for campaign trait: Without a Home
This as yet unnamed, male protagonist was nine years old when the creation of the Eye of Abendego washed away his home village in the Kingdom of Lirgen. While frantically searching for any friends and family among the debris-strewn Sodden Lands, he began having powerful dreams that drove him deeper into the jungle toward a grove of druids who were exiles like himself. They accepted the orphan and trained him.
A decade later, they fully initiated him under the full moon into the grove as a druid. Fasting and under the influence of mind-opening herbs, he maintained a silent vigil to call a companion from the jungle. First, an ape appeared sniffing and curious of the human. The ape cautiously approached, then flew into a rage pummeling the new druid. When the human no longer made any noise or provided any more entertainment, the ape returned to the surrounding jungle. Later, a small dinosaur entered the sacred circle beneath the fullness of the moon. The deinonychus cautiously approached the dying human and began to lick his wounds clean. His hatred for apes and love of saurians were born that night.
He lives in and according to the laws of the jungle: might makes right, but community dominates. Over the past 100 years, he has shepherded Lirgeni refugees through the jungle to Jaha, yet he is too uncomfortable with human communities to live there. His dreams tell him that one day he will find a human community for him; he only has to protect its community. Recently, his dreams drove him to meet the other PCs and seek out the temple and his future home.
His personality will be similar to Tarzan after he has encountered civilization. He looks at life and social norms through a different prism than "civilized" races wanting to fit in but struggling to understand why "civilized" social norms are better than the jungle.
Game mechanics: Neutral Aasimar (Lirgeni) Saurian Druid with the campaign trait: Without a Home
(Too lazy to use quote formatting on a phone.)
I was thinking about moving away from the "fallen student" gimmick, but you've rekindled my fire. The story can go that Master _____ taught me the virtues of meditation, detachment, patience, and balance in all aspects of one's existence. This philosophy directly conflicting with Han'ei' internal thirst for justice, he strikes out on his own, searching for new meaning.
Jammin'
At a young age his mother recognized his magical talents, and taught him in the arts that her ancestors passed down from generations. She also was a very kind and gentle person, and much of this he inherited on his character, albeit being impulsive at times, and not giving much heed to authority.
This opposition to authority lead him to ignore his mothers wishes (due to the fact that she was trying to hide him from the eyes of the Sargavans) and explore the streets of his hometown, Eleder. But the city itself did not interest him as much as the jungle, as he always felt a strange connection to it, sometimes almost hearing the jungle calling for him.
When he finally dared to venture into the forest, a whole new world opened for him. He felt at home. And although his magical ability was arcane in nature, he also possessed a certain divine connection to nature, often times roaming alone for hours, exploring. But the jungle holds its own dangers, and on one such occasion young Andrezi was attacked by a preying panther. He tried to use some minor tricks he knew, and used his small size and quickness to try to escape, but it was not enough, and the panther cornered him to a tight spot. Andrezi stood there, facing the panther, fear in his eyes. Just as the cat was about to leap at him, an ape jumped the panther from a tree above, biting and slashing at it with his claws. Soon the attacker was fleeing, and Andrezi has gained a new friend, one who will in time become his faitful friend and protector.
Nobody knew about his friend, not even his mother, although she suspected something was fishy, but she also knew that somebody was protecting her son on his adventures in the forest. This was enough for her.
When he was drafted into the military, meeting with his companion became more difficult, as the city folk and the Sargavans would react poorly to having an ape in court, but he always managed to find the opportunity to meet with his friend.
As he grew older, he exhibited more and more influence over people, and his magical aptitude grew in training. Soon he would become a higher ranking officer, commanding a small force of magically gifted casters, joining expeditions into the wild and aiding them in missions. This also gave him the opportunity to join his father on a few missions, and using his own and his father's influence he managed to secure his animal companion aid while in the wilds.
This is awesome. Robert E. Howard meets H.P. Lovecraft.
You have good influences.
I recently read the original Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
So do you.
Unless I'm missing a step? I'm assuming since we're starting at level 4 we'll already be at the kingdom building stage when we start the game. Is that incorrect?
You're getting way ahead of yourself. You guys can worry what NPCs you're going to recruit once the game has begun. I'm not going to leave out important resources and then just leave you guys to twist in the wind, so don't worry.
Are you suggesting I drift more into the exhaustive background at this point, having seen the initial pitch?
Yeah, I'd at least like to see him get a name and have some of the blanks in his history filled in a bit. It's a good start, you just need to unfold it a bit.
Would an aasimar be one of those races that would count as human for the royalty trait?
If it counts as human for the purpose of qualifying for feats, then it counts as human for the purpose of the trait.
There, I answered all the relatively short questions before I dive into the textwalls. Additional comments forthcoming.
Interested, though late to the party. I might try to put together a first worlder summoner. I know you aren't a big fan of them, and I am not myself but the first worlder has always interested me, even though it is not a strong archetype. I will see if I can come up with a worthwhile story by tomorrow
I feel kind of like MiniGM above... way too late to the party. However, I read this thread this morning, and I have had a hard time getting my mind off of it. So instead of the questions, I will give my "elevator-pitch" with some caveats at the end.
