[D&D-5e] Village Survival

[jj_wolven]

Originally Posted by Dechado

Should we add our stance/relationship towards the other PCs? It’s very probable we already know each other since we live in the same village. I think it could also be a fun exercise.

We may want to wait until the Ysolde makes decisions.
Once decisions are made we could start that.

-me

[WildJessi]

Name: Autumn Luwddoc
Occupation: Shepherd
Class: Druid
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Half-elf
Appearance: She stands at 5'6, slender build, a bit more slender than most folks. Her skin is tanned from being outside a lot. She has chestnut hair and green eyes.

Personality: Friendly to everyone, having no mean streak in her. Being a shepherd met she was out in the fields daily. She enjoyed it, being in the company of animals gave her peace. Some people had called her a flower child for she was all about love, beauty and nature. Always having a string of flowers in her hair and and on occasion, was seen in the fields with a ferret on her shoulder or a bird on her finger. She heard rumors about her, more comfortable with animals and nature than people. Only half was true, she enjoyed the company of people as much as the next person, but with nature and the critters, there was more peace and serenity. Plus, she while she like going into town, perhaps once a week, but her friends always wanted to go into town. If she could have fun, it would be one thing, but the boys would bother her or try to get her drunk for their own benefit, which is why she never drank outside of her home. The girls would talk about boys and gossip, which really wasn't her thing.

Backstory: A few days after she turned into a young adult, chaos happened. When Silver Peak fell, everything just went nuts. She had started to feel different, and voice was in her head, claiming she and others are slowly returning. She had no idea what was going on, thought she was going crazy. Whitey, the ferret was trying to get her attention, chattering away, squeaking. He wanted to play, then a thought came to her mind and she chanted some odd words, then suddenly, she understood the ferret, who was chattering, "Lets play, lets play!"

"Play?" she was so shocked at the whole thing, then Whitey stopped and looked at her.

"I understood you! Why did you not speak like this before?"

"I-I couldn't before. I don't know how this is possible."

"Could be the mountain coming apart, strange things going through the air, I felt it as the others." He looked at her some more, this time more closely. "Your ears grown, can you hear any better?"

"My ears?" She then felt them, they were...longer, slender. She rushed to the river to see her reflection. She was in shock. She stared to run back home, then stopped, told Whitey she will see him soon and then she rushed home to her mother.

Then her mother told her about her elven father. She heard the story before, but never quiet believing it. Now she sat and listened closely. Her mother was only a couple months pregnant when her father, one of the last elves, had left along with other creatures that were not human. The feys, dwarves, elves, gnomes, even halflings. The plus side was, even the monsters and foul creatures had left like the goblins, the orcs, and others.

They sat in silence as they ate. Then they talked. What if everything that had gone, was coming back? Her mother didn't want her to go to town. Autumn figured because of her ears, but it wasn't that, her mother was deathly scared of the bloodmages, but she didn't mentioned them to her daughter...

[Abwinningh42]

The Gravedigger August Hogwollow Gravedigger/Pyre Burner Cleric Grave Domain He/Him/His Tiefling Before the change, August was a short, stocky man; he stood just over five feet in height, and weighed a hefty two hundred and thirty pounds or so. Scraggly greying hair poked from beneath his wide-brimmed hat, a thick mustache sat on his lip and a bedraggled beard adorned his face. Twinkling green eyes sat perched beneath big bushy brows and a broken smile flashed from between his lips, missing a tooth here or there. His skin was wrinkled and browned from hard days under the watchful eye of the sun and his back bent from labor. Completely unrecognizable from the man his fellow villagers knew, August now stands stock straight and more than six feet tall. His body, now eerily thin and long, sports smooth pale red skin. His hair, now the color of some alien silver, is much more thick and full than it had been. Both his hair and beard seem to have grown several inches since the incident. Large horns, like those of a ram, curl back from his forehead and long pointed teeth now fill his mouth without a gap to be found. His eyes, now a solid milky white, no longer twinkle as they had. ~ ~ ~ August has always been an odd man, some of his contemporaries found it endearing, and others found it off-putting. Generally friendly and well meaning, he was often found in good standing with his neighbors, though. And they certainly appreciated his services. Though this did not come without some superstitions. Some villagers avoided him, children would run the other way or whisper stories about how “Old Hogwollow” would scoop them from their beds and bury them alive, trying to scare their friends. He dealt with that well, it was all part of the territory, or so he told himself. ~ ~ ~ For almost three decades now, August had provided any funerary needs the village had. He dug graves, carved stones, built and burned pyres, and the like. Whatever the family required by tradition or could afford. Some folks liked him, but nearly everyone tolerated him; his trade was needed and appreciated. He had lived in Mistvale his whole life, and it had always felt like home. Or at least it did until a few days ago, when Silvery Peak came crashing down. For several nights leading up to the cataclysmic event, August had been having strange dreams. Inexplicable dreams filled with portents and riddles and hidden meanings he couldn’t quite parse out. It felt like something was calling out to him, and he thought he might finally be losing his mind. Then it happened; the mountain fell and a whirlwind of change ripped the life he knew from his hands. He has been out tending to the meager graveyard Mistvale called a cemetery when it occurred. It sounded like parchment tearing in two, but it didn’t make a noise; he still didn’t understand what he even meant by that, but he had no other description for it. Immediately after he was gripped by a terrible headache. He attempted to labor through it, but it overcame his will and he trudged to his ramshackle shed of a home and crawled into bed. For the next two days, he burned with fever and screamed in pain as large protrusions formed on his head. The local healer attempted to tend to him, but so many villagers were afflicted by strange and worrisome symptoms. Once his metamorphosis was complete, he couldn’t believe his own countenance. The healer came to check on him, but forsook him and cursed him as a demon. He secluded himself for another day or two, and finally able to sleep, he dreamed again. Something was calling to him, some nameless ancient god filling his mind with power and knowledge. Finally he broke his self exile and has begun interacting with the village again, though now many of his neighbors throw rocks at him or spit curses his way. He is having a very hard time with the changes, his mind and heart weary.

