[D&D-5e] 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Where Monsters Fear to Tread

[Gaijin]

[Remorazz]

F**k it.

I'm applying it.

the swarm WIP Character Name: Themm Class: Fighter Species: Rat? Swarm? Affliction: Harrowed? Description: They look like a bunch of rats, but some of them look like they understand a whole lot more than regular rats should. Backstory: They were just generic rats in town. Every mild-powered-creature would and could summon them on a whim, and they could. But some of them got wiser. Some of them got smarter, they learned to manipulate object and some of them learned to talk. Now, as a collectice, they learned how to ask what they deserved. ]

[Gaijin]

[Humble Athena]

Still 18 days to go! Gaijin, I do not envy your eventual decision day.

[ihinka]

A single person is responsible for this app and they know who they are <3

Also, I suppose I'm going to shoot my shot with a discouraged race as well ☄️

Application Character Name: Divna Class: Bard (College of Creation) Species: Siren Affliction: The virus interacted poorly with the sea hag's curse. Transforming it from a tragic heritage stealing malady to a fatal disease that has left her but a shadow of her former Siren glory. Robbing her of her flight, chief among her heritage and origins.Harrowed Description: Physical - At 5'10'' Divna stands taller than most women and most Siren. Her sculpted body is a very strange mix of avian and human physiology. If one knows enough about sirens he or she would be able to tell that something is not quite right with Divna. There's something very wrong with her wings. The plumage, though as bright and colorful as that of any other siren, is far less and covers a diminishing portion of Divna's arms and back. Her feet, rather than those of a bird, are very human feet with shocks of feathers, covering the fronts of her shins. Her torso is almost completely divested of any sort of plumage save for what little remains to cover her most intimate areas. Her head, once covered entirely with a lovely mane of feathers in all the colors of the rainbow, is now growing human hair from the nape down. While the plumage on top is withering and falling off like wilting flowers. The once sharp and deadly talons protruding from Divna's fingers, have begun receding back, growing more dull with each passing day. But even underneath the tragedy of Divna's appearance, she is still one of the most enchanting women any sailor has ever sat his eyes upon. With her sharp cheekbones, deep sea-green eyes and pink, kissable, sweet lips. It is only when one gazes deep into her eyes, that the tragedy she carries within her soul is revealed. Divna has begrudgingly adapted to wearing clothes from the waist down. She prefers britches to skirts and will, most often then not, go barefoot. Personality - Divna's mercurial days are long gone. Her mood swings are no different from those of the average human. However, there's a deep, deep seeded sadness that permeates Divna's being. But even so she is no defeatist. She is a strong individual who stands tall in the face of adversity and is willing to give life and limb for those she cares about. Divna is prone to solitary bouts and will be resistant to new people trying to become close with her. If she senses things are getting too close for comfort, she will generally try to retreat back into her hermit bubble. It is because she loves too deep and with complete devotion that she tends to do this. Knowing such a primal loss as that of both parents, it is normal she would be a little gun-shy. If one manages to get close enough, however, to this elusive siren, they will have a friend and a protector for life.   Divna was born like any other siren child is born. That is to say, she was hatched. To two very proud mothers, who loved her dearly and raised her as the apple of their eye. For, yes, sirens are only and ever female. If anyone ever tells you there are male sirens, they are lying through their crooked, busted-a**, scurvy tinted teeth. Life as a siren was never dull. As mercurial as all sirens were tensions usually were flying high and moods swung from one end to the other faster than one could blink. Naturally, life as a growing, hormonal siren was even more interesting. Yes, Divna grew up a happy siren child. Healthy and active. Doing all the things a siren was supposed to do and loving every last bit of it. But times were not as rosy for sirens as all that. Men were becoming ever more wary of the fickle sirens and the pull of their songs. They were finding more and new ways to protect themselves from the lure of the sirens. Robbing them in the process of their harmless fun. And while some sirens grew to resent this and humans, and secluded themselves deeper into the seas on faraway islands, others chose to adapt and work with the humans, rather than the age-old game of cat and mouse between the two races. Divna's mothers were one of the latter sirens. They struck bargains with fishing trawlers, working side by side with the fishermen to protect the ships' crews from the perils of the sea. Divna's mothers always asked for different things in return for their services and the young siren grew up along humans. Learning to respect them as equals and not simply a plaything. But then one day Divna lost it all in one fell swoop! A young captain of a fishing boat had struck a bargain with Divna's mothers for protection until he could get his fishing business up and running. Only for the ship to disappear out at sea with its entire crew and Divna's parents during its maiden voyage. By this time Divna had grown into a fine young siren. Devastated by the disappearance of her mothers she searched and searched for days, weeks. She struck bargains with wizards and sorcerers to help her scour the ocean floor in search of the lost fishing boat. Months past. A year. Divna took all sorts of odd jobs and errands to finance her search and rescue attempts. Until, finally, one day she found the wreckage of the fishing boat. Deep beneath the ocean. With no sign of the crew or her parents. No bodies! Or body parts. Nothing. She knew full well it could be the work of various ocean predators, but something felt off. It was as if the crew had vanished before the ship had hit the sea floor. Desperate to find some clue as to what happened to the ship, its crew and her parents Divna noticed a scarring on the hull of the ship. Almost completely obscured by the overgrowth of shellfish. She recognized the pattern immediately. Every siren knew there was only one entity that could pull entire ships to the bottom of the ocean. And there was only one being that could control this creature. The sea hag Drisala. Finding her had been even more difficult than discovering what had happened to the ship in the first place. In fact, Divna would never have been able to, if it hadn't been for the bravery and sacrifice of both of her mothers. Executing a plan they both new would cost them their lives the two sirens managed to create an opportunity for one to slip away and escape. Divna found her beaten, battered, dying of wounds that had no name. But the stubborn siren had had enough live left in her to utter the two most important words in her life. Monsters' Crag. Fueled by rage and despair Divna had charged headlong into the sea hag's lair. Aided by weapons, amulets and various sorts of magical trinkets from her human contacts Divna somehow managed to subdue the sea hag's monstrous pet squid. To her dismay she'd discovered the beast had been guarding the missing crew of the fishing ship. All in various stages of malnutrition and emaciation. Most men had gone crazy from the endless torture they'd had to endure for the sea hag's amusement. To the point that Divna had been forced to sing to them in order to calm them down and make them escape. All but No man can resist the Siren's call! Not really...one had given in to the allure of her song. The very captain of the ship who sat down in the cage, with the body of Divna's other mother in his lap. As he cried and cried her death, inconsolable. And when Divna had fallen on her knees next to them, broken with grief and sorrow, he'd raised his deep blue eyes at the young siren and whispered brokenly: "I'm sorry! I'm so very sorry!" Divna had simply shook her head then. She knew well enough the young man was not at fault. The sea was a dangerous place at best. But when Drisala decided to make you her toy, you were doomed! "Go now, please! Run away while you can. While she's still away." Divna had urged the young man. He'd protested at first. Insisting he would stay with her to fight the hag. But the young siren had managed to convince him his crew-mates needed him to lead them to safety. Divna, on the other hand, had unfinished business with the hag. And revenge was the least of it. The accursed sea witch was notorious for sinking entire ships for want of acquiring a single trinket. It mattered not why she wanted it. It mattered not how useless, cheap or unimportant it was. If she wanted it, she had to have it. And as it turned out, it was precisely why she'd attacked the ship her mothers were protecting. All to steal Divna's family heirloom. An amulet with importance only to her family. A piece of history that bore significance only to her siren lineage. A small amulet of clockwork design that was passed down from generation to generation, from mothers to daughters. It was said that long ago the amulet, and its original owner, came from a mystical island that had since vanished. No one knew where the island had been or what happened to it. All that was known to Divna and her family was that once it was and now it was no more. And so each new generation was tasked with safeguarding this ancient relic as it was the only piece of history from a time and a place gone by. The battle with the hag had been more fierce than the one with the giant squid. But the hag, realizing the imminence of her fate, had chosen the coward's route and fled. But not before leaving Divna with a parting gift. With one last, vengeful, utterance the sea hag had cursed Divna to lose the last remaining bit of her heritage. A curse to turn her into human! And so, Divna's hunt for Drisala the Sea Hag persists. For the diminished Siren is not about to let the Hag get away with torturing and murdering her mothers, stealing their precious family heirloom, or stealing her Siren heritage from her!