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Kierk Tarsi - Human Fighter (Corsair)
Growing up as a child on a Pirate Ship was far from easy, but for Kierk, it was the perfect match. His father, who was a captain under the Hurricane King, was as good a man as a pirate could be, but was a bit protective of Kierk. He had refused to allow his son to join the ranks of his crew when Kierk came of age, which drove Kierk to prove him wrong. After a failed attempt to steal from his father's hated rival, Kierk was sentenced to hang, but his father stepped in and took his place, on the promise that Kierk go unharmed. The pirate kept his word, but only just, as Kierk was marooned on a cursed rock that someone had the audacity to call an island. Yet somehow, even on that forsaken rock, Kierk survived and managed to escape to the mainland, probably more through divine guidance than anything, but Kierk didn't understand the gods enough to have admitted to that.
Broken from the loss of his father, humbled by the sacrifice of someone else's life for his, yet still filled with the arrogance and rage of youth, Kierk is left to wander in search of something he can't quite name; revenge, or maybe redemption, or some combination of the two.
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Obviously there is a lot more about Kierk Tarsi... his connection to Acavna, his desire for revenge, the specifics of his mistake that led to his father's death, etc. All of those things shape him, and help to determine his purpose and his motivation, but this is the barebones version. I would love to flesh this out more if you are interested, but if you aren't, I don't want to add any more clutter to the thread lol
Seems my first concept didn't excite. Lets try something different:
"My name is Thomas Ackermann, I've always known the exact day and hour of Acavna's rebirth, just as I've always known the exact hour and manner of my own death. They say the sight is a gift, I think it's also a curse. Yes I know many odd things, my first words where in a language not spoken in a thousand years, unrecognized by all around me. The thing is mortal minds are not meant for the things I've seen and some days the visions come so thick and fast I can barely tell if I'm seeing what is, what was, or what may be... Still my nights are Acavna's and Acavna's alone, for I dream of none other.
You could say I was borne for this, the fact I was borne five hundred years too early, was... irritating.
Note: I'm a mean person. This is your warning.
I welcome feedback! Kaejo could use a lot more development,
I was planning for the Aspis Consortium to have a presence in the campaign, so a history with them works well.
Weaving some of the Acavna influence more deftly into his backstory couldn't hurt. He's been having strange dreams about a jungle temple not too far from his area of operation; how has this affected him? Your character would have the most information about the general area so making as many connections between known locations in the Mwangi expanse would be helpful.
Do you think the backstory needs more hooks?
At the risk of sounding harsh, you don't really have any. You have lots of goals and expectations, but that's not what a hook is. A character hook is a grabby (that word means "grabs the audiences attention") character trait that can be used as a springboard for various events and subplots. The idea is that you hook the audience like a fish so you can reel them in. It's hard to pin down anything specific about your character background that stands out and gives us a sense of who they are.
There's no way to summarize your character at this point; it's just a collection of facts. They don't come together to form a picture. If you had to summarize the role your character would play in the party, say for the front of the packaging of his action figure, what would that be?
The best "hook" you have so far is the the sun/moon thing, and it doesn't exactly excite my imagination as-is. I don't really see what your plans for it are. What kind of subplots could involve it? Split loyalty can be so much fun if you really get into it, but as it stands your character just seems to have two gods because they're wishywashy.
If you want to play up the sun/moon thing you need a compelling reason why your character supports either god, and they should both be very different. "I just sort of grew up worshiping this other guy and didn't bother to stop..." doesn't make for a compelling loyalty split. The first time you have a moral dilemma the obvious solution is "drop the sun god, who cares anyway?". If, however, you have a more pressing personal reason to worship the sun god then those dilemmas have actual teeth and can lead to drama.
What your backstory really needs is a central image; something that all of the parts add up to.
This philosophy directly conflicting with Han'ei' internal thirst for justice, he strikes out on his own, searching for new meaning.
There should be an inciting event for this.
He lives in and according to the laws of the jungle: might makes right, but community dominates
This is neat; this is a good campaign for a sort of Tarzany attitude.
Edit: There are more posts that piled up while I wrote this post. This thread is like the mail: IT NEVER STOPS.
I'll get to everyone but I'm just one man. If I seem to be skipping over something you attempted to bring to my attention don't hesitate to repost.
Is it fair to say that Shams needs to be 'pulpier'?
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Together with his new parents, Celestia and Aeris, they traveled roads in Katapesh, ventured the Mana Wastes, treasure-hunted across the Mwangi Expanse, and reached as far as the Sodden Lands. They taught him the mysterious ways of the Tian monk, the common tongue of Golarion, and many other useful skills from around the world. Perhaps the second time Acavna moved to Azrin's aid was there in the Sodden Lands, when he fell ill and was unable to accompany his parents on their voyage towards the outer winds of the Eye of Abendego in search of lost lore of Aroden. Though he waited for months, his parents never returned; he alone remained.
