I love the realms and want to run the AoW there, the problem is my gamegroup is very familiar with Daggerford and Waterdeep and we like those places the way they are and have played in those places for many years.
The FRs coversion notes are not much use to us because we would never change some of our old pc's "home towns" so drastically.
I will be dm, but unfortunatly, due to fulltime work and other RL things (like family) I might not be able find the time for converting the AoW into the realms perfectly.
Is there anywhere I could just plant Diamond Lake and the Free city without all the work? Where do you think it would fit into Faeruns regions and cultures?
I would like to set the AoW's adventure path in or around the city of Westgate ideally, would this be a good or bad idea in your opinion?
Viewpoints of long-time dms and players would be most welcome, realms 'know-it-alls' input would be much appreciated too.
:)
And another thing is, I have six players four of them wish to use the non PHB classes from the 'complete' series.
One wants to be a hexblade, one a favoured soul, one a scout and the last one wishes to be a ninja!
would these classes be ok in the AoW, as I have heard it is tough.
Well, Westgate has an arena, so right there is one thing you don't have to modify about the free city. You would have to come up with a good spot for Diamond Lake that is near enough to the city to make sense, as well as a location for Blackwall Keep.
You could put Diamond Lake towards the end of the River Thunn, then make the region between the Thunn and Westgate a bit more swampy, thus makeing Blackwall Keep a halfway point along the river in the swampy region.
A lot of the Calishite/Djinn alterations from Eric Boyd's Realms notes still make sense for the crypts in the region, since the Shoon once held Westgate as well. Obviously if the Shoon knew where Westgate was, the region could have been visited by Calim's old supporters before the city proper was there.
Smenk could easily be tied to the Night Masks, as could a number of the mine managers, though I would keep Dourstone separate since he is involved with the Cult. I would again stick to Eric Boyd's conversion notes for information on the cult and what Jergal has to do with it, as I think it will end up pretty interesting.
Is there anything else you are looking for, becuase I don't think this would be too hard to pull off in Westgate, on the face of it.
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In the group I am DMing has a scout and it seems to be alright. I think it comes down to personal tastes and the such. In another game I played in, one of the other players had a Hexblade and quite frankly I did not see it as overpowered at all. If that is your concern I think it will be okay.
Personally, I think you should put it where ever you want to, it is your game.
The ninja, I would definately tie to Kara-Tur, though that's just me. Since there is an eastern region to the Realms, why not use it. You would have to come up with a good reason for a ninja to be so far from home however. Its possible that his clan is establishing itself in the west, perhaps out of some of the trade countries along the Golden Road such as Semphar, and your particular PC has branched out even further.
Well, you two seem to have put my mind at ease.
Thankyou for your swift and meaningful replies. :)
I was looking for a confidence booster really, as I havent played for months and all my players are realms veterans. I need this game to work and seem believable to them. This will be our next big adventure (hopefully).
I noticed Westgates arena and thought it might work, the surounding areas of that region are quite 'rough and tumble' and after reading the Evris Cale books I've gotten a taste for the inner-sea regions, Starmantle is brought to life brilliantly within those books.
How do you think players playing evil characters would work? Does the AoWs seem more suited to whiter than white goodies or will it work with black hearted villians? My players are all mature people (long in the tooth) and they play evil intellegently but are shining paladins and nicey nice clerics the order of the day later on in the adventure path? Is their enough hooks to interest selfish power seekers and glory hounds as well?
I might have the Ninja be a Kara-tur visitor or perhaps even a 'shadow warrior' from mainstream faerun, i will talk with the player and see what he wishes to do. I have not used the 'complete' classes before and just wondered how they measured up against the norms.
I've been looking at the FR map, could you tell me anything about Reddansyr and the lake of the long arm?
Thanks again. :)
I was looking at my map and the rivers are (unfortunatly) not named, which one is the River Thunn?
Does the large lake south of Westgate (but north of the Lake of the long arm) have a name?
(I am using the 3rd Edition FRCS map.)
