[Needle at Full] Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures

[MENTION=34958]Deuce Traveler[/MENTION]: You're up.

For all of you: Now that most of you have the basics of a character, we need to start working on the PCs' village. Each of you gets to define two NPCs and two places related to the village. Usually, your character's background suggests who or what these people or places are. For example, Shayuri's PC likes to climb about ruins. That means there must be ruins near the village. Shayuri could define one of these ruins and indicate its location in relation to the village. Once we've got the village done up, we'll hit the adventure.

I've set up this place here for you post your characters. Cut-and-paste and flesh out at will.

Sorry for the delay. Devout Acolyte.

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Okay, so here are my village contributions. First my character, Lady Elsinor (Elsi) Lancaster:




Two NPCs:

Sir Nigel Chaucer - an old campaigner, this landless knight has seen too much. A bit crotchety, he nevertheless has a sweet heart, especially for young Elsinor. Alcoholic, but still as good with a sword as a man half his age, he paid off a debt to the Lancasters by teaching Elsinor the ways of lance and sword and knighthood.




Dyfed - Elsinor's early rebellions began with running off with a local peasant boy, Dyfed, into the forests around the village. Dyfed and Elsi are very close -- in fact, he was her first kiss -- but obviously he's unsuited for marriage. Not that Elsi is looking for that right now.




Two locations:

Merrywort Manor - the Lancaster ancestral estate. Located on a hill overlooking the village near where the river exits from the hills, it is a sprawling estate, more villa than castle, though it does possess walls and towers. Much of the estate and surrounding lands are given to extensive gardens where herbs, flowers, and other plants are grown, as well as orchards in the hills and an extensive bee colony. There is a large brewery, as well as an alchemical laboratory. The staple of the family's wealth is the large production of simple healing potions, restoratives, poultices and healer's kits, and other such useful items. The brewery produces Merrywort Mead, a very sweet and potent local alcohol made of honey and merrywort. Much of the estate is fairly new (as in the last couple centuries) as the family business expanded. The Old Tower is the oldest part of the manor and the only part of the original castle left standing. It is derelict, nearly ready to fall over, occasionally used for storage. It was one of Elsinor's favorite places as a child. She would climb to the top -- against her parents' instructions -- to see the best view of the district anywhere in the village. Eventually she found access to the dungeons and catacombs beneath the Old Tower. She was nearly lost down there, but the tunnels are extensive and she never fully explored them. Who knows how truly extensive they are or where they might lead?

Aashee Cairn - Deep in the heart of the forested hills above Merrywort Manor is a large open glade. In the center of the glade is a mound. Around the mound are often found rings of mushrooms. Elsinor found this place on one of the many outings she took with her peasant friend Dyfed. Dyfed says it is a faerie mound and the mushrooms are faerie rings. But what does he know? He's just an ignorant peasant. But there was that one time when they came out on the night of the Summer Solstice and she thought she saw dancing lights and music. But when they got to the cairn, all was silent.

How's that work? Let me know if you need anything else, or need me to come up with more details.

I did have one question. The character sheet you gave says she has a lance and a dagger. Is the lance more like a spear or is it more like a knight's lance for charging on horseback and rather useless on foot? If that's the case, she doesn't have a sword, so she's stuck with the dagger? Just looking for clarification either way.

Thanks! Looking like this could be fun!

Deuce Traveler, here's the initial character information based on your playbook choice and dice rolls. Your PC received a +1 modification to Wisdom score due the shared event with Shayuri's PC.

While your childhood was that of an ordinary villager, something miraculous happened when you came of age. After a dramatic event, you felt the call of the old gods, and now worship them openly, as your ancestors did. One of these ancient deities shows you particular favor, and you now do his work amongst your people.

Class/Level: Mage/1
Alignment: Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic

STR 10 (+0), INT 14 (+1), WIS 16 (+2), DEX 13 (+1), CON 10 (+0), CHA 9 (+0)

AC: 11
BAB: +0
Initiative: 2
Fortune Points: 3
Hit Points: 6
Saving Throws: Poison 14, Breath Weapn 15, Polymorph 13, Spell 12, Magic Item 11

Class Abilities: Sense Magic, Spell Casting
Skills: Healing, Religious Lore, Weaving
Cantrips: Blessing, Hexing
Ritual: Mage Armor
Spells: Mystical Shield, Obscurement
Starting Equipment: a silver spoon, a knife, simple clothing, an ancient holy symbol, a stout walking staff, and 4d6 silvers.

What did your parents do in the village? What did you learn from them? You worked the loom, cutting and twisting as the Fates.
How did you distinguish yourself as a child? There wasn’t a game you couldn’t win.
The other player characters were your best friends. Who else in the village befriended you while you were growing up? The grizzled mercenary who settled in town taught you a thing or two.
What else happened to you as you began your life of service? The miller’s daughter was badly injured in an accident. Heeding the voice of a god, you tended her back to health when all others thought it a lost cause.
What is the gods’ task for you? To travel the lands, doing the gods’ work. You are blessed with the following magics: the spell Obscurement, the ritual Mage Armor, and the cantrip Hexing.
When you were most in need, the gods aided you. When were you most desperate? The Dwarven Runecaster was there with you. A strange, small man with knotted skin was attacking those who came near the old mine. You confronted the creature, holding it at bay while your friend struck it with iron and sent it running. The Dwarven Runecaster drove off the creature.
Which of the old gods is particularly fond of you? A goddess of oaths, pride, and the hearth.

KahlessNestor said:

How's that work? Let me know if you need anything else, or need me to come up with more details.

I did have one question. The character sheet you gave says she has a lance and a dagger....

Click to expand...

