The Xen'Drik Chronicles OOC

[Nalfeshnee]

Well, Joskar is very insular, confiding in his books and his rave familiar more often than with true sentient creatures. The few people who know him know him more through his background and the tale of of his parents' death than through interaction with him and many of those regard him in a dubious light. This has earned him many nicknames at the university, both from students and fellow professors and scholars. He does little to discourage this, and cares little for the taunts.

Most of his acquantances are childhood friends, who've stood by him through all these years, though were it not for their efforts to keep in touch with him he'd have forgetten about them long ago. Not that he is ungrateful for their love, but his passion just takes so much of his time and life that he forgets that there is more to living than research and brooding over a past that cant be changed.

Illidraen, the man who became Joskar's guardian upon his parents' death so long ago, has changed little since those times - and he truly cares for Joskar as though he were his own. Joskar in turn regards the man with an affection that is otherwise absent from his life. He knows that were it not for the elf, he mst likely would not be alive now.

Joskar is tall, gifted of the mind rather than the body, and he was often sick when young (one of the primary reasons his parents did not take him with them to Xen'drik). His hands are slender and nimble, all the better to help him manipulate the strands of magic. His clothes smell of mouldy paper and dust, and judging by the amount of time he spends surrounded by tomes and ancient tablets, it is likely that he too now smells of dust. Jis hair is thin and prematurely grey, without much shape and form. His eyes, weak like his body, are augmented by half-moon spectacles that seem to hang preternaturally on the edge of his nose. His usual apparel is a shcolars robe, old and somewhat worn around the edges.

He is awkward around other humanoids, though seems to come into his element when lecturing or discussing his theories and his mothers' discoveries that he has expanded upon, though once he begins talking he looses sight of bystanders and tends to go on and on...

Despite his physical weakness, he is pushing himself to learn the ways of combat. His mind, if somewhat twisted by the events in his past that would have had a lesser effect on most other people, is strong and determined, and he wants to be prepared for when he goes to Xen'drik... and he will go to Xen'drik.

 

[reel_big_gish]

@Nalfeshnee: Looks good.

@ Devrimk: And his name shall be P'nok'yo You present an interesting concept. Expand on your character concept, and maybe flesh out the Code of Honorable Devotion (Motives, Philosophy, notable members, favored fighting styles, etc).

 

[Ringmereth]

Ah, another one... I'm getting concerned about stretching my resources, but Eberron is such a tempting setting.

I'll see what I can do for this. I'm thinking an artificer fascinated with the Warforgeds' mysterious connections to Xen'drik...

 

[kinem]

Lakarath is a professor of philosophy at Morgrave University. He believes that mental training and discipline is a great source of power, and his psionic talents are an example of that. Disgusted by the poor disipline of the average student, he prefers research and field work. He is especially interested in proving his theory that, given the advantages of psionic power, the advanced ancient civilization of Xendrick must have made great use of it. By proving this, he hopes to awaken Khorvaire to the Inspired threat, and grant prestige to his fellow kalashtar so that they might advance their cause.

During the Last War, he managed to stay out of the army on the grounds that he was needed at the University. In truth this cost him a good deal of bribe money. He was not afraid to fight, but his heart was not in a war that he saw as a pointless distraction from the Sarlonan threat.

At 28 years, Lakararth shares the good looks of many of his race, but is not as socially adept as one might hope. His family is not in Sharn; he came here for the University, and is single.

He hopes to be sent to Xendrick as part of the search party, and thinks he made a strong case to the administration that his abilities would prove useful.

 

[Brogarn]

Can't seem to come up with anything worth while, so I'm going to bow out of this one. Looks like it'll be some serious fun for those who get accepted. Good luck!

/bump

 

[Watus]

Telan "Red" Talaraen Sivis: Male Gnