pathfinderq1
First Post
Here is the first draft for J'hanna's background- needs to be cleaned up a bit, but the basics are there. Specifically, how she is from New Lunarial, but returning there from Kingsport, and her connections to the island and her home village (and through her father, to the local emir and the Sultan's guards). Folk Hero is still a better background fit than Soldier, but she has elements of both, having served in the village militia. Game stats should be up shortly (first draft for those as well)
History: J’hanna’s father Karim was born in a small farming village on the island of New Lunarial, but he was drafted at an early age. He served in the armies of the elven Sultan for twenty years, including 10 years in the elite Lion Guard. When he retired he was given a small farm on the estate of a prosperous noble, the emir Kazarian. Many of the elven nobles of New Lunarial paid little attention to their estates, as long as the crops and the taxes kept producing, but Kazarian seemed to genuinely care for his land and his tenants; this was quite important to the village folk since the estate was perilously close to the border of the badlands. While the soil and the water were good, the farmsteads had to deal with occasional wild beasts and even raids by the few orcs or goblins that lived in the unsettled territory. Karim was quickly deputized to lead the local militia, and he married a local woman, Tazri, whose first husband had died. Tazri had a bit of a reputation as a fine cook, and she was young enough to bear two children with Karim, their daughters J’hanna and Salima. Karim trained the local militia in his spare time, and he trained (and disciplined) his children like soldiers as well. While Salima took after her mother and trained as a cook and an herbalist, J’hanna was much more like her father- she grew up big and strong, and inclined to athletic physical pursuits; by the age of fourteen she was a member of the militia like most of the village boys of the same age.
About five years ago, the frequency of raids and animal attacks out of the badlands began to increase, and then some of the crops and livestock began to sicken. When a neighboring village was nearly wiped out by a flood, most of the healthy adults from J’hanna’s village pitched in to help- and so they were at least a full day’s walk away when a pair of vicious hyenas came out of the badlands. The beasts were hungry and brutal- then killed a pair of goats, and attacked an old man who tried to fend them off. While one of the villagers went to the neighboring farm to retrieve the rest of the adults from the militia, J’hanna strapped on her father’s old armor- somehow she managed to kill one of the beasts and injured the other so badly that it ran off; by the time the rest of the adults got back, the problem was over. For a brief time, J’hanna was something of a local hero- the local emir even discussed the idea of enrolling her in his guard in Silverport. But the chores still needed to be done and the blight kept getting worse- and J’hanna’s strong back was needed in the village. She kept her place in the village militia, but it looked as if she would stay in the village…
Last winter, several of the village folk began to sicken, and some of the livestock died; even some of the crops withered before they could be harvested. The village decided to send some of their respected elders to Silverport to petition their emir (or even the Sultan himself) for help- J’hanna was sent along to help protect the group on the roads, and to help with the chores of traveling. Her father would have gone as well, but by then he had started to sicken as well- he had a harsh hacking cough that could not be eased; he did give J’hanna the names of some of his old friends in the Sultan’s guards, just in case. When the group reached Silverport, they were well received- as noted, emir Kazarian did care for his people, and the Sultan had heard similar reports from other districts. But after careful thought, the scholars of the court had few real answers- after some debate, the emir and the sultan provided the resources for the delegation to go to the famous academy in Kingsport, in hopes of finding the answers there. The journey was long, and the answers they sought were not easy to find- days in Kingsport stretched to weeks, and the envoys seemed no closer to the help that they needed. J'hanna, away from home far longer than she had ever been before, grew bored and restless- she managed to train a bit with the local guard, just to stay in practice, but the dreary city of Kingsport was no substitute for the comforts of home. She haunted the docks as well, greeting each ship from Silverport in hopes of news from home. Had the blight begun to recede? Was her father on the mend? Were her mother and her sister, both skilled herbalists and physickers, helping the villagers in their time of trial?
History: J’hanna’s father Karim was born in a small farming village on the island of New Lunarial, but he was drafted at an early age. He served in the armies of the elven Sultan for twenty years, including 10 years in the elite Lion Guard. When he retired he was given a small farm on the estate of a prosperous noble, the emir Kazarian. Many of the elven nobles of New Lunarial paid little attention to their estates, as long as the crops and the taxes kept producing, but Kazarian seemed to genuinely care for his land and his tenants; this was quite important to the village folk since the estate was perilously close to the border of the badlands. While the soil and the water were good, the farmsteads had to deal with occasional wild beasts and even raids by the few orcs or goblins that lived in the unsettled territory. Karim was quickly deputized to lead the local militia, and he married a local woman, Tazri, whose first husband had died. Tazri had a bit of a reputation as a fine cook, and she was young enough to bear two children with Karim, their daughters J’hanna and Salima. Karim trained the local militia in his spare time, and he trained (and disciplined) his children like soldiers as well. While Salima took after her mother and trained as a cook and an herbalist, J’hanna was much more like her father- she grew up big and strong, and inclined to athletic physical pursuits; by the age of fourteen she was a member of the militia like most of the village boys of the same age.
About five years ago, the frequency of raids and animal attacks out of the badlands began to increase, and then some of the crops and livestock began to sicken. When a neighboring village was nearly wiped out by a flood, most of the healthy adults from J’hanna’s village pitched in to help- and so they were at least a full day’s walk away when a pair of vicious hyenas came out of the badlands. The beasts were hungry and brutal- then killed a pair of goats, and attacked an old man who tried to fend them off. While one of the villagers went to the neighboring farm to retrieve the rest of the adults from the militia, J’hanna strapped on her father’s old armor- somehow she managed to kill one of the beasts and injured the other so badly that it ran off; by the time the rest of the adults got back, the problem was over. For a brief time, J’hanna was something of a local hero- the local emir even discussed the idea of enrolling her in his guard in Silverport. But the chores still needed to be done and the blight kept getting worse- and J’hanna’s strong back was needed in the village. She kept her place in the village militia, but it looked as if she would stay in the village…
Last winter, several of the village folk began to sicken, and some of the livestock died; even some of the crops withered before they could be harvested. The village decided to send some of their respected elders to Silverport to petition their emir (or even the Sultan himself) for help- J’hanna was sent along to help protect the group on the roads, and to help with the chores of traveling. Her father would have gone as well, but by then he had started to sicken as well- he had a harsh hacking cough that could not be eased; he did give J’hanna the names of some of his old friends in the Sultan’s guards, just in case. When the group reached Silverport, they were well received- as noted, emir Kazarian did care for his people, and the Sultan had heard similar reports from other districts. But after careful thought, the scholars of the court had few real answers- after some debate, the emir and the sultan provided the resources for the delegation to go to the famous academy in Kingsport, in hopes of finding the answers there. The journey was long, and the answers they sought were not easy to find- days in Kingsport stretched to weeks, and the envoys seemed no closer to the help that they needed. J'hanna, away from home far longer than she had ever been before, grew bored and restless- she managed to train a bit with the local guard, just to stay in practice, but the dreary city of Kingsport was no substitute for the comforts of home. She haunted the docks as well, greeting each ship from Silverport in hopes of news from home. Had the blight begun to recede? Was her father on the mend? Were her mother and her sister, both skilled herbalists and physickers, helping the villagers in their time of trial?
Last edited:
