| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
-Anonymous letter penned to the last Queen of Cyre, dated 980 YK -
About the campaign
For a long while, I have wanted to either play, or be the storyteller in an epic Rise of the Runelords campaign. As you can see, I finally just decided to tell my own version of the events. :)
I will be running this campaign in the Eberron setting (thanks GM Aest for the primer), set in the country of Breland using the Pathfinder rule-set. This is the Anniversary Edition.
I will decide on players and characters for the party by...what do you think? January 1st, 2016? Or in the days after, to allow for sobering up. ;)
I will be selecting 3-6 players. I expect to post multiple times per day (my career is flexible in that regard.) My expectation for player posts is at least 10 posts per week (about 3 posts per 2 days).
Any House Rules I have I will explain when they come up, if they come up.
To give an idea of the kinds of stories and characters I am most likely to choose, these are some sources I tend to draw from:
Sons of Anarchy, the Uncharted series, Game of Thrones, Damages, Band of brothers, the Shield, Newsroom, True detective, Downton abbey, the Baldur’s gate series, Knights of the Old Republic, the Talented Mr. Ripley, Duplicity, the Bourne series, Sushi girl, Marvel studios, etc.
I like gritty, grey, conflicted, character driven action. I hope you do too. In my stories, weapons, armor and other possessions will probably break. I will maintain balance behind the screen and present magical or otherwise special equipment when it is best for the story and the characters.
This adventure will begin at level 1. As such, it’s good to remember that while these characters may be survivors, hopeful aspirants, or fledgling warriors, they aren’t yet heroes or adventurers. They are people who find themselves in an extraordinary situation.
Thank you for your interest. If you think anyone else might be interested in a campaign like this, feel free to spread the word so that they might submit a character as well.
All Pathfinder products are allowed (though I’m not a fan of the Advanced Class Guide classes), as well as most WotC and Eberron material. Ultimate Psionics and Path of War from Dreamscarred are also allowed. Ask if you have any questions.
I prefer core races. You may ask about others, but I find the stories of humanoids to be more plausible; unless it is an incredibly interesting character, I am unlikely to choose characters outside of humans and demi-humans.
In terms of classes, don’t be concerned with expected party roles. Build the character that you think showcases your storytelling best, not the race/class combo that you think the party needs.
I tend to run grey characters, and I do not run hard and fast alignments. I am more interested in how your character responds to a situation based on their background and personality, not on their alignment.
How would you feel about a warforged character inspired by Robocop? I'm thinking he was a dying soldier whose essence was captured and transferred into a construct body. I've got a few ideas as to the fluff of the story, if you think it's viable I'll pursue it and start on a submission.
Oh this is brilliant! I came onto this forum looking to run a game, but it looks like I may just have to apply for this as well!
Farrier that sounds interesting. Who did the switch? Why was he chosen? Why was it done? What country is his native country? Was it sanctioned by a government? We're there unintended side-effects? Did your character give consent?
Dot.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Xynen, my intention is that it's a guideline. I think a lot of times when we role-play on a pbp, we tend towards saying ALL our thoughts on a post, rather than what feels natural, because 'we won't be back for hours or even days, I've got to make it count.'
I'm less interested in that, and more interested in the conversation feeling natural. If all your character responds with is
"So what's the plan?" She says, taking a sip of her ale.
I'll like it more than
"So what's the plan? I've been wanting to go there anyway." Character 1234 says with a grin, opening her satchel. "What supplies do you think we should stock up on?"
Turning to player elf 3, she pats her on the back, laughing. "You really walloped them!"
She walks over to the end of the bar and greets the barbarian that just walked in. "What brings you here, tall one?"
In the second example, she poses a response to someone, and then makes a statement about getting supplies that expects an answer from other players. But then she just continues on, talking to a different person, and then greets a third.
If anyone responds, it feels wired, because the character has already role-played them self leaving and doing other things. I see it all the time. I'm trying to promote NOT doing that, lol.
Posts shouldn't say "In response to player 1's post." And then "In response to player 2's post." Your post should consider their posts fluid, and respond naturally to the conversation, not the posts.
I think this kind of response is most often...prompted...by someone coming on here, and seeing several 'actions' posted above them, and trying to respond to all of them. It just ends up feeling awkward.
It's in no way a hard and fast thing. Just a suggestion. :)
The Lively Fool, good to have you. :)
I was thinking he may have been from Cyre, created only a few days prior to the day of mourning. He was the only successful result of an experiment to transfer the soul of a dying soldier into a warforged body, as a way to combat the unsustainable losses of the war (especially as a countermeasure to the undead soldiers of Karrnath, as theoretically the warforged would be created with years of experience and training as opposed to being a blank slate). He would have been chosen for no other reason than he was mortally wounded, but somehow the process worked on him. When the day of mourning happened, his creator perished along with any hope of having his many questions answered.
I'm just spitballing here, what do you think? By the way, thanks for the quick reply and for taking interest, I appreciate it :)
Of course, Farrier. I love the idea. Keep playing with it. I'll try and find some ways I could play with a story like that.
Interesting.
Where will the AP take place in Eberron? Should we visitors to a place called Sandpoint?
It is set in Breland. I would prefer, when we get to it, that the party is already familiar with each other. They don't have to be, it just makes back stories more interesting. You could be residents, or visitors. I have found residents are inherently more motivated to protect the town, but either one works. :)
Sandpoint is located on the west coast of Breland, near Droaam.
Thanks Mittean, I'll get something more formal written up ASAP!
I will be working up a character concept for this as well!
ETA: Are you using a particular adaptation of the Warforged race?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
This is really interesting because I never played RotRL and more importantly because I love Eberron. I already have a few concepts running around in my head just waiting to be written up.
However, as someone posted above, I am also confused by recruitment post.
Please don't take this as an offense since I am merely trying to figure out whether this game would be a good fit for my roleplaying/writing style.
On the one hand you state that I am more interested in story and writing than I am in whether you can stat out a character and also that you like grey, conflicted, character.
Yet you later say Please keep posts short—generally not more than three or four lines of text. Try to avoid internal monologue (explanations of what your character is feeling or thinking)...
And then in your explanation above you frown upon the example where a PC was actually promoting roleplaying by involving other PCs. In my book, this is exactly what I want a player to do.
Can you please clarify a little further what type of game you are wanting to run? Do you have examples of previous campaigns where you GMed or played in?
Thanks and I'm glad the Eberron flame is still kept burning.
Game on!
I am dotting and leaning towards an artificer with some sort of physical disability who ends up trying to turn himself into a warforged. Might already have a prosthetic arm, depending on what wealth we start with.
He will be a veteran of the last war.
This is The Fool. I think I will play a young, and idealistic changeling. Someone who for the most part, was protected by prejudice because her family kept her under strict regulations and lived life as half-elves. Devout worshipers of Boldrei, Mylas (her half-elven name) and her family saw that when the war started, they would do best to stay behind and do good for the community in their own small ways.
I'll develop this into a proper backstory, but that is the gist of it. I think I'm definitely going for the unlikely adventurer type here. Someone who hasn't seen much of the world, but isn't afraid to jump in headfirst. A tad idealistic for the setting, yes, but so was Solaire from Dark Souls, and everyone was glad to have him around!
EDIT: And if you don't like the changeling idea, I'll just have Mylas be an actual half-elf! It's easy enough to change so that I could play it either way without drastically altering the backstory. Also, just because she's idealistic, doesn't mean she won't react realistically to the world. She was sheltered, meaning the real world ought to be a shock.
It is set in Breland. I would prefer, when we get to it, that the party is already familiar with each other. They don't have to be, it just makes back stories more interesting. You could be residents, or visitors. I have found residents are inherently more motivated to protect the town, but either one works. :)
Sandpoint is located on the west coast of Breland, near Droaam.
Great, thanks!
Another question: Is the events taking place just after the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold?
I do have a working backstory up and running! I left several plothooks open as well as several different possibilities as to what her class could be so that she could work well with any party she is put into.
The Thorne family, longtime residents of Sandpoint, well known devotees of Boldrei, and renowned smiths across the city, were willing to dedicate their time and wealth to establishing permanent residencies for survivors of the conflict. After all, with the century long war over, it did not make much sense to hold onto any prior hostilities. To do so was to flirt with the potential ire of the gods.
Mylas Thorne, one of the youngest members of the family was born about a decade before the conflict ended. Having grown up in a shielded manner and into a family which has made selfless giving an ideal, not much changed for Mylas in the seven years since the war ended. She continues to do odd jobs for the community and goes to temple every few days to pray, only with a few new faces in the fray. This philanthropic giving, however, has cost her family most of its wealth, and with an increased need to work for their own continued survival, the Thorne family has not entirely stopped -but certainly slowed- its charitable ways.
It became necessary for Mylas' parents to send her off as an apprentice to a changeling merchant named Krit. The time Mylas spent with Krit was quite the shift for the young half-elf. Instead of working for the benefit of the community, Mylas found herself striving more for gold and the chance for a quick coin. Though the work was not inherently distasteful, she found it to be a different experience altogether compared to what she was used to.
Though there were positive experiences to come from her time with Krit. The changeling also happened to be a powerful mage who would often attempt to teach Mylas a trick or two on her free time. Though not always successful, Mylas found that she could learn a cantrip on occasion. Though she wasn't sure of Krit's reasons for teaching her magic, one thing was for sure: by the end of her apprenticeship, Mylas had quite the silver tongue and was adept at using a number of small, magical tricks.
Upon turning 18, Mylas was given a choice by Krit. Continue life with him, and he would teach her even more about the magical arts (as well as continue to send money to her family) or go back to them and apply the skills she had already learned to achieve the needed wealth herself. Though she was ready to dedicate herself to Krit's teachings, the night before she was to answer him, the changeling had disappeared without a trace, leaving all his wares behind as well as his prized compass; a tool which never seemed to point North, but Krit had always kept on his person.
