[D&D-5e] Fall of the Frostreaper

[Taigains]

WIP

Name: Mi-jinx

Race: Goliath (Var. Human)

Class: Stars Druid

Clan: Skyreach (Born post Dragon, Lives with Stormwatchers)

Mechanical Background: Urchin

Appearance & Personality: WIP

Written Background: No length limit or requirement on this, but if you're going to make it a book, make it a good one.
30 Minute Writing Sample: Remember when I said momentum is important and I wanted to encourage it? Instead of requiring a word limit, I want to use a suggested time limit for posts. Show me what kind of post you can come up with in 30 minutes or less. Yes, you can cheat. Yes, I won't actually enforce this. No, I probably won't even follow this myself every single time. I ask for this in the spirit of keeping the game moving and with the hope that you don't get bogged down trying to write awesome posts, and then end up with nothing at all. Prompt below.

Prompt
What was the moment you became a hero in the eyes of your clan?

Please write this as you would any other game post.

[Nasrith]

Originally Posted by Seekr34

Ok, no problem. Was curious. So no magic items. No biggie, although might need one if we have to face the dragon later on. Now, Standard Campaign, do we get the 500gps plus 1d10gps as well?

I might have missed part of your question from before - sure where the getting the 500gp from. No, no 500gp. It is truly starting equipment for your class + background. No extra stuff. Like I said before though, you won't be stuck that way. Promise.

Separately... @Everyone, I just dropped a chonky bit of information on all the clans HERE. No need to read through all of it, but if you're specifically want more information on a clan and their relationship to the clan spirits, that's the place to look.

As always, lemme know if you have questions.

[Seekr34]

Ah ok, no problem, just wanted to get a different armor, but no biggie. I got the info of 500pgs on page 38 in DMG where it lists equipment for different levels. Anyway, no biggie

[Red Leper]

I think my application is finished, or at least the rough draft. Feel free to give me feedback.

[Seekr34]

Guess my app is done as well. Hope it's good enough.

[Nasrith]

Originally Posted by Red Leper

I think my application is finished, or at least the rough draft. Feel free to give me feedback.

Looks good - I'll do a read through with feedback and some takes about a week before apps close. Marked complete for now.

Originally Posted by Seekr34

Guess my app is done as well. Hope it's good enough.

Great! Can you do me a favor and separate your 30 Minute RP Sample? I think it's in there, but I want to make sure I'm looking at what I think I'm looking at.

[krossingkhory]

Name: Galmath Bharakas
Race: Dragonborn (White Ancestry)
Class: Barbarian 8
Clan: Frostwalker

Mechanical Background: Urchin

Personality 1	I sleep with my back to a wall or tree, with everything I own wrapped in a bundle in my arms.
Personality 2:	I hide scraps of food and trinkets away in my pockets.
Ideal:	Change. The low are lifted up, and the high and mighty are brought down. Change is the nature of things. (Chaotic)
Bond:	No one else should have to endure the hardships I've been through.
Flaw:	People who can't take care of themselves get what they deserve.

Appearance: On the large side for a Dragonborn, Galmath stands at an imposing 6' 6" tall and weighs in at nearly 300 pounds. He has curved horns that wrap around where his ears would be, and his head is adorned with stark white fur that runs down the crest, in between the horns, down to his back. He has well-defined muscles that push against his brown and white clothes, while his feet are adorned with heavy boots designed for walking through the icy snowscape and through the cold caves the Frostwalkers call home. His preferred weapon is a great axe, capable of splitting blocks of ice and carving what saplings and trees grow in the northern wilderness into firewood, and he is almost never without the leather strap that lets him affix his weapon of choice to his back when it is not being used.

Instead of a backpack, he prefers to have several smaller pouches sewn into the inner lining of his fur-covered outer garments, as well as having multiple pouches attached to and hanging from a hard leather belt that he wears as a bandolier.

Personality: Galmath likes to play the "strong and silent" type, mainly because he is fearful that opening his mouth will reveal treasures and trinkets that the white dragon may wish to claim as his own. He's also not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and he has learned that speaking will most likely lead to a disagreement, which then may lead to an argument, which may then lead to a fight, which might lead to him getting thrown into his tribe's equivalent of jail. Again. And so, he has decided to not speak unless spoken to, and even then to only say what is absolutely necessary, even if he comes off as standoffish or ambiva...ambigu...or whatever the word is for him to seem strange and not paying attention.

He has a tendency to hide things on his person. Small things, like scraps of food or animal bones or small trinkets. Things that he thinks may have value, whether they do or not, are most likely to end up in one of the inner folds or pockets of his clothing. With the white dragon taking nearly everything the Frostwalkers have, the clan has had to barter with one another - and the other clans - with whatever objects or foodstuffs they have. And this has taught him that everything may have value, and if it has value, then the white dragon wants it. So he hides it from everyone, taking pleasure in knowing that he may have something that someone else wants.

