GM Endless Forms' Rise of the Runelords (Inactive)

Game Master Mike Tuholski

Spires of Xin-Shalast (Book 6)

Northeast Varisia | Xin-Shalast | Tactical Map

Sandpoint | Sandpoint Hinterlands | Varisia | LOOT!


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Sovereign Court

Hmmm I've being GMing for a while and while I'm sure I cannot match up to some of the others in their backstorys which are excellent and something for me to strive for.
I have Gmed this before about a year or so back and have completed this though I'd be hard pressed to remember certain points about Sandpoint.

I'm currently GMing a few tables here on Pazio PbF and enjoy a good Roleplay, pushing a certain pace and developed my character down with others.

Plush Bell is a joke character created after first steps but it seems no one wants to try him out. Seeing that this is PFS credit ready, thought I'd try out especially under a GM lauded by so many, seeing as most posters here already have a very good time of playing under.

If there's any problems with my character, please do highlight to me. I tried for a story feat and starting feats to hopefully give a feel to his backstory.


I should add that Fen is a Paladin of Ragathiel mostly because Iomedae feels a bit on the nose and because his fluff conveniently mentioned a Cult in Magnimar. I would probably try to play up the connection as he levelled, in my head he is the child of a female Paladin of Ragathiel who perished in Varisia, murdered during child birth. Ragathiel himself removed the babe and used his divine inspiration to place him where he was needed.

Sovereign Court

Divine intervention for Fen and probabely marked for greatness by Ragathiel.


Helgarr is pretty much done, except for the story feat.

EndlessForms:

While I can understand and fully agree with your post regarding 'making high quality posts that stands out from the crowd', and in spite of being very interested in participating in your game, I will not make any particular post about my character with RP tidbits, etc.

I understand it will probably hurt my application but:

- I dislike the avalanche of RP posts that it usually entails - it makes me feel I am in a competition, instead of in a cooperative game (please keep in mind this is a personal opinion, and I have absolutely nothing against the selection method, or the people that participate in it - just wanted to make that clear) where people try to be the most original or different poster;

- Sometimes I enjoy deeply fleshing my characters regardless of whether they will participate in a game, but some other times I do not, because it frustrates me if I don't get picked [again, just a personal point of view :D], and also because bringing the character to life fully during the game is what I am into at the time.

Why all this? Just wanted to say I am still applying, but wanted also to offer a reason why you will not find bits and pieces of RP from Helgarr or other similar partial texts, etc. I'll keep fleshing her background as time permits, so as to give the best idea possible about who Helgarr is though.

Cheers.


Background updated to provide the information required as a base justification for the Story Feat Unforgotten (while leaving the specifics a complete unknown). There is no guarantee that Kizzy Purrun is still alive, still a Purrun or that reuniting with her will require overcoming some great opposition.

There's also plenty of opportunity to stumble upon the other three siblings, or not. Loiza, the brother, is the one most likely to be doing something completely different and unexpected from how he left Sandpoint.

Edit:

Helgarr: I understand and empathize. Heck, Gudada's detail has slowly increased as I delve deeper into the character each time I try to get him into an RotRL game so that he can actually go through this story line.

The best bits were during the original character creation, which is part of why I like the character as much as I do and keep trying to get him into a successful RotRL game. Some of the other good bits were added (or altered) during recruitments where he wasn't selected!


Quick dot and expression of interest in a dwarf sohei/celestial sorcerer/eldritch knight build. I don't have pathfinder society experience yet. But am familiar with the concept and intend to. So credit would be used. It's veeery late and I need sleep so I will leave it at this for now.


Curious: will there be, with player encouragement through roleplay, a chance to develop the presence of NPCs in this game, or do you prefer to keep most of the dialogue between PCs? I've seen GMs that go both ways, some feeling that a lot of roleplay with NPCs fleshes out the world, and others preferring not to take the spotlight off the PCs (or that one player and an NPC interacting too much is essentially roleplay masturbation).


PFS 7514-10

Updating of material and whatnot for character concept. Also on profile.

Appearance :

Hidetsugu Rissi is a black furred Ratfolk with a white mark running down her left flank. In private, she is typically laden with vials and scrolls, and has a small, grey-furred rat mounted to her shoulder. In public, she favors heavy robes to disguise her appearance from people of the Inner Seas, who might mistake her for some manner of monster.

History:

Rissi grew up in a traveling Ratfolk caravan, a particularly adventurous group originally hailing from distant Tian-Xia but most recently traveling between Magnimar, Katheer, Katapesh, Oppara, Absalom, and the Darklands. This particular caravan specialized in purchase and sale of exotic magical trinkets and alchemical mixtures, and filled a unique niche by doing business between the surface races and those of the Darklands.

Rissi's family is relatively small for a Ratfolk; she has three siblings, all younger sisters. Her parents are Hidetsugu Rikkan, a tinkerer, and Thikka his wife and assistant. Her parents frequently busy with caravan related business, Rissi was tasked to act as Eldest Sister and surrogate mother to her sisters Jix, Kitch and Nehm. Such duties instilled a great sense of duty and responsibility, perhaps with just a tinge of resentment, as she bathed, fed, groomed and tutored her younger sisters as the family grew.

