The Gray King - A game of morally gray fear - Calling Zurai!

This place just keeps sucking me back in.

I have some ideas I want to try, but to avoid the accumulation of incidents that lead me to dropping games left, right, and center several months ago, I'm going to keep my games down to a maximum of two. This is one. You all have my permission to thwack me with spikesticks if I break my promise.

Eberron - A world of mystery and intrigue. Emerging from a century-long war with hundreds of thousands of years of history behind it, this is a weary and torn place. Full of political manuvering, power plays, magic both sublime and vile, and conflicting beliefs of dozens of cultures, this is no place for the faint of heart to rise to prominance.

In the crevices and corners, people practice all sorts of unusual methods of power. Some are restricted to a small geographic area, others are products of self-discovery, and not well-known to the mainstream. Some have uncovered forgotten tomes or learned from unleashed fiends or dragons.

For whatever reason, your unique ways drew attention from a most unlikely source. There was a mysterious visitor, or a message from House Sivis, perhaps a letter delivered by House Orion, or maybe your familiar or just a random animal showed up with a note. Then there were dreams, of course. A gray crown, aflame with a color most important to you. And then your message was signed with a gray crown somehow. Most unusual indeed. But intriguing, very intriguing. And if you showed up in New Cyre in Breland at this certain date and time, something was going to happen. Something that your skills alone could do. And something that could give you everything you ever wanted, if you had the will to take it...

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I'm looking for a party of adventurers from the fringe. Nothing as quite as weird as my "Anything But Normal" game, but definitely something a little off the beaten path.

I'd love to see a binder or a shadowdancer (from Tome of Magic), something from Incarnum, an archivist or dread necromancer (from Heroes of Horror), a variant class from Unearthed Arcana, a warlock or wu jen, shujenga or favored soul, cleric of an uncommon diety, or just someone with a really wicked, slightly odd backstory (maybe with an odd feat).

I'd like characters that are "comfortable with morally gray," to quote Mr. Bennet from Heroes. Not necessarily fully evil or vile, but just willing to go the distance, even if that distance is filled with unpalatable obstacles.

Mechanics-wise:

3rd level Eberron characters
30 point-buy
Hit points max at 1st level, 75% thereafter
4,000 XP
3,200gp
Flaws from Unearthed Arcana are allowed, to a maximum of two

I have all current Eberron books, and nearly every other WotC book out there (minus Tome of Nine Swords). I also have the Complete Book of Eldritch Might to draw stuff from too, as well as Chaositech (if there was ever a campaign suited for chaositech, it's Eberron).

I would like people to submit backgrounds as well as concepts, from which I will choose a party. Please give me the following things: What was your character doing during the Last War and how did it affect them? (Though it is possible, if you were isolated enough, that this could be an irrelevant question.) Tell me about your unusual practice. How did you get into it? Are you comfortable with it? Are other people? Do you bruit it about or keep it quiet? Where do you see your character going (both mechanics and role-playing-wise)? Why would you be willing to go to New Cyre for a shot at a slightly vague power? Tell me about at least one enemy and one ally (neither have to be huge and/or world-shaking). And let me know if you have any phobias or fears.

There will be elements of horror in this game, both drawn from my own twisted imagination and from several books. I was considering using both the Taint rules and/or the Sanity rules from Heroes of Horror and Unearthed Arcana. What do people think about that?

[Edit: Won't be using either rules, but will be using some stuff from Chaositech.]

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Our Party

*Eidalac, and now Forgefly - Kurst - CN Male Human Artificer 1/Warlock 2

*stonegod - Irthos - CN Male dragonwrought desert kobold copper dragon shaman 3

*Free Xenon - Arrgha'n of the Fell Veil - N Male Halfblood Daellkyr Rogue 2/Ranger 1

*Zurai - Valerian - N Male Grey Elf Archivist 3

*Erekose13 - Maavnod Warpspire - CG Male Mutated Goliath Totemist 2

*EvolutionKB - Oliver - LN Male Human Binder 3

Hrm. I'll have to dig up my sheets, but I had a character in TT game that may work for this.

The short story is he's an artificer/warlock, the latter class being an issue as he 'became' one after accidentally unsealing a demon who, after killing his master, 'blessed' the character with his warlock powers - just in time for someone to come on the scene and see it.

Thus, he's now presumed to be an agent working for the Lords of Dust, and just about any 'good' person would likely kill him on site if they found out, putting the fellow in a dicey and desperate spot.

I'll get some more details after I dig his sheet up.


EDIT:
As far as Taint/saintly rules - I like Sanity well enough, but I find Taint to be a bit overdone as writen - but it has been a while since I looked over those rules.

Mmm... so many options. I've always wanted to try a binder, but a necromantic character of some sort would be fun--a dread necromancer, or perhaps a cleric of the Blood of Vol. In the former case, I think an Aereni elf obsessed with the darker reflection of his people's culture of undead-worship might be appropriate... not so sure about a background for the potential Vol cleric, though it might be similar.

I'm a bit busy right now, but later tonight I'll browse through my books and flesh out whichever concept I settle on. And, for the record, I don't mind the Sanity rules, either, but I don't remember the Taint rules at all. I'll have to review them as well.

This has my interest as well. I was thinking an incarnate from Karnnath, along the evil side.

How about a changeling rogue with the racial substitution levels from the races of eberron? Was thinking of a character who always knows someone where ever they go.


-Blood

This sounds like rock'n fun.

I am thinking of a Daelkyr Halfblood (MoE pg.37) Urban Ranger going for Impure Prince (MoE pg. 73).

I think that should work out pretty well.

This is kind of rough and not edgy enough, but it should be a good start.

Basic history
During the last war Project Fell Heir was started and maintained as a method of gaining agents to use a secret cave that ws continually coterminus Xoriat to their advantage. The tribes formerly of the once proud and dominate Dhakaani clans bred these tainted agents to use their connection to the Xoriat to help to keep their tribes' lands free of the Daelkyr. These agents were used through out the empire in secret to ferret our Daelkyr influence and on occasion to assist the Darguun military when matters would advance the Dhakaani Tribes' influence.

I was one of these children born of from Project Fell Heir. Many of us were born as a result of voluntary mothers or captive mothers forced to use a Breed Leeches during the period of the pregnancy. I never knew my mother. I only knew training and loyalty to the Dhkaani tribes.

The Project fell apart when the connection to Xoriat became too strong and many of the breeding females were shifted to Xoriat or were warped and twisted by the plane's effects. Many were killed and infected outright with a horrible madness as creatures borne on the wings of madness and insanity appeared and ripped many of the them apart.

My fellow brethren and I fought and did out jobs to kill as many as we could. Many Dhakanni heirs died that day. The Project's leaders closed the gate as best they could and attempted to kill all of its progeny. Needless to say we were not happy with their eyes turned upon us. Many of us escaped and killed as many as we could that knew about the Project to assure our safety, but we were not able to kill them all.

I will always be looking behind me not only for servants of the Daelkyr or those that hate and fear my kind, but the leaders and minions of Project Fell Heir of the Dhakaani tribes.

I am Arrgha'n. I am alone, and I will do what it takes to survive. Hunting the Daelkyr and ending their influence amongst the civilized land is what I do. It is all I have ever know. There was no childhood or crying there was only kill the Daelkyr and watch for them. Kill and hunt. I do what I must even if some think the price is too high. My Symbiont is my closest companion throughout the years. I spend much of it without a true companion of any sort and it helps me to keep my sanity even as I battle within myself over the madness that stirs in side. My symbiont is my connection to what I am, a direct link the madness that spawned me and that stirs inside me.

Description
He will appear more human that not, but will bear Hobgoblin features and traits that make his lineage questionable.

Other Background
During the Last War I found my self on a field of battle or two prior to the fall of the Project. Once the Project ended I as well as some of my brethren went to the borderlands and found ways to survive there. Due to my more urban skill set I went for the larger cities in Cyre and found myself in quick need as there were agents of the Daelkyr there - a mother that was unknowingly infected with a Breed Leech and the father was a Daelkyr agent. That night I killed the mother in her sleep and then I have been tracking the zealous Daelkyr father across the lands of Cyre and then into Breland.

Enemies: Specific members of the Dhakaani tribes that were apart of the Project Fell Heir, The father who got away.

Allies: Other former agents of Project Fell Heir as well as A hobgoblin female of tribe Dhakaani who assisted some of us in our escape. She was a one time voluntary mother and is very loyal to hre tribe. I do not know why she helped us that day.

Well I love eberron games, and I love strange characters, so I'll submit the crazy sorcerer, Tim. A ragged man with strange habits and strange ways of telling things. He is old for a human, so age modifiers will apply.

Brief background: With some dragon blood in his veins, Tim was a special kid. He liked to burn up things. And we are not talking of small things. Onces when he has twelve, the angry boy, burned his father library. The wizard was out of his mind, all his work was now a pile of ashes, and all thanks to that demon son of his.
So Tim was sent to live with his uncle Thomas in the wilds. Thomas was a timber man, and he and his two sons, supply wood to the town. All was fine until the now teenager Tim, started a huge fire in the woods. One could blame the dry weather, or the strong wind, that fuel the fire with oxygen, letting it burn miles and miles of forest. But uncle Thomas wasn't so naive.
That was the moment when Tim's adventures begun.
Much things happened since that times, far, obscured by the mist of time.
Tim became a known sorcerer, a powerful pyromancer, who controlled the element of fire at his will, and incinerated his foolish enemies in a fire living hell.
Tim recluded himself in a mountain. From there, he surprised the travelers, looking for some defiant and proud rival. Many fell, burned in the arcane fire, until a group of adventurers, a group of people just like he was may years before, gathered to drive the insane sorcerer out of the mountains.
Tim showed himself to the group, when they were searching him in the tricky passages of the mountains cliffs. The battle was fierce, but at the end the young blood prevail, and Tim was lucky to scape alive.
As fast as he could he grab some of the gold and belongings, and flee his cave, for the adventures to loot. They have earned it anyway, he thought.


Description: Tim is a man of few words. With long thin grey beard, and his ragged tunic, whit goat horns in the hood, he reminds a crazy old man. For one that crosses words with him the first time, "The enchanter" as he calls himself -when he forgot he last name- may seem mysterious, and extravagant. His words may make no sense, and his exaggerations knows no limits. A side from that, and his tendency to make anything he wishes, is not a really bad man.
He use to mocks on people who don't follow his advise.


Name: Tim the Enchanter
Class: Sorcerer
Race: Human
Size: Medium
Gender: Male
Alignment: Chaotic neutral
Age: 52
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 132 lb.
Eyes: black
Hair: Grey
Skin: pale

Str: 07 -2 Level: 3 XP: 4000
Dex: 14 +2 BAB: +1 HP:
Con: 14 +2 Grapple: -1 Dmg Red: 0
Int: 12 +1 Speed: 30' Spell Res: 0
Wis: 10 +0 Init:+2 Spell Save: +
Cha: 18 +4 ACP: 0 Spell Fail: 0%

Abilities:
Summon Familiar (rat)
+2 save against paralisis and sleep (Feat)
+2 save against fire spells and abilities (Feat)

Feats:
Draconic Heritage (red dragon)
Draconic Power ( Fire)
Energy sbustitution (Fire)

Oh, Isida. I can't quit you. In a totally platonic way, of course. Don't want that fiancee of yours hunting me down.

You know me and odd concepts. How about a kobold (perhaps dragonwrought from Races of Dragon) dragon shaman. Torn between Siberys and Khyber. An odd race, with unusual powers not even the rare druid is familiar with should bit your bill well.

I'll look at flushing it out later tonight. I'm familiar with the Heroes of Horrors taint rules (am using them somewhere else...), not the Sanity rules.

Hi. I'm unfamilliar with Eberron, and was wondering if Thri-Kreen was acceptable as a player race. I've been wanting to try one out for a long time.

WarShrike