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[DnD 4e] The Auxiliaries
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drinking coffee in themountain cabinRegistered User regular
drinking coffee in themountain cabinRegistered User regular
The courtier sneered as he looked at the crowd. "Right, you lot! Seems there's been a problem out in Stonebrook. The King's not about to send a patrol out there, not while we're still negotiating with the dwarves. He's decided to commission some of you to investigate it. A waste of time, in my opinion... but a harmless one, since we won't have to pay you when you can't deliver. Applications on my desk by the morning, full charters only. That's five auxiliaries, or don't bother. Standard commission, you know the drill."
The Auxiliaries is a 1st level campaign for five players. You've signed up as auxiliaries in the King's Guard. You're basically sheriff's deputies, and the expectation is that if you do well you'll be offered positions in the Guard itself. The competition to become auxiliaries is fierce, and there's a crowd of hopefuls any time a new contract is announced. You may have met the other members of your party in that crowd or you may have known them for some time. You guys tell me. Your initial assignment is to answer a call for aid that an outlying village sent to the King. The adventure starts when you leave the city.
Ye Olde Worlde!
This game will be Play by Post, and you need to be able to post at least once per day. If your activity drops you will make me sad. I'm located in Colorado, in the Mountain Time Zone, GMT - 7:00. I work about 9AM-6PM, and I won't be posting from work. I do sometimes come home for lunch, and I have time to post in the morning, but most of my activity will be from about 6 PM to 11 PM on weeknights. Weekends I'm available most of the time. I've never DMed a serious campaign before, so there may be mistakes and omissions as I get situated. Please forgive them. Mechanically I will be following the rules pretty firmly. If something creates a silly situation, I'll overrule it, but I'll talk with you guys about it first. I don't know how long this campaign will last. I have some ideas that would probably not show up until Epic Tier, but I don't want to commit to much beyond a single adventure, say 2-3 levels worth of play. At that point we'll see how things are going and if you guys want to continue.
I have no roles in mind, so you could end up with four avengers and a cleric if that's how the apps turn out. Originally I had intended this to be for new players only, but I sort of fell in love with the setting as I worked it out, and I'm worried new players won't stick with it. So for now, open to all. I'll probably be deciding based on class and background only, but no guarantees.
I have DDI, so no race or class exclusions at this time. Hybrids are perfectly fine. I'm not too fond of psions, but if you want to play one I'll try to work them in. Talk to me about anything you want to homebrew before you spend too much time on it. I'm often in the IRC channel if you have questions, or shoot me an email, PM, or IM.
I'm no longer going on a trip next weekend, but I'll still stick with a tentative submission deadline of midnight November 8.
You'll get a free Expertise Feat at level 5, and it's okay to take one now and retrain it when you get the free one.
Yeah, recent years have been too peaceful for Scales of War to make much sense, and FR and Eberron is setting-specific. General only unless you talk to me about a specific background.
Edit: The party:
Erris Iratian, a paladin from another world who's willing to help save this one. Or burn it to ashes around her. Tune in next week to see if she can control her temper!
Amaryllis, a dreamy (get it?) cleric who struggles with the military aspect of the military.
Magllea, a scholarly student of the arcane from a race of slavering barbarians.
Marazzo DiGrassi, the foppish courtier looking for a fencing partner. "Watch what you say, or else [he'll] put out your lights!" - RHMIT
Last but certainly not least, Nall, deadonthestreet's Drow Assassin. Hey, somebody in the party has to be sane. He also hates mages!
Members who up and disappeared one day:
Tern Blackbriar, adorable mascot and puissant druid rolled into one.
Kaazin, the rogue so badass it took an encounter with death to teach him caution.
The Auxiliaries is a 1st level campaign for five players. You've signed up as auxiliaries in the King's Guard. You're basically sheriff's deputies, and the expectation is that if you do well you'll be offered positions in the Guard itself. The competition to become auxiliaries is fierce, and there's a crowd of hopefuls any time a new contract is announced. You may have met the other members of your party in that crowd or you may have known them for some time. You guys tell me. Your initial assignment is to answer a call for aid that an outlying village sent to the King. The adventure starts when you leave the city.
Ye Olde Worlde!
