[D&D-5e] Forgotten Realms: Dales and Daggers

[Inuvash255]

Dales & Daggers
A Game for D&D 5e

Theme The Dalelands are your oyster! They're yours to save! Or ruin! Or rule! Or profit off of immensely! Or just live in!

Flavour Forgotten Realms, Sandbox, Organic & Cooperative Storytelling, Old-School inspiration with New-School rules!

Plot Summary Between the Moonsea, the Desertmouth Mountains, and the country of Sembia... nestled between the sprawling forest arms of Cormanthor are pockets of rural towns set plains, valleys, and hills that are collectively called the Dalelands. Each of the Dales is outwardly similar-looking but differ in terms of beliefs, policies, and ideals. I'm looking to run a game for a small group of creative players who can make motivated characters. The campaign will take place entirely within the Dalelands region of Faerun, with occasional dips into Cromanthor and the ruins of Myth Drannor - all as described in the original "Grey Box" for Forgotten Realms and the revised Campaign Setting Guide. What I want is to let your characters loose on this region to do as you like in it. Unlike normal D&D and typical Forgotten Realms fashion- I have no intention of having some big bad evil guy trying to destroy the Dales. Orcus isn't out there to turn the farmers into an army of an undead, and Demogorgon isn't going to be sending the legions of the abyss your way. The Zhentarim are a threat, to be sure- but consider them to be a thorn in your side, rather than the Dale-threatening super power they could be in another campaign. As such, I'm going to need players (and characters) who don't need a carrot to be lead by, players (and characters) who know what they want. Bring that character that always seemed too big for a boxed campaign - or that weird concept that never quite made it to paper. Bring me a character with something to prove, and I'll see about making that happen. I'm going to use the Downtime rules from XGtE, as well as some bonus house-rules for pointing the party in the direction of the things you, as a group, want. Starting Level is Level 3 (to get the boring and all-too-deadly levels out of the way). Application info is down below, and do feel free to ask any questions that you can think up!

