We can start discussing characters and background in detail here. If any of you don't have access to the Second Darkness Player's Guide let me know; we can work something out.
Reposting with more stuff from the other thread:
Zindit Tamelathi, CN gnome rogue reporting!
Okay, the rough backstory draft is done:
(spoilered for length)
Zindit and her younger brother Maldin were born to Oris and Paera Tamelathi, gnomish adventurers of minor repute. Their lives were relatively charmed ones as they spent their childhood in Nybor. Zindit took to her father's lessons in lockpicking with particular relish, just as she and her brother delighted in their parents' often inflated tales of their deeds.
Eventually, both Oris and Paera were killed in a venture that went bad, and Zindit and Maldin were left orphaned. Oris had arranged with one of his companions, a minor mage and alchemist named Ilya Soldare. Ilya was a stern, but good, woman who took the children according to their parents' wishes. She had butted heads with her gnomish companions before, but they felt she would be more than able to keep their children safe should anything happen to them.
This arrangement kept Zindit and Maldin off the streets and out of the orphanage, but Ilya's home was a jarring change for them from their carefree days with their parents. It seemed a cold place to them, with more rules than they were used to. Since Ilya's home was also her workplace(an alchemist's lab and shop), there were rooms they were forbidden to enter. Zindit chafed against this change in environment and grew rebellious and resentful of Ilya's stricter ways while Maldin seemed more accepting of it. Ilya, a devout worshipper of Sarenrae, tried to be patient with her charges and punished them with an even hand when they misbehaved. She tried to guide them towards righteousness, but Zindit wrote her off more and more simply for not being their father and mother. The fact that her brother was going along with it grated on her as well. She felt she needed to get herself and her brother out of there, to be free and go where they wanted just like their parents.
One night in the fading winter, a few years after moving in to Ilya's, Zindit coerced her brother into going along with a plan to run away and find their fortunes. Her brother, fearful and reluctant though he was, was guilt-tripped into it by Zindit claiming "It's what our parents would have wanted us to do!" That and she was his older sister. She knew what would be best, right?
They sneaked into Ilya's laboratory to steal just enough of what Zindit thought they could sell or use to help them get by. She had broken in before, much to Ilya's anger, and she thought she knew what did what. She was still convinced that Ilya was one of those "gold-makers". Her brother was becoming more and more nervous, but she assured him they were doing the right thing. Ilya was rich enough that this wouldn't bother her for too long, right?
Then it happened. As they made their way through the lab, taking whatever items Zindit thought would be valuable, Maldin accidentally stumbled against a shelf containing strange glassware filled with stranger liquids. They fell, and everything nearby, including Maldin, burst into flame.
His screams would echo in Zindit's dreams for the rest of her life.
Zindit stood in shock. Her brother cried out for her, and all she could do was stand in place, her heart siezed by terror at what was taking place. She screamed for her brother, for anyone to help, but she couldn't brave the flame to reach her brother. She was just too scared. She couldn't quite believe this was happening.
Ilya burst into the room, horror in her eyes as she saw the scene. She screamed at Zindit, "What did you do?" before diving in to save Maldin. She called out for Zindit to help move the shelf away, but the girl was still too terrified. The fire quickly spread, and more vials exploded, setting more of the lab ablaze, and Ilya along with it. Zindit reached out even as she stepped back, it was all like some horrible nightmare. This couldn't be happening! Her brother, Ilya...
The fire spread again, this time catching the bag Zindit had dropped. The bag full of strange chemicals and substances that had caught her eye. She was caught in the alchemical explosion of flame and acid that flung her out the doorway. The pain was greater than anything she felt before or since. The sheer sensory and emotional overload finally made her snap as she rolled around screaming in pain and finally scrambling out of the house into the night. Fleeing unthinking out into the snow, she writhed around until the worst of the pain passed. But the agony still persisted, everything still hurt, and she the only thing that registered in her brain was the need to run and keep running.
She continued her flight, not thinking of the direction and only mindful of the need to keep moving, to outrun the pain and the fire and the hell that she had seen.
Ilsa's house burned to the ground that night. The townspeople were barely able to keep the fire contained to her building alone. It was assumed all inside had perished. In a way, they were right.
A week later, Zindit was miles away and near death. She had repeatedly run herself until she dropped from exhaustion. She had not eaten, her wounds were infected, and her mind was entirely broken. She certainly would have died in the forest if not for the intervention of some native fey. Taking sympathy on the girl, they healed the worst of her wounds and fed her, but their capricious nature did little to help heal her mind. The results were more akin to nursing a sick animal back to health. After a time, she was moving again, dazed and confused, but still driven to keep on the move.