[Ysolde]

I've been busily working on this and anyone who wants can go ahead and view the information I've got set up so far.

https://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthread.php?t=216383

[PlaidPeregrine]

Hi Ysolde!

Just a couple of questions, if you would

Are there any woods that are huntable by the villagers or only the marshland?
Was it realistic of me to say that Kae chases off/hunts down wolves and other predators that are hunting livestock?

I feel a rewrite in the near future! Thank you for clarification!

[Ysolde]

Originally Posted by PlaidPeregrine

Hi Ysolde!

Just a couple of questions, if you would

Are there any woods that are huntable by the villagers or only the marshland?
Was it realistic of me to say that Kae chases off/hunts down wolves and other predators that are hunting livestock?

I feel a rewrite in the near future! Thank you for clarification!

Further away there are. I'm still working on a larger area map. Also, the pasture land around the village is in common usage so it's possible that she has a warrant from the Lord to hunt down predators.

[Togot]

i notice there is a blacksmith listed in important people. does that mean my characters occupation doesn't work?

[Ysolde]

Originally Posted by Togot

i notice there is a blacksmith listed in important people. does that mean my characters occupation doesn't work?

Nope just means that if someone else applies as Blacksmith I have to choose between you.

[Alatere]

This looks like a really interesting game. The beginnings of an application to follow…

[Alatere]

Application Name: Bran Gelbman Race: Human —> Forest Gnome Gender: Male Class: Wizard Background: Sage Occupation: Amateur farmer and general errand boy. Trait: 1. Bran is timid and has a low opinion of himself. He sees the best in everyone admiring them for their positive qualities such as how brave or strong or intelligent someone is but he rarely sees such qualities in himself. 2. Bran has a huge thirst for knowledge and is filled with curiosity. He can’t help but ask questions if there is something he doesn’t understand or investigate if there is something he does not know. A new book is something that is begging to be read. Bond: Bran’s mother is sick and cannot work and relies upon Bran to support both her and his younger sister. Ideal: Family - Family are the most important thing in the world! Bran would do anything to keep his family safe and well provided for. Flaw: Bran has tendency to by clumsy and absent minded. He is easily distracted by things that catch his interest. Appearance: At sixteen years of age and standing at a height of five foot and eight inches tall Bran is not the tallest young man around. He is lightly built and a little on the skinny side. He has a tendency to wear simple loose fitting clothing most commonly either brown or beige. Having dark brown almost black hair, brown eyes and a clear complexion Bran could be considered fairly attractive though he still looks rather boyish rather than like a full grown man. Bran however considers himself to look rather plain and average looking although there is something in Bran’s inquisitive eyes that makes him stand out… …or atleast that is how Bran remembers looking. Since the day that the mountain fell Bran has begun to shrink. The fairly average boy began to get shorter day by day until he now stands at a height far closer to three foot though Bran has maintained his light and skinny build. His face the mostly the same has changed somewhat too, his dark hair has lightened to a much more lighter brown with the slightest hint of an autumnal red to it and his nose has grown a little larger and his ears a bit more pointed. Personality: Bran is timid, shy and somewhat of an introvert. He also has a slight inferiority complex believing that practically everyone that he meets is better than him in some way. When Bran musters up the courage to speak to others he is incredibly polite and considerate of others and despite his shyness is actually rather likeable even though he has a tendency to do or say the wrong thing in social situations. Fortunately for Bran his incredible curiosity counteracts his timid nature and though he would be perfectly happy to hide himself away his thirst for knowledge and answers forces him to interact with other people. Backstory: Bran does not consider his origins to be anything particularly special, he is after all merely the son of a village militiaman and a barmaid. While his father Braddock was a militiaman he was far from anything truly noteworthy such as the captain of of Lord Valeson's forces and while his mother Magda was a popular barmaid she was one of many at the Harvest's End Tavern. Still Bran would not change his parents for the world. Growing up Bran idolised his father the brave and soldier as though he were a mighty hero. Bran would listen for hours on end to the stories that his father would tell eager to learn all that he could. Bran dreamt of one day being a soldier just like his father but Bran was always small and scrawny for his age and the other village children would laugh at him when they heard he wanted to be a soldier. Still for the most part Bran’s early life was good and he was happy and things looked like they would continue in that vein. Bran’s mother fell pregnant and Bran was soon to become a big brother when that happiness was finally shattered. On a day like any other day Braddock bid his wife and child goodbye to go on a routine patrol with the militia but that night he never returned. The patrol had apparently run in to a roving band of bandits that had moved in to the surrounding countryside and a skirmish had broke out between the bandits and the patrol and in the enduring chaos Braddock had been struck down by two arrows and a sword. The news of his father’s death crushed the poor boy’s spirit and he became fearful of the world outside shying away from the contact of others and growing timid. At the same time Magda swore that her son would never join the militia and suffer the same fate as her husband and band him from doing so when he was older. In the months that followed Bran’s younger sister Sara was born. Bran helped looking after his sister as Magda had to work inorder to earn money for the small family so that they could afford to eat. During these first few years Bran hardly left the house except to run errands for his mother. Bran‘s curious mind however prevented him from being idle so he explored every nook and cranny of the house eventually finding a large old chest that used to belong to his grandfather. The chest was filled to overflowing with books with one of those books being rather unique and mysterious looking. Bran's grandfather had not actually been from Mistvale but had settled there later in his life. Bran devoured the contents of each of the books and in doing so he unlocked a thirst for knowledge within himself. By far the most fascinating of the books however was the mysterious tome even though Bran could not understand a single word contained within.Over the years Bran began to slowly study book and as his thirst for knowledge grew as he attempted to learn what it said. At the age of sixteen disaster struck Bran once again. His mother fell ill with a disease that local healers could not cure and she began to grow weaker so much so that she soon was not strong enough to work. With his mother no longer able to work Bran realised it fell to him to go out and earn some coin to feed his family. Having no craft of which to ply Bran tried his best to grow food on the small acreage of land that belonged to his family and did a number of small jobs around the village to earn a bit of extra coin. The day the mountain fell Bran had been tucked away inside his family home studying his grandfather’s book when a loud roar like thunder disturbed the boy’s concentration. Bran had been about to go outside to investigate the noise when something about the old tome caught his eye. Returning his attention to the book Bran was suddenly assaulted by a rapid barrage of words and images that flashed before his eyes. Suddenly Bran’s eyes felt as though they were on fire and his head as though it was about to explode. Bran let out a silent scream of pain before he began to twitch and spasm as a small trickle of blood began to escape his nose and both his ears. The ordeal finally becoming to much Bran collapsed and quickly gave in to unconsciousness. RP Sample:

[Hal Hammerhand]

Alright, something got my juices flowing a little better than the last character idea. My application is re-complete.

[Treble83]

 

