[PF-1e] The Forsaken Plane: The Plane of The Elder Evils

[Xian]

Originally Posted by Narsis

Hmmm...I may have a character for this...PM incoming...

Can't wait... I just had to comment that this is a first where so much of my traffic for this has come through PMs. I guess it is at the end all the same, but thought it was an interesting phenomenon.

Cheers, Xian

[Cristal08Darkmoon]

Name: Kilara Night
Race: Hellspawn Tiefling
Class: Ranger (Demonslayer)
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Appearance and Personality: Kilara is tall and wiry. She has nearly flawless crimson skin, dark eyes and long, black hair. Her preferred outfit consists of black, close-cut pants, tunic-length shirt, knee-high boots and gloves. Over the shirt she wears a blood red vest.

Her personal code and that of the people who took her in are the only things she adheres to.

Origin: Kinslayer HQ located near AbsalomNomad
Concept:

 

Concept Elements
1. She was abandoned outside the gate to the Kinslayer headquarters. They took her in and raised her.
2. After the basic training, Kilara apprentaced to one of the order's best slayers.
3. She partnered with another new Kinslayer after becoming a full fledged member.
4. She was almost killed by a man that she trusted very much. While she lived, she now bears a perminant reminder to be careful who you trust.
5. Kilara and her partner are currently wandering somewhere near the forests of Kyonin.

Goals:
Character: I'd like to have Kilara find someone that she can trust with her heart.
Game: It would be nice if Kilara returned 'home' and took over the Kinslayers or started a similar orginization of her own.

Secrets:

 

Known: There have been several disappearances among the Kinslayers over the years. Most never return. Many of those that do are never the same.
Unknown:
1. Almost all of those that disappeared were taken to the Forsaken Plane. All either had obvious fiendish characteristics or had traits that set them far apart from most tieflings.
2. Kilara was trained specifically in the hopes that she would be able to find out what happened to the people who disappeared... should she return to tell them about it without changing.

Part 4:
Friendlies:
1. the Kinslayers: An order of tieflings dedicated to ridding the world of devils, demons and the like. Kilara still trusts many of them.
2. Allizen Moore: Kilara's mentor. She finished Kilara's training, watched over and protected her during that time, and gave Kilara the longsword she now favors.
3. Alexa White: Kilara's best friend and partner. Alexa can easily pass for a human under most circumstances.
4. Jace Song: Half-elf and master thief. He's one of the very few men that Kilara still trusts. He's also helped Kilara and Alexa a few times.

Enemy:
1. Demons, devils, etc.: no explanation needed. Hopefully.
2. Xander Breyborn: An ex-Kinslayer that used to be a friendly rival during their early training. The rivalry turned bitter after Kilara was apprenticed to Allizen Moore and he tried to kill her.

Other:
1. Cleon Masters: Dhampir city guard of Absalom. Given the nickname Bael by Jace. He is a relatively unknown quantity in Kilara's life though she's pretty sure that he won't harm her.
2. Kanes Halspar: Elven monk. He's a nomad and has come to Kilara's aid more than once. Kilara believes that he has the makings of a good friend.

Memories, Mannerisms and Quirks:
1. Kilara is slow to trust anyone, slower still to fully trust a man.
2. She likes having a weapon close at hand.
3. She sometimes rubs the scar that Xander gave her when thinking, trying to decide who to trust or for no apparent reason.
4. She has a tendancy to cover as much of her skin as possible, often going so far as to wear some sort of mask and/or a deep hood, to try to avoid scaring people.

Why attract attention and/or abducted?: Kilara's distrust of men, wariness of betrayal by those she does trust and her unusual abilities.

In Character Writing Sample:

 

Kilara pat her mount's neck. The horses had carried them without complaint for the last couple days. Through rain and mud. They deserved a treat. She found the stable master, glad that her face was mostly hidden because she grimaced. Flashing a gold coin, she said, "I'd like warm blankets, warm mash and some fresh hay for the three horses that I brought in."

The man rubbed his chin. "We normally save that fer the nobles' horses..."

"Don't play with me. An overnight stay should only cost a silver or two per horse. Feed should only cost an extra two, maybe three, coppers for a single night. That totals maybe seven silver. Figure in an extra silver for warm blankets and part of the feed being warm, that's eight silver with two extra silver. See that the horses are well taken care of and I won't ask for my change back."

The man was speechless. He'd never been countered so effectively. He just took the coin. "Uh, have they been brushed out?"

