# Recruiting: The Sharn Inquisitive



## mcnathan80 (Oct 13, 2006)

The Sharn Inquisitive is an ECL 3 campaign set in Eberron for six players.  This will be an inquisitive campaign based in Sharn, very pulp, very noir, think CSI meets Lord of the Rings.  Seriously though, I’ve always wanted to run a role playing intensive inquisitive game and a PbP seemed like the perfect vehicle for this.  Be aware, emphasis is on character development, and role playing, with only one or two combats per adventure.

[sblock=Character Submission]
If you're interested in joining this game, please submit a character background. The objective of your background is twofold: First, to describe your character's history, personality, and role in the party, as well as what made them decide to begin working as a private investigator on the streets of Sharn.  Some questions that should be answered: What does your characters race, class, and alignment mean to them?  How did the events of The Last War affect them?  Where are they from, have they always lived in Sharn or did they emigrate to Sharn?  What are their goals, and why are they working as an investigator?  What’s their “basic” personality, any quirks or interesting traits?  Second, to impress me with your writing abilities – remember, good writing will be chosen over awesome characters.  Selection will *not* be "first come, first served".[/sblock] 
Full character sheets should be submitted after backgrounds, not before them, and should be in the format below, the more detailed the better as far as I’m concerned:
[sblock=Character Sheet]
Name: Joe
Class: Fighter 1
Race: Human
Hit Dice: 1d10+2, 12 HP 
Initiative: +1
Speed:  20 ft
Armor Class: 19 (10 +5 armor +1 dex +2 shield +1 dodge)
Base Attack Bonus: +1
Grapple: +4
Attacks: Longsword +6 (1d8+3, 19-20 x2)
Full Attack: Longsword +6 (1d8+3, 19-20 x2)
Face/Reach: 5x5/5ft
Special Qualities: Human Traits
Special Attacks: None
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +1
Abilities: Strength 16, Dexterity 12, Constitution 14, Intelligence 10, Wisdom 12, Charisma 10 
Skills: Craft (weaponsmithing) +4, Intimidate +4, Swim -5
Weapon Groups: Basic, Crossbows, Heavy Blades, Light Blades, Maces and Clubs
Feats: Weapon Focus (Heavy Blades), Dodge, Power Attack
Action Points: 5
Languages: Common
Alignment: Lawful Good
Deity: None
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 195 lbs

Spells:
Spells Known: None 
Spells Memorized/Spell Slots: None

Inventory: 
Breastplate (200 gp)
Masterwork Longsword (315 gp)
Heavy Steel Shield (20 gp)
Traveler's Outfit 
Total Weight: ??
[/sblock]

[sblock=Character Creation]
-The following sources will be allowed
All Core rule books
All Eberron books
All “Complete” books
All “Races of…” books
The XPH
The Miniature’s Handbook
-Starting level: 3rd
-Hit Points: Max 1st level, ½ +1 each additional level (i.e. fighters get 6 and 2nd, clerics get 5 …)
-Starting Gold: 1,350gp
-Races: All Core and Eberron races are allowed, also I’m allowing humanoids with an LA of no higher than +1
-Classes: All Classes are allowed, but remember, I’m more concerned with character background and writing style over munchkinly characters.  Please note that as this is a mystery based game and a plethora of combat related feats might not see much use in the game.  That being said, I’m sure one or two “bruisers” might be of great importance if and when a fight breaks out.
-Alignment: All alignments are accepted.  Eberron is a world dominated by “shades of gray”.  However, massive in-party conflicts due to alignment will not be tolerated.  Please keep this in mind if you desire to play an “evil” character.
-Stats: Stats will be determined using a 28 point buy.  I know that the norm is 32 around here, but I personally feel that a lower number of “points” will lead to more specialized characters and more fun for the group as a whole.[/sblock]

[sblock=House Rules]
I have the following house rules that I wish to implement, I feel these will make for a more cinematic, and (hopefully) enjoyable game.

-For ease of rolling, I will handle all group rolls such as: reaction checks (spot/listen, initiative, etc…), as well as all checks that I want kept as surprise (i.e. bluff, sense motive, some search checks, etc…) also if you can succeed a check “taking 10” I’ll just assume you did that instead of calling for a roll.  In fact, unless the situation warrants it, or is specified by the player, I will assume everyone is always “taking 10”.

-The various combat maneuvers no longer provoke AoO (disarm, trip, grapple, unarmed attacks, etc…), again I feel it’s more cinematic this way.  However, moving out of a threatened space, casting a spell, and such still provoke.

-Improved feint no longer requires combat expertise as a pre-requisite

-Wielding a weapon 2-handed gives a static +1 to damage, not 1.5 strength bonus

-The power attack feat gives a 1 for 1 trade-off, regardless of whether it’s used 2-handed or not.

-Half-Orcs receive a +2 to intimidate checks, and a +2 to saves vs. intimidate.