Azrin sailed north for Azir out of anger against the gods for his ill fortune of being orphaned yet again. There he outwardly scorned religion while secretly studying religious texts in a desperate grasping for understanding his fate. However, no god or devil eased his despair or helped fulfill his deep desire for home and family. But perhaps the third time Acavna turned her gaze towards Azrin was now, in the depth of his sorrow in the streets of Port Godless. In his dreams she spoke to him, showing him towers of majesty and lanes of glory in the city of lost Azlant. When he began to exhibit divine powers, he knew the dreams were sent from the goddess herself as a message and a calling to him. He spent a year tracking down the final lost temple of Acavna, his new, immortal mother, until he finally arrived in the gods-forsaken jungle in which he now stands. "Acavna save me from whatever savages these may be."
You could say I was borne for this, the fact I was borne five hundred years too early, was... irritating.
You've got my interest, but I need the OOC details.
Kierk survived and managed to escape to the mainland, probably more through divine guidance than anything,
Maybe he sold his life to Acavna in return for being allowed to go on living? He wouldn't even have had to understand what he did, maybe in desperation and with little knowledge of theology he said a prayer to "any god that would listen".
I would love to flesh this out more if you are interested, but if you aren't, I don't want to add any more clutter to the thread lol
Seems like you've got a good base going here. I'm not sure how much opportunity he's going to have to pursue revenge against pirates being deep in the landlocked Mwangi Expanse, but you never know.
I would like to see a more fleshed out version of this character.
To date however no amount of scheming or machinations have allowed him any upward mobility in the heavily stratified society he comes from. Frustrated and angry when the dreams begin, he suddenly has a new avenue to power before him - after all, if there is to be a new kingdom, who better to run it? If not in his own name then as considerable influence behind the throne.
You've got a good start until you get to this point; you (the PCs) are not so much a legitimate organization preparing to found a kingdom inasmuch as you are religious fanatics on an insane pilgrimage to the ends of the earth because a dream told you that you'd be able to resurrect the greatest empire the planet ever knew.
I bring this up because your version of the story seems to hinge on the plan actually being sound. It's not. The only reason it has a chance is because the people attempting it are PCs. Any intelligent evaluation of the situation would predict failure. So we need to learn how the dreams affected your character, and why he's going along with all this madness.
Is it fair to say that Shams needs to be 'pulpier'?
Yes and no. Being pulpier I imagine would help, but that's not the only option. Broader might be a better term, but even then that's more something that your pitch needs rather than the actual character. I need to get a sense of what he looks like far away before I can appreciate all the little details of seeing him up close.
Take Batman for example. Depending on the portrayal Batman can be an incredibly nuanced and psychologically well developed character (can be). But no matter how complex a portrayal, you can sum up his backstory super easy: his parents were killed by criminals when he was young, and this twisted him to the point where he feels compelled to wage a one man war against crime in his adulthood.
Now there's all kinds of cool little tibits about Batman you can add to this, but until you have the core of the character, which is the obsession born from childhood tragedy, they just don't have the same impact.
I don't have a core to hang all your little tidbits on yet. We don't know any of the Whys of the character. It's difficult to form a picture in my mind of who he is: he's a bard I guess, and he has dreams, and he's nice to people. He has plans to be diplomatic. None of these are evocative.
What's this guy's personality? Don't tell me nice, he's neutral good, they're all nice. What motivates the kind of cognitive dissonance that causes a person to have two patron deities? You have a lot of unusual stuff in your background and not a lot of reasons for it, and those reasons would form the core of your character's personality. You could be a meek pawn of the gods or so proud that you believe no one god can handle you.
He spent a year tracking down the final lost temple of Acavna,
Actually, instead he met up with other people who were equally crazy while tracking down the temple, who he recognized from some of his dreams, and together you arranged for an expedition to the temple.
Remember: we're starting with you guys setting off on your journey to the temple.
I've been mulling something's over, and I think I'm changing up my initial thought on a barbarian to go with the Mad Dog archetype.
From the time he was 3, Govara would have these dreams of another place and time. As speaking about these dreams tended to draw the wrong kind of attention from his peers and older kids, he had a tendency to keep them to himself, although he did speak with his mother from time to time about them and she would say that dreams should be listened to and encourage him to follow them and see where they take him. As he grew into his teens, his dreams took him to the older time, but with a lizard-like creature at his side. While he had always had an affinity for the animals of the jungle and spent much time alone with them, he didn't recognize the creature in his dreams.
His destiny as he saw it unfolded when the riverbank gave way beneath him during a storm and he fell into the river, swept away quickly downstream. He awoke to the sensation of sharp teeth digging into his shoulder and being pulled to shore. When he opened his eyes after the sensation stopped, he looked up into the eyes of a creature much like the one in his dream, and it seemed to regard him with more of a curiosity than anything. Seeing this as a sign, he reached out to the creature much like he would have a pet dog or wolf that his clan kept, and it responded in a friendly manner. Heading back upriver, he found the creature following him all the way home. And like any teen, he decided to keep him, much to the astonishment of the others in the clan who received an icy glare and hiss from the creature whenever they approached it.
