# Into the New World - Recruitment OPEN (Current players stay OUT!)



## Zurai (Oct 27, 2007)

Alright, there's plenty of people interested in my "new world" campaign, so here's the recruitment post.

*Setting:*
The PCs will start in the town of Cuirlen, a small but steadily growing community of farmers, crafters, and hunters. It is generally known that there are other human settlements out there in the world, as there are a few wandering merchants that go from settlement to settlement, but no one in Cuirlen knows where they might be. Beyond a radius of about 15-20 miles from town center, nothing at all is known of the world. Cuirlen itself is situated on prime land: the town is on the edge of a massive forest, near a river which floods annually leaving rich farmlands in its wake, with access to gently rolling hills perfect for grazing cattle, sheep, and horses, and there are even enough surface deposits of copper and tin nearby that the town is able to boast a bronzesmith. The vast majority of the buildings in the area are built entirely of wood, and those nearest the river rest on stilts to prevent the floodwaters from disturbing the occupants. Only the ancient temple - built before the town's founders settled here 50 years ago - is made of stone.



*The People:*
Cuirlen and the surrounding farmlands are home to about 900 people, all human. The town is ruled by a council of elders, consisting of:
*Pantheras* the spirit-talker, male age 59
*Anakletos* the bronzesmith, male age 25
*Ambrosia* the midwife, female age 48
*Phaidros* the wizard, male age 45
*Mnason* the herdsman, male age 49
*Kallistrate* the huntress, female age 35
and *Eriboea* the farmer, female age 55

Cuirlen has no militia or town guard, as they have never been attacked by anything that the hunters couldn't repel (hungry predators and the occasional lone monster). What little crime occurs is punished by pillory, manual labor, or exile, depending on the severity of the crime. Because there are no soldiers, armor and weaponry is limited to what is useful for hunting: mainly bows and arrows, spears, and leather armor. Hunters that specialize in especially big or exotic game (Dire Boars are considered a delicacy) might have a suit of bronze ring mail, which would have taken most of a year to make and pay for.

The town itself houses some 700 people, while outlying thorps and hamlets hold the remaining 200 in groups of 20-30 farmers, herders, and hunters. The local farmers and hunters bring in their products every Sunday to the open-air market in Cuirlen proper. Trade in the region consists entirely of barter; as there is neither a central government nor any established trade routes, there is no such thing as money. The market consists mainly of food, clothing, and raw materials; luxuries are restricted mainly to local spice-herbs, alcohol, salt, and exotic meats and furs unless one of the wandering traders is in town. Once every month, Anakletos opens a stall trading and repairing bronze equipment, which is usually busy all day long.

Typical crops are maize and wheat, with a side of potatoes, beans, squash, and cotton. Game is pretty widely varied; everything from deer and other smaller herbivores to bears, boars, crocodiles, monitor lizards, and the dire versions thereof. There are also a variety of fur animals around, especially beavers and foxes.



*Religion:*
The people of Cuirlen are animists, meaning that they believe that everything has a spirit or soul. The hills, the river, the forest, even individual trees and rocks, and every animal has a essence and a conciousness beyond the obvious. To wrong these spirits is to bring hardship and strife to you and your family, depending on the nature of the spirit. If you offend the river spirit, your field may not be sufficiently flooded next spring; if you fail to give proper obeisance to the spirit of the boar you just killed, its meat may rot and fester before you are able to prepare it for market; if you ignore the forge-spirit, your bronze will be weak and brittle. Continually abusing the spirits will result in greater hardships, and because of the cooperative nature of life in the area, will likely result in exiling the offender to ease the spirits. People exiled for repeated spiritual crimes rarely seem to survive more than a few days in the wild; their corpses often wind up near the town.

Most people are unable to see or interact directly with these spirits. They are guided in rituals and ceremonies by a spirit-talker: a shaman who was born with the blessing of the spirits. Spirit-talkers are recognized at birth, as each has a unique birthmark showing which spirit favors him or her; Pantheras' birthmark is a cat's paw-print on his back between his shoulder blades, for example. Not all spirit-talkers are able to cast spells, and not all spellcasters are spirit-talkers, but the most magically powerful spirit-talkers are held in higher esteem. Any spirit-talker is a cut above the rest of the people, however, because only one who can communicate with the spirits can _know_ how to appease them. No one would dream of insulting a spirit-talker or denying him hearth-right, because to do so is to invite exile and death after the spirit-talkers refuse to tell you the proper rituals to appease local spirits.



*Magic:*
Few in Cuirlen are able to perform magic. No one can cast any spells higher than 4th level, and there are only three casters able to use any magics above 2nd level - Pantheras and Phaidros of the Council, and Sotera, a young spirit-talker with the favor of the river-spirit. It is commonly believed that Sotera will replace Pantheras on the Council of Elders within a few years' time, and that her magical abilities will continue to grow.

Of the spellcasters in the area, almost 90% are divine casters, and of those nearly 70% are spirit-talkers. The divine spellcasters who are not spirit-talkers are generally healers, midwives, seers, or trackers. Arcane spellcasters are extremely rare; only Phaidros and his four apprentices are known to be arcanists. Arcane magic is considered suspicious by the general populace, but Phaidros is a pleasant old man and has proven the usefulness of his spells more than once, so his seat on the Council is secure. That seat may be re-assigned when he passes away, however.



*Surrounding Lands:*
Cuirlen sits on top of a steep hill overlooking the Spiritwash River, which runs generally north to south and lies west of town, the Noonshadow forest, which stretches as far as anyone has ever traveled to the north and northeast of town, and a series of gently rolling grassy hills to the south and east. Far to the northwest, a series of mountains (which no one has ever visited) can be seen at the horizon.

The Spiritwash is nearly 1,000 feet across at Cuirlen, and has dozens of creeks, brooks, and tributaries throughout the area. One such tributary circles around the base of the hill on which Cuirlen is built. If one were to follow the river far enough into the Noonshadow forest, they would find that it bends to the northeast. No one has followed the river far enough from that point to find its source. The river winds back and forth as it flows southward, and rumors from some of the wandering merchants say that the river eventually empties out into a body of water so vast no man has ever seen its end.

The Noonshadow forest is vast and ancient, with trees so tall and broad that even at the height of summer only small amounts of light filter through the multiple canopies to reach the forest floor. All kinds of creatures are rumored to live in the forest; giant animals, carnivorous plants, snakes that talk, trees that walk, flying humans the size of a thimble, and any of a hundred other fanciful tales. To date, the most exotic thing anyone has brought back from the forest was a great bear, over twelve feet in height and covered in sharp, bony protrusions, with the head of an owl. The hunters that make their living in the forest are a superstitious lot, and none will go farther than a day's travel into the forest; they say that bad spirits stalk their footsteps.

By contrast, the plains across the Spiritwash and the hills to the south and east of town are bright and tame. There are occasional packs of wolves or great cats, but the people have explored two or three times farther in those directions than northwards into the forest.



*Generations:*
If a generation's characters all die or retire from play, I will finish out the current plot hooks in prose and advance the timeline (generally between 20 and 50 years, but depending how many generations we get to, there may be over 100 years between some "generations"). At this time, I will take a day or two to update the history of the land and will re-post in this thread the updated timeline. Any players that want to leave the PbP will be able to and new players will be chosen to replace them on a one-for-one basis, with preference given first to players who have played characters in a previous generation, then to people who applied for first-generation characters, then second-generation applicants, and so on. I honestly do not know how many generations we'll be able to cover. This is a brand new experiment as far as I know.



*Retirement:*
At any time during a generation, any player can choose to retire their character. At retirement, they will provide the DM with a few paragraphs describing how they re-integrate into the community, which the DM will take into consideration when I use them as NPCs and historical figures. The player of a retired PC can make a new character starting at a lower level than the rest of the party, but they will have access to any new feats, races, or classes that the party has discovered during that generation's play. If the entire party decides to retire at once (or some die and the rest decide to retire), the DM will advance the timeline to a new generation and the players will make new 1st level characters with access to any new feats, races, or classes that have been discovered.




*Character Creation:*
All first generation characters will be Humans. As in, PHB pg12-14 Human. At this point in time, no other races are known to exist in the world (although they do, in fact, exist, and the first generation PCs should uncover _at least_ one of them). Characters must be non-Evil (and preferably not Lawful Stupid, Chaotic Stupid, or True Stupid, either). The first generation characters will start at first level, using one of the following three options (thank you Voadam for this idea):

36 point buy, NPC classes only for the entire progression
30 point buy, classes available as below
24 point buy, gestalt with one side taken up solely with a single NPC class

Available classes are as follows:
Adept
Barbarian
Bard
Commoner
Expert
Fighter
Healer
Marshal
Paladin (greatly altered)
Ranger
Rogue
Scout
Sorceror
Spirit Shaman
Warrior
Wizard

Because of my house rules (as detailed below), _all characters are expected to have at least one Craft, Knowledge, or Profession skill at or near max ranks_.

I am generally open to feats from any official WotC 3E source, from Paizo (including feats from Pathfinder), and from 3rd party 3E publishers. However, any non-SRD feat will require DM approval (and quite a few SRD feats will require approval as well, such as metamagics and item creation feats). If I reject a feat, I'll work with the player to find something that approximates the flavor they're looking for within acceptable storyline or power considerations.

I will be choosing characters for the first generation *entirely* on the basis of your backstory. If we end up with a lopsided group (no healers, for example), I'll adjust the situations to suit, or provide NPC assistance. The more rich and detailed your backstory, and the better it fits in with the stuff I've described above, the more likely you are to be selected. I will choose a group of between 4 and 6 characters to be in the first generation party.

I expect players to do their best to completely immerse themselves in the world and roleplay to the best of their ability. I welcome any questions about the world and setting, because A) they help me further develop the world, and B) they help you further develop your character, which helps me further develop the world  All characters are expected to have a profession/role in the area, and are expected to have some goal or destiny they want to fufill.



*Posting:*
Players will be expected to be able to post 5 days a week, *bare minimum*. If you cannot commit to this (admittedly fairly stringent) posting requirement, please do not submit a character. I'm happy to make allowances for people that go on vacation, get sick, have pregnant wives (or are pregnant wives, for that matter), etc ... but the expectation will be 5 posts a week. If you can do more, great! I assure you I can keep up  

I reserve the right to temporarily NPC a character if the player is very slow to post (more than 2 days waiting for a post) and everyone else is good to go. If one player stops posting completely (more than a week without a post) without letting me know ahead of time, I reserve the right to forcibly retire that character and recruit a replacement.

I realize that these rules are pretty draconian, but it's easier to set the rules strict at first and loosen them up later than vice versa. My goal here is to keep the game running quickly and smoothly with little to no interruption.




*Unearthed Arcana Rules in use:*
Vitality and Wound Points
Armor as DR
Gestalt Characters (optional)




*House Rules:*
*Skillful* - All characters get 2 extra skill points per level. These points must be spent on Craft, Knowledge, or Profession skills only. These bonus parts are multiplied as usual at first level (so 8 skill points useable on Craft, Knowledge, and Profession skills at level 1, and 2 such skill points every subsequent level). In addition, all Craft, Knowledge, and Profession skills are considered class skills for these skill points.
*Grounded* - All characters get 1 extra bonus feat at first level. This feat must be used for Skill Focus, a +2/+2 skill feat, a Regional feat, or another similar low-power, high-flavor feat. Regional and "other" feats must meet DM approval.
*No More Mr. Nice Guy* - The Paladin class only vaguely resembles the PHB or Unearthed Arcana versions. General overview of the class - no spellcasting, alignment restricted to the alignment of the god (in this case, spirit) the Paladin follows rather than always LG, "Divine Gifts" similar to Star Wars Saga Edition talent trees. I'll provide more details if someone wants to play one.
*Primitive* - The most advanced metal in Cuirlen is bronze. As such, I'm adding a few more layers of Damage Reduction. DR heirarchy will be as follows: Adamantine > Steel > Bronze > Iron. In other words, an Adamantine weapon will pierce any DR based on the other materials, but a Bronze weapon will suffer reduced damage against armor that gives DR X/Steel. Bronze armor, in general, gives DR X/Iron. Leather armor depends on the creature used to make it, but is usually DR X/Piercing or Slashing.
*Rewarding* - You can expect to get a lot of "non-traditional" rewards for good roleplay and for successfully finishing plots. Examples include skill bonuses, bonus feats, and new classes and races available for play.
*Time to Rest* - You can expect there to be a lot of off-screen "downtime" that you can use to further develop your characters without having to roleplay out every sentence.
*Low-Magic* - For at least the first generation, magic items will be incredibly rare. Someone might want to take some item creation feats.
*You Can Cast What?* - Spells Known are subject to DM approval. I'm not going to be draconian about this, but spells such as, for example, _Comprehend Languages_ and _Tongues_ make no sense for a character to know at this time. If such a spell becomes logical in the future, a character will be able to "research" it using the Spell Research rules without paying the XP or Gold cost.
*Rule Number One* - I reserve the right to add more house rules as I think of / remember them.


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## Zurai (Oct 27, 2007)

Wow, whaddaya know, it all posted without me having to split it. OK, recruitment is open! You guys can post now. I'll use this post as a Q&A/FAQ post.


*FAQ*

*Q:* Is recruitment still open?
*A:* Yes! Recruitment will close on Friday, November 2nd, 2007, at midnight EST.

*Q:* What level do first-generation characters start at?
*A:* First-gen characters will begin at level 1, with stats as described under "Character Generation".

*Q:* Do the 2 bonus skill points per level get multiplied on first level?
*A:* Yes. The intent is to give characters plenty of skill points to use on "background" type skills without having to sacrifice actual build effectiveness.

*Q:* What, if anything, does a spirit mark do for a character?
*A:* Spirit marks have no mechanical benefit. If you choose to make your character a spirit-talker, you'll need to decided on a spirit that has blessed your character. This can be quite literally anything; river, hill, horse, dragon, Blackfrond herb... all valid. What the spirit mark does for you is mark you as a spirit-talker, the closest thing Cuirlen has to a priesthood. You will have an innate sense of what pleases and displeases the spirits, especially spirits directly related to your patron. Basically, it's an "Insert plot hook here!" sign for me 

*Q:* What are some valid professions in Cuirlen?
*A:* Here's a non-exhaustive list: Animal Husbandry, Herder, Hunter, Apothecary, Herbalist, Baker, Butcher, Carpenter, Stonemason, Architect, Bronzesmith, Tanner, Miller, Bowyer/Fletcher, Potter, Healer, Brewer, Laborer, Farmer, Weaver, Fisherman, Dyer, Cobbler, Cooper, Thatcher.

*Q:* How do we determine starting equipment?
*A:* Average starting gold for your class; go ahead and use PHB prices for equipment, but any "money" you don't use is lost. Feel free to purchase trade goods if you want (and if there's something you think would be a trade good here but isn't listed, just ask). Remember that this isn't a warlike society, so things that are used only in war aren't going to be possible - stuff like swords and any armor heavier than hide or ring mail.

*Q:* What kind of favored enemies are available?
*A:* Right now, the most logical would be animals or magical beasts. I realize the pool is a bit small at the moment; rest assured that plenty more will open up through plot hooks early on.

*Q:* Do I have to follow the Greek naming convention the NPCs use?
*A:* Absolutely not. You can if you want, but the naming convention is just for my own use; I prefer having NPCs with culturally-linked names.



*Other Notable NPCs:*
*Eusathios*, male, big-game hunter, age 25; Alexios's brother. Noted for being strong and fast, as well as working the longest hours of any of the hunters.
*Artemisia*, female, big-game hunter, age 21; Tall and beautiful, Artemisia is still single and is lusted after by many of the young men. She is especially superstitious.
*Euaristos*, male, big-game hunter, age 38; Old and wrinkled, Euaristos is still known for having the best hearing of anyone around, and his advice on hunting and tracking have saved many young hunters' lives.
*Apollinarius*, male, big-game hunter, age 25; Apollinarius has the eyes of an eagle - literally. He's a spirit-talker favored by the spirit of a great eagle.
*Alexios*, male, big-game hunter, age 27; Eusathios's brother. Speaks with a stutter. Is quite greedy, but reigns in his impulses for fear of drawing the ire of the spirits. He was the one that tracked down the dire owlbear.
*Koritto*, female, big-game hunter, age 35; Koritto has long greying hair that she rarely brushes or braids. She's whip-smart and was considered a favorite for the Hunter's seat on the Council of Elders before Kallistrate killed the dire owlbear.
*Sotera*, female, powerful spirit-talker (river), spirit shaman, age 20; Considered a shoe-in to replace Pantheras as Spirit-Talker Elder when he passes away. She is the only Spirit-talker to have ever been blessed by the Spiritwash River.
*Xanthe*, female, spirit-talker (horse), herdswoman, age 32; Xanthe is stocky and wears her hair back in a long double braid. She is famous for being especially adamant about making sure every single spirit gets its due.
*Sophronia*, female, spirit-talker (maize), farmer, age 36; Sophronia always answers a question with another question; some of the younger folks have made a game of it, and Sophronia cheerfully wins nearly every match. It's a mark of pride among the youngsters of the town to have "gotten an answer out of Sophy".
*Lempetie*, female, spirit-talker (hill), bard, age 67; Despite being a wrinkled, ugly old crone, Lempetie is beloved in the town. She is the oldest living resident and will spin yarns and tell tales all day long. Despite her age, she's not even remotely senile: she is the living history of Cuirlen. She is one of only a dozen or so people still alive from when the town was first settled.
*Galatea*, female, spirit-talker (deer), spirit shaman, age 24; Galatea is spirit-touched in more ways than one; the poor girl is deaf and pitifully short, but her hard work and the obvious blessing of the spirits has endeared her to the people of the outlying hamlet she lives in.
*Agatha*, female, spirit-talker (cloud), adept, age 32; Agatha has a reputation for being brutally honest. As far as anyone can remember, she has never once hid her feelings on any matter from anyone.
*Aristarchus*, male, spirit-talker (oxen), spirit shaman, age 30; Aristarchus lost a leg in a farm accident when he was younger, and took up the ways of a shaman. His shoulders are as broad as his spirit patron's.
*Akakios*, male, spirit-talker (fox), herdsman, age 40; Akakios is considered one of the most handsome men in Cuirlen - and the most arrogant. The arrogance is born of the knowledge that his sheep have the best wool and tastiest meat.
*Lykourgos*, male, spirit-talker (tree), healer, age 28; Lykourgos One-eye is one of the more accomplished local healers. He mainly uses herbal remedies, but has been known to use magic when no other solution is available.




*Cultural Information*

*Marriages*: Yes, informally. There's no true religion in the modern sense of the word, so there's not so much need for a religious marriage ceremony. Think more medieval joining of households than modern walking down the aisle. Ritualwise, there'd be a ceremony to ensure the blessing of the spirits on the union, and another ritual to attract a house-spirit to watch over the new couple's home.

*Prejudices*: As mentioned, Arcanists are looked at askance. Their magic is completely different from the healing and spirit-related magic that the vast majority of spellcasters in the area practice, and only the arcanists themselves really understand any of it. They're considered useful to have around, but mainly in the sense that an ox is useful to have on the farm.

*Clothing*: Simple wool and/or cotton shirts and pants. Women wear skirts. No one would look down on a woman wearing pants if she so desired. People tend to wear their "festival best" to market days and important ceremonies like the blessing of the crops and the supplication of the river spirit prior to the annual flooding. Work clothes are as likely to be leather as wool - there's plenty of game in the area, so non-exotic leather is cheap. Festival clothing would be the same basic types of clothes, but dyed, possibly cut more "showy", and made of better materials (cotton instead of wool; furs or exotic leathers instead of deerhide, etc).

*Domesticated Animals*: Yes. Sheep, cattle, and horses are all present in small numbers. There are more cattle than horses and more horses than sheep. The cattle and horses mainly graze west of the Spiritwash, while the sheep are usually kept in the hills to the south and east of town.

*Climate*: Temperate and moderately wet. Cuirlen is some distance above the equator so it doesn't get too hot most of the time, but the nearby mountains and dense forest channel rain right through the general area frequently.

*Domesticated Dogs*: No, but there's nothing stopping a Ranger from taking a wolf as his or her animal companion, and who knows what might come of that... 

*Horses*: Yes. The horses here are equivalent mechanically to light horses in the MM. They're used almost entirely for mounts; they're too light to be much use for a farmer.

*Tools*: All of the stuff you listed would be available (Axes, saws, plows, shovels, spades, sickles, scythes); I don't want to get too bogged down in the details of what farming implements are invented when. Axes, saws, plows, and scythes would likely be made of bronze; the others would be bone, wood, or stone as appropriate and available.

*Eating Utensils*: Mostly wooden forks and spoons, with knives made of bronze.

*Appearances*: Midling tall, fair skin, dark hair. Typical western European, basically. The community hasn't been settled long enough for traditional caste dimorphism to set in (ie, farmers and craftsmen don't look noticeably different).

*Epic Legends*: Nope! That's where the PCs come in 

*Pets*: Not really, no.

*Philosophy and Math*: Not much philosophy in the classical sense. Here, people know that everything has a soul. Spirit-talkers in particular are pretty damn sure of how the natural world goes 'round. As for math, nothing beyond basical arithmetic. Advanced concepts aren't really needed for a simple agrarian community.

*Writing*: Sure, why not.

*Sign Languages*: I'd imagine that the hunters that work in teams to pull down the bigger game have some non-verbal communication methods, yes. Nothing culture-wide, though.

*Noonshadow Forest*: There are all kinds of rumors about things people have seen or heard in the forest. That dire owlbear is the only thing that's ever been brought back, though. People tend to dismiss the wild tales of giant lizards with wings that breathe fire - as much out of "if it doesn't exist, it can't destroy my home" as anything else.

*Prudishness*: Not Plymouth Rock Protestant prudish, but you'd be thought spirit-touched if you wandered around town naked or in night-clothes. They don't see anything _morally_ wrong with T&A. It rains enough and life is tough enough that people generally keep clothed except in private. Now, at the fertility festival......

*Spirit-Talker Clothing*: Spirit-talkers don't really have any special garb; again, it's not so much a religion as it is a way of life. 

*Calendar*: 12 months. Each month is 28 days (4*7-day weeks) long. Each season is divided over 3 months. The names of the months and the days of the week remain the same as in real life (January-December and Sunday-Saturday).

*Tanning*: The Native Americans used water that collected in the hollowed-out stumps of oak trees (_coincidentally_   called "tannin") to tan their leather. It doesn't smell great, but it's better than urine and feces. In the interest of not having to deal with piss-pots, we'll say that's the method commonly used here   

*Wheels*: Nope, no wheels as a method of conveyance. No roads to use them on, either. Pottery wheels and millstones exist, though.


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## Shayuri (Oct 27, 2007)

I'm probably blind or just missed it, but are we starting at first level?


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## Zurai (Oct 27, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> The first generation characters will start at first level, using one of the following three options...






Yeah, it's a lot to read through. I'll add that to the FAQ post.


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## WarShrike (Oct 28, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> Skillful - All characters get 2 extra skill points per level. These points must be spent on Craft, Knowledge, or Profession skills only.




Do these 2 skill points get multiplied at 1st level?

WarShrike


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Good question - yes, they do.

The intent is for people to be able to put points into "background" type skills without having to sacrifice effectiveness. You can either max out 1 background skill and sprinkle some points across a few others, or max out two.


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## Nephtys (Oct 28, 2007)

Looks interesting. I think I'd like to play an archer Ranger, one of the top hunters of the tribe.


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## Voda Vosa (Oct 28, 2007)

Well... from what I have read, I think a plain fighter will be nicely feet here. He could be a town blacksmith, with ranks in profession and craft for this. Would it be ok?


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Another point that I forgot to make in the Character Creation section:

Just because a class you really really really want to play does not appear on the Available Classes list doesn't mean there's no chance of you playing it. If you have a character concept you really want to play which involves a class not on the list, and you can provide me with a good, solid flavor and backstory for it, chances are I'll OK it (at least as far as requesting a full-fledged character submission for it).

As a side note to that, don't feel beholden to the official WotC flavor for the various classes. I'm far more concerned with getting interesting and heroic tales out of this than I am in enforcing rules designed for an entirely different campaign framework than the one I'm using.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Voda Vosa said:
			
		

> Well... from what I have read, I think a plain fighter will be nicely feet here. He could be a town blacksmith, with ranks in profession and craft for this. Would it be ok?




Bronzesmith, but yes, that'd be fine. You could be one of Anakletos' apprentices; he has several. That would also potentially give you insight into the working of the Council of Elders, as well.

Note that Anakletos is the youngest Elder by almost a decade. That's how important bronze is to the community.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Nephtys said:
			
		

> Looks interesting. I think I'd like to play an archer Ranger, one of the top hunters of the tribe.




Sounds good. Archery is the most developed "combat type" in Cuirlen, as most of their hunting is done with bow and arrow. You'd be able to get a better bow than just about any other weapon.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Note: I just made a minor change that occured to me... all Craft, Knowledge, and Profession skills are considered class skills for your bonus skill points.

Note that not all Knowledge skills make sense for it, though. Knowledge (Dungeoneering, Nobility, The Planes, and Psionics) are all out-of-place in the current time period.


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## James Heard (Oct 28, 2007)

I think that, after looking at the House Rules, I'm going to be making a Wizard with an eye toward stonesmithing/brickmasonry/architecture. Maybe some nephew of Phaidros?


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

James Heard said:
			
		

> I think that, after looking at the House Rules, I'm going to be making a Wizard with an eye toward stonesmithing/brickmasonry/architecture. Maybe some nephew of Phaidros?




That'd be fine. I intentionally left the apprentices open for people that wanted to make an arcanist.


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## Masquerade (Oct 28, 2007)

I'm still thinking of playing a marshal, perhaps a young farmer (and self-appointed farm overseer) from one of the outlying thorps with a knack for mathematics and a penchant for offering advice, even when it isn't welcome. Maybe linked to Eriboea.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Masquerade said:
			
		

> I'm still thinking of playing a marshal, perhaps a young farmer (and self-appointed farm overseer) from one of the outlying thorps with a knack for mathematics and a penchant for offering advice, even when it isn't welcome. Maybe linked to Eriboea.




That all sounds good.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

This looks quite interesting, and the fact that you put so much effort into it makes me feel allot better about putting effort into it myself and less fearful that the game will just putter out and die, like so many PbP games!  I'll see what I can come up with in the way of a character but I'll say now that I'd like to play a healerish type.  Not sure what class that would be.  Also, He'd be Good.  And male.  I'm not too creative when it comes to gender and alignment...  

BTW, this reminded me of this: http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves

Edit, What spirit mark would be the best for a healer  And for that matter what class?

Edit again:  Got some more questions, tell me if I'm getting into too much detail.  Are there any kind of marriage rituals in this culture and if so, can you give some details on them?  What kinds of prejudices are there in this culture?  What kind of clothing do people usually wear in this culture?  Are there any domesticated animals in this culture and if so, what are they?  What's the climate like in the area?

Well, that's all I can think of for now.


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## WarShrike (Oct 28, 2007)

Ryon Wolfheart, Human Ranger.

[SBLOCK=Story]The Wolfheart's hold a fine reputation as both hunters and herders, but are sought after mostly for their skills at domesticating and trainning animals of all kinds. Wolves are often trained as cattle and sheep dogs that respond to whistles and hand signs, and as trackers for the village's hunting parties that can stalk deer on the darkest moonless night. The Wolfheart's have a way with animals, and Ryon is no exception. 

Enrik and Falla, the current patriarch and matriarch of the Wolfheart clan, and Ryon's grandparents, prefer to take on the tasks of milder animal training, such as horses. Their children, among them Haldin and his wife Risse, Ryon's parents, handle wolves and other, naturally wilder creatures.

Throughout all his young life, Ryon was brought up amongst all the animals known in the region around Cuirlen. It was important, he was taught, that he know the quirks of each one if he was to become a true beast handler. But just training the animals wasn't enough, he had to find them as well, therefore he was apprenticed as a Ranger. Thanks to his family's reputation and standing in the village, it was Kallistrate herself who took Ryon as apprentice. Years were spent roaming the area for miles around the village until he came to know the lay of the land as well as she. Kallistrate taught him the ways of the animals, and how to track them. She also taught him all she knew of the magical beasts in the area, and of the danger they represented to the people of Cuirlen and it's surrounding villages. These creatures were not for taming she would say, they had to be removed for the safety of all. Thanks in no small part to her tutelage, and to his family's wisdom and love of animals, he came to understand them in a way that was almost frightenning. His skill at training the wolf pups he was charged with proved that he had great promise as a beast handler.

He'd always had a fancy for cats, but the few Lynx's that were tamed in the Wolfheart compound were far to wild for a child to work with, and his father always shooed him off when he went to see them. When his love of wild cats became known to the few travelling merchants that came to Cuirlen, they would tell him tales of even larger cats. Some lived in caves in the mountains, others prowled the plains, alone or in packs. Some had spots, and some had stripes, and some were even all black or white. The tales always made Ryon dream of finding such magnificent beasts. As a child, he vowed to one day tame such creatures, and bring them back to Cuirlen so that all the village could marvel at their beauty. Now an adult, that vow is still as dear to his heart as it was then. That dream had also sparked annother: to see these other lands, these mountains and great plains, deep forests, and rocky hills. And the animals! The beasts that dwelt there might be great assets to Cuirlen. Some day, he'd venture forth, useing all the skills Kallistrate had taught him. He'd make her proud of him, and return to his family with new beasts to raise and train, and earn his place among them and then some.

[/SBLOCK]
Chaotic Good

Vitality: 10
Wound: 14
AC: 15, touch 12, flat footed 13
DR: 1/-
Init: +6
Listen/Spot: +5

Fort: +4
Refl: +4
Will: +1

Str: 14 (6 pts)
Dex: 14 (6 pts)
Con: 14 (6 pts)
Int: 12 (4 pts)
Wis: 12 (4 pts)
Cha: 12 (4 pts)

Skills Trained:
Handle Animal.................= +10 (4 ranks, +1 Cha, +3 Skill Focus, +2 Animal Affinity)
Hide.............................= +6 (4 Ranks, +2 Dex)
Knowledge Geography.....= +5 (4 ranks, +1 Int)
Knowledge Nature..........= +5 (4 ranks, +1 Int)
Listen..........................= +5 (4 ranks, +1 Wis)
Move Silently................= +6 (4 ranks, +2 Dex)
Profession Hunter...........= +5 (4 ranks, +1 Wis)
Ride.............................= +8 (4 ranks, +2 Dex, +2 Animal Afinity)
Spot............................= +5 (4 ranks, +1 Wis)
Survival........................= +5 (4 ranks, +1 Wis)

Feats:
Animal Affinity (+2 Handle Animal / Ride)
Favored Enemy -- Magical Beasts
Improved Initiative (+4 Init)
Skill Focus -- Handle Animal (+3)
Track
Wild Empathy

Gear:
Buckler -- +1 AC
Studded Leather -- +2 AC, DR 1/-
Longbow -- 1d8 Damage, Threat range 19-20
60 Arrows
Dagger
Backpack


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## Masquerade (Oct 28, 2007)

Here's what I have thusfar, although I'm still somewhat undecided on the feats. Let me know if anything is glaringly off here.
Background forthcoming. 

[sblock]Cleyra Tauwesh

Female Human Marshal (1st)
Lawful Neutral
STR 10, +0 (2 pts)
DEX 14, +2 (6 pts)
CON 12, +1 (4 pts)
INT 14, +2 (6 pts)
WIS 10, +0 (2 pts)
CHA 16, +3 (10 pts)

Vitality Points: 9 (8+1)
Wound Points: 12

Fortitude: +3 (+1 CON, +2 Marshal)
Reflex: +2 (+2 DEX)
Will:  +2 (+0 WIS, +2 Marshal)
Initiative: +2 (+2 DEX)

Skill Points: 36 (24 Marshal, 4 Human, 8 "Skillful")
+7 Bluff (+3 CHA, 4 ranks)
+10 Diplomacy (+3 CHA, 2 ranks, +3 Skill Focus, +2 Negotiator)
+4 Knowledge [geography] (+2 INT, 2 ranks)
+6 Knowledge [local] (+2 INT, 4 ranks)
+6 Knowledge [nature] (+2 INT, 4 ranks)
+4 Listen (+0 WIS, 4 ranks)
+4 Profession [farmer] (+0 WIS, 4 ranks)
+4 Ride (+2 DEX, 2 ranks)
+4 Sense Motive (+0 WIS, 2 ranks, +2 Negotiator)
+4 Spot (+0 WIS, 4 ranks)
+4 Survival (+0 WIS, 4 ranks)

Class Features
. Proficient with all simple and martial weapons
. Proficient with all armor and shields (except tower shields)
. Minor Aura, +3 (Demand Fortitude)

Feats
. Combat Expertise [1st-level]
. Negotiator ["Grounded"]
. Point Blank Shot [Human]
. Skill Focus (Diplomacy) [Marshal][/sblock]


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## Voda Vosa (Oct 28, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> Bronzesmith, but yes, that'd be fine. You could be one of Anakletos' apprentices; he has several. That would also potentially give you insight into the working of the Council of Elders, as well.
> 
> Note that Anakletos is the youngest Elder by almost a decade. That's how important bronze is to the community.




Well then a smart and avid apprentice, who can shape bronze at will, and so the heads of his foes.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> BTW, this reminded me of this: http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves



 Best. (Computer) Game. Evar! New version in just a couple days!!! <bounce>



> Edit, What spirit mark would be the best for a healer  And for that matter what class?




Spirit marks have no mechanical benefit, at least at the moment. They're entirely flavor. Think of something in the natural world associated with healing or life and it'd be a good spirit patron; water, sometimes fire, certain plants, etc.

As for classes, there are four listed classes with healing spells and one with healing special abilities. The spellcasters are the Adept (NPC class, but it has a *great* spell list), Bard, Ranger, and Spirit Shaman. Non-spellcaster is the Paladin. Of the five, Spirit Shamans make the best healers, with Bards and Adepts pretty much tied for second. A note about Spirit Shamans and Paladins: while not all spellcasters are spirit-talkers, all Spirit Shamans and Paladins are. So, if you pick one of those two classes, you'll need to decide on a spirit patron. The patron is mostly flavor for the Spirit Shaman, but it will decide which abilities you get access to as a Paladin. Also note that there are currently zero Paladins in the setting. It's an extremely rare class in general in the world. I left it open for players here because Paladins are usually destined for great things - ie, they're mostly PC bait.

Of note here is that I do not play "hit points" (or more precisely with the variant I'm using in this game, Vitality Points) as neccesarily being physical damage. A soldier with extremely low morale would have very low "hit points" to me. This leaves the door open for you to flavor healing as non-magical for classes that don't neccesarily fit the general spellcaster mold, like Bards, Rangers, and Paladins. Their inspiring presence or knowledge of the local plantlife or witty reparte (or whatever else) can be the catalyst for healing, instead of a "spell" in the default sense of the word. Mechanically it'd still be a spell or SLA/SU ability, but flavorwise it can be pretty much anything.



> Edit again:  Got some more questions, tell me if I'm getting into too much detail.  Are there any kind of marriage rituals in this culture and if so, can you give some details on them?  What kinds of prejudices are there in this culture?  What kind of clothing do people usually wear in this culture?  Are there any domesticated animals in this culture and if so, what are they?  What's the climate like in the area?




No worries about "too much detail" unless you plan to start asking what color all 900-odd peoples' hair is   

*Marriages*: Yes, informally. There's no true religion in the modern sense of the word, so there's not so much need for a religious marriage ceremony. Think more medieval joining of households than modern walking down the aisle. Ritualwise, there'd be a ceremony to ensure the blessing of the spirits on the union, and another ritual to attract a house-spirit to watch over the new couple's home.

*Prejudices*: As mentioned, Arcanists are looked at askance. Their magic is completely different from the healing and spirit-related magic that the vast majority of spellcasters in the area practice, and only the arcanists themselves really understand any of it. They're considered useful to have around, but mainly in the sense that an ox is useful to have on the farm.

*Clothing*: Simple wool and/or cotton shirts and pants. Women wear skirts. People tend to wear their "festival best" to market days and important ceremonies like the blessing of the crops and the supplication of the river spirit prior to the annual flooding. Work clothes are as likely to be leather as wool - there's plenty of game in the area, so non-exotic leather is cheap.

*Domesticated animals*: Yes. Sheep, cattle, and horses are all present in small numbers. There are more cattle than horses and more horses than sheep. The cattle and horses mainly graze west of the Spiritwash, while the sheep are usually kept in the hills to the south and east of town.

*Climate*: Temperate and moderately wet. Cuirlen is some distance above the equator so it doesn't get too hot most of the time, but the nearby mountains and dense forest channel rain right through the general area frequently.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

WarShrike said:
			
		

> Ryon Wolfheart, Human Ranger.




The stub looks good. Check the Vitality and Wound Points rules, though, and my special HD house rules. You should have 11 Vitality Points and 12 Wound Points, rather than 9 Hit Points.


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## Redclaw (Oct 28, 2007)

As I said on your other thread, I'm excited about this undertaking.  I'd really like to build a scout for this.  I picture a pretty young, impulsive kid who keeps exploring just a bit further from Cuirlen.  He wouldn't know much of the world outside, but is curious to the point of making dangerous choices to try to see it.


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## Vigwyn the Unruly (Oct 28, 2007)

I have an idea for a character. No name or stats yet.

He is a simple farmboy, perhaps only 15 or 16, from one of the surrounding farms. When his work is done, or when he can steal away on the occasional Saturday, he spends most of his time alone communing with nature and with his daydreams by the river or just inside the edge of the Noonshadow. He has often daydreamed of exploring the old stone temple, even when he was a young child, but most of his daydreams now involve fantastic ideas of traveling up or down the river. And occasionally, he entertains the impossible idea that he may even one day visit the distant mountains on the horizon.

Recently, he has found that he has developed a special "knack" for mending things, and once or twice he has even cured a minor cut or sprained ankle, both on himself and on some of the farm animals. Once, when he was in the forest, and he spied a wolf lurking nearby, he apparently conjured some kind of fog out of nowhere that lingered around him and concealed him from the beast!

He doesn't know where these abilities come from, but he assumes they must be a gift of the river spirit of the forest spirit. Frankly, they frighten him a bit. Perhaps when he and his Pa go into town next Sunday to trade at the market, he will be able to sneak away for a while and talk to Sotera about them. Hopefully, this will be the week that Anakletos is trading, as he will have the best chance at sneaking off unnoticed when his Pa is in negotiations with the bronzesmith.