-Diplomacy, and Use Magic Device are class skills for the sorceror

-Spot/Listen has been rolled into one skill: Notice, if any class has either skill they now have this one.

-Hide/Move Silent has been rolled into one skill: Stealth, if any class has either skill they now have this one.

-Open locks is now part of the Disable Device skill (since a lock is a type of device, and picking one is essentially “disabling” it; Thanks Rich Burlew)

-I also use Mr. Burlew’s diplomacy skill found here

-The dodge feat now adds a satic +1 dodge bonus to defense, has no dex-based prerequisite, and can be taken multiple times

-Skill feats: All the feats that give a +2 bonus to 2 skills have been removed instead there will be the Talented(.....,.....) feat.  Just pick 2 skills and give yourself a +2 to those skills.

-Weapon groups: Rather than group all weapons as simple or martial I'll be using the weapon groups here

-Flaws: You can take 1 flaw found here for a bonus feat. Any flaws created by players (like, drug addiction, or missing limb) must be subject to DM approval.

Non-proficiency: You can choose to not be proficient with any weapon for a bonus feat

-Spontaneous domains: Instead of clerics spontaneoulsly casting cure/inflict spells, they may now cast their domain spells spontaneously.  Clerics no longer receive an extra spell slot per level for domain spells.  All good clerics can take the heal domain, and all evil clerics can take the destruction domain regardless of actual domains allowed by their chosen deity

-To avoid the hassle of creating magic items you can buy any magic item that you have the requisite Item creation feat of for 75% of it’s normal cost (i.e. a wizard with the scribe scroll feat wants to buy a 100GP scroll, he instead buys it for 75GP).

-You’re only 1st level once: Character’s only receive 1st level benefits for a class once (Armor prof., weapon groups, spells in spell book, …) so decide what your level 1 class will be carefully.

-It's you not your equipment: Characters will start with 1/2 the max gp limit out of the DMG (1,350gp) and will stay at 1/2 max gp per level, but they get a bonus feat at 1st level, a feat at 2nd level, and a feat at every other level after that (4,6,8,10,...) instead of every 3 levels (3,6,9,...)[/sblock]

 [sblock= Posting Etiquette]
	-The purpose of the PbP is the narrative, so please try to avoid OOC chatter.  If you need to say something OOC to clarify what you’re doing (like in combat) please do so after your in character description.
	-Again since the focus is the narrative, please be as descriptive as possible.  It’s much more entertaining to say: gripping his sword tightly in his sweat-slick hands, Timor sized up the opponent before him, takes a few tentative steps forward and swings his sword in a broad arc hoping to end this fight quickly. [sblock=OOC]I take a 5 foot step forward and attack[/sblock] Than to say: I rolled a 14 do I hit?

	-Please pick a dialogue color your character will speak with
Walking into the room, Jaryd instantly smelled the odor of rotting flesh, and says to his companions out the door  "Hey guys, you might want to cover your noses before you come in here", NPC’s will be gray[/sblock] 
[sblock=Disclaimer] 
	I’m new to DMing PbP’s, but I’m sure that if we all work together we can make this an enjoyable experience, and if we all have fun, we can keep this campaign going for a while.  Please note: even though I’ve been using this house rule for a while, I’ve never actually put it in writing, if there are any questions, please post them, or email me, and we’ll sort every thing out.[/sblock]
Submissions will close by midnight (CST) on 10/20 and I'll choose the players by midnight (CST) on 10/22.


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## stonegod (Oct 13, 2006)

Should have "Recruiting" in the title and/or the tag for this to get much attention.


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## Enforcer (Oct 13, 2006)

*Kalserath, Kalashtar Soulknife*

*Appearance:* Like all kalashtar, Kalserath looks human, but disturbingly so. His face is flawlessly handsome, his build slender but athletic, and he walks with a flowing grace that's the result of years of physical and mental training--too perfect to be fully human. He has straight black hair that's shoulder-length and haunting green eyes that seem to pierce the soul of whomever gazes into them. Kalserath carries no obvious weapons or armor--he has a chain shirt concealed under his plain but sturdy clothing and Kalserath _is_ a weapon. His mind blade appears to be a razor-sharp shard of pure light in a roughly shortsword shape.

*Personality:* Kalserath is an intense person, fully committed to his path, but part of that path is to enjoy life. When not hunting the Dreaming Dark or working on behalf of innocent people, he can be found in Overlook, meditating or conversing with his people. Kalserath has worked with adventurers of other races from time to time, and finds most of them to be good people who seek to help others, if too often they have financial incentive for doing so. His people's war with the Dreaming Dark remains a kalashtar affair to him, however, and Kalserath hasn't shared his life's mission with anyone outside of his race. Others find Kalserath to be too serious, though none have regreted having him fight at their side.

*History:* Trained in an Adaran monastery from birth to focus his natural psionic energy into a mind blade, Kalserath is a Shadow Watcher, an active agent in service of il-Yannah and opposed to the Dreaming Dark wherever he may find it. If it can be said that the kalashtar has holy warriors, Kalserath is one who walks that path. Trained in combat, stealth, and observation, he is a one-man force for the Path of Light.

Kalserath arrived in Sharn two years ago, as the seers of his people told him that he could accomplish much good there. He has since involved himself with the adventuring population of Sharn, as Kalserath believes this will be the best way to expose and destroy agents of the Dreaming Dark. While he has not yet found any evidence of Dreaming Dark activity, Kalserath has still done many things he is proud of: recovering stolen cargo for simple merchants, rescuing lost children from the depths of the city, and finding murderers and other violent criminals and bringing them to justice. Kalserath often works on behalf of those who don't have the money or influence that justice in Sharn usually requires.

*Party Role:* While the soulknife class itself isn't as good of a warrior class as many others, Kalserath will be able to hold his own during a fight. He'll be focused on quickly taking down the most dangerous threat that presents itself. Soulknives do have excellent scouting and recon skills, however, and so I envision Kalserath to be the investigative team's silent blade that strikes from the shadows. The Psionic Weapon feat will help with this sort of "first strike" philosophy. Also, his serious nature and foreign ways will provide some interesting interaction with the rest of the party. Mechanically, he'll be a LG Kalashtar Soulknife 3, and assuming the game gets that far, he'll multi-class into either Atavist (Races of Eberron) or War Mind (Expanded Psionics Handbook).

Oh, and if chosen I'd like his dialogue color to be turquoise.


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## Cthulhudrew (Oct 13, 2006)

Crap- I wrote my proposal for Reech entirely in the last thread, and didn't save a copy at home. I don't suppose anyone still has that info so that I can repost (rather than have to go back and rewrite)?


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## Enforcer (Oct 13, 2006)

Cthulhudrew said:
			
		

> Crap- I wrote my proposal for Reech entirely in the last thread, and didn't save a copy at home. I don't suppose anyone still has that info so that I can repost (rather than have to go back and rewrite)?



Click to edit your post, select all the text (which will include all the formatting brackets), and copy/paste it here. That's what I did anyways.


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## Cthulhudrew (Oct 13, 2006)

D'Oh! For some reason I thought the old thread had completely disappeared; I wasn't looking hard enough for it. 


*Reech, Changeling Rogue*

*History:* Reech was born into a small group of changelings some 17 years ago. The gypsy-like group would travel from community to community, making their way as day laborers and merchants, and often scam artists and thieves. When the Last War concluded, and the forces of law were able to concentrate more fully on maintaining order in their communities, life became more difficult for the changeling group. 

During a con gone wrong in the city of Sharn two years past, Reech was caught and imprisoned. Confusion over its incarceration was soon followed by curiosity, as Reech had never before been exposed to such circumstances. Upon its release, Reech didn't return to its commune, but remained in Sharn, where it began to educate itself about the Galifar Code of Justice in the great libraries. Reech would also trail the City Watch in their criminal investigations, fascinated by the implementation of a formal justice system, but moreso by those who would willingly and knowingly act in opposition of it. Since then, Reech has grown from being considered a nuisance by the City Watch to a tolerated asset, as it focused its natural, chameleon-like nature on the criminal mindset; in short, it has a talent for getting inside the heads of those who would break the law.

*Appearance:* Reech is slightly shorter than average for a changeling (5' 4"), slim of build, and with the pale-gray complexion of the rest of its kind. It wears its hair long, but maintains a genderless appearance. Reech almost always stays in its natural state, only using its _disguise self_ ability to enhance its investigative skills. However, Reech often unconsciously alters its appearance to reflect the developing mental image it forms of the criminals it tracks down.

*Personality:* Reech is very single-minded for a changeling. Having grown up in a culture where standards of behavior (not to mention appearance) were constantly in flux, adapting to new conditions, it has become fascinated by the notion of codified and regulated laws and morality. Further to that, that people exist who act against such laws and standards of behavior. Reech has devoted itself to uncovering the mysteries behind the interaction of such contradictory elements, to discover the "inner truth" behind them.

The downside, of course, is that its focus on studying law and criminal behavior has led Reech to ignore other aspects of social interaction, and it often finds itself unable to communicate effectively with others, or form significant bonds with people.

*Party Role:* With its interest in exploring and understanding criminal psychology, Reech will effectively serve as the party's profiler. Though LN in alignment, Reech's lawfulness represents its singlemindedness and logical pursuit of its interests rather than a genuine ethical attachment to manmade laws; it has a solid interest in such things and should serve as a useful reference in matters of legal issues, as it attempts to learn more about societal laws and mores/taboos. Its attention to such matters is purely academic, however, and not grounded in any innate sense of morality.


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## stonegod (Oct 14, 2006)

(Here is my noirish investigator concept. Enjoy)

*Anders Talbor, Inhuman Investigator*

*History*
Most scholars who are knowledgeable would tell you that the power of the mind are associated with Dal Quor, the Realm of Dreams. Its denizens fuel the psionic matrix of most psi-active creatures on Eberron. Pressed even further, you might learn of the eternal war between the Inspired and the Kalashtar. But, they will all agree. All psionics come from Dal Quor.

