These things happen; I only regret that Tryg never saw battle. Thank you for letting me play- if nothing else I finally got a bit more of a taste of 4e. :)
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Tryg reaches inside herself and pulls the crushing weight of the mountains and the unstoppable power of thunder out and into her hands. It solidifies into a pulsating globe of force in her palm, waiting to be unleashed. The dwarven arcanist holds her position next to Armand, waiting to follow his leave.
Best of luck!
"Perhaps I'll stay with Armand, if he doesn't mind, that is. I've long range magic available to me as well so I should be able to lend a hand, and that way nobody is stranded alone should we meet stronger resistance than is expected and get swarmed," Tryg responds with a strong nod.
"If I am to fight by your sides, I'd like to voice my support behind luring the creatures into a defensible choke-point; provided we have a way to shield ourselves from missile fire," Tryg offers.
"I would most assuredly covet the chance to learn more of this Kavast. Seeking what knowledge I can acquire of the ways of the people not of the mountains is a prime personal objective in my travels," Tryggrdottir responds, her voice still heavily accented from years of speaking Sevost. It felt odd to speak so frankly of her interest in non-practical learning, something she would be ridiculed for in Valsgarde. "Perhaps when we are in less savage and dangerous surroundings. I'd not forgive myself if I allowed one of the reptilian cretins sneak up on me in the midst of a philosophical musing."
"No need for the formality of my full name-Tryg will be fine," she responds amiably (smiling inwardly as well at how her father would fume at how improper the offer would sound to old dwarf), committing the priest's name to memory. She leans forward slightly (not far since she is already of typical dwarven height), to examine the item. "I've learned the basics of the teachings of Lariss in my travels, but where I'm from our knowledge of the world is unfortunately limited; including that of the many gods who are not watchers of the dwarfhalls. I...we...have been too seculuded. I know not of Kavast: is that not a beast of war?" Tryg inquires, eyes tracing the lion symbol. It seemed not unlike the white-coated, feral hunting cats that stalked the frozen peaks of Sevost (who were most certainly not of even temper).
"So you are hunting the vile ruffians that call this land home?" Tryggrdottir asked, absently rubbing an old, sore wound from days before with her wrist. "You said those near here-I was not aware the whole of these lands were officially owned; I've seen little in the way of organized civilization." She approached closer to the group as she spoke and ended up mere inches from them. She had to consciously force herself a step back. In the cramped dwarfhalls there was little notion of personal space, something she had already learned made many uncomfortable this far South. "Company is a an offer I will likely take you up on, friend," she shouldered her heavy warhammer and placed the butt of her staff on the ground as a walking stick. "There is more danger here than I expected when first setting out. Perhaps we could do one another a favor. It seems your goal seems to coincide with what I need eventually do. If I aid you in this task would you be willing to lend me the safety of your numbers?"
Her recent use of magic left Tryg's lips tinged the slight blue-white of a Northern cavern's frost, and a barely perceptible puff of fog hung in the air after the dwarf maiden's every breath. She relaxed more, seeing that this group was thankfully amiable. Perhaps she would not need to fight again this day. "Aye; that we do," she replied, "my study of arcane knowledge grips me as solidly as any glacier and causes the blood in my veins to flow just as frigid as the waters after a spring thaw. I seek mastery of mountain magics- the power in a peel of distant thunder; the inevitable victory of a Winter's icy grip. But that is not what brings me to these uncivilized lands." She lowered her weapons fully to her sides as an unspoken sign of good faith and cautiously strode several paces nearer, pausing to offer a slight bow, albeit a slightly awkward one, as she didn't take her eyes from the party before her. "I be Tryggrdottir, of the mighty dwarfhall, Valsgarde, in Sevost. If we are to speak, preferable to mortal combat, I'm sure, might I close the ground between us without facing hostility for the boldness of my action?" "I apologize for my caution," she quickly amended, "These lands have been nothing but savage to me."
Tryg was actually a little taken aback- the fact that the goblin spoke Trade seemed to reinforce his answer. She was still on her guard though; these lands had been fierce. But she allowed her demeanor to soften and lowered her weapons a bit. "Which amongst you leads?" She asks more gently, her voice unfaltering and clear.
