Modoru Redgrave

Ruach "Rosetongue" Ceallaigh's page

24 posts. Alias of Brian Minhinnick (RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 16).


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Half-Elf Warlock 1 (Hexblade)

I somehow just saw this discussion...I thought the game just kinda died from no posting. I just went back to double check, and saw this. I guess I never dotted the discussion thread originally somehow.

It appears I've totally missed the train on the new game too. That's a shame, I was looking forward to digging into 5e more.


Half-Elf Warlock 1 (Hexblade)

At the first mention of the Red Hand, Ruach falls backward off his chair. He quickly scrambles back up, brushing himself off. All vestige of his drunkenness disappears under focused attention as he absorbs the rest of Belbajak's words. His hand subconsciously tightens on the hilt of the longsword at his waist.

"Now you're speaking my language, Belbie. They call me Rosetongue, they do. And a happy wee clam I'd be were the Red Hand to meet their end by me."

He absently pats Barazi on the head as she clings to his leg. "S'ok , lass. We've just found a golden opportunity to free more of our less fortunate kin, we 'ave." He motions in front of her, and a smoky pink illusion of a pair of shackles flows between his hands before breaking, then disappearing like a popped soap bubble.


Half-Elf Warlock 1 (Hexblade)

Rauch lounges into a seat and waits for the gnome to speak.


Half-Elf Warlock 1 (Hexblade)

Ruach smiles back at the woman, thanking her by name. As she smiles before leaving, he deliberately undresses her with his eyes before returning a cheeky grin. "Later, luv."

Ruach turns to his companions, "Piqued me curiosity, he has. What say ye, lads? Let's have a drink and see what he has to say fer himself?"

Ruach stumbles out of his chair, horn in hand. He sloppily returns his lute to the case, somehow managing to keep all the mead in the horn. Gathering his things, he weaves his way over to Belbajak. "Oi!" he says by way of greeting, offering his horn for a clink against the gnome's glass of brandy.


Half-Elf Warlock 1 (Hexblade)

Ruach brays like a donkey. "Don't you mind her, Derry," Ruach says to Deresh. "She's a bit of an eejit, so she is. Razi here thinks that the elements are at war with themselves, they are."

Ruach pats Barazi on the shoulder. "'S Just a bit of a soft day is all lass, no need to get all riled up."


Half-Elf Warlock 1 (Hexblade)

"What're you on about, lass?" Ruach asks Barazi.


Half-Elf Warlock 1 (Hexblade)

Ruach laughs raucously. "We do be a traveling troupe, mate. We play fer the culchies fer a night or two and then we're off to the next kip. And yourself? Bonny lad like you might find a place in our merry wee band...."

Ruach raises an eyebrow, "'Tis unless you'd rather be off after chasing that bloody huge colleen there," he continues, indicating the goliath.

He scans the tavern. Where did Argyri run off to? Bowsie's always disappearing after I finish the craic.


Half-Elf Warlock 1 (Hexblade)

Ruach ignores the orc's boasting and continues to play increasingly complex series of notes to see if he can follow. Might have to recruit this boyo, if I can put up with his palaver...

Perform: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18


Half-Elf Warlock 1 (Hexblade)

Ruach nods to the flowery fellow. "Aye," he says in acknowledgement. "Name's Ruach, but they call me Rosetongue. Let's play a wee game then," Ruach suggests, reaching for his own instrument, crafted in the elven style. "Let's see what you can do, mate."

He strums a series of notes, and waits to see if Deresh can follow along.


Half-Elf Warlock 1 (Hexblade)

Ruach is dressed as the kind of adventurer one might see in a drama, or hear about in song. He wears a scale mail chest plate over a thin gambeson and thigh length green tunic of fine cut. His shoulders are covered in a green cowled mantle, with black leather cut-outs, embroidery and dagging along the edges. He wears flamboyant green and yellow trousers, covered with cut outs and embellishment. His ankle-high boots have scandalously curled toes.

Ruach has left his cased lute, and longsword propped against the wall within easy reach of his chair, where he has been accepting drinks and making small talk for hours from the grateful locals. He makes to stand up, and stumbles back into his seat. S@%$e. Drunker 'n an orc what fell in the brewer's vat, he thinks to himself.

"Oi, Barazi!" Ruach shouts at his elven companion. "Leave that man alone. Or at least bring him over here. Let's see if he can really play that lute he's carrying around." Ruch gestures at Daresh and an illusory hand briefly appears in the air, beckoning him drunkenly over to Ruach's table.