They are wrong.

Dreams are only part of the mind and spirit; Madness is just as large a part. And the mind-bending powers of the mind flayers, generals of the Xiorat daelkyr, are testament to this darker source of the mental arts. These lords of malfeasance are known for their experiments on the other races of Eberron, and some of these abominations walk the earth, easy to recognize and quick to be put down.

And then there are the half-breeds.

Anders Talbor has put much of this lore together from his secret studies and from the whispers in his head--the whispers from the lumpy mass of flesh which marks his true heritage. How it happened, Anders is unsure. His mother scraped by in the bowels of Sharn for much of his existence, and was barely sane during that time. If it was not for the guidance of the whispers and his innate talent for *knowing* things, Anders' life would have been short. But Anders was touched---gifted or cursed---by his heritage, and using it, he survived the trails of his youth.

When his mother finally died, and Anders made his way into the world, his strange talents served him well.  The City of Towers is a city of secrets, and the clarity of madness gave Anders ocular powers that could pierce these obfuscations. Now, Anders lends his abilities to whoever can pay, allowing him more funds for his research into his true roots. 

*Appearance*
Anders appears disturbingly human---he has a handsome, youthful face with clear blue eyes and dark hair without a beard. He is well dressed, and keeps up appearances. But, there is something---off---about the way he moves, and the mass of flesh that it this symbiote would immediately mark his as *wrong* if he ever showed it.

*Personality*
Anders is an affable fellow, and hides the touch of madness in him as best as possible. He speaks in a soft whisper, supposed due to a throat injury, but it also forces others to pay attention to him. 

*Role*
Assuming we are part of an investigative agency or such, Anders would fit the role of "department psychic," assisting in investigation and finding of clues with his psionics. Mechanically, Anders is a daelkyr half-breed seer focused on Clairsentience and Telepathy powers. Thus, Anders is the go-to guy to know things that are not easily knowable. He will also be a bit of a Controller role with _charm_-like powers from his Ithillid Heritage (_Complete Psionics_).


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## DEFCON 1 (Oct 17, 2006)

Moving the character over to the new thread here!


*POHL D’VELDERAN* – Human Urban Ranger

*Appearance:* Pohl is tall and bulky, with muscles that lack definition but have a lot of mass. His parents claim his arms and thighs are like treetrunks, and Pohl will back up those statements. His blond hair is cut very short, his skin is tan and smooth, and his face has a ruggedness that does not instantly scream out "gorgeous", but many a young girl has swooned at the sight of him. His dragonmark is prominent on his left forearm, and he makes every effort to keep his arm open so that everyone he meets will see it. His dress is very stylish of the times, and he makes sure to keep his chain shirt sparkling and clean.

*History:* House Tharashk has moved into positions of power through the continent because of their abilities to find things that people need... whether that be people or things. The humans, orcs, and halforcs together have set up a guild of exceeding necessity in this day and age, and Pohl d'Velderan has been right there at the forefront of his family's expansion. A young man of intellect and strength, Pohl grew up in the City of Towers in the warm confines of the House... fully expecting to be a success. An only child, his parents (both dragonmarked members of the House as well) raised him with the expectation that he would be a strong, priviledged, and important member when he grew up. Being raised with this incredibly strong support system, Pohl firmly believed in himself and his future. Upon reaching adulthood, there was no one within the House that didn't believe he was destined for greatness... including and especially himself.

However, Pohl learned a very hard lesson once he left the warm, comforting grasp of his loving family and House Tharashk... people just don't like an arrogant, self-centered jerk. This of course came as a shock to him, as his entire life he was looked upon as a shining star. But now, without the glow of his parents to reflect his "greatness", he is considered nothing more than an obnoxious, self-congratulating, blowhard, but who (unfortunately) can in fact back up a lot of his self-serving claims. As he himself says... "it's not bragging if you can back it up"... but that doesn't keep people from getting pissed at him. But he deals with it with a smile and a condescending nod, because after all... lesser people should be jealous of him. It's only human nature.

Pohl specializes in tracking down other people... and he works hard as a bounty hunter for House Tharashk. If you need someone found, you could do a lot worse than by hiring him. He has spent his entire life in Sharn, learning the streets and wards like the "back of his hand" (or so he claims), and is always ready to take a job when it is offered to him. He knows it's just a matter of time before he steps into a place of importance within the House, and he looks forward to the day when his name is known throughout the city.


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## mcnathan80 (Oct 17, 2006)

Hmmmm, it seems that the only people responding to the new thread are the people from the old thread.  Well, we'll give it till this weekend and see what happens from there.


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## Widowmaker (Oct 18, 2006)

Well I have to say I am interested in playing, but I am having a strange problem. I am having difficulties getting a character concept. I am going over a lot of books looking for inspiration. 

