Skyler Winterbourne

The Orbaal Campaign
or
What Happened in the North

Skyler Winterborne, son of Kuigar Winterborne, son of Kushite Winterborne, son of Yildiz Winterborne.

Skyler Winterborne was born in TR 698 on the northern Orbaaleese province of Kaldor. At this time the Jarin clan Winterborne was a rather large nomadic trading clan that worked the length of the fur road. Skyler grew up immersed in the many aspects of trading; from the guards' viewpoint to the illicit "acquisitions" bands to the tension and sweat of the negotiating tables.

At the age of 17, Skyler was overcome by a fit of wanderlust that could not be satiated by even the most far reaching trade expedition. Saying goodbye to family and friends, he hoisted his gear and struck out on his own headed for better beer and adventure.

Wandering in the Ryasha Mountains, he came across a gargun nest, and decided to let the gargun be. In sneaking away, he came across an old hermit by the name of Tschirner of Athul, a mage of some repute in the north, who taught Skyler the ways of living off the gargun hordes by tracking them through the mountain passes and ambushing them for supplies. Skyler learned much from the old man and more still from observing the gargun for such a long period of time. The north was the natural home of Clan Winterborne as is evidenced by the Wall of Winterbornes, which bears their names far to the north and west, and their dealings with gargun are almost legendary. (A time honored tradition in clan Winterborne is to make a journey to add one's name to the Wall.) It is said that gargun blood runs in their veins.

The story of the Wall of Winterbornes arises from a tale of the half mythical founder of the clan, Genzmer Winterborne, who was a trader of "star carved gems" and imprisoned for a number of years in the dungeons of Lothrim the Foulspawner. The Great Story of his escape from Lothrim's foul clutches is a far too oft told tale amongst the Winterbornes. The lengthy Story centers around several clever remarks, the defeat of a difficult trap, cracks about his good looks (it is said that only Skyler has the look closest to Genzmer's) and his legendary ability to remain standing after ten pints of gargun "ale."

Rumors persist that if a Winterborne goes to the Wall, fights off the local gargun and then drinks himself into complete incoherence, he will see Genzmer's name scrawled cleanly in three foot letters across the wall. Only Winterbornes with the right blood alcohol levels can see Genzmer's name on the wall.

Eventually, Skyler's wanderings led him to travel across most of the Ryasha and Jahl mountains and, by sheer chance, discovered that the nest of gargun near Pethwys was near a swarm state. Hurrying there, he made contact with Clan Winterborne to meet him there to plan an escape from the oncoming swarm. Unfortunately, the swarm arrived before any major plans could be made and the town and the majority of Clan Winterborne were overcome. Skyler himself was left penniless and was forced to hire his services to Khare as a porter (later as a sell-sword) to raise the necessary funds to get a trading operation organized. It seems that Skyler is doing very well for himself by living the life of a wanderer, and he is showing no signs of settling down.

"Love to fight, what a thrill... we don't stop unless we kill."

"The purpose of the trader is to provide people with the goods they need for a price, and to hustle the unconvinced into believing they really can't do without it."

"I'd really like to see any mage magic away a good yard of Southern Orbaaleese steel through his gut."

Skyler has become an excellent jack-of-all-trades adventurer with an art of thinking up clever remerks that get him into trouble. He is one of the few (if there are any others) to enter Khiraz twice and live to tell about it, and he's got the maps and loot to brag about.

He is currently the King of the Bandits of the Hefosia Highlands running a corner of the Mithril Triangle drug trade, dealing with Marolar Nightshade in Coranan, and Captain Dess in Shiran. He is also raising and training a mercenary army with Ninueh the Moorsindari with funding from Marolar.

The Sickbed of Cuchulainn

(The Pogues – Rum, Sodomy and the Lash)

Macormick and Richard Tauber are singing by the bed

There's a glass pf punch below your feet and an angel at your head

There's devils on each side of you with bottles in their hands

You need one more drop of poison and you'll drink of foreign lands

When you pissed yourself in Frankfurt and got syph down in Cologne

And you heard the rattling death trains as you lay there all alone

Frank Ryan bought you whiskey in a brothel in Madrid

And you decked some fucking blackshirt who was cursing all the yids

At the sickbed of Cuchulainn we'll kneel and say a prayer

And the ghosts are rattling at the door and the devil's in the chair

And in the Euston Tavern you screamed it was your shout

But they wouldn't give you service so you kicked the windows out

They took you out into the street and kicked you in the brains

So you walked back in through a bolted door and did it all again

At the sickbed of Cuchulainn we'll kneel and say a prayer

And the ghosts are rattling at the door and the devil's in the chair

You remember that foul evening when you heard the banshees howl

There was lousy drunken bastards singing Billy was in the bowl

They took you up to midnight mass and left you in the lurch

So you dropped a button in the plate and spewed up un the church

Now you'll sing a song of liberty for blacks and packs of jocks

And they'll take you from this place you're in and stick you in a box

Then they'll take you to Cloughprior and shove you in the ground

But you'll stick your head back and shout we'll have another round

At the graveside of Cuchulainn we'll kneel around and pray

And God is in heaven, and Billy's down the bay.