Ill Winds Over Verbobonc
Jakk Borton
The master leatherworker of Hommlet, this grave fellow is also a sergeant of the militia. He is a noted convert from the Old Faith to that of Saint Cuthbert, and his proselytising sometimes gets on the nerves of his neighbours.
Description:
A perpetually tired and unsmiling craftsman wearing the stock in trade of his craft — a finely made studded leather jack, a simple, cap and sturdy boots over his tunic and woolen leggings. His hair and beard have gone almost entirely grey, and while he is barely fifty years of age, his features and the set of his shoulders clearly bear the heavy toll of too many long hours of hard work and worry. The leatherworker wears a copper starburst pendant which he keeps assiduously polished, clearly demonstrating his fervent belief in Saint Cuthbert of the Cudgel. He goes armed with a dagger.
Bio:
First encountered by our heroes in the Inn of the Welcome Wench on the night of their arrival, Jakk was one of the quieter men present as the Band of the Silver Spear discussed their findings with the local worthies of the militia council. Like his friends Valden and Sef Jakk is a stalwart worshipper of Saint Cuthbert, though unlike them he is known to be a convert from the Old Faith. Indeed, the leatherworker was much more noticeably of the faith than either of his fellows, for he wore a copper starburst pendant about his neck, and peppered what few words he said with gruff praise for the Cudgeller.
The other members of the council appeared to like Jakk, although the subdued annoyance of Elmo and Hroth at his murmered praise for Saint Cuthbert was obvious to the more observant among the heroes. He was among the first to excuse himself, citing a need to be up with the dawn and about his work at the tannery outside town before making his way back in to the workshop. Evidently, the master leatherworker is a busy man indeed, for the others said that he, his wife Lisbeth, his brother-in-law Bingly, and his three apprentices (including his son, Lorkin) serve the settlement as shoemakers, boot-makers, cobblers, saddlers, harness-makers, and even fashioners of leather garments and armour.
Gossip has it that Jakk’s older son, Ashram refused to convert to the worship of Saint Cuthbert along with the rest of the family, and “ran off to join the druids.” The quarrel between father and son has only deepened over the years, and at this point the leatherworker has all but disowned Ashram, who seldom ventures into Hommlet any more. Apparently the rest of the small town holds the young man in very high regard though, as he patrols the Gnarley verge in service to the famed archdruid Hrudek.