Thoughts?
Ah, somehow I got it in my head that we all were acting independently until we recently met, discovering we had a shared objective.
You did, but that would have happened prior to leaving for the temple.
You all ended up somewhere in Sargava, some actively looking for the temple some by coincidence, and slowly met up realizing that you were the other people from your dreams. From there it was an obvious step to form a sort of adventuring party to head out to the temple.
I should point out that the one dream everyone has involves all of the PCs in the temple performing a ritual of worship to Acavna. It's the most common dream and the most vivid.
Other thoughts?
I'd maybe have had him be a street kid instead of being in an orphanage, but that's just my personal idiosyncrasies.
You keep mention Tian so I'm guessing you're taking at least a level of monk.
I think in general you've got a nice mix of formative experiences and mystery going. I like the idea of you turning away from religion and in so doing becoming the priest of a dead goddess.
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Ah, somehow I got it in my head that we all were acting independently until we recently met, discovering we had a shared objective.You did, but that would have happened prior to leaving for the temple.
Well then that should mesh with the story I wrote, shouldn't it?
Other thoughts?I'd maybe have had him be a street kid instead of being in an orphanage, but that's just my personal idiosyncrasies.
I'd thought about it, but I'd rather his parents both be dead by the time he's born (and the streets can't raise infants). I mean, they don't have to be *actually* dead, but he thinks they are anyway...
You keep mention Tian so I'm guessing you're taking at least a level of monk.
I'm actually going mostly monk, taking a 1-level dip in cleric as a representation of his connection to Acavna.
I can't say why, but I've always wanted to play an Osirian monk.
I got you Captain, the insight that the PCs have to be freaking nuts to do this actually helps a lot. I think I might be able to get it to work better.
Well then that should mesh with the story I wrote, shouldn't it?
Everything except the bit where he meets them at the temple.
(and the streets can't raise infants)
Tell that to the streets.
I'm actually going mostly monk, taking a 1-level dip in cleric as a representation of his connection to Acavna.
That would have been useful information; I got the impression you were planning on playing primarily a priest.
the fact I was borne five hundred years too early, was... irritating
Realizing he would die long before Acavna's rebirth, Thomas was willing to do almost anything to be there for her. My favorite ideas for how he might have done this are:
1. Thomas made a (probably very unwise) bargain with a powerful entity and was sent forward in time for future services rendered, likely something onerous. Perhaps as a kicker, Thomas has to go back at some point, or really bad things happen.
2. Thomas discovered and deliberately fell afoul of some kind of magic trap that held him in stasis for 500 years. Some powerful entity set that trap, and it most assuredly has taken notice.
As far as crunch goes. I'm thinking of a human wizard, probably divination school, going firmly for battlefield control. I can dial the system mastery as high or as low as needed to fit in with the rest of the party.
Edit: One thing I should mention is I'm on GMT. I noticed this thread gets a lot of activity when I'm sleeping. Depending on when people post this may be a problem in game.
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I've been mulling something's over, and I think I'm changing up my initial thought on a barbarian to go with the Mad Dog archetype.
Is there a reason your character lacks the birthmark, or is that just a piece of fluff to keep him from being the chief?
I'm guessing you're going with Dreams of Lost Azlant as your campaign trait.
The connection to a local tribe could work to your advantage; if you could add them to your nation you'd have citizens who actually know the jungle.
I'd like to hear more about who the character is. Is he a proud tribal warrior? He kind of comes off as a bit of a softy in your background, but that's likely because he's constantly juxtaposed with a tribal society.
When did he decide to leave his tribe to go off in search of his dreams?
Fair enough. Julius has always had aspirations to grandeur, believed that he was meant for something more - hardly unusual. Once acvana began visiting his dreams however, and revealed him to be of Azlanti royal descent ( perhaps he is a bastard who his mother has been concealing from his supposed father) he knew he was special. His ambition will permit nothing less than the refounding of his birthright.
And if disappearing into the jungle allows him to stay one step ahead of his various creditors, cuckolded husbands and angry officials, so much the better!
This, I like. He should definitely be a secret bastard: the legitimate heir to a throne that doesn't exist, and the illegitimate heir to one that does.
My favorite ideas for how he might have done this are:
This idea works better thematically if you're a cleric or a paladin, but what if you were all part of Acavna's Death Note style plan to resurrect herself in the future after foreseeing both her own death and it's necessity? So your character is, in fact, in stasis in the very temple in the jungle that the other PCs are heading to. It would be a delayed introduction but it would be a neat one.
We'd have to get a handle on ancient Azlanti culture and how it differs from modern Golarion, because that would be a major major character trait. Maybe a vaguely Thor-like vibe to it. *Smash* ANOTHER!
