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[D&D 4E OOC] The Residuum Revolution Arcane and Strange
daniant
Columbus, OhioRegistered User regular
Columbus, OhioRegistered User regular
In the year 250, a powerful force rises against the mystical chains that binds it. In the ensuing revolution and change of government, magic and the powers that once enforced an arcane brotherhood is brought under the heel of martial and primal might. The earth itself heaves up and overthrows the Eladrin oppressor.
Now, in the year 302, fonts of arcane wisdom have dried up. The fey and the rituals associated with them are anathema. Only the clergy have access to rituals, and children born with fey blood are immediately killed to prevent contamination. Veiled arcane heretics wander in the wilderness, and are slain on sight by a group of primal enforcers known as the nk’bara. Prince Almarak, the Dragonborn son of a long line of paladins who have ruled the country since the chaos of the revolution, is a religious extremist who controls the populace through brute force. This is Ydria, Land of the Emerald Crown.
However, a group of dissidents have risen up. Though some fear the stories of days long past when magic bound the people into servitude, others question whether they have exchanged one tyranny for another. Can magic be used to serve the people? And what of the rumors of fey refugees in other lands uniting to take Ydria back?
It is up to you, brave adventurers, to decide the fate of the nation…
GAME INFORMATION
This is the recruitment thread for the D&D 4th Edition game known as The Residuum Revolution. I have played in three PbP games here on the threads, but this is my first foray into DMing in PbP. This is a homebrew campaign using 4th edition rules (and to some extent, universe).
I am looking for:
Please submit:
Notes about character creation:
If you are playing a fey (eladrin, half-elf, elf, gnome, drow, etc.) or a magic-user (sorcerer, bard, swordmage, etc.) I will not rule your character out, but you will have a more challenging time playing the game. Please consider taking stealth or bluff if you play a fey or arcane character.
Finally, please do not feel like you must be constricted by your class type to be a member of one of the groups in the intro. I have no problem with you being a rebel, but please explain it in your background.
Submissions are due by Sunday, March 20th at 8:00 PM PST.
That is all. Good luck!
Now, in the year 302, fonts of arcane wisdom have dried up. The fey and the rituals associated with them are anathema. Only the clergy have access to rituals, and children born with fey blood are immediately killed to prevent contamination. Veiled arcane heretics wander in the wilderness, and are slain on sight by a group of primal enforcers known as the nk’bara. Prince Almarak, the Dragonborn son of a long line of paladins who have ruled the country since the chaos of the revolution, is a religious extremist who controls the populace through brute force. This is Ydria, Land of the Emerald Crown.
However, a group of dissidents have risen up. Though some fear the stories of days long past when magic bound the people into servitude, others question whether they have exchanged one tyranny for another. Can magic be used to serve the people? And what of the rumors of fey refugees in other lands uniting to take Ydria back?
It is up to you, brave adventurers, to decide the fate of the nation…
GAME INFORMATION
This is the recruitment thread for the D&D 4th Edition game known as The Residuum Revolution. I have played in three PbP games here on the threads, but this is my first foray into DMing in PbP. This is a homebrew campaign using 4th edition rules (and to some extent, universe).
I am looking for:
- Around five players, and especially those who love to post and are willing to check the threads at least once per day (in general).
- Orokos for my character sheets and rolls, but I will deal with Myth Weavers/Invisible Castle if you really really want to.
- A submission of one level 1 character per poster. Please do use inherent bonuses. Anything that is in the Character Builder goes, but if it’s too strange, I will PM you and ask you to start over. No dhampyr revenant warforged vampires, please. :P
- And perhaps most importantly, a group that works together.
Please submit:
-
At least a paragraph of background information that will tie in to the story (or not if you want me to tie your character in for you
)- Character name
- Character appearance
- Link to character sheet
- Character pic if possible
Notes about character creation:
If you are playing a fey (eladrin, half-elf, elf, gnome, drow, etc.) or a magic-user (sorcerer, bard, swordmage, etc.) I will not rule your character out, but you will have a more challenging time playing the game. Please consider taking stealth or bluff if you play a fey or arcane character.
