[Characters] Oddly Familiar

[Mallothi]

THE FAMILIARS Player Character Name Species Spell Status Elanir Brie Rat Distract/confuse Complete DemonSlayer (1) Beau Rat Plant growth Complete Retry NightCheese Ernest Cat Tidy, clean, and mend Complete lydklein Brijida Fox Make flame Complete Arundel val Estar NPC Raindrops on Roses Hare Lock/unlock, open/close Complete DemonSlayer (2) Zorandicus Owl Speak human Complete

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Once accepted to the game, use this thread to create your character. Consider wrapping your rolls in spoiler tags or using the Hot Dice thread, to keep your character post tidy for easy reference later.

Here's how character creation works:

YOU ARE A CUTE WOODLAND ANIMAL Roll a d10 to see what kind of animal you are. 1 Fox C2 F2 S1 Q1 2 Cat C0 F1 S3 Q2 3 Toad C1 F0 S2 Q1 4 Spider C2 F0 S3 Q1 5 Owl C3 F1 S1 Q2 6 Hare C0 F0 S2 Q3 7 Magpie C2 F1 S1 Q2 8 Crow C2 F1 S2 Q1 9 Dog C1 F3 S0 Q1 10 Rat C1 F0 S2 Q2

YOU HAVE A VERY PARTICULAR SET OF SKILLS You have four traits, determined by your species. CLEVER (understand/interact with humans) FIERCE (scare, drag, push, carry, bite, scratch) SLY (sneak, steal, hide) QUICK (outpace, climb, evade)

YOUR WITCH TAUGHT YOU A SPELL None of these are flashy - little bits of hedge magic to help out around the house. But they’ll have to do. Roll a d10 to see what spell you know. 1 Unseen hand 2 Conjure light 3 Speak human 4 Lock/unlock, open/close 5 Conjure dinner 6 Make flame 7 Tidy, clean, and mend 8 Plant growth 9 Distract/confuse 10 Make a book read itself aloud

YOU HAVE A RICH, VIBRANT BACK-STORY Once you've rolled up your character, choose a name and provide a backstory. Things you might address: What's your personality like? How did you come into the Witch's service? What was your favorite thing about the Witch? What do you hate most about the Witch-Hunter? What's your relationship like with the other Familiars? Have you done much exploring in the village? You backstory can be brief or exhaustive, so long as we all get a sense of the character, you're golden.

Kindly lump your stats and backstory into the same post, so that everything can be found in one place later on. Thanks!

[Mallothi]

NOTE:

If you roll for the same species or spell as another player, please roll again (no limit).

If you absolutely hate the species or spell you rolled, roll again (limit 1 mulligan).

[Mallothi]

Consider creating a spoiler to include at the bottom of your in-game posts for your stats. Here's an example (feel free to copy/paste):

 

Quick Stats Name | Species | Spell You Know Clever X | Fierce X | Sly X | Quick X Current Danger X

[Thebatrastard]

Backstory and stuff will go here.

 

statblock statblock will appear here

 

Dice animal:

1d10

3

Toad

Dice spell:

1d10

2

Conjure Light

[Elanir]

