Husk
| Name | Husk |
| Race | Human-Variant |
| Age | 38 |
| Class | Bard |
| Background | Gambler |
| Hometown | Undisclosed |
| Relatives | Undisclosed |
| Languages | Common, Dwarvish, Gnomish |
| Skills | Deception, Insight, Acrobatics, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand |
| Party |
Character Summary
Husk wasn’t always the bitter drunk slouched across tavern tables. Once, he was a voice people listened to a bard who could spin history into gold, who gathered secrets and stories the way gamblers gathered chips.
His music was more than entertainment; it was truth wrapped in melody, the kind of truth people wanted to pay for, or silence.
But Husk’s talent came with a curse: the same hunger that drove him to collect songs and stories also drove him to the gambling table.
It started with wagers on dice, then cards, then bigger and stranger stakes always chasing the next hand, the next secret, the next story. And for a time, he won.
Then came the long weekend that broke him. Husk sat down at a table far from home, playing for days against liars, thieves, and cheats. He wagered everything he owned. And he lost.
Now he drifts from town to town, gambling, drinking, performing pretending it’s all the same as before. He reads people the way others read cards, spotting every tell, every hidden fear. He points out truths with a careless tongue that cuts deeper than he means. He claims he’s “a husk of his former self,” that he lost the ability to love long ago, and maybe that’s true. But he still listens when no one else will. He still protects those who stumble as he has.
Husk will keep playing, keep bluffing, and keep drinking. Because when the final hand comes due, he plans to go down the way he’s always lived: with cards in his hands, a smirk on his lips, and a story worth telling.
Guydust
Rumors
Meta - Potential Character Hooks
So your character is about to travel with Husk?
Well, that’s luck manifest, for better or worse. Husk could use someone to keep him out of trouble… or someone to encourage the trouble, depending on your taste. If you’re unsure how your paths crossed, here are a few open-ended hooks to spark inspiration or shape your first moments of character bonding.
The Debt They Don’t Remember Owing
Your Character discovers a note saying you owe Husk a favor, except you have never met him. The handwriting is unmistakably yours.
Guydust says quietly: “Husk… this feels like one of your… old problems.”
Husk: “…I know.”
The Missing Memory
Your Character recognizes Husk from somewhere. A dream? A childhood lullaby? A half remember stage performance?
Huisk swears he's never met you, Guydust isn't so sure.
The Alleyway Music Duel
Prerequisite: Your character is a performer, or at least caries an instrument.
Husk drunkenly challenged you to a "musical duel" in an alley at dusk, before the duel finishes, masked figures attack, targeting Husk for an unpaid debt.
Your Character saves him or vice versa, causing friendship or mutual irritation towards an unknown debt collector to be born.
The Old Gambler’s Last Wish
A dying Avalean gambler tasks your Character with fulfilling his last request: “Find Husk. Tell him I kept my promise.”
Husk, however, looks devastated.
Guydust takes you aside: “If you’re mixed in with this… stay close. You might be in danger.”
The Wrong Delivery
A server accidentally brings Husk the meal meant for your Character or vice versa. You all exchange plates awkwardly.
Guydust: “At least this one isn’t poisoned. Probably. Depends who ordered it.”
Husk: “…If yours tastes better, we’re switching again.”
The Gambling Spectator
Your Character watches Husk win hand after hand, eerily good, almost lazy about it.
Then, without warning, he shoves every chip into one final bet… and loses instantly.
Guydust: “You see that? That’s not luck, that’s self-sabotage wearing luck’s hat.”
Husk: “Would’ve been a great story if I’d won.”
The Spilled Drink Apology
Your Character accidentally spills a drink on Husk or Husk spills his on them.
Before tension can rise, Guydust immediately steps in:
Guydust: “Oh honey, don’t mind him , he leaks more booze than he drinks anyway. Wipe him down and he’ll be grateful you noticed him at all.”
Husk: “…It’s fine. Just buy me another. Preferably one that stays in the cup.”
The Borrowed Light
Your Character asks to borrow Husk’s tinderbox or flint. Husk hands it over with a sigh, as if the world is a little too demanding.
Husk: “Here. Just don’t set anything important on fire… unless it deserves it.”
Guydust: “Look at him! Being helpful. Quick, ask for something else before he realizes.”