You begin in Tanis, the capital city of Hayven. A port city, Tanis borders the circle sea, providing easy travel to the elven lands to the south. Recent advances in magic have made food and healing abundant, resulting in a population explosion in the capital. People aren't starving, thanks to the generosity of the crown, but they're not living well, either. Hence the competition for jobs of any sort. The kingdom of Hayven stretches far to the east and west of Tanis, and civilization deteriorates as distance from the capital increases. It's populated primarily by humans, but there is much trade and travel between Hayven and the lands of other races.
The Races:
Humans:
Dragonborn:
Warforged, Kalashtar: as written for now, I may work a little more with the races in the next week.
Shifters: As in the PHB2. Mostly live in small communities in the wild Forest of the Fey. Can be found in the Oderfund as well.
Elves, Drow, and Eladrin:
Tieflings:
For now I'm intending to use the standard Points of Light pantheon.
The Races:
Humans:
Humans primarily live in Hayven, and are more populous than the other races. King Erik maintains order as best he can with strength of magic and the royal army, but in conquering all the land between the Teswa Waste and the Forest of the Fey, his ancestors bit off a little more than they could chew. The outer reaches of Hayven are occupied by frontier towns, each with its own castle and ruling lord. Bandits and monstrous races eke out a living in isolated areas between towns, and travel between towns requires military escort.
Dwarves, Gnomes, and Halflings:
I'm trying something different with some of the non-human races in this game. It's hard for me to keep track of all the races in 4e in a flavor and setting sense, so I'm combining some of them. Dwarves, Gnomes, and Halflings are all members of the same race, and referred to as dwarves. Traditional dwarves, hardy and serious, live in the northeastern mountains of Urden. The playful Halflings and magic-loving gnomes live in the Forest of the Fey, bordering the western edge of Hayven. This is not a mechanical change of any sort. Mountain dwarves still get dwarven weapon training and second wind as a minor, and mystic dwarves still fade away when attacked and have feats that help illusion powers. But your characters won't hear an innkeeper say "Oh, a halfling! I've never seen one of your kind before! We do get dwarves in from Urden, of course." Basically halflings, gnomes, and dwarves are one race with three cultures.
Goliaths: Largely as in the PHB2, nomadic and competitive. Come from the northwestern Rocktooth mountain range. Like the mountain dwarves, superior fighters in rocky terrain. Tend to keep to themselves, and not very interested in trade or politics.Dragonborn:
Pretty much as in the PHB. Honorable, proud warriors. Live in Eltana, north of Urden and the Rocktooth mountains, which are in turn north of Hayven. With the minotaur, oversee a large, technologically advanced utopia of sorts. Eltana is largely peaceful, perhaps because they don't suffer 'lesser' races to live there, and native miscreants are dealt with harshly.
Minotaurs:
As in Dragon 369, except they've largely dealt with their dark past. The evil Nashara empire was cast down by the forces of Eltana centuries ago, and beautiful cities raised over its ruins. Minotaurs still battle dark impulses, but those who succumb are quickly caught and killed.
Deva, Wilden, Revenants: As detailed in their respective sourcebooks. Relatively rare, these races have no lands or homes of their own. They are scattered throughout the world, and command respect as instruments of divine will.Warforged, Kalashtar: as written for now, I may work a little more with the races in the next week.
Shifters: As in the PHB2. Mostly live in small communities in the wild Forest of the Fey. Can be found in the Oderfund as well.
Elves, Drow, and Eladrin:
As with Dwarves, all members of one race, and referred to as elves. The southern land of Asheron is occupied by the city elves and tieflings in Raestlan to the west, and the forest elves and cave elves in Oderfund to the east. The cave elves and the tieflings occupy the massive underground caverns of the region. The denizens of Oderfund (elves and drow) lead a relatively simple existence, preferring to live close to nature. Though they have no grand cities, they enjoy rich tradition and religion going back thousands of years. The city elves have built large cities, but they are ugly and functional, not striking and opulent like the cities of Eltana. They have made a study of magic, and are rumored to be able to travel to other planes.
The cave dwellers are not dark and evil, and are not hated by the other cultures of elvenkind.
Half-elves: As in the PHB.The cave dwellers are not dark and evil, and are not hated by the other cultures of elvenkind.
