Yvgeni awakens in the pre-dawn hours. Once he remembers where he is, he checks his bow and arrows, to make sure the dew didn't dampen his string too much, then peers out into the gloom beyond the wall.
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Yes, except if it's clear that some bandits are staying outside, Yvgeni will focus fire on them (and Cadell should as well), while the others deal with those inside.
Once he's finished building his "bandit blind", Yvgeni borrows some thick blankets from Oleg and settles himself down to sleep in his position on the wall.
Yvgeni will prepare a sniper's best on the wall, trying to find a place where he can lie down without being seen by those down below. If he has to add a few logs to the battlements, he takes them from the north side of the post so they blend in. If he can't rig something near the gates, he prepares his nest near the southeast catapult, using the remains of the catapult for cover. He also gets a spike and secures a rope to the top of the wall, keeping it coiled and out of sight, in case he needs to shimmy down quickly.
Bah. I've got it backwards. But do they open enough to make little pockets to hide in?
Yvgeni looks at the gates doubtfully. Surely they open outwards?
I hadn't originally thought this when creating him, but 19 Wisdom and 7 Charisma. Insightful, yet with no natural ability to communicate his insights, no ability to advocate for himself and his ideas, prone to withdrawing completely, seeming oblivious, but noticing everything, and talking through his thought processes out loud. 7 Charisma, but still plenty of excuse to have him speak and do things besides being invisible. The party will soon realize that he has ideas to contribute, but that they'll need to accommodate his quirks and take the initiative to listen to him. Slightly Asperger-sy. Thoughts?
He points. "Holes here and here. Two guys hide in them, when the bandits come through, they jump up and close the gates, or at least cut them off. You'll be staying back to guard Svetlana, right? I don't know what I was thinking. The bandits aren't going to leave the wagons outside, they'll bring them in to load up the goods. Stupid, stupid."
Used to being ignored, Yvgeni leaves the group and wanders over to the gate to figure out where to dig his hidey holes.
"I think the plan is fine," Yvgeni says, "though it depends on all the bandits coming inside, which they might not. If they're coming for stuff, they'll have wagons, so at least a couple guys will stay with them." Talking to nobody, staring at a random clump of grass, he continues ruminating. "They would send enough bandits to keep Oleg cowed, enough in case a group like us happened to be here, but not so many to leave their base vulnerable, so maybe between 5 and 8? At least two will stay with the wagons, leaving four or five inside. They'll probably be cocky, so we'll have surprise unless they see us. We have to beware an escape on horseback. I can get four or five arrows off before a running horse gets out of range. So a couple hand-to-handers on the ground near the gate. Where to hide them?" He pauses a moment. "Holes! Dig a couple holes off to the side, and cover them with canvas and loose dirt. Once the bandits are in, Graz and Oleg jump out of them, some loud noise would spook the horses and add to the confusion. Cadell and I feather the bandits outside the fort with arrows, while Chimon stands ready in that out building to dash in where he's needed. Moira and Fes can wait in the main building with Svetlana to protect her, in case things go badly." He trails off (or more likely, is interrupted at this point ;))
Yvgeni's profile has been updated. Is it clearer now?
Yvgeni nods in agreement as Oleg rants about thieves, and especially when he gets to the point about his wife staying out of it. Fes' exuberance, as usual, causes him to nearly swallow his tongue. But, for now, he remains silent, watching everything.
At the mention of warm baths, Yvgeni pauses to stealthily sniff himself. He shrugs, figuring he's smelled worse.
Yvgeni, not one to ever speak up when within a group, silently watches the introductions. His eyes widen at Fes' brashness, he's still not used to the ways of Cadell's bizarre female companion. Now that they've come to a rest, however, Yvgeni pauses to take a deep breath in, smelling the scents of the new logs and crisp spring air. He checks his bow string for dampness and the condition of his extra quiver of arrows.
Of course, the first time they hit trouble, and Yvgeni says something like, "We need to get the girls to safety," might be hilarious.
Of course, if all this slavery isn't a hot enough button topic, we can also discuss Yvgeni's rampant chauvinism. I don't know yet if our GM would like to use any of the lore I created about the Deadeye's Yeomen organization I created for this character (actually, I created them for a previous year's RPGSS contest "Organization Round" I never made it into), but members of that order tend to the more conservative spectrum. Fes will he an extreme curiosity for Yvgeni, more because she's a woman who fights with a sword and gets employment as a bodyguard than because she's a slave. Moira will actually remind Yvgeni a lot of his mother, who was an adventurer and wizard. For whatever reason, in his mind, the Erastilan strictures on what is appropriate for a woman to do would never touch on his mother, and so maybe to Moira as well. Of course, Yvgeni's mother saw the error of her ways, settled down, and raised a family, so perhaps Yvgeni will expect Moira to do the same.