Brie the Rat Name: „Brie“ Animal: Rat Spell: Distract/Confuse   Backstory: To be a rat you have to be tough. The world is determined to get you and only the tough ones survive. Brie saw countless of his brothers and sisters get crushed, skewered, drowned and eaten and he knew that if he didn’t want to be next he had to be smarter, quicker and stealthier than his enemies – in a word: a survivor. And survive he did, for many moons, but his life was not a gentle one. Despised by all, human and beast alike, Brie hid during the day and prowled during the night, hoping to find something his „betters“ had discarded to sate his neverending hunger. The kitchens and cellars were locked and guarded, devious cats and fierce hounds stationed before their barred doors, forcing Brie to turn to the garbage for his daily meals. A necessity, but one Brie hated with all his heart. One day however things suddenly changed. Brie heard a song calling to him, a beautiful voice inviting him to follow it – and it spoke to not just any rat, only to him! The rat was cautious for humans were infamous for their trickery and evil ways, but the call was so pure, so beautiful, he just had to follow! He left his house, a cramped place among fallen stones that had once formed a fence, and entered the woods. The forest was every bit as dangerous as the human village. Instead of mousetraps, poison, cats and dogs, a rat had to be careful of weasels, snakes and owls here. Still, Brie stayed low and after several hours of walking as silently as possible, he reached a hut. And what a quaint little hut it was! Built of wood and stone with a smoking chimney and a garden full of herbs, surrounded by trees bearing all kinds of fruits. What was truly unusual however was the fact that next to the hut’s door were placed several baskets full of various foodstuffs: sweet bread and aromatic cheese, ham, sausages, fruits and vegetables, even biscuits and jams! It’s obviously a trap, warned him the rational part inside him. Get away while you still can! His empty belly however was deaf to such warnings and Brie climbed the basket and started devouring the soft white cheese inside. Suddenly, the door opened and Brie froze, initially from fear, but once he got a better look, from wonder. The kindest, most beautiful woman he had ever seen was smiling at him. "Finally, you come. I have been waiting for you, my friend", said the witch in the rat’s own language. "As long as you stay with me, you’ll never grow hungry and no one will speak to you disrespectfully. Come, it’s time for you to meet the others." The „others“ were all kinds of animals that had chosen to become the witch’s familiars. She sang to them, taught them many useful things, fed them and in general treated them better than kin. In fact, they were her kin, the bond between the animals and the witch stronger than blood. Brie had never imagined that life could be so nice. Within weeks he had doubled his weight and his fur had grown thick and shiny, he had formed many friendships with the other familiars and had even learnt the basics of magical practice. The best time of his day was when the witch took him on her lap, like one would a cat, allowed him to sip milk from a small wooden bowl and told him a good night tale with kind witches and wise dragons, bloodthirsty knights and greedy kings. Brie just loved her tales! For her sake he gave up his former habits, slept during the night and accompanied her throughout the day, helping her where he could. It was paradise! Unfortunately, in real life there is no happily ever after. All things come to an end and in the case of the witch to a most gruesome, bloody end. Visitors to the witch’s hut were rare, but sometimes a few open-minded individuals would approach her: a woman desperate to have children, a man with… ahem… „problems“, a boy seeking to cure his sister of an illness, a girl begging for food for her orphaned siblings. The witch would smile at them, offer them refreshments and then would properly advise them or even work some magic to assist them. A heart of gold she had! One day however the door opened and the one who entered was not a supplicant, but a murderer. She snuffed out the life in the women’s bellies, he claimed, shriveled the manhood of those who would not pay her with gold or livestock, cursed whole villages with the plague and poisoned small children. He would put an end to her evil, he said, and then he did so. Brie was shocked beyond words, petrified inside his cozy basket next to the stove, where it was nice and warm. What had just happened!? When he managed to snap out of it, it was already too late. The witch was gone, gone forever! Forever? Not necessarily… Brie remembered one of the stories the witch had told him, a story she had claimed was true. A gruesome knight had killed a benevolent sorceress to impress the lady he had been wooing, but the sorceress came back to life when her girl apprentice poisoned the knight and brought back his eyes to her. This had to be done within a week or the spell would not work. If a sorceress could be brought back, why not a witch? Brie called the other familiars and told them of his plan. They had to bring the witch back to life, they just had to! If a mere child could do it, why not a group of resourceful animals? As for the witch-hunter… he would suffer beyond his worse nightmares. That was a promise.   Quick Stats „Brie“ | Rat | Distract/Confuse Clever 1 | Fierce 0 | Sly 2 | Quick 2 Current Danger 0

[DemonSlayer]

