Ikeroth (Inactive)

Game Master CampinCarl9127


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@JonGarrett - Hmm, seems rather strong, based on the numbers for using oversized weapons. If you want to play a character with a massive axe we can certainly make that happen, and I'll work with you to figure it out! But yeah that's a rather strong weapon, even being exotic and with the strength requirement.


Okie dokie, I'll stick with a Great Axe for now.


It's been a while since anybody new has posted, so most likely the pool of applicants will consist of those who already have expressed interest.

Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help you with character creation. I know this is a demanding recruitment.

Although I will say you guys have definitely risen to the challenge. Even among the characters already applied I'm loath to cut anybody. You all are definitely not making this easy for me. Of course that's a really good sign because getting to pick from a pool of such high quality players ensures a fantastic party.


Just as a heads-up, should I get selected - I'm traveling to a family wedding and then a work event Thursday through Tuesday, so won't be online as much. Should still be able to check in to see what's going on and chime in once a day or so.


Thanks for letting me know Saxikath! That time period is almost certainly when I'm going to make the selections so I will keep that in mind.


Hi GM, Sir Longears here.

Just stopping by to say I'm still here and eager for your decision.

I've set up a temporary build for Esdras in an old alias. Here you'll have all the relevant information about him, as well as his picture.


I've got a solid outline for the background now, along with a rough appearance and personality. I'm just fleshing them out now that I'm awake again.


@Sir Longears - I'm eager as well! It's going to be a hell of a hard decision based on the characters already applied.

@JonGarrett - Sounds good! I look forward to what you have, and I'm always happy to help answer questions and whatnot.

@Everybody - I'm considering moving up the deadline for recruitment. Right now of the five people who have expressed interest but not finished a character, JonGarret is the only one who I have heard from in a week. So unless one of the other four interested potential players lets me know they're still interested, I think I'm going to close recruitment when JonGarrett submits his character. Please let me know if anybody has an issue with this.


Well, it works for me. But then, I think I'm about done for now.

Apologies for the backstory's length. It got...wordy.

Crunch Outline:
As mentioned, the plan is to take a Drunken Brute Barbarian with the Spirit Totem, because making jokes about Spirits seems like a thing I'd do, and because it goes with the Spirit Medium Theme Feat.

Obviously, the party role will mostly be tanky, but I'm hoping to be somewhat talky too, with semi-decent Charisma and good Diplomacy. And Intimidate out the wazoo.

Fighting wise, to allow the use of a Move Action to glug booze (or the occasional potion, I guess), I'm planning to focus on the Vital Strike feat chain. Power Attack and Furious Focus are also on the grab list for early levels.

Appearance:
Tall and heavily built, it is unclear if nature, nurture or a combination of both led Muraisa to be built in ample fashion. Despite being on the heavier side for a lady it is clear that there is plenty of muscle covering her arms and torso, along with warpaint and tattoos. In fact quite a lot of her body is covered in one or the other in intricate patterns and forms. She’s not especially shy about showing them off, either.

There are many tales about the fiery nature of redheads, and Muraisa has hear most of them too, dying her hair a fiery red to match her temperament, and sometimes braided with coloured string and and silver chains, or with blue streaks. Still, the dark roots of her original hair colour occasionally poke through. It is generally not considered wise to point these out.

Piercing blue eyes peer out at the world, and Muraisa tends to wear bits and pieces of armour over a leather jerkin and pants or a skirt. She tends to cover her feet in foot wraps rather than boots or shoes, switching only when the climate demands, and her arms and hands are also covered so. Oddly to those who note mostly her savage appearance she usually smells of lavender soap and, unfortunately, strong liquor.

Personality:
Brash, loud, opinionated - that is the way Muraisa tries to come across to the world. She rarely lets a debate go without offering her opinion - loudly - whether it’s wanted or not. She may not have much in the way of knowledge on a subject, but she will cheerfully give her view anyway.

That is another word that would seem to apply to Muraisa - cheerful. She’s often smiling, laughing and chatting. Even when she fights she laughs, drinking and swinging her weapon. It’s unclear which one tends to make the bigger mess. Of course, as with many bersekers, the laughter in that state tends to have a little bit of battle madness in it…

The truth is that the huge personality covers, at least in part, the timid young lady she once was - a mask she has worn long enough and wished desperately enough to be real that it almost is. Almost. There are still hints of the young woman she was, bullied and forced into living in a world of manners and dancing and clothes. She even refuses shoes because of the memory of being made to practice dancing, finding freedom without them a better reminder.