The Evris Cale books mention the region being quite swampy so your ideas (Knighterrant) are spot on! ;)
Well, if you think about it, evil characters probably have as much of a reason to stop the Age of Worms as good characters, unless they are delusional cultists that have convinced themselves that they will be favored by Kyuss in the new age, or that the Overgod is going to reward them. Think about the Cale books. Cale isn't lilly white, and Drasek Riven certainly qualifies as evil, but they are opposing Vhostym and his agents for vengence and becuase they really don't want to deal with whatever the Wanderer has planned.
The only downside is that holy weapons that might be good against Kyuss people will be problematic, for example, and perhaps some spells that good characters get to use might come in handy.
Other than what is listed in the FRCS I couldn't add alot about Reddansyr. Church of Oghma and a festhall housed in a boat called the Giant's Folly that serves as a clearing house for information. If you are looking for a stand in for Diamond Lake, its seems a bit cheery for that, but I suppose you could work with its lack of details. As you intimate, Reddansyr works better as a tributary of Starmantle.
Another thing in Westgate's favor is that Mintassan the wizard, (19th level, NG, planewalker and adventurer), works well as a stand in for Manzorian in the standard AoWs background, though you would have to establish a tower that he might maintain outside of Westgate (Magepoint in the original). I don't know of any specific knowlagable wizard that would oppose Kyuss and know anything about it in Starmantle, but that could be a blessing if you want to flesh that out yourself.
KnightErrantJR
Yes, the Cale books are the type of 'evil' guys my players play. They want to keep Faerun the way it is mostly, just as long as they have their finery and occasional shady fun! :)
My main reason for asking about the 'good pcs vs evil pcs' situation was mainly because I wondered about what sort of potential allies the adventure path gives the players, are any 'good guy' churches involved like in the former adventure path? Is the treasure good aligned and has the AP required any noble sacarifices yet? That sort of thing. :)
The River Thunn is the river that starts out to the southeast of Westgate, as part of the bay that forms Westgate's harbor, and runs to the southwest about halfway back to Reddansyr. The FRCS map shows it, though it looks almost like a little blue comma under the city of Westgate!
I think the main issue would be the Manzorian thing, a basically powerful good wizard that gets involved in letting the PCs know about Kyuss and what he is up to and helping the PCs as an advisor. In my view, a good wizard is usually more pragmatic than a good priest, and lest likely to be examining the PCs "auras" to see if they are evil, and just going by if they can be trusted to help end the aforementioned calamity.
And a 'divanation' previously could have allowed said Wizard to see the pcs are the ones for the job 'evil' or not!
Thanks very much Sir KnightErrantJR, you have been a wonderful help, you have put a lot of my worries to rest!
I will go study my books now and be back to pick your brians again later.
:)
Happy to help a fellow Realms fan, pick my brain anytime!
Heck, if you want even more Realms fanatics to brainpick (?), check out Candlekeep.com . . .
Veeery intresting...
Ive been flicking through 'The Whispering Cairn' and the FRCS to see how the pieces go together and I have a few more questions.
1. I am probaly going to set the game in the 1372 DR, 'the year of wild magic'. What time of year (season) would you say this adventure starts in?
2. Diamond Lakes church, what would you suggest as a good switch for St Cuth? Tempus, Helm, someone else? I would like input on 'Greyhawk-to-Realms' god-swappping in general, I can match the alignments, but the 'flavour' is tricky as I dont know the Greyhawk gods very well? I want to keep any clerical 'interfering' to a minimum (and fitting with the Westgate region) Diamond Lake has quite a 'morally ambiguous' feel about it would it be alright to say the Black network has a hold here, perhaps the church could be one of Banes?
3.The Twilight Monastery, how important is this place in the adventure path, do further Dungeon Magazines reveal anymore of this place? Which Faerunian order would dwell here?
4. I was lucky enough to find a map of Westgate from the old grey 2nd ed box, is this still relevant? Has it been updated or 'reinvented' in 3.5?
