[D&D-5e] Purveyors of the New Land

[suburbanplankton]

Name: Tiqelun Svatalexipeski
Gender: Male
Race: Dragonborn
Class: Barbarian

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Background: Acolyte (Path of the Totem Warrior)
Traits: I see omens in every event and action. The gods try to speak to us, we just need to listen. Nothing can shake my optimistic attitude.
Ideals: I trust that my deity will guide my actions. I have faith that if I work hard, things will go well. We must help bring about the changes the gods are constantly working in the world.
Bond: I will someday get revenge on the corrupt temple hierarchy who branded me a heretic.
Flaw: Once I pick a goal, I become obsessed with it to the detriment of everything else in my life.

Appearance:
Six and a half feet tall and weighing almost 250 pounds, with blue-gold scales covering his skin, horns on his head and talons on his hands and feet, Tiqelun very much fits the image of 'monster' in most people's minds. He wears no armor; he enjoys the freedom of movement it affords him, and that it presents no barrier between his skin and the touch of Ran and Aegir's sacred waters.

Personality:
Tiqelun is a man of extreme emotions. When he is happy, he is filled with joyful exaltation, spreading his cheer to all those around him; when he is angry, his wrath knows no limits, his rage is unbound; when he is pensive, he withdraws deep within himself, shunning the outside world, becoming oblivious to good or evil, friend or foe.

To Tiqelun, no person is more important than his tribe, or his family. The needs of any individual are always secondary to the needs of the group. He frequently looks to his gods for guidance, assured that they will lead him on the proper path, even if he does not understand their motivations

Backstory:
Tiqelun's tribe occupies a series of islands in the southern part of the Archipelago. Their existence there far predates the 'known history' of the area, but lacking a written tradition, even his own people do not know what is history and what is legend. From birth, Tiqelun served the priests of the temple, dedicating his life the service of the gods. The bounties of Aegir's waters fed and nourished the people, and the wrath of Ran's storms both protected them from their enemies, and punished their transgressions.

All residents of the Archipelago know of the Skinwalkers: the monstrous beasts that fill the nightmares of children and adults alike. Some say they are merely tales - bogeymen made up by parents to scare their children. Others believe that Tiqelun's people are the source of the legends - beastly to look at, but no more dangerous than any of the other inhabitants of the islands. But Tiqelun knows the truth; he knows that the monsters are real. For as long as his people can remember, they have been preyed upon by these demons, but Ran in her mercy has always protected the tribe in times of greatest need. But a few months ago, the attacks became been more numerous and more savage than ever before, and the gods seemed to have forsaken his people. Raids came daily for weeks on end, and more than half the tribe were either killed or taken by the beasts. It seemed to be the end for Tiqelun's people...then, for no reason that anyone could divine, the raids stopped.

There were no signs or omens, no great storm to drive away their enemies, no acts of heroics by their soldiers; the beasts simply stopped coming. Grateful to the gods for their deliverance, the people made offerings and sacrifices, and great celebration. But the elders were not content; they knew this was but a temporary reprieve, and that they could not afford to simply wait for the attacks to one day begin anew. They knew that they must find a way to defeat this ancient evil once and for all, or else move from their ancestral home to safer shores. They sent Tiqelun forth on a quest to find answers, and to find help; who were these Skinwalkers, where did they come from, how could they be stopped...and who would aid Tiqelun's people? And if no answers or aid could be found, where could the people go that they might be safe?

Tiqelun made his way north, and secured passage on a merchant ship, which brought him to the heart of the Archipelago. Months of searching were been to no avail; he was nowhere closer to finding any answers, nor to locating a new home for his tribe. He began to despair, doubting for the first time whether he would be able to find an answer in time for his people. One night, he had a dream; he was under the sea, floating through a vast forest of coral and seaweed, when he came upon a sunken temple, towering over the seafloor, ancient and crumbling. Coming closer, he saw figures of dwarf-like creatures carved into the rock. But as he tried to enter the temple, a great storm appeared and swept him away.

When he woke in the morning and went downstairs for breakfast, he saw the sign: the College of Phthalo was looking for adventurers to explore the domain of the Sea Dwarves of the Deeps. Surely, this was a sign! His dream had been an omen; this must lead to deliverance for his people! He could skip breakfast for today; he returned to his room, packed his things and set off for the docks to book passage on the next ship that would take him to the Island Dogbone...

Warning: rolls have been deleted from this post.

[InspireCourage]

OP says stat array, friend!

