Xavi comes rushing in with a bucket of water only to find the fires extinguished. "What happened? Where did those idiots go?" He puts down the bucket and moves to the door to check the damage there.
Search Posts
While the others were dealing with the attacks Xavi was more worried about his store being on fire. Not only did he risk losing his store but if the warehouse in the back burned down that would be an even bigger issue. "Try to keep the guy that threw the fire alive. If the fire here gets out of hand I know someone in Riddleport who would pay to skin him alive." With that he ran off to the back room to fill a bucket of water from the barrel there.
"Law doesn't come here and I've paid my dues to Sabriyya, so they shouldn't be hers either. I suspect her people will come soon though, they don't like disturbances like this." He nods to he friends while drawing a blade and standing besides the door. "I'm not sure what your point has been by the way, the door isn't locked so you can open it just fine." DM: If the door opens and one comes in weapon drawn he gets a starknife to the gullet.
Xavi moved from the backroom into his store so that he could look out the window to try and see who had the audacity to try and rob a store in broad daylight. "What are you doing here? This is my store and I don't sell any valuables so you'd better try your luck elsewhere."
"I actually meant that it would be good to know who ordered whatever is in those crates. If we can figure that out it might just be possible to intercept the creates elsewhere. Not to mention knowing who the smugglers work for could help us tremendously." He feared the crates might be destined for the warehouse behind his shop. His father wasn't really a smuggler in the classic sense but he did transport goods that were deemed illegal or inappropriate by many governments and when you added that to the fact he mostly transported precious, ancient objects the odds of the crates headed there were quite high. That was if they were really stealing something and not just empty crates as part of some silly test.
Xavi smiles at Bastion, "Thank you. As you may have gathered from the name outside I go by the last name Salhaziri, I am Xaviandrin, but most call me Xavi." He places a clay pot over the hot coals and then puts the kettle on the pot. If he had put it directly on the coals he might end up damaging it. "Perhaps we can draw them away from their cargo, and move in then. I still think we'd be helped greatly if we knew the destination of those crates though."
"Plain water, unless you want tea? I can make some." Xavi already moved to get a kettle from his work table. "As for the pass phrase, lets wait till we're complete." Without waiting for an answer on whether or not people want tea Xavi starts heating up the small hearth next to his work table, one intended to be used heat up the metal that is used for the locks.
Tynan and DM:
The elder lady finds there is no one in the shop other than Xavi himself, who happens to have what she is looking for on display. It is a small, simple looking wooden chest made from a dark, robust wood, reinforced hinges and a solid iron lock, "Would this suit your needs?"
As the other enter Xavi moves towards them, treating them as regular customers before directing them to the back room. A table stands in the centre of the room with five chairs around it. On the table stands a jug filled with water, five clay mugs next to it. The room itself also hold a work station and several cabinets filled with all kinds of odds and ends, from spare parts to unfinished projects.
"You'll find me in Salhaziri's Locksmithy, just don't enter all at once my neighbours might think I'm getting robbed then." And if anything they wouldn't want to draw the attention of a whole street of gossiping merchants.
"All I know is that that brat is in need of better parenting." Xavi was thoroughly annoyed by the brat and not sure he wanted any dealing with this supposed consortium if he had to deal with the nuisance every single time. "It might benefit us to figure out where the smugglers intend to bring their cargo or who they procured it for. That and of course who the smugglers are." He yawned, "Beyond that I agree with our green friend here, we should meet tomorrow and elsewhere. We could meet at my shop, a few streets away, at the edge of the Bazaar of Sails. We can discuss things privately in the backroom there."
"So far all you did was make demands and say how you basically don't offer anything except to your own inner circle, not very enticing don't you agree?" He smiles at the boy, annoying child, "But like I said I'm intrigued, interested even and I'm nothing if not curious. As such I'll add my voice to theirs: How do you intend for us to prove ourselves?"
"I haven't heard any offers yet, beyond the offer for this meeting. I received a writ and I responded, intrigued." He shifted on his chair. There was no way this child was what it pretended to be, though he didn't know what actually was happening, "I came here to hear an offer. As for my goals, I have a need for certain information. Both for personal use and to help further other pursuits. That and I'm simply curious."
