Tales of Sorrow

Game Master Raging Bull

Chapter I: Paint it black

At times like these, when dangers beyond understanding are close and there is no obvious way of going against it, humans tend towards two possible behaviours. Either they ignore the problem alltogether, acting like they always did. Either they seek to forget it by doing what they are best at, hoping that those who are leading them do the same. As a result, the Shark's Tooth, local sailor tavern in the city of Globeto was bustling with activity. It was one of the first warm nights of the year, and the city of Globeto was bathing in moonlight.

Refugees and locals had enough misery to share for an ale or two, to enjoy some small gambling, to seek company from a courtesan, or to listen to the music of a Bard. Those who couldn't stand the crowd went outside, either for a romantic walk either they went home alone. Inside, the Bard gave away his best song of the night. Many Valesmen knew the song, some even sang along.

The Proud Sea God
Lived happy with his wife
He lead peacefull life
And loved with all his heart
And loved with all his heart

The Dull Sea God
Is angry with his wife
Should he return to life
Storm over the Vales
Storm over the Vales

When the song was done, the audience cheered and many coins were thrown to the bard. He gave his thanks to the public, put his instrument away and went for an ale himself.

A young man enters the tavern as the bard is partway through the third verse blond hair combed neatly to the side and dressed in a long light brown coat. He's heard the song a few times before and attempts to sing along stumbling over most of the words. When the song is done he claps along with the rest of the audience and throws a few coins himself. He makes his way to the counter and orders an Ale, its been another long day. He sets a banged up Horse statuette on the counter and begins to drink. Wondering what are the chances that his Reave has somehow survived this invasion. How could Tintalas Have been so badly beaten. No he thought She has to be alive. There must be some way to drive back these invaders and after I find it, we will be together again. He reaches to stroke the horse and as he does some of the worry lines ease from his forehead If only I knew where to start

The door groans open as a tall man in a heavy yet worn cloak of imperial red with armor glinting beneath it enters the tavern, looking around at the clientele. Effortlessly dodging out of the paths of some of the more inebriated patrons, he finds a table in the corner with a view of both the door and the stage and sits down. He swings his legs up on the table, where you can see that his boots were once army issue, although they have been patched many times, although to the credit of the owner the repairs are of the highest quality. He leans back and pulls a book out from somewhere under his cloak which he proceeds to read while half watching both the entertainment and the door.

When the server notices him and comes over, they confer quietly for a moment before the man flips a coin onto the table with a wink at the girl and goes back to reading his clearly engrossing book.

A tall man strides in through the doors, and looks around as if he were home. His brown hair brushes against the shoulders of his worn grey cloak. He nods at the servers and the bartender and makes his way over to a table in the corner. With barely a glance as to where he’s going, he steps easily between the hazards that should have made navigating the path difficult. One of the servers meets him there with a mug of ale and the man gives her a few coins and murmurs his thanks.

He sits down with a small smile and looks around the room. Whatever he was looking for, he doesn’t seem to find it. His smile fades a little, he shakes his head and goes back to his ale tapping his foot in rhythm as the bard finishes his song.

A slightly weathered man with a dark brown hair in a tight bowl-cut and full mustache absently picks stubborn bits of today's experiment off of his hands while gazing into the crowd. He's been there a while watching people...
He starts thinking about what the ideal point of contact would be for different bombs... Head, hard but a miss ..assuming normal trajectory .. "knees and shins with the tanglefoot definitely." he thinks to himself, only now realizing that he had inadvertently been "looking up and down" a female patron, and it has not escaped her attention. He wonders for a few seconds whether to smile non-threateningly, try to "sell" lost-in-thought-not-learing body language... "oop never mind, she looked away... now where was I?"

A tall man with short black hair and wearing only simple clothing, walks down the street deep in thought. He had just spent a long day asking about for information on the whereabouts of his father. His attempts have met with failure, and he was just about to return to his room at the inn he was staying at when he passed by the Shark's Tooth."Maybe I can find someone who has information in there. I could also use a drink after such a long day."He thinks to himself. He then turns and heads for the tavern.

Now that the performance of the Bard had finished, a large group of people started to leave the tavern. A handfull of people remained, including the Bard. While he was enjoying his ale, a woman approached him. He smirked when he noticed her, she ignored it and put a small purse on the table. With a clear Tintalian accent, she spoke to him.

While the Bard is listening with attention, gazing greedily at the money, she shows him an amulet. From where you are you can't see what it is, but the Bard is studying it carefully.

You can make two Perception Checks to overhear the conversation. One for every spoiler. Varro can come in and act as if he was there.

Senthiri sits up a little, leaning forward a bit to overhear what the woman says.