None of us do. Cadell thinks his mother hired or asked Fes to accompany Cadell and keep him safe, but in reality, Cadell's mother bought her for that purpose, and instructed her to blend into her son's group, pretend to be "one of the boys", use spoils of battle to better equip herself, and above all, never tell Cadell that she is, in fact, property. When issues if slavery come up, no doubt Fes will appear to the others to be either ignorant or naive. At least, that's how I read what Fes' player is proposing. I think this solution has the potential to make everybody happy, and allow for some interesting moments down the road.
Maybe Moira doesn't know that Fes is her slave. Perhaps her parents, knowing her "foolish" sensibilities, just told her that Fes was a hired bodyguard, and told Fes not to say anything about her actual status. From a practical meta-game standpoint, however, how is slave Fes going to feel about treasure division?
Rostland is a big place, but that doesn't mean their farms couldn't be next to each other. Yvgeni and Chimon could easily be good friends. Yvgeni's parents would have been very supportive of escaped halfling slaves from Cheliax. If Chimon decided to go exploring, he could easily have talked Yvgeni into coming along. The two could soon have met Cadell and Graz, an odd pair, in a local pub, and Chimon became fascinated in learning that Graz was a freed slave himself. That leaves the two girls. Perhaps they both happened to be in the pub and Cadell tried to pick them up? Or Cadell knew Moira from his rich kid days.
Or, Moira hates the idea of being "given" a slave, "frees" her, and spends the next few game levels trying to convince Fes that she is free. A freed slave (in name only) who is very reluctant to leave the comfort of being owned. It's also a cliche, but less of a trope than just "freed slave".
Doesn't a freed slave work just as well in her story?
I think we could include Graz in our dynamic duo, Cadell. With Cadell knowing Moira from the good old days, that potentially brings Fes along, leaving Chimon to figure out, perhaps as an acquaintance of Moira. That way, Moira and Cadell, who already knew each other, each bring two friends to join this expedition of the Chartered Six.
Perhaps some of the group advertised for fellow adventurers to come form an expedition?
Given Fes' background, she seems like she wouldn't even come across as a slave, unless you knew she was one. Yvgeni is the type to mind his own business. Slavery seems wrong to him, but she should be the one who dislikes it, and if she doesn't care, who's he to get involved. To him, asserting his own morality on her would be the same as trying to own her, which seems counterproductive. Yvgeni is quite the loner, but I could see him being an excellent counterpoint to Cadell, so perhaps the two of them are friends, and Yvgeni knows the others through him.
The only thing I can see regarding Yvgeni that wouldn't work is that he has three traits. Otherwise, good stuff, I'll add him to my consideration list. That third trait is actually the alternate human racial trait, not an actual "trait". I used to put those things together. If he's chosen, I'll redo him with my more recent profile format.
I made Yvgeni here specifically for the next Kingmaker game that's advertised. I think he already fits your creation criteria. The Deadeye's Yeomen is an organization of my own construction intended to explain why an eastern-themed class like a zen archer could be found amongst the worshippers of Erastil. It's entirely there for background and flavour, for a GM to use or not, as he/she wishes.
I have joined another Kingmaker game, and it looks stable, so I shall withdraw my application to this game. Good gaming, all.
Compilation of applications: Martial
Arcane
Divine
Skills
Hopefully I didn't miss anybody
Three sentences: The son of retired adventurers, Yvgeni grew up on a small family farm in Rostland. His devotion to Erastil compels him to protect the innocents and their homes and communities, leading him to seek out and accept the charter to cleanse the Stolen Lands. He seeks to one day become a Master within Deadeye's Yeomen (information on this homebrew organization is found in the character profile) as well as find a wife and start a family. I played almost to the end of the first book (I assume, since my character was third level when the game died), but that was shortly after the AP came out many years ago, and much of the detail is foggy.
For my archer, I think I will give him the "Cold Parents" trait (not its actual name, but basically yeah), having them hail from Brevoy still, but living in Taldor. Instead of a plant sorcerer, daddy was a frost sorcerer. Problem solved. Also gives another reason why he loves being outdoors chopping wood so much. Yvgeni has settled in Heldren, and naturally as a follower of Erastil, has a vested interest in protecting his community and home. Thus campaign motivation solved. If we go with Kobold King, obviously he has settled in Falcon's Hollow instead of Heldren. As for Savage Tide...where does it start?
I find 5 is the sweet spot. I would be interested in using this guy. He was made for Kingmaker, but never got used. |