[D&D-5e] Wanted! Crooks of Any Class! Must Be Discrete!

[Oakie]

Game Name Ebonclad: "We Wear the Night"

Game System DnD 5e

Theme Thieves' guild: Intrigue, burglary, cons, espionage, smuggling, sabotage, looking over your shoulder

Flavour Gritty underworld in a fantasy ancient/medieval maritime city-state | emphasis on roleplay and skill challenges

Plot Summary Application Deadline – Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023 | Posting 2X/Week Adventure Background You're In! You're Ebonclad! For Life! "Ebonclad" is the world's most powerful and secretive criminal syndicate. It's based right here in Kintilla, your home, a maritime city-state nicknamed "The Silver City" for its immense wealth and power. Yet you only learned of Ebonclad's existence recently when they recruited you. Even those with an inkling that the city’s thieves and ruffians may be part of a larger, organized group couldn’t fathom how far the syndicate reaches — even into Castle Muranir and beyond! Ebonclad has people at every level of society and of every profession and background. When Ebonclad turns the Great Wheel, kings lose their crowns. You didn't know it at the time, but in the last few months, you'd done some jobs as one of Ebonclad's "Pawns." In other words, an unknowing tool of the syndicate, a cat's-paw. Impressed by your performance, one of the syndicate's "Seekers" recruited you a couple weeks ago. They inducted you as a "Scrap," Ebonclad's lowest rank, and taught you the basics of Ebonclad operations and traditions. If your performance continues to impress the syndicate, great wealth, power, and connections are assured as you move up Ebonclad's ranks. The rewards will be far greater than those of a petty crook or an unlucky adventurer, a "gravedigger." It's your big chance! But if you fail … Best not think about that, Scrap! Your first assignment is about to begin. [This game will emphasize roleplay and skill challenges.] Player/PC Requirements Posting rate: Twice per week Accepted sources: PHB, XGtE, TCoE, and the Ebonclad Player's Reference [30.1 MB]. Character level: 1 Race: Any Class: Any Alignment: Any — However, PCs should be morally flexible enough to work for a criminal syndicate, yet not vicious or crazy enough to be a "problem" for the bosses or other PCs. Deities: Any Gender/Sexual preference: Any — For inclusive and easy roleplay, Kintallan society is generally non-patriarchal and non-heteronormative. We'll still keep it PG, though. How to Apply Application Deadline – Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023 | Posting 2X/Week Post the following in this thread by the deadline: Character name: Race: Class: Background: Personality traits (2): Ideal: Bond: Flaw: Backstory: Goal: Why is your character into crime? What do they want from life? Why did they accept the offer to join Ebonclad? RP Sample: Type in or include a link to a post from another game that represents or RP style. OK to write something custom if you choose to. Selection Criteria I'll choose 4-6 players based on the quality of their applications, their player histories on RPGCrossing, and how all the proposed PCs might fit together as a team. I'll post acceptances by Sunday, Jan. 30, 2023.

[bananabadger]

Tempted!
But definitely endorsing the game and Oakie for anyone who is interested.
I played with Oakie for over 2 years in a daily post game; they have the discipline and commitment to see something through. Also, these types of non-good character games can be tricky to navigate, and I know Oakie will be able to find that balance between dark-intrigue and party-unity to keep the story moving smoothly (and dastardly).

[Seekr34]

Looks so cool, too bad it's only 1st level. Hope the game goes great!

[Citizen Sam]

After a...significant hiatus this looks very intriguig. Assuming all goes well schedule wise I'd be happy list myself as tentatively interested.

[FraterChad]

Man, this looks awesome! I'm going to sift through the Ebonclad PDF and see if I can (effectively) fit this into my schedule, but color me intrigued!