Beyond that, he is a capable warrior and tribal guardian, proud to call the warrens his home, the Frostwalkers his tribe, and their protection his duty. He may not look like he has much, and he certainly doesn't have much between his ears, but he has the bulk and mass to at least seem intimidating when he has to be. He never resorts to violence unless necessary...and so far, in his duties as tribal protector, it hasn't been. But he's ready for whenever that day comes.

Written Background: Sometimes, against all odds, something happens that should not. In the case of Galmath, it is his very existence.

Born to a Dragonborn female in the Frostfang clan, it was discovered that he was the product of a union between her and a Goliath from the Frostwalker clan, even though her lineage was due to be joined with one of the Goliath guardians who watched over the temple to Skaegor. This conception was seen as both unholy and as an insult; how dare the Frostwalkers interrupt such perfection by giving their seed to this woman! And how dare she turn her back on her clan and her duty, becoming with child of another clan! It was scandalous and seen as contemptuous, and punishment must be laid down. The Goliath man, the Dragonborn woman, and the Dragonborn child were all to be sacrificed in the name of Thalorgarax, all in the hope of restoring their honor in the eyes of the white dragon. They were all marched from the shrine to the ridge, and they were to all be forced over the edge to plummet to their deaths.

But it seemed, at that moment, someone or something else had plans for the child. For while mother and father were pushed over and fell to their deaths, the child was not. A moment of pity, or remorse, or even just kind-heartedness, took over one of the warriors, who prevented the child from being thrown over. "Let Skaegor decide what to do with it," the plea came. "Leave it here; it will not survive the harsh winter night." And so, instead of being thrown over, the child was left, standing on the ridge, barely enough clothing to be considered protected, no food or water. And were it not for his ancestry, Galmath would surely have died that night. For although it was cold, and a storm was brewing on the horizon, it seemed to have been one of the warmest nights in recent history. And with determination and resolve, the child walked from the ridge, in the cover of darkness, towards his father's ancestral home, hoping that they would be better to him than the Frostfang's had.

Days went by, Galmath's legs carrying him as quickly as they could through the cold and snow, but he grew weaker and weaker, his body aching for food. But he carried on, and he was able to make it to the glacier. Awestruck were the Goliaths taking up residence there; it had been a long time since a Dragonborn walked into the village, and a child no less! How could this be? How was it possible that this child, with little clothing, no food, and no way to protect himself, was able to walk across the frozen waste and into their village? Surely there had to be some reason, some divine intervention that this happened. And when he relayed his tale, short and quick, to the village elders, he was met with more questions than they started with. How, and why, and what did you do, and what will happen now?

But for all their questions, they could not turn the child away. This had to be the will of Skaadi, surely it was. Why else would the Frostfang clan simply let one of their potential warriors just leave? And to have him come here? This is a sign of the gods, and the clan took every step they could to make sure they would benefit from Galmath's presence. Dragonborn are normally to be the warrior-guardians of Skaegor, in service to Thalorgarax. But this good fortune could not be wasted, so Galmath was given every opportunity to train as a warrior, to protect the shrine to Skaadi, to protect the glacier, to protect the Frostwalkers.

30 Minute (or less) RP Sample:
Galmath sat in front of the fire, his back to it, facing the tribal elders. To both sides sat a few other tribe members who had also just completed the Winter Trials, and like him, were ready to tell their tale of survival in the harsh storm that had passed. He listened intently to their stories, all similar to his, told in their own words. He stared straight ahead, his eyes never wandering very far from the scribe who sat just off-center of the head elder, semi-watching the Goliath write down every word that was said. None of the elders had spoken up during any of the tales, waiting until each was done before asking the next to speak. And then, after some time, his back warm from the fire, he was asked to recount his own tale.

"By the grace of Skaadi, I was able to build shelter from several fallen trees, just beyond the second clearing," he began. A murmur or two went out, but nothing disruptive. "It was good fortune, for the storm was upon me, and the snow was wet and cold. The branches were thick with needles, and so they were able to be meshed together and sat upright, allowing me to climb underneath and into the relative dryness of the shelter."

He reached forward, taking a small stick that had been whittled to a point and coated in ash, drawing a circle in the ground, then a rough "x" in the middle of it, while he recounted his words in Celestial. He then set the stick down before continuing in the Common tongue.

"Fire was next. The ground was wet with white snow, and new flakes were falling rapidly. Even though by my own ancestry do I understand that the snow is our ally, I still needed warmth. And once again, by the grace of Skaadi, did I find what I needed. A large rock, made of iron and flint, jutting out of the ground just inches from my feet. I pulled some branches off the trees, setting them in a circle and striking the stone against my axe. Sparks flew, and I had flame."

