Looking this over I offer hearty applause for this character.
The 'fake' memories seems really cool, and maby not even fake, just not hers. Perhaps the memories of someone else who owed him a 'favor', someone who wished to forget loosing their love.
Looking this over I offer hearty applause for this character.
The 'fake' memories seems really cool, and maby not even fake, just not hers. Perhaps the memories of someone else who owed him a 'favor', someone who wished to forget loosing their love.
Hehe.. plots within plots.. the epitome of a devil. :D
1) Tarek was born a soldier's son. His family was never particularly wealthy, but nor were they ever poor. His father was a military man, a foot soldier in the King's army. His mother took care of the children. While his father never attained any prestigious rank, he was well respected in his unit.
2) Tarek was raised in an environment where discipline and self-improvement meant everything. Rank never really mattered, and your friends/comrades knowing that you had their back was one of the most honorable reputations a man could attain.
3) Tarek joined the military as soon as he was of age. His father had a little pull with his solid reputation, and managed to get Tarek a position in the King's Court as a guard. Something his father thought would be safer than the rigors of a foot soldier, but would still allow Tarek to serve with honor. However, unbeknownst to his father, the court room can be just as dangerous as a battle field. Tarek took his job seriously, and he quickly earned the reputation of a trustworthy man anyone would want on their side.
4) The halberd was the most important weapon for a Guard of the King's Court. When not on duty (or R&R), the guardsmen would train to keep their skills sharp. Tarek took this more to heart than any of the fellow men in his unit. This daily training, combined with the discipline he was raised with lead him to the desire to become a master of his weapon. Within five years, Tarek became one of the top halberdier in his unit.
5) Tarek served his King well for fifteen years. He earned prestigious awards for his many heroics in the courtroom, from saving several peoples lives on multiple occasions (once even the king's himself!), to foiling the plot of a would-be assassination, and many more. After fifteen years, the King, so very proud of this low-ranking, common born soldier, released Tarek from duty. Tarek was awarded enough gold to retire on, so he may live his life in relative peace.
6) Tarek couldn't settle down just yet, and he had a need to leave his home town. He gave the gold to his parents, which allowed his father to retire, picked up his halberd, and set out in the direction of the setting sun to see the world and seek greater challenges to set upon his blade.
1) The year Tarek retired, he foiled an assassination attempt on the King. Tarek's best friend, Ronassic Ucec, another of the King's Guards, was in on the plot (he provided information, and let the assassins in). When Tarek found out about this, he nearly killed his friend in anger. This moment of anger and lapse of discipline is one of Tarek's points of shame, and one of his secrets.
2) Leaving his unconscious friend where he found him, Tarek raced off to stop the assassin. He gathered the men (sent someone to aid Ronassic), and with a bit of luck and unit cohesion, managed to stop the assassins. When the time came, Tarek lied about Ronassic's involvement with the assassination attempt. Ronassic wasn't able to speak for himself, and Tarek officially stated that the assassins were the ones to nearly kill him, how Tarek saw his friend try to stop them, but one man was not enough. By the time Ronassic came around, the story of his heroics was the talk of castle, and both Ronassic and Tarek were awarded medals from the king.
Ronassic's medal is a lie. The story of his heroics is a lie. This lie is Tarek's burden. Tarek is devoted to his king, but he could not see his friend hang for his crime. This is part of the reason he left the city: He feared his discipline would slip again, and in anger he would speak the truth of Ronassic's involvement.
3) Tarek gave all his retirement money to his folks, so his father may retire from the military. Several months after Tarek left town, Kayl Gallus (see contacts below) set up a plan to steal the money. He did so, and Zillef, Tarek's father, ended up being killed during the robbery. To be honest, it was quite the accident. Kayl's not the sort who'd normally have someone killed. He's just a theif and swindler, but that doesn't change the fact that it happened. Worried that someone, or in particular, Tarek, might find out, Kayl is using the some of the gold to higher a gang to track Tarek down and kill him.
1) Ronassic Ucec is Tarek's best friend. A fellow soldier and guard in the King's court, the two have served together for the past 15 years. They were assigned to the unit on the same day. Tarek told Ronassic the truth of the whole incident with the assassination, and in return, Ronassic did the same. Although Tarek never forgave Ronassic for what he did, they left on good terms, and it is Ronassic's burden to live with his fame as a lie.
