The Bright Crusade (Inactive)

Game Master Bane88

Starting level: 3rd
Allowed Material: All Paizo.
Races: All paizo, but Core will be preferred.
Starting Wealth: As per WBL.
Points: 20 PB using the 1-1 system. No score below 8 or above 18 before racial mods.
Alignment: Any non Evil.
2 Traits.
Max HP at character creation(up to 3rd level) then roll after that.
Player expectations: Please be polite. This is a homebrew campaign set in Golarion so I reserve the right to tweak things once in awhile. I will try to post multiple time per day during the week and will likely(Though not always,) not post on weekends. Please write a background and include character motivations and what you would like to see in this campaign and what goals your character would like to achieve.
We will likely be using the mass combat rules a little later, but I will be making some changes to the leadership score concept. Including the ability to use scores other than CHA to generate your bonus.

Presenting old hardcore monk beating your evil doer monster monk. Hailing from Taldor near Yanmass. Theral has seen the worst side of everything so far: the hideous monster or humans with evil heart, the deadly nature of Fog Peaks mountains, abominations and nightmaries creatures from Galt.

Theral has spent most of his life battling and protecting humanity in Taldor during day and night without an ounce of pity for himself against creatures of humankind. Who would stand against these creatures if not he. Belonging to order of Ivory worshippers he soon received a vision to travel to Lastwell during worst times

Unsure of what was the meaning or why should he travel exactly now, when the uprising and activities of monsters were increasing. However, his master and teacher did tell him: It does not matter how hard times are at this moment, it does not matter how bad it seems to be, somewhere there, someone has it always worser. We will prevail and protect this place during your absence Theral. Vision from Ivory to you should not be taken lightly. You should not underestimate us or your companions here as a lesser protectors. Be proud and honest. You have a mission and a goal to be fulfilled, given by Ivory himself. Go forth and do what you must. Know this my discipline. You are always welcome back

With those words, Kelith parted from his monastery after couple of days to begin his long journey towards Lastwall. Arriving to the Lastwall after many months, his long gruel journey was coming to end and he could finally find the purpose and reason for his Quest

Aiona was born amidst battle, during a most vicious siege of castle Everstand. That same night her father, an official named Aidan Saner tasked with the defense of the walls, died while leading a desperate charge against one of the siege towers the orcs intended to use to storm the Castle. While the sortie was successful in the end, Aidan succumbed to his wounds a few moments after laying his eyes on his newborn daughter.
The siege lasted a couple of days more when the watcher-lord of Lastwall sent his men to relieve the siege and broke the invading orcs, but Aiona's mother, a paladin of Iomedae named Elissa Brightshield, never forgave them for their actions. Despite having just given birth Elissa fought on the walls, and as the siege was broken she consacrated her child to Iomedae and swore to raise her to be the scourge or orckind. And being a woman of her word, that was exactly what she did.
As a result Aiona's youth wasn't easy. Even in a place like Castle Everstand there were boys and girls of her age and time for playing, but her mother left precious little of it for her to play or make friends. As soon as she was able to walk she was given a longsword and trained in the phisical and spiritual ways to be a bulwark of faith and a killer of orcs. Aiona was also teached etiquette and how to deal with her peers, how o ride in battle, heraldry, tactics and all what could help to fulfill the vision her mother had for her future.
As a result Aiona grew to be an exceptional warrior, a capable diplomat and was easily accepted as a paladin of Iomedae when she proved capable of calling on her patron goddess powers. Not long after that she was given the chance to patrol along the Belzeken's Border and she immediately proved her valor saving a group of knights from being overrun by a group of orc raiders. It was just the first of many such skirmish and Aiona came to be considered one of the best new young officials patrolling the border.
When the idea of the bright crusade was first introduced Aiona was a natural choice for joining the preparatory effort considering her experience at fighting orcs and her exceptional background. The girl accepted her new assignment without complaints, on the other hand her mother, now one of the foremost proponents of the bright crusade, had already accepted for her and Aiona would not dream of going against her wishes..

