[Characters] Hall of Legends

[Schwarz]

Please, post your character details and a link to his sheet.

If you do not know how to create a sheet, check this out go to New Character Sheet, select Using template (GURPS) and click OK.

Regarding the character creation:

You will have 150 pts and 50 of disadvantages/quirks.
Any advantage/disadvantage is allowed.
The tech level will be 3.

EDIT: You can check the link below. There you will find a good character generator

https://vonexplaino.com/code/gurps/

[MagicallyMusing]

Rosemonde de Thiremont
Age: 20


Appearance: 5’6, 130 lbs, blonde of hair and blue of eye. Aside from slightly calloused fingers from embroidery and the occasional spinning, she bears no scars.

Personality/Temperament: Rosemonde is a dutiful, but willful daughter, who opposes the idea of her own marriage. She has a love of the written word and the outdoors.

Backstory: Rosemonde was born in Thiremont to Lord Robert De Thiremont, and his wife, an Irish woman by name of Saerlaíth Ní Chonaill. Saerlaíth was niece and ward to Diarmuit Mac Murchada, and found herself in Henry II’s court in 1166 when Diarmuit swore fealty to Henry in exchange for his help in retaking Leinster from Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair. Ultimately, Henry sided with Ruaidrí, but Saerlaith remained in the Anglo-Norman court until King Henry gave her to a lord in his service, Robert de Thiremont.

When it became clear that Saerlaíth would not be returning to Leinster, Saerlaíth took on the Anglo name of Sarah. Robert de Thiremont is a fairly typical Norman lord, staunch Catholic, ruling his household and his lands with an iron fist. Robert and Sarah had seven children surviving past infancy together, five sons and two daughters. Rosemonde was the noble couple’s second born, after her older brother, Henry, named after the king that had given Robert de Thiremont so much room to improve his household. Four more sons followed Henry and Rosemonde: Robert, Simon, Hugh and Elias. Last born to Robert and Sarah was a second daughter, Matilda. Unfortunately, Sarah fell ill shortly after Matilda’s birth and passed away. Young Rosemonde was thirteen years old.

Rosemonde was closer to her mother than her siblings, and though it was forbidden by her father, her mother taught Rosemonde a bit of Gaelic and told her many stories of her homeland, a benefit not given to her brothers.

As Henry II began to feud with his sons and Phillip Augustus, Robert gradually withdrew his support of his king and sided with the younger generation. Though he had sided with the victorious party, Robert de Thiremont did not find with same favor with Richard Lionheart as he had had with Henry II.

Shortly after Sarah’s death, Robert de Thiremont had Rosemonde betrothed to Guy de Luci, a match that Rosemonde vocally disapproved of, much to her father’s frustration. De Thiremont insisted on the match, however, and Rosemond acquiesced, saved from the marriage only by Guy’s untimely death in a scuffle at a brothel.

As time went on, Robert was more anxious to see his daughter married well (Particularly since he has fallen out of the English court’s favor as Richard Lionheart took the throne, a position he seeks to remedy with the judicious management of his children.) and perhaps repair his position in court. It is for this reason that Robert brings his eldest children to London, hoping that his sons will make powerful allies and that his daughter will find a powerful husband. Rosemonde has continued to be resistant to the idea of marriage, and though Robert knows that she will obey and marry who he chooses if he commands it, he has also threatened to give her to the church in an effort to keep her in line. Robert finds his daughter to be altogether more opinionated than is ideal in a woman, and hopes to keep her quiet and have her married before her new husband discovers this fact. Then, at least, she’ll be someone else’s problem.

Objectives: Though reluctant to marry, Rosemonde is eager to get out from under her father’s thumb and seeks some measure of freedom.

Nationality: Norman, from Tremont in Normandy.

Job/Profession: Druid. Rosemonde, like her mother, lives a double life. Though outwardly Catholic, and devoutly so, she also practices what her mother termed the “Old Ways”. Her father and siblings know nothing of this, and Sarah was careful to teach Rosemonde that her teachings were not ones to share with other people, and told Rosemonde of how the Catholic Church endorsed the wholesale suppression and extermination of the Old Faith in her homeland. Sarah might have shared these teachings with her younger daughter, Matilda, as well, if she had not died so soon. Fearful of discovery and persecution, Rosemonde has not shared her mother’s wisdom with her young sister, except to tell her the occasional fairy-story. She believes in the Tuatha De Danann along side of Biblical creatures, but she has no real experience with any.