2) Vladalisu "Vlad" Driel - Tarek's commanding officer. Vlad has always been a sort of mentor for Tarek. He was Tarek's inspiration for becoming the best halberdier, and his inspiration to be a damned good soldier. During Tarek's entire career, Vlad has found nothing to speak bad of. He'll always help Tarek out if he needs it.
3) Kayl Gallus - A local swindler who was always trying to cause trouble in the King's court. He was rich enough to always be let in and heard, but was never caught at doing something bad enough to be thrown in jail. Tarek was always on his case, and never trusted the man. Every once in a while, Kayl goes out of his way to make Tarek's life miserable. He enjoys giving Tarek trouble. Due to recent endeavours, Kayl is now out to cause Tarek a little more than trouble.
1) Tarek remembers the days as a child, when his father would come home from a campaign. These were always the best days, when father came home. He always brought things from other countries, and would let the kids help him polish his armor and weapons. Tarek loved it more than any of his siblings. It never really entered his mind that his father might not come home from a campaign.
2) Tarek remembers with pride the first medal he was awarded. It was for valor: a deadly fight broke out between two visiting nobles' men, and Tarek stepped in to break it up. He was nearly killed, but despite such he managed to save one of the nobleman's life.
3) Tarek remembers the anger he felt when he found out his best friend betrayed the king. His mind is constantly tormented with the question of whether or not he made the right decision. Only when he trains, or is in battle, is he able to clear his mind of these matters.
I was watching Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa (again) the other day, and liked the idea of the samurai who devoted his life to the art of the sword. I didn't really occur to me to make a character revolving around this concept until I saw the Kensai PP, and thought, that would be just nifty. However, I didn't want to make something really cliche. Well, I've always wanted to play a character with a halberd, so I thought, why not? This would be the perfect oppurtunity.
Of course, I needed a decent reason why someone would devote their life to a halberd. I mean, it's not all that common of a weapon for an adventurer or hero to have. It's the weapon of a common soldier or guard. So I made Tarek a guard in the king's court, which is a perfect reason why he would have a halberd. Give him about 15 years of service using such a weapon, and now you'd have to ask yourself, "why would he use any other weapon?"
All in all, I like him. I think he'd play out as an honorable and trustworthy companion, with the occasional problem of him making sure the other PC's do things the honorable/good way. And if it's against the law, then the law better be pretty dang bad for you to break it, or you'd better have a really good reason. :D
EDIT: Thanks to Elfstar for spelling corrections (halberdier, not halberdsman), and for extra ideas with secrets. :D
It's a good background. I really think you only have one secret there, and might pick something a little different for the other. Maybe something about what became of all the gold he donated.
It's a good background. I really think you only have one secret there, and might pick something a little different for the other. Maybe something about what became of all the gold he donated.
Just so you know, the word is "halberdier".
lol.. I wondering if there was a word for that! I'll go back and fix it. Thanks!
I haven't figured out what became of the gold yet. Maybe I can put that in there as a secret he isn't aware of yet. Thanks for the idea!
Stray, Thanks! At first, he didn't have any conflict. Just a nice, relatively easy life as a guard. But I had to put something in the secrets section, which inspired the whole ordeal. :D
Edit: I added a new secret, with the gold involved, after Tarek left home. Because of such, I also had to update one of his contacts. And I fixed the halberdier issue.
1) Lady Topaz is an eladrin ranger who grew up in Shroudmist Grove, a major elven settlement that protects the Shroudmist Forest from incursions from The Feywild and protects Eladrin trade routes into the World. 2) The grove's matriarch, the Lady Leanna, found the young girl in the forest, fleeing from some dark figure whom she called "Si'ari." For years, the girl would have nightmares in which the cloaked figure of Si'ari would chase her, promising her death if she ever returned home. The only detail Topaz could remember about Si'ari is that the figure walked with a noticeable limp. 3) Topaz grew up wild and headstrong, taking her cues from the wild elves around her, as well as the other foundlings who grew up in the grove, such as Grorag Goblinkicker, an orcish orphan, and and Tamasin Dolet, a more serious elf training to become a Minister of Daynal. 4) Though trained as a ranger, and interested in the magical arts, Topaz has always been drawn to the worship of Mynora, Goddess of the Wilds, and often makes religious observances to the goddess. 5) As she grew older, Topaz began to wonder more about her family in the Feywild, and Leanna persuaded her to begin her search. She also persuaded Tamasin to travel with her, and the pair decided to begin their search in the nearest large settlement, St. Clarice...
Step 2: "Why act as an Eladrin when being an elf is more entertaining?"
1) Though Topaz wasn't the one who fired the arrow that killed Tamasin's brother, she stills feels responsible for his death, as she was the one who talked the boys into trying the stunt in the first place. 2) Lady Tpoaz has a blue, faintly-glowing crescent-shaped birthmark on her lower back, a sign of relation to Eladrin nobility. Spoiler:Show
DM's Secret 3) Lady Topaz is related to Landril Goldenbow, an Eladrin noble and prodigal son of the Emporer Nyroni Goldenbow who joined the famous Companions of the Western Star and helped bring an end to the Hundred Years' Chaos 175 years ago. Long since retired from adventuring, Lord Goldenbow settled for the rulership of Minas Mesid'ii, the closest Eladrin city to the Shroudmist forest. Landril is now elderly for an Eladrin, nearing his 250th year. Tragically, this means he has fallen prey to The Madness, several decades sooner than most predicted. his wife, the Lady Wynowill, currently rules in his stead. DM's Secret 4) Lady Wynowill is sneaky, devious, and somewhat insane herself. She arranged for the death of Landril's first wife, and then sent her servant Si'ari to kill Lady Topaz when she was just a child, in order to put her own heirs in line for succession. She plots nothing less than to reform the shattered elven empire of Avaleron with her heirs in line to take the throne. To this end, she has been orchestrating a massive Eladrin invasion of Coralton, and has been manipulating the "half-elven nation" for nearly 70 years to make it weak enough for her to take. She feels that with the resources of the human land under her command, staging a coup of the mad and very elderly Emperor Nyroni will be a simple task. She isn't aware that Si'ari spared the child that could threaten her plans for imperial domination. There's more, but it will wait until I detail Lady Wynowill.
Step 4: "Family forged out of trust is stronger than those born out of blood."
1) Tamasin Dolet, her best friend, is a Minister of The Raven Lord, and very serious for an elf. She travels with Topaz, trying (not very successfully) to keep her out of trouble. 2) Grorag Goblinkicker is a stumpy orc who might have dwarf blood in him. He was found in the forest alone, and brought to live in the grove. He is a wild child, much like Topaz is, and fond of getting into fights. He also has the odd habit of speaking in the third person about himself. 3) Lady Leanna is the motherly matron and high druid of the Grove. Lady Topaz regards the stately woman as a mentor and mother figure. 4) Si'ari still haunts Topaz's trances. Topaz is deathly afraid of the cloaked figure, and believes it brings only death.
Spectral City Step 1: 1) Spectral is built upon an ancient dragonborn city known as Tiamats Womb. 2) The city was origionaly split into seven wings for each discipline and color: clerics and paladins, wizards and pact-makers, warlords and fighters, rangers and rogues 3) As is always with any society, it fell to infighting, One group blamed another group, they blamed someone else, one person opened a gate to hell, and soon enough the city was in ruins. 4) All the infighting had disrupted much of the ground itself and in the wake of the aftermath, all the city was taken into the arth in a massive sinkhole and swallowed whole by the earth. 5) In time a new city was build upon the ruins of old, called spectral city for the many colored flames that come up from the earth.
Step 2: 1) Spectral city seeks to learn about the history beneith itself , learning from its past to preserve its future 2) Spectral city seeks to use the many colored flames that spring up as a way to industrialize itself into the next golden age.
Step 3:
1) Spectral city is on unstable ground, with every act of industrialization it threatens to colapse in on itself once again 2) Deep below spectral city in tiamats womb the old portals are still open, letting the deep denizens of the abyss have access to our realm as soon as parts of the gates are uncovered.
Step 4: Describe three people that are tied to the character though blood, romance or honor. Two of them are friendly to the character, one is hostile. All can do something useful for you, if you can get the situations to line up. If you like, you can include an enemy of yours here as well, so I have an instant NPC nemesis to throw at you.
Example:
1) Tiamats womb is the ruins of the city beneith Spectral city, her ruins provide the gasses used to power and heat Spectral city as it industrializes,but deep within Tiamats womb lies a dark secret.
2) Spears point is the nearest neighbor to spectral city, Built upon a plateau it has worked hard and well to become the most famous port city in all the coast, its hish walls making it accessable to airship as well as sailing vessel.
3) The council of chroma was designed to cover each aspect of society, merchants, church, the army, education, crafts, laws, transport, each section is goverened by a color corisponding with the flames color that burns in that area of the city.
Step 5: Describe three memories that your character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor.
I wondering if there was a word for that! I'll go back and fix it. Thanks! 
