Exclusive Contest! WAYNE REYNOLDS draws OR PAINTS your character! No more entries!

[demiurge1138]

Klattu M. was always an odd child. Raised in Luskan by his mother, a human bartender, his precocious demeanor and strange appearance made him a potential liability. His father was a renegade drow elf, who was horribly killed by his family hunting him from the Underdark. In order to keep him out of trouble, his mother enlisted Klattu in the wizard's academy in Luskan, where he swiftly picked up the craft, despite the fact that he was just supposed to be a serving boy.

Klattu escaped from the oppresive Academy and made his way south to Waterdeep, where, after a few abortive and nearly lethal adventures, he joined the Mage Guild and soon became a fairly minor buearocrat and wand-crafter.

This was before he discovered A Treatise on Beings of the Far Realm.

Fascinated with the study of alienism, Klattu became an adventurer again as to better plumb the depths of the strange beings of pseudonature. Along the way, he attracted an only partly deserved reputation as a genius on magical creatures of all kinds, as well as serious delusions of grandeur. When last seen, Klattu had established a fortress in Limbo, attempting to discover the key to godhood.

Fairly tall for a half-elf, Klattu's distinctive grey skin and white hair make him easy to spot in a crowd. More disturbing, but slightly less noticable, are his mismatched eyes (one red, one green) and the second pair of needle-like teeth in his jaws, a legacy of his tinkering with Things Man Was Not Meant to Know. He favors black cloaks and is rarely seen without his distinctive purple Hat of Disguise (sadly, the hat is incapable of disguising itself) and Chaosfang, an icy scythe he picked up as a gift from a sympathetic cleric.

Klattu's claim to fame came during the invasion of the Third Hell, an expedition arranged by his increasingly corrupt "friends". Despite the fact that the invasion was simply an excuse to collect the head of the Executioner of Hell in order to enter an alliance with Demogorgon, Klattu participated willingly, in order to blacken the eye of Evil (and see the sights along the way). During an epic battle with Atrogo, Prince of All Cornugons, Klattu summoned a white slaad, which burst from his body, causing Klattu great harm. The fact that Atrogo suffered great harm in the process made the sacrifice worth it, however.

 

[Darrin Drader]

Wayne Reynold's artwork is amazing. I probably won't enter, but I think this is an incredibly cool thing for him to do. Thanks for putting this together Kai Lord!

 

[Teflon Billy]

Wayne Reynold's artwork is amazing. I probably won't enter, but I think this is an incredibly cool thing for him to do. Thanks for putting this together Kai Lord!

Ditto all of that. Wayne Reynolds is one of my favorites currently working.

 

[Krieg]

The resident weapon/armorsmiths are Dwarven twins, Futhark & Malgrym. However, even discounting the rarity of twins among the stout race, they are not your typical Dwarven Smiths…

In fact, some would be hard pressed to identify them as Dwarves at all. Neither brother tops the 4’ mark, nor do they match the typical Dwarf in thickness of build. When they first made their way out into the world, a few even made the mistake of labeling them as “gnomes”, much to the chagrin of the ones making the mistake. The misunderstanding is a bit more understandable when one realizes that both brothers are virtually hairless, bald as eggs and with nary a whisker between them. Years of wielding a forge hammer have left Futhark with a noticeably larger build than that of his brother. His unusually thickened & hardened skin distinguishes Malgrym. Malgrym’s skin most closely resembles boiled leather in consistency.

Upon closer examination, it is apparent that the condition is not restricted to the head & face, as the brothers lack the shaggy shoulder, back, chest and arm covering so typical for their race. It is not known whether the condition is innate or carefully cultivated by the brothers.

There are of course many rumors surrounding the situation, ranging from a non-Dwarven
father to a shame so encompassing that the brothers shave themselves as penance. These rumors are never spoken within earshot of the brothers and the brothers do not volunteer any information on the subject.

However, the most startling aspect of the brothers’ appearance is not their non-hirstuteness. Rather, it is their choice of body decorations. Both brothers are covered head-to-toe with tattoos, sigils, runes, glyphs, symbols & other arcane markings. There is not a single square of skin that is not covered with some of marking or design. If the viewer is able to perceive arcane auras he will soon discovered that many (if not most) of the tattoos radiate magical energy of one sort or another.

The brothers’ choice of vocations also serves to set them apart from mainstream Dwarven society. Futhark is a priest who has chosen to receive favor from powers outside of the traditional Dwarven pantheon. If Futhark’s heresy wasn’t enough to set beards wagging, Malgrym’s devotion to the arcane arts is incomprehensible to the average Dwarf. The brothers are officially pariahs in their home and have little to no contact with their family. Dwarves passing through in an official capacity are careful to avoid any contact with the brothers, preferring to ignore their existence altogether. However, despite the brothers’ institutionalized status as outcasts, it is not uncommon to find individual Dwarves visiting their forge on dark nights, presumably seeking their services as weapon/armorsmiths in exchange for raw ore. In fact, some say that the Dwarven Thane himself wields an axe that was born in Futhark’s forge. Despite the brothers’ eccentricities, they have few peers in the Smith’s arts.

The complex of caves in which the Dwarves choose to live and work is nearly as unsettling as their appearance. The waiting room is a semi-hemisphere of perfectly formed stone. There are absolutley no cracks, joins, or tool marks marring the surface of the stone. Even more striking the walls, ceiling & floor are again covered with incomprehensible sigils, glyphs & runes. There is no space that is not marked in some way. If viewed through an arcane eye, the sheer amount of magical energy held within the runes covering the chamber is mind numbing to the average Mage or Priest.

The periphery of the room is marked by a number of stone statues representing past Dwarven Thanes. Outside subject choice and excellence of construction, they share little in common. Also notable is the sharp increase in temperature when compared to the outside, regardless of season. Visitors approaching the cave entrance are treated a blast of hot, dry air from within. Perhaps because of the heat, the brothers are typically encountered with a simple cloth covering their midsections and nothing else. It is common to find the brothers, regardless of season or inclement weather, taking a break from the heat, lounging on stone divans & drinking ale just outside the entrance to their home/workshop.

 

[Aeric]

Aeric Bannier
Paladin of Haelyn and Lord Protector of Roesone
A Birthright Character

Aeric was the younger son of a minor landholding noble in the Barony of Roesone. Blessed with a potent Bloodline of Anduiras, the former god of war, Aeric was promised to the Temple of Haelyn at an early age, where he would grow up to become a paladin of Anduiras' successor.

Aeric's mentor was an odd man, a paladin out of favor with the Temple for his acceping attitude towards elves and magic-users (both of which were considered evil by the Temple). Aeric inherited all of his mentor's egalitarian views, so that by the time he was granted full paladin status, he chose not to join the ranks of the Temple army and instead struck off on his own to become a wandering knight-errant. He was not well-liked by the elders of the Temple, and the feelings were mutual.

As a youth, Aeric had met and befriended Maeghan, a girl a few years older than him, who was determined to become a mercenary. The two met many years later, when Aeric defeated her in a tournament. He only learned it was his friend after she came to him to give him her horse and armor as per the terms of the tournament. Instead, Maeghan became his companion in arms, and eventally, his lover as well.

Shortly before the aforementioned tournament, Aeric paid a visit to a noble household in his homeland. While on a hunting trip in the local woods with a pair of noble brothers, Aeric became separated from his hosts and lost in the woods. He was then attacked by a wild elf woman, whom he later helped fight off a monster. Stricken by his uncharacteristic kindness, the elf, Rhiannon, decided to follow him on his adventures. It was revealed much later that she was the granddaughter of Rhobhe Manslayer, the entity responsible for the anti-human terrorists known as the Ghaele Sidhe. It was also revealed that she was in love with Aeric, and that he unknowingly returned those feelings.

Aeric was not terribly good at being a paladin. He was a staunch enemy of corruption and evil, but he was also hot-tempered (a side-effect of his Divine Wrath bloodline ability), and outspoken to the point of rudeness, and clashed constantly with the Temple of Haelyn. Because of all of this, he lost his paladin status before too long. Unfortunately, other things were happening at the time, and so his atonement would have to wait.

