[A to Z April] A is for Albert "Rat-tail" Gail

Eight-year-old Albert “Rat-tail” Gale is an orphan. His parents and older sister were cruelly massacred by a horde of rampaging kobolds when he was only two years old. His father was a traveling tinker, taking his family to Coldtreath for the winter season. As he steered his vardo around the foothills of the Messtoad Mountains north of Coldtreath, they were beset by a band of kobolds. The evil little beasts tortured his family and left them for dead after ransacking the vardo. They did not find Albert, sleeping in a pile of flowery, perfumed quilts. The kobolds, caring little for such feminine niceties as flowers and perfumes, overlooked the (to them) nasty-smelling quilts and left them alone.

He was found two days later, crying, in the shadow of the Messtoad Mountains, by a half-orc named Oodagh as he was heading to Coldtreath to open a new tavern named The Mournful Jackal. Oodagh took in the starving, dehydrated toddler and now affectionately calls him “Rat-tail” referring to how pink and hairless Albert was when he was found. Books and papers found in the vardo pointed Oodagh and others in Coldtreath to Albert’s real name and family background. Unfortunately, the innkeeper’s searching has been in vain: there appear to be no other family relations anywhere with whom Albert can live. In all honesty, Oodagh is none too unhappy about this, as he has developed an affinity for the young boy and treats him almost as if he were his own son.

The 8-year-old boy has large sea green eyes, a short, lean build and a number of scars, as well as bronze hair, freckles, and ruddy skin. He dislikes dogs, strangers, winter, and magic; these dislikes all stem from an unfortunate visit to the inn by a group of adventurers several years before. They attempted to question the then-six-year-old Albert about Coldtreath and the neighboring countryside. The party’s mage was frightening enough, with arcane energy flicking around his fingers; the ranger’s pet wolf became a bit too zealous and sat on Albert, causing the young boy to lose control of his bladder.

After that experience, Oodagh paid for the creation of a protective amulet for the boy. The amulet itself resembles nothing important or valuable. In fact, it looks like the plainest dross imaginable. However, Oodagh paid a local mage to instill upon this amulet a small anti-magic spell; as a result, Albert carries with him – unknowingly – a 10-foot diameter anti-magic field to provide a bit of protection for his adopted son.

=======================================
Albert “Rat-tail” Gale
Human
Commoner 1
HP: 1
Init: +1;
Speed: 20 ft.
AC: 12, touch 12, flat footed 12
Base Attack: 0
Grapple: -5
Single Attack: Bite (+0) 1d8-1 or Rock (+2) 1d6-1
Alignment: CG
Saves: Fort -2, Ref +1, Will -1
Abilities: Str 9, Dex 13, Con 6, Int 8, Wis 9, Chr 9
Skills: Climb 1, Handle Animal 1, Hide 7, Jump -1, Listen -1, Ride 2, Search 1, Spot -1, Swim -1, Use Rope 2
Languages: Common
Feats: Dodge, Simple Weapon Proficiency

Items: Amulet of Antimagic (35,000 gp)
CR 0.3

**Many thanks to WotC's "PC Portraits" Archive for the image.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Last year's "A": A is for Adventure
------------------------------------------------------------------