Sorry. No half-orcs in this setting. :-/
A mother's species determines that of the offspring, so there's no half-anythings running around.
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This is Red's Su'Rog Ranger. It will take me a few days for a more detailed background but I have a skeleton of one.
To say Nusku is a misanthrope would be an understatement. In fact the only beings he tolerates are his patron deity Mel Nach though he is not thrilled with the choice of sacred color and the people who pay him to either guide them through a dangerous terrain or to bring back someone who immediately regrets running away in the first place. Though not evil, the Su'Rog is rather selfish and occasionally cruel though he is very professional which is why anyone puts up with him.
Case File: “Broadcastle Street Bombing”
Location: Broadcastle Street, Warehouse District, La Grande
Person of Interest: Myri Myriad de Volant Myri of Broadcastle Street
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Remarks: Broadcastle Street Adventurer’s Guild Office was found in extreme state of disarray approximately 2 hours after nightfall. Contents of the office were scattered throughout the building and over the block, some being found up to 40 yards away. The roof of the building was partially collapsed over the blast epicenter and windows of buildings were blown out up to a block away. Blast appears to have emanated from an unidentifiable magic item that was destroyed during the event. Subject claims the item was a Staff of Understanding. Blast appears to have been force-based in nature rather than fire-based.
Subject was found under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol and laughing with heavy bruising and broken right arm across the street from the lodge, having been thrown there by the blast. Two workers in the warehouse next door suffered minor lacerations and were treated at the scene.
A large crowd had gathered from the taverns a block away by the time I arrived, but there were no direct witnesses.
Subject initially resisted questioning and treatment while dancing and singing. Subject was then placed under arrest, at which point subject calmed down and was treated and taken into custody. Afterward, subject was marginally cooperative. Subject was questioned and claimed that the blast was caused by an accidental malfunction of the magic item. Subject confirmed that no one else was in the building when the blast happened. The building administrator, Harvus Loytimer, has not yet been reached for questioning.
When questioned, the workers next door commented that they heard raised voices coming from the Guild Office approximately one hour before the event.
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The haggard, aging gelnet investigator puts down his quill an hour after midnight and looks over at the young malinger girl, Myri, in the holding cell. He lets out an exasperated sigh. She's young, barely out of her teenage years, and she seems annoyed by how her night has ended up. Her Mage's cloak, gray wool and patched up with numerous, definitely non-regulation symbols, is sitting on the investigator's desk along with a few of her other belongings. She's dressed in a black tunic and trousers, higher quality than the investigator could ever afford but both chopped up to suit the girl's whims. Her white hair is streaked through with colorful dyes, and heavy handed black eye shadow and lipstick almost hide her perfect bone structure. She performs a rude gesture and goes back to picking her nose as she blesses the investigator with her sharp insight. "Locking up people who didn't do anything wrong is no good way to make the world a better place, you know. Idiot." The investigator sighs again as exhaustion really kicks in.
A sharp knock erupts from the precinct door and both of them jump as the door opens. A vitor man steps in, with droopy eyes and an even droopier mustache. He is bedecked in the red and white checkered livery of the Chateau de Volant. Despite the late hour, he looks sharp and alert. The woman in the cell looks confused but relieved and blurts out, "Weffery, what are y-" before the new arrival curtly cuts her off, addressing the investigator. "Good sir, I am Weffery Ballon, Seneschal of the Château de Volant. You have in your custody one Myriad de Volant. The matter at hand has transpired without loss of life, and the Château de Volant would like to see this resolved quietly and...internally. The aggrieved parties will of course be compensated for loss of property. Please remand the young lady into my custody and we shall be on our way."
The bleary eyed investigator takes a cursory look at Weffery's ring and shrugs, glad to have the problem off his plate. "Less paperwork for me." He scribbles a few 'corrections' on to the report he was writing as Weffery looks on over his shoulder and Myri smirks from inside her cell. Within moments, the investigator has released her and she gives Weffery a hug in the moonlight outside the precinct office, favoring her broken arm. "I am so happy to see you here, it really was not my fault but I was sure I would face the pillory fo-" She trails off as the pulls back from the embrace and sees the stern look on the Seneschal's face.
"Young Lady, your ring please." He waits for a moment as she fishes out a ring and removes it from the chain around her neck before he continues. "You were quite clear when you left the Château that you desired a degree of independence, despite the expert apprenticeship that your parents kindly arranged with Magister Portnard. With this scandal, my dear, they have had enough. They have decided to give you what you want. Independence, and a chance to really learn to take responsibility and to live your own life. Effective immediately, your allowance is suspended for the next five years. Do not expect me to ride to the ends of the earth to bail you out of trouble again." While his expression remains stern, he clasps her on the shoulder. "However, they are still your parents - we are still family. They have not - YET - disowned you." His expression finally softens, if only slightly, and he hands her back her ring. "Please refrain from causing any further trouble that will make them reconsider."
Myri's expression shifts from confusion to anger as the older gentlemen outlines her fate. "What the elf is this?! They can't do that to me! I'm their daughter!" She throws the ring into the street with a look of betrayal as tears start to well in her eyes.
Weffery weathers the outburst impassively until she throws her ring. Frowning sadly, he bids her, "Goodnight, Myriad." Then he turns and walks away, leaving her bawling under the moonlight.
Once the tears have run out, she slumps with exhaustion to the empty street. With a start, she scrambles to retrieve her ring.
Nicely written! I like it.
Thanks! Profile created, stat block added, and I've dumped the vignette there as well. I did modify it slightly, adding a few lines where Weffery takes the official report in return for some gold. I think this fits a little better with the Infamous trait, where there's a real possibility that she could be arrested if she returns to the area. She might be able to talk herself out of it, but that's entirely up to GM Gobbledygook.