Setting The Dales Below are descriptions for each of the dales, circa DR1368 Year of the Banner: Archendale: This Dale is a beautiful valley of ferns, lillies, mosses, and clear pools - with warm summers and cool winters with heavy, wet snow. Farms and orchards line the center of the valley. The largest community is Archenbridge, a home to aggressive traders who carry long-lasting grudges that lead to layer upon layer of intrigue. The government of Archendale is run by three military officers known as the Swords: a Black Sword, a Red Sword, and a Blue Sword. Their identities are mysterious and unknown. A hundred years ago or so, war broke out between Archendale and Sessrendale - which resulted in the destruction of Sessrendale. Battledale: This Dale consists of a series of low hills and vallies, speckled with hamlets, ranches, and manors. Battledale tends to be a site for violence - the rolling hills have hosted many battles between fueding Dales. The unoccupied ruins of Aencar the Mantled King's castle rise over the hills as a reminder of Battledale's proud past. Daggerdale: Daggerdale was once known as Merrydale, but continual siege and raids have left the communities that survive here behind fortified walls. Travelers of all kind are not welcome. The people here are distrustful after being used and abused by Vampires, the Black Network, and other forces of ill-will. Deepingdale: This wide valley, plentiful with game and timber, is known as Deepingdale. The humans here keep up good relationship with the elves that live nearby and many elves and half-elves call Deepingdale home. Treants and Druids are called friends here too. Their relationships with other human communities aren't up to snuff, though. In the past, Deepingdale and Archendale have nearly waged war over relatively small matters. Featherdale: Technically, Featherdale isn't a dale, but is simply the land on the fertile banks of the Ashaba River. Featherdale is largely a farming community, with no time for war, dragon-slaying, spells, treasure, or any of that business. There's no central power here, and it's represented by a freely elected citizen each year. Harrowdale: Harrowdale is a farming dale of gentle slopes and well-worn slopes. It's the oldest Dale, and the capital, the Town of Harrowdale, is a stop of ships traveling to and from the Moonsea. The Northern end of the Dale depends a lot on their relationships with the elves. The seven richest people in the community govern this provincial land as a group called the Council of Seven Burghers. High Dale: Under the shadow of the Thunder Peaks is the southernmost Dale. While it sees some traffic, most travelers enter the dalelands through Deepingdale or Daerlun. The High Dale is one of terraced farms that produce sheep, turnips, potatoes, and hay. Six Councilors govern the land, who choose a high constable to hire six more constables. Most of the Dales have a number of gods they worship- but in the High Dale, you can find a shrine to just about every deity out there. High Dale is host to the Pegasus Archery Company - a Mercenary group of horse archer with a special corp of archers on pegasus-back. Mistledale: The road from Tilver's Gap to the Standing Stone is called the Moonsea Ride, and Mistledale is a wide clearing of Farmland along it. The largest community is Ashabenford, where the river crosses the main road. Aside from that place, the region is dotted with small farms and stockades. Mistledale is named for the mist that rises from the river every dawn and dusk. Mistledale, like the High Dale, has a council of six members. The Council of Six is headed by senior member Heresk Malorn - who carries a black rod that represents the office. In the most dire situations- he leads the Riders of Mistledale to battle. Moondale: ...is no longer a Dale, lost to history. It was very old before it fell, at a time before Featherdale even existed. Back then, it was a trading and farming community. Moondale was not destroyed, it simply spread thin and was absorbed by Sembia. Scardale: Legends tell of a battle between the orcish Gruumsh and the elvish Corellon over the the forests of Cormanthor. In their melee, one of Corellon's mighty blows went astray and carved this wide gouge in the forest. This gouge, which rungs from Feather Falls to Dragonreach, is called the Scar - and is the namesake of Scardale. Only recently has it recovered from the rule of Lashan Aumersair - an aggressive youth who sought to build an empire by lashing out at the other Dales. Lashan thought he'd get respect and aid from Cormyr and Sembia - but his efficiently that those lands worked with the conquered Dales to put his reign to an end. Scardale is now under a privisonal and independent government, with a lord that answers to a Parliament of advisers. Sessrendale: A hundred years back, Sessrendale and Archendale went to war for just three weeks that almost destroyed both sides. When word got out that Sessrendale had the aid of powerful magicians, retaliation spread throughout the Dales. Sessrendale was destroyed, and the Swords of Archendale ordered that Sessrendale be burned and its fields salted, and that all that could be stripped from the land be brought back to Archendale as reparation. The treatment of Sessrendale never sit quite right with the commonfolk of Archendale, but the guilt was never enough to discover who the Swords were that ordered the complete destruction of another Dale. Shadowdale: Shadowdale is the most legendary of the Dales, and the most open towards strangers. The Dale is mostly farmland, broken up by a large number of old ruins full of treasure and monsters that make it very attractive to adventurers and adventuring companies who call the Dale home. Tarkhaldale: Known as the Lost Vale, lies on the border of the Great Desert Mountains. Pine trees dot the sides of the vale, hiding old ruins and the entrances to long lost mines and caverns. Tarkhaldale was once allied with the rich kingdoms of Asram and Hlondath, who are now buried beneath the desert. Orcs and goblins slew the dwarves and elves of this Dale. In recent history, it's said that Dragonborns and Lizardfolk have established their own settlements in the area. Tasseldale: This dry river valley stretches from the Arch Wood to Featherdale along an ancient path that the River Ashaba once took. Tasseldale is considered to be the most civilized of the Dales, and acts as a crossroads for the Dalelands. Its small communities are lined with shops and the houses of artisans. A dozen such communities dot the landscape. Semian families and merchants are moving into the Dale to get away from the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan communities to the South, but it remains to be seen whether they'll take the the ways of the Dales or not. Teshendale: Teshendale is no more. Raids by orcs and the forces of Zhentil Keep have left Teshendale a shadow of its former self. Its granite quarries have been stripped to make the new walls of Zhentil Keep. Its farms were stripped of anything of use. All that is left of Teschendale are rolling, rocky expanses and non-arable grassland. Every year, the Dales hold council- and a chair is always left open for Teshendale. In memory, and as a warning. Teshendale is home to Zhentil Keep - the main base of operation for the Zhentarim.

Application Name: Character's Name. Race: Any non-monster race from WotC published content. No UA. Class: Any from WotC published content. No UA. Multiclassing is fine! Background: Any from WotC published content. No UA. Age: Character Age matters sometimes. Gender: Male, Female, or otherwise. Corellon knows what's up. Alignment: The kind of characters I'm looking for are highly motivated about something they personally care about. My feel is that some kind of Neutral is best here, after all- polarized alignments tend to lend themselves towards great heroism or villainy, and you're aiming to go your own way. But, if you you feel otherwise about your character- convince me in the Bio! Description: Physical Description of your character. Personality Traits: From the PHB or otherwise. Ideal: From the PHB or otherwise. Also, please include what that ideal means to your character on a deeper level. Bond: From the PHB or otherwise. Also, be specific when it comes to a person, place or thing. Player Goals: As a player, what kinds of things do you want to do? What excites you most about Forgotten Realms and the Daleland area? Character Goals: I'm looking for characters who know what they want. What are your character's motivations? Bio: Your character's life, from childhood, up to Level 3, including a way they would have joined the party.