Not entirely sure what happened to her former master, Mylas decided that she would continue living in Sandpoint for the time being, until she was sure she could dedicate a large portion of time searching for her missing master. Not convinced that he left her of his own accord, the young half-elf has made it her mission to go out and search for him, all the while gaining wealth to send back to her family so that they could one day return to their active philanthropy for the community.
Admittedly, it is not as detailed as I might like, but it IS my first experience with Eberron, so I couldn't do very much with specifics as to factions and the like. I am a fast learner, though!
Chris here.
I've never done one of these before. I used an Eberron race that has no PF translation. I can use the 3.5 version or change it to one of the Dreamscarred races. I wasn't sure which route to take.
Hailing from the distant land of Adar, Khravos spent most of his life studying under the tutelage of Grand Master Skrahvis, teacher of the Peaceful Way in the Shalquar. Since his Joining Day, Khravos strove to excel in the pursuit of enlightenment, but found the provincial isolation too limiting. When he felt he had no more to learn in Shalquar, Khravos set out to distant lands, walking the breadth of Sarlona before taking ship for Khorvaire.
In his travels, he heard great tales of the War, from which he had mostly been shielded in the monastery in Shalquar. He wondered why, though learning power and prowess from the Grand Master, he was never sent to fight for his world and way of life. Many of the people he met shared their stories of tragedy and sacrifice, and Khravos reasoned that those with the power to preserve life had the obligation to do so, but that self-sacrifice was a waste of one's potential.
Khravos's primary motivation is enlightenment. He abhors wonton destruction and seeks peace where it is possible, but has devoted his mind to discipline and the power to preserve, and to follow the Path of Light to full awareness. In his path he has made many friends, and several enemies. His dual nature makes him hard to understand, while those who become close to him find him a loyal and faithful companion.
@Christopher the link should be in the primer to the PF-ized Eberron stuff. I'm looking over it to make sure it's all where I want it, but for now, it's all good. If I find anything I change my mind on, I'll let you all know.
Quick glance at the warforge looked good.
@Christopher the link should be in the primer to the PF-ized Eberron stuff. I'm looking over it to make sure it's all where I want it, but for now, it's all good. If I find anything I change my mind on, I'll let you all know.
Derp. I blame the lack of coffee for my incautious reading. Totally missed that there was a link there.
@Fabian, great questions. I apologize if I wasn't concise and clear. :)
I'll put this under spoilers so it isn't a wall of text. :)
I know you all know how to make a character. And when you do, I'll be able to look over it and ask for any corrections that are needed. I don't need to know you can make a character sheet. I need to know what kind of character you can make. Why are they unique? What are they prejudiced by? Afraid of? What's their secret?
In answer to your second question, the second example I gave he asks the party a question, and then walks away and addresses someone else. We'd never do this at a table. We'd never do this in real life conversations. We'd never read this in a book. We'd never see it in TV or film. We'd never play a game that does that...intentionally.
So why do we do it in pbp and think it's good? It's not.
The player in my example asked a question...that is promoting role-playing and interaction between the party. She doesn't need to poke everyone individually in each of her posts.
Very cool, Tenro. I like it. :)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I like that idea, Mylas. That is a changeling I'm interested in. Great job!
|
I'm thinking an itinerant psion (telepath) who's essentially a con man / lothario. He moves from place to place, looking for new adventure and coin where he can.
He's all about being ready to cut and run at a moment's notice, jumping out windows, running across rooftops, and avoiding the law/husbands/wives when (not if) he eventually gets caught.
Human, possibly Cyran, focused on nonviolent use of psionics and stealth/mobility.
Love it, psionichamster!
Reth Kaskin - Shifter of the Silver Flames
Please consider this submission. Based on your OP, I will not spend more time on the build as of yet.
I have played this character in other campaigns and I really like his story so I am resubmitting him here.
Reth stands 6’1” tall and weighs 195 lbs. He has a very hairy body as is the nature of a Shifter (he gave up on shaving his body and face long ago, it just grew in thicker). Reth has green eyes and brown skin underneath his hair. He always wears a large dark green cloak and black gloves to hide his appearance. To hide his face Reth wears a mask made of metal, it also makes him appear more intimidating (he thinks).
Beneath his cloak is scale mail armor. Around his back is strapped a quiver full of sheaf arrows. Through a look in his belt is dropped a Morningstar and he carries his longbow unstrung as a “walking stick” when not ready to engage in combat.
As a young babe Reth was found in the Wynarn River near the city of Varna. The kindly Sesha Kaskin found the poor child unharmed but badly malnourished thinking the child human she took it in and cared for it as if it were her own. Sesha had come to the Eldeen Reaches at the behest of the Friars of the Silver Flame to spread the faith to the heretics of the Reaches. As a human and adherent of the Silver Flame Sereth would not have conceived of allowing a Shifter to live as such creatures were abominations.
