Malvoisin
First Post
[sblock=Dramatis Personae]
Brissa Santos- A former pickpocket turned semi-legitimate artist, Brissa is apparently Vanthus Vanderboren's sometime companion, but she hasn't been seen in Azure District for weeks.
The Jade Ravens- A mercenary company long in the employ of the Vanderboren family. Currently they have traveled south to Cauldron at Lavinia's behest.
Keltar Islaran- Lord of Islaran Manor and representative of Azure District on the Dawn Council, Keltar is an aging noble whose children have either gone missing or have no real interest in continuing the family's traditional post as Harbormaster. Ill health and concerns about his inability to find a suitable replacement have caused Islaran to become distracted from maintaining a firm grip on activities within Sasserine's harbor.
Recently, the party has learned that Lord Islaran was gruesomely murdered by unknown forces, leaving the post of Harbormaster vacant...
Kora Whistlegap- This elderly halfling woman has served the Vanderborens faithfully for many years.
Lavinia Vanderboren- Thrust into the responsibilities of nobility, young Lavinia's parents perished in a terrible fire and her brother has vanished from the public eye, leaving her to tend to her estate's needs all on her own. Lavinia hired the PCs to liberate her ship, The Blue Nixie, from the animal smuggler Soller Vark, and then accompanied the group to the Vanderboren family vault under Castle Teraknian. Having served her well in those tasks, Lavinia subsequently hired the PCs as bodyguards and troubleshooters for a monthly retainer of 100 gold pieces each.
Most recently, Lavinia has asked the party to track down her irascible brother, Vanthus, in the hope that he may be redeemed from his wayward activities.
Panchi- Proprietor of 'It Still Floats!' a Shadowshore boat shop whose wares are of dubious quality...at best.
Penkus-A semi-notorious Shadowshore smuggler. He was last seen a few weeks ago, rowing toward Parrot Island in the company of Vanthus Vanderboren. A cryptic comment from Vanthus before sealing the PCs in the tunnels below would seem to indicate that Penkus never returned from that trip. Indeed, Penkus was abandoned by Vanthus upon learning the Parrot Island tunnels were overrun with vicious unded monstrosities. Penkus met his end at the disease-fouled claws of the huecuva Veldimar Krund...but not before writing a note which condemned the youngest Vanderboren for his treachery, and raised some new questions as well. Who is the Lady of the Lotus?
Shefton Rosk-This half-elf grifter lured the party to Parrot Island at the behest of Vanthus Vanderboren, but was double-crossed when he outlived his usefulness. For his trouble, Shefton found himself stabbed in the back...literally...and dumped down a 30-foot shaft for good measure. It wasn't the fall that killed him, it was the landing.
Soller Vark- A surly brute in the employ of the harbormaster, he and his gang secretly commandeered the Blue Nixie, apparently to use the vessel as part of a smuggling scheme involving exotic animals. He and the remnants of his entourage are now healing up in the custody of the Merchant's Watch.
Vanthus Vanderboren- Lavinia's younger brother, thought absent from Sasserine. As it turns out, he is present and accounted for, having looted the lion's share of the fortune from the Vanderboren family vault. He then lured the party to Parrot Island, and trapped them in the abandoned smuggler's tunnels beneath, with the aid of Shefton Rosk (who Vanthus subsequently murdered). The party is beginning to come to the conclusion that Vanthus is not very nice.
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[sblock=Handouts and Graphics]
The letter that started it all, an invitation from Lavinia Vanderboren:
A strange list of monsters found, along with the Vanderboren signet ring, in a secret compartment aboard the Blue Nixie. What does it mean?
The plot thickens! Found in the clutches of dear, departed Penkus...
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[sblock=Words of Welcome]
Welcome players! As promised, I'll go into a little more detail as to how I arrived at my decisions....
Voadam and hafrogman, you are both players that I really liked running in Fiend's Embrace, and this gave you an inside track. Each of you also submitted a new class (which I have not yet played or DMed) from the PHB2, and I'm very interested in seeing the Beguiler and the Dragon Shaman in play. Plus, you have strong track records as good PbP players and reliable posters (I lurk a lot in the games on these boards). Kalen, I think, will be challenging to DM, but I look forward to that challenge. He should be quite a handful, as a mix of stealth and arcane magic. The dragon shaman will be a secondary melee character, and bring a little versatility (auras, healing) to the mix.
Rhun, yours is a name I've seen a lot around these parts, as both player and DM. Much like those two gentlemen above, you seem like a good player and reliable poster. I look forward to your inclusion in this game! Anar will make for the party's other secondary melee specialist, and combine with Kalen for all their stealth needs.
Land Outcast and stonegod, you guys are both great in Shackled City. Your inclusion here was a no-brainer. I love the background on Col, and I look forward to how you're going to play him, stonegod. I have, however, decided not to use the taint rules. I just think it would needlessly complicate the game, and it's hard to justify that in a non-horror themed campaign, for just one character. Still, role-play his descent into madness to your heart's content! Should be fun. He'll be the knowledge guy, and bring secondary divine magic. Land, I hope you bring the same creativity and sense of depth to Nicolai as you have for Remen. I know you are playing the same character in Tonks' new game, but I don't have a problem with that, as long as you can keep the two games straight! Obviously, we're looking at him being the party's arcane blaster....
Tonks, you seem somewhat new around these parts, but you submitted two great characters, and I was hard pressed to pick between them. Ultimately, I went with the Aventi due to party balance concerns. I wasn't sure I wanted to leave this group in the hands of Mad Col for their healing needs. And, that Ocean domain should be a terrific choice for this campaign. It will be interesting to see how Damash fits in with the rest of the group, which seems like largely a bunch of misfits and scalawags.
Finally, GwydapLlew....you are the wild card, my friend. I was looking over the submissions in search of a primary melee combatant, and your Amedio tribal spearman just jumped out at me. I guess I'm just a sucker for that archetype...in fantasy movies ranging from Beastmaster to The Scorpion King this a common character type, and one that I really enjoy. As a player, you're unknown to me, but trust me when I say you're in very good company here. Follow in the footsteps of the experienced gentlemen above, and you'll do just fine.
So, there you have it. Overall, I wish we could have had a bit more racial diversity (5 humans aboard)....but, one is a black-skinned tribesman, one has a bit of draconic blood...and of course, one is mad...so, I guess there's some diversity there. I like the mix of classes, though.
'Kay, that's enough from me. Let's get on to character creation.[/sblock]
[sblock=Character Creation Guidelines]
Character Creation Rules
Okay, let's see....
**28 point buy for stats.
**Max hit points at first level. Method for future hp increases to be determined
**Maximum gold available to spend on equipment, per class...BUT...nobody is allowed to start the game with more than 20 gp in cash. So, use it or lose it. I will be looking at encumbrance, so watch the weight.
**Please post character sheets at the Rogue's Gallery, even if a work in progress. Let me know when your sheet is finished and ready for final review please.
**Please annotate your sheet with a brief description for any feat, spell, or item which is not found in the SRD.
**Please include common skills on your sheet, such as Spot, Listen, Search...even if you don't put any skill ranks in them.
**Please be sure to include a paragraph with a detailed description of the character. Should include height, weight, hair, eye and skin color, clothing worn, weapons and gear carried, etc.
**Please don't post a background yet, even if you already wrote one in the recruiting process. We will work together on backgrounds, once the magazine has been released, and we can look at the Sasserine backdrop in the issue for details.
Okay, I think that's it for now. There isn't really a big rush on this, considering the adventure hasn't been released yet. So take your time, and keep me apprised of any questions you may have.
Thanks![/sblock]
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