Finally, please do not feel like you must be constricted by your class type to be a member of one of the groups in the intro. I have no problem with you being a rebel, but please explain it in your background.
Submissions are due by Sunday, March 20th at 8:00 PM PST.
That is all. Good luck!
The Residuum Revolution Arcane/The Residuum Revolution Strange - DM
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
daniant on
0
Posts
Or Psionics, for that matter.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Dark Primus: Psionics are not common and when they are found they are often cultivated as advisers to the royalty or to a mayor of a town or city. Due to their great insight, they often are hired as diplomats or they become very successful merchants. There is a psionic code that most psions subscribe to that emphasizes using their power to benefit the mankind (kind of like the Hippocratic oath). Dark psions that are caught are subject to the severest of punishments, including lobotomy or death.
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
Hmmm.
PSN: ShogunGunshow
Origin: ShogunGunshow
dresdenphile: I'm okay with anything that is in the CB, but I would love to have you develop a backstory or work with me regarding the backstory if you're not sure.
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
Eyes: Solid black
Hair: Purple, cropped short
Horns: Black
Build: Slender, athletic
Background: Ashard is a self-reliant young tiefling. She has recently left her monastery on a pilgrimage, taking her all over Ydria. Ashard is very curious and open minded about the people and places she visits. Though slow to pick sides, she is fiercely loyal once she does. Ashard has no love for religious zealots, and has made an effort to stay clear of the nk'bara. Arcane magic has always been a curiosity for her and she would thrill to encounter some on her travels. Ashard is currently listening for rumors of fey living in hiding, so that she can meet them and learn more about arcane magic.
http://4e.orokos.com/sheets/2953
Slip - (Currently Known as Elias Hawkwin Male Human)
Personality and Mannerisms
Elias seems to take the whole world as a joke. He rarely has a serious demeanor and treats nearly everything with a laid back and considering attitude. He is easly to laugh or smile and isn't afraid to speak.
Elias Hawkwin is Slip's usual persona. She has been using this persona long enough that she identifies more with it than her normal self.
Female personality Changeling Hexblade
Background Story -
Elias Hawkwin died in on the streets of Galamn 15 years ago. He died at the hands of a liar. His death was to be a secret - no one would know he was gone, no one would miss him.
“This is as good a place as any,Xan.” breathed the lanky green. He was a dragonborn; not one of those in power, mind - but a thug that did their bidding none the less.
The other dragon slumped the medium body against the wall of the alley with a grunt.”Dump some coin like the boss said. It’s supposed to look like a mugging.”
The sound of coins hitting the cobbled ground woke Slip from her resting place in a nearby trash heap. She didn’t move as the enforcers did their grisly work. They set up the body like it was just mugged, dishevelling his clothes and strewing about his belongings on the cobblestones.
She watched a lot, living on the streets required patience. She was an urchin and survival was hard enough without attracting unwanted attention.Galamn was a hard town, known for taking in the the weak and spitting out their bones. Slip learned many things from hard life on the streets. Like, when to keep your head down and how to listen to the whispers of back alleys. She would wait until they had gone, like usual. Then she would pick the body clean... like usual.
Slip was eyeing the dead man’s boots- such nice leather - as the enforcers left the alley. She waited a few more moments to make sure there where no passersby.
She slipped quietly towards the mans body and began to carefully gather his possessions. Her eyes were on the streets to either side of her, not on the man she presumed dead.
Elias carefully opened an eye and found a human boy not much older than 8 hurriedly gathering up coins from the cobblestones in front of him. His wounds were mortal. He knew that much. There wasn’t much time, and there was no other option. The voices in the back of his head sounded panicked and strained. He silenced them mentally and grabbed the boy’s arm.
Slip started as the presumably dead man seized his arm. Her eyes flickered white as she felt her natural born reaction try to take hold. If the man caught it, he didn’t show it. All he saw was the 8 year old street urchin gathering his things. She stared at the man and tried to pick out his surface thoughts for the distraction. Her innate ability to pull images from people’s past was good for a quick start.