Sereth had met with little success in the four years she had been living as a missionary in Varna. She somewhat lost her way once the child came into her life and she began to spend much more time caring for it than spreading the light of the Silver Flame. As the child grew Sereth out of the corner of her eye she would see strange things happening to it almost as if it were changing forms. At first she passed it off as her imagination being alone near such an obviously dangerous location as the Eldeen Reaches. Her fears were confirmed though as the child became old enough to walk and talk, this child was no human! It was a Shifter!
Her first thought was to dash it against the wall and end its existence lest it grow up to be a force for evil in the world. As she stood there holding the babe in her arms she realized that it was not something she could not bring herself to do. Instead she decided that she would ensure that the child was a force for good and bring it up under the strict teachings of the silver flame.
Reth grew and Sereth’s determination to ensure that her “son” would become a force for good grew as well. Reth was forced to hide his heritage from locals in Varna and thus grew up ashamed of what he was. On the occasions that Silver Flame Friars visited, Reth could not meet them or receive them lest his dark secret be revealed. Despite this life of solitude and isolation Reth developed a deep respect and passion for the teachings of the Silver Flame. He hoped to match the deeds of past heroes of the Silver Flame. Perhaps he thought through such great deeds he could transcend his race of birth and a purification of sorts thus becoming human. At 15 Reth received a vision from the Silver Flame and took up the mantle of the cleric much like his adoptive mother.
Unlike his mother he was not content to preach the message of the Silver Flame he was a warrior. Reth found locals who were willing to teach him the ways of combat. A combination of physical prowess and divine might were the ways that Reth saw to achieve the transcendence he so desperately wanted. At 17 Reth joined an adventuring band and headed into the deepest darkest parts of the woods to combat evil. Reth and his band the Valkyries, took the fight to evildoers whether agents of the Dragon Below or of the Emerald Claw it did not matter. Many denizens of the Reaches saw Reth as a traitor to align with the Church of the Silver Flame considering their traditional stance against Shifters and their attempts to systematically destroy their lycanthropic ancestors.
Unfortunately a journey into the Gloaming resulted in the loss of all members of the Valkries except for Reth and Ladonna a female human wizard. Reth managed to pull her out when the battle versus enormous vermin went terribly wrong. Reth felt horrible, he had failed. He felt he must atone for this failure by journeying to Thrane and being purified by the Keeper of the Flame. Sereth begged him not to go, as his presence revealed would place them both in danger from the church. Reth felt that it was time for him to reveal himself to the church he was sure that they would accept him and see him for the warrior of light that he was.
Against the better judgment of Sereth, Reth journeyed across Aundair with the aid of Ladonna, who grew up there. Taking the main road to Flamekeep, Reth in disguise with Ladonna accompanying him finally arrived. His big reveal proved to be yet another disaster. He was seized as an assassin and a heretic, how could a Shifter be blessed by the Silver Flame? Reth was thrown into chains to be questioned later and judged by the Cardinals in light of the odd situation. Clearly, this Shifter received divine strength from the Silver Flame but how could this be? Before a resolution could be reached an agent from another land intervened.
Reth was broken out of his imprisonment by a shadowy figure. Reth did not know where Ladonna had gotten to nor could he take the risk to find her. He felt obligated to follow his rescuer though he knew nothing about him. Reth felt more disillusioned than ever, how could the very church he dedicated his entire life to turn on and imprison him? Reth rationalized along the road out of Thrane that this was a test of faith that he was determined to pass.
This introspection so dominated Reth’s thoughts that he did not question the motives of his rescuer seeing the break as divine intervention. His rescuer after finally getting Reth out of Thrane revealed himself as a Dark Lantern an agent of the crown of Breland. His assignment in Thrane was coming to an end so he decided to spring Reth believing that Reth could aid in his next mission. His name was Kranth a human and agent of the throne of Breland. He explained to Reth that his mission was to infiltrate a new organization in the city of Sharn, a merchant company named the Darkstar Company.
Kranth believed that Reth’s unique situation as a cleric of the Silver Flame would allow him to gain access to the Company as a healer. He could then feed information to Kranth if the company was revealed to be up to no good. Reth was intrigued, though investigation was not his strength perhaps this was test of his versatility? He therefore decided to accept the opportunity. Reth agreed to join this Company, indeed he believed that a mercenary company would allow him to find a place where he belonged. If the company proved itself a force for evil he could bring it down and find acceptance in Breland. Thus, either way it would be a win for him.
After arriving in Sharn Reth joined the Darkstar Company. Through years of service Reth did not find anything amiss and moved up the ranks to assume a position in an elite Darkstar force the Sellsword Syndicate. While his position is as a healer, his skills with ranged weapons has made him a valuable member of the Company in more than one way. In his time with the Company he has moved from a Healer to a Leader or at least attempted to, this is Reth's first big push to lead an excursion.
Reth's push met with success as he successfully brought a Company to the mysterious Mornlands and extracted the target item from a vault in the doomed city of Metrol.