I'm perfectly happy to play a paladin or a cleric too, with a preference towards paladin.
Edit: the idea of a death pact is pretty awesome, I'd be happy to go along with that. Reminds me of the way real world pharaohs where interred with their entire household, yet in Golorion they actually got resurrected.
You could say I was borne for this, the fact I was borne five hundred years too early, was... irritating.You've got my interest, but I need the OOC details.
Kierk survived and managed to escape to the mainland, probably more through divine guidance than anything,Maybe he sold his life to Acavna in return for being allowed to go on living? He wouldn't even have had to understand what he did, maybe in desperation and with little knowledge of theology he said a prayer to "any god that would listen".
I would love to flesh this out more if you are interested, but if you aren't, I don't want to add any more clutter to the thread lolSeems like you've got a good base going here. I'm not sure how much opportunity he's going to have to pursue revenge against pirates being deep in the landlocked Mwangi Expanse, but you never know.
I would like to see a more fleshed out version of this character.
In terms of how he survived... could selling to Acavna work yet? Isn't she at this point still a "dead" goddess who can't interact with the world?
The ancient Azlanti are usually described as being arrogant... I suspect the culture shock from meeting past and present would be significant.
Think about it, the Azlanti were top dogs, they'd shown those aboleths who was boss, or so they thought. Now when they come out, the world has changed beyond recognition, perhaps even the very stars are different.
Nobody except for this motley band of crazies at the temple who speak pigeon Azlanti has ever heard of Acavna. Who are all these new so called gods, and why is there this thing called the inner sea?
In terms of how he survived... could selling to Acavna work yet? Isn't she at this point still a "dead" goddess who can't interact with the world?
That is not dead which can eternal lie.
She's dead, but it hasn't seemed to stop her from interacting with the world up until this point. She is arranging her own resurrection and she had no trouble recruiting the other people for it. I figure she doesn't receive prayers normally, but maybe she's still listening when people just put stuff out into the astral.
She's already in the business of picking champions, so if someone out there was like "Hey any god, I'll do anything if you save me" and they had useful skills, well...
Nobody except for this motley band of crazies at the temple who speak pigeon Azlanti
That's true. All your languages picks would have to be for dead languages and you'd need to learn Common in-game. That'd be pretty funny. Although presumably someone who speaks Common can understand spoken Azlanti, at least enough to get by. Like if someone from Paris comes to Quebec; they might not like the way the Quebecois sound but they understand it.
Azlanti is made out to be totally obscure in other campaigns I've played. I think learning common would be needed!
Azlanti is made out to be totally obscure in other campaigns I've played. I think learning common would be needed!
Well I was trying to go easy on you, but if you prefer authenticity I'm happy to oblige.
Just make sure you share a language in common with at least one PC. Pantomime is only fun in person.
Is there a reason your character lacks the birthmark, or is that just a piece of fluff to keep him from being the chief?
i actually had it in mind that the birthmark (maybe more of a waning crescent) was some last tie to Acavna. The character is the first of the new generation without the mark (symbolic of the new moon).
I'm guessing you're going with Dreams of Lost Azlant as your campaign trait.
correct :)
The connection to a local tribe could work to your advantage; if you could add them to your nation you'd have citizens who actually know the jungle.
I'd like to hear more about who the character is. Is he a proud tribal warrior? He kind of comes off as a bit of a softy in your background, but that's likely because he's constantly juxtaposed with a tribal society.
He's always been a bit smaller and weaker than most of the warriors in the clan. Even though he's the cheiftain's son, he's still always had to prove himself that he belongs and is worthy of his place. He is a very proud warrior, and since he found his companion, others have begun to see his inner strength as well. At times maybe he's a bit too cautious, but that a lot of the time his wariness works for him instead.
When did he decide to leave his tribe to go off in search of his dreams?
as his dreams have become closer together and stronger, he's felt that it's time to follow them. It's been a few months, and he's been a bit overwhelmed with civilization when he's visited, so he's spent most of his time in the wilderness, occasionally coming across someone in need, and his tribal instinct is to help and protect those around him.
I'm also open to any and all suggestions as well. :)
Alright, here is the further fleshing out. I have a full backstory as well. I will post both, and let you choose whichever one you want to mess with lol.
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Broken from the loss of his father, humbled by the sacrifice of someone else's life for his, yet still filled with the arrogance and rage of youth, Kierk is left to wander in search of something he can't quite name; revenge, or maybe redemption, or some combination of the two.
Additional fleshing out:
The task that Kierk chose to prove to his father his readiness to join his crew, was to board a rival ship captain's vessel, a known worshipper of Nergal, and steal his personal idol. He almost succeeded, but a single mistake caused the alarm to sound and he was captured. He was sentenced to hang, as every pirate knew it was illegal to steal from other pirates, this sentence shocked know one, but seeing his father, Shaucey Tarsi, step forward and take his place was something no one expected. Soon, Kierk's dad was swinging from the end of a rope and his son was forced to watch.