Follow up questions:
Druids have a very special relation with plants and animals, so how she finds the time and space to make her rituals and to worship the Old Gods or Nature itself?
Her practice at home has been largely relegated to the château's herb-garden. Rosemonde has found a mentor in herbalism in the château's cook (who frequently also served as chirurgeon as members of the household fell ill or injured) and Rosemonde has proved an apt pupil in the subject, so much so that the cook has largely given over the tending of his garden to the young noblewoman. Rosemonde spends many hours within the walls of the garden talking to and tending to the plants there, and this is where the majority of her worship happens. She is largely a rather domesticated druid. She does occasionally feel called to the open countryside outside of the château, but more on that in a moment....
How about the Court's party, is she there with her father?
Yes. She goes with mixed feelings: Excited to be visiting London for the first time, but also grudging of the idea that her father is there to sell her to the highest bidder.
Did she know any other druid? How about the supernatural world, what she knows of it?
Only her mother. She doesn't think of herself as a druid at all, and if she met another, she might not recognize them as kindred. Isolated as she has been to the Old Faith, the notion of a grove of white-robed druids is completely foreign to her. She considers herself a good Christian woman, and if she has other ideas as well, what of it? She believes that Catholicism is the Truth, but she does not believe that it is the only Truth. Her exposure to the supernatural world has been as expansive as her exposure to the rest of the world, which is to say, it is very limited. She believes in angels and demons and fairies and God and the old gods, and believes that it is occasionally difficult to tell one from the other and that lines are blurred between them. She has seen things inexplicable in human terms, but nothing shocking or faith-shaking. She has heard otherworldly music and caught glimpses of tiny creatures flitting among her plants. She feels protected, and does not think that any evil will befall her. Thus, the spiritual world is much like the world outside of the château... She knows of its existence, but has experienced very little of it.
Who knows her secret? Did she have any friend or ally?
If anyone suspects Rosemonde of heresy, she doesn't know it. It's a fact that she keeps hidden almost even to herself. She believes that somehow, if she doesn't acknowledge what she's doing as heresy, no one else will recognize it either. Lying to herself makes lying to the rest of the world infinitely easier. There is, however, a young man in her father's service as a household guard by the name of Giles that Rosemonde knows will let her out (and more importantly, back in again) by the postern gate at night when she asks. It's with his help that Rosemonde is occasionally able to escape the walls of the château and experience the wilder form of nature. Rosemonde is slightly worried that Giles will tell her father of her night-time excursions, but it hasn't happened, yet. She is unsure what Giles thinks she goes to do at night, whether she has some secret lover, or simply seeks solitude, but he hasn't asked, and she hasn't tried to explain herself. What she doesn't know is that if she were ever to fail to return from one of her noctural excursions, Giles would not rally the other guardsmen to find her, but rather protect her secret and abandon his post to seek her out himself. Though no one in the household knows Rosemonde's true nature, she is not a lonely lady, and is well-beloved.
Would she confront her father on something?
Yes. Much to her father's chagrin, Rosemonde has no problem telling him when she disagrees with him. She really does try to be a good and obedient daughter, but her will is strong and her obedience often only comes after an argument. Though her father has threatened her with a nunnery, Rosemonde knows he loves her and doubts that he would actually send her away... Which, of course, emboldens her to speak her mind.

[Beckelhimer]

Name/Alias: Talbot Griffin
Appearance: 5’8 140lbs 24 years old
Personality/Temperament: Talbot is laidback and enjoys entertaining others by either song or story. He is passionate about knowing the truth in the scriptures to the point that his laidback demeanor dissolves when he is encountered with what he would consider heresy.
Backstory: Talbot was raised in the church in Germany. At an early age he showed an interest in learning how to play and write music. As a teenager he questioned the way the church handled some of the sections of the bible and was kicked out. He traveled town to town, country to country learning what he could about the scriptures and teaching the common people what he has learned in the form of songs and stories. Now, in London, he has crashed a party, with lute in hand, to bring the people ‘The Good News.’
Objectives: Wants to change the minds of the leaders (who are still in England) that the Third Crusade is actually against God’s will.
Nationality: Swabia, Germany
Job/Profession: Bard

What happened to his family? ((What the player, me, knows)) His mother was raped and got pregnant. She knew she wouldn’t be able to take care of him. So when he was born she gave him to the church because she knew he would have a better life within the church. ((What Talbot knows)) He knows that his mother gave him to the church when he was born. The church didn’t hide that from him. What the church did hide from him is who is mother is and the fact that she was raped. As he grew older he came to terms with this and knew that his mother was doing what she thought was the best for him.
Did he have someone close to him? Friends? Loved Ones? Talbot made friends within the church as he was growing up. But it wasn’t until he was kicked out when he met up with Petrus. Petrus was a merchant/smuggler and 20 years older than Talbot. Petrus took him in and put him to work (running errands, keeping up with the shop, and some other minor things). Talbot stayed with Petrus for about two years. Then one day while Talbot was out doing one of his routine errands, a couple of thugs went into the shop and robbed Petrus. In the process they wrecked the shop and ended up killing Petrus. When Talbot returned he noticed some of the guards were going in and out of the shop and when he told them who he was they informed him of what happened. The thugs were gone before any guards noticed what happened.
What is his position regarding the Church? Is he some kind of protestant or is he a catholic just against violence? Remember that there is something called "The Inquisition"... ((Talbot would still be a catholic since this would be a few hundred years before the Reformation)) Talbot had serious issues with the violence that the church was conducting. And through his readings of Saint Augustine he found that he also held the same argument, “I view the action (Moses killing the Egyptian) as having no symbolic meaning. In the light, then, of the eternal law, it was wrong for one who had no legal authority to kill the man, even though he was a bad character, besides being the aggressor...The Lord, indeed, had told His disciples to carry a sword; but He did not tell them to use it.” He also didn’t agree with their stance on the “Holy Land.” He didn’t believe that there was such a thing called the “Holy Land” anymore. He would often question the church on what Jesus said, “...believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father...But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.” Talbot didn’t believe that it was just for the church to create war for the means of acquiring a land that is no longer considered “Holy.”