"Yes." Kilara stayed in the stable long enough to make sure that the stable master got the horses the blankets and mash. She then gathered her pack and walked into the inn in search of her friend and partner. She found her just as one of the serving girls set a tray of food before her. "I see you've taken care of the food while I've been taking care of the horses."

Alexa settled one of the bowls of stew before her. "I also got their last room and arranged for baths and our clothes to be washed." She smirked and dug into the rabbit stew. "Go ahead. I've already warned them that you have a few odd habits."

Kilara poured part of her stew into Alexa's bowl, picked up the tray and followed her friend's directions to their room. Once inside, she set the tray down and dropped her pack on the bed next to Alexa's. She then removed her cloak, the scarf that covered the bottom part of her face, and her gloves, revealing crimson skin with each bit of clothing. Sitting at the small table, she began eating her share of the food.

[Digorig]

Nothing to see here...

[Narsis]

WIP. I actually already know most of this, but it'll take a bit of time to get everything written down nicely. Almost done now. Just need a sample post.

Name: John

Race: Dhampir (slightly modified)

Class: Oracle (Dual-Cursed with Hunger and Wasting)

Alignment: Neutral Good

Appearance and Personality: Although he could pass as human in certain situations, his grey pallor and gaunt appearance give others an impression of the unnatural. This tends to make others wary of him, so he wears a hooded cloak and usually avoids crowds. But nevertheless, he does look for opportunities to relieve someone's pain, believing it a necessary step to atone for his past sins.

Place of Origin: Golarian - Andoran (although he's traveled quite a bit)

"Attraction": John is someone that wants to do the right thing, that wants to redeem himself, but is in a constant struggle with his nature. But he doesn't always win that struggle, and hates himself all the more for it.

 

Character Concepts 1) He was once human, but when his village was struck by famine he turned to the corpses of the dead for sustenance, and became a mindless ghoul in the process. 2) He was hunted down by some clerics/paladins of Sarenrae to be destroyed, but one of them, having some compassion for the undead's plight, spoke a quick prayer for it's soul before striking the final blow. A "miracle" happens and John regained his human soul. 3) The cleric was kicked out of his church for taking the side of an undead, so now they both travel together healing the sick and helping people. They are not always well received. 4) John now worships Sarenrae since she is probably the one that gave him his soul back. 5) He is constantly tempted by a desire to return to his ghoulish ways, although the temptation ebbs and flows.

Goals 1) He wishes to atone for his sins and believes that healing the sick, helping the poor, and performing other similar acts of goodness to be the way to do that. 2) I would like him to face his nature, both due to internal and external struggles, and (probably) overcome it. In particular, I'd like to see him regain some of his memories over time. See secrets below.

Secrets 1) He has actually succumbed to his temptations before, and hates himself all the more for it. But he'd never tell that to anyone for obvious reasons. 2) He actually killed his wife and daughter, and ate them. But he doesn't remember it. Expect denial and possibly drama should he ever find out about this.

People I'm not entirely sure how any of these characters will come into play unless they happen to get abducted into the plane later. Although I suppose just knowing of them gives you something to taunt John with. Clement Sangson: The cleric of Sarenrae that "saved" John and now travels with him. Also the one that trained John in divine magic. He doesn't regret what he did or losing his position in the church. On the contrary, he sees it as an amazing opportunity: never before has an undead been reawakened in such a way. He sees it as his duty to guide John on his path. He is also John's rock, his safe haven when fears and doubts assail him. Marcus Edinbourgh: A paladin of Sarenrae and one of the members of the party that hunted John down when he was a ghoul. His opposition is the main reason that Clement was kicked out of the church. He has also, on at least one occasion, hunted down Clement and John and caused them some trouble. Very much your typical stick-where-the-sun-don't-shine Lawful Good paladin. Emily Sangson: Clement's wife and probably John's only other friend. She's not too happy about Clement and John traveling around (mostly because it takes her husband away from her), but she does understand why they must. She also happens to be the person that gave John his name since he had forgotten his real one.

Memories, Mannerisms, and Quirks 1) He remembers little of his life from before becoming a ghoul, and is plagued by strange waking dreams that leave him with a sense of familiarity. Like a memory of times past but much more tenuous and missing a lot of context. 2) He often whispers prayers to Sarenrae whenever he's about to do something. Some are more audible than others. 3) He has a habit of gnawing on the skin and flesh of his fingers and hands, leaving them bloody and ragged most of the time.