Extensive exposure to different cultures during her travels and the self-discipline of her familial duties helped Rissi to grow into a thoughtful you woman. In truth, she was a blossoming genius. Drawing widely upon the magical and scientific talents of her caravan and communities she visited, she began to learn the workings of alchemy and magic. This varied learning coupled strongly with her natural Ratfolk tendency to tinker, and she began to perform small prestidigitations to aid her in her chores.
Her sisters were much more carefree and mischievous, flirting frequently with the males of the caravan and testing Eldest Sister's resolve and authority. Naturally mischevious (some might say roguish), the waged a war of subterfuge and dirty tricks on Eldest Sister. To the dread of their parents, the war escalated in to small fights and a certain amount of property damage. The conflict eventually reached a head, and Rissi pulled out her secret weapon: a cantrip she created to their fur a splotchy green shade. After a period of sincere apology, she undid the magic and a détente ensued.

The caravan master observed the minor war from afar, and noted Rissi's blossoming talents in magic. She aided Rissi's family in sponsoring her to the prestigious - and open-minded - arcanamirium , where she learned the ways of wizardry and enjoyed the sights and sounds of Absalom. Of course, when not on the school grounds she had to dress in heavy robes to travel around town unmolested, as is the way with ratfolk. She learned the Halfling tongue and some magic to aid her (admitted poor) disguises, and frequented the many bookshops and libraries of the Wise quarter, indulging a growing passion for history and geography.

She concluded her studies in few years, and returned to assist her family. In this time her sisters had grown: Jix and Kitch savvy traders, and Nehm a skilled leatherworker and carpenter. They plied the trade routes for another year, gradually heading Northwest to Janderhoff to visit the Mage Smiths, as well as the city of Kaer Maga. They headed to western Varisia as the spring thawed the winter snows. The caravan intended to visit Magnimar, as well as some of the upper reaches of Nar-Voth. Magnimar was of interest to Rissi on account of the golemworks there, and she still hopes to visit them someday.

Unfortunately, the group was assaulted near their destination by a rather violent and large group of goblins. Her protective instincts, quick thinking and numerous sleep spells proved a boon in saving the lives of her family; unfortunately, much of the rest of caravan was not as lucky in their escape. Many ratfolk were killed and scattered in the wilds of Varisia.

Her family chose to flee to the nearest city - Sandpoint - where they secured a garret in Rat Ally, under the guise of halflings. They have established a small family warren for themselves, where they have resumed their crafts to support themselves. Naturally, the family generally keeps to themselves most of the time. Rissi resumed her alchemy and wizardry activities to help support her family; procuring supplies with the aid of her magical guises for herself and the rest of her family. These gathering activites also provided her an excuse to explore the new city.

She is still relatively new to this city, but her natural Ratfolk curiosity has already led her to make many interesting discoveries about this city. She is intrigued by the iconic light-house. She has made her services as a wizard know, and occasionally she will be asked to identify curios of Thassilonian origin brought in by adventurers or scavengers. She does so enthusiastically, drawing upon her training from the arcanamirium in her identification. She understands the artefacts to be from ancient Thassilon, the culture that invented modern wizardry as she knows it. While her sister and parents yearn to return quickly to the road, Rissi wishes to stay a little longer and study the fascinating culture. In her idle moments, she has been teaching herself Thassilonian history and language, and plans on learning Varisian as well.

Contacts:

Rissi explores the city in heavy robes to mask her features, and she often travels at night. She usually masquerades as a halfling, using disguise self when necessary to remove her heavy robes. She has made tentative contact with some of the merchants and powers in town to facilitate her various business endeavors.

The Kaijitsu family, with their Tian heritage, is particularly fascinating to Rissi. Although she has purchased various flasks, beakers, alembic's and retorts from Lonjiku's glassworks, she has not said more then half a dozen words to the man. Ameiko, on the other hand, has proven to be a treasure trove of lore, as well as being conversant in Tien, which Rissi has always been more comfortable with speaking. She keeps a cordial if distant relationship with Ameriko, trading her tales of caravan travel in exchange for lore of the surrounding area.

She has also made tentative contact with Iloari, and occasionally stealthily follows him while he explores the beaches. She is curious what he searches for, and also is concerned he might encounter problems with goblins.


Dropping a quick note in for my own entry; I am looking to play a half-elf ranger (possibly ranger/wizard) who's interest is primarily in Thassilonian artifacts and pursuing knowledge of that time and place. I will stat her up tonight. As it stands, this is the first Paizo PbP I'm entering, although I have entirely too much experience with the format in other places. Correct me if I slip up in some fashion!


Hi DM, I have run a couple pregens in your PFS stuff before, so I would love to get in in this as well. Spoiler text to follow...

DM:

My thought is a monk (sensei with VoP--vow of poverty) who just got done with initial training. The kicker is, it's a female. She has had to go against the odd her whole life, she was a gutter rat in the streets of Sandpoint. She has been in & out of the justice system for most of her preteen years, and the judge told her that one more screw up and she was done for good.

A local monastery member was in town, heard of this news and took pity upon her. He offered her a way out of her predicament, a way to better herself. She was of course skeptical and refused any help, bullheaded as she was. The monk left the offer on the table and said she could accept at any time.

She disregarded the monks and judges words and went right back to her old ways, thievery. She never stole much, just enough to live on or maybe so "better" tattered clothes to protect her fleshy bits. She couldn't escape a nagging feeling, the words the old monk said, to gain control of oneself, oneself must first accept defeat.. She had no clue what the old man meant, but it kept swirling around in her head for days on end.

It wasn't until the 5th day, that it happened. She stole a loaf of bread and got caught. She was on her way to see the judge and have the book thrown at her, when she passed by the old monk, and their eyes met. Hers was a look of resignation to the fact that her life was all but over. The monk's was a look of sorrow, but with a touch of hope...for her.

The judge was about to hand down the final sentence, hard labor for 20 years, then the monk approached the judge. She didn't know what was said, but the monk leaned in close and looked in her eyes, and saw that she understood his words from before. Perhaps not to the fullest, but at least in the basic sense.

The two went back, and she trained for nearly two decades. She studied the path to enlightenment, and understanding and control over herself. She had forsaken all worldly possessions, in both an atonement for the wrong doing she commuted as a young woman and not having was something she was accustomed to. It was on the eve of her commencement ceremony, she was summoned by her teacher, Master Wei Fu Long, she was told that she could become a teacher, a sensei, and teach others of the "Path" and open others' eyes like hers were opened.

She would do this in Sandpoint, the place she called 'home' in her former life and where she would return. The catch though, she was also tasked in taking in the new cathedral to the six deities.

Any thoughts & opinions welcome from you DM or anyone else who manages to read this wall if text. More text to come later, need sleep :)


Dehrisan wrote:
Curious: will there be, with player encouragement through roleplay, a chance to develop the presence of NPCs in this game, or do you prefer to keep most of the dialogue between PCs? I've seen GMs that go both ways, some feeling that a lot of roleplay with NPCs fleshes out the world, and others preferring not to take the spotlight off the PCs (or that one player and an NPC interacting too much is essentially roleplay masturbation).

This is an interesting question. The (perhaps obvious answer) is a balance of both. Some sections might be dominated by conversations with NPCs. I prefer that everyone participate in these interactions, even if your character is quiet: post something! At least describe how your character reacts to what is being said, even if they don't speak up. In my PFS games I tend not to like the "combat posters" who may post frequently enough during combat but then absolutely disappear for days at a time until the next combat shows up. Someone like that is not showing an interest in the story and as a GM it becomes frustrating to get those people involved.

Ok, end of my rant and back to the question at hand: there will be moments when speaking with NPCs will be very important. There will be other moments (dungeon crawls, for instance), where there aren't any NPCs around. I like to see the characters talking when they have the chance and if there is some good RP going on between rooms I will not interrupt it to push you into the next room; I'll let you have your RP time because I think that's important.

So maybe that didn't answer your questions but it was a little word explosion that came to me when I thought about it.


Ranting is good for the spirit :D


I agree with Helgarr.

Perfect example:

Spoiler:

Think the live sketch Monty Python where mr Eric Idle rants at the travel agency...

Silver Crusade

Word explosion? EndlessForms must have levels in Sound Striker!

Sovereign Court

Nah. Sonic Bloodline. A rare bloodline it is.


Defeating enemies all well and good, but it's the interacting with them first that makes doing so so fun and satisfying. Not to mention interacting with the people that need protecting from the villains to get the motivation to go out there in the first place.


<SUNAMBER> --> A fair enough answer EndlessForms... in the PbP games I play this character in.. I sometimes have to restrain my RP as I have a habit of ...well ...getting deep into character... sometimes, it's not appreciated. I don't want it to become the 'Asherick show'.. but a paladin is a VERY proactive character type. in my opinion and VERY Type A personality.. coupled with my own Type A personality {I happen to the world around me.. its just my stage}.. me playing a paladin can get fairly intense and detailed as a poster. I'll try to avoid the WALLS of text Ashe is most{ahem}..'in'famous for in my RP of <SUNAMBER> Alaerin 'Summerhawke'. :)


This is Escheton's character for consideration. Not quite done yet crunchwise and background still needs to be written, but it's a location and name. Which is always good for lists and tables.

Bold request perhaps, but I was wondering if I could get the starting gold of any other class. Sohei are martial characters, but because they are based off monks, first level ones can barely afford a weapon. Much less armor or a mount(which the campaign trait luckily and happily takes care of). I could do with the 60gp afforded, but I'd prefer a little extra.


I don't think a paladin need be a type A personality, though its true they are often played as such. I generally like to let personality form in play with a few predetermined traits to lead me, but I imagine Fen being more inclined to gentle persuasion and long term guidance than in your face "Thou shalt not!"-ery.

Paladins have a bad reputation for thinking that just because they've got Lawful Good written on their character sheet the rest of the party needs to be bound by that. If anyone has read the Dresden Files - if not I heartily recommend them, but be aware the first two books are far poorer than the rest of the series, though still readable - I think Michael Carpenter is a great example of how I would like to see more paladins played. A character who tries to lead others towards good through his example and gentle concern, etc.