[RacesWild]

Name/Alias: James Forester
Appearance: James is not an overly imposing man. He stands about 5'8", is well muscled, but more on the wiry side. Black hair and dark eyes belie his mixed heritage. He has various scars across his back from being disciplined by his "GOD fearing" father for having a son that looked nothing like him.
Personality/Temperament: An even temper and an even mind is what can describe James. He views the world as a stage. A battle is coming and he sees himself as one who will be near the middle. He believes most people are good, but there are those that will feel his wrath.
Backstory: James Forester grew up in Bristol, and was born to a vassal of the previous king. His father was very strict, had rules for everything. There was a rumor that James wasn't Lord Forester's son. That was nonsense, according to him. James was shown an iron hand in his discipline, subjected to beatings that left him scars. James learned to love time away from the manor. He would hunt and track, live out in the country for weeks at a time. His mother would worry too much, but James would reassure her with his most charming smile. One day while James was returning, there was a commotion in the house. Upon entering, he found soldiers of the crown scattered about, seeming on edge. James asked about his mother and was shown to a study by one of the servants. His mother was in hysterics. She said a wild beast, a moor cat, got inside and tore Lord Forester to shreds. James rushed out of the room and went to where his father lay. Seeing the damage and the prints of blood around him, he knew it was no moor cat. He grabbed some hunting supplies and left the house on a wild chase. He tracked the beast to a copse of trees, where he lost the trail. It was as if the thing sprouted wings and took flight. He has since declined the invitation of retaining his father's title and becoming a vassal. He traveled to Castille, and then to Aragon, learning about things that were unnatural. He then traveled to Italy, looking for masters of stealth and death. Next, on to Germania, where they could teach him about fairytales and weapon making. He travels the roads, battling creatures of shadow and evil. He has returned to England, where his mother still lives. She moved to London, and has many ties to the Lords and Ladies of influence. She heard about an event, one to he talked about for 100 years to come. She made some inquiries and promised favors for two invitations: one Lady Francine Forester and son, Master James Forester.
Objectives: Find and eventually end the threat of all shadow creatures.
Nationality: Bristol, England
Job/Profession: Bounty Hunter. He learned the arts of hunting prey from the Huntmasters of the Al-Alundas (Muslim nation in Iberia).

https://www.rpgcrossing.com/profiler/view.php?id=65122
Link to my sheet. Still think I'm a bit confused

[jamesf]

Name/Alias: Shall I call myself John Smith? I've used so many names I have forgotten my own, sometimes a good thing in my line of work...

Appearance: 5'7", 155 pounds - slim build, wiry. A lot of scars on body but keeps them all hidden below clothes. None on the face - has always been careful to avoid damage to his face, which could be used to recognize / describe him.

Personality/Temperament: Quiet, rather listens than speaks. Seldom drinks. Never drunk. Slow to anger and difficult to provoke, but once you have crossed him, your days are numbered.

Backstory: An orphan, no family. Grew up in London, taken in by an old assassin who's home he had tried to rob. The man then educated him, and trained him in his profession. Has traveled throughout Europe. Well read, interested in all knowledge and learning. He is in London because he knows that where there is war, there is work for him, plus his objectives drive his interest in this party in particular.

Objectives: Wants to travel to the middle east to find out the truth of the people there and the crusades. Does not trust the church leadership. Also the chance of making a lot of money...

Nationality: London, England

Job/Profession: Cutthroat.

What happened to his master?
His master is still alive though an old man who doesn't often go out anymore.

Did he have enemies or allies?
His master is his only ally. There are many people who would be his enemies if they knew who he was, but he has never met directly with one of his clients and so no one can yet link him to anyone he has killed.

How much people he already killed? Did he kill someone in London? If yes, how he deals with the investigation?

has killed 12. Also some in London. In this time there is little in the way of investigation. Sometimes he forges a suicide note for his victims, or they just disappear. Or he makes them ill with poison so they die slowly and it looks like natural causes. He is very good at what he does. None of the middlemen he uses between him and his clients has ever seen his face either.