[Sgsgsseg]

Name: Marik Stormhallow the Butcher of Eiridar valley

Race: Half-Elf
Class: Paladin (Oathbreaker)
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Alignment: Lawful Evil: He has no issue working for a "Good" cause so long as he's paid, and will work with "Good" people if their a) not stupid and b) if their a part of his crew, who he will fight for.
Appearance: Premature grey hair and a harsh life has given Marik an older harder appearance than his age would suggest. he always dresses well and his firm posture always allows him to dominate any room he enters.
Personality: Stormhallow was once a believer in a great cause and a leader of men but life and experience has turned him bitter, sarcastic and jaded, now all that remains of that charismatic man is an unwavering loyalty to whoever is under his command.

Background: Custom - Naval Officer
Feature: Military rank - Naval Leutenant
Skill Proficiency: Perception, Athletics
Tool Proficiencies: Navigators tools, Vehicles (water)

Traits: I face problems head-on. A simple, direct solution is the best path to success. I’m haunted by memories of war. I can’t get the images of violence out of my mind.
Ideal: Might. In life as in war, the stronger force wins.
Bond: Those who fight beside me are those worth dying for.
Flaws: I’d rather kill someone in their sleep then fight fair.

Backstory: Honor, Duty, Courage, those where the words by which i lived. Once a long time ago I was just a worthless fisher boy. The freakish son of a perverted mother who chose to sleep with an Elf and so was shunned by the people of the village I was born in. My beginning years are of little consequence until in my 17th year when raiders came to my village killing some, enslaving others and sacrificing my mother to their pagan gods on an altar of stone. when they had finished and gone i emerged from hiding, buried my mother and left. Off to join the Threndar Navy to dispense justice and claim my vengeance.

Five years later I got my chance and was insufficient for the task. The Navy had tracked the raiders to their island, had come ashore, and had been swarmed by them, they were a cult and so fanatic in their cause and we lacked the numbers to match their ferocity. Wounded and with my fellow soldiers and sailors dying about me I made a last desperate call to the gods to aid us and me in defeating these wretched fiends. Both Vali god of Revenge and Forceti god of Justice heard me, but it was Forseti who answered granting me strength and magic enough to dispense justice to these savage cultists so long as what i did was Just. Hmm maybe fate would have been different if it had been Vali who answered.

My revenge sated and Justice served I spent the next fifteen years serving in the Navy fighting pirates and savages acting in the interests of my new god Forseti but it would not last. Fifteen years of intermittent war building a maritime nation with a god of peace as well as justice looking on took its toll, the Navy was not happy that I was indebted to another, even a god, but lived with it because i was effective though i cost me any further promotion. It all finished at Eiridar. The valley was home to another cult, so similar to the one that had killed my mother long ago. We landed troops to deal with them but they had seen us coming and ambushed us on the beach targeting our commanders before falling back to a valley on their island turnig that narrow stretch of ground into a death trap and fortress in one. The Captains where dead, the men were tired and dispirited, I was suddenly the ranking officer to survive and I was tired, the situation too familiar and it pissed me off. I didnt have the men to force our way in and deal with the cultists without taking appalling casualties. so i improvised.

I had the soldiers seal off the valley at both ends, dig in, and set fires along one end of the valley before having the Navy Wizards, Sorcerers and Clerics blow a hot dry wind through the valley and Burn. Them. Out. All of them. They tried to run but now it was my soldiers and sailors in the entrenched positions and we slaughtered them all, irrespective of gender or age. After the end Forseti came to me in my dreams rebuking me for my actions. What i had done had been Unjust, I had killed everyone in the valley without care for their innocence or guilt, and i didn't care, I had saved the lives of an awful lot of my fellow troops and told him so but that was not good enough. he demanded that i repent so instead i spat at his feet before turning my back on him and leaving. Very shortly afterward i resigned my commission and left the Navy. my magic faded and I was severely weakened when i broke with Forseti but some of that power remains though it has twisted somewhat, seems a Decade of power does not leave entirely no matter what even a god might choose. I now leave for a new frontier, the Archipelago, looking for any Job that promises gold so that i may buy my own ship. As i Leave I have this terrible feeling, I thinks its Destiny.