Fen Deverin wrote:

I don't think a paladin need be a type A personality, though its true they are often played as such. I generally like to let personality form in play with a few predetermined traits to lead me, but I imagine Fen being more inclined to gentle persuasion and long term guidance than in your face "Thou shalt not!"-ery.

Paladins have a bad reputation for thinking that just because they've got Lawful Good written on their character sheet the rest of the party needs to be bound by that. If anyone has read the Dresden Files - if not I heartily recommend them, but be aware the first two books are far poorer than the rest of the series, though still readable - I think Michael Carpenter is a great example of how I would like to see more paladins played. A character who tries to lead others towards good through his example and gentle concern, etc.

Haha! To be sure THAT IS the problem Ashe was having! It's not that he was all about 'Thou shall not!'.. no Ashe was always so very merciful and willing or at least desirous to keep killing to a minimum - while his party was so.. 'its evil it dies.. no questions asked or cared!'

Ashe is always leading by example, he NEVER demands things be done his way.. though he always couches his requests to the party in terms that are so reasonable and tactful that it would seem the height of crassness to ignore them! Something one of the players complained about was that Ashe does not demand the party follow his lead...but implores them to do so by his bold actions and deeds that others follow his lead simply because of her personal charm... infuriatingly enough most chose to follow... as he takes all the risks or at least most of them. Ashe convinced a CN pit fighter all about the glory of combat and killing to spare a evil villain when Ashe subdued him ...all because Ashe wanted to turn him over to the authorities to face lawful trail and justice. That pit fighter was a PC. Ashe also convinced the party to spare a Derro npc villain who Ashe later turned over to the church of Pharanma... and with continued attention from Ashe went against his nature and turned form being evil!

So no Ashe was never about 'lawful violent'... he constantly told his party that the paladin ability to detect evil is NOT a license to kill.


I agree, for the most part i have always played my paladins as.. holding themselves to that really almost impossible high standard. Im not saying a paladin needs to you know let his party run rampant but they certainly isnt a need to try and force everyone to be lawful good. Leading by Example is the only way to go. I love the sound of your paladin fen. It would be a blast playing with him im sure.


Non-recruitment related paladin storytime:

I participated in Kingdoms of Kalamar 3.5 organized play campaign. My character at the time also happened to be a (closeted) gay paladin who followed a goddess of love. He was a nice enough fellow, quiet, and not terribly pushy. A good adventuring companion and loyal friend, in short. Being closeted, his sexuality never came up at the gaming table.

Well, almost never. One adventure involved visiting a native tribe seeking allies. Our group was visiting as honored guests, sleeping in the tribe's accommodations after a feast. However, during the middle of the night, the rather sheltered daughter of the chieftain entered my tent. She was bored of her life and seeking a handsome outsider to fulfill desire for passion. Thus, she attempted to seduce my paladin; rather unsuccessfully, as it turns out. There was in fact some note passing to the GM to explain why my character was immune to her charms. I ended up diplomatically talking to her over the course of night, and counseling here to follow her heart, but honor her family at the same time.

The next morning, the chieftain charges into our midst accusing one of the party of having an illicit liaison with his daughter. Being a good paladin, I could not let the lady's honor be besmirched. Nor was I inclined, however, to reveal my character's particular predilections. Needless to say, the following balance of explanations and "minor misdirections of truth" was highly entertaining.

It turns out, if you did fall prey to her charms then a shotgun wedding was in order, and you received a loyal cohort as well as a great RP foil. Still, I ended up with a great story instead, which is perhaps better.


"Awesome. I'll have to write that down."

*Searches her backpack for writing materials.......*


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paladin stories:
I had a situation back in Living greyhawk 3.0 I had a paladin of Mayaheine. In the course of the adventure its a race against another adventuring party. They cheat a bit to get ahead. You run across one of their members in kobold warrens beneath the mountains whom had her eyes put out by kobolds. The rest of the party wanted to leave her behind as dead weight... My paladin instead tied rope to his waist, gave her the end of his 'leash'. Spent the entire adventure guarding her/the party are an anoying rate. End of the mod comes up and the cert for the special cohort is given to me. I ended up with a blind ranged archer speced cohort from that point. I made her my wife. It was funny cause it took another three levels before we got access to the magic to regen her eyes. Her standing orders when combat started..."Just shoot the sound of my voice love. I think i only took like a half dozen arrows to the backside in the course of their adventures.


"Aww...that's nice."
*quickly writes down the story.*

Sovereign Court

Too many Paladins have being played as insensitive people. It takes real skill to RP paladins and bring them to life. Kudos to all of you who have succeeded.


I think that is in part due to the world not being alive for them. If laws and jurisdiction are never addressed and fallen evil foes just sort of disappear instead of get investigated for murder then the murder hobo paladin archetype is very easy to fall into. It's usually equal parts PC and DM that cause the lack of depth and nuance.