What makes him believe that there is something hidden about the Crusades? What he hopes to discover?[/B]
He knows that all "holy" wars are in reality politically motivated. The peasants may believe they are fighting for God but the politicians, including the pope, fight for power and influence. He has heard that there are men of learning among the Muslims, and that they value learning, unlike the church which likes to keep its followers ignorant. He wants to see the truth of this himself.

How he will get into the Court's party? Did he have been invited? If yes, why and by who?
His master arranged an invitation (using one of his old alter ego's (a minor lord) ) so he is there as the nephew of Lord Talbot.Lord Talbot is someone his master often pretended to be while moving about in the upper crust of London Society.

Link to Character sheet https://www.rpgcrossing.com/profiler/view.php?id=65255

[Karhald]

Click for Character Sheet

Name: Gabriel Marais

Appearance: 5'3" 110lbs, 20 years old, extremely handsome.

Personality and Temperament: Outgoing and gregarious, always happy to give a witty comment, but never to cause insult or harm. He never brags about his physical prowess, for truly, he is as likely to hurt himself with a blade, as succeed in any form of martial test.

Backstory: He came to London with his father, in hopes of strengthening the trade alliance between his family and the King. The family mines, while poor in silver, are rich in iron, and they are working feverishly to produce arms and armor for the coming crusades. Fortunes are built and families raised to Nobility at times such as these! He knows the business well, and with his quick wit and silver tongue, he will cement the families' future as powerful ironmongers.

But Gabriel has a secret passion that he dare not let become known. The lure of the magical, the mysterious, the arcane, burns deep within his heart. At night, when all others sleep, he pores over ancient tomes and meditates upon the wisdom held within. He has reached a connection with the Arkanon, and power unbelieving has flowed through his veins. He masks his magical talents by pretending to be a student of medicine as well as business, making foul-smelling poultices that he claims are the secret to why he is able to tend to injuries and sicknesses so well. But these bandages and cures are but a mask, for the truth of his skill is in the healing power in the magics he studies so feverishly.

Objectives: While making his family even richer is his declared goal, he is looking for forbidden lore, to further his learning and magical prowess.

Nationality: Frank, Parisian

Enemies or Allies: He has allies in the Court of the Franks, but that is far away. His enemies do not know about him, but if ever his talents were discovered, the Inquisition would surely burn him and his family for heresy.

[Sarthanix]

Application Name/Alias: Hektor Appearance: Hektor is average height 5'9" and 145 lbs. he has brown hair and eyes and tanned skin from spending much of his time walking from place to place and out being on the docks. Personality/Temperament: He's a pain in the butt know it all. He is full of himself and that his views are unique that know one before him has thought of them. Backstory: His Father(Georgius) was a minor merchant and his mother(Agatha) were married to ally two small Greek merchant companies. His father was regularly off dealing with work and his mother often taking care of household business he was cared for by a caretakers. He excelled at math and science and became interested in chemistry. His father paid for him to get an education in Europe he travelled through out Mediterranean area to learn about chemistry. After 6 years he returned home and was tasked with the accounting of the family business. His math skills were useful in this endeavor, but he did not find it fulfilling work. He would speak with the Byzantine merchants and would purchase books about science from them from time to time. He was told about the wonders of Muslim science, but also of it's overall decline. He slowly wore down his father's conviction and with call for another crusades he convinced his father that he would be able to secure business deals with the navy if only he would allow him to leave the shop. His father agreed on the account of strengthening his weakening business, but he would have to stay on for two years and train a new accountant for him. Having agreed to this deal, Hektor began training a young Byzantine girl named Sophia. She was talented at numbers (Obviously a mere amateur compared himself), but he found himself slowly growing out of his fathers favor and Sophia replacing him. He was not very concerned about it though. It only really mattered if his father would renege on the deal they made. One day he unsurprisingly caught his father with Sophia in his quarters when he went to review some figures with him. He was annoyed that she wasn't not there to help him that day. He took advantage of that day, he couldn't care much about his father betraying his mother, but used it to con his father into letting him leave early. His father acquiesced and let him out of the deal a year early. His father's business was slowly losing out to his mother's family's business. They used his father for the own personal gains, but it slowly pushed his father out of the market. The only reason they haven't crushed or bought it is ,because out of loyalty to his marriage. He left for Tripoli a few weeks later after that encounter. He just recently arrived to Tripoli on a merchant boat and is out looking for lodging and a meal. Objectives: To visit the great libraries and universities of the Middle East. He especially wants to visit the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. To push Humanity towards science. If opportunity presents itself make deals for his father's company, but he doesn't consider it a pressing matter. Nationality: From the Island of Crete, but of Greek Decedent. Job/Profession: Alchemist

 

1. How he sees religion, in what he believes?
Agnostic, He believes that there is a some kind of divine power, but he doesn't believe that it is the god in bible or Quran. He certainly doesn't believe anything he hasn't seen and hasn't not seen anything supernatural.

3. What is his focus as an alchemist
Chemistry, so Imagine he's more into medicine or poison. I haven't played gurps before, but this weekend I'll look at the book and figure it out for sure.

4. How does he deal with the Crusades and all the War in the Middle East?
He makes mention about his business ties and views a these as a business opportunity. I'm sure being the close to Middle East he talked to people of both sides.

5. What is his plan to push humanity towards science? He want's to transcribe some of the information he can find, but really it's just devolves in to him blabbering about science being the future.

6. What is he doing to make money? Or how he will make enough money to travel to Baghdad?
Peddling his skills and goods for cash. He wants to be able to attach himself to the army so he can secure safer passage.

7. How would he describe himself? How would other people describe him?
He would describe himself as an up and coming Philosopher and amateur chemist, whereas others would describe him as full of himself and overconfident. He will go on in great length about his skills in math and how he think the world should be run. Most people view him as a privileged son of a noble or wealthy business man who hasn't had to work hard in his entire life and now thinks he is something special. http://www.jeremyperson.com/wp-conte...09/topper1.jpg He's basically going to be a turned down version of Topper from Dilbert.(He didn't start out that way in my mind, but as I was answering this question I realized that he is a one upper.)

[Adorios]

Konrad the Frenchman Name: Konrad Schauper Nationality: French, Toulouse Profession: Mage of the Luft School Objective: To roll back the influence of the rival schools/help the Crusades (precisely which is primary is a bit unclear, even to him); to find an apprentice; Apperance: Konrad is not a young man. Beyond that rather anodyne statement, it is hard to judge. His hair and closely cut beard are both salt and pepper, but the two are in roughly even proportions and those proportions haven’t changed much in the last decade that people have known him in Tripoli. If you had to settle on an approximate time-frame, it would be his early 40s, although a fit and robust man by dint of his chosen path in life. His grooming and appearance are primarily cultivated for ease: his hair is of moderate length and his beard kept short but still a visible presence. In both cases, their length is not set, merely how short he got it chopped the last time he cut it and how long ago that was. Similarly, his clothes are meant for ease of wear: they are solid but not particularly thick (Tripoli is a warm place after all) and loose robes. The other effect he cares about is responsiveness to the air about him: his hair is long enough to get blown about by the wind and his robes are especially attentive to changes in the direction and strength of the winds. His robes, like a lady’s riding dresses, are split up the middle and he wears trousers underneath them, as is rather necessary in a horseback culture. The thing that most draws attention though are the man’s eyes. They are not natural, those eyes. First, they are almost entirely leached of color, a flat gray in both the outer part (what for most people would be the white), the iris and the pupil. The only exception is a part of his iris that glows white and flares up when he uses magic, almost making it seem as if his eyes were glowing.   Personality/Temperament: Konrad has led a life that has been tempest tossed and that has left him with a personality that is in many respects at war with itself. When he was younger, Konrad was a studious fellow and there is still a seriousness and sincerity about him to this day. Knowledge is power, and Konrad is one who does not easily stand not knowing something. He is frustrated and angered by ignorance and puzzled by people who cannot or will not know something. Yet in his life there have been so many people who have come and gone, been gained and then lost, so much stuff that has been destroyed around him (and by him), and so much that has been constantly changing that he finds it hard to become attached. Therefore, in personal interactions he can be flip and irreverent. Soon enough, you will be gone, he will be gone, and everything around you will be gone. But what will be left is the Truth, the facts, and the air. Backstory: Konrad was born in Toulouse in the south of France a reasonably important city in a reasonably important area. How did a German man wind up in southern France? His grandfather had had to leave the ancestral home of the Schauper’s in Lorraine for reasons he never liked to talk about. He settled as a bookbinder in Toulouse though, and found the new County to his liking. Konrad grew up the scion of one of the few bourgeoisie of the era who made up the tiny middle class. Like Konrad’s grandfather, his father was a bookbinder, a profession that brought with it some money, some prestige and a great deal of access to those with more. As was customary, Konrad was initially raised for a place in the family business but he wasn’t the eldest so his involvement wasn’t particularly critical. Once he hit puberty and began to growth into a man’s strength, he was often tasked with delivering bound books to their destinations. So it was that he was called on to deliver three large, thickly bound tomes to a tower that was a few days’ ride away. At the mature age of 15, this was not the first time he had made this trek, and no one had thought anything odd about it. I mean, no more than they thought anything to do with that tower was odd. Everybody assumed it was some kind of monastery, as it was endowed by some local knight’s will, as was common for monasteries, and the inhabitants mostly kept to themselves. The Counts of Toulouse, who were basically independent of their French king suzerain, were known to visit the Tower from time to time but it was common for noblemen to go on retreat. Visitors reported back that aside from the tall central tower, the complex was what you’d expect from a monastery, with men in robes wandering about the place and women who totally weren’t their wives living in a village outside the gates. Fairly normal stuff, really. This wasn’t the first time that Konrad had visited the Tower (as it was called), but this time, he would not be leaving. For it was this time that he discovered its true nature: a haven for air mages. A storm meant he had to spend the night with them before returning, but they noticed something odd about him during his stay. The elder of that tower, a mage named Lucius, brought him to a chamber that seemed to be made entirely of some kind of precious stone. There he was tested, and whatever it was that the mages were looking for was present in him, and they conscripted him on the spot. A letter was sent to his parents explaining that he had had some kind of a vision and would spend some time in meditation and discernment before “hopefully” joining the monastery. In reality, his joining was taken for granted and the rest was just part of the façade of pretending to be monks. His life at the Magi tower was a strict regimen of study and practice. First summon the storm, then dismiss the storm without triggering it. Then use the winds to agitate the waves, then use it to calm them without destroying any of the boats on the water. Then jump off the tower and use the air to cushion and float yourself so that you didn’t go splat on the ground. Then study the grimoires until the candles were so far gone that not even feeding them air could keep them glowing. Since he started literate, Konrad had an edge over most novices who were brought to the tower, and his studious attention to detail kept him from the tragic mistakes that led to problems and not infrequent deaths of those studying magic. History records the massive Crusades summoned by papal decree and directed by powerful men. But many smaller Crusades were whistled up by local preachers, bishops and occasional emissaries from the Holy Lands requesting reinforcements. There was also normal travel and trade between the Crusader Kingdoms and the rest of Christendom. This led to a pretty constant flow of vessels across the Mediterranean. As with all of the Crusader States, the County of Tripoli was founded by one of the leaders of the First Crusade, namely Raymond IV, Count of ToulouseOOC: I swear I didn’t know this when I picked Toulouse, I just picked it because it was friendlier to heresy & semi-independent.*. The Counts of Toulouse had always been friendly with the air mages of the Tower and had protected them against local churchmen who became too strenuous and a small coterie of them had accompanied Raymond on the Crusade to support the efforts of the Christians in fighting the Muslims, especially the earth mages who lived among them. Those air mages had established a chapter in a castle outside of Tripoli and while recruiting locally also tried to draw in comrades from the old houses of Europe, including their original home in Toulouse. So it was that “Brother” Konrad found himself bound for the Holy Land, visiting a “monastery” of his order that had been endowed by the Counts of Tripoli. One of the enticements was that in Tripoli, with the Church being institutionally weaker and the demands of the war stronger, magic was often able to be just a little more explicit. In addition, just as Christians went on crusades against the Muslims, the air mages knew that they had to come here to be able to get at the earth mages that lived in the deserts of Syria. Konrad had read of the many depredations of those earth mages, and was drawn by the possibility of actually using the magic that he’d earned. So he set out for Tripoli. Of course, he only spoke French and read Latin, which meant he was totally unprepared for life in Tripoli, which operated in Greek and Arabic. It took him the first two years of his time in his new home before he felt comfortable actually going out and traveling among the people. His main instructors were the Greek and Arab air mages that came to visit the French chapter of Luft in their castle, and their hatred of the Muslim mages came to shape much of his understanding of the area. When he was finally ready to sally forth, he joined a more-or-less covert group of soldiers for the Counts of Tripoli. Obviously, his magical powers could not be openly acknowledged, but many of the Crusaders (especially those who had been in place for a while and weren’t fresh off the boats) were willing to turn a blind eye to anything that helped them in their war against the Muslims. Who were doing the same thing with earth mages anyway. Konrad’s team especially became noted for being able to track and hunt earth mages, and weakening the Muslims whenever they could became one of Konrad’s primary mission. Having left behind the dusty tomes of France, Konrad’s days now became a new kind of tedium. He still spends a great deal of time studying: wind patterns, experimental spell designs, climactic responses to shifts in the winds, spells of the ancient masters, reports of earth mage activities, a captured earth mage grimoire, and so many other things. Among his small community of French air mages in Tripoli, Konrad has become the resident nerd. Konrad and another air mage, Anathasius, were off with a company of the County’s men on an earth mage hunt when the Battle of Hattin struck. They managed to locate a nest of the vile Muslim earth mages and destroyed it even as the Kingdom of Jerusalem was gutted. They returned home to Tripoli to hear not only of the army’s defeat but the fall of the holy city to the enemy’s forces. The Count of Tripoli pulled in his horns, military and magical, bolstering his defenses in the face of an onslaught he knew had to be coming. Konrad joined his friends for their own vigil: keeping an eye out for Muslim magicians making havoc. They had to travel into territory Saladin now controlled in order to rescue pockets of Christian mages (and occasionally other knights, but admittedly the mages took precedence) and their records so that those could not fall into Muslim hands.