I'm looking for the game to be 2-3 posts per week, slowing to 1-2 during combat - which is often a bit more involved.

[Inuvash255]

The deadline for applications is November 1st, @ 11:59PM EST.

[gotha]

character name Name: Martha Carrier Race: Variant Human Class: Warlock (Chain or book) Background: Haunted one. Age: 47 Gender:Female Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Description: Martha is mostly ordinary in appearance standing average height and weight. Her hair is a dark matted mess, chaotically kept in line with an assortments of pins and straps. In her dress and years she is faded but still possesses a comely beauty. She prefers light but dull shades and enjoys adorning herself with matching flowers on a whim. When she notices people's attention on her she is warm with a welcoming eyes and grin. If you catch a glimpse of her unaware though, she looks worn and burdened, like she has been carrying an ungodly weight for years. Personality Traits: I don’t talk about the thing that torments me. I’d rather not burden others with my curse. Ideal: Aspiration. I'm going to prove that I'm worthy of a better life. The ancient gave me a second chance, Im going to prove myself worthy of him so that I might join him and my child and gain the family I always wanted. Bond: A terrible guilt consumes me. I hope that I can find redemption through my actions. She feels like she was fooled and traded a real life for a false one. Now fate tempts her that she might achieve both loves, but is she just repeating the same mistake again. Player Goals: My main goal for this character is to explore an endless circle of family love and betrayal between the three beings that make up this character. As she levels and gains powers I will theme them around this. Given that this is an internal conflict between her and her powers it can be done in a normal adventuring setting, especially in a sandbox ones like the dale present. Character Goals: Martha's goal is to make herself worthy in the Ancient and sons eyes through deeds as an adventurer. She has a strange concept family. The three beings will have a genuine love for each other but will betray it at points in favor of one another. I want to play with the bride of Satan with a family concept but with more grey morality and less good vs evil. Background:   The lads apparition stared at her, his eyes empty voids. His gaze brought forth her guilt the way it always has. Where was this guilt when she was younger, she always wondered. If she had not been so blinded by her lust for power this couldve all been avoided. The boy would've been a man by now, maybe her a nana, watching over a grandchild. But that's not how things worked out. She had gotten her power, but she was too naive to understand the cost. Her endless trades of love and betrayal for family. She wanted to put the blame on the hags, they were the ones that had taken her as a girl. They raised her in their spite for man, fed her lust for power, for a dark ones affection. But they never forced her to do anything, all they did was offer her choices. In the end the decisions were hers, the consequences of her making. They just provided her the means. Believe it or not there were less horrid paths for a girl to take raised by the hags, but she wanted only one. The one where she could feel the ancient embrace. She saw the power it imparted on the hags, the the love it gave the them. They drew their magic from this ancient being, dark and mysterious. In exchange It desired no worship, no penance, only one sacrifice. The ultimate sacrifice a woman can give, a mother can give. A trade her young self was eager to make in exchange. So when she came of age the hags sent her forth into the world, in search someone worthy. She searched the dales high and low, until she came upon a worthy man in Shadowdale. An adventurer seeping with magic, eager for adventure, eager for love. The fellow stood no chance against her seduction, the Hags had trained her well. She fed the mans lovesick lust and in her heat and passion robbed him of his seed, his heir. He woke the next day to an empty bed, naive to what had been stolen from him. To her excitement she gave birth to a boy. A girl would've been taken by the hags, but a boy was hers to trade. He was scrawny, but good in spirit, skilled in magic, and brimming with potential. She was proud of herself, she had chosen well. As the years past she raised him with a true but deceitful love, for giving something you care nothing for is sacrificing nothing at all. The boy could not have had a happier childhood, raised in a glade by a loving mother surrounded by beautiful women. The boy loved to read about great adventurers. His favorite book was entitled Worthy Hearts, the Tales of Gretechal and Hans. It was a book about woman who wanted to win the heart of a king. With the help of her son she set forth to accomplish great deeds and make herself a worthy of the man she loved. “That could be us mother” he would joke. The lad looked forward to the day he would become a man and join in great adventures, naive to the illusion of joy around him, to the kings whose heart she desired. She remembers the day of his right of passage. He was shaking, nervous but excited. His body was powdered white and eyes forlorningly shadowed in black. That was the last time she would ever see him smile. Five sons, five mothers departed for the bog that day, daggers in hand. Pridefully she grinned at her son, the other four lads were nothing in comparison. Farmers boys at best, she doubt the ancient would find them a worthy trade. They traveled until they reached a bog. The bogs sat heavy in fog, amongst the the mist the hags eerily hummed and chanted. A hungry presences sat over the bog, the ancient awaiting its meal. Five lads, five mothers lined up facing each other on the bogs muddy shores. First came the silencing, each woman sliced the dagger across her hand and placed her bloody palm upon theirs sons mouths. Voiceless they became. Then came the love. Each embraced her boy one last time and kissed them upon the head. Next came the truth, as the veil of the glade was raised and boys saw the horror where they were raised for the first time, but none could hear them scream. Last came the sacrifice. One by one the mothers slid daggers across their son’s throats. One by one the boys’ life faded from their eyes, and their bodies flopped into the bog and sank, eternally entombed, enslaved. It was done, she had given what a mother should never give. Now she could only wait and see if it found her gift worthy. That night she awoke, she could feel a presences amongst her, something familiar but strange. It started as shadows playing tricks in the dimming candle light. Ignoring it she returned to her slumber, waking