By the way, I've removed the "other PCs brainstorming" section on my sheet. It was a fun exercise! It was also, to be clear, me being extra and hyperfocused, and by no means a normal thing "expected" for a Recruitment thread. I don't want anyone to worry that their characters come across as less fleshed-out just because they didn't want to go speculating about PC relationships a little early! I think people who chose to wait to see who's in the party are using a perfectly sensible and, dare I say it, probably more grounded approach.
You remembered correctly, I did! I'm honestly still torn about it, but I really wanted some more wiggle room with feats, skills and my Charisma score. Human is just a very convenient blank canvas, and it's hard to resist that. :P
Story-wise, she's still very tiefling-themed, so I could go back and forth. It's really just a question of, "is she a very fiendblooded human, or a very humanblooded tiefling?"
Bluebottle: I think there’s been plenty said about it in the thread already, but here’s a few things from me. The Bandu are a neat group to have come from, I think. Was she born a tiefling? It would make sense she might be ostracized - or perhaps idolized. It’s hard to say. Taking a ship as someone who is doubting their devotion to Dagon is perhaps braver than is immediately obvious, but that’s what adventurers are, right?
She's not a tiefling mechanically, but she definitely still has fiendish blood—just not enough to present itself more blatantly than some aspects of her Arcanist powers. And, well, her curse. The Bandu probably see fiendish blood as being a perfectly respectable source of magic, of course, but Bluebottle's problem was how arrogant and stuck-up she acted about it. She's had to learn to be more quiet about it around non-Bandu, and she's in general increasingly less comfortable with demons since the events of her mentor's death.
And yeah, I like the Bandu because they're this very sketchy, unpopular tribe, barely better than the Chelaxians and Sargavans they fight, and it explains why she had to go a long distance when she self-exiled. I'm sure Bluebottle has a more complicated view of her tribe than most Mwangi. "Everyone complains about the Bandu right up until the Chelaxians are knocking on their doors, and then suddenly it's smiles and roses and we-don't-hunt-together-often-enough and did-you-know-your-chief's-daughter-is-the-same-age-as-our-chief's-daughter. " Not that we're likely to run into a lot of other Mwangi on our journey for her to complain to about it. :P
@Bluebottle: Jumping in on the train of people enjoying your write-ups. I'd say that your first instinct is correct, and Teruko will have been very friendly towards Nzi. She'll listen politely to whatever Nzi feels like rambling about, and won't give any signs as to whether she actually enjoys the conversation. (Sometimes she does, sometimes she doesn't.) They'll probably have spent some time talking about pigments and paints; Nzi from the perspective of an artist, Teruko from the perspective of a glass blower.
However, simply from being nearby when Teruko is at the Rusty Dragon, Nzi has probably noticed that Teruko has a lot of different faces for different situations. Depending on how closely she listens, she might have also overheard that Teruko sometimes 'hears' her father's voice and that it distresses her. (Ameiko is the only one who Teruko has actually told, although she suspects it's more due to mental illness than actual possession.) How Nzi reacts to that knowledge is of course up to her.
I'm really glad people are enjoying them! They're a fun thing to think about as we wait for the end of the submission period.
Bluebottle's pretty oblivious for the most part, so I think the most likely thing would be that she's noticed enough to know that there's something unnerving about Teruko, but no details beyond that. Barring something direct on Teruko's part, like uncharacteristically snapping at Bluebottle or the like, it takes a lot to get the painter's attention.
I actually really considered Oracle for explaining Bluebottle's colorblindness curse, but I wanted to move away from god-focused characters after Rosemary.
Also, speaking of neurodivergence and special interests, the reason I am absolutely spamming this thread lately is that I'm very hyperfocused on it right now. I really like everyone's characters, and I'm probably going to be heartbroken even if I make it in—because it'll mean so many fantastic PCs didn't. :P
Yeah, I really enjoyed Torra's writeup, and all that came through. What I meant was that Bluebottle might have initially been suspicious before she realized (or might realize in-game, if you'd prefer) that Torra's interest in Shalelu was more complicated than "girl pretty". With that out of the way, Bluebottle's main interests in Torra would be as company (though she'd never admit it), as someone whose magic Bluebottle can study, and perhaps as someone to try to help out, since Bluebottle somewhat focuses on transmutation and illusion magic.
Oh, got ninja'd by your edit. Yeah, I think Bluebottle and Torra would get along well, as two people who like to learn and also like to argue about their special interests. Bluebottle might grumble about how Torra's wrong about the Material Theory of Evocation and clearly has no good sense, but she'd overall enjoy their interactions.
Thank you! I'm really glad people enjoyed the write-ups! It's a fun way to try to understand Bluebottle better. Plus, if Bluebottle gets in and another PC ends up getting replaced down the line, now I have ideas for how Bluebottle would know the replacement.
