[D&D-4e] The New World

[nebelun]

Originally Posted by Enthusiast

Nebelun, very nicely written app. It works well with what I have in mind for the setting. The Baron of Amarin is a renowned diplomat (perhaps the very diplomat that you've mentioned in your background), known for his successes in converting the native shifters. He has developed Amarin as a city that welcomes both Old World Imperialists and New World converts. After advising the Baron in some of his early negotiations with the shifters, Oloros could have figured prominently in Amarin's subsequent development as a center of culture for the New World Empire and its converts. Very cool.

Thanks, that app was the result of 2 computer failures (a power outage and a blue screen) and then several reworkings. It went from an Ioun Paladin, to toying around with the different Heritage Feats as backgrounds, and then I settled on the Ardent.

I may take advantage of the similarities between my background and the baron. Does he have a name, or is it best to just refer to him as The Baron of Amarin? For his inspiration on being in Olid, I think just having The Baron contacting him would be more than enough motivation to get him there. I'll just have to make a few modifications to the background.

[sammichweasel]

Tiefling...second class citizen...gypsy?? Mind if I use the stuff from the Dragon article on the Vistani, do up a gypsy concept? Fleeing to the New World as someone's "assistant" seems like a good plan for survival...

[Nikolasthe17th]

I love bards in 4e way too much. Do I get to pick my guardian if I get in?

[dpbj602]

I hope I get in, this sounds pretty fun.

[Berliad]

Originally Posted by Enthusiast

Berliad, awesome app. Well written. Erethil could fit very well within this setting and this campaign. Good stuff. Nice build. Aspect of the Lurking Spider will work well with the Hidden Sniper feat.

Thanks! It's a nice little combo, and is almost as good as a sneak attack early on. There are a few other essentials feats that can grant ranged combat advantage (e.g. distant advantage) that I might also pick up to work with that stance, as well as some of his powers. Damage isn't the main focus of the character, but he should be able to hold his own.

Looks like I might have gotten the sequence with which the settlements were founded wrong in the app, but it's a minor little point that I can fix.

Best of luck sorting through all of the apps!

[brizingre]

Argh, this looks too good to miss out on, will post my app form soon. Completed my application.

Name: Patrin Peaceblade

Race: Dragonborn

Class: Paladin (Cavalier)

Role: Defender

Alignment: Lawful Good

Deity: Bahamut

 

Has gold scales with a hint of rust, and is relatively short and stocky with vibrant red eyes that are constantly flickering. Tends to be loud and brash, constantly interjecting into conversations with his own theories and opinions and he can therefore often appear tactless and thoughtless to people who don't know him well. With a constantly upbeat personality, always looking on the bright side of a situation, but equally, he can become easily frustrated when he feels bored and inactive. He is constantly on his toes and jogging on the spot, and likes to keep himself in exceptional physical condition. Tends to make frequent and hearty exclamations, such as 'By Bahamut's Talon!'. He likes nothing more than a good mug of foaming beer with his friends, where he can relive old memories of honour and glory, and his draconic past and heritage.

 

Affectionately known as Shieldbiter when he was little, Patrin came from an ancient and proud clan, known as the Peaceblades, who could trace their lineage back to the kingdom of Arkhosia. He spent the first several years of his life growing up in a large castle, one of the very last residences of his clan. He had two older siblings, called Torinn and Balasar, and as a consequence was regarded as the baby of the family. He liked nothing better than to listen to his father, a proud and honourable man named Ghesh, tell stories of ancient wars and battles by the fire at night. However, he never mentioned the children’s mother, somebody who according to his older brothers left mysteriously a few months after his birth. Although he was a lonely child he still looks back on that time with an immense fondness, a time of freedom and innocence that could neveer be repeated.

However, one dark day his father drank some water and a few hours later, started to complain of dizziness, retiring to bed far earlier than normal. The next morning, he was found dead in his room, having died of food poisoning, and it was never known whether his death was purely accidental or a result of an assassination attempt. This death changed Patrin’s perspective of life, and it would drive him to become a committed paragon of justice and honour.