[Zazaq]

Name/Alias: Aswald, son of Mulash the trader
Appearance: Aswald is nearly six feet tall, with skin tanned from a life on the road and a body hardened from his time fighting the heretics. Still a young man his face carries a heavy expression, giving him the feel of a man much older then 20. His face has finally taken a square shape or manhood, and was mercifully spared from scars. His hair is black and kept as short as he can cut it with a crude knife.

Personality/Temperament: Withdrawn and melancholic. Straightforward when he needs something, even confrontational at times.

Backstory: Father tells me I was born in Haifa, but I have few memories of that place, I don't know why but it was very important to him we grow up on the road. Maybe that was just an excuse, he had no family to leave us with so maybe there were no other options. Ishma tells me we do have family, but father had not talked to them since shortly before she was born, mother was Christian and they were not happy about him marrying her. Still they'd probably give us aid if we ever really needed it, after all we're not Christian.

In truth I never really thought much of this though, Father and my sisters are my family, or perhaps I should say were. I had a nice enough childhood, got to see many amazing places, meet many interesting people. We never lacked food or struggled to pay for shelter, father was successful with his peddling. He tried to tutor me as an apprentice but I never was much good at negotiating, he seemed to settle for teaching me to keep the books, personally I always liked to see myself as a bodyguard. Maybe I'm naive, but part of me thinks I'm the reason we rarely had problems. Father was short and stumpy man, but even as a teenager I was larger then most, I carried a blade with me and I stared down men who needed to be. In truth I only a few times did I actually hurt anyone, and even then I never drew my weapon, not until the war came. Every atrocity boiled my blood, just the shock of another unprovoked attack, another massacred city, I felt I had to do something. How could we call ourselves Muslims if we didn't pick up our weapons to protect the innocent from these devils?

Father told me to forget about it, that our family had no obligation to any sultan, he told me to stay with him and continue protecting the family during this time of conflict. It was the first time I disobeyed him on something so important. It wasn't hard to enlist, they seemed happy I had my own weapon, and it was a matter of weeks before I saw combat. I don't like to talk about my campaign. I'll just say I think I understand why my father didn't want me to go, it wasn't about my safety, at least it wasn't just about that. I won't say I regret joining, I still believe our cause of forcing the evil christian kings off our land was a worthy one. Its just that there was plenty of evil done by my liege as well, by the men I fought beside. Even so I now realize that our kingdoms conquest is absolutely necessary, more so now that I have seen first hand what the European Idolators think of us. They will never allow peaceful evangelism, the only option is to subdue them, bring them into the fold and then, over time, they will see the light.

For now though I just want to see my sisters and even my father again. Every time I pray its the first thing I ask for, that I will find them safe and uninjured. I'm not sure what I'll do when I find them, I think I want to rejoin the business, go back to my life on the road with them. However that is not possible, the war is not done and it will not be done in my lifetime, I'm being selfish just for taking these months off away from the fighting to find them. I use the excuse with myself that I have not yet paid proper pilgrimage to the holy land, that once I have done that I will return to the front, but I have made far from a direct path to Mecca in my search.

Leaving the army
My tour did not simply end, there was an incident. Most of my time in the army was spent marching around, and camping outside of forts, there really wasn't much fighting. Hell even when there was it was mostly just rolling over a much small force, holding a shield and a spear up; I don't think I actually cut a single man until the last city I helped attack. For whatever reason it was decided we would actually beat down the gate and attack, rather then just starve the enemy out. I'm sickened now at how excited I was, how eager. The only reason I lived through any of this was luck, my commander and the medics suggested maybe God had reason to keep me alive. If so though am I not fortunate to have this purpose ahead of me, this cause that led to his divine protection? I will call it luck. It was lucky that I was not chosen to face a hail of arrows as the gate was beat down, I was tall, I would make a bigger target they said. It was lucky the skirmishes I found myself in the invaders were outnumbered. It was lucky that I was found quickly by medics after my blow to the head.

Even now I can barely recall what happened, I remember a few men, men I knew were beating down a door. Surely they simply missed in there haze the crucifix hanging above the sturdy oak? As I ran towards them I think I called out, I tried to tell them, "It's a church.", louder and louder but the door was still beat down. A man was dazed on the other side, I think he had been holding it shut, he had no weapon but wore a long black robe. They killed him and I screamed. I don't think they heard me because next thing I know I was in the building too, I was charging one of them and he wasn't even paying attention to me. He turned in time to parry but I knocked the weapon away. He looked confused, and I hesitated, and then I was unconscious. Its almost like a dream. I woke with a severe pain in my head, and shortly after my captain visited me personally. His heart seemed heavy. He told me I was a good man, a good soldier, and he told me I was staying when the army left. He told me infighting could not be allowed under any circumstance. Voice cracking with rage I asked what would become of those men, the men who invaded a church and killed a man of God. He left without answering, but he handed me a small bag of silver, enough to get me where I am now.