The Gorgon, a creature of terrible darkness, was waging war on the nearby nation of Ghoere as the first step in a campaign of conquest. When Aeric's older brother fell in battle against the Gorgon's troops, Aeric became the heir to his father's lands. At the suggestion of his mentor, Aeric married the young and newly-crowned Baroness of Roesone, thus consolidating her rule with the promise of an heir. It was purely a political union, but it still broke the heart of Maeghan, who remained in service to Aeric regardless.

Aeric used his new position as Lord Protector of Roesone to create a multi-kingdom alliance, including the normally-reclusive elves to the north, to fight the Gorgon. During a vital battle to retake the capital city of Ghoere, Maeghan was slain in combat. Aeric was devastated, having always felt guilty for betraying her, even though he knew he was serving the greater good by doing so. That night, with tears in his eyes, he prayed for forgiveness in the ruins of a Temple of Haelyn. An elderly priest found him there, and the two had a brief conversation about what it meant to be a paladin and serve Haelyn. In the end, the priest gave Aeric a sword and disappeared, for he was the ghost of the priest whose temple Aeric was praying in. The sword he was given turned out to be the legendary lost Sword of Roele (a unique Holy Avenger). Aeric's paladin status was restored to him.

As Aeric lay in his tent, awaiting the climactic battle with the Gorgon's army the following day, Rhiannon came to him. Without a word, the two of them consummated their long-denied love for one another that night. She was gone in the morning, and Aeric never saw her again.

The battle that day was an epic one. Aeric, armed with the Sword of Roele, rode out in front of his army to challenge the Gorgon, who was mounted on a red dragon of colossal size. The clouds parted and a single ray of light shone down upon Aeric. Lowering his lance, Aeric spurred his steed into a charge, killing the dragon with a single hit. Aeric did grievous damage to the Gorgon as well, but he was ultimately killed by it. However, the army that Aeric had created drove the Gorgon and its horde back to their own hellish land. The threat to the lands of men was ended, at least for the time being.

The final scene of the campaign found Aeric in Haelyn's Hall in the afterlife. He was given a seat with his father, brother, and paladin mentor (whom Aeric had to kill to spare him an agonizing death via the Spider's poison). Sitting across from him was Maeghan, who had a look on her face that said, "all was forgiven." At the head of the table was Haelyn himself.

Killer Gaming Moment: Without a doubt, the final showdown with the Gorgon. I don't remember it's actual stats, but I think it was something like a CR 20 creature. This guy was the Sauron of the Birthright world. It was riding a huge, ancient red dragon when the battle started. I started the combat by charging the dragon on horseback with a lance. I rolled a crit. I did something like 53 points of damage and the dragon FAILED it's Fortitude save and dropped. Aeric managed to get the Gorgon down to a quarter of its hit points before being killed. The most killer part about all this was that Aeric was only SIXTH LEVEL at the time. There was one other PC in this campaign (a half-elf sorcerer) who was busy leading his own troops and kicking much @$$ of his own.

Physical Description [Edited to add more content]:
Aeric was a strapping young man of eighteen summers. Tousled, jet-black hair fell nearly to his collar, a single forelock continually straggling in front of his brow. He kept his slightly-narrow chin clean-shaven at all times. He was a handsome young man, being fit of body but not musclebound. He was a fairly serious person, and his blue eyes held an intensity which could be intimidating, but he was friendly and open-hearted to those who deserved such fare. To his enemies, however, he was a merciless and terrifying opponent.

Aeric commonly wore a suit of masterwork full plate armor given to him by his teacher the day he became a paladin. On his left arm hung a kite shield which, in the later days of his career, was emblazoned with a black stag's head on an orange field--the arms of the Barony of Roesone. His weapon of choice was the bastard sword, and his greatest honor was to wield the Sword of Roele, a Holy Avenger bastard sword, in the final battle of his life. Around his neck hung the holy symbol of Haelyn: a white sword, point up, against a yellow sun.

Aeric's bonded mount was a coal-black warhorse named Brimstone, a name which suited both its color and its fiery temper. He would allow no one to even touch him except for Aeric, and had even gone so far as to kill those who tried. There is an obvious light of intelligence in Brimstone's eyes, but he has never seen fit to share his opinion with his master, even when the ability to presented itself (in the form of empathy or Speak With Animal spells). Brimstone's fierce demeanor and unshakable bravery was a perfect match to his owner's.