Half-Elf Warlock 1 (Hexblade)

I was wondering when this was starting and apparently I missed it completely somehow. Dot.


Hi, Daresh. Welcome to the group. Same as the others, if you come up with a reasonable connection I'm willing to work with it.


I didn't find the time to write up a death deity today, but I will do it tomorrow.

Other than that, I'm good to go.


Made a map with labels, you guys can edit.

The Fletterfluss River

The Fletterfluss river flows from the upland hills south east past Thornleaf and into Sea Lion Bay. Thornleaf is a mere half a mile from the river's estuary. The river frequently carries furs and timber to the town and to Goldenhill's facilities at the Bay. The barges are poled up and down the Fletterfluss by several families of flatboat dwelling orcish gypsies.

The river is home to various fish, crawfish and mussels which supplement the town's diet. It is also the town's main source of water (aside from a few wells) and the destination of the majority of the town's waste.

Rotstein Bridge

This red brick and wood bridge over the Fletterfluss serves as Thornleaf's northern gate. The bridge commands the water below, and features a small guard tower. There is a heavy hartholz portcullis which can be lowered from a mechanism in the tower to block the river below the bridge. The tower is manned by four guards with crossbows and halberds at all times during daylight hours, and two at night when the gate is closed after curfew. Any barge which wishes to pass the bridge is required to dock and pay a fare, and any merchant entering the town over the bridge must pay a toll. The taxes are used to help maintain the town militia and to keep the bridge itself in good repair.


Brimleydower wrote:
In general, estfalk is very medieval in presentation. Except that there's virtually no gender confines in place. A woman knight or general is commonplace.

So there is widely available and reliable birth control?

Argyri wrote:
In my head, I've been calling my deity Ghab (from God of Booze).

He sounds almost exactly like Liber, which is why I used that name. But we can roll with Ghab, or whatever you want.


Alright, I believe I've finished my first draft of Ruach's background.

Let me know what you guys think.

Background
Five years ago, a legend was born. Ruach “Rosetongue” arrived on Estfalk from parts unknown, and took the hamlets by storm. Known as a minstrel of the people, he refuses to perform for the nobility and travels from village to village, inn to inn, bringing music and magic to the people. His music brings with it an exotic tone not often heard on the rural island. His poems and stories praise the common man, telling tales of corrupt noblemen in the pockets of criminals and the normal people who have had enough uniting together to oppose them. He tells of slaves revolting against their masters, serfs throwing down their tyrannical lieges and thieves stealing from the rich to provide for the poor. He never stays in one place for long, always worried about the undue attention of those he regularly criticizes, and the housewives whose bellies he leaves swollen with child.

The past several seasons he has fallen in with a gregarious priest of Liber named Argyri. The man is excellent distiller of brandy, and the two rogues get along well with one another. The addition of fine spirits to Ruach’s music has turned the pair into somewhat of a traveling festival for the smaller dorfs on the island. Their arrival often causes an impromptu holiday, which leaves them fleeing the ire of the local lordlings the next day. The serial spread of sedition and sloth are not exactly popular with the gentry, after all.

There are whispered rumors that Rosetongue and the Brandy Bear are responsible for many of the instances of outlaws being found dead in the wilds in recent years, much of their ill gained proceeds left at the doors of local villeins and yoemen. No one has yet been able to prove the rumors though, and Ruach and Argyri laugh off any such accusations as absurd. A brewer and a lute strummer doing all that? Ha!

About three months ago the pair began to be seen with a young elven woman. People say that she is Ruach’s simple minded sister, taken into his care after other family could no longer look after her. Word on the roads is that their next stop will be Thornleaf.


Jubal Breakbottle wrote:
Belbajak lives in Thornleaf, so he could have been in town between deliveries. He loves to party.

Sorry, I thought he lived in Sweetwater (I guess that basically is Thronleaf, eh?). If he's normally in town he could have just shown up to sample the brandy and hear the performance, then gets interested in the magical part and comes to meet us after the show.