again to sweats and her sons name rolling off her lips. Her weary eyes could make out an outline of a lad among-st the shadows of black. Insomnia playing tricks on her she thought as she once again went back to sleep. The third time she woke with a scream, the specter of the lad stood clearly before her, surrounding by a quiet chilling mist. Her bloody palm print stained across his mouth and forlorning eyes eternally questioning why. The boys spirit was her servant, her conduit to the ancients devilry. He was her slave, her means towards greater and greater power. The ancient was true to his word, it found her sacrifice worthy. She reveled in her strength. She used the magic for ill and begotten ends, each dark deed carried out by her boys dismal soul robbed of its will and choice. With each forced foul act his gaze grew deeper in despair, heavier in judgement of a woman he once loved. There was no escape from the boys gaze. It was ever present, hammering in the guilt of her betrayal. At first she could ignore it, trying to believe in the worth of her trade. But the voids of his eyes always watched her, reminded her. Denial soon turned to rage and for nights on end she would scream at the apparition of the lad, but you can only scream so long at the blank stare of truth. Finally she tried to reason with the ghost, remind him of her past love, why she did what she did, but she had taken his voice for which he could have used to bargain. As her reality set in she took stock of those around her. The hags and the women she had sacrificed with. All but one of the women was dead, and the last survivor a mad shriveled old shrew. Victims of their own guilt. She looked at the hags she had once idolized. The illusion of their beauty faded and gone, now wrinkled withered and deformed with empty hollow and spiteful souls, forever in flight of their sins. There was no love for them or in them by any ancient being, it was all a lie s charade. He has bestow on them his power, but not his embrace. Was that what she was destined to become. Was this what she traded her beloved son for. The realization of her damnation soon settled in. She resigned herself to her fate. Searching for momentary escapes from her pain, from his accusative gaze, in the suffering of others. If she was damned, so will be the world she decided. With each despicable act she forced upon herself and the lad, his gaze grew heavier and her retreat to evil more frenzied. Through the slow spiral out of control and the lad was able to gain a meager semblance of free will he once had. It started with the small and trivial but slowly grew to outright rebellion. A power struggle soon ensued between her maddened self and the boy for the ancients power. The boy was insidious in his timing, allowing her to gain the favor hags only to fail them at their time of greatest need. The boy looked to be sabotaging her in the eyes of hags, break their hold. The boy finally achieved his ends during a raid for children to swell the covens ranks. In failure Martha returned to the hags childless with witch hunters in pursuit. In shame the hags left her to her fate and the hunters soon caught their prey. She was shackled, tried, and sentenced to drown under the next full moon. She was left to herself in her cell, guards and other prisoners to scared to tempt the hex of a witch. She was left alone, just her and her boy. She was tired, weary but relieved for her damnation would soon be over, death would soon take her. Free of the hags, free of her torment she reflected on her life and her actions. She no longer fled from her guilt but accepted it. She had traded real love for false promises. She prayed to the only power she had ever known, the ancient. With tearful eyes she begged, to trade her soul for her sons, but all she got was silence. The guilt inducing voids of the boys eyes quietly changed as he watch, from betrayal to a somber despair. A chilling tear rolled down his cheek as faded into nothingness. The ancient had claimed his prize. For thirteen nights she weeped, until tears of blood rolled off her face, until the full moon bloomed in the cloudless sky. When they came to take her, she went quietly and without a fight. They lead her to a raging river and weighed her down with stones. After the reading of her crimes, and the babbling of cleric, she was dropped into the dark currents. She did not scream or kick, only decended in the depths staring at the shining moon and as the water fill her lungs. As the final glimmers of the moon gave way to darkness she felt a pulling at her feet as the rope holding the stone to her legs slithered away. She felt a cold clasp about ankle as she began to rise. The glistening of the moon quietly glimmered through the water. Below her she could make out the faintest outline of her sons spirit, hugging her tight, pushing her upwards. The current took her as she spun in a whirling confusion before being dumped upon the shore. She gasped for breath as the river water spilled from her lungs. She dragged herself up onto the banks turning towards the sky as her lungs gurgled for air. Above her the moon shimmered in the sky, she lifted herself up to watch the moons beams glisten off the water. At the river's edge the corporeal form of her boy stood staring at her and behind him a dark figure, composed shadows and moonlight. She knew who it was, she felt his presence before, had channeled his power. Almost fatherly the ancient rested his gloomy armed around the boy shoulders as both beings stared at her. Their was an strangeness to the scene, almost a love as they watched her. Their eyes were judging her, not as before, not for her past sins, but judging if she was worthy. The arm around the boy slowly lifted and pointed into the woods. The boy looked up at the ancient and nodded, turned and began walking into the woods. Martha watched as the ancient examined her for a second then faded into the night. Weak and exhausted Martha pulled herself up and gave chase after the lad. She stumbled through the bramble, one step after another, following the boys distant corporeal shimmer. In the distance she saw the lights of a tavern, the ruckus sound of bards and adventurers echoed into the quiet night. She followed the boy towards the noise, followed his spirit inside. The tavern was lively humans, dwarves, elves, were drinking being merry, boasting and kvetching about this adventure. Soggy and wet she sludged slowly through the tavern, everyone too busy with their own affairs to pay her much heed. As she glanced about looking for apparition a book fell from the loft above. She picked it up and looked at the title, the Worthy Hearts Tales of Gretechal and Hans. It was time for her story to begin, to win the ancients heart, win her family.

