1. Player Background
I've been playing pnp for 15 years now and seriously roleplaying for about 10 starting with pbp and then following with 8 years on NWN purely RP focused servers. Currently I'm roleplaying in multiple ways, I still pbp though as the page where I used to play changed a lot and is now very casual and kid friendly I moved over here and to RPGateway. I also still RP in NWN and help build and create content for few servers and I also have 3 RL pnp groups and one roll20 online group. I enjoy most (a)DnD 2-3.5 edition (but I despise 4th) and Pathfinder though I'm also currently playing GURPS, VtM, SW:EotE, Shadowrun and few custom systems. I enjoy game systems and mathematics in theory but in actual game I prefer roleplay and character development over combat as I enjoy greatly to create and play complex characters that are fun to play not only for me but also fun to play with for others.
2. Availability
Both Friday and Saturday easily with 99% attendance, I hate missing a session and I avoid places without internet connection like a plague. Currently I'm available on US evenings/nights on all days but Thursday.
3. Knowledge of Golarion on a 1-10 scale.
3 at the moment I'm afraid as I've been playing pathfinder for a while but all games had been either set in FR or custom settings with only one set in Golarion and that one sadly didn't lasted very long as the DM had to cut it short. I don't have problem to read up on it, I did went through the kingmaker character creation manual and looked up some other information I needed for the character backgrounds (And that would be the main reason why I'm posting them at the last minute). But to be honest with new setting I usually instead prefer to just read up on the location and basics I need to make a well-set character and for everyone else it is much more fun to discover the world together with my character. I know a lot about FR yet I learned most of it during actual roleplay instead from books and I believe it is main reason why I hold that world so dear and have many fond memories of it. So I'd like to discover Golarion the same way.
4. Race/Class/Alignment/Ability Scores/Campaign Trait
I have two characters that could possibly fit in so I thought it might be best if I'll offer them both as they are very different and either of them would fit in the group in completely different way.
a) Rose Red Rake portrait
Race: Human
Class: Rogue
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Ability scores: str 12, dex 17, con 12, int 14, wis 10, cha 9
Trait: Brigand
b) Oak portrait
Race: Half-orc
Class: Druid (heavily focused on healing)
Alignment: Neutral Good
Ability Scores: str 14, dex 10, con 14, int 8, wis 17, cha 10
Trait: Pioneer
5. Character Background/Personality/Aspirations
a) Rose Red Rake - Cold scary lady, the professional
Background:
Rose might be an orphan, might be as she will never really find out, maybe they stole her, from what she heard she wouldn't be the first one but that's past long lost and it hardly matters. What she can remember is growing up in dirty brothel in poor district of the New Stetven. It was one of those where the owner figured out that orphans take a while to grow up but the employees that don't need the pay are the best. They grew up into it and most of them got used to it, it was all they knew so what would they change. But not Rose, she was a troublemaker, as a kid she didn't liked cleaning dirty rooms and changing dirty sheets and when she grown up enough to start to really "work", she hated that even more. The owner did all he could to discipline her and teach her proper manners. He knew nothing of sugar but was very familiar with whip yet no matter what he did as soon as Rose could stand up her fierceness returned. It was almost admirable as she grew even more resistant and stubborn with every punishment, but then again some customers did liked it that way. It worked well until that damned winter. The brothel was dirty low place though it was visited by occasion by wealthy citizens with more... peculiar taste as the owner was not too concerned about what they would do. This one was son of a wealthy merchant, while his father had a dinner at noble house the son was wandering darker alleys looking for a special dessert. He liked them fierce so he could tame them and he and Rose were quite familiar with each other, she had quite a few scars to witness. To his bad luck it was quite cold winter and someone forgot big iron rake lying in the fireplace and the short and beaten up girl was hateful and fierce enough to notice and use it well. She burned her hand but the other end was much more hot and she knew where to aim. Mutilated man folded like a closed book while losing any hopes of starting a family on his own collapsed on the floor producing a wail that would make a banshee proud. The owner ran up but what he didn't expected as soon as he kicked the doors open was still quite hot and red rake right between the eyes. Rose helped herself to clothes and money pouch of the merchant's son who was already halfway to being a daughter and ran out into the cold night.