 

[lior_shapira]

Nom-Kal-Tash (Kalashtar Psion[shaper] 5 - Eberron Character)

The Beggining

He lay on the cold stone floor of the library curled up in a fetal position, dropping the tomes I rushed to him and rolled him unto his back. Vacant eyes stared back at me, hollow empty black orbs. As a shout started to form in my throat, icy tendrils of a thought not my own clasped at my mind and I felt consciousness slipping away...

I mostly remember Korrandar, it's high peaks forever hidden by clouds, I remember stories about the storm guardians, the dragons who dwell in the mountains and protect us from The Inspired. But that I fear is all. I have no memory of my father or mother, who have been dead all these years, I have no recollection of Malieki stronghold where I was born and lived. I have no recollection of that night of fire, fifty years ago when Tai-Khad, my Khiri-Meth(mentor), took my away with him.
My first memory of my new life is the waves crashing on our ship as we sailed toward Khorvaire, the salty taste of the air and the cries of sea gulls as we neared land. I must have been seven years old as we landed in the port town of Ader in Q'Bara and yet all that came before is darkness.

From the little the Khiri-Meth told me I deduced that it was soldiers of The Thousand Eyes who stormed us that night, crawling like the maggots they are through sewage tunnels and ancient caverns until reaching the innards of the fortress. My parents perished that night and Tai-Khad took it on himself to raise me as his own.
Tired of our jailed existence he decided to brave a journay to a new land, a land torn in a vicious war, where a man of any race can make a name for himself and perhaps make a difference in the grand sense of schemes.
It was not an easy life, growing amongst alien races, fearing the Inspired always, working to hone the skills that would someday, hopefully, allow me to help my people. We settled down in Sharn, City of Towers, my master taking work as a researcher at the university, and me, his apprentice at all things.

"The Dreaming Dark" I thought as the world paled in my eyes, finally catching up to us...
I know not whether it was luck or the Path of Light guiding me, but I managed to call upon a force to fight for me. As my would be assasin and my champion battled, I fled. I will not hide from the truth, I ran until I could run no more, leaving Tai-Khad for dead, protecting only my own miserable existence.

When I returned the next day there was no trace of the attacker, my master has been rushed to the hospital, only to remain in a comatose state. He does not recognize me, I cannot reach him. I've tried to touch his thought, whisper in his mind, to no avail.
A few thrown books and a spilled ink bottle are all that were left in the library and the university funded investigators found nothing. I'm not sure they even believe me it was the work of the Inspired. But I know and that is enough.

Too long have I been in this self made prison of books and scrolls, replacing the mountain fortresses of Adar with this fortress of knowledge. I will go into this world, for good or for bad, will all my shortcomings and fears. Perhaps a cure can be found for my master, perhaps I will be able to fight the Dreaming Dark, perhaps I will restore my honor... that is what I am going to find out.

Of Me And Mine

A year has passed, much has changed and yet much remains the same. I am not now the recluse that I was before, I have traveled the land with my new found friends back and forth. I have ridden an astral construct on the cliff roads of Dharguul, bearing down on a black menace, a rogue agent of Breland's own. I have explored ancient caverns and settlements, I have braved the mournlands and returned to tell of it. And yet much still eludes me, my courage abandons me at the most unfortunate times, when I run and leave my friends to fight for me. My hands shake and tremble as I try to sear the enemy with a bolt of fiery energy drawn from the recesses of my mind.
Through all of this the image of my mentor has not left me, lying on a hospital bed, eyes unblinking staring at the ceiling, his mind sealed to mine as it has never been. I know the Dreaming Dark still haunt this land, plotting their webs of intrigue against this decent war-torn continent which I've adopted as my own. I hope to grow beyond myself, to be what I am not, to find within me the energy to stand up to them.

A Shining Moment

A wiry lithe young man on a horse, his long brown hair flowing behind him. Loose fitting brown and white robes flap in the wind. One hand clutches the black horse's reins, knuckles white from effort, the other hand holding a simple wooden staff. On his sides ride his companions, a towering half-orc armed to the teeth, a shifty eyed shifter, hair bristling, twin swords on his back, and a bald headed human, pupils wide, clutching his holy symbol of Dhal-Kar as he hangs on with his fingernails.