Tryg doesn't recognize the man's holy symbol. Her weary shoulders slump as she notices the goblin point her out to its companions. The dwarf's knuckles whiten beneath her fur lined, leather gloves as she grips he staff and hammer. She sets her legs should-width apart and bends at the knees, lowering her center of gravity and steeling herself for battle and steps out from behind her cover into open view. She claps the striking surface of her staff against the haft of her warhammer, her lips carefully running over well-practiced arcane prose. The tremendous clap of lightning striking stone reverberates in the air nearby.
"Aye. You've spotted me then, goblin. What happens now? Be you friend of foe?" The weary Tryggrdottir calls loudly, hoping for the former, as the group had not attacked upon sight; and she certainly could do with the company of ones who didn't wish her head on a pike.
*narrows eyes*
Spoiler: Normally Tryg would be boldly stride out before a goblin, staff in one hand hammer in the other, ready to call down the frozen fury of the mountains should she be challenged (which was becoming increasingly common in these lands), however she halted herself. Her body was weary from being pressed so hard in a climate that was not her own. The goblin itself was different as well; snow goblins (horrific white-furred thugs with toad-like throat sacks) were common pests and brutes to be dealt with when they raided, but this goblin hardly resembled what she was used to seeing. All the foes she had encounted were reptilian, and seeing the creature travel with humanoids, she wasn't entirely convinced it was an enemy. She also knew that she didn't like the odds of facing multiple foes on open ground with not a soul to guard her flank. Briefly she missed the phalanx warriors and shield maidens of home.
Briefly. She ducked to the nearest cover deciding to assess the strength of the warriors and get a sense of whether they would be friend or foe. She still knew woefully little of the world outside Sevost and wasn't keen on striding up to a group of bandits, for all she knew, with a smile on her dwarven face.
Spoiler: Never one to be put off by a challenge, Tryggrdottir tends to her many bruises accumulated by her forays toward the seemingly unreachable fortress. Blunt and stubborn as any dwarf she refused to fail in her attempts to explore and secure the keep in the distance, and resorted to the stand-by of try and try again. Stealth not being her strongest trait, the straight-forward approach suited her just fine- she'd definately need to find a forge to upkeep her hammer and staff soon, they'd taken quite a bit of abuse. As she bound her healing wounds her mind was on her spells, her lips tinging blue and her frozen breath hanging in the air as surely as it would in the treacherous mountins of Sevost despite the warmer, Southern climate (a by-product of her devotion to frost magics) as she recited basic incantations in a low whisper, keeping her spell knowledge fresh in her mind. The sooner she could power through to the structure and claim it, the sooner she would fulfill her obligation to her clan and be off to grasp her own destiny.
Once satisfied that magic, steel, and flesh were prepared, she donned her armor and trudged openly toward the keep once more. She was sure she'd be painfully rebuffed again, but her resolve didn't wane. It crossed her mind that she would likely face fewer troubles scampering between bits of cover here and there, but proud warriors didn't "scamper" nor hide if they could help it. She had hoped the denizens of the world outside the dwarfhall were more forgiving and pleasant than her breathern, but they seemed just as eager to make war, and despite offering quarter at the start of each melee with the strange, local creatures, none took her up on her offer and she was forced to fight ferociously, though she wasn't entirely sure they could understand her words, despite speaking in the trade tongue.
Took shield and the Versitile Expertise feat that was recommended to me (that works for my implement powers and basic attacks both, right?). The inherent bonus to attack and damage from level applies to powers as well as basic attacks, yes?
All right, from here on out Tryg should be good to jump in. Just let me know when it is a good time. Occassionaly threads disappear from my focus list, so if I don't answer right away...
...you can always get ahold of me here, I check it at least twice a day: mhawkins1116@yahoo.com
Popping in to note that I'll suddenly have a great deal more free time starting on the 27th and should be able to commit to posting regularly from then on.
I am. I moved over the weekend and haven't had internet for a few days now. I'm posting from my work computer now, but I should have internet back in my home by sometime tomorrow afternoon. My schedule will start to clear up at the end of the month (once my curretn project is finished and the business hotel that I work for hits the holiday lull). At that time I should be able to commit to playing and regularly posting. I could get worked in sooner, but my posting will be very sparse (one of the reason's I bowed out of Carrion Crown for the time being; I was unable to devote enough time and energy to match everyone else pace currently).
Appearance finished. All I need to do now is purchase gear and I should be ready to join soon. After I move midway through next month my latest work deadline should be complete as well and my schedule will open up considerably.
First Draft of Tryg's Background, also in her profile:
Tryggrdottir was born 46 years ago among a clan of xenophobic mountain dwarves in Sevost as the daughter of Tryggr, a conservative and celebrated veteran warrior. Her mother, a shield maiden, died during childbirth. Secluded by the treacherous, icy passes that conceal their dwarfhall, Valsgarde, deep within a mountain, they seldom come into contact with anyone save for hardy foes that can brave frozen Sevost landscape, and as such are trained from the moment they can stand for war to repel even the most brutal assault from those that wish to make the dwarven home their own. All arts lead to battle preparation; masons must cast aside artistic flares to build defensible structures and healers train for wounds rather than illness. Magic is treated no differently from other crafts. While it is the rare dwarf that takes to arcane matters, Tryggrdottir, preferring the short form of her name, Tryg (somewhat disrespectful to traditional sense, though it isn’t her intent), found herself drawn to the study, much to her father’s. Possessed of a natural curiosity, a dangerous thing in the wretchedly cold and barren North, the dwarf girl would often be seen pouring over ancient tomes that held the secrets of frost and snow when her father wasn’t drilling her with the warhammer, trying to “hammer the magic from her head” and make her a true and proud warrior.
Before she was a young battle-maiden Tryg was more than proficient in two forms of combat; magic and mundane, for she never wavered in her focus on either study. Her understanding of ancient magics allowed her to channel the forces of elemental cold and blend it into traditional martial techniques in a display that even her father must have silently acknowledged was impressive, at least for her age if nothing else. She could parry with a staff far better than any of her peers with a shield, and having one at all was a special treat only allotted to her by her father’s station, as wood was rare, and harvesting it dangerous. Tryg’s open-mindedness offered a worldview hardly shared by her clan. Where her fellows wanted to remain holed up venturing forth only to combat the outside world for whatever reason was then pressing, she wished only to learn about it, and maybe even interact with it. Dwarven loyalty and camaraderie runs deep in Tryg’s veins, but unfortunately so too does stubbornness. And in her first real battle defending her homeland, she granted mercy to a surrendering foe, taboo in warrior culture. Her father, wide eyed and furious, quickly caved in the enemy’s skull and admonished her for the failing. Empathy was not a positive dwarven trait. For a long while after that incident Tryggrottir was quietly ridiculed, her father similarly bearing the brunt of many jokes for raising such a child, no longer regarded as the great warrior and clansman he once was. This led to harsh words between the two, and Tryg knew she had to leave the dwarfhall when her father bit her with the remark “I’m glad your mother wasn’t alive to see the day her one daughter granted quarter.” She bided her time for a while, keeping her head low. Though fairly pretty as dwarves go, she wasn’t sought after and given the attention of suitors after “the incident,” and it was easy to fine time to study and practice in peace. Eventually, due to their refusal to listen to reason and offer trade with other clans, resources started to run low. Volunteers were asked for to venture forth from the hall in all directions, seeking new land to settle. Tryg was the first to sign up, and offered to go as far as the dwarves would be willing to send her, finally seizing her chance to explore the world. Tryggr, a member of the dwarven council of Valsgarde by this time, must have thought it prudent for his daughter to leave as well, for he sent her to the Mysk Isles, further than any from their clan had ever dared to go. Likely he figured that her curiosity would lead her to never return from the journey of miles upon miles and he would be free of the shame she had caused. Tryg left with her head held high, however; no anger or regret in her heart. She understood that she did not truly belong among the people of her birth and she would put forth effort to find them a more hospitable home, though she wished they would open up to the possibility of working alongside others, but would do so on her terms. She had given 46 years of her life to the clan, and now it was time for Tryg to finally explore the world beyond the snow covered crags of the North.
I suppose that I should roll one of those as well:
The mountain dwarves/Sevost are pretty much the 'Norsest of the Norse'. Cool. I used a Norse naming scheme. :) I'll try to get something up for a first draft of her background by the time I leave work tonight.
Why the armor training? I'm going to develop her as a battle-mage who focuses on frost magics, and felt that her defense was a little lacking for a character I see as ready to get right up into melee if only for a round or two at a time. I think I'm going to invest in another level or armor training at a later point, because I'd like to have her in furs and hides both for the AC and because I think she'd look pretty cool (pun not intended) throwing around zones of cold magic while dressed for the occassion. If there is a more efficent way for her to up her defense reasonably without such a heavy investment in a book I don't have though, I'd be willing just to flavor her appearance as such and use the alternative method to save myself a feat or two. Why such a high strength, with staff of defense I would imagine you would spend more on Con? Right now I have her CON at the minimum I was willing to accept to use the staff (+2). I'd like to have it higher, but between needing a fairly decent STR to make melee attacks vs AC, and a good INT for her powers I was running low on spare points and didn't want to spread her attributes too thin to have a solid chance at success in any one area. With the warhammer, will you be holding your staff of defense in one hand and the warhammer in the other? That is the plan; staff in one hand fending off attacks and warhammer in the other- she won't be dropping the staff to use the versatile property of her weapon anytime soon (doesn't seem worth it). Will you ever use your staff as a weapon, or purely as an Implement? Barring losing her warhammer in battle, the staff will be used only as an implement. I think I'm generally going to start off with an encounter cold spell (like icy terrain) to try to gain an advantage and then try to rush up and try to help on the front line with the warhammer, using spells if the situation calls for it. Why are you in the Mysk Islands? It's an awful long way from Sevost, what brought you so far south? I've been working on a background on and off, but have been hesitant to set anything in stone for her since I know little of the setting, and have kept to a rather vague outline so once her mechanics were complete and I learned a few more specifics I could hone it down to a decent backstory. Briefly; I was going to have her be a member of a rather small, xenophobic clan of Northern mountain dwarves who are ailing, but recovering (therefore in no immediate danger) from some tragedy (be it famine, disease, natural calamity, or the like). Several members were sent to various regions to find a new, suitable, hospitable home for the clan to migrate to, with Tryg being sent furthest as her studies of magic have made her more open-minded and resourceful than many of the others- she was one of the few dwarves who actively strived to seek adventure outside of her mountain home and see the world and eperience its people, places, and wonders (much to her conservative father, Tryggr's, dismay). Being relatively unversed in the world outside the halls she had spent her youth in, I am planning to play her as good natured, protective, and adaptable, but generally naive in the ways of others, and easily swept up in mechinations beyond the scope of her intended goal, intensified by the fact that she belongs to a longer lived race, where a "short detour" may not seem like that terrible waste of time as long as it is for what she sees a a good cause and brings with it the excitement of something new. Are there any specifics regarding Sevost or mountain dwarf clans I need to be aware of? And- like always, I'm open to suggestions to rounding out Tryg before joining.
Okay; finished with Trygs mechanics if someone wants to look her over to make sure she's legal. I'll start working on an appearance, gear, and a background shortly.
Would this be a better spread? It would give me an extra +1 to both powers and melee attacks (and damage), but I was concerned about my Will defense and HP; this would drop them by 2 and 3 respectively, but would also drop my Surge Value by 1. It would also make Thunderwave seem a little less useful (a power I thought would help keep from getting completely surrounded with a push 2 attached), and would weaken my Staff of Defense style by 2 points until I hit level 4. I only have the first printing of the core books; where is versatile expertise from? S 16
Or maybe... S 17
Which wouldn't seem like it would be significant improvement until 4 and 8 to up S/I and C/?. I'd still only have +3 for powers, but I'd have +5 vs AC, which is a little better than now, and my surge value remains 6/ I must admit that since it's been so long since I've messed with the system, I'm not really sure what to expect in the way of defenses of opponents (or their attacks for that matter), so I'm going in blind as to how good my AC and attacks need to be.
Let's try this again, since this post is showing up in my post history but not this thread; here is what I've got so far. I've only ever played in a handful of 4e games, so if there is any rule that I'm overlooking that would prevent this character from functioning, someone please let me know. Assuming that it is mechanically sound I'll start working on a background and description for her, and finish up gear. She is basically a battlemage. I'm going to try to make her passable in melee so she can lay down a frost themed AoE controller effect and then wade into combat with a staff in one hand and a warhammer in the other. I'm open to suggestions for improvement. Presenting: Tryg (first draft).
Here is what I've got so far. I've only ever played in a handful of 4e games, so if there is any rule that I'm overlooking that would prevent this character from functioning, someone please let me know. Assuming that it is mechanically sound I'll start working on a background and description for her, and finish up gear. She is basically a battlemage. I'm going to try to make her passable in melee so she can lay down a frost themed AoE controller effect and then wade into combat with a staff in one hand and a warhammer in the other. I'm open to suggestions for improvement. Presenting: Tryg (first draft). |