Gunhild Axe-Arm, barbarian mentor. Gunhild is a hulking woman with braided red hair. She lives in the northern forest, in a log cabin she built herself. She is incredibly strong, and it is said that she can split any tree with a single chop. When she was much younger, she was known as a fearsome warrior, a natural talent at wielding the berserker rage. The death of her partner caused her to enter a deep despair, eventually resulting in her reclusion. Her voice is rough and her speech is stilted, a result of having very little contact with others for the last decade.

Varmar the Wolfman, wolfman. Varmar is a black-haired, broad-shouldered man with pale blue eyes. Some say one of his forefathers helped a wolf spirit. Some say he was bitten by a wolf enchanted with radiant energy. Some say he discovered an ancient scroll with secret rituals. Regardless, he possesses the uncanny ability to shift parts of himself into a more feral form, clawing and biting his enemies.

Leo’voryl Springstorm, half-elf barbarian. Leo’voril is a tall, wiry half-elf with green eyes and black hair. As a child, he learned that he would become incredibly strong whenever he was angered. It has taken years of mental discipline to learn to first suppress this anger, and then to release it when needed. He occasionally takes others with similar problems under his wing, teaching them to not just suppress their feelings, but to truly control them. He carries a two-handed bearded axe, perfect for big, heavy swings.

Jenna Calbane, duelist. Calbane is a duelist with black hair and a sharp jaw. She is the Champion of the Duke of Trawlby, but regularly trains other duelists in one-on-one fights. She uses a rapier with a basket-hilt, and fights with an agile, dodge-focused style.

Majid, gladiator coach. Majid is a tan-skinned man with black hair and steely eyes. He has trained dozens of gladiators who have fought for glory and coin in the arena, against men and monsters alike. His teaching style is slightly unorthodox, involving activities like breaking rocks with pickaxes or carrying barrels of apples. Majid was a soldier when he was young, and has never fought in the arena himself, but his methods seem to work.

Em’lar Winterwind, elven sword-artist. Em’lar is a thin elf with sharp features and blond hair. As one of the long-lived elves, he has dedicated his life to studying the arts of combat, and has learned many techniques and tactics. He prefers to fight with a saber in one hand and a trident dagger in the other. He is a harsh trainer and a stickler for form, but as long as you can endure that (and the fact that he speaks a dialect of Common that fell out of favour 150 years ago), you will be a true master of battle.

Lewys Pritchard, human priest. Father Pritchard is a thin, elderly man with gray hair and a gray moustache. Father Pritchard is a master of the traditional weapon of the priesthood, the quarterstaff. His style of mentorship relies on interweaving lessons in scripture with lessons in combat, using one to reinforce the lessons of the other. This can make the pace of training seem very slow to the trainee, but that, too, is part of the lesson.

Shan Harries, human knight. Mother Shan is a member of the Order of the Shield and Star, a group of knights who serve the church. She has spent many years fighting in the religious wars out east, but now she serves her god as a preacher and a shepherd of the flock. Getting her to agree to take up a blade again, even to teach another to wield it, will take some effort, but may well be worth it. Her upper left arm is covered in wavy, purple scar tissue as a result of an injury during the religious wars.

Providence Calamy, tiefling paladin. Providence is a short, skinny tiefling with red skin and black horns. Providence was found on the steps of the Order of the Sacred Blade’s headquarters as a baby. Who her parents were, and what they expected the Order to do with her, is unknown. However, the Order took this crying demon-spawn in and raised her as one of them, instilling the values of the Order in her, and she has grown into an outstanding member of their ranks. A book of scripture is holstered on her left thigh, and her sword is sheathed on her right hip.

DeWain Hanson, human teacher. Master DeWain is a fighter who has dedicated himself to harnessing the inner potential of his soul and reaching the peak of human potential. His philosophy is simple: No tricks. No gimmicks. Put your might and mind into every hit. DeWain runs the School of the Open Hand out of the Temple of the World-Dragon, located somewhere in the misty valleys of the Gnasher Mountains. Finding it is the first step of training.

The Wanderer, travelling adept. Quiet, tall, and strong, the mysterious “Wanderer” travels the land barefoot, seeking to test their skills against anyone willing to spar. Some say that they are a ghost, the remaining ki of a warrior who was never truly satisfied. Some say they are a deposed noble who has turned themselves into the exact inverse of a pampered aristocrat through sheer determination. Some say the Wanderer is a simple farmer who lost their land. The Wanderer refuses to confirm or deny any of these claims, or indeed, to speak at all. The Wanderer is unlikely to take on a formal student, but will not stop someone from following them and training alongside them.

Shaphrak, dragonborn monk. Shaphrak is a black dragonborn with piercing red eyes. He is quite muscular and wears a black robe with a red sash. He comes from the badlands to the east and has come to Trawbly to test his mastery of the ancient draconic martial art of Dra-ka, and to advance the art by learning from practitioners of other arts. He would eagerly take on an interested student, regardless of heritage, because he believes the best way to come to a deeper understanding of something is to teach it.

Alina Bialek, human demon hunter. Alina Bialek is a tall, dark-skinned woman with a soprano voice. When she was young, a demon destroyed her village, leaving her an orphan. The church took her in, and she joined the Order of the Sacred Blade once she was old enough. Now, she roams the forests of the frontierlands, hunting any demon that threatens the villages. She fights with a shortsword and a shield with an image of St. Silvas the Vanguard painted on it. She regularly trains newer demon hunters and sees it as part of her sacred duty.

Zarkem Coalhunter, dwarf underranger. Zarkem is a dwarf who has spent his life exploring the labyrinthine caverns under the continent. He has extensive knowledge of the flora and fauna of the Underdark. Training with him is mostly focused around tracking, making knots, and butchering the unique creatures below the surface. He believes that deep in the underdark, there is an ancient dwarven forge, capable of creating forgotten Dwarven masterworks. He has set up small, hidden camps throughout the Underdark around Trawlby.

Barry the Burglar, thief. Barry is a wiry man with blond hair and a dry sense of humor. He is a career thief, as his epithet implies, specializing in climbing walls and stealing valuables from homes. He often takes young orphans under his wing, using them as lookouts or shoving them into small spaces in return for teaching them the basics of thievery and getting them an in with the local Thieves’ Guild.

Camille “Cammy” Walker, assassin. Cammy is a tall, blonde woman with a winning smile and incredible acting skills. She is a professional killer, and her usual modus operandi is to join a household’s staff as a maid or a cook, and wait for the ideal opportunity to put a knife in her target’s neck, or some poison in their food. The rumors say that she once took the now-orphaned child of a noble she killed, and raised it as her accomplice.

Wilwan Summermoon, halfling pickpocket. Wilwan is a halfling with brown hair and blue eyes, who has little interest in “hard work” or “discipline,” viewing them as the values of suckers. Instead, he lives off of what he can steal: Cut a purse here, swipe an apple there, and then spend the night in the room of an inn that conveniently left a window unlocked. He sometimes teaches other miscreants his tricks, in return for taking most of their spoils. After all, stealing can be hard work, so why not get someone else to do it?