Tieflings:
The tieflings have built their own cities in the caverns of Raestlan, beneath those of the city elves. Secretive and xenophobic, nobody knows much about them but the city elves, and they're not telling. Ancient warfare between cave elves and tieflings resulted in the blocking of most underground passages from one land to the other.
Gnolls and Half-Orcs:
Barbaric beasts from the Teswa Waste, these creatures are not trusted by your average farmer. Civilized members of these races are not troubled by educated people with an open mind, and may be able to live even in country towns if they put up with the abuse long enough to win over the inhabitants.
For now I'm intending to use the standard Points of Light pantheon.
This game will be Play by Post, and you need to be able to post at least once per day. If your activity drops you will make me sad. I'm located in Colorado, in the Mountain Time Zone, GMT - 7:00. I work about 9AM-6PM, and I won't be posting from work. I do sometimes come home for lunch, and I have time to post in the morning, but most of my activity will be from about 6 PM to 11 PM on weeknights. Weekends I'm available most of the time. I've never DMed a serious campaign before, so there may be mistakes and omissions as I get situated. Please forgive them. Mechanically I will be following the rules pretty firmly. If something creates a silly situation, I'll overrule it, but I'll talk with you guys about it first. I don't know how long this campaign will last. I have some ideas that would probably not show up until Epic Tier, but I don't want to commit to much beyond a single adventure, say 2-3 levels worth of play. At that point we'll see how things are going and if you guys want to continue.
I have no roles in mind, so you could end up with four avengers and a cleric if that's how the apps turn out. Originally I had intended this to be for new players only, but I sort of fell in love with the setting as I worked it out, and I'm worried new players won't stick with it. So for now, open to all. I'll probably be deciding based on class and background only, but no guarantees.
I have DDI, so no race or class exclusions at this time. Hybrids are perfectly fine. I'm not too fond of psions, but if you want to play one I'll try to work them in. Talk to me about anything you want to homebrew before you spend too much time on it. I'm often in the IRC channel if you have questions, or shoot me an email, PM, or IM.
I'm no longer going on a trip next weekend, but I'll still stick with a tentative submission deadline of midnight November 8.
You'll get a free Expertise Feat at level 5, and it's okay to take one now and retrain it when you get the free one.
Really all you need is a character concept. CB Summary/Orokos/Mythweavers sheet optional. Photo optional. When the campaign starts I'll ask for sheets on Orokos and rolls on Orokos or Invisible Castle.Is there a special way I should go about applying?
Character backgrounds - I take it just general backgrounds only?
Yeah, recent years have been too peaceful for Scales of War to make much sense, and FR and Eberron is setting-specific. General only unless you talk to me about a specific background.
Edit: The party:
Erris Iratian, a paladin from another world who's willing to help save this one. Or burn it to ashes around her. Tune in next week to see if she can control her temper!
Amaryllis, a dreamy (get it?) cleric who struggles with the military aspect of the military.
Magllea, a scholarly student of the arcane from a race of slavering barbarians.
Marazzo DiGrassi, the foppish courtier looking for a fencing partner. "Watch what you say, or else [he'll] put out your lights!" - RHMIT
Last but certainly not least, Nall, deadonthestreet's Drow Assassin. Hey, somebody in the party has to be sane. He also hates mages!
Members who up and disappeared one day:
Tern Blackbriar, adorable mascot and puissant druid rolled into one.
Kaazin, the rogue so badass it took an encounter with death to teach him caution.
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Must make something different for a change...
I liked both your subs for under the sea... short, adequate background, and a tidbit that makes them interesting in the thread (the cat or the weird metaphors). Best example of a tidbit is Vinu the spirit companion in Space Dragons.
PSN: ChemENGR
Awww, <3s.
Various IRC folk are assisting to make my OP less bad. Expect more setting detail today.
edit: Good questions, af. Yea to hybrids, Free expertise feats at level 5. You're free to take them now and retrain when you get them for free, if you wish.
Curiosity killed the cat familiar.
EDIT: Free expertise feats, or no?
Maybe read one of the existing ones? Space Dragons, or do a search on Tizun Thane and find Bogart's game from awhile back? Awesome sig, by the way.