So I thought I would try something different and see what the current players think. What type of role do you think the party needs? Maybe somebody saying something will spark some interest.

- Widowmaker


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## Mr_Spicoli (Oct 19, 2006)

Hi, I have a Divine Magician character concept in the works.  The Divine Magician is in the Complete Mage and basically lets a cleric give up one domain and in return, on every level when he would have had access to a new level of spells, he instead selects one necromancy, abjuration, or divination spell from the wizard list and adds it to his own spell list. That spell is cast as if it was divine.

I wanted the character to be a member of a secret cult of Odilammara is near suitable as a deity of revelry, music, tricks, wine, and song.  But that does not cover all of this cleric's interests & compulsions.
 For this character Odilammara also represents the outstanding features of mystery religions, such as those practiced at Eleusis: ecstasy, personal delivery from the daily world through physical or spiritual intoxication, and initiation into secret rites. 

This is the most suitable patron for this cleric investigator. His patron fits his obssessive & moody pleasure seeking Sherlock Holmesian opium smoking Sam Spade attitude persona.

Also, do we have to stay exactly to the domains listed for each deity if we have to chose one from the Player's HB?  If so, I was  wondering if it would be ok to use deity from Deities & Demigods. I would like to use Dionysis or Balder.


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## bento (Oct 19, 2006)

McNathan80,

I've been wanting to join a PBP post for a couple of weeks - as I'm running one for a group of my own who can't seem to meet.  

I'd like something I can play long-term, as I can always seem to find the time to visit enWorld and post.

Here's what I came up with:

ZENTHIL HAVERSTONE, 3rd level gnome bard

*Description*
[sblock]Zenthil is a 3'4" male gnome with sandy blond hair and green eyes. He looks to be in the prime of life (57 years old) and dresses in a professional manner - dark suits with a long black raincoat.  Small scars can be seen around his face and hands, although they don't mar his general appearance.  [/sblock]

*Background*
[sblock]Zenthil Haverstone comes from a family of gnomes who’ve lived in Sharn for six generations.  His father, Jakob, owns and operates a small chain of family-style buffet restaurants specializing in Zilargo cuisine.  Working at the X district location left a deep impression on young Zenthil, as it was located across the street from the bureau office of the Korranberg Chronicle.  Growing up Zenthil was spell-bound by the tales the newspapermen would spin as they wiled away the hours in the restaurant, a favorite hang-out.  

As Zenthil grew into manhood, he eschewed the path of small business ownership to begin his career as a journalist.  Unable to score a position at the Chronicle, he wrote for several local papers to build up his portfolio.  He chaffed at the “Lifestyle” assignments that all new reporters were given, covering social events or dog shows.  The fates smiled on him the day he went to report on the arrival of dignitaries from the Talenta Plains, when elven assassins struck the party, killing both halfling diplomats and Breland dignitaries.  Zenthil’s story made the front page, and the thrill of being in the middle of the excitement led him to seek out more dangerous assignments.

Zenthil eventually signed as a freelancer for the Korranberg Chronicle, serving as a war correspondent attached to Breland units. Sending in weekly dispatches, his columns were widely read for their often graphical and gory prose.  After staying in the field for eighteen months Zentil lost his taste for war, chosing the first non-combat assignment that came along.  Settling back in Sharn he covered the crime beat for a couple of years, until a series of exposes brought retaliations from one of the city's notorious Halfling gangs.  Thugs planted a fireball bomb in one of his father’s restaurants after hours, nearly destroying the place.  Pressure from his family to find more suitable employment led him to his current job.  

Zenthil now works several jobs, as a part time private investigator and freelance journalist.  Most of all Zenthil hopes his new path will provide plenty of inspiration for his next big venture – crime novelist. [/sblock]

*Demeanor & Philosophy*
[sblock]Zenthil has the bearing of a street-beat journalist.  At times he can be as hard as nails when grilling a source for a story, while other times he knows its best to sit back and observe.  He is cautious, taking time to size up a person or situation before diving in.  He’s no coward though, but thinks of himself as a survivor.

Zenthil values personal freedom most of all and rails against those who try to shackle others through intimidation and threats. He feels that the refugees from Cyre are in this situation and often goes out of his way to help them by providing tips on jobs and handouts.  [/sblock]

*Character Stats*
[sblock] Zenthil Haverstone: Male Gnome(Rock) Brd3; CR 3;
Small Humanoid (Gnome);
HD 3d6+3; hp 17;
Init +2; Spd 20 ft/x4;
AC 16 (+3 armor, +2 dex, +1 size), touch 13, flat-footed 14;
Base Atk/Grapple +2/-2;
Full Atk +3 One-handed  (1d4;18-20/x2, Rapier), +5 Two-handed  (1d6;19-20/x2, Light Crossbow);
SA&SQ • You can cast bard spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance., Bardic Knowledge(Ex), Bardic Music, Countersong(Su), Fascinate(Sp), Inspire Courage(Su);
AL CG; SV Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +4;
Str 10(+0), Dex 14(+2), Con 12(+1), Int 14(+2), Wis 12(+1), Cha 14(+2);
Skills: Balance¹ +9, Bluff¹ +6, Gather Information¹ +10, Knowledge (local) +6, Listen¹ +9, Perform (Storytelling) +6, Sense Motive¹ +7, Spot¹ +4, Tumble +7.
Feats: Dodge, Investigator."
[/sblock]