He picked the ashen stick up again, drawing another circle next to the one he had already drawn, this time carving what was to be a flame in the center of it, all while recounting his tale in Celestial. He put the stick down and continued.

"Now was the time for food, for I was hungry. This time Skaadi provided no assistance; my luck with our god had run out. But when I was sufficiently warmed through, I ventured out of the shelter, the fire dying down so as to not burn everything, and I crept my way beyond the clearing into the trees. For many hours I waited, leaned against a tree, covered in snow, until a few rabbits made their way from out under the brush. My axe was too large to take them that way, so I quickly crafted a small sling from a piece of cloth hanging from my belt. Two quick stone-throws, and I had enough rabbit to last the night."

Once again, while recounting the story in Celestial, he used the stick to draw a third circle, this time drawing a crude rabbit in the center.

"For 3 days and 3 nights I sat in the shelter, praying to Skaadi, warming myself with the fire, and eating whatever food would come along. I took no more than I needed, and I gave back every bit that I could when I was done. I stayed there until the tribal guardians came to collect me at the end of the trial."

He put the stick down, gently and with purpose, just above the 3 circles. The elders stood up when he was finished, for he was the last to go, and they turned towards one another in a circle of their own, their silent voices not carrying words but sounds to his ears.

"You have, all of you, done well with your trials," the head elder spoke up after they were done conversing among themselves. "Tonight, we feast in your honor. By Skaadi's name, we welcome you all into adulthood."

[Seekr34]

DM, forgot about that it, it's there now.

[daikaiju]

Posting interest - this setting seems extremely dope, and I love a good mid-high level campaign. I'll be brainstorming!

Edit- Don't worry too much about waiting for an app for me. I posted this right before my free time to PbP at work suddenly withered away, so I'll probably refrain from putting any more eggs into any more baskets.

[Nasrith]

@krossingkhory, Digging the app so far. Heads up before you get too much further into the background - White Dragonborn are almost entirely going to be of The Frostfang Warriors, regardless of what clan their mother belonged to.

I'm cool with you being from the Frostwalker Clan, or any other, but I wanted to make sure you accounted for the how & why that happened now so you don't have to go rewrite the whole thing.

@Seekr34, perfect, thanks!

daikaiju, looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

[krossingkhory]

@Nasrith
Hmm. I wanted to go Frostwalker because I like the idea of having next to nothing and having to scrounge and and stuff. I also don't like that the Frostfang are the enforcers for the dragon; it seems counter-intuitive to undertake this game to overthrow the dragon if our whole lives are spent in service to him willingly and happily. I guess I could change if I have to...but I will figure out a connection to Frostfang to make sure.

To be fair, I read through the additional material you provided, and none of the clans mentions Dragonborn at all. Is this an oversight?

[Kshnik]

App complete. Just reread what I wrote for the 30 minute section. A lot of grammar and other errors. Will fix them tomorrow night

[Nasrith]

Originally Posted by krossingkhory

@NasrithHmm. I wanted to go Frostwalker because I like the idea of having next to nothing and having to scrounge and and stuff. I also don't like that the Frostfang are the enforcers for the dragon; it seems counter-intuitive to undertake this game to overthrow the dragon if our whole lives are spent in service to him willingly and happily. I guess I could change if I have to...but I will figure out a connection to Frostfang to make sure.

To be fair, I read through the additional material you provided, and none of the clans mentions Dragonborn at all. Is this an oversight?

Yeah, total oversight on my part. When you write/know a setting, something that I think is obvious isn't actually obvious. Updated it in the main advert to make it clear in the future.

Easy workaround: Galmath's mother hid him away and he was raised among the Goliath of the Frostwalker Clan instead of getting inducted into the Frostfang as a dragonborn.

But hey, it's your character! Just one wrinkle to work through, and I trust you to do it however works best for you,

[EMIW]

Originally Posted by Nasrith

Easy workaround: Galmath's mother hid him away and he was raised among the Goliath of the Frostwalker Clan instead of getting inducted into the Frostfang as a dragonborn.

Basically the approach I was thinking of taking with my Crystalline Keeper Cleric! I think with the Dragonborn your options are either that they've run away from Frostfang to turn against Thalorgarax, or the dragon just doesn't know about them.

[krossingkhory]

Well, I've got something there. Not sure how I feel about it; I'm a bit stuck there at the end. I know we are 8th level, so leaving it right there with "He got all the training" just doesn't seem to be a good end to his background. Perhaps I'll end it by tying into the 30 minute RP sample?