Thanks, I'll try and find Space Dragons, on account of the campaign I'm currently DMing is coincidentally also about space dragons. Is there a special way I should go about applying?
Play with me on Steam
Really all you need is a character concept. CB Summary/Orokos/Mythweavers sheet optional. Photo optional. When the campaign starts I'll ask for sheets on Orokos and rolls on Orokos or Invisible Castle.
Yeah, recent years have been too peaceful for Scales of War to make much sense, and FR and Eberron is setting-specific. General only unless you talk to me about a specific background.
Eternal: Light of the Long Now would also be worth reading if you can find it.
A brief struggle against gravity ensues, and then you see a slight Gnome standing atop a pile of crates behind the crowd, posing for full effect with his Lyre strapped to his back, a shortsword at his waist, a wand dangling lightly in his hand, and a suggestive smile on his lips. "You say there is a problem in Stonebrook? Well look no further, William Harris, fighter, thinker, lover, adventurer! There is not man nor beast in this realm that can stand up to me. With my steel I shall slice them, with my songs I shall lay them low, with my spells I shall tame them, and with my charms I shall seduce them. What e'er the small issue with your little city is, it shall whither to nothing before me and the peace of the King shall be maintained. Who's with me!" Whipping his Lyre around in a smooth motion, William pounds out a rapid series of Spanish power chords and points his wand to the air, emitting a series of colorful sparks.
Turning to an attractive human woman at the back of the crowd, William arches an eyebrow, saying smoothly, "That's just a trick I can do with this wand. You should see what I can do with my staff."
2011 PAX Warmachine/Hordes Champion
Appearance:
Orphaned as a pup, Magllea was adopted by a human couple, both of whom were practiioners of the arcane arts. The gnoll, despite her fierce temper, was a quick study, and she excelled at both fire and illusion magics.
Though the pulsating orange streaks on her jet-black fur has a distracting effect on passersby, Magllea is usually on her best behavior in public situations. She can often be seen chewing (well, more like gnashing) on peppermint candies, a peculiarity she developed as a memory aid when studying spells in her spellbook.
******************************
Is that enough in concerns of a background? I can add more, but I didn't want to right a novel about her.
I'm currently in 1 PbP on here, and I am DMing one as well. I can post everyday, including weekends.
Dyral is a serious and skeptical young man. Although some would call him dour, he simply sees it as having his priorities straight. He knows when to enjoy himself and have a bit of fun, but he also knows when it's time to work, and time to put the nose to the grindstone. He doesn't really hold much tolerance for rumors, but the stories he was told as a child that gave the most innocuous and irrelevant details as harbingers of disaster lurk in the back of his mind.
Dyral appears to be somewhat less feral than most of his family with the sole exception of his ears, which are quite furry and pointed and near the top of his head. He is quite sensitive about them, and always feels that everyone is looking at them. To hide this embarrassment, he always wears the hat his father gave him.
A hand shoots up out of the crowd, which parts slowly to reveal a little dwarf perched on a wooden crate twice her size. She is clean-shaven, which would normally indicate a halfling, but something about the set of her shoulders and the thickness of her limbs suggests a certain amount of mining in her upbringing. One hand waves frantically in the air, while the other holds an orange. She is jumping up and down as fast as her little legs will take her. 'Please pick me! I want to be an auxiliary!'
"You want to be an auxiliary?' The courtier sneers down at the dwarf. 'And just what have you got to offer, little man? You don't even have a weapon.'
The dwarf looks thoughtful, then holds out her orange for the general inspection of the crowd. 'Does this count?'
There is a wave of laughter, and even the courtier looks amused. 'You can't fight crime with oranges, friend. Next! Who's next to sign up for-'
He is interrupted by a flying orange, which smacks into the wooden wall behind him and explodes in a burst of bright orange flame that sends the audience scrambling for cover. When the smoke clears, the courtier is staring in shock at the still-smoldering scorch mark. He sniffs the air, and you note a faint but definite citrus smell. He looks at the dwarf, then back at the impact site, and says in a low but definite voice, 'You're in. Take a form.'
'Hooray! I just have one question though.'
'Yes?'
'What's an auxiliary?'
Backstory.
And for most of them, this is the truth. But there's always one.
When she was three years old, Tern Blackhammer went exploring. It was two days later that she was dragged back to her frantic parents, protesting all the while that she just wanted to see 'some more of the pretty green things'. They'd looked everywhere they could think of - the communal bunks, the mess hall, the slag pit, the work area of Shaft #14 - but she'd gone much further then that. Word spread almost instantly around the miners of #14. The dwarf who'd dragged her back had been the Warden of Shaft #1, those slightly strange people from far too near the surface. And the rumor had it - this last part was said in hushed tones - she'd been found at the mouth of the caverns, staring out at the Overbright.
The rumours spread, developed, blossomed and eventually died away, replaced by fresher and more interesting tales of who was sleeping with who in #23. Tern's parents, overwhelmed with relief at the return of their daughter, never broached the subject with her, simply ignoring any mention of anything either pretty or green. They intended to raise her into a good, solid miner like the rest of #14, and the last thing they wanted was to fill her mind up with silly stories of light. 'Dwarves have thick skulls for a reason', as the Warden so often said. So the matter was set aside, as these things are, and by everyone in the clan the matter was eventually forgotten.
Everyone, that is, except for Tern herself.
She grew up and went into the mines like a good dwarven girl, pickaxing iron all day and combing slag out of her beard in the bunk halls with the rest of the miners. But somewhere in the back of her mind, there was always that memory. Of a great blue roof with no beginning and no end filled with layer upon layer of shining white smoke. Of strange green hairs that covered the floor and a whistling roar that was like nothing she'd ever heard. Of a brightness that poured down like water. An image clearer then the crystals she sorted every morning and sharper then the pickaxe she slept with, it filled her dreams and haunted her waking thoughts. She tried to be a good miner like her parents wanted. But Tern Blackhammer never lost her passion for exploring.
Whenever there was an expedition into the next shaft over to trade minerals and catch up on gossip, Tern would be the first volunteer. She would intentionally forfeit her allotted sleepcycle to poke around in the latest cracks and crevices, ostensibly 'looking for good ore'. Ignoring all the scandalised whispers, she would even abseil into the slag pit, trying to figure out just how down it might go. The general consensus was that Tern was a weird girl, but no-one really understood her motivations, and Tern didn't blame them. She barely understood them herself. All she really knew was the urge to see, at all costs, something new. Something beyond the daily grindstone. Something different. Something interesting. Something bright.
The eighteenth birthday is the Sorting, a time of great choosing for the Blackhammer dwarves. Some will be chosen for mining, others for fungus-tending, others for tunnel support. A rare few will be deemed fit to Ward, and they will sit at the feet of the current Warden right up until he dies, at which point the job is theirs for life. Every job is for life for the Blackhammer dwarves, and usually the choice is obvious in advance. Some dwarves are just natural well-diggers or orefinders. Others may enjoy the choice of two or even three jobs. depending on what they like best and where their strengths lie. But no-one could quite understand what Tern wanted to be. She claimed to like mining, to be happy to swing a pickaxe forever, but not even her parents really believed her. She had tried every job, like every other young dwarf, and hadn't seemed truly comfortable in any of them. It was beginning to worry people. The Sorting was getting closer and closer, and someone had to figure out what Tern was going do for the rest of her life. Something had to make her happy.
Her mother, an old friend of the Warden's, put in a quick word. The workcycle before her Sorting, Tern found herself in the same crevice as her father, hacking away at the same vein of iron. They worked in silence for a time, the only sound being the solid clink and crack of the pickaxe, a mining constant that every Blackhammer learns to ignore in the womb. Then her father spoke.
'Tern, dear. What do you really want to do when you grow up?'
Tern considered this. She looked at it from every possible angle. The silence grew and grew, expanding to fill the darkness, evolving like a living thing, as even the ring of the pickaxes died away, and for the first time she could remember it was quiet enough to hear the echo. Then she spoke.
'Dad.'
'Yes, love?'
'I'm sorry. I really am. But I want to be an explorer. I want to go outside.'
There was the familiar clink of someone dropping their axe.
'Dad?'
Another sound that she had never heard before, echoing through the silence of the caverns. It took Tern some time to understand that her father was crying.
'You know what this means, my love?'
'I do, Dad. I do.'