Occasionally, however, that side can be useful...no matter how much she hates it.

Despite her loud, brash and often drunken behaviour, Muraisa is a useful companion - brave beyond reason thanks to her ‘courage in a bottle’, loyal to those she considers allies without thought or reason, and sociopathically vindictive to those who cross her. While she doesn’t always get on with those she journeys with - there are only so many times you can drunkenly belch at someone before they get tired of it - most cannot deny her usefulness.

She’s also terrifying.

Background:
Muraisa was hewn from the rocks and high places, ready to kill ten with a single blow. She was born of neither man nor woman but by the will of the ancient spirits themselves, to serve their needs and join them in due time. None who have shed her blood with bared metal have to sing the songs of there victory nor tell the tales.

Perhaps there is some truth to all that. But Muraisa wasn’t always known by that name, and there are more ways than the traditional one for a hero to be born.

Once, there was a girl named Masaria Lamally, first daughter of the House Lamally, High Seat of the nation of Almor. And she did not like her life. Oh, she understood that there were many worse ones to have. She did not starve. Her food was excellent, her clothes finely made and crafted of the finest clothes. And so long as she did what she was told and stayed very, very quiet she wasn’t beaten too seriously or often.

Her days were long and full, but not of the things she chose. Instead of hunting, she was taught to dance. Instead of fighting she was taught the past. She was taught etiquette rather than sporting, and when she complained she learned how to live with pain and fear. The Lord and Lady Lamally understood how to truly motivate an unruly child.

There are duties that a daughter of the High must fulfil. Young Masaria could tolerate being a hostess - in truth she had excellent taste in music, food and decor. To command the household staff was a burden, to be sure, but not one beyond her skill. The management of the lands and estate she cope with.

But the notion of marriage was beyond her. Marriage in the nobility was a mean to cement alliances, bond families. Love played no part in such arrangements, although the lucky ones grew in it. And for ones like her parents, it drove them to the bottle and the pipe. Not only did the idea of such fill her with horror and dread, but there was another flaw - Masaria prefered the company of other woman.

And yet, that didn’t matter. It was a matter of the family, and continuing the blood. Her parents were aware of her preferences, and didn’t care. If she objected enough there was always the cane, the crop and the stick to convince her.

But a life of pain can serve a purpose. In some ways it’s an excellent teacher. One of the lessons it does well is that you can get used to pain.

As she was being taken to meet her ‘sutor’ by carriage, bandits attacked. Perhaps they hoped for a randsome. Perhaps they simply hoped to loot the rich. Masaria never knew. They killed her guards, and took her to there camp as a hostage. Along the way the leader the described - in detail - exactly what he had planned for their arrival, to the amusement of his warriors and to the young girls terror. They dragged her along, bound her hands, and beat her when she stumbled. Perhaps they expected the pain to subdue her. But she was used to pain.

So when he dragged her to his tent she grabbed the first thing she could - two handed great axe - and swung it.

It was an...epiphany. Years of pain flowed out in a burst of pure rage, anger so strong it made her body pulse with hear in one, perfect arc. The look of shock on the man’s face as his evening’s entertainment suddenly turned the weapon on him - took control of the situation, of his destiny. Took it from his hand. Took his choices. And took his head.

Masaria didn’t remember much after that. There was...screaming. Sometimes it was her voice, sometimes others. There was blood. Sometimes it was hers, but mostly it wasn’t. But it didn’t matter. She remembered the sensations. The warmth, wrapping her like her mother's arms never hand. The freedom when she lost her shoes, the stupid, too tight shoes that she had hated and never been brave enough to speak out on, the freedom her father refused her.

She came too again in the middle of the camp. The bandits were gone. A lot were dead, but some were just missing. Maybe they’d run, or maybe they’d fallen somewhere she couldn’t see. She didn’t care. What mattered was the axe in one hand, the bottle in the other. And the exhaustion. She was...tired. Masaria slumped into a chain, kicking her feet onto the table, and slept.

Muraisa opened her eyes on the future, and saw endless potential. Endless freedoms. Endless choices. The first one was so obvious it almost wasn’t a choice, but it was hers to make anyway. To go home and be the broken child again, to grow into the broken woman, and in turn raise her own broken daughters because of pointless traditions? Or anything else. It was simple.