5. Spoke to my friend, he wants to play a 'proper' ninja, so it looks like he will be playing a Shou ex-pat, I have minimal info on Kara-tur, only what 3rd edition provides so any advice on how this 'eastern outsider' could wind up in Diamond Lake? Im thinking maybe an outcast or spy but that seems a little generic.
Lets see. I would assume that Helm would be the best swap out for St. Cuthbert, since Cuthbert is LN but can only have LN and LG clerics. Helm has a very similar mindset, though Helm would be less likely to have a cleric haranging the commoners about their life choices as the Cuthbertines do in Diamond Lake. Hm, now that I think about it, perhaps make that a LN sect of Ilmaterites, since they would be more likely as the "missionary" types. We already know some sects of Ilmatar worshippers are more extreem than others, so I think that might work better.
As far as Kara-Tur is concerned, Kozakura is the most rough and tumble, tons of ninja, Japan like nation in Kara-Tur. But Kozakura is a long was away from Westgate. Wa is the other "japan like" country in Kara-Tur, but is much more structured and Samurai controlled. Shou Lung is the largest nation and is essentially a "LN (LG)" version of China, whereas T'u Lung, its southern neihbor, is more of a "LN (LE)" version of China. In Shou and T'u Lung, there are ninja clans that migrated from the island nations, and are known as vagabonds. Many of them actually work for their respective government as state sponsored spies and assasins (less likely in Shou Lung than T'u Lung, but the spy thing still applies). There are still assasin clans of ninja in Shou Lung, but again, they are called vagabonds there, denoting that they are not native to Shou Lung.
The Shou are the most common of all of the Kara Tur nationalities to be present in the western Realms, because most of the major nations in the Western Realms have embassies to the Shou in their capitals (Cormyr, Sembia, and Waterdeep at the very least have Shou ambassadors). The trade routes with Kara-Tur opened up quite a bit after Yamun Khahan was killed by Azoun.
As far as the time period goes, I would say that Tarsakh (April) is a good month to start the adventure in. The PCs may have been cooped up all winter and ready to dive into something interesting.
Oh, Eric Boyd said that the Twilight Monastary is a Monastary of Old Order monks, i.e. LN monks that don't particularly revere any one deity, and work on their spiritual and physical perfection all of the time.
It is possible for Bane to have a temple there, but Bane temples in towns out in the open usually mean that Bane is the state religeon. It is possible that Loviatar might have a temple there, however, as she is one of the more "accepted" evil dieties, especially among the decadant minded. Might fit in with the Emporium and such businesses.
The second edition map of Westgate should be fine, since nothing major geographically has happened to the city to my knowlage.
Since this is 1372 you are talking about, you make want to make sure that the Return of Shade is a rumor that some of the more knowlagable in the region discuss, and make sure you throw in that the weather patterns around much of Faerun are messed up this year (the Shadovar were shifting weather patterns to "water" Anauroch until the end of spring, at which point weather patterns would slowly start to return to normal).
Im going to be using Hillsfar as the free city. Haven't read the hero's belt though that may change. The reason for this is gladiator type combat is pretty big there while still keeping the town fairly normal.
Put Blackwall keep in the Gulthmere and link the lizardmen to Cedarspoke. You can run them as a counter to the worms.
Well Im hard at work with my players right now, as yet, we have one backstory nearly finished (the ninjas). Diamond Lake has become "Krakens Tooth" -named for an old fishermans tales involving the finding of long dagger like teeth in his net. (and I thought Krakens had beaks?!)
Ive put the town on the coast of the Sea of Fallen Stars about half an inch (on the map) southeast from Westgate.
I have a few quick qestions,
How far from Diamond Lake is the twilight monastery?
In what city-quarter would you put the gladatorial arena in the old Westgate map?
Anyone know if Westgates arena "The Quivvering Thumb" stages monster battles, fights involving captured hydras, dire-beasts and that sort of thing? I am wondering about this because if my players decide not to entre the games then they might be hired by the arena as monster-hunters and paid to bring back nasty beasties from the Gulthmere Forests.