On the surface Aiona is the epitome of what a dutiful paladin of Iomedae should be: she sems devout to her deity's cause to the point of singlemindedness, she's valiant, honorable and ruthless when it comes to fight those who threaten Iomedae's precepts.
And yes, Aiona is all that, she was raised to be that after all, and it's what she knows and what she's been told her whole life she should be. Yet, Aiona feels she's somehow lacking something: despite her mother teachings she wonders if hating orcs is really what Iomedae's commands of her. And sometimes at night she cannot help but ask herself if the life she's living is the life she really would have chosen herself. As a result of these gnawing doubts Aiona reacts by making herself even more the living embodiment of the iomedaean ideal, yet this somehow feels stained. Aiona really is a kind hearted person, and she can be very charming, yet she's also pretty naive when it comes at things not related with fighting orcs or military life and while on active duty she has a no-nonsense attitude that steams from her mother's teachings. In battle Aiona shows no fear and fights in the front ranks defending her companions from the enemy and shielding them from harm. She's not really that thrilled about the bright crusade, something she feels like an obligation rather than an honor. She'll do her duty, because the only thing she really fears is her mother's disappointment, but her heart isn't really with the war effort and sometimes she cannot but wonder why she feels that way...

Were she not wearing plate armor and whielding instruments of death more often than not, Aiona would be considered a truly beautiful woman. Tall, lithe and well proportioned, with eyes the color of the morning sky and long blonde hair, more than one crusader had been fancing her, but to this point none suceeded in gaining her interest. The fact the much revered (and feared) Elissa Brightshield looks over her like a dragon with her hatchlings and openly discurages that type of attentions doesn't help... at all

In her head Aiona wants nothing more than continue with the existance she's always known. Fighting orcs, carrying out missions, fulfilling her duty to Iomedae. Yet, in her heart Aiona doubts the truths she's been teached and although she doesn't dare contraddict her opressive mother's wishes she doesn't really want the destiny that was forced upon her (although probably she hasn't realized this yet).
What Aiona knows is she fights to defend the weak, and to defeat evil. She doesn't share her mother's hate for orcs and sees the fight against them as necessary for the survival of Lastwall, not some great mandate from Iomedae.
Considering these things her goals are defending Lastwall and her companions, not invading Belzeken for territorial gain. Although she can see reason in pushing back the hordes and in soing so obtaining a better defensive position and respite from their continuous threat she doesn't endorse the wholesale massacre of the tribes.
Also when it comes to personal goals she truly believes in Iomedae, but would like to discover what exactly the Inheritor expects of her, if the road her mother's prepared for her is the same as the goddess'

When you see her approach, mounted proudly on her white horse, you realize you are contemplating a paragon of what a paladin knight should be. All of her weapons are in perfect condition, all showing masterwork craftsmanship. Her armor shines with the reflection of the sun, her hair flowing after her, with her eyes showing his ability to lead men into battle, pushing them to face dangers that they wouldn't be able to face without her leadership and example.
A colorful Iomedae banner waves behind her, a beacon of faith and promise for everyone.
She raises her hand, palm forward, and a tattoo of the flaming sword, holy symbol of Iomedae, shows proudly in it, while her clear and commanding voice is heard all around.
"May the Light of the Sword bless us today, and grant us the strength and courage to face darkness without flinching, without fear, without doubt! Let us become worthy of her! Let us become all that we can be!"
She pulls a horn from his saddlebags and make it sound with a call to arms!
"For justice! For honor! Family, Field, and Fury! Charge!"

The Tilernos family (motto: Family, Field, and Fury) has always had a family member, often a daughter, in the Knights of Ozem. This family's knights are especially proficient in making charges. Their heraldry is a purple shield covered and surrounded in blades.
Now is the place of Voyla. As the eldest daughter of her family, she has been groomed since an early age to be the perfect paladin, a weapon of justice and goodness, a leader of men, a defense against the forces of evil and darkness.

Voyla Tilernos, Paladin (Shining Knight) 3.
Faith, her Combat Trained Heavy Horse.

I hope you like her! It is a mounted combat paladin, designed to become a war leader, with Charisma 20 and the Natural Born Leader trait (I can change it if you don't like it).
As a good follower of Iomedae has her longsword as primary weapon, but also lance for mounted attacks, a composite +4 longbow, a lucerne hammer to defend against charges or reach attacks.
Other special equipment is a silver dagger in a spring loaded wrist sheath, her Half Plate armor, his tattooed holy symbol in her palm, a family banner (RP purposes only) and barding for her horse (I changed the horse's endurance feat for Light Armor Proficiency).
Her feats are Power attack, Mounted combat and Ride-by-attack.

