Sorry for the lack of activity. Our youngest son has been sick all week and had dental surgery today. I'll try to catch up during the weekend.
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I'll sign the third and fourth contract. Azaris says, not reacting to Tiesa's mention of an efreet. He does think Huh...that's a strange coincidence... to himself.
Tiesa:
Azaris's surface thoughts focus mainly on keeping all the new faces and info straight. He seems generally curious and favorable to the prospect of taking the scroll to Katapesh. At one point, as the Scroll of Kakishon is introduced, you pick a fragment of I wonder if this is what that efreet was looking for? Another reason to tag along, I suppose.
"It is certainly an impressive artifact you have recovered. Should word get out that we have it in our possession, I suspect it will only be a matter of time before all sorts of unsavory characters try to claim it." Azaris says, adding his own arcane knowledge to Tiesa's and Almah's introduction to the scroll. "I'm in. I would not want to miss the opportunity to travel on a flying ship and my skills are well suited for detering wannabe thieves. Now, what sort of compensation can we expect in exchange for our services?"
Azaris is wearing loose fitting garments of red, white and gold, which compliment his fiery appearance. He recognizes the peacebind spell without much effort, but is not concered by it, as it only affects the mithril dagger currently occupying his wrist sheath. He has left his backpack and mundane adventuring gear at his dwelling, but brings his scroll box along the satchel of his adventurer's sash.
He makes a brief mental note of the origin of the markings on Vivi's garment, but thinks little of it. Following the goliath to library, he remarks to noone in particular. "You had my interest at expedition. Wealth and fame are merely pleasant bonuses." Having positioned himself close to the roaring fireplace, he steps aside with his best charming smile as she makes her dramatic entrance. "Flying ships and flashy teleportation. These people sure like being the center of attention. This could be an entertaining venture. Let's see what the big fella has to say." "Thank you kindly for the invitation, Aukan the Goliath. You are a most generous host. Now, you were saying something about an expedition involving fame and wealth?"
In addition to the goals above, Azaris would also take an interest in all individals of extraordinary abilities in Kelmarane, including other PCs. He won’t nessecarily introduce himself, but he’d make mental notes about who’s who, what their skills and abilities are and their general motivations and alligiances. I really like the rich background, but am good to move on to the main plot.
Impressed by Alexandria’s teleport, Azaris tries to figure out if she did it by using an innate ability or a spell.
Azaris continues to watch the fights and enjoy a few more drinks without overindulging. "By the looks of it and her odds, Alexandria is formidable fighter. What is her story?" he asks the bartender. For the next fight, he bets 25 gp on Haleen as the winner. As Varvara appears, he asks "Weren't you part of the group that went and explored the Carrion King's stronghold? I heard a rumor that you had returned suddenly. Since you're here breathing with the gnoll king's axe, I take it you were successful in your quest. What threats and treasures did you find in the House of the Beast?" In the evening: Intrigued by the summons, Azaris cleans up as best he can and turns up at the appointed time.
Downtime priorities for Azaris: -- Find somewhere to live. Nothing fancy or expensive, as he does not expect to stay long, but permanent enough for him to not have to seek out a new place for his bedroll each night. He prefers to have his own quarters rather than sleep in a common room, but something like a vacant room in a shared house is ok. -- Find a source of income. Legally if possible, but he's not above a bit of crime if the opportunity presents itself and the risk/reward ratio seems to be in his favor. He'll introduce himself to Undrella as a minimum and keep an eye out for other options. No manual labor, though. -- Research. He'll look for anything linked with efreeti and the plane of fire to try and figure out what sort of secrets the efreet he encountered in the hills was after.
His attention drawn to the flamewreathed fighter, Azaris approaches the bar, orders a glass of fire whisky mead and sits where he can observe the action. Glancing at the names on the board, he deduces that the fiery female must be Alexandria. He studies her carefully, trying to deduce if she is a native of the plane of fire.
Turning to listen to Tiesa as she questions the bartender, he pays attention to the man's replies, but does not yet draw attention to himself.
Greetings, all. Happy to be here.
Azaris walks the streets of Kelmarane, pondering what to do with his newly gained freedom. He knows that he is welcome to remain in Almah's service, but he suspects that his restless nature will soon find too few distractions in Kelmarane. With nothing better to do, he heads for the battlemarket in search of a drink, some news and perhaps some interesting company.