Despite his success with the Darkstar Company or perhaps because of it Reth felt the pull to lead a life more dedicated to the Silver Flame. Hiding his race beneath his clothes and his mask was not enough for the leadership of the Flame, to prove himself he would have to guard a holy site until he was allowed to relinquish his duties. Doing so of course would not be looked upon kindly by the Dark Lanterns but his loyalty was to the Flame, not to Breland.
Thanks for the submission, Storyteller. :) Do keep checking in, as I may begin asking questions, or starting a role-play here to see how people play. Great job!
I missed Dreaming Warforgeds' post! I'm so sorry.
Yes, if I remember correctly, this is not too long after the signing.
I missed Dreaming Warforgeds' post! I'm so sorry.
Yes, if I remember correctly, this is not too long after the signing.
Perfect, thanks!
Absolutely. Sorry I missed that one earlier. :)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Alright, this is what I have so far:
Reth Kaskin Shifter Zealot of the Silver Flame very nice (Full background and description).
Khravos Vortensis - Kalashtar Psychic warrior Pathwalker (Background). :)
Mylas Thorne - Half-elf mage (changeling) (Background).
Psionichamster - Ideas for Psion con man.
Tenro - Ideas for an artificer with warforged attachments.
Farrier - Ideas for a soulforged.
Dreaming warforged - Curious.
Fabian - Curious.
Let me know if I missed anyone!
I like gritty, grey, conflicted, character driven action.
Ooh, color me curious. I'll take a deeper look into it tomorrow.
I'm working on some background for my soulforged character, I'm leaning toward making him a magus. I just wanted to double check you're ok with that class before I write it into his story.
Thanks Mittean. Reth will be a Cleric. In a past "life" he was a Divine Strategist. I may change the Archtype here though depending on what other submit. That Archtype works best when another Cleric, or at least Divine caster, is in the party as well.
Absolutely, Farrier, I love the Magus. :)
Soulforge...such a catchy name...lol.
I personally made sure that my character had room expand in any direction, because for me, the class is not as important as the character development itself. Hence why I left her roots ambiguous. Theoretically, learning a bit of magic could leave her as a bard, cleric, sorcerer, wizard, inquisitor, or magus. Truth be told, I was leaning towards one of the Charisma based classes like bard, but that could be changed.
Right now I'm just going to work on character description (for Mylas' true form and her half-elf form) as well as see about learning more about Eberron, so I could make the back story more intricate.
Right on, Mylas!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
There are some good books, if you've got the time, by Kieth Baker and Don Blaissingwaithe (not sure i spelled that correctly). They hit up some more sledomly used areas in Eberron like Droaam, Karnnath, Darguun and the Shadow Marches. Some of them hit up Sharn of course.
Yeah, I love Keith's Thorn series the most. :)
Its a shame they do not print any more Eberron books, really thought Baker had more tales to tell to be sure.
I'm sure he does. I wanted to hear more about Pierce haha
He does. I've been good friends with Keith for years now. We actually just talked about some of his unpublished novel ideas a few weeks ago. (He didn't give me any secrets. Sigh).
But yeah, the big issue is WotC doesn't print Eberron anymore, and Keith can't print them separate, because of copyright laws.
I decided to add a bit more about Mylas. ^_^
Some might call Mylas naive, as she always attempts to see the best in people -even those who may be seen as unsavory- but she laughs these comments off. Believing that a person's past or heritage should not play a role in her perception of them. After all, all that truly matters is how someone acts in the future. She truly learned this with her master, Krit, who seemed aloof at first, but grew on her especially when he started to teach her bits of his magical knowledge.
Mylas is also naturally curious about the world and seeks to explore outside of Sandpoint. The idea of meeting new people, seeing new places, and learning new magical abilities excites her above all, but she also wishes to see about seeking out wealth for her family and -more urgently- any word of anyone who might have seen Krit who seems to have vanished off the face of the planet.
He does. I've been good friends with Keith for years now. We actually just talked about some of his unpublished novel ideas a few weeks ago. (He didn't give me any secrets. Sigh).
But yeah, the big issue is WotC doesn't print Eberron anymore, and Keith can't print them separate, because of copyright laws.
yeah i hope there is some 5e support for Eberron. I like 5e so far and i would like to see it continue officially rather than just fan stuff. It'd be nice to get some Eberron stuff with new art as well, it would have been nice with the PF art style and it would be nice with the 5e art style.
maybe he could print them on his blog? I have read most of it and haven't seen short stories, though maybe WotC would poop on that too.
Here is my submission: Nik'olo d'Orien. I've added at the bottom some possible crunch to give you an idea where I'm headed. Let me know if you have questions or comments.
I have decided to withdraw from this recruitment. Best of luck to everybody else.
Farrier here, with a super duper rough draft for character backstory. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Birthed among the carnage of the Day of Mourning, Shelldrake saw only fire and chaos upon awakening. Disjointed memories of pain and sorrow clouded his mind the moment he became conscious, memories from a time when he had blood in his veins and breath in his chest.