[Ums]

General Name: Sweyn Wyrmshanks Gender: Male, but dresses as a veiled woman (see below) Race: Human Variant Class: Cleric Alignment: Chaotic Good Deity: Thor - Tempest Domain from the PHB

Background and History Sweyn was born the sixth child of a minor chieftain and as such his chances of social power within his family were limited. Following tradition he thus joined the nearest temple of Thor, a gathering of loosely affiliated priests in the wild mountainous forests. This temple prided itself upon collectively guarding the relic Kraftvidne, a hammer forged from the armour of giants which had been slain by Thor's personal lightning bolts. Whether this story was true or false mattered little to a daring thief, who made off with the hammer. After much vowing of vengeance and cursing of Loki (the latter mostly by force of habit) the whole temple decided to seek this hammer wherever it might be and however long it might take. Each priest, from highest to lowest, set off on a personal quest and, following the example of Thor in his quest for Mjolnir, they also vowed that until the hammer is retrieved they should all wear women's clothing. Since then Sweyn has wandered, mainly by boat, finding his ability to obscure with fog a boon to the wary captain and his martial skills greatly appreciated if hiding was not good enough. The travels have eventually led him to the archipelago, where as his skills blossom into wind control he sees an ideal opportunity to travel the isles, searching for Kraftvidne while being transported by willing companions. The wandering and questions about ancient items and places where miscreants might lurk with stolen loot are now paying off. A tomb? Death has no fear when Valhalla calls and the certainty in his mind is that while it might be filled with corpses by the end of his visit, they will not be his. So he finds himself in a room, asking the College of Phthalo whether they have any other volunteers he might join with.

Mechanical Background: Hermit. Sweyn never expects to inherit, having two older sisters and three older brothers, with his oldest brother already a father. Since he's been gone a few years now, he only expects his father's titles to become less important as time passes. His time in the monastery replaced his family life with one of contemplation of Kraftvidne, prayer and seeking out the lone trees Thor saw fit to blast with lightning. Feature: Discovery - I assume this is on your terms to decide. Traits: I am utterly serene, even in the face of disaster (especially thunderstorms, gale force winds and enormous waves.) I connect everything that happens to me to a cosmic event (in this case the theft from the temple.) Ideals: Inquiry and curiosity are the pillars of progress. Bonds: I am seeking Kraftvidne or other relics of Thor but they evade me. Flaws: Now I have returned to the world I enjoy its delights too much.

Appearance A heavily brown-bearded man with somewhat bloodshot blue eyes, he wears a large bunch of symbolic wedding keys upon his belt and a sizeable hammer is always nearby. Usually this is enough to discourage the witty from commenting upon his dress and veil - both in the style of a traditional wedding costume, embroidered by his sisters but also having been made from durable material with freedom of movement rather better than might be expected. In height he is short for a man, with a narrow build which might possibly pass for female to those blind drunk in a smoky common room. Although it is not usually visible he has extensive scarring on his legs, from a cooking pot he tipped onto his lap when learning to walk. This has left his legs scaly like a snake and resulted in his surname of Wyrmshanks.

Personality His life seeming quite prescribed by tradition and an established if non-rigid temple, Sweyn is thoroughly enjoying his newfound freedom. He does, however, feel the loss of the sacred hammer deeply and when drinking mead, as he does regularly, he can go from a happy singing drunk to a maudlin one at the drop of a hat. His habit of asking after Kraftvidne can also stretch to other areas, so he seems inordinately inquisitive often about the most irrelevant details, tending to string together unlikely connections. He has also taken it upon himself to seek out other lost relics of Thor, despite having no real clues as yet, so asks about potential as well as known items or events. Part of this might seem to be honest seeking but it is also a fact that he finds the archipelago so interesting in its own right that he is looking for rumours as an excuse to stay and explore.

[suburbanplankton]

Originally Posted by InspireCourage

OP says stat array, friend!

And so it does...

I saw a number of other folks rolling stats in their posts, and so I failed to closely read the advertisement.

Oh well... Those numbers were almost 'too good' anyway; one needs a bit of a challenge, right?

[InspireCourage]

That's why I like the stat array. Keeps some of the grit. I think folks just reflexively roll stats. No worries!

[Ums]

-

[suburbanplankton]

Since a number of us seem to be confused and/or just not paying attention, what we're looking at in terms of ability scores is:

15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8

as per Page 13 of the PHB. Is that correct?

[InspireCourage]

Correct

[rasatabula]

Withdrawn

[Avner]

I updated my application with a class change. I feel the character will fit better into a cleric class than that of a paladin.

[Spizzow]

My app is updated. I'd love to hear any feedback. Or if anyone would like to tie backgrounds together Lavy has some room there to know other fellow travelers.

[InspireCourage]

Gotcha! I'll have feedback on the apps later today hopefully. I also have a prompt written for tying yourself to the story's beginning. More to come!

[Noupatris]

Heya, InspireCourage!

I'm redacting my WIP app, because I got accepted in another game I hope you and the peeps you'll be taking along will have a fantastic time!

[epelj1]

Interested!