Objectives
-Find his family
-Visit Mecca, perhaps it will bring some peace to his weary soul.
-Rejoin the war

Nationality: Wanderer, but I guess whatever country goes on to become modern Israel.

Job/Profession: Warrior, Aswald spent a lot of time swinging his weapon at trees and practicing basic katas. He also had a couple weeks of basic training followed by a couple years of military experience.

Character sheet
https://www.rpgcrossing.com/profiler/view.php?id=67113

[Avner]

Application Name/Alias: Uther Marlow Personality/Temperament:Uther was not always as rigid as he now appears fo be. He wasn't always as protective either, of course he also used to have a wife and child. Losing people changes a person, meeting death that way either gives you a taste for the darkness or makes you its rival. Uther is now angry, very angry and he has let the darkness in. Backstory: . Objectives: List at least one major objective. Nationality: State your Country and City. Job/Profession: Please choose one from the list above. Also, describe how you learned this job/profession. Backstory: Uther Marlow came from a noble family in South Wales. Rumor had it that his ancestors were somehow directly died to the Court of Arthur Pendrag and the table of the round. Uther for one never belived them and did his best to stay out of such politics until a fateful December when his house was set on by a group of supernatural creatures. They ravaged his estate killing all servants and guard and it wasn't until Uther picked up an old family heirloom, a dragon hilted sword, that he was finally able to fight back the dark creatures. The creatures quickly fled when they realized that their targets would not be so easily subdued but the damage had been done Uther's wife and daughter perished in the attack. Swearing vengeance Uther picked up his sword and started his quest to find whatever dark creature was responsible for his families death. Job/Profession: Dragon Knight Objectives Find and kill the creature that murdered gis family. Nationality Caerleon, South Wales

 

Application Name/Alias: Uther Marlow Personality/Temperament:Uther was not always as rigid as he now appears fo be. He wasn't always as protective either, of course he also used to have a wife and child. Losing people changes a person, meeting death that way either gives you a taste for the darkness or makes you its rival. Uther is now angry, very angry and he has let the darkness in. Backstory: . Objectives: List at least one major objective. Nationality: State your Country and City. Job/Profession: Please choose one from the list above. Also, describe how you learned this job/profession. Backstory: Uther Marlow came from a noble family in South Wales. Rumor had it that his ancestors were somehow directly died to the Court of Arthur Pendrag and the table of the round. Uther for one never belived them and did his best to stay out of such politics until a fateful December when his house was set on by a group of supernatural creatures. They ravaged his estate killing all servants and guard and it wasn't until Uther picked up an old family heirloom, a dragon hilted sword, that he was finally able to fight back the dark creatures. The creatures quickly fled when they realized that their targets would not be so easily subdued but the damage had been done Uther's wife and daughter perished in the attack. Swearing vengeance Uther picked up his sword and started his quest to find whatever dark creature was responsible for his families death. Job/Profession: Dragon Knight Objectives Find and kill the creature that murdered gis family. Nationality Caerleon, South Wales

 

[galenbd]

Character Sheet

 

A beard with occasional gray and the streaks in his hair makes Dedi appear much older than he actually is. His tanned and weather-worn face betray a long history of travel, on land and sea. His black hair and dark eyes betray his Egyptian heritage. To escape confusion, Dedi commonly wears a cross prominently displayed. He wears loose shirts and pants in an Egyptian style. Years of wear have stained them a dull brown.

 

Dedi is an affable sort, curious about other people and places. He prefers to work toward common goals, avoiding conflicts if he can. He prefers to walk away from a conflict if he can. Innocent bystanders and demonic influences will force his hand into a conflict.

 

Dedi’s family originally hailed from Alexandria. His great grandfather served as a senior military advisor for Rabi'ah ibn Ahmad ibn Tulun. When ibn Tulun’s revolt was put down, Dedi family had to free to avoid extermination.

Exiled, the family ended up in Amafi, Italy. While still harboring strong military experience, their lack of local connections forced them to look to other skills as a lively-hood. Over three generations, Dedi’s family has started to emerge from poverty as a minor merchant family. In Italy, conversion to Christianity was also a painful necessity.

Dedi was not well suited to the intense efforts needed by a merchanting family, preferring to spend his time considering the nature of the world. His nature was eventually recognized by his uncle who introduced him to the Temple.

With his family situated to travel and trade, his uncle had assumed the role of chronicling the living history of the Temple. Dedi was raised in this tradition and undertook this same duty. As a young man, Dedi, is free to explore in places his uncle has not been able to reach.

With the advent of military travel through the Mediterranean over the past decade, Dedi has been wandering, seeking demonic influence to chronicle. He refers them to the Temple if he cannot deal with them directly...which is frankly most of them.

 

To return to sites of Temple knowledge within Ayyubid Sultanate which has been closed to his family for generations.

 

Italian / Egyptian from Amafi

 

Temple of Isis and Osiris