'You forfeit your clan. You forfeit your name. You forfeit your identity. You forfeit the right to call yourself at Blackhammer dwarf. You forfeit your shaft. You forfeit your home. You forfeit your... your family...'
'I'm sorry, Dad! I take it back!' She fled to his side, arms widespread, axe forgotten. 'I'll stay here and be a miner like you! I won't leave here, I won't-'
'It's alright, ' He held her close. 'It's alright, Tern. Don't worry about me. Just do... just do whatever makes you happy.'
Tern stood at the mouth of the cave. Images flickered through her mind, clearer than crystal, sharper than steel. Parents, friends, family, faces and turned backs. The taste of fungus and the smell of the spring. Ten thousand shared jokes and tiny rituals. The warmth of torchlight and the strange darkness you got in caverns in the middle of sleepcycle when you were all alone. The gruff voice of the Warden, wishing her luck and cursing her name in the same breath, as he lead her up to the first of many stairs. People - so many people- she'd never see them again. But the images didn't matter. They were already fading in the sunlight.
Tern took her first step into the Overbright and raised her face to the sun.
There's not so much to say about the next year of Tern's life. She roamed the wilderness, exclaiming in glee over each new thing she found, and everything she found was new to her. She shouldn't have survived, by all rights. The mountains of Urden are a wilderness a long way from anywhere. There's bears there, and monsters and worse things. But Tern walked through the world like nothing could touch her, purely because she knew no better, and for some reason nothing did. Perhaps Nature itself took a shine to her, someone who was enthralled by the world in a way no-one else these days seemed to be. In any case, the natural world shapes itself around Tern, giving her gifts that she accepts with unbridled joy. She's found her way down to civilisation now, but that fascination never left her and never will, and she can't believe that the rest of the world doesn't share it. You humans are luckier than you'll ever know.
tl;dr Tern was raised underground in a particularly reclusive clan of mining dwarves. She was thrown out of said clan for excessive curiousity about the outside world, where she spent a year or so roaming the earth and marvelling at all the new things she'd never seen before. The spirits of Nature had never before seen someone so enthralled by their creations, and soon began to work with her, granting her gifts of magical power. Now she's finally made it on down to civilisation, something else she's never seen before. Basically everything is new to Tern, and so her primary motivation is curiousity about everything and everyone she sees.
Adorable
i was hoping to elicit precisely that response
Kaazin, Revenant (Minotaur)
Kaazin served in a branch of the military in his native land (some distance from Hayven) and he excelled at his work as one might expect from his race. He was a fighter by training and a killer by nature, which worked out well until what he can only remember hazily as the Great Battle.
In the Great Battle, Kaazin was slain. Quite brutally, in fact. And as the blades and arrows pierced him, Kaazin felt something that he was unfamiliar with. His final moments passed so slowly that he felt he had an eternity to consider the situation as his body toppled to the ground. It wasn't pain; no, he knew pain and he could handle pain. Confusion? No, not confusion; he was pretty familiar with that too. Then he saw it and knew it for what it was as it screamed toward him, white-hot with rage: the face of Fear. In those last moments, Kaazin's entire being was consumed with terror, and it scarred his mind forever. Ordinarily this wouldn't matter, as at this point "forever" looked to only be another four or five seconds, but this was really only the first day of the rest of Kaazin's life.
(This is where the two versions diverge.)
Riff 1: Kaazin, Revenant (Minotaur) Rogue
He stumbled around the battlefield for nearly a day as his memories trickled back slowly. When he realized what he must be, he made the first decision of his life motivated by fear: He had to get away, to someplace where nobody would know that he had died. (Rationality had never been his strongest suit, and in his panic he didn't really consider the difficulty of hiding this fact from people anywhere he went.) He remembers the entire region now with trepidation and is not eager to return.
In his new home of Tanis, Kaazin took up the only career path he knew anything about and made his way into the auxiliaries of the King's Guard. He is still a fighter by training and a killer by nature, but his every choice and movement is tinged now with that fear of death. He no longer charges every challenge head-on, but instead considers, sneaks, and backstabs. He would rather fight from the safety of the shadows and not risk a blade between the eyes. He is not exactly a coward, but he is far more... cautious.