She didn't knew much of the city, let alone Brevoy but she was smart enough to realize one thing, she had to get away because now there were people who had quite a reason to hate her and had enough money to make her pay. She spent ill gained money to get some more fitting and practical clothes, leather armour, travelling gear and a sharp dagger and headed south. Soon she found out that the life out there is hard and rough, but not more than she was already used to. She was quick learner and smart enough to earn a place in small bandit group. She learned the trade and started to call herself Rose Red Rake, spreading the story of what she did to a guy once and few more other stories to make sure they'd leave her alone. And so she quickly adapted among the group reputation of scary cold lady which grown even more as they found out that she didn't seemed to think twice before slitting someone's throat, as long as it was a guy. And as long as she was sure he earned it.
Not so long ago they did a job with another bunch, it was supposed to be robbery but due to greed of the leader from the other bunch it turned into a kidnapping. That night she was wary, she didn't trusted the other band and sneaked into the tent with the kidnap victim only to find out that the bandit leader had some ulterior motives. With his pants down and attention elsewhere he didn't noticed anything until she slit his throat in the cold blood. The lady or whatever she was appeared quite shocked but calmed down when Rose cut the ropes and let her escape before heading off on her own again, searching for a place where to lie low until number of people that have revenge plans with her doesn't drop to its usual value.
Appearance:
Rose is fairly short standing only at 5' 4" but her athletic body build and number of scars make her look more sturdy and resilient than frail. She has long brown-reddish curly hair, always unbound and quite often kind of tangled and cold light blue eyes that helped her quite a lot to master the art of deadly glaring. The most noticeable are the scars, there's quite a few even on her face, though few years ago she had some red tattoos made crossing her face to hide most of the scars or at least those that didn't made her look scary. She likes to look scary and for someone of her size she does darn good job at it. Also there's always very nice collection of tools and especially sharp metal things on her and she seems to like bandannas as they are quite practical no matter if you need makeshift bag or choke someone with it.
Personality:
Rose appears to be very cold, merciless, focused on work at hand and not really bothering to hide her disdain of men, she grown to be bitter and cynical. She never had any real friends and doesn't get the concept much as she learned to make her way through the life on her own no matter what. Despite her origins she's very organized by her nature, in her job she's professional and perfectionist and she has set personal moral code and pride that seems nearly subconscious and natural to her and she rarely questions it. She finishes the job on hand if possible, she has her specific procedures and ways she works, she likes to plan and have strategy before an action, she would never allow for a woman to be harassed by a man, she has no problem killing those who she believes that deserve it and men can get into this group much faster than women yet she wouldn't kill someone who she considers innocent just because it would be convenient. This all sets her into the rare group of lawful rogues.
Towards others she's rather distrusting, keeping her distance and hiding her emotions. It's bit of subconscious protection for her when she makes herself to appear as cruel, scary, cold and rough as possible. But is that all there is to her, is she just hateful product of her origins or could there be something more than a brash cold rogue, only time will tell.
Aspirations:
To survive and do her job, if possible use the situation to get something that makes either of those two easier as getting money, useful items, removing enemies and so on.
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b) Oak - In the woods under big tree, gentle oak watch over thee.
Background:
Oak was born in woods, in orcish camp... somewhere, he can't remember where. His mother was a prisoner, or rather a slave after all those years. The orcs kept few humans for fun and all the woman work, to take care of their wounds and cook their meals. They broke sometimes but they could always raid a village or two and get more. Their young were weak and not as good warriors as orcs but they still had some use. Oak was one of those, he was odd child, always happy and always trying to wander into the woods. He had friends among the birds and squirrels and mice and he liked to talk with them. Adults were mean to him but he didn't mind, the butterflies were nice and his mother was nice too. She taught him the nice language that wasn't as rough as the one of the big adults used but he still liked the one of the birds better. But she told him nice stories too and the fairy tales ended happily but she always seemed bit sad. She taught him how to clean and bandage wounds too so they would heal and people get better, he found wounded bunny and it worked on bunnies too but he had to hide it because if adults would find it they would eat it. Mother also taught him to cook, she taught him the good foods and the foods adults liked, there was a big difference. Oak liked cooking more than fighting other kids tried to teach him, he was biggest kid with pink mother, as big as those with green mothers but he still didn't liked fighting. He tried to focus on it but then... oh look butterfly. He liked cooking more. And talking to his friends, he made more friends but he still had to hide them. He grown up to be as big as other adults but he remained different, due to his size some claimed that he has to be the chieftain's son but he made them dismiss that idea as something so puny couldn't be of his own blood. Then Oak's mother started to cough badly and soon died and he was very sad and he would've been very lonely if not for his friends. And soon when next spring came orcs left the camp and headed out to fight and Oak went with them because he was already big and they needed someone to cook and take care of their wounds. But soon Oak saw how orcs killed pink people, humans, in cold blood, even if they didn't fought back and burned their homes with more of them inside and he knew it is very bad to waste lives like this. He turned away and walked into a forest and when two orcs noticed and went after him to catch him all they found was unpenetrable thicket and thorny bushes.