Euchrid listens and watches out of the corner of his eye while sipping his drink.

After entering the tavern and sitting down at a table, Liam notices the woman and the bard speaking.

The conversation between the newly arrived woman and the bard is exactly what the man in the corner pretending to read his book was hoping to over hear. He still holds his book up with one hand and drinks his ale with the other, but for anyone who bothers to look, he is clearly more interested in the conversation.

Senthiri picks up again at the second half of the woman's plea. This time he seems satisfied with his ability to hear. At the mention of the woman's missing brother, Senthiri's mouth pulls together in a grimace, and he slowly shakes his head. But then he whips his head up his face screwed upwards in thought. He looks back at the pair standing by the stage. Senthiri's eyes fall on the purse on the table, and a smile spreads across his face. Suddenly he is all charm and his face fills with empathy, as he stands up and begins to make his way over to the woman.

When the woman showed him the sign, the bard startled. He looked around to see if anyone was paying attention and got even more afraid when he noticed various people did. He quickly put a few coppercoins on the table for the ale and prepared to leave. Since he knew people were looking at them, he spoke a little louder.

I-I-I h-h-have onl-l-ly one th-thing t-t-t-to say! This s-sign i-i-i-is danger. B-b-b-best to k-k-keep your no-no-nose out!

Elvire sighed when seeing the reaction of the Bard.

Yes, run you coward! Like the marshall did, or the detective I asked! Be afraid of one stupid sign that is oh so powerfull that it swallowed my brother for no reason! He was a fisherman, you hear? A fisherman! What could he have done!

Sobbing, she looked at the other people in the tavern. Many were looking either her way or to the bard, who moved towards the door.

And what are you looking at!

Seeing the bard splutter his warning Errik pauses only a second to make his decision, after all times like these called for action and he was getting tired of the mundane life he had been leading. He makes his way quickly but casually across the tavern walking straight up to the woman. Excuse me, but I couldn't help but notice your exchange with that bard just now. I am a historian and Lore keeper, perhaps I could help?

A young Valesman enters the tavern in a rush speaking with an odd white raven on his shoulder in a musical sounding tongue.

The rakish man dodges through the exiting crowd looking around the room at the patrons who are left in the establishment inadvertantly running into the minstrel as he rushes out in a panic. "Excuse me good sir, many apologies..."

The woman is positively surprised when Errik comes near.

Oh! Saving a damsel in distress are you? Well, I'm not going to complain, help is rare these days. My brother and me have left the Empire together and we came here.
We often used to search for a job during the day and meet near the docks at evening. However, a few days ago he didn't turn up. All I found on our meeting place was this strange amulet.
I've been asking around, and it seems I am not the only refugee who has lost a family member or a friend. But no one seems to be willing to help us, especially not when they see this amulet!

She shows the amulet to Errik. It has a strange symbol on it.

Liam also walks up to the woman. "I too would like to help you in your search for finding your brother. It sounds to me that whomever amulet that is is very feared here, and knowing this I never let one person face them alone."

Senthiri hesitated at the way the Bard reacted to the amulet, but after the woman's outburst he moves more decisively than before. Just as he gets there, two other men stop to offer help to the woman. Senthiri's face clouds for a moment, but it's back to empathy and charm so quickly, most wouldn't notice.

Well, ma'am, it appears you have plenty of help now. I was just about to offer the same. Senthiri tilts his head towards the unknown men, indicating his offer.
I am Senthiri, by the way. He bows slightly. At your service

Well it seems you are in luck tonight Ms ? He pauses to let her introduce herself. The tevern is full of gentlemen. Let me take a look at this now and see what I can tell? He says with a smile no longer looking at her but studying the item in her hand. He spends a few minutes studying the item.

The man in the corner sees the sudden cluster of people around the woman and rises to see what all the commotion is actually about. He strides up, with his cloak thrown over his shoulder to reveal the pin in the shape of a griffon fastening it. What seems to be the problem here, m'lady? Are these men bothering you? He asks with a distinctive upper-class Imperial accent.

Diplomacy:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

Euchrid takes a deep breath and rises. "My dear woman, I would not be able to forgive myself if I were to sit idly by." He takes a moment to gauge responses and continues... " ...any more information you have, enemies your brother might have made... or anything the detective or marshall may have let slip about the significance of the amulet?" Turns to Errik " I would like to have a look at that when you are finished inspecting it, sir"

A bit baffled by so much attention, the woman hesitates. She's clearly not used to it. When Hissarion appears, she looks up to him.

No Sir. In fact... Quite the contrary, they are the first I meet who are willing to help me... But thank you very much for your offer. I did not expect to find so many good souls in a tavern.

She nods at Liam, Senthiri and Euchrid.

Thank you... I'll tell you who I am and what I know... I am Elvire Larkson. With my brother Raynold we used to live in a coastal village in Tintalas. As many others we decided to come here, hoping for a better life. But it seems the Godess is not with us... My brother has done some small jobs on fisherboats, I've done some cleaning. We used to splitup to improve our chances of finding something, but he didn't return four days ago. All I found on the place was this amulet. I don't know of enemies or any strange behaviour at all.

So I asked around. Other refugees have lost friends and family members as well, all mysteriously disappeared. At night, during the day, inside the city, outside, ... The marshall and detective first said they'd help me, but when I showed them the amulet they threw me out. So I tought, maybe looking in taverns. Back in Tintalas, Bards come everywhere, so I tought, perhaps he knows something... But as you've seen it didn't work out.

All I have is this amulet. No one told me what it is or mentioned something. They just grow scared or angry. But there's nothing but some symbol on it... Look!

She shows the amulet to anyone nearby.

Just so you know... I can't pay all of you. But should you decide to help I think the other refugees could spare a minor something as well.

Senthiri sighs at the crowd now forming around the lady, and the mention of not enough gold to go around. He looks at Errik, holding the amulet, then at Euchrid, patiently waiting his turn. Senthiri steps back into the back of the group begins speaking quietly and makes unobtrusive movements with the practice of one who is used to concealing such things.

"The reaction from the authorities suggests this is something they are involved in or fear ... however, considering the fact they let you go and did not dissuade you from further investigation we can deduce it is something they fear and not are not connected." Euchrid studies the amulet ... starts to make a copy in his research book but decides against having the image in his possession.

While Errik studies the Amulet he keeps an ear on what Elvire is saying. When he's finished he looks up at her again. Well he says, looking around to see if anyone is watching them. I know what this symbol represents... I'm not about to run away but perhaps we should look for somewhere more private before I share what I know? He atracks the attention of someone who works at the establishment and asks Excuse me, but would it be possible to hire a room where we could all talk away from the noise and bustle of this main hall? then back to Elvire to reassure her that money issues will not prevent his help. Nevermind about the money. I have built up a modest amount and could live a mundane life here for quite some time. I am more interested in the thrill of the chase!

If this Black Sun group has been kidnapping refuges perhaps they have Reave!

The white raven hops excitedly a the amulet is displayed letting out a sharp caw. The young valesman approaches the growing group.

"Good miss I am something of traveler, not so well versed as a bard, but perhaps as curious as one. My little friend here told me a mystery was to unfold at this tavern. I will not ask for pay from you. I wager there will be a fortune to be won in this endeavor.

I am something of a seer, may I attempt to divine some meaning in this? I will consult my spirit deck..."

"Do not worry about paying me. I could not stand idly by while I know you are looking for a group that even the authorities are afraid of. I also am missing a family member, so I know your pain, an will do every thing in my power to bring your brother back."

Well if the Valesmen are running scared perhaps a little Imperial backbone can crack the case. The man says with what appears at first to be perfect seriousness. I am Lieutenant Hissarion Azor, late of the Leigo XIV Gryphus Hissarion moves to take the woman's hand in greeting.

Stoogie was observing the group suspiciously. Meddling over an amulet, scaring his bard away... Bah! He didn't like it at all, and was just about to throw the refugees and their friends out, when they asked for a room. Ah! This changed affairs.

Ah, good to hear you're not going to scare away all my clients. It'll cost you tough, 5 silver a day. If you take it, payment in advance and you can go up, first floor, second door on the left.

Elvire fell from one surprise into the other. First she had been looking for help for days, now they all came together? And they don't even want payment? She shook her head, barely believing what she saw. Now a soldier took her hand and he said...

N... No... A knight? Of the Empire? Here? Has Babil fallen then? Or... No, you must have fled like everyone else has...

I... Let's go to that room. This is not the time for this discussion. But thank you for your help Sir. If the Griffon is on our side, then perhaps not all is lost.

Errik pays the Innkeeper, glad to be getting away from watchful eyes. When they are all safely in the room he relates what he knows of the symbol to Elvire and the others.

The sign on your amulet represents the Black Sun, one of the many hidden groups of magic users here around Globeto. They've been around for years but lately they've become active in criminal activities across the Vales. They seem quite powerful. Which is why I advised caution, but as I said before it seems luck is on your side. I'm sure if we all work together we can find out what has happened to your brother and get him and the other missing refugees back to their loved ones.