Here is Jacob Trier's submission for consideration: Azaris al Zakam, temperamental ifrit fire-based sorcerer with the efreeti bloodline. Combines the role of a straight-up blasting arcane caster with some battlefield control and buff spells and social/knowledge skills. Complete character sheet in profile. (Copied straight from HeroLab for now. I'll reformat for GM Wolf's preferred style if selected). Physical description:
Azaris' efreeti ancestry is clearly visible in his appearance. Standing just over 6 ft tall, he moves with the grace of a flickering flame and has skin the color of dark polished brass. Red and orange hair flows freely down to his shoulders, covering a pair of slender horns that curl along his brow. His eyes are bright yellow and smolder like embers, easily fascinating most who stare into them. He wears open sandals, loose white baggy pants and an crimson vest which shows off his sculpted muscles rippling beneath his clothing. Personality:
Azaris is temperamental, energetic and often restless. His personality is shaped both by his genie-kin ancestry and his lifelong enslavement. Accustomed to being used a tool or plaything by others, he rarely trusts others. He has no illusions about justice and selflessness, having witnessed countless acts of cruelty, betrayal and debauchery motivated by hedonism, hunger for power or simple carelessness. His years of servitude has taught him to keep his hot-tempered nature in tight reins. He knows that cooperation and diplomacy are necessary to achieve common goals and that open defiance and spite usually triggers reactions of pain, punishment and hostility. So, while his natural empathy may be modest, he has a high social intelligence and knows how to use his natural charm and charisma to his advantage. Quirks and flaws:
While Azaris has great experience keeping his temper and natural impatience in check, he sometimes fails. Like the fire that is part of his bloodline, he is fascinating and magnetic company, but those who get too close to him tend to get burned, both literally and emotionally. He is also prone to rash decisions, especially when he unleashes his magic. Background story:
Azaris has been a slave for as long as he could remember, which is over 70 years at this point. Never knowing his true family, he has been bought and sold more times than he can recall, and used for both pleasure, entertainment and violence. Even as a child, his genie-kin nature made him a valuable and attractive servant, especially after his sorcery manifested in puberty, but his impulsive and head-strong nature frequently made his owners tire of him before long. The rulers of Katapesh were the latest in his long series of owners. After the liberation of Kelmarane, he was part of a mercenary mission dispatched by the Pactmasters' representatives to assist Almah in securing the caravan route to Kelmarane. While other heroes ventured to the House of the Beast to confront the Carrion King, Azaris and his band fought both gnolls and human raiders in the Uwaga Highlands and the passes of the Brazen Peaks. Their mission came to an end when the group ambushed the hideout of a raider pack. It soon became clear that they had underestimated the strength of their enemies and one by one, Azaris allies were slain. In an enraged act of defiance, Azaris unleashed every last bit of his fire-magic, burning enemy after enemy with wild abandon until he stood bleeding among a pile of charred remains. At that moment, an enormous efreet appeared before him, addressed him by name and congratulated him on his accomplishment. The genie claimed to be kin to Azaris, and that he had proven himself worthy to join his brethren in the City of Brass. The efreet promised Azaris that he would have his heart's desire granted, if he would agree to become an agent in the service of the Dominion of Flame. Having never truly belonged to a clan or family before, Azaris was truly tempted. However, he knew that efreet were devious and that their promises could not be trusted. In all likelihood, he would be exchanging one enslavement for another, and his wish would be twisted and corrupted. No, he would be master of own fate for once. Prepared to die for the insult, he held his head high and refused. Rather than strike him down, the efreet seemed amused by this act of defiance. It told Azaris that powerful magic was at work in the Brazen Peaks, and there were rumors of ancient secrets uncovered around the ruins of Kelamrane - secrets of great interest to the factions inhabiting the plane of fire. Should he come across such secrets, he would soon have another chance to accept and join his genie kin. With that, the efreet departed as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving Azaris to make his way back to Kelmarane, bewildered and intrigued. After reporting to Garavel and Almah (leaving out the details of his efreeti encounter), Azaris was surprised to be commended for his resourcefulness and granted his freedom as reward for vanquishing the raiders. Now, for the first time in his life, he is free to plot his own course. While pondering his new options, news travelled through Kelmarane that the group of heroes who had gone to confront the Carrion King had suddenly returned. Plot hooks:
Otherworldly influences: Azaris has no idea whether his efreeti encounter was the result of a long-term plan or merely a random coincidence, but it is clear that he has attracted the attention of the fire genies. He is determined to explore this opportunity, but equally determined to do so on his own terms. Old scores: During his time as a slave in Katapesh, Azaris' rash nature has earned him a fair share of enemies. Whether it's the spouses of seduced lovers, cruel slave masters or challengers sent packing to nurse painful burns, there will be several who would welcome the chance to get even. Important NPCs: The mysterious efreet: Azaris knows little about the efreet he encountered, but it was obvious that the efreet had observed him at least long enough to learn his name. Canvolloss Cian: While serving as a slave in Zandrek's Pesh Palace, Azaris became acquainted with this elven scholar and cleric of Nethys. Canvolloss almost lost life and limb due to an unfortunate addiction to pesh, but Azaris formed a rare connection with the elf and managed to intervene when Canvolloss got tangled up with the wrong crowd. Vass Griah: On several occasions, this brutal half-ogre slavemaster has been responsible for disciplining Azaris. Despite his best efforts, Vass never succeeded in breaking the willful ifrit, and he would relish another attempt. |