”Fireball” Name: Oberyn Martell Occupation: Guild Artisian BackgroundTavern Bartender/Cook Class: Sorcerer (Draconic Bloodline) Gender Identity: Male (He/Him) Race: Dragonborn (Red) Appearance: Since the "event", Oberyn has enjoyed his newfound larger-than-life stature. At 6'5", he's a full foot taller than he stood before, and now weighing in at close to 220 pounds, he's also almost 100 pounds heavier than before. In addition to his newfound height and weight, his smooth brown skin has been replaced with thick/rough red scales. His messy black hair has been replaced by two prominent horns and his light brown eyes have turned to a shade of bright blue. To top it all, he's even grown a rather long and thick tail. Many of his characteristics resemble the dragons of lore but he had never believed them to be real. Besides, he wasn't nearly as large as those fables had told of and he had never read about any that walked on two feet. It was all so strange, yet exciting! Personality: Oberyn had always been friendly enough, at least while he was on duty. Nobody likes a quiet or solemn bartender. He could smile on cue if one of the King's soldiers made a bad (or crude) joke and he could even feign concern or sympathy where it was needed. Of course, not all of it was an act. When it came to his fellow villagers, the friendly village bartender was mostly genuine. "Mostly" only because he did not want for them to see how hopeless he felt, as he knew that it would do no one any good. Outside of work, the young man mostly kept to himself and stared at the ground in front of him as he walked. However, after taking over his new form and after getting over the initial shock, he is quickly becoming much more self-confident. He can't help but see his new form as anything less than magnificent and every day he feels that he is growing in power. Backstory: Like most in the village, Oberyn has gone where he was needed over the years. He spent his youth working the fields, like a good villager boy. When he wasn't in the fields, he was helping his parents wherever they needed him. His tasks ranged from holding a lantern for his father to holding sewing supplies for his mother, and anything in between that was deemed necessary (or convenient). Unfortunately, as he grew, the work became more physically demanding and more complex. Oberyn had never been a large boy, Standing at about 5'4" and weighing only approximately 135 stones put him near the bottom of boys his age (by size). If that wasn't bad enough, the boy had never been known for his intellect or ability to solve complex problems. Being too small to work the land and not "suitable" for administrative tasks (such as librarian or agricultural planner) made it hard for him to fit in anywhere. Finally, the tavern keep posted up a parchment on the message board stating that he was looking for some assistance. So confident that the job would be his (after all, it had to be.... he had nowhere else to turn), he ripped the parchment down and walked into the tavern. That was three years ago and they have been a good three years for the young man. The work was honest, he appreciated the opportunity to talk to his fellow villagers and travelers alike. Just like when he was a kid, Oberyn did whatever was asked of him. Mostly, his duties included: cooking meals, serving drinks, and wiping down tables. However, his unofficial duties ranged from being a sympathetic ear to babysitting drunkards until they sobered up enough to make it home. It was the only way that he knew to contribute to the village without being a burden... Three days ago, the day began just like any other drudging day in Redvale... The farmers were working their crops and the merchants were opening their shops. As for Oberyn, he was cleaning up after breakfast and helping to get the tavern ready for the lunch crowd. Suddenly, he heard something as loud as thunder but off somehow. He tried to shrug it off as either weather or blood-magic, but the strange thunder was followed by screams of alarm in the village. Rushing out to see what all of the commotion was about, his eyes followed the gaze of his, obviously horrified, fellow villagers. Blocking the sun from his eyes with his forearm, he watched in awe as the top of the mountain slid off from its base as if it had been sliced with a sharp blade. His mouth was agape. What does this mean!? he wondered. After standing there for what felt like an eternity, he lowered his arm slowly. While moving his forearm, something strange caught his eye. His usually soft brown skin was bright red and much tougher feeling. Unsure as to what it meant, he quickly unrolled his sleeves and tried to continue the day as if it were like any other. The tavern was abuzz with village folk speculating as to what this meant. No options were left out, everything from a blood-magic experiment gone wrong to the end of times were discussed. Oberyn did his best not to speculate and (more importantly} not to let anyone see what had happened to his arms or torso. The day flew by and despite his best efforts to stay awake, speculating what this could all mean, he slipped into a deep sleep. It was the next morning that Oberyn woke up with his feet hanging completely off of the mattress. Looking down, he saw that his body had taken on a completely new form. After the initial shock wore off, he couldn't help but be pleased with the new look. Beyond the new and improved outward appearance, he could feel a sense of power growing from somewhere deep within...

[Treble83]

For Oberyn's "Guild Artisian" (Bartender/Cook) background, I would choose Cook's Utensils as the tool proficiency. With that said, how do you feel about Xanathar's variant rules?

Prepare Meals. As part of a short rest, you can prepare a tasty meal that helps your companions
regain their strength. You and up to five creatures of your choice regain 1 extra hit point per Hit
Die spent during a short rest, provided you have access to your cook’s utensils and sufficient
food.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Also, please let me know if anything in my app doesn't fit your lore. I would be happy to adjust where necessary. I tried to keep it true to the source material but there's always a chance that I've overlooked something.

Update: I realized that Guild Artisian made more sense than merchant.

[Ysolde]

I'm allowing the source so sure.