Varro pulls out 2gp and hands them to the Innkeeper. "Bring food and a pitcher of wine to the room. One cannot talk of dark deeds on an empty stomache!"

"Now the question is, how do we go about finding where this organization is located, or at least where they are keeping their captives."

" I see two avenues for investigation...The docks are worth a look and other refugees that have lost family may have more information and more likely than most to share what they know with us. Any other options I am missing?" ... trying to temper his distracting mix of fear and excitement from the situation at hand with critical thinking.

The only other avenue that might be helpful is to see if we could get any more information from the marshall and detective. But I doubt that will work, so it should be our last option.
Senthiri cuts off, and turns to Elvire. But the offer for payment is still on the table, right?
Without waiting for an answer, Senthiri then turns to the man with the raven. Now that's the most sensible thing I've heard all day. and slaps the table.

Stoogie started to like this new group. One empty room filled anyway, now more food. Good, he was going to earn some money tonight! In a terrible good mood, he went to the kitchen and ordered the cook to cease cleaning the kitchen and prepare another seven meals. Then he grabbed the wine and went upstairs.

Seven meals coming up, here's the wine already. One question tough... Leon is coming back tomorrow for another performance. You're not gonna scare him away again, are you?

Seven meals coming up, here's the wine already. One question tough... Leon is coming back tomorrow for another performance. You're not gonna scare him away again, are you?

"CAW!" croaked the raven. "Ha! My brother Bonetapper says, 'Only if he's still playing those dreadful sea chanties.'"

Varro fills the cups and raises his in a traditional Olan toast.

"To finding our way along winding roads and shepherding lost friends safely home."

Hissarion leans against the wall, fiddling with the glass of wine. He seems to have been most receptive to Euchrid's assessment of the situation. I think that the docks and the refugees are the place to start. I would obviously be of little help investigating the docks.

Senthiri pores himself a glass of wine.
For myself, I happen to like the docks. I have no problem starting there. . . . That is, after we've eaten of course. Senthiri raises his cup in response to Varro and takes a deep drink.

Hissarion leans against the wall, fiddling with the glass of wine. He seems to have been most receptive to Euchrid's assessment of the situation. I think that the docks and the refugees are the place to start. I would obviously be of little help investigating the docks.

I am not sure I understand your meaning, once a group our size starts investigating something like this we are bound to attract some unwelcome attention. I am a scholar and though I have gained some skill with the short bow I would feel more comfortable to have one such as yourself along. Realising that he has not yet introduced himself he adds My name is Errik and I am an Archaeologist of sorts.

" I agree... it would be foolish to search shack to alley for the victims families. That is why we should have Elvire set up a meeting ... if she doesn't know anyone who will talk after having investigated for 4 days we won't have much more luck... and might as well just feed ourselves to the pigs. If there is someone willing to talk... Hissarion can take care of that, he seems to carry a fair weight with them."
If time is important, we investigate the docks as soon as possible - before they know us - Raynold was taken from there and if the victims are leaving the city, there is a good chance it is from the docks" ...maybe this is just drunken bravado ...Euchrid eyes his still full glass ... or tipsy bravado?

"I agree the docks seem like a good starting place. The fact that we might attract attention would work to our advantage as well.", Liam takes a sip of his wine. "Oh annd I am Liam by the way."

Hissarion has by this point finished his wine and his figiting has progressed to tossing the empty cup from hand to hand. Very well, if it is attention we want to attract, I'm sure I can oblige. He rearranges the folds of his cloak to reveal his sword at his waist. To the docks then, Comitateon! He proclaims revealing more than a little flair for the dramatic.

Just as Stoogie comes with the meals, he notices Hissarion' words.

Oy! I got the food now, what you do with it is no business of mine, but it's 23 silver for seven meals and a pitcher o' wine. Besides, sure you want to go to the docks now? It's midnight, many suspicious people walking around now.

Elvire looks at the gathered people.

I will see to it, but I think I might gather a reward of 100 gold pieces if you succeed in saving our friends and families... Oh, is it midnight! I really should be heading home now, perhaps my brother returned after all!

Midnight already? How far away is your home Elvire, will you make it there alright? I'd like to stop in at my own place really and pick up my bow and get dressed more appropriately.

