Arak Bloodbane (AKA Arak Meadhold) - Male Dwarf Fighter (unaligned, good leanings)
Background: 1. Formerly a Watcher (think Sgt at post) in Thanehold's Guard. 2. Formerly surname of Meadhold, name changed by Thane's edit for shame of failure and possible betrayal of Hold. 3. Exiled for deserting post plus being heavily implicated in major theft of an entire season's batch of Hold's primary export good (a famous Mead) as well as the murders of the members of his post. 4. Has an aversion to alcohol; dislikes the taste and causes him much intestinal gas. Considered to be a genetic defect among his kin. 5. No longer respects himself or his attire, grooming, or hygiene, as a result of feeling himself to be a personal failure to his clan and kin. Currently a degenerate alcoholic as a result, regardless of his aversion to it. 6. Loyal beyond the concept of the word to his fellows. Vows to never disappoint those who depend on him again. 7. Is a great interrogator and highly capable of reading people, and has a strong understanding of security concepts.
Goals: 1. Redemption. Not sure how or in what manner, but redemption on a personal scale. 2. Redemption and re-acceptance by his clan. This isn't a big deal to Arak because he doesn't feel it would ever be warranted and therefore has no hope of it.
Secrets: 1. His Exile and name change. He is guarded about his past in general from shame. 2. He was targeted by the real traitor(s) of his Hold because of his dislike of alcohol. When his clan was poisoned to unconsciousness, the culprits knew that he would not be affected, and developed their plan around it so he would be blamed and the real traitor(s) would not be suspected.
Relationships: 1. Thane Devon Meadmaster. Thane of Arak's family Hold and arbiter of justice against Arak. Devon is neutrally bound to Arak for though the evidence was stacked against Arak, Devon believed him to be innocent. However, the court of opinion was heavily in favor of a death sentence, and the Thane knew that a harsh penalty was required. The Thane is still seeking to uncover the truth of the theft and murders, but has no knowledge of the current disposition or location of Arak. 2. Drathar, Dragonborn Paladin of Bahumat. Arak attached himself to this religious warrior in an effort to come to a better understanding of his life and circumstances. Drathar,a powerful but friendly fellow, took pity on Arak's disheveled state and worked his magic on the tavern-keeper that was ready to find more nefarious ways of ridding himself of the stinky dwarven lush. Arak is something of a personal project to Drathar, but he does not know how to get through to him, nor does Drathar know why the dwarf insists upon his stuporous binges or unkempt appearance. Arak believes that Drathar will show him the right path for him to be on, and Drathar believes that having an able-bodied stout Dwarf at his side will help complete any quest he undertakes until he can find a way to reach Arak. 3. Councilor Flanrik Shroomkeeper. The real dwarf behind the curtain. Though not the only traitor in the clan, he is the real brains behind the theft and murders. Flanrik is one of the 5 Councilors to the Thane, and his family grows and cultivates the mushrooms and other fungi used in the fermentation of the clan's famous mead. As a result of his access to a variety of cave growths, Flanrik is something of an expert in creating substances that overcome the natural dwarven resistance to poisons. Flanrik obviously made a pact with others to steal and move out the Thanehold's seasonal supply, but that mystery, along with his motivations, remains obfuscated.
Memories: 1. Arak remembers the faces of all the men under his command as they enjoyed their last batch of the Hold's famous brew. He remembers the merriment of them all, their happiness and joy, their inebriation and rabble-rousing, their pranks and jokes. 2. Arak remembers the disappointment of his immediate family when he turned himself over for judgment. The hurt in their eyes and the shame and failure that he felt must be in their hearts. 3. Arak remembers the sentence. The words echoing from the Thane's mouth, hitting the chamber like a hammer against an anvil, burning like embers from a forge into his soul. He remembers thinking that it should be death, that he should be held accountable for his fellows' murders regardless of whether he committed the act himself. He remembers wondering why the sentence was lenient, and wonders now if, in reality, it actually was.