She stared at him in order to start the trick but was surprised to find an intensity in his stare that was so cold and so... alien. Her eyes flickered again from the brown normal eyes of her disguise to the white featureless orbs that were her own.
“Very well...” the man said, seemingly talking to himself. “This is all a lie, this world these walls. This existance... Listen to me boy. Listen closely, or else you will be consumed. I am sorry that I have to do this.”
The voices all agreed, their preservation was much more important that this life. They had decided that already, and Elias knew there was nothing else to do about it. The lie had consumed him like it did everyone else. The voices, that called themselves the “Watchers,” needed to survive and would be passed to this one, along with their blessings. He couldn’t help but think how young the boy was. Such a shame - at least he had been older when he learned the truth.
“This will hurt. It will change everything about you. For what it’s worth - I am sorry...”
Slip watched the mans eyes open a second time, or they seemed to if they weren’t already opened. The black abyss that was his eyes frightened her - but she was held there, trapped by his gaze.
She would hear the voices coming; not the usual voices that helped her lie and helped her become a different person. These voices were new, and somehow older. She was aware of Elias’ voice on the edge of her mind as everything started to slip away.
Her mind snapped, it was a feeling of pain and loss like none shed ever known. She knew she was standing on a plane of white light with black pinpoints - like stars. Dark, terrible stars. She focused on one and felt herself drawn in by an incomprehensible murmuring.
She became aware of a soft blue light on the edge of her perception. It was the voices, she knew. “And so you see, the Liar sees her own. And she misses nothing? An interesting catch this one. So sly, so slippery. We would have never considered one like this before... Maybe it can change the lie itself? Who can lie to the Liar? YOU are a liar, creature. Your existence is a lie, and we know. Perhaps it can be useful, perhaps we can make it work. You will lie. Yet you know the truth. Those terrible stars, those maddening stars... They are the enemy. We watch for them and we wait. Why is it... smiling?”
Slip couldn’t contain the smirk... She was a liar at her very core. Every fiber of her being was made to skirt the truth and make her lies appear convincing. She always heard voices, it was part of her personality that split specifically to make lying easier. The whole thing was morbidly funny to her. She, the liar, looking for the truth. She, who heard other peoples voices in her head on a regular basis, defending existence from the madness that lurked behind those stars...”Forgive me.” she replied. “I am sure you must be mistaken. I am not an 8 year old street urchin. I... I don’t even know who I actually am - to be honest.”
“We know,” the voices spoke. “That may very well work for our favor, and yours. You could be him for now... we would help you lie. We would help you know what he did. We are curious to see if one of your nature, built to blend so seamlessly, yet built so differently - can stand vigil as is required. Will you stand vigil against the unknown, changeling? Will you uphold the bargain laid out so long ago. With so many to protect, only 7 to seal, but just one to watch, lest the vigil be broken... Will you stand vigil for your world like so many before you? Will you accept the Cerulean Sign and do what is required to stop the madness?”
Slip was silent for a time, watching the endless babble of those terrible stars in the distance.
“I can watch were other’s cant. I can go were others are unable. I understand that madness, perhaps more than most. But... I will stand vigil. I will uphold the bargain. I will watch the proud and the meek, and I will keep the Cerulean Sign.”
“Good, then we will grant you our gifts. We will uphold the bargain.”
The plane of white faded. The young boy blinked at the dead eyes that stared back at him. Normal eyes, but they were sad.
Slip checked the streets to either side, no time had appeared to pass. She felt the voices in her head, but they were silent.She concentrated on that familiar chord, that tingling sensation in the back of her mind that let her change her shape.
Elias stared back at himself, but he was Elias now. That was how it would be. He could stop being Elias if he wanted. He knew nothing of the man before. Only what the stars knew, and that was little. Their pull felt distant, but it was there.
He began to strip down the body, taking all his things, Including those nice leather boots. They fit perfectly, of course they would...