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## Mr_Spicoli (Oct 19, 2006)

*Zadrius “Zade” Karrex
Human Divine Mage 3*

 Zadrius was raised by a family of "enlightened" free-thinkers who espoused all the   questionable moralities associated with deities of knowledge.  A merchant family of information seekers for sages, psions, & mages, they were well to do with a pleasant villa in the mountains outside of Sharn.  He immediately learned of the joy of exploration and discovery growing up in such a unique family.  He would traverse the local mountains with friends in search of herbs & minerals as well as documenting the flora & fauna for his studies.  As he grew up, this translated into a restlessness to seek out the greater world, and a lust for excitement and romance.

 When Zade was 19 he set out with his friends to find themselves and the world. 
He traveled all the way across Khorvaire by hitching rides on wagons and carts.  He became quite a good caravan healer as well as guard.  When his caravan was waylayed by bandits, they took all the merchants captive as slaves.  Here he was indoctrinated into the Cult of Odilammara, the old deity of Art, Revelry & Pleasure.  He found an unexpected secret of wisdom from this cult.  That knowledge was also pleasure instead of just power.  The secrets of knowledge were close to this cult and they hired their services to other orders, sages, and mages for recordkeeping and book copying.  The activities of the cult interwove with arcane pursuits as well.   He entered the Collegia Arcanus in Sharn where he learned the ways of arcane secret.

It is there that he was introduced to a secret sect of the cult of Odilammara.  As an initiate he learned of the Mystic Thuerges who were priest mages that excelled in the combination of arcane & divine study to the attainment of their wishes. He met and briefly became engaged to a rogue cultist of Odilamarra who taught Zade about the back alleys and cutthroats of the city.  She took him on many adventures along shadowy walkways and rooftops. They had a romantic affair but her best friend decided to take Zade for herself and set up a redezvous in which he would be caught by his wife with her best friend.  Now he is an aspiring Odilammaran Mystic thuerge, awaiting his training to become a full member of the Order.

   He is a streetwise man in his early 20's wearing battered leather armor and carrying his longbow on the dangerous streets of Sharn. He has seen his fair share of fights and been in many of them. He even considered joining the guard, but the uniforms, discipline, and constantly taking orders wouldn't be for him. But he has done the city a service many times, and when it hasn’t asked, nor known of it. He is a free-willed spirit who likes infiltrating the underbelly of parts of Sharn for the pure thrill of it. Loyal to those loyal to him, he can be trusted to the end. Screw him over once, or threaten his companions and you have yourself an enemy.

   His schooling at the Collegia Arcanus in Sharn, friendships with bards and sages, and connections to the slums, underworld, as well as social elite put him in a unique situation in the city.  As an investigator for hire, he has plenty of offers from the wardens as well as the waylayers of the city.  He picks and chooses his clients carefully, with personal interests utmost, yet  the good of his friends not far behind.  But even when he takes a job on pure profit and/or pleasure, he always remembers the dark city nights and its streets are his home.  

   He is all about making connections through observation.  He connects his estranged wife’s relationship events with his personal obssessiveness.  He is emotionally restrained, up to a point.  When it gets to a boil he overdoes it with opium, drinking, and women.  He doesn’t like himself sober, and thinks he is a crass brute without the sweet leaf and drink to soften him around the edges.  It may be an excuse to rationalize his addiction.

   He is obsessed with the muse.  He needs opium to fuel his imagination and persona.  He will spend 10-25 gp a week on opium.  When using opium he will play the violin to get inspiration.  The soothing music will give him ideas and help him make connections.  He finds harmonic enchindirons delineate logical paths through the maelstrom of the world.
He has been involved in private and public investigations ranging from the mystical to the mundane, divine, arcane, and supernatural.

Of late he has been studying how warforged interact with organic beings. Hes seen a fair share of the warforged act very emotional, not unlike their creators.  Who says warforged don’t care, that their emotionless arcane machines?  Or when the servant becomes the master.


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## mcnathan80 (Oct 19, 2006)

Cool, it looks like we're drumming up some interest.
Here's the characters and assumed roles so far.
Kalserath, Kalashtar soulknife- sneaky, silent blade
Reech, Changling rogue- criminal profiler
Andres Talbor, Half-daelkyr telepath- interrogator, scene investigator
Pohl d'Velderan, Human urban ranger- criminal tracker
Zenthil Haverstone, Gnome bard- face, street connections
Zadrius Karrex, Human divine mage- healer, street connections, academic

If I'm off on the concept any of _you_ had for your cahracters just let me know and I'll edit this post.

