Thokk 'The Bridge' Ghenn, a Orc Bard — D&D 5e NPC portrait
#0159

Thokk 'The Bridge' Ghenn

"Envoy of the Grand Neighborhood"

Orc Bard (College of Lore) NG Lvl 8 Far Traveler

Male (He/Him) · Middle-aged, 38 years

Ability Scores

STR
16
+3
DEX
12
+1
CON
14
+2
INT
12
+1
WIS
14
+2
CHA
18
+4

Combat

Armor Class
13
Studded Leather
Hit Points
59
Hit Dice: 8d8
Initiative
+1
Speed
30 ft.
Proficiency
+3
Passive Perception
15

Attacks

Pruning Hook (Quarterstaff)+61d6+3 bludgeoning
Vicious Mockery (Cantrip)DC 15 Wis2d4 psychic

Personality

Personality

Thokk speaks in a slow, resonant baritone that vibrates in the chest of those nearby. He treats every stranger as an old friend he simply hasn't met yet, frequently offering snacks from his 'infinite larder' of planar preserves.

Ideal

Hospitality. There is no rift so wide that a shared meal cannot bridge it.

Bond

The 'Grand Neighborhood.' I carry the peace of the planes in my satchel, and I will protect the balance of our shared home.

Flaw

His optimism borders on the dangerous; he once tried to give a hug to a Sphere of Annihilation because it looked 'lonely and hollow.'

Backstory

Thokk was born to the Iron-Fang clan, a culture that measured a man’s worth by the acreage of blood-soaked soil beneath his boots. While his brothers practiced the swing of the greataxe, Thokk spent his youth in the clan's hijacked orchards, fascinated by the way light filtered through leaves. His life changed forever when a crystalline Xorn, starving and terrified, tore through the fabric of the Prime Material Plane and landed in his lap. Instead of shouting for the guards, Thokk offered the creature his ham-and-apple sandwich. Watching the extra-planar beast crunch contentedly on the salt-cured meat, Thokk realized that the multiverse wasn't a series of fortresses to be stormed, but a vast, interconnected neighborhood waiting for an introduction.

He abandoned his clan that night, taking only his pruning hook—which he eventually fashioned into a planar fishing rod—and a satchel of seeds. He spent decades walking the 'invisible seams,' the thin places where the Feywild leaks into a tavern cellar or the Shadowfell brushes against a lonely crossroads. He has mediated disputes between Githyanki raiding parties and Modron surveyors, usually by finding the one thing both sides find delicious. To Thokk, every rift is just a front door he hasn't knocked on yet, and every 'monster' is just a neighbor who hasn't been invited to the picnic.

Abilities & Actions

The Xorn’s Hospitality (3/Day)

As an action, Thokk produces a magically preserved snack from his satchel and offers it to a creature within 5 feet. If the creature consumes it, they must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be affected by the *Calm Emotions* spell for 1 minute. If the creature is an Elemental, Celestial, or Fiend, it has disadvantage on this save.

The Bridge’s Hook

Thokk uses his signature wooden fishing rod to cast *Grasping Vine* or *Dimension Door* without consuming a spell slot. When he casts *Dimension Door* this way, the 'door' appears as a shimmering, starry portal that smells faintly of peaches. He can use this feature twice per long rest.

Peerless Peacemaker

When Thokk makes a Charisma (Persuasion) check to settle a conflict between two or more parties, he can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10. Additionally, he can cast *Tongues* at will, but only to facilitate diplomacy.

Cutting Words (Reaction)

Thokk uses his wit to distract and confuse. When a creature Thokk can see within 60 feet makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a damage roll, he can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration (d8) to subtract the number rolled from the creature's roll.

DM Notes

Thokk should be played with an unshakeable sense of calm. He never draws a weapon first; if attacked, he uses magic to restrain or relocate enemies rather than harm them. Sample dialogue: 'Careful where you step, friend—the fabric of reality is a bit thin here, and I'd hate for you to lose a boot to the Astral Sea. Have a peach?' He often hums melodies that sound like whistling wind or crackling fire.