In the end, when everything was sorted and stowed, Elias reached for that pact in the back of his mind. He felt it there, right where it should be. Reality just seemed to make more sense when he embraced it. Those cobblestones and those walls, they didn’t need to exist, but they did. And that body. It didn’t need to exist, it was empty... He would have to do something about that.
The blade flared to life in his hand, a conjuration of perfect white light that seemed to break reality. Nothing existed there - in that comforting white blade. When he touched it to the body, it began to consume it until there was nothing left but sparkling dust on the cobblestones.
Once upon a time, Hibiki enjoyed a simple life. His home was small, but comfortable. His family was poor, but did not starve. The village they resided in was tucked away in a quiet neck of the woods, and he would often go wandering, sometimes for days at a time, amongst the wilds, exploring and foraging.
It was on one of those long trips through wooden glens that he stumbled across the thing that would drastically alter the course of his fate: a house.
It was a simple house, as far as houses went, rather like his own, though far less well kept. The owner had evidently been away for quite some time, and vines crept up the faded sides. Curious, he knocked, and when no answer came, he entered. A cursory search of the house turned up several unsettlingly unnatural knickknacks - strange, bronzed globes hanging from a wheeling aparatus in a study, jars of various ... stirring mixtures in another.
Things took a terrible turn when he touched a single large gem that had been left on top of a folded envelope on the former occupant's dusty desk. His world went black, and when he at last came to, it was to find that several days had passed with him on the floor. He was hungry.
And he knew magic.
The letter that had lain under the stone explained: this was the home of a once mighty elven spellsword whose name Hibiki couldn't begin to pronounce. Decades ago, fearing for the loss of his practice, he had created the stone, and into it had poured the distilled essence of his art.
The letter promised greater understanding as time went by, but Hibiki didn't see how that was going to help; just knowing magic was going to get him killed, the last thing he wanted was to know more.
Burning the letter in the abandoned fireplace, he buried the stone in the overgrown yard and made for home. His dream of pretending like the whole episode had never happened didn't last long - the knowledge seemed to insist upon itself, and when Hibiki tried to ignore it, he often woke up from his afternoon naps to find previously blank rolls of parchment scribbled thick with arcane rituals and diagrams, and ink all over his calloused hands.
The longer he was around, the more dangerous things became. Not just for him, but for his family, too; the nk'bara weren't known for being sloppy. When they eradicated the arcane, they were thorough.
And so, after a night of thought, he finally decided, and set off into the world. Somewhere out there, there has to be someone who can get the "magic" out of him!
http://4e.orokos.com/sheets/2954
PSN: ShogunGunshow
Origin: ShogunGunshow
If Tordain Silverpact could trust one thing, it was stone. If he could trust two things, they would be stone and order. Let his brothers send their prayers to Moradin or Kord, he would trust to Erathis. She knew, like he did, that without order, without stone, society would fall apart.
But there's never just one threat to a society, and Ydria was no exception. There were rumors of dissidents in the bottom rungs of society, known abuses of power from the top. So he did what he could, joining up with the local law enforcement and gaining a reputation for being a little too fair. No matter, he would go where he was needed. After all, Erathis's work was never done.
---
"And just how do you expect me to explain this to the sergeant, guardsman?" The dragonborn's face looked as angry as Tordain had ever seen it.
"You're the one who assigned me to enforce the city's anti-prostitution laws in the docks district, sir." Tordain stood at attention before his superior, thinking of how this wasn't the first time he'd been dressed down for enforcing the law equally, and wondering again if this would be the last.
"You're off this case, Tordain! You're renegade, a godsdamned maverick who can't be bothered to follow the rules, and this is the last time I hang my ass out to dry for you!" The dragonborn officer snorted in anger, wisps of smoke curling out between his lips.
Tordain clenched his fists at his side before responding, "So I shouldn't have arrested a member of the aristocracy for soliciting sex, but I am expected to turn in any dock worker or commoner? The law is what separates us from what lies beyond the Empire, sir, and no man can hold himself above it."
