Hey everyone.
Oyzar and I recently submitted a pair of characters for The Lost Voice’s ‘Two by Two’ game. We were unsuccessful but are hoping that another GM would be interested in running a game for the two of us and our characters.
Our background is as follows:
The elder, Tegorian, lent down as his mother struggled to whisper something to him. "Yes mother? What is it?" The fading voice of the Elder Fey barely reached even his supernatural hearing. "You must find your sister, Issiana. The kingdom is hers. My son, you must promise me, find your sister and protect her for me. Please… promise me." Staring into his mother’s eyes the prince bit his own finger and drew a sigil in blood over his heart.
“I swear mother. I will find our sister as you desire. The lost princess will return home." The queen sighed deeply and closed her eyes, slender chest finally stilling. The two princes bowed their heads for a moment before turning to the assembled court.
“Summer is over. Our queen is dead. Let all the court don the garb of autumn as we mourn our beloved ruler. She has named her daughter, Princess Issiana, as heir to the throne. Long live the Queen!" proclaimed Melvar, the younger prince. The assembled court echoed his sentiment and no-one heard a royal voice mutter "Yes… long live the King."
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“Kas!" and "Issi!" were two names capable of striking fear into the hearts of almost every gnome mother or father in Tarn-under-Hill. The most common response to one of those names was to ask ‘oh what have they done now?’ as the villages two resident troublemakers were almost guaranteed to have done something.
Quite how the son of the village chief and the adopted daughter of the village clockmaker had become such good friends was still something of a mystery but the results of the friendship had shaped village life for the past forty years or more. Only in the past few years had the pair settled down enough for the town gossips to begin speculating about when the pair would get married, rather than expressing outrage at their latest antics.
One fine autumn morning found one of the subjects of this rumourmongering, Issi Flamehair, wandering towards the market. Issi was of average height for a gnome (that is to say, just three feet) and possessed two feet of brilliant red hair which cascaded down her back in rippling waves, seeming almost to have a life of its own. She was being chased down the street by her constant companion, a firepelt panther, whose vivid colouring matched Issi’s own and had led to taunting when they were both younger.
Issi swung sharply around a corner before leaping out as her animal companion raced past, the two of them rolling around in a bundle of red and brown before they came rest, rather abruptly, against an unexpected pair of booted feet. Scrambling to her feet Issi brushed herself off and performed an odd bow/curtsey cross. "My apologies sir, please forgive our clumsiness." When no response came Issi looked up at the stranger and found him appraising her with a hard stare. She returned the stare with equal frankness and this standoff continued until the stranger abruptly turned on his heel and strode away.
Issi turned to Trax, who was scratching himself vigorously, and shrugged. "Big folk are very strange Trax." The panther cocked his head in a seemingly inquisitive motion before nabbing Issi’s small bag and racing off towards the market, Issi’s bell-like laughter ringing out across the village as she gave chase.
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There were more big folk than normal at the market Issi noted, a single big folk selling their wares was perfectly normal in Tarn-under-Hill, four seemingly very large men were scattered across the market and Issi noted the man she’d bumped into earlier talking to another big folk a few stalls away. She was happily talking to a friend of her mothers who was selling teapots from his front step when a muted bang drew the attention of every gnome in the market.
One of the big folk cursed loudly as he shook his burned hand, the misfiring pistol lying on the floor in front of him, barrel pointed squarely at Issi. Around the market the other three big folk drew weapons from their belts and closed in on Issi and the teapot seller, their intent clear on their faces. After a moments stunned silence the market erupted into noise. Many gnomes panicked and fled, although a few began bombarding the invaders with assorted missiles. One assassin fell when a particularly dense loaf of bread caught him above the ear but the other three converged on Issi and Trax, who had taken cover behind an ironmongers stall.
Trax, teeth bared leapt at the first man to approach, driving him back from Issi who was frantically searching for a way out. Trax yelped in pain as he was flanked by a second man who delivered a crushing kick into the panther’s ribs, bones cracking under the assault. Issi’s hair suddenly shifted to a blood-red hue as she screamed, a primal sound to match her companions, and flung her arms forward towards her assailants. The entire contents of the ironmongers stall was hurled towards the men who both crashed to the floor as Issi grabbed Trax and fled.
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The lead assassin cursed. Two of his men were down already, one of them permanently to judge by the large knife sticking out of his throat, and the target was fleeing. Yanking his last cohort up from the floor the leader set off in pursuit, heading for the clock-makers house.