" ...It is decided then? We should return to our homes, prepare ourselves and meet at the docks, yes? stuffing his mouth with a hunk of meat "Maybe at the tavern there ... " shrugs and gulps down half a glass of wine ... still standing. "..if I'm staying up all night I need to put more wood on the fire" patting his stomach

Prologue: Invasion of Tintalas

Some say it was inevitable and that our great empire was already a succes by avoiding this fate for a thousand years. Others claim we brought it upon ourselves by our pride or even speak of a divine punishment. Whatever the explanation, the hordes of the sea have come and our walls have fallen. They have taken thousands of lives, defied our Empress and plundered our cities. Only we are left, in the city of Babil, ironically "Gate of the Godess". She has become silent. And we wonder... How did the horde of the sea do this? Why were our Empress and our magics not enough to hold them back? Was the horde just lucky or are other causes at hand? Why has the Godess fallen silent? Why do our allies do not answer? We have sent messages to the Olan Vales, yet no sign of help. Have they all forsaken us?

Mirthon the Wise, High Priest under Empress Ishtaranian II

This looks very cool. I am always partial to an original homebrew.

I have a paladin from a PbP which died some time ago who I think would fit the setting very well. If you do not like recycling characters, however, I have a few other ideas.

Colour me intrigued... I'll ponder before potentially throwing up a submission.

Are you open to traits / archetypes from other Paizo sources (such as Inner Sea Magic / Humans of Golarion)?

I'd be able to throw up either full text or a reference to the PFSRD. Any Golarion specific references would be shaped around the specifics of your homebrew setting.

@Saint Caleth: Thanks! Feel free to put him in, as long as he fits the setting I'm more than happy.

@Mark Sweetman: I am not familiar with material from other Paizo sources, so I'm hesitant to use it. You can convince me to use Homebrew/other Paizo stuff by creating a good story around it that suits the setting. Fair enough?

@Raging Bull - Not a problem at all and that's what I would look to do anyway for anything that I chose to propose.

Sleep time for me now - but will look to throw something up on the morrow.

What can you tell us about the faiths, religions, etc of this setting?

edit: reread the post at the top. nevermind.

I'm interested. I haven't played a PbP game before, but I'd like to try one. I do have a few questions about the setting though. Is the Empress actually a diety that can be selected if you play a cleric, inquisitor, etc, and if so, what are her domains and favored weapon?

Regarding magic being considered a curse in Olan Vales, is that arcane magic only, or also divine magic? How strongly is this prejudice? Would concealing magical powers be something that would be almost required to adventure (for instance, could you be arrested simply for using magic, chased by mobs, etc) or would it be more along the lines of adjusting the starting additude of NPCs what were biased one step?

i am interested and will post a character thought by tonight.

Here is my Paladin. I have edited his backstory slightly for this campaign. There are likely some edits coming to the character, especially in reference to traits as detailed below.

In my backstory I say that he is a veteran of the imperial army but never actually fought against the invaders, as per the character instructions. I hope that this does not put him too close to the action before the start of the campaign, but I think that the fact that he did flee makes for some very interesting character opportunities.

This character originally had the heirloom weapon trait, but now they have apparently changed it and it no longer gives you a MW weapon. I had originally thought that my treasured item would be my Great-Uncle's sword, but now that I can't get a MW weapon I might re-think what that item is.

The character in Hissarion's backstory is his Great-Uncle Gaius who inspired him to serve the empire. Hissarion was not able to find his Great-Uncle when fleeing to Oran Vales so he could be either alive or dead, Hissarion would have no idea either way.

How would you describe the magic level of the world? Low magic, or standard assumptions for Pathfinder? Is the purchase of, and enchantment of magic items commonly availible? For instance, assuming the PCs were in a city, would it be relatively standard to be able to pay a wizard to enchant your +1 longsword to be upgraded to a +1 keen longsword?

I have a witch character I'd like to add to the mix if things are still open... likely from the Olan Vale.

@JoelF847: Interesting questions, but let me tackle one issue at a time ^^ At the bottom of this post you'll find more info about faith in Tintalas and magics in the Olan Vales, I'll answer your last question tomorrow. If you got further questions, go ahead, but I'm not going to tell you what's in my sleeve ;-)

@Varash Ironskull: Thanks for the interest, looking forward to see your character!

@Hissarion Azor: You were right, he does fit in good! Take your time for the edits, I'll warn in advance when deadline is approaching and by then you'll have another two days. I still need to cover large parts of the story as well.

@Varro the Haruspex: Defenitely still open, I'll have a good read tomorrow for your char!

The Faith of Tintalas: The people of Tintalas believe in Ishtar, the Sun Godess. Ishtar (Lawfull Neutral) is represented on the material plane by the Empress, a divine incarnation of hers. She is both the Creator and the Destroyer of the world and will do the last when the time has come, according to ancient prophecies. Because of this, Clerics in her service represent various aspects of her: a cleric can preach good in her name, teaching to help others, another can preach that human sacrifices in her name must be made to please her. There is only one domain that does not represent her: Chaos. Everything, from life to (un)death, creation to destruction, has a meaning and a place in the divine order that Ishtar has created. Chaos is perceived a disruption of this order and hence a heresy.

Magics in the Olan Vales: The Olan Vales are a federation, a highly decentralised group of cities. As such, there are no laws against arcane or divine magic. On the other hand this makes magic-users dangerous, since there are no authorities able to control them, either divine or arcane. There are cults for gods (sometimes even with support from a public church) and hidden groups of mages, but in public, magic is like thievery. Valesmen know it exists, they see traces of it and suspect some people of doing it, but they rarely see someone actually doing it and prefer to keep it that way. No one will mourn for a dead thief, and no one will mourn for a dead magic-user.

Very Intrested, was just wondering Raging Bull if this campaign will be mount friendly? It will help bring down my choices, one of my ideas is for a cavalier but if were doing a lot with places a horse can't go I would rather pick one of my other choices then. Thx in advance for the answer! I always dig it when some one runs a homebrew on the boards!

I'm leaning towards a fighter (freehander archetype)/rogue (and eventual duelist), but am also considering a sorcerer or oracle. Here's the background on the duelist, but if the party winds up with no divine caster, I'll probably switch to an oracle (looks like the witch will cover arcane casting).

Still mulling, but current thoughts is an Inquisitor with the Witch Hunter archetype and Black Powder Inquisition (both from UC).

Living in the Olan Vales, he was in training under another Witch Hunter who was acting as a sort of vigilante police force - hunting down and killing dangerous magic users. However they both worship at the foot of a God of Artifice (Brigh from the Golarion pantheon - though that can be changed if required) in secret.

His master recently killed by a powerful magic user, and I was injured gravely. Just returning from a period of convalescence and about to start tracking my master's killer, the invasion of the horde has changed priorities somewhat.

RAW - the Black Powder Inquisition does not provide me with a firearm to use. However I would think that the intent is that you would get a battered version ala Gunslinger that only my character can use properly.
Do you have any issues with that interpretation?

Also, I would intend to take the Dragon Pistol as my firearm. It's still listed under the basic firearms so I assume this would also be ok.

The master would be the 'relative' and the dragon pistol the prized possession.

After further ponderance - I'll pull out of the recruitment at this stage.

Looks like it will be a good game though and I'll keep an eye open for your escapades ;)

@Roidrage: I'm sorry, can't tell for the entire campaign yet. I got the big story in my head but haven't tought over all the environments so far. I do fit campaigns for the characters tough, so if there is a gunslinger, I'll provide muskets, if there is a cavalier I'll provide mounted combat occasions. I just can't predict how common it will be.

@JoelF847: Thanks for the character! Answer to third question at the bottom, I think the info from Magics in the Olan Vales makes it complete.

@Mark Sweetman: No problem, thanks for the interest!

Magics on the Material Plane: Standard level. A rich black market in the Olan Vales, public shops etc. in Tintalas.

I can change this character's history if she looks interesting to you. Definitely can tie her into being gifted by the Goddess.

As you can see I made some edits to the profile.

Hissarion's new treasured possession is my rank insignia from the army, which takes the form of a cloak pin with imperial coat of arms on it. Instead of being his Great-Uncle's, his sword is now just army standard issue and his Great-Uncle was probably a Wizard or a Cleric rather than just a fighter.

In terms of advancement, the idea right now is that Hissarion will take the Oath against Savagery since it looks kind of cool and the enemies of the empire are, after all, a horde.

@Varro the Haruspex: Had a good read, interesting character! Didn't see the Alertness feature tough, so what do you intend with "Senses Perception +3 (alertness)"?

@Zariah: Definitely has good prospects storywise. A gift from the Godess is possible, if not you can keep the current story with minor adaptions to fit either the Olan Vales or Tintalas. You'll need to change the Heirloom Weapon trait tough (same issue as Hissarion) and you'll need to downgrade abilities to a 20 point buy.

@Hissarion: Lookin' good!

I'll put the deadline for recruiting on Tuesday. If you got any questions, feel free to ask. I'm still working on parts of the campaign to be able to provide a good story, I hope the effort I put in will be rewarded with a good campaign.

@Varro the Haruspex: Had a good read, interesting character! Didn't see the Alertness feature tough, so what do you intend with "Senses Perception +3 (alertness)"?

My familiar grants me the Alertness feat as long as it's within arms reach as per Arcane Bond.

Oh my, where were my toughts when I asked this... Aye, you're correct, thanks for pointing it out ^^

And just to specify your two particulars, my relative is obviously my sister Hajna and my treasured item is the Masterwork Fortune-tellers deck from my mother.

Character is posted. The only open item is languages. What languages (other than common) are spoken in the region? Is there a language spoken by the educated and/or nobility (such as latin and greek in the middle ages and renaissance)?

This looks interesting, so I'd like to see if you'd be interesting in this character.

Character is posted. The only open item is languages. What languages (other than common) are spoken in the region? Is there a language spoken by the educated and/or nobility (such as latin and greek in the middle ages and renaissance)?

I second this... I have 3 languages to fill as well!

Thanks for the characters, Marabelus Tarphoni and Liam Rackford! They look good at first sight, I'll have a closer look tomorrow.

Here is some information about the languages:

Languages: Tintalas and the Olan Vales have the same language, but with a very distinctive dialect. This language is called "Vulgar", meaning "language of the people". When dealing with high nobility and clergy of Ishtar tough, many people prefer to speak "Divina", the language of the gods. It's the language of the Empress and everyone approaching her or serving her must know it. Furthermore there is "Argot", a language in the Olan Vales, originally created as a thieves language. Being forced underground, many magic-users use it as "their" language now. Last but not least, there is "Emerit". It is a dead language, only recently translated by scholars of Globeto, but found on many ruins troughout the Vales and Tintalas.

a) Vulgar = Common
b) Divine casters of Tintalas get "Divina" for free, all others can select it as a bonus language.
c) Arcane casters of the Olan Vales get "Argot" for free, all others can select it as a bonus language.
d) Campaign bonus language: Emerit
e) Other bonus languages with some (minor) purpose in this campaign: Celestial, Abyssal, Infernal, Aquan, Auran, Ignan, Sylvan, Terran

On the subject of languages; would Hissarion get to know Divina for free, since he will theoretically in the future (@ level 4) be a divine caster but am not yet?

He'll get it as soon as he hits lvl 4, as do Rangers.

Characters are lookin' good, Liam and Marabelus.

Let's recap the party so far:

-Hissarion, Tintalian paladin
-Varro, Valesmen witch
-Zariah, Tintalian(?) oracle
-Marabelus, Tintalian fighter
-Liam, Tintalian monk

A bit melee, but can't hurt. Still one free spot, we'll see if others join before tuesday.

If someone has suggestions for the setting, feel free, I do appreciate input or feedback.

Thanks for the characters, Marabelus Tarphoni and Liam Rackford! They look good at first sight, I'll have a closer look tomorrow.

Here is some information about the languages:

Languages: Tintalas and the Olan Vales have the same language, but with a very distinctive dialect. This language is called "Vulgar", meaning "language of the people". When dealing with high nobility and clergy of Ishtar tough, many people prefer to speak "Divina", the language of the gods. It's the language of the Empress and everyone approaching her or serving her must know it. Furthermore there is "Argot", a language in the Olan Vales, originally created as a thieves language. Being forced underground, many magic-users use it as "their" language now. Last but not least, there is "Emerit". It is a dead language, only recently translated by scholars of Globeto, but found on many ruins troughout the Vales and Tintalas.

a) Vulgar = Common
b) Divine casters of Tintalas get "Divina" for free, all others can select it as a bonus language.
c) Arcane casters of the Olan Vales get "Argot" for free, all others can select it as a bonus language.
d) Campaign bonus language: Emerit
e) Other bonus languages with some (minor) purpose in this campaign: Celestial, Abyssal, Infernal, Aquan, Auran, Ignan, Sylvan, Terran

Would us having free access to many of those languages really help you in the campaign? IMO offering them among the bonus languages would probably be sufficient and perhaps the new "dead language" should require a rank in Linguistics so not just any starting character would know it.

For example my character is worldly having been exposed to so many travelers at my parents Inn. I'd probably choose Argot as one of my starting languages as I'm something of a scoundral and an arcane caster from the Vales anyway. I'm not however a scholar so picking up a newly discovered dead language wouldn't really fit my concept. I took Sylvan because that's what my familiar speaks.

As a GM I've found allowing access to exotic languages before they're encountered by the PCs takes away interesting tools in building flavor and tone later in the campaign. YMMV.

If you still have room I'd like to throw my mustache in the ring. Have been working on this guy since I came across this thread a couple hours ago. He is a Valesman alchemist(chirurgeon).
Still need to plug in a few more things, and haven't decided on whether to take gunsmithing now and weap prof (firearms) later or plan on gunslinger dip.

I am trying to decide if Hissarion was from a noble family or not. If he was from a noble family I would take Emerit, but I am liking Varro's suggestion that you have to learn Emerit with the linguistics skill because it is a dead language which you would have to be a certain level of scholar to learn.