1) She comes from a Faerie (feywild) city where the borders between the Shadowfell are practically nonexistent and the Outer Realms are but a ritual away. 2) When she was younger she saved her friend and lover Zhan from a ritual gone awry... one that tore some of her sanity and awareness from her. 3) She loves combining magic and swordplay into a wild and dangerous style that sometimes leaves her more open than a sane person would allow. 4) She lost her father and mother at a young age to unspeakable horrors. She was raised by Zhan's parents. 5) Tea, though capable of casting magic through a lineage pact, would often drop by the Wizard Academy to watch Zhan, and thus learned a couple "useful" cantrips. 6) While visiting another Feywild city, Tea broke in to the inn rooms of two important Deva and stole their magical implements.
1) Since hearing of Shar's assassination of Mystra Tea has decided it's open season on deities... and Shar's next on the list. Though what exactly a deity is eludes her. But it sounds like an interesting job. And Shar's portfolio sounds pretty interesting to her. She hopes it comes with stock options, too. (This is how she thinks. Part of the "Madness" bit.) 2) Get Zhan pregnant. 3) Kill (at least) one of every type of creature with her sword.
1) Tea murdered the eldest son and heir of the Duke of the nearby Shadar-kai city after he tried to rape Zhan. It was never discovered it was her, but the Shadar-kai haven't stopped trying to figure out who did it. 2) Tea knows everything... and doesn't know it. Her madness and insanity is partially caused by an overflow of information, but it gives her the ability to sometimes function as an oracle. It also gives her some really odd one-liners while fighting.
1) Zhan a female elf (frost elf) wizard, and Tea's only friend and lover. detailed below. 2) Tao and Aurora, a pair of female devas (4e aasimar) that Tea managed to **** off while visiting another feywild city. 3) HK-01 is an assassin warforged constructed by the Shadar-kai duke when he discovered who killed his son. This occurs immediately after Tea and Zhan leave for Faerun.
1) Tea remembers being taken to a place where the Feywild became truly Shadowfey, and a ritual of blood was performed on the graves of her ancestors. 2) Tea recalls the day her sanity was snatched from her. A day of horror and glory and one that is truly ineffable. 3) She also remembers the feeling of having the Shadar-kai prince's lifeblood on her blade. How good it felt. How right it felt.
1) Tea enjoys fighting with her sword, even though she is a much better arcanist than swordsman. 2) Tea giggles and laughs at inappropriate times. 3) Tea has learned the prestidigitation and mage hand cantrips as at-will abilities and often uses them to play pranks on people, steal, or to bluff or intimidate foes. 4) Tea's Warlock's Curse takes the form of sprites made up of fey-energy and shadow-stuff dancing on the target's head. There are six sprites per tier (6 at heroic, 12 at paragon, 18 at epic) and all are armed with tiny swords. When Tea hits the cursed creature some or all of the sprites stop their dancing and attack the cursed creature.
1) She comes from a Faerie (feywild) city where the borders between the Shadowfell are practically nonexistent and the Outer Realms are but a ritual away. 2) She still blames herself for Tea losing her sanity. She also was sapped of her physical strength in the same incident. She is also afraid to use her magic except under supervision and prefers her bow. 3) She is a junior student of the Wizard's Academy. She is currently on sabbatical to accompany Tea. 4) Zhan was almost raped by a Shadar-kai prince and was rescued by Tea. Because of this she distrusts all men except her father. 5) Zhan loves cats and kittens and tries to keep one as a pet whenever possible.
1) During the failed ritual casting incident Zhan learned Tea's truename. It is her most closely held secret and she hopes it will be the key to restoring her love's psyche to full working condition. 2) Zhan does not know that Tea killed the Shadar-kai prince as the murder took place after her rescue. Zhan had asked Tea, but Tea denied involvement. While Zhan knows Tea lies, and even enjoys it, this is the only time Tea has ever lied to her and how that would affect their relationship is unknown.
1) Tea, a female Eladrin (shadow elf) fey-pact warlock MC wizard. Detailed above. 2) Tao and Aurora, a pair of female devas (4e aasimar) that Tea managed to **** off while visiting another feywild city. They blame Zhan by association. 3) HK-01 is an assassin warforged constructed by the Shadar-kai duke when he discovered who killed his son. This occurs immediately after Tea and Zhan leave for Faerun.