BTW, the character would be an Adept, but I would like to restrict the spell list to better fit the flavor of the background. For at least the first level, he would specialize in healing and in discovering creative uses for his other minor magics. However, I would like to branch out into another class as the game progresses. No ideas for that yet, and I would actually like to "let the game decide" that part, rather than planning it out in advance.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Masquerade said:
			
		

> Cleyra Tauwesh




Stub looks good.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Redclaw said:
			
		

> As I said on your other thread, I'm excited about this undertaking.  I'd really like to build a scout for this.  I picture a pretty young, impulsive kid who keeps exploring just a bit further from Cuirlen.  He wouldn't know much of the world outside, but is curious to the point of making dangerous choices to try to see it.




A scout would be excellent, and your character concept is good.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Vigwyn the Unruly said:
			
		

> I have an idea for a character. No name or stats yet.




Concept looks great!



> BTW, the character would be an Adept, but I would like to restrict the spell list to better fit the flavor of the background. For at least the first level, he would specialize in healing and in discovering creative uses for his other minor magics. However, I would like to branch out into another class as the game progresses. No ideas for that yet, and I would actually like to "let the game decide" that part, rather than planning it out in advance.




I have a soft spot in my heart for Adepts. It's one of two NPC classes worth a darn, and the spell list is great (for PHB spells, anyway - only a couple splats update the Adept list, unfortunately ).

"letting the game decide" is actually exactly what I had in mind for the general concept of the game, so that's perfect.


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## Vigwyn the Unruly (Oct 28, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> Concept looks great!



Thanks!  

Should I put together a character sheet?


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## Redclaw (Oct 28, 2007)

```
Ariston 
Chaotic Good
Scout 1
Vitality 9
Wound 12
AC 14  FF 11  T 13   DR 1/
Initiative +3

Str 12  +1 (4 points)
Dex 16   +3 (10 points)
Con 12   +1 (4 points)
Int 12   +1 (4 points)
Wis 14   +2 (6 points)
Cha 10   +0 (2 points)

Fort +1 (+0 base, +1 con)
Ref +5 (=2 base, +3 dex)
Will +2 (+0 base, +2 wis)

Ranged: Shortbow +3 (1d6, 19-20)
Melee: Dagger +1 (1d4+1, 19-20)

Skills
Climb  +5 (4 ranks, +1 str)
Escape Artist  +5 (2 ranks, +3 dex)
Hide  +9 (4 ranks, +3 dex, +2 stealthy)
Jump  +5 (4 ranks, +1 str)
Knowledge (geography)   +3 (2 ranks, +1 int)
Knowledge (nature)   +5 (4 ranks, +1 int)
Listen  +6 (4 ranks, +2 wis)
Move Silently  +7 (2 ranks, +3 dex, +2 stealthy)
Profession (herbalist)  +6 (4 ranks, +2 wis)
Profession (apothecary)  +4 (2 ranks, +2 wis)
Search  +5 (4 ranks, +1 int)
Spot  +6 (4 ranks, +2 wis)
Survival  +6 (4 ranks, +2 wis)
Swim  +5 (4 ranks, +1 str)

Feats
Point Blank Shot (human bonus)
Dodge (1st level)
Stealthy (grounded bonus)

Class Abilities
Skirmish (+1d6)
Trapfinding


Equipment:
Leather Armor (+1 AC, DR 1/)
Shortbow 
40 arrows
Dagger
```

[sblock=background]
Apprenticed to a local herbalist who specialized in healing herbs, Ariston learned much about the woods outside of Cuirlen.  As soon as he was old enough, he was taught what to search for and sent into the shallowest areas of the forest to find and collect important herbs.  He never learned much about administering the herbs he found, but he did learn the rudiments of how to extract their essences.
It was on these frequent forays that Ariston came to appreciate the wilderness more than the small, almost claustrophobic village.  He greatly enjoyed testing his speed and agility (among the best in the village) by creating obstacle courses along his path from the village and back in, clambering over fallen logs and up large rocks.  He also made a game out of sneaking out of town, and seeing how far he could get back into town without being seen on his return.  He cause no end of consternation among the older, more serious members of the town in the process.
Over time, he became convinced that there was more to the world than his little corner of it, and developed an obsession with exploring the outlying areas.  He took to climbing tall trees just to stare out at the distant mountains to the northwest.  He knew there were dangers beyond the borders of the town's surroundings, but he kept venturing a little further afield with each visit.  So far, his master hasn't minded the extra time that Ariston is gone, as he often brings back larger, stronger specimens of the herbs he was sent to collect, or even things that are very rare close to town.  [/sblock]


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Vigwyn the Unruly said:
			
		

> Thanks!
> 
> Should I put together a character sheet?




Sure, go ahead. Do note that if you take the 36 point buy option, you will ONLY be able to take NPC classes for that character in the future - Adept, Commoner, Expert, or Warrior. Potenially Aristocrat if it opens up later on. Prestige classes would still be available, but note most of the PrCs here will be custom, or at least modified. I'm not sure if that's your intention, but I figured it's worth a warning since you said you'd start with an NPC class.


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## Shayuri (Oct 28, 2007)

I have an idea for a sorceress...perhaps a rival to the PC wizard? A difficult student...not intellectual at all. Magic fueled by emotion and instinct rather than erudite understanding. Impatient...impulsive. A yin to wizardry's yang.

I'll need to coordinate though, to make sure I don't pick overly redundant spells.


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## WarShrike (Oct 28, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> Check the Vitality and Wound Points rules, though, and my special HD house rules.




Sorry for being a noob, but i can't find your special HD house rules.    

WarShrike


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## Redclaw (Oct 28, 2007)

WarShrike said:
			
		

> Sorry for being a noob, but i can't find your special HD house rules.
> 
> WarShrike



They're under Unearthed Arcana Rules in the first thread ("Vitality and Wound Points").


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 28, 2007)

I was wondering if a barbarian hunter would fit in. Someone who "inspires" to hunt the bigger game. If you approve, I will elaborate and have a character sheet up. If you would prefer something else..... then I will find something else!


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

A few more questions   :  Do we have dogs?  Do we ride horses?  Do we have wheels?  What kinds of tools for woodcutting and farming do we have (Axes, saws, plows, shovels, spades, sickles, scythes)?  What kinds of eating utensils?  What do people in this culture tend to look like (skin, eyes, hair, build)?

I noticed that you mentioned in clothing that women wear skirts.  Is this a mild sexual prejudice or just a coincidence of fashion?


Anyway my character will be Enko the Spirit Shaman.  He was born with the mark of some well known healing plant that grows in the forest.  His home is in the town but he often travels to the outlying farms and hamlets to check on people.  He seems somewhat timid but this is more an aversion to conflict than a fear of pain or punishment.  His living family consists of his Mother, Father, four years younger Sister, his Mother's Sister and his Father's Mother.  His Aunt is a farmer, his Mother is a spirit talker and his Father and Grandmother are hunters.  His mother is a healer as well and he idolizes her somewhat.  When he was 3 years old he somehow managed to wander into the forest and no one is quite sure how he survived, but they found him sleeping at its edge thirteen days later.  His survival was attributed to the little people in the forest.  For a while this caused his parents to become extremely overprotective of him and only in recent years was he again allowed to venture out of the town.  He has yet to build his own house and start his own family.

If you think of any questions to ask about my character please ask them, it'll help me develope him more.

EDIT @ Shayuri:  You love your impulsive young women don't you?


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## Shayuri (Oct 28, 2007)

lol

In fairness, I have plenty of perfectly reasonable, levelheaded women too. 

Even the teefer beguiler concept I had for the Pscape game was going to be a cool calculating sort. 

You've just never been in a game with me where I was playing that kind.


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## WarShrike (Oct 28, 2007)

Thanks Redclaw. 

Oh, and starting gold?

WarShrike


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Redclaw said:
			
		

> Ariston




Character sheet looks good.



> Apprenticed to a local herbalist (if such a person makes sense.  I didn't want him to be a midwife-in-training...  )




Yep, there are herbalists. Some specialize in healing herbs, some specialize in spices and cooking herbs, and some do a bit of both.

Background looks good.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

Oh yeah, where can I find the Spirit Shaman class?


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

WarShrike said:
			
		

> Sorry for being a noob, but i can't find your special HD house rules.
> 
> WarShrike




Whoops, forgot I'd removed those. Originally I was going to bump up low hp classes based on BAB progression (low BAB would be d6 minimum, med BAB would be d8 minimum, and high BAB would be d10 minimum), but then I decided the Vitality and Wound Points rules would cover that well enough. Sorry for the confusion! You should have 9 VP and 12 WP.


----------



## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

OnlytheStrong said:
			
		

> I was wondering if a barbarian hunter would fit in. Someone who "inspires" to hunt the bigger game. If you approve, I will elaborate and have a character sheet up. If you would prefer something else..... then I will find something else!




A barbarian-based hunter would be absolutely fine. There's *plenty* of big game out there for you to hunt! 12 foot tall dire owlbears, anyone?


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

Hey, aren't owlbear abberations?  So how did that get there?  Hm....


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## Redclaw (Oct 28, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> Character sheet looks good.
> 
> Yep, there are herbalists.
> Background looks good.



Awesome.  I updated both a bit (switched alertness for stealthy, based on the background, and added to the herbalist a bit.)


----------



## WarShrike (Oct 28, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> Whoops, forgot I'd removed those. Originally I was going to bump up low hp classes based on BAB progression (low BAB would be d6 minimum, med BAB would be d8 minimum, and high BAB would be d10 minimum), but then I decided the Vitality and Wound Points rules would cover that well enough. Sorry for the confusion! You should have 9 VP and 12 WP.




Thanks for clearing that up.   
Switched my Int and Con around, felt i needed more Wound. so im at 10 Vitality, 14 Wound.

WarShrike


----------



## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> A few more questions   :  Do we have dogs?  Do we ride horses?  Do we have wheels?  What kinds of tools for woodcutting and farming do we have (Axes, saws, plows, shovels, spades, sickles, scythes)?  What kinds of eating utensils?  What do people in this culture tend to look like (skin, eyes, hair, build)?




*Domesticated Dogs*: No, but there's nothing stopping a Ranger from taking a wolf as his or her animal companion, and who knows what might come of that... 
*Horses*: Yes. The horses here are equivalent mechanically to light horses in the MM. They're used almost entirely for mounts; they're too light to be much use for a farmer.
*Tools*: All of the stuff you listed would be available; I don't want to get too bogged down in the details of what farming implements are invented when. Axes, saws, plows, and scythes would likely be made of bronze; the others would be bone, wood, or stone as appropriate and available.
*Eating Utensils*: Mostly wooden forks and spoons, with knives made of bronze.
*Appearances*: Midling tall, fair skin, dark hair. Typical western European, basically. The community hasn't been settled long enough for traditional caste dimorphism to set in (ie, farmers and craftsmen don't look noticeably different).



> I noticed that you mentioned in clothing that women wear skirts.  Is this a mild sexual prejudice or just a coincidence of fashion?




It's a prejudice of I prefer women in skirts  No one would look down on a woman wearing pants if she so desired.




> Enko the Spirit Shaman.




Looks good.



> His survival was attributed to the little people in the forest.




Did the little people really save him? I'll leave this up to you. If you say the fae protected him, then they did. If you say otherwise, that's just what the superstitious people will say about him.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

WarShrike said:
			
		

> Oh, and starting gold?




Average starting gold for your class; go ahead and use PHB prices for equipment, but any "money" you don't use is lost. Feel free to purchase trade goods if you want (and if there's something you think would be a trade good here but isn't listed, just ask). Remember that this isn't a warlike society, so things that are used only in war aren't going to be possible - stuff like swords and any armor heavier than hide or ring mail.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Oh yeah, where can I find the Spirit Shaman class?




Complete Divine. They're essentially a spontaneous Druid with a bunch of spirit-related class features.


----------



## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Hey, aren't owlbear abberations?  So how did that get there?  Hm....




Owlbears are magical beasts.


----------



## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> I have an idea for a sorceress...perhaps a rival to the PC wizard? A difficult student...not intellectual at all. Magic fueled by emotion and instinct rather than erudite understanding. Impatient...impulsive. A yin to wizardry's yang.




That character concept sounds fine.


----------



## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

Well I was hoping they did, that would be both more interesting and more plausible.  He's not a Greek hero or something.  Of course none of them know for certain, it's just a superstition for them.  He doesn't remember it much, just getting lost and not minding much, then he woke up outside of the forest with someone he knew as his father's hunting friend looking down at him worriedly.

I like women in skirts too.   

I don't have complete divine. :\ 

Do we have any Epic legends in our culture?

Have we developed the concept of pets?

Do we have any philosophy or mathematics?

Do we have writing?

Do we have any sign languages?

Edit for the owlbears:  Still, hmmmm.....  Are there any other creatures or plants around here that real people would consider odd?  Speaking of plants, what about a well known healing plant that could be my character's mark?


----------



## EvolutionKB (Oct 28, 2007)

Here is my basic idea:  Aric was the 2nd son of a herder.  He spent much of his time tagging along with his father and older brother tending the livestock.  Whether from instinct or just luck, Aric became quite good at predicting the weather.  He knew when the rains were coming and whether the sun would be shining in a week.  His skills helped his family procure one of the larger herds of animals in town.  Aric grew quite cocky as his skills developed, almost to the point where he said that the sprits listened to his commands.  T

he family's luck continued...until one day Aric was wrong.  He had predicted sunny skies ahead for the day, so he and his brother went to take the cows out to pasture.  Out of nowhere a storm brewed, lightning and thunder tore through the skies.  Aric squinted in the driving rain, trying to gather the herd to shelter, then he was blinded by lightning, and that is all he remembers.  His brother says a bolt of lightning, straight from the sky struck his brother.  Somehow Aric survived, not without the help of several of the shamans.  From that day forward Aric felt more respect for the sprits of the storms that he often said he could predict.  He continued to study the weather patterns and he still carries the scars from that day.  The hair on his head is scorched off, never grown back, but that reveals the birthmark that he had always carried, a jagged line on his scalp, like a bolt of lightning.  Where the line was pink before, it is now black, a constant reminder to those that look upon him that he is blessed by the sprit of the storm.

Mechanically he is sprit shaman, some of his feats will go towards javelin and spear throwing, the rest towards metamagic feats.  His spells will be primarily be offensive in nature.


----------



## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Well I was hoping they did, that would be both more interesting and more plausible.  He's not a Greek hero or something.  Of course none of them know for certain, it's just a superstition for them.  He doesn't remember it much, just getting lost and not minding much, then he woke up outside of the forest with someone he knew as his father's hunting friend looking down at him worriedly.




Alright, we'll say you the forest spirits were indeed looking after you. Not a surprise with Enko being a spirit-talker.



> I don't have complete divine. :\




Do you have an email I can use? I can email you the crunch of the class.


*Epic Legends:* Nope! That's where the PCs come in 
*Pets:* Not really, no.
*Philosophy and Math:* Not much philosophy in the classical sense. Here, people *know* that everything has a soul. Spirit-talkers in particular are pretty damn sure of how the natural world goes 'round. As for math, nothing beyond basical arithmetic. Advanced concepts aren't really needed for a simple agrarian community.
*Writing:* Sure, why not.
*Sign Languages:* I'd imagine that the hunters that work in teams to pull down the bigger game have some non-verbal communication methods, yes. Nothing culture-wide, though.



> Are there any other creatures or plants around here that real people would consider odd?  Speaking of plants, what about a well known healing plant that could be my character's mark?




There are all kinds of rumors about things people have seen or heard in the forest. That dire owlbear is the only thing that's ever been brought back, though. People tend to dismiss the wild tales of giant lizards with wings that breathe fire - as much out of "if it doesn't exist, it can't destroy my home" as anything else.

Healing plants: We'll call it Blackfrond. A very strong medicine that (of course) tastes absolutely foul when mixed into a tea. The plant is actually a small, low-growing fern that quickly starts to crumble when it is removed from the ground. It needs to be dried and pressed within a day of being uprooted, or its potency is lost and the resulting tea will just be really nasty water.


----------



## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

EvolutionKB said:
			
		

> Here is my basic idea:  Aric was the 2nd son of a herder.




Sounds good!



> Mechanically he is sprit shaman, some of his feats will go towards javelin and spear throwing, the rest towards metamagic feats.  His spells will be primarily be offensive in nature.




Just a note, I don't like the generic PHB metamagics. I'm MUCH more fond of the three flavor-metas in Complete Arcane (Black Lore of Moil, Born of the Three Thunders, and Lord of the Uttercold), and I've already got a bunch of similar metamagics planned to introduce through various plothooks.


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## EvolutionKB (Oct 28, 2007)

> Just a note, I don't like the generic PHB metamagics. I'm MUCH more fond of the three flavor-metas in Complete Arcane (Black Lore of Moil, Born of the Three Thunders, and Lord of the Uttercold), and I've already got a bunch of similar metamagics planned to introduce through various plothooks.




I agree, born of three thunders was on my list.

Check out the sprit shaman on crystalkeep.  They have all the crunch for a load of books. 
base classes on crystalkeep

EDIT:  there is a regional feat listed for humans in PGtF.  It lets you use str instead of dex for thrown weapons, would this feat be okay?


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

EvolutionKB said:
			
		

> Check out the sprit shaman on crystalkeep.  They have all the crunch for a load of books.
> base classes on crystalkeep




Ah, excellent! There you go, Dire Lemming. I'd forgotten that CK had all the crunch for base classes available - their PrC lists, which I use a lot more often, are limited to the first 2 levels.



> EDIT:  there is a regional feat listed for humans in PGtF.  It lets you use str instead of dex for thrown weapons, would this feat be okay?




Can you give me a name for the feat? Makes it easier for me to find.


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## EvolutionKB (Oct 28, 2007)

It also listed on TheKeep...Axethrower.  Time for bed...


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

Cool thanks.

Could you give an example of pieces festival clothing might be made up of?  Does festival clothing involve more or less than usual?  Heh, and while we're on the subject of less clothing does this society have any concept of prudishness?  I mean, is nudity frowned upon?  Do Spirit Talkers, as the priestly types of the culture, tend to where different clothing styles or materials from other groups?


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Axethrower looks fine.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Could you give an example of pieces festival clothing might be made up of?  Does festival clothing involve more or less than usual?  Heh, and while we're on the subject of less clothing does this society have any concept of prudishness?  I mean, is nudity frowned upon?  Do Spirit Talkers, as the priestly types of the culture, tend to where different clothing styles or materials from other groups?




Festival clothing would be the same basic types of clothes, but dyed, possibly cut more "showy", and made of better materials (cotton instead of wool; furs or exotic leathers instead of deerhide, etc).

*Prudishness*: Not Plymouth Rock Protestant prudish, but you'd be thought spirit-touched if you wandered around town naked or in night-clothes. Spirit-talkers don't really have any special garb; again, it's not so much a religion as it is a way of life.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

Hm, what I should have asked was, is nudity frowned upon from a moral perspective or merely a practical one?


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Practical. My own morality is bleeding through here, but they don't see anything _morally_ wrong with T&A. It rains enough and life is tough enough that people generally keep clothed except in private. Now, at the fertility festival......


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

Hey, my moral perspective is let people do what they want as long as it's not hurtful.  That of course includes annoying me until I become hurtful. 

Hm, I had to look up the meaning of T&A.  

So what time of year do you think you'll start this in?  Sometime around this firtility festival perhaps?  

Oh, and do we have a calender?


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

For simplicity's sake I'm going to use the real world calendar and weekdays. I would love to include a custom calendar and so on, but in my experience those just don't work well. It might be better with PbP where a quarter of your session isn't wasted by "wait, if the weeks are 5 days long and there are 20 months, doesn't that mean..." and so on, but I think I'll stick with the tried and true RL calendar. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, after all.

As for what season it'll be at game start... I havn't decided yet. It depends in large part on what everyone's backgrounds are and what plot hooks those inspire me to cook up for you all


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 28, 2007)

I am working on my barbarian hunters backstory and was wondering if there was a particular big game hunter that was more famous than the others. I mean, someone that he could look up to, maybe even try to learn from.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

Which Real Life calendar would you be using? Gregorian?  Julian?  Lunar?

A Lunar calendar would of course be the most realistic in relation to the time period. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_calendar


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

OnlytheStrong said:
			
		

> I am working on my barbarian hunters backstory and was wondering if there was a particular big game hunter that was more famous than the others. I mean, someone that he could look up to, maybe even try to learn from.




Kallistrate, the Councilwoman, was in the group that brought down the dire owlbear. She's a tough lady. Other notable big-game hunters:

*Eusathios*, male, big-game hunter, age 25; Alexios's brother. Noted for being strong and fast, as well as working the longest hours of any of the hunters.
*Artemisia*, female, big-game hunter, age 21; Tall and beautiful, Artemisia is still single and is lusted after by many of the young men. She is especially superstitious.
*Euaristos*, male, big-game hunter, age 38; Old and wrinkled, Euaristos is still known for having the best hearing of anyone around, and his advice on hunting and tracking have saved many young hunters' lives.
*Apollinarius*, male, big-game hunter, age 25;  Apollinarius has the eyes of an eagle - literally. He's a spirit-talker favored by the spirit of a great eagle.
*Alexios*, male, big-game hunter, age 27; Eusathios's brother. Speaks with a stutter. Is quite greedy, but reigns in his impulses for fear of drawing the ire of the spirits. He was the one that tracked down the dire owlbear.
*Koritto*, female, big-game hunter, age 35; Koritto has long greying hair that she rarely brushes or braids. She's whip-smart and was considered a favorite for the Hunter's seat on the Council of Elders before Kallistrate killed the dire owlbear.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Which Real Life calendar would you be using? Gregorian?  Julian?  Lunar?





Uhhhh... American?   

Basically, the days and months and number of days in the months are identical to modern western calendars. Again, simplicity is the key here: everyone here is familiar with the standard calendar (Gregorian, I believe?). With all the other new stuff I'm going to be introducing to you guys, I think _time_ is one important thing to keep constant.

EDIT: Looking at the lunar calendar though, I think I may use that basic concept. So, here goes:

12 months. Each month is 28 (4 7-day weeks) days long. Each season is divided over 3 months. The names of the months and the days of the week remain the same as in real life.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

Hey, that's cool, any other notable spirit talkers and/or healers I should know about?

Yes it's Gregorian.

So what are the months named for?   HEHE

Although not having named months would fix that.  Not that it's really a problem.'

Anyway, cool.  Lunar Calendar!

Oh, I just remembered what I felt was missing, I think you missed my question about whether or not we have wheels.

Also, feel free to build upon my character's family members as you see fit.  Even if you don't end up picking my character.


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 28, 2007)

Okay, I am planning on making the Barbarian Hunter a hunter/tanner for his profession. Only problem is............equipment. I nave no clue how they used to tan hides. Any help? Please. lol.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanning

I shall name thy character, Stinky the Stinky One.


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 28, 2007)

Ty!!


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 28, 2007)

Ancient tanning....... freaking gross lol


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

Yes... Yes it is.  Want to here about Buchery?


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 28, 2007)

lol, I'm wondering if I should put the "piss pots" out around the town. Something about using someone else's urine.......... is nasty to me. I guess whatever he has to do to earn a living!


And yes........ I may invent the art of bathing!


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Hey, that's cool, any other notable spirit talkers and/or healers I should know about?




Sure. Here's some:

*Sotera* and *Apollinarius* have already been described above.
*Xanthe*, female, spirit-talker (horse), herdswoman, age 32; Xanthe is stocky and wears her hair back in a long double braid. She is famous for being especially adamant about making sure every single spirit gets its due.
*Sophronia*, female, spirit-talker (maize), farmer, age 36; Sophronia always answers a question with another question; some of the younger folks have made a game of it, and Sophronia cheerfully wins nearly every match. It's a mark of pride among the youngsters of the town to have "gotten an answer out of Sophy".
*Lempetie*, female, spirit-talker (hill), bard, age 67; Despite being a wrinkled, ugly old crone, Lempetie is beloved in the town. She is the oldest living resident and will spin yarns and tell tales all day long. Despite her age, she's not even remotely senile: she _is_ the living history of Cuirlen. She is one of only a dozen or so people still alive from when the town was first settled.
*Galatea*, female, spirit-talker (deer), spirit shaman, age 24; Galatea is spirit-touched in more ways than one; the poor girl is deaf and pitifully short, but her hard work and the obvious blessing of the spirits has endeared her to the people of the outlying hamlet she lives in.
*Agatha*, female, spirit-talker (cloud), adept, age 32; Agatha has a reputation for being brutally honest. As far as anyone can remember, she has never once hid her feelings on any matter from anyone.
*Aristarchus*, male, spirit-talker (oxen), spirit shaman, age 30; Aristarchus lost a leg in a farm accident when he was younger, and took up the ways of a shaman. His shoulders are as broad as his spirit patron's.
*Akakios*, male, spirit-talker (fox), herdsman, age 40; Akakios is considered one of the most handsome men in Cuirlen - and _the_ most arrogant. The arrogance is born of the knowledge that his sheep have the best wool and tastiest meat.
*Lykourgos*, male, spirit-talker (tree), healer, age 28; Lykourgos One-eye is one of the more accomplished local healers. He mainly uses herbal remedies, but has been known to use magic when no other solution is available.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Hah! A note on tanning: the Native Americans used water that collected in the hollowed-out stumps of oak trees (_coincidentally_  called "tannin") to tan their leather. It doesn't smell great, but it's better than urine and feces. In the interest of not having to deal with piss-pots, we'll say that's the method commonly used here


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

I think that's been done, Only... We have metalworking after all.  I'm sure you could invent some new way of tanning that involved magic or maybe invent a new form of leather armor though.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> So what are the months named for?




Roman gods and emperors! 

I'm keeping January, February, etc. Easier that way.



> Oh, I just remembered what I felt was missing, I think you missed my question about whether or not we have wheels.




Whoops! Nope, no wheels as a method of conveyance. No roads to use them on, either. Pottery wheels exist, though.


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 28, 2007)

I knew there had to be a better way than urine. Maybe I won't stink like........well you know.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

Cool.  I noticed that all of the listed Spirit talkers are at least in their mid twenties.  Is there a specific reason for that?  I was thinking that since my character is only first level he'd be around nineteen or so, but it seems that would be a bit... off.

How old is Sotera?


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Cool.  I noticed that all of the listed Spirit talkers are at least in their mid twenties.  Is there a specific reason for that?  I was thinking that since my character is only first level he'd be around nineteen or so, but it seems that would be a bit... off.




Those are just the famous ones. I've only listed 11 spirit-talkers; there are at least 50 or so. They cover pretty much every age group. The real reason they're all at least twenty is that the dice rolled high for all of them 



> How old is Sotera?




Sotera is 20. She's the Child Prodigal, and is the only spirit-talker that has ever been blessed by the Spiritwash itself. She'll be an important NPC for the characters to get to know.

Amazing, since I didn't even know she existed before this afternoon


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

Alright, I'm slowly working out my character sheet, trying not to miss any of the variant rules.  What profession skill do you think I should take as a Neutral Good healer type Spirit Shaman with...

These ability scores:
Str: 10
Dex: 10
Con: 14
Int: 12
Wis: 14
Cha: 16


and an apparent affinity for plants and forest spirits?

Profession: Herbalist?  Or is there something better you could think of?


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## Nac Mac Feegle (Oct 28, 2007)

Hey, if there are still spots open for consideration, I think I might like to explore the Gestalt option with an Adept/Scout, for building something like a ranger but skewed less towards combat and with more of an animistic approach to the hunt.

I figure I'd play him as a largely reclusive hunter - not as good as some of the others (due to having lower BAB and stats), but with a more spiritual approach to the whole deal.  With Create Water and Purify Food/Water I'd have him be one of the most far-ranging hunters in the town, spending most of his time out in the wilderness where he's more comfortable.  I can work up a stat sheet by tomorrow night to go with the idea.


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 28, 2007)

Rinos is my Barbarians name. His background is getting long lol. Maybe too long. I like the herbalist idea, given there are herbs around...........


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

Nac Mac Feegle said:
			
		

> Hey, if there are still spots open for consideration, I think I might like to explore the Gestalt option with an Adept/Scout, for building something like a ranger but skewed less towards combat and with more of an animistic approach to the hunt.
> 
> I figure I'd play him as a largely reclusive hunter - not as good as some of the others (due to having lower BAB and stats), but with a more spiritual approach to the whole deal.  With Create Water and Purify Food/Water I'd have him be one of the most far-ranging hunters in the town, spending most of his time out in the wilderness where he's more comfortable.  I can work up a stat sheet by tomorrow night to go with the idea.





He's the kind of guy who our heroes find dead in the woods when some horrible evil has entered the valley, thus proving just how dangerous it is.


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 28, 2007)

My background story has Rinos' father dying that way........


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> What profession skill do you think I should take ... an apparent affinity for plants and forest spirits?
> 
> Profession: Herbalist?  Or is there something better you could think of?




Herbalist would be good. So would Apothecary (makes herbal concoctions).



			
				Nac Mac Feegle said:
			
		

> Hey, if there are still spots open for consideration, I think I might like to explore the Gestalt option with an Adept/Scout, for building something like a ranger but skewed less towards combat and with more of an animistic approach to the hunt.




Absolutely! Recruitment is still wide open. I havn't decided when I'm going to close recruitment, but it *certainly* won't be on a weekend! A lot of people post from work, so if I closed recruitment now I'd be severely limiting my potential pool of players.

As for your concept, it sounds great. Looking forward to seeing a backstory for it. Remember that you don't _have_ to be a spirit-talker to cast divine spells (only if you want to be a Spirit Shaman or Paladin do you need to be a spirit-talker).



			
				OnlytheStrong said:
			
		

> Rinos is my Barbarians name. His background is getting long lol. Maybe too long.




Long is good unless you're going to give me a Wall Of Text.  Just make sure to punctuate and paragraph-ize as appropriate and I'll be all for a long background.


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 28, 2007)

Is it unfair to ask an early opinion? I like my story, but I know it's far from great. I just didn't know how much detail to put in, so I kind of mixed and matched it. All opinions and advice is welcome!

[sblock=Background]      Rinos grew up a tanners son. His father was a self sufficient hunter and his mother spent her days either helping with the tanning or tending to their small garden. They lived on the outskirts of town, mostly because of the immense odor that tanning emitted. Rinos father, Kered, taught him how to use snares, so that he could “hunt without hunting.” The snares were only used when the days had to be passed by working the leather or drying the skins. Kered told him to make his kills as clean as possible, to never let a wounded creature escape, and to thank the animal’s spirit for giving him the gift of his life. He learned that all life, all spirits, were sacred and life was never to be taken without reason. 

       Rinos was 13 when his father died. Kered had gone out to hunt some kind of creature that looked like a bear, which had been frequenting the land near the family’s house. Rinos had always thought that his father knew his death was near, as he had asked Rinos to care for his mother before he left. Kered had never done that before. He never seemed hesitant to go on the hunt, or refused to allow Rinos to accompany him. It struck Rinos later that both had happened on that fateful day, but noticed also that the animal had ceased to come close to the land anymore. 

   He lived alone with his mother for the next year, until her death. It was unknown to Rinos what had killed her, she just wouldn’t wake up one morning. Fearful that he had angered the spirits, he loaded up some of his best leather hides and headed to see the Spirit Talkers. After giving them some of his leathers, he was assured that he had done nothing and that the Spirits were at peace with him as long as he honored the ways of his father. 

   Rinos began to sale his hides in the village after his mothers death. The villagers seemed uncomfortable with him at first, partially because of his odor and partially because he was rarely seen in the village. He saw his sales increase steadily as they began to get use to him and his wares. 

   He rarely ventured into the village, but when he did go into it, he managed to learn of a man named Euaristos. The man was over twice Rinos age, but was still a master hunter. At least once a month, every month for the last 3 years Rinos traveled into the village to hear his tales and learn lessons from the wise man. He became a new father figure to Rinos. Whether Euaristos felt the same way about Rinos or not was not clear to the young man, but it really mattered little. Euaristos was never short of advice or tales, and both were things that Rinos longed for. [/sblock]


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

OnlytheStrong said:
			
		

> All opinions and advice is welcome!




That looks great. The only note I have is that once the spirit-talkers said Rinos had done nothing wrong, there would be no reason for the villagers to shun him. I like what you have there, though; well done.


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 28, 2007)

I was thinking that they were just uncomfortable around him, since he probably has a fairly nasty odor about him and didn't frequent town much.

And thank you.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

OnlytheStrong said:
			
		

> Is it unfair to ask an early opinion? I like my story, but I know it's far from great. I just didn't know how much detail to put in, so I kind of mixed and matched it. All opinions and advice is welcome!
> 
> [sblock=Background]      Rinos grew up a tanners son. His father was a self sufficient hunter and his mother spent her days either helping with the tanning or tending to their small garden. They lived on the outskirts of town, mostly because of the immense odor that tanning emitted. Rinos father, Kered, taught him how to use snares, so that he could “hunt without hunting.” The snares were only used when the days had to be passed by working the leather or drying the skins. Kered told him to make his kills as clean as possible, to never let a wounded creature escape, and to thank the animal’s spirit for giving him the gift of his life. He learned that all life, all spirits, were sacred and life was never to be taken without reason.
> 
> ...




Hah!  I'm writing a new chapter for my character and one of the characters in it has both his parents killed by that same creature!


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 28, 2007)

Hmm.........plot line perhaps? lol


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## James Heard (Oct 28, 2007)

Alright, here is my submission so far. I hope I'm understanding the whole spirit mark-to-spirit talker relationship thing you've got going on with Antiklites. I tried to capture a bit of that whole greek feeling you seem to be working with in the naming structure. I thought one of the ways Shayuri's Sorceress might be involved with some sort of feud with Antiklites might even involved the two spellcasters being twins - she'd be charismatic by necessity, but perhaps they'd share the same spirit mark (with perhaps vastly different outlooks on the things?) I might be (and that's why I left the Wis so high, in case it became available as an option) be interested in taking this character into invention of the very first priesthood ("My spirit mark is better than the others, because it's freaking awesome and scares the wee out of me. Deer? Clouds? Mine is scary scary scary, please place your tithes in the bowls on the way out.") Ok, maybe not exactly like that, but I figured I'd give you a heads up if the story strung out that way later on or to get a "NO WAY" early on so I could think about rethinking things.

*Antiklites*
Male Human Wizard 1
LG Medium Humanoid (Human)
[Sblock=Crunchy stuff]
*Init* +0; *Senses* Listen +5 Spot +5
*Languages* Common
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*AC * 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10; 
*Wound Points* 10,*Vitality*  4
*Fort* +0, *Ref* +0, *Will* +5
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Speed* 30 ft.
*Melee* +2 dagger or +2 quarterstaff
*Ranged* +0
*Special Actions* 
*Base Atk* +0; *Grp* +2
*Combat Gear* 
*Wizard Spells Prepared* (3/2, CL 1st, +0 ranged touch, +2 melee touch)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Abilities* Str 14, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 8
*SQ* Spirit Guide (Alertness)
*Feats *  Skill Focus(Spellcraft), Skill Focus(Architecture & Engineering), Scribe Scroll, Eschew Materials, Alertness*
*Skills*  Concentration +4 (4 ranks), Craft(Carpentry) +7 (4 ranks), Craft(Stonemasonry) +7 (4 ranks), Decipher Script +7 (4 ranks), Knowledge(Arcana) +7 (4 ranks), Knowledge(Architecture & Engineering) +10 (4 ranks), Knowledge(Nature) +7 (4 ranks), Spellcraft +10 (4 ranks)
*Experience Points:* 0
*Possessions* combat gear plus 
*Spellbook* 
0—all PHB 
1st—_Mage Armor, Color Spray, Enlarge Person, Feather Fall, Magic Missile, Sleep_

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[/Sblock]
*Appearance*
Antiklites is a fairly nondescript-looking young man with a dark complexion and wiry curly hair that frames intense blue eyes. Despite his uncle's apprenticeship, Antiklites still prefers the rough homespun clothes of a craftsman. While Antiklites has the beginnings of a thick beard somewhere in his future, he can't quite bring himself to let one grow. Beneath his dark chest hair can just barely be seen Antiklites' spirit mark, a rearing reptilian-looking beast that no one has ever heard of. Despite his somewhat sedate apprenticeship, Antiklites has the broad shoulders of someone who is used to manual labor from his years growing up wrestling with older brothers and helping his father Manikotsenes with construction.

Because of Antiklites' relationship with his spirit mark he's not often seen without his shirt on even in the hottest of weathers. Antiklites' s ring is notable in the community - by wearing the device of his spirit mark on his hand Antiklites' has sought to capture its favor without showing the shame of his failure to become a normal spirit-talker

*Background*
Antiklites is Phaidros the Wizard's apprentice and nephew, being the youngest son of Phairdros's sister Ophelia the Elder (his sister Ophelia haveing the distinction of being Ophelia the Younger). Having six older brothers, Antiklites had little chance of being invited to participate in the family craft - and truly, despite being the son of a carpenter, Antiklites was ever disinclined to work with wood at all. Being born with a spirit-talker mark, Antiklites was often pressured to speak with his spirit in a more direct fashion. Instead, he has ever been terrified of the dark unknown that his spirit represents. At night he has often woke up with terrible nightmares of dark wings and fire.

Perhaps that is why Antiklites asked his uncle Phaidros for an apprenticeship. It was not as if the ways of magic were very inscrutable to Antiklites, and with some of the magic of his uncle to call his own then perhaps one day he could face his spirit-beast without being fearful of it. Despite his fear of his spirit, Antiklites tries to be respectful of it by talking at it sometimes and offering sacrifices to it even though he can't understand (or refuses to understand) what it says back to him. 

*Personality*
Antiklites is young man who seems to carry his dark clouds with him, no matter what his real mood is. He's well known in town for being hard to make friends with, but generally willing to help out and civic-minded despite that fact. Still, he's won few friends over the years for being quite willing to tell everyone how to solve their problems and often being right about it. Despite his rough exterior though, Antiklites genuinely wants people to like him even though he knows he's somehow poorly equipped to manage that simple act.

While not sharing his father's love for wood as a building material, he is entranced by stonework and the delicate balancing act and artistry that goes into building things. That doesn't mean that Antiklites isn't a competent carpenter himself, though he rarely promotes himself as a carpenter out of respect for his family's livelihood.
[Sblock=Equipment]
0000    artisan's outfit (one free outfit to hide naked adventurers)
0000    quarterstaff
0002    dagger
0002    dagger
0000    spellbook
0005    artisan tools (carpentry)
0055    artisan tools, masterwork (stonemasonry)
00.1    bedroll
00.5    winter blanket
0001    waterskin
0002    backpack
0001    flint & steel
0005    signet ring
0001    scroll case
----
4 SP
[/sblock]


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## WarShrike (Oct 28, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> He's the kind of guy who our heroes find dead in the woods when some horrible evil has entered the valley, thus proving just how dangerous it is.