That works quite well. Regarding armor and weapons, I'll be posting equipment lists in the character thread.

I'll let this sit for a day for comment before I post it to the character thread:

Name: Reginald Brightwater
Class/Level: Mage/1
Alignment: Neutral

STR 10 (+0), INT 14 (+1), WIS 16 (+2), DEX 13 (+1), CON 10 (+0), CHA 9 (+0)

AC: 11
BAB: +0
Initiative: 2
Fortune Points: 3
Hit Points: 6
Saving Throws: Poison 14, Breath Weapn 15, Polymorph 13, Spell 12, Magic Item 11

Class Abilities: Sense Magic, Spell Casting
Skills: Healing, Religious Lore, Weaving
Cantrips: Blessing, Hexing
Ritual: Mage Armor
Spells: Mystical Shield, Obscurement
Starting Equipment: a silver spoon, a knife, simple clothing, an ancient holy symbol, a stout walking staff, and 4d6 silvers.

What did your parents do in the village? What did you learn from them? You worked the loom, cutting and twisting as the Fates.

How did you distinguish yourself as a child? There wasn’t a game you couldn’t win.

The other player characters were your best friends. Who else in the village befriended you while you were growing up? The grizzled mercenary who settled in town taught you a thing or two.

What else happened to you as you began your life of service? The miller’s daughter was badly injured in an accident. Heeding the voice of a god, you tended her back to health when all others thought it a lost cause.

What is the gods’ task for you? To travel the lands, doing the gods’ work. You are blessed with the following magics: the spell Obscurement, the ritual Mage Armor, and the cantrip Hexing.

When you were most in need, the gods aided you. When were you most desperate? The Dwarven Runecaster was there with you. A strange, small man with knotted skin was attacking those who came near the old mine. You confronted the creature, holding it at bay while your friend struck it with iron and sent it running. The Dwarven Runecaster drove off the creature.

Which of the old gods is particularly fond of you? A goddess of oaths, pride, and the hearth.

1st NPC:

- Koran Limmersneck: A good friend of Reginald, poor Koran was crippled by the kick of a testy and wicked-tempered mule when he was just a young lad. At the time, Koran was the stouter and quicker of the two, but now he walks with a hobble and his muscles have grown unevenly, favoring his healthier side. Koran has grown sharp-tongued and bitter, but he sees others with more pessimism than Reginald does, and has a knack for giving 'Reggie' advice too uncomfortable for others. They grew up supporting one another, Reginald helping to ease the pain in Koran's body and Koran helping Reginald to grow both honest and wise.

2nd NPC:

- Borl Limmersneck: The younger brother of Koran, Borl was spoiled by his athletic father after it became obvious that Koran would never physically recover from the accident. He grew up strong, attractive, and muscular, though his whiny attitude and quick-temper has alienated some inside the village. He enjoyed picking on Koran and Reginald when they were teenagers, as Borl quickly grew stronger than the other two and resented that Koran grew closer to Reginald than to him. Borl is a major reason why Reginald is not as charismatic as he otherwise could have been.

1st Location:

- The Flower Grove: As Reginald learned more about the healing arts, he found it important to make constant visits to a place he likes to call the flower grove. It is the greenest location in the nearby forests, with a nearby creek of clean water flowing nearby and many different types of plants that help in his collection of fruits and roots that aid in his healing skills. It might just be his imagination, but Reginald swears that the waters from the stream seem to help in the recovery of aches and illness.

2nd Location:

- The Limmersneck Farm: Just outside of the village is the Limmersneck Farm, run by a seven family members and two aging oxen. They also have several sheep that they sheer to supply materials for the local looms. The Limmersneck family grows mostly wheat and barley, though Mrs. Limmersneck is known to experiment with a small plot of everchanging crops as part of her side hobby. They are a well-respected family that has been in the village for four generations, and are good friends with the Brightwater family of loomers.

Looks good to me, DT.

NPC: Rhea Kulde - The head cook at the Montrose estate, she's a canny older woman in her 50's who's raised daughters and their daughters too. She's been in the castle since she was walking, and has learned much of men and women, lords and ladies, and how things work as opposed to how they're said to work. She took a young Seraphina Montrose under her wing, recognizing something of herself in a lonely and frightened child, and teaching her much. Some of it was even cooking.

NPC: Penelope Widder - A peasant girl that Seraphina befriended as a child in her frequent tendency to roam. As they both grew up, Seraphina meddled unrepentantly in her love life...ultimately playing a pivotal role in making sure she was married to a boy she was in love with, despite significant obstacles. Now in a well-to-do merchant's family, Penelope owes Seraphina a favor she has yet to collect on.

Location: The Crumble - Once known as Uldon's Watch, now often called Madman's Watch, the structure the smallfolk call The Crumble is the ruin of a keep built centuries before, in the days of the Thirteen Kings before the lands were brought together under one crown. Uldon was a warrior of renown, a lord known for his might and unflinching courage. However, he could not accept the notion of defeat...and as forces overran the land, he buttoned his household into their keep and put up a fierce resistance to sieging forces. In the end the siege was lifted simply because the land was sacked...but Uldon refused to let anyone out. Over the following days, and weeks, he became more and more paranoid that the enemy was still lurking outside, refusing to allow anyone to leave...and as food ran out, it's said that violence, famine and disease accomplished what catapults could not. While most people avoid the area now because of its colorful past and rumors of haunting, Seraphina was drawn to it. On finding that there was indeed some kind of haunting, she attempted to capture the spirit with a magic ritual...and after some misadventures managed to succeed!

Location: Uh, still working on this one.

PCs Go Here thread updated with new information. Huzzah.