You asked for a writeup on any Ultimate Campaign traits - I took Pragmatic Activator, which changes Use Magic Device from a cha-based to an int-based skill. In character, that's because she's far better at figuring out how things work than she is at imposing her will on things. That inquisitive nature plays into her exploration of magic and her passion for exploring ancient ruins and cultures to figure out what made them tick, and how their best aspects might be applied to make the current Middle Nations a better place. She's a whip-smart, privileged kid and she thinks she has everything figured out - magic, society, people...clearly she has a lot more to learn, as evidenced by her far too well known magical mishap. If the drunks who stumbled to the scene are to be believed, Myri was singing her own praises as she danced on the ashes of a whole block of warehouses while she threw the guards who came to arrest her on to the fire, but Weffery acted quickly enough that at least her family name has stayed out of it so far.
Right now she's at rock bottom, with a chip on her shoulder and a fresh pot of coffee ready to brew. With a fresh start, she's ready to take this crapsack world by the horns.
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UGH. I wrote up the skeleton of my character, got most of the choices done beyond picking skills and equipment, and was trying to edit the character when I accidentally selected Delete instead.
I'll start again tomorrow, but I can say this much - I have created a silicart psychic. From the future. More later.
Sounds fun!
Hey folks, I just wanted to say that I'd written up and posted my backstory here before I became aware of the catastrophic warehouse blast that happened in Beirut recently. I didn't intend to make light of what happened, downplay the tragedy of the actual events, nor cause any offense. I'd be happy to to alter the backstory in whole or in part and if anyone playing desires that, feel free to PM me or post here.
As a blanket statement, I'm here to have fun with the game and I want the game to be fun for everyone else too. I'm up for tackling some controversy if that's the way the game goes, but not at the expense of a positive gaming environment. I'm also a proponent of the X card.
I'm sure no one thought you wanted to make light of that horror, Zefig.
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New patrons
Amarra Amarramee
Cow Queen; First of Foot; the Loser; Queen of Summons
Alignment: NG
Cleric alignments: CG, LG, NG
Domains: Earth, Good, Knowledge, Magic, Strength, Water
Subdomains: Arcane, Caves, Education, Fist, Friendship, Memory, Metal, Oceans, Resolve, Rivers, Self-realization
Symbol: A blue diamond on a yellow oval
Favoured weapon: Whip
Sacred colour: Yellow
Amarra Amarramee was born human in the golden age of the Nameless Empire. A talented Summoner and novice Brawler with a boundless capacity for kindness and a keen mind, she joined the Adventrers' Guild in hopes of doing good in the world... only for her hopes and dreams to be betrayed. During the Grand Guild Games, Amarra was deceived and cheated against time and again, causing her to lose every event - and for her branch office to blame her for their loss. By way of punishment, Amarra was sold into slavery and subjected to transformation spells that made her the first Herder in history.
Amarra eventually managed to escape her enslavement, and spent the rest of her life continuing to fight the good fight - and struggling to free other Herders as soon as they were 'made'. In spite of her best efforts she never found a cure for the transformation process, but the Herders who followed after her (as well as countless people she had helped in life) nevertheless upheld her as a living saint, then as a goddess after she died -- and by the compassion and sponsorship of several other deities, that is exactly what she became.
Today, Amarra Amarramee is much-mocked among the dominant races as the mother-goddess of the Herders and the patron of Summoners and Conjurors. However, such mockery ignores the fact that she is part of the coalition that weakened Ma-Oth-La, having taken authority over Summoners and their arts away from the greater goddess. It also ignores the fact that Amarra Amarramee is one of the patrons of the Adventurers' Guild; the goddess is determined to guide that organization to be the house of heroes she once envisioned. People who are desperately lonely or fear the loss of friends often pray to her to intercede, and all Herders regardless of alignment pay her homage as their First. Practitioners of Janni Style martial arts often consider her the patron of their style.
Avatars: Although as a goddess she is free to assume any form she wishes, Amarra Amarramee continues to manifest as a Herder woman. Her hair is pale blond and normally done up in a sidetail; her skin is tanned from the sun; her eyes are a dazzling blue. Something of a slave to fashion, she always appears wearing new and flattering clothes.
Relationships: Despite her negative reputation among many mortals, Amarra Amarramee is widely popular among the other gods - all the Good-aligned, most of the Neutral-aligned and even some of the Evil-aligned members of the pantheon consider her a good friend and an admirable person. She is especially close to Rak-Ulas - not in a physical sense, as many slanderous tongues claim, but as two fellow survivors of mistreatment who continue to go strong. Amarra considers Rak-Ulas to be a mentor figure; the fertility deity looks upon her as a granddaughter. Val-Heeree of the monster gods considers Amarra Amarramee to be an honoured superior, although their temperaments differ strongly.
Worshippers: Summoners, Conjurors, Brawlers and Herders all worship Amarra Amarramee. Some farmers do as well, mainly dairy farmers who consider her to be the goddess of cattle. While this particular field does not hold the goddess' interest and she is well-aware of the implied insult, she does provide some blessings to those who call on her in this capacity.
Orders: Amarra Amarramee co-sponsors the with Rak-Ulas; a monastic order that focuses on Janni Style and does its work out in the world, recruiting students and teaching them on the road, rather than behind the walls of a monastery.
are a Paladin order that is sworn to travel widely, assist all who are in dire need, and forever keep learning. As many of the knights of the order are Herders, they tend to wear face-concealing masks and allow very few people into their fortresses. This has caused some misunderstandings with authority figures, who have accused the order of being a smuggling ring.