Shelldrake awoke amid the ruins of some kind of workshop in Cyre, hours after the fires of the Day of Mourning had destroyed countless lives. The only clue to his past life lay in a small journal, labelled Project; Soulforged, which he has kept to this very day. The journal contained some detail on the procedure he had undergone, from dying soldier to a prototypal new weapon for the people of his homeland. To transfer the living essence, the very soul of a dying warrior into the hardened steel frame of a Warforged was a bold idea, and one that may very well have turned the tides of the war in Cyre’s favour.
Shelldrake has no recollection of his personal life; no knowledge of his name, rank or whether or not he had a family. He remembers the way of the sword, and the battle spells he learned as a young enlisted man, but his memories of his personal life elude him. Visions plague him at night, but trying to hold onto them feels like clutching at smoke.
The journal left many questions. Shelldrake took his name from a military designation listed in the book, but there’re were notes detailing others who had undergone the same experimental process. Though only young, he has spent his life wandering trying to find those who he might call brothers and sisters, hoping to shed some light on what it is that he has become.
Merry Christmas everyone!
I wanted to put up an example of the types of scenes that I strive to have in my games.
This is a bit of writing I did awhile back, set in Eberron (not all canon, obviously.) It is from a screenplay I wrote based on some game-play, so it is not standard pbp format or fair.
Of course, game-play won't always (if ever) feel like this...but this is what I strive for.
You don't have to read this, as it is a decent length (and by decent length, I mean really long, lol), but for those of you who are curious...here you go.
Smoke encompasses them, the heat from the fires shining off their sweaty faces. With Benten’s arm over her shoulder, Arreanna drags his unconscious form into the front of the shop. Her shoulder covered in his blood, she tries the front door, but its stuck. She kicks it hard, the smoke causing trouble breathing.
"Come on!"
White mist seeps through the cracks in the floor. A vampire solidifies in the room behind her, wreathed by smoke and flame.
With a final massive kick, Arreanna bursts the front door open. Smoke billows out, giving them fresh air for the first time.
Whistles come down the street, accompanied by lights in the darkness, signaling more of the watch arriving.
Arreanna turns and locks eyes with the vampire. She glares at Arreanna with glowing red eyes, back lit by flames. Then the vampire turns and disappears further into the house.
The watch arrives, running into the house, taking Benten from her arms, as she collapses into unconsciousness.
FADE OUT
EXT. MANNEQUIN SHOP - NIGHT
Fade in - All is dark. We can’t see, but we can hear.
"I don’t care who you are! You can’t take her without the express permission of Captain Wells."
"Sergeant, neither you, nor your Captain, have the authority to stop me."
"Your country is dead, Cyran. Your ‘Prince’ may have political asylum, and speak for you lot, but you’ve no authority in my country. Besides, he’s the one who asked for her to be arrested."
"Have care when you speak the assumed intentions of a Prince, Sergeant. Colonel Brackus will hear of your interference with his orders. He handles relations with the Cyran Embassy, yes?"
Arreanna's eye snaps open.
Two men stand over her. SERGEANT CORMYR, and ARCHEANTUS, 30, with handsome features and a lithe but strong frame. He has an intricate tattoo on the inside of his right wrist.
"Colonel Brackus ordered? She’s all yours, Sir. You’ll let the Colonel know I…"
"Yes, of course."
Archeantus gestures, and MEAT and POTATOES, two large men with meaty hands pick her up under her arms, and lead her to the back of a carriage. Her hands are bound in front of her. A swarthy man, KHOSRAM, reclines in the drivers seat, his leg kicked out over the edge of the carriage, kicking softly in idleness.
"Her possessions?"
"Just this."
Sergeant Cormyr hands Archeantus Arreanna's satchel and sword.
"This was found in the burned up shop as well."
Cormyr holds up the rock amulet.
Five men on horses ride hard into the narrow street, led by LIEUTENANT WELLS, a strong, barrel-chested man of 50 with long mustaches that hang below his jaw and a shaved head.
Archeantus quickly takes the amulet.
"Stop them!"
Archeantus steps up onto the step board of the carriage, and smacks the roof twice with his palm.
"Thank you, Sergeant. You'll be rewarded for your loyalty to the Crown of Breland."
"Lieutenant, Colonel Brackus has approved the prisoners’ transfer into the possession of…"
"Those are Cyran spies! Stop them!"
Arreanna is shoved down into her seat by Meat as Archeantus takes the seat across from her. Potatoes jumps in the drivers seat and quickly pushes the carriage forward through the press of people on the street.
Khosram stands on the step board outside the carriage, and pulls two vials from his belt, throwing them both onto the ground in front of the pursuing soldiers as the carriage moves away.
From one vial, vines grow up from the ground entangling around the legs of the men and horses in the street, and a thick fog billows up from the other, obscuring the vision of everyone present, covering the carriages flight.
INT. CARRIAGE - NIGHT
The carriage is travelling at speed now. Khosram slams the side door shut, leaving Arreanna and Archeantus alone in the carriage. He begins to casually remove his gloves.