Riftin Thoughts:
Oh, yeah, I could see Bluebottle getting prickly and immediately setting out to show Riftin how superior her magic is to his—perhaps ruining her meal in the process of making an example. The scene I'm envisioning is her declaring, "Oh, what a nice offer. I think you'll find my food is the exact temperature I want it to be, though," and promptly burning her meal into charcoal.
The cliche little "bit" with Bluebottle, which I won't lean on too hard because it's better for occasional gags than for defining her personality, is that she talks about Avistani magic the way your typical Chelaxian talks about the Mwangi Expanse. After all, Garund has this proud range of ancient magical traditions, and what does Avistan have? Primitive diabolism? Worship of some anthropomorphized versions of Mwangi spirits? How quaint.
That said, by default, Bluebottle is going to be friendlier to bards. She seems very soothed by their performances. Things probably settled soon after Riftin started complimenting Bluebottle's work—she wouldn't say it, but she now enjoys Riftin's company, particularly his flattery. I'm sure Bluebottle has used Riftin as a handy resource for Ulfen pigments and techniques.
Plus, like I said about Beastbrother, as a rule, Bluebottle likes people she can talk over. :P
Oh, yeah, I'm actually brainstorming in her profile right now about how she'd feel about other PCs (just for fun), and her feelings about Seishin would probably be very, "I just don't like him. Something about him seems fishy. He's all full of himself. No, it has nothing to do with him spending lots of time around Shalelu lately. What does that have to do with it? Quit talking nonsense.
"...and besides, they haven't been spending that much time together. She's just putting up with him, you can tell. You can tell."
EDIT: I finished, by the way, if anyone wants to read Bluebottle's take on their characters. Like I said, it's purely just-for-fun brainstorming, not necessarily the final form those takes will take. :P
Okay, here's Bluebottle, her flavor essentially finished! Her build should be essentially done by the deadline, or at least sketched out.
Bluebottle, Human Arcanist
Backstory:
Nzi wasn't exactly popular as a child. Her parents both perished when she was quite young, and growing up alone taught Nzi to never admit weakness to potential enemies. This led to her becoming known primarily for her loud mouth, brash threats, and constant refusal to admit when she was wrong. Her knack for magic made her useful to the Bandu, but it also set her further apart—and she refused to act like she was on her peers' level the second she had something they didn't. When she declared that she was actually a girl at the age of 12, she was renamed Nzikitah: Loosely translated, Housefly. "Nzi" was also the word meaning, "I know that." It became a cruel nickname.
All this meant that when her relentless and reckless experimentation went awry, killing her mentor, cursing her body, and releasing a terrible fiend upon the Mwangi, staying in the tribe wasn't an option. Waiting for a fair exile with the traditional pouch of food and walking stick wasn't an option. And because of how hated the Bandu were among the Mwangi Expanse, fleeing to a neighboring tribe was not an option. In fact, because the Bandu were the sworn enemies of the invading ex-colony Sargava, even Eleder was not an option.
At least, all of this is what was going through Nzi's head as she looked down at the body of her mentor. That the Bandu truly would have been so harsh with a 15-year old is, perhaps, unlikely. But Nzi didn't think so. She ransacked the wizard's home, stole all the food she could carry, took her master's own walking stick and fled into the night.
After a long and arduous journey, Nzi ultimately made it to an Osiriani port and took a ship to Magnimar. From there, she wandered, practicing her magic and using what she knew to survive the savage wilds of Avistan, until she encountered a friendly native: A man named Sandru who could tell, despite her brusque insistedces, that she was desperately lost.
Sandru persuaded Nzi to "let him travel with her a ways" as his caravan took her to the peaceful village of Sandpoint, and Nzi has basically inhabited the Rusty Dragon common room ever since. Since her arrival, Nzi has become quite the homebody, rarely venturing out except to seek materials for her "peculiar" magical techniques. To many visitors, she appears as much a fixture of the Rusty Dragon as the furniture. People call her "Bluebottle", both because of the true meaning of her name and the many colorful glass bottles she carries with her. She doesn't have a lot of friends, and claims to need no help, but as her curse continues to worsen, her studies only accelerate.
She's getting worried. Scared, really. But Nzi would sooner admit to killing Abadar himself than admit that she thinks she's in trouble.
Plot Hooks:
- Nzi has a mysterious mark on her left hand—an inky-black brand that turns white when she casts spells and occasionally moves. It, along with her frequent inability to see colors and her increasingly insectile red eyes, are symptoms of the curse she acquired from a summoning spell gone wrong. She doesn't know what they mean, and is desperate to free herself from what she believes is a fiend's claim to her soul.
- The identity of Nzi's distant fiendish ancestor (mainly flavor—she's human now) is unknown, as is the identity and current location of the fiend who was released. A shadow demon would make sense, but any fiend would do.
- Nzi traveled a lot before reaching Sandpoint, particularly through Garund, if we end up passing through that continent. If there's trouble a traveler could get into, she got into it. Nzi really didn't take laws very seriously as a kid.