To uphold his end of the bargain, Maud'el, the rival captain, marooned him on a lonely rock in the middle of the ocean. The expectation was that Kierk would die shortly there after, for Maud'el, it was upholding his end of the bargain. However, against all odds, Kierk managed to survive for more than a year on the island that was less than a quarter of a mile long. He had no trouble finding food, but water and shelter were difficult. Yet, as if by luck, (or in hindsight, divine guidance) Keirk never seemed to struggle finding fuel and material to survive. After a year collecting wood and other materials he made a raft and escaped the island to the mainland.
While on the island though, Kierk had to cope with his father's death. As a young man, he sought for anyone to blame other than himself. He blamed Maud'el, the cruel terrible rival of his father, but more than that, he blamed the demon god Nergal, who for some reason seemed to protect the despicable Maud'el. As he remembered that night, he blamed Nergal for the single mistake that caused his idyllic life to come crashing down. For the entire year, his hatred for Nergal grew, and became a consuming thought above all else. It is what drove him to escape, and when he landed, it is what drove him for the better part of 2 years.
For 2 years, once he made it to the mainland, Kierk waged a crusade against the cult of Nergal worship. Wherever he found it, he sought to destroy it. He killed worshippers, he tore down buildings, and he all manner of sacred writings. What he took pleasure in more than anything else was destroying the idols and statues that he found in these enclaves. He was convinced that he was doing what was right, waging this crusade in the name of justice. But in reality, he was running from the truth, a truth that one of his dreams showed him. He had been having dreams, but he thought they were given in approval of his crusade. However, one night, not far outside of Sargava, he was given a crystal clear look at the night his life changed forever. As he relived that night, he saw details, and noticed things he didn't remember. He realized that the mistake wasn't the cruel act of a demon, but a mistake that he had made in haste. And he realized that his father, wasn't a victim, but was a hero, who had chosen to lay down his life for his son. That single dreamed shattered the life that Kierk had built, a life of rage and vengeance. And in its place, a longing to find whoever it was that had given him the dreams.
Kierk Tarsi never knew his mother, but that didn't seem to bother him all that much, he was much to busy growing up aboard his Shaucey Tarsi's pirate ship, The Pegasus. He learned to swim before he could walk, he was climbing rigging before he could talk coherently, and as a 5 year old could out curse many a sailor. Kierk had, what he thought, the perfect life. His father, was about as good a man as a pirate can be, lived religiously by the Pirate Code and taught his crew and his son to do the same thing. As he got older, however, Shaucey became more and more protective of his son. When Kierk was 15, he and his father argued about whether he could join the crew or not. His father, the captain, had the final say, and nothing Kierk did could convince him. He was sent to his bunk with the command to stay out of the way as always.
That was the final straw, Kierk, a strong, athletic young man, knew he had much to offer his father and the crew. He wanted to help, but it seemed as though his father might never let him. So he resolved to prove to his father how helpful he could be. His target was Maud'el Hiphen, a rival captain in the ranks of the Hurricane King's grand pirate armada. Maud'el and Shaucey weren't just different, they lived in completely different realities. Shaucey's rule was that you never looted, plundered, or stole from someone who was in need. Maud'el made a career off of pillaging tiny villages barely surviving. Shaucey believed in honor, and integrity, Maud'el required a sword to be at his neck before he would give his word about anything, and even then he would barely keep. But, in the Hurricane King's armada, sometimes it was results that counted, and Shaucey and Maud'el were both mid-ranking captains because of it.
No one from the Pegasus associated with, or liked any of Maud'el's crews, and often they had had bloody bar fights, or duels in the street, not an entirely uncommon thing in the Shackles. But Maud'el was also known to be a part of the cult of Nergal worship. He claimed that Nergal's blessing was the reason for his success and he bragged about how Nergal had taught him cruelty. Kierk decided that he would steal Maud'el's Nergal idol while he was sleeping. His plan worked perfectly, he boarded the ship silently, swimming under ship's bows and climbing the mooring lines. He snuck into the captain's cabin and found the idol statue he was looking for. He had it in his hands but as he turned to leave, he tripped and fell, waking the rival captain. Within moments, Maud'el had confined the young man to the brig and promised a swift and cruel trial in the morning.
The trial came, and much to Kierk's chagrin, his father, Shaucey was there. A pirate caught stealing from another pirate ship is condemned to a quick and painful end at the end of a rope from the rigging. Kierk knew the code, he knew the law, and he knew what his punishment would be. As Maud'el sentenced him, Shaucey moved forward and announced, "I will give my life in exchange for this young man's life." To add to that, he threw a bag of gold and gems at Maud'el's feet. It was legal, but it was an unheard of move in such instances. It was a bargain too good for Maud'el to refuse. His rival's life and some treasure to boot, in exchange for the life of the little thief. WIth a wicked smile, Maud'el didn't even think it over. "Done!" And within minutes his father's body hung from the yardarm of the ship.