Re: Tech level - [rant]As a history student, and since it's a pet peeve of mine, I have to point this out. Vanilla DnD tech = Eurasian weapons and armor randomly mixed together from the 6th century through the 17th century, with everything else except weapons/fortifications being 17th-18th century tech level (in most settings anyway). And they give half the weapons historically inaccurate names. -sigh-[/rant]

Re: Background: I wrote up some pretty detailed notes for Ruach last night, but I want most of it to be unknown to the other players. I will write it up as narrative today (hopefully) and send it to Brimley, and then I'll put the parts he would tell his companions about in his profile.

I travel under cover as a wandering minstrel, not an anti-slavery crusader. So I could see Argyri and Ruach traveling together. Perhaps I perform while he works the crowd; or he distills brandy and sells it to the rural inns and public houses while I offer them performance. If the latter we'd need a cart, mule and small portable distillery. I would have suggested ale or mead, but ale doesn't keep well and mead needs a bee colony. Beer we'd need a supply of hops, which is also not practical on the road. For Brandy all we need is wine, which we can buy almost anywhere and then make better.

I think Ruach rescued Barazi at least three months ago, and took her in. He started teaching her common, and how to be normal, while telling everyone she is his simpleminded half-sister as a cover story. He feels bad for her and wants to make sure she's ready to take care of herself in the world before he cuts her loose. Some of her druidic skills might also prove useful in freeing other slaves. Also, Ruach definitely still needs to get in her pants, but he's waiting to seduce her until he won't have to deal with her afterward (least that's what he's been telling himself).

That being said, perhaps Argyri and I have been together for as much as a year (I'd like us to have a closer partner-type relationship). Then we freed Barazi a few months ago from a pen out in the wilds, and we've been on the move ever since trying to stay off the Red Right Hand's radar (the slavers/crime cartel/Zhentarim).

The three of us roll into Thornleaf after a couple weeks on the road, looking for mattresses, baths and proper food for a couple nights. While performing in the common room, Belbajak arrives to deliver a package to the innkeep. He is fascinated by Ruach's use of magic in the performance, and seeks the trio out for conversation after the show. Then the DM steps in and some tragic event occurs which will unite the group through circumstance into the team of heroes who will save the day! /end

Thoughts?


I've been thinking about background stuff...I'll try to get something up soon.


Brimleydower wrote:

Taking a look at the character sheet...

  • Add in your Proficiency Bonus to your Wis and Cha saves.
  • Daggers are finesse weapons, so you can apply your Dex to attack and damage bonuses (including thrown). Range increments of 20ft./60 ft. means you can throw it up to 60 ft. but will have Disadvantage on any attacks greater than 20 ft. away from you.
  • Thieves' tools require being proficient in Thieves' tools to utilize them.

    We'll need to cobble together some details about your Patron, specifically with regards to the sentient weapon you're drawing power from. Although that might become easier to peg after you've settled on a backstory.

  • I traded my disguise kit proficiency and disguise kit for thieve's tools since they cost the same, and it makes more sense for Ruach. He needs to be able to break into places to free slaves more than he needs to disguise himself.


    Okay, I should be good to go now if you want to check me over, Brimley.

    Just need to come up with a background now.


    4d4 ⇒ (3, 3, 2, 1) = 9*10 = 90 + 15 (background) = 105 GP


    I guess I'll just skip the shield then.

    When holding a longsword do I need to specify how many hands I have on it at a time? Is it an action to change that? Like, if I'm utilizing the versatile property to get the 1d10 damage with two hands, and then someone attacks me after my turn, can I just take one hand off the hilt to cast shield? Or would I have to wait until my next turn to do a free action to change my handedness?

    Once my Pact Blade becomes my arcane focus through improved pact weapon it's a moot point, right? Even if I'm wielding a two-handed weapon, if that weapon is my focus, then I can cast spells, correct?


    This is my character (Jelani). I decided to stop fighting the class mechanics and just go melee. I'll use my spells for ranged damage I guess.

    @ Brimleydower - Can I replace the starting leather armor with hide armor (same price)?

    I gave myself a longsword without paying for it...is that okay? If I'm doing it right I think I got the two daggers for free.

    I'd like to get and use a shield until I can afford some much better armor. Do I need to spend 10 of my 15 GP to get one?

    Can I cast spells without a hand free? If not, can I cast spells with my shield in one hand and my rod focus in the other?

    What is the action economy of drawing/sheathing things?

    Edit: Like, if I'm fighting someone with my shield and longsword out, and they hit me, can I use a reaction to cast shield? Or would that only be possible if I had my arcane focus in one hand? Or something else? Thanks.