1) Zhan's most treasured memory is her first meeting with Tea. Zhan was on her way to school when a large dog jumped in front of her, growling at her and blocking her way. Tea chased the dog off with a large stick when she saw Zhan's peril. 2) the smell of the grass of the archery range is an especially calming memory for Zhan. Especially when she is forced by circumstances to use her magic outside of a controlled environment. 3) her father and mother playing [i]shafini, a board-game that is combination wargame and city-builder[/i]
1) Zhan likes to hang behind Tea and let Tea have the spotlight. If forced to be on her own, Zhan is timid and afraid to take the lead. 2) Zhan likes her bow more than her magic, rarely using the latter except at the command of Tea (or another ally).
1) HK stands for "Hunter/Killer" 2) He is the first in his line of what his creators hope to be the pinnacle of assassination [s]droids[/s] non-free-willed warforged. 3) He lacks free will and requires a master. He does have discretionary abilities while executing orders. Think limited wish. 4) He refers to all living creatures as "meatbags." 5) He genuinely enjoys killing things. 6) He was built to learn new languages so he can double as a translator.
1) His first assassination, a trial run for his assassination of Tea and Zhan. He assassinated an irritating, but influential merchant that was threatening the Duke. As HK watched his arrow sink deep into the neck of his target he felt a powerful feeling; that of satisfaction... and love. 2) His second assassination was that of the Duchess' lover. He sneaked into the man's house and eliminated him using the man's own pillow. Again he experienced that overwhelming feeling of satisfaction and love. 3) His arrival on Faerun and seeing so many meatbags... and him having so little time to kill them all in.
1) HK-01 is self-deprecating when talking to his master. 2) HK constantly urges his master to take the violent, destructive, or evil path to accomplish his or her goals. 3) HK calls all living things "meatbags" and makes his dim view of such beings, with the exception of his master, known.
Concept/Background This character I designed for my girlfriend who I'm getting into D&D :evillaugh. The concept behind this Tezrian was to make a character that someone new to roleplaying could play without having to act too much against her own personality (like acting very pious) but stilll give an indepth background to work with.
Tezrian was brought up in her clan of the shining thorn, raised by her family to be a paladin, to stand for justice and honour and to bring glory for her ancestors and her descendants. Her clan are very devout worshippers of bahamut, and tezrian is no exception, she has always had great faith in the platinum dragon and his standards. The clan's village is situated off the main road between two larger cities, they get along well with them but live elsewhere for better privacy.
One day, a stranger came to their village, a dragonborn or so he seemed, the stranger was really a drow mage assasin sent up to the village to murder one of the villages higher officials; also one of the clan's greatest heroes. The drow accomplished this because he was an apt illusionist and disguised himself as Tezrian to frame her shortly after she managed to uncover his secret. His disguise worked so well that he managed to convince the council she had committed the murder, however because of a lack of evidence they could not find out if she did, but because they were so sure they infact stripped her of her paladinhood and banished her from the clan.
However because she knows that she did not commit the crime she retains her worship of bahamut and still continues to practice being a paladin. Despite being banished she still has her faith although it is diminished somewhat. She prefers to try and talk things through before resorting to fighting however if required she will fight fiercely, and can be very stubborn at times.
Because of the assassin she has come to hate the drow and won't even try to talk to them if she sees them.
She is no longer recognised as a paladin amongst the churches but because of her ability to reason with people she manages to stay out of trouble with them most of the time.
Goals 1. To find the drow who framed her and prove her innocence and restore her paladinhood.
2. To restore her faith and sense of right with the world by exploring what the world has to offer.
Secrets 1)She has a secret desire to find Bahamut, no matter plane he resides in, although she doesn't know what she hopes to accomplish with this.
2)Though she wants to restore her paladinhood she resents the council for believing that she would murder one of her clan.
3)The drow who murdered the clan hero has been allowed to search for her while he is sent out on other contracts.
Contacts Her parents, the only two in her clan who believe her innocence, the ones who raised her to be a paladin; being paladins themselves. Who still live with the clan although they do isolate themselves more the village since Tezrian's banishment.
She has contacts amongst several guilds across the continent with her ability to make friends and contacts quite easily, most noteable amongst them being a secretary in a large city council called Paran, a half-elf with his eyes and ears on all the information that passes through the city.
Memories 1)Hefting a double handed axe for the first time and feeling its secure weight in her hands. 2)Watching the drow murder one the clan's greatest heroes before her eyes. 3)Feeling the shock as her friends in the clan turned against her and banished her. 4)Spending her first night in the outside world and seeing the vastness of the cities and the shades of the city. 5)The shame after attacking a drow scout without any provocation after feeling the rage and being reminded of the assassin.