If everybody is ok with it, I think there can be a "friendship" between the two paladins, a competitive "frenemy" relationship where each one of them feel jealous from the other, and that pushes them to become better. Aiona is an infantry paladin, while Voyla a mounted one.
Rogar, by the way, your Ability scores are too low. You made them using the normal Point buy, and in this occasion is a 1-to-1 point buy, so you only used 15 of the possible 20 points.

Noonan's first memory was in the Ustalav orphanage that he spent most of his youth. Deposited there as unwanted due to his hunchback and ugly looks, Noonan endured the cruelty of children and the endless passing over of adults until he was chosen by a man who turned out to be a necromancer in need of an assistant.

Life was better somewhat, he wasn't bullied by other children but the wizard gave him no paternal love, just cold lessons at a small boarding school until he was able to properly assist with magical research. Long days of preparing regents and adjusting equipment followed by empty nights in his small room..

Things became much more troubling when his master started revealing his necromatic side. Stolen corpses, meeting with undead and when adventurers kicked down the door to his master's place, Noonan knew it was time to leave. Snatching up a satchel, Noonan vanished into the night and eventually made his way to Vigil, serving as a medic, his skills as an alchemist were very useful and he found himself happy at last, being able to use his skills for something worthwhile. For now, Noonan is happy to lend his skills to his comrades, and perhaps eventually start a true school of healing.

Milo was six when Alevere Goldenheart intercepted the orc raiders ransacking the caravan in which his parents had worked. From his hiding spot the young halfling watched the warrior gleaming in its steel atop its resplendant charger drive off the raiders. Only he and one of the human children who also was hidden survived to be rescued by the great knight. Orphans the both of them, they became wards in a small town to the churches there. Nathan stayed at the church of iomedae, Milo was taken in by the halfling caretaker to the smaller church of Shelyn.
Both boys remained close, and when Nathan was awarded the honor of becoming a square Milo was very jealous. He loved the stories of the knights on their charges and his hero worship from his rescue never faltered even as he learned about the tenets of Shelyn. He also developed something of a crush on one of the young knights tending the temple to iomedae.
Esmerelde was a beautiful young Varisian paladin who was always sweet enough to not laugh as Milo flirted with her. In truth he was sweeter to her than a lot of the other men she was used to dealing with. It was not to be in more ways than one, an orc excursion occurred and a lot of warriors of the land were called forward to battle and both Esmerelde and Nathan fell in the battle.

Milo was devastated and came to a decision. Beauty and love had a hard time taking hold in lands under threat of orcs. He could no longer stand idly by as the horrors and uglyness of war was here to counteract beauty and love. He began to train with the local clergy to Iomedae while holding hope that love and beauty could reign in his heart.

At first they laughed at the small halfling as he struggled with the martial training but he perservered. He is now a Paladin of Shelyn and Iomedae and Woe fall to any evil orc causing ruin in the lands.

Thanks for pointing out the mistake about the stats. Also I'd be glad to interlink our backgrounds, just give me some time :)

Lastwall was founded with a single purpose in mind, and that ancient purpose still drives much of life today. The nation was founded to keep watch over the Whispering Tyrant, Tar-Baphon, at the end of the decades-long war known as the Shining Crusade. The Shining Crusade ended with the defeat of Tar-Baphon, but the victorious crusaders could not utterly destroy him. Instead they imprisoning him beneath his cursed capital of Gallowspire. Lastwall was founded after this to ensure that the Whispering Tyrant would never escape his eternal prison.

Government

Lastwall is ruled by a single person, the Watcher-Lord. The current Watcher-Lord is Ulthun II, a very young ruler only 19 years of age. Despite his youth, Ulthun II has already proven himself in battle. He is an ambitious leader who wants to secure and expand Lastwall's borders into the territory of its enemies in the Hold of Belkzen. Not only is Ulthun II a capable, talented young leader but he is also an eligible bachelor with suitors swarming his castle in Vigil. Although his position gives Ulthun II absolute power, in practice he rarely exercises this, delegating authority and seeking good advice to help him rule as well as possible.
The absolute power inherent in the position of Watcher-Lord creates the potential for tyranny, but this has never been a big problem in Lastwall. The Watcher-Lord is elected by the Precentors Martial of the Crusader War College, who look for purity of heart, clarity of mind, and someone who embodies the crusader ideal. As a result there has never been a Watcher-Lord arrogant enough to try and assume tyrannical control over the country.

History

Lastwall crusaders are always ready to defend their land.
Lastwall is a relatively young nation when compared to Osirion or Nex, having only existed for approximately 900 years. It was founded in 3828 AR as a province of the Empire of Taldor after the 74 year-long Shining Crusade finally drew to a close.[3] They crusaders defeated Tar-Baphon, but not having the power to kill him, instead imprisoning him beneath his own fortress of Gallowspire. The crusaders realized that Tar-Baphon's prison could not be left unguarded, since Tar-Baphon had already cheated death once before. His first defeat was brought about by the god Aroden himself in 896 AR. If even death at the hands of a god could not stop him forever, then leaving his prison unguarded seemed to be inviting trouble. The decision was made to keep a permanent presence in the region. At the start of the Shining Crusade, the crusaders had commandeered the Ustalavic town of Vellumis as their base of operations. Now they claimed an entire region as their own, allowing them to keep a permanent watch over Gallowspire and creating the Taldan province of Lastwall.
Since then, Lastwall has stayed true to its purpose, standing guard against the undead horrors of Ustalav and the savage orc hordes from the Hold of Belkzen. Both are tenacious foes and require constant vigilance in order to contain them. The orcs in particular have proven particularly troublesome, having pushed back the borders of Lastwall three times since its founding. The current border has held well due to an influx of money and troops from Lastwall's southern border. It is not as heavily fortified as the Sunwall, the first border with the orcs, Harchist's Blockade, the second defensive line, or even the ramshackle previous border, the Hordeline.
Apart from the near-constant fighting against its stated enemies foreign and domestic, the history of Lastwall has been relatively free of wars or external conflicts. It has remained neutral, refraining from getting involved in international politicking, and attempts to remain true to its founding aim of keeping watch over the Whispering Tyrant.
An exception to this was during the reign of the evil warlord Kazavon, who led an army from Ustalav deep into orc territory and constructed the grim castle Scarwall in 4043 AR. Overjoyed at the arrival of a potential ally, Lastwall sent diplomats with tributes and overtures of friendship. Unfortunately, Kazavon was not interested in an alliance and flayed the emissaries alive. The inevitable conflict this sparked resulted in the Battle of Screaming Tree in addition to numerous other confrontations. Unable to defeat the tyrant in open battle, the Lastwall hero Mandraivus led a team into Scarwall in 4058 AR and slew Kazavon.
The only other major event in Lastwall's history was its split from its founding nation of Taldor during the Even-Tongued Conquest in 4081 AR. When Cheliax declared it was breaking with Taldor to found its own empire, Lastwall too broke with Taldor. Rather than becoming a part of the Chelaxian empire, it became an independent nation, declaring that it needed to be free of any political infighting to allow it to keep watch over Gallowspire. Cheliax agreed, and while Taldor objected, it did not have the military clout to enforce obedience. Even so, Taldor continued to provide vital funding and recruits to Lastwall.
Geography

Lastwall is a nation marked by both impressive geographical features and regions of danger. It is located on the western shores of Lake Encarthan, the largest fresh water lake in Avistan. Lastwall's largest city, Vellumis, sits on Encarthan's banks. To its north, just across the border with Ustalav, lie the Hungry Mountains. To the south lies the Fangwood, the majority of it within neighbouring Nirmathas.[8] Despite these regions of bountiful natural resources, Lastwall is bordered by two incredibly dangerous areas. To the northwest lie the lands of the Hold of Belkzen, a barren region of dusty plains filled with savage hordes of war-loving orcs. To the north, nestled in the Hungry Mountains, lies the Ustalavic province of Virlych. This desolate region is home to Gallowspire, the prison of Tar-Baphon, and is inhabited only by the restless dead. All saner inhabitants have long since abandoned this desolate land.