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Issi slammed the door shut and bolted it, breathing heavily she glanced frantically around the house for a weapon of some sort she could use against the men who, inexplicably, seemed to want her dead. She only had minutes, but her mother was a genius, mad but still a genius. She could set some traps here.
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The assassin cursed long and low. The little b!@!* and her half sized friends had thwarted him at every turn. Finding the house had taken far too long as they found streets twisting around them and flaring lights blinding them at every turn. Then, when they finally found the house, some sort of animated clock bludgeoned his partner to death as he opened the door. On the bright side that meant all the gold was his once he killed the fire haired imp.
As he forced his way past the clock still blocking the entrance his grin grew large and feral – there she was, and that damned cat of hers, cowering in the corner like rats. Well, he knew what to do with rats…
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The same sunny morning found another gnome many miles away troubled by a nameless worry. If asked, Kas wouldn’t have been able to say why he was troubled, simply that he was and that was unusual in itself. Stretching after a night spent under a large tree he stood and instinctively scanned the area around him for his eidolon, the large white wolf who always accompanied him. She wasn’t there and Kas shrugged to himself before bending over to pack his bedroll and camping gear into his backpack.
“Kas!" The strangely deep voice came from behind him and had Kas leaping round, one hand reaching for his dagger. Standing before him was Zarya, his wolf eidolon. The glowing red swirls adorning her haunches and legs were rippling in a way Kas had never seen before.
“Kas, you have to hurry. Issi is in danger!" Kas couldn’t deny it, Zarya was actually speaking to him in clear, unaccented sylvan. The shock of hearing this voice drove the significance of her words from his head for a moment, until it burst back into his mind with the force of a lightning bolt.
“Issi’s in danger? How? Why? Curse it, we’ll never make it back in time. Zarya - we need to get back, now! You can explain what on earth is going on later!" A few minutes later the only visible sign of Kas’ campsite was a lonely wisp of smoke rising from the fire as the white wolf and its purple haired rider raced across the grasslands.
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Charging back into Tarn-under-Hill Kas arrived to a scene of pandemonium. The market was in uproar, focused on a huge knot of gnomes who seemed to be surrounding something on the floor. Zarya forced her way through the crowd as Kas stood on her back to see what was going on.
In the centre of the crowd, being held down by nearly a score of gnomish bodies was a big folk, clad in dark robes and obviously groggy from a huge bruise on his head. Another body, impaled through the throat, lay nearby.
Zarya nosed right up to the man, paw pressing on to the horrific burns adorning the man’s right hand, teeth bared as Kas growled questions at him from her back. "What are you doing here? Why are you trying to hurt Issi?" Faced with the huge teeth of the wolf and a lynch mob of gnomes the big folk started babbling answers as fast as he could.
“It was a job, some wierd man, looked like an elf, all that pointy ear beauty s*$%. Said there was gold in it for us, lots of gold if we could kill your princess. He described her, red hair ‘like fire’ he said. Told us we couldn’t miss it. Then she got Grok with that knife and I didn’t see any more. Please… please don’t kill me!”
His only answer was the crowd pushing closer as Kas and Zarya turned and raced for the clockmakers workshop - Issi’s refuge as long as they had known her. Bursting through the door with a thunderous crash they bounded over the clock and the mangled body beneath it, causing the remaining assassin to spin around as Issi’s body fell limp to the floor behind him. Standing over the two red haired bodies, his sword dripping blood, the assassin grinned, showing the red stained teeth of a rot-wein addict. "Great, more vermin and you brought your mutt too. Won’t save you little goblin half-breeds. I’ll kill you for free!" Zarya roars as she charges forward. At the same time Kas’ magic struck, a huge pool of grease toppling the bandit down. Zarya’s fangs and claws tears into the off balance assassin, ripping him to shreds.
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Kas’ attention quickly jumped from the battle to the bleeding girl on the floor. With tears in his eyes he rushed forward. "Issi, no! I was too late." His heart clenched in grief at seeing her lying there, so pale, on the floor the colour draining from her hair even as he watched. He knelt down in the blood and held her close as he began sobbing.
“Damn those devils! I knew we should have gotten here faster!" Suddenly he felt something well up inside him. A soothing wave of power, quite unlike his normal wild magic. As Zarya leaned over his shoulder the power poured out of him, flooding into Issi and Trax’s near lifeless bodies. Right before his eyes, her wounds closed up and her breathing eased before finally her eyes fluttered open. Beside her Trax gave a quiet growl as his breathing deepened from the laboured gasps of the dying into a more natural, restful pattern.