EndlessForms: I guess what I was asking is if it is possible for certain NPCs to become regular fixtures of the game, or if you prefer to let them fall by the wayside once their arc or contribution to the story has been finished?

As far as paladins go... I think that in many ways the consensus on what constitutes a lawful good alignment has evolved a lot over the years, but the reputation of paladins has failed to evolve with it. They got a bad rep early on, and now when people think of paladins, they immediately associate them with the LG of the 80s and 90s eras. Rigid, uncompromising, black and white world view. These are the negative aspects that are generally associated with paladins, but there's nothing in their current write-up that actually makes these necessary. The writing of paladins can allow them to be fairly pragmatic (level-headed even!) in their pursuit of good and justice, we just need more people to start playing them that way. Usually followers of Ragathiel give me pause, but I would love to see Fen in action


I didn´t want to make a comment about paladins of ragathiel. They seem to be the most common right now in PFS and many of them also have an oath of vengeance, meaning from level 4 on they can smite much more. Oh and usually they have a greatsword^^

I´m pretty sure paladins can be made into a great roleplay if done well.
I think it´s very unfortunate that the empyrial knight archetype trades away so many good things, because the fluff of that one would be really cool. I think paladins can just be played like the typical knights.


Never encountered a Paladin of Ragathiel myself, but my plan would be for Fen to have a line. In normal circumstances he would be forgiving and anxious to redeem - Ragathiel himself is the son of an Archdevil - but justice must be done and for some crimes the price must be death. The wording from Oathbound Paladin mentions "justice in the form of vengeance" which I think allows for a far less Judge Dreddy vibe :)

I strongly considered giving Fen a bastard sword - Ragathiel's favoured weapon - but at the end of the day a feat spent to be less effective did not seem that appealing. I had not actually looked at the Empyreal Knight archetype, but its pretty dreadful sadly, divine grace for a language? No thanks!

Also apologies for the thread derail! Good luck getting into the game all!


Most fun I've had with a Paladin was in an old RPGA Classic module. For those who don't know what that means, you would sit at the table and draw a random character designed for use in the story you were about to play.

This guy was NOT (in his own mind) actually a Paladin. He was a farm boy trying to do what his village needed to have done, nothing more.

I had a BLAST just being a simple farmer with "full" Paladin abilities (something like 5th level, IIRC).

Over the years I have purposefully duplicated the character a couple of times. People have to want to dislike that kind of a character (or he has to be played really badly) for everybody not to have more fun.

RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32

Still open? Will put a background together ASAP. Won't be able to stat a character until later tonight though (Australian time).


Helgarr's crunch is fully finished.

Will continue adding bits to her background


*tmp*. *tmp*. *tmp*.

The low sounds of wood hitting rock echo out over the rather barren plain surrounding Sandpoint's lonely tower. Elin drops the stick, leans on the wall and scribes another line in a battered book she holds. She sticks out a well-weathered boot to keep an generously overstuffed pack upright beside her, then dots her line and looks back up and over the city. "Been a long road from Absalom," she mutters. Elin kneels and tucks the journal away in the pack, then slings it over her shoulders as whatever essentials she has inside jangle quietly to themselves. Taking one last look at the ancient tower's remains, she shakes her head, then sets off down the hill to enter the city proper.

+++++

Finishing up crunch, don't think I have any questions. Hopefully this'll suffice for your purposes- cheers.

PFS ID:
#30241


Nosgrim wrote:
Bold request perhaps, but I was wondering if I could get the starting gold of any other class. Sohei are martial characters, but because they are based off monks, first level ones can barely afford a weapon. Much less armor or a mount(which the campaign trait luckily and happily takes care of). I could do with the 60gp afforded, but I'd prefer a little extra.

Starting gold of your class.

Dehrisan wrote:
EndlessForms: I guess what I was asking is if it is possible for certain NPCs to become regular fixtures of the game, or if you prefer to let them fall by the wayside once their arc or contribution to the story has been finished?

This AP centers around Sandpoint so many of the same NPCs will come up again at several times during the adventure. Although I believe one or two of the later books take you away from town, Sandpoint will still be your home base and you'll get familiar with those NPCs.

Electric Monk wrote:
Still open? Will put a background together ASAP. Won't be able to stat a character until later tonight though (Australian time).

About 10 hours to go!

RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32

Presenting Jenna. Will work up stats etc, as quickly as I can but first

a little about me:

Australian, (Hobart). Just started a PhD in Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tasmania so can post most days and will endeavour to do so (unless PhD stuff interferes.) Feel free to check out the campaigns I've been in before. I like to link backgrounds with other players so the background below would be modified to include some links once everyone's been chosen.

Thanks for your consideration. :)

Jenna:

Jenna never knew her parents. What she did know about them was what she was told by her uncle Simas when she and her twin sister Arella were hunting with him, or in the quiet moments when he was able to sneak down from the big house away from his father’s prying eyes.