Oak kept wandering through the woods, his friends helped him and he made many new friends too. He walked through the woods and when they had been scared or hurt he helped them and the woods smiled at him and gave him the life in his hands to help, heal and make the sickness go away. He helped young wolf who stepped into a trap and a wolverine who ate bad berries and elk with arrow in its back and many others. But he couldn't help all of them, so was the nature. Once he found sick wounded hunter and he helped him too because it was the right thing to do and it was fair. The hunter told him that all people in his village are sick, even the little ones and Oak left the woods to help. He came and he did cured those he could but soon there was another village where someone needed help, and then another. He travelled among humans but he still returned to woods, to his friends. Sometimes he met other nature people, he liked them and they were sometimes interested in him so he smiled at them, sometimes they told him interesting stories but most of them wanted to stay in the woods while Oak liked the life everywhere. Once he went into city and even though there were lots of stone and noise he found piece of nature in the middle of it too. The bushes had odd shapes but there were butterflies too. There were animal friends who needed help in the city too, some of them used to live with the humans but ended thrown out or their humans died. Often humans were mean to them and they needed his help so he stayed and helped them.
Then he headed south. He came near the land humans call stolen and he found it very odd because one can't steal a land like Jenny steals a shiny things. Jenny was one of his best friends, he knew her since she broke her egg, she was very little back then and he held the egg in his hand and there were little humans watching and one named her Jenny because humans like to give animals silly names. But Jenny liked it, she is bit odd for a raven, but Oak is odd both for human and for orc so they are good friends. The borders were harsh and many people and animals needed his help, there were often people hurt by the bad people living in the stolen lands. They hurt even women and little humans sometimes and it makes Oak grumpy like old bear.
Appearance:
Oak is big enough to pass for full blooded orc even though his appearance reveals his human side. He is big hulking behemoth, easily reaching seven and half feet. Even so up close he only rarely scares someone, he seems always bit absent minded and smiling kindly and he might seem bit stupid especially when he zones out which happens often if there are butterflies around. Yet there is that something that makes it almost look he knows something you don't, something in that smile probably. He usually doesn't smell so badly as he does likes to swim but his oddly blonde hair are usually tangled a lot with leaves and twigs randomly sticking out. One might easily muse if some pair of songbirds doesn't use his head as a nest at times and on second thought it seems quite likely. Same can be said about his beard but as he's still quite young it's not so wild or long. He wears patchwork-like robe put together from whatever piece of cloth people give him and aside the raven he seems also accompanied by fuzzy pony who is obviously way too small to be ridden by the half-orc but seems to loyally carry those few bags of possessions which are mostly herbs, bandages and other healing supplies. They can't be very heavy after all.
Personality:
Oak is very kind spirit, he is bit odd even for a druid as he seems to have quite some natural talent for nature magic and other druidic means as he is purely self taught, with help of his animal friends as he believes he can talk to any animal, fish included. As he never had druid master he doesn't know about some specifics of druidic meetings or secret language. Oak respects the balance but believes that his place in the nature is to help, heal and protect. He is that kind side of nature of mothers taking care of their young and packs protecting its members. Despite his soft nature he can be angered by cruelty and pointless destruction. He might seem odd or even stupid due to his absent-mindness. His thoughts just seems to wander different ways but he can also be very empathetic and understanding both of people and animals and sometimes even beyond as there seems to be some deep wisdom behind his actions and words even though it's something that comes naturally to him, without much thought. He is quite strange but maybe in a good way, in one way he might resemble naive child and in other there seems to be wisdom of ages buried deep within.
Aspirations:
Oak's goals are simple, help, heal, protect. He is wanderer who always keep going heading where he is needed and where he feels he should go by his intuition. As opposed to other druids he doesn't prefer one type of place or settling somewhere as he sees nature and life everywhere around himself no matter if it's forest, plains, city or a cave.