Ahead of them in the distance looms their target, the black carriage of Lucan, formerly one of Breland's top agents who's turned rogue and has stolen from the treasury of the king. The carriage is drawn by four black horses and driven by Lucan's sister, a fiery haired shrew. As they approach she ties the reins and jumps on the carriage of the roof. The horses lather at the mouth, running on their own on the treacherous road high on the cliffs.

Only moments away from reaching the carriage the woman weaves an enchantment and a ball of fire rolls toward them, the explosion is so fierce the world turns white for a moment. As it dissipates only Nom-Kal-Tash is still astride his horse, his companion's horses received the full force of the blast and were killed on spot. Seeing his companions on the ground he concentrates and conjures an astral construct large enough for G'orlack to ride upon. He continues advancing upon the carriage, beads of sweat on his brow, his heart beating like a madman. X'avier the shifter manages to cast an entanglement spell beneath the carriage, causing one of the black horses to tumble and break one of the axles. Nom approaches alone, the carriage careening out of control, it is his opportunity to show what he is made of, his friends won't get there on time, its only him and the red haired wizard...

 

[Tetujin]

Perry and Mipin

Just a quick note: This was essentially one character as I played both at the same time (using a paper hat to show who I was speaking for), and one was techically the other's cohort. Also, don't directly blame me for the name, it just so happen that I was at a loss for names and I so used a halfling name generator, the last two enties were Perry and Mipin. I played this characters in Demiurge's quasi-greyhawk campaign, hense the use of his previously mentioned character as an NPC. Also, the name "Miracle and the Sleeper" came from a thread I had a while back about this character concept and someone had suggested it since it was a term used this case in twins where one was an over-acheaver and one was always staying back out of the spotlight.

Perry and Mipin were born to an ordinary set of halfling parents, in an ordinary halfing home. The only thing somewhat unsual was the fact that they were twins. But what was just another day for their halfling village was ever more boring for the twins, always the trouble makers they did not have very much respect in their village and after a long fight with some family members they decided to sneak away in the middle of the night. They wandered for many days until they noticed a traveling circus. After the twins pointed out thier novelty in both apperence and agility they were put to work.
Coming from their near-opposite personalities, at least while performing, the twins adopted the stage name "The Miracle and the Sleeper". Perry was always the short-sighted and up-beat and Mipin the sarcastic, cold, and exact. The twins' preformances became famous thoughout the continent, they gained much wealth and knoweldge constantly on the road, but just as in thier humble halfling village, they still wanted more.
They began with petty theft, using the talents they had practiced tha many years on the road, working for shady contacts from town to town. Before they realized it they were practicing with their throwing axes more outside of the circus tent then in.
On the run from a boched job assassinating a duke, they took refuge in the Svirfneblin underground city of Dwarrowdelf.
It was there that they looked for more morally upstanding tasks to preformed. While preforming a small acrobatics show outside a tavern they overheard a Gnoll recruiting advenurers to go with him to slay the gnome exiled necromancer Baron Von Franken, this wasn't so noble, so they did not agree to go with him until they heard about the very large reward.
On the way to the Gnome's Mannor in the "Sea of Graves", they found out the Gnoll, whose name was Garakesh, was the only survivor of the previous expedition on this very mission. Fortunatly this time the Gnoll had learned of a secret way into the basement of the necromancer, unforuntatly the basement also contained a gate to Pandemonium. They did enjoyed the acrobatic prospects of the strange gravity. They did not, however, enjoy the strange creatures that came from it and caused the Miracle to go insane, poor Mipin had to confine her to a metal locker until they were able to restore her. This made them both very neavous of what they were getting themselves into, as they had never enountered anything like this in thier previous missions, but they pressed on. From there they headed upstairs to face the Baron's greatest and final creation, Revenge. Revenge was a hulking humanoid mass, somewhere between life and undeath, and a sole desire to crush everything in it's path. The Twins circled the beast, getting shots with handaxes when the opportunity presented itself, in a moment of bravery or stupidity hacked at the beast until it fell. And so he was defeated, and on to the Baron, who they found had died in his sleep. But, they were in no mood for any more combat, and their deed was done.
When returning to the city they were approched by a group of extraplanar constructs, "The Keepers", they called themselves, they brought the group to their temple of sorts, through the hallways semetric on 11 dimentions, into an office. There sat a deformed creature who looked like he could have been a half-elf once, who introduced himself as "Klaatu", had a task of great importance. The dark gods of the dreamworld were blending with this plane, and it would be completely taken over if a number of rituals over the entire plane were not interupted. The band was sent to one such temple much deeper underground.
While exploring the depths of the cave, they came across a large underground lake, and as we were unable to cross with our armor and gear it became a problem, then came a Kuo-Toa navigating a small boat accross the lake. "I take gold, but prefer a story of adventure" he said, and so the Twins got in and were headed to the other side (there was not enough room for everyone). The twins soon noticed that there was something wrong with this Kuo-toa...much more flabby then usual, and very mentally unstable...one thing lead to another and he suddenly begins to change...growing 6 more arms. After his transformation into a Were-Octopus was complete he jumped out of the boat, flipping it the process, leaving 2 halflings, one of which could not swim and one who carried very heavy gear. They futiley spashed about, Mipin was grabed and dragged deep into the lake, Perry swam down after the creature, hacking at the flailing tenticles trying to free her dear brother, but soon she heard a scream, a snap, and watched as her brother's lifeless body float to the surface and the Were-Octopus jet away. She swam back up, was able to turn over the boat and get her brother's body inside, and paddle back to where the party was waiting.
After telling her story to the party there was much sorrow, except for one who chimed in with "What do you call it when two halflings fight a were-octopus and 1 accually survives? A Miracle!". She repsponded only with sighs. So Miracle, gave her dear brother a proper burrial, left a carving in the wall depicing them playing leapfrog, and a message that said "Here lies 'The Sleeper' ". The party slept there that night, watching for the creature to return, only to awake to find that Perry lay in a pool of her own blood, with the weaking scratching "The Miracle &" above the one she left the night before.....