[Ericg1s]

What, if any, playtest material is allowed?

[Inuvash255]

I'm mostly just okay with the UA skill feats- the ones that grant proficiency/expertise, with a side benefit.

Everything else is out.

I feel that there's enough across the PHB, SCAG, EEPC, XGtE, and MToF to cover most character concepts.

edit: Except for the aforementioned Skill feats. I had expected to see those in XGtE, but I guess they didn't have room.

They also cover something I miss from previous editions - where non Rogues/Bards could be particularly good at a skill or tool.

[RedSandman]

Just like to say I'm very interested in taking part in this adventure. I will work up a character in the next few days.

Application Status: Completed - ready for review.

Application Name: Legolin Do'kelin Race: Half-elf Class: Warlock Background: Folk Hero Age: 17. Gender: Male. Alignment: Neutral Description: Standing 5ft and weighing 125Lbs, Legolin is slim built which belies his physical strength and dexterity. A clean fresh face with dark blue and green eyes he has a full head of brown wavy hair. Personality Traits: I judge people by their actions, not their words. Thinking is for other people. I prefer action. Legolin is young and impetuous. He hasn't had the experience to understand that sometimes you need to consider your actions before 'charging in'. Ideal: Nothing and no one can steer me away from my higher calling. Not fitting in with Elven or Human societies, Legolin eagerly gave the Fey his loyalty in exchange for the promise of greatness. Bond: I have an eleven bracelet given to me by my father. It is the only item Legolin has to remember him by. The traumatic events of his parents' deaths still haunt Legolin and are always present in his thoughts. Player Goals: In general, I would like to explore this area of the Forgotten Realms, especially Myth Drannor as it holds a lot of ancient history and lore. But specifically to help 'carve out' an intriguing and 'action-packed' story against this rich background and setting. Character Goals: Legolin has been tasked, by Queen Titania, to find and destroy the evil power that has been witnessed in Myth Drannor. Queen Titania suspects its source leads back to the Queen of Air and Darkness, her sister. So Legolin, unwittingly finds himself in the middle of a power struggle between two powerful fey beings. However, Legolin's immediate goals are to find an adventuring party that can help him (knowingly or unknowingly) achieve this mission. This task will take many twists and turns, setbacks and triumphs. He will often get sidetracked helping other characters but will always be drawn towards Myth Drannor. Bio: Born in the "Year of the Dragon" from a young human mother and an elven father, Legolin was brought up on a small farmstead outside Ashabenford in Mistledale. However, in 1361 DR (Year of the Maidens) the farmstead was wiped out by an Orc raid killing everybody. Legolin was spared that fate because he had gone to the market in Ashbenford that day to purchase supplies for the farm. At the age of 10, he found himself orphaned. Grief-stricken and emotionally distraught a neighbouring farmer took pity and cared for Legolin. But he never fitted well with the human family. He grew distant and started wondering for days at a time and often would stray into the great forest of Cormanthor. There he met a beautiful dark faerie and soon became enchanted with her. The faerie made a pact with Legolin that would bind him forever to her. In return, Legolin was given magical powers both subtle and spectacular. He was transported to the Summer Court and was trained by the faeries to become a Level 3powerful Warlock. For seven years he trained hard with the fey folk at the Summer Court and on his 17th birthday was released back into the Dalelands. The Archfey, Queen Titania had now gained a loyal servant in the world of Faerun. A pawn against her sister, the Queen of Air and Darkness.