ROFL

WarShrike


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 28, 2007)

Rinos


```
Race: Human
Class: Barbarian
Profession: Hunter/Tanner
Alignment: Neutral Good
Age: 17
Height: 6'2''
Weight: 180lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde
Skin: Dark Tan


Str: 16  +3 mod
Dex: 14  +2 mod
Con: 12  +1 mod
Int: 14   +2 mod
Wis: 12  +1 mod
Cha: 8   -1 mod


Vitality: 13  (d12 + con mod)
Wounds: 12

AC: 17  (10 base + 3 armor + 2 shield + 2 dex mod)
   Touch AC: 12
   Flat Footed: 15

Speed: 30ft  (20ft base with armor + 10ft fast movement)

Initiative:  +2  (dex mod)

Base Attack:  +1

Saving Throws:
   Fortitude:   4   ( 2 base + 1 con mod)
   Reflex:       2   (0 base + 2 dex mod)
   Will:          1   (0 base + 1 wis mod)

Attacks:

   Grapple:  +4  (1 base + 3 str mod)

   Spear:  +4 attack bonus,  dmg: 1d8+3,  crit: x3,  range: 20ft

   Club: +4 attack bonus, dmg: 1d6+3,  crit: x2,  range: 10ft

   Dagger:  +4 attack bonus,  dmg: 1d4+3, crit: 19-20x2


Skills: (4+4)x4   +4 racial

     Craft (trapmaking):  6   (2 int mod + 4 ranks)

     Handle Animal:  3  (-1 cha mod + 4 ranks)

cc  Heal:  3 (1 wis mod + 2 self sufficient)

cc  Hide:  3  (1 wis mod  + 2 Stealthy)

     Knowledge (nature):  6  (2 int mod + 4 ranks)

     Knowledge (geography):  6 (2 int mod + 4 ranks)

     Listen:  5  (1 wis mod + 4 ranks)

cc  Move Silently:  6 (2 dex mod + 2 ranks + 2 stealthy)

     Profession (hunting):  5 (1 wis mod + 4 ranks)
    
     Profession (tanning):  5 (1 wis mod + 4 ranks)

cc Spot:  3  (1 wis mod + 2 ranks)

    Survival:  7  (1 wis mod + 4 ranks + 2 Self Sufficient)

    Use Rope:  4  (2 dex mod + 2 ranks)


Feats: 

   Self Sufficient 
   Track
   Stealthy
 
Class Abilities:
     Illiterate
     Fast Movement
     Rage 1 time per day  

Equipment:
   (worn)
Hide Armor, Heavy Wooden Shield, Spear, Club, Dagger,
Waterskin

   (at house)
Hempen Rope (5), Flint and Steel, Firewood (5), Iron Pot (5), 
Sack (5), Soap (2), Winter Blanket (2), Bucket (3), 
Common Lamp (3), Oil (3), Masterwork Artisan's Tools

Carrying Capacity:
    Light Load:  58lbs               Weight Carried: 56lbs
    Med Load:  116 lbs
    Heavy Load:  175lbs
```


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## Nac Mac Feegle (Oct 28, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> He's the kind of guy who our heroes find dead in the woods when some horrible evil has entered the valley, thus proving just how dangerous it is.




Sad...yet totally true   Here's hoping I have _just_ enough healing to live until I acquire fast movespeed.


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 28, 2007)

Don't worry, just make sure you get to know Rinos, that way he can check on ya once in a while.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

Man, I could just keep writing and writing this story.  I gotta find some way to summarise some of the events.


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## WarShrike (Oct 28, 2007)

Say Zurai, are there enough magical beasts around for Ryon to take them as favored enemies? Seeing as he loves natural animals so much, choosing them seems anathema.

WarShrike


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## Nac Mac Feegle (Oct 28, 2007)

Alright, here's my entry:

Thane, Woodsman

[Sblock=Crunchy stuff]
*Init* +3; *Senses* Listen +6 Spot +6
*Languages* Common
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*AC * 14, touch 13, flat-footed 11; 
*Wound Points* 12,*Vitality*  9
*Fort* +1, *Ref* +5, *Will* +4
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Speed* 30 ft.
*Melee* +0 dagger (1d4, 19-20/x2)
*Ranged* +3 Shortbow (1d6, x3)
*Special Actions* Skirmish +1d6
*Base Atk* +0; *Grp* +0
*Gear* Shortbow, 5 daggers, backpack, bedroll, traveler's outfit, leather armor

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Abilities* Str 10, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8
*SQ* Skirmish, Trapfinding, Adept Spells
*Feats *  Track, Stealthy
*Skills*  Concentration +5 (4 ranks), Craft(Fletching) +4 (4 ranks), Craft(Bowyer) +4 (4 ranks), Handle Animal +3 (4 ranks), Heal +6 (4 ranks), Hide +9 (4 ranks), Listen +6 (4 ranks), Move Silently +9 (4 ranks), Spot +6 (4 ranks), Survival +6 (4 ranks)
*Experience Points:* 0

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[/Sblock]
*Appearance*
A brown-eyed, nondescript man of slightly smaller than average height, Thane by habit tends to fade into the background of most situations.  His brown hair is long, not out of style, but simply from being a long time between stops in town, though he is still youthful enough to not have acquired a real beard.

*Background*
Thane has, his whole life, followed in the footsteps of his father, who was in many ways the model upon which his personality is based.  He never knew his mother - his father said she died while he was too young to remember - and so he grew up at first with a series of helpful watchers from the city and then at the age of 7 beginning to follow his father on the long hunts out into the wild.

Dayan, Thane's father, was not a particularly forgiving man, and he drove his son hard, making him sleep in the open when he could not find shelter, and go hungry when he scared away animals with his clumsy footsteps.  This did not embitter the child though, because at the same time his father was a wellspring of knowledge, and not just on the best way to make a hunter's blind or walk up on a deer unawares, but also about the spirits of the wild.

While he never tutored under the spirit shamans of the village, Thane soon developed a talent for understanding the spirits around him and using their powers to his aid, healing himself when injured, finding difficult paths, and keeping food preserved.  Soon Thane and his father began to hunt alone, seeing each other at first maybe once a month, then twice a year...and then this year Dayan didn't come back.

Despite the fact that his father was the only family member in his life, Thane remained strangely untouched by this.  When occasionally pressed during his visits to town about how he was doing, he simply smiled, and responded quietly, "Father has walked among the spirits all his life.  No matter what his fate, I know the forest is still watching over him."

*Personality*
Thane tends to be withdrawn and remote, feeling more at home with animals and plants than he does with people.  While generally shy, he can usually be counted on to become more outgoing when the topic of conversation turns to hunting and spiritual matters - his truer areas of expertise.

Thane has the strange relationship with the spirits of the animals inherent to a hunter with some knowledge of divine magic.  He understands and respects the animals, and knows that while he must hunt them to bring food for himself and those he trades with, to do so wantonly without respect for mothers and children is to destabilize the delicate balance of nature that he is privy to.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

Just how common are exiles?  Any in recent memory besides the one three years ago that I'm adding in my story?  Has one ever been forgiven?

The reason I'm asking is that I'm writing this:

Enko is a very compassionate young man.  A little too compassionate, some might say.  Three years ago another young man named Ceryan was sentenced to exile for angering the spirits of the hunt, the boy, for indeed, he was no older than Enko had been at that time was an orphan who’s parents had both died in a hunt.  Enko felt great sadness, as Ceryan cried his protests, that the spirits had abandoned his mother and father, so why should he not do the same to them.  Still the decision had been made, since he would not repent and make amends, he must be banished.  In the end, the boy went quietly, though there were tears in his eyes.  He ran into the forest as Enko watched him, feeling almost as bad.

Enko decided to follow the boy, though he knew that he should not help an exile, and that his parents did not want him to enter the forest, he could not help himself.  As he passed the first tree he found to his surprise that the place was not anywhere near as dark and foreboding as his parents had made it out to be when he was a child.  Perhaps that had merely been an exaggeration of their part in order to scare him away.  All of this was because of what had happened when he was three.  He sighed and started looking carefully around for signs of the other boy.  He did not to be so thorough.  “What are you doing here?” called an angry voice to his left.  He turned to see the red eyes boy from before sitting hunched against the trunk of a nearby tree.  “I…” Enko started to reply, but trailed off as no words came to him.  “I know you… Blackfrond boy.  You’re a spirit talker, your family has lots of furs and your mom is Niada of the Guiding Star.  What are you doing here?”  “I’m… Enko.”  Enko stuttered “And I’m trash!  They’ve thrown me to the wolves!”  The boy shouted in return, his voice breaking.  “I don’t… no.  Why would you not respect the spirits?  You knew what would happen.”  The boy glared at him “Spirits!?  What spirits!?  The spirits my mother and father honored every day without fail until the day they were killed!?  The spirits let them die!”  “No!” Enko shouted.  “They did not abandon them!”  “Then why are they dead!?”  “They-….” Enko once again trailed off.  The boy put his head down on his knees and started weeping quietly.  It was clear that he did not even intend to try to survive.  He had given up on everything.  “The spirits… they cannot always protect everyone.  And that beast was a monster.  Perhaps that beast’s spirit was stronger than the one protecting your parents…  I…  That monster is to blame for their deaths, but they have been avenged…  You should be at peace.”  The young man looked up, his eyes still wet.  “M- My name is Ceryan …”  Enko nodded, “Wait here, I’m going to get you some food and a branch you can make into a spear.”  “I can-“ Ceryan shouted, but Enko had already left.  He returned quickly, hauling a sturdy tree branch with a freshly sharpened end and holding his shirt so that it formed a basket full of berries and mushrooms.  “These are the safe kind.  You can tell because of the black rings on the trunk and the slits on the top.  Don’t eat any other fungus.  The only berries you have to watch out for are the bright red ones that shine in the darkness, and the green ones.  The green ones aren’t ripe yet.  Therefore the moon spirit shall protect you by showing you the bad berries.  The pine spirit shall protect you from wolves, and the spirits of these berries and fungus shall protect you from starvation.”  Ceryan stared up at him.  “Why are you…”  now it was his turn to trail off.  “No one should die like this… but for the safety of everyone, those that do not respect the spirits, and incur their wrath, must be exiled.”  Ceryan did not reply, he simply sat there with a thoughtful expression on his face.  “Don’t go too far into the woods, make a fire.  I’ll try to come back tomorrow if I can.”  Enko said, turning to leave.  He knew that Ceryan already would have done those things.  Everyone else seemed afraid of the forest.  He didn’t know why, the only really dangerous things in here were wolves, and they usually avoided humans.  

He carefully returned to town, and somehow made it back without being spotted, or so he thought.  As he came around a building he nearly slammed into a girl who it seemed had been waiting for him, for she immediately reached out and grabbed him, saying in a quiet but urgent voice.  “You, you’re Enko Blackfrond!  You followed him didn’t you?”  “I…” Enko said, a feeling of familiarity coming over him.  “I saw you!  Did you find him?  Is he alright?” She continued without even giving him a chance to answer.  “Eh… yeah, he’s fine… just, unwell in spirit.  He blamed the spirits for his parent’s deaths, so he abandoned them… but I think he might understand now.  Um, who are you?”  “I am… Eleinya…”  The girl said, now that he wasn’t worried that she was going to pound on him or expose what he’d done he got a chance to look at her.  She was dressed in mostly leather clothes, so perhaps she was a hunter.  Like Ceryan’s parents…  She had long brown hair that was tied back out of her eyes in a horse tail fashion, and she had a pretty, freckled face with dark brown eyes that bore same red marks around them that meant she had been crying recently.  Eleinya continued speaking.  “You… said he understood… does that mean he can come back?”  She asked him hopefully.  “I don’t know…  It’s up to the elders… but… I’ll try to convince them.  Maybe because I am an apprentice spirit talker they will listen, but… well I’m only an apprentice.”  As her face started to fall he quickly repeated, “But I’ll try!”


----------



## Lorthanoth (Oct 28, 2007)

Hmm.. this is tricky.. all the concepts I'm coming up with have all been offered up as PCs... young female marshal, spiritual hunter etc... thinking cap on!

OK, I'm tempted by a Bard/Adept or Rogue/Adept gestalt or maybe Warrior/Bard - Orephion isn't a spirit talker but he can charm the birds out of the trees and always has some poultice or other for a cut or sore (i.e. I'd go for a mix of his 'spells' being actual magical effects as well as 'head-ology'. He's always to be found  where you don't expect him to be found; one day he will happen across a lambing ewe in trouble, and the next moment he will be making honey-cakes, or more likely trying to charm young Alistia into giving him some (cakes that is!).

He is never without a story to tell, albeit one that is made up of the most outrageous lies regarding his achievements and exploits. Everyone knows of course that the stories are ridiculous which only makes them even funnier, and spurs Orephion on to add more and more bizarre details. His latest one for the children is how he found a girl asleep by the river who had a pair of goose's wings beside her - so of course he strapped the wings on and flew up to the moon. There he met the hare-king of the moon, who gave Orephion a crown made of wheat, making him prince of the moon. When he came down to earth, he found the girl had woken up, and was distraught to find her wings gone, without them she could no longer turn into a goose! When she saw the thief she made a switch of reeds and chased after him, and he threw the wings back and escaped.

"And that, children, is why I haven't helped with any fishing lately, in case the goose-woman is there and gets me with that switch!"

OK... kind of got too much into character there! Would you like some stats to go with that?


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## Lorthanoth (Oct 28, 2007)

Or if he seems a bit unfocused, there's Alistia herself, the baker's daughter; sassy, confident, good-looking and always with an ear to the ground. She's a bit of a dreamer but has her finger on the pulse of the community. Heck, I like her more than Orephion now as a character! Consider her my first choice if I did get selected, please.   
*
Background*
Alistia's mother is a baker, her father is a brewer. That's the way things are, my girl, and wishing doesn't change anything. Huh. I can wish, can't I? It must be exciting to go out into the forest and hunt the boars. More exciting than *slam* kneading *whack* stupid bread all day.

I bet Kallistrate doesn't make her own bread... and she gets to spend all day with men like Eusathios *sigh*. It must be amazing to be a spirit talker too... to see things and do things no-one else can do. It's all very well Pantheras saying "Alistia, which each have our own gifts, and yours is one without which none of us can live. We will always need bread! blah blah blah"; he means well, but I don't see him tending an oven... 

Ah, here comes Orephion... probably thinks he can get some cakes, the lazy good-for-nothing.

Alistia
Commoner 1
NG
Str 11
Dex 14
Con 12
Int 12
Wis 11
Cha 18

Age: 18
Height: 5' 4''
Weight:
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Auburn

VP: 5
WP: 12

*Init:* +2
*BAB:* +0 * Melee:* +0 *Ranged*: +2
*Saves:*
Fort +1
Ref +2
Will +2

*Skills:*

Profession (baker) 4
Profession (brewer) 2
Knowledge (local) 4
Craft (weaving) 2
Listen 3
Spot 3
Diplomacy cc 2
Bluff cc 1

*Feats:*

Negotiator (bonus) +2 to Dip and Sense Motive
Dodge
Iron Will

Proficient with club, and no armour or shields.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

James Heard said:
			
		

> Alright, here is my submission so far. I hope I'm understanding the whole spirit mark-to-spirit talker relationship thing you've got going on with Antiklites. I tried to capture a bit of that whole greek feeling you seem to be working with in the naming structure.




Hah! Someone noticed!  Yeah, the names are greek/greek-inspired. I'm not requiring PCs to follow the naming scheme, but I like having consistent cultural themes for NPC names. I'll touch on the spirit-talker thing at the end.



> I might be (and that's why I left the Wis so high, in case it became available as an option) be interested in taking this character into invention of the very first priesthood ("My spirit mark is better than the others, because it's freaking awesome and scares the wee out of me. Deer? Clouds? Mine is scary scary scary, please place your tithes in the bowls on the way out.") Ok, maybe not exactly like that, but I figured I'd give you a heads up if the story strung out that way later on or to get a "NO WAY" early on so I could think about rethinking things.




There are very, _*very*_ few things that will get a "NO WAY" response from me in this game. Someone wanting to form a rudimentary priesthood is not one of those things; knock yourself out. Don't expect a lot of traction to it, though, unless Antiklites spends a lot of time and effort into it.



> Antiklites




Character sheet looks good, with one minor caveat I'll get to after your background.



> background




The background looks excellent. There are two things that I have notes on, here:
One, if it became known that Antiklites cannot hear his spirit, that would cause unease among the spirit-talkers, and unease there translates to unfriendly villagers. It gives me some very nice plot hooks, though 
Two, there is only one building made of stone in the area - the ancient temple Cuirlen was founded around. No one knows who built it or how. There are no quarries in the vicinity. Antiklites can certainly be incredibly interested in the construction of the temple, still; I left that as a dangling plot hook in the setting info for a reason  I just wanted to be sure you were aware that a stonemason isn't really a useful profession in Cuirlen at the present time. Architect is, however.


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## EvolutionKB (Oct 28, 2007)

After thinking things over some more, I think I'd rather go dex than str based.  With only having prof in light armor, the higher dex would be a better choice I think.

Bathinias
Sprit Shaman1
Race:  Human
Sex:  Male
Height:  6-2
Weight:  190lbs
Age:  22

Str: 10      +0(2pts)
Dex:  14    +2(6pts)
Con:  12    +1(4pts)
Int:  10     +0(2pts)
Wis:  14    +2(6pts)
Chr:  16     +3(10pts)

AC:  15 (10 base +2 studded leather +1 light shield +2 dex)
DR:  1/steel?
Vitality points:  9, Wound points:  12
Speed:  30'
Init:  +2
BAB:  +0
Saves:
           Fort:  +3 (2 base +1con)
           Dex:  +2 (0 base +2dex)
           Will:  +4(2 base +2wis)

Attacks:
Melee:  Shortspear +0, 1d6
Ranged:  Javelin +2 1d6

Class features:
Wild empathy  +4
Sprit Guide(gains Alertness feat)

Feats:
Extend Spell(1)
Energy Substitution(Electricity,Human bonus)
Skill focus(Survival, houserules bonus)

Skills
Concentration +5  (4 ranks +1 con)
Heal +4 (2 ranks + 2 wis)
Knowledge(Nature) +4 (4 ranks + 0 int)
Listen +8 (4 ranks +2 wis +2 sprit guide)
Profession(herder)+6 (4 ranks + 2 wis)
Spot +8 (4 ranks + 2 wis +2 sprit guide)
Spellcraft +2 (2 ranks +0 int)
Survival +9 (4 ranks +2 wis +3 skill focus)

Spells Retrieved:  (3/1)
Spells per day:  (3/2+1)
Spells retrieved:
0:  Resistance, light, cure minor wounds
1:  Produce Storm Spheres(electricity substituted produce flame)

Equipment:  To come later.


Appearance:  Taller than most others in the villiage, Bathinias is easy to spot.  His head is bald, a reminder of the spirits of the storm that taught him a lesson.  His sprit mark, a jagged line on his scalp, the shape of a lightning bolt, is black against his skin.  He is clad in bronze studded leather armor, and a light wooden shield hangs on his arm.  A large quiver hangs over his shoulder.  He keeps his supply of javelins as well as a shortspear there.  A short pointed black beard adorns his chin.

Personality:  Though Bathinias no longer says he commands the spirits, he is still quite cocky.  His confidence has rubbed some other spirt talkers the wrong way, though they all do respect what abilities he does have.  Although generally a good person, Bathinias is ready for to show off what he can do, whether that be with javelins, his spells, or just his knowledge of weather or the creatures in the surrounding area.  During storms, Bathinias can be seen standing in the fields, chanting a prayer to the sprits, arms raised towards the heavens, clothing soaked and stuck to his skin.

Background:  Bathinias was the 2nd son of a herder. He spent much of his time tagging along with his father and older brother tending the livestock. Whether from instinct or just luck, Bathinias became quite good at predicting the weather. He knew when the rains were coming and whether the sun would be shining in a week. His skills helped his family procure one of the larger herds of animals in town. Aric grew quite cocky as his skills developed, almost to the point where he said that the sprits listened to his commands.

The family's luck continued...until one day Bathinias was wrong. He had predicted sunny skies ahead for the day, so he and his brother went to take the cows out to pasture. Out of nowhere a storm brewed, lightning and thunder tore through the skies. Bathinias squinted in the driving rain, trying to gather the herd to shelter, then he was blinded by lightning, and that is all he remembers. His brother says a bolt of lightning, straight from the sky struck his brother. Somehow Bathinias survived, not without the help of several of the shamans. From that day forward Bathinias felt more respect for the sprits of the storms that he often said he could predict. He continued to study the weather patterns and he still carries the scars from that day. The hair on his head is scorched off, never grown back, but that reveals the birthmark that he had always carried, a jagged line on his scalp, like a bolt of lightning. Where the line was pink before, it is now black, a constant reminder to those that look upon him that he is blessed by the sprit of the storm.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

OnlytheStrong said:
			
		

> Rinos




A couple notes on the character sheet:

1) This is probably the smartest, wisest 1st level barbarian I've ever seen  
2) He should have 14 Vitality Points and 14 Wound Points rather than 14 hit points.
3) No warhammers. I'd give you a light hammer or a sledgehammer, though (sledge being equivalent of a greatclub).
4) By my count you're missing 8 skill points. You should have 4*4 from Barbarian, 2*4 from Intelligence bonus, 1*4 from being Human, and 2*4 to be spent only on Craft, Knowledge, and Profession (with no cross-class penalties for these particular skill points) from my house rule. I count it up as you having maxed 9 skills; you should be able to max 11.

Other than those notes (and #1 is just an amusing anecdote, not a criticism of your stats), the character sheet looks fine.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

WarShrike said:
			
		

> Say Zurai, are there enough magical beasts around for Ryon to take them as favored enemies? Seeing as he loves natural animals so much, choosing them seems anathema.
> 
> WarShrike




"Favored Enemy" isn't the same flavor as the old "Hated Foe" from AD&D (or was it original 3E? Whichever). It's just the creature type you've particularly studied the habits and weaknesses of. Animal would be a perfectly flavorful FE to choose.

To answer your question, though: Yes, Magical Beasts is also fine. I can certainly see a young ranger itching to repeat Kallistrate's success in killing one of the strange monsters lurking in the Noonshadow.

I'll do my best to widen the potential FE candidate pool quickly through plot hooks. I realize it's a little shallow right now.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Nac Mac Feegle said:
			
		

> Alright, here's my entry:
> 
> Thane, Woodsman




Background looks great! From my count of your ability scores, you shorted yourself 2 points. Scores of 10, 16, 12, 8, 14, 8 adds up to a 22 point buy; you get 24 PB with the single-NPC-class gestalt option. Other than that, character sheet looks good, too.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Just how common are exiles?  Any in recent memory besides the one three years ago that I'm adding in my story?  Has one ever been forgiven?




Exiles aren't very common; the fact that the majority end up as mangled corpses found mysteriously close to the village within a couple days' time tends to convince people that they should really pay attention to what the spirit-talkers say. I'll go ahead and say that the exile you've written up is the most recent, unless someone else wants to write one into their backstory as well.

As for forgiving one - the only way it could possibly happen is if the exile survived. The spirits tend to be a bit vengeful by the time a person gets around to being exiled, so only people that are either wrongfully exiled or manage to appease the vengeful spirits (_not_ an easy task) will manage to survive.

If the exile were to have a spirit-talker champion and survive for a sufficiently long period of time in the wild, he _might_ be allowed back into town. He would be shunned for a very long time afterwards, though, and the spirit-talker would have to champion him without letting it be known that he or she interfered with an exile.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Lorthanoth said:
			
		

> Orephion and Alistia




Both are great concepts.

Alistia's character sheet looks good. I'd like to see some background on her if she's who you're going with.

Two notes on her sheet:
1) You appear to be shortchanging yourself a stat point. 11, 14, 12, 12, 10, 18 costs 35 points; you appear to be taking the 36 PB option for her.
2) Just a reminder: If you do take that 36 PB, you will only be able to level as Adept, Commoner, Expert, Warrior, or a Prestige Class. Aristocrat too, if it becomes available later on.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

EvolutionKB said:
			
		

> Bathinias




Looks good. Two notes:
1) I'll let you have Extend Spell for now since Energy Substitution has a "one metamagic feat" pre-req and I know you're going for Bot3T, but as I noted I really dislike the generic PHB metamagics. I'll give you the option of replacing it later on with a less generic one (or, rather, I'll give you the option of which to replace it with ). Alternately, if you wanted, you can swap it for Sudden Extend now. Still a generic name, but the feat itself is more interesting.
2) You appear to be shorting yourself a few skill points. You should be able to have 7 maxed skills; I count 6. 4 from class, 0 from int, 1 from race, 2 from house rules.


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## James Heard (Oct 28, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> Hah! Someone noticed!  Yeah, the names are greek/greek-inspired. I'm not requiring PCs to follow the naming scheme, but I like having consistent cultural themes for NPC names. I'll touch on the spirit-talker thing at the end.
> 
> 
> 
> There are very, _*very*_ few things that will get a "NO WAY" response from me in this game. Someone wanting to form a rudimentary priesthood is not one of those things; knock yourself out. Don't expect a lot of traction to it, though, unless Antiklites spends a lot of time and effort into it.



Sure thing, I figured as much - which is why I wanted as an option rather than a "this is what I really want my character to do." Who knows what he'll want to do after the game starts?


> The background looks excellent. There are two things that I have notes on, here:
> One, if it became known that Antiklites cannot hear his spirit, that would cause unease among the spirit-talkers, and unease there translates to unfriendly villagers. It gives me some very nice plot hooks, though



I actually was thinking about that as I finally got to sleep last night. I don't see Antiklites as being exactly "cannot" hear his spirit as much as "will not." Two, I _did_ think about asking you if I could exchange the find familiar ability for the spirit guide ability of the Spirit Shamans (that would be Spirit Guide at 1, Follow the Guide at 5, Guide Magic at 10)? I didn't want to throw a character concept with class ability exchange beggery at you all at once though.



> Two, there is only one building made of stone in the area - the ancient temple Cuirlen was founded around. No one knows who built it or how. There are no quarries in the vicinity. Antiklites can certainly be incredibly interested in the construction of the temple, still; I left that as a dangling plot hook in the setting info for a reason  I just wanted to be sure you were aware that a stonemason isn't really a useful profession in Cuirlen at the present time. Architect is, however.



I got that there isn't any stone buildings, but I figured that there would still be a call for stone masonry of a sort for bread ovens, flour grinding stones, etc. Antiklites would be a transitional figure, being trained to erect wooden buildings but having an understanding of the properties of rock and hardened clay.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

James Heard said:
			
		

> exchange the find familiar ability for the spirit guide ability of the Spirit Shamans (that would be Spirit Guide at 1, Follow the Guide at 5, Guide Magic at 10)?




That looks OK to me.



> I got that there isn't any stone buildings, but I figured that there would still be a call for stone masonry of a sort for bread ovens, flour grinding stones, etc. Antiklites would be a transitional figure, being trained to erect wooden buildings but having an understanding of the properties of rock and hardened clay.




Excellent point! Yeah, I hadn't thought of it, but fireplaces and ovens and kilns pretty much need to be made out of stone, so there would indeed be a use for a stonemason.


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## James Heard (Oct 28, 2007)

> Excellent point! Yeah, I hadn't thought of it, but fireplaces and ovens and kilns pretty much need to be made out of stone, so there would indeed be a use for a stonemason.



Besides, he probably makes everyones' cars and domestic appliances...(sorry, Flintstones reference, couldn't be helped)


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

I realized just now that there's another base class I should add... for some reason Crystalkeep doesn't have it listed:

The Healer, from Miniatures Handbook. 

If anyone wants to change their class to Healer, that's cool.


I'm also going to update the 2nd post with a lot of the Q&A I've been doing throughout the thread, so it's easier to find and reference for everyone.

EDIT: FAQ post is updated with pretty much all the relevant info from the rest of the thread. Should be easier on newcomers now.


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## Nac Mac Feegle (Oct 28, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> Background looks great! From my count of your ability scores, you shorted yourself 2 points. Scores of 10, 16, 12, 8, 14, 8 adds up to a 22 point buy; you get 24 PB with the single-NPC-class gestalt option. Other than that, character sheet looks good, too.




Oops, edited.  I actually calculated everything with int 10, and then forgot to update the attributes to match that.


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## EvolutionKB (Oct 28, 2007)

> 1) I'll let you have Extend Spell for now since Energy Substitution has a "one metamagic feat" pre-req and I know you're going for Bot3T, but as I noted I really dislike the generic PHB metamagics. I'll give you the option of replacing it later on with a less generic one (or, rather, I'll give you the option of which to replace it with ). Alternately, if you wanted, you can swap it for Sudden Extend now. Still a generic name, but the feat itself is more interesting.




I'll take extend spell, for now I suppose.  I am AFB so I looked on crystalkeep and couldn't really find anything I liked.  I'll swap it later with something else that you'd offer.  I think I was updating the skills as you were posting it should be okay now.  There were a few things I added to the sheet, vitality, DR, etc., you might want to give it another look over.


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 28, 2007)

My character sheet should be fixed now. I agree with your comment on the ability scores. It bothered me so I changed them. He's still smart, but less wise shows his youth.


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## Voda Vosa (Oct 28, 2007)

Backstory: Manthos are a well known merchants and craftsmen, the entire family lives from the bronze industry, some of them mining it, some smiting it, the others sale it.
Drum Manthos is the son of two bronze merchants, Mirna and Murn Manthos. They live in their modest house in Cuirlen town. Mirna and Murn are usually traveling to other settlements, with other members of the family, to bring raw materials and the sort.
Drum himself, as many of his familiars, works as an apprentice with Anakletos, the youngest elder of the Council. Once a month, Anakletos opens his shop to make repairs in armors and other bronze items, so all the apprentices take that chance to learn from him, and help him with the overwhelming task. 
Drum is not as dumb as many of the other apprentices, and he usually make some interesting questions to Anakletos, about his participation in the Council, so the rather young councilperson, keeps Drum informed about the matters of the elders. The young bronze smith reserves most of his oppinions, but sometimes both master and apprentices, discuss such matters with the rhythmic sound of hammers over bronze. 
Drum works all day long, smiting and shaping bronze in Anakletos forge, and when the sun goes down, he likes to wonder around the town, enjoying the fresh air of the late evening. Working in the forge, is both his work and his passion, since his artist vein is strong, he usually made details and figures in his works, even in the cheapest sword he creates: People usually said, showing this draws, "Look, Drum made this one!"
Apparence: Drums curly brown hair, is short, as is his beard, and the hair in his chest and arms. He resembles a bear more than a man. Although he has penetrating golden eyes, shows more than a towering brute. He is not the brightest, but he can handle most conversations. 
His big hands are rough and hardened by his job, he usually looks at them, with some sadness in his eyes.


Quotes: "Aye chief!", "I'll handle it!", "I shall look about it!", "Work hard, eat a lot, death fear not!"


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## WarShrike (Oct 28, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> "Favored Enemy" isn't the same flavor as the old "Hated Foe" from AD&D (or was it original 3E? Whichever). It's just the creature type you've particularly studied the habits and weaknesses of. Animal would be a perfectly flavorful FE to choose.
> 
> To answer your question, though: Yes, Magical Beasts is also fine. I can certainly see a young ranger itching to repeat Kallistrate's success in killing one of the strange monsters lurking in the Noonshadow.




I like your new interpretation of FE. I still prefer it as magical beasts, so thx. Character sheet updated.

WarShrike


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## WarShrike (Oct 28, 2007)

Sticking my often updated character here so you dont always have to go looking for it. 

Ryon Wolfheart, Human Ranger.


[SBLOCK=Story] 
The Wolfheart's hold a fine reputation as both hunters and herders, but are sought after mostly for their skills at domesticating and trainning animals of all kinds. Wolves are often trained as cattle and sheep dogs that respond to whistles and hand signs, and as trackers for the village's hunting parties that can stalk deer on the darkest moonless night. The Wolfheart's have a way with animals, and Ryon is no exception. 

Enrik and Falla, the current patriarch and matriarch of the Wolfheart clan, and Ryon's grandparents, prefer to take on the tasks of milder animal training, such as horses. Their children, among them Haldin and his wife Risse, Ryon's parents, handle wolves and other, naturally wilder creatures.

Throughout all his young life, Ryon was brought up amongst all the animals known in the region around Cuirlen. It was important, he was taught, that he know the quirks of each one if he was to become a true beast handler. But just training the animals wasn't enough, he had to find them as well, therefore he was apprenticed as a Ranger. Thanks to his family's reputation and standing in the village, it was Kallistrate herself who took Ryon as apprentice. Years were spent roaming the area for miles around the village until he came to know the lay of the land as well as she. Kallistrate taught him the ways of the animals, and how to track them. She also taught him all she knew of the magical beasts in the area, and of the danger they represented to the people of Cuirlen and it's surrounding villages. These creatures were not for taming she would say, they had to be removed for the safety of all. Thanks in no small part to her tutelage, and to his family's wisdom and love of animals, he came to understand them in a way that was almost frightenning. His skill at training the wolf pups he was charged with proved that he had great promise as a beast handler.

He'd always had a fancy for cats, but the few Lynx's that were tamed in the Wolfheart compound were far to wild for a child to work with, and his father always shooed him off when he went to see them. When his love of wild cats became known to the few travelling merchants that came to Cuirlen, they would tell him tales of even larger cats. Some lived in caves in the mountains, others prowled the plains, alone or in packs. Some had spots, and some had stripes, and some were even all black or white. The tales always made Ryon dream of finding such magnificent beasts. As a child, he vowed to one day tame such creatures, and bring them back to Cuirlen so that all the village could marvel at their beauty. Now an adult, that vow is still as dear to his heart as it was then. That dream had also sparked annother: to see these other lands, these mountains and great plains, deep forests, and rocky hills. And the animals! The beasts that dwelt there might be great assets to Cuirlen. Some day, he'd venture forth, useing all the skills Kallistrate had taught him. He'd make her proud of him, and return to his family with new beasts to raise and train, and earn his place among them and then some.[/SBLOCK]



Chaotic Good

Vitality: 10
Wound: 14
AC: 15, touch 12, flat footed 13
DR: 1/-
Init: +6
Listen/Spot: +5

Fort: +4
Refl: +4
Will: +1

Str: 14 (6 pts)
Dex: 14 (6 pts)
Con: 14 (6 pts)
Int: 12 (4 pts)
Wis: 12 (4 pts)
Cha: 12 (4 pts)

Skills Trained:
Handle Animal.................= +10 (4 ranks, +1 Cha, +3 Skill Focus, +2 Animal Affinity)
Hide.............................= +6 (4 Ranks, +2 Dex)
Knowledge Geography.....= +5 (4 ranks, +1 Int)
Knowledge Nature..........= +5 (4 ranks, +1 Int)
Listen..........................= +5 (4 ranks, +1 Wis)
Move Silently................= +6 (4 ranks, +2 Dex)
Profession Hunter...........= +5 (4 ranks, +1 Wis)
Ride.............................= +8 (4 ranks, +2 Dex, +2 Animal Afinity)
Spot............................= +5 (4 ranks, +1 Wis)
Survival........................= +5 (4 ranks, +1 Wis)

Feats:
Animal Affinity (+2 Handle Animal / Ride)
Favored Enemy -- Magical Beasts
Improved Initiative (+4 Init)
Skill Focus -- Handle Animal (+3)
Track
Wild Empathy

Gear:
Buckler -- +1 AC
Studded Leather -- +2 AC, DR 1/-
Longbow -- 1d8 Damage, Threat range 19-20
60 Arrows
Dagger
Backpack


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

WarShrike said:
			
		

> I like your new interpretation of FE.




It's not actually mine; the official 3.5 PHB definition is "Due to his extensive study on his chosen type of foe and training in the proper techniques for combating such creatures, the ranger gains a +2 bonus..."

I agree though; it's a much better way to run it than the old version where the ranger just hated their guts so much it hurt.


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## Voda Vosa (Oct 28, 2007)

Is it ok that I manipulated Anakelus in my background?


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

Well that story obviously isn't done, but it's become so long that I'm kind of worried.  At least I know how I'm going to end it.  My character sheet is taking a while though.

So if we have bread, does that mean we've discovered a way to make it rise, or do we only have flat bread?


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Voda Vosa said:
			
		

> Is it ok that I manipulated Anakelus in my background?




I have no problems with people using the NPCs in their backgrounds. I literally made these up as I was writing up the setting info or answering peoples' questions yesterday, so they have little to no established history for you to mess up.

That said, I have a few concerns about your backstory.



> the son of two bronze merchants ...  usually traveling to other settlements ... even in the cheapest sword he creates




1) There is no such thing as a merchant here, unless you're talking about the very rare wandering traders (I assume you're not). Do you mean more bronzesmiths? I hadn't intended for there to be more than Anakletos and his apprentices.
2) Unless you're talking about the smaller farmstead groupings and so on, there really aren't any 'other settlements'.
3) There is no such thing as a sword here. The society doesn't even know what 'war' means, and swords are only of the few medieval weapons that exists _solely_ as a weapon of war.


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## Zurai (Oct 28, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> So if we have bread, does that mean we've discovered a way to make it rise, or do we only have flat bread?




Honestly, I have no idea what all is involved in little details like this, and not much interest in learning. I took the time for bronze and such, because smelting bronze was a major step in civilization. Rising bread? Notsomuch.

Short version: Anything like this, or brewing beer, I'm going to say the people of Cuirlen have access to; either through spirit guidance, ingenuity, or trade with the wandering merchants who have access to other towns.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 28, 2007)

Well we get levened bread by putting yeast into it.  Little organisms that are usually kept in suspended animation in little baggies.  I don't quite understand it myself, but I bet if you looked up yeast you'd find everything you could possibly want.  Of course that would make things even more complicated.


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 28, 2007)

The yeast actually feeds off the sugars in the bread dough, along with the heat and water, and basically puts off a gas that allows the dough to rise. The yeast is killed when the bread is cooked. I could go into more detail, but that would just be dumb. lol


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## Voda Vosa (Oct 29, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> I have no problems with people using the NPCs in their backgrounds. I literally made these up as I was writing up the setting info or answering peoples' questions yesterday, so they have little to no established history for you to mess up.
> 
> That said, I have a few concerns about your backstory.
> 
> ...





Let's see...
1) Since english is not my native language, it is often hard to me to tell if a word in english has the same meaning than its literal translation. I meant people how travel to the farmlands, or the mines from where the bronze came, and .... transport goods. I hope I make myself clear...It's hard to me sometimes, I tend to mess up with words =P

2) I was talking of farmstead and mines and the such. Groups of people near the town.

3) Well... not swords, again, like in 1), consulting my dictionary, I should have said, knives or utilitary blades, or other bronze tools.