After the death of his father, his brother Torinn, who was at 14 almost a fully grown dragonborn, began to take control of the Peaceblade estate, taking charge of his father’s money and possessions and using them to try and start restoring the fortunes of the clan, pledging his loyalty multiple times to the Erathic Empire. Balasar, the 2nd oldest of the siblings, married a dragonborn from another clan, and went to take up residence in her mansion. However, Patrin, rapidly growing into full adulthood, became extremely bored and restless by this turn of events, as he was given little responsibility and increasingly being forgotten about by his older brother. He started once more to dream of noble quests and adventure, and when word came round of this ‘New World’, he realised that this was the perfect opportunity. He informed his brother of his intentions, gathered a few pieces of equipment and some money, and set off on a ship early one morning, headed for the port city of Olid, intending to find adventure and spread the word of Bahamut.

 

If any other characters are travelling to Olid by ship, I could easily meet them on there and become firm friends/enemies with them.

 

Coming soon

[hyenaofleisure]

So, anyone got any more ideas for getting friendly n whatnot?

[Enthusiast]

nebelun, his name is Grif Telmet. He's a half-elf from the Old World, now approaching his 50s. He was a 30-something hotshot when he made a name for himself negotiating with (and converting) shifters as an Erathic diplomat. The Baron of Olid hasn't sent out specific invitations for anyone particular to seek the relic. It's more of a posting-on-the-tavern-wall kind of thing, but a character like Oloros wouldn't need a specific reason to go to Olid.

Sammichweasel, I'm not too familiar with the Vistani, but I think they're just sort of wandering gypsies, no? If you're just using it to develop your character, that's all good. Tiefling gypsy from the Old World? It works. If you're looking at powers derived from a Vistani heritage (I don't even know if there are any), then we'd have to talk some more. But as a character background, it's definitely workable.

Nikolas, I agree. Bards are awesome. As for deciding who your guardian is, it kinda depends. If a fighter/guard-type character gets in (which is always pretty likely), you and that player will probably have to decide how it works. For example, elementalist has left a pretty nice opening for Isaac and Hadrim to be working together, but it's up to you to decide if you want to take that opportunity. It's entirely possible that Isaac and Hadrim could both get in, and they might have no prior relationship whatsoever. Depends how you guys want to play it out. At the same time, there might be a character that works for the Empire and has been assigned to look after Isaac, in which case it'll be my call as the DM to appoint them, and your choice as the player to determine how Isaac responds to his appointed guardian.

Berliad, the order of settlements is no big deal. The overall concept in your app is really strong, so I wouldn't tinker with it too much. We can always hash out the minor details later. And having Erethil spend most of his "nature time" in the coastal forests between Amarin and Olid is perrrrrfect. Love it.

Brizingre, looking forward to it!

Hyena, look at you, gettin' all friendly. What a guy!

[PalladiaMors]

Have an interest as well, but how are you on re-flavorings? I have a few ideas that would cosmetically tinker with a few game designs but have no effect whatsoever on mechanics, want to know if that's OK before I proceed. I usually wait and see what role seems neglected but it looks like everything is well-rounded, with (for once) plenty of leaders.

[sammichweasel]

The Vistani stuff just had some fun "evil eye" stuff to play with, very gypsy, but I'll make sure anything I take can be reflavored appropriately.

You don't sound as excited about a gypsy as I am, so I'm just going to have to write you a stupid-fun background. Gimme a few days!

[Enthusiast]

PalladiaMors, re-flavour at will. I'll have to give it the final stamp of approval before the game starts, but I'd love to see what you come up with.

Sammichweasel, I hadn't envisioned gypsies in this setting, but hey, if you can wow me with a "stupid-fun background," then I'm all for it! I think D&D is all about collaborative storytelling in the collective imaginations of the DM and the players, not about the DM imposing his/her will on the players. I always like to see what kinds of ideas players to add to the world I've imagined in my mind. The beauty of it is that we can create something together, right? You've already got me re-thinking certain aspects of the Old World, and it might have implications for the New World. For example, people might draw parallels (for better or for worse) between the "savages" causing trouble in the New World and the tiefling gypsies that have long been getting on everyone's nerves in the Old World. Interesting stuff... Looking forward to seeing what you've envisioned.

[nebelun]

Originally Posted by Enthusiast

nebelun, his name is Grif Telmet. He's a half-elf from the Old World, now approaching his 50s. He was a 30-something hotshot when he made a name for himself negotiating with (and converting) shifters as an Erathic diplomat. The Baron of Olid hasn't sent out specific invitations for anyone particular to seek the relic. It's more of a posting-on-the-tavern-wall kind of thing, but a character like Oloros wouldn't need a specific reason to go to Olid.

I will keep Oloros unknowing of who "The Baron" is. After thinking about it, I worked him into my background, but I see them going their seperate ways after their initial meeting. Grif puts in a good word for Oloros, and he becomes an apprentice, and Grif goes off to do his own thing while Oloros learns. It might lead to a more.. interesting reunion when Oloros finds out who The Baron of Amarin is. Also his age, and timing work out great for what I had in mind for Oloros. Oloros being 40, unlocks his powers at a young age, and as a beginner encounters Grif at the beginning of his career. Now, 20 years later, he's gone on to become an affluent person styling himself "The Baron" and Oloros has moved up in the Empire as well.

Just to be certain, The Baron of Amarin is not the one sending out missives for people to find the artifact, those are two different folks? One of Amarin, and one of Olid?

[Jasontheswift]

@Enthusiast. I have updated my application please tell me if this is more suitable.

[OllieNorth]

Name: Kovacs (to a select few, Fate's Errant)

Race: Human

Class: Rogue (Scoundrel)

Role: Striker

Alignment: Unaligned

Deity: Aurom (Original God of Fate and Death)

 

Roughly six feet tall and about 200 pounds, Kovacs is a brutal looking man. Unusually large and brawny for a thief, his skills have always run more towards the enforcement and intimidation route than to cat burglary. However, a trained eye can see an uncanny lightness to the man's steps, and the few who have seen him in action claim to have witnessed near unhuman feats of agility. A dark olive complexion, curly black hair pulled into a short queue contrast with his startlingly pale gray eyes. A network of strange tattooed lines cross much of his skin. On the rare occasions that his shirt is off, his back seems to resemble a dark and disturbing weave or loom. These tattoos often confuse the eye in low light. He generally wears a loose gray shirt over his leather armor. Well-worn leather boots come to mid-calf. His upper arms are generally bare, but heavy bracers come to his elbows. As a rule, he wears clothes in various shades of gray. Never black, but often quite close.

 

The son of a backalley prostitute in the Empire, Kovacs has had a bad run from the beginning. Never knowing his father, he was raised in the slums. His mother was generally sleeping during the day, so from an early age Kovacs was comfortable at night. He ran with a pack of street children, and by the age of 6, much of the food he and his mother survived on came from his efforts, rather than his mother's due to her rapidly declining looks. During the winter of Kovacs' 8th year, she contracted tuberculosis and lay in their small lean-to hut dying. Just as Kovacs was returning with some not-quite-completely spoiled meat from behind the Baron's house, a dark man in a long gray cloak came up to the lean-to. Pushing his way into the hut, the man looked at Kovacs, then his mother, and turned to him.

"She can be saved young one. I can return her to you, you simply need to pledge your loyalty to my partron. The Raven Queen is willing to favor her chosen."

Kovacs could distinctly remember his mother telling him of the Raven Queen, the usurper to the usurper of the throne of Death. She would sit late at night and tell him of her mother's and grandmother's secret dedication to Aurom, the true God of Death and Fate. Their small village had been one of the few remaining strongholds of that ancient religion, and she passed their teachings down to Kovacs. Despite her current primacy as Goddess of Death, the Raven Queen deposed the previous Lord of Death, Nerull, who had in turn deposed Aurom. Aurom had been known as a dual-aspected God/Goddess. The male aspect oversaw Death, and the female oversaw the weaving of Fate. It was the female aspect that Kovacs' mother and family had worshipped. Over and over he had been told of the necessity of accepting one's faith, and not to fight death when its time had come. Nothing had horrified his mother more than the tales of priests artificially extending the lives of their worshippers.