Added Quotes to The White Fox Society, The Republic of Coralton, and St. Clarice. I've started a movement! :D I like what you've done, Elfstar. Though Osiris is missing his quote for his goals.
thank you, it's good to be liked. You don't know the half of it. At least I hope not. This is THE thread on 4e character development, IMO. I expect more and more people to discover that. My schedule of updates is HERE, the Osiris thing being first. There's also a request for you in there (Editing Ditch's link). Some random thoughts on this last Batch of TMBs: *Ravingdorks portraits are annoying me more than I'd like. Ginormous images are best used with spoilerboxes. *I suggested Rowl do up his dwarf like this, and I think it really brings out some of the contexts of his actions and trials. Very nice work. *I am torn whether or not to suggest Proin watch Bakshi's Wizards, So I am writing only to note: It contains a Robot assassin in a fantasy setting, later reprogrammed. *Does anyone get the impression that Bahamut's Cleric to Paladin ratio is rather low? I mean, seriously, does anyone read the dogma, and think: "valorous acts, eh? I can really see myself buffing the people doing 'em..." This isn't criticizing you in any way DTB, I think it's endemic to the deity. *Bullet points are slightly awesome.
You don't know the half of it. At least I hope not. This is THE thread on 4e character development, IMO. I expect more and more people to discover that. My schedule of updates is HERE, the Osiris thing being first.
Well, thanks, but again, the whole concept of the TMB is edition and even game neutral. It's just a good idea I felt like showing in action, and snowballed from there.
*Ravingdorks portraits are annoying me more than I'd like. Ginormous images are best used with spoilerboxes.
I blame myself, honestly. I asked him to post a few characters, thinking he'd pick his favorites and we'd have some art-enhanced TMBs in the thread, but he chose to just C/P the first couple of pages of his thread with no alterations whatsoever. It annoys me, too, honestly, but for different reasons.
*I suggested Rowl do up his dwarf like this, and I think it really brings out some of the contexts of his actions and trials. Very nice work.
I noticed that, and I thank you. After all, this is a character outline that gets at the points a person wants to cover. I've done the whole "Write pages of background" thing (most recently with a character called Jaycen Shadowborn), but while it was a fun writing exercise, I realized that most of the stuff I wanted the DM to know and us in his game was lost in my prose, as interesting as it was. I'll have to post the backstory I wrote and Jaycen's TMB for comparison.
That said, as a creative pursuit, long backstories like Araks are fun to read when the time presents itself, because a lot of creative people play D&D. Heck, half my players love writing long backgrounds (Tamasin's player even wrote a long background when I asked her for a TMB :P) because you can get more into a character's head that way, or at least develop more than when you have a fixed amount of room.
*I am torn whether or not to suggest Proin watch Bakshi's Wizards, So I am writing only to note: It contains a Robot assassin in a fantasy setting, later reprogrammed.
What's Bakshi's Wizards?
*Does anyone get the impression that Bahamut's Cleric to Paladin ratio is rather low? I mean, seriously, does anyone read the dogma, and think: "valorous acts, eh? I can really see myself buffing the people doing 'em..." This isn't criticizing you in any way DTB, I think it's endemic to the deity.
It's like Hieronious all over again. Paladin just seems to fit his belief structure better.
*Bullet points are slightly awesome.
I know. I personally like using the
command.
So, I wanted your opinion--I'm trying to decide who to post next. I know I've mentioned Victoria Montaire a few times, so I might write her up, but are there any other characters mentioned in some of my previous TMBs you'd like to see focused on?
