Erik Malcirn – Rogue / Ranger Scout of the Wilds

Name: Erik Malcirn
Race: Human
Class/Role: Rogue (Scout) 5 / Ranger (Hunter) 4
Appearance: Erik Malcirn stands cloaked in earthen tones and stitched leathers that carry the scent of pine, smoke, and blood. A weatherworn hood shadows sharp, perceptive eyes that never stop scanning. Four balanced daggers rest across his chest harness, a shortbow peeks over his shoulder beside a quiver of black-fletched arrows, and a short sword hangs ready at his hip. His boots are silent, his steps purposeful, and his belt is weighed down by carefully packed pouches filled with survival gear, salves, and tradeable goods—chief among them, freshly cured animal hides and pelts.

Backstory

Raised among the whispering pines of the Duskhaven borderlands, Erik Malcirn was taught to hunt not for sport, but for survival. His family were trappers and leatherworkers, exchanging furs for necessities in the rougher townships. When raiders razed his village in his youth, Erik survived by tracking their movements for weeks, slipping unseen through the underbrush, and delivering vengeance with quiet, practiced strikes. Years later, his name is known across backwater inns and frontier markets, not as a bounty hunter, but as a reliable scout, fur trader, and quiet problem-solver who asks little, but sees much.

Personality

• “You don’t need to know my name. Just the trail.”
• Lone Operative: Prefers to work and travel alone unless necessity dictates otherwise.
• Pragmatic Morality: Not afraid to kill if needed, but values life and avoids needless cruelty.
• Unshakably Calm: Even under pressure, maintains a focused, calculating demeanor.

Gear and Loot

• 4x Balanced Throwing Daggers (well-made, nonmagical)
• Wyrmhide Shortbow (nonmagical, beautifully crafted)
• Quiver with 20 black-fletched arrows
• Studded Leather Armor
• Pouches with 3d6 gp, dried meats, salt, and smoked herbs
• 1d4 Animal Pelts (5 gp each)
• Leather-bound hunting journal with coded marks
• Vial of Hunter’s Salve (restores 2d4 HP once per long rest)

Adventure Hooks

1. Erik hires the party to help him track a beast that’s been hunting his traps… but it’s not a beast at all.
2. A trader claims Erik has gone missing in Blightgrove; his last known location was near a druid circle.
3. Erik is found wounded, rambling about a “tree that speaks in riddles” and a bounty that speaks in lies.
4. He offers to guide the party through treacherous swamps in exchange for their aid in dealing with a rival tracker sabotaging his routes.
5. The party finds one of Erik’s daggers buried in the chest of a known noble—and the bounty is now on him.

Roleplaying Tips

• Speak in short, clipped phrases. Direct and observational.
• Rarely offers his name unless asked multiple times.
• Constantly scans surroundings; act as if he’s always preparing for ambush.
• Values fair trade and mutual survival. Isn’t easily bought.
• Trust must be earned, but once earned, he’s loyal.

Erik Malcirn is a grizzled scout and hunter whose quiet competence makes him a reliable guide, tracker, and survivalist in dangerous wilds. Though his demeanor is distant, his sense of justice and protective instincts make him a trustworthy, if reluctant, ally. With an eye for danger and a hand always near a blade, Erik is the sort of man who shows up exactly where he’s needed—and vanishes just as quickly when the job’s done.