Meet Varone Matto

I’m testing out D&D Next with the latest playtest and decided to build out a new character. I wanted to expanded my character list a bit, so I decided to come up with a new one. It’s a bit generic so far, but I hope to flesh it out.

Varone Matto is a broken man. A soldier of a fallen kingdom, he has lost his king, his family and all sense of self worth. Now he is a soldier of fortune drifting from job to job, focusing only on the present while hiding from the memories of his past.

Varone had just been promoted to Lieutenant before the Battle of Lenkata. Varone’s platoon tore through the enemy ranks, sending their foes scrambling at the sight of them. Overconfidence set in and blinded Varone to the trap they lay ahead. An ambush was set, and they blundered into it. His men were massacred, and he was left for dead among the bodies.

Varone had no idea how far or how long he’d walked before he reached his kingdom- a blow to the head had left his mind fuzzy. He returned to find his homeland was burned, his family murdered, and his king beheaded. Everything he owned or valued was gone. While he was only 35, he felt he was past his prime and beyond starting over. He had no reason to go on.

Broken, Varone drown his sorrows in ale. His life consisted of bouncing from tavern to jail and back again. During one of his bar brawls, he caught the eye of a local merchant, who offered him a job guarding his caravan. With his drinking fund running low and nothing better to do, Varone accepted the offer. The trip was uneventful until the last day, when they were set upon by a half-dozen bugbears. Varone easily dispatched the lot of them. Word spread. Offers started rolling in- A caravan needing protection; a debt collection from a gambler; an adulterer punished. At first it made no difference how dirty the deed- If it paid well, he’d take the job. His one rule is “no killing harmless women and children,” in honor of his own lost family.

And so it goes. Varone Matto wanders the lands, looking for work and building a reputation as a problem solver.

Physical description:

• Human Male
• Age 38
• 5’10, 195 lbs
• Brown eyes; Dark, thinning hair. His skin is weathered and rough.
• Wears chainmail from his military days, but has since removed the royal seal and rank insignia.
• Carries a backpack, shield and longsword. The shield has been painted over with an orange and red seal over a black background. His prized possession is his wedding ring, which he keeps on a necklace.