Adventures beneath the Ziggurat of Cynidicea

CARLIN

Bugbear · Battle Master Fighter

Character Sheet

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Blueprint

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Training Dummies

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Attributes

Armour Class: 16
Hit Points: 28
Level: 3
Strength: 17
Dexterity: 15
Constitution: 15
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 8

Missing values use 1 as a placeholder.

Backstory

Character Overview

Carlin is a towering bugbear fighter who carries his strength with restraint. He speaks little, watches everything, and moves with the quiet precision of someone who has spent years learning exactly how dangerous he can be.

His chain mail is worn smooth from long travel, his halberd balanced with a veteran’s familiarity, and his amber eyes shift between warmth and something far more predatory.

The Jade Sparrow

Around his neck hangs a small jade sparrow — the only thing he owns that isn’t meant for war. He touches it often, though never explains why.

Some assume it’s sentimental. To Carlin it's his identity and a promise he made in the snow. He wears it to remind him what his strength is for.

The Iron Howl

Raised in a war camp - a chain-gang of goblins, bugbears and hobgoblins, he was forced to fight for a mercenary company known as the Iron Howl. He learned that mercy was weakness and weakness got you killed. Carlin rarely speaks of what happened there. It’s clear that something changed him in ways he doesn’t quite understand. Some orders should not be followed.

Whatever he left behind shaped him into a man who chooses silence over rage and purpose over instinct.

The Forest Grave

Carlin met Lysandra in a forest clearing, kneeling beside a fresh grave. She helped him finish the burial without asking for anything in return.

He didn’t expect to walk with her afterward, but he did — and he hasn’t left her side since.

The Road Ahead

He doesn’t know why the sparrow pendant seems to matter more now than ever. He doesn’t know why Lysandra’s presence feels familiar in ways he can’t explain. He doesn’t know what waits ahead on the road they’ve stepped onto.

He only knows this:

He failed once. He won’t fail again.

Spells & Skills

Surprise Attack
Heavy Armour
Long-Limbed
Intimidation
Stealth
Survival
Halberd Mastery
Athletics

Additional character references

Carlin — Definitive Character Reference

Carlin is the towering bugbear Battle Master of the Cynidicea adventuring party. His approved facial identity, body proportions, chainmail, fur-lined armour and single signature halberd govern every subsequent depiction.

Carlin definitive bugbear Battle Master character reference sheet

Approved character sheet · Primary identity, proportions and armour reference

Approved rain-soaked Carlin action reference: engraved halberd, continuous straight weapon axis and armoured bugbear fighter — Definitive halberd design source · Rain-soaked bugbear charge

Approved weapon design takes precedence over inconsistent halberds in earlier action scenes.

Read the blueprint

The Warrior of Cynidicea — Locked Visual Canon

Identity & Proportions

Male bugbear, 7 ft 6 in (229 cm), towering and muscular but with anatomically credible proportions. Broad shoulders, strong arms, powerful legs and a recognizable, non-canine bugbear face.

Face & Expression

Coarse dark-brown fur, prominent pointed ears, strong brow, amber-orange irises with dark pupils, a broad muzzle, and moderate lower tusks. Preserve the approved face across neutral, battle and rain-soaked expressions.

Armour & Silhouette

Visible chainmail beneath rugged layered leather, belts, straps, bracers and heavy fur-lined shoulders. Keep the worn, practical adventuring silhouette consistent in all scenes.

Signature Halberd

Exactly one two-handed halberd. The rigid central shaft is perfectly straight from the pointed spear tip to the pommel. Use the single approved engraved steel head, curved cutting blade, rearward spike, fittings and proportions shown in the rain-charge reference.

The Complete Character Blueprint

Carlin’s character and weapon specifications are transcribed below as website-styled text. This page uses the available approved hosted illustration rather than reproducing white document pages.

CARLIN

BUGBEAR BATTLE MASTER FIGHTER · DEFINITIVE CHARACTER BLUEPRINT · CYNIDICEA

1 · Identity lock

Identity	Carlin; male bugbear; Battle Master fighter.
Height	7 ft 6 in / approximately 229 cm. Do not exaggerate or shrink his established stature.
Build	Powerfully built, broad shoulders, thick limbs, natural bugbear anatomy. Maintain proportionate head size.
Fur	Coarse brown to dark-brown fur; rugged mane and fur-lined shoulders.
Eyes	Natural eyes with amber-orange irises and dark pupils; not glowing featureless eyes.
Face	Approved bugbear facial likeness; two pointed ears, heavy brow and moderate lower tusks. Avoid wolf-like or generic orc substitution.
Armour	Chainmail under worn leather, straps and heavy fur-lined armour.