Lucas
Male human kineticist 3
NG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +5; Senses Perception +7
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Defense
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AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 10 (+3 Dex)
hp 36 (3d8+12)
Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +2
Defensive Abilities elemental defense (force ward)
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Ranged telekinetic blast +5 (2d6+9) (w/ Point-Blank Shot and Deadly Aim)
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Statistics
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Str 12, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +2; CMB +3; CMD 16
Feats Deadly Aim, Point-blank Shot, Precise Shot
Traits Imposing Scion, Reactionary
Skills Intimidate +6, Knowledge (arcana) +3, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +3, Knowledge (engineering) +6, Knowledge (geography) +3, Knowledge (history) +3, Knowledge (local) +3, Knowledge (nature) +3, Knowledge (nobility) +3, Knowledge (planes) +3, Knowledge (religion) +3, Perception +7, Profession (soldier) +5, Stealth +8
Languages Common, Dwarven, Orc
SQ burn, elemental focus (aether), feel the burn, kinetic blast, wild talents (extended range, kinetic cover)
Other Gear 3,000 gp
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Special Abilities
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Aether Aether users are known as Telekineticists.
Burn 1/round (3 nonlethal/burn, 7/day) Burn HP to gain greater effects on your wild talents.
Deadly Aim -1/+2 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage.
Extended Range Kinetic blast has range of 120ft.
Feel the Burn +1 (Ex) Gain a bonus to hit and damage with your blast when you use burn.
Force Ward (3 hp +1 hp/burn) (Su) As an immediate action, you surround yourself with a shield of force powered by your telekinetic power. You gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your kineticist level. You always lose these temporary hit points first, before any other tempo
Imposing Scion +1 on Intimidate.
Kinetic Blast (Sp) The kineticist can unleash her kinetic blast at a range of 30 feet at will.
Kinetic Cover (Sp) A wall for one face of a square within 30 ft appears.
Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Reactionary +2 Initiative.
Telekinetic Blast (Sp) You throw whatever unattended object happens to be nearby at a single foe as a ranged attack. The object must weight 5 lbs. per kineticist level you possess or less. If you hit, the target and the thrown object each suffer an amount of bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage equal to 1d6+1 your constitution modifier. This ability grows in power over time.

Taldor is a great many things - rich, ancient, dynastic, powerful... but mostly just rich. Ludicrously, phenomenally rich - and with practically none of that wealth going to anyone who wasn't royalty. Lucas was born to a family of merchants who specialized in trading with foreigners. Calling them 'middle class' would be stretching it - this was Taldor - but they were less totally impoverished than many of their neighbors.

So, naturally, they were a target. When he was twelve years old, Lucas was kidnapped by a gang of thugs operating in Oppara and intending to skim off enough money to make themselves, at least, fabulously wealthy. Given the general corruption of the bureaucracy, it was unlikely anyone would even notice, and Lucas was tossed in with a number of other captives in the hopes of getting his parents to pay a ransom.

That was when Lucas started blasting the thugs through the doors. What the thugs had missed was that Lucas was from a family of Kineticists, people who specialized in manipulating the world with the power of their mind, and his particular talents had manifested in the form of telekinesis. He'd mostly used this to help transport boxes and retrieve hard-to-reach items, but it was just as suitable for tossing humans around.

Brute force was enough to save the day, and during the process, Lucas managed to rescue the son of one of the many royals of Taldor. Of course, no good deed goes unpunished - the rescued prince was a few years older than Lucas, just getting ready to serve in the military (per family tradition), and Lucas was dragged along to serve as a bodyguard. Their particular group was sent to Lastwall as part of Taldor's traditional support for the nation.

The prince was not a particularly talented fighter - neither was Lucas, at that, on the few times he ever bothered to pick up a sword. He strongly preferred using his kinetic powers, and though most people in the camp had laughed at him at first, that quickly stopped when his kinetic powers started tossing around people twice his height. By the time he was fully grown, Lucas had distinguished himself in the armed forces, saved the Prince several more times - mostly as a result of some rather impressive healing powers - and generally managed to get noticed.

That was when a campaign went particularly bad, and Lucas was blamed for failing to protect the Taldan prince during a major battle. The prince - injured but alive - was sent home, while Lucas was forced to remain behind in Lastwall and continue fighting against the forces of Gallowspire. He bears no grudge against Lastwall for this - and, indeed, rather enjoys serving in the army - but isn't especially fond of Taldor anymore. They forced him into all of this, then blamed him when it didn't go exactly as they wanted, so he doesn't have much loyalty to them anymore...