A few months later, a caravan happened upon the wild girl. Thinking that she was a lost human child, some of the caravan guard chased her down and brought her back, now aware that she was an older gnome youth and mindful of her thrashing, kicking, and screaming. The were astounded by the horrific scars the girl bore, and the fact that she was still alive. They tied her up and carried her along with them, taking her to monastery they passed during their journey.
The monastery was one dedicated to healing and the care of the mentally ill. The monks and priests gave Zindit what meager divine healing they could, but the damage of her wounds being infected and healing naturally had been done. Her left eye was destroyed entirely, and the upper left quarter of her face was marked by the same ruin that trailed down the left side of her head, along the length of her arms and legs, and the left side of her torso. It no longer hurt, but she would never look "normal" again. Her mind was utterly broken though, and it was this that the monk who cared for her turned his attention.
Zindit spent most of the next three years in a padded cell, being taught how to think coherently all over again. Her mind was pieced back together bit by bit, but it was constructed as a house of cards. She knew deep down in her heart of hearts that it was her fault that Maldin and Ilya died, but she absolutely could not bring herself to face that fact. She convinced herself that Ilya had been cruel to her and her brother, that she was only thinking of the best for her brother when she made him come along, and that she had tried to help when the accident happened. Still, this avoidance of total responsibility did not shield her from all of her guilt, but it allowed her to believe that she was the victim of circumstance to a degree.
This faulty foundation upon which she was being rebuilt, along with her scattered and blurry memories of her time with the fey, led to further delusions taking root in her mind. The greatest among them was brought about by both her conscious and subconscious guilt: That Sarenrae, the goddess invoked to watch over them in their childhood, knew was she did and was actively out to punish her. The memories of how the flames and acid felt helped enforce this belief. She just knew that Sarenrae was looking for her, and more punishment was still to come. Sarenrae's light became not a symbol of hope for her, but something to flee, to hide from. Because deep down, she knew that to face Sarenrae would be to face the truth. So she believes herself to be a victim of chance and unfair judgment.
During her recovery, the monks made the mistake of letting her see her reflection. This led to another breakdown, during which she would scream and go into hysterics if anyone looked at her. She just knew those marks were laid on her by Sarenrae, that they marked her as a wicked thing. She could not bare to be seen like that. Eventually, the monks got around the problem by wrapping the scarred parts of her body in bandages, which covered most of her body. This eased her mind, and she settled into the routine of recovery again. Later, one kind monk would present a special set of clothing to her: A simple gray bodysuit that covered all of her body save the unscarred portion of her face. This made her more at ease, but it led to another delusion that the close-fitting cowl was part of her face now, which led to even more horror at the idea of anyone seeing what lay underneath.
While she became more coherent in thought, her delusions became more pronounced. She became convinced that almost all the gods were in league with Sarenrae to some degree or another, and thus all their priests were as well. She came to suspect that the monks and priests were keeping her here in order to hand her over to the priests of Sarenrae later, and when she thought she heard someone speak of one of the sun goddess' clerics being invited to come speak with her, she knew she had to get out. During one of the periods where she was allowed to walk outside in the gardens, she managed to get away from the monk escorting her and fled into the wilderness once more.
She slowly made her way across western Varisia, from town to town, hitching rides, stealing for food, and sometimes wandering aimlessly until she found herself in Riddleport. She had heard that there were few priests of the sort she feared confronting her there, and so it seemed to be as good a place as any to hide.
She lived on the streets for a time, before managing to secure part of the attic of one of the somewhat less illicit shops in the city. The owner felt pity for the obviously crazy gnome, and thought that it would be extra security for his shop. Zindit brought in what money she could by doing odd jobs for the shop and renting out what skills she had learned from her father to any the shopkeeper recommended her to. She earned a small reputation as a cheap, competant, and with some people disposable expert on lockpicking, albiet an unstable one best kept out of delicate matters. Between jobs, she would often take to begging. Most of those who took pity on her treated her mostly like a stray dog or cat; she became a familiar sight along a portion of the streets and alleys of Riddleport.
There are only two places she feels close to truly safe now, her attic den and the tavern temple of Cayden Cailean. She's not yet convinced that Cayden Cailean is among those gods who are out to get her, and it truly is one of the safer parts of the city. It's not unusual for her to wander in and shyly order a light drink with what meager coin she has, and after only a few sips curling up under a table and going to sleep. The priests of Cayden Cailean know that the girl is mad, but also that their tavern is one of the few safe havens for her in Riddleport. Her home is where she spends most of her time though, a jumbled mess of blankets, stolen knick-knacks, and drawings covering the walls, floor and ceiling. During some of her worst weeks, she would be terrified to leave, not even coming out to eat. One winter she actually nearly froze to death.
She lives in almost constant fear of the gods, because she knows they're always watching. She knows that the sun in Sarenrae's angry eye looking down on her, and she's uncomfortable remaining out in sunlight for very long. She has actually taken to drawing clouds all over the ceiling of her den, believing it would block the goddess' view.
She has lived this way for four years now.
If this checks out okay, I'll flesh out her other delusions and all the crazy that's drawn on her den walls too. Just in case anyone manages to find out where she lives and wanders in there. ;) And her list of delusions might come in handy as a way for other party members to control her.
I'm also thinking about changing the part with the fey out. Being saved by fey seems a little much, doesn't it? I was thinking of making that an actual delusion, and having something else more mundane tend to her wounds, but I'm not sure what.
If anyone did play a priest/paladin of Sarenrae, she wouldn't just run away, but she would be extremely fearful of them and terrified of showing any reason for them to be suspicious of her, which is pretty sad since they're the ones that would probably do her the most good. Just didn't want anyone to be worried that she would be a party breaker due to bad behavior.
Stats w/traits coming ASAP.
If she is okay, would any good-aligned PCs that regularly go to Cayden Cailean's temple tavern mind having her as a sometimes hanger-on? She sticks close to people that offer food and safety. ;) In fact, she'll go through a lot of stuff just to stick close to people she thinks of as "safe".
Sorda could have you as a hanger on, if you are fairly new to the city.
He is a wizard apprentice from a noble family outside Riddleport.
DM/VP
EDIT: so far the party is a gnome rogue and a human transmuter.
DM/VP
** spoiler omitted **
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Sorda and Zindit:
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I'll have a thunk about the background stuff today.
Introduction seem in order since I haven't gamed with you guys before.
I am a 42-year-old British house husband with a rapidly growing son and a great wife. Been playing DnD for a good few years, especially at the main UK conventions over the last ten years or so (although my son currently stops that). Most of my DnD is Pbp, I get to play tabletop once a month (if lucky). I'm playing in three other pbp games and recently stopped running two.
Cheers
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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I'm currently sounding off several PC ideas, and would like to have some sort of Feedback on these:
* Elven Paladin of Sarenrae: Might make for some fun interaction with our druid. I'd see her as a bit of a "protector" who tries to get the paranoid gnome back on track, gently and with an endless supply of frustration tolerance. Probably a bit of a "fallen girl" who had her own redemption. For those who still know Berel from Zoomackular's CotCT, it is a variant of that concept.
* Half-Orc Druid (or maybe Cleric of Old Deadeye): Fits right into the outcast-scheme of Riddleport. I originally had this PC in mind for Dahnxs game, but was too late pitching it.
* Dwarven Wizard: Obsessed with the elven past, he'd probably fit in very well with the later drow-connections of the adventure path. After all, dwarves come from underground and some may still consider the secrets of the deep their birthright
* Elven Fighter: Forlorn elf who has become embittered over seeing two generations of friends grow old and die in the time it just took her to mature. Dark and brooding character, sometimes taking risks bordering on the suicidal.
Which of these (if any) deserve further thought? Let me know. :)
Work on Ulli, my Human (Ulfen) Barbarian, shall proceed apace!
Happy to be here, looking forward to this AP. :)
Sorda's spells done. Now to look at his equipment.
DM
I think we can work something out between the mad gnome and Sorda.
DM/VP Draft Background
The trait, Researching the Blot, fits well in that now both of them are housed in the Gold Goblin. Every few days Sorda has taken Zindit to the Temple Tavern to get help for the poor little mite and also find out more about the Cyphermages.
Waddaya Think?
Just so you know Rimrock I have the first part of this AP but I doubt it matters since I rarely pay much attention to a module until I run it.
Elven Paladin of Sarenrae: Might make for some fun interaction with our druid. I'd see her as a bit of a "protector" who tries to get the paranoid gnome back on track, gently and with an endless supply of frustration tolerance. Probably a bit of a "fallen girl" who had her own redemption. For those who still know Berel from Zoomackular's CotCT, it is a variant of that concept.
TerraNova:
A paladin of Sarenrae would be tricky to play in Shadow of the Sky; it would be hard for the character to find motivation to do some of the things she would be asked too do. However, I think the "protector" angle could probably work, but the paladin might want to let on her true nature at first. I see a couple of Campaign traits that imply backgrounds that would fit with this character concept, though. Also keep in mind that Valkyrie Paine's character is terrified of Sarenrea and her clergy.
The other three would be fine as-is.