[GleefulNihilism]

I might have an idea or two for this. :P

Boz Character name: Boz Race: Human (Variant) Class: [Rogue (Arcane Trickster) or Sorcerer (Nightfall Arcana), whichever fits better.] Background: Guildborn. In fact Boz's adopted mother is "Auntie Ena" in the leadership of the Ebonclad. This fact isn't advertized too loudly, Ena doesn't want members to think the Ebonclad runs on Nepotism. Personality traits (2): * I lie, constantly, and assume everyone else is too about something. I've seen how ugly "righteous" people can be and assume most of them are just hiding their sins. * One of my lies is that I don't care. Truth is, I have a soft spot for the people that fate and the high-and-mighty toss aside. A Patron Saint of Lost Causes. Ideal: * Freedom. Chains are meant to be broken, as are those that forge them. Even the Chains of Fate themselves. Bond: * I am one of the bastard sons of Society and I intend to earn Respect. Just so I can rub your face in it. * These people, this guild, I consider my family even if the rest of the world considers them just sinners and criminals. I will protect my family. Flaw: * You ever kick something in the bullocks just because you think someone should? Backstory You know, normally the betrayal comes *after* the heist. Not before. Stop me if you've heard this tale before. A group of adventurers making their way through the world, stalwart friends tied together in courage and honor. Among this company being a Wizard named Duran, a Rogue named Ena, and a Druidess named Eimhir. The whole company knew that Duran was an ambitious and selfish man, but they had no idea how much. When a chance to claim some political power presented itself, Duran sold out all of his "friends" without hesitation leading to many of their deaths. Even more shocking, it was discovered that he secretly had "romantic" relationships going with both Ena and Eimhir, and he dropped them both behind him like they were garbage to marry into a noble house. Ena and Eimhir's friendship survived, mostly by virtue of recognizing that Duran was the one that really deserved the blame for the sting of betrayal they were feeling. Unfortunately, Eimhir discovered soon after that she was having Duran's bastard as well and she didn't survive the birth. "Aunt" Ena tried to track down the newly appointed Archmage Duran to let him know that he had a son - and Duran responded by trying to kill them both. Now, put yourself in Ena's shoes. You're now a target for the most politically powerful Wizard in the Kingdom, and you have proof of a scandal that could in theory end his political ambitions - proof that also happens to be the son of your recently departed best friend. Where would you go? Where *could* you go? In the Light of Respectable Society, the Archmage Duran shines as an example of a Loyal and Patriotic Mage. And somewhere in the Shadows, his Bastard Son plots to take him down a peg or two, because *somehow* has to. Goal: A couple reasons really. Partly because the Ebonclad is his family and you stick to your family through thick and thin. That and Boz is the bastard son of the Archmage Duran, arguably the most politically powerful magic user in the kingdom and Boz would love a little payback. RP Sample: Quick Sample, will replace with something staring Boz if given a scenario.

[Oakie]

Great app, @GleefulNihilism! Glad you found some useful options in the Player's Reference. If Boz gets selected, I'll definitely work in his backstory. I can see Aunt Ena being a regular NPC.

There's also a college of wizards in the city. Indeed, it's one of the major power centers that the regent has to balance his will against. Good placement for Duran. Or Duran could be more associated with the regent's court. Lots of options there.

In regards to the sample, no need to write something original. You've given me just what I asked for.

Originally Posted by GleefulNihilism

I might have an idea or two for this. :P
[*]RP Sample: Quick Sample, will replace with something staring Boz if given a scenario.[/LIST][/FIELDSET]

[Togot]

• Character name: Shast Carstein
• Race: Variant human
• Class: wizard diviner
• Background: noble
• Personality traits: I take great pains to always look my best
• Despite my noble birth, I do not place myself above other folk.
• Ideal: Independence. I must prove that I can handle myself without the coddling of my family.
• Bond: I am in love with a woman who my family disapprove of
• Flaw: By my words and actions, I often bring shame to my family.
• Backstory: Born to the noble Carstein family as the third son, Shast was the spare of a spare. As such he had little to look forward to other than serving one of his elder brothers Liguel and Miguel or being forced to marry some noble girl he had never met. To make maters worse, he was a runt in a family of knights. Far too scrawny to swing a sword, he became a source of great disappointment from his father which he reminded Shast of at every opportunity. Rather than train his body, Shast found he was far more acclimated to studying books, and soon learned he had a talent for magic. This only made him more of a pariah in his family as mages were seen as cowards.