Widowmaker: I hope this helps to jumpstart your ideas of what to post if you still want to.

mr_spicoli:[sblock]I like the concept of the anti-hero, and the divine mage seems reasonable eventhough I have no access to CM I'll allow it.  However, I'm not so keen on the crossing of gods and religion in campaign settings.  At first, when you said you would worship Olidammara I thought 'what? no this is eberron not greyhawk', If that's still the path you want to take may I suggest worshipping The Traveler, or even The Fury would make an interesting choice.  Think about it and let me know what you think.[/sblock]


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## stonegod (Oct 19, 2006)

Minor notes: I see Anders (not Andres) as a seer more than a telepath for now, though it may switch when I stat him. But your listed role seems accurate.


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## Mr_Spicoli (Oct 19, 2006)

mcnathan80 said:
			
		

> mr_spicoli:[sblock]I like the concept of the anti-hero, and the divine mage seems reasonable eventhough I have no access to CM I'll allow it.  However, I'm not so keen on the crossing of gods and religion in campaign settings.  At first, when you said you would worship Olidammara I thought 'what? no this is eberron not greyhawk', If that's still the path you want to take may I suggest worshipping The Traveler, or even The Fury would make an interesting choice.  Think about it and let me know what you think.[/sblock]




No problem on the choice for a deity-I chose Odilammara because out of the books you listed, I only have the Players Handbook since no Deities & Demigods listed for deity choices. I don't have the Eberron books yet, only the Explorer's Handbook.  I'll buy the campaign guide today.  If you have some information on either of those deities it would be really cool.

I can send you the description of the divine mage fromthe book if you'd like.

my character concept is basically a occultish private investigator, his personality smacks large dabs of Humphrey Bogart aka Sam Spade from the "Maltese Falcon" movie, mixed with a quircky creative genius fueled by chemical stimulation ala Sherlock Holmes.  But yes, you're summation does well in brief!


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## mcnathan80 (Oct 21, 2006)

Mr_Spicoli said:
			
		

> No problem on the choice for a deity-I chose Odilammara because out of the books you listed, I only have the Players Handbook since no Deities & Demigods listed for deity choices. I don't have the Eberron books yet, only the Explorer's Handbook.  I'll buy the campaign guide today.  If you have some information on either of those deities it would be really cool.
> 
> I can send you the description of the divine mage fromthe book if you'd like.
> 
> my character concept is basically a occultish private investigator, his personality smacks large dabs of Humphrey Bogart aka Sam Spade from the "Maltese Falcon" movie, mixed with a quircky creative genius fueled by chemical stimulation ala Sherlock Holmes.  But yes, you're summation does well in brief!




I love the concept of your character, we can even use your character's addiction as a flaw to get a binus feat.  Any way considering deity choice: The fury is an evil god of the "dark six" pantheon.  The cool thing about Eberron is clertics no longer need to adhere to their deity's alignment.  I believe The Fury is Chaotic Evil (I don't have my books in front of me at the moment), but you as the cleric don't need to be CE to worship her.  I figured The Fury would be a good choice since she's all about hedonism and following your passions no matter what.  Which is what I see your character being about.  Pick up the book it's really good and get back to me with the details of the Divine Mage.


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## bento (Oct 24, 2006)

So what's the latest news?


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## Dirk (Oct 24, 2006)

*Im interested*

HEY im interested. Im thinking of a strait fighter whos tring to become a justiciar. Ill submit a background soon.


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## mcnathan80 (Oct 24, 2006)

Hey guys just a quick head's up.  I work and take evening classes on Mon and Tues so I don't have access to a computer on those days, in fact I don't even see my wife on those days.  Also, I have a 25 page term paper due this weekend so any spare I have is consumed by that. BUT!!!  I've been going over submissions, and unless a flood of people swarm this post by this weekend I'm probably going to take everyone  .  Don't quote me on that though, I'll have the official posting this weekend, plus what to do from there.  Have a great week everyone, and I'll catch up with ya'll this weekend.


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## Enforcer (Oct 25, 2006)

mcnathan80 said:
			
		

> Hey guys just a quick head's up.  I work and take evening classes on Mon and Tues so I don't have access to a computer on those days, in fact I don't even see my wife on those days.  Also, I have a 25 page term paper due this weekend so any spare I have is consumed by that. BUT!!!  I've been going over submissions, and unless a flood of people swarm this post by this weekend I'm probably going to take everyone  .  Don't quote me on that though, I'll have the official posting this weekend, plus what to do from there.  Have a great week everyone, and I'll catch up with ya'll this weekend.



Thanks for the update!


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## Dirk (Oct 26, 2006)

Sorry i might be in another game. Im NOT going to be joining yall. later


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## mcnathan80 (Oct 28, 2006)

Alright, so the official deadline is up, and I've decided to take all of you in.  Hooray!! Seriously though, I'm not doing this just because all of you make up the six person party I wanted, but I'm intrigued by all of your characters and want to see what happens when you get out there and run your guys. Trust me if someone's character sucked and had no personality or playability I wouldn't have taken them.  So go ahead and post your characters here.  Please try to keep overlap in abilities and feats to a minimum.  I want each character to have a chance to shine, and do what they do best.  However, _some_ overlap allows me to split the party up, which might be fun, but all things considered I think it will more enjoyable for everyone if each character fills a particular niche.  I'll handle major problems if they come up.  Looking foreward to seeing your characters, and I'll post the IC thread when everyone is up or a week has passed, whichever comes first.


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## stonegod (Oct 28, 2006)

mcnathan80 said:
			
		

> I'll handle major problems if they come up.  Looking foreward to seeing your characters, and I'll post the IC thread when everyone is up or a week has passed, whichever comes first.



I'm on travel all this week and w/o my books, so I won't be able to post Anders until next Sat.


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## mcnathan80 (Oct 30, 2006)

stonegod said:
			
		

> I'm on travel all this week and w/o my books, so I won't be able to post Anders until next Sat.



 That's fine, just get him in when you can


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## Cthulhudrew (Nov 3, 2006)

Just posted Reech in the other thread, but I had a quick question: Should we list skills that we don't have ranks in, but due to other factors (race, ability mods) we still have adjustments for?


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## bento (Nov 3, 2006)

So what is the program some of you are using to create those cool character sheets over on the Rogue's Gallery board?  I like the format and the way it's imbedded as a scroll down screen.

Thanks.

Bento


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## Cthulhudrew (Nov 4, 2006)

bento said:
			
		

> So what is the program some of you are using to create those cool character sheets over on the Rogue's Gallery board?  I like the format and the way it's imbedded as a scroll down screen.




No program, at least for me. I basically just copied the format of Defcon1's character, and wrapped Code/Code text around the statistical parts (like he did). Took a little bit of formatting to make it all line up the way I wanted it to, and then of course I tried to link some things to the Hypertext d20 page for reference as well.


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## stonegod (Nov 4, 2006)

I'm back from my trip and will work on Anders tomorrow.


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## stonegod (Nov 6, 2006)

stonegod said:
			
		

> I'm back from my trip and will work on Anders tomorrow.



Anders is done except for equipment.

I'd like to petition to postpone Anders 2nd level feat to 3rd level so he could take the Illithid Legacy feat from CompPsi (gives him _psionic charm_ and _read thoughts_). He'd replace his Expanded Knowledge feat.


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## DEFCON 1 (Nov 6, 2006)

bento said:
			
		

> So what is the program some of you are using to create those cool character sheets over on the Rogue's Gallery board?  I like the format and the way it's imbedded as a scroll down screen.



Yup, it's not a program, it's just figuring out the best way to format using (code)(/code) *changing the parenthesis to brackets obviously*

If you put items between open and closed [codes], they produce the small scrollbar windows and also use the Courier font, which is an equidistant font.  In other words, each letter/number/symbol takes up the same width across the board, and thus will line up vertically if you use proper spacing.

The hard part of course is that the window you post your info into is NOT an equidistant font, and thus you can't line stuff up vertically there.  What I do is make my character sheets using Notepad (which defaults to the Courier equidistant font), using the spacebar to get all the columns to line up correctly, then cut/pasting it into ENWorld and surrounding it by [codes].  You can also then start bolding the parts you want by highlighting and hitting the 'B'.  When you paste it, it will look as though the columns no longer line up... but DON'T start trying to "fix" them there.  You need to have faith that when posted it will line up correctly even if it looks all screwy when you've pasted into the posting window.


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## bento (Nov 6, 2006)

Thanks DEFCON 1 - I'll give it a try, next time!

BT


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## DEFCON 1 (Nov 7, 2006)

Made necessary edits/corrections to my character sheet as per mcnathan80's request.  Also fixed something that none of us noticed before, which is my warhammer's to hit should be +6 and not +5  (+3 BAB, +2 STR, +1 for being masterwork).


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## bento (Nov 14, 2006)

mcnathan80

I don't know about "Invisible Castle" and rolling dice.  Could you elaborate here?  On the other board I post to I can do a [dice] dx+y [/dice] to roll dice.

Thanks.


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## stonegod (Nov 14, 2006)

bento said:
			
		

> mcnathan80
> 
> I don't know about "Invisible Castle" and rolling dice.  Could you elaborate here?  On the other board I post to I can do a [dice] dx+y [/dice] to roll dice.
> 
> Thanks.



Bento,

First, mcnathan isn't read this board anymore---any ooc comments should be in the IC thread.

Second, go here.


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## KaintheSeeker (Nov 15, 2006)

Still recruiting or closed?


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## Sidekick (Nov 16, 2006)

Having now bought Dragonmark I'd be keen to chip in here.

I've got a concept for a Jorasco rogue type.


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## Enforcer (Nov 16, 2006)

While I'm not the GM, I'm pretty sure recruiting is closed, as we've already started in-character.


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