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New patrons
Olova Urei
Bleeding Heart; Corpse Queen; Queen of the Unquiet; Skull Queen; Student of Morbidities
Alignment: NE
Cleric alignments: CE, LE, N, NE
Domains: Charm, Darkness, Death, Evil, Knowledge, Luck
Subdomains: Curse, Education, Fate, Fear, Loss, Love, Memory, Murder, Night, Psychopomp, Undead
Symbol: Black diamond on a grey oval
Favoured weapon: Gauntlet
Sacred colour: Black
One of the youngest members of the pantheon, Olova Urei was born a Gelnet early in the current age. She was a beautiful, kind girl who enrolled at St. Finnegan's University in the capitol city of La Grande, and there met her first love. She was also stabbed in the back by a girl who considered her a rival for that same lover, her body burned in a garbage incinerator. As far as all her friends, her family and her gentle first love knew, she had dropped off the world without a trace.
Lonely, afraid and full of unfulfilled business, Olova's soul fell into that part of the Underworld that is known as the Halls of the Unquiet: a ghost without an anchor in the material plane. There, she fell under the sway of the former lord of the undead, a malicious ex-lich turned deity named Eisengram. For a timeless eternity, Olova drifted there, tormented by Eisengram's capricious cruelties, the howling of the other tormented undead, and the knowledge that her love would never be fulfilled ... And then she decided she'd had enough.
In the Underworld, stories are still whispered by the dead and fiends alike of Olova's uprising, which saw Eisengram cast from his throne and the Halls of the Unquiet transformed from pandemonium into a palace of glacial quiet. Where once the Skull King tormented his subjects by subjecting their decaying bodies to pain and their chained souls to their worst memories, filling the place with screams, now the Unquiet Dead stalk and float in as close to perfect silence as they can. Olova Urei sits upon the throne of her predecessor in contemplation of her existence, attempting to piece together a memory grown ragged by the transformation into an undead, Eisengram's tortures, and the subsequent transformation into the goddess of the undead.
In many ways, Olova is a vast improvement on her predecessor. She does not actively champion the destruction of all life by her subjects. She does not torture those who dwell in the Halls of the Unquiet, and does not prevent any who dare to abandon undeath for true death and the judgments that come with it. Most of the time, she studies lore both ancient and new and tries to reconstruct her damaged memory. Most of the time, she barely seems to notice the existence of anything that happens outside the confines of her own mind.
But then again, she also does not stop the undead from rampaging on the material plane if that is what pleases them. When she does notice the world beyond her mind, she will, quietly and coolly, set her creatures on missions to gather information by whatever means they prefer. When she wants new knowledge, she will trade with anyone or -thing short of dread Kebal to get it - including the Golden Fangs-movement of fiends, or any necromancer with the courage to contact her.
Avatars: When Olova Urei appears, she assumes a form much like the one she had in life; a beautiful Gelnet girl with purple hair done up in two pigtails, her forehead gem darkened to amethyst purple. Her hair tends to float and swirl as though she were under water from time to time. She wears the girls' winter uniform of St. Finnegan's University, and frequently carries a book bag with her. She wears silver rings on all the fingers and thumb of her left hand, which transform into her signature gauntlet on her command. Her skin is pale verging on white, her legs tend to trail off into a ghostly 'tail' when her attention wanders. Where her avatars tread - or float - the day grows cold.
Worshippers: Unlike Eisengram, Olova Urei holds no particular antipathy towards mortals. True, her touch can suck the life out of them when she isn't paying attention, but most of the time she can take the living or leave them. As a result, she has a far larger faith than Eisengram ever did. Olova's Clerics, even the evil-aligned ones, frequently work as arbiters between the living and the undead, settling the latter down by seeing to it that the former bring sacrifices or right wrong that have stirred up the undead. Students of necromancy frequently worship her and try to emulate her glacial calm and studious manner. Witches and Wizards frequently bow to her black altars. As Olova is one of the patrons of the Adventurers' Guild, adventurers with an interest in archaeology (an occupation which often puts people face-to-face with the undead) and necromancers often try to get on her good side.
Most of the world's undead, especially the evil-aligned ones, worship Olova as their queen-goddess. Her cold tranquility soothes their anger and agony; her vast power and knowledge shield them from the hatred of the other gods; her overthrow of hated Eisengram gives them a dark hope that one day, they will overthrow the shackles of nature, the spirits, the fiends and all the other gods, allowing them to march freely across a world cast into eternal darkness and eternal winter, cleansed of the living and all other irritants.
Relationships: Although she's the new kid on the block, many of the gods actively fear Olova Urei. She did not stand out among the thronging multitude of souls that suffered in the Halls of the Unquiet. Not until she suddenly erupted in a kind of chill fury and pulled down a god, stealing his throne and divine mantle for her own, with no help from any outside source. If only her broken and bleeding heart enabled her to do that, what else might she do if she ever gives up on finding her love and her revenge?
Malicious tongues whisper that Aku-Dev's order to her faithful to destroy the undead wherever they see them has less to do with disgust for that which is unnatural, than with a desire to curb the power of this inexplicable upstart.
Surprisingly, Olova Urei has struck up an unlikely friendship with Ohiro, the Zlapav god of love and alchemy. While their alignments and attitudes are worlds apart, Ohiro recognizes that Olova's heart is still ruled by love and her desire to fulfill that love. Over the years, he has offered as much help as he dares and their alignment differences allow, hoping to reunite her with her lost love and see her pass on.
On the other hand, Olova's faith exists in a chilly standoff with the faiths of Mel-Nach and Ulla the Grey; because she was murdered, Olova nurtures a cold spark of hatred for all killers. For their part, the monster goddess and Ulla are extremely wary of the Corpse Queen's wrath and tend to advise their faithful to keep their distance - unless there is profit to be made in killing Olova's faithful, of course.