How far is Blackwall from Diamond Lake?
I'll have to look up the distances, since I can't remember them off hand. I would say that the monsters in the arena thing probably makes sense, since the "Quivering Thumb" is suppose to be a "fair" arena, i.e. one not used for executions but for sport. As far as how the arena is portrayed in the Age of Worms, there are definately "beast fights" in it, as I have just received 128 including the adventure "The Champions Belt."
More later, when I have a chance to do some research.
I would locate it in Central (obviouly the central part of the city) or in Thunnside, the rougher side of the docks where the temple to Talos is located (noted just to give you a landmark for the area).
Oh, and I had a thought here, which might take some work on your part. Since your party is going to be evil or at least morally questionable, perhaps you might want to make the rival adventuring band Alias, Dragonbait, and Olive Ruskettle? As I said, this may take some work, but I only bring this up because Mintassan is linked romantically with Alias. You should easily be able to run the current adventures as rivals, but I thought I would throw in another Realmsian idea.
I would locate it in Central (obviouly the central part of the city) or in Thunnside, the rougher side of the docks where the temple to Talos is located (noted just to give you a landmark for the area).
Oh, and I had a thought here, which might take some work on your part. Since your party is going to be evil or at least morally questionable, perhaps you might want to make the rival adventuring band Alias, Dragonbait, and Olive Ruskettle? As I said, this may take some work, but I only bring this up because Mintassan is linked romantically with Alias. You should easily be able to run the current adventures as rivals, but I thought I would throw in another Realmsian idea.
Thanks for the ideas, very much appreciated. :)
I am intrigued, how did you go about fitting the AoW into the realms KnightErrantJR?
Did you do something simular?
To be completely honest, I have two answers for this. I am running it unmodified for my kids at home, and I am collecting notes on running it in Daggerford at some future date, a plan which is complecated by the fact that one of my players DMs for his brother and a small group of his own, and is using the adventure, so I'm not sure if I will use this in our group until I iron out how he can "unlearn what he has learned."
One of my ideas about Daggerford however, is going to be to keep the current Duke alive, but allowe everyone to think that he is dead, and that all of the changes have happened to the town. At some point in the campaign, the players would have a chance to rescue him, and start to return Daggerford to normal.
I was also going to change Kyuss to a character I made up, the undead avatar of Set from Mulhorand. In this case I am changing the little squiggly worms from worms to swarming beetles as well.
At Eric Boyd's suggestion, I am also changing the dracolich from Dragotha to a dracolich mentioned in the old 2nd edition Cult of the Dragon book that is native to the Old Empires region.
So my running it in the Realms is a way off.
I would be interested to hear about the background you worked up for the ninja character, if you don't mind sharing.
I'd be more than happy to post the ninja's backstory but the player is still finishing it off, should have it by Sunday night (UK time).
I have written a few more bits-n-pieces for Krakens Tooth (Diamond Lake), Loviatar is replacing St Cuthbert, Helm is replacing Heironeous.
Due to a player mis-hearing the towns name as: 'Cracked Tooth'
I have written a bit of background-fluff telling how the Orc's (and other more thuggish peoples of the region) refer to Krakens Tooth as 'Krak'ed Toof'. This sits quite well with the image I am trying to give the town in our campaign. :)
The Twilight Monastery is home to 40 monks of the Old Order and stands on a cliff on the coastline of the Sea of Fallen Stars, takes about two hours walk up the northern coast (from Krakens Tooth) if you want to pay a visit.
I was having trouble working out how to get Kyuss to fit in, I may use him as is, just a name swap might do.
I love that mis heard name thing. Thats great!
Hello, I recieved two of my players back-stories this evening, heres the ninjas:
Shen Tan'nuan
My name is Shen Tan'nuan, I was once a powerful man, self made and rich. Now I am nothing, a vagabond, some would say lucky to be alive, I would liken it to a living hell. I lost everything to a whore and her 'turtles egg' father.
...Curse The Nine Golden Swords, damn them all to 'the-hell-of-being-cut-to-peices'...
I lived with my parents, grandfather and three little brothers in one of the ramshackle buildings of Telflamm's Shou-town, it was a squallid little shack, not fit for a dog, cramped and damp-ridden. My family had come to the city many years ago, seeking refuge from the muderous axes of the Tuigan Horde. Our only income came from weaving baskets, sometimes days would pass in which we had not eaten, something needed to change, my family were honorless pitiful wretches, little better than beggars, it was up to me.
At the age of sixteen my father had managed to get me a job cleaning the floors at the much respected "Master Yuen's House of Fists", I would stand for hours on end watching the fighters train, sometimes while walking home I would try to copy their movments and try immitating the different kicks and punches I'd witnessed. After a few months I had become proficient in a few simple unarmed techniques. I kept my skills a secret however, because I had plans on how to use these new abilities and none of them were pleasant...
I became a masked thief, used my skills to take advantage of anyone who might look alone and vunerable while walking the streets after dark, I would run up behind them, quiet as a cat and deliver a bonecrunching elbow to where their head joined their spine, this assault would put them down and then I took anything they had of value. Did I feel guilty? Did I feel ashamed?
No.
I saw myself as a predator and they were my prey, I had some principles of course, and still have them today, I will never attack a pretty girl, nor a defenceless child, The old, infirm or ugly however, I will destroy without a moments notice. Thankfully I had been blessed with good looks and woe betide anyone I felt was hideous to behold.
Months passed by, my skills becoming all the more perfect, Master Yeun and the other fighters started to offer me lessons but I declined, telling them I was not physically fit and that I lacked the fighting spirit. What fools...
Winter came and along with the snow, a group of loud mouthed young men came to Master Yuen's, These men told Master Yeun that his school bellonged to them now and he would have to pay them to remain here, failure to do so would result in a pair of broken legs! Master Yuen was a powerful man, lighting fast and could break a persons arm with a flick of his wrist, he was the greatest fighter I'd ever seen, these insulant thugs were about to be taught a lesson!
But nothing happened, Master didnt even complain, he simply hung his head and accepted the options they gave him. The thugs left and all the fighters stood around looking defeated, I asked what had happened, why they didnt do something but all they said was "They are members of The Nine Golden Swords...".
New people started to come into the fighting house after that, many of them were members of The Nine Golden Swords, They wanted Master Yeun to show them how to kill, not defend themselves but to attack, hurt and maim. I was weary of these loud, cruel men at first, they made me wonder if my night time activities would lead me to become like them, made me reconsider my goals, but not for long. After a while I started to understand them fully, even like them, they took what they wanted and seemed to live like kings, that was something I could relate to. We were hunters in a world of pathetic cattle.
A few tendays passed and The Nine Golden Swords turned the fighting house into a fighting arena, people started to come from all over the shou quarter to watch and bet on the fights, eventually even outsiders came to take part in some of the events. During this time many people left Master Yuen's, even the Master himself often spoke of escaping Telflamm and perhaps travelling to Phsant to open a school there. But the reach of the Nine Golden Swords extended everywhere. I would listen to his sad little tales and even fain mock dispare, only to sneer right behind his back in contempt for his weakness. How I hated "Master" Yeun a great fighter he may have been but he was not the Master of his own destiny, unlike I was, or so I thought...
I had started to bring home some real money, life was good, my family were eating three meals everyday and I was a real 'big man' or even 'the man of the house' now. Grandfather was looking healthy again and soon I would have enough gold to buy a new home for us all to live in. But still I wanted more, and a part of me wondered why I still helped my family at all, it would have been better to let them all starve I suppose, especially since winter had come but for some reason I still took care of them. I wanted power and those fools were just holding me back from my true potential...
Spring came and with it came yet more intrigue...
One morning, while mopping the blood from the arena I overheard two known members of The Nine Golden Swords speaking of an assassination attempt about to take place that very night. They had paid a Damaran fighter to "accidently" stagger from the arena and "mistakenly" gut one of their leaders with his falchion. I thought about it for along time and decided to intervine...
