The Tearful Guard

Overview

An unnamed orc guard at Kovat who made an impossible choice to save his family by entrusting them to the Fellowship while remaining behind himself. His emotional breakdown and desperate plea represent the personal cost of The Entropy Shepherd's ideological conquest.

Background

Kovat Guard: Served as one of the guards at the Kovat settlement, fulfilling his duty to the Memory Circle leadership and tribal structure.

Family Man: Married to Tuya with children among the refugee group. His family's safety was his primary concern.

Sympathizer: Among a small group of 3-4 guards who sympathized with the Fellowship and wanted their families evacuated from Kovat's Memory Circle influence.

Session 3 Events

Private Conversation: Had a private, emotional conversation with Ale-ore while Nyx distracted the other guards.

Emotional Breakdown: Broke down in tears during the conversation, showing deep distress about the situation facing his family.

Desperate Plea: Begged the Fellowship to take his wife Tuya and children to safety, along with the families of other sympathetic guards.

Dust Bowl Warning: Pointed toward The Dust Bowl and warned: "They're going to take us all there and when we get there we disappear forever." This revealed the Memory Circle's true destination for those who don't comply.

Impossible Choice: Explained his dilemma: "If I leave, they'll hunt me down. If they leave, they'll be safe." He chose to stay behind so his family could escape without pursuit.

Morning Confirmation: Returned briefly the next morning to confirm the Fellowship was taking his family, showing his deep concern and ensuring the arrangement was solid.

Speak Softly Roll

Partial Success: Ale-ore's Speak Softly roll was a partial success with the guard, leading to learning about the Dust Bowl pit/destination and the agreement to save the families, but at a cost.

Information Gained: The guard revealed:

Character Details

Torn Loyalties: Caught between duty to Kovat and love for his family, ultimately prioritizing his family's survival.

Tactical Understanding: Recognized that his departure would trigger pursuit, but his family's departure might go unnoticed or at least would be less aggressively pursued.

Trust in Fellowship: Demonstrated remarkable trust in Ale-ore and the Fellowship by entrusting his most precious people to strangers.

Sacrifice: Chose to remain in a dangerous situation under Memory Circle control rather than flee with his family.

Impact on Fellowship

Quest Trigger: His plea initiated the "Save the Refugee Families" quest, adding Tuya, three other wives, and approximately six children to the Fellowship's care.

Moral Weight: Represents the personal stakes and individual costs of their mission, reminding the heroes that grand quests affect individual families.

Information Source: Provided crucial intelligence about The Dust Bowl's role in the Memory Circle's plans.

Current Status

Location: Remains at Kovat settlement
Status: Under Memory Circle control, likely facing difficult situation after families' departure
Family: Wife Tuya and children are traveling with the Fellowship
Danger Level: High - may face consequences when the family departures are discovered
Future Contact: Uncertain if he'll survive or if the Fellowship will encounter him again

Thematic Significance

The Tearful Guard embodies the impossible choices facing ordinary people under The Entropy Shepherd's influence. His willingness to sacrifice his own safety for his family's freedom demonstrates the human (orc) cost of ideological conquest. His tears and desperate plea humanize the larger conflict, showing that behind every threatened community are individuals making heartbreaking decisions.

Relationship to Memory Circle

Forced Compliance: His situation reveals that the Memory Circle's control isn't just ideological but includes tracking and hunting deserters.

Threatened by Dust Bowl: The destination to The Dust Bowl represents a fate worse than death - permanent disappearance.

Sympathizer Network: Part of a small group of guards who see through the Memory Circle's promises but feel trapped by circumstances.

Connection to Other NPCs

Husband to Tuya: Tuya's strength and leadership qualities make sense given her husband's trust in her to survive without him.

Ale-ore's Promise: His plea created a bond of responsibility between Ale-ore and the refugee families.

Fellow Guards: Part of a small network of 3-4 sympathetic guards whose families all fled together.

Campaign Questions