As such, when the man began to reach forward, the Raven sigil on his cloak glowing, Kovacs sprung at him with his small dagger. As he moved, he called upon the ancient name of Aurom. A weight seemed to fall upon the shack, and Kovacs felt himself moving at a snail's pace, slowing floating through the air, arm extended. A dry, dusty voice seemed to speak inside his head. A child invokes my name while attacking a man for trying to extend his mother's life. . . Yesssss . . . It has been a . . . long . . . time. I accept your sacrifice of this man and your mother. And I have need of hands in the world again. Go forth, but remember this, I prohibit tampering with fate. But who is to say that you are not fated to receive mystic healing at some point? Heh heh heh . . . I will return to you in the future. Do as you feel fate dictates until then . . .

With a flash, the world came back to full speed, and the Raven priest looked over quickly, sensing something amiss. With a flash of darkness, the dagger buried itself to the hilt in the man's eye. Another dark pulse, and the man seemed to decompose in an instant, going from last gasping breaths to a year-old corpse.

With the money looted from the man's corpse, Kovacs left his mother, who seemed to have died at the same instant as the priest, and made his own way. Growing up secure in his fate, Kovacs was willing to take larger chances, and as he grew into his large frame, was considered by many to be one of the premier night men. His reputation for deadliness and speed served him well. Unfortunately, the city watch began to crack down, and within the space of a few short years, the city had become quite hostile to men in Kovacs' line of work. As such, he took ship to Port Calia. In a frontier world like Medrona, men in power always had a need for someone to do their dirty work, and Kovacs' skills are always in demand.

 

Standing outside of the inn, Kovacs grinned at the sound of the fight. It was always nice to see the pompous laid low, especially by a woman. As the sounds died away, he heard some muffled conversation, and a striking brunette Eladrin stumbles out the door wiping splashed wine off of her doublet. As she staggers past, Kovacs' touches his forehead in respect. "Nice to hear someone correcting Po on his behavior. Watch your back out here tonight, the weather seems to be bringing out the worst of the scum." Not even acknowledging his presence, she stumbles into the night.

Kovacs leans back against the wall of the tavern and slowly counts to himself. Five . . . Six . . . Seven . . . Eight . . . Ahhh, there they are. Two furtive men slip out the door, peering in the direction that the Eladrin went. Really, a tall fat one and a short skinny one. Can we get any more typical? Kovacs shakes his head as the short one looks at the Eladrin slipping around the corner and turns to his companion. "Oi, she's 'eaded back to that scrapheap of a room she rents. You 'ead that way, and I 'll catch up with 'er." The two slink off into the night, and Kovacs shakes his head. Spitting out the mangled remains of a toothpick, he silently turns and follows the larger one.

Two blocks later, the big man seems to be getting ready to spring out of the shadows next to a door to a terribly run-down boardinghouse. Just as he settles in, he hears a small scuff on the roof above him. Looking up suspiciously, he notices the leaf blowing along the gutter and shakes his head, muttering to himself. "Huh, been jumping at shadows all night, for no good reason either . . " Settling back into position, he looks across to the other side of the alley and jumps.

A large, dark, and oddly tattooed man is standing in the shadows and staring at him, idly toying with a dagger. The large thug whips his dagger out of its sheath, but by the time it is ready, the dark man has already sprung to the wall next to him, kicked off of a protruding stone, and landed behind him. The thug only has a chance to let out a small gurgle before he slumps to the ground.

A few seconds of faint scuffing and one slight grunt later, the alley is still once more.

A minute or so later, the Eladrin stumbles her way down the alley, battered armor creaking as she goes. She is nearly to the door when the smaller thug steps out into the opposite end of the alley. "Oi there doll, we didn't get properly in'roduced at th' pub." Obviously expecting the large thug to make an appearance at this point, the smaller one quickly gets upset. "'Ey! What'd you do wit Bob?!" Jittery but fast, he pulls out a hand crossbow, the head of the bolt dripping with some vile substance. "Fine! In that case we'll do it the 'ard way." As the Eladrin sighs, and reaches for her weapon, the diminutive thug suddenly stops. A wickedly bladed disk is lodged, about 2 inches deep, into the bridge of his nose. With a questioning kind of glurble, the man slumps, then collapses in a heap. At the same time, Kovacs steps out of the shadows, retrieves his shuriken from the thug, and nods to the Eladrin.

"It wasn't your time tonight, sunshine. Get some sleep."

Another quick flash of movement, and Kovacs is up the wall and out of the alley.