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## Zurai (Oct 29, 2007)

Yeah, I'm aware that English isn't your first language. Not a problem 

Your explanations look good, except for one (very minor) thing: You don't mine bronze. Bronze doesn't occur naturally; it's an alloy (mixture) of copper and tin.

Also, there are no mines in the area; the copper and tin they use are just surface deposits that will run out at some unspecified time in the future.


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## Zurai (Oct 29, 2007)

By the way ...

WOW. Almost 1,000 views and over 100 posts in just two days - and those two days are *Saturday and Sunday*, the traditionally slowest days.. I think that's a pretty solid endorsement of the concept! I mean, _I_ thought the whole Points of Light thing was brilliant, but I didn't realize it'd be this popular


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 29, 2007)

Yeah, it's a pretty solid idea. No pressure on who you select (Pick me!). I hope the game turns out great (pick me!) And that everyone has alot of fun with it (pick me!).  lol


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 29, 2007)

If you'd had modern medieval technology and tons of fireballs like 4th Edition seems to be I wouldn't have been nearly as interested.  I like some plausibility in my games.  This game immediately made me think of Dwarf Fortress so I was instantly intrigued, it didn't hurt of course that I'd actually thought of trying to run a game like this myself but I've never managed to succesfully run even a dungeon crawl so I figured I'd just hope someone else liked the idea.  

If it's ok to ask, what do you think of my character's background so far?  (pick me too!)


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## Zurai (Oct 29, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> If it's ok to ask, what do you think of my character's background so far?  (pick me too!)




Looks good, as long as you keep in mind my response to you about exiles. And, again, don't worry about 'too long' unless you're going to cast _Wall of Text_


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 29, 2007)

Hey Dire, get your own ploy to get picked!! lol. I know what you mean about the campaign concept. It will be a blast (assuming I get picked  ) to help actually create the history of a land. To be honest, I've never thought about it before, but it seems like it will be fun. That's kinda why I made my barbarian the way he is, I want him to be able to help the town out, not just kill a bird every once in a while, or get eaten by something he should of never been near.


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## Shayuri (Oct 29, 2007)

Hmm...

I need some help.

I have a good grasp of the CHARACTER...but I'm not sure where she fits into the village. What are some good jobs/professions around town she might undertake?


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 29, 2007)

Tell me some about ur character. I will give some advice if I can. You do not have to follow it of course lol. Just offering!


**Edit**    I was thinking about Rinos.....would/could it be possible for him to have a spirit mark..........and NOT know it?


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 29, 2007)

I'd be happy to help as well.


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## Zurai (Oct 29, 2007)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> Hmm...
> 
> I need some help.
> 
> I have a good grasp of the CHARACTER...but I'm not sure where she fits into the village. What are some good jobs/professions around town she might undertake?




From my update to the FAQ/Q&A post:

Here's a non-exhaustive list: Animal Husbandry, Herder, Hunter, Apothecary, Herbalist, Baker, Butcher, Carpenter, Stonemason, Architect, Bronzesmith, Tanner, Miller, Bowyer/Fletcher, Potter, Healer, Brewer, Laborer, Farmer, Weaver, Fisherman, Dyer, Cobbler, Cooper, Thatcher.


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## Shayuri (Oct 29, 2007)

As a sorceress, she's clearly going to be a charisma hound.  This manifests, at first at least, in a very forceful, strong willed personality. An unkind person might say "shrewish."   I suspect she may live in one of the outlying areas of the town...not necessarily a common sight in the main street. Perhaps the daughter of a farmer or hunter or trapper...

Not too many bronze age professions call for high charisma...at least not for young people.


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## Zurai (Oct 29, 2007)

OnlytheStrong said:
			
		

> **Edit**    I was thinking about Rinos.....would/could it be possible for him to have a spirit mark..........and NOT know it?




It would be _possible_... but _exceedingly_ unlikely. Even if you aren't a Spirit Shaman, the spirit that blessed you is a constant presence and there's no way you wouldn't be aware of it on at least a subconcious level. You might not realize it's a spirit, which is why I say it'd be possible... but with the open existance of spirit-talkers, I'd have a hard time believing your character with a 14 int and 12 wis didn't think that maybe a spirit was talking to him and go find a spirit-talker to ask about it.

There's also the question of where is his spirit mark? Babies are searched thoroughly for birthmarks at birth for just that reason. The only way I can see it being possible is if he was born with a full head of hair.


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 29, 2007)

What about some kind of performer? Maybe alittle early in civilization for it though.

Good point about the spirit mark. I was thinking plot hook for you lol. Forget I said it.


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## Zurai (Oct 29, 2007)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> As a sorceress, she's clearly going to be a charisma hound.  This manifests, at first at least, in a very forceful, strong willed personality. An unkind person might say "shrewish."   I suspect she may live in one of the outlying areas of the town...not necessarily a common sight in the main street. Perhaps the daughter of a farmer or hunter or trapper...
> 
> Not too many bronze age professions call for high charisma...at least not for young people.




Well, your profession doesn't have to exactly fit your stats. Professions in pre-modern societies usually followed family lines, after all (thus the proliferation of people named Smith, Tanner, Cooper, etc).

My first thought was Dyer. It would give her an out for the creative side of her charisma by making especially beautiful dyed leather and cloth items.


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 29, 2007)

Does the civilization have glue? Or do I get to invent it? lol I really hope I get to invent something.


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## Zurai (Oct 29, 2007)

Glue is definitely within the technological capabilities. Early glue was made by boiling down the water hides were soaked and scraped in prior to tanning. Whether or not you invented glue will have a lot to do with whether or not you end up getting picked


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## Redclaw (Oct 29, 2007)

I could see her as the daughter of a herder, realizing the power of her personality through her influence over the sheep.


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## Lorthanoth (Oct 29, 2007)

Thanks for the heads up; I will rework Alistia's stats - yes, it is a 36pt build - she'd probably go into the Expert class later; as regards background... I suppose I better put something that isn't so biased as her own point of view! LOL and glad I wasn't the only one who wondered about whether or not the bread was leavened or not!   
*
Background* contd.
Alistia is the middle child of Kereos and Vesita, the brewer and baker - her older brother is apprenticed to their father and her younger brother is more and more showing the makings of a fine hunter.

She has ambitions that are for the moment at least, almost impossible for her to attain. She knows that she is attractive, and is known for her wit and intelligence, but is desirous of more than that; she wants to 'know things', to find out more about the world. 

Anyone she perceives as 'special' is automatically accorded a great deal of respect by Alistia. She envies spirit talkers their gift and hunters their freedom and the excitement of the chase. She views her current life as a trap and seeks a way to escape. More than once she has asked one of the storytellers of the community to take her on as an apprentice, but has been refused, for although she has a natural talent and a good ear, her gift is raw and unpolished. Also, she knows her parents would disapprove.

Well-liked and well-known, even if it is just as "the baker's lovely daughter", Alistia knows there has to be more to life than this. She always seeks out any peddlers or traders who come to town, in order to find out more about the wider world; she pesters the hunters for stories of their exploits, and likes to entertain people with her skill at mimicry and vocal impersonations (often satirical).

Alistia has many friends (and some admirers) amongst the people of Cuirlen, some of whom she perhaps doesn't appreciate as much as she might. She is fond of gossip and always seems to know who is sweet on whom, and what everyone is up to.

Anything else you'd like to know? I realise that she might not have the most dramatic of adolesences or childhoods, but her 'special-ness'/traumas/weirdness is yet to come through the adventures she'll undertake.

I'd love to be in the game - not on any at ENWorld! - and the genre and setting are really original!


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## Voadam (Oct 29, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> The first generation characters will start at first level, using one of the following three options (thank you Voadam for this idea):
> 
> 36 point buy, NPC classes only for the entire progression
> 30 point buy, classes available as below
> 24 point buy, gestalt with one side taken up solely with a single NPC class




Your welcome. Glad you found it a useful model.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 29, 2007)

Hey Zurai, you see this?

http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/dev_now.html

Tomorrow!


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## Masquerade (Oct 29, 2007)

*Cleyra Tauwesh*
Age: 20 / Height: 5'9" / Weight: 117 lbs
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
[sblock=Character Sheet]Human Marshal (1st)
STR 10, +0 (2 pts)
DEX 14, +2 (6 pts)
CON 12, +1 (4 pts)
INT 14, +2 (6 pts)
WIS 10, +0 (2 pts)
CHA 16, +3 (10 pts)

Vitality Points: 9 (8+1)
Wound Points: 12

Fortitude: +3 (+1 CON, +2 Marshal)
Reflex: +2 (+2 DEX)
Will:  +2 (+0 WIS, +2 Marshal)
Initiative: +2 (+2 DEX)

Skill Points: 36 (24 Marshal, 4 Human, 8 "Skillful")
+7 Bluff (+3 CHA, 4 ranks)
+10 Diplomacy (+3 CHA, 2 ranks, +3 Skill Focus, +2 Negotiator)
+4 Knowledge [geography] (+2 INT, 2 ranks)
+6 Knowledge [local] (+2 INT, 4 ranks)
+6 Knowledge [nature] (+2 INT, 4 ranks)
+4 Listen (+0 WIS, 4 ranks)
+4 Profession [farmer] (+0 WIS, 4 ranks)
+4 Ride (+2 DEX, 2 ranks)
+4 Sense Motive (+0 WIS, 2 ranks, +2 Negotiator)
+4 Spot (+0 WIS, 4 ranks)
+4 Survival (+0 WIS, 4 ranks)

Class Features
. Proficient with all simple and martial weapons
. Proficient with all armor and shields (except tower shields)
. Minor Aura, +3 (Demand Fortitude)

Feats
. Combat Expertise [1st-level]
. Negotiator ["Grounded"]
. Point Blank Shot [Human]
. Skill Focus (Diplomacy) [Marshal]
[/sblock][sblock=Appearance/Personality]Cleyra stands above many at 5'9" but has a relatively narrow frame. Her feathery shoulder-length hair is of a light brown hue, a color shared by the irises of her round eyes. Her skin is somewhat lighter than average among her people, but this is more indicative of her parentage than any environmental differences.

Cleyra is indisputably a remarkably bright young person, but she has a tendency to overestimate the extent of her expertise. Further, she likes to give helpful suggestions to others, usually with good intent, even when such advice is not requested. Despite this shortcoming, she is generally well-liked, and those who are willing to hear her suggestions come to realize that she is, in fact, a very good listener and an overall empathic individual. Above all, she is a born leader, a trait of which she is aware but largely unable to utilize.

Cleyra holds herself to a high standard and typically expects those around her to live up to that same standard. Although she tries not to be overly judgmental, Cleyra is intolerant of laziness and inefficiency.

If Cleyra does not understand something, she won't rest until she does. If there is a problem which she can't solve, she won't rest until she can. She respects the members of her community who are more attuned to the world of spirits, the one thing she has accepted she will never be able to reduce to a knowable formula.
[/sblock][sblock=Background]Cleyra inherited the family farm when she was only seventeen years old. Her mother had been sick for a number of years, but her father somehow kept working while continuing to care for her and raising their two children. Cleyra's father's death while hunting was both sudden and unexpected. The whispered suspicions of suicide only made it harder on his children and bedridden widow.

After only a few days of grieving, it was apparent that the family would not survive much longer without leadership. Someone needed to see to the land, as it was their only means of contribution back to the community. Charging her younger brother, Mathis, with taking care of their ailing mother, Cleyra took up her father's position as the head of the farm.

She had always had a knack for mathematics and the like, and Cleyra thought there wasn't a problem in the world she couldn't solve. As such, taking up the task of managing the land was something she did with ambition and dedication. Remarkably, after only two harvests, the Tauwesh farm was already showing greater productivity than it ever had under Cleyra's father's management. Even the neighboring farms, thanks to the occasional friendly suggestion, flourished as they never had before, and, before long, most of the farmers in the area began to treat the young woman like a leader.

The hamlet's unusually productive season drew the attention of Eriboea from the council of elders. Cleyra took Eriboea's commendation of her leadership and agricultural know-how as a great honor. She had a great deal of respect for the older woman, and was pleased not only to be recognized by her, but to get to know her. The two of them had a great deal in common and began exchanging ideas that would improve the next growing season for the community as a whole. As a gift to her new protégé, Eriboea promised Cleyra that her mother would receive the attention from the best healers around, and, after only a few months, there have already been signs of improvement. Although she has still been confined to her bed, Cleyra's mother has been growing more energetic by the day, and the healers have suggested that she may be able to move about again by the end of the year. As their mother has been improving, Mathis has been spending more time helping his sister with farm, allowing her to devote herself more permanently to Eriboea's assistance in overseeing the local agriculture.

The community's opinion of Cleyra's father was not high. Many of his fellow harvesters felt that he did not pull his weight; some among them were considerate of the man's burdens at home, but most were not as forgiving. Despite her accomplishments, many of Cuirlen's older farmers view Cleyra as only paying back the interest on her family's debts. Among her peers, however, Cleyra is generally respected, if not liked, although her dedication to her labor and her geographical distance has prevented her from establishing many lasting friendships around Cuirlen; her closest ties are to her mother and brother, and, more recently, to her mentor, Eriboea.
[/sblock]Still to do: Buy gear, determine AC/attacks, possibly adjust some skills/feats to better fit with a group


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## Zurai (Oct 29, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Hey Zurai, you see this?
> 
> http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/dev_now.html
> 
> Tomorrow!




I've been following the development page for over a year   

Note that the 'tomorrow' note was dated last night. Tomorrow is, in fact, today (although Toady sometimes stays up until like 6 AM PST, so tomorrow might be tomorrow too).


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## Zurai (Oct 29, 2007)

Masquerade said:
			
		

> *Cleyra Tauwesh*




Looks great!


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## Masquerade (Oct 29, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> Looks great!



Thanks~


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## James Heard (Oct 29, 2007)

So...we have coin and interest and debts and such?

I was thinking that the town was really somewhere in the early bronze age? Am I wrong?


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## Masquerade (Oct 29, 2007)

James Heard said:
			
		

> So...we have coin and interest and debts and such?
> 
> I was thinking that the town was really somewhere in the early bronze age? Am I wrong?



My references to debt and interest were not intended to be monetary. In this community, survival is a shared responsibility to which each individual is expected to contribute. I referred to a failure to live up to this responsibility in terms of a perceived "debt."

Sorry for the confusion.


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## Zurai (Oct 29, 2007)

James Heard said:
			
		

> So...we have coin and interest and debts and such?
> 
> I was thinking that the town was really somewhere in the early bronze age? Am I wrong?




No, you're not wrong. I don't see where your question is coming from, honestly. Masquerade's background mentioned "her family's debt to the community" but from context that's referring to the fact that Cleyra's father wasn't putting as much effort into his farming as he should have been. You can still have the concept of debt without having coinage; her family owes the community for the fact that they havn't been contributing as much as they should.


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## Lorthanoth (Oct 29, 2007)

Is there any more in terms of 'fluff' or 'crunch' that you'd like to see regarding Alistia?


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## Zurai (Oct 29, 2007)

Lorthanoth said:
			
		

> Is there any more in terms of 'fluff' or 'crunch' that you'd like to see regarding Alistia?




Alistia looks great  Don't worry about her not having a dramatic background; not *everyone* needs to be an orphan!


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 29, 2007)

I got curious as to how many people had submitted concepts/character sheets. So, I made a list. Sorry to anyone I forgot, the people I wrote everyone down but 2 people that I know of, since they hadn't posted since the first or second page. If I have the wrong character class listed, then please let me know and I will correct it. I'm intending this to help Zurai as well as to satisfy any curiousity about how many people have submitted. 

Dire Lemming-Spirit Shaman
EvolutionKB-Spirit Shaman
James Heard-Wizard
Lorthanoth-Commoner
Masquerade-Marshal
Nac Mac Feegle-Scout?
OnlytheStrong-Barbarian
Redclaw-Scout
Shayuri-Sorceress
Voda Vosa-Fighter
Warstrike-Ranger


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## Voda Vosa (Oct 29, 2007)

I posted a bronzesmith warrior =)


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## James Heard (Oct 29, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> No, you're not wrong. I don't see where your question is coming from, honestly. Masquerade's background mentioned "her family's debt to the community" but from context that's referring to the fact that Cleyra's father wasn't putting as much effort into his farming as he should have been. You can still have the concept of debt without having coinage; her family owes the community for the fact that they haven't been contributing as much as they should.



I was under the impression that we had no coin and that everything of any real importance was done more or less communally rather than a strict system of barter that would lend itself to interest. Since we have no contact with other people, it would seem that such a strict system would be out of place - while various people might not like each other as much other people even the idea that there's no rigorous marriage contracting means that there's little or no estate issues yet when people die. That too seems to suggest we're all a happy bunch of primeval agrarian communists  Once you've got interest and a more codified barter system you've got usury, which usually means that you have to have a stronger government in there somewhere to keep your happy villagers from killing each other.

I just saw it as an anachronism that I wanted to poke at to see if it twisted away like a snake.


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 29, 2007)

Sorry for missing it, and thank you for telling me. It is fixed now.


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## Redclaw (Oct 29, 2007)

That's quite a list, with both a lot of overlap and variety.  I don't envy Zurai the decision-making he has ahead of him.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 29, 2007)

The one thing I'm worried about with Cleyra is what kind of horrible disease her mother has that our great healers can't cure! 

James, I think the interest is just a way of saying that the people felt that they were owed something for Cleyra's father's lack of work.  There's no law or rule about it.  It's just the way they feel.  You're really looking at this the wrong way.  Also, I don't think this culture has any concept of communism, for that they would need some sort of government.  All they really have is working together to ensure their mutual survival.  Magic kinda screws with a culture's development as well.


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## Zurai (Oct 29, 2007)

James Heard said:
			
		

> we're all a happy bunch of primeval agrarian communists




Pretty much. For now ... <evil DM laughter>

Ahem. Anyway, yeah, the society is pretty utopian right now. Even in Utopia, though, people can still feel resentful that someone doesn't seem to be pulling their weight with the workload. The terms may be anachronistic, but the emotions aren't really.


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## Lorthanoth (Oct 29, 2007)

Damn Reds! Er... I mean... Go Commoners!


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## Zurai (Oct 29, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> The one thing I'm worried about with Cleyra is what kind of horrible disease her mother has that our great healers can't cure!




Well, technically, I havn't said whether anyone even has *access* to the _Remove Disease_ spell. Only 3 people out of the ~900 in Cuirlen are even able to cast 3rd level spells, and one of those people uses arcane magic. The other two are spirit shamans with a panther and river totem. Pantheras isn't particularly adept at healing magic. Sotera could be, but as one of the most powerful spellcasters in the village, one of the most powerful spirit-talkers, and with _by far_ the most important spirit patron, she may not even be aware of Cleyra's mother's illness. Also, since she seems to be getting better with non-magical treatment, Sotera may feel that a magical cure is a more extreme step than is needed.


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 29, 2007)

I had planned Rinos for trading tanned hides, meat, and maybe an occasional live animal (if he can catch one alive) for other goods. While we do not have a "modern day" concept of money, trading has gone on for as long as people have existed (I think). I know that in early America, people would use various skins in place of money for trading. That is why we call them "bucks." 
I guess what I'm getting at is, is this how our society would work? Not just..."I need bread, let me take it. You need skins for a blanket? Okay take some."


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## Zurai (Oct 29, 2007)

Redclaw said:
			
		

> That's quite a list, with both a lot of overlap and variety.  I don't envy Zurai the decision-making he has ahead of him.




Yeah, that's more applicants than I thought I had. I'm going to have to cut that least in half, at the least.  

I'm not worried about overlap, though. As I said in the introduction, character backstory is the only quality I'm using to determine who gets in and who doesn't. I'll choose the 4-6 people with the backstories I like the most who get to play; if I end up with 4 spirit shamans, or even 6 commoners, so be it! The game will adapt.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 29, 2007)

WHAT!?  I take offense to the notion that we're not totally leet haxor with ranch dressing!    Well surely a healer could be a considerable help even without magical glowy healy powers!  I'll bring her some Blackfrond next time I go there!  

I must save everyone!


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 29, 2007)

I was kinda shocked too. Makes me want to re-work my background story, except........ I don't know what I can change to add to it.


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## Zurai (Oct 29, 2007)

OnlytheStrong said:
			
		

> I guess what I'm getting at is, is this how our society would work? Not just..."I need bread, let me take it. You need skins for a blanket? Okay take some."




Yes, that's the intent. The society is barter-based. You don't get something for nothing, although people aren't just going to let someone starve to death either (excepting exiles). The spirits tend to get upset when anything starves to death.

If someone is perceived to have no worthwhile skills, they'll have to work as a laborer for their food, or get family to provide for them. People tend to die a lot younger than the PHB maximum age, so the 'elderly' in Cuirlen aren't much of a problem. Life's pretty harsh in an isolated bronze age society. And that's _before_ the neighbours get restless.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 29, 2007)

I hope the "short" story I'm writing will help.  I should finish it today once I get home, and I'll post it.  Of course if I'd been smart I would have put it on my USB drive and finished it here.  :\


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 29, 2007)

Times like this I wish I was psychic lol. Just read Zurai's mind and be like "crap, I didn't make it," or hopefully "Woot! I made it! I'm king of the world!"


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## Zurai (Oct 29, 2007)

I havn't even decided *how many* people I'm taking, let alone *who*! Sheesh, some people...


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 29, 2007)

I didn't really figure you had a list in your head of who you were taking.. (pick me!) I don't want to try to convince you to take me (pick me). Just.......pick me! lol 


I really don't envy you for having to choose who to pick. I like several of the concepts and alot of the backgrounds lol.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 29, 2007)

OnlytheStrong said:
			
		

> Times like this I wish I was psychic lol. Just read Zurai's mind and be like "crap, I didn't make it," or hopefully "Woot! I made it! I'm king of the world!"




Yeah, but what if he changes his mind when you aren't looking?

By the way, in my story the exile is attacked by wild animals for no apparent reason and Enko perceives this as a trial from the spirits.  Is that ok?  Also, I kind of made Blackfrond a little overpowered in this, as it caused wounds to scar over in about a day.  Maybe the healing effects are cumulative so that you heal faster the more regularly you drink it...  If you can stomach the stuff!


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## Zurai (Oct 29, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> By the way, in my story the exile is attacked by wild animals for no apparent reason and Enko perceives this as a trial from the spirits.  Is that ok?




That's fine. I'm giving you guys pretty free reign over your backstories.



> Also, I kind of made Blackfrond a little overpowered in this, as it caused wounds to scar over in about a day.  Maybe the healing effects are cumulative so that you heal faster the more regularly you drink it...  If you can stomach the stuff!




It's possible that blackfrond tea works better when the one making it has the very literal blessing of the blackfrond  Also, just because the wound scars over doesn't mean all the hp damage has been removed. Scars have a nasty tendency to re-open when struck or stretched.

Shorthand: That's fine too.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 29, 2007)

Ok, cool.  Um, is it cool if the results of what happens in my story end up becoming in/famous within the world.  I already thought it could be called the story of the forgiven, or the repentant exile, or something like that.  A lesson about how it's practically impossible to be forgiven and therefor another warning against doing things that would get you exiled in the first place.  Also, it'd be cool if the story made it's main characters a bit in/famous too.

I really of want to share the ending with you, but would you rather I wait until I post the rest of the story?

Jeez, at this rate Enko will be a minor legend before I even get to play him.  If I don't get picked for this round I'm just going to _have_ to reuse this character's background for the next one.  Unless you make him an NPC, that's cool too I guess.

Also, can unprepared Blackfrond work like Kingsfoil to stop bleeding?  Except it stings link hell for a bit.


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## Zurai (Oct 29, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Um, is it cool if the results of what happens in my story end up becoming in/famous within the world.




As long as you don't go making yourself King of Cuirlen, I can probably handle it  I can't give you a much better answer than that until I see the backstory.



> I really of want to share the ending with you, but would you rather I wait until I post the rest of the story?




It's up to you.



> Also, can unprepared Blackfrond work like Kingsfoil to stop bleeding?




<rolls dice> Unprepared blackfrond fronds are mildly poisonous and hallucinogenic. They won't kill anyone, but they make your stomache feel funny and you see and hear things that aren't really there (or are they?).


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 29, 2007)

lol Dire Lemming found the first drug!! Already made some history!


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## WarShrike (Oct 29, 2007)

We gots WEED!   

Hey Lemming, thanks for the DF link, i never even heard of it, but i got it now.   

WarShrike


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 29, 2007)

Ok, well with all the melodrama cut out; Enko and Eleinya get the council to agree that Ceryan can return if he can survive for thirteen days, since that was the amount of time Enko survived as a child.  Ceryan successfully survives the animal attacks thanks to the moral and practical support of Enko and Eleinya.  On the twelfth day they all go to celebrate how he'll get to come back soon, they stay too long and it starts to get dark.  Ceryan tells them they need to leave because the attacks usualy come as the sun is setting.  They start to leave but then something roars and knocks Enko unconscious.  When he wakes up it's the early morning and the birds are just waking up from the dim light.  He finds that his arm is broken, so he heals himself, then he finds Eleinya unconscious with toothmarks on her back and chest and a slash down her leg.  He heals her.  Then they find Ceryan on the far side of the dead dire bear with his spear embedded in it's heart.  He's missing his left eye, and has several broken bones and nasty gashes and needs immediate medical attention.  However, when Enko tries to heal him he finds out he's exhausted his healing spells, though he doesn't know that's the reason he fails.  

So since he's so badly wounded they can't move him, so Eleinya yells at him to go get help and he runs off in a panic without thinking about the fact that he should be the one to stay since he's the healer.  He gets back to town and gets into trouble for being gone all night while he tries to explain that Ceryan is supposed to be allowed to return today but that he's badly injured.  When they _finally_ clear everything up and get back with another healer they find him dead and when Eleinya looks at Enko he freaks out and bolts, and has avoided her to this day, thinking that she blames him for Ceryan's death and hates him.  He's also developed a very strong conviction to keep anything like this from ever happening again, that includes trying to make sure that no one does something that would get them exiled in the first place.

The story has been adapted by the council to make Ceryan a bit of a tragic hero who was a fool at first but learned the error of his ways and atoned, though he died in the end.  Both Enko and Eleinya are mentioned as the people who pleaded his case.

Eleinya blamed Enko at first but later found out that it wasn't his fault and now feels crappy about the fact that he avoids her like the plague, as they had become close friends over that time, she hasn't taken a serious interest in another man since Ceryan died.  She thinks Enko blames her for Ceryan's death and feels bad about it because in a desperate attempt to do something to help him she tried sticking unprepared Blackfrond in his wounds.  This made didn't heal him, but it did actually make him stop noticing just how much pain he was in.  When he started spouting nonsense though she got even more freaked out.

One of the reasons Enko travels around so much now is to avoid Eleinya.


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## Shayuri (Oct 29, 2007)

Here's the backstory and concept. Still dinking on the sheet, but I can put what I have if you need to see it.

Erin is the daughter of the widow Heskia, a fine weaver and seamstress of Cuirlen. Because Heskia owns a small flock of sheep, she primarily works in wools, though when presented with other threads and fabrics she's delighted to use them as well. The two women are seemingly studies of opposition though. Heskia quiet and patient, content to sit for hours at the loom...Erin is rambunctious and energetic, easily bored. She has some skill at weaving, but has yet to develop the appreciation of solitude and quiet that the art demands. She is also, oddly enough, rather a good cook.

For over a year now, unhealthy rumors have bubbled around Erin. In the past, these were mainly the mutterings of parents who felt she was a bad influence. Now though...strange events seemed to follow the girl. Pots spilling over. Unexplainable lights hovering in the air. These rumors gained force when Heskia one day went to Phaidros, and returned to her hut with the wizard in tow. The feeling was one of relief. Surely the girl had been cursed by spirits...but old Phaidros would know, and refer her to one of the shamen...

In fact, his reaction was quite different. Erin flabbergasted him. No apprenticeship, no books, no long nights poring over formulae. What Erin did, she claimed, just came to her. 

Fascinated, Phaidros made her his most recent apprentice. The weaver's daughter has proven to be a real test of even his patience though. There's something different about how she uses magic...she has plenty of power, yet can't seem to learn spells no matter how hard she tries. Yet, not too long ago, she cast a spell she'd never known before. Again, no spellbook, no study.

By this time, the two are almost completely on each other's nerves. To Erin, Phaidros is a tyrant; full of unreasonable orders and punishments, and always griping that she's not applying herself just because she likes to go hide out around town or in the fields when she should be studying. To Phaidros, Erin is insubordinate, lazy, selfish and worse, may be a bad example to his other apprentices.

What keeps them both going in spite of all that is magic. Erin wants more, Phaidros wants to find out how she does what she does. Their uneasy truce still holds; the one not quite daring to burn down the bridge with the other while each still think they have something to gain from it all.


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## James Heard (Oct 29, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> Yes, that's the intent. The society is barter-based. You don't get something for nothing, although people aren't just going to let someone starve to death either (excepting exiles). The spirits tend to get upset when anything starves to death.
> 
> If someone is perceived to have no worthwhile skills, they'll have to work as a laborer for their food, or get family to provide for them. People tend to die a lot younger than the PHB maximum age, so the 'elderly' in Cuirlen aren't much of a problem. Life's pretty harsh in an isolated bronze age society. And that's _before_ the neighbours get restless.



That's what I was thinking - there's so few people and so few industries (and what industry you'd have would be very labor intensive) that everyone would have to be pretty used to chipping in and helping "just because," especially with some of the critical industries like farming. Farming should be (nearly) communal, because crops have to be planted and harvested on pretty keen schedules. The same is probably true for sheep shearing and most of the cooking & hunting, and especially things like putting together/repairing houses.

Anyways, I'm not trying to be critical - just trying to nail down the time period/technology/common customs a little more because I've got some notions on what direction I'd like to take Antiklites in that would seem really wonky if the town is past the "Everyone helps his or her neighbor, because that's all we have" stage and were in the "Everyone for themselves, because you can't trust anyone else" portion of developing towns. Levels of distrust I suppose? Except for people who are simply annoying, or possible exiles doping up the town and such, I'd imagined that everyone pretty much treated everyone else as extended family. 

With loose marriage customs, maybe we're all 3rd cousins anyway.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 30, 2007)

Don't aboriginal tribes have some sort of complicated mathematical system for determining whether someone is far enough removed from them to be safe to mate with?  Well that's what my path teacher told me.  I think...  Though admittedly, she's not an anthropologist.

Anyway, why can't we?

Also, James, you should keep in mind that this is not the real world but a fictional one with magic and whatnot, be careful not to concentrate too hard on stuff like "what time period it is."  The history of this world, at least for us, has yet to occur.  It's more important to consider what rules this world is governed with that would cause history to move in a certain way.

Zurai: Anything to say about my background?


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## Masquerade (Oct 30, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Also, James, you should keep in mind that this is not the real world but a fictional one with magic and whatnot, be careful not to concentrate too hard on stuff like "what time period it is."  The history of this world, at least for us, has yet to occur.  It's more important to consider what rules this world is governed with that would cause history to move in a certain way.



Agreed. Plus, I consider a certain degree of anachronism to be a feature, rather than a flaw, of many roleplaying games.


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 30, 2007)

I kind of agree with you Dire. We could never had a "dark age" or an age of enlightenment, or they may come sooner than we think. It all had yet to be determined. We may never invent the wheel or no telling what else. That's why I love this concept. It all depends on us. If we feel like inventing a missile (way way way off) we can, it's not just given to us.


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## Voda Vosa (Oct 30, 2007)

Yep, that's what I like about this ^^


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## Zurai (Oct 30, 2007)

First, I'll be very slow posting tonight. Why? New version of Dwarf Fortress! 

I'll respond to everyone in the same post this time just to save space a little.

*Dire Lemming*: Enko's backstory looks good, except that he's apparantly _openly_ assisting an exile? Exile is like excommunication - no one from the village can help an exile.

*Shayuri*: Erin looks great.

*James Heard*: Not a problem. I understand exactly why you're asking. Farming isn't _quite_ as mega-timing-sensitive as it was in the real world, primarily because there are people who can just ask the spirits of the land when the best time to plant is. Also, there are two people with the ability to cast _Plant Growth_, and I *assure* you, come planting time, Sotera and Pantheras are both quite busy using all their 3rd-level slots casting it. Having that extra 1/3 yield goes a long, long way towards giving room for error.


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## Nightbreeze (Oct 30, 2007)

*Is binder allowed?*

I'd like to plead for a Binder (tome of magic) character. A lot of major tweaks will be needed in order to make the class and character fit with the background. I'm going to state my suggestions and I'm more than willing to accept major changes and bans on the character.

First of all, my idea revolves around a gestald Binder/Expert male with the spiritmark. The binding abilities, at a very basic stage. They have discovered that there exist exiled spirits: spirits that have been cast away from the world and now they cannot glimpse it or find it, except by a connection through a human (aka the vestiges). the connection is created by drawing a sign and invoking the spirit. Therefore the spirit inhabits the body for a full day, experiencing "life" again. As for payment, it grants some powers to the recipient. Sadly, it also influences the mannerism and appearance of the binder, making him look and act VERY strange, unless he manages to take control over the spirit. 

[sblock=background (loooong)]
Because of this trick in the otherwise very simple process of binding, the Ouranos (^_^) clan has been regarded as a clan of spirit gifted....but also crazy people, in the last decades. It seems that they are indeed gifted (or cursed?) by a strong connection to the spirit world, and they are often possessed by spirits. As always in primitive societies, madman are granted a certain degree of respect, and everybody left them in peace. Also, even if sometimes crazy, they were usually nice fellows, helping everyone and trying to make everything run smoothly. They just sometime needed to go away and hide for some hours or days, because of their "things".

There are two incidents with the Ouranos family, and almost anyone above the 30 years remembers them.

First, on a sunny day, 24 years ago Geraki Ouranos, the elder of the family, had a furious discussion with Pantheras, the newly appointed spirit-talker elder. No one knows what they spoke about (or those who know remain silent on that matter), but the ENTIRE Ouranos clan decided to get away from this city. They gathered all their belongings, and left following the river and going north. Almost everyone suspected that soon the river would bring their corpses back, and this proved to be a half - truth. Indeed, soon after that the hunters found the corpses of several Ouranos: two little twins, named Galanos and Aspros, and their mother, Anatolilou. However, the rest of the clan was never seen or heard of again....

except for Elpida, the 17 years old daughter of Geraki, the rebel child of the clan.  Her red hair was unique in this dark-haired population, and many whispered that she was touched by the fox spirit. There was no surprise then when everyone discovered that she had had a secret engagement with Akakios, the fox spirit-marked young man, and the only man in the city that could stand next to her beauty without making a poor appearance. 

Indeed the engagement was not only secret, but also forbidden, as Geraki had absolutely disapproved not only the claimers of Elpida's hand, but even Elpida herself. She refused to follow his commands, and it was even said that at the whopping 17 years, she still hasn't been introduced to the clan guardian spirits. 

Well, Akakios managed to make her disobey the orders of her father: she was the only Ouranos that didn't flee from the city, and soon she became Akakios' woman. She had and raised a healthy child named Elafros. After few years of happy life, the ugly inner face of Akakios began to show, and poor Elpida couldn't bring the shame that she was so easily fooled by such a low man into abandoning her family. She retired in the old and abandoned house of the Ouranos family, and managed to raise her child until he was 9 years old. During a cold winter night, she died because of the excessive fatigue and regret.

Young Elafros was then raised by Pantheras' niece, Iremia. He quickly proved to be not only beautiful as his parents, but also a quick-learner and a sharp mind. His attention covered almost any aspect of life and soon he was pestering all-day long the artisans, hunters and spirit-talkers, in order to know more about everything.

He has 23 years now, and he works at the workshop of 25 years old elder, Anakletos. Actually Elafros doesn't possess great physical strength or stamina: indeed, his work there is limited to few and specific tasks. He actually knows a little bit of everything and you can very often find him in various workshops, helping for something and making some weird experiments. He also knows a great lot about nature, history and other strange an seemingly useless stuff. [sblock]class skills with maxed ranks: Bluff, Diplomacy, Sense motive, Intimidate, Perform(wind instruments), Knowledge(nature), Knowledge(architecture and engineering), Craft(masonry), Craft(metallurgy), Knowledge(carpentry), Craft (shipbuilding). otal: 11 (6 base-expert, +2 houserule, +2 intelligence, +1 human) [/sblock]

He displays an evident distaste for his father and his brother-in-law, the 18 years old Kalloni (as beautiful and as arrogant as his father). They gladly answer to the distaste with distaste, feeling threatened by this young who seems to have the ear of many people in town.

Few years ago, Elafros discovered a secret room in his grandfather house, and there he found the secrets of binding. Since then, he has been experimenting with them, and an year ago he let slip that he has the Ouranos gift to the population. Thanks to the fact that many people like him, no one seems to be particularly concerned, except for his few enemies. Of course, thing may change if he started to use the vestigial power more often.

Also, Elafros not only has the Ouranos gift: he even has the spirit mark of the sky. He rarely speaks about it, though. It is visible in his eyes: they often change color according to his state of mind, ranging from light blue to cloudy white or dark, almost black, blue, like the sky during a thunderstorm

Appearance and personality: Elafros Ouranos is a tall man with long and red hair. He has brown eyes and a handsome smile on his face. He is willing to speak with everyone, adding his thoughts on any conversation and topic. He is hiding the truth about he vestigial power, but he suspects that Pantheras knows something about it. He has a somewhat cold heart, in the sense that according to him the community is more important than the single individuals. Also, he things that his people has stayed for too long imprisoned in their little piece of land: it is the time now for them to move on and explore and settle new places, search for new opportunities and make progress in each and every field. [/sblock]

Personal notes: many of the vestiges are not fit to the setting. My suggestions is to swap them for nature-related custom vestiges, made by the Wizard boards community. For example, I found theese two:
http://forums.gleemax.com/showpost.php?p=8952260&postcount=92
http://forums.gleemax.com/showpost.php?p=9169596&postcount=160

a wolf related and a flower related first level vestige, who could substitute Amon and Aym.

The search, or invention of new vestiges shall be interesting part of the character development. As according to your houserules all spell are capped at 4th level, the same shall apply for vestiges, too.

Also, keep in mind that thanks to the vestiges, a binder can do almost anything and has a great flexibility. That me result not so good for the DM, in certain situation.
I will post the entire sheet once I get the "go" from the DM.
[sblock=abilities]Charisma 16, Intelligence 14, everything else 10[/sblock]
Thanks for reading all of this 


In the background, each of the names has a meaning in Greek 
(By the way, Artemisia shall be mine  )


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 30, 2007)

I'm not sure what you mean by being open about it.  He didn't tell anyone that he was helping him when he went to the forest to collect herbs.  Neither did Eleinya. All he did openly was plead his case and then try to save him on the day he was supposed to be forgiven.  Of course I haven't really resolved how they explained themselves being so messed up.  Enko didn't get blood all over him since his only major wound was a bone fracture, maybe Eleinya admitted that she had helped him though.