[Gaijin]

@Humble Athena, No kidding! Fortunately I can share some of the weight with The Council and breathe a little easier.

It feels like such a long time, but it's sync'd with the final leg of IronDM, so any temptation to shorten the deadline is securely restrained.

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@ihinka, Welcome! I really like Divna's character art. It reminds me of certain stylized depictions of Aztec jaguar warriors.

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[BlackDragon0]

[ihinka]

@Gaijin, thank you, it served as the main inspiration behind the character concept. And unless you need me to add something more to the app or elaborate on something, it is finished on my part.

Also, real proud of myself for managing to read the Hiragana in your title. Ganbatte!

[Gaijin]

You should be good, and are already checked in.

I was tempted to include the kanji, but aside from being more of a nuisance, it was also much more difficult to read at that size.

[Strangemund]

I see I am in the company of folks who appreciate the fun of being a disease-ridden dude(tte/ems).

[Touketsu]

Originally Posted by Strangemund

I see I am in the company of folks who appreciate the fun of being a disease-ridden dude(tte/ems).

Hell yeah, Plague Gang 4 Lyfe.

[Greatsw0rd]

Quick questions before I start a write-up:

How strict are you playing the requirements for Oathbreaker Paladin? With the character technically not gaining a subclass until 3, would I need to break my oath in-game? Or can I have it written up as I'd planned, which involved slipping down to an evil alignment in the horrors of the initial plague? And should the events of this character tip him back towards the light side, would you require me to rebuild with a new subclass or could he keep his combat abilities?

[Gaijin]

@Greatsw0rd, For this campaign, I'm inclined to be pretty lax with class expectations. As long as the mechanics are respected for balance, you can reskin the narrative as you'd like.

[Drifter One]

@Gaijin - i have cobbled something together.

[Gaijin]

@Drifter One, Welcome back!