 

They're going to hate me. Hate us. They always do. They're gonna run us out of town like all the rest. Why don't they ever give us a chance? Cause I'm an abomination that's why. They're gonna hate me....

Clement glanced over at his companion nervously chewing on his thumb. Relax John, he said, placing his hand on John's shoulder as they walked. I'm sure the next village will be more receptive than the last.

But they threw us out with stones and pitchforks, argued John, quickly dropping his hand back to his side. And the next village is hardly a day's journey from the last. There's no chance that they will be any different.

Do you know the mind of our goddess Sarenrae? replied Clement, gently chiding his student. Surely she has a reason for sending us onward so soon. And surely she will open the hearts and minds of those we go to if we just ask.

I pray you are right, returned John as he began chewing on his thumb again.

*****

An hour later, the pair could see signs of their next stop: fields green with the growth of early summer and a small house just off the road. Sarenrae, guide us, whispered John as he took a moment to calm himself. It will be fine. We'll be alright.

With his composure regained, he followed Clement to the house.


...(I'll finish this tomorrow...probably)...

[Xian]

Team,

Here is the updated applicant table. I am currently doing the assessment write up for those that have already submitted. From the looks of it, I can begin with Phase 2 with 5-6 of you. You do not have to address the items in your assessment prior to begin Phase 2, but include any adjustments as part of Phase 2.

On sound advice from GM/DM mentors, since I have become split between PM and thread here and bouncing back and forth has become a bit tedious, please put all future and past discussion here in this thread in secret text instead of PMing me. This way, both questions and answers are consolidated in the same spot and does not require me multiple clicks to access.

So for those still in the hunt with PMs, please consolidate them and post them here in secret so I can keep tabs on them. Thanks to my mentors for this great piece of advice!

Second, as I look through many of your applications I just want to amplify on one thing, your character does not seek out the Forsaken Plane nor does it know that they are taken by a plane (or that a plane is responsible). For those taken, it is as if you are in a parallel world (well those from Golarian that is) with places that are familiar, but with a different name and people within them.

For those that are home to the Forsaken Plane, it is exactly that, home. There is nothing that would even hint that anything is happening and those that are "known" are in the form of superstition.

Player	Character Name	Race	Class	Land of Origin	Complete?
pianoman90	Dennis Crispin	Human	Alchemist 2/Barbarian 1	Daggermark - Off Plane	Phase I Complete
Digorig	Valtyra (Val) Shunso	Aasimar	Cleric	Golarian, City of Absalom	Phase I Complete
PopCultureBard	Ephram Du'chaine	Half-Elf	Cavalier / Rogue	Golarian - Galt	Phase I Complete
Sassafrass	Pending	Pending	Pending	Pending	Posted Interest
Cedric	Pending	Pending	Pending	Pending	Posted Interest
Ratpigeon	Akadis Stormhal	Human	Sorcerer (Sage Bloodline with Tattooed Sorcerer Archetype)	Forsaken Plane - Ustalav	Phase I Complete
GeoAvanti	Alexis Lightbringer	Shifter	TBD	Eberron - Znir	Work in Progress - Concept
Jarl11	Pending	Pending	Pending	Pending	Interest
MalchiorTheForgotten	Brooklyn "Rook" Requiem	Human	Investigator (Steel Hound)	Off World - Lake Aries	Phase I Complete
suburbanplankton	Marcius Laparix	Dhampir	Magus	Golarian, Taldor	Phase I Complete
OneDarkness	Raven	Human	Inquisitor - Zon-Kuthon	Golarian, Absalom	Phase I Complete
Narsis	John	Dhampir	Oracle - Hunger - Wasting	Golarian, Andoran	Work in Progress
Cristal08Darkmoon	Kilara Night	Tiefling	Ranger (Demonslayer)	Golarian, Absalom	Phase I Complete

Hope that helps!

Cheers, Xian

[Cristal08Darkmoon]

Did you miss my application?

EDIT: I did alter a couple of things a tiny bit.

[Xian]

Originally Posted by Cristal08Darkmoon

Did you miss my application?

EDIT: I did alter a couple of things a tiny bit.

I did in the table, but not in the review. I will fix this once I get back home, since I am out and about now.

Cheers, Xian

[goatmeal]

In case any of you were wondering what this sort of game could look like with Xian as DM, check out what he's been doing in this game. It's been a blast. Also, he probably forgot to mention that he won POTM on about page three of this game and it was featured on the revamped RPGX Podcast.