- Nzi is looking for new materials to brew inks and paints out of, which she uses for spellcraft as well as art. She's especially eager to concoct a new shade of blue. Her paintcraft and magic studies are big motivators, and might even get her to go on a terrifying journey. After all, she hopes her magic can save her from her curse.
- Nzi is extremely loyal to the four NPCs, especially Sandru and, obviously, Shalelu.
Relationships of Note:
Sandru: Bluebottle feels indebted to Sandru, and trusts him more than anyone except maybe Koya.
Koya: Bluebottle considers Koya a friend, and likes learning about the Harrow. She's working on a Harrow deck as a present to Koya.
Ameiko: Bluebottle has occupied the Rusty Dragon longer than Ameiko has owned it, and though she and Ameiko don't talk much, I think they appreciate each other's presence as a constant in their turbulent lives. Bluebottle has noticed that bardic music helps a little with being able to see colors.
Shalelu: Bluebottle is head-over-heels for the elf, and has no idea. Shalelu probably doesn't know either.
My thing is that usually I use the rest of the party as a prompt for character creation, since otherwise it's hard to choose between all the options PF gives me. You can't do that in a PbP Recruitment thread like this one. You just gotta shoot for the concept that you think would be a good fit in the campaign and would be fun to play and hope for the best.
Speaking of which, we're getting a bit off-topic. I'm still struggling between human and tiefling, but I do know Bluebottle's crush will be on Shalelu. I think her -2 Wisdom means she's no good at gathering the arcane reagents and pigment supplies on her own, and she doesn't like venturing out into the great outdoors if she can help it (little does she know...) so she spends a lot of time getting Shalelu to bring things back for her, Princess Buttercup "farmboy, fetch me that pitcher"-style. I don't know if Shalelu knows about Bluebottle's feelings, but Bluebottle sure doesn't. -2 Wisdom.
Yeah, the main thing is exploits (which are, in fairness, the class's main "fun thing" aside from spells) and Consume Spells, my way of recharging the Reservoir. I'll just avoid picking exploits that rely on saves or per-day effects. Honestly, I'd feel kind of silly going to test out this exciting new class and then replacing all my class features for those of one I've already played. :P
I think it's fair, to be clear, it's just a hurdle for going tiefling. The stock fiendlooded tiefling makes sense for her. If rakshasa- or daemon-spawn tieflings are allowed, though, I'd think about that. Maybe I'll consider taking Fiendish Heritage if either of those bloodlines could fit the campaign well.
If we're in the same party, Archlich, Bluebottle's paint-based buffing spells will be really fun to flavor towards Horami.
As a sidenote, I'm going with Arcanist. I realized I really want to try the arcanist out. Out of curiosity, does tieflings' "Fiendish Sorcery" ability apply to arcanists? It won't change my decision, but it sure would make that 13 Charisma less of a burden.
Well, I was honestly planning on making this character from Tian Xia, like a good, cooperative player, and then I got a whole bunch of ideas with this avatar and the fact that in Swahili, "Nzi" means both "housefly" and "I know".
So meet Bluebottle, as the patrons of the Rusty Dragon would know her, a human Mwangi native who left home at 15 after her magical experimentations backfired tragically. She either joined a caravan or a merchant ship, and so could ostensibly blend in not only with one of the "traveling" NPCs, but one of the PCs with a traveling past. I like PCs with intertwined backstories.
Bluebottle is something of a mix of Rosemary and Kinfen—she has Cutter's remorse, but Kinfen's arrogance and obsession with pigments (which, as a result of the calamity, she is losing the ability to see). I might make her a tiefling. Her backstory won't change much either way; the river/coastal tribe she was in was Bekyar, and prayed to Dagon, so tieflings probably weren't that big a deal. Her peers named her "Nzi" for her know-it-all behavior as well as to compare her to a pest, so she wasn't super liked even before the magical incident. Leaving was her own choice, though.
Bluebottle arrived at the Rusty Dragon and took to haunting the tavern. She's actually very similar to Kinfen in most regards except that she does have genuine guilt over past mistakes. She wants to travel both to be of help and to continue her explorations into pigments while she still has access to them.
Also, while she "worships" Dagon, it's more of an appeasement sort of deal. Bluebottle's grown rather fond of Desna and Shelyn, which she claims are just Varisian corruptions of spirits worshiped back home by non-Bekyar tribes anyways. That might just be because she never willingly admits to not knowing something, though.
For traits, I'm still probably going to have Bluebottle have a crush on one of the NPCs because I just really enjoy those kinds of stories, but I don't know if that will be her most important relationship this time. I need to feel out this character a little more. She's painting a Harrow deck for Koya, so her biggest relationship might be that friendship, or a close friendship with Sandru if he's the person she rode along with to reach Sandpoint.