"Go ahead, thank me."
"Thank you?!"
"For saving your li–"
Arreanna elbows Archeantus in the face with her shackled hands, and knocks him to the seat. Her athame forms in her left hand, and she swoops in, pressing the ethereal dagger against his neck.
"Are you crazy?!"
"Who are you?"
"I’m Archeantus, the Crown Prince of Cyre! You’re Prince!"
Archeantus attempts to push away the dagger from his neck, but Arreanna shoulder checks him in the chest, and keeps the dagger pressed to his throat.
"I had everything under control. I don’t need the help of a crown-less Prince."
Archeantus shoves her back into her seat.
"Under control? You call unconscious and in shackles, under control?"
"What do you want with me?"
"You’re Arreanna Magnar. You served under my mother, Queen Dannel ir’Wynarn."
Arreanna doesn’t respond.
"You were one of her most trusted helpers."
"I was a door guard. And not a very good one, seeing as she's dead. I served Cyre. Cyre is dead."
"You were an Intelligence Operative, a Protectorate. You will help me."
"Adrian the half-forged killed the Queen and took the crown, Prince. Your 'brother'. He killed her."
"The rebellion started at the Battle of Branham Moor, where my brother, Adrian, challenged my mother’s crown. But that’s impossible."
Arreanna lowers her athame, but keeps it in her hand.
"History says otherwise."
"Adrian wasn’t there. I know, because I was with him, in Kalazart, leagues away. My mother lost her crown to an impersonator. It divided our forces. Adrian was popular amongst the soldiers. My father had the family shipped off by the next spring when the gray knights of Karrnath sacked the Capitol of Metrol. A week before New spring, Adrian and I fled across the Blade Desert."
Arreanna sits back on the bench listening carefully.
"But he was already dead…"
The door of the carriage bangs open. A city street speeds by.
KHOSRAM, 32, a swarthy dark-skinned man with long, straight, jet black hair bound in an elaborate braid, with small items woven into it, slips into the cabin, and sits on the bench. He wears a leather corset with bits of netting on it and lacework up the front, a shoulder pauldron and a bandoleer, as well as leather bracers that cover his forearms. He looks at Arreanna.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"She’s cute."
The Prince doesn’t even blink, and continues with his story.
"At Maradal my brother and I separated. The next day I heard the rumor for the first time: that the Black Sorcerer, Dulkor of the peaks of Serdanon, Regent-bane, the demon lover..."
Khosram chews loudly on an apple, his mouth overflows with its juices.
"Demons need love, too."
Archeantus gives Khosram a wry look.
"…had murdered my brother as he slept in his bed in Rydony castle in Metrol…three weeks prior to that."
"Which he can’t have done."
Arreanna and the Prince speak at the same time.
(cont’d)
"You were with him."
"I was with him."
They stare at each other for half a moment, and then they both smile. Khosram leans over and removes Arreanna's shackles.
"Welcome to the party."
With a resounding boom, the carriage rocks on its axles. The guards outside yell.
"What in the Abyss are Meat and Potatoes up to?"
Khosram snorts, a big grin on his face.
"Good names."
"I thought they were here to protect you?"
A slot to the rear of the carriage slides open, and Meat peers into the vehicle.
"We’ve got company."
"How many?"
"Half a dozen on horse. No sign of the Lieutenant."
An explosion rocks the carriage. The edge of the slot Meat peers through frosts for a moment, and he winces.
"They have a spellcaster."
Another explosion, as something to the side of the carriage is engulfed in a ball of flame.
"Really? You come up with that all by yourself?"
"Leave him to Khosram. How far to the safe house?"
"Less than a minute."
EXT/INT. CITY STREETS/CARRIAGE - NIGHT
Tossing his apple to Arreanna, Khosram kicks the carriage door open, plants his foot on the running board of the carriage, and pulls a long dagger from his bandoleer.
The Prince pulls a crossbow from under the bench seat, and loads a quarrel.
The pommel on Khosram’s dagger quickly lengthens out, extending into a spear. He gazes over the pursuers for a moment.
"You."
Khosram heaves the spear through the night, impales a HORSE, driving it and its RIDER into the ground. A HORSE and RIDER just behind them smash into the mass of flailing limbs, and go down in the chaos. Khosram smiles.
"You know how to shoot one of these?"
"Would you be a dear and hand me my apple, please?"
Arreanna glances between the two of them, scowls at the Prince, hands Khosram his apple, and takes the crossbow. Khosram takes a large bite of his apple, and throws the core hard, smacking a rider in the face, causing him to fall backwards off his horse.
Arreanna pulls the curtain back from the other window, pulls down the pane of glass, swings open the door towards the back, and leans on it. She points the crossbow through the small window, using the door for cover.
She fires at a horseman and misses, cursing. Khosram shakes his head at her bemusedly.
The dark streets fly by, lamps lighting their way. There aren’t many people in the streets at this hour.
FOUR MEN can be seen behind them on HORSEBACK, in pursuit.