How long has the invasion of the Empire been going on for? My backstory assumes that it has been happening for at least 5 years and that the Imperial territory has been reduced to essentially just the capital city.

Very good arguments, Varro. Thanks for pointing that out, I consider adapting to your suggestions of skipping the "magic users get for free" part and leaving Emerit for those with Linguistic skills, I'll let you all know in a few hours. If someone else has a say on the matter I suggest sharing it fast.

My reasoning for giving Divina and Argot for free was that, from a story point of view, it would almost be unlogical not to know the first as a cleric in Tintalas and the second as a magic user in the Olan Vales. But I didn't consider that would devaluate the languages, plus on a second tought I should leave some room for those who want to take a different path storywise.

Invasion of the Empire of Tintalas is going for +-3 years now. Strange raids and plunders of coastal cities happened earlier but the full-scale invasion is quite recent and happened very fast.

@Euchrid: Welcome aboard! Still room at this stage, closing recruitment tomorrow midnight (European time).

Hey Raging Bull this looks great. I'd love to play, I will post daily and I love RP, I've just thrown this character together tonight Errik the Archeaologist (Bard Archtype), unfortunately I have to go to bed now (it's midnight in Australia). Sorry for the lack of detail and backstory, these will follow within 48 hours.

Here's a Magus I threw together. This seems like it would be a lot of fun. I've still got to do equipment and flesh out the background and description a bit, but I've got to get headed to work. I'll finish it later today.

A character I've been playing with creating for a while. I dont really have experienced with this game in particular but do have a fair amount of RPing experience. Advice or help will be accepted and used for sure.

It's final, the language rules change a bit, thanks to Varro for the suggestion. To all participants who already chose their language, please make sure to adapt them.

Languages: Tintalas and the Olan Vales have the same language, but with a very distinctive dialect. This language is called "Vulgar", meaning "language of the people". When dealing with high nobility and clergy of Ishtar tough, many people prefer to speak "Divina", the language of the gods. It's the language of the Empress and everyone approaching her or serving her must know it. Furthermore there is "Argot", a language in the Olan Vales, originally created as a thieves language. Being forced underground, many magic-users use it as "their" language now. Last but not least, there is "Emerit". It is a dead language, only recently translated by scholars of Globeto, but found on many ruins troughout the Vales and Tintalas.

a) Vulgar = Common
b) Campaign bonus languages: Divina, Argot
c) Other bonus languages with some (minor) purpose in this campaign: Celestial, Abyssal, Infernal, Aquan, Auran, Ignan, Sylvan, Terran
d) Emerit requires the Linguistics skill, to represent a character being a scholar to know it.

@Errik, Senthiri: Welcome!
@Volty: Can you make a profile page for your character and insert abilities, skills etc?

It seems that at this point I'll have to make a selection. Party will be 6 people, as balanced as possible with a slight preferance to good narrative. Recruiting and character changes still open untill tomorrow midnight (european time).

Been Tinkering with my skills. I swapped acrobatics for Linguistics. I love the idea of this dead Language and I think it fits my character concept better. Also picked my languages and spells.

Since I made my father an intellectual type I'm wondering could he be one of the Scholars of Globeto? Would that fit ok?

This sounds awesome! Do you still have any open slots?

Varro is complete. Description, gear & encumbrance added. I left some starting gold in case we get time so I may scribe a scroll or two.

Never mind my question about the scholars of Globeto, I just tetras the first post. Sorry

This sounds awesome! Do you still have any open slots?

You're welcome to create a character in 12 hours, but there are already more candidates as places. I'll pick the best party mix with the best story.

Alright, Senthiri is all done and ready.

Would like to offer Braton Raith at the last minute! My Alchemist!

Right on time Braxton, closing recruiting now. ;-)

I'll make a decision within 48 hours. It's going to be a tough decision since I saw many interesting stories and characters, but I'll do my very best to make a fair choice.

*think of epic music and the like*

Those playing will be...

Hissarion (Saint Caleth)
Varro (primemover003)
Senthiri(Ben Pistorius)
Liam (bpa144)
Euchrid (BinkyBo)
Errik (Kip84)

Congratulations to them, but you all really gave me a hard time. I spent several hours thinking who to put in. To Marabelus and Braxton, who would have made it for certain if only I had more place in the party: you were excellent candidates and I feel a bit sorry I have to say no. I hope you'll stay around and that you'll keep the characters you created, it's always possible we will need to replace someone at a later stage. In that case you'd be the first I'd ask.

I'll start the discussion thread later today, gameplay will start within 48 hours. I'm working on the minor bonuses I promised for the stories and the details of the first chapter.

Thank you very much 'bows' I'm very excited to be a part of this.