Also, Egad!  New version of DF!?  I must get home!  Also, I must finish the story and post it!  But after that I must play DF!


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## James Heard (Oct 30, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Also, James, you should keep in mind that this is not the real world but a fictional one with magic and whatnot, be careful not to concentrate too hard on stuff like "what time period it is."  The history of this world, at least for us, has yet to occur.  It's more important to consider what rules this world is governed with that would cause history to move in a certain way.



Understanding history, in any iteration, aids in understanding the ourselves. When I design a character for a game it thrives best when I understand the ground that it walks on and why the people around it are the way they are. Since in this game it's impossible to refer to history or a document that pretends to present one I find it useful to ground my inquiries in people who might, one might imagine, have similar circumstances. 

To do that, of course, a person has to be very clear on what the people are. If the people are wholly imagined though? That's one thing to come to from a process, and a different thing to assume from the beginning. I'm fine with "things are different here," I really am - but if I don't know how they're different then I'm not going to be able to roleplay a character as well as I might otherwise. The character would be all personality presented against a blank canvas, rather than a presentation that interacts with a canvas that can reasonably be assumed to have certain expected things upon it. 

I'm well aware that other people don't mind a lower level of vitality in their settings, but I'm just one of those people who'd rather see if I can't nail down the small stuff if I can somehow. I can live without it, but if it's acceptable for other people to ask questions about marriage customs then I won't be made to feel bad about asking other questions about the nature of the town and forming baseless opinions to present and compare to the GM's vision for clarification.

Sorry if this comes across as somewhat preachy, but I hope you all realize what it seems like when I ask some questions and come back to the computer with a heap of responses from the other players basically seeming to tell me to blow off and shut up?


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 30, 2007)

I have an issue with your last post. First off, if I was going to tell you to shut up, I would. Ask Zurai lol. All that was said was that there IS NO history here. It is a group of people trying to survive. One person's survival depends on the group and the groups survival depends on it's individual people. You cannot, in any form, relate our history and ancient culture to one where we have yet to create it. There will be similar effects, that is for sure, but if the history follows our own, then why play? I could just read a history book and catch the whole story. 

The point is, we get to make it. We get to determine a form of government if we want, we get to establish trade lines, we get to invent our sciences and magic. I can't wait to invent things (if I am chosen). I can't wait to see what others invent or discover. I hope I get to discover something before Rinos gets killed or retires. 

I do understand you wanting to know more details, to find something more concrete to hold onto, but I have a feeling this will be a more free flowing world. Zurai cannot tell you this is the bronze age, because we may invent something that wasn't found in that time period. The simple use of magic makes it different from the bronze age. 

Now, to be blunt about it. I did not intend my post to tell you to shut up. As I mentioned earlier, I would of flat out told you to shut up or what I thought about your post. I did not appreciate your last post, even if it was not directed to me. Dire Lemming has made several posts, many of which have been rather good questions or for the simple purpose of helping another potential player. Please, do not cause a divide before the game begins, or go ahead and cause one, then Zurai decisions (one side or the other) would become easier.


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## Zurai (Oct 30, 2007)

*Nightbreeze*: First, you guys aren't capped at 4th level spells. It just so happens that the highest level NPC around is 7th or 8th level, which means the highest level spell any character that matters for backstory purposes can cast is 4th level. If you guys hit 9th level or above, you'll be able to cast 5th level spells just fine.

About the binder... I like the concept of the class, and I can see that with some major reflavoring work it could be made to fit in the setting. If you can find or make me enough balanced low level vestiges that fit or can be reflavored to fit a nature/animal theme (enough for you to start play with options for the next handful of levels), I'll give you the tentative OK to develop the character further. I'll caution you, though: I have literally zero experience DMing for or playing Binders, and only very slightly more than that playing with people that use them. This makes me nervous with regards to allowing a bunch of homebrew vestiges.

*Dire Lemming*: I see now. That'll work, I suppose, although there may be 'consequences' in the community if anyone ever figures out his full involvement.

*James Heard*: You'll get no complaints from me. History (specifically pre-medieval history) remains one of my favorite subjects. One of my goals for this entire excersize is to have everything _make sense_ from the very origin of history forward. It's hard to do that with a flawed foundation.


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## Nightbreeze (Oct 30, 2007)

By the way, my e-mail is davidalexandrov (youknowwhat) gmail (youknowwhat) com,
if someone wants a quick chat, or just some info.


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## Zurai (Oct 30, 2007)

OK, that's enough of that. There will be *no arguments* of any sort between players in this thread. Any players I decide are arguing will be immediately and permanently removed from the pool of potential players for this and all future generations.

Period. Do _not_ try me.


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 30, 2007)

Understood and agreed with. I don't mean to come off as rude ever. Let's bury the ol' hatchet here and think about this game. I don't want it to be cheapened at all by arguing or petty squabbles. So I apologize for coming off as rude.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 30, 2007)

Well here is what I have so far.  I may write up the ending of the story all pretty and stuff but I'm feeling lazy right now, and I've alreay spoiled it for you anyway.

[sblock]Enko of the Blackfrond
Race: Human
Class: Spirit Shaman 1
Gender: Male
Alignment: NG (If it matters.)

Str: 10
Dex: 10
Con: 14 +2
Int: 12 +1
Wis: 14 +2
Cha: 16 +3



He was born with the mark of the Blackfrond fern.  His home is in the town but he often travels to the outlying farms and hamlets to check on people.  He seems somewhat timid but this is more an aversion to conflict than a fear of pain or punishment.  His living family consists of his Mother, Father, four years younger Sister, his Mother's Sister and his Father's Mother.  His Aunt is a farmer, his Mother is a spirit talker and his Father and Grandmother are hunters.  His mother is a healer as well and he idolizes her somewhat.  When he was 3 years old he somehow managed to wander into the forest and no one is quite sure how he survived, but they found him sleeping at its edge thirteen days later.  His survival was attributed to the little people in the forest.  This in fact was true, though no one knew it for sure.  For a while this caused his parents to become extremely overprotective of him and only in recent years was he again allowed to venture out of the town.  He has yet to build his own house and start his own family.

Enko is a very compassionate young man.  A little too compassionate, some might say.  Three years ago another young man named Ceryan was sentenced to exile for angering the spirits of the hunt, the boy, for indeed, he was no older than Enko had been at that time was an orphan who’s parents had both died in a hunt.  Enko felt great sadness, as Ceryan cried his protests, that the spirits had abandoned his mother and father, so why should he not do the same to them.  Still the decision had been made, since he would not repent and make amends, he must be banished.  In the end, the boy went quietly, though there were tears in his eyes.  He ran into the forest as Enko watched him, feeling almost as bad.

Enko decided to follow the boy, though he knew that he should not help an exile, and that his parents did not want him to enter the forest, he could not help himself.  As he passed the first tree he found to his surprise that the place was not anywhere near as dark and foreboding as his parents had made it out to be when he was a child.  Perhaps that had merely been an exaggeration of their part in order to scare him away.  All of this was because of what had happened when he was three.  He sighed and started looking carefully around for signs of the other boy.  He did not to be so thorough.  “What are you doing here?” called an angry voice to his left.  He turned to see the red eyes boy from before sitting hunched against the trunk of a nearby tree.  “I…” Enko started to reply, but trailed off as no words came to him.  “I know you… Blackfrond boy.  You’re a spirit talker, your family has lots of furs and your mom is Niada of the Guiding Star.  What are you doing here?”  “I’m… Enko.”  Enko stuttered “And I’m trash!  They’ve thrown me to the wolves!”  The boy shouted in return, his voice breaking.  “I don’t… no.  Why would you not respect the spirits?  You knew what would happen.”  The boy glared at him “Spirits!?  What spirits!?  The spirits my mother and father honored every day without fail until the day they were killed!?  The spirits let them die!”  “No!” Enko shouted.  “They did not abandon them!”  “Then why are they dead!?”  “They-….” Enko once again trailed off.  The boy put his head down on his knees and started weeping quietly.  It was clear that he did not even intend to try to survive.  He had given up on everything.  “The spirits… they cannot always protect everyone.  And that beast was a monster.  Perhaps that beast’s spirit was stronger than the one protecting your parents…  I…  That monster is to blame for their deaths, but they have been avenged…  You should be at peace.”  The young man looked up, his eyes still wet.  “M- My name is Ceryan …”  Enko nodded, “Wait here, I’m going to get you some food and a branch you can make into a spear.”  “I can-“ Ceryan shouted, but Enko had already left.  He returned quickly, hauling a sturdy tree branch with a freshly sharpened end and holding his shirt so that it formed a basket full of berries and mushrooms.  “These are the safe kind.  You can tell because of the black rings on the trunk and the slits on the top.  Don’t eat any other fungus.  The only berries you have to watch out for are the bright red ones that shine in the darkness, and the green ones.  The green ones aren’t ripe yet.  Therefore the moon spirit shall protect you by showing you the bad berries.  The pine spirit shall protect you from wolves, and the spirits of these berries and fungus shall protect you from starvation.”  Ceryan stared up at him.  “Why are you…”  now it was his turn to trail off.  “No one should die like this… but for the safety of everyone, those that do not respect the spirits, and incur their wrath, must be exiled.”  Ceryan did not reply, he simply sat there with a thoughtful expression on his face.  “Don’t go too far into the woods, make a fire.  I’ll try to come back tomorrow if I can.”  Enko said, turning to leave.  He knew that Ceryan already would have done those things.  Everyone else seemed afraid of the forest.  He didn’t know why, the only really dangerous things in here were wolves, and they usually avoided humans.  

He carefully returned to town, and somehow made it back without being spotted, or so he thought.  As he came around a building he nearly slammed into a girl who it seemed had been waiting for him, for she immediately reached out and grabbed him, saying in a quiet but urgent voice.  “You, you’re Enko Blackfrond!  You followed him didn’t you?”  “I…” Enko said, a feeling of familiarity coming over him.  “I saw you!  Did you find him?  Is he alright?” She continued without even giving him a chance to answer.  “Eh… yeah, he’s fine… just, unwell in spirit.  He blamed the spirits for his parent’s deaths, so he abandoned them… but I think he might understand now.  Um, who are you?”  “I am… Eleinya…”  The girl said, now that he wasn’t worried that she was going to pound on him or expose what he’d done he got a chance to look at her.  She was dressed in mostly leather clothes, so perhaps she was a hunter.  Like Ceryan’s parents…  She had long brown hair that was tied back out of her eyes in a horse tail fashion, and she had a pretty, freckled face with dark brown eyes that bore same red marks around them that meant she had been crying recently.  Eleinya continued speaking.  “You… said he understood… does that mean he can come back?”  She asked him hopefully.  “I don’t know…  It’s up to the elders… but… I’ll try to convince them.  Maybe because I am an apprentice spirit talker they will listen, but… well I’m only an apprentice.”  As her face started to fall he quickly repeated, “But I’ll try!”

The next day he snuck out again to check on Ceryan, as he approached the point where he had left him the day before he found him kneeling over a dead wolf looking very distraught.  “Ceryan, is something the matter?”  the other boy quickly looked up at the sound of his voice, fear evident in his eyes and voice.  “I- this wolf came at me from out of nowhere, I barely had time to reach my spear.  It did not fear my fire, and look at it; it is far too healthy to need to hunt one of us.”  Enko looked down at the wolf and saw that it had indeed been a healthy creature.  Aside from the fatal wound in it’s side, it had no apparent injuries, and it looked like it had not lacked sustenance.  “This must be a trial by the spirits.  B slaying this wolf you may have earned some repentance.”  Ceryan shook his head.  “Or perhaps it was merely their first attempt to punish me for my betrayal…”  Enko shook his head vigorously.  “No!  You have shown your remorse, even as you spoke just now.  You must not lose hope, if not for your own sake, then for the sake of one who loves you.  Don’t let Eleinya mourn your death.”  Ceryan looked up at him in surprise.  “Eleinya!?  You have spoken to her?  How is she?”  Enko smiled at Ceryan’s reaction, so there was indeed someone living who he truly cared about.  “She is fine, except that she worries for you.  I believe that she hopes to see you again.  Don’t you feel the same?”  Ceryan seemed taken aback by the question and quickly answered.  “Of course I do!  But how am I supposed to do that?  I am an Exile.  My fate is to die out here.”  “Don’t say that.  This wolf was a trial, please trust me.  You must work hard to gain forgiveness and survive, and I will get the council to pardon you.”  He left Ceryan to think over his word as he returned to town, carrying several bunches of herbs that he had collected, the supposed reason he had gone to the forest for any who didn’t know better.  

On his return he again met Eleinya, and he related to her what he had seen of Ceryan and what they had spoken of.  Seeing the hope and joy in her eyes strengthened his resolve and he told her that he would speak with the council that very day.  Together they went to plead Ceryan’s case, pleading his case to the council members from Eleinya’s perspective and saying the he was surely repentant now.  Enko told them that he had seen Ceryan performing a hunting ritual over a dead wolf while he was collecting herbs in the forest, which while not the entire truth, was in fact entirely true.  In the end it was decided by the council that under one condition would Ceryan be allowed to return.  “It is most interesting that you have chosen to champion this boy’s cause.  He is not much older than you, and he has taken to camping in the forest that once spared you as a child.  Because of this, it has been decided that he may return to us as well if he can survive within the forest for thirteen days, starting from the day he was exiled.”  Neither Enko nor Eleinya were exactly ecstatic about this decision.  Enko himself had trouble believing the story of his supposed abduction of return by the spirits of the forest.  He had never encountered one since, after all. He told Eleinya that he would return to the forest tomorrow to tell Ceryan of the council’s decision, but she told him that she would go instead.  Enko agreed, it would do Ceryan good to see her, and his parents did not like him going into the forest.

The days passed, and every day either Enko or Eleinya went into the forest to visit Ceryan.  They learned that he had slain several more creatures that had attacked him without provocation, though now they approached him openly, calling out to him their aggression, as if they were challenging him.  Enko read this as a sure sign that he was being tested, and encouraged him to continue fighting, paying respects to the spirits, and using the meat from the creatures that attacked him for sustenance.  By the twelfth day Ceryan would have been nearly unrecognizable.  He had grown a surprising amount of facial hair, and the hair on his head was very long.  He wore the skins of the animals that had been part of his trial as a sign of respect, and as protection from the claws of those that were to come, wearing the head of the wolf upon his own.  He had also gained many wounds, but thanks to Enko’s birthmark, which Enko had taught him how to use, they had quickly become little more than scars.  He wore each as a reminder of his folly, and what repentance was worth to him.   Enko came to him that day, reminding him that in only one day he could return.  They both felt joyous on this occasion and even more so when Eleinya came and joined them.  In fact, they lost track of just how long they had been there, they only noticed when the forest began to visibly darken.  Ceryan looked around suddenly, looking worried.  “You must both leave now!”  he said urgently.  “The trial beast will come at any time now.  I do not know what will happen if you are here when it arrives.  You must hurry.”  The two of them were reluctant to leave him alone to whatever danger he would face, but he was insistent, and the urgency in his voice eventually convinced them.  They turned to leave after bidding him farewell until the morning, and had only walked few paces when they hurt a sound that shook them both to the bone.  The sound was akin to that of an angry bear, at least this is what Eleinya knew, but no bear could be this loud.  They spun around and the land thing Enko heard was Eleinya’s yell of shock as something collided with him and everything went black.

He awoke to the sound of chirping birds in the dim morning light.  For a moment he kept his eyes shut, feeling perfectly at peace.  Then he felt the pain, it was in his left arm, mostly, he tried to move his arm, and the pain became considerably worse.  His eyes shot open as the pain brought back memory, and with memory came fear.  He looked around him and he saw to his right a massive creature, just, lying there.  He had to find Ceryan and Eleinya, and make sure they were alright.  He tried to get up, but the pain shot through his arm again and he looked over at it.  It did not look damaged aside from some small scrapes he could see as his sleeve had been pushed up, presumably when he was thrown, but he realized that along with the pain, there was a strange feeling in his shoulder.  He tilted his head to look at it and became somewhat queasy, it was clear that the shoulder was broken, or at least dislocated.  Quickly he reached over with his right hand and concentrated hard.  This was one of the most powerful forms of healing he had been taught, the ability to heal wounds with nothing more than the power of the spirits.  In a matter of seconds, his arm was as good as new.  It fact the pain he had felt all over his body was also gone.  He felt as if he had just woken from a night’s sleep… which he actually had.  He stood up and looked around, remembering the others.  His eyes quickly locked onto Eleinya’s prostrate form.  She was lying face down on the ground; her hair had come loose and was splayed in every direction.  Enko rushed to her side, to check her for wounds, and a few became immediately apparent.  There were several puncture wounds on her back that appeared to be from sharp teeth, and part of her skirt had been torn away, revealing a long gash down her leg that looked like it was made by a large claw.  He dropped down next to her and franticly checked for signs of life.  “Thank the spirits…” he muttered as he felt shallow breathes coming from her slightly open mouth, he was too relieved to consider which one in particular he should be thanking.  Judging from the wounds on her back, she had been grabbed in the mouth of that massive beast.  Enko carefully turned her onto her back, and found tooth marks there as well.  Wounds like this were very dangerous.  If they were deep enough they would not heal normally.  He once again channeled the pure healing energy of the spirits, this time into Eleinya’s body, and the wounds on her chest and back quickly healed.  She gasped and regained consciousness, immediately wincing in pain.  She looked around, saw him, and immediately yelled.  “Ceryan!?”  He looked around him.  “He must be around here.  We need to look.  Just let me heal your leg.”  Enko channeled the healing energy once more, and the wound on Eleinya’s leg shrunk to a scratch. Enko suddenly felt strange, as if he had lost something.  It was not a horribly unpleasant feeling, but it was strange.  Also, it was strange that the wound had not fully healed. He stood up looked around again.  “Um, come on.  We need to find Ceryan.”  Eleinya nodded, and he gave her a hand up.  They walked towards the beast very carefully, and when she reached it they split to walk around either side of it.  Enko soon realized that it was a bear.  At least it would be a bear if not for its immense size and the strange boney protrusions sticking out of its fur at points.  He made his way around to the other side and saw a sight that made his stomach jump nearly into his throat.  “Cer…” without even thinking to finish he rushed forward and fell onto his knees beside Ceryan.  His right eye was nowhere to be seen, there was nothing left but an empty socket, and the res of him was not much better off.  He had terrible wounds all over his body and both his legs looked broken.  “Ceryan…”  Enko muttered, finding to his relief that he was breathing, though his breaths were ragged and weak.  He once again channeled the healing energy of the spirits through his body into another person… but nothing came.  He stared at his hands in disbelief, now when he needed it most, the power had somehow left him.  He sat there speechless.   Eleinya came around the other side of the beast and spotted them.  She cried out Ceryan’s name and rushed to his side.  Ceryan began to stir.  “Heal him!” Eleinya yelled urgently at Enko, as he continued staring blankly at his hands.  “I- I can’t.  It’s not working.”  “What do you mean!?  Well then we have to take him back to town and get another healer!”  “N-no, his wounds are too grave, we cannot move him or he’ll surely die.”  “Well then, hurry!  Go!”  Enko started to rise, but then Ceryan let out a groan, and muttered.  “Eleinya?”  “Ceryan!  Yes it’s me!”  She replies, staring down at his face.   “I can’t… really… See you… Is Enko alright?” “Yes, he’s fine.  You saved us both.” “Is… he here” “Yes, he’s just about to go get help.” “Wait… I… need to… tell him…”  Enko leaned in close to Ceryan and muttered.  “I’m here.”  “G- good…  Listen… I- *cough* need to thank… you…  You’re the reason… I lived this… long out here.”  “Do not start saying good buy, you shouldn’t try to speak!  Just conserve your strength, I’ll get back soon, and you’ll be fine!  You’ll see!” “Enko…” Ceryan muttered, but Enko was already running back to town.[/sblock]


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 30, 2007)

Wow, long story lol


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## Voda Vosa (Oct 30, 2007)

Indeed. I feel like a little bean next that monumental story.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 30, 2007)

Told you it was too long.  I couldn't even finish it, though it's almost done and I've already said how it ends.  Maybe when I'm feeling less lazy...

Oh hey, do we have irigation?


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 30, 2007)

My story........is like a half sentence compared to that one! lol. It's good though.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 30, 2007)

Man, I wish I could find a point at which to break up that rediculous last paragraph...  Anyone got some suggestions?


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## Nightbreeze (Oct 30, 2007)

"Enko channeled the healing energy once more, and the wound on Eleinya’s leg shrunk to a scratch.////////////// Enko suddenly felt strange, as if he had lost something"

What would you say about here?


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 30, 2007)

I'm not quite sure what you're asking.  I would say that it would have looked better if I haded repeated Enko's name and I would also say that what the feeling he felt meant was that he had used up all his healing spells.  Does this answer your question?


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## Nightbreeze (Oct 30, 2007)

It wasn't a question, it was a reply: what would you say about breaking the paragraph there?


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## James Heard (Oct 30, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Man, I wish I could find a point at which to break up that ridiculous last paragraph...  Anyone got some suggestions?



Yes, you could break apart the dialogue. There's an awful lot of conversation in there that should be broken out into its own paragraphs every time a new speaker says something. That should break apart a lot of your larger paragraphs right there, and restructuring some of the others to collect similar information into little paragraphs spotlighting the information should help a lot of the rest.

I started pulling it apart and rewriting it without thinking about it earlier today. The only part I'm tripping over is the part where Enko and Ceryan don't know each other, and the whole town is smaller than the high school I graduated from and you say they're around the same age. Before they started on the "Who are you?" business it was easy to imagine that the reason Enko followed Ceryan into the Noonshadow was because they had some sort of history together.

Anyways, you can probably easily make out the bits I did a dash of rewrite on pretty easily, and one of the first things I did was begin breaking out the dialogue. Obviously I didn't finish it, but you can probably see how and what I was doing.

[sblock]Enko was born with the mark of the Blackfrond fern. Living in Cuirlen, he often travels to the outlying farms and hamlets to check on people. Coming across as somewhat timid, Enko actually has an aversion to conflict rather than a fear of pain or punishment. A compassionate young man, some have thought that his kind heart could easily lead him into trouble.

Enko's mother is a spirit talker, while his father and grandmother are hunters. Additionally, Enko has a younger sister who lives with the family still and an aunt who manages the small stretch of land behind their hut for harvestables. While generally decent folk, Enko's parents have always been extremely overprotective of him because of an episode of wandering off when he was just a toddler. Depite that fact, Enko has yet to build himself his own house or begin courting to start his own family.

When he was three years old Enko wandered into the Noonshadow. No one is quite sure how he survived, but they found him sleeping at its edge thirteen days later. After much discussion his survival was attributed to the little people in the forest though few were sure that this was in fact was true. In any case, it has apparently caused Enko some strife with his parents.

Ceryan was an boy who often played with Enko as child, as they were of a similar age. Unfortunately, only three years ago, Ceryan was exiled from the village for angering the spirits of the hunt. Claiming that his parents' deaths were to be blamed on the spirits, Ceryan turned his back on the spirits against the command of the tribal elders. Despite his obviously fragile temperament, the decision was made to exile the boy rather than allow him to anger the spirits of the hunt and bring down their anger upon the entire village. In the end, the boy went quietly, though there were tears in his eyes. As he ran into the forest as Enko watched him and his heart could not help but follow.

Deciding to follow the boy, Enko made his way into the forest. Aiding an exile was almost as bad as being an exile, but the boy was his friend and Enko simply could not help himself. As he passed the first tree he found to his surprise that the place was not anywhere near as dark and foreboding as his parents had made it out to be when he was a child. Enko decided that his parents had merely been exaggerating the dangers to scare him away. Enko sighed as he looked around for traces of the other boy's passing. Parents were an awful lot of trouble.

“What are you doing here?” called an angry voice to his left. 

He turned to see the red eyes boy from before sitting hunched against the trunk of a nearby tree.

“I…” Enko started to reply, but trailed off as no words came to him. 

“I know you… Blackfrond boy. You’re a spirit talker, your family has lots of furs and your mom is Niada of the Guiding Star. What are you doing here?” 

“I’m… Enko.” Enko stuttered 

“And I’m trash! They’ve thrown me to the wolves!” The boy shouted in return, his voice breaking. 

“I don’t… no. Why would you not respect the spirits? You knew what would happen.” 

The boy glared at him. 

“Spirits!? What spirits!? The spirits my mother and father honored every day without fail until the day they were killed!? The spirits let them die!” 

“No!” Enko shouted. “They did not abandon them!” 

“Then why are they dead!?” 

“They-….” Enko once again trailed off. The boy put his head down on his knees and started weeping quietly. It was clear that he did not even intend to try to survive. He had given up on everything. 
“The spirits… they cannot always protect everyone. And that beast was a monster. Perhaps that beast’s spirit was stronger than the one protecting your parents… I… That monster is to blame for their deaths, but they have been avenged… You should be at peace.” The young man looked up, his eyes still wet. 

“M- My name is Ceryan …” Enko nodded, 

“Wait here, I’m going to get you some food and a branch you can make into a spear.” 

“I can-“ Ceryan shouted, but Enko had already left. He returned quickly, hauling a sturdy tree branch with a freshly sharpened end and holding his shirt so that it formed a basket full of berries and mushrooms. 

“These are the safe kind. You can tell because of the black rings on the trunk and the slits on the top. Don’t eat any other fungus. The only berries you have to watch out for are the bright red ones that shine in the darkness, and the green ones. The green ones aren’t ripe yet. Therefore the moon spirit shall protect you by showing you the bad berries. The pine spirit shall protect you from wolves, and the spirits of these berries and fungus shall protect you from starvation.” Ceryan stared up at him. 

“Why are you…” now it was his turn to trail off. 

“No one should die like this… but for the safety of everyone, those that do not respect the spirits, and incur their wrath, must be exiled.” Ceryan did not reply, he simply sat there with a thoughtful expression on his face. 

“Don’t go too far into the woods, make a fire. I’ll try to come back tomorrow if I can.” Enko said, turning to leave. He knew that Ceryan already would have done those things. Everyone else seemed afraid of the forest. He didn’t know why, the only really dangerous things in here were wolves, and they usually avoided humans.

He carefully returned to town, and somehow made it back without being spotted, or so he thought. As he came around a building he nearly slammed into a girl who it seemed had been waiting for him, for she immediately reached out and grabbed him, saying in a quiet but urgent voice. 

“You, you’re Enko Blackfrond! You followed him didn’t you?” 

“I…” Enko said, a feeling of familiarity coming over him. 

“I saw you! Did you find him? Is he alright?” She continued without even giving him a chance to answer. 

“Eh… yeah, he’s fine… just, unwell in spirit. He blamed the spirits for his parent’s deaths, so he abandoned them… but I think he might understand now. Um, who are you?” 

“I am… Eleinya…” The girl said, now that he wasn’t worried that she was going to pound on him or expose what he’d done he got a chance to look at her. She was dressed in mostly leather clothes, so perhaps she was a hunter. Like Ceryan’s parents… She had long brown hair that was tied back out of her eyes in a horse tail fashion, and she had a pretty, freckled face with dark brown eyes that bore same red marks around them that meant she had been crying recently. Eleinya continued speaking. 
“You… said he understood… does that mean he can come back?” She asked him hopefully. “I don’t know… It’s up to the elders… but… I’ll try to convince them. Maybe because I am an apprentice spirit talker they will listen, but… well I’m only an apprentice.” As her face started to fall he quickly repeated, “But I’ll try!”

The next day he snuck out again to check on Ceryan, as he approached the point where he had left him the day before he found him kneeling over a dead wolf looking very distraught. 

“Ceryan, is something the matter?” the other boy quickly looked up at the sound of his voice, fear evident in his eyes and voice. 

“I- this wolf came at me from out of nowhere, I barely had time to reach my spear. It did not fear my fire, and look at it; it is far too healthy to need to hunt one of us.” Enko looked down at the wolf and saw that it had indeed been a healthy creature. Aside from the fatal wound in it’s side, it had no apparent injuries, and it looked like it had not lacked sustenance. 

“This must be a trial by the spirits. B slaying this wolf you may have earned some repentance.” Ceryan shook his head. 

“Or perhaps it was merely their first attempt to punish me for my betrayal…” Enko shook his head vigorously. 

“No! You have shown your remorse, even as you spoke just now. You must not lose hope, if not for your own sake, then for the sake of one who loves you. Don’t let Eleinya mourn your death.” 

Ceryan looked up at him in surprise. 

“Eleinya!? You have spoken to her? How is she?” Enko smiled at Ceryan’s reaction, so there was indeed someone living who he truly cared about. 

“She is fine, except that she worries for you. I believe that she hopes to see you again. Don’t you feel the same?” 

Ceryan seemed taken aback by the question and quickly answered. 

“Of course I do! But how am I supposed to do that? I am an Exile. My fate is to die out here.” 
“Don’t say that. This wolf was a trial, please trust me. You must work hard to gain forgiveness and survive, and I will get the council to pardon you.” He left Ceryan to think over his word as he returned to town, carrying several bunches of herbs that he had collected, the supposed reason he had gone to the forest for any who didn’t know better.

On his return he again met Eleinya, and he related to her what he had seen of Ceryan and what they had spoken of. Seeing the hope and joy in her eyes strengthened his resolve and he told her that he would speak with the council that very day. Together they went to plead Ceryan’s case, pleading his case to the council members from Eleinya’s perspective and saying the he was surely repentant now. Enko told them that he had seen Ceryan performing a hunting ritual over a dead wolf while he was collecting herbs in the forest, which while not the entire truth, was in fact entirely true. In the end it was decided by the council that under one condition would Ceryan be allowed to return. 

“It is most interesting that you have chosen to champion this boy’s cause. He is not much older than you, and he has taken to camping in the forest that once spared you as a child. Because of this, it has been decided that he may return to us as well if he can survive within the forest for thirteen days, starting from the day he was exiled.” 

Neither Enko nor Eleinya were exactly ecstatic about this decision. Enko himself had trouble believing the story of his supposed abduction of return by the spirits of the forest. He had never encountered one since, after all. He told Eleinya that he would return to the forest tomorrow to tell Ceryan of the council’s decision, but she told him that she would go instead. Enko agreed, it would do Ceryan good to see her, and his parents did not like him going into the forest.

The days passed, and every day either Enko or Eleinya went into the forest to visit Ceryan. They learned that he had slain several more creatures that had attacked him without provocation, though now they approached him openly, calling out to him their aggression, as if they were challenging him. Enko read this as a sure sign that he was being tested, and encouraged him to continue fighting, paying respects to the spirits, and using the meat from the creatures that attacked him for sustenance. 

By the twelfth day Ceryan would have been nearly unrecognizable. He had grown a surprising amount of facial hair, and the hair on his head was very long. He wore the skins of the animals that had been part of his trial as a sign of respect, and as protection from the claws of those that were to come, wearing the head of the wolf upon his own. He had also gained many wounds, but thanks to Enko’s birthmark, which Enko had taught him how to use, they had quickly become little more than scars. He wore each as a reminder of his folly, and what repentance was worth to him. 

Enko came to him that day, reminding him that in only one day he could return. They both felt joyous on this occasion and even more so when Eleinya came and joined them. In fact, they lost track of just how long they had been there, they only noticed when the forest began to visibly darken. Ceryan looked around suddenly, looking worried. 

“You must both leave now!” he said urgently. “The trial beast will come at any time now. I do not know what will happen if you are here when it arrives. You must hurry.” 

The two of them were reluctant to leave him alone to whatever danger he would face, but he was insistent, and the urgency in his voice eventually convinced them. They turned to leave after bidding him farewell until the morning, and had only walked few paces when they hurt a sound that shook them both to the bone. The sound was akin to that of an angry bear, at least this is what Eleinya knew, but no bear could be this loud. They spun around and the land thing Enko heard was Eleinya’s yell of shock as something collided with him and everything went black.

He awoke to the sound of chirping birds in the dim morning light. For a moment he kept his eyes shut, feeling perfectly at peace. Then he felt the pain, it was in his left arm, mostly, he tried to move his arm, and the pain became considerably worse. His eyes shot open as the pain brought back memory, and with memory came fear. He looked around him and he saw to his right a massive creature, just, lying there. He had to find Ceryan and Eleinya, and make sure they were alright. 

He tried to get up, but the pain shot through his arm again and he looked over at it. It did not look damaged aside from some small scrapes he could see as his sleeve had been pushed up, presumably when he was thrown, but he realized that along with the pain, there was a strange feeling in his shoulder. He tilted his head to look at it and became somewhat queasy, it was clear that the shoulder was broken, or at least dislocated. 

Quickly he reached over with his right hand and concentrated hard. This was one of the most powerful forms of healing he had been taught, the ability to heal wounds with nothing more than the power of the spirits. In a matter of seconds, his arm was as good as new. It fact the pain he had felt all over his body was also gone. He felt as if he had just woken from a night’s sleep… which he actually had. He stood up and looked around, remembering the others. His eyes quickly locked onto Eleinya’s prostrate form. 

She was lying face down on the ground; her hair had come loose and was splayed in every direction. Enko rushed to her side, to check her for wounds, and a few became immediately apparent. There were several puncture wounds on her back that appeared to be from sharp teeth, and part of her skirt had been torn away, revealing a long gash down her leg that looked like it was made by a large claw. He dropped down next to her and franticly checked for signs of life. 

“Thank the spirits…” he muttered as he felt shallow breathes coming from her slightly open mouth, he was too relieved to consider which one in particular he should be thanking. Judging from the wounds on her back, she had been grabbed in the mouth of that massive beast. Enko carefully turned her onto her back, and found tooth marks there as well. Wounds like this were very dangerous. If they were deep enough they would not heal normally. 

He once again channeled the pure healing energy of the spirits, this time into Eleinya’s body, and the wounds on her chest and back quickly healed. She gasped and regained consciousness, immediately wincing in pain. She looked around, saw him, and immediately yelled. 

“Ceryan!?” He looked around him. “He must be around here. We need to look. Just let me heal your leg.” Enko channeled the healing energy once more, and the wound on Eleinya’s leg shrunk to a scratch. Enko suddenly felt strange, as if he had lost something. 

It was not a horribly unpleasant feeling, but it was strange. Also, it was strange that the wound had not fully healed. He stood up looked around again. 

“Um, come on. We need to find Ceryan.” Eleinya nodded, and he gave her a hand up. They walked towards the beast very carefully, and when she reached it they split to walk around either side of it. Enko soon realized that it was a bear. At least it would be a bear if not for its immense size and the strange boney protrusions sticking out of its fur at points. He made his way around to the other side and saw a sight that made his stomach jump nearly into his throat. 

“Cer…” without even thinking to finish he rushed forward and fell onto his knees beside Ceryan. His right eye was nowhere to be seen, there was nothing left but an empty socket, and the res of him was not much better off. He had terrible wounds all over his body and both his legs looked broken.

“Ceryan…” Enko muttered, finding to his relief that he was breathing, though his breaths were ragged and weak. He once again channeled the healing energy of the spirits through his body into another person… but nothing came. He stared at his hands in disbelief, now when he needed it most, the power had somehow left him. He sat there speechless. Eleinya came around the other side of the beast and spotted them. She cried out Ceryan’s name and rushed to his side. Ceryan began to stir. 

“Heal him!” Eleinya yelled urgently at Enko, as he continued staring blankly at his hands. “I- I can’t. It’s not working.” 

“What do you mean!? Well then we have to take him back to town and get another healer!” 

“N-no, his wounds are too grave, we cannot move him or he’ll surely die.” 

“Well then, hurry! Go!” Enko started to rise, but then Ceryan let out a groan, and muttered. 
“Eleinya?” 

“Ceryan! Yes it’s me!” She replies, staring down at his face. 

“I can’t… really… See you… Is Enko alright?” 

“Yes, he’s fine. You saved us both.” 

“Is… he here” “Yes, he’s just about to go get help.” 

“Wait… I… need to… tell him…” Enko leaned in close to Ceryan and muttered. “I’m here.” 

“G- good… Listen… I- *cough* need to thank… you… You’re the reason… I lived this… long out here.” 

“Do not start saying goodbye, you shouldn’t try to speak! Just conserve your strength, I’ll get back soon, and you’ll be fine! You’ll see!” 

“Enko…” Ceryan muttered, but Enko was already running back to town.[/sblock]


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 30, 2007)

Yeah, breakin up where different people speak would help out a ton. The town is small though isn't it? I thought I read in a post by Zurai that it was approximately 900 people. Could be wrong.


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## James Heard (Oct 30, 2007)

OnlytheStrong said:
			
		

> Yeah, breakin up where different people speak would help out a ton. The town is small though isn't it? I thought I read in a post by Zurai that it was approximately 900 people. Could be wrong.



I don't think so. I really wasn't kidding when I said that it was likely everyone was a cousin of a sort to everyone else. It really shouldn't be a problem unless everyone makes a habit of it and people don't ply those traveling merchants with lots of booze when they come to town (and if nine months later every child in the village looks a little like Trader Bill then "Don't ask, don't tell.")


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 30, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> The town itself houses some 700 people,






I lied, it's around 700 people lol.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 30, 2007)

Heh, I forgot what I'd asked.  


Holy turd James!  That's even longer!  Easier to read though.  Mind if I copy it?  Not that saying yes will stop me since you reformatted my own text!  

Ceryan and Enko had seen each other before, and knew each other's names, they had never spoken though, so Ceryan's introduction was a formality.  Does that cover me?


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## James Heard (Oct 30, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Holy turd James!  That's even longer!  Easier to read though.  Mind if I copy it?  Not that saying yes will stop me since you reformatted my own text!



Of course not, that's why I posted it the way I did.

You could probably make it even "shorter" by breaking the thing into two parts. The first part would be Enko's background information and the other would be the Ceryan bits. You _might_ get away with a break of some sort in the middle of the Ceryan part, but you'd likely have to do a bit of work on the transition that framed the break so it felt like a real break rather than an arbitrary one.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 30, 2007)

Ok screw it, after reading the your version of my story I like your version of Enko and Ceryan's relationship allot better, though I would have worded it differently.  Well now I've gotta go rewrite large portions of the story.  Thanks allot for inspiring me you... jerk?


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## James Heard (Oct 30, 2007)

You're welcome.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 30, 2007)

Harvestables?  

Hm, do the people in town actually have their own farm plots or do they have communal plots?

How much of this did you alter?  I notice some sigificant things at the beginning but the long storyish part doesn't seem to have any changes but the spaceing.