Xavi is intrigued by the contents of the scroll he received. His only regret is that it burned up as he was eager to figure out how the thing was constructed. He arrives at the right time back at the Blue Velvet. He had to run, he had had to deal with the last client of the day. Once that was done he closed up and made his way here as fast as he could, and in time it seemed, "Evening Mutt, could I get an Orc's Tear? I'll have it upstairs, privately."
"If you mean romantically interested I must disappoint you, I'm off the market." He shifts uncomfortably as he says it. It felt strange to say things like that. "Beyond that, well, I'm a lock smith, but you could have come to my shop if you needed those services. What is it that you're after then?" The ring on her finger seemed to be some noble's symbol, but as she was a creeper she might as well have killed the original owner for it.
"Don't play innocent with me, it's insulting." His voice was calm and measured but he purposefully kept it low. "I'm not threatening you, it was a warning. I feel no love for any of the city's gangs but I surely want no turf wars on my doorstep." His own shop wasn't in Underbridge, luckily, but the bazaar of sails was just around the corner. "What is it that you want from me? First I'm being studied while I'm at the bar and now your shadow is grasping at my feet. What is it?" A creeper checking him out, that could not be good. Unless it was a coincidence, but even then. The whole situation seemed to irk him.
Xavi gives Mutt a nod and a smile as he passes him his drink. Seemed the man was distracted by something though as in his case the usual actually meant a cup of tea. Then again, it had been very long since he had ale and if the woman in the corner, the one that tried to make eye contact with him, was what she seemed to be he'd very much need it. He moves around Mutt and the drama queen to join the woman at the table, taking a gulp of his ale before speaking, lowering his voice to a whisper, "You know none of the city's sczarni enjoy seeing a creeper on their grounds, do you? If they catch you some would even cross the line and kill you, especially the thugs in Rag's End. Be careful." She looked like a creeper but didn't look like a thug. It didn't matter to the gangs though, the first would get her in all sorts of trouble, the other Sczarni hated the creepers. To them they were less than people, they were monsters. A true Sczarni didn't make "real" victims, they'd just take their money.
Seems so. Never heard of the movie but it appears Xavi's father is a less heroic version of the guy, yes. Besides, he'd actually make sure clients know that any live cargo would be released at the earliest opportunity, assuming that won't endanger him or his employees.
Shortlt after the tall man one of slightly shorter stature enters. His long coat is spotless and straight and the scarf around his nech is of clear Varisian make, though somewhat tame when it comes to coloration. He wears his greying hair short, though he seems too young for the color. Upon his nose he wears simple glasses, a gift from a friend who usually makes them only for more affluent people. "Good day Mutt, could you pour me the usual?" He syas to the bartender as he takes a seat at the bar at a more than just polite distance away from the grey elf. His voice still bears a Varisian accent, though not as thick as it once was.
Finishing up the last bits & pieces As for Xavi's family situation, there are a few things going on. Family: Xavi is the eldest of three children born to Varingil and Leathicia. He has a younger sister, Thedaria, and a younger brother, Humbarian. Xavi's father owns an import/export company mainly operating from Riddleport. They specialise in transporting valuable goods anywhere between Ossirion and the northern Dragon Empires, mainly Minkai. While his practices are legal he has a strict "don't ask, don't tell" policy and as such has transported several illegal items over the years. The only thing he refuses to transport is live, sentient cargo.
His mother is in the wind most of the time. She is a harrower and part of a Varisian caravan. He sees her roughly once a year, when the caravan comes to the outskirts of Magnimar and he has no idea where she is or what she does the rest of the year.
His sister has recently been married to a Half Elf and is pregnant. She lives in Riddleport where she works in their father's company. She is the company face and she also is the one that negotiated a deal with several Riddleport pirates where they actually protect the company's vessels, for a price of course.
The youngest brother is a problem child. The only one to stick with the Sczarni and also known fro substance abuse, both father and sister broke all contact. He occasionally comes to Xavi when he needs a place to hide for a few days, mostly from the guards. Recently he has gotten himself into a giant mess because of his debts to a man called Rassimeri Kaijarko, a crime lord based in Rag's End in Magnimar.