"No one?" the officer demanded, "No one! Hah!" He spat on the floor, which began to steam. "Since you care so much for this Empire, consider yourself on parade duty. You'll be keeping on eye on official functions and cleaning up after the horses until further notice, and if you manage to screw this up, consider your duty to the City Guard finished!"
"No need," Tordain said softly, removing his badge of authority from his chest and tossing it onto the officer's desk. "I resign my commission, effective immediately. My duty is to a higher power." He pulled the chain around his neck from under his tunic, the gleaming sign of Erathis settling visibly on his chest. He turned and walked from the office without another word.
The dragonborn officer leaned back in his chair, massaging his temple with one clawed hand. "I'm getting too old for this shit..."
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Alise Sellyn, human wizard
Alise is a human of average height and build, with light-brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She is always seen carrying a novel in one hand, her nose in it more often than not. Her fair features are masked by an illusion she maintains every day, only dispelled in the company of those she trusts. She is usually dressed in her librarian's outfit, a plain brown robe tied with a leather belt.
Background:
Many years later, Alise had carved a niche for herself. Securing a job as a librarian served as a good cover, for who would question a librarian carrying around a heavy tome?
Alise had also discovered other magic-users like her, hiding from the nk'bara right under their noses. They helped each other remain unnoticed, covering each others tracks and providing safe haven to those on the run. They had all heard the rumours of the brewing resistance, but they were hesitant to reach out. Everyone, Alise included, had been betrayed at one point or another by those they thought they could trust. Who was to say it wasn't the nk'bara, laying a trap? But Alise, for one, had had enough of hiding.
A few weeks after the rumors began, she left the city. Alise had officially joined the resistance.
I'm not on the forums as much as I used to be, and I'm already in a few games anyway, so I'm forced to just sit and watch this one.
Chicago Megagame group
Watch me struggle to learn streaming! Point and laugh!
The answers to most of those questions depend greatly on the character backgrounds of the characters I pick. However, you will all most likely start out as people who are adventurers and make their living as such. Your first objective may be to seek out arcane refugees (to hunt them or help them, depending on which side the party tends towards).
Since I really want the characters in the party to drive the plot, I can't be more specific than that. However, you can always post a character and if you fall out of love with the setting, I can find a replacement very quickly I'm sure. Spots in PbP games go like hotcakes around here!
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
If you ever get more active I'd love to have you.
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
Must resist...can't...
Chicago Megagame group
Watch me struggle to learn streaming! Point and laugh!
LOL.
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
PSN: ShogunGunshow
Origin: ShogunGunshow
Would that fly?
Nkbarros Impkith, Tiefling, Scourge Warlock
Background:
Further Background:
The Demonic Pact:
On the fateful day Nkbarros' powers became active a demon came to him as the young boy screamed in pain at the branding he was recieving from Curthwin and his lackeys. The demon had been conjured by another mage ten years ago, a pact being struck between the two to lay waste to the nk'bara at the price of that mage's soul. Once the pact was struck the demon collected his payment and set to work terrorizing the nk'bara through dozens of earthly functionaries. He needed a new pawn to channel his power through and Nkbarros seemed like just the prime tool to use. The boy said yes immediatly so full of hate he was toward these thugs who tortured him. The rest is history.
Yes, artificers are allowed. In fact, artificers are the only sanctioned "arcane" people left in Ydria, mainly because they are just so damn useful. They are only allowed to practice with a government license and there are limits on golem-making and the like, but there are rumors of underground government-run research facilities where artificers work on high-level experiments. Every once in a while, the nk'bara uncover an unlicensed artificer operating solo and they execute him publicly in order to set an example.
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
Yes, and further items will be granted by the DM.
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
Absolutely. In fact, most people might not even know he's tapping the arcane net. You probably want to go Valorous Bard and take the melee powers that go with it. You could even multi-class fighter or do a hybrid fighter/bard.
Have at it!
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
That is basically the character I've made, but he isn't a fighter yet because I will take that feat as he up-levels a little bit.