“Issi! You are alive!" Kas exclaims and in a spontanous burst of emotion he bent down and kissed her on the mouth. "I’m so thankful." A smile burst through his tearstained face.
“That was well done Kas," Zarya’s unnatural voice came from behind him. "She can’t be allowed to die, not now, not while the Throne is still unclaimed.”
Issi’s face was a mask of confusion and remembered pain. "Kas? What happened? I remember… pain." Her hand fluttered towards her chest "He stabbed me… right in the… how? Why? What did you do?”
“I believe I can answer that question." Both gnomes turned to face the wolf, Issi shifting slightly in Kas’ arms with confusion written all over her face. Eyes, burdened with a supernatural intelligence , stared softly at them both as they waited for an explanation.
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“I can’t tell you much," the wolf began, still speaking its pure, unaccented sylvan. "The passage into this world was… traumatic… and I’m not as strong as I once was. The Queen of Summer is dead and her death was not of natural means. Someone close to Her Majesty killed her, a prospect which has made many of the Court… nervous. The Crown Princes are claiming it was a plot by the Court of Winter but I don’t believe that, not now." The wolf’s eyes narrow as it pads forward to bow, crudely, at Issi’s feet.
“I cry pardon for being the bearer of bad news your highness. Your mother named you heir to the Court and Summer awaits your return. These… men… were sent to kill you, someone at the Court thinks to benefit from your death.”
“Court of Summer? What are you talking about?" Issi’s thought process was still sluggish from blood loss as Kai continued healing her wounds. "Who could possibly want to kill me?" Kas caught on quicker, shock writ plainly across his face. "It’s the Court of the Fey! You’re a Fae princess! I’ve read about the Summer Court. The Fae are our ancestors, our creators, and you’re one of them." Grief, relief, shock, excitement and a pang of disbelief chased each other through Kas’ heart so fast he could barely process them. Zarya nodded, "That’s right, you’re a princess of the Summer Court and your mother has named you as her Heir. It is now your task, your duty indeed to return to the First World and claim your throne.”
Issi blinked slowly before looking up at Kas, the question clear in her eyes. "Of course I’ll come with you, you silly hothead," he grinned. "Can’t just let you go wandering off into the world, you can’t even make it to market!" Issi’s smile was the widest he’d ever seen as she sprang up, kissed him hard on the lips and whirled around the room like a dervish, stuffing things into a backpack.
As she reached her foster mother’s desk she stopped in front of a small jewelry stand. Hanging from it was a slender golden chain with an exquisite emerald oak leaf hanging from it. Issi stared at it for a few moments and then gingerly reached forward to grasp it. "I remember. This was my mother’s… she gave it to me and told that one day I could use it to prove who I really am… How could I possibly remember that?”
Kas stepped up behind her, grasping her spare hand. "I don’t know, but how about we find out? Together?
We’re looking for a GM who will help us tell the story of Issi’s inheritance and Kas's struggle to keep her alive long enough to claim it! As well as the adventures, and romance, that the two of them share in the process.
In terms to mechanics we didn’t set much. Issi is a Sylvan sorceress, Kas is a summoner but other than that we haven’t done mechanics so we can start from any level. We’d prefer a relatively early start <3 preferably but that could be negotiated.
Hopefully someone is interested in telling this story with us!
I feel like stretching my GMing muscles a bit, plus a need to learn PbP. What sort of story were you two thinking of?
Hi, thank you for your interest! I'm sorry for the slow response, but after a couple days of no responses I didn't expect to get one. I'm very glad to see you respond though. I hope you are still interested despite our slow response.
For Kas the idea is to take the spirit summoner artchype with the life spirit. His eidolon could be posessed by a spirit from the fey world, which could sorta act like their guide.
The idea is to cover their adventure as they travel to the first world, then what happens after they get there. It'll be some work to figure out where they want to go, depending on how much knowledge you want the eidolon to start with. Then of course it'll probably involve some perils to actually get there. Once we do get there I imagine there will be quite a bit of challenges still remaining. Issi's brothers will oppose her, probably try to stop her both before and after they reach the court. So at court there might be a bit intrigue etc to actually get what she is entitled to. After they make it into the Fey Realm pretty much anything can happen though. We were originally thinking to travel into the Fey Realm from somewhere in the River Kingdoms, maybe starting out in Brevoy, but it could really be set anywhere.
From the orignal thread:
Kas and Issi have been friends since child-hood and an otherwise idyllic life is thrown into turmoil when assassins arrive in order to kill Issi. She survives thanks to luck and the timely return of Kas and his eidolon, a spirit possessed white wolf called Zarya. After learning the reason for the assassination attempt and some nebulous clues they set out to seek their destinies in the First World.
