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<blockquote data-quote="Pacio49" data-source="post: 2048369" data-attributes="member: 28472"><p><strong>Meet the Party</strong></p><p></p><p>Our cast of heroes came together after receiving the rudimentary training in their chosen classes (3rd level). The party was given the dossier on Tol Vehara and some other information, and this is what they brought to the table. (<em>NOTE: This game is running under 3.0 rules with an eye to converting one of these days to 3.5</em>)</p><p></p><p><strong><u>VALAR</u></strong> Half-Elf Male CG Rogue</p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>Valar's player brings his 13 year-old son RL to the table (see Skalar) and his adult half-brother (see Tanin/Tybok). This isn't the only family relationship we have going on, as Arien and Marcus who RP brother & sister in game are a married couple IRL. Although this is the first time this particular group has gathered, most folks knew each other from work or play already.</em></p><p>Valar hails from the streets of Tol Vehara. A second-generation half-elf, he adhered more to the elvish side of his parentage (given the fact that he was born when it was already known that half-elves were immune to the Taint) and as such, he came to the group already a part of the powerful elvish rogue's guild (one of three in the city) known as the White Masks, a fact that his other party members are still not aware of wholly in game, although they know he does have some kind of connections to the "underground".</p><p></p><p><strong><u>ARIEN</u></strong> Half-Elf Female NG Druid (now LN, you'll see it in the story)</p><p>Arien and her brother Marcus adventured together for the beginning of their short career. Also natives of Tol Vehara, Arien has grown up drawn like many by the allure and mystique of the Dust Riders and the Taint to the south. As such, she has already begun to study the Blasted Lands wilderness lore and begun to take the correct steps necessary to study as a real Dust Rider prestige class once she attains the necessary prerequisites. Arien is a whole lotta common sense, and a good dollop of natural diplomacy. She's older than her brother, and grew up caring for him even though they're close in age, so Arien naturally mothers others close to her age as well.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>MARCUS</u></strong> Half-Elf Male CG Wizard</p><p>Marcus is part of the social resistance movement that dares to study arcane lore, even with the threat of the Knights of the New Order lingering above. He is quite interested in finding new scrolls and attaining the best magical resources he can. If not for the persistent ministrations of his sister's caregiving he'd often forget to eat, sleep, and bathe in the pursuit of his desire for the mysteries of magic. Left on his own, Marcus might have managed to obtain a fair level and then set up shop for himself, but drawn off into adventure with his questing sister, he finds himself on the fast track for adventure and notoriety.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>SKALAR</u></strong> Half-Elf Male CG Ranger</p><p>Skalar is stalwart and true, very interested in honing his ranged attack skills and learning the most that he can about being a ranger.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>What more can I say? Skalar is 13 years old in real life, and although he seems to enjoy the game a lot, he's a bit on the sullen side as part of the normal growth and maturation process for American teens. I'm going to have to sit down with him and retool his character slightly. Although he didn't know what he wanted to play like when he started, he seems to have finally found a desire to become an Arcane Archer. Unfortunately, his feats and skills don't optimize for this, so I'm going to give him a break and let him switch over his stats to the 3.5e ranger and optimize his feat selection to give his player the mechanics to play the character the way he's developed the preference for. It's not like Skalar's current feats or abilities have ever been the sole turning point of a battle or skill contest, so it wouldn't create messes retroactively.</em></p><p></p><p><strong><u>YOVAIRE</u></strong> Human Male NG Fighter</p><p>Played by EN's beloved moderator, Eridanis, Yovaire was the only character whose player had the guts enough to start him out not automatically immune to the effects of the Taint. Although later it was revealed to be due to an oversight from the onslaught of information that came with joining a homebrew'd game several years into development, he's gotten some rewards based on that initial courage. Yovaire specializes in 2 weapon combat using the Double Sword form of fighting. He's quite the honorable sort, despite an alignment that allows him a fair amount of wiggle-room, and quite personable. Aside from a predilection to drinking fairy wine (all in good time), Yovaire's rather straight and narrow, and he tends to keep the party alive in combat. Together with the cleric Laeka, they have dubbed themselves Hack (Yovaire) and Slash (Laeka).