[Sluggren]

”The born again elf” Name: Stenly Lodarric Occupation: Farmer Class: Cleric Gender Identity: Male (He/Him) Race: (Wood)Elf Age: 35 Appearance: Stenly did not look much to the world, and his surroundings treated him thereafter. He had brown shoulder long hair, and his face showed mark of many fist fights in which he had been on the losing side. A life of farm work has however given him quite a worker man's body; he carried broad shoulders, rough hands and strong legs. However, after the transformation, Stenly's appearance has been twisted in many ways. His facial scars that has not been healed, more like they have smoothed out and become less visible. His strong muscles have become more lean and slender, without losing function. It is like the human body has been forcibly pulled out to match one of an elf's. Stenly is however mostly using his old clothes, leaving him branding pants with short legs and shirts with The most eye catching feature of Stenly's morphed body is the ears, that were roughly cut to match their old form, although now covered by bandage and his always worn coif. Backstory: It was not only his looks that ensured that Stenly never had found a wife. He was somewhat of an odd character in the town that kept to himself. This was due to the man's stoic views on what was morally correct and what actions that were considered evil. Before the Tear, there had not really been that much focus on the concept of morals and, especially not among the farmers. Alas, Stenly grew up spending many afternoons fighting other boys over some quarrel instigated by Stenly scolding one of the other boys for something he deemed immoral, resulting in them turning on him with their fists. There were however reasons for Stenly's behaviour. The Lodarrics had been safeguarding a closely kept secret, that were strictly limited to the family. Trast Lodarric, Stenly's grandfather, had obtained a chest that - among other things - contained an ancient scroll speaking of an ancient great god. The name of the diety, was however cause for some intra family arguments since the text parchment was obscured. Grandfather Trast had called the god "Lathindor", but after his elderly family member had past, Stenly had reviewed the scroll, deciding that the correct name in fact must be "Lathindir". Knowing that the King's blood mages would hunt them for worshipping another being, the family had buried the chest with the scroll and a bronze amulet shaped like the sun in the yard. However, they never ceased saying prayers to Lathindir/Lathindor in secrecy before every meal. This life of worshipping a god in hiding had turned Stenly introverted, minding his own business and trying to avoid any interactions with the other farmers that were not vital for the work. He were no longer beaten up by the other men, but the farmhands usually made fun of him. He just silently praised Lathindir for strenght and kept plowing the land. Stenly was sleeping as the tear happened. He was alone in his cottage, resting after dinner. His parents had passed a few years back, so he was left tending to the house all by himself. He dreamed that he was walking on a lonely road, as the world started shaking and rumble. Stenly panicked, trying to outrun the quaking, but it was as if his legs were not long enough. He fell to the ground in the dream, smashing his face on the gravelly road. As he looked up, he saw a great sun, a thousand times stronger than the normal sun, shine upon him. "Lathindir". The dream world started shaking more intensly and crumbled. Stenly fell down into the void, screaming in fear and pain. As he woke up, drenched in sweat, Stenly still felt the pain burning in his head and body. His eyes were aching and he had trouble adjusting his sight. Everything was a blur. He stumbled up and from his old bed and tried to wash his face with the water next to the mirror standing adjacent to the bed. Looking into the mirror, his eyes starts to sharpen, and even though the room was dark he saw perfectly a pair of pointy ears on each side of his head. Stenly remembered the dream, and realised that Lathindir had cursed him with horns as punishment due to him hiding his faith. "Impossible, I have been your most loyal servant!", Stenly screams to his mirror image. "I will continue to serve you o great Lathindir! I will spread your name and teachings no matter costs. But I refuse to be a cursed demon!" Filled with piety, Stenly grabs his shaving knife of the nearby table and proceeds to cut the newly discovered tips of his ears. The screams from his house could be heard in many neighbouring houses. Passing out again, Stenly just saw the warm sun on the back of his eyelids. When he woke up again, the pain was gone. He bandaged his damaged ears and grabbed a hooded cloak before walking out the door to dig up the family chest, not reflecting over the fact that he had grown taller and become more slender during his sleep. Appearance: After his transformation, Stenly has been openly talking about Lathindir and his teachings (which are mostly consisting of interpretations from the very brief parchment which Stenly now carries around him). While around town, which is usually while working in the farm, he is always hooded or wearing an old farmer's hat used by his father to cover his mutilated horns. After discovering that others had changed apperances as well, Stenly decided that he would not tell anybody about the change. Stenly is still highly moralistic and will refuse doing anything against the will of Lathindir. When he is not working, Stenly has been standing in the local plaza preaching the words of Lathindir. His dream is to one day building a place of worship dedicated to Lathindir.