Simas and his sister, Silvana (Jenna’s mother) grew up on a large estate owned by a Varisian noble of Chelish blood. Their childhood was happy, although their father was always a gruff and strict disciplinarian. From birth Silvana had been promised in marriage to the scion of a Chelish noble family, and her inevitable departure from the land of her birth with only the promise of marriage to a man she had never met as a consolation, weighed heavily on the siblings. When she was a mere 17 years old, Silvana was found to be pregnant – to a man she refused to identify to her father and who’s identity even Simas did not know. When she finally gave birth it became clear that the man must have been an elf – or a half elf, since the twin girls showed clear sines of elven heritage.

Her father sent Silvana away and the twin girls grew up in the estate trying their best to avoid the eyes of their grandfather. Simas, however, tried his best to look after them. It was he who convinced his father that they should be given some education, and some training so that they might be able to make a living for themselves. So it was that the girls were apprenticed to the estate’s gamekeeper. Although they now spent most of their time away from the house and their grandfather’s hate-filled gaze, Simas managed to frequently join them in their hunting and training, sneaking away from the mansion whenever he could. So it was that Jenna and Arella grew into womanhood. Their future looked secure, if not to be filled the wealth of their family.

One day, however, the world changed. On a hunt. A hunt just like the hundreds they had been on before the two girls, accompanied by Simas, were attacked by a creature. The thing killed Arella with a single swipe of its huge claw and would have taken Jenna as well – If only Simas had not intervened, yelling at the horrified girl to run. Simas was killed and Jenna, after a terrified sprint through the forest, brought the news of his death back to the estate.

Now the cause, not just of his daughter’s shame, but also of his son’s death, Jenna’s grandfather cast her out. Jenna fled Sandport – thinking never to return, but feeling within herself an aching need to hunt down the moster that had taken her sister, her uncle, and her happiness.

Race: Half Elf
Class: Hunter
Animal Companion: Leopard
Traits: Monster Hunter
Story Feat: Vengence


@Electric Monk: No way! Another evolutionary biologist! Just finished my degree at Indiana University and starting a PhD in Genetics (evolutionary focus) (probably at the University of Wisconsin) next year.


IU, eh? That's my neck of the woods (or used to be, I live in China for now).


Elin Hansky wrote:

*tmp*. *tmp*. *tmp*.

The low sounds of wood hitting rock echo out over the rather barren plain surrounding Sandpoint's lonely tower. Elin drops the stick, leans on the wall and scribes another line in a battered book she holds. She sticks out a well-weathered boot to keep an generously overstuffed pack upright beside her, then dots her line and looks back up and over the city. "Been a long road from Absalom," she mutters. Elin kneels and tucks the journal away in the pack, then slings it over her shoulders as whatever essentials she has inside jangle quietly to themselves. Taking one last look at the ancient tower's remains, she shakes her head, then sets off down the hill to enter the city proper.

+++++

Finishing up crunch, don't think I have any questions. Hopefully this'll suffice for your purposes- cheers.

** spoiler omitted **

-----

{A little RP for fun! :)}

The sound of stick striking stone wakes the young half-elf from his dozing slumber at his makeshift camp... he wakes to note his fire has gone out...

{Stupid, stupid Alearin... I should have dug the firepit deeper... and put up a wind break... could have sworn I heard~}

At the sound of a voice Alaerin is on his feat stepping around the lee of the tower rubble shielding his tent from the worse of the evening winds blowing off the sea - Elven Curve Blade in hand unsheathed and threatening...!

"Who goes there!"

He stands blade in hands ready to fight... but comes to an an abrupt and immediate stymie at coming face to face with a ...woman traveler...

Embarrassment clear on his face he lowers the blade and steps back..

"Er.. Uhm.. I'm sorry Ma'am.. I.. ya kinda startled me.. uhm.. no harm meant.. milady.."

The young ... half-elven man can't be more than a youth. He is clad in very rustic handmade clothing, armored in a roughly-crafted but serviceable set of somewhat amateurishly-made chain shirt armor. He is armed with longsword, shortsword, and an unstrung longbow in the quiver at his back. In hand he holds a equally roughly made Elven Curve Blade that bears the nicks and blemished of a well used but regularly sharpened weapon, but nothing is dull or uncared for about the clean edge of the weapon in his hand.

The youth himself is perhaps an inches or 2 short of 6'ft with bright large Amber eyes, and the wisps of his hair that peek out from under his cloak's hood reveal lockes of perhaps dirty Reddish-Blonde hair... he is deeply tanned like a youth use to living in the wild or under the sun... perhaps time in the forge as a smithy's apprentice? He is very lean and wiry perhaps... not yet fully mature for a half-elf, though very serious in his demeanor.

His features are sharp an aquiline his elven heritage strongly expresses in his handsome features in a rugged weather-beaten sort of way. His voice is soft, almost sensuous. The bridge of his nose and cheeks are... lightly frosted with freckles that are slowly fading with maturity but are still evident... though the deepening blush of his embarrassment is growing...

"Uhm.. I am really sorry ma'am.. I meant no harm... Ya shouldn't na' be sneaking up on people like that y-y'know?"

His tone holds no actual accusation in it.. just a poor attempt at recovering some of his dignity in the situation. He sheaths the elven curve blade with a practiced skill of a if not seasoned warrior.. at least one use to fighting.