 

Kovacs groans, rolls over, and vomits out what appears, on an unfortunate second look, to be a keg of beer. Flopping onto his back, he grasps his head as it appears to be about to explode. "Ohhhh gods . . . What in Aurom's name happened?" Dragging himself into a seated position against the wall, it starts to trickle back, much like whatever horrible fluid is seeping into the legs of his armor from the alley.

From what he recalls, Kovacs was in quite a good mood after breaking up the attempted mugging of the Eladrin. As such, he had wandered to the Bell, Book, and Gamble, a favorite dive near the waterfront. You can always count on the Bell, Book and Gamble to provide an entertaining evening, as all sorts tend to show up. Tonight was no exception. As he walked in, he spied Aukan and Jet at the bar. As mismatched a pair as can be found, the giant and shifter had become regulars at the pub lately. Just the other week Aukan had enticed Jet into his first beer, and apparently spirits are rarely to be found in the Shifter wilds, and Jet ended up roaring drunk. A roaring drunk Shifter barbarian is quite a sight, and thankfully the goliath was there to forcibly remove Jet after he had declared a blood feud with his stool. Three patrons sustained minor injuries as a result of the shifter-vs-barstool carnage, and the bouncer had been on the way over to crack skulls when Kovacs, remembering his first brushes with drink, stepped in and offered to cover the cost of the stool and assorted damage, along with a round for the bar. The next day, the three had sat down together for a more sedate evening. Eventually the conversation degenerated into tall tales and dirty jokes, and a few difficulties in translation notwithstanding, it was quite an experience. Who knew the potential hilarity when the females of your race have six nipples?!

Needless to say, Kovacs' enthusiasm earlier this evening had become infectious, and the three were deep in the fourth retelling of Aukan's favorite story, the one where he had to pull a cow in heat out of a bog while the herd's bull kept trying to challenge him, when Trouble walked in. In this case, Trouble was spelled with a capital orange. The (literally) fire-haired Genasi walked into the room like an incitement to riot, and Kovacs didn't stand a chance.

Intrigued by Genasi in general, this one was more than intriguing. Obviously well-acquainted with her sword, this Genasi projected an air of confidence that Kovacs, in his inebriated state, had to get a piece of. Ordering her a glass of the finest (well, even the worst booze has grades) Medronan Rum, Kovacs sidled up and introduced himself. At one point in the conversation, he uttered a phrase that he believes now will, unfortunately, become legendary at the pub. "So red, do them flame-lines go all the way around? I'd be happy to check for ya!" There is a peculiar moment in a conversation when the surrounding bar goes completely silent just in time to hear the most awkward portion, and of course this happened right then.

Peering around him into the silence, Kovacs was struck by the reality of what he'd done, and suddenly remembered a pressing need to answer the call of nature. By the time he got back, the Genasi was at a table against the wall, smirking at him, and the rest of the bar was studiously ignoring him. Turning bright red, Kovacs sat down with Aukan and Jet, uttered a quick "Shut it, I don't want to hear it," and promptly proceeded to drink most of the bar. After that there are only snippets of grinning goliath and shifter faces, and then the memory of getting unceremoniously chucked into the back alley.

With a groan, Kovacs hauls himself to his feet, knocks the worst of the, uh, mud? Hopefully? off of his armor, and staggers back towards the room he is renting.

[Enthusiast]

Nebelun, that sounds good to me. Yes, the Baron of Amarin (Grif) and the Baron of Olid are two different people. Depending on the nature of your work within the Empire's ranks, you'd likely know that Grif has risen to the status of a Baron, so it wouldn't be a huge surprise to you during the course of the game. However, it could be that, even though you know he's the Baron, the two of you haven't seen one another since your initial encounters. That could make for an interesting reuinion indeed. Now that I think of it, I had styled Grif as a real smooth-talking leader (an Ardent, in fact), but maybe he's really just a diplomat of average skill who's actually just been coasting on the reputation that he built many years ago, with your... "assistance."

Jasontheswift, that looks good. That gives me a better idea of who Ragnar is and how he'll mesh with the others. Thanks for making the addition!

Ollie, sheet looks good. What I'm really interested in is the character, so I'm excited to see what Kovacs is all about.