Gathering everything she could, Muraisa walked away from the camp. She sold the the remains of the silken dress for coppers, and enjoyed the shock on the shopkeeps face when she stripped it off there and then. She bought the kind of strong drink that burned, and headbutted a man who grabbed her bum. She took his coins while he was still dazed, and by the time he found her again had spent them on tattoos that covered her back. The fine skin her parents had always been so careful not to mar.

It would be wrong to say she made the right choices. Many she made in the days, and weeks, that followed could only be called self-destructive. Slowly, slowly, she reigned in her desire for pure, unfettered freedom. The way she fought, the way she acted was like the way people thought of the Skive? Well, she’d known a Shive bodyguard - a decent enough man. She’d read books. So she chose to be one. To let people see what they wanted.

Next, she needed experience. Coin. It was amazing how fast it could all be spent, and how little people thought they could live on. She was something people feared, and so she used that fear. She became an adventurer and a bodyguard, when she could find it.

To her surprise, the spirits of the dead spoke to her. A skill that was much in demand, and one that turned up a pretty wealth of coin. As she continued they even fought alongside her, striking out at her enemies as they swirled around her in her rage. Perhaps a history and bloodline that stretched back a thousand years had a certain power to it.

And one day, she she saw a poster begging for information on a young girl called Masaria Lamally, first daughter of the House Lamally, High Seat of the nation of Almor, and how her loving parents missed her so...she walked away.


My computer is on the fritz recently so I will bow out as I cannot reliably get my seer done. Should you lose people I would love to jump in at a later date and I will probably be keeping an eye on the gameplay as this looks to be an interesting game. Best of luck!


@JonGarret - Great! I'll look over the character in a little bit and get back to you. Expect some posts and PMs very soon :D

@DAA - No worries, better luck next time. If something happens I'll jump back here and let everybody know about availability.

@Everybody - And with that I'm going to start closing the window for recruitment. Since it wasn't a ton of notice, I'm going to give people a last chance. Recruitment ends at 5pm eastern time today (in about 9 hours). If somebody expressed interest before then they will have a chance to submit a character. As of now I'm going to move onto the reviewing process. Please keep an eye out in your inbox.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, PF Special Edition Subscriber

Hey hey! I had a lot of free time so I wrote up a second concept.

CASPAIN "CASS" ABERNATHY

Background:

For want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For want of a horse the knight was lost,
For want of a knight the battle was lost,
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
So a kingdom was lost—all for want of a nail.

Born into a middle-class family in Thane, Caspain Abernathy was an inquisitive child from the start. The youngest of five children but by far the cleverest, Cass seemed destined to follow in his father’s footsteps as a blacksmith as his two older brothers had done, branching out their blacksmithing shops throughout the kingdom of Thane. But from an early age Cass found the prospect of a life of cobbling horses for Abernathy and Sons boring. Instead he turned inward for he possessed an incredible mental capacity and a keen sense for learning. Cass took to schooling quickly and found himself drawn to the sciences – appreciating the logic and rules that formed the basis for all scientific knowledge.

But his education was generic – the town he lived in was not as large as the bigger metropolises and Cass found his mind often searching for newer things to do. So, naturally, he turned to inventing. Turning that keen mind to engineering – Cass set about trying to make his daily chores easier, but after the fifth failed experiment – Cass’ work was stopped by an exasperated father who had seen his son spend more time drawing up blueprints for ideas that would never work than actually getting his chores done.

And so Cass’ mind was left idle for years.

And then one day – a horseshoe lost a nail…

Nicodemus Highmoore was a gifted engineer from the Slate whose specialty was clockwork mechanica. He begun travelling to sell his wares he had begun doing so to escape the war but found that he was not a fan of life on the road. His work was especially popular in the nation of Thane where he had crafted tiny clockwork automatons that almost seemed to have a spark of magic in them – a curiosity to those who lived in the dead magic zone, but really just an incredibly precise feat of engineering. Nicodemus had exhausted his supplies and had little left to trade but enough coin to get him home to Slate to wait out the rest of the war.

And, indeed, Nicodemus was heading to the nearest port when one of his horses lost its shoe so he swung by to the local blacksmith, Abernathy and Sons. And as he waited for Cass’ father to finish shoeing his horse, he caught glimpse of a mess of hammered metal and re-used parts. “What’s that?” he inquired of the blacksmith. “Just somethin’ my kid was workin’ on. Bit of a bother – was supposed to help hammer steel a bit faster. Ended up sockin’ my eldest in the face instead. Had t’ get a half dozen stitches for ‘im.”

Nicodemus looked over the contraption – and despite the mess that remained of the discarded mechanica he could see potential…

And so it was the loss of a nail led to Cass’ apprenticeship with Nicodemus, clockwork artisan and, as Cass would come to discover, an arcanist of some skill. With magic next-to-impossible to cast within the boundaries of Thane, Cass’ burgeoning skill with arcana was not fully realized until he reached Slate and Nicodemus began showing him the hidden mechanics of how the world worked. Together the two of them studied astronomy, engineering, and the mysteries of the arcane. For Cass – magic was just another puzzle piece that needed to be in the right configuration to unlock. And, to be sure, it was one of the most difficult puzzles to unlock.

And so Cass continued to study under Nicodemus until the war’s end – and then for a few more years after until he felt he could learn no more and set off to learn the secrets of the world on his own, having begun to flesh out his thesis: “A Comprehensive Elucidation of Arcanum Fantastica Using Historical Classifications of Magicka Obscura for Identification of Large-Scale Phenomena”. So far he has only the title written.

Personality:
I was also drawn to this line in the Player’s Guide: “A few have even traveled abroad to study magic and apply Thane principles of science to explain how it works, rather than relying on traditional beliefs. So far, detailed theories have eluded them, as if magic itself refuses to let itself be understood. “ Or to use that famous quote to describe Cass’ mindset: “Magic is just science we don’t understand yet.” He is eternally inquisitive and curious – and always willing to do a little extra work or go a little further to see what can be seen. Sometimes his curiosity does lead him into dangerous spots – but he is a quick thinker and has, so far, been able to get himself out of the sticky situations he has found himself in. He doesn’t seek knowledge out to “have” it but rather to expand on what he already knows.

Religion seems weird to him. Believing in something that can’t be seen is beyond the realm of possibility. He needs sources and evidence to believe in divinity. That being said – he is fascinated by divine magic and currently postulates that divine magic comes from a sheer reservoir of willpower within a person that allows them to manipulate the arcane to something different.

He isn’t a fan of war – the destructive nature of war has likely led to the deaths of many who could have, if things were different, better the world.

Answers to Questions:

1) Where were they born? Foxglave Run, a smaller town several days ride away from Feld Forge.
2) Who are their parents? Jameson and Madeline Abernathy.
2a) Are they still alive? Are there any other guardians/close family members? Still alive. Two older brothers (Valentine and Edwin) and two older sisters (Lila and Ada).
3) What were they doing before now? Cass was previously a blacksmith and self-taught engineer before taking on an apprenticeship with Nicodemus’ Travelling Clockwork Emporium.
3a) Why leave it all? Once the apprenticeship was finished, Caspain wanted to continue his studies and needed to branch out to his own thing. He stayed with Nicodemus a few more years before departing on his own to learn what he could.
3b) What did they leave behind? A steady job, friends, and family. He has a lot of love for his mentor and holds Nicodemus in high-esteem but, as Nico said, it is time for the little bird to leave the nest.
4) What does your character want? Caspain wants to be the first to create a unifying scientific theory of magic. How it works, how it can be adapted, and, if he is lucky – is there a way to restore magic within the dead zone of Thane so he could work on combining both magic and technology into a single unifying force.


*finds fingers to cross*


@ARHB - By the skin of your teeth! Luckily I don't have any extra research since you've already applied a character ;)

So I'm intrigued by a character who so clearly fits right into Thane's culture. And it would be interesting coming from Thane and then learning magic...because coming back to Thane would run a significant risk of damaging his connection to the arcane. With such a large and tight-knit family there would be some tension there I imagine.

What kind of caster would he be?


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, PF Special Edition Subscriber

With so many martial classes being offered as concepts - I wanted to throw in something that was more arcane as another option!

He's definitely a wizard - he doesn't have any natural bloodline or innate tie to magic, but rather studying it (so no sorcerer or witch). I thought about arcanist but decided wizard just fit him better. I like the idea of a wizard who controls and bends the rules of the universe just by his intellect and knowledge as opposed to a natural gift.

I'd probably also reflavor some of the spells - no mechanic changes just re-flavoring them. Fireball, for example, could be some sort of clockwork sphere that springs out to erupt in a magical blast of flame. True Strike is a monocole attached to his headgear that he swings down over his eye to pinpoint the perfect place to strike. Etc. Etc. I want to see about blending technology and magic together to create something uniquely flavored for his casting of magic.

