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I'm in the process of creating a character for Curse of the Crimson Throne , and have a rudimentary backstory planned. Trouble is, I don't know how best to sync it with the setting of the AP, and was hoping some people more knowledgeable would be able to give me some advice.
Here's the basics:
Caelus' parents were supposed to hate each other. His father was a scion of the noble house of Zenderholm, who joined a band of adventurers as his lowly position in the family meant little in the way of inheritance, and his mother was a Shoanti tribeswoman of the Sklar-Quah, exiled for some crime she refuses to speak of, joining the same band of adventurers to make a living the only way she knew how, fighting. But somehow, after adventuring together for a time, they fell in love and Caelus was the result. His father ended up dying at some point before Caelus was born, but not before expressing his wish that his son be accepted as a Zenderholm, bastard or no. Naturally, given the enmity between the Shoanti and Korvosa, the Zenderholms didn't give a crap about this, and Caelus' mother was forced to raise him in the city slums, giving him the best life she could until Gaedren Lamm ambushed her in the street one night, killing her with a lucky shot and stealing the ring Caelus' father had given her, a signet ring that could serves as proof of Caelus' birthright.
The question is basically, if Caelus did enough heroic stuff in Korvosa, would the Zenderholms be willing to change their minds and accept him into the nobility as per his late father's wishes? Or would they basically be "Nope! No Shoanti-bloods allowed in our family, period!"
For frame of reference, Caelus would be a bloodrager either of the Elemental (fire) or Destined bloodlines, as while his dad is a mere nobleman, his mother was descended from Koja Eyes-Aflame, the Shoanti hero who aided Mandraivus in taking down Kazavon. Thus, as he gets more entangled in Ileosa's web of scheming, the more he realizes that basically history's repeating itself and he's fated to take down the tyrant just like Koja did.
I'm just curious as to whether or not heroism would overcome racism in Korvosa. I know that's something that individual GMs would have to decide, but if I'm writing this background to audition for a PbP, I want it to mesh as closely to the setting as I can to give it an air of legitimacy.
Thanks for the advice, in advance!
The question is basically, if Caelus did enough heroic stuff in Korvosa, would the Zenderholms be willing to change their minds and accept him into the nobility as per his late father's wishes? Or would they basically be "Nope! No Shoanti-bloods allowed in our family, period!"
Zenobia Zenderholm, the current head of the family, is a judge who is known for her strict, no-nonsense court rulings. She is LG in alignment with a strong emphasis on the Lawful aspect. She adheres to the law and is not afraid to send criminals to the execution block, but she also has a less known human side, as she supports the orphanages in the city (not from a distance but by actually helping out).
This means that she is not lead by her emotions, but rather by the law, logical arguments and commons sense. Add her 'human side' to that and she is probably one of the most open-minded nobles in the city when it comes to accepting Shoanti, unless Korvosa's laws dictate otherwise.
In your case, I would make her the PC's aunt (his father's older sister). Her father, the lord of the house at the time the PC was born, is the one who cast out his son and spat on his legacy. Zenobia never really agreed with him and might be willing to give her nephew a chance at proving himself worthy (now there's the rub, as Zenobia is extremely lawful and her bloodrager nephew will be anything but lawful). You could even decide that Zenobia has no children, which would leave the family heirless. In this case Zenobia could even be looking for a successor.
Well...
If Mom and Dad had eloped at some point, making Caelus a disenfranchised scion as opposed to a bastard, I could see things going easier. Especially with the very lawful Korvosan types. If you wanted to make it a bit less black and white, they could have had a Shaonti ceremony instead of a Chelish one, which might be looked down upon by some family members or completely unrecognized by others.
Either way, my guess is that becoming legitimate Korvosan nobility at the end of this fantastic AP shouldn't be too much of a struggle for a character with a mind to do it.
So I guess the answer is, basically, yes.
Bloodragers can be any alignment, so a LG Bloodrager IS possible. ;)
He may lean more towards NG, though, as he worships Sarenrae.
So, Zousha, how did the character turn out?