Have fun, y'all!
Search Posts
Submitting Chikura Mutota, life shaman (witch doctor), and something of a fish out of water in Taldor. I haven't finished working up the profile; I have his background, though, and will be working on his profile over the next day or so. Background: The fertile savanna known to outsiders as Rechiend's Plains is home to many nomadic peoples, hunters and herders alike. It was here that Chikura Mutota was born, and here that countless ancestors of his had lived and died. His childhood was spent learning to tend the cattle that were his tribe's wealth as they roamed the plains, a task he did reasonably well at until an attack by Bekyar raiders one terrible night. His memories of what happened are still confused, but he clearly recalls the mask one of the raiders wore, the agony that coursed through his young body when he dared to raise his spear in defense of the herd, and the fox that came to him when he fell.
When he awoke, the fox was still curled up beside him. He found that most of his family had survived only because of the intervention of a wandering witch doctor shaman, Mzilikazi, and his two apprentices. Mzilikazi disdained any offer of material reward for their efforts, instead asking for something perhaps greater: that Chikura would leave his family and clan to follow the old shaman as his third apprentice. For the fox--Mzilikazi's spirit animal--had noted the boy, and it was clear to the shaman that the raider's arcane attack had awakened something in Chikura. The leavetaking was hard, but the shaman's tutelage and the way it opened Chikura's awareness to the spirits all around him made up for it. And so passed several years, during which the young Zenj traveled through the Mwangi Expanse with Mzilikazi and his other apprentices, learning the basics of the shaman's art, and finding a fox of his own. The master gathered two more apprentices during their wanderings, while the two more senior apprentices struck out on their own. Then Mzilikazi took the three of them north, far from the Expanse, in obedience to a call none of the apprentices could sense. There were still people to help and evil to combat, though, even if the languages and faces were strange and exotic. On the way south from Oppara, the quartet was preparing to cross into Qadira from Zimar when they learned of strange happenings in the small town of Heldren, not far from there. Chikura asked his master if he could go first, to try to address the situation himself. Chuckling to himself at the youth's impetuousness, Mzilikazi gave him three days. Little did the Zenj suspect that it would be much longer before he would see his master again....
Chikura sits quietly and says nothing while the others debate.
Have been dealing with family stuff, so was largely afk for the past couple of days (and when there are lots of posts in the backlog, I prefer not to read them on my phone in a moving car...too easy to miss things).
"And while we discuss, the ship is sinking. We must hurry." Chikura heads for the Jenivere, calling back over his shoulder, "Tamas, perhaps Rava should stay on the land?"
Chikura gets slowly to his feet and looks around at the others. "Which of you brought us here? You must be very strong indeed, to move Rava."
Even in the heat of the sudden battle, Chikura has time for an irreverent thought. Oh, Herdsman. What's the good of being a diviner if you can't see things like this coming? If Chikura is next to any of the better combatants, he'll reach out and touch the closest one.
Chikura smiles at the woman, nods, and retreats. I hope that the people of Absalom are friendlier than she is.
Chikura definitely isn't doing any of those--he's listening to her with respect (even if he lives where the whole land is one big sauna, with no icy ponds to jump into when you're cooked enough). Perhaps it's that the Jadwiga are severely melanin-deficient, and that's why they're evil? Or something about the interaction between arcane power and Vitamin D deficiency? "Wait and see." He chuckles. "Perhaps I will take a side trip from Absalom, when I have finished at the Arcanamirum. Your land sounds an interesting one."