Beau Name: Beau Animal: Rat Spell: Plant Growth Backstory Beau's life began a little over a year ago, born as the middle pup in a litter of nine. She was born deep in the mines below the human village, and from an early age learned to fear the loud, angry men who climbed down into her home and chipped at her walls. She was taught to be careful but unafraid of these tall creatures- and definitely learned about the first bit. Deathly afraid of the miners, she grew up frail and malnourished, as she never dared go near where the miners carelessly left behind bits of food. Her littermates had no such reservations and often dared each other to steal more and more food from the humans. Naturally, these endeavours ended with one or several of Beau's many siblings dead- but there were always more to replace them, even if few deigned to treat Beau with any sort of decency. She was a weaker rat, after all, and among the hundreds of rats in the mines, only the strong mattered. More than just scared and miserable, Beau felt as if something was wrong with her surroundings. Deep down, she felt hollow, as if something important was missing- something she yearned for. And so, with all her bravery, the tiny white rat ventured outside, into the fresh night air and away from the town. What she saw there filled her heart with joy. Fields upon fields of tall, green plants- grass, cornstalks, bushes and trees. Immediately Beau recognized these as the things which had been missing from her world- nature's beautiful, powerful expression of life. Yet at the same time she felt saddened- having witnessed the beauty of flowers and bushes, crops and trees, she knew she could never bear to return to the cold, lifeless mines where she had lived all her life. And so, her tiny heart heavy with sadness at the thought of never seeing her family again, Beau ran on, into the forests just outside the mining village. There she met the witch- initially Beau was scared, terrified even of this strange woman. All her life the humans had been disturbing to her at best, even dangerous. Many of her littermates had been crushed underneath a boot, with nary but a cold guffaw to mark their passing. Yet she felt that this one was different. Intrigued, she approached the witch carefully, who at the time was working in her garden, tending to the herbs and vegetables which grew there. Then the witch saw Beau, and the rat, terrified, fled as fast as her little paws could carry her. She made it as far as the garden's fence before noticing something. The witch had spoken to her. And Beau had understood her words. 'Do not be afraid, little one,' she had said. Beau turned around, too amazed to do anything but stare, her whiskers trembling nervously. 'I will not hurt you,' the witch continued. 'In fact, I feel you are a very special little rat.' The witch's lips curled upwards, which Beau recognized as a smile- a show of kindness and good intentions. Carefully, one paw at a time, Beau returned to the witch, who watched her approvingly. Sitting on her knees, the witch leaned forward slightly, placing her hand on the ground, palm upwards. Beau was scared but, eventually, decided to trust her. There was something about this human woman which set her apart from the others. An affinity, Beau recognized, with the natural world which the little white rat had appreciated so. Carefully she climbled onto the witch's hand, who raised Beau to eye level. 'You like the plants, don't you?' the witch asked. 'And they like you, too. I can tell. So, how about this? I teach you to speak with the plants, nurture them, and in return... In return, you'll help me tend my garden. And be my friend,' she added with a giggle. Beau did not have to think long before accepting, and lived with the witch and her companions for a year. And as agreed, the witch taught her how to nurture the plants Beau loved so much. Beau tended to the plants, using the magic she had been taught to help grow herbs, tomatoes, berries and beans. She kept an eye on which plants got sick, and healed them. And if the witch desperately needed one herb or another for her research, Beau could try really hard and make that plant grow. It was the best year of Beau's life, and she wished it would last forever. Unfortunately, it didn't. One day the witch hunter from the village came, sending men from the village into the witch's hut. Beau heard the vile man making terrible accusations against her, claiming she murdered the unborn and the young, extorted the men and spread vile plagues. Beau couldn't believe what she was hearing- didn't the witch hunter recognize how good and pure his victim was? How life flowed through her? Noone so in tune with the natural world could ever take an innocent life. Frozen by the horror of what she saw, Beau could do nothing but watch as the villagers bound the witch to a tall, wooden pole they had put up in the garden- her garden! She muffled a squeak as the witch hunter approached with a burning torch, only daring to come near the witch when he was certain her bindings were secure. The villages tossed twigs and branches at her feed, pulling the trellises from the fertile soil and building their makeshift pyre. They threw oil on her, and then set her alight. Beau could do nothing but watch, and even that she did not do- instead she turned and fled, away from the burning garden she had tended to half her life, and the mistress who had treated her with nothing but kindness during all that time. When Beau finally dared to return, she found that the witch had been burned- as had her garden, and a large part of the hut. There she found the witch's other companions, mourning her blackened remains. Beau could not approach them- she blamed herself for not doing anything, for running away while her friend was murdered. Even if she could do nothing, she could've at least tried. How could she approach the other familiars, knowing she had done nothing to help their mistress? Beau was about to leave, when she heard one of the other companions speak. Brie, his name was- another rat, his fur as dark as hers was light. They had spoken on occasion, and he had been a kind one- but he had been more of an indoor rat, while Beau preferred to be outside, and thus Beau had not spoken with him much- or with any of the other familiars, really. But now, Brie spoke of a tale the witch had heard- a tale of a sorceress, brought to life by a gruesome ritual involving her murderer's eyes. And now, Brie announced he planned to do the same to bring back the witch. Beau trembled with fear and awe- could this plan really work? Could she dare hope that Brie's tale proved truth rather than fable? Then the rat approached her, and asked her to join his mission- her, Beau! She who had done nothing to protect the witch. Was she really being given another chance? Beau needed little time to think- despite her fear of the humans, her fear of returning to the village, and her even greater fear of confronting the witch hunter, she knew she had to try. She knew the village, and she knew she could be of value to Brie's mission. After all, even if the attempt didn't work, it was better to try and fail, than to run away again...

