The Ulfen Ninja

Einar wandered the halls, glancing around himself as if he were confused. He peered at the clearly-posted signs, wrinkling his brow and frowning at the text as if it were a mystery to him. Finally the hulking northerner shrugged, and walked off in one direction. His boots were loud on the hardwood floors, and he opened various doors, peering in as if he were looking for something. It only took a few minutes for a pair of guards to accost him, though they seemed more annoyed than worried.

"What is this oaf doing now?" the first asked.

"The gods alone know," the second said in his own language, sighing before switching to the lilting northern tongue spoken by the Ulfen. "Your master is not here. He resides in the guest wing, down the other hall."

Einar's frown deepened, as if he were chewing over the words. Then his face cleared, and he smiled. He clapped the guard on the shoulder, offered a word of thanks, and turned back around to the other wing of the estate.

"Outlanders," the first guard said, a sneer in his voice as Einar left.

The Ulfen kept his expression mildly befuddled as he walked, but the whole time the gears of his mind were turning. The floors weren't hollow, so it was unlikely there were traps to catch unwary intruders. It took the guards half a dozen minutes to react to the unexpected, and they were particularly nonchalant. He'd mapped half a dozen rooms, and he knew now where the target was. A change of clothes, soft shoes, and exchanging his weapons for something local and less identifiable, and he would be ready to eliminate the heir to House Tamari... before returning to his quarters and playing the role of the half-drunk, illiterate, foreign bodyguard.

It's The Ones You Never Expect

Ulfens have a reputation across the Inner Sea, as well as anywhere in Golarion that their dragon-prowed ships have reached. They're seen as loud, violent, unpredictable, and many of them are considered drunken louts who think with their fists and their blades. Deadly warriors, pirates, and infamous bodyguards, they're a commonly uncommon sight in many locales.

Which makes an ideal cover for a ninja.

A version of an earlier concept, The Unexpected Ninja, the reputation of the Ulfen makes a perfect cover for a ninja trying to move unseen and unsuspected. Whether their cover is a sailor coming into port, a mercenary from a far-off land, or even a bodyguard for an envoy or diplomat, the idea is to hide in plain sight. Because a towering foreigner with the air of a brute who doesn't even speak the local dialect (or does so with an egregious, easily-recognizable accent) is something everyone will see, and immediately discard as anything other than a blunt instrument. But that is the nature of the deception, as they will have access to all the skills and proficiencies of the ninja, allowing them to surprise their opponents and then disappear back into their former persona, who seems ignorant of the entire fiasco.

While it's true that this concept could also be done with the vigilante, particularly if you take the stalker archetype, there are always multiple ways to execute a concept... and if there's one of each in the party, they could be one hell of a pair!

And for folks looking to add a bit of extra detail to this character concept, consider checking out the following supplements:

- 100 Questions To Ask About Your Characters

- 100 Dark Secrets

- A Baker's Dozen of Fantasy Vigilantes

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That's all for this week's Unusual Character Concepts post!

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