That night two men entered the arena, a tall Damaran with a large falchion and a young Shou warrior with a pair of butterfly swords, as the fighters went about their bloodthirsty business the Bosses of The Nine Golden Swords leaned further into the melee, hanging over the ropes with glee, intent on getting a good view of the nights carnage, a fat old man, dressed in fine silks was the target and sure enough the Damaran fighter soon made his way towards him, I was (of course) stood nearby. As the falcion whistled towards the old mans fat belly I dived in the way, slapping the large blade out of harms way with my mop.
The members of The Nine Golden Swords all rushed in, everyone looked shocked and suprised, I was hailed a hero, "saving" the boss from a cruel twist of fate. I was taken aside by the fat old man and proclaimed his "guardian spirit", he commented on my reflexes and gave me a proposition. The Nine Golden Swords, had a number of agents working for them, he thought I would fit into the "Nine Hidden Daggers" quite well, all I would have to do (once I joined) was never fail a mission, do that and you would live like the immortal emperor himself!
And so I became the personal bodyguard of Phan Ti Lung, one of The Nine Hidden Daggers Ninja! Later the two fighters from the "arena incident" died due to eating something rotten, "How sad..."
Years passed and my life became sweeter, By some weakness I cannot fathom I continued to pass gold onto my family, purchased a proper home for them and arranged for a Chondathan teacher to school my brothers. I eventually told Phan Ti Lung just what had happened that night, just how I saved him, he wasnt suprised and told me to watch my back, for to live the life of the yakuza was to dance with death.
I commited many "crimes" over the next few years, all of them in order to secure my own wellbeing and even though my life (and my training) was often difficult I was able to find some relief, I spent many of my nights eating at the 'Happy Crane' resturant, There I saw a girl named "Pai", she became an obsession of mine, I would watch her mopping the floor like a peasant even though she owned the resturant and had many others working for her she would pay attention to the little things, she was selfless and pure, a goddess... Sometimes she would wait on me, even if the noodles were cold I would not complain, she became my next goal, she would be my wife someday. I was in love, I think...
Last summer I was sent to assassinate a powerful man in the quarter a would-be despot named Hwang Pak Po who refused to pay The Nine Golden Swords the proper respect they deserved, I was supossed to take his life and before sending him to the next world tell him why he was about to be killed, "simple" I thought and went to end him...
I approached the building in the usual manner, standing across the street after the sun had dissapeared and watching for any movement from within, a lantern light floated from room to room, someone was checking all the locks were closed and windows were shut tight...
I climbed onto the top of the nearest buildning and jumped across onto the roof of my targets home, such fools, did they not know death could always find the heart of his prey!?
I opened the skylight with a simple flick of my kukri, soundlessly moving down the steps into the house, I found the bedroom of Hwang and snuck inside like a shadow...
He lay in bed, strangly the old fool slept like a westener in a large opulent bed with four large wooden legs, high up off the floor and covered in thick woolen blankets. I slipped closer...
Silently, I took my nunchaku from the cord about my waist and placed it around his skinny neck, pulling tightly with one hand and covering his mouth with the other - but the mouth I touched was not a man!
A bright green gas surrounded me! I coughed and spluttered, gagging upon the deadly fumes, a ruse, a deception!
Light filled my vision, two armed guards entered the room, followed by Hwang Pak Po himself and somesort of masked warrior-whoose white garments seemed to radiate some awful power baleful to my being.
I shreiked in pain and anger, then somehow managed to jump back and duck two swipes from the guards swords, I was immediatly on the attack, I quickly smashed the temple of one guard with my nunchaku and then hopped back into a defensive stance...
I took out my shurikan and smiled though gritted teeth as I downed another guard, I jumped onto the bed and pulled the mask from my face and spat "The Nine Golden Swords send death this night, in the next life you should be more forthcoming with your debts!"
The masked warrior let out a gasp of suprise, and I felt an arrogant pride flood through me, "Yes let them fear me!" I thought.