[OneDarkness]

Judging from what I have seen of his posts as a player I am not surprised, and the writing as a DM looks just as good as I would be expecting

[Digorig]

I have to second both Goat and One. You would never guess that X-man is new to the DM arena. Whoever is lucky enough to get in this game will have a blast.

[Xian]

Originally Posted by Cristal08Darkmoon

Did you miss my application?

EDIT: I did alter a couple of things a tiny bit.

Cristal08Darkmoon,

I updated the tables to reflect your app... I assure it was a table typing oversight. I have been reading your app and preparing comments along with the others for consumption which I hope to have out tonight so you will have something by tomorrow AM... well for those of you in the Eastern US Time zone that is.

Goats/Digs/OneD,

Appreciate the endorsement, but you know that I can't take the credit for The Becoming... you forgot to mention that in the game are some of the top players AND DMs around on RPGX and if you look at their posts, the stuff writes literally writes itself. Not to mention the great mentorship these veteran DMs have been giving me... I don't think I could have not succeeded even if I tried!

Thanks all and seriously I am looking forward to this project! Onward!

Cheers, Xian

[kaylara]

Ok, here's a bit more... not sure if we could tie it into the land or not... being noble, she would have vested interest in the well being of the city/state of things.. as well as being looked up at, perhaps viewed as a hero in a way... People could approach her and ask for help etc, where she could set out to right wrongs or aid where needed etc...

Please share your thoughts.

Kallev Littleton Name: Kallev Littleton Age: 17 Race: Aasimar Gender: Female Class: Sorceress (Celestial Bloodline) Alignment: Neutral Good Description/Appearance: Kallev is of average size and height, thou she appears a bit pale, weak and frail. She stands at five foot ten and approximately one hundred and ten pounds. She wears a finely crafted light blue/black dress, tailored perfectly to her body. Her long luscious platinum hair flows freely, though at times she pulls it to one side. At her side she wears a long sword, accompanied by a backpack and long composite bow, both of exquisite taste.

[Xian]

@All - I just want to put this note to clarify the kind of world that the Forsaken Plane for those that may not be familiar with the Ravenloft campaign world setting based on my review of the apps so far.

The Forsaken Planes is a low magic setting, not unlike those found on the material plane. Spellcasters are rare, and common folk seldom witness the supernatural, understanding it only through folklore, though that folklore is very prevalent. Even "common" Core races, are a rarity on the Forsaken and often the subject of wrongful association with the dark powers. Those more "exotic will find their lives and the lives of their team mates very difficult. Subtle and unknown to all but the select and rare few, the natural laws of the Forsaken Plane have been insidiously re-written. It is crucible for the virtuous to be tested and for the wicked to be tormented.

At the very core of the this theme I should have clarified is a Gothic core. The horrors of the Gothic tradition resonate and are horrifying and terrifying because they are inherently us. Innocence battles corruption, where love destroys and redeems, and where magic cannot overcome morality. Just because you are playing in a "horror themed" campaign it is not necessary for the character to BE the horror theme. Thus those that are selected by The Powers to play in this world are being selected to their heroes, not to be one of its inmates. These heroes for the most part study the occult or mysteries beyond the mundane to pursue and combat the evil, not for pursuit of personal power or ambition.

Having said that because the players were selected to be heroes, does not guarantee that they will become heroes and nor should the path be easy. This references that characters that are so good/virtuous that they are flawless. As a Gothic crucible, The Powers selects those with faults and flaws that they can test and challenge. If the character was so virtuous and flawless that their morality could not be challenged, then they would not have been taken. There wold be no point. This goes to the question I posed to the players applying of why they as players believe that The Powers chose to bring their characters to the Forsaken Realm. What faults or flaws do you think that they are going to use you to test your virtue or villainy? For those with darker/villainy characters that tenuous potential for redemption.

The Powers will challenge your morality so not answer are simply black and white, for few, if any, dilemmas and things in the Forsaken Realms ever will be.

Coincidentally, along with a few other qualifiers, this is the basis for my assessments and, in the end, player selections. I will put this in the front advert for all to reference and apologize that if the above was not articulated clearly up front and also understand that if this causes you to change your concept, please feel free to do so.

Thanks for your support! Onward!

Cheers, Xian

[Xian]

Team,

Had a late night/early AM trip to the ER last night so will be delayed in getting the assessments out, but will try to close it out today.

Again apologize for the delay.

Cheers, Xian

[OneDarkness]

No worries these things happen and hopefully everything is alright, getting hammered with snow up here so I suspect I have a lot of shoveling in my future today