Several human nations don't like elves/eladrin and treat them as second class citizens.
Arcane power types either work for the government or are borderline criminals (in the eyes of the populace) in mageaphobic Amn.
The svirfneblin (deep gnomes) are the downtrodden race of the Underdark.
Calminshan has reverted to being two (warring) genasi superiority states. A wind or stormsoul genasi in the firesoul controlled country would get beat up, arrested or killed. So too would a firesoul be treated ill in the storm/windsoul state.
I haven't been posting as often because we've put our D&D game on a hiatus for a bit (th holidays tend to be very hectic and crazy for our group, so we don't meet as much). But while I've put D&D on the back burner, I've started up a Hunter: The Vigil game where the primary antagonists are changelings. I thought I'd share a few NPCs from this game for you all. So, without further ado, I present:
1) There is an urban legend in Bradshaw about a house on the corner of Mount Virgil Avenue, just before it turns into Governor Highway. The two-story Queen Ann-style house has long been empty—the doors are nailed shut, and the windows boarded over, except for a single window in the back that leads to the basement foundations. Alone, the house sits, not sane, covered in tangles of ivy vines that seem to remain green all year long.
2) Ivy House is haunted, they say. The ghost of a little girl, with silvery hair and bright green eyes, wanders the empty rooms and hallways, stirs the sheets draped over the furniture, and whispers things to those who can hear her. This is why the house has remained empty—no one wants to live with this ghost. But no one will tear the house down, because it's on the National Register of Historic Places and the folk of Bradshaw would throw a fit if even one of its historic places were torn down, even those places that don't belong in a sane world.
3) If you enter the house, you might be disappointed. There's not much left within—thieves and vandals have left their mark on the covered furnishings. The walls and floors are covered with graffiti tags (always half finished—NEVER completed). There aren't any real valuables left—they disappeared long ago. And if you wait for the ghost, you are likely to be more disappointed still, as you wait in the darkness with talcum dust, tape recorders, and EKGs for an apparition that will never appear. The Green-Eyed Girl won't appear this way because you didn't enter the house right.
4) However, if you go to the only unbarred window in the back under the light of the full moon, turn about three times before it, and then spill a single drop of blood on the window frame (to thank it for the service), you can then enter the window and find yourself in the house, as it was many, many years before, with unbroken furniture, unmarked walls, a fire in the fireplace, and the Green-Eyed Girl waiting to meet you.
5) The Green-Eyed Girl will talk to you of loss, and you will remember all the things you wanted in your life, all the things you should have had but never did receive. Then you will think of those who stood in your way, who have what you wanted but never got, and you might get angry. Angry enough to do something to those people who mock you, who taunt you by having everything you should have. And you will want to do something about it. The Green-Eyed Girl will nod—she understands, and she wants to help you. She knows where those people who make you so mad are, and she will tell you where to find them. Then she opens the door, and you find yourself back on the street (you aren't sure how, since you entered in the back and the front door is nailed shut, but that doesn't matter). And you go off into the night, and the murder rate of Bradshaw climbs by one…
Step 2: "Now, stop that! Or I shall be very, very cross..."
1) The Green-Eyed Girl is meant to embody dangerous envy, the sort of covetousness that ruins lives. At first she'll be relatively confined, but as the story progresses I want her influence to spread and poison all around her, which will hopefully lead to the party banding together to stop her for good. I also want her to creep the holy hell out of the players. 2) I want to use the Green-Eyed Girl to showcase the utter inhumanity of the True Fae. No matter how human she may look, the Green-Eyed Girl should come off as just wrong.
1) The Green-Eyed Girl isn't a ghost. She isn't and never was human. She is, in fact, one of The Banished, a True Fae who was forced into Exile over a century ago. Her main goal is to find a way to gain enough power to regain her former domain in Arcadia, but she was trapped in her Hollow by a Motley of changelings before her plans could come to fruition. This binding wasn't perfect--a single gateway remained between the hedge and the mortal world, and some memory f the Key used to open that gate has passed into local folklore. But for decades, only a very few people attempted to even visit the mortal version of Ivy House, much less figure out the key and enter her domain. Starved of Glamour, she hasn't had the ability to affect much. That is, until recently.
2) A disturbed Changeling known as Jack Flash has launched a one-man crusade against all things Faerie. He has decided that the only way to save humanity from the depredations of the True Fae is to burn all bridges from Arcadia to the mortal world. This means destroying all the Trods and gateways that lead into the Hedge, a nigh-futile task that keeps him eternally busy. His favorite tactic for closing gates is to destroy them with fire, so incidents of arson in Bradshaw have increased alarmingly. Since Bradshaw is at the edge of a dry pine forest and has been suffering a severe drought for the past 8 years, this means Jack is responsible for several fires that got wildly out of hand, including the Rodeo-Chediski fire (the worst wildfire in Arizona history). In Jack's mind, the destruction is justified in the sealing of gateways, though he regrets the times his arson gets out of hand.
However, the truth is that his methods just aren't as effective as he thinks. Sometimes it works, but most times the gates remain, just waiting to be opened again. Worse, some of the places he's destroyed weren't created by the Gentry, but by changelings like himself trying to tap into Acradian powers for one reason or another. This includes a series of enchanted stones meant to be anchors on the binds that trap the Green-Eyed Child in her Hollow. There once were seven of them, placed way out in the forest near Hedge Trods to draw on the Glamour they provide and act as a series of "locks" around the Green-Eyed Child's prison. Jack has identified them as being of Fae origin, and, in his paranoia, decided they must be beacons for the Genrty. He has smashed and burned 5 of them so far, and the Green-Eyed Child has felt the weakening of the binds that hold her. She is taking advantage of this to draw more people into her clutches, so she can feed on their vices and regain her power.
3) The Green-Eyed Girl's actions haven't gone unnoticed in Arcadia. One of her rivals, an ugly hag known only as The Duchess, has been looking of her for a long time to finish what she started a century ago when she stole the Green-Eyed Girl's power. Now she's after the Green-Eyed Girl's soul, and she's sent one of her agents to secure it. The Cheshire Cat, however, doesn't care to go to the trouble of getting his hands dirty, so he is looking for a some clueless rubes he can dupe into facing the Green-Eyed Girl for him...
1) Jack Flash is an unwitting ally of The Green-Eyed Girl. She hasn't met him face-to-face, but his unrelenting hatred of the fae has ironically empowered her, and she feels she owes him a favor, out of whatever sense of gratitude something like her can feel. She plans to give him a little nudge that will cause him to break the final locks holding her in place, and then "reward" him by taking him into her service on her path back to Arcadia.
2) During her entrapment, a few curious spirits took up residence in Ivy house with her. The Green-Eyed Girl sees these spirits as useful servants, and they see her as a good source of Essence. They aren't totally under her control, but they will fight to protect her.
3) The Cheshire Cat, a changeling in the service of The Duchess, has been tasked with claiming the Green-Eyed Girl's soul for his mistress. He is somewhat lazy, however, and not willing to put himself in danger. He's assured himself that it won't be necessary, though...he can use his magic to empower others to do his dirty work, and he's certain he can paint the Green-Eyed Girl as a horrible threat that must be stopped to someone who'd be willing to do the work for him.
1. Kitseri storytellers told of the great deeds of the thief Sainbec around their campfires. They told of his daring, his joy in breaking laws and his pure heart. They told of his part in the War of Song, as the great Kitseri civilization collapsed. They spoke in sorrowful tones of how the Warlord Kirgat slew Sainbec's wife and children and drove Sainbec to despairing fury. They said that Sainbec slew Kirgat's elite bodyguard and ripped out the warlord's throat with his teeth in the temple of Chessyt. Sainbec was never found, but seven artifacts that Chessyt had made were missing, and the storytellers ended their tales with a warning that mocking the gods never paid. 2. A hundred years after the gods had died and the Kitseri civilization had turned to ruin, Sainbec woke up in Chessyt's ruined temple, memories in fragments, green tattoos snaking all over the right side of his body and seven rings on his hand. When he found a nomadic Kitseri tribe, they told him of the disasterous ending of the War of Song. 3. Sainbec realized that he had been sent back to his people for a reason, and united the tribes. The winds loved him, and he realized that he could command them at will. He led his people out of the barren desert and together the tribes that followed him built a city next to the sea. He choose five champions who were granted immortality and slight divine power, to help him protect the Kitseri. 4. Sainbec began to talk with one of the dead gods in his dreams - Devlin Lucklord. Gifting Sainbec with his headband and dice, Devlin's shade helps Sainbec control luck and break fate. 5. On an otherwise uninteresting island to the north, settlers of another god came into conflict with the native elven tribes. Matters got bloody quick and escalated until entire forests were being ripped apart by the tornadoes of the other god. The war god commanded his followers to help the settlers and steal the magical armor and weapons of the elves so that they would be his. Sainbec stepped in to stop it and killed two of the war god's followers that attacked him. Divine tension escalated until the war god ordered his followers to attack the city by the sea in secret, blasting the camps with magic and ravaging the Kitseri. This made Sainbec see red, and it appears that there will be war in the heavens - two gods with the war god, two gods with Sainbec.
