Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Playing the Game
Talking the Talk
Crowns of Ice - The Lords Gallery
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Jago" data-source="post: 6985232" data-attributes="member: 6855130"><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'"><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong><em>Eben Marenson, Bastard Son of Volund</em></strong></span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x111/tranced89/Eben.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/vl1emsqa0dxiepc/Eben%20The%20Poet%20Character%20Sheet.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">Character Sheet</a></p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/icobkt3ifj6dcr1/Eben%20The%20Poet%20Abilities%20and%20Magic%20Items.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">Feats, Traits, Abilities, and Magic Items</a></p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/vj4bgotihkrdupa/Eben%20The%20Poet%20Spellbook.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">Full Spellbook</a></p><p><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/vj4bgotihkrdupa/Eben%20The%20Poet%20Spellbook.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank"></a></p><p>[sblock=The Saga of The Bastard Poet]Eben was born to Maren Hrabandottir, a merchant <em>karl</em> from the lands of Jarl Alec MacTier. During his mother's travels, she had met and had a tryst with the powerful Jarl Volund, eventually leading to pregnancy and the birth of her son. Already with children of his own, Maren chose to leave and keep the child far from Volund for both of their sakes, all compounded by the fact that a Demiurgist woman had borne the bastard son of a Pantheonist Jarl.</p><p></p><p>Her home life became complicated after this, with many from their village quick to rebuke and treat her with hostility for having shamed their people and their religion so. Regardless, she raised Eben in as loving an environment as she could, knowing that as the boy grew he would suffer the same mistreatment. To spare him from this, she often took him upon her merchant journeys, sailing the cold waters of their home and teaching him the craft. To make up for the lack of a father, Maren would tell Eben stories of the places they would visit, of their Demiurge God and the Pantheonist Aesir and Valar of his people, hoping that these tales would help him grow in ways she could not teach.</p><p></p><p>Eben would accompany his mother when she approached Jarl MacTier each week to deliver goods and sort out paperwork and payment. It was here for the first time that he would meet the Jarl's daughter, Astrid, and not long afterwards that he would find the young girl trying to stow away in his mother's <em>langskip </em>after they had already set out to sea. The two quickly became fascinated with one another: she longed for the adventure that he found upon the oceans of the world, and in her Eben finally had someone who treated him as he was, not as a bastard or a heathen.</p><p></p><p>The two would continuously meet and play together throughout their childhood, despite the differences in status between them. It was for her that Eben first learned how to play the lyre, singing songs of her bravery as she stood against those that would attack him. When Astrid's mother passed, it was Eben that consoled her. When his own mother fell to sickness, Maren finally confessed to her son where he came from: that he was Volundson in all but name, and that he should seek his people to find and be with them. Instead of leaving, Eben stayed behind until she succumbed to sickness. Heartbroken, Eben prepared to leave his mother's house for the last time only to be stopped by Astrid. The two argued over this decision until both finally broke down and admitted that childhood friendship had turned to love for both of them. This realization caused Eben to stay and begin a secret relationship with Astrid while still making small journeys on his mother's ship. In this period, Astrid began to teach Eben minor bits of arcane knowledge, eventually helping the teen find his voice to replicate these spells with song and word.</p><p></p><p>Eventually, the strain of this relationship on Eben began to grow: he became frustrated in thinking that he and Astrid could never truly be together: he doubted Alec would allow a heathen bastard to marry his daughter, especially with such lofty suitors asking for her hand, and the need to keep their love hidden began to upset Eben. While Astrid swore up and down that nothing about him would ever separate them, Eben knew how poorly he had been treated due to his name and status, how poorly his <em>mother</em> had been treated, and feared that Astrid would suffer the same fate despite their affection for one another. </p><p></p><p>It took almost a year, but eventually Eben resolved to find his father: he assumed that if Volund would take him in, he could rightly be called Volundson and therefore return and ask for Astrid's hand as a proper man. While it hurt Astrid to leave, Eben assured her he was doing it for them. He sailed, making money where he could to pay for the long voyage, returning home frequently to spend time with Astrid until finally he made the journey to the halls of Volund.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Here he met his eldest brother, Einar Volundson, and unwisely trusted him with his story and asked to see their father. Einar delayed Eben time and time again, not wanting yet another contender for his father's throne. Eben pressured his brother day after day until eventually Einar sent men after the Poet, beating him within almost an inch of his life. Into this fray leapt Thorir Volundson, the middle brother, to rescue Eben. With their backs together, they fended off the attackers and Einar knew that to move against Eben, he would need to move against Thorir as well: a move he was not yet prepared to take.