With that I attacked again flicking my nunchaku into old Hwangs mouth, dislodging many teeth and sending him srawling to the floor, I tried to spring back out of the masked warriors reach and prepare my final, sudden strike but the masked one was swift, with a just a touch of his hand I was sent flying into the wall wracked with pain and showered in sparks!
A magician!
I took a moment to compose myself, this was... unforseen...
Then a voice, a familiar female voice broke through my fearful delerium and said " Father are you alright, father?"
I knew that voice! Looking up and squinting through the pain, I saw Pai, the humble girl from the 'Happy Crane' resturant, she looked at me then back to her father, a "look" passed over her face as if her heart had broken...
I felt less than nothing, how could I be responsible for this? I didnt mean to hurt her!
I tried to speak but my words came out like goblin-gibberish, she attacked me!
Her blade flew from her hand, it was aimed straight for my heart, I brought up my nunchaku in a defensive manoeuver and felt her dagger *thock* spin away from me, I turned to run, escape this nightmare, I didnt want to hurt the girl I loved, didnt want to hurt her father...
I heard a scream, a terrible scream like nothing I'd ever witnessed before... I spun around, she was holding her father...
Her very own dagger sticking straight out of his chest! The very same dagger I had deflected from my own heart had pierced his!
I tried to say something, say I was sorry, again I couldnt find the words.
I ran, jumped through the window and dashed to the safety of the shadows in the street below, guards filled the streets and I narrowly managed to give them the slip.
When dawn came I contacted the Nine Hidden Daggers using an alias, During the night the old fat boss I had saved long ago "Phan Ti Lung" had died in his sleep, The Nine Golden Swords were looking for me, they had been looking for me for hours, they needed to talk with me about "my future" with them.
I knew I was dead if I stayed and so I left Telflamm and ran into the wilds, for the first time in my life I felt truly helpless and knew I was very vunarable.
I mannaged to stow away on a ship leaving Thesk and made my way across the Inner Sea to the faraway city of Lyrabar, I knew the vengeful blades of The Nine Golden Swords would not allow me to live and again I jumped ship, tendays later I found myself in "Kracked Toof" or "Krakens Toothe" on the western shore of the Inner Sea, south of the infamous city known as Westgate.
I have been here for five months now, living as a vagrant for a while and recently getting work in the mines, I had trouble speaking the awful dialect here, it seemed more akin to a goblin tongue than any truly "civilized" language and at first thought i should throw myself into the deep blue sea and let my next life take me for the sins of my past.
But strangely, I have seen too much here to give me hope, however preposterous that may seem. I now know my story is not over and I must go onwards to a new chapter in my life.
I am but a young man, with good looks and a quickness of mind and body, if I can endevour to keep future matters of the heart at bay then I will prosper.
Some of these barbaric fools think me "half an elf" and judge me by my face alone, they do not know the true powers I keep within my slight build, I am better than all these "westerners" put together and have a disipline I will hone to its nth degree.
I soon declared myself first of a new ninja clan: "The Enduring Dragon"
When the time is right, I Shen Tan'nuan will bring about my destiny and Krakens Tooth will not even feature in the mighty legends surrounding me!
Already I have "friends" within this place, one is a youth filled with rage and unable to understand his arcane talents, known as "Morgan Fulldusk", just by listening to the incessant gossip of the uneducated waste around this town, I have been able to glean that he is somesort of sorceror, and I have managed to make his aquaintance, after all, we "outcasts" must stick together.
The other "friend" I have is a young, grief stricken girl named Charlotte Divvenz, she fancies herself to be a great fighter, an "adventurer" even, swinging around a blade as tall as she, how absurd, and yet somehow she reminds me of someone I once knew...
I suppose it will fall upon me to protect them if they should ever come across trouble, although I would rather let them die...
Still they both show some promise if only I could show them how to be more effective and put aside their foolish, arrogant, pride...
There you go!
I'll post his character description next.
I liked it. It managed to pull in the eastern feel as well as throwing in a lot of Realmslore. Seems like a really good start for the character.