Kierk was taken by Maud'el to a desolate tiny rock that stuck out of the ocean. He was miles from anything but waves, yet here Maud'el left him. "Your father's deal was that you would be allowed to live. I have stuck to the deal. Staying alive might be a different story though." Yet survive he did. He lived on that island for a year, somehow managing to survive. Food was easy, fish were plentiful, but water and shelter were the difficulties. However, as luck (or divine guidance) would have it, enough driftwood and wreckage washed against his island, that he was able to build a shelter, and soon he had enough to turn into a raft. He sailed west, and was shocked that it took him a week before he hit a shore. Thankfully though, it was the mainland.
During his time on the island, Kierk had been forced to deal with his father's death. He couldn't handle the thought that he might be guilty of his father's death, so, as most young men will do, he looked for others to blame. He settled on two. The easy one was Maud'el, but the other, was what would shape him later on; he begin to blame the demon god Nergal. What kind of deity would have a worshipper like Maud'el? Obviously not one worthy of worship, but rather, one worthy of being destroyed. As he did his best to survive on the island, he was increasingly consumed with the idea that Nergal had somehow killed his father. It was misguided, it was justification at best, but it helped Kierk survive, and it inevitably shaped him once he made it to the mainland.
He landed some miles southeast of Sargava, but didn't waste anytime. He was a broken soul looking for healing, and he had convinced himself while in isolation, that his healing, his redemption, would come by tearing down and destroying that which destroyed and tore down his own life. Nergal. He searched for the better part of a year, consumed with the desire to destroy the demon god. He found pockets here and there. When he did, he would find some young men, normally at the local tavern, and tell them as many nightmarish tales about the worship of Nergal as he could dream up. He would convince them to share in his vengeance, and soon the enclave, temple, or otherwise was destroyed and scattered.
His first dream came after he destroyed his first cult member on the mainland. It was a vivid image of a chamber and what he knew to be Nergal's enemy be raised back to life. He was there, as were others he didn't know. He assumed this to be a good omen, and continued in his self-justified vendetta. Soon the dreams were constant, sometimes it was the image of the chamber. Sometimes, it was a vision of a moon, more beautiful and radiant than any he had ever seen. Sometimes, it was of a statue of his father hanging from a yardarm, with a beautiful maiden tending a garden near it. They didn't make sense, but those dreams drove him. However, one night, just a day's journey from Sargava, 3 years after Kierk had been marooned, he had the clearest dream to date.
It was of that night, in Maud'el's cabin. He saw the idol of Nergal, the target of his hatred, and he saw his hands, reach out and grab them. But this time, he saw what he had missed the first time. A sword out of its sheath, lay beside Maud'el's bunk. He didn't see it because it was dark, or because he was in a hurry, or because he wasn't looking for it. That night he realized, Nergal hadn't sought him out or tried to ruin his life, in fact, Nergal had no power over him. He realized that night, that the mistake was all his. Filled with grief and guilt, Kierk tried to wake up, but the dream held him in place. And the sham of a trial was wrapping up. He heard the word's of Maud'el's sentence, and then, in that moment, he remembered his father, step forward, place a hand on his shoulder and say, "I am doing this because I love you."
He woke up in a cold sweat. Tears streaming down his face, his last 3 years of self-denial, of justified revenge and chaos, were shattered by the crystal clear light of truth. He had made a mistake, his father was right, he hadn't been ready, and yet, even still, his father, made the choice, he decided to sacrifice himself because he believed his son was worth it. It was a life-changing moment, and it had been given by whoever was giving him the dreams. The blind and all consuming rage that had filled him was replaced with a longing deeper than an ocean to find whomever had given him his dreams. This longing drove him to Sargava, where he met with others like him, with dreams like his, with faces he recognized from his dreams. And as the talked, as the shared with one another, their purpose became clear. Acavna had given him the dreams, and Acavna was who he, and they as a group would be seeking.
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I know that is a lot, but my wife got sick and I had the night free, so off I went. In terms of specifics, the character trait was "Enemy of my Enemy."
I am sticking with the Human Fighter (Corsair) at least to begin with, though I am assuming that he will have changed as well over the years. Possibly a couple levels in inquisitor, or barbarian to represent the crusade he went on. After that, maybe a paladin? I don't know, with that background I think there are a lot of options crunch wise that I would love to explore and hashout.
That last part about the savages was just for laughs.
Also, I didn't realize you thought I was going full cleric. I only asked about domains. I had a potential cleric concept in mind, but decided to go with this instead. Is that cool?
Well I was kind of hoping to get a cleric of Acavna in there somewhere. I sort of had you pegged for the high priest role. Whatever, you can fill any role with an NPC.
Nobody ever wants to be the cleric.
Okay, I don't relish the idea of this thread kicking my ass all day tomorrow, so I was planning on making my picks tonight at midnight (technically Friday) but I've made them now and I see no point in jerking anyone around for three hours. If I knew I'd get this kind of interest I never would have had this long a recruitment period.