Riff 2: Kaazin, Revenant (Minotaur) Warlock
"What? Who?" Kaazin decided quickly, before the voices could respond, that he didn't care. "Okay! Whatever! Just help me!"
The falling sensation ended without the crushing smashing feeling that Kaazin had so feared, and the next day he woke up on the battlefield in his own dried blood, but with the blades and arrows that had pierced him gone and his wounds missing as well. He spent most of the next day trudging around the battlefield and fighting with the new voices in his mind. After a lengthy discussion, Kaazin and the voices agreed that the best way for the lot of them to keep sharing a body that was at least somewhat alive was to go to a place where he would be a stranger and nobody would notice how different his behaviors and capabilities would be now.
In his new home of Tanis, Kaazin took up the only career path he knew anything about and made his way into the auxiliaries of the King's Guard. While his physical form has been ravaged by the transformation of death and his physical strength is now greatly decreased, the insight and powers he has gained have allowed him to follow a different path. He keeps his voices a secret and does not speak to them aloud, fearing what might happen to a minotaur who shows signs of a dark influence. That fear, woven now into every fiber of him and reinforced by the fears of his passengers, has not exactly made him a coward, but he is far more... cautious.
Regardless of version, Kaazin is now a bit unusual for a minotaur. He considers his actions carefully and is not eager to undertake great physical risk if he has any better options. When he begins to feel that familiar feeling creeping up his back, he often scratches or rubs his head, as though the metaphorical wound left in his mind itches.
I'll have no problem posting at least once a day. I haven't played D&D in a PbP game before, but I do have a fair amount of experience in RL D&D.
EDIT: Added character sheets.
I like the rogue version better on account of it's simpler. 'Beserker dies, comes back, realises that death is so much worse then he had given it credit for' is a great concept on its own. Voices and things only complicate the matter.
Thanks! That was the primary concept for the character, but I couldn't decide which build would actually be more fun to play. I kind of thought the rogue might be a little too simplistic, but my taste tends to run toward the overcomplicated.
Well, I don't know what you would find more fun to play, but personally I prefer rogues.
You can use Orokos to just upload your DDI character builder file and have it auto-converted into a sheet:
http://4e.orokos.com/
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That's fine.
Oaklore, a CB summary or orokos link is fine.
Crimson King, can you add a little bit about your druid's background when you add the sheet? I don't need much, what cytorak did was fine.
"If a party is going out then they'll be needing a Leader!" He had to raise his voice and he lifted his hand.
He glanced to others around him. His voice was loud so many turned to look at him. As they locked eyes with the greying man, they shifted and gave him sufficent manuevering distance. He walked forward. Some murmured under their breath and that cause even more to look behind them. At him. The crowd seemed to give way and open up. It was a technique he had used many times. Use the body language and voices of others to draw attention to yourself. It's something his brother had taught him.
"Jared, please be okay," he prayed silently.
He waved his hands once more at the courier.
Warren Rohan
Cleric
http://4e.orokos.com/sheets/1376
Orphaned at an early age with his brother. They were taken in at a church of Bahamut. He became an exceptional student of theology and Bahamut's healing magic. When he was 16, he enthralled the church clergy with a word for word recount of the Tale of Clangedin Silverbeard translated from dwarven which he recited from memory.
Friends:
His brother currently lives in Stonebrook. He also has a good friend here in the current town, the blacksmith, Pooty Shepard. The order of Bahamut in Stonebrook raised him.
Associates:
Jandra Winaped, the mission head here in town. He helps her feed the poor.
Del Coltran, in town messenger (and likely rogue).
Dislikes:
Adventurers, normally. Most of them reek of greed.
As Orthos pushed his way through the crowd he checked his dagger up his left sleeve then made sure small mounted cross bow on his right wrist was at the ready.
Swirling his deep blue cloak with a dizzying array of multicolored swirls Orthos gave the recruiter a flourished bow.
“Greetings sir I am Orthos Bale, Master magician, story teller, singer, and entertainer. I come to sign on as one of your auxiliaries. You see my fine sir while I had hoped my talents would gain me entrance as an entertainer to the kings court an unfortunate misunderstanding with a nobleman’s daughter has left me needing new employment. I misunderstood his lordship would be off of the estate while I showed her my tricks.