Orders: All Clerics of Olova mediate between the living and the undead, but are a predominantly N order of Clerics who specialize in this function. More approachable than their Evil brethren, the Arbiters can pretty much name their own price and tend to provide the faith as a whole with a steady income.
are an order of Clerics, Wizards, Witches and Antipaladins (most of them undead) who see Olova as their hope for a better future. A future of eternal darkness and cold, free of the living and their gods. They spend much of their time praising their goddess and compiling arguments and evidence that they hope will motivate Olova to cast off the past and reach out to claim present and future for her loyal creatures.
are an order of Inquisitors, most of them still alive, who are dedicated to helping their eerie patron restore her damaged memories and avenge herself on her murderer. They frequently infiltrate St. Finnegan's University and other institutes of higher learning, seeking knowledge of Olova's mortal life and the people who played such a large part in it.
Heads up: I've opened up the discussion thread, but don't post there yet; I'm putting up some reference documentation there for character creation.
New patrons
Ash-Kta
The Dark Bard; the Laughing Temptress; the Oaken Trickster; the Red Rogue; Slayer of Fey; the Sun-Kissed Bard
Alignment: CG
Cleric alignments: CG, CN, NG
Domains: Charm, Darkness, Earth, Luck, Magic, Sun
Subdomains: Arcane, Captivation, Caves, Curse, Day, Light, Lust, Moon, Night, Rites
Symbol: A cinnamon diamond on an oak-brown oval
Favoured weapon: Katana
Sacred colour: Oak
Ash-Kta was a human who lived during the Turmoil, the age preceding even the Dread Empire. She came from a poor family, but was blessed with good looks and a gift for music and song; through perseverence and the support of her kin, she managed to land an apprenticeship as a Bard, and became popular enough that she was starting to make a decent living, good enough that she could support her family... And that was when the eye of the Queen of the Faeries fell upon her.
The Queen was a greater goddess during the Turmoil, well known for randomly tormenting 'lesser lifeforms' for the fun of it. She bedeviled the mortal Ash-Kta mercilessly, doing her damndest to ruin the human's dreams and reduce her to a state she considered to be "suitable" for mortals; a state currently suffered by the Wildmen.
To the Queen's growing anger, Ash-Kta refused to be broken. Time and again, she struggled to break free of her tormentor and regain what little status and respect she had been able to claim. As the conflict between Faerie goddess and mortal human mounted, other powers took note. Rak-Ulas and Uk (who respected the mortal's ability to fight the Queen) whispered secrets in Ash-Kta's dreams; Ma-Oth-La (who just hated the Queen of the Faeries) scattered runes upon the wandering Bard's path and hid them in her shadow.
Through perseverence and study - and her ability to exploit the secrets she had been given - Ash-Kta discovered a weakness the Queen of Faeries had thought hidden for all time. On a moonless night, when once again the Queen of the Faeries and her Winter and Summer Court descended to torment Ash-Kta, the mortal ran the greater goddess through with a blade of blended metals, shadow and song -- and the Queen died.
Ash-Kta unintentionally absorbed part of the Queen's divine mantle, and walked free of the furious Faerie Courts as a goddess of darkness, music, song and luck. She grew in power over darkness and probability as well as light and physical desire over the centuries that followed. When dreaded Kebal burst into the universe, it was the Laughing Temptress who set the traps that ultimately tripped the Worm up and restrained his movement.
While other deities might have tried to capitalize on such an achievement and ascend to the rank of the greater gods, Ash-Kta has remained who she has been; a seemingly carefree musician and trickster who wanders the world, picking up songs, stories, and secrets as she goes along. She entertains, she seduces, she inspires, and she moves on, seemingly flighty and careless - but ultimately keeping an eye on the whole world and continuing to set traps for Kebal and other evils in the shadows.
As a member of the coalition that de-powered Ma-Oth-La, Ash-Kta is technically the supreme patron of Bardic spellcasters, but she never seems to make any particular demands based on this element of her portfolio.
Avatars: Ash-Kta typically appears in a form that resembles her original, mortal guise. She is short by modern standards, but her legs are strong and her body toned. Her skin is tanned, her hair is dark brown and hangs to shoulder length. Her nose may be a trifle sharp, but the sparkle in her dark eyes and ready smile more than make up for this. When she deigns to wear clothes at all, the Red Rogue wears a classic toga coloured burgundy. She wears sandals whatever else she does, and always carries a guitar in a beat-up old case and a katana in a well-kept sheath. Where Ash-Kta's avatars tread, the light of day grows brighter, yet the shadows also lengthen and grow darker.
Worshippers: Bards and Rogues make a natural fit for Ash-Kta's worshippers, as do Shadowcasters. She is a patron of the Adventurers' Guild, sponsoring Bards who go out to create legens of their own instead of recounting other people's stories. Herders, Sû-rog and Zlapav frequently worship her, as do Wildmen. Carefree wanderers and gamblers of any species are known to pray to her to grant them luck.
Relationships: Ash-Kta knows Kebal hates her most of all, and she returns the sentiment with cool disdain - and a firm determination to keep setting traps for him, should he ever manage to break out of the first one she set. Ma-Oth-La despises her for having taken part of her portfolio, especially after she once favoured her with magical lore, but Ash-Kta knows full well what kind of person the greater goddess is, and ignores her hostility.
Ash-Kta is still fast friends with Rak-Ulas, often joining the elder deity on their endless journey, and from time to time they are more. Generally speaking, they are merry to meet and content to part. While many scholars would expect her to be on good terms with the Zlapav god Ohiro, Ash-Kta actually has little to do with the god of alchemy and love; Ohiro enjoys staying in one place, gathering lovers and feathering their nest, whereas Ash-Kta is an eternal wanderer who but glancingly touches the lives of others.
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Athelgarde
The Only Queen; the Strangling Mask
Alignment: LE
Cleric alignments: LE, LN, NE
Domains: Artifice, Community, Evil, Law, Protection, Travel
Subdomains: Defense, Exploration, Home, Oceans, Purity, Toil, Trade, Tyranny
Symbol: A beautiful woman's face, cast in black iron
Favoured weapon: Heavy mace
Sacred colour: Iron
Born during the Dread Empire, Athelgarde was enthroned as the goddess of cities and civil order. She remains as such, but is also the supreme champion of civilization, culture and order.
Apart from these laudable elements of her portfolio, Athelgarde is a ruthless monster that believes in the primacy of culture over the individual, choking off the rights and feelings of people to make them fit into 'her' ordered society like drones into a hive. Mirthless, merciless and uncompromising, Athelgarde would be as hated as any fiend ... if she were not the goddess who kept dragging civilization up out of the mud left after the collapse of every Empire. No matter how vile she is, how deserving of hatred, it can not be denied that she is a tireless champion of civilization, opposing barbarism and forces that would bring doom to all the hard-won progress that separate sentient beings from the beasts.
Avatars: On the rare occasion that Athelgarde appears, she does so as sexless humanoids swathed in robes of black cloth and pieces of iron armour. A feminine mask of iron covers her face, and her voice echoes as though it came from the depths of the Underworld. Behind the mask, her eyes are barely visible as dots of cold light.
Where Athelgarde's avatars tread, mortals feel their limbs grow heavy, their movement slowed down - unless they walk as the avatar directs.
Worshippers: Aristocrats are natural worshippers of Athelgarde, as are Tyrant-archetype Antipaladins. She also has a strong following among the type of Fighters and Cavaliers that believe in subjugating the wilderness so civilization can expand.
Relationships: In spite of their shared alignment, Athelgarde despises Kebal, for he brings doom to all things, including her beloved civilization. She grudgingly respect Thla-Avak, for without life there can be no civilization, and Rak-Ulas because their work provides the fertility needed for creatures to feed and breed.
Athelgarde's relationship with Uk is tense, for while war is a useful tool to annihilate threats to her cities, it can also tear them down. Athelgarde is on uncertain terms with Ma-Oth-La for similar reasons; magic can be both boon and bane, depending on who wields it, and Ma-Oth-La has no interest in strictly regulating who can. Ohiro's patronage of ambition and hard work serve well within the structures she creates, but she hates how the Zlapav god encourages their faithful to transcend limits imposed from the outside - which is what she does best.
Athelgarde actively detests the monster gods, who are trying to civilize creatures she considers to be enemies of her cities, and do so in a way different from her own. Ash-Kta, Olova Urei and Ulla all tamper with what she considers to be the proper order of things, and she would happily extinguish them if she could. The fiends, especially those of the Golden Fangs, threaten the cosmic order she champions. Zeber-Oht is a wretched thief who claims credit for the achievements of better gods, including his claim that he is the father of civilization when Athelgarde considers this to be her exclusive territory.
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Laut-Hawyn
The Braying Brawler; the Dashing Warrior; the Laughing Swordsman
Alignment: CN
Cleric alignments: CE, CG, CN, N
Domains: Chaos, Glory, Luck, Madness, Strength, War
Subdomains: Blood, Competition, Duels, Fate, Ferocity, Fist, Heroism, Hubris, Insanity, Revelry, Whimsy
Symbol: A violet diamond on a red oval
Favoured weapon: Rapier
Sacred colour: Violet
Where Uk is the god of war, his estranged and disinherited son Laut-Hawyn is the god of joyful battle, duels and gladiatorial combat. Delighting in all clashes of blade and fist, Laut-Hawyn champions Barbarian rage and the mentality that clashes of the blade can decide all conflict. He is irreverent, laughs at the suffering of the defeated and the weak, and encourages his faithful to carve their way to the fate they desire. All those who fall by the wayside, be it due to accident, disease, poison or because they fell to an enemy who fought by guile or magic, are unworthy and will be abandoned by the Dashing Warrior. Only winners deserve to bask in his presence once death has ended their mortal existence.
Laut-Hawyn is the supreme patron of the Grand Colosseum in La Grande, and is considered to be the chief of the pantheon by the crustier barbarian tribes. His temples strongly resemble beer halls, his sermons are full of prideful boasts of the deity's prowess with sword, drink, wench and gambling. Theoretically, every duel and gladitorial combat is an act of worship to Laut-Hawyn, and every drop of blood spilled and enemy stronghold burned is incense to his nostrils.
Avatars: Laut-Hawyn typically manifests in the form of handsome men with thin mustaches and pointed goatees, their physical build lithe but muscular. He wears garish clothes of scarlet and violet cloth under practical leather armour and chainmail, and boots of soft leather with curled noses. Instead of a helmet, he wears a broadrimmed hat festooned with colourful feathers on his artfully curled hair. While he wears foppish earrings and his hands sparkle with gem-studded rings, his most prized possession is his +4 Anarchic rapier of wounding, Longcut.
Worshippers: Laut-Hawyn is popular among Barbarians, Brawlers, Cavaliers, Fighters and Swashbucklers. He cheers on anyone who wields a weapon in search of glory, but disdains those who rely on things other than weaponry and their bodies. His temples unapologetically bar those who do, even forbidding Magi and Rogues from partaking in their carousing rituals.
Relationships: Laut-Hawyn openly desires to replace his father Uk as the god of war, but he lacks his father's keen strategic and tactical skills. None of his attempts have gone beyond trying to overwhelm Uk in single combat, which is just one area where his father still outclasses him.
Laut-Hawyn is one of the lovers of Aku-Dev, with whom he has much in common; both are frequently rampant egomaniacs. Consequently, the times when they are able to actually enjoy each other's company are ... infrequent. Like all the other gods, Laut-Hawyn sees Kebal as a deadly enemy. Unlike most of the others, he wishes to one day see Kebal released, believing that a battle between the two of them would elevate his skills and perhaps allow him to absorb the Worm's divine mantle so he can finally overpower Uk. Laut-Hawyn has nothing but contempt for the peaceful Rak-Ulas, and is frustrated by Thla-Avak's refusal to spar with him. He considers the monster gods to be the patrons of battle fodder; creatures whose existence only serves to hone the skills of a warrior. Laut-Hawyn holds Ulla in contempt for her preference to strike in the shadows, rather than on the field of battle, and is angered by Ash-Kta's steadfast refusal to be either his lover or his herald. Some day, Laut-Hawyn hopes to either defeat or subjugate Lady Azan of the Underworld, but the cunning demoness has so far managed to maintain a stalemate through superior tactics, though not defeat him.
For their part, the gods Laut-Hawyn dislikes or hates all hold him in equal disdain. Uk considers him a bloodthirsty braggart; Rak-Ulas sees him as just one more bully; Thla-Avak dislikes the way he encourages creatures to casually waste lives; the monster gods see him as a conscienceless butcher; Ulla disparages the way he champions pointless bloodshed and insufficiently compensated murder; Ash-Kta considers his exploits unworthy of being serenaded. Unknown to Laut-Hawyn, Lady Azan has been plotting his downfall in collaboration with the rest of the Golden Fangs-movement; if their plans succeed, Laut-Hawyn will be the first god to die at their hands, and his divine mantle will be the first they share among themselves and devour.
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Ohiro
The Celestial Thief; King of Alchemy; Prince in Pink; Princess in Pink; the Shifting Lover
Alignment: CG
Cleric slignments: CG, CN, NG
Domains: Artifice, Charm, Destruction, Magic, Strength, Trickery
Subdomains: Alchemy, Ambush, Arcane, Catastrophe, Construct, Espionage, Fist, Industry, Love, Lust, Resolve, Toil
Symbol: A white diamond on a pink oval
Favoured weapon: Composite longbow
Sacred colour: Ivory
Ohiro was born as a mortal Zlapav during the Turmoil, the era that precedes the Dread Empire. They came to the attention of the Queen of the Faeries, just as did the human who would become Ash-Kta, but she passed off tormenting the diminutive shapeshifter to one of her subordinates. Against the odds, Ohiro managed to charm the fickle faerie creature that came to torment them to the point that the faerie became the Zlapav's mentor, rather than their tormentor. With the secrets and arts Ohiro learned from the faerie, the Zlapav eventually gathered great wealth and became a fairly heroic adventurer. From adventuring companions and the teachers at the Hidden Academy, Ohiro learned to become a masterful archer and a profound black magician. By the time natural death claimed Ohiro, they were the most famous Zlapav in the world; wealthy, mighty, with an extensive harem of wives and lovers and a reputation for incredible deeds.
The most incredible of all, of course, was that Ohiro perfected an elixir that allowed them to ascend to the ranks of the gods. While Aku-Dev claims she inspired this creation, she had only dropped hints
Ohiro is very popular as a role model of what anyone can achieve with dedication, elbow grease, and the courage to surpass limits imposed by others. They are also hailed as the patron of all alchemy - especially after heading the coalition to de-power Ma-Oth-La, on which occasion they claimed patronage over Alchemists. Lovers and those hoping to fall in love often pray to Ohiro, asking for inspiration or outright blessings.
Avatars: Ohiro still enjoys manifesting as an average Zlapav, a trail of simple, stylized tattoos on their back denoting loves found and lost. Sometimes they wear a silver-haired wig. A consummate shapeshifter, the King of Alchemy is also known to assume a wide variety of other forms, some male, some female, as occasion requires.
Where the avatars of Ohiro tread, the light softens and tempers are soothed.
Worshippers: Alchemists and matchmakers bow to Ohiro's altars in reverence, and it is rare to find a Zlapav who does not at least tithe to the deity's faith on holy days. Many Gelnet worship Ohiro, especially in La Grande, where the deity's main temple stands on the location of the manor house they built during their mortal life.
Black magicians are also likely to at least offer token obeisance, as Ohiro is one of the sponsors of the Hidden Academy. There are plenty of Rogues and Ninja who respect Ohiro for having performed two of the greatest heists in history; the de-powering of Ma-Oth-La and the theft of Aku-Dev's Artifice domain.
Relationships: Aku-Dev and Ma-Oth-La hate Ohiro, but dare not act against them directly due to the popularity of the Zlapav deity's faith and their strong inroads with the community of black magicians - not to mention their essential contribution to the seals and barriers that hold back the foul Kebal. The deity is good friends with Amarra Amarramee, Olova Urei, Ulla the Grey and Dae-Nash of the monster gods. Athelgarde and Ohiro exist in a tense equilibrium; on the one hand, Athelgarde provides a stable environment inside which the ambition and hard work Ohiro sponsors can help someone flourish; on the other Athelgarde is a vile tyrant who crushes individuality, whereas Ohiro encourages all to surpass limits imposed by outsiders.