Post soon! Thanks Dani. I'm really excited by your description of the world--I created this character for a similar storyline that I didn't get to use him in.
Stat sheet to be added later, can't update silverlight on my work machine... :? (will be a fairly standard Longtooth Shifter, Lifespirit Warden, though)
Portrait - I'm leaning toward a cropped version of this:
Background:
Esker, second son of Heap, has come of age, and must leave home to adventure. (First sons guard the forest, and second sons see the world.) His father has given him the proper equipment for starting an adventure, and also news: others fight against the dragon-skins, even in the crowded lands. With the right party, in the right place, a man of adventure could make a difference in the world, to help make it safe for the fey once again.
Making his way to the more urban parts of the world, using what limited connections his clan has outside the forest, he hopes to find a new pack to hunt with, to continue the fight, and bring glory and power to his clan. Though if he doesn't find something soon, he may be reduced to taking whatever work will cover his expenses...
Points of Light only? Or are some Eberron/Forgotten realm deities fair game?
I will take Forgotten Realm deities, but since I don't know Eberron deities well enough, I'm going to have to rule them out.
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
Sorry, Jam, I didn't see the rest of the questions. Any background besides completely Eberron setting-related backgrounds are fine as long as they actually relate to your background. I need to go home where my books are to check out inherent bonuses, so I'll answer that question later on tonight.
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
Thanks Mr. Rose. I knew that they gave bonuses to attack and defense, but I wanted to look up the specific levels.
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
PORTRAIT
BACKGROUND
One such name that haunts the barony of Harkenwold is that of Dietrich Uberwauld, a lone traveller whose arrival in a village heralds tall funeral pyres, the smell of burning heretic flesh and the screams of young villagers foolish enough to toy with cantrips learnt from passing hedge wizards. Uberwauld has become known for his keen eye for detail and his lack of mercy when it comes to practicioners of arcane arts.
However, a recent series of events has thrown Uberwauld's life into a sea of confusion. The witchfinder's own sister Maria, a travelling minstral, was recently accused of using arcane implements to enchance her performances. Eager to show his dedication to Kord's decree against the arcane, Uberwauld himself led the persuit of his flesh and blood, and it was the witchfinder who eventually set fire to the dry wood that the villagers piled at Maria's bound feet. However, as his sister's flesh began to melt from her bones, her death cry escaped her lips not as a scream but as a haunting ballad which touched the witchfinder to his core.
Uberwald found himself unable to shake the events of this encounter, and found himself secretly craving forgiveness for his actions. Despite his brethern's best attempts to convince the witchfinder that his sister's last song was laced with cruel enchantments, Uberwauld has taken leave of his duties to the brotherhood to spend some time searching for peace within his soul.
Was his sister an innocent life taken in vain? If so, how many other pure souls has the witchfinder sent from this plane before their time? Or has the world's corruption run so deep that even the most dedicated holy man can find himself plagued by doubt? These are the questions that now consume Dietrich Uberwauld's every waking hours.
APPEARANCE
The man himself is tall and of a slender, wiry build. Although Uberwauld is only in his mid-thirties, years of lonely travel and self-imposed pious poverty have taken their toll on the man's features. His face is of a weathered-grey complexion, his eyes seemingly unfeeling and his mouth a grim line drawn across his face.
Updated Tordain's application to include his last day in the Guard, as well as adding a background (Military Service) and inherent bonuses to the sheet (nothing at level 1).
Esker Heap, Longtooth Shifter Warden
Portrait
Appearance
Esker is young and curious, quick to notice things, and quick to explore, often without thinking first. He is not quick to violence, but is well-trained to respond when a threat does present itself. He was raised in a stable, happy environment, and assumes that he'll just naturally get along with people.
Background:
Esker, second son of Heap, has come of age, and must leave home to adventure. (First sons guard the forest, and second sons see the world.) His father has given him the proper equipment for starting an adventure, and also news: others fight against the dragon-skins, even in the crowded lands. With the right party, in the right place, a man of adventure could make a difference in the world, to help make it safe for the fey once again.