</p><p></p><p>Eben and Thorir set to talking, Eben explaining where he was from and what he intended. With Einar blocking the way, however, it did not look as though Eben could be legitimized. Their home was no longer safe, their Eldest Brother consolidating more power day by day. Instead, Thorir proposed that Eben come with him aboard a ship: Thorir intended to raid and adventure to gain gold, fame, and respect that he might one day challenge Einar. If Thorir succeeded Volund, Eben reasoned, then Eben could be legitimized by his brother instead. Finding this deal acceptable, the two set out on Thorir's quest to become a Sea King, gathering a close-knit crew of <em>vikingr</em> and sailing the seas in a series of pillaging. </p><p></p><p>Thorir taught Eben how to wield a blade, how to hold a shield, and Eben in turn inspired the crew with songs of battle and sagas of their gods. He found it hard to reconcile his Demiurge upbringing with his Pantheonist Blood, often blending their stories together into a rather heretical mixture of glory and peace. This eventually lead to receiving a ritualized tattoo of the Demiurge symbol flanked by Odin's mighty ravens upon his back, trying to reconcile his past and future into one.</p><p></p><p>Throughout their raiding, Eben would still take leave and return to Astrid from time to time, their few days together spent in hopeless romance before he would set to sea once more. However, as the years went by, Eben came to see that Thorir was no closer to securing their father's throne. What's worse, Volund had passed and Einar had ascended, making it all the less likely that they would ever achieve their goals. The last time Eben returned to Astrid, this was compounded by being confronted by someone who informed him that they knew of his affair with the Jarl's daughter.</p><p></p><p>This nightmare went on to say that Alec MacTier would most certainly execute the bastard for daring to touch the daughter of a Jarl in such a way, let alone behind his back, and that Astrid would be thrown out of her home, disgraced into ruin and an early grave as there would be none who would offer respite to a harlot that had laid with a heathen. By the time he saw Astrid that night, he barely let her speak as he told her that he needed to leave and not come back. He couldn't secure his name, he couldn't marry her, and they should not see one another anymore.</p><p></p><p>Much as it broke his heart, Eben did not want harm to come to Astrid: she still had a loving father and a future ahead of her - staying with him robbed her of everything, for Eben knew she had been turning down suitors just for the sake of their relationship. Dour from the experience, Eben returned to Thorir's ship, committing himself entirely to the saga of The Brothers Volundson, even though Eben did not share that name. For his own, he took Marenson, to honor the mother who had sacrificed so much for him.[/sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jago, post: 6985232, member: 6855130"] [CENTER][FONT=Book Antiqua][SIZE=5][B][I]Eben Marenson, Bastard Son of Volund[/I][/B][/SIZE][/FONT] [IMG]http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x111/tranced89/Eben.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [URL="https://www.dropbox.com/s/vl1emsqa0dxiepc/Eben%20The%20Poet%20Character%20Sheet.pdf?dl=0"]Character Sheet[/URL] [URL="https://www.dropbox.com/s/icobkt3ifj6dcr1/Eben%20The%20Poet%20Abilities%20and%20Magic%20Items.pdf?dl=0"]Feats, Traits, Abilities, and Magic Items[/URL] [URL="https://www.dropbox.com/s/vj4bgotihkrdupa/Eben%20The%20Poet%20Spellbook.pdf?dl=0"]Full Spellbook [/URL] [sblock=The Saga of The Bastard Poet]Eben was born to Maren Hrabandottir, a merchant [I]karl[/I] from the lands of Jarl Alec MacTier. During his mother's travels, she had met and had a tryst with the powerful Jarl Volund, eventually leading to pregnancy and the birth of her son. Already with children of his own, Maren chose to leave and keep the child far from Volund for both of their sakes, all compounded by the fact that a Demiurgist woman had borne the bastard son of a Pantheonist Jarl. Her home life became complicated after this, with many from their village quick to rebuke and treat her with hostility for having shamed their people and their religion so. Regardless, she raised Eben in as loving an environment as she could, knowing that as the boy grew he would suffer the same mistreatment. To spare him from this, she often took him upon her merchant journeys, sailing the cold waters of their home and teaching him the craft. To make up for the lack of a father, Maren would tell Eben stories of the places they would visit, of their Demiurge God and the Pantheonist Aesir and Valar of his people, hoping that these tales would help him grow in ways she could not teach. Eben would accompany his mother when she approached Jarl MacTier each week to deliver goods and sort out paperwork and payment. It was here for the first time that he would meet the Jarl's daughter, Astrid, and not long afterwards that he would find the young girl trying to stow away in his mother's [I]langskip [/I]after they had already set out to sea. The two quickly became fascinated with one another: she longed for the adventure that he found upon the oceans of the world, and in her Eben finally had someone who treated him as he was, not as a bastard or a heathen. The two would continuously meet and play together throughout their childhood, despite the differences in status between them. It was for her that Eben first learned how to play the lyre, singing songs of her bravery as she stood against those that would attack him. When Astrid's mother passed, it was Eben that consoled her. When his own mother fell to sickness, Maren finally confessed to her son where he came from: that he was Volundson in all but name, and that he should seek his people to find and be with them. Instead of leaving, Eben stayed behind until she succumbed to sickness. Heartbroken, Eben prepared to leave his mother's house for the last time only to be stopped by Astrid. The two argued over this decision until both finally broke down and admitted that childhood friendship had turned to love for both of them. This realization caused Eben to stay and begin a secret relationship with Astrid while still making small journeys on his mother's ship. In this period, Astrid began to teach Eben minor bits of arcane knowledge, eventually helping the teen find his voice to replicate these spells with song and word. Eventually, the strain of this relationship on Eben began to grow: he became frustrated in thinking that he and Astrid could never truly be together: he doubted Alec would allow a heathen bastard to marry his daughter, especially with such lofty suitors asking for her hand, and the need to keep their love hidden began to upset Eben. While Astrid swore up and down that nothing about him would ever separate them, Eben knew how poorly he had been treated due to his name and status, how poorly his [I]mother[/I] had been treated, and feared that Astrid would suffer the same fate despite their affection for one another. It took almost a year, but eventually Eben resolved to find his father: he assumed that if Volund would take him in, he could rightly be called Volundson and therefore return and ask for Astrid's hand as a proper man. While it hurt Astrid to leave, Eben assured her he was doing it for them. He sailed, making money where he could to pay for the long voyage, returning home frequently to spend time with Astrid until finally he made the journey to the halls of Volund. Here he met his eldest brother, Einar Volundson, and unwisely trusted him with his story and asked to see their father. Einar delayed Eben time and time again, not wanting yet another contender for his father's throne. Eben pressured his brother day after day until eventually Einar sent men after the Poet, beating him within almost an inch of his life. Into this fray leapt Thorir Volundson, the middle brother, to rescue Eben. With their backs together, they fended off the attackers and Einar knew that to move against Eben, he would need to move against Thorir as well: a move he was not yet prepared to take. Eben and Thorir set to talking, Eben explaining where he was from and what he intended. With Einar blocking the way, however, it did not look as though Eben could be legitimized. Their home was no longer safe, their Eldest Brother consolidating more power day by day. Instead, Thorir proposed that Eben come with him aboard a ship: Thorir intended to raid and adventure to gain gold, fame, and respect that he might one day challenge Einar. If Thorir succeeded Volund, Eben reasoned, then Eben could be legitimized by his brother instead. Finding this deal acceptable, the two set out on Thorir's quest to become a Sea King, gathering a close-knit crew of [I]vikingr[/I] and sailing the seas in a series of pillaging. Thorir taught Eben how to wield a blade, how to hold a shield, and Eben in turn inspired the crew with songs of battle and sagas of their gods. He found it hard to reconcile his Demiurge upbringing with his Pantheonist Blood, often blending their stories together into a rather heretical mixture of glory and peace. This eventually lead to receiving a ritualized tattoo of the Demiurge symbol flanked by Odin's mighty ravens upon his back, trying to reconcile his past and future into one. Throughout their raiding, Eben would still take leave and return to Astrid from time to time, their few days together spent in hopeless romance before he would set to sea once more. However, as the years went by, Eben came to see that Thorir was no closer to securing their father's throne. What's worse, Volund had passed and Einar had ascended, making it all the less likely that they would ever achieve their goals. The last time Eben returned to Astrid, this was compounded by being confronted by someone who informed him that they knew of his affair with the Jarl's daughter. This nightmare went on to say that Alec MacTier would most certainly execute the bastard for daring to touch the daughter of a Jarl in such a way, let alone behind his back, and that Astrid would be thrown out of her home, disgraced into ruin and an early grave as there would be none who would offer respite to a harlot that had laid with a heathen. By the time he saw Astrid that night, he barely let her speak as he told her that he needed to leave and not come back. He couldn't secure his name, he couldn't marry her, and they should not see one another anymore. Much as it broke his heart, Eben did not want harm to come to Astrid: she still had a loving father and a future ahead of her - staying with him robbed her of everything, for Eben knew she had been turning down suitors just for the sake of their relationship. Dour from the experience, Eben returned to Thorir's ship, committing himself entirely to the saga of The Brothers Volundson, even though Eben did not share that name. For his own, he took Marenson, to honor the mother who had sacrificed so much for him.[/sblock] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Talking the Talk
Crowns of Ice - The Lords Gallery
Top