NPC interactions (having finally gotten my laptop working, so I can check the Player's Guide again): Aerys: If she keeps to herself, Chikura will respect that, but the wizard is unfailingly polite to her. Indifferent. Captain Kovack: Chikura will stay out of his way and let him run the ship. Indifferent. First Mate Devers: The wizard will respond in kind to Devers' friendliness, taking an interest in anything he cares to share about the voyage, and about life at sea in general. Friendly. Gelik: Chikura's patience with the gnome's boastfulness has worn thin. Indifferent. Ieana: The Zenj is most interested in conversing with a fellow scholar, particularly one who's familiar with the ruins of Sargava. Friendly. Ishirou: Chikura treats the Tian with respect. Indifferent to Friendly. Jask: No interaction at all. Indifferent. Rambar: Chikura's patience with the cook's gustatory repertoire has also worn thin. Indifferent. Sasha: The wizard is interested to see her sea change in personality, but does not pry. Friendly. And some replies: Tamas: OK, not abuse. Say, rather, that Chikura will happily listen to what Tamas has to say; he's used to working with instructors who dumped CHA for INT ;-), so condescension doesn't bother him. Torfrun: Chikura shares the Ulfen's distaste for what he sees as arcane casters gone bad, and will try to reassure her with tales of the mighty Tempest-Sun mages of the Maagambya Academy and their tireless defense against the forces of the demon lord Angazhan.
Shaking his head at the back-and-forth byplay, Chikura makes his way across the deck, scroll in hand, to Ieana (pausing only to clap Rava on one solid flank and nod to her master). "I have met no Va-ree-see-ans in Nantambu, and Evaline - though a fount of information about the land, is no scholar. If it is not too much trouble, I would enjoy hearing of your studies." -Posted with Wayfinder
Finally, some time to post. The basics: Chikura started the voyage without a good understanding of the scale of the ocean. As something of a Maagambya chauvinist (in a not too snotty way, but it's all he's known), the wizard figured the trip to Absalom would be fairly quick, and it wouldn't take him long to learn all the Arcanamirum had to offer. He is still coming to terms with the size of the world, and the novelty of the voyage is beginning to wear off. Cethel: Chikura and Cethel are likely to start out familiar with each other, as they both boarded in Senghor and are both from the Expanse. (Though it's not clear where Cethel is from, exactly - the Mwangi Expanse is a pretty big place. Chikura is from Rechiend's Plains and Nantambu; unfortunately, I can't access my map atm.) The oracle is personable enough, and knowledgeable enough about things Chikura is interested in, that Chikura will default to spending time with him. Evalina: Since she was on board when Chikura took passage, the Zenj initially didn't cross paths with her until he found out about her outdoorsy skills. After that, he asked her lots of questions about the terrain, flora, fauna, and climate where she was from. The wizard has a boundless curiosity about such things; if asked, he'll tell her about where he's from, but he's far more interested in learning than teaching. Jacqueline: As with Evalina, Chikura didn't really seek her out to start with. He may get into theological discussions with her - he's quite knowledgeable in that regard - but as a follower of the Empyreal Lord Rowdrosh his faith differs sufficiently from hers that such discussions are likely to be problematic. Karathiel: Another one who's part of the background when Chikura boards. He may be interested in her firearms, but apart from that and possibly treating her as an opportunity to practice his Draconic he probably won't have much to do with her. Tamas: Here's where things could get interesting. Chikura is likely to be familiar with the Harrow, as a potential Maagambya Arcanist he's going to eventually learn druid spells, and as a onetime herder of herbivores he's going to find Rava absolutely fascinating. He'll put up with lots of abuse from Tamas to discuss any of these things. Torfrun: As with Evalina, Chikura is interested in the terrain, flora, fauna, and climate where she's from. Unlike Evalina, though, Chikura is going to find her stories of Irrisen frankly unbelievable. It doesn't get that cold. Ever. NPCs coming later.
Going the other way, I'm afraid. Today we're in Atlanta and going to the zoo. -Posted with Wayfinder
Didn't get to the hotel until quite late. On a whim, we decided to stop at the space museum in Huntsville, and spent several hours there looking at cool stuff. More to come later. -Posted with Wayfinder
Hotel Internet permitting, I'll get a real post up tonight. -Posted with Wayfinder
Thanks for picking me, GM! My posting will be a bit terse to start with, as I am just (like, less than five minutes away from) leaving on vacation. Wayfinder still works on my phone, though, so I'll be able to keep up even if the hotels don't have WiFi. -Posted with Wayfinder
Good luck, all!
Aluminum's a metal ;-).
It's the temperature that's going to be problematic, at least at first--as Shakespeare had Prince Henry put it, "Like a rich armour worn in heat of day,
Too quick for you, at least this time. Re the tradeoff between the two traits, I guess that it depends how you value what's essentially a masterwork tool version of an area map.
I'm guessing it's the Boarded in Cheliax trait: ...and 200 gp worth of mundane equipment to aid your exploration of the jungle.
Chikura is updated to include background skill assignments.
From the description of mending: This spell does not affect creatures (including constructs). Unless there's something in the description of wyrwoods that says they can be healed with a mending spell, you're going to have some trouble until the party hits 3rd level.
This character was built for a Serpent's Skull game with the same character generation rules as yours. Profile should be up to date. Here's Some Background: The fertile savannah known to outsiders as Rechiend's Plains is home to many nomadic peoples, hunters and herders alike. It was here that Chikura Mutota was born, and here that countless ancestors of his had lived and died. His childhood was spent learning to tend the cattle that were his tribe's wealth as they roamed the plains, a task which gave him considerable time to ponder wider questions and pester anyone in earshot with them. He also had a distressing and atypical urge to see what was over the next hill, always pushing ahead and perennially being disappointed when nothing new was revealed. Eventually, the leaders of his tribe decided to send him to Nantambu, the great city built around the famed Magaambya mage's school.
It was there that he found his true calling, taking to the scholarly life and the mental discipline required for wizardry with joy. He met and learned from wizards and sages from all over the Mwangi Expanse; Zenj, Bonuwat, and even a few reformed Bekyars, along with the rare visitor from elsewhere around the Inner Sea. One of these visitors told him of the wonders of the Arcanamirum in Absalom. He impetuously decided that he would travel there and learn what he could before returning home to the Expanse, and set out for the port city of Senghor to take ship north. However, due to the vicissitudes of travel, he arrived too late. Rather than wait in the city, he chose to set sail on Jenivere, intending to stay aboard when she finished in Sargava and returned north. This will turn out to have been a tactical error....
Congrats, and enjoy! Watch out for haunts!
Thanks for the update, and no problem. Hope you're having a good time!
I've made some slight tweaks to Chikura and added a personality/appearance spoiler to his profile.
This character is a diviner wizard, and something of a fish out of water--he's from the Mwangi Expanse, and is planning on eventually going into the Magaambyan Arcanist prestige class. What are your expectations for posting pace?
The Zenj tries to tag one of the flyers, but his bolt sails wide.
Chikura steps up behind Felix, murmuring softly, and taps the half-orc on the shoulder. Felix's mind opens to near-future probability...he can suddenly intuit where his target is likely to be in the next few seconds.
Chikura nods as he readies his crossbow. "That seems best."
Chikura contemplates the swarming lizards. "Perhaps we should attack from range and let them come to us?"
The Zenj nods as well. "And we will need to watch for that goat-killer during the night."
Chikura likewise takes some time to find a shady spot to rest during midday.
Chikura nods to the gnome. "We are working on that, sir." To the rest of the group, he indicates the path to the west. "It is time to travel, while the sun is not yet high."
If it keeps her mind on our predicament, saving the eggs will have been worth it. At the next opportunity, the Zenj will murmur an aside to Mikail. "Sasha is taking a great interest in the eggs--perhaps you can talk to her about it? I do not have your way with words."
"I would be most glad of it, Mikail."
The Zenj nods as he hands them over. "Yes, these are dimorphodon eggs. The hatchlings are easy to train, I have heard."
"If one hatches soon, I will try to train it." Chikura grins. "It would be much smaller than the creatures I worked with as a child, but the principles are the same. " -Posted with Wayfinder
"I will carry the eggs. Since we have some food gathered, perhaps we should return to camp?"
The Zenj claps St. John on the shoulder and grins at the half-orc. "Well done! Now, is there a nest about? These creatures are easy to tame, I am told, and if there are young there they might be useful to us."
If the dimorphodon is still up, Chikura will move around the fight and cast the same cantrip on St. John.
"Beware its bite--it is poisonous!" The Zenj advances to just behind Felix and mutters a quick cantrip, touching the half-orc as he completes it. |