Despite his good looks, Shast’s bookish nature made him few friends. His only real companion was an ironic one as she was the exact opposite of the noble wizard. Shuro was a female half-orc barbarian who had been captured from an orc tribe that had been raiding caravans. Rather than being put to death, she was sold as a slave to Shast’s family. Despite her primitive ways and short and violent temper, Shast took a liking to her, finding her exotic. Although she was cold to him at first, loneliness soon softened Shuro’s defenses, and the two outcasts found comfort in each other’s company. Shast taught her how to read and Shuro would share stories of her adventures. Before Shast realized it, he had fallen in love.

Shast was with Shuro at the stables, keeping her company as she tended the horses when his brothers approached him. His two older siblings began teasing him as they often did, but they had been drinking and started getting physical. Shuro tried to intervene, but the two men turned their ire towards her, reminding her she was a slave, and if she laid a hand on them, it would be cut off. They began taunting her, daring her to react. Then Miguel groped her, and Shuro went into a rage. She grabbed him by the throat, lifted him off the ground, and broke his neck. Shast was shocked and horrified at what had happened, but he knew there was only one way to save Shuro from execution. Before Liguel could call for help, Shast shot him in the face with a firebolt spell, killing him. Now it was Shuro’s turn to be shocked. Shast ordered her to move the bodies together and he burned them both to a crisp with burning hands spell to cover up Shuro’s crime. He swore to her that he would return for her one day, and the two parted ways.

Shast left a brief letter explaining that he had killed his brothers out of spite, and that he would never return. He fled the estate and became a vagabond, offering his magical talents for coin. It wasn’t long before wanted posters with his face began to pop up all over, and inevitably someone tried to turn him in for the reward. That would have been the end for him, if not for some most unexpected benefactors. Ebonclad agents had decided they could make use of a desperate wizard on the run, and they hid him from the law. In exchange, he had to do jobs for them. it wasn’t an ideal life, but it was better than the gallows. Now Shast works to earn enough money to buy Shuro from his family so they can be together.

• Goal: Shast seeks to avoid the law and to save up enough gold to purchase Shuro from his family so they can be together.

• RP Sample:

 

Shast sat on the fence post, his short golden bangs bobbing in the wind as he smiled watching Shuro throwing hay bales up into the barns loft. He never grew tired of admiring the half-orcs strength. Her taught muscular arms decorated with swirling tribal tattoos flexed every time she picked up another load. She had thrown twenty of them already and yet she hadn’t even broken a sweat on her green skin despite the hot noonday sun. Her dark red hair was tied in long, thick braids to keep it out of her face, and her clothes were the simple attire for a farmhand.

“Don’t you ever get tired?” Shast sked with amusement.

“Not from this, little one” Shuro answered. “These weigh nothing. Back home, I had to carry logs wider than my shoulders and longer than that post you’re sitting on two at a time to build fortifications. That made me tired.”

Shast’s smile wavered. He always noticed a hint of sadness in Shuro’s voice when she talked about her past. “Do you miss your old life?”

“Some things were worse,” Shuro said. “Never knowing when the next meal will come. Always being cold. Always having to worry about beasts attacking, or mercenaries coming, which they eventually did. Some things were better. Being free. Being able to fight whenever someone offended me. Being respected.”

Shast hesitated to ask his next question. “Which life do you prefer?”

“My old life suited me better,” Shuro answered. “But I don’t think I could go back to it now that I’ve had a taste of this life. You’ve taught me much. I think I’d like to be a mercenary. Best of both worlds. I still get to fight and be free, but I still get a warm bed and good food.”

Shast smiled. It was a nice dream. “Well then, it’s settled. I’ll save up my allowance to buy you, then we can both leave to be mercenaries. With your brawn and my brains, we’ll conquer the world.”

Shuro shook her head. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, little one. Your father would never let you.”

“Let you do what?” a slightly slurred man said preceding Liguel and Miguel coming from behind the barn. Both men were unsteady on their feet, and Miguel was holding a wine bottle. It was clear they had been drinking.

Shast’s smile slipped off his face as his two elder brothers approached him. He knew those smiles and what they meant. “Maybe our baby brother dreams of becoming the heir to the family,” Miguel said.

“Ha! And how would he defend our house’s honor?" Liguel asked. “Groveling before the other nobles?”

“Perhaps he’ll lecture them,” Miguel retorted. He came to stand before Shast, towering over him. “Is that what you’d do, runt? Would you write the enemy a strongly worded letter when the king calls you to defend his lads? Go on. Show me how you would defend this country.” He put a hand on Shast’s chest and shoved him off the fence. Shast had been expecting it and cushioned his fall.

“Bullying those smaller than you is not strength,” Shuro said crossly.

Both of the men turned to look at her, their faces a mixture of shock and anger. “Who do you think you are to talk to me like that, slave?” Miguel asked. He sauntered up to the half-orc woman who stood a head taller than him. “Your job is to shovel sh*t and keep your mouth shut. That’s what we feed you for.” Shuro clenched her fist as she stared into Miguel’s eyes, and he noticed with a smile. “Oh, you don’t like that? Well, what are you going to do about it? You know what happens to dogs that bite the hand that feeds them don’t you? They get put down.”

Liguel laughed. “I think she’s just frustrated because she hasn’t had a man in a while.”

“No surprise there, who would want her?” Miguel asked. He then turned to sneer at Shast who was watching the whole thing helplessly. “Well maybe I know one person.” He turned back to Shiro. “How about we both take you right here and now so he can watch? It’ll be the closest he ever comes to being with a woman."

“No,” Shuro said firmly.

Miguel’s face twisted in anger. “You don’t get to tell me no, slave!” he reached out and grabbed Shuro’s chest. Shast felt rage as he watched the woman he cared for being assaulted right in front of him, disgust with his brothers for being the vile pigs that they were, and ashamed for his won inability to do anything about it. but when he saw Shuro’s eyes turn red, he felt horror. Before he could do anything, Shuro backhanded Miguel so hard, he was knocked senseless and then grabbed him by the neck. She lifted him off the ground with one arm, roaring with anger. Miguel’s legs dangled helplessly for several seconds before a sickening crack made him go limp.

Shuro dropped his lifeless body and simply stared down at it. her rage subsided; her fate sealed. She simply stared at it with resignation. Shast knew what would happen to her. There was only one fate for a slave that killed their master, but he refused to let it happen. In a moment of cold clarity, Shast knew what he had to do. He drew his runes and aimed them at his other brother. Before Liguel could call for help, Shast said, “Ignis!”

A bolt of fire launched from Shast’s outstretched palm and struck his brother right in the face. The older man screamed in pain as fire burned his flesh, popped his eyes like grapes, and singed his lungs when he inhaled. He fell to the ground and died.
Shuro stared at Shast in wide-eyed shock. “What have you done?” she gasped.

“Saved you,” Shast answered. “Put his body with Miguel’s”

“What?” Shurpa asked, not understanding what was happening.

“Shuro, if you want to live, do as I say!” Shast shouted.

The barbarian’s expression hardened, and she gave a simple nod before dragging Liguel’s body to lie beside his brother’s Shast drew another run and said, “Inlflamarey haldo!” a gout of flames erupted from his hand burning both bodies to a crisp. With that done, he looked at Shuro. “If you killed my brother, it would be a death sentence, but if I killed them, I’m my father’s only heir. he may forgive me. I will write a letter taking the blame. I’ll have to disappear for awhile until my father’s anger cools, but I promise I will come back for you, and you will be free.”