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## Nightbreeze (Oct 30, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Harvestables?
> 
> Hm, do the people in town actually have their own farm plots or do they have communal plots?
> 
> How much of this did you alter?  I notice some sigificant things at the beginning but the long storyish part doesn't seem to have any changes but the spaceing.



 If it's something like the ancient Greece, there shouldn't be any communal mumbo jumbo  things. Each of the owns a personal plot, however everyone helps everyone, on the "I will help you when it's your turn" basis...there's not even the need to ask for help.

However, when harvest time comes, they usually work all together, especially with the grain. that's because a huge amount of work is required, so it's easier to just gather the entire community and harvest all of the crops in two-three days, instead of everyone on his own.

Blah...i worded it bad, but I suppose you will understand what I mean ^^


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## James Heard (Oct 30, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Harvestables?
> 
> Hm, do the people in town actually have their own farm plots or do they have communal plots?
> 
> How much of this did you alter?  I notice some significant things at the beginning but the long storyish part doesn't seem to have any changes but the spacing.



I broke it apart then began working on the beginning, but didn't finish. I put in "harvestables" because not everything people grow is a food product, and I really had no idea other than what you'd put in for the aunt managing the farm. Since there was only one person working the plot I assumed though, that it might be a niche crop of some sort or solely for the family. If someone was a "real farmer" they'd likely have a ton of kids if at all possible so that they weren't relying on the rest of the community at harvest time. 

That's probably the case right up until you might get to real communal plots that everyone was responsible for, but that's8 one of those nasty things that people are biting their tongues about. It might be the same with sheep and maybe even cows, since we're unlikely to raise dedicated feed crops they're either free ranging or there's a tax of sorts to keep them up since wool is another of those "everyone should pitch in" things - I'm sure there are folks today that can blaze away with shearing, but we don't even have iron tools and there's no guarantee that every farming implement or common tool is anything other than simple copper or tin (because they're going to wear out quickly anyways, so why use the more complex bronze making process for them?)

It's also possible that agriculture might only "seem" communal, when in fact the large plots of land would be claimed by the various tribal elders and 'wealthier" families, with the rest of the town working the land "for them" but in a way that produced more of an excess of barterage rather than an actual class of wealthy landowners that can afford to sit around and ..idle, I guess. I'm not sure why that sort of system would have formed, since there's no dangerous external threats yet pushing everyone towards a peasant class - though I imagine there could simply be a large divide between the social status allocated and benefits for the spirit talkers in general?

Anyways some ideas. 

BTW, I object to the notion that a village of less than a thousand people isolate by long distances from any other people _wouldn't_ come up with at least some bits and pieces of communal properties and responsibilities. Like I said, I can't imagine that everyone in the village isn't at least a little bit related unless all of people showed up less than a generation ago from somewhere else. That means that even in what we'd call estate issues, who gets what when the parents die and all that, would be pretty hopelessly complex without some sort of general understanding of common ownership for the common welfare. That's something that will surely change as the community grows and diversifies, but when you're a one horse town (so to speak) no one grows any older fighting over the horse when they can work it out to where everyone gets to use that one horse. It's not "mumbo jumbo" it's simply my assessment of how you'd get some use out of that council of elders thing and keep closely knit, small communities with limited resources from being any more obscenely limited than they would be otherwise. 

Modeling our little community on ancient Greece only gets you so far. Without wild tribes of other Greeks surrounding us, really crappy land for a lot of agriculture, etc. the Greek system just doesn't make much sense. Even the northern European tribes don't quite make the exact mark, because we're so isolated and the spirit marks make for easy going in a lot of ways. But we seemed to be described as a transition hunter-gather culture in some sort of Middle European/North American-esque plain. 

Presumably the fact that everyone in town doesn't hunt or raise grains means that we're pretty good at it. The fact that we live on a river but apparently don't live off of the fishing in the river suggests that we've got crappy boats or some cultural aversion to fish ("Boar spirit says that shrimp are icky!") 

I don't know if we've got bricks yet, but river mud probably is worked into a lot of our construction for insulation. That's good, because it means we probably aren't using cow dung and grass to do it. Yay!

Anyways, my cold meds are finally kicking back in so I'm going to see if I can't curl up and be miserable. Excuse my long rambling post? I'll be interested to see which way Zurai decides on how this all goes.   

Agriculture of Ancient Greece on Wikipedia
European Societies in the Bronze Age
The Significance of Agriculture From the Neolithic Era Through the Bronze Age


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## Nightbreeze (Oct 30, 2007)

Lol, we are going deep in research here 
I didn't mean to sound disrespectful about the idea of communal propriety, btw.
However, at the end it is the DM that decides, realism or not. So far he seems to be very enthusiastic to provide us with additional information, so let's keep the pressure on him before he gets tired 

What I find a little bit strange is that only the next 15-20 miles of lands are explored. Why don't the hunters go further?


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 30, 2007)

@Nightbreeze Because they haven't needed to?

I personally do not want this to be "historically accurate, but with fire balls, and modern ideals".  Those kinds of games really get on my nerves.  I'm not really worried about that, just thought I'd say it.  I really don't think we need to try too hard to find a historical example of our society.  This is, after all, fantasy.  Some things can aford to be idealized.  Considering our culture's lack of prudishness and low population we'd probably have decent hygiene anyway.  Even though I say all this your post was most interesting James...  I'm not sure where I was going, I'm getting sleepy. :\ 

Hm... With all these people interested in playing I'll feel almost as bad about getting chosen as I would if I weren't.


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## James Heard (Oct 30, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> @Nightbreeze Because they haven't needed to?



That's pretty much what I came up with...We're such a small community that we're literally not making an impact on the wider world yet maybe?



> I personally do not want this to be "historically accurate, but with fire balls, and modern ideals".  Those kinds of games really get on my nerves.  I'm not really worried about that, just thought I'd say it.  I really don't think we need to try too hard to find a historical example of our society.  This is, after all, fantasy.  Some things can afford to be idealized.  Considering our culture's lack of prudishness and low population we'd probably have decent hygiene anyway.  Even though I say all this your post was most interesting James...  I'm not sure where I was going, I'm getting sleepy. :\



I'm not sure about _historically _accurate, but I dig on "plausible" and "makes sense." Normally I'd be easier with handwaving, but since the characters are apparently supposed to be inventing/creating/etc it suddenly becomes pretty important to know where it all starts out and why. 

It's only a few hundred people. We've probably detailed nearly a third of those people if we collected every person remotely pointed at in everyone's back stories and threw them into the pot (allowing that some people that almost have to be there like mothers and fathers and aunts and uncles are there even if they're not exactly pointed at).  I'm not saying every little detail should be out there, just that what's already outlined at seems to be saying some interesting things about the "Cuirlen lifestyle." 

Cuirlen's got an awful lot of hunters, for instance. Either its agriculture is really primitive (can't come up with enough calories so lots of people are out there trying to make up for it), or it's really awesome (villagers prefer meat, and raising crops isn't something people have to work at very hard). It's not a moving town though, and we've been told about the effects of spells and spirits, so it must be pretty darn good. That doesn't mean it couldn't be better though - with crop rotation, irrigation, better soil management, using manure, etc.

Do I think _all_ of this sort stuff is needed? Probably not. YMMV. Even if I don't get picked to play though I like to think that I've added something to the discussion.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 30, 2007)

Of course, I'm all for plausibility and making sense!


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## Lorthanoth (Oct 30, 2007)

Nothing to say that 'we' (he said as if he were already picked haha) don't fish - maybe some of those hunters use spears and whatnot in the river? Not all of them need to be forest-types.

Heck, we have bread and beer - let's go fish!


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## Zurai (Oct 30, 2007)

A bunch of answers for ya'll:

Agriculture is extremely solid for such a primitive society. Conditions are pretty much perfect for grains: Nile style annual flooding leaving rich, fertile soil behind; _Plant Growth_ spells to dramatically increase potential yield; and pseudo-experts in the form of spirit-talkers associated with the river or crop type plants. Cuirlen farms could easily produce enough food to make sure everyone has bread. As James mentioned, though, people tend to like meat better than grains.

Thus, the "large" population of hunters. I actually wouldn't say it's all _that_ large; there are upwards of 300 dedicated farmers, counting the children of farming families (though not all produce edible crops - cotton, for instance). There might be 75 hunters, if that, and in that category are the ones that are focused on leather and fur rather than meat. Farming is a lot harder work than hunting, and hunters have a much higher mortality rate than farmers. The two factors combine to keep the farmer:hunter ratio fairly high.

As for fish, I've posted twice in this thread that "Fisherman" is a valid profession   The Spiritwash is nearly 1/5 mile wide right outside Cuirlen; of course there's fishing! That said, fishing generally isn't as high-yield as either farming or hunting, so it's not a major source of food. Shipbuilding really hasn't occured to the people of Cuirlen, though (I forgot to mention that to you, Nightbreeze; I did notice you had it as a profession). Most of the fishing is done with nets from the shore.

On the communal/individual nature of the farm plots: Farms are owned by individuals/families. At harvest time, most everyone pitches in to help gather up the harvests. There are multiple harvests throughout the year, as there are crops that are planted/harvested in different seasons. Generally, harvesters aren't directly paid, but harvest-weeks are usually festival weeks as well, with plenty of free food, potlucks, and so on, as well as general revelry.


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 30, 2007)

700 people in an ancient village is rather large. I mean, considereing the apparently high mortality rate. I agree wih James in that the mere fact that it isn't a nomadic society shows alot about the village. The crop issue...........is interesting. For instance, do they have plows? Do they alternate crops or grow different crops in different seasons? There could be alot of possibilities with the crops. Rinos is a poor hunter/tanner, but I imagine even he would stop his work and help out with the harvests. Maybe he'd be paid with part of the harvest (sort of a sharecropping idea).


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## Nightbreeze (Oct 30, 2007)

Zurai, could you judge my proposal of a binder character?If the concept that I made is good enough, I'd like to move on and make the char sheet.


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## Zurai (Oct 31, 2007)

Nightbreeze said:
			
		

> Zurai, could you judge my proposal of a binder character?If the concept that I made is good enough, I'd like to move on and make the char sheet.




I already responded to that    If you can find/make/re-flavor enough low-level vestiges that you can get through at least level 5 with a good variety to choose from, I'll allow the binder.


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## OnlytheStrong (Oct 31, 2007)

When does the recruitment end for this campaign?


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 31, 2007)

Should I increase the size of Enko's family?

Oh yeah, I decided that Enko's aunt manages an herb garden, how's that?


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## Zurai (Oct 31, 2007)

OnlytheStrong said:
			
		

> When does the recruitment end for this campaign?




Friday November 2nd.



			
				Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Should I increase the size of Enko's family?
> 
> Oh yeah, I decided that Enko's aunt manages an herb garden, how's that?




Both are up to you. A small herb garden for personal use would be unusual but not unthinkable.


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## Dire Lemming (Oct 31, 2007)

Yes I know they're up to me, I'm asking for another opinion! 

I was thinking that since his mom is a healer it would make sense.  His aunt couldn't be as powerful a healer since she isn't a spirit talker so she concentraited on herbs.

Ok, so here's the Enko's crunchy bits so far.  Does anyone know some feats that would be good for him but aren't in the Core Rule Books?

Enko of the Blackfrond
Race: Human
Class: Spirit Shaman 1
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Alignment: NG (If it matters.)

Str: 10
Dex: 10
Con: 14 +2
Int: 12 +1
Wis: 14 +2
Cha: 16 +3

VP: 10
WP: 14
Speed: 30
BAB: +0
Initiative: +0
AC: 10

Fort: +4
Ref: +0
Will: +4

Class Features:
Spirit Guide
Wild Empathy

Feats:
Self Sufficient

Skills:
Concentrate +6 (4 ranks, Con +2)
Diplomacy +7 (4 ranks, Cha +3)
Heal +8 (4 ranks, Wis +2, Misc +2)
Knowledge (Geography) +3 (2 ranks, +1 Int)
Knowledge (History) +3 (2 ranks, +1 Int)
Knowledge (Local) +5 (4 ranks, Int +1)
Knowledge (Nature) +5 (4 ranks, Int +1)
Profession (Herbalist) +6 (4 ranks, Wis +2)
Survival +8 (4 ranks, Wis +2, Misc +2)


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## Nightbreeze (Oct 31, 2007)

So here's a list of first-second-third level vestiges

[sblock=First level]
[sblock=Chinua, the wolf]
Binding DC: 15
[sblock=legend]Born when the world was young, Chinua was the first wolf to walk the earth. Before mankind, she hunted the forests, snow covered lands of the north, and grasslands of the south. For an age, she roamed the world, untroubled by the rise of other races. In the mists of the past, three masters of magic joined together to overtake the young world. They devised a spell which would let them control anyone who shared the blood of the target sacrificed in the ritual. Upon hearing that the first wolf was nearby, they hatched a plot. By killing her, the three could gain mastery over all wolves, a fitting beast to be start of their armies. The three found Chinua, and bound her with powerful spells. Unnable to move, the ritual began around her, as she watched in horror as they carved mystic runes deep into her flesh. It was only when night fell, and the moon looked down to see her granddaughter trapped by the three wizards that Chinua had any help. Grandmother Moon broke the spell on Chinua, who quickly ate two of the wizards, while the third fled far away. Drained by the spells of the three wizards and her wounds, Chinua passed away that night under the eye of the moon. Unwilling to let her granddaughter die, the Moon caught Chinua's spirit, and released it into the realm of spirits called.[/sblock]
*
Special Requirement*: The binder must have personally caught the last food they ate. A binder with arcane caster levels may not summon Chinua.
*
Manifestation*: A wolf with yellow eyes the size of a small pony appears and slowly sits down, watching the binder silently. 

*Sign*: The binder's eyes turn a shade of yellow like that of some wolves.

*Influence*: The binder is tied to your fellows as if pack. You may not leave an ally behind without attempting to save them.

*Granted abilities*: 
_Pack Tactics_: The binder works well in a team, and when attacking an enemy who they are flanking, they get a +3, rather than +2 bonus. This benefit is extended to anyone who attacks a target that the binder flanks. At 10th level, flankers get a +4 bonus, rather than a +3 bonus.
_Hamstring_: The binder gains the benefits of Improved Trip, even if they do not meet the requirements.
_Hunter in the Night_:  The binder gains the benefit of the Track feat, and a +2 bonus to survival checks when trying to track a target.
_Mother's Voice_: As Charm Animal or Calm Animal, but only on wolves. Once used, this ability may not be used for 5 rounds.
_Beast Voice_: The binder may speak with wolves or dogs as if using the Druid Spell, Speak with Animals.

Comments: In order to use this, I'll have to take the skill Survival, even if originally I didn't plan to. Aside for the combat buffs, in the wilds this vestige can be really great, when wolves are near around, thanks to the ability to speak with them and charm them. They would act as scout or guards, for example. [/sblock]

[sblock=Ral, the flower of peace]
Bind DC: 14

Legend: [sblock] Born three hundred years ago, Ral was born into an age of chaos, when rivaling towns battled over the few natural resources. He entered the militia at a young age, and is said to have spent four years as a solider, as history and the lies have obscured the truth. After seeing the bloodshed and the futility of the wars, Ral threw down his sword and began to speak against war and killing in any form. He quickly gained a small but devoted following of those left with nothing due to the war, and began to train them how to defend themselves without killing. Unfortunately for Ral, two of the most powerful warlords at that time saw him as a rising threat to their power, and they sent a assassian and a spirit-talker of the Blood to kill Ral. When the two killers found him, they were able to stab him, while the  spirit-talker cursed Ral to fall forever through the Abyss. Perhaps Ral was motivated by a higher force, because the curse rebounded on the priest, sending both Ral and the death-priest beyond the reach of spirits and men. [/sblock]

*Special Requirement*: The binder may not have killed any creature by their own hand within the last 12 hours.

*Manifestation*: Ral appears as a man clothed at first in the blood of others, which slowly slides off, revealing a glowing white humanoid body. When it speaks, the sounds of war can be heard echoing in the distance.

*Sign*: Binders under the influence of Ral move with a careful grace, and their voice becomes softer making them unnable to shout.
*
Influence*: Those under the influence of Ral cannot kill a sentient target unless it has already killed someone else.

*Granted Abilities*:

_Improved Disarm_: The binder gains the Improved Disarm feat while bound to Ral.

_Aura of peace_: The binder may cast Sanctuary with a caster level equal to her binder level. Once used, this ability may not be used for another five rounds. Ral's sign must be shown while this power is in use.

_Merciful Blow_: A binder may add their charisma bonus+1 (minimum of 1) to the damage of any attacks they make, but the attack is nonlethal damage. [Edit: This Ability may only be used once every five rounds. No limit makes this too potent at low levels, and since that's when level 1 vestiges are used...]

_Harmony in battle_: The binder gains the Combat Expertise feat while bound to Ral. [/sblock]

[sblock=Charn, the Hare]
Binding DC: 15

[sblock=Legend] The first prey animal to be made when the sky and sea came apart, the Hare was hunted by Chinua, the first wolf. In that earliest of days, death was not final, and after being caught, Charn would return to be hunted again. When the early days ended with the betrayel of the youngest spirit, Charn left the mortal world to his children and left the world, only returning when called by binders.[/sblock]

*Special Requirement*: A binder may not bind Charn while Chinua is bound to them.

*Manifestation*: Charn appears as a hare, who must be eaten whole by the binder when their pact is made, when the pact ends, the hare appears as bones beside the binder, slowly returning to full health before fading away.

*Influence*: The binder becomes as careful as the prey animals, and when confronted with sudden suprises is often stunned by fear.

*Granted Abilities*: The Hare grants powers related to speed and escape.

_Fleet of Foot_: While bound to Charn, the binder's speed increases by 10 feet when running. At eighth level this bonus increases to 20 feet, and at fourteenth level it increases to a 30 foot bonus.

_Prey's Senses_: While not able to track like a predator, Charn offers a binder the keen senses of the hunted. The binder gains a +2 bonus to Listen and Spot checks. At eighth level, the bonus becomes +4, and at fourteenth level it becomes +6.

_Masking the Trail_: The binder may use Pass without Trace on themselves only at will. When the duration ends, the binder must wait at least an hour to use the ability again.

_Legs of the Hare_: The binder gains a +10 bonus to Jump checks, and may make unarmed kick attacks which deal 1d6 damage and the binder is treated as having improved unarmed strike when making kick attacks only. [/sblock]

[sblock=Leraje]
Bind DC: 15
[sblock=Legend] Leraje was one of the greates archers of the world know, her master rivaling that of the greater spirits. One day she was tricked by a jealous spirit to challenge her god into a contest: that she would be able to pierce her own heart with an arrow. Because of her pride, she went on a managed to do it: she cast an arrow aiming at her god, and managed to make it ricochet against the arrow that the surprised god used to block her. Her arrow pierced her own heart, and while dying, the enraged god cursed her because of her pride [/sblock]

Abilities: same as in the Tome of Magic: hide bonus, low light vision, precise shot, ricochet and proficiency with longbow
[/sblock]

[sblock=Ronove, the Bronze maiden]
Bind DC: 17
[sblock=legend]
Ronove was a hermit who was the first to claim that humans could gain supernatural powers not because of the spirit's blessing, but because of their own mind and heart. She was able do astonishing feats, and he gained many followers, but she costantly needed to prove his worth. At the end, she told his disciples to bury him in a bronze coffing, and dig her up only when they saw a sign from her. They did so, and waited for a long time, but no sign came. One by one, they lost faith and deserted her, until just one remained. He dug up the coffin and there was nothing inside. Then he tracked all of the fellow disciples and told them the story, but non believed him.[/sblock]

Abilities: same as in the tome of magic: far hand, feather fall, ronove's fists, sprint. Also cold iron and magic attacks. [/sblock]

[sblock=Naberius, the grinning hound]

Same as in the Tome of Magic. Legend may be reworked to view him as one of the spirits who first entered into human society, and is pleased with knowledge, decieving and arts. [/sblock]
[/sblock]

[sblock=Second level]
[sblock=Dorun, the mountain]
Bind DC: 17

[sblock=Legend] The Mountain rests at the center of all things, the basis on which the world was built. When the world was built, the bones of Mountain were taken to form the mountains that the races see these days. With his body spread among the world, the spirit of Mountain was cast into the ether to be summoned by binders.
[/sblock]

*Manifestation*: The mountain appears as a mountain which reaches up into the sky, speaking with a voice that shakes the ground and bones of a summoner.

*Special Requirements*: The Mountain can only be summoned by a binder when the circle is drawn on rock.

*Sign*: The mountain makes the binder's skin seem rough and grey, which makes it mistaken for stone.

*Influence*: Those under the influence of the mountain partake of its stability. They may not take a move action in place of a standard action.

Granted Abilities:
_Stance of the Mountain_: The binder becomes exceptionally stable, gaining a +4 bonus to resist trip attempts and bull rushes due to their exceptional stability. This bonus is applied in any situatuion that the benefit of stability would apply.

_Mastery of the Bones_: The binder gains the Climb movement mode, and all assoicated bonuses.

_Force of Stone_: You gain the feat Improved Bull Rush, even if you do not meet the normal requirements for the feat.

_Harden the Bones_: You may use the spell Transmute Mud to Rock, except that the range is Close. Once used, this ability may not be used for another five rounds. [/sblock]

[sblock=Sindalla, the Cat Queen]
[sblock=legend] Sindalla was a ruler of a great and rich city. She was a true creature of beauty and compassion. It was through her that the “Sandwood Truce” was made. The truce stopped the warring between all of the know cities and races. She had many pets: tigers, lions, jaguars and other great cats. 

One day her cats began to show some strange disease. Worried, the queen called the greatest sages to try and find the source of the disease. Unfortunately the sages could come up with nothing. The cats were doomed to die.

Sindalla decided to take matters in her own hands. She began a dark ritual. She combined a part of her soul and life force with that of her pets. Unfortunately the ritual was too much. The cats were saved, but it cost Sindalla her life.

With only a part of her soul, she is forced to roam the realm of nothingness, unless she is bound by a binder back to the mortal world. [/sblock]

Binding DC: 20

*Manifestation*:  Sindalla appears as a beautiful woman astride a gigantic cat. She wears a Tiger striped gown of the purest silk. The woman growls, as the cat speaks in a soft feminine voice.

*Sign*: When the Vestige of Sindalla is upon someone they show very light stripes and spots like many of the great cats. They also talk in a soft purring voice.

*Influence*: Sindalla is ever the peacekeeper. When the vestige of Sindalla is upon you, you will always seek a diplomatic solution to any dispute. The binder cannot make any offensive action until they are attacked first.

*Granted Abilities:*
Sindalla grants people powers of persuasion and diplomacy. She also graces them with the skills and abilities of the great cats she once cared so much for.

_Presence of the Diplomat_: The character gains a +4 bonus to charisma while hosting Sindalla’s vestige.

_Voice of Peace_: The character gains a +4 bonus to any type of diplomacy check that he or she makes.

_Claws of the Cat_: The character can grow claws that deal damage appropriate to their size. These claws are considered magical for purposes of what they can strike. The character gains the ability to use two claw attacks per round with the claws and gains the benefit of the “Improved Unarmed Strike” feat if they do not already possess it. You cannot use this ability if you do not show Sindalla’s sign.

Small: 1d3
Medium: 1d4
Large: 1d6

_Agility of the Feline_: Once per day the binder can use Sindralla's power to increase their agility. This has the same effect as a "cats grace" spell. The duration of the ability is equal to the spell, using the characters effective binder level.

_Charm Person_: The character can use the spell “Charm Person” as a special ability. The number of times per day this can be used it equal to ½ the characters effective binder level. Once used this ability cannot be used for another 5 rounds. [/sblock]

[sblock=Rimpit, the Frog]
Binding DC: 15
[sblock=Legend]Rimpit was a frog-like being that existed before humanoids arose. He might have been a contemporary of Charn and Chinua. The vesige says little about its origin.[/sblock]

*Special Requirement*: Rimpit will only appear if a handful of dead insects is placed within his seal. The insects must be freshly killed.

*Manifestation*: Rimpit appears as a large frog that sits in his seal. Rimpit speaks in a croaking voice and only gives curt answers if the binder questions him.

*Sign*: The binder's eyes become large and protruding like those of a frog. His skin always seems wet and his voice takes on a croaking quality.

*Influence*: Rimpit makes the binder seem distant, almost taciturn. The binder never initiates conversation and ignores anyone around him, unless it would be dangerous to do so. Rimpit's influence forces the binder to go about barefoot and barehanded at all times.

*Granted Abilities*: Rimpit grants binders the attributes that frogs use to hunt and survive.

_Wide-angle Vision_: The binder's vision encompases a much greater area. He cannot be flanked unless his enemy is a rogue four levels higher than the binder's level. He also gains a +4 bonus to Spot checks.

If he has the Uncanny Dodge feature from another class those levels stack with his binder levels.

The binder must show Rimpit's sign to use this power.

_Frog Legs_: The binder can leap triple the normal distance for his race. He makes jump checks at +10. At 7th level the binder can make an attack following a leap, if it is made in the same round.

_Sticky Pads_: The binder can move along surfaces as if under the influence of a Spider Climb spell with unlimited duration. The binder must have bare hands and feet to use this power. The binder must use all four limbs to move across a surface. he can remain stationary with only two limbs, though. This allows him to manipulate objects while sticking with his feet.

_Slippery Skin_: The binder's wet skin makes him hard to grasp. He gains a +4 bonus to Escape Artist checks. [/sblock]

[sblock=Furtur: The Thunder and the Storm]
Bind DC: 18
Special Requirement: Yes

[sblock=Legend]: At the dawn of recorded time, the Gods sealed and imprisoned the Titans throughout the multiverse and turned their attentions to the new world, creating the races and lands that we know today. Despite the best attempts to find every last titan, one remained free. The titan known as Furtur plotted in the deep spaces, seeking to destroy both the gods and their creation so he and the other titans could remake the world as they saw fit. As the Gods worked, Furtur set his plan in motion, the deep oceans boiling into towering mountains of black steam. As he was about to crush the gods as they worked on the new lands, Furtur was struck down by the newly-christened god of thunder. His body fell into the clouds he had created, but never fell back out. His blood became the first rains, his body the first clouds, his soul a Vestige.
[/sblock]
*Special Requirements*: Furtur despises Euronyme, considering her a traitor. He will not answer the call of anyone who has bound to Euronyme.

*Manifestation*: Furtur's appearance is a grotesque conglomeration of humanoid, cervine and draconic forms. His lower half and head is that of a stag, complete with mighty rack of antlers, and a pair of draconic wings grow from his back. When he appears, it seems as if there is a torrential downpour localized entirely within the area of the seal, and Furtur only speaks once the binder addresses him, his voice a hoarse rumble.

*Sign*: While bound to Furtur, your body is charged with static electricity. Your hair stands on end, and sparks fly to anything you touch. These sparks are not powerful enough to cause damage or ignite anything, but they are strong enough to be felt, and make an unprepared creature jump in surprise.

*Influence*: Furtur's influence gives you an innate distrust of authority. You suspect ulterior motives in even the most benevolent authority figure, and must make a Sense Motive check whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Granted Abilities:

_One with the Winds_: While bound to Furtur, you are treated as being one size larger for determining the effects that high winds have on you(DMG pg94). You are also treated as being one additional size category larger for every two binder levels beyond 3rd you possess, up to a maximum of 5 size categories at 11th level. If this would increase your size beyond Collossal, you are considered immune to the effects of nonmagical wind. At 13th level, you may make ranged attacks in any wind condition without penalty. This ability is continually active while you are bound to Furtur.

_Lightning Touch_: While bound to Furtur, you may discharge the static electricity you are charged with against an adjecent enemy. This requires a Melee touch attack and deals 1d6 points of electricity damage per 2 Binder levels. At 10th-level you may use this ability on any creature within 30 feet, requiring a Ranged touch attack. At 15th-level, this ability may function like the Chain Lightning spell, except the distance between the caster and original target cannot be more than 30 feet. Once you have used this ability, you may not use it again for 5 rounds, nor may you use this ability if you do not show Furtur's sign.
_
Spawn Storm_: While bound to Furtur, you may generate a small, localized rainstorm as a Standard Action. The storm has a diameter of 20 feet and can be generated anywhere within 100 feet of the binder. Once Generated, the storm remains for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your EBL, rounded down. The rain automatically extinguishes any nonmagical, unprotected flame, and anyone within the storm takes a -4 penalty to Search and Spot checks, as well as a -2 penalty to Listen checks. Ranged attacks into or out of the storm are made at a -2 penalty. You may use this ability once per day for every 3 binder levels you possess. At 10th level, you may use this ability to create a Sleet Storm effect instead of a regular rainstorm, however the effect must still be generated within 100 feet of the binder.At 17th level, you may also use Control Weather once per day, but only for the purpose of creating some form of precipitation.[/sblock]

Malphas - as in tome of magic
[/sblock]


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## Lorthanoth (Oct 31, 2007)

Just to check that I read correctly that we have no dogs?  Dang wolves just aren't as friendly/conniving on this world! Do we have domestic cats to deal with pests? (I know we wouldn't view them as pets, but they'd be useful to have about)


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## Nightbreeze (Oct 31, 2007)

What is the level of the "floating devices" ?
How do we traverse the river? Are there any bridges/ferries/boats?

Anyway, here's the sketch
Elafros Ouranos
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Height: 6'
Weight: 120
Hair: Long and reddish. 
Eyes: light blue, usually
Skin: tanned

Alignament: LN. He values order and the progress of society over the indivuals. He has no problem in bending the rules, when needed, in order to go on with his projects, for the good of the community.

Str: 8
Dex: 10
Con: 12
Int: 14
Wis: 10
Cha: 16

Vitality points: 9
Wound points: 12
Speed: 30
BAB: +0
Initiative: +0
AC: 10
Fort: +3
Ref: +0
Will: +2

Class features:
Soul Binding
Binding checks: 1d20+8

Feats:
Improved Binding (+2 to the binder level, only to determine the highest level of vestige that can be binded)
Skilled Pact Making (+4 to binding checks)

Skills: Total: 11 (6 base-expert, +2 houserule, +2 intelligence, +1 human)
Bluff +7
Diplomacy +7
Sense motive +4
Intimidate +7
Perform(wind instruments) +7
Knowledge(nature) +6
Survival +4
Knowledge(architecture and engineering) +6
Craft(masonry) +6
Craft(metallurgy) +6
Knowledge(carpentry) +6


He is not really strong in combat, but he quite the skill monkey and social man. Also, he will have great benefits from leveling, and he can adapt to almost any situation.


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## Zurai (Nov 1, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Enko of the Blackfrond




Looks good.



> Does anyone know some feats that would be good for him but aren't in the Core Rule Books?




I can't really think of many good healing feats available to you until later. Touch of Healing would be nice, but it requires knowing a healing spell of 3rd level or higher, so it won't be available for a while.



			
				Nightbreeze said:
			
		

> So here's a list of first-second-third level vestiges




I'll allow those. Thanks for tracking them down for me.



> What is the level of the "floating devices" ?
> How do we traverse the river? Are there any bridges/ferries/boats?




There's a ford downstream of town that's crossable when the river isn't flooded. The cattle and horse herders usually move their herds across to the Cuirlen side of the river in mid winter so they aren't caught out.



> Anyway, here's the sketch
> Elafros Ouranos




Looks good.



			
				Lorthanoth said:
			
		

> Just to check that I read correctly that we have no dogs?  Dang wolves just aren't as friendly/conniving on this world! Do we have domestic cats to deal with pests? (I know we wouldn't view them as pets, but they'd be useful to have about)




Yeah, no dogs. Cats... yeah, I'll say there are smaller feral cats around. They're not really domesticated, but they hang around the town and the farms keeping away pests, so they're pretty well tolerated if not encouraged.


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## EvolutionKB (Nov 1, 2007)

Man, I disappear for a few days and this thread grows by 3 pages.     I am still excited for this game and going back and looking at the posts it seems that several players are making this setting more "real", which is fine by me.  Things have to make sense.  I just hope Zurai doesn't loose track of the thread and the plans in the reality debate.  I may not post after this, but don't take it from a lack of attention on my part, I'll just wait to add to the world after I'm in  .


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## James Heard (Nov 1, 2007)

> I'll just wait to add to the world after I'm in



Yeah, I'm just trying to nail down what's I might be able to add and what's already there. Plus it's just fun to play speculative alternate histories a little.


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## Zurai (Nov 1, 2007)

A friendly reminder:

Recruitment closes on Friday, November 2nd at 11:59 PM Eastern time. At that point, I will make the decision of how many characters I'm going to run and which characters they will be, based entirely and completely on the submitted backgrounds. Character sheets will not be considered in any way. You do not have to submit a character sheet at this point in time to be invited into the game. The 4 to 6 best/most fitting character backgrounds will be invited regardless of the "party role" the character sheet takes up.

I'll make the invitation announcement as soon as I've made my decisions. That could be Friday night, or I might need to sleep on it. It shouldn't take longer than mid-day Saturday.


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## Shayuri (Nov 1, 2007)

Oh good...I think I got Erin's story in...yes.

Whew.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 1, 2007)

Okee, I finished that long ass chapter of the story, and also added a short description of Enko's appearance to the front.  Here it is if you're interested in seeing it.  Please comment.

[sblock]Enko has short dark brown hair.  He is of about average height and build, and has darkly tanned skin thanks to his constant traveling.  He is quite handsome, and has a soothing presence that helps when he is treating the sick and injured.

Enko was born with the mark of the Blackfrond fern. Living in Cuirlen, he often travels to the outlying farms and hamlets to check on people. Coming across as somewhat timid, Enko actually has an aversion to conflict rather than a fear of pain or punishment. A compassionate young man, some have thought that his kind heart could easily lead him into trouble.

Enko's mother is a spirit talker, while his father and grandmother are hunters. Additionally, Enko has a (four years) younger sister and an aunt who manages the small stretch of land behind their hut for domesticated herbs.  Enko has yet to build himself his own house or begin courting to start his own family.

When he was three years old Enko wandered into the Noonshadow. No one is quite sure how he survived, but they found him sleeping at its edge thirteen days later. After much discussion his survival was attributed to the strange spirits of the forest. In any case, the even caused Enko’s parents to become somewhat overprotective of him for a long time afterwards.

Three years ago, Ceryan, a boy Enko had often played with as a child was exiled from the village.  Since his parent’s deaths, Ceryan had turned his back on the spirits against the command of the tribal elders. Despite his obviously fragile temperament, the decision was made to exile the boy rather than allow him to anger the spirits of the hunt and bring down their anger upon the entire village. He gave no excuse, leaving quietly, though as Enko watched him run into the forest he saw the tears in his eyes.

Deciding to follow his childhood friend, Enko made his way into the Noonshadow. Aiding an exile was forbidden, but the boy had been his friend, and though they had grown apart over the years Enko simply could not help himself. As he passed the first tree he found to his surprise that the place was not quite sodark and foreboding as his parents had made it out to be when he was a child.  Most likely his parents had merely been exaggerating the dangers to scare him away. Enko sighed as he looked around for traces of the other boy's passing. 

“What are you doing here?” called an angry voice to his left. 

He turned to see Ceryan sitting hunched against the trunk of a nearby tree.

“I…” Enko started to reply, but trailed off as no words came to him. 

“What do you want… Blackfrond boy?  You’re a spirit talker. What are you doing here?” 

“I’m… I just....” Enko stuttered 

“They’ve thrown me to the wolves!” The boy shouted in return, his voice breaking. 

“I don’t… no. Why would you not respect the spirits? You knew what would happen.” 

The boy glared at him. 

“Spirits!? What spirits!? The spirits my mother and father honored every day without fail until the day they were killed!? The spirits let them die!” 

“No!” Enko shouted. “They did not abandon them!” 

“Then why are they dead!?” 

“They-….” Enko once again trailed off. The boy put his head down on his knees and started weeping quietly. It was clear that he did not even intend to try to survive. He had given up on everything. 
“The spirits… they cannot always protect everyone. And that beast was a monster. Perhaps that beast’s spirit was stronger than the one protecting your parents… I… That monster is to blame for their deaths, but they have been avenged… You should be at peace.” The young man looked up, his eyes still wet. 

“Wait here, I’m going to get you some food and a branch for a spear.” 

“I can-“ Ceryan shouted, but Enko had already left. He returned quickly, hauling a sturdy tree branch with a freshly sharpened end and holding his shirt so that it formed a basket full of berries and mushrooms. 

“These are the safe kind. You can tell because of the black rings on the trunk and the slits on the top. Don’t eat any other fungus. The only berries you have to watch out for are the bright red ones that shine in the darkness, and the green ones. The green ones aren’t ripe yet. Therefore the moon spirit shall protect you by showing you the bad berries. The pine spirit shall protect you from wolves, and the spirits of these berries and fungus shall protect you from starvation.” Ceryan stared up at him. 

“Why are you…” now it was his turn to trail off. 

“For the safety of everyone, those that do not respect the spirits, and incur their wrath, must be exiled…  But I… I won’t let you die like this…  No one deserves to die like this!” Ceryan did not reply, he simply sat there with a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Don’t go too far into the woods, make a fire. I’ll try to come back tomorrow if I can.” Enko said, turning to leave. He knew that Ceryan already would have done those things. Everyone else seemed afraid of the forest. He didn’t know why, the only really dangerous things he’d ever seemnin here were wolves, and they usually avoided humans.

He carefully returned to town, and somehow made it back without being spotted, or so he thought. As he came around a building he nearly slammed into a girl who seemed to have been waiting for him, for she immediately reached out and grabbed him, saying in a quiet but urgent voice. 

“You, you’re Enko Blackfrond! You followed him didn’t you?” 

“I…” Enko said, a feeling of familiarity coming over him. 

“I saw you! Did you find him? Is he alright?” She continued without even giving him a chance to answer. 

“Eh… yeah, he’s fine… just, unwell in spirit. He blamed the spirits for his parent’s deaths, so he abandoned them… but I think he might understand now. Um, I know you…” 

“I am… Eleinya…” The girl said, now that he wasn’t worried that she was going to pound on him or expose what he’d done he got a chance to look at her. She was dressed in mostly leather clothes, so perhaps she was a hunter. Like Ceryan’s parents… She had long brown hair that was tied back out of her eyes in a horse tail fashion, and she had a pretty, freckled face with dark brown eyes that bore same red marks around them as Ceryan’s, meaning she had been crying recently. Eleinya continued speaking. 

“You… said he understood… does that mean he can come back?” She asked him hopefully. 

“I don’t know… It’s up to the elders… but… I’ll try to convince them. Maybe because I am an apprentice spirit talker they will listen, but… well I’m only an apprentice.” As her face started to fall he quickly repeated, “But I’ll try!”

The next day he snuck out again to check on Ceryan, as he approached the point where he had left him the day before he found him kneeling over a dead wolf looking distraught. 