 

Character sheet
Beau		Plant Growth
Clever	Fierce	Sly	Quick
1	0	2	2
Current Danger	0

[lydklein]

Familiar Animal: Fox Name: Brijida Spell: Make Flame Backstory: WIP   Notes... +What's your personality like? +How did you come into the Witch's service? - +What was your favorite thing about the Witch? - +What do you hate most about the Witch-Hunter? - +What's your relationship like with the other Familiars? +Have you done much exploring in the village?

Rolls   Rerolled Animal In the Hot Dice Thread. Sorry! Dice Species Roll: 1d10 9 Dice Spell Learned: 1d10 9 Dice Rerolling Spell: 1d10 6

[Retry]

Ernest Name: Ernest Animal: Cat Spell: Tidy/Clean/Mend Background:A life of peace and comfort. That was the dream - heck, thats typically the shared dream across the spectrum of spiecies. Yet that was never the hand that was dealt to the old tom, Ernest. Old in his ways and long in the tooth the bombay is ever the gentleman, tolerant and patient Ernest knows things will get done when they're suppose to. In other words, he's lazy. One a denizen of the village the superstitous among them provided Ernest the key to meeting the witch at the cost of his left eye. Wounded and roaming the woods awaiting for nature to claim him, the tom stumbled upon the witch's hut and was pulled into the growing group of quadrapeds that seemed to be gathering there. Kindness was the gift she gave, the marble that served as a faux eye was just the cherry on top. Never more would Ernest have to play russian roulette to see if one would reward him or wound him for cleansing the house of vermin. It would take time still for him to fully accept that those rodents in her service are not food - but he's behaved himself....mostly. That all change when the hunter came. Why are humans so cruel? To strip him not only of his eye but now of the one who showed him kindness? This will not stand, for Ernest has a debt to repay to the witch. A gentleman always settles his debts.   Quick Stats Ernest | Cat | Tidy/Clean/Mend Clever 0 | Fierce 1 | Sly 3 | Quick 2 Current Danger 0

[Arundel val Estar]

Lets do this

Raindrops on Roses Raindrops on Roses barely remembered First Master, but the memories he had were rays of sunshine on a cloudy day. It was the days such as today, when the skies were so dark that it threatened the soul's inner light that it was most important to remember those days. Second Master was cruelly slain by the villain Ulrich, and First Master had left the village so long ago that there were days it threatened to fade into the memory, but memories are what drive through such days. First Master had read stories to him when he was just a leveret, old sagas of romance and sorcery, of knights and maidens. Even his name came from a passage in the tales, a description of the glinting of sun on an unusually blessed day. From these highest works of the ancient sages he learned of the spoken word, the nature of the world, and the places of man and beasts. First Master, often monologued to Raindrops, lamenting the lack of suitable companionship both platonic and romantic. First Master had been certain that once they left Whitebridge that they could find their soulmate, to find a bond between souls themselves. First Master assured Raindrops that a bond between souls is ancient, even older than time itself. First Master was ancient, even when Raindrops was born, so she likely remembered things from before time. When First Master was out of new tomes to read aloud, they would enact grand performances of the old tales. First Master would always be the fair maiden beset by villainous elements like dragons, dark knights, controlling fathers, or an unfortunate blemish. Raindrops adapted to many roles, but often he served as the dashing scoundrel with a heart of gold who saved the maiden from forces foul. Raindrops could not serve perfectly in the role, even against First Master's size he was diminutive, but he served his calling true. It was the first of the dark days when First Master's wise and ancient masters chose to send them away to the cities, to build a saga of their own. After the grand carriage rolled off, pulled by brilliant shining steeds of the purest white, and First Master waved a final perfect goodbye, Raindrops was released into the forest to live with his kind. Freedom cannot mend a shattered heart, and a forest is no Master, thus Raindrops found a true pit of despair Curled in the hollow of a great oak, having given up on everything and waiting for the evils of the world to take him, Raindrops on Roses met Second Master for the first time. Second Master (who insisted she was to be called Abigail, or the Witch but that seemed improper to him) found Raindrops mere moments from a great evil beast rending him asunder. Second Master told him he was still actually within sight of the village and no evil beasts would venture this close, and in fact there were no great evil beast from the tales in her forest. Raindrops was certain Second Master had saved him from evils however and pledged his service to Second Master, to her apparent amusement. Second Master was not like First Master, but in her own way she was as the first snowflake of Midwinter Eve, a precious and unique gift from the high heavens themselves. She welcomed Raindrops into her home, and he again felt peace within him. Second Master even had others like Raindrops, Second Master called them collectively her Familiars, and for the first time he could interact with others like himself. Only, they weren't quite like Raindrops on Roses. While Raindrops found the way that he spoke and described the world was genteel and felicitous, the others described it as "wordy" or "confusing". It was hardly Raindrops fault that the other Familiars were not educated in the classics as he was, and worse yet they resisted his attempts to teach them as a high granite peak resists the fury of the oncoming storm! Second Master knew of the ancient epics of course as she was wise and radiant as the first ray of morning sun itself, it was but one of her many perfect qualities. Shortly after Raindrops on Roses arrived into the service of Second Master, he was granted powerful magic to better serve her. When following her through a door, Raindrops off handedly bemoaned his failure to open the door for her, as was the duty of any proper gentleman. It just was unseemly for Second Master to be forced to open doors by herself. First Master had servants to accomplish such mundane tasks for her, but second master only had her family of familiars. Amused by his consternation Second Master gave him a magical boon, the ability to control locks and doors. With this gift, Raindrops could serve his Lady as a proper gentleman should. It was and is the greatest gift Raindrops on Roses has ever been bestowed. All that changed when the witch hunter attacked.

 

Quick Stats Raindrops on Roses | Hare | Lock/unlock, Open/Close Clever 0 | Fierce 0 | Sly 2 | Quick 3 Current Danger 0

 

Dice Species:

1d10

6

Dice Magic:

1d10

4

[DemonSlayer]

Zorandicus 'Andy' Winterwing Hatched from his egg some twenty years ago, Zorandicus first laid eyes not on his mother, but on an entirely different creature. The snow owl was born in captivity, bought as an egg by the wizard Althavorel the Magnificent, as an experiment of sorts. While still in his egg, the snow owl had been subjected to a steady stream of magic- and when finally hatched, Zorandicus- for that was the name his master bestowed on him- was born with a peculiar talent for human speech. Althavorel was elated by the success of his experiment, and kept Zorandicus on as a familiar. However, the excitable old wizard quickly moved on to new experiments, all but forgetting about his owl. Zorandicus was fed, though usually with things not entirely appropriate for owls, and cared for- mostly. To earn his keep, the owl was expected to serve as an assistant in the wizard's research into the arcane- though to be fair, Zorandicus was usually the reason while Althavorel's experiments didn't have catastrophic results. The wizard grew ever more erratic, his excitement at discovering grandiose new formulae eclipsing his caution, his adherence to safety measures, and frankly, his common sense. Zorandicus learned about alchemy by necessity; had the owl not been so quick to grasp the basics, Althavorel would no doubt have blown up their chambers- and perhaps half the Academy with it. Which, it turned out, proved to be Althavorel's downfall. Over the years, the proud Zorandicus grew more and more fed up with the wizard's antics. He felt he deserved far better treatment, far more attention, and, quite frankly, not to be treated as some menial underling in whatever alchemical enterprise the wizard undertook. After an especially gruelling trial which involved turning a fairly large batch of succulent mice into lead- all while Zorandicus was being fed fruit pies and oatmeal- the owl had had enough. While the wizard brewed his potion of longevity, Zorandicus passed him a vial of quicksilver, rather than the ingredient which Althavorel had asked for. Not noticing his familiar's treachery- after all, the wizard almost never paid attention to what Zorandicus did- he imbibed the potion. After a series of rather interesting convulsions, the wizard lay dead. Of course, that meant it was high time for Zorandicus to escape the Academy- for no doubt the evil von Furchtbar and his pet goose would come to investigate the wizard's death. And the owl wisely decided it was in his best interest to be nowhere near the scene of the crime when the witch hunter showed up. Instead, Zorandicus took to the rooftops, living among the crows, sparrows and magpies of the city. Zorandicus found them a friendly enough lot, if a bit simple, and they soon took to calling him Andy- two syllables was already taxing their mental acumen, after all. Andy lived on the rooftops for years, content to scavenge across the city for food, and be treated as a scholar amongst his fellow avians. Still, the owl longed for something more- something less mundane than his everyday life. Something more special, more magical... And, perhaps, someone capable of talking about something more profound than where to find their next meal. And that's when he felt a powerful spell go awry, creating a hideous, aberrant, yet short-lived abomination nearby. Intrigued, Andy made his way to the source of the magic- the alley behind the human restaurant known as Chez Gygax...

 

Character sheet
Beau		Plant Growth
Clever	Fierce	Sly	Quick
3	1	1	2
Current Danger	0
Witch's blessing	Yes