Shuro stared at Shast dumbfounded. “You’d throw away all you have just to save a slave?”

“I’m throwing away that which does not matter to me to save that which does,” Shast answered.

[Hal Hammerhand]

Very much interested.

[Oakie]

@Togot, Shast is a criminal by circumstance, eh? Love it! My tweak of Kintilla gives it a A few pre-modern cities really did get that big, e.g., Rome at the height of its empire, though that was quite rare.population of over 500,000, maybe even a million or more. That's enough for Shast to stay undiscovered and anonymous, if he's careful.

Thanks for applying!

[GleefulNihilism]

Originally Posted by Oakie

Great app, @GleefulNihilism! Glad you found some useful options in the Player's Reference. If Boz gets selected, I'll definitely work in his backstory. I can see Aunt Ena being a regular NPC.

There's also a college of wizards in the city. Indeed, it's one of the major power centers that the regent has to balance his will against. Good placement for Duran. Or Duran could be more associated with the regent's court. Lots of options there.

In regards to the sample, no need to write something original. You've given me just what I asked for.

Groovy. And I did put some leeway in there. Personally I chuckle at the idea that Duran might *politically* the most powerful wizard in the kingdom - but in terms of Arcane power maybe not so much. Like if someone were to make a list of all the Wizards and rank them in terms of power then on a good day he *might* break the top quarter. :P

[BarrowB]

WIP WIP Concept: Unarmed brute. Dip in monk at the start and then go cleric. A priest, who got kicked out for his aggressive outbursts. His bad fame made it difficult to find a normal job. He was forced to tell lies and do simple tricks to get enough to survive. He never became good at it... but the guild noticed his other talents. He still searches for a spiritual enlightenment. Character name: Race: Fighting Initiate: Unarmed FightingCustom Lineage Class: Monk Background: Charlatan Personality traits (2): -I've spent so long in the temple that I have little practical experience dealing with people in the outside world. -I feel tremendous empathy for all who suffer. Ideal: Fairness. I never target people who can't afford to lose a few coins. Bond: I'm guilty of a terrible crime. I hope I can redeem myself for it. Flaw: Once I pick a goal, I become obsessed with it to the detriment of everything else in my life. Backstory: Goal: Why is your character into crime? What do they want from life? Why did they accept the offer to join Ebonclad? RP Sample: Type in or include a link.

[FraterChad]

Application Status: 100% complete, now with bona-fide paragraphs!