This was hard, and my short list turned out to not be short enough. Even when I significantly increased the number of players I took I couldn't take everyone I wanted to. It just sucks when there's more cool people interested in a game than you can possibly make room for. I ended up with these final 8:
Azrin, Osirion Human Monk
Abelard Caromarc-Gammel, Lovecraftian Wizard
Andrezi, Sargavan Sorcerer
Kierk, Pirate owned by the goddess
Julius, the nobleman
Jubal Breakbottle's unnamed Sauran Druid
Wilhelm, the knight
(Not a lot of letter variety there guys, could get confusing)
I am going to let anyone who still has high interest sign up for a waiting list, because attrition is high in online games so there's a strong possibility one or more slots will open up. I wish I could do more but I'm just one person and I have other games.
Everyone on the list: it's time to start statting up your characters. There's no rush, I specifically asked you guys to wait until now, but the faster you get done the faster we can get into the game. I could hypothetically start now if everyone had characters.
Now, a note:
I took more players than I was expecting, but you guys have to meet me halfway by splitting up into two groups most of the time. When there's something appropriately epic you can show up in force, I'm not trying to forbid it, but most of the time if you, say, decide to explore hexes you should split up into two groups and each explore a hex so I'm not dealing with 8 person combats every time. And I don't think you guys want to have to wait for 8 people every time a round gets posted either. It also lets you get stuff done twice as fast (or three times), and tailor the composition of groups to the task at hand, and frankly if 8 badasses were ruling a kingdom they wouldn't all go everywhere together like the babysitter's club.
Speaking of hexes, who is familiar with the kingmaker stuff? I'm happy to explain it but I want to know who has experience with the system.
I definitely would like to be on the Waiting list.. :)
I got you Captain, the insight that the PCs have to be freaking nuts to do this actually helps a lot. I think I might be able to get it to work better.
They're not crazy if they're right! And of course my guy is right- he's a scientist, not some crackpot streetcorner charlatan! *twitch*
(Not a lot of letter variety there guys, could get confusing)
I can go with another given name for Abe. How about Dexter? Actually, how about Charles Dexter Caromarc-Gammel, but he goes by Dexter?
Speaking of hexes, who is familiar with the kingmaker stuff? I'm happy to explain it but I want to know who has experience with the system.
I'm familiar with KM/Ult. Campaign kingdom building.
Thanks for letting me play, by the way.
Actually, how about Charles Dexter Caromarc-Gammel, but he goes by Dexter?
Charles is a fabulous name, I wholeheartedly support it.
Thank you for picking me. I shall try to have the stats for Wilhelm up sometime tonight.
I was going to name him Arzan for Tarzan and Azlanti start names with vowels, but three characters with A names are enough. So we get Urzan.
I'll work on him tomorrow. Bed now. Work tomorrow morning.
@Captain
How many animals can I Call and train? I can Call Animal and Wartrain Mount to get them into a corral, then use Handle Animal to train them.
cheers
How many animals can I Call and train? I can Call Animal and Wartrain Mount to get them into a corral, then use Handle Animal to train them.
You'll have to see in game. You'll be able to have some wicked cool cavalry by the time you get to the point of having armies.
For those unfamiliar with Kingmaker: there's armies.
Thoughts on Wilhelm and Julius.
These are our two Azlanti Nobles, and so the two obvious choices for your king. To make things interesting let's say that Wilhelm is the direct heir of the first Azlanti King, since as a Lawful/Good knight he's probably a stronger leader, and Julius is the direct heir of the last Azlanti King, giving him a slightly better claim since he's a slightly worse candidate (you know you are, you just want power).
With this many players we definitely have to leave this decision to be figured out in-character. Factions could even form. You might have to go with a third compromise king. POLITICS!
This sounds great! Pumped about playing this game, thanks for the pick Capt.
In terms of crunch, Capt. do you have any thoughts about classes for Kierk? I started with the idea of going 4 levels corsair archtype, but I don't even know if 1 is necessary. I like the idea of him being a damage dealer...
planning on a 16/16/14/10/13/12 in terms of stats...
but I want something that fits his background. Would an inquisitor fit well, or should I just do a barbarian for a couple of levels? Also, which would be the better option, going paladin (I picture a change in alignment after his last dream ... from chaotic to lawful, back to the teachings of his father, etc.) from here on, or I could conceivably go cleric, though I would probably need to move stats around a bit.
Any other suggestions for Kierk from background and such?
Inquisitor doesn't really fit. Paladin could be fun, maybe with one level of Corsair if you wanted for flavor. Maybe he started to develop paladin powers against his will once he "sold" his life to Acavna. If you played a paladin perhaps you and Wilhelm could found a knightly order, or reform an old Azlanti one.
Cleric could work on a similar theory.
Barbarian is another way to go with it, like he's still kind of wild but he's gotta do this dumb thing now because gods. Kind of a Titus Pillough sort of vibe, if you're familiar with the TV series Rome. Or straight Corsair, same idea.