“Ceryan, is something the matter?” the other boy quickly looked up at the sound, fear evident in his eyes and voice. 

“I- this wolf came at me from out of nowhere, I barely had time to reach my spear. It did not fear my fire, and look at it; it is far too healthy to need to hunt one of us.” Enko looked down at the wolf and saw that it had indeed been a healthy creature. Aside from the fatal wound in its side, it had no apparent injuries, and it looked like it had not lacked sustenance. 

“This must be a trial by the spirits!  By slaying this wolf you may have earned some repentance.” 

Ceryan shook his head. “Or perhaps it was merely their first attempt to punish me for my betrayal…” 

Enko shook his head more vigorously. “No! You have shown your remorse, even as you spoke just now. You must not lose hope, if not for your own sake, then for the sake of one who loves you. Don’t let Eleinya mourn your death.” 

Ceryan looked up at him in surprise. 

“Eleinya!? You have spoken to her? How is she?” Enko smiled at Ceryan’s reaction, so there was indeed someone living who he truly cared about. 

“She is fine, except that she worries for you. I believe that she hopes to see you again. Don’t you feel the same?” 

Ceryan seemed taken aback by the question and quickly answered. 

“Of course I do! But how am I supposed to do that? I am an Exile. My fate is to die out here.” 

“Don’t say that. This wolf was a trial, please trust me. You must work hard to gain forgiveness and survive, and I will get the council to pardon you.” He left Ceryan to think over his words as he returned to town, carrying several bunches of herbs that he had collected, as the supposed reason he had gone to the forest in the first place.

On his return he again met Eleinya, and he related to her what he had seen of Ceryan and what they had spoken of. Seeing the hope and joy in her eyes strengthened his resolve and he told her that he would speak with the council that very day. Together they went to plead Ceryan’s case, pleading his case to the council members from Eleinya’s perspective and saying the he was surely repentant now. Enko told them that he had seen Ceryan performing a hunting ritual over a dead wolf while he was collecting herbs in the forest, which while not the entire truth, was in fact entirely true. In the end it was decided by the council that under one condition would Ceryan be allowed to return. 

“It is most interesting that you have chosen to champion this boy’s cause. He is not much older than you, and he has taken to camping in the Noonshadow forest, that once spared you as a child. Because of this, it has been decided that he may return to us as well if he can survive within the forest for thirteen days, starting from the day he was exiled.” 

Neither Enko nor Eleinya were exactly ecstatic about this decision. Enko himself had trouble believing the story of his supposed abduction and return by the spirits of the forest. He had never encountered one since, after all. He told Eleinya that he would return to the forest tomorrow to tell Ceryan of the council’s decision, but she told him that she would go instead. Enko agreed, it would do Ceryan good to see her, and his parents did not like him going into the forest.

The days passed, and every day either Enko or Eleinya went into the forest to visit Ceryan. They learned that he had slain several more creatures that had attacked him without provocation, though now they approached him openly, plainly showing their aggression as if they were challenging him. Enko read this as a sure sign that he was being tested, and encouraged him to continue fighting, paying respects to the spirits, and using the meat from the creatures that attacked him for sustenance. 

By the twelfth day Ceryan would have been nearly unrecognizable to anyone other than Enko and Eleinya. He had grown a surprising amount of facial hair, and the hair on his head had grown as well. He wore the skins of the animals that had been part of his trial as a sign of respect, and as protection from the claws of those that were to come, wearing the head of the wolf upon his own. He had also gained many wounds, but thanks to Enko’s birthmark, which Enko had taught him how to use, they had quickly become little more than scars. He wore each as a reminder of his folly, and what repentance was worth to him. 

Enko came to him that day, reminding him that in only one day he could return. They both felt joyous on this occasion and even more so when Eleinya came and joined them. In fact, they lost track of just how long they had been there, they only noticed when the forest began to visibly darken. Ceryan looked around suddenly, looking worried. 

“You must both leave now!” he said urgently. “The trial beast will come at any time now. I do not know what will happen if you are here when it arrives. You must hurry.” 

The two of them were reluctant to leave him alone to whatever danger he would face, but he was insistent, and the urgency in his voice eventually convinced them. They turned to leave after bidding him farewell until the morning, and had only walked few paces when they hurt a sound that shook them both to the bone. The sound was akin to that of an angry bear, at least this is what Eleinya knew, but no bear could be this loud. They spun around and the land thing Enko heard was Eleinya’s yell of shock as something collided with him and everything went black.

He awoke to the sound of chirping birds in the dim morning light. For a moment he kept his eyes shut, feeling perfectly at peace. Then he felt the pain, it was in his left arm, mostly, he tried to move his arm, and the pain became considerably worse. His eyes shot open as the pain brought back memory, and with memory came fear. He looked around him and he saw to his right a massive creature, just, lying there. He had to find Ceryan and Eleinya, and make sure they were alright. 

He tried to get up, but the pain shot through his arm again and he looked over at it. It did not look damaged aside from some small scrapes he could see as his sleeve had been pushed up, presumably when he was thrown, but he realized that along with the pain, there was a strange feeling in his shoulder. He tilted his head to look at it and became somewhat queasy, it was clear that the shoulder was broken, or at least dislocated. 

Quickly he reached over with his right hand and concentrated hard. This was one of the most powerful forms of healing he had been taught, the ability to heal wounds with nothing more than the power of the spirits. In a matter of seconds, his arm was as good as new. It fact the pain he had felt all over his body was also gone. He felt as if he had just woken from a night’s sleep… which he actually had. He stood up and looked around, remembering the others. His eyes quickly locked onto Eleinya’s prostrate form. 

She was lying face down on the ground; her hair had come loose and was splayed in every direction. Enko rushed to her side, to check her for wounds, and a few became immediately apparent. There were several puncture wounds on her back that appeared to be from sharp teeth, and part of her skirt had been torn away, revealing a long gash down her leg that looked like it was made by a large claw. He dropped down next to her and franticly checked for signs of life. 

“Thank the spirits…” he muttered as he felt shallow breathes coming from her slightly open mouth, he was too relieved to consider which one in particular he should be thanking. Judging from the wounds on her back, she had been grabbed in the mouth of that massive beast. Enko carefully turned her onto her back, and found tooth marks there as well. Wounds like this were very dangerous. If they were deep enough they would not heal normally. 

He once again channeled the pure healing energy of the spirits, this time into Eleinya’s body, and the wounds on her chest and back quickly healed. She gasped and regained consciousness, immediately wincing in pain. She looked around, saw him, and immediately yelled. 

“Ceryan!?” He looked around him. “He must be around here. We need to look. Just let me heal your leg.” Enko channeled the healing energy once more, and the wound on Eleinya’s leg shrunk to a scratch. Enko suddenly felt strange, as if he had lost something. 

It was not a horribly unpleasant feeling, but it was strange. Also, it was strange that the wound had not fully healed. He stood up looked around again. 

“Um, come on. We need to find Ceryan.” Eleinya nodded, and he gave her a hand up. They walked towards the beast very carefully, and when she reached it they split to walk around either side of it. Enko soon realized that it was a bear. At least it would be a bear if not for its immense size and the strange boney protrusions sticking out of its fur at points. He made his way around to the other side and saw a sight that made his stomach jump nearly into his throat. 

“Cer…” without even thinking to finish he rushed forward and fell onto his knees beside Ceryan. His right eye was nowhere to be seen, there was nothing left but an empty socket, and the res of him was not much better off. He had terrible wounds all over his body and both his legs looked broken.

“Ceryan…” Enko muttered, finding to his relief that he was breathing, though his breaths were ragged and weak. He once again channeled the healing energy of the spirits through his body into another person… but nothing came. He stared at his hands in disbelief, now when he needed it most, the power had somehow left him. He sat there speechless. Eleinya came around the other side of the beast and spotted them. She cried out Ceryan’s name and rushed to his side. Ceryan began to stir. 

“Heal him!” Eleinya yelled urgently at Enko, as he continued staring blankly at his hands. “I- I can’t. It’s not working.” 

“What do you mean!? Well then we have to take him back to town and get another healer!” 

“N-no, his wounds are too grave, we cannot move him or he’ll surely die.” 

“Well then, hurry! Go!” Enko started to rise, but then Ceryan let out a groan, and muttered. 
“Eleinya?” 

“Ceryan! Yes it’s me!” She replies, staring down at his face. 

“I can’t… really… See you… Is Enko alright?” 

“Yes, he’s fine. You saved us both.” 

“Is… he here” “Yes, he’s just about to go get help.” 

“Wait… I… need to… tell him…” Enko leaned in close to Ceryan and muttered. “I’m here.” 

“G- good… Listen… I- *cough* need to thank… you… You’re the reason… I lived this… long out here.” 

“Do not start saying goodbye, you shouldn’t try to speak! Just conserve your strength, I’ll get back soon, and you’ll be fine! You’ll see!” 

“Enko…” Ceryan muttered, but Enko was already running back to town.

He ran all the way, the sun rising quickly in the sky.  One of his neighbors saw him as they left their house and came running.  “Enko!  What are you doing out here?  Your parents thought you had been taken again!  Thank the spirits you’re alright!  Eleinya is missing too.  They think she may have gone to search for Ceryan.”

“She was with me!”  Enko blurted once he finally caught his breath.  “I was collecting herbs, and a beast attacked us.  Luckily Ceryan was near and he saved us, but he is badly hurt!”

“Well… that is what happens to Exiles…” Said the man grimly.  “You should go to your parents… but, where is Eleinya?”

“She’s with Ceryan.  She would not leave him.  Listen, forget about my parents, I need a healer!  Ceryan is hurt!”

“Well yes, that is what ha-“

“NO!  Listen to me!  Ceryan was to be given pardon and allowed to return if he survived to this day!  I think that beast was some sort of trial, only our presence interfered and forced him to expose himself to protect us!  I must get a healer who is stronger than me, and who is not my mother!”  Enko was starting to become desperate now.  He did not have time for idle chatter of this sort.  He tried to move past the man.

“Enko, where are you going?  There is no need to be rude.”  The man muttered indignantly as Enko raced away.  He started heading for Lykourgos’ home.  If anyone could save Ceryan it would be him.  Enko rounded the corner of a house at full tilt and collided headlong with someone he did not even have time to notice, falling to the ground on top of them as they let out a cry of pain and surprise that was echoed by one of his own. 

“Ow!”
“Ow!”

Enko’s vision cleared and he realized whom he had collided with, and was now laying on top of.  By some bizarre twist of fate it was Artemisia, a girl, or rather woman, three years his elder, and in his opinion the most beautiful in Cuirlen, as well as a skilled hunter, though somewhat inexperienced.  “Ub…”  He exclaimed, as he scrambled aside and accidentally brushed her chest in the process.  “Guh…”  He muttered, turning bright red as he seemed nearly paralyzed in embarrassment.  Not only was his friend dying, he was making an imbecile of himself in front of the most beautiful woman in the town.  

“Enko?  Is that you?  What are you doing?  Ow…  Are you alright?”  Artemisia stood up, looking concerned.  “Don’t tell me you’re all worked up about running me down like that.  It’s no big deal, really, I’m fine.”  She reached out a hand to him to help him up.

“Ceryan…  hurt… Lykourgos!”  He finally managed to stutter.  He jumped up without taking her hand and ran past her, blushing profusely as he cursed himself for wasting even more time.  He finally made it to Lykourgos’ home and knocked frantically on the door.

“Lykourgos!  Please open up!  It’s urgent!”  After a moment he heard noises of stirring inside.

“What?  Who’s that?  Hold on I’m coming!”  Lykourgos’ wife, Penthisilea opened the door, looking like she had just gotten out of bed. “Oh, Enko, whatever’s the matter?” She turned back inside.  “Sweety!  It’s Enko, I think you had better hurry.”

Enko heard Lykourgos reply and after a moment the one eyed healer appeared at the door as well “So what’s the matter kid?”

Enko took a deep breath and started talking; “Ceryan was supposed to be allowed to return if he survived until today and he did but last night Eleinya and I were attacked by a great beast when I was collecting and herbs in the forest and he came to save us, only he’s badly hurt now and I couldn’t heal him!”  He took another deep breath and said, urgently, “He needs help badly!”

Both Lykourgos and Penthisilea stared at him silently for several seconds, in shock.  Finally Lykourgos spoke, “Alright, come in and help me get my herbs.”

Enko hurried inside and a few minutes later they had collected all the needed herbs.  Enko hurried to the door, flung it open and started to barge through, only to run headlong into someone who had just been about to knock on the door.  Thankfully no one fell down this time.  “Sorry!” Enko shouted as he quickly bent down to collect some of the things that had fallen from his arms due to the collision.  

“Enko… we have got to stop running into each other like this.”  Said a familiar voice. Enko looked up to see Artemisia looking at him with both amusement and concern in her voice.  “I thought you could-“

“I- I’m sorry Artemisia, but we need to hurry, a life depends on it!”  Enko said, hurrying past her, his way was blocked again by a pair of horses.

“Yes.” Said Artemisia, calmly.  “I figured that out, so I borrowed these horses for you and Lykourgos.  I figured they might help.”

Enko whirled around, trying not to drop any of the pouches he was carrying.  “Ar- Uh… Thank you…”

Pentisilea came up with a basket and handed it to Enko, who dropped the pouches in it.  Then he and Lykourgos mounted the horses and sped off towards the forest.

They arrived in considerably less time than it had taken Enko to get back to town, and Enko started leading Lykourgos to the right spot, just beyond the edge of the forest, where light still filtered in sufficiently to see fairly well.  There they found the massive beast, as well as Eleinya, crouched next to Ceryan, who lay in the exactly the same place Enko had left them.  Enko’s heart sank and his stomach churned as he saw her sitting with her face buried in Ceryan’s chest.  Something was wrong.  As they approached and dismounted he noticed just how still Ceryan seemed to be.  His face was turned away from them, so he could not see the empty eye socket.  “E- Eleinya?”  Enko called out softly.

She looked up at the sound of his voice, her eyes were red, though whether that was just because of tears or because if the blood on her face from all of Ceryan’s wounds, he could not say.  “He’s dead.”  She said, emptily.  “You’re too late…”  She put her head down again and Enko could hear her crying.

To this, day Enko is unsure exactly why he did what he did, but at that moment something in him snapped and he was overwhelmed by some urgent fear.  Without thinking about it he scrambled back onto his horse and fled, riding all the way back to town.  He stayed home for several days after that, not daring to go outside for fear of meeting with Eleinya.  He couldn’t bear to see her after failing as he had.  Eventually he was able to leave his home again, and he returned to doing what he knew, collecting herbs, and healing.  He continued however to avoid Eleinya, feeling that it would pain her to see him, and remember why Ceryan had died.

This point in Enko’s life served to strengthen his resolve as a healer considerably, and is the main reason that he works so hard to this day.  He has dedicated himself to making sure that nothing like this happens to anyone else ever again.  This is one reason he started traveling to the outlying farms and hamlets, both to help those in need of his aid as a healer and also to make certain that no one ever again makes to mistake of angering the spirits and becoming an exile.
[/sblock]


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## Lorthanoth (Nov 1, 2007)

Sweet Pelor's fiery beard... that's the most in-depth background story I've ever read...


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 1, 2007)

I figure that if I put a lot of effort into it I'm more likely to get picked... 

I'm not very good at writing descriptions though as you might have noticed.


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## Lorthanoth (Nov 1, 2007)

I think it's very good - my weakness is plot; I can never come up with something interesting story-wise. I enjoy writing dialogue, though; which is why when I'm asked to write background stuff it's often in the form of quotations or rather biased first person perspectives.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 1, 2007)

Well you don't need a rediculously long story to tell the background of your character.  The only reason that mine is so long is because I went into detail about a traumatic event in his life.  

I could have just said that three years ago three his childhood friend was exiled and he got the council to agree to let him return if he survived for thirteen days, he did, but on the last day he was grievously injured the healers were too slow.

See?  Much shorter, but it still has the same basic idea.  Of course I didn't put any effort into that so it looks really bad, but you get the idea...


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## OnlytheStrong (Nov 2, 2007)

Yeah, I do like your background,but agree that it doesn't have to be a book to be good. Sometimes, shorter is better. I covered basically my characters whole life, but didn't go into as much detail as Dire. I hope I still got my story across though.


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## James Heard (Nov 2, 2007)

After I downloaded Celtx (a free screenwriting program) I've been knocking out much better dialogue these days. Something about the way you throw out conversations in a play just runs quicker, and more freely to me - even if I find all the other stuff beyond conversation in a play incredibly hard to format for. That's alright I guess, since I've really never found anything particularly hard about writing besides worrying over certain turns of phrase that I tend to overuse and arguing with a couple of professors that even if my grammar isn't always _perfect _it's perfectly suited to me.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 2, 2007)

No comments though?  Or is it too long and you didn't read it? :\


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## Zurai (Nov 2, 2007)

Alright, the following people have submitted character concepts. If your name isn't on this list, please notify me before midnight! Also, Nephtys and Vigwyn the Unruly need to submit backgrounds to me _today_ to be considered for this generation.

Nephtys - archer ranger
Voda Vosa - Drum, Fighter, bronzesmith
James Heard - Antiklites, Wizard, carpenter/stonemason/architect
Masquerade - Cleyra Tauwesh, Marshal, farmer
Dire Lemming - Enko, Spirit Shaman, healer
WarShrike - Ryon Wolfheart, Ranger, hunter
Redclaw - Ariston, Scout, herbalist/apothecary
Vigwyn the Unruly - adept farmer
Shayuri - Erin, Sorceress, weaver/herder?
OnlytheStrong - Rinos, Barbarian, big-game hunter/tanner
EvolutionKB - Bathinias, Spirit Shaman, herder
Nac Mac Feegle - Thane, Scout//Adept, fletcher/bowyer/hunterish
Lorthanoth - Alistia, Commoner, baker/brewer/weaver
Nightbreeze - Elafros Ouranos, Binder, jack of all trades


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 2, 2007)

Healer/Herbalist actually.  Enko has maxed Heal and maxed Profession (Herbalist).


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## Zurai (Nov 3, 2007)

Recruitment is now CLOSED!

The selection process begins...

<Zurai, Game Master withdraws from society...>
<Zurai has claimed a Computer!>
<Zurai has begun a mysterious construction!>


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## OnlytheStrong (Nov 3, 2007)

lmao


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 3, 2007)

Nac Mac Feegle has been struck down.
Zurai has made Murpleguplen The flaming elephants of wearing an artifact campaign setting.

Murpleguplen The Flaming Elephants Of Wearing is an artifact campaign setting it menaces with spikes of masterful quality Nac Mac Feegle bone.  

Hey wait, there aren't any elephants in this setting are there?


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## Nac Mac Feegle (Nov 3, 2007)

I've been what now?


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 3, 2007)

Turned into decorations for Murpleguplen The Flaming Elephants Of Wearing, an artifact campaign setting.


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## James Heard (Nov 3, 2007)

I don't know if any ever asked about elephants. I hope there are elephants. And monkeys too, wearing tiny little hats playing accordions.


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## OnlytheStrong (Nov 3, 2007)

No spiders. Or......monkeys that eat spiders!


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 3, 2007)

Oh gods, the elephants!


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## Zurai (Nov 3, 2007)

No elephants. There may be milkfish in the river, though...


(Sorry for all the Dwarf Fortress inside jokes. I'm almost already to announce the first generation party. Gimme another 10 minutes or so.)


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## OnlytheStrong (Nov 3, 2007)

Maybe the elephants can be bred....... Wonder what you'd have to cross to get an elephant.


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## Voda Vosa (Nov 3, 2007)

A rhino, a pig, and ehm.... and a manatee.


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## Zurai (Nov 3, 2007)

<drumroll>

OK, here we go. I ended up with 10 extremely strong candidates and I've spent the last two hours making some hard choices. In the end, I have to turn down 4 players, not through any fault of their own, but simply because I cannot run a 10-character game   

Without further ado, here are the 6 players for the first generation and their characters (in no particular order):

*Shayuri* - playing Erin, the Sorceress weaver/herder/cook
*Lorthanoth* - playing Alistia, the Commoner baker/brewer
*Masquerade* - playing Cleyra Tauwesh, the Marshal farmer
*Dire Lemming* - playing Enko, the Spirit Shaman (blackfrond) healer/herbalist
*Nac Mac Feegle* - playing Thane, the Scout//Adept bowyer/fletcher
*WarShrike* - playing Ryon Wolfheart, the Ranger animal handler

Congratulations, you six! I sincerely apologize to the four remaining players who submitted character backgrounds. You guys will still have priority as alts and for later generations if you submit characters at those points - I have your names copied down.



Now, remember how in the House Rules section of the very first post, I mentioned that I give lots of non-standard rewards while playing? Well, here's a taste of things to come. As a reward for each of your *excellent* backstories, here's a custom-made bonus feat for each of you:


[sblock=Enko]*Blackfrond's Blessing*
*Benefit:* When you cast any Conjuration (Healing) spell, you may use an unprepared (not dried) Blackfrond frond as an additional material component. If you do, that spell is automatically Maximized without changing the spell level.[/sblock]

[sblock=Ryon Wolfheart]*Beast-tamer*
*Benefit:* Your effective druid level for determining the strength of your animal companion is equal to your ranger level. You start the game with an animal companion.[/sblock]

[sblock=Erin]*Natural Talent*
*Benefit:* You may cast a spell with a casting time of up to one round (including a spell modified by a metamagic feat or feats or a summoning spell) as a standard action a number of times per day equal to your charisma bonus.[/sblock]

[sblock=Alistia]*Heroic Spirit*
*Benefit:* You gain +1 to all saving throws and to attack rolls, +1 more per 5 character levels.[/sblock]

[sblock=Cleyra Tauwesh]*Indomitable Soul*
*Benefit:* Whenever you are targeted by any enchantment or mind-affecting effect, roll your save twice and take the higher roll.[/sblock]

[sblock=Thane]*Spirit of the Wild*
*Benefit:* When in the wilderness, you gain +1 caster level and +3 to all wisdom-based skill checks.[/sblock]


You can feel free to alter your character to suit the feat if you want, or if you think the feat just doesn't fit your character let me know and we'll work a new one out for you.

I'll put up the Rogue's Gallery thread shortly. The In Character thread will begin once I have everyone's final character sheet OK'd and I get a chance to develop the initial plot hooks; most likely mid to late next week.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 3, 2007)

:\        

Blah... I can't bring myself to act happy about getting picked when so many people didn't!  Stupid anal concience...



Um, I have a question about the feat I got.  How long after the Blackfront is picked can it be used for this?  Since, in your initial post about it you said that it starts crumbling after being picked and after a day it's useless.


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## Zurai (Nov 3, 2007)

Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Um, I have a question about the feat I got.  How long after the Blackfront is picked can it be used for this?  Since, in your initial post about it you said that it starts crumbling after being picked and after a day it's useless.




1 day. Essentially, if you want to use the feat that day you'll have to spend some time gathering blackfrond. Good thing you have Profession (Herbalist), huh?


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 3, 2007)

Yeah... doesn't Blackfrond only grow in the Noonshadow forest though? :\


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## Shayuri (Nov 3, 2007)

Well I'm happy. 

Thanks, Zurai. I shall have some mechanics and an expanded story for you shortly.

Also, Erin does both weaving as well as watching the herd and helping with the shearing and so on...though I expect her brothers do most of that since they're stronger. Anyway, I'll make all that clearer in the expansion.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 3, 2007)

Wait a second... I have no idea where I got the idea that Blackfrond only grows in the forest...  Does it?


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## James Heard (Nov 3, 2007)

You could always duck out DL 

All *I* know is that's the last time I'm helping anyone with editing _anything_ for a game I really want to play in.  Everyone have fun.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 3, 2007)

James Heard said:
			
		

> You could always duck out DL
> 
> All *I* know is that's the last time I'm helping anyone with editing _anything_ for a game I really want to play in.  Everyone have fun.




Then I'd just be disapointed that I didn't get in I didn't get in... :\ 

Thanks for all your help though James.  I hope Enko's decendants get to adventure with one of your characters... assuming he survives long enough to have any.


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## James Heard (Nov 3, 2007)

> Thanks for all your help though James. I hope Enko's descendants get to adventure with one of your characters... assuming he survives long enough to have any.



Meh. Don't mention it. I'm just disappointed I spent as much time as I did on a game that I'm not going to be a part of.


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## Nac Mac Feegle (Nov 3, 2007)

Zur, I think you accidentally copied Enko's profession to me, I've got Bowyer/Fletcher, not Herbalism.


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## Lorthanoth (Nov 3, 2007)

I'm absurdly happy! Thankyou so much, Zurai! And awesome custom feat! I will work on getting Alistia statted up fully.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 3, 2007)

Speaking of rhinoceroses, we need someone to invent a bag of tricks.

Oh yeah, I need to know what I should do for equipment.  The PDF you guys directed me to has no info on that. :\


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## WarShrike (Nov 3, 2007)

Thanks for the feat Zurai, i like it. 

It will of course be a wolf. I will write it into my character sheet soon.

WarShrike


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## Lorthanoth (Nov 3, 2007)

Update on Alistia:

[sblock]*Alistia*
Commoner 1
NG
Str 11
Dex 14 +2
Con 12 +1
Int 12 +1
Wis 11
Cha 18 +4

Age: 18
Height: 5' 4''
Weight: 129lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Auburn

VP: 5
WP: 12

Init: +2
BAB: +0 Melee: +1 Ranged: +3

*Saves:*
Fort +2
Ref +3
Will +3

*Skills:*

Appraise +1
Balance +2
Bluff cc 1r +4 = +5
Climb 0
Concentration +1
Craft (weaving) 2r +1 = +3
Craft (anything else) +1
Diplomacy cc 2r +2 (feat) +4 = +8
Disguise +4
Escape Artist +2
Forgery +1
Gather Info +4
Heal 0
Hide +2
Intimidate +4
Jump 0
Knowledge (local) 4r +1 = +5
Listen 3r
Move Silently +2
Perform (any) +4
Profession (baker) 4r
Profession (brewer) 2r
Ride +2
Search +1
Sense Motive +2 (feat)
Spot 3r
Survival 0
Swim 0
Use Rope +2

*Feats:*

Negotiator (bonus) +2 to Dip and Sense Motive
Dodge +1 dodge bonus to AC vs one opponent
Iron Will +2  to Will saves
Heroic Spirit (bonus) +1 to attacks and all saves

Proficient with club, and no armour or shields.

*Background*
Alistia's mother is a baker, her father is a brewer. That's the way things are, my girl, and wishing doesn't change anything. Huh. I can wish, can't I? It must be exciting to go out into the forest and hunt the boars. More exciting than *slam* kneading *whack* stupid bread all day.I bet Kallistrate doesn't make her own bread... and she gets to spend all day with men like Eusathios *sigh*. It must be amazing to be a spirit talker too... to see things and do things no-one else can do. It's all very well Pantheras saying "Alistia, which each have our own gifts, and yours is one without which none of us can live. We will always need bread! blah blah blah"; he means well, but I don't see him tending an oven... Ah, here comes Orephion... probably thinks he can get some cakes, the lazy good-for-nothing.

Alistia is the middle child of Kereos and Vesita, the brewer and baker - her older brother is apprenticed to their father and her younger brother is more and more showing the makings of a fine hunter. She has ambitions that are for the moment at least, almost impossible for her to attain. She knows that she is attractive, and is known for her wit and intelligence, but is desirous of more than that; she wants to 'know things', to ind out more about the world. 

Anyone she perceives as 'special' is automatically accorded a great deal of respect by Alistia. She envies spirit talkers their gift and hunters their freedom and the excitement of the chase. She views her current life as a trap and seeks a way to escape. More than once she has asked one of the storytellers of the community to take her on as an apprentice, but has been refused, for although she has a natural talent and a good ear, her gift is raw and unpolished. Also, she knows her parents would disapprove.

Well-liked and well-known, even if it is just as "the baker's lovely daughter", Alistia knows there has to be more to life than this. She always seeks out any peddlers or traders who come to town, in order to find out more about the wider world; she pesters the hunters for stories of their exploits, and likes to entertain people with her skill at mimicry and vocal 
impersonations (often satirical).

Alistia has many friends (and some admirers) amongst the people of Cuirlen, some of whom she perhaps doesn't appreciate as much as she might. She is fond of gossip and always seems to know who is sweet on whom, and what everyone is up to.[/sblock]


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## Zurai (Nov 3, 2007)

The Rogue's Gallery is up. Please post updated character sheets and backstories there. The sooner I have everyone's info, the sooner we can start 



			
				Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Oh yeah, I need to know what I should do for equipment.




You get average "starting gold" for your class (I assume Spirit Shamans get gold as a druid). This isn't actual gold coinage, but for the purposes of starting equipment that's what we'll call it. Go ahead and "buy" what you want, keeping in mind that stuff that exists only for war (swords, armor heavier than ring mail, caltrops, etc) and alchemical stuff (tanglefoot bags, alchemist's fire, sunrods, etc) aren't available. Any metal stuff you buy will be bronze. You're also welcome to purchase trade goods if you want; there's a list in the PHB and if there's something you want to add to it just ask.

Any "money" you do not spend disappears at the start of the game, so use it or lose it!



			
				Nac Mac Feegle said:
			
		

> Zur, I think you accidentally copied Enko's profession to me, I've got Bowyer/Fletcher, not Herbalism.




Oops. Not sure how that happened, since my cheat sheet has you listed correctly. I'll get that fixed real fast.


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## Zurai (Nov 3, 2007)

WarShrike said:
			
		

> Thanks for the feat Zurai, i like it.
> 
> It will of course be a wolf. I will write it into my character sheet soon.
> 
> WarShrike




Not a problem. I'll admit that particular feat involves a personal pet peeve (no pun intended) of mine, in that ranger animal companions are completely worthless with the stupid "druid/2" progression - mainly because _druid_ animal companions aren't worth much more than flankers and camp guards past the first few levels.


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## Lorthanoth (Nov 3, 2007)

Just chuckling that out of the three posted so far, Alistia has the highest Str! Must be all that dough kneading...

Woot! 10gp to spend!


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## Nac Mac Feegle (Nov 3, 2007)

Stupid longbow costing more than my entire amount of money.  I don't suppose I can get a discount on self-crafted items, can I?


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 3, 2007)

Hm, so what would sling bullets be made of?  Presumably not lead, but wouldn't that make them lighter?


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## WarShrike (Nov 3, 2007)

Slings originally used stones for ammo, maybe bullets are too high tech.

WarShrike


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## Lorthanoth (Nov 3, 2007)

I was wondering about bullets, I assumed they would be stones instead. The 2E PHB had damage stats for stones, but I couldn't see them in the 3E SRD...


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 3, 2007)

That works.

Well it says lead bullets are "much heavier than stones of the same size" so we could always use that as a guideline.  Lighter, and they do less damage.


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## Masquerade (Nov 3, 2007)

Thanks, Zurai! I'm looking forward to this. I'll have my post up in the rogue's gallery thread shortly.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 3, 2007)

You know, the prices for items in the PHB just don't work with this game.  I can't have a horse or a healer's kit because the latter costs exactly the amount of starting gold I have and the former costs 50% more.  Then there's that whole ten foot ladder costs five copper but a ten foot pole costs two silver.  Why don't I just break the ladder in half?  Then I'll have two ten foot poles! 

Anyway, here's my inventory list so far.

Equipment:
Traveler’s Outfit 5 lb.
Sling
Dagger: 2 gp 1 lb.
Quarterstaff: 4 lb.
Backpack: 2 gp 2 lb.
Spell Component Pouch: 5 gp 2 lb.
Bedroll: 1 sp 5 lb.
Flint and Copper 1 gp
Spade: 2 gp
Sack: 1 sp .5 lb.
Scroll Case: 1 gp .5 lb.
Ink: 8 gp
Quill
Parchment x9:  2 sp
Winter Blanket: 5 sp 3 lb.
Sewing Needle: 5 sp
Waterskin: 1 gp 4 lb.
Trail Rations x6: 5 sp 1 lb.


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## Masquerade (Nov 3, 2007)

Posted! For the record, I had 125 starting gold, of which I only spent 47gp+1sp. 10 Str doesn't allow for a lot of gear.

As for trade goods, the rest of that (77.9 gp) could probably be assumed to be the approximate value of the crops currently growing on the Tauwesh farm.


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## Lorthanoth (Nov 3, 2007)

A stone did 1d4 pts of damage in 2E, but a bullet did 1d4+1 (!). Perhaps stones do 1d3 pts in 3E? I've been looking, and can't find anything. Maybe we can get a ruling from Zurai on it. I did contemplate that Alistia might have to throw stones at some point.

"I got a rock"


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 3, 2007)

Uh oh...  Hey Masquerade, I think Zurai has some problem with Neutral alignment characters.  Did you talk to him about that?


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## Zurai (Nov 4, 2007)

Man, I go to Worldwide D&D day and everyone starts panicking while I'm gone!   

I'll address starting cash in a minute.

First:


			
				Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> Uh oh... Hey Masquerade, I think Zurai has some problem with Neutral alignment characters. Did you talk to him about that?




I've got nothing against Lawful Neutral. The only banned alignments in this game are Evil (any), Lawful Stupid (aka paladin that takes lawful good so far it becomes lawful evil), True Stupid (aka "The balance must be preserved over everything else and the instant the balance shifts I swap sides!"), and Chaotic Stupid (aka "Do anything I want to just because"). Lawful Good, True Neutral, and Chaotic Neutral are fine. Any actual D&D alignment except for the Evils is fine. The Stupids aren't actual D&D alignments, just caricatures thereof which I personally object to because they tend to ruin campaigns with their mere presence.

OK, now to money.

I obviously didn't think this through very far. Alright, for the purposes of the game, you all are going to start with whatever profession-appropriate gear you can think of. Just add it to your character sheets. Ignore the gold value except as a guideline of what should and shouldn't be available to first level characters (ie a masterwork +4 strength composite longbow is NOT a valid 1st level choice). I'll still run through the character sheets and vet everything but as long as you're reasonable we should be fine.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 4, 2007)

What counts as reasonable for a first level character?  I mean, druids get fifty gold, which means they can't have a healer's kit unless they don't take anything else.  I've got almost everything I want now, but all of it amounts to about thirty gold, and the only other things I want are a healer's kit and a light horse with a riding saddle and saddlebags. The healer's kit costs fifty gold, and the horse costs seveny-five, while the riding saddle and saddlebags cost ten and four respectively.


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## Zurai (Nov 4, 2007)

The healer's kit is fine. Unless it fits into your backstory though, a horse is probably a bit much. Pretty much the only people you can expect to have personal horses are people from a horse herding family or hunters that go farther afield than is common. Even then, it'd be a pretty signifigant amount of their "wealth".

Like I said, ignore the gold value except as a general guideline. The most starting gold any character gets is the Fighter with (on average) 150 gold. If something costs ~60% of the maximum average starting gold, it should be a major part of the character.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 4, 2007)

Can I get a pack animal of some sort?  My stuff is a bit heavy.


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## Zurai (Nov 4, 2007)

Then I suggest you don't carry so much  Remember, you're a small town healer/herbalist. Think hard about what you _really_ need to do your job. Your character probably wouldn't have too much more (also remember that you get one set of clothes free and weightless).

Herbs don't weigh much. A full pouch of herbs might ... _might_ ... weigh 2 pounds. You'd need a small sickle, a spade, maybe a knife, a backpack, your spell component pouch, clothes, a bag to put the herbs into... do you usually go out herb-hunting overnight? If not, you don't really need any sleeping gear, or nearly a week's worth of rations. Do you have scrolls or maps or even the feat to make scrolls? If not, you don't really need the scroll case, parchment, quill, or ink.

I'm not saying "you can't have those things". I'm saying "think carefully about what your character would really have".


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 4, 2007)

Enko usualy travels to all the surrounding farms and hamlets, I don't know how far away they are so I got a lot of food and camping equipment.  The scroll case is for holding the parchment which is for taking nots and stuff.  All of it together ways about half a pound though so that's not really a problem.  The sling is to scare away wolves.  The quarter staff is a walking stick.  The dagger is a knife, I guess I'll just call it a knife and say it only does slashing damage.  It doesn't say that Spirit Shaman's are proficient with Sickles, but whatever, it'll just be a tool anyway.

So what do you think?  Also, are the farthest farms and hamlets still less than a day away?

Equipment:
Traveler’s Outfit
Sling
Knife: 2 gp 1 lb.
Sickle 6 gp 2 lb.
Quarterstaff: 4 lb.
Backpack: 2 gp 2 lb.
Spell Component Pouch: 5 gp 2 lb.
Bedroll: 1 sp 5 lb.
Flint and Copper 1 gp
Spade: 2 gp
Sack: 1 sp .5 lb.
Scroll Case: 1 gp .5 lb.
Ink: 8 gp
Quill
Parchment x9:  2 sp
Winter Blanket: 5 sp 3 lb.
Sewing Needle: 5 sp
Waterskin: 1 gp 4 lb.
Trail Rations x6: 5 sp 1 lb.
Healer’s Kit: 50gp 1 lb.


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## Lorthanoth (Nov 4, 2007)

I hadn't noticed the crocodiles, monitor lizards and bears oh my! (ok I noticed the bears) - maize and potatoes... Hey, who's for tortillas and fries?


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 4, 2007)

That's what's great about fantasy!  You can have corn and potatoes in a bronze-age-western-europeanish society!  We're totally better than real ancient europe with it's lack of potatoes and corn!


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## Lorthanoth (Nov 4, 2007)

Alistia could set up this world's first Taco Bell!


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 4, 2007)

Lorthanoth said:
			
		

> Alistia could set up this world's first Taco Bell!




Don't get ahead of yourself there.  Before we get Taco Bell we need to have _real_ mexican food for it to ruin.


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## Zurai (Nov 5, 2007)

Has anyone finalized their character sheets yet?

Still need a sheet from WarShrike and Shayuri.


----------



## Dire Lemming (Nov 5, 2007)

What do you think about my post above?


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## Shayuri (Nov 5, 2007)

Arr, working on it.

Sorry, been a beast of a day.


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## Nac Mac Feegle (Nov 5, 2007)

I think my sheet is finalized, it's at least ready for your scrutiny.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 5, 2007)

Hm, I just saw a post in annother thread that made me think about something for this game.

Just what do elsed do for those over a hundred years where they're not yet adults?  How is it that it takes them that long to get to first level but then they can suddenly advance just as quickly as a human?  I think making elves become mature at a much younger age would make allot more sense.  What do you all think?

This is of course only relevant if/when we meet elves, but it's something to think about.


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## Shayuri (Nov 5, 2007)

Check out Races of the Wild. It has interesting ideas.

The idea is that elves do a lot of things during their "youth," but none of it is really D&D mechanical. They have a different view of time, after all. 

However, when an elf matures and gets that adventurin' urge, they're just as able to learn classes as a human is. Elves don't lack -capacity-, they lack -drive-. But an elf that adventures is assumed to have that spark, that need to succeed, that makes them scrabble for levels like a human, rather than waiting for the passage of years to bring wisdom.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 5, 2007)

That... still sounds pretty shakey.  So they spend all this time doing just 'stuff' that has nothing to do with adventuring and then all of a sudden they spontaneously decide to go adventuring at which point they achieve the same level of proficientcy as a human in the same amount of time?  I mean, that's basically what I'm complaining about.


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## Shayuri (Nov 5, 2007)

I did a poor job explaining it, largely cuz the book's not open in front of me.

I'm not saying there's no holes in it, but it makes sense if you have a 'feel' for elven psychology. They have cycles of life...periods of interest that wax and wane. One decade they may be into botany. The next, swordplay.

Basically, an elf spends the first hunnard years or so exploring nature, learning the elvish language, swordplay, archery...and taking their sweet time doing it. An elf PC...who is not necessarily representative of the entire race...will at the end of that time be ready to embark on a new cycle in his life...one that involves defeating evil and associating extensively with non-elves.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 5, 2007)

Alright, well it's starting to make a bit more sense, but it still doesn't address the issue of the elf adventurer, after spending all this time to get to first level, suddenly gaining 4 levels in a matter of months, weeks or days.  It's just so darn inconsistent.  Like administering CPR for a gunshot wound to the head and it actually working.  Well ok, maybe not _that_ inconsistent.


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## Nac Mac Feegle (Nov 5, 2007)

My theory is that they have poems that take upwards of 30 years to read.  They get born, read a few books, and then look at the clock as say 'Damn it, where'd the time go, I was supposed to be off saving the world.'


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## Lorthanoth (Nov 5, 2007)

The Basic D&D setting/Known World/Mystara setting (to give it its many names) has elves start off at around the same age as human adventurers ( I think a little bit older) and just has them able to live a really long time. They mature at the same rate as other races to get to adulthood but then each stage takes a lot longer after that. I seem to recall.

Oh, and I think my sheet is finalised.


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## Zurai (Nov 5, 2007)

Heh. Don't even bother speculating on elves in this world. I gaurantee you won't even come close to being right.

I'm going over Thane's and Alistia's character sheets now. Dire Lemming, I still get the feeling that you're over-equipping Enko. Don't forget, you're not an adventurer, you're a small-town healer. I'll critique your equipment list once I get done with Thane and Alistia.


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## Zurai (Nov 5, 2007)

*Thane:*
Please state your class levels, alignment, gender, and race explicitly.
Leather armor is DR/slashing, not DR/bludgeoning.
You appear to be missing a skill. 8 from scout, 1 from human, 2 from house rule = 11. You have 10 maxed.
You also appear to be missing a feat. 1 from level 1, 1 from human, 1 from house rule, 1 from reward = 4. You have 3. I think you forgot that Thane was human  

*Alistia:*
Looks good.

*Enko's equipment:*
I said 'small sickle'    Not the weapon-sized version. Just write down "herbalism tools" I guess, we don't need to know exactly what all's in the toolkit.
I'm not actually sure whether copper or bronze spark like iron and steel do, but for the sake of not making me look it up we'll say they do.
I'm more inclined to think you'd write notes with bits of charcoal on bark or small bits of tanned hide that are too irregular or small to be useful for anything else rather than actual parchment and ink. And, in reality, it's not something that's going to really have a lot of mechanical effect on the game, so I'm not concerned about its weight and cost. We'll just say that you always have something to write with and on in normal circumstances.
You won't need a winter blanket for a while. We're going to start in late spring, and a bedroll will keep you plenty warm enough.
6 days rations is probably too much, especially considering you can take 10 on the survival check to get along in the wilderness and feed two people with the result. The hamlets and farms here are at most maybe 5 hours walk apart. You shouldn't ever have to camp out when you're just visiting the outlying settlements in normal situations.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 5, 2007)

Well when I get home I'm going to have to see if I can get my computer working again.  Last night it froze up right when I clicked on a door in a NWN2 mod, really weird.  I haven't been able to get it to start again for more than a few seconds since.  Somethings wrong with my IDE devices so I may have to get a new hard drive, and I may lose everything on my current one.

For now here's the updated inventory.

Equipment:
Traveler’s Outfit
Sling
Knife: 2 gp 1 lb.
Quarterstaff: 4 lb.
Backpack: 2 gp 2 lb.
Spell Component Pouch: 5 gp 2 lb.
Bedroll: 1 sp 5 lb.
Flint and Copper 1 gp
Spade: 2 gp
Sack: 1 sp .5 lb.
Sewing Needle: 5 sp
Waterskin: 1 gp 4 lb.
Trail Rations x1: 5 sp 1 lb.
Healer’s Kit: 50gp 1 lb.
Herbalist's Kit

Also, I looked up flint for you.  It doesn't say if it works with metals besides steel, but it seems like it would.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint


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## Nac Mac Feegle (Nov 5, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> *Thane:*
> Please state your class levels, alignment, gender, and race explicitly.
> Leather armor is DR/slashing, not DR/bludgeoning.
> You appear to be missing a skill. 8 from scout, 1 from human, 2 from house rule = 11. You have 10 maxed.
> You also appear to be missing a feat. 1 from level 1, 1 from human, 1 from house rule, 1 from reward = 4. You have 3. I think you forgot that Thane was human




I think I see where I went wrong, I did my skills when I was planning on being Int 8 before I realized I didn't care much about strength.  As for the feat, I totally missed the house rule giving us an extra feat .

I'll fix all that stuff up now.


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## Zurai (Nov 6, 2007)

*Dire Lemming:* That looks better. The weight of the herbalist kit can be 1lb like most of the other kits.

*Shayuri, War Shrike:* I still need character sheets from you.


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## Shayuri (Nov 6, 2007)

Here's Erin!

I'll fill in the description and background tomorrow...tonight I'm bushed. But the mechanics work out, as long as you allow Complete Arcane and Spell Compendium. If not, I'll fix the feats and spells.

Also, you'll note her spell choices seem a bit odd. I'm trying to model someone who hasn't ever used magic for real battle yet. The closest she's come is using magic to make her a whiz at contests of archery and throwing. The electric jolt spell is basically meant just as a raw magical discharge of energy.

[sblock=Erin the Sorceress]Name: Erin
Race: Human 
Class/Level: Sorceror 1
Gender: Female
Exp: 0

Desc: 

Strength (STR) 8
Dexterity (DEX) 14
Constitution (CON) 14
Intelligence (INT) 12
Wisdom (WIS) 12
Charisma (CHA) 16

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
AC: 12 (10 + 2 Dex)
Vitality Points: 6/6
Wound Points: 14/14
Movement: 30'/60'/120'

Init: +2
Base Attack Bonus: +0
Melee Attack: -1
Ranged Attack: +2
Fort: +2
Reflex: +2
Will: +3

Race Abilities
Bonus Feat
Bonus skill points

Class Abilities:
Familiar
Spellcasting

Bonus:
Natural Talent
Benefit: You may cast a spell with a casting time of up to one round (including a spell modified by a 

metamagic feat or feats or a summoning spell) as a standard action a number of times per day equal to 

your charisma bonus.

Skills: 16+8
Bluff +9 (4 ranks + 3 Cha +2 feat)
Concentration +6 (4 ranks + 2 Con)
Handle Animal +5 (2cc ranks + 3 Cha)
Perform (Sing) +5 (2cc ranks + 3 Cha)
Profession (weaver) +5 (4 ranks +1 wis)
Craft (tailor) +5 (4 ranks + 1 Int)

Feats
b Persuasive
1 Eschew Materials
1 Night Haunt (Dancing Lights, Prestidigitation, Unseen Servant, each 1/day as SLA)

Languages - Common, ?

Spells (caster level 1, save DC 13+lvl)

0 - 5/5, 1 - 4/4

0 Electric Jolt, Mending, Message, Launch Item
1 True Strike, Greater Mage Hand

Money - 

Weapons - 
Staff

Armour -
None

Gear -
Backpack, 2gp, 2lbs
Bedroll, 1sp, 5lbs
Waterskin, 1gp, 4lbs					

Guard Dog, 25gp

5 sq yards linen, 20gp
13 sheep, 26gp

Background: Pending[/sblock]


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 6, 2007)

Alright, I added it to my sheet in the RG, you can use my sig to get there quick if you need to!


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## Nac Mac Feegle (Nov 6, 2007)

Didn't Zurai rule that dogs haven't been domesticated yet?

EDIT: Also, not to be the picky one about realism, but flint doesn't work with copper (or any metal much softer than steel really).  Making fires in a pre-iron civilization will be pressure-drills and magic all the way.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 6, 2007)

So what do you suggest? :\


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## Shayuri (Nov 6, 2007)

OOPS

He did mention that about dogs.

My bad.

I was just looking for excuses to spend money, since she doesn't have much equipment.

I guess I'll buy more cloth...


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## Nac Mac Feegle (Nov 6, 2007)

Ranks in survival or some sort of fire spell probably.  We could just house rule the existence of a 'light a fire' cantrip.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 6, 2007)

I do have maxed ranks in survival.


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## James Heard (Nov 6, 2007)

Primitive Fire


----------



## Dire Lemming (Nov 6, 2007)

Once again, thanks James.


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## Nightbreeze (Nov 6, 2007)

Aw, shrucks 

Ah well, I guess I'll be waiting for the second generation


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## WarShrike (Nov 6, 2007)

Buy a guard wolf. Since i was selected, my background musta been acknowledged. Therefore my family tames wild animals for common tasks. I'd suggest a guard bear, or a guard tyranosaurus, but im sure you cant afford them yet.   

WarShrike


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## Shayuri (Nov 6, 2007)

Nac Mac Feegle said:
			
		

> Ranks in survival or some sort of fire spell probably.  We could just house rule the existence of a 'light a fire' cantrip.




Already exists.

Prestidigitation can light fires.


----------



## Lorthanoth (Nov 6, 2007)

They train wild animals? I assume this is via magic, cos I wouldn't want to tame a wild bear! We gotta got them wolves breeding - we need man's best friend!


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## Zurai (Nov 6, 2007)

There is no such thing as a "tame" wolf. Trust me. My aunt-in-law owns a pair of 90% pureblood timber wolves (other 10% is husky) and there's nothing remotely tame about them. They're also freakin' huge - _much_ bigger than any other dog I've seen.

More likely they're wolves that have been bred in capitivity and are slowly approaching domestic status. They'd need someone trained in Animal Handling to be any use currently.

And sorry, no tamed T-rexes.  Gonna have to find one and be level, what, 15+? to get one of those as an animal companion first 



... and I still need RG entries for Erin and Ryon.


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## Shayuri (Nov 6, 2007)

I posted my sheet here first so you could look at it and request any changes or ask questions before I posted to RG...


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## Zurai (Nov 6, 2007)

Oh. Darn you chaotic types, always bucking the trend! 

Looks good other than the guard dog. For the record, I allow pretty much any splatbook. I don't see any problem with any of her feats or spells. I really like that she basically is a poltergeist with that Night Haunt feat  Fits in well with her backstory.


----------



## WarShrike (Nov 6, 2007)

Will get the RG done immediately. As for the bear and Trex, that was a joke. As far as family taming goes, we raise captured newborn wild animals, breed tamed ones to remove the inherent savagery. One day Cuirlen shall have huskies.

Oh, and Timber Wolves are HUGE. Got some in the woods out back. Theres nothing i know of thats more magical than spending a summer night outdoors, stargazing and listenning to wolfsong.   

WarShrike


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## Masquerade (Nov 6, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> I really like that she basically is a poltergeist with that Night Haunt feat  Fits in well with her backstory.



Agreed. I really like the flavor of those feats; they were probably my favorite part of Complete Arcane.

WarShrike - Shouldn't your canine friend have vitality/wound points instead of HD/HP?


----------



## WarShrike (Nov 6, 2007)

Masquerade said:
			
		

> WarShrike - Shouldn't your canine friend have vitality/wound points instead of HD/HP?




I need HD to determine size, which will change to Large when i level up to 3rd, but you're right about the HPs. Thanks for the heads up.   

Zurai, whats the Vitality of my wolf at 2d8+4 HPs? Do i go with the 12 i rolled or ?

WarShrike


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## Zurai (Nov 6, 2007)

Animal companions do NOT gain size from leveling as an animal companion. Your wolf will be medium forever. Basically, he's not gaining Animal HD (which would advance his size but not much else), he's gaining Animal Companion HD (which don't advance his size but give him a ton of other benefits). _That being said_, I allow players of druids and rangers to 'upgrade' normal animals to Dire animals at the appropriate level; in other words, Fluffy the Wolf can turn into Fluffy the Dire Wolf at level 4 or whatever level it is. Story-wise, he would just have been a younger Dire Wolf rather than an adult Wolf.



VP: I just realized I never mentioned how we're going to handle vitality points for levels past 1    PCs get max VP at level 1, as usual. Non-PCs (such as animal companions) and PCs advancing past level 1 get 3/4 of the maximum result of the hit die. If the result isn't an even number (d6, d10), alternate rounding up then down.

Example: Your wolf with HD of 2d8+4 would have 6+6+4 = 14 Vitality Points and 14 Wound Points.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 6, 2007)

Wha?  I can't just have 59 halves hit points?


----------



## Zurai (Nov 6, 2007)

I'll be reviewing Erin, Cleyra, Enko, and Ryon tonight after I get back from my RL game. Assuming only minor tweaks are needed to the character sheets, the game will start in the next day or two.

So you guys can get started on how you're going to approach the start of the game, here's the general scene info:

Late spring
Bronzemarket
Travelling trader in town with a 6-horse team full of goods
~95% of the people in the area are in town for the market and trader
Impromptu festival planned for the night

so, start thinking of what you're going to want to do.


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## WarShrike (Nov 6, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> Example: Your wolf with HD of 2d8+4 would have 6+6+4 = 14 Vitality Points and 14 Wound Points.




Umm... isn't 6+6+4 16? I could be wrong y'know? Like, it might be a house rule.   

WarShrike


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 6, 2007)

What's Bronzemarket?

Anyway, I suppose Enko would be interested in any new seeds or plants the merchant has.  As usual, trying to avoid Eleinya, as usual, infatuated with Artimisia, though less nervous now that he's gotten over puberty.  I suppose he's recently gotten back from a trip, so maybe he'll take a bath.  What else...


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## Zurai (Nov 6, 2007)

WarShrike said:
			
		

> Umm... isn't 6+6+4 16? I could be wrong y'know? Like, it might be a house rule.
> 
> WarShrike




Err... oops?  You're right, 16. Usually I can at least do _basic_ arithmetic...



			
				Dire Lemming said:
			
		

> What's Bronzemarket?




What's it sound like?   Bronzemarket is the 1/month market day where Anakletos opens up his forge for general repair work and so on, and sells the bronze goods he and his apprentices have completed over the past month.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 6, 2007)

Ok, well I guess Enko will want to have his tools repaired as well then.  Hm, I've been thinking, with his charisma score he's got to have some friends, but I haven't thought up any that are still alive and that he isn't afraid to be in the presense of. :\

He needs a wingman when he makes his move on Artimisia!  Or something like that...


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## Lorthanoth (Nov 6, 2007)

Does everyone in the group have really high Charisma? I thought I was going to be odd in making it my highest stat, but obviously not... We're obviously the future leaders of Bronzo-world! (um... maybe not...)


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## Zurai (Nov 6, 2007)

Thane has an 8 Charisma. I think he's the only one with a penalty, though.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 6, 2007)

Hm, I guess there're just a whole bunch of folks he knows since they're such a small community.  I'm just thinking about a close friend.  Someone like Ceryan would have been if he'd lived, or Eleinya if he wasn't afraid to talk to her.  I guess we can just make something up when the time comes.  But he needs a buddy to play off of when he [insert anachronistic aerial combat analogy in reference to hitting on Artimisia here].  Otherwise it'll just be _him_ making a fool of himself.

Also, Ryon only has above average charisma.


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## Lorthanoth (Nov 6, 2007)

Well, Alistia I think would probably be selling pastries etc at the market at a stall with the rest of her family. If she can slip away she'll see if there are any nice items of clothing she could get for tonight.


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## Nac Mac Feegle (Nov 6, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> Thane has an 8 Charisma. I think he's the only one with a penalty, though.




He's just not very used to dealing with people.  Growing up almost entirely in the woods will do that to you.

I could easily see this as one of Thane's occasional returns to the village to sell his excess catches and buy any tools and supplies he needs for another trip into the woods.


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## Zurai (Nov 6, 2007)

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that - I'd appreciate it if everyone found some excuse to be in Cuirlen proper  I think Thane and Ryon are the only two who might not be there every Bronzemarket, so that's one down.


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## Masquerade (Nov 6, 2007)

Cleyra and Mathis will likely be hauling some crops into town from the Tauwesh farm, then sticking around for the festivities.


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## WarShrike (Nov 6, 2007)

I have about 10gp of starting money left over, i guess i can have an equivalent worth in furs that i have accumulated and will be looking forward to trading to the traveling salesman.

WarShrike


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 6, 2007)

Enko has pretty much no trade goods except maybe dried Blackfrond, his aunt might have some herbs from her garden, and his father and grandmother would have furs.  I thought of having a booth or something with Blackfrond tea, but I don't think anyone would want it...


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## Shayuri (Nov 6, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> Oh. Darn you chaotic types, always bucking the trend!
> 
> Looks good other than the guard dog. For the record, I allow pretty much any splatbook. I don't see any problem with any of her feats or spells. I really like that she basically is a poltergeist with that Night Haunt feat  Fits in well with her backstory.




Hee hee

Yeah, I liked the idea that she was using magic even before sorcery would allow it, even if it was only minor things. The idea of her being a poltergeist is a great one...I hadn't made that connection consciously, but it seems obvious in hindsight. 

I'll ditch the dog and post to the RG.


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## Zurai (Nov 7, 2007)

OK, comments on the last of the character sheets. Sorry about not doing this last night - didn't get back from my RL game til 1 AM.

*Enko:*
Looks good.
I was looking over feats for another character yesterday and came across a couple healing-focused feats you could take if you wanted. [sblock=feats for Enko]
*Healing Devotion*
*Benefit:* Once per day as an immediate action, gain Fast Healing 1 (+1 per 5 character levels) for 1 minute. This effect activates immediately if you have a daily use left and you fall below 0 health.
Alternately, you can use a full-round action to touch someone and grant them the fast healing. This counts as a daily use.

*Augment Healing*
*Prerequisite:* Heal 4 ranks
*Benefit:* Your Conjuration (Healing) spells heal +2 points of damage per level of the spell. In other words, a _Cure Serious Wounds_ cast by you at caster level 7 would heal 3d8+15 instead of 3d8+7.[/sblock] You don't have to take those, I just remembered that you were trying to find healer-focused feats earlier.


*Cleyra:*
Looks good.


*Ryon:*
The DR for leather armor is DR/slashing. It's in the House Rules.
Longbows and shortbows are 20x3 crit, not 19-20x2.
Favored Enemy and Wild Empathy are technically class features, not feats.
See my discussion with Dire Lemming above about note-taking stuff. Assuming that's what the scroll case, parchment, ink and so on is for, just take it off your character sheet and we'll just assume you have stuff to take notes and make drawings and so on unless special circumstances dictate otherwise.
Looks good otherwise.


*Erin:*
Looks good. 
We'll say the silk is something you got from a trader some time in the past, since it's not made locally.
I still need a complete background from you, but I have enough to start with.


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## Zurai (Nov 7, 2007)

Oh yeah... Shayuri, what is Erin's familiar, or does she not have one?


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## Shayuri (Nov 7, 2007)

*sneaks on*

Familiars are 100gp...can't afford one yet.

*sneaks away*


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## Zurai (Nov 7, 2007)

Yeah, about that... 

Go ahead and take a familiar if you want one. Familiars are pretty much strictly worse than animal companions, yet it's familiars that cost money and give you an xp hit if they die?  Stupid rule.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 7, 2007)

Maybe it's because Druids don't really have money.  Still, it doesn't work for this case.


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## WarShrike (Nov 7, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> Longbows and shortbows are 20x3 crit, not 19-20x2.



I was just following the crit rules for Vitality/Wounds. The rule says that crits dont do more damage, but the threat range increases by 1 for every multiplier above x2. So a 20 x3 Longbow becomes a 19-20 x1 basicly. That is, IF you choose to include those rules.

The scroll case + scrolls + ink n stuff = for knowledge geography. Ryon is making "world Maps" of everything around Cuirlen as he ventures into new areas.

WarShrike


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 7, 2007)

I thought Vit/Wound crit damage wasn't increased at all, but the damage went straight to wound points.  Or is that just Star Wars?


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## Zurai (Nov 7, 2007)

WarShrike said:
			
		

> I was just following the crit rules for Vitality/Wounds. The rule says that crits dont do more damage, but the threat range increases by 1 for every multiplier above x2. So a 20 x3 Longbow becomes a 19-20 x1 basicly. That is, IF you choose to include those rules.




Oh man, I feel silly. Thanks for reminding me of that - you're right.

*Everyone:*
Take note of the rules under "Critical Hits" in the Vitality and Wound Points rules.



> The scroll case + scrolls + ink n stuff = for knowledge geography. Ryon is making "world Maps" of everything around Cuirlen as he ventures into new areas.
> 
> WarShrike




Yeah, that's handwavable unless you want these to be really high quality maps. If that's what you want, go ahead and keep the gear on your sheet.


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## Nac Mac Feegle (Nov 7, 2007)

So are we about ready to go?


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## Zurai (Nov 7, 2007)

Yep. I should have the IC thread up tonight or tomorrow early afternoon.


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## Nac Mac Feegle (Nov 7, 2007)

Sweet!


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## Masquerade (Nov 7, 2007)

WarShrike said:
			
		

> I was just following the crit rules for Vitality/Wounds. The rule says that crits dont do more damage, but the threat range increases by 1 for every multiplier above x2. So a 20 x3 Longbow becomes a 19-20 x1 basicly.



Thanks for pointing this out; I've updated my sheet to reflect this.


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## WarShrike (Nov 7, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> Yeah, that's handwavable unless you want these to be really high quality maps.




No sense taking highquality stuff into the wild. I'll just use basic stuff on adventures and transcribe onto high quality at home, where the stuff is safe. 

WarShrike


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## Shayuri (Nov 7, 2007)

In that case, I'd like a raven familiar.

Come see the amazing talking bird! It can be my sidekick, like Longest Journey.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 8, 2007)

Sweet!  Crow ftw!  

Hey, I just realized that the VP/WP system for DnD doesn't have non-lethal damage.  :\  So like, how do people get knocked out instead of killed what they get hit with a blunt object in the head hard enough to knock them unconcious but not hard enough to kill them?


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## Zurai (Nov 8, 2007)

I saw you mention that in another thread. I won't be giving the same answer, though 

IMC, nonlethal damage will still apply as normal, but will only affect Vitality Points. If you have more nonlethal damage than remaining VP, you are unconcious as usual. Basically, it works exactly the same as it does in normal D&D.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 8, 2007)

Ok.  Maybe I should suggest that in that game, cause I'm still not sure what CR meant with his/her answer.


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## Nac Mac Feegle (Nov 8, 2007)

Zurai said:
			
		

> I saw you mention that in another thread. I won't be giving the same answer, though
> 
> IMC, nonlethal damage will still apply as normal, but will only affect Vitality Points. If you have more nonlethal damage than remaining VP, you are unconcious as usual. Basically, it works exactly the same as it does in normal D&D.




I'd think it'd work easier to make VP not discriminate against damage types (since it largely represents getting out of the way just in time) and make it so that once you've lost all your VP you can take lethal or non-lethal WP damage.  Otherwise it'll actually be quicker to take out a character (especially us first-levelers with more WP than VP) with non-lethal.

VP heals quick anyways, so you could just leave VP entirely as is and say that WP heals quick for non-lethal.


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## WarShrike (Nov 8, 2007)

Just going over RG page and noticed an error. Masquerade, you got the crit ranges right, but crits have no multipliers anymore. They do the same damage but bypass Vitality altogether and damage wounds.

WarShrike


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## Masquerade (Nov 8, 2007)

Good call. Fixed.


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## Zurai (Nov 8, 2007)

The game is afoot!

OOC thread
IC thread

We'll keep this thread for recruitment later on.


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 8, 2007)

Really?  I thought it was a game...


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## Shayuri (Nov 9, 2007)

Lorthanoth, quick question.

Ali's gone to the weaver's cart and is talking to Erin. This is possible if:

1) Ali is doing this prior in time to Erin going to hear the storyteller...

2) Your goal was more to talk to Erin than it was to go to a particular spot, and therefore are actually at the storyteller's (ie - traveling merchant's) wagon, not at the weaver's cart.

Either's fine by me.


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## Lorthanoth (Nov 9, 2007)

Ah, sorry - whoops! I think I prefer Ali seeing Erin at the storyteller's wagon (as there was mention of a cloth merchant next to him disputing his story) rather than going back in time.


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## Shayuri (Nov 9, 2007)

Excellent.

Hee hee

It's really funny...Erin is very unlike almost all my other characters to date. I don't think I've ever played a flirty, bitchy little sorceress before...and it's fun!


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## Dire Lemming (Nov 10, 2007)

Don't worry!  Enko's indominable aura of pleasantness will save the day! 

Hey, that should be a feat!


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## Lorthanoth (Nov 10, 2007)

Alistia thinks more and says less than some of my other characters, and is less outwardly 'nice' but her good alignment shows through in the end.


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## Zurai (Jun 6, 2008)

Alrighty, due to an absence on my part allowing ardor to cool and at least one player having vanished from the boards, my Into the New World game is currently at half-strength and starting a slow spiral into oblivion.]

To hopefully get things spurred back into full gear, I'm re-opening recruitment. As promised, posters who originally applied will be given preference, but not exclusively so.

At this point, I need to re-iterate: *CURRENT PLAYERS OF THIS GAME NEED TO BUTT OUT!* as there are semi-spoilers for them coming up.




I warned you!


So... there are two paths open for new party members at this point. Firstly, they could be from another isolated town in the Noonshadow Forest which was recently wiped out due to the volcanic eruption and the results thereof. Secondly, they could be from the Fey Realm Tir-na-nogg, where things are both more and less than what they seem. Destroyed Township players will be Humans. Fey Realm players will be either Feytouched Humans or Sidhe (stats below). All of the house rules from the first post, including the bonus skill points and Craft/Profession/Knowledge requirement, will still apply to new players. New players will start at level 2, which is the party's current level.

[sblock=Destroyed Township]The town of Rhynne was a small and isolated community of Humans nestled at the bottom of the Snowcap mountains and cradled in the leafy boughs of the Great Verdant Reach, a forest that stretched as far as anyone had ever traveled. The townspeople were simple folk who lived in relative harmony with the land. They had simple farms on the gentler slopes of the mountains and hunted extensively in the Reach. Snowmelt streams provided them with plenty of sparkling, clean water.

All that changed the day Great Snowcap was crowned with fire. The mountain exploded and the sky turned dark with clouds of ash. Before anyone in town knew what was happening, pyroclastic flows from the volcano had swept down the mountainside, following the stream beds, and the town was buried under lava and ash. Some few families managed to escape the flows, and the hunters who were out in the forest mostly evaded death as well, but at least 400 of the 450 people who called Rhynne "home" died in the catastrophe.



If you choose to be a refugee from the Destroyed Township, you will need to decide (in addition to the normal background details) what you were doing when Great Snowcap was crowned with fire, how you escaped, what you've done in the week or so since the catastrophe, and why you decided to head to the southeast. Note that Great Snowcap is to the northwest of town, so "It's the farthest I can get from the volcano" is a valid response; I just want to make sure everyone fully thinks it out.

Destroyed Township players can choose from the following character classes at creation:
Adept
Barbarian
Commoner
Expert
Fighter
Healer
Marshal
Ranger
Rogue
Scout
Sorceror
Warlock
Warrior
Wizard

As part of creating a Destroyed Township character, you will be given fairly free reign over anything I didn't explicitly state in the background of the town. Since it no longer exists, I can be pretty loose with what went on there and what deep, dark secrets the townspeople had.[/sblock][sblock=Fey Realms]The Fey Realm of Tir-na-nogg is a heart-breakingly beautiful place: the trees tower hundreds of feet in the air, their canopy crowned with emerald leaves and their trunks robed in ruby and jasper bark; birds of every shade and tint flit from tree to tree singing heart-swelling songs of love and joy; the streams that criss-cross the land babble happily with crystal-clear sweet water. The Sidhe, the native people of the land, live in perfect harmony with nature; even their great castle at Pwyll Tor is woven into the very nature of the hill it is built into.

Tir-na-nogg is a Fey Realm; it exists _elsewhere_ and _elsewhen_ from the land that Cuirlen exists in, but yet it touches and even overlaps it at certain places and times. Given that all of the entrances to Tir-na-nogg are deep within a massive, continent-spanning forest, few indeed from the Iron World have ever stumbled across it - and none of them have ever wanted to leave, once they found it. Those humans were welcomed into Sidhe society and, over time, intermarried and produced offspring with the Sidhe, creating the Feytouched.

Tir-na-nogg is, ostensibly, ruled by the Great King Lugh mac Ethlenn, but in truth the Sidhe do not care to be governed except in times of hardship. Only the most severe affronts to the laws of the realm, lax as they are, will draw the attention of the master of Pwyll Tor. The Sidhe are a long-lived race, and very few humans have ever crossed over to Tir-na-nogg; despite the great size of the realm, there are very few Sidhe or Feytouched that live in it. That is not to say that the realm is devoid of life, however. Many other species of Faerie life inhabit Tir-na-nogg, ranging from capricious but benign pastha (small spirits of light and happiness) to the dread Uktena (a colossal snake whose blood is acid and whose gaze is hypnotic; it is said that the crystal embedded in the Uktena's forehead is a powerful tool for magic, and that even its scales have great energy, but to kill the Uktena is both extremely dangerous and, ultimately, futile; it is immortal and is reborn at the instant of its death elsewhere in the realm).



If you choose to be a Feytouched Human or Sidhe, you will need to decide (in addition to the normal background details) what your role in Tir-na-nogg is, what relation you have to Lugh (all Sidhe are related to the royal line somehow, and all Feytouched are related to the Sidhe), and why your character would want to leave the Fey Realm with a bunch of humans.

Fey Realm characters can choose from the following classes at creation:
Adept
Bard
Beguiler
Commoner
Duskblade
Expert
Healer
Ranger
Rogue
Scout
Spirit Shaman
Sorceror
Warlock
Warrior

The realm of Tir-na-nogg is vast and virtually uncharted; you have fairly free reign over most parts of it except the castle of Pwyll Tor itself, for the purposes of character creation.[/sblock][sblock=Feytouched Human]Stats for the Feytouched Human are the same as for normal Humans, with the following exceptions:

-2 Strength, +2 Charisma: Feytouched carry the blood of the delicate Sidhe race, but so too do they have the inherent charm of their fey ancestors.
Low-Light Vision
No bonus skill points
+2 racial bonus to Knowledge: Arcana and Knowledge: Nature

Appearance: Feytouched look the same as normal humans, except that their eyes are golden and they tend to be tall and slender.[/sblock][sblock=Sidhe]Stats for the Sidhe are the same as for PHB Elves, with the following exceptions:

-2 Strength, +2 Charisma: Sidhe are delicate and graceful creatures, full of charm, but only the greatest of them are suited for the rigours of combat. These bonuses are in addition to the -2 Constitution, +2 Dexterity of PHB elves.
No racial weapon proficiencies
+1 caster level with all spells and invocations
Can cast _disguise self_ 1/day as a sorcerer of their character level +1, except that it lasts for as long as the Sidhe wants it to (caster level is only to determine how easy it is to _dispel_)
Favored Class: Sorcerer

Appearance: The Sidhe are a tall, slender race. They stand a bit taller than the average human, but their slight builds make them seem almost waifish. Their skin is naturally bronzed and their eyes are golden with vertically slit pupils, like those of a cat. Their hair can be any color from silver to jet black.[/sblock]


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## Jerrand Redband (Jun 8, 2008)

*Hello*

I believe I have time to add one more adventure to my list of threads 

I would like to know the make up of the party as I would like to come in and be helpful not just another wizard casting sleep and magic missle lol

So let me know what the group currently is and I'll give you a character concept in return

Later


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## Zurai (Jun 8, 2008)

The currently active party members are a Spirit Shaman, a Ranger, a Sorceress, and a Commoner/Expert. There's also two inactive players, a Marshal and a Scout//Adept, who will be quietly shifted aside if I don't hear from them soon.


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## Jerrand Redband (Jun 8, 2008)

*Concept*

Few questions

Is the ranger into range or two weapon fighting

no cleric hmm..  what deities are you using??


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## Zurai (Jun 8, 2008)

Please read the first post, as well as the spoiler blocks in my post earlier on this page. There are no clerics in this setting - or, at least, none that have ever been encountered before.


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## Jerrand Redband (Jun 8, 2008)

If you will allow it I will be a boar hunter from Rhynne (fighter lvl2)

I will probably go high hp and that is a little of what helped him survive so according to page 1 i get a 30 pt buy for stats a bonus +2/+2 feat or skill focus and +2 craft/Prof/knowledge skill points

May I ask for a little customizing trading my shield feat and heavy armor feats out two change 4 cross-class skills to class skills 

I don't think I'll be using the heavy armor in your world but I will be moving silently, making survival checks like to have spot as a class skill and maybe Profession lol that would make me the best hunter out there

let me know


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## Zurai (Jun 8, 2008)

That sounds reasonable. Go ahead and work up a character sheet for me. Make sure to include background info as well as stats and be sure to answer the questions from the Destroyed Township sblock.


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## Jerrand Redband (Jun 8, 2008)

ok sorry was already working on him where do i post him and i'll have him ready before this time tomorrow


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## Zurai (Jun 8, 2008)

Post it here. I've not accepted the character yet; I want to see the background and stats first.


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## Jerrand Redband (Jun 8, 2008)

*Placeholder*

will have background and all done also thanks again for giving me a chance


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## Dire Lemming (Jul 6, 2008)

WHEEEE HOOOO!! I'm posting in the thread I'm not supposed to in a feeble attempt to gain the DM's attention so that I can learn whether or not the game is actually still running because if it's not then I technically don't have to worry about reading this thread, which I carefully haven't done yet!


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## Voda Vosa (Jul 6, 2008)

Hello, I posted a character, in the first pick, but it didn't get picked, could I use that character?


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## Nightbreeze (Jul 6, 2008)

Hi there Zurai!

I had applied for the original game, so I am taking my chances to get on board again. I am thinking about a male fey-touched warlock (may I have a pastha friend that is accompanying me?). Could you explain how are we supposed to meet the party? Are they coming in the realm, or we are going out?
Hi there Zurai!

I had applied for the original game, so I am taking my chances to get on board again. I am thinking about a male fey-touched warlock (may I have a pastha friend that is accompanying me?). Could you explain how are we supposed to meet the party? Are they coming in the realm, or we are going out?

[sblock=Ulykke, fey-touched male human, Warlock 2]
[sblock=Background]

Thru'aq'ara, meaning "The lone one", is a gargantuan, 900ft tall tree on a huge hill looming over the Hurr'la plateau. It is ancient, dark and gloomy, and although it is exceptional, few of the fey appreciate coming near it. They prefer to take delight into the crystal clear waters in the nearby lands, laughting and enjoying themselves.

A lone man sits on the real top of the tree, perched on an impossible position as if he was glued. He has a strikingly beatiful face: unruly medium-long silver hair and golden eyes. Wearing green vests, he plays a flute and reminisces of his past.

Ulykke was born 4 months after the death of his father, and his mother died by mysterious sickness when he was only 3 years old. The only thing he remembers of her is a gentle, but sad face, and arms encircling him, as if trying to protect him from something, or everything. 

These tragical circumstances, however, didn't affect his personality, as he grew up as a beloved nephew, and an extremely popular boy in one of the greatest communities of Tir-na-nogg, just outside Pwill Tor. His uncle is Janndur, the fey-touched offspring of a Siddhe prince. However, this doesn't really mean much: Janndur is not famous nor rich, and Ulykke is just a nephew among several sons and daughters. He looks after him because of the memory of Elenia, his sister and Ulykke's mother.

Ulykke grew up as a talented musicist, and a popular man among girls. At the age of 17, he was invited several times to perform among the rich sidhe nobles and their fey-touched offsprings. There, he unfortunately met Selene and Astunda, cousins and two of the most beatiful and rich fey-touched humans of the kingdom. Looking back, he has to say that it wasn't really love, just a crush. But he was literally crushed by Selene's disdain for a "cute, but a real no one boy". On the outside, nothing really changed: he continues to be what everyone things he is: a cheerful man with some magic abilities, and a good musician. Only, his solitary excursions ave been getting longer in the last year".

Ulykke finishes his song, and lets the echoes dissipate in the endless green ocean under his feets. He looks over the world, and smiles at his heart-breaking beauty. A fleeting thought goes at Selenia, then he shrugs. After all, it all was useful for him to grow up.

But you shall show them The angry rumbling thought ran deep into his consciousness. In the last few years, he had several times similar experiences, voiced that urged him to act in a certain manner and to select certain goals. Had he been wised, he would have recognized that this is something strange, and that these voices are not JUST fleeting emotions...that something deep and strange is agitating just under his unconsciousness. But what was put in action before his birth, sadly, wasn't going to be recognized by him.

Metagame: I left some plot hooks: a growing split personality/the influence of a malign and powerful entity on his mind. Possibly this entity has something to do with the fate of his parents
[/sblock]
[sblock=sheet]
Str  8 -1
Dex 16 +3
Con  10 +0
Int 14 +2
Wis  8 -1
Cha 18 +4

Vitality points: 10
Wound points: 10

AC: 13 (+3 Dex, ), 13 touch, 10 flat flooted

Skills:
Bluff + 9 (5ranks+4cha)
Disguise + 9 (5ranks+4cha)
Intimidate + 9 (5ranks+4cha)
Spellcraft + 7 (5ranks+2int)
Perform: wind instruments: + 9 (5 ranks+4 cha)
Craft: wind instruments: + 7 (5 ranks+2 int)

Feats:
Point blank shot
Precise shot
Bonsu feat: I'd like to take versatile performer, from complete adventurer. It gives me full proficiency with other two kinds of instruments

Eldritch blast 1d6 : at will
Detect Magic : at will
Least Invocation: Eldritch spear (blast range: 250 ft)
Least Invocation: Spider climb

Equipment: almost none, aside for a light armor, some throwing knife and basic traveling equipment. Also, wind instruments.[/sblock][/sblock]


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