Barric Strongshield

* He, and the other dwarves of Khom Dorin, call(ed) potatos Mudskippers - he claimed it had a nasty story behind it. He didn't share it with them, saying its a tale for another time as there is more pressing matters. The tale goes: the dwarves of Khom Dorin hate potatos, or taters as called by the halflings that trade them to Khom Dorin. Despite hating them, they were a cheap ration used for soldiers. The soldiers in the mines would use their rationed potatos to play a game they called Mudskipping. Down in the mines there was an open chamber for the work animals, and in this chamber there were piles, upon piles, and fields of dung. As the soldiers sat in here eating their meals, they'd try to toss their potato rations on side with a spin to cause them to skip across the dung. Each dwarf participating in the game would toss one potato and place a bet on themselves, and whoever's falls short must cook and eat their potato without washing it. The winner collects all the bets as winnings.

* The calls his hammer Betty. He told the party that he has 0 faith in them, he only places faith in two things: Betty, and Kaldrin (Ka'Viir of the forge and strength, patron to dwarves). However he stated that he does place trust in their mettle.

* He wasn't sold on the fact that the Free Company intends on slaying an ancient true dragon from before the first era that hasn't been bested by entire peoples, armies, and even continents for thousands of years however he told them that perhaps they have one thing that no one else has: stupidity. He full heartedly believed this, and it was intended as both and insult and a compliment. His reasoning, which he didn't share, being that it is an incredibly stupid thing to try doing but that stupidity might breed a certain boldness that is required to undertake such a task, and often it is the stupidest ideas that are discounted and disregarded. As in, they may be so incredibly stupid that Cirothe may be caught off guard and vulnerable, as she has always worked off of others' fear to act against her.

* His brother was one of the great smiths of Khom Buldarth, and he claimed that the helm Oougotar is wearing was his brothers. He briefly showed weakness when he discovered this, asked if Khom Buldarth still stands (he was told it doesn't, it was flooded).

* He was a soldier that guarded the mines of Khom Dorin.

* He was petrified by a basilisk he was sent to slay. This basilisk had managed to burrow it's way to Dorin's Hall and was being a nuisance so Barric was required to take care of the pest. He obviously failed, but someone after him presumably succeeded and once Khom Dorin fell to Cirothe apperantly the basilisk returned and multiplied using the hall as its territory.

* During his time the Hammer of Vengeance was just beginning being smithed, and he is surprised to learn that it was finished and didn't get used.

* During his time, there was a bubbling small division of dwarves that wanted to avoid conflict with Cirothe. He was initially disgusted by those dwarves for cowardice, as he learned from the party that their numbers grew to just over half of Khom Dorin's numbers and they fled as Cirothe slaughtered those that stood and fought. This movement was headed by the advisory bloodline of the Dorin line of kings: the Bloodbeards. After he found out Thorin was a Bloodbeard he was disgusted and heated. After some conversation, learning more of whats happened since his day, and after he had some time to fully settle into his new reality he came to the conclusion that even if the Cowards of Khom Dorin are cowards and left their brethren for dead, perhaps what they did wasn't all wrong: they may have saved the dwarves of the Stormpeaks from being wiped out in entirety.

* At his time the dwarves were still allied with the Arak, and elves fighting a war against Orcs, Half-Orcs, and Draken. He initially had poor disposition toward Oougotar and Torinn due to this. He also had poor disposition towards Thorin due to his initial feelings on cowardice of his ancestors: he held that Thorin *is* his ancestors and should stand in honor accepting the actions of his ancestors as his own, as is tradition among dwarves. This was in response to some in the party arguing that despite what the Cowards did, Thorin isn't them. Good or bad, by tradition, dwarves take on the reponsibility for actions of their ancestors. He had good disposition toward Aoife (half elf) and Auro (arak) due to having a brighter view of their people. He also wasn't a fan of Skald just because he is a goblin and Barric feels that perhaps the dwarves and goblins need another war, its been too long for his own taste. Barric also had very strong opinions against Oougotar's half-orc descent due to the war his people was previously engaged in against orcs and half-orcs. Barric held the opinion that the world would be a better place with orcs and half-orcs in chains as slaves.

* Barric has been through quite a culture shock: a new era began (its been 300 years since he was petrified), his people were turned to ash by Cirothe, his mighty home city was the center of the dwarven world and shining bastion of dwarven greatness and now it sits charred and barren, races that once warred are now living side by side, peoples he hated vehemently now stand with him against Cirothe, his family is presumably all dead as far as he can tell, the dwarven lords of the Stormpeaks are all dead in Dorin's Hall and so likely too were their halls meaning that the dwarves of the Stormpeaks have been broken and wiped from existence. The Cowards are presumably all that remains of the dwarves, and as such they are perhaps in reality saviors even if through cowardice. Barric had a fair length conversation with the party and he also took a moment to take a deep breath and contemplate everything. He decided that times have changed, and it means he must change with them: he will put aside his grievances and prejudices against half the Free Company to honor, and avenge, his people by slaying Cirothe. He has altered his view on things to a degree, and took it all in stride as he quickly grabbed up Betty not wanting to waste any more time talking. Barric, though hardheaded initially, was able to take in reality with relative ease and settle into what he knows best: crushing skulls (particularly Cirothe's).

In all, Barric wasn't let down or discouraged at all despite being rough around the edges initially. He has taken it all in stride and sees a clear way forward: justice for his people.

* Note: his mother was the jealousy of many dwarven women in Khom Dorin, supposedly even Dorin V had a thing for her during their younger years and tried to marry her. She had a glorious silky smooth beard that rivaled even the mightiest of dwarven men: it reached all the way to her toes, and was near as wide as herself. She was still living and middle aged before he was turned to stone. He had a wife as well, but no children. He had only the single brother, and doesn't know what came of him.

* The strongshield clan is (was?) a large clan of warriors and the bore the greatest of warriors in Khom Dorin - his brother was the first of the clan to take to smithing as opposed to fighting due to being born with a bum leg and he quickly became one of the most skilled in all the Stormcoast. The clan can trace its heritage all the way back to the early 3rd Era.