Application Character name: "Stirge," like the blood-sucking vermin. If Stirge has an actual, given name, then he hasn't told anyone (that's current alive). Race: Stout Halfling Class: Fighter, working towards being a Scoundrel. Background: Street Scum Personality traits (2): Stirge is not afraid to hurt someone to protect what belongs to him (or what he believes belongs to him). He keep a useless trinket of the slums to remind him of where he comes from: the desiccated thumb of a local slum lord who tried to prey on him at the orphanage. Ideal: Stirge has lived without the sweet embrace of gold and, now that he's felt it, it's all that he desires. Gold is the lifeblood of the city, and he lives to drain it dry. Bond: Stirge has seen a bad life first hand. He intend on hanging on to a good one with the Ebonclad. Flaw: Fair fights are for fools who ate well growing up. Stirge will win by any means necessary. Additional Description: See the spoiler below. Stirge is average height for a halfling and sports a wild mane of graying brown hair. His skin is an unbecoming shade of pallid, though his mouth and nose are often hidden behind a long, pointed mask akin to plague doctor's scented beak but without the eye-covering. In more casual settings, mainly in the relative safety of the Ebonclad's demesne, his face can be seen--which is a relative misfortune for those with eyes. One of the first purchases Stirge made with his Ebonclad earnings was to replace his canines with gold-plated fangs. Backstory: Stirge was raised in the decay withering just beneath Kintalla's glitzy metropolitan gloss. Raised is a bit of a misnomer as he received nothing close to parenting in his formative years. No, Stirge molted, shedding layers and layers of naivety with each passing year until his small, larval formal metamorphosed into the being he is today. Stirge's mother died during his birth; she was a corpse before he took his first breath. Stirge's father apparently saw no reason to stick around and raise his wife's murderer. That is where Stirge's story would have ended--another crying maggot left to wither in the city's stinking streets--but his Similar to midwives, doulas provide support during pregnancy, childbirth, and after the child is borndoula had other plans. She took the whimpering grub, but quickly pawned him to an "orphanage" nestled just close enough to Kintalla's more brightly lit suburbs to appear legitimate. It was a farm, and the products were children. You can imagine the sort of buyers a place like that might attract. The damned place--floors upon rotting wood, moldy carpets, and decaying dreams--was a microcosm of the mean streets beyond but only populated by children, as the management left them to fend for themselves after their daily allocated meals were delivered. The vermin fed upon each other until the strongest survived, and Stirge is nothing if not a survivor. There were no clean hands in the black house, and only those whose hands were stained scarlet ever had a chance to see freedom. Stirge found this to be a suitable look, and so he molted loose from his old name and took on a new persona, his real façade. When the older, larger children circled round to take his food or dignity, he just flashed his bloody hands and bloodied fangs and they would give the wild halfling wider berth. A suitor knew not his infamy within the black house, however. Adults--or so they called them--would come looking to "adopt" at the black house fairly often. Some had a kind weakness still in their eyes, but they would never come back after seeing the vermin crawling inside the house; no, the frequent suitors came with much darker intentions, and it only took one for Stirge carve his freedom from another's flesh. A wrinkled thing came one day, pallid and liver-spotted, and dragged him to the back room to "test their compatibility." While the child-things were quick to pull each other back down into the boiling pot they called "home," they would occasionally barter in gossip and rumors that might serve to keep them alive for another day, and the back room was spoken with hushed whispers and tear-riddled curses. When the ancient suitor pulled him back into those vile depths, Stirge didn't fight, but he did take the man's thumb as a souvenir for both to remember. Stirge wears the digit, now mummified, around his neck at all times. In the commotion, Stirge shanked the suitor in the ankle and bolted past the few orphanage attendants who bothered to react. Stirge was back on the streets of Kintalla, but his time in the black house had prepared him for the slums. He quickly found that gold was the key to a life worth living, and he worked dilligently to procure every scrap of the stuff he could find by any means necessary. It was this tenacity--in conjunction with surviving against the Lord of the Flies--that garnered the Ebonclad's attention. He immediately found them to have a mutual understanding: they were a more efficient means to a better, shimmering life, and he took their invitation without flinching. Goal: Gold is blood: without it, you'll sodding die. Stirge learned this far too early in life in Kintalla's grime-painted slums. Molded by urban decay and the cycle of greed and survival, he was bound for a life of crime before the Ebonclad stepped in: they simply gave structure and stability to the path Stirge was already treading. Simply put, Stirge is motivated to stay alive, and gold is the only way to truly live in Kintalla. Like a vermin on the back of a bloated behemoth, Stirge will drain the town dry or get squashed trying. RP Sample: Brief, In-Character Sample: In the flickering torch-light dusk, Kintalla undulated. Like a headless, heartless beast, the city writhed, each of its limb-like passages thrumming with movement from dozens of its internal parasites. Most wore human faces, but dwarves, dagger-ears, and the Greens were a common sight slinking through the lumbering city, but all were parasitic. Symbiotic, perhaps, as most had carved out a mutually-beneficial niche within Kintalla's innards, but they fed upon her all the same. Stirge was just another of Kintalla's vermin. He had no illusions of his nature, his meager existence surviving on the bloat of others. He was molded by Kintalla; this was his evolutionary niche: to feed on excess, and boy did it taste good. Insatiably so, in fact. He was itching for more. So, as dusk bled out into night, Stirge strapped on his blades and prepared to bleed the town dry. Out of Character Sample: I got nominated for a PotM back in May of 2021. I didn't win, but it was still pretty neat! Here's the link to the nomination!