1. Anything to do with bringing the war god down a peg. Sainbec in no way wants to actually duel the bloody god of war but he will jump at the chance to retaliate over and above the call of duty if the war god attacks his people again. 2. Connected to the above, doing so without having to fight the two gods at the war god's side - Sainbec likes the duo, and really doesn't want to fight those who could have been his friends if the war god hadn't been their friend already. 3. A secret goal that Sainbec knows almost nothing about yet: one of the gods helping protect his people has realized that she's in love with the dashing nomad, and is still trying to understand her feelings. I'd like to see Sainbec and the god of protection realize that they like each other.
1. Sainbec is beginning another high-risk gamble, molding one of the immortal champions he created into a god of honor and chivalry, a god who is the light side to the war god's darkness. It'll take centuries if not a millenium, but eventually he hopes that the young man can become a true if rather weak god. 2. Because of how close the dead god Devlin is becoming to Sainbec, the two are starting to become one being. Sainbec occasionally speaks with Devlin's voice, and occasionally one can hear a distant drumbeat accompaning his words. Sainbec will gain greater power in the domain of luck, and eventually the two will be able to talk to each other outside of dreams.
1. Etharn Satharos is one of the champions, paragon of the Satharos tribe descended from the warriors of the ancient empire. Etharn is the champion Sainbec is using in his gamble, and the scarred young man trusts Sainbec so implicitly that Sainbec is going to crumble and explain his plans any day now out of guilt. 2. Wela is the goddess of Protection, and has liked Sainbec from the God's Council at which they met. Wela is Sainbec's most ardent and vocal supporter against the war god, and is secretly in love with the wind god. 3. Varin is the god of War and Knowledge, and he hates Sainbec intensely - a hatred that is mutual. Sainbec defied Varin and mocked him, and Varin attacked Sainbec's people. There is no telling how long the very tenous peace between them will last.
1. Sainbec's worst memory is that of coming back from a victorious raid against Kirgat to find his house ruined and his family hacked apart by Kirgat's warriors - a memory that always returns to torture him when those he loves are in danger. 2. Oh, the glorious memory of waking up and running with the wind at his back, caressing him and making him whole again, showing him his path. 3. Another memory burned into his mind is the devestation of an elven village he came upon that had been ripped apart by tornadoes, with only one survivor - and killing two of the mercenaries threatening that young elven maid.
Design Notes: The character's original inspiration was simply this song. As all really good characters do, he's evolved since then, and more character growth and evolution can be seen on the horizon. And yes, you should know who Devlin Lucklord is.