We were thinking of a 'gnomes explore their origins in the First World' story which could involve lots of fey politics, scheming factions and wide eyed gnomes causing trouble.
So keeping the setting in Golarion is the idea. The day after I responded I came up with a basic outline for a story. I'll have to do some research into the River Kingdoms for background purposes. Would you two prefer starting at level 1 or 2? I've also got an idea for a trait that you'll both have in addition to 2 more.
Definitely in Golarion - at least until we get into the First World. Does that still count as Golarion?
Personally I'd prefer level 2 - its low but we have that bit more survivability so we don't fold at the first hurdle.
As written in the background there are two royal brothers - at least of whom has designs on the throne. There's also at least two court factions hinted at - could be more if the courts are willing to go for each other when weak.
On another note thanks for stepping up Fez. I'm sorry I haven't responded recently. As Oyzar said we weren't expecting anything after a couple of days and real life has been a nightmare the past few days.
Looking forward to gaming with you.
Also: the thread is asking me if I want to set up a gameplay thread. Shall I go ahead with that Fez or would it be easier for you to do it?
I'm fine with starting at level 2. The levelup from 1 to 2 is kinda sad for a sorcerer (you only learn a single cantrip) so starting at level 2 would make each levelup more exciting.
Do you want point buy? Rolls? Honestly a summoner don't really need much of any stats, but I still think high ability scores would be neat with only two of us (and our companions).
As for learning about the river kingdoms, starting with the Kingmaker player's guide might be an ok idea.
Did you see my PM?
I'll set it up a gameplay/discussion/etc thread sometime on Saturday whe I'll have more time to look into everything and familiarize myself with backgrounds, lore and classes. More survivablity is part of the trait I'm coming up with, might also have to magicify(TM) that oak leaf, because, why not? Might not be able to start-start until next week, but hopefully the setup will be worth it.
Oyzar, saw the PM, responded as well.
All sounds good to me Fez! We'll get going whenever you're ready. :)
Just so you know my plan for Issi is to take Fey Foundling and almost all the Fey-themed alternative class options so she should (in theory( be extremely easy to heal if it's ever needed.
While Fey foundling might be flavorful, it's going to be pretty poor mechanically. We pretty much only have Channeling to heal with (and maybe umd->wands). That pretty much can't be used in combat and even if I did pick up selective channeling it would likely not be great. Because channeling heals everyone it means it'll only do anything if you have taken the most damage in combat. That'll be a very rare occurrence.
I'm also thinking to take most of the fey race options. While Kas isn't feyborn, he does have fey blood and a keen interest in the topic.
@Fez: We've discussed the game and the characters some more than simply what's written in the story. If you got any questions please don't hesitate to ask.
While I'm more than fine with waiting until Saturday/next week with starting, it would be nice to have the mechanics of the characters ready for when we do start. For that it would be nice to know the build rules/ability scores etc that we get.
Fair point Oyz. A pre-emptive boon companion perhaps then... will remove the -3 level penalty on Trax so that would be useful.
Seconding the mechanics question Fez - i've got a bit of time today so if you post points buy etc we could get to work. :)
We'll go with a 30 point buy, because I really haven't seen stats be the thing that allows players to roflstomp encounters so much as (prime) optimization.
2 traits, if you want to take a drawback for a 3rd feel free. I'm still thinking of giving you 2 one more of my own design, just have to fiddle with it some more.
All I ask is that you stay within Paizo material so I can more easily research it.
Just remembered, we'll make it an even thousand for 2nd level starting gold. One more question to help me, about what level do you two want the story to end at?
I'll pick the lovesick drawback of course ;). Their romance might be fresh (thinking the situation in the backstory might have triggered their first kiss), but that doesn't stop it from being fervent.
Boon Companion is good :).
About the story ending, I have no idea. I'm kinda thinking we can continue it as far as we want. Even if they do manage to win over the fey realm there might be further things to do, either threats from other parts of the fey realm or external.
It ends when Issi is Queen of the entire First World of course!
More realistically whenever we all agree - I'd jsut like to play and see where it goes :) I like high level play though. :)
Hmm - Fey-taken would be fitting, but really really bad! Probably Naive for Issi. She's had a very sheltered existence!
Well, I think it could be interesting to play on after Issi is queen as well, sorta kingmaker style. But we'll take that when we get there. That's literally years away and we don't have to decide that now.
Link to the campaign