2 · Facial and armour continuity

Keep the same brow, muzzle, jaw, ear placement and tusk size in every camera angle.

Orange/amber irises retain visible dark pupils; torchlight and rain do not redefine his eye anatomy.

Maintain visible chainmail, layered brown leather, broad fur mantle and practical heavy bracers.

Wet fur, battle dirt, wounds and expressions are temporary scene effects, not permanent redesigns.

Do not substitute a canine or wolf head, oversized tusks or a disproportionately enlarged head.

3 · Single halberd design override

Definitive halberd reference: single engraved steel head with spear point, curved cutting blade and straight shaft — Weapon master — use this design in all future Carlin artwork

Non-negotiable geometry

One continuous straight axis: the spear tip, shaft centreline and pommel lie on a single rigid straight line. No bends, offsets, kinks, jointed shafts or broken perspective.

One complete weapon only. No extra axe head, duplicate halberd, floating blade or second shaft.

Preserve the approved engraved steel blade silhouette, curved primary cutting edge, opposite hook/spike, pointed spear tip and metal collar fittings.

Blade orientation must follow the action: the curved cutting edge faces the direction of the intended swing or strike.

Both hands grip the same shaft with plausible spacing; the grip does not intersect the blade or float away from the weapon.

Perspective may change the apparent angle and length but must never alter the physical design or shaft straightness.

Reference priority

The rain-soaked charge illustration is the governing weapon-design source. Older group portraits, arena scenes and action images remain valid for atmosphere and staging only; where their halberd head, shaft, blade direction or fittings differ, this single design overrides them.

4 · Approved combat presentation

Standing guard: halberd held vertically with spear tip above and pommel grounded or near the floor; shaft remains straight.

Charge: powerful forward movement, coherent two-handed grip, natural weight transfer and rigid weapon alignment.

Horizontal sweep: blade travels toward the target; curved cutting edge faces the direction of travel.

Overhead attack: hands and shoulders align with the swing; spear tip and pommel remain on the same straight shaft axis.

Group scenes: Carlin retains his own unique halberd, correct height and approved face even when partly occluded.

5 · Reference interpretation

Approved character turnaround	Primary source for face, full-body proportions, fur, armour construction and stance.
Rain-soaked halberd charge	Primary source for the final engraved halberd design and dynamic rain combat.
Desert ruins portrait	Supplementary reference for full-body scale, equipment and daylight appearance.
Party rain portrait	Supplementary reference for comparative height, party composition and storm lighting.
Giant-lizard encounter	Supplementary reference for guarded stance and dungeon staging.
Jade sparrow pendant	Distinctive story prop inscribed “FOR CARLIN”; preserve its identity when the pendant is specifically shown.

6 · Pre-generation acceptance tests

Visually compare the approved face and full-body character turnaround before generating a new Carlin scene.

Confirm 7 ft 6 in scale, correct fur and chainmail, two ears, moderate tusks and natural eyes.

Count exactly one halberd; compare the head to the rain-charge master.

Trace a single ruler-straight centreline from spear tip to pommel.

Verify the curved blade faces the direction of attack and the spear tip is present.

Reject duplicated weapons, malformed hands, inconsistent armour, canine faces and bent shafts.

Distinguish references inspected by the assistant from images actually supplied as visual inputs to generation.

7 · Canon lock and precedence

LOCKED DESIGN: Carlin’s approved face, body proportions, armour and the single engraved halberd design are the baseline for future artwork. The rain-charge weapon overrides earlier inconsistent weapon variants. Do not average or blend conflicting halberd designs.

Source hierarchy: latest explicitly approved Carlin character sheet and final halberd design, then master Cynidicea character rules, then compatible cinematic scene references. Scene-specific damage, weather and lighting do not create permanent design changes.

Critical Hits, Killing Blows & Near-Death Experiences

Campaign Adventures

Carlin takes on a bear in the arena

In the heart of the stone arena, Carlin faces the roaring beast head-on, his halberd raised in defiance.