Never the less I can assure you that my talents can be applied in a battlefield situation as well as at court.”
Producing five colored balls Orthos began to juggle for the man weaving them in a cross thatching pattern and remarkable speed then with a twist of his writs the small cross bow bolt flew from his wrist skewering the green one that burst in to bright green flames. When the recruiter looked back from the explosion Orthos had stashed the other balls giving the impression that they had all disappeared at once.
Apperance:
A gust of wind blows through the courtyard, catching the hood of Veruc's cloak, briefly exposing the hideous orcish features they lie beneath. He quickly covers his face again and glances around shamefully as some of the people around him withdraw.
Veruc Belsur - Half-Orc Avenger - http://4e.orokos.com/sheets/1387
Background and Character concept:
Travelling through the civilized lands, Veruc has been met with constant fear and derision, but he believes strongly in helping these people and building a world where he may gain acceptance. He keeps his face constantly covered, living his life in the shadows, only stepping forth when he feels the call of fate.
I'm in one other pbp (dungeon delve), and post fairly constantly throughout the day (AEST 9am-6pm all weekdays, 6pm-12am also most days too).
Play with me on Steam
Ebrek Ironhead, Dwarf Fighter
A heavily armored, clanking dwarf pushes his way to the front of the crowd, shoving moving through people as necessary. Over his back hangs a huge metal shield, and a giant hammer hangs from his waist. "Oy! If ye need someone around in case things go bad and there's fightin' ta do, then I'm yer man" he says, the huge black beard around his mouth rustling as he speaks.
"Plus, if yer worried about dwarves attackin' ye, then ye'll definitely want ta send someone who speaks the language, if ye know what I mean. And if it's somethin' worse yer worried about then..." at this point he pauses and draws two fairly large rocks from a bag at his waist. One of these he punches, breaking it with his armored fist. The other he smashes into his forehead, cracking it neatly into two halves. Looking a little dazed, he looks up the courier and says "See? I'm the kinda fighter ye need if there's trouble.......ooh, lemme set for a bit."
Background:
Ebrek has never liked sitting around doing nothing; sensing the immanent peace between dwarves and humans coming, he decided to learn more about his peoples' new allies (or at the very least find some decent action, since there aren't any serious wars that the dwarves are involved in right now). Traveling through the kingdom of man on a wandering journey, he came across a poster recruiting auxiliaries for the King's Guard. Figuring that it might be a good way to finally see some decent action, he joined up, incredibly happy at the possibility of finally seeing combat.
EDIT: Oh yeah, I'm in 1 other active PbP game on this forum (Dungeon Delve), and am in the EST timezone. I can (and do) post very regularly.
Thank you, but I have to give credit where it's due. That one came from Supersooga.
Imposter! Thief! Dastardly rogue!
But whatever, it's a cool concept either way :P
"If heading towards Stonebrook, you will need a guide. I am from the forest in that direction. I might help?"
The attached character sheet is for an earthstrength, but it will actually be the thunder warden, from primal power (preview on the site, update in a couple weeks for character builder).
Background:
Decades ago, in a nearby forest, Squeaks life force left him, and the local fey had built a small shrine around the strange metal man. Recently he was found and reactivated by a friendly druid. In the process, he found his connection with the primal spirits, but lost his memories of his life before. The druid, while appreciative of his nature, sent him into the world (and out of his woods) to do good in the world around him, and bring quiet to the woods once more.
"I suppose I should volunteer my considerable," she pauses to give a sly smile as she leans over the table practically putting the courtier's face into her bosom "resources to aid on this task? I'm sure you understand how a woman must find honest work, but I am not without other talents my good man."
Still leaning down she blows a kiss at the courtier as scintillating red lights in the shape of her lips float softly towards his, evaporating a moment before they meet. 'Men are so easy to manipulate,' she thinks, 'Child's play...'
Didn't see any background on Changelings as a race, is my playing one a problem?
Background is included on the Mythweavers sheet, picture forthcoming. Will probably have to re-evaluate the choice of deity to your pantheon. I haven't put this all in the CB yet as a couple of those powers were just released in Dragon this month. Illusionist Wizard to the max!
Background soon to come.
PSN: ChemENGR