Which of these (if any) deserve further thought? Let me know. :)
Which would you rather play? My preference is for you to play the character you want to play and feel the most comfortable with.
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I'll have a thunk about the background stuff today.
Introduction seem in order since I haven't gamed with you guys before.
I am a 42-year-old British house husband with a rapidly growing son and a great wife. Been playing DnD for a good few years, especially at the main UK conventions over the last ten years or so (although my son currently stops that). Most of my DnD is Pbp, I get to play tabletop once a month (if lucky). I'm playing in three other pbp games and recently stopped running two.
Cheers
It's nice to know something about the people behind the characters. Thanks for this French Wolf. I am a 44-year-old husband and father living in Southern California. I also play mostly PbP, and my over-the-table game also only meets about once a month.
BTW, we are both in Patrick Curtin's Expedition to Tharak-Kûl (I don't think I spelled that right) game.
Sorda:
Your background w/VP is great.
Just so you know Rimrock I have the first part of this AP but I doubt it matters since I rarely pay much attention to a module until I run it.
I have no problem with that. I suspect it is quite common on these boards.
I will check your character in detail at some point today. I'm supposed to be working now; not getting much done.
Sorda and Zindit:
** spoiler omitted **
Thanks, I was worried I might have gone a bit over the top. ;)
* Elven Paladin of Sarenrae: Might make for some fun interaction with our druid. I'd see her as a bit of a "protector" who tries to get the paranoid gnome back on track, gently and with an endless supply of frustration tolerance. Probably a bit of a "fallen girl" who had her own redemption. For those who still know Berel from Zoomackular's CotCT, it is a variant of that concept.
She would need it! ;)
DM/TerraNova:
I kind of see her working up a real persecution complex now. :) I just wanted to ease any worries that it wouldn't be workable. I won't let her get disruptive to the party(I can play up her fearfulness to the point that she'll stick to the party no matter what because they're her only options, and subconscious guilt and hope would probably keep her near a possible source of retribution or redemption anyway). She's definitely not going to try and stab any priests and paladins while they sleep or anything like that. That would just get her in more trouble with the gods!
DM/VP Draft Background
** spoiler omitted **
DM/Sorda:
I think the Looking For Work trait might work for her, while she's going in to help watch Sorda's back while he's there for research. It seems to make the most sense for her character. Resilient is the only other trait on all the lists that stands out as making sense for her too, considering the time she spent out in the wild near death and scrambling for scraps in Riddleport.
Ulli is coming along. The nuts and bolts of his sheet are still a work in progress, but I did write up a background and description that I hope everyone will read. Please let me know what you think, I welcome your comments. Also, he is very likely to know and be known by anyone who might frequent the taverns of Riddleport's Wharf District, so if there are any possible character ties there, let me know.
VP/DM
That would work for me. You?
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By way of personal intro:
I'm 45 and live just East of Toronto, Ontario.
I haven't been playing D&D quite as long as French Wolf, I only started in 1980. I DM'd out of the box, which was the Basic Set before the Red Box (with no dice, just chits, and the module "B1: In Search of the Unknown").
My brother got me hooked on Paizo just over a year ago. I worked the Paizo booth at Origins, doing Titanic Games demos, and did the same at GenCon, as well as DMing "Frozen Fingers" for the Pathfinder Society.
I have the first 3 episodes of this AP, but have not read them yet.
Looking forward to the game!
Neil Shackleton
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Some brief info on me - I'm 34 and live in the Detroit area. I have been playing D&D since the orange and blue boxed sets, mostly DMing for my friends. After college, I left the hobby for a while (still 2nd Ed days) but came back a few years ago. Recently have gotten into the PbP games, and I'm enjoying the chance to be a player now ...
I've become a big fan of the Pathfinder stuff, but don't currently own any of the APs.
Rimrock - question regarding traits: I want to take the Sacred Conduit trait for my cleric, which gives a +2 trait bonus to turning checks. However, the PFRPG channel energy doesn't use actual turning checks anymore; would the +2 apply to the damage? Save DC for undead? Or should I just choose a different trait?
Oh, and two total traits, correct?
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Hi all, introductions all around eh? I'm 32, living in Vancouver, BC and working as a Business Systems Manager. I've got a wife and one son who's a precocious 4 and loves everything dragon! I've been playing pbp for about 6 years now, mostly over at EnWorld. I came over here as the Pathfinder games are a little rarer over there. Been playing D&D for a while now, what 19 years I guess, wow.
Character wise I'm trying to gage what everyone is working up. Had originally though to do something Cyphermage-ish but that has been covered, so I'll have a look through the companion and the setting guide and let you know.
Rimrock - question regarding traits: I want to take the Sacred Conduit trait for my cleric, which gives a +2 trait bonus to turning checks. However, the PFRPG channel energy doesn't use actual turning checks anymore; would the +2 apply to the damage? Save DC for undead? Or should I just choose a different trait?
Good question. I'm thinking +2 to the save DC is more consistent with the intent of the new turning mechanics. Nice catch; I guess I'm going to have to look at the traits more closely and see if there are any other PRPG conversion issues.
Oh, and two total traits, correct?
Yes. One Basic trait and one Campaign trait.
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Character wise I'm trying to gage what everyone is working up. Had originally though to do something Cyphermage-ish but that has been covered, so I'll have a look through the companion and the setting guide and let you know.
I think that so far we have a Gnome Rogue (Zindit), a Human Transmuter (Sorda), a Human (Ulfen) Barbarian (Ulli) and a Human (Varisian) Bard (Zavos). And Bryan is playing a Cleric.
The mechanics for Zavos are done, I just need to work on background info.
Sorda:
Sorry guys(and girls) I need to borrow Byran for a moment.
What is Sehkola doing?
Hey Valk wheres Kora?
Sorry again! ;-)
Ok, first draft is up. Check my profile. I still need to buy equipment, but that should not be a huge problem
The mechanics for Zavos are done, I just need to work on background info.
Zavos:
A heads up everybody: since the beginning of this adventure involves a gambling tournament, a rank in Profession (gambler) would be useful, not only for that, but for later in the adventure as well.
Not so easy with one skill point per level :)
And it's hard to imagine why a paladin would be a professional gambler. That would make for an interesting background.
Amunyet:
Sorda/Amunyet:
DM/Sorda
Tessirda:
A heads up everybody: since the beginning of this adventure involves a gambling tournament, a rank in Profession (gambler) would be useful, not only for that, but for later in the adventure as well.
Thanks, acted on.
DM
DM
** spoiler omitted **
Amunyet:
Tessirida:
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DM
So Scribbling Rambler has only been playing since 1980! I love this game, the first book I got was the Basic Blue Book with the dragon on the front and that was 1981 (I think).
Sorda wont be a professional gambler, maybe more of a layman trying to find a system to beat the odds.
Erekose13 if you want to be a mage too, then go for it. We have a party of eight after all. We can swop spells and stuff.
VP/DM
** spoiler omitted **
I mainly wanted to give her four years in Riddleport to really run her through all sorts of hell that's probably available there. The whole nearly-freezing-to-death, nearly-starving, working as a ratcatcher(free meals!), doing plain old begging, taking on some genuinely shady lock-breaking jobs that she would have to answer for along with everything else she's done, etc. It also seemed like the right amount of time to bring her all the way into young adulthood. I need to check those gnomey lifecycles again. ;)
I think I'm going to have to pass on the Profession(gambler) too, Rimrock. Zindit just doesn't have the head for it!
This is shaping up to be an interesting party. :) There are more good aligned characters than I expected for a Riddleport adventure. I was worried there weren't going to be any and the obviously crazy girl would get dropped in a well somewhere. ;)
I'm taking notes on Amunyet too. I've been wanting to play an Osiriani cleric for a while.
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DM/Sorda
** spoiler omitted **
Amunyet/DM
They could have met at the Temple Tavern of Cayden. Then Sorda brought him back to a nice clean inn, so that they could continue their discussions?
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DM/Zindit
How about this?
DM/Zindit
How about this?
** spoiler omitted **
God, I'm imagining her sleeping under your bed now. I don't know if it's cute or creepy.
Here's where we are so far:
Valkyrie Paine: Zindit Tamelathi (CN gnome rogue 1)
French Wolf: Sorda Gelsunkertis of the Schlossteen (NG human transmuter 1)
Dastardly Dave: Ulli Dagamrssen (human [Ulfen] barbarian 1)
Scribbling Rambler: Zavos Szmyr (CG human [Varisian] bard 1)
Bryan: Amunyet Meretshiri (NG human [Osiriani/Garundi] cleric 1 [Pharasma])
TerraNova: Tessirda (LG elf paladin 1 [Sarenrae])
Erekose13: ?
Chris Banks: ?
It is very Good party for Second Darkness, which will make it interesting. I like your backgrounds so far, and will take a close look at all of them today.
French Wolf:
Rimrock, Ulli's character sheet is done now (I think!). Just let me know if anything needs any correction or clarification.
I wasn't feeling Prof: Gambler for Ulli, either. Drinker, yes. Wencher, yes. Brawler, yes. Gambler, not so much.
Looks like Zavos the bard will have to roll the dice for all us non-wagering types.