Jason Andresen (order #1578489) - Jump page for Jubei

Bone Grinder Prestige Class
We hadn’t even been out in the bush for two
weeks before we’d found them—a pack of
gorax. We came across them in a clearing a
night’s shot north of the Dragon’s Tongue,
and the bastards were a hungry lot. They’d taken down a
Raevhan buffalo and were tearing it to shreds. Just how that
poor beast had wandered this far I’ll never know, and seeing as
it was half-eaten, I doubt I’d ever find out.
“There, the big one, the one with the red stripe, that’s
the one I want,” the dark lanky one said to me tugging on
my coat. He called himself a bone grinder, and the scions be
damned if I knew what shore he washed up from. By his dress
I’d say it was a far cry, and by his mannerisms, I’d say it was
even farther. But he was paying good money, and my ill-luck at
the time prompted a need for the job.
“That’s not a stripe, you fop, that’s his lunch,” I said, but
the fool didn’t seem to care. He was eyeing the beast up and
rubbing his hands together, watching it with that one big eye
and a feral grin.
I turned to the men. They were a sorry bunch of Khadoran
expatriates, but they came with their own longarms, which
meant they were good enough for this job. “Alright boys, let’s
take ‘em out. Leave big red to me!”
Before the smell of rifle shot had even cleared my nostrils
he was in there, standing over the twitching gorax that
had been feasting a moment ago. With a shallow, eager
chuckle he produced a long, jagged knife and went to
work. A moment later, his hands dripping slippery
red, he lifted up and beheld a large freshly severed
heart.
“Oh, yes,” the lanky one cackled, “This will
do quite nicely…”
—Master hunter Alten Ashley
226
Description
Bone grinders are a mysterious lot to say the least. They are
magical practitioners who shun traditional alchemy and seek
to perfect their own secret arts by curing and magically preparing
body parts. They come from distant lands and guard their
knowledge carefully and zealously. They are known (among
those few who know of them) for their spell components that
can enhance spells as well as their handy magical charms, and
bone grinders are not afraid to turn their abilities towards
making a profit. Their magical tokens and spell-enhancing
concoctions are well respected and tend to fetch a high price
because of their rarity.
Most bone grinders split their time between adventuring
and creating tokens and components. They are more skilled in
combat than most spellcasters but only by comparison. Most
bone grinders are smart enough to ally with a band of adventurers
or hire one to accompany them
on their treks. They always participate
in their own monster hunts, both so
that they can trust their own instincts
in finding the right creature and so
that they may extract any body parts
themselves. A bone grinder never buys
secondhand parts.
Bone grinders are usually
regarded with suspicion, sometimes
fear, and curiosity at best. They
are usually not well liked by other
magical tradesmen for the competition
they bring to the market. Their tokens
are easily used by all, and their spell
enhancers are well-liked by those
spellcasters who have discovered
them. This competitive apprehension
is compounded by the cold
indifference bone grinders tend to
treat most with. Spellcasters are a
curious lot, and it’s quite frustrating
when a fellow magician
keeps his secrets
so well kept.
Jason Andresen (order #1578489) 9