, he attempted to cast spells far beyond his capabilities. A few were actually successful, but more often than not, he would lose control of the magical energies he’d ripped from the Weave, and cause explosions to occur in random locations. After enough of this haphazard bombardment, the Hobgoblins were eventually driven off, but at the cost of much of the town’s infrastructure.
Luckily, he hadn’t harmed his own family. Much less luckily, he had harmed many others. Not long after, he abandoned the town in self-imposed exile. He knew that to stay would only bring his family grief. A wanderer ever since, he’s been searching for any sign of his former teacher. Along the way, Luke tries to help people with his magic, to prove – mostly to himself – that he’s a good person with good intentions, and that his magical powers aren’t the curse they seem to be.
Convulsive Ravings 