Making his way to the more urban parts of the world, using what limited connections his clan has outside the forest, he hopes to find a new pack to hunt with, to continue the fight, and bring glory and power to his clan. Though if he doesn't find something soon, he may be reduced to taking whatever work will cover his expenses...
Background:
“Hail and well met, good sir. My name is Haldreth Brightwighter; I had a vision from the gods that is was important for me to be here this night. I, too, am on a pilgrimage of faith.”
The man introduced himself and made small talk, but to Ilesombra, his words sounded like the buzzing of insect: not worth remembering. Even in the heavy purple cloak covering her plate armor, Ilesombra’s body seemed to make the hapless acolyte weak in the knees. He eagerly accepted the wine from Ilesombra’s waterskin, hungrily pressing his lips to it as though it were the paladin’s soft mouth. His eyes grew wide as the poison took its toll, paralyzing the man completely.
“Idiot,” she muttered under her breath as she rifled through the pilgrim’s backpack. "You know, I am on a pilgrimage and I did have a vision, but it was definitely not from a god you worship." After a minute of searching, she found a hidden compartment that contained the prize she sought.
The book looked innocent enough. The leather binding was haggard, and the spine had seen better days. She flipped through the pages quickly, curious as to what secrets it contained. The tome referenced a world in ruins, covered in sand and ruled by demigods who referred to themselves as “sorcerer-kings.”
Her master would be pleased with this discovery. It’s a shame that the book had to be placed into the Keepers' repository with all of the other texts Illesombra had collected, but that was the price that had to be paid to keep the world safe.
Picture:
Appearance:
Table talk: I'll let you insert me in the story world.
Edit: I'm down for hunting the arcane refugees.
3DS Code: 5043-2172-1361
Xbone Tag: Salal al Din
Argh. Ummm...I would go primal background rather than fey background. Unless you want to work them in as a fey ally or something.
To be perfectly blunt, I haven't considered them, so I'm going to let you choose.
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
(Fire Genasi Ranger | Assault Swordmage with Mark of Making. Artificer license since people can't always tell the difference between living fire and a mage.)
Yes. Also, yes. Do it. Do it now.
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
Ladej Cai, Genasi Ranger | Swordmage
Background
It was on one of these journeys that Ladej Cai's future in the Elemental Chaos would be ended. Efreets fight and bicker in deadly rivalries from a very young age, and Ladej's talent earned him many enemies. He was strong and clever, and free genasi had a reputation for mercilessness he was willing to live up to, so while he was present his enemies did not bother him openly. He returned to find himself exiled, not simply from the City of Brass, but from the Elemental Chaos itself. Unceremoniously shoved through a tear in space, Ladej Cai found himself in a stable, solid world where the Primordials are all but forgotten for the usurping thieves that call themselves gods, where the stone and wind were alive, and where, most amusingly, the god's vaunted "arcane magic" was outlawed.
He stopped smiling when he realized that people couldn't tell the difference between the power that built the world and the drunken, half-legible scrawls of the fey. An insult and a curious magistrate saved the lives of his accusers (as well as his own, perhaps,) and gave Ladej Cai the chance to earn an Artificer's License. He earned it easily, and, lacking a direction or way to return to the familiar ferocity of the Elemental Chaos, remained in Ydria, earning his way through item enchantment and occasional mercenary work. The first was and is harder than the second; the world is solid and stable, unwilling to bend to mere thought and desire. Still, Ladej Cai's superior skill shows through, and he is able to be picky about his clients.
Mechanical Notes
Anyway. Ranger | Assault Swordmage. This guy is almost entirely Striker, since his Swordmage Aegis can fire only once per application. Not sure how he's gonna go about using it yet, but with some extra HP from the Toughness feat, he might be able to step in and Defender in an emergency. Aside from that, he'll just be hitting things with a warhammer a couple times every turn. Only one fire power at the moment, and a daily at that, but I think it'll be a good one.