[cappucina]

Nyla: Recycled character idea from game that got disrupted just a few pages into the story http://www.rpgcrossing.com/profiler/view.php?id=81595 Nylaathria Name: Nylaathria Race: High Elf Class: Rogue or Rogue/Bard blend or maybe a Warlock/Bard blend, I am super flexible. I wasn't thinking face of the party (even tho bard is in play) but for sure the stealth, sleight of hands, acrobatic type with spells to put on bursts of speed or to hide even better. I was even thinking rogue/trickery cleric or rogue/wizard. That's great because the last few posts have been about sorting out the exact builds later. Gender: Female Age: youngish elf, 60, but she might look older because she looks hard Alignment: Chaotic chaos, mostly neutral with swings into good sometimes and swings into mild evil when necessary and deserved Appearance: Nylaathria has shiny black hair she lets fall over one eye in casual settings. She has pale gold eyes, feminine and sharp elf facial features and the typical slender, lithe build. Her skin is so pale it looks almost blueish. She teeters on the edge of drop dead gorgeous, but there is something quite unlovely about her mouth. It's not just that she's not smiling. But, with her thin top lip and the way her jaw is set in a mean, shrewd fashion it makes her otherwise beautiful face say, without words, "stay away." Her long pointy ears are full of piercings. There are three hoops on each lobe and a couple of stud earrings on the tips. Personality: Nyla is looking to make a tidy fortune and to restart her life. She's always been a risk taker. She's impulsive. She's an adrenalin junkie. She's motivated to improve her skills, become the best, and eventually have enough wealth to to last an elf (who burns through gold as fast as a human) a lifetime - whether that is by burglary or by adventuring it doesn't matter. For Nyla, the ends do justify the means. She'll forge, steal, smuggle, bribe. She’ll use trickery, intimidation, manipulation, seduction without any effect on her conscience. She'll use charm and enchantment spells to bend a free will if she needs that will bent to be unfree for a time. She's fine with all that. She has a bit of a hang up about using poison when planning a crime. She doesn't "cheat" like that. It's difficult to explain why poison is where she drew the line, except that maybe she sees it as something that a victim might not recover from after a dose. Because in her opinion, it is possible for her victims to fully recover from anything that she chooses to do to them. She's passed on assassin jobs. She won't stoop as low as to poison someone she is robbing. That's her own personal code. Background: Urchin Quick Background Notes: Nyla ran off from a typical elf upbringing, so foolishly, when she was very young. She ran off with a charming Human Bard who was also a thief and criminal. She learned some petty thievery to start and eventually graduated into doing larger burglaries and fairly complex heists while they were together. Personality Trait: I sleep with my back to a wall or tree, with everything I own wrapped in a bundle in my arms. Ideal: I'm in it for the money. (Though, I don’t use poison. I have my peculiar own code of honor.) Bond: I escaped my previous life by robbing the most important, closest person in it, and I'm wanted for it by him. Flaws: Once I pick a goal, I become obsessed with it to the detriment of everything else in my life. I'm too greedy for my own good. I can't resist taking a risk if there's money involved. When faced with a choice between money and my friends, I sometimes choose the money if the friends deserve it. I can never go home again. I'd rather kill someone in their sleep than fight fair (if I am going to have to kill them, just being honest, it’s very quick and practically no suffering, and frankly I'd rather die in my sleep than in a fair fight). Sample Post In Character Sample: Nylaathria blends in better than most elves in the human town docks in the way she stomps around so purposefully, or tucks her head down into her sweater for warmth, or crosses her arms casually even when discussing some incredibly unsavory business deals. Long gone is that graceful gliding and serene movement, that air of wisdom, and expression of aloofness that most elves carry around with them in every and all situations. Nylaathria has abandoned so much of her elven village upbringing heritage and culture, and it shows in her mannerisms and rough speech. Rather than looking at the moment in time through the lens of hundreds of years....she is all into this moment, absorbed in the here and now, and stalking her next hit of adrenalin. She wears long black leather pants, a long thick woven sweater that hangs down past her hips with a mildly feminine and gathering of layers around her neck under a short black leather jacket. The clothes look very well made and of high quality material. A closer look and you can see the wear and patina on the clothing - the jacket in particular has some leather scuffed in places and a possible scorch mark along the forearm of her left arm. If the conversation becomes interesting and a deal needs to be made, she pulls off her gloves, stuffs them into her pockets, lights a pipe and begins furiously smoking. She smiles around the end of the pipe at the thought of making some gold. History Character History: Nyla is a deeply flawed elf. She was a show off as a kid, and full of adventure and daring playfulness....and that was fun times. But, as she got older, she just got more and more bored with life in the peaceful elven village. She ran away with a bard who was traveling through and stopped to do some entertainment for a few nights. She thought it was love. She was really too young to know what real love was - she was just infatuated with the idea of a different, more exciting life and saw him as her handsome ticket to it. They ended up together in one of the largest cities on the continent. He had some really good musical gigs and performed in important venues in the city - both public and private, and she went with him to all of them. That was fun. But, what she found even more fun was that he had a lot of friends in the criminal underworld and was half in it himself. He was a face and a resource for them - gathering information and taking a look inside of things where they couldn't go. The two of them were good together for a while - but then that same boredom crept back in. She encouraged him to commit to more elaborate crime schemes and found ways to get involved herself. She'd help plan the robberies and forgeries and heists - she found that interesting enough to stay with him for a long time after his music and his company bored her. Nyla had hit some milestone maturation elf years and changed fast during her time with the bard. She met a lot of people and had a lot of new experiences in the big city, and that had completely changed her too. She became so much more ambitious. She started wanting bigger challenges and risks - though she was more into the physical action of the job and not as great with the connections and networks. Together, they ended up pulling off some really complicated jobs and the underworld trust in them to get a job done right skyrocketed. When she broke away, and in the way she did, it was for one very particular reason. Guy was always pretending to be in charge of the two of them to the world...and that was maybe OK because it made working with them simple and straightforward for others. What really annoyed her, her split was always a smaller percentage of his. Even if she was the one that actually did the job and took on all the risk. Even when the idea of a job and the planning it out was her work. When she announced she wanted better percentage, he'd said, "Without me you'd have no job. So I decide that's your share." That was true enough at the start. She wanted this dynamic to change, she thought she was good enough to get hired herself, but he wanted it all to stay the same. Yeah. She had started thinking about leaving. Moving on. But, to what and to where? It had to be a good distance, elsewhere. Guy might make sure she'd get no work here. She stuck around looking for the best, neatest way out. That it turned out, was conning him out of the biggest score the two of them had ever landed - and taking off with it without a trace. She's not sure he ever suspected that she was capable of leaving him like that. Stealing from him. Breaking the trust they had built for nearly ten years. She assumes that he would like to find her and get his money and maybe express some anger at her. Part of her hopes he'll just move on with his life. That would be most convenient for her. But, she has to assume the worst. She's nearly blown all that she stole from her long time lover and partner in crime, though she does have a couple of stashes buried here and there. She bought some nice gear. And then there were the traveling costs - she hopped on a ship, set off to the distant Silver City where she had always wanted to visit. She'll get lost in the crowd there. She’ll do some work, score some gold, and see where things go. Notes: Nylaathria is going to be a skillmonkey. She should be a human so I could pick up that bonus skills feat, but she is a shady elf.

[DustyParadox]

Not sure if I'll be accepted given my long hiatus, but playing a corrupt and shady bureaucrat who was once an aspiring wizard and now mostly embezzles money or a former captain of the guard who got promoted to some upper echelon (also a bureaucrat) and kind of succumbed to the vice and corruption around him despite coming in with good intentions sounds rad as hell.