An arrow embeds itself in the door a few inches from her fingers.
The WIZARD wears a deep blue military-looking set of robes with silver stripes on the arms. His hair is black, with a smart goatee, and a copper wand, with electricity crawling on it.
A blue bolt of deadly lightning arcs from the wand. It slams into the back of the carriage, and causes the whole thing to lift off of the ground, before crashing back to the street. It tears open a hole in the bottom left rear of the carriage. The rear axle is damaged, and wobbles severely.
Meat is dazed, and barely hangs on.
Arreanna is knocked back inside the cabin, landing on the floor.
Khosram steps back inside, and looks to the Prince with concern.
"I’m fine!"
"He’s got a pretty hefty wand. I don’t think he’s powerful enough to cast that spell on his own. I mean, he is Brelish Police, after all. They'll have a hard time explaining all of this wanton destruction when they are called in front of a High Court for licking the unwiped side of a giant's -"
"Take care of it! Now!"
Khosram takes a watch off his belt, and wraps the chain around a strut from the ceiling, hanging the watch from it. He turns a dial, causing a brilliant white light to project from it.
"Back in six seconds."
Khosram jumps to the swinging door again, using his momentum to sail around the exterior of the carriage. A HORSEMAN is just a few feet away, with a dagger drawn. He moves in to stab at Khosram, who deftly monkeys his way around the rear of the vehicle, and slips to the other side of Meat.
Tick.
EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT
Meat grabs the arm of the thrusting guard, and yanks him off of his horse, which veers away.
The carriage careens across a stone bridge over a small body of water, the echo of the wheels on the cobblestones beating like a drum. Meat heaves the guard off the bridge, into the water.
Tick.
"Toss me!"
Meat grabs Khosram, who now holds his double-crossbow, and hurls him bodily at one of the TWO REMAINING GUARDS ON HORSEBACK. Khosram fires his crossbow midair, buries the quarrel in the soldiers’ throat, and grabs the saddle horn as the guard plummets from the horse, holding on with his left arm. He dangles as the horse bounces and jostles him as they exit the bridge, turning a corner into a much tighter street.
Tick.
EXT. TIGHT STREET - NIGHT
Arreanna reloads her crossbow, and steps to the window. The sides of buildings careen by her, feet from the carriage. The final GUARD side-swipes Khosram, who almost loses his grip. Arreanna fires her crossbow again, wounding the guard in the shoulder. They burst out of the tight street into a square.
Tick.
EXT. CITY SQUARE - NIGHT
People scream and scatter as the pursuit rockets across the square, narrowly missing a large fountain of an armored woman riding a griffin bursting out of the pool surrounding it.
The wizard, his face a grimace of concentration, traces a symbol in the air, and gestures at Khosram. He speaks an arcane word.
A bright green acidic arrow flies from the symbol, and embeds itself in the horse that Khosram clings to, which screams. The arrow dissolves into a smoky liquid on the hide of the horse.
Khosram clicks a button on his crossbow, and it flips over, the other side already loaded.
Tick.
Meat chucks an alchemist’s fire at the final guard, and takes aim with his crossbow. The GUARD brings his HORSE in to side-swipe Khosram again.
Khosram lets go of the saddle, falls to the ground, and rolls as the legs of the horses slam the ground around him. He comes to a stop, diving aside as the wizard tries runs him down.
Meat shoots the vial out of the air just in front of the guard, and it bursts, flaming, into his chest as it explodes, engulfing him in a ball of flame.
As the chase moves away from Khosram, the wizard points the wand at the carriage again, the wands surface crackling with charged electricity all the way up his arm.
The sound of hooves approaches quickly from behind Khosram.
Lieutenant Wells has caught up.
"Get them!"
Khosram takes careful aim at the wizards back, and fires his crossbow, just as an enormous bolt of lightning hurls from the tip of the wand. The horses crash up to Khosram, and a soldier swings his sword to perfectly behead Khosram. Khosram disappears, and the soldier topples from his horse.
Tick.
INT. CARRIAGE - NIGHT
With a jolt, Khosram hurls forward through space back into the cabin of the carriage with the Prince and Arreanna.
The face of the watch is black.
EXT. CITY SQUARE - NIGHT
The crossbow bolt pierces the wizards back, and kills him instantly. The lightning bolt slams into the wheel of the carriage, and tears it off.
The whole carriage tips wildly for a moment, as Arreanna, Khosram and Archeantus grasp for purchase. It slams onto its side, skids for a few dozen meters as sparks fly, tears through booths and food stands adjacent to the buildings on the street. It comes to rest at an angle against the side of a building.
INT. WRECKED CARRIAGE - NIGHT
Completely disoriented, Arreanna, Archeantus and Khosram pull themselves up. A large piece of the bench sticks out of Khosram’s thigh.
"Oh goody. Look what I found. I was wondering where I'd put that."
He grimaces and pulls it slowly from his leg, which starts to flow blood. He takes a piece of cloth from his pouch at his side and tears it, tying it around his thigh.