Grand Chieftan Fardulf Ioniz Yarkitehn of Clan Arnisi Age : 55 Height : 5’9 Wieght : 195 lbs Hair Color : Dark Brown Eye Color : Green Distinguishing characteristics : Fardulf usually wears his shirt open at the chest to show off the Brand of a Boar’s tusk and a Sword (this is the symbol of his clan and is an actual brand like one given to cattle)
five things essential to Fardulf’s background
1) Fardulf was born the youngest son to Duke Welf of Maligor and his 3rd wife Duchess Lorelei. His younger brother Donal and his sisters Wendolina and Angelique were his only full blooded siblings. Donal died of Malaria (a disease unknown in the Maligorian climate) at the age of 17. Fardulf and his brother were close even though Donal was always too sickly and weak to fully participate in the warrior based culture of the Maligorian elites. 2) Fardulf met his wife, Ratri Thorn (more commonly known as Terri), when he left Maligor after his mother’s encouragement to find out what he wanted in the world. She was a member of a race known as the Illary. These people were said to be immortal and had abilities and skills far above those of an average Human, though they look identical to humans except for the fact that all of them are extremely tall. They have 9 children (2 sets of twins, 1 set of triplets and two single birth). Terri died 8 years ago when giving birth to the triplets (Ratar, Thorn and Fardulf II) 3) Maligor is a Warrior based culture that follows a religion that is similar to RL Christianity, but the Maligorians believe that before they can enter the afterlife they must defeat evil on the earthly plain. They retain pagan rituals from their Tribal past but do not place any religious significance to them. These rituals are used as Rites of Passage into different stages of Maligorian life. 4) Fardulf secured and now rules over his own city state known as Alaotopos. He has also secured the title of Grand Chieftan of the Malingi. This title has no true power anymore and is actually more of a cultural figurehead. He advises his nephew on Matters pertaining to the Malingi way of life, but the title itself gives him no true power to effect change. His influence is powerful because he is seen as the savior of the Malingi way of life and therefore most maligorian leaders would never go directly against his wishes for fear of the people turning against him. 5) Fardulf is a powerful figure in the world outside of Maligor as well and his forces have recently established a Protectorate over the chaotic and often attacked neighboring pagan nations of Ravidiha and Sagura Dama. Sagura Dama has largely accepted the Protectorate demands of change and is relatively calm. Ravidiha is resistant to give up her pagan traditions and there is a slowly brewing civil war coming to a boil.
Fardulf’s goals
1) Fardulf wishes to carry out the Maligorian cultural duty to extinguish evil in the world. He seeks to eliminate the use of Magic (he believes that it comes from demons and pollutes the soul) in the lands he controls. He also seeks to extend the sphere of influence of the Universalist church of Oredolea to all the areas of the 7 sisters. 2) Fardulf wants to ensure the safety of the Maligorian people and allow them to maintain their way of life.
Fardulf’s secrets
1) It is a closely guarded secret that through his mother Fardulf is ½ Illary. He has many of the abilities of the Illary (he stopped aging at about 40 years of age) and he has demonstrated a rudimentary telepathic ability, but he does not try to develop any of these abilities. 2) The Royal families of each clan are actually descendents of Celestial beings and therefore they maintain some degeree of angelic blood and abilities. Their specially bred Malingi War Horse breeds (the Heavy being known as the Larvisti line and the Medium known as the Cannissa line) are also descended from celestial stock and therefore much stronger faster and smarter than the average horse. (Fardulf is unaware of this)
List three people that are tied to Fardulf through blood, romance or honor.
1) Shilana The Wanderer : For someone whose world view is so aggressively Humanocentrist as well as anti-magic it surprises many people that one of Fardulf’s closest confidants is an Elven Bard who has been known to dabble in Magic (though she rarely uses it anymore). Their friendship developed when they adventured together. Shilana earned his respect for her ‘Warriors heart and fierce loyalty’. They are not the type who sit and have drinks together. Their friendship is based on mutual respect for one another (even though they disagree on a lot of issues). In fact their respect for each other is so deep that when Shilana became pregnant and realized that her personality was unsuited to the challenges of Parenthood she asked Fardulf to raise her son as his own. It is known that Fardulf has raised an elven son (Paulus) as his own but few know that it is Shilana’s son. 2) Joshua Halftree : Once again due to Fardulf’s mindset and goals it surprises many that he has maintained such a close bond with this Halfling Rogue. Joshua is carefree and enjoys life to the fullest with little thought of the consequences (his wife does that for him) and this is in stark contrast to the stoic and serious Fardulf. Their families spend a month together each year when the Halftrees come to Alaotopos. Joshua is retired from adventuring and manages the Inn/Tavern that he and Fardulf own in Ravidiha. 3) Pheonix Fireash : Not only is Pheonix the anti-thesis of everything that Fardulf believes in (he is a Magic user, a Pagan and cares nothing for anyone or anything except for furthering his own goals) but he is also directly responsible for Fardulf being who he is. Pheonix is an immortal who survives by taking over the bodies of other people. To improve the innate powers and make his hosts tougher to kill he performed experiments that eventually created The Illary. This way he would have ‘vessels’ which were naturally better than normal humans. Therefore he created ½ of Fardulf’s bloodline in that way. He is also the source of the Maligorian belief that their ancestors are responsible for allowing evil to escape into the world. Pheonix was born into the tribe that would eventually give birth to all the Maligorian clans. His actions led to the ancestors driving him out and then realizing what he was inflicting on others they persued him and have been trying to destroy his plans for over 1250 years. The knowledge that they were responsible for Pheonix’s actions directly has been lost to the mists of time and they now simply believe that they allowed evil (non-personified) to escape. Pheonix has also directly affected Fardulf by killing his younger brother, and various other acts that Farduld knows and has had a hand in thwarting. However his ultimate deed against Fardulf is one that no one is aware of : Pheonix caused his wife to die giving birth to the Triplets, one of whom (the one known as Fardulf II) he inhabits. 4) Xexoli Neoaltrae : Xexoli is the head of the Tamin Guild that specializes in protection for Merchant travelers in the area of the 7 Sister’s region. That atleast is their public image. Behind this veneer of lies their true business. Xexoli controls a huge portion of the black economy. He bankrolls thieves, assassins, spies, and many other people who deal in things that often put them on the wrong side of the law. He now controls almost one hundred percent of all the illegal drug market in the area. He is based in Ravidiha, and this often puts him in direct conflict with the forces of the Protectorate. He is against the Protectorate because it is trying to destroy Ravidiha’s cultural identity. He is a member of a group that seeks to drive out the Protectorate. However he does not see a good alternative to replace it with that will ensure the safety of the citizenry. As such he often finds himself on both sides of the issue. He will support the Protectorate if it helps the populace and then he will allow attacks on the protectorate to be carried out to appease his allies. If he was presssenteddd wiiith an alternative that he felt waaas better he would throw his forces behind ejecting the protectorate. It should also be noted that he has nothing against the Maligorians themselves just their presence in Ravidiha. In fact his sister is married to a Maligorian Knight. He will help Fardulf if it is good for ravidiha but will not if he determines that it is contrary to this goal. Miscellaneous Information
1) Fardulf is very driven and has often been described as a cold fish. He keeps everyone but a select few at arms length and is not at all prone to emotional displays of any sort. His crest depicts a Marrionette with twin swords like a pair of scissors cutting its own strings. He seeks to be the master of his own destiny. He believes it is his job to spread his peoples way of life to others, but even though he is willing to use violence to enforce this edict he only does so when he judges that allowing others to maintain their divergent ways is a threat to his people. (an example : 3 times there have been invasions into Maligor using Ravidiha as a staging ground. Therefore Fardulf deemed that Ravidiha was a threat to his people if allowed to continue in their pagan ways. Thus he took over control of Ravidiha after the last time he and his forces drove the attackers from strongholds in Ravidiha.) 2) Fardulf genuinely believes that his people’s way of life is superior to others and while he is not dismissive of others he cannot disguise a slight disdain for all who do not follow it. 3) Fardulf is seen by many as a Religious figure, but he discourages this view. He never enterferes in religious matters and does whatever the Universalist church asks of him (unless it would be something completely out of line with his worldview). He is devout but not prone to proselytizing. He leads by example.
I was feeling bored, so I decided to post my favorite new character. He already has a background story (generously provided by Raving_Dork, thanks again man! ), but I figured it'd be interesting to put him through this process.
Sarastro of Goab
"May the sunlight always safeguard your path, my friend."
1. Sarastro is a half-elf paladin of Pelor who grew up in a village called Goab, located in the World Forest that surrounds the Vale of Thorns 2. He has a rather naïve outlook on life, and is an optimist at heart. 3. Sarastro has travelled to the Vale of Thorns to make a difference in the world and to spread Pelor’s light and warmth wherever he can 4. Sarastro doesn’t know who his family was, because he was given by his elf mother to the priests at the Pelorian chapel in Goab while he was still a baby, and the priests raised him in Pelor’s faith. 5. Sarastro’s faith isn’t exactly true Pelorian doctrine. Because Goab is a very poor and isolated community, Sarastro learned from whatever books the chapel had, some of which aren’t Pelorian, and some that aren’t even religious at all. As a result, his doctrine is cobbled together from several disparate elements, and his prayers sound disjointed and odd.
"I am Pelor's hand in this benighted place. His aims are mine."
1. What I want most for Sarastro is eventually to rise to becoming a religious leader, and possibly even a saint or messiah figure. 2. Another thing that I built into Sarastro’s story as I talked with other players and built him, is that I want him to find family. He has no idea who his father was, and holds the hope that he may have other family as well.
"Discretion may be the better part of valor, but I believe that honesty wins every time."
1. Sarastro has had strange dreams ever since he can remember, and believes that Pelor speaks to him while he sleeps. The priests who raised him don’t believe it, but these dreams were part of the reason Sarastro became a paladin in the first place. 2. Sarastro has family that are still alive. The human rogue he is travelling with, Tremmie, is actually his half-sister, though neither she, nor Sarastro are aware of this. Sarastro’s father is also alive and living within the Vale of Thorns.
"As my companions like to remind me, I'm 'new' to this place. I don't know anybody here that well."
1. Tremmie the rogue is Sarastro’s half-sister, and a member of the same party Sarastro is travelling with. Like Sarastro, Tremmie was abandoned as a child. Unlike Sarastro, Tremmie grew up on the streets in one of the Vale’s cities. Having suffered constant abuse by anyone she’s ever met, Tremmie is a pessimist who firmly believes that the dagger she carries, Benhime, is the only one she can truly trust. Her somewhat psychotic love of blood and her sadistic nature make her an antithesis of everything Sarastro stands for. 2. Sarastro’s human father travelled to the Vale shortly after he discovered Sarastro’s elf mother was pregnant, abandoning her. After he arrived there he ended up living with a human woman, who later gave birth to Tremmie. When she found out about the elf he’d knocked up before he met her, he abandoned her as well. Because of his history of using and abandoning women, he’s seen as a selfish and wicked man. Both Sarastro and Tremmie would be shocked if they found him. 3. Because he’s relatively new to the area known as the Vale of Thorns, Sarastro has yet to make any major enemies.
"It's not bad to look back and reminisce from time to time, but living life in the past isn't going to do much for your present or your future. Time moves as Pelor wills it, ever forward. One doesn't fight against the current on the river. Neither should one struggle to reclaim what belongs to the past."
1. Sarastro has very faint memories of being given to the Pelorians as a child. He can remember crying while his mother comforted him one last time, and singing a lullaby that Sarastro still hums today. 2. Sarastro’s proudest memory was when he was ordained as a paladin of Pelor. The old abbot who’d been like a grandfather to him growing up intoned prayers to Pelor, and when Sarastro kneeled before him, a divine ray of sunlight streamed through the window. The entire congregation was in awe. 3. Sarastro remembers first entering the Vale of Thorns pretty well, as it was rather recent. He remembers travelling down the old road, through the massive trees of the World Forest, before arriving at what looked to be an impenetrable hedge of thorns. He was looking for a way around it when he saw a path leading into it, strewn with blood-red rose petals. Since there was no other way to go, Sarastro went down the path until he came to a clearing with an old tunnel entrance sticking out of the ground. Since the clearing was a dead end, he went below the ground, where he had a run in with a group of undead monsters. He was fighting them on his own before meeting up with a group that was travelling through the underground who helped him fight the undead off. Upon emerging, Sarastro noticed the path he’d entered was now gone, leaving him with no way to go but forward. He latched on to the group that found him and is now travelling with them as a member of their adventuring party.
I created Sarastro as my first 4e PC for an online play-by-post, and I'm still forming him in a sense (he hasn't even reached level 2 yet). I'm sure many of you here are familiar with him, as I've been asking questions pertaining to his character here often.
Picture originally created by Pulyx, photoshopped by Raving_Dork
Physical Description 4'7”, 88lbs, female. White skin with a light-blue tinge to it. Ankle length dark blue hair. Her eyes are a frosty-blue color. 87, looks about a human 16 or so.
Finally finding a secluded part of the palace, Zhan sits down and allows her tears to flow freely. “I'm sick of this! I'm not ready! The others will kill me first!” Feeling a warm, moist feeling on her brow, Zhan looks up, seeing Tea leaning over her. “Don't worry, Zhan, I won't let them. You will be queen. 'By my blood and by my blade I will serve you.'” “'And through oath and spell I take you as my champion.' Yes, Tea, I know,” replied Zhan, taking Tea's hand in her own. BACKGROUNDShow
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Zhan was born in Alefforta, capital city of the Shadowfey and heart of the Unseelie Court.
Zhan is the granddaughter of the current Queen of Air and Darkness, whose true-name was lost ages ago. Zhan stands next in line for the throne for when the Queen dispenses with her mortal coil and becomes one with the magic of the Shadowfey.
Zhan's mother, Norifa Perspecass, was an airship captain and attended a military academy with Tea's father and they became friends (although nothing more). Due to their shared high-station and friendship their daughters were able to meet, and fall in love.
Norifa removed herself from the line of inheritance by showing neither aptitude for nor the desire to learn the arcane arts. Zhan's father, Halfron Divro-Perspecass, is a powerful frost elf wizard and passed his magical prowess on to his daughter, making her the prime heir (since Norifa was the eldest daughter of the Queen).
Zhan attended the Grand Academy of Alefforta with Tea. While there she was nearly raped by the son of the shadar-kai ambassador from a Shadowfell Kingdom (the son was also an exchange student at the academy). Tea saved Zhan and then hunted down and killed the shadar-kai.
Another major incident for Zhan at the Academy was her first summoning ritual. Tea was watching and the masters failed to account for her presence. In the end Tea was infected with a worm of insanity. Zhan blames herself and would do anything to reverse the damage. Unfortunately the only ritual believed to be able to remove the worm is closely guarded by the illithid.
“Ahhh... oomph,” Zhan rubs the top of her head where a bundle of scrolls just hit. A scribe – a human, reminding Zhan just how far from home she really is – rushes from another room of the library. “Young miss, are you alright.” “I-I-I'm sorry I'll clean up the mess right away!” Zhan stands up and brushes herself off and then hastily begins trying to clean up the scrolls and tomes she dropped. “What exactly are you researching,” asks the scribe – a, Zhan wraps her mind around the unfamiliar word, cleric of someone called Oghma – “perhaps I could point you in the right direction.” “I am seeking a way to break a curse of the foul illithid. Where would I find such knowledge?” GOALSShow
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Zhan wishes, more than anything, to cure Tea of her insanity. Zhan blames herself for it and spends inordinate amounts of time researching possible cures.
A peaceful ascension to the throne, or a reasonable way to get out of having to take the throne that doesn't involve her own death, is fairly high on Zhan's list life goals.
Stepping out of the bath Zhan held out her arms for the servants, two nyads and a dryad, to dry her off and robe her. From the bath she proceeded to the room she normally shared with Tea while at the palace. Looking around to make sure her lover wasn't there, Zhan heads towards her dresser. Once there she whispers an arcane word to unlock and reveal a secret drawer. Inside is a pouch full of a fine, crystalline powder. Picking up the pouch, Zhan rushes over to the plush reverie couches the two used last night. Bending over Tea's pillow, Zhan invokes a minor spell, revealing more of the crystalline powder – leftovers of Tea's mental wanderings during reverie. Gathering up the powder, Zhan puts it in the pouch and then stores the pouch again. “One day, hopefully soon, this will be the key towards saving her.” SECRETSShow
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While Tea knows that Zhan is trying to restore her sanity, Tea is unaware of the lengths to which Zhan is willing to resort. This suites Zhan just fine, she fears that Tea might hinder her investigations if Tea felt it was hazardous for Zhan.
When traveling in foreign lands, Zhan tries to keep her social status a secret. She fears it will lead to a powerful male attempting to take her for her position, much as the son of the shadar-kai ambassador tried to do.
Zhan is unaware of the extent of several of her cousins' plots to kill her and take the throne. Her cousin Qirnoff Perspecass, daugther of the second daughter of the Queen, has already killed her own mother and is investing great time and energy into trying to remove Zhan.
“Ugh, I hate these things so much,” whispers Tea. “I know, just bear with it. Besides, you look cute in your new clothes,” Zhan allows herself a small smirk as she gives Tea another look. Tea was outfitted in a style considered to be the trendiest for young males. Getting Tea to cross-dress was one of the few things Zhan could really bully her into. Wincing, Tea glances over at Zhan “and your dress makes you even more stunning. It just makes me want to see you out of it.” “Etrielle and Quessir!” shouts the majordomo, “Her Royal Highness Zhan Perspecass and her escort the Etrielle Tea Telæsthesia!” “Come on, let's go,” whispers Zhan, pulling Tea out to the polite clapping of the crowd. A few minutes later, after both Zhan and Tea had started attack the food, the majordomo motioned for silence. “Etrielle and Quessir! Her Royal Majesty, the Queen of Air and Darkness...”
Queen of Air and Darkness, the – female frost elf (eladrin race) orb/wand wizard. Zhan's grandmother and the ruler of the Unseelie Court and all of Shadowfey.