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The Perfect
Celestial Diamond; Celestial Monk; the Perfect
Alignment: LN
Cleric alignments: LE, LG, LN
Domains: Knowledge, Law, Magic, Strength, Trickery
Subdomains: Ambush, Arcane, Deception, Divine, Education, Espionage, Fist, Judgment, Legislation, Memory, Resolve, Self-realization, Thought
Holy symbol: A white diamond on a black oval
Favoured weapon: Quarterstaff
Sacred colour: Rainbow
More a principle than a person, the Perfect is a force that constantly strives for perfection. Born during the Turmoil, the Celestial Diamond lives an utterly ascetic existence, devoting itself to education and training according to a schedule from which it allows no deviation for any reason. Although it is an ancient force, it has almost never touched the material plane directly. Its sole contribution is in the funding of several monasteries, which it endowed with its doctrine; a training manual that no mortal could hope to finish during one lifetime, and which doubles as a breeding manual. It is the hope of the Perfect's loyal servants that one day, after generations of training, their monasteries will produce a being worthy of standing by their patron's side.
Avatars: When the Perfect appears, it is as an androgynous, hairless being with large, dark eyes. Dressed in simple clothes, it carries a quarterstaff in one hand, a longsword strapped to one hip, a shortsword to the other.
Worshippers: Monks and lawful Brawlers humble themselves before the example set forth by the Perfect. Many Silicart bow to its altars as well, seeing in its rigid order and striving for utter perfection something to strive for, but also an echo of the Royal Silicart they once served. Many Wizards also bow to the Perfect, admiring its dedication to improving mind and magic as well as body and martial skills. Lawful Magi often consider themselves to be cast in the deity's mold, as they combine multiple fields of power in one style.
Relationships: Virtually none. The Perfect detests Kebal and adds its strength to holding the Worm in check. Apart from this, it barely even communicates with the other gods, the spirits or the fiends. It has no true enemies. It has no true friends. It desires neither, and no one is in any great rush to include it in their plans; its joyless character does not inspire affection, its ambition are so internalized that it inspires neither envy nor admiration.
This is Red's Su'Rog Ranger. It will take me a few days for a more detailed background but I have a skeleton of one.
To say Nusku is a misanthrope would be an understatement. In fact the only beings he tolerates are his patron deity Mel Nach though he is not thrilled with the choice of sacred color and the people who pay him to either guide them through a dangerous terrain or to bring back someone who immediately regrets running away in the first place. Though not evil, the Su'Rog is rather selfish and occasionally cruel though he is very professional which is why anyone puts up with him.
A solid start to the build and a decent story skeleton. ^_^
I wonder, though; which class archetype are you going with?
Short Answer: Yes. To clarify, he is going to take the Divine Tracker to represent his devotion to Mel Nach, and the Shapeshifter and Wild Hunter Archetypes to represent his feral animalistic fighting style. He is the type who gets along by himself in the woods as even animals don't like him. You don't send Nusku to dinner parties or negotiations though he is decent at throwing his weight around.
The Grey Path
Grave of gods; Mortal Ascension
Alignment: N
Cleric alignments: All
Domains: Air, Death, Healing, Knowledge, Magic
Subdomains: Arcane, Divine, Education, Lightning, Psychopomp, Restoration, Resurrection, Rites, Thought, Undead
Holy symbol: A grey oval
Favoured weapon: Firearm (one type)
An atheistic philosophy, a path of study mainly practised by spellcasters.
Alchemists and Witches are not Clerics, and yet they can access many of a Cleric's powers. If the power does not require gods, why should mortals bow and scrape to access the power? Could so-called 'divine' magic simply be another facet of the same transcendant force known as arcane and occult magic?
Adherents of the Grey Path study, meditate and experiment to prove that all magic is simply one magic, and mortals can forge their own fate. Not all deny the existence of the gods, but they do dispute that they owe the gods obeisance, for it does seem to be possible to access all magic without a patron.
It is unknown whether the divine spellcasters of the Grey Path have truly tapped into divine magic through their studies and meditations, or that one or several gods, spirits and/or fiends is backing them on the sly. What is known, is that most major faiths detest them, and that the movement needs to practice a fair amount of secrecy.
Due to the movement's lack of guiding ethics or morals, its adherents have a chance to study without limitation. There are a surprising number of scholarly adventurers who follow the Path and donate grimoires and sacred artefacts to its hidden libraries.
Followers: The Path mainly attracts scholars, although sometimes ordinary people who grow disillusioned with the gods do join up. Spellcasters are highly prized because they are able to test the group's theories directly, but the philosophy's ruling council appoints membership based on scholarly achievement and majority vote, not personal power.
Alchemists, Bards, Clerics, Mystic theurges, Witches and Spellmaster archetype Wizards are always welcome to join.
OK, I think I've got most of them built. I'll get the rest of the skeleton built in the next day or so, and get a good background on them as well.
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I'm beginning to think we're not going to be a very dinner party type of party.
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I'm beginning to think we're not going to be a very dinner party type of party.
"Nah, I know dinner party etiquette! The little fork at the end is for stabbing people in the eyeballs with, yeah?"
OK, I think I've got most of them built. I'll get the rest of the skeleton built in the next day or so, and get a good background on them as well.
I look forward to seeing the rest of it. ^_^
Short Answer: Yes. To clarify, he is going to take the Divine Tracker to represent his devotion to Mel Nach, and the Shapeshifter and Wild Hunter Archetypes to represent his feral animalistic fighting style. He is the type who gets along by himself in the woods as even animals don't like him. You don't send Nusku to dinner parties or negotiations though he is decent at throwing his weight around.
Oh, so you're planning to use archetype stacking? Cool, cool. I haven't seen that used before.
Would you mind creating a rough outline of which features you're going to be swapping and for what? Just so I'll have an idea of your abilities. ^_^
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Long-Term goal: Acquire a relic from Olova Urei's mortal life as a badass Necromancy Implement.
Long-Term goal: Acquire a relic from Olova Urei's mortal life as a badass Necromancy Implement.
Nice! ^_^ I hope you'll make a note on your character sheet.
Long-Term goal: Acquire a relic from Olova Urei's mortal life as a badass Necromancy Implement.Nice! ^_^ I hope you'll make a note on your character sheet.
I can do that. Her current implements are her axe and her cloak. The axe is a relic of Bolturr the Blunderer, a very minor lieutenant from the Dread Empire known primarily for getting himself killed in an insane suicide charge against an orc horde, at which point his unit turned and ran. Definitely looking to trade up from that, especially if I can take advantage of the bastard sword proficiency.
Her cloak is her own Black Mage's cloak, a simple cut gray woolen affair that she has seen fit to patch up with symbols and sigils of things that are important to her, or at least caught her eye for more than a few hours. It may not be a historical relic, but it's meaningful enough to her to draw psychic power from.Not sure how familiar you are with Occultist Implements - they should be items of meaningful significance, but rules-wise, pretty much anything of the proper type that's worth at least 10gp can count. The above items are just a 10gp standard battleaxe and 10gp i spent on "occultist implement" that happens to be a cloak. I'd love to keep using items with significance like I've written above - I'm planning on using her signet ring as her illusion implement for example, but technically speaking, grabbing 10+ gp items to use from the market would work just as well.
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That all sounds excellent, and you should have opportunities to trade up as the game progresses. ^_^
(For one thing, there's an expansive pantheon you can collect relics from. ;) )
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Wild Empathy traded for Favored Weapon
Favored Enemy traded for Animal Focus
Favored Terrain traded for Shifter's Blessing
Hunter's Bond traded for Blessings
Woodland Stride and Swift Tracker traded for Shared Focus
Camouflage traded for Dual Form Shifter
Master Hunter traded for Master Shifter
Update: I'll have a more substantial backstory by tonight.
Looks good! And I look forward to the backstory. ^_^
Heads up: the pantheon of lesser gods has been completed! It includes two gods not yet shown here, and puts them all in alphabetical order.
Annnnd here are the monster gods! This listing includes four deities you haven't seen yet, some with interesting secrets to be told.
Alrighty, I think I've got all the patrons for this setting down now. There's philosophies, there's a wholly independent agent, and there's fiends and dead gods, all in the Discussion thread. ^_^ And now I am going to sleep. :p
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How are you guys all doing with character creation?
So far we have --
Ridge: Dyrm: Dwarven Cleric
Amazing Red: Nusku: Sû-rog Ranger
Zefig: Myria: Malinger Occultist
Misroi: Tsnng: Silicart Psychic
Who shall be next?
Like most of his kind, Nusku avoids most of so-called civilized society. Unlike most of his kind, it's more due to the fact that
he refuses to disguise himself which usually leads to some at best prejudice and at worst impromptu violence. Honestly this suites
him just fine as he tends to hate almost everyone else. He also tends to hate most animals also but the animals at least have
the sense to stay away. He doesn't remember a whole lot about his family as they were killed while on the road by some "adventurers"
when he was very small. He has been on his own ever since, stealing, hunting, or foraging for food. For a short time, he even worked
for a sect of the goddess Mel Nach. While he was completely on board with the deity's teachings as far as taking what you what as
long as you can get away with it, he found the acolytes a little too intense for his liking. He was just trying to survive which
meant occasionally being cruel, but he never found joy in it. Survival of the fittest or even most clever was the way of the world
and Nusku embraced it.
But even that didn't last forever, so like many Nusku hesitantly joined the Adventurer's guild. His main specialty was often as a guide for hapless commoners through the wilderness or occasionally bringing back a bounty, often dead if that was an option. The pay was horrendous but steady so he put up with it. Hopefully one day he can earn enough money so he can quit and then shut the guildmaster's
loud mouth, permanently. But for now, he bides his time and saves his coppers.
So my real problem is figuring out the big whoopsie that he committed to where Nusku would be on thin ice so he would have to take the job that no one else would. Any ideas?
Warded against nature is an interesting one from that perspective. What about something like this - Nusku was hired through the Guild to escort a noble through some dangerous woods. Standard fare for him, but this particular noble happened to bring their cherished, prize-winning, tiny yappy dog with them. The contract did not explicitly include the dog, and Nusku watched as a large hawk carried the dog off somewhere close to the destination. The noble was not pleased and filed a complaint, and here we are.
Alrighty!
Fiallain has regrettably dropped out, and I have yet to hear more from Critzible...
Shall we be thinking about getting this show on the road, and sending you good folks down the river to Rameii?
Sounds good to me!
Ready to go whenever y'all are.
Oh hey, it looks like we all speak Babbel at least?
Sorry, fell a bit behind.
Show on the road though , thumbs up :)
I'm just waiting for a reply from Tsnng, and then I'll get you guys onto the mighty river, the Wazoo. ;)
No reply from Tsnng yet, but I've opened up the gameplay thread. Hopefully he'll be with us before we set sail... ^^;
I'm going to try and get some additional players, who will miraculously appear just as SHAmlegger's Prize docks at either Fallingdowns or Proxissima. Should that fail... We'll see how we do with a skeleton crew. ;)
Everybody, please make your presence known in the Discussion and Gameplay tabs! GAME ON!
At least part of the information is catalogued on the first page of the discussion thread.
Any appropriate name is fine. ^_^
You might wanna do a biiit more reading before hitting me with your character concept. ^_^
Just read the thread and have a look at all the species and archetypes before you decide. ^_^