gideonpepys
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
The short answer to your first question is: Leon's theme is martial scientist. (He also pursues membership of the Vekeshi Mystics, who despite initial and understandable misgivings, have learned to trust him during the last few adventures. So he pursues that storyline, but gains no thematic benefits.)
The full explanation goes as follows:
His background is that he is really called Dax Corbeau, and was a ruthless general in the Danoran army - infamous among the Risuri rank-and-file for his methods, designed to strike fear into the enemy (crucifying captives, that kind of thing).
During the Yerasol campaign, one of his lieutenants (the real Leon Veilleux) attempted to assassinate him. He was able to fend of and kill his would-be assassin, but sustained terrible injuries in the process.
A fugitive eladrin woman rescued him and healed him - quite the opposite of what he had been taught to believe an eladrin 'sorceress' would do. When Danoran forces came for him, he escaped (not wishing to establish whether he was being rescued or if they had come to finish the job).
He does not know what became of the eladrin woman (although the unit rediscovered her hideout on Yerasol during adventure #1).
With his world view in tatters, he fled to Risur and hid out in the bayou, learning what he could about the fey, eventually settling down with a tiefling prostitute name Lilly.
When the Risuri authorities got wind of him (of a 'tiefling veteran of Yerasol', that is) they sent Marshal Korrigan and his unit to capture him. Leon surrendered, and told his story as if he were Leon Veilleux 'assassin of the feared General Dax Corbeau'.
In recognition of this - and of his unique talents - Korrigan had him pardoned and offered him the chance to join the unit.
By now, Leon has let all of his military training grow rusty, partly due to his injuries, and focussed on developing his fey pact. But gradually, as he sees more action, his old skills are coming back to him.
Since his arm was severed and reattached in the Laboratory at the end of Dying Skyseer, it has started to behave in very strange ways. I have decided that it is now possessed of some of General Dax's ruthlessness, and will almost physically embody the process of Leon's old skills returning - in particular, using Experimental Strike without Leon intending it to. (This will enable me to give the player a few hints and tips on how to use it, as he had been finding it difficult to improvise good ideas.)
*****
With regard to your second set of questions - I wish I had the time to put together as detailed a subplot as Cheezmo Miner (who kindly messaged me his ideas and just so happens to be using the same 1st edition adventures).
All I'm doing is adding some extra details and responding to player creativity: Rumdoom's player, when asked to delineate his contacts, provided information about his entire eschatological 'cell': Two zealous Drakran brothers; an avuncular priest/politician; and a driven industrialist named Khaled Valchek - all dwarves.
He also invented his own subplot - about a mythical item called 'the Stone of Not' which the eschatologists seek. I didn't know what to do with this at first, but then I came up with the idea that the Deep Ones have it and that 'Black Star Mining' (run by Valchek) know this. So Valchek sent the spy Silas Fennac to make contact with the Deep Ones, and secretly note their defences, etc. The idea is to concoct a story about a planned invasion, encourage Risur to mobilize against the Deep Ones, grab the Stone of Not and open up vital trade routes into the bargain.
Fennac used a stolen idol to affect his escape from the Deep Ones, but this idol has enabled the Deep Ones to tail him. When he crashed his dirigible over the marshes and fell into the hands of the lizardmen, the Deep Ones sent their sahuagin in to snatch him back.
This led to the displacement of the lizardmen, and their attempts to buy firearms to defend themselves - both of which drew the attention of the RHC (in previous adventures).
I hope that's reasonably clear. But to be honest, I'm not 100% sure where I'm going with it. I prefer not to attach any major storylines to individual players so early in the campaign, in case one of them leaves, and I don't want to distract from the AP proper.
Hildegaard was just set-dressing - a love interest to play off Rumdoom's background: he drinks heavily and is obsessed with the ending of all things, since his childhood sweetheart died giving birth to their stillborn son.
He tried to respond to her interest but got all tongue-tied.
The full explanation goes as follows:
His background is that he is really called Dax Corbeau, and was a ruthless general in the Danoran army - infamous among the Risuri rank-and-file for his methods, designed to strike fear into the enemy (crucifying captives, that kind of thing).
During the Yerasol campaign, one of his lieutenants (the real Leon Veilleux) attempted to assassinate him. He was able to fend of and kill his would-be assassin, but sustained terrible injuries in the process.
A fugitive eladrin woman rescued him and healed him - quite the opposite of what he had been taught to believe an eladrin 'sorceress' would do. When Danoran forces came for him, he escaped (not wishing to establish whether he was being rescued or if they had come to finish the job).
He does not know what became of the eladrin woman (although the unit rediscovered her hideout on Yerasol during adventure #1).
With his world view in tatters, he fled to Risur and hid out in the bayou, learning what he could about the fey, eventually settling down with a tiefling prostitute name Lilly.
When the Risuri authorities got wind of him (of a 'tiefling veteran of Yerasol', that is) they sent Marshal Korrigan and his unit to capture him. Leon surrendered, and told his story as if he were Leon Veilleux 'assassin of the feared General Dax Corbeau'.
In recognition of this - and of his unique talents - Korrigan had him pardoned and offered him the chance to join the unit.
By now, Leon has let all of his military training grow rusty, partly due to his injuries, and focussed on developing his fey pact. But gradually, as he sees more action, his old skills are coming back to him.
Since his arm was severed and reattached in the Laboratory at the end of Dying Skyseer, it has started to behave in very strange ways. I have decided that it is now possessed of some of General Dax's ruthlessness, and will almost physically embody the process of Leon's old skills returning - in particular, using Experimental Strike without Leon intending it to. (This will enable me to give the player a few hints and tips on how to use it, as he had been finding it difficult to improvise good ideas.)
*****
With regard to your second set of questions - I wish I had the time to put together as detailed a subplot as Cheezmo Miner (who kindly messaged me his ideas and just so happens to be using the same 1st edition adventures).
All I'm doing is adding some extra details and responding to player creativity: Rumdoom's player, when asked to delineate his contacts, provided information about his entire eschatological 'cell': Two zealous Drakran brothers; an avuncular priest/politician; and a driven industrialist named Khaled Valchek - all dwarves.
He also invented his own subplot - about a mythical item called 'the Stone of Not' which the eschatologists seek. I didn't know what to do with this at first, but then I came up with the idea that the Deep Ones have it and that 'Black Star Mining' (run by Valchek) know this. So Valchek sent the spy Silas Fennac to make contact with the Deep Ones, and secretly note their defences, etc. The idea is to concoct a story about a planned invasion, encourage Risur to mobilize against the Deep Ones, grab the Stone of Not and open up vital trade routes into the bargain.
Fennac used a stolen idol to affect his escape from the Deep Ones, but this idol has enabled the Deep Ones to tail him. When he crashed his dirigible over the marshes and fell into the hands of the lizardmen, the Deep Ones sent their sahuagin in to snatch him back.
This led to the displacement of the lizardmen, and their attempts to buy firearms to defend themselves - both of which drew the attention of the RHC (in previous adventures).
I hope that's reasonably clear. But to be honest, I'm not 100% sure where I'm going with it. I prefer not to attach any major storylines to individual players so early in the campaign, in case one of them leaves, and I don't want to distract from the AP proper.
Hildegaard was just set-dressing - a love interest to play off Rumdoom's background: he drinks heavily and is obsessed with the ending of all things, since his childhood sweetheart died giving birth to their stillborn son.
He tried to respond to her interest but got all tongue-tied.