DM: Her main motivation is proving herself but that means much more than simply gathering money and power, her family has both already. She feels she needs something more than that to prove herself, not only to her family but especially to herself. She doesn't so much want her position or home back as she wants her honor and that of her siblings and their children. Beyond that she's very curious about the world so as long as she feels there are things to discover she won't need much motivation at all. As for the being able to go both good and evil, that's absolutely true, but I see her as being both and neither. She basically seeks to emulate Gozreh or the wind in this; one moment she's the cold, harsh wind that chills you to the bone and shrivels crops, the next she's a cool breeze bringing refreshment on a warm day or the wind that brings the rain that waters the crops.
Working on the stats, should have them done later today. Skathi Northwind, Sylph Winter Witch convinced she's the daughter of the North wind. Background: Born on Acuben Isle as part of the poorer part of the Lodovka noble house Skathi was quick to discover she was different from the other children. While the girls played with dolls and the boys played with toy swords (or vice versa) Skathi would just sit outside and watch the clouds go by. As the others grew older and became teens she still was a child, though she knew as much or more than any of her peers. It was around this time, when Skathi slowly approached puberty, that other differences started to manifest. Her hair turned white while her eyes turned bright blue and slowly her skin started to show swirly patterns in a light blue while her skin paled slightly. To her parents, both normal humans, this was a bigger shock than it was for Skathi herself. She had always considered herself different from the other children and her change in looks only reflected how she felt inside. Only thing that shocked her was when the cold winter winds started talking to her, claiming to be her distant ancestor. While Skathi spent more time gazing at the clouds and learning more from the whispers of the wind, eventually accompanied by a raven with eyes that matched hers, he parents and siblings were further ostracised from their family. When Skathi finally realised this they had been removed from their family housing and were under threat of being forced to leave Wintrebreak and even Acuben Isle as a whole. They had not come to her about this nor did they threaten to force her of the isle, probably because they feared her abilities. Offended by both the backstabbing towards her family and the undeserved fear of her Skathi literally stormed into the chambers of one of the lords of the house, gale force winds following her in. There she pleaded him to let her family stay and instead let her go away, even though she hadn't done a thing to offend the man. Her distant cousin, both touched by her pleas and scared by her display of force decreed that her family could stay if she left, and she did. Since then many years have passed during which Skathi wandered along the coast of the Lake of Mists and Veils and the northern Icerime Peaks. She learned both of the birth of many cousins and of the passing of her parents, but because of her banishment from the isle all she could do was send a message to her siblings. The longer she was away from the isle and her family the more it gnawed at her. When the news of an expedition into the Stolen Lands issued by the various noble houses reached her ears, Skathi decided to jump on the opportunity to prove herself and maybe put an end to her exile from Acuben Isle.
Cuan reporting for duty
In that case it's back to the drawing board again as my current concept gets screwed over royally this way and ends up far behind a "normal" lvl 25 character, even before considering the impact on gear.
If you think playing a Peri is ridiculous, then you obviously haven't read some of the other posts. I was comparing it to a Lizard King, in which case it is, though others might be more so.
It's more complicated than that I think. In your example it clearly is quite silly, but if you take my case, a Lizard King lizardfolk with CR 3 and HD 5 it's a lot less ridiculous. Not ridiculous at all if you ask me (Or at least nothing compared to playing a Peri to begin with). I think it depends on the creature more than anything.
Yes, I know you take the highest of racial HD and CR, but it isn't actually clear whether you add templates to this CR, since that's what they change, in order to determine the total adjustment or if you add it to the highest of the two. As for the money, that's what I said, with the exception of the rounding down (which I didn't do since the half level is in epic and each epic level adds a static amount so that could be halved)
As far as templates and advanced races go, I assume you add it all together (template CR and racial CR and HD) to determine the impact on how many class levels you can take? Hanaaar would have 5 racial HD and CR 6 before taking any classes if adding all templates first, so 19 class levels. As for the money, do I get gold for level 21.5? I'm liking the natural armor thing, at AC 23 atm without dex modifier, items or magic. I think I'll change my class a bit though as I'll scrap the Urban archetype and stick with just Invulnerable Rager for the Barbarian part. I'll stick with the Horizon Walker prc as well, though Hanaar won't be focusing on planes with the exception of the Elemental Plane of Water.