I also think coming from Thane to learn magic and then heading back would be very risky and also present some interesting opportunities. There definitely would be tension - he didn't follow the family's path for him - and, on top of that, he decided to study magic of all things? He's also been gone for several years at his point - no doubt his family, who DO love him even if he's the black sheep, has grown - he's probably an uncle several times over.


Wow, very flavorful. I do love unique descriptions for magic.

So he definitely has an exterior goal in his drive to understand magic and possibly even reverse the effects of the dead magic zone. What about some interior goals? Some potential character growth options that are more abstract?

Edit: Regarding recruitment closing, your second character made it in on time. Although if you can't find time tonight to get back to my questions I may consider it unfinished ;)


Well it has reached 5pm.

Recruitment is now closed

I've been pouring over the submissions for the past few days and I already feel terrible about the cuts I'm going to have to make. There are so many high-quality characters and passionate players here that it feels a crime to have to turn some away. But I know from experience that in the long run it will be best to focus on one small table of people.

You can expect a decision either late tonight (within 7 hours) or tomorrow morning.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, PF Special Edition Subscriber

He does have some defined personal goals - he'd love to be a published author (hence the thesis) but I think, more than anything, he wants his parents to be proud of him. He is very much from a family of blue-collar workers who don't get the more intriguing and abstract elements of his work with magic, engineering, and the like - it's all nonsense to them and has no real-world applications.

ESPECIALLY in Thane - with magic useless there, what's the point of studying it? They'd love nothing more for their son to come home and do the work he was supposed to do. Smithing is a hard job but its a good one.

Cass doesn't seek to be successful to "prove them wrong", to be clear. He just wants them to be proud.

Abstractly, Cass does have a bit of a hard time connecting with people. He's been so buried in schematics and science and the like his interactions with folks have been minimal. He really needs to make some friends that aren't clockwork automatons or big-brained scientists. It would be interesting seeing him in a group where he has to grow alongside others.

I do think he doesn't come off as snobbish as many highly-intelligent people do - he comes from a blue collar background so he knows how to talk to people that aren't at his level. He does, however, get a bit too wordy at times when describing things and he is easily distracted -- the two together can be a bit off-putting at times. Im sure he'd learn and grow and do better as things moved along.


Interesting. Are there any other NPCs that are involved in his life? Any people outside of his family in Thane? What about others in Almor?


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, PF Special Edition Subscriber

Hmmm. I think he may have been invited to a college or some sort of advanced school while he was in Almor but I don't see him as sticking around much. For someone who likes mathematics and feels the universe needs to be ordered to make sense - he probably did not take well to orderly instruction. Cass is definitely someone who would benefit from independent study (to his own detriment).

Perhaps a school of some sort? That would open up previous professors, other students, etc.

I also think he has to have had some funding for his thesis. He has NO work right now - there might be a wealthy investor from Thane who can see the benefits of magic within that nation (or more accurately - see the profit of being one of the first to get magic working there). This investor (perhaps a shadow investor Nico put in him touch with) would likely be the one funding his travels as he seeks to learn what he can.


It's just as feasible to be part of an organized school as much as it is to have an independent mentor. Or perhaps a mix, where a mentor suggested school as part of your training.

Oh yes, the Thane government as well as a few invested nobles spend lavishly on foreign magic research. That is definitely an area you could bring in another layer to the character. And potentially a shadow investor, interesting. Gives me a lot of creative wiggle room. What little information would he know about such a figure?


Recruitment is over

Thank you, to all of you who expressed interest and/or submitted characters. The interest and passion expressed for my world was truly a gift to see.

Unfortunately as the reality of the game dictates, I have to turn away some players. And with the players who submitted characters for this game that means I have to turn away multiple excellent players.

After days of deliberation I had managed to narrow the field to five selections. My entire evening was spent asking the question "Who else could I possibly stomach to cut?" But after hours of hair-tearing indecision I have decided to extend the party size to five.

So without further ado, here are the selections, in no particular order:

Saxikath - Topaz
Doomed Hero - Draegar
Steven_Evil - Sevas Deraika
Sir Longears - Esdras Martalen
A Real Human Being - Caspain "Cass" Abernathy

Thank you again to everybody who applied. I'm sorry I couldn't accept more people. I will keep you in mind if we run into any issues with players dropping. I wish you all the happiest of gaming.

As for the five who have been selected, please drop on by the discussion thread. I'm excited to get started!


Congratulations to those chosen, and cheers for the consideration!

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