Let's Talk About Me
This character comes from two ideas: The first is having always wanted an Artificer to carry a hammer and use it as a weapon/implement. That's not quite what's happened here, but this is pretty close! Or it will be once level 2 rolls around and I can take Mark of Making.
The second is a strong reaction I have to creative restrictions: to immediately go NUH-UH I'LL SHOW YOU. So here we are, with a very "arcane" character with only a shadow of the issues an actual arcane character would have. Having admitted to the sort of min-maxy instinct that drove the creation of the character, I think it's a really interesting character to have in a setting like Ydria and I hope I get to play him.
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Background:
Finally, the mage was ready. She stepped onto the dais, inside the ever so carefully scrawled runic summoning circle. Arcane focus after arcane focus lit up around her, the legacy of a lifetime of working powerful magics. Slowly drawing power, she channelled until she thought she would collapse from exhaustion, her mind and her sight narrowing down to focus on only the orb sitting before her. A breath, two, and the summoning finally began. No, not just a summoning, she thought with pride. A creation! Something new would be born from the eternal, not quite like what had come before. As she laughed at her own brilliance, the orb smoked and hissed, a word being slowly singed into its surface by the arcane power flowing around it.
Later, after the laboratory had been raided, looted and wrecked, after the mage had been dragged away by the formerly oppressed revolutionaries, something awoke there. A quiet, confused intellect looked upon the ruins of its assumed birthplace, and found itself at a loss. What was it? Who was it? Where was it? Worst of all, why was it? Finding no answers in the mage's destroyed home, the lone crystalline creature lifted the orb at the centre of the room, looking at the shapes of the letters burned into its surface. "MNEMO," they read.
Notes:
I've only just started playing PbP and 4E at all, but I'm picking it up pretty quickly. With instant email notification I can most multiple times a day every day if necessary, and I'd really love to get involved in a second campaign as I'm really enjoying learning how the game works and what interesting stories can be told with it.
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Background:
She’s not solitary, though. She’s very social, “bubbly”, even. Riishi’s always in the crowd when the storytellers visit. She especially likes the tales of Thoro, the Good Goblin who stole away from his marauding brethren to aid the poor and the powerless. She sits up straight when his elaborate schemes trick large, powerful foes into foppish fools! Never seen her spend much time with a boy, though. Maybe that spooky cat of hers scares them off.
Cherka? Damnedest thing. The cat followed her back when Riishi had been nearly a week away in the wildlands, oh, some years ago, now. Riishi never spoke of it, and both of them behaved as if they’d always been together. Here’s the thing, though. It’s not a real cat—not a natural cat, if you know what I mean. Well, “natural” is probably not the right word… It’s different. Sometimes I’ll spy it in the corner of my eye, then I turn and it’s not there. Other times it’s right in front of me before I see it. Hard to describe it, too. I’ve spied the two of them on a hillcrest in the distance, and damned if Cherka isn’t as tall at the shoulder as Riishi’s chest. Light plays tricks in these hills, though—‘ts all it is. But even so, Cherka’s hard to describe. Sometimes the coat’s inky black, like it’s been playing in coal, with black dust wafting as it walks, but leaving no tracks. Another day, it will reflect sunlight as if dappled with bronze. They’re rarely apart, though, almost joined together, if you will.
She’s not here, now, rarely is these days. I think she’s taken to shadowing Almarak’s nk’bara. They passed through here recently, terrorizing whatever crossed their path, nearly destroying Grant’s public house. Fortunately, there’s only so much debauchery they can find here, not for their lack of effort. Don’t look at me like that, I’m not pining for any return of any Eladrin. But Prince Almarak would do best to shorten the leash on his hounds, or he may find himself bitten. Anyway, Riishi stays out of sight and warns the locals who may find themselves in the nk’bara’s path. She’s smart enough to stay out of harm’s way, usually.
I've played a couple games here, but both have ended. Posting daily is no problem for me. I'm working on the character sheet now, and will update this post once that's available. Looks to be a lot of fun.
Edit: Sheet is active (linked above). I've a little tweaking to do yet, but please let me know if something seems out of place or inaccurate.