Players are a crafty lot and tend to ask the wrong questions at the worst possible timethe DM can think of – they have a keen sense for knowing that their DM isn´t prepared for an innocent sounding question like:
Who is this orphan boy, and, why is a big, scary beholder interested in him?
Just telling them, that they can´t find out, is both unsatisfying and completely unrealistic, because nobody treads that lightly and leaves no tracks ...
So, dear Fellow Dms, lean back nd enyoy, what research dug up:
Kharatys, Terrem, only son of Keoghan Kharatys, headbouncer at the Green Eel Tavern, dedicated follower of Korrd, the Brawler, rumored to be of half-orcish descent, with a criminal record of using excessive force doing his job; and
Elisabeth Kharatys, born Veskar, seamstress and abandoned by the Veskar family for “running off with some filthy mongrelman showing tusks”- as every selfrespecting member of the Cauldronite Veskars would put it .
(for more information on the Veskar family, check out the Fleshing out Cauldron Thread)
Terrem was baptized in blood and tears in the temple of Our lordly Might at Obsidian Avenue, Cauldron, and became an orphan shortly afterwards, due to a “nasty incident of domestic violence, happening in the halforc ghetto of shantytown”as a footnote in the city-guards daily reports files it.
(a tidbit for the conspiracy specialists, the footnote was filed by an young, rookie city-guard named Triel Eldurast, who handed over baby Terrem to the headmistress of the Lanternstreet orphanage, who can easily recall most of the above mentioned)
To get further information, we leave the orphanage, and check out the parents family histories, where the temple of Korrd, where both families attended services and participated in the games and competitions, is our next stop.
Keoghan Kharatys, as a devout follower had an outstanding record of victory, or coming close to winning, but getting disqualified in the end for showing too much enthusiasm – meaning deliberately maiming and, on one occasion crippling a direct opponent – more about that case in the city watch files.
He scored even better than the former champion, his older brother Repion II, who left Cauldron years ago to join the army (and never to be heard of again), he showed all the virtues his sister, Grellis, lacked.
“Poor Grellis couldn´t cope with the challenges of daily life, and ended in the gutter – where all the whiners and wash-ups, fallen from the grace of his lordly might, end up” as a devout priest would put it.
Finding Grellis isn´t difficult for a rogue, or someone connected,, and getting her to tell her story only costs a couple of silvers and stiff grogs ...
“Yes, I´m Terrems auntie, and no, I couldn´t take care of him, after wahat happened to him, having too much troubles myself” - having suffered a lot in the past and being on the long, road spiralling downto the very bottom of existence, Grellis is an addict and a source of cheap entertainment for halforcs in need. If telling her story pays at least as well as another stop in the alleyways back, she will talk, as long as the silver flows ...
Grellis is the daughter of Repion I Kharatys, and Amalda, born Vaine, decent folk who worked hard and cared for their children, poor, but righteous, and not a lying, backstabbing buch as the ruthless Veskars are.
Yes, Grellis can tell a tale or two about those greedy, inbred butchers and tanners, who abandoned poor, delicate Elisabeth for following her heart and love of her life, handsome Keoghan – curse them all!
Especially old, creepy Sandor, whose idea of a perfect marriage involves getting the family closer together to preserve their oh, so pure blood!
He is the complete opposite to Grellis´dear mother, may the celestials bless her soul, the daughter of Kellem and Grellis Vaine (our Grellis inherited her grandmothers name), and granddaughter of Ardeth Vaine, a noble lady indeed. Grellis is aware about the fact, that there is no noble family bearing the name Vaine in Cauldron - it is a very common name in the area – but this Ardeth was of proud and noble demeanor, surely the product of upperclass upbringing and education.
More grog will keep the memories flowing, and what else is told, is up to the DM to decide.
Let´s take a deep look at the family of Terrems dear mother (the Fleshing out Cauldron Thread bout the Veskars will be helpful, too) and their business. Athough the Veskars are a tightlipped lot, flattery and a keen interest in their flourishing enterprises may unlock some further secrets
Numerous rumors about the Veskars are in constant circulation, and only few of them are pleasant, but the fact state:
Elisabeth was the only child of Orgo and Lucinda Veskar, born Veskar – yes, correctly, Lucinda married her second degree cousin Orgo of the Sasserinite branch of the family – and was abandoned after the union with a rumored halfblood the family disapproved of.
“Her own grandfather, patriarch Sandor, had to give the orders of abandoning his beloved grandchild, acting against the will of the family and comitting treason to all the families ideals by running off with some unkempt, orcblooded street-thug” her father Orgo, the parfumer would say with a long sigh of grief, before mentioning the special irony of all this, because Sandors father, Kellem, had to order his own wife and mother of Sandor to exile for not showing proper respect and obiedience.
Unlike Elisabeth, this Ardeth spat on those family-members, who gave her a warm welcome and was most ungrateful for all that was given to her – her name, before the marriage says it all – for it was Vaine, Ardeth Vaine ...
That leaves us with an interesting question: are those two Ardeths the same person? And what is true about her, has she been the noble lady, or the women scoffing at all the Veskars could offer?
And finally, why do we talk like she´s already dead? - Those who follow the New Cagewright Thread will be ready for a surprise, that much is guaranteed ...
Further research about Ardeth Webb ... ahem, of course, Ardeth Vaine, and her possible involvement in the Cagewrights plans will follow
Let me know, if those revelations pleased you, my dear audience - yours truly, Claremont the elder, Lord Buckley
....
Hello my Lord, I really like your last posts indeed.
The idea of the Veskar family is absolutely delicious. I like also the connections you are working on.Because a lot of your stuff is about the family history why not having a tree to figure it ? IMHO it should be useful. If you manage to have this handout ready, please could you post it on TheRPGenius web site in the Cauldron area ?
DelvesDeep will hopefully complete soon his job about the CW and Adimarchus (and post it also). I'm quite interrested in having a mix in between your thoughts and his final document.
On my side, I'm currently working on four main subjects:
1. How to foreshadow more deeply and sooner in the SCAP the CW and the Nobles Families (see my starting point within the Dry'ryd and Adimarchus thread where Sorizan sadism is explained ...)
2. The dwarven population (3%) in Cauldron and its history (I would like to have Zenith and Adrick Garthun more solid NPC with some clan rivalties... and also I would have some explanations of the dwarven fate / curse in the area ... thoughts about Orak, Xoden, etc...)
3. The gnome population (9%) in Cauldron and its history (plenty of gnomes have or should have interresting impact on the SCAP like Keygan Ghelve, Skye Aldersun, Jzadirune,The Vanishing, and others)
4. The Last Laugh and Alleybashers guilds / organizations, plus one or two others.
I will post when ready - I've first also to translate in english which painfully slows the process ;-))
Be creative