Qirnoff Perspecass – female frost elf (eladrin race) staff wizard. Zhan's cousin. Is trying to have Zhan assassinated.
“Remember? Of course I remember. I just really wish I could forget...” - Zhan to Tea on the death of Zhan's pet snow leopard. MEMORIESShow
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Perhaps her most painful memory, and one that drives and haunts her every step, is causing Tea to get infected with the worm of insanity.
Her happiest days were those at the Academy when she could lose her self in the (relatively) simple life of a student and just enjoy her time with Tea and her classmates.
Zhan has buried several pet snow leopards (elves do live a long time, after all) and remembers every one fondly. She hopes to one day recreate the lost ritual of creating a familiar that can live as long as the one it bonds to.
Like with Tea, I was very unsatisfied with Zhan's write up. Also, the lore behind where they're from evolved in my mind significantly. So I decided to rewrite it.
Zhan is sort of the gloomy, shy, and angsty counterpart to Tea. She definitely wants to live, but would rather be a background character, which is ironic since her birth makes her very much a “main cast” sort of person.
I'm not currently playing Zhan, she's off “doing research” in the campaign I have Tea in, but I might switch them out for a change of pace.
Critique, please. And if you want myself or others to critique your TMB, just say so
Carric of the Tribe of the Hunting Hawk Elf Ranger
"Greetings." the tall elf in front of you says, his dark green eyes showing almost no hint of emotion and his hands not leaving the hilts of the scimitars strapped across his back. A cold late autumn wind blows through the hidden campsite.
1. Carric was trained as a ranger after his first major hunting trip, where he shot a goblin scout. 2. The training took several months, and involved grueling backpacking trips, obstacle courses, hunting, archery competitions, and, of course, two-blade sparring. 3. The village of his tribe was razed by a hobgoblin army two weeks after his initiation hunt. 4. Carric only survived the raid because he was knocked unconscious by a hobgoblin spearhaft to the skull. 5. He roamed the wilderness for more than a month before reaching Daanston, where, advertising himself as a guide, he got hired by the party cleric to lead the party to a goblin-filled ruin
"My only goal is to hunt down and slaughter those who authorized the massacre of my people."
1. Hunt down and kill the leader of the new hobgoblin Empire of Kael Rantir, Karn Nekal. 2. Find out if any of his tribe survived.
A whirlwind of blades hacks and slashes at a knot of hobgoblins, and they collapse, revealing the blood-coated elf who had previously been surrounded. "DIE!" he roars as he charges another group of goblinkin
1. (Known) Carric is starting to get waaay too much pleasure from killing, and might become CE-lite. 2. (Unknown) The eladrin mages who were with the tribe at the time of the raid actually led the goblinkin to the elven encampment.
"I have known many creatures during my life. Who they are is none of your business"
1. (Friendly) Erdan Maer: Carric's mentor, who was captured by and blinded by the hobgoblin that led the raid. 2. (Friendly) Adrik Broadanvil, dwarf cleric of Moradin: The party leader and healer, also one of the few people Carric trusts. 3. (Enemy) Arannis, Eladrin Tempest Fighter: An eladrin who helped in the attack.
"My blades have been buried in many foes since they were made. They are still quite thirsty."
1. His first hunt, where he saw a cave opening. Upon asking the Huntsmaster, he learned that it was where, legend has it, the Elfstone was originally secured following the Sealing. 2. The feeling of the ravenous bloodthirst during the goblinkin assault, with the feeling of a necessity to slake it. 3. The strange dream he'd had while unconscious. A strange being appeared to him on a mountain pass and offered aid, vengeance, and protection against psychological warfare.
Description: Tall, gold hair, green eyes, light brown skin, dark green tattoos in his tribe's traditional patterns (think Pictish style)
This guy is the final version of my first 3.5 character (half-elf ranger/scout), but made for 4e due to his conceptual changes.
Comments?
Resident Murderous Psychopath
Our works are short-lived. All we have achieved will be gone in a few thousand years. Our towers will crumble, our homes will rot, and all we strive for will be worthless if none assign it value, while our deeds are forgotten. Nature is eternal. Even if all Earth's life is destroyed, the stones will endure, and they too are part of the wilds. Our works are futile, but nature has always been and will always be.
), but I figured it'd be interesting to put him through this process.