<Sunamber> Alaerin Summerhawke wrote:
{A little RP for fun! :)}

Quite!

pre-pick faffing about:
The half-elf's appearance with drawn weapon brought an appropriate response from Elin, her rapier whipping out in a heartbeat with her buckler to match, tensing into a fencer's pose to react to whatever move her opponent makes. As she took in his features and he stood down, though, she relaxed as well. "If I was sneaking, I much doubt either of us would have noticed, mind you. Little quick on the draw, aren't we?" she asks, sheathing her own weapon and dropping her hood down. Alaerin sees the same ears he bears among a spread of amber hair. After looking about his campsite, the half-elf- as she is as well- motions down the path towards Sandpoint below. "Why kip down up here? I've no doubt they've more comfortable cots than ancient rocks. Taverns and the like tend to bet on it, from what I've seen." He can't tell where she's from by her accent or mannerisms, and her clothing doesn't do much more to hint at it, but it does look like she's been on the road for a while.


Okay, long week with work, but Garridan (Garrett) is finally finished! All his crunch is in the profile and the background as well. Also, you can find a link to a different avatar I'd like to use to indicate Garridan's appearance!

And also...

RP Flavor:
The day was nearing dusk as a long figure approached town along the Lost Coast Road and slowly crossed over the Sandpoint Bridge. If the orange and green sash tied at his waist did not give away his Varisian heritage, the surely the turquoise scarf covering the lower half of his face did. When the figure reached the end of the bridge, he purposefully pulled his scarf down to allow his face to be seen.

Garrett wiped the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his shirt as he approached a nearby vendor stall along Market Street with a friendly smile. The vendor appeared to be closing down his stall for the day, so the young man waited patiently for the man to acknowledge him. He plants the head of the longspear he carries into the ground.

”Greetings stranger, from a stranger.” His thick Varisian accent easily recognizable. ”Could you kindly direct me to inn with the best food in town? Long journey from the Churlwood with nothin’ to eat and drink but hard tack and lake water.”

The two men eyeballed one another, each man gauging the other for a long moment. ’I hope the cards were right…’ After the silence had long since become awkward the vendor jerked his head towards Garrett’s gear. ”You a frontiersman?”

Inwardly Garrett allowed himself a small cheer. ”I am.”

The vender grunted his approval. ”Your kind is always welcome in Sandpoint. Give me a few moments to close up shop and I’ll take ya. I need two things from you though, Varisian. Your name… and a story.”

’Fate is indeed with me, thank you mother.’ Garrett offered his free hand to the vendor in a friendly gesture and a toothy smile to boot. ”The first offer is Garrett. And the second I will gladly tell you over a cool ale and some fresh fish, my treat.”


Elin Hansky wrote:
<Sunamber> Alaerin Summerhawke wrote:
{A little RP for fun! :)}

Quite!

** spoiler omitted **

A meeting at the Tower:

The youth's eyes go wide at the dropping of her hood to reveal the woman's half-elven heritage as well.

He looks a little petulant at her remark about being quick on the draw ... though its likely just a deepening of his embarrassment and a retort is on his lips when...

"Well look I~...!"

A hawk's cry is heard and he turns his head to the sound the sea winds catching his hood to pull it down off his head reveling his dirty but noticable golden reddish blonde hair tied back with a silken green hair scarf.

The youth raises an outstretched arm for a large reddish tinted hawk to come swooping in off the sea-breeze to perch proudly upon his arm. The bird is magnificent.. white crested, black hooked beak, and feathers an oddly brown-reddish hue... and golden 'amber-eyes'.

"Whoa girl.. its ok.. she's.. urm .. just a traveler.."

The half-elf youth turns back to her , "Uhm. yeah well I came down through the town.. been on the road so much.. ah sorta got use to sleeping outside. Sides.. they'd probly not let me bring 'Asani' here inside... she ain't exactly.. all tame yet."

He nervously scratches his head ...mindful not to meet the half-elven woman's eyes, "...besides.. I was wanting to get a head start on figuring out what was needed to fix the tower and all.. I'm an engineer see... gonna survey the ruins in the mornin' try ta figure what needs to be rebuilt and what can be salvaged see. I was hoping if I do a good job of it the townfolk would let me rebuild their lighthouse fur em. I'm.. a Wizard.. well a wizard in training at least."

Finally he meets her eyes and smiles shyly, "Beggin' your pardon ma'am.. but I would never ha' draw on ya ifn.. I'd known you were a lady an all.. not a gentlemanly thing to do. Just wanted you to know... I'm really sorry about that. ..Ya caught me dozing!"

"Oh, Excuse me, forgetting ma manners... I'm Ale~ er Sunamber!"

There is a certain ...common country innocence to his mannerism.. an appealing charm that is infectious with his open politeness and formal difference to women, even if his simple 'county-boy' drawl is funny and simple. Maybe he's from the River Kingdom's or some other Varisian farmland community? Surely there is not a hateful intention in this young man's heart...


<Sunamber> Alaerin Summerhawke wrote:
Finally he meets her eyes and smiles shyly, "Beggin' your pardon ma'am.. but I would never ha' draw on ya ifn.. I'd known you were a lady an all.. not a gentlemanly thing to do. Just wanted you to know... I'm really sorry about that. ..Ya caught me dozing!"