[Inuvash255]

Glad to hear it, RedSandman =D

[RandolphCarter]

this sounds great. I usually come up with a pretty extensive background and set of motivations for characters that don't always come out with tightly-scripted adventures, so I think I'd have something to fit this. I'll have a full application together soon. I am new to the site, and this would be my first non-training adventure; would that be an issue?

[Inuvash255]

As long as you've got a decent grasp of 5e and feel comfortable pointing your own way through the setting, I don't think it'd be an issue at all. =)

[Squadfather43]

Is it to late to throw my hat in? I've got an idea for a human fighter. Basically he's the 3rd born son of a minor noble family. Knowing that he has no chance for a title or lands from his family, he took the path of the adventurer. He's looking to make wsy in life, seeking out his own title and lands..etc.

Basically he's looking to start a separate branch of his family line.

[Inuvash255]

@Squad: Not too late at all! I just opened the advertisement today! =D

@All: Just finished adding detail on each of the Dales, and updated the Plot Summary bit just a little.

edit: Also just added the year for the campaign. It's DR1386.

[Imaginate]

Name: ANDER STORMBORN

Race: HUMAN (Illuskan)

Class: RANGER

Background: OUTLANDER

Age: 24 YEARS OLD

Gender: MALE

Alignment: NEUTRAL GOOD

Description: Ander prefers simple garb; trousers and tunic covering his fair skin. He stands at just about 6’0”. The top of his head is covered with raven black hair which accentuates a face of hard lines, a scar that traverses from his right eye brow down and along to his cheek. Steel grey eyes reflect light whether by sun or moon.

Personality Traits: I once ran twenty-five miles without stopping to warn to my clan of an approaching orc horde. I’d do it again if I had to. For Ander, this trait is born from his upbringing. The purpose that his father instilled in him, that had been instilled from his father’s father, takes utmost importance. The family’s purpose was to warn their community of the dangers in the Dalelands (explained further in the bio).

Ideal: Nature. The natural world is more important than all the constructs of civilization. Ander and his family realized that the natural world provided everything their community in the Dalelands provided. Nature provided sustenance, supplies, and the animals they needed to hunt and survive. Regardless of the structures that housed them and their neighbors, it was of the utmost importance to understand the nature surrounding them, as well as protect it.

Bond: An injury to the unspoiled wilderness of my home is an injury to me. Early in childhood, Ander’s father made sure to explore Mistledale and the forests that surrounded it. During these trips, Ander’s very purpose in life felt as if it intertwined with the grassland, and the roots of the trees that dug deep. To Ander, it was the wild forest, which acted as a physical protector for Mistledale, that earned his deep love; a deep bond.

Player Goals: As a player, what kinds of things do you want to do? What excites you most about Forgotten Realms and the Dalelands area? As a player, there are a couple of things that excite me about this game. I grew up reading and playing in Forgotten Realms. It has been a long time since I’ve experienced any kind of game there, so the nostalgia experienced while creating this character has been through the roof. Playing in the Dalelands area allows me to visit an area I did not experience much before, so I’m looking forward to truly exploring what is a new location to me. Also, this is only my second game to try and get involved with since arrive to the RPGCrossing site. My goals as a player, the things I would like to do, is get used to playing play-by-post more, getting used to playing with a party, and fleshing out what could be a new/long-term character.

Character Goals: I'm looking for characters who know what they want. What are your character's motivations?

In the broadest sense, Ander’s motivation includes keeping the Mistledale unspoiled. That was the primary goal of his father, and Ander has every intention in doing everything in his power to do the same, even if it means the sacrifice of his own life. However, the motivation Ander feels is multi-faceted. Underneath keeping the Mistledale unspoiled, Ander deals with the pain of loss. As detailed in his bio, he has lost his father. Troublesome events surround his father’s death, and he intends to unravel the mystery. He traverses Mistledale and has begun considering searching for information outside among the other dales.

Bio: Your character's life, from childhood, up to Level 3, including a way they would have joined the party.