The Ten-Minute Background of St. Clarice DuParis, Paladin of Cyra Morwyn
Step 1: Background
"Why, hello there, handsome. Wanna see the gods? I can show you them all...night...long." --Clarice DuPree, to a handsome priest passing through Leroux
1) The town of St. Clarice venerates a half-eladrin paladin of Cyra Morwyn by the name of Clarice DuParis, who defended the town during the Hundred Years' Chaos, breaking the siege of the town by a horde of devils in a daring raid and giving her own life to close the portal that allowed the devils free reign in The World. She is usually depicted as a shining example of the Great Church's lifestyle: pious, chaste, and pure in every way. The truth, however, is more complicated. 2) Clarice DuParis was the daughter of Eladrin Matriarch Monique DuParis, highest-ranking cleric of the Great Church of Cyra Morywn. From a young age she was expected to do great things and follow in her mother's footsteps. She was groomed to be the next high Matriarch almost since she was born. 3) And she loathed it. She felt trapped by her mother's expectations of her and her inability to do what she really wanted. She tried to escape her mother's control, first by joining Cyra's Paladin order instead of the clergy, and, eventually (when she realized just how much more oppressive and ascetic the paladin order was compared to the clergy) by openly blaspheming The White Lady, resulting in her being dishonorably expelled from the order's ranks. She was, in fact, excommunicated from the Great Chruch and exiled from Notre Dame. 4) She settled in the small fishing village of Leroux, as far from her mother as she could get and still be within the Kelsenon empire. She changed her name to DuPree, and gained a reputation as a loose winesot with a temper. She wound up spending most of her days in a stupor at the Drunken Devil Tavern, something she was sure her mother would not approve of. Then the Army of Darkness invaded the southern provinces. 5) With devils laid siege to the town of Leroux, the watch was quickly overwhelmed. Clarice, however, defended the residents of the tavern, drawing on her nearly forgotten paladin training to fight the legion devils off. She then rallied the rest of the townsfolk, and found herself in the position of needing to draw more on her hated heritage than she ever wanted to. She quickly became a leader and a strong warrior. 6) Beneath her bitter, rebellious exterior was a descent person with strong convictions, and she truly cared for the people of the town she called home. So after it became apparent that the devils would never be defeated until the portal was closed, she and a few close friends made a daring attack against it, shattering it and slaughtering hundreds of devils in the process. She did not survive the assault, however, and a shrine was built over her grave. This was eventually the foundation of the church of Cyra Morwyn that still has influence in the town, an irony she might not have appreciated while she was alive.
Step 2: Goals
"You know, you remind me of my mother. I hate my mother." --Clarice DuPree to that same priest, just after being told off and just before the brawl started.
"Ok, you glowing *****. Here's the deal. You want me to help these people? Give me some of your divine mojo, 'cause what I got isn't nearly enough to stomp a thousand screaming devils and get out of here. We need to get supplies through, but you know all this, 'cause you're so high and mighty. So why don't you get off your ass and actually DO something worthy of worship for once?" --The morning prayers of St. Clarice
1) Matriarch Monique DuParis never stopped believing that her daughter would see the light and come back to the fold. When she heard about her daughter's exploits in Leroux, she was quietly proud, if saddened. She spent considerable effort quietly changing history, removing the records of her daughter's disgrace and working to have her beautified as a Saint. 2) St. Clarice's remains still lie in Shroudmist Abby, enshrined somewhere within. It is said her spirit will return one day when the town's need is dire, and most people in the city believe that the great stature in her honor in the town square will animate when the time is right to save St. Clarice again. Spoiler:Show
3) Gerard LeVaine has happened to uncover a diary written during the Hundred Years' Chaos that escaped the Matriarch's attempts to revise history. He now plans on using this information to discredit the Cyran church, as part of his plot to ruin the reputations of the three major churches in the city. Ideally, he'd like to get his hands on Clarice's remains, and either resurrect her and show the town what their hero was really like, or create a horrible undead creature from them, to sow terror and despair. He hasn't decided which.
Step 4: Contacts
"Who're ya looking for? Saint Clarice DuParis? HA! I know a Clarice DuPree, but she's FAR from a Saint, unless they've lowered their standards of late." --Gaston Grundy, inkeeper of The Drunk Devil Tavern, to some strangers "from out of town"
I wanted to do a story about a fallen Paladin, because I've seen a lot of paladin characters on these boards who are still pious and faithful even when bad things have happened to them. I wanted to create a fallen paladin who did not believe in their god, but who wasn't evil. After all, in 4e, Paladin's don't lose their powers, no matter what they do with their lives. And then I got the idea of Jaynestownstuck in my head, and decided to make that Paladin St. Clarice.
*I am torn whether or not to suggest Proin watch Bakshi's Wizards, So I am writing only to note: It contains a Robot assassin in a fantasy setting, later reprogrammed.