Apperance: The Miracle and the Sleeper wear purple and green elaborate acrobatics outfits, one the inverse of the other (Sleeper's being more purple). They fight with a hand axe in one hand and a short sword in the other.Miracle wore a brimmed hat, while Sleeper had a black hood. Miracle's eys are always wide and eyebrows at alert while Sleeper's eyes were as though he is trying to focus on the sun. Miracle is normally the one to introduce them, with something like "Hi Everyone! My name is 'The Miracle' ", then she would look over to the sleeper until he said "...and she insists on calling me 'The Sleeper', pleased to meet you.", and at a given time they would be playing leapfrog or pattycake.

"Action Shot": The Twins battling Revenge, whose apperence in my mind was somewhat like a cross between the Hulk (the new movie one) and a flesh golem. Espectially the use of the "Giant Bane" feat, which allowed Miracle to climb up his back, axe in hand, after summersaulting under the creatures legs.
The brief battle with a Kuo-Toa were-octopus might also look exciting, perhapes just when the boat was flipped over and they were heading into the water.

Mechanical stuff: They were Fighter 2/Rouge 8 and Fighter 2/Rouge 6, they each took swarm fighting, two weapon fighting, deadly precsion, weapon finesse and giant bane. The hand axes were +1 Wounding, the short swords were +1, the armor was +2 Mirthal Chain Shirt. They commonly employed tanglefoot bags and marbles. Miracle had ranks in Balance, Bluff, Climb, Disguise, Escape Artist, Jump, Listen, Preform: Acrobatics, Slieght of Hand, Swim and Tumble. The Sleep had ranks in Use Rope, Open Lock, UMD, Search, Disable Device, Preform: Acrobatics, Appraise, and Tumble. Miracle was CG, the Sleeper was TN

 

[Zappo]

Can you submit more than one character?

 

[reveal]

Can you submit more than one character?

I asked that before and I hope it's answered soon. I have 3 favorite characters.

 

[WanderingMonster]

Wayne likes to draw characters in *motion.* Tell me something cool that your character does or did and Wayne just might capture it in pencil. But be descriptive! Every detail that you want to be considered needs to be listed. Enter as many characters as you like.

Emphasis mine. Good luck to everyone!