Ander’s father used to say that before the Mistren of today, before the Riders of Mistledale, and the Council of Six, there were a people that lived in Mistledale when it was not nearly so free of trouble or danger. Enemies from the other dales, vying for fertile land (which even then Mistledale was full of), often fought over the dirt. That is why it only now consists mainly of a small number of hamlets. Before Ashabenford, no structure nor group ever owned the land long enough to build anything lasting. But even then, as battle-ridden as it was, there was an unofficial party of adventurers who banded together to protect the farmers and hamlets. They were called the Stormborn.

Ander was infatuated with the tale, and the other tales that consisted of telling of their heroic deeds. Often, his father told him that without the Stormborn, there probably never would have been a Council or an Ashabenford at all. In their memory, his father aided in the cause of keeping the peace over Mistledale. His father was a “lone wolf,” often spending weeks at a time patrolling the perimeter of Mistledale, aiding anyone and everyone who experienced any trouble from random parties of orc, goblin, and the like, who had slipped through the other dales to Mistledale.

It wasn’t until Ander was older that he began to question the Stormborn tales. He would be playing with friends or traveling with his father into a hamlet for supplies, and he would hear the remarks of his father’s peers. He heard his father referred to as “troublesome” and heard comments like “he should keep his nose out of other’s business” and “let the Riders do their job.” It turned out that his father had in fact tried to become a Rider. For whatever reason, his father was never accepted, and the local militia didn’t accept him either. So, his father struck out on his own, supplementing help to the militia and the riders whether it was welcome or not, often following their patrols. When Ander was old enough, his father took him along and trained him. He taught him how to hunt, to clean the hunted, and to cook. He taught him how to listen to the land and the trees. He taught him what it was to care for his neighbors, regardless of what they did or said in return. He taught him how to shoot a bow and to wield a sword. Over time, Ander became the second modern-day Stormborn, working with his father to help rid land and hamlet of all who sought to bring harm to Mistledale.

Up until a few months ago, Ander’s life had been consistent. There was the taking care of the home, helping his father and his mother. There was the traveling and camping with his father. There was fighting enemies with his father. Then they started the cycle all over. However, Ander’s father suddenly took some time away, telling his son he needed to investigate something and that he would investigate it alone. A week passed, and his father returned quiet and withdrawn. Just when Ander felt he was going to crack through his father’s walled-off exterior to find out what he had gone to investigate, they received reports from neighbors of a band of owlbears wreaking havoc at the forest hamlets. Ander and his father set off to track the owlbears, and it was a tragic night on their second night that Ander was robbed of ever getting to learn the mystery.

It was an especially stormy night. The owlbears had left plenty of signs, but the rain and slick terrain made it impossible for Ander and his father to catch the owlbears in any timely fashion. They had to track, retreat and hold up under the storm, and then track again, always seemingly a step behind. One night, his father insisted they move by night to close the gap. That night, only a few hours into the darkness, Ander and his father found themselves beset by the owlbears as well as a contingent of the Riders. It was a chaotic battle, one in which the two men on foot desperately tried to make themselves known to the Riders before they were struck down while also fighting the owlbears. By the end of it, the owlbears had been destroyed, but so had Ander’s father and a two of the Riders. Ander’s grief overwhelmed him the rest of that night. By the morning, Ander had come to terms with the reality and was ready to take his father’s body home. However, the Riders denied his request to do so. All the fallen were to be taken back to Ashabenford. Ander couldn’t understand why since his father wasn’t even a part of them. The commander insisted, telling Ander there would be an investigation exploring the matter of why two civilians were involved in the battle, and that Ander’s father’s body would need to be kept. Ander fought with a couple of the Riders to even get a glimpse of the body, and he was hauled away; threatened that if he did not leave the matter be, he would be arrested.

Lost to grief, Ander returned home and gave the news to his mother. While home, Ander began to go through his father’s things and came across a journal his father kept. In the journal, the matter in which his father had alluded to investigating discussed troublesome information about the Riders of Mistledale. His father did not go into detail, but he mentioned his travel to the city of Ashabenford in which he left Ander home.

Ander is unsettled with what transpired with the Rider’s the morning after the battle with the owlbears. He is also angry by not having been able to bring his father’s body home. With that, combined by the information in his father’s journal, Ander continues to travel Mistledale and protect the communities, but he also now seeks answers to his questions. What was it that his father was looking into? What had his father suspected about the Riders? And did it have something to do with the night they fought the owlbears?

[Cedric]

Looks good!
I'll see if I can cook up a character in the next few days.

[RandolphCarter]

[FIELDSET="Application"]
Name: Fonken "Oneshoe" Ningel

Race: Rock Gnome

Class: Wizard (diviner)

Background: Sage

Age: 40

Gender: Male

Alignment: Neutral Good

Description: Fonken is of average height (for a gnome), and is usually dressed in a mud-splattered traveling cloak pulled over a formerly bright (but now faded) blue robe. He wears a pointy, broad-brimmed hat that is crumpled and wrinkled; he often absent-mindedly takes off his head, stretches back into shape, and replaces it. His backpack bulges at odd, sharp angles; closer inspection reveals it is from numerous books he has stuffed in alongside his bedroll, rations, and traveling gear. He lacks the good-natured intensity of most gnomes, who pepper their conversation partners with questions or talk so quickly in their excitement at someone listening that they are almost impossible to understand. Instead, Fonken often appears a bit distant, looking into the distance when talking as if he is keeping his eye on something, and trailing off mid-sentence as he comes up with an idea that he quickly scribbles into his journal.

Personality Traits: There's nothing I like more than a good mystery.

Ideal: The path to power and self-improvement is through knowledge. Many of Fonken's students (when he was in the arcane academy) and colleagues (when he was a young professor) thought of him as amoral or ambivalent about the good causes most gnomes devote themselves to. But that wasn't the case at all. Instead of helping others by crafting engineering marvels or coming up with ways for the oppressed to trick their masters, Fonken believed that knowledge itself could serve the good. If he could just uncover more information about a natural phenomenon, or more lore about a region, he may be able to finally connect all the pieces, spread this information, and help those suffering. As a result of this ideal, he refused to exert any effort applying his study to practical uses, and instead focused on deeper and deeper researches into the unknown.

Bond: My life's work is a series of tomes devoted to a specific field of knowledge. While his researches range broadly--depending on his interest at the moment or the interests of his funders--Fonken's true passion is the interaction between the celestial realms and the prime material plane. He has investigated every lead he could find on how these forces intersect, how arcane rituals affected them, and how powerful beings could travel to and from the celestial realms [I would adapt this to the specific lore of the setting]. He has written his hypotheses and conclusions in a multi-volume work (he most recently finished volume 10), each volume of which he dutifully deposits in the Tasseldale university library when finished. Fonken carries a scribbled, chaotic, condensed version with him in case he needs to reference it.

Player Goals: I love the Forgotten Realms because, even though there are grand historical events, the setting isn't as defined by them as, for example, Dragonlance was. So there is as much room for sword and sorcery-type adventures as there are epic fantasy campaigns. I love exploring and immersing my characters in campaign settings, in addition to working towards the defeat of whatever super-villain we're facing. The Dalelands seem interesting because of their diversity, with many different types of adventures possible among them.

Character Goals: Fonken, generally, wants to learn. He is never satisfied with a new discovery or conclusion; this only raises new questions for him to answer. So he is constantly travelling the lands, exploring leads uncovered in research, testing hypotheses he developed, and looking for new information to spur on further theorizing. His most recent goal is to test a "sniffer" he developed [using the rock gnome artificer ability, at the DM's discretion] that he believes can sense manipulation of the astral realms and indicate possible interaction between the celestial and prime material planes. He hopes to find an area or entity known to interact with the astral plane to see if his device works.

Bio: Fonken grew up in the gnome community of Tasseldale, a bright, if dour, student of its academies. He was the eldest of five children to a husband and wife jeweler couple. They hoped their children would follow in their footsteps, but Fonken found refining and crafting existing materials boring. His loving parents understood, and used their considerable wealth to send him to wizardry school.

During his advanced study he became fascinated by the school of divination, not so much for its ability to see the future as its ability to interact with other planes of existence. He proved a talented wizard, and his theories on how the planes intersect fascinated the senior scholars who taught him.

Soon after graduation, the university hired Fonken as a professor, teaching their divination classes. His skills also brought him frequent work, as wealthy merchants and knightly orders would hire him to divine the impact of new strategies or research the inner workings of some newly-discovered magical item. These projects frequently required him to leave the university and travel the dales, often dealing with dangerous and deadly situations.

After a few years of this, Fonken had acquired enough resources to build his "sniffer" device. He took an indefinite leave of absence from the university, and set out to test it. If it worked--and thus his theories were correct--he hoped to use this discovery to gain a wealthy patron whose support would let Fonken establish his own academy of divination.

[Inuvash255]

@Cedric: Glad to hear it!

@Imagine & Randolf: Awesome apps! I just read them each once, but I'm going to do another once-over and see if I have any questions for y'all. Thanks!