RP:
By the time he's gone to catch her gaze again, it's been redirected back to the ruins they're talking about. "Not much use in that. This isn't their lighthouse." Elin reaches out to touch the rock, polished and carved in an intricate manner and far larger than it had a right to be in stonemasonry's reach. "This place has been ruined for far longer than the lifespan of either you or I, our our parents of either line, or their own fathers, Sunamber. I'd reckon it'd take a runic giant to lift these blocks back, as they did in the first place." She turns back to Alaerin, meeting his gaze, eyes glinting. It's obvious that she's excited about this subject. "This is a Thassilonian structure, and Thassilon didn't faff about when it came to building things. I'd much like to see the like of it in today's works, but I've never seen anything come close to the Irespan, or other places... even old wrecks like this have their beauty." She pauses. "I'd just be careful using them as a windstop. Ah- hello, Asani." She turns her attention to the hawk, then inclines her head. "My name is Elin Ha- Hearwight. It's a pleasure to meet someone as interested as I am in these things."

Last post I can do tonight, sorry! I hope to see you on the other side. Best of luck, everyone.


Sunamber steps over to look at the stones more closely he eyes wide with wonder, "Thassilonian! I've seen... some o' their runes... my.. spellbook has some notes in the margins... nothing I can rightly decipher .. yet. But I'd never guess this was one of the Thassilonian ruins! That's Fasinating... er Elin, ma'am!"

He looks over the ruins in the deepening twilight, "Well then... I guess the Town would not be against me trying to fix the tower since it isn't theirs to begin with! Though, I can see your point about these blocks. I'll need to see it in the light o' day... mostly so as to not ruin any of the runes that might still be copied first, before I think about shifting these blocks any. But... something any engineer knows... give me a big enough lever and fulcrum .. and I can more a world.. all it takes is enough leverage... and lots o' block and tackles helps too! If'n it wern't worth doing .. it would be easy!"

It is then when Elin turned to regard Asani that Sunamber realized he was standing much closer to Elin as he had stepped over to get a closer look at the rubble blocks. Shyly he takes a step back out of politeness but holds up his arm with Asani between them for her to get a better look at his companion.

"Ah.. she's likely more mellow now.. she's probably gorged herself on a rabbit or field mouse or two..."

"Uhm.. I was coming here to Sandpoint to help them put down some o' the monster trouble they been having... I'm kinda a monster hunter...mostly trolls. But I'd like to make a home here too... A wizard needs a tower after all! If ya don't mind ma asking Elin ma'am.. what brings you here?"


Well, I believe I have officially reached my character-tweaking capacity. So, I'll just leave the updated profile as is.

Good luck, all.

RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32

EndlessForms wrote:
@Electric Monk: No way! Another evolutionary biologist! Just finished my degree at Indiana University and starting a PhD in Genetics (evolutionary focus) (probably at the University of Wisconsin) next year.

Awesome. Mine's looking at the evolution of sex determination in Snow Skinks (Niveoscincus ocellatus). Some do it genetically. Some by temperature (wierd!). Any idea what your topic is? (love the name by the way.. :) )


That is some impressive tweakage. I could not even type all that in a day, much less write it. Luck...yeah, I might need it.
Though I must say I am really growing fond of this character. Especially with the little extra's like the story feat and such. It's all fitting together very naturally. But I am frankly starting to worry if there is place for players without ranks in perform(literature).


Just a few hours to go. Hopefully selection goes well for Kror.

This festival that's supposed to be happening tomorrow in Sandpoint should be a good party. And maybe after it's over, I'll look into the rumors of goblins in the area. Doubt it'll lead to anything especially interesting, but it'll keep me busy for a while. Beats going home and getting on with this whole betrothal business.

Interesting town sign. There's a mirror on it? Let's just check the beard... Yep, it's still rocking. Should have enough time to join - or start - the party at whatever sort of tavern this place has.


@Kror 'yep, it's still rocking.'
I love your style all ready.You run from that marriage.

Good luck to all by the way.


Electric Monk wrote:
Awesome. Mine's looking at the evolution of sex determination in Snow Skinks (Niveoscincus ocellatus). Some do it genetically. Some by temperature (wierd!). Any idea what your topic is? (love the name by the way.. :) )

I've got several projects going on right now. I'm finishing up a thesis on the mutation rates and evolution of polymerases (bioinformatics stuff mostly), running mutation accumulation lines on several species of rotifers to measure whole-genome mutation rates, working on whole-genome-duplication effects (neo- and subfunctionalization) of membrane transport proteins in Paramecium, cloning Paramecium sexauralia polymerases into other species of Paramecium to study the effects on mutation rates, and working on another cloning project to determine primer sequences in Paramecium.

Yeah. . . we've got a big lab and I've got my fingers stuck in quite a few projects at the moment. I'll be leaving in a few months though and my focuses will likely shift as I move away to another school and another lab.

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Reviewing entries and weighing options currently, with some randomness built into the system. I will have the results up soon and then those who are lucky enough to make it can get started.

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