My submission, me being Cuàn Hanaar is ancient by the standards of his kind and still has many years to go as he is born not only as a Lizard King but also as one with Draconic blood flowing through his veins. Though his mother, the brine dragon that once ruled his clan, has been slain by the amassed army of a nation for the toll she enacted on a nearby sea route Hanaar's clan still held strong as he succeeded her as it's ruler. Under his rule the tribe's power grew and their village slowly turned into a town where they were joined by a Grippli tribe and a rather old Vodyanoi scholar who claimed to be part of an eclectic organisation known as the Custodians. Together with his extended tribe Hanaar managed to turn their town into a sprawling port city, which they named Monsoon Port, taking vengeance on his mother's killers by taking away their trade as the new port was located at a more beneficial locations. Under Hanaar's long rule the city flourished and in return so did he. Over the years he had 28 children with 5 wives, taking a new mate only after his old partner had passed away. From those children, some of them Lizard Kings and Queens in their own right, came 127 grand children and even more great-grandchildren. Eventually nearby countries, a sahuagin empire and even his draconic uncle came to try and take over Monsoon Port, but all were beaten back by Haraan's tribe and the Grippli tribe, which now numbered more than a thousand individuals. Eventually though Haraan got bored and left the city in the hands of a council consisting of his own Lizard Queen granddaughter, the current Grippli chieftain and the leader of the trader's union that had arisen. Alone he took off for the horizon not to return for half a century. When he did return he found his town larger but also a lot more chaotic than he had left it. The council was still in place, though the names and faces had changed, except for his granddaughter's, and there had been a seat added for the fisher's union. His first instinct upon arrival was to bring it all under his rule again and restore order, but as he walked around the city he came to realise the natural balance of the city. While it was chaotic, it held together and almost organised itself. Law enforcement was still strict, enforced his granddaughter, and crime was relatively low. The people were happy. He truly was no longer needed. As if awaiting for him to reach this state of mind, the Vodyanoi scholar, who had lived peacefully in the city since the start, approached him. Together they talked about the state of the city and the world beyond. Eventually the scholar brought up the Custodians. He told Hanaar that his entire reason for staying with the city was to see him develop and grow until he reached the point where he was now, the point where he could became one of the Custodians. Hanaar wasn't entirely sure at first. Becoming a Custodian, a function he didn't even know all the details about, meant leaving behind his city. It took him months to reach a decision, but eventually Hanaar agreed. Immediately the scholar opened a portal to what Hanaar learned to be Astrarium, the center of the Custodian organisation. Once there he was sent to find a house, or better let a house find him and so he did. A full day Hanaar spent, wandering this alien place in search of a home that called to him and eventually found it at the edge of the city. Hanaar was amazed at what he found inside: The first thing he noticed was that it smelled of the sea. As he wandered the halls made of what looked like light blue shell he found the source, a basin of sea water that held a connection to the elemental plane of water. The rest of the shell house was elegant in it's simplicity, tables looking as if they had been grown from the shell that covered not only the walls but also floors and ceilings. Water flowed along the walls in several rooms keeping the temperature cool and the air moist. Hanaar felt right at home, as if the place was built due to the designs in his head he didn't even know where there. Since that day he has done the work of the Custodians, his job mainly consisting of keeping an eye on the elemental plane of water, though he doubts he's alone in that. Bullet points in short: Class and Race of the character: Lizard King (Giant Lizardfolk) with the Half Brine Dragon Template. 14th level Urban/Invulnerable Ranger Barbarian, 6th level Horizon Walker. Will scrape off a level of Barbarian for the Advanced template if you allow that. How the character feels about the mandate of the Custodians.
Things that your character considers important.
Basic personality and description.
He is a patient man who always strives to look at the long term goal. Easily agitated, Hanaar is prone to aggression, though as he got older he learned to direct it more and more to verbal aggression as to avoid bloodshed. A stark contrast with his general patience is his complete lack of patience for political scheming and he is as a result brutally honest in his diplomatic dealing. What your character's dwelling in Astrarium would look like
Anything else you think I will find interesting that will sway me to picking you. Nothing that I haven't written down above. |