</p><p></p><p><strong><u>LAEKA</u></strong> Human Female NG Cleric of Povra, God of War</p><p>Laeka is a cleric of Povra, the God of War and chief deity of the pantheon. It says something that the human pantheon places War in their chief slot, but the cosmology bears this out. Of the five major gods, there are two sets of twins, each diametrically opposed (Iola, NG Goddess of Life, and Zaal, N Goddess of Death; and Ferenthal, LG Lord of Light and Good, and Shardal, LE Lord of Darkness and Evil) and ruling their interactions and therefore the power that churns out all existence is Povra, N Lord of War and Conflict.) Povra's temple compound in Tol Vehara are two 60' tall crenellated towers that are connected by a complex at their base and two different bridges connecting the upper stories. Once a month, the services of Povra are enacted, where Laeka and the other faithful don magical headbands and use illusory weapons to enact a pitched battle with no actual hurt, only the illusion of injury (maintained by the headbands) and appropriate temporary immobilizations. Some are general melee, some are themed combats or scenarios, some are two teams vying for control over the towers, other times there are illusory creatures set up for the faithful to battle. Laeka is your average, run-of-the-mill spiked-chain favoring hot blonde cleric who can tease with the best and defend herself quite well, from fisticuffs to formal rapier duels. Laeka came to the party drunk, and often finds herself intoxicated or in some form of altered state of consciousness while adventuring as well. (<em>I'm not sure if Laeka's player knows about the Drunken Master prestige class or not. I'll have to run it by him.</em>)</p><p></p><p>...and, finally... </p><p></p><p><strong><u>TANIN</u></strong> Half-Elf Male CG Fighter (and pet dog).</p><p>At the time of this writing, Tanin is no longer with the party, having drunk impetuously from a forbidden cup. But for the beginning adventures, Tanin was a rather odd sort of fighter, given to picking on lone, immobilized kobolds when giant-types were still wading through the thick of the party doing massive damage. His tenure with the party has been short, but his method of exiting has set up a rather promising plot twist for the future that the players still haven't encountered yet.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>If you've played D&D long enough, eventually you'll run into a poor victim of the dreaded Animal Lover Spirit. It's not something that afflicts every player all the time, but occasionally this dreaded spirit possesses otherwise normal and rational players and turns them into a teeth-clenching ornery burden on the party. Tanin was one of these -- more worried about his dog than his party, taking things personally when his dog was accidentally caught in an area-effect spell, and in general not liking the fact that his dog was more effective on the battlefield than he was, due largely in part because Tanin never took any risks. Once Tanin was gone, the Animal Lover Spirit quit the player's body, because his replacement character has been just fine. -- Adam</em></p><p></p><p>And those are the heroes of this story of Tol Vehara. Since I'm playing catch-up to the party's current state, I'm in the process of gathering information from my back notes and maps. If any details stray, it's because I tend to GM with a loose sketch of information jotted down, a few key maps, and the best of intentions, and then just think on my feet and see where it leads, to later come up with more notes and twists and threads based on the previous sessions as needed. It's organic, but my players certainly seem to be enjoying it, and so am I.</p><p></p><p>Next, on with the story!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Pacio49, post: 2048369, member: 28472"] [b]Meet the Party[/b] Our cast of heroes came together after receiving the rudimentary training in their chosen classes (3rd level). The party was given the dossier on Tol Vehara and some other information, and this is what they brought to the table. ([i]NOTE: This game is running under 3.0 rules with an eye to converting one of these days to 3.5[/i]) [b][u]VALAR[/u][/b] Half-Elf Male CG Rogue [indent][i]Valar's player brings his 13 year-old son RL to the table (see Skalar) and his adult half-brother (see Tanin/Tybok). This isn't the only family relationship we have going on, as Arien and Marcus who RP brother & sister in game are a married couple IRL. Although this is the first time this particular group has gathered, most folks knew each other from work or play already.[/i][/indent] Valar hails from the streets of Tol Vehara. A second-generation half-elf, he adhered more to the elvish side of his parentage (given the fact that he was born when it was already known that half-elves were immune to the Taint) and as such, he came to the group already a part of the powerful elvish rogue's guild (one of three in the city) known as the White Masks, a fact that his other party members are still not aware of wholly in game, although they know he does have some kind of connections to the "underground". [b][u]ARIEN[/u][/b] Half-Elf Female NG Druid (now LN, you'll see it in the story) Arien and her brother Marcus adventured together for the beginning of their short career. Also natives of Tol Vehara, Arien has grown up drawn like many by the allure and mystique of the Dust Riders and the Taint to the south. As such, she has already begun to study the Blasted Lands wilderness lore and begun to take the correct steps necessary to study as a real Dust Rider prestige class once she attains the necessary prerequisites. Arien is a whole lotta common sense, and a good dollop of natural diplomacy. She's older than her brother, and grew up caring for him even though they're close in age, so Arien naturally mothers others close to her age as well. [b][u]MARCUS[/u][/b][u][/u] Half-Elf Male CG Wizard Marcus is part of the social resistance movement that dares to study arcane lore, even with the threat of the Knights of the New Order lingering above. He is quite interested in finding new scrolls and attaining the best magical resources he can. If not for the persistent ministrations of his sister's caregiving he'd often forget to eat, sleep, and bathe in the pursuit of his desire for the mysteries of magic. Left on his own, Marcus might have managed to obtain a fair level and then set up shop for himself, but drawn off into adventure with his questing sister, he finds himself on the fast track for adventure and notoriety. [b][u]SKALAR[/u][/b][u][/u] Half-Elf Male CG Ranger Skalar is stalwart and true, very interested in honing his ranged attack skills and learning the most that he can about being a ranger. [indent][i]What more can I say? Skalar is 13 years old in real life, and although he seems to enjoy the game a lot, he's a bit on the sullen side as part of the normal growth and maturation process for American teens. I'm going to have to sit down with him and retool his character slightly. Although he didn't know what he wanted to play like when he started, he seems to have finally found a desire to become an Arcane Archer. Unfortunately, his feats and skills don't optimize for this, so I'm going to give him a break and let him switch over his stats to the 3.5e ranger and optimize his feat selection to give his player the mechanics to play the character the way he's developed the preference for. It's not like Skalar's current feats or abilities have ever been the sole turning point of a battle or skill contest, so it wouldn't create messes retroactively.[/i][/indent] [b][u]YOVAIRE[/u][/b][u][/u] Human Male NG Fighter Played by EN's beloved moderator, Eridanis, Yovaire was the only character whose player had the guts enough to start him out not automatically immune to the effects of the Taint. Although later it was revealed to be due to an oversight from the onslaught of information that came with joining a homebrew'd game several years into development, he's gotten some rewards based on that initial courage. Yovaire specializes in 2 weapon combat using the Double Sword form of fighting. He's quite the honorable sort, despite an alignment that allows him a fair amount of wiggle-room, and quite personable. Aside from a predilection to drinking fairy wine (all in good time), Yovaire's rather straight and narrow, and he tends to keep the party alive in combat. Together with the cleric Laeka, they have dubbed themselves Hack (Yovaire) and Slash (Laeka). [b][u]LAEKA[/u][/b][u][/u] Human Female NG Cleric of Povra, God of War Laeka is a cleric of Povra, the God of War and chief deity of the pantheon. It says something that the human pantheon places War in their chief slot, but the cosmology bears this out. Of the five major gods, there are two sets of twins, each diametrically opposed (Iola, NG Goddess of Life, and Zaal, N Goddess of Death; and Ferenthal, LG Lord of Light and Good, and Shardal, LE Lord of Darkness and Evil) and ruling their interactions and therefore the power that churns out all existence is Povra, N Lord of War and Conflict.) Povra's temple compound in Tol Vehara are two 60' tall crenellated towers that are connected by a complex at their base and two different bridges connecting the upper stories. Once a month, the services of Povra are enacted, where Laeka and the other faithful don magical headbands and use illusory weapons to enact a pitched battle with no actual hurt, only the illusion of injury (maintained by the headbands) and appropriate temporary immobilizations. Some are general melee, some are themed combats or scenarios, some are two teams vying for control over the towers, other times there are illusory creatures set up for the faithful to battle. Laeka is your average, run-of-the-mill spiked-chain favoring hot blonde cleric who can tease with the best and defend herself quite well, from fisticuffs to formal rapier duels. Laeka came to the party drunk, and often finds herself intoxicated or in some form of altered state of consciousness while adventuring as well. ([i]I'm not sure if Laeka's player knows about the Drunken Master prestige class or not. I'll have to run it by him.[/i]) ...and, finally... [b][u]TANIN[/u][/b] Half-Elf Male CG Fighter (and pet dog). At the time of this writing, Tanin is no longer with the party, having drunk impetuously from a forbidden cup. But for the beginning adventures, Tanin was a rather odd sort of fighter, given to picking on lone, immobilized kobolds when giant-types were still wading through the thick of the party doing massive damage. His tenure with the party has been short, but his method of exiting has set up a rather promising plot twist for the future that the players still haven't encountered yet. [indent][i]If you've played D&D long enough, eventually you'll run into a poor victim of the dreaded Animal Lover Spirit. It's not something that afflicts every player all the time, but occasionally this dreaded spirit possesses otherwise normal and rational players and turns them into a teeth-clenching ornery burden on the party. Tanin was one of these -- more worried about his dog than his party, taking things personally when his dog was accidentally caught in an area-effect spell, and in general not liking the fact that his dog was more effective on the battlefield than he was, due largely in part because Tanin never took any risks. Once Tanin was gone, the Animal Lover Spirit quit the player's body, because his replacement character has been just fine. -- Adam[/i][/indent] And those are the heroes of this story of Tol Vehara. Since I'm playing catch-up to the party's current state, I'm in the process of gathering information from my back notes and maps. If any details stray, it's because I tend to GM with a loose sketch of information jotted down, a few key maps, and the best of intentions, and then just think on my feet and see where it leads, to later come up with more notes and twists and threads based on the previous sessions as needed. It's organic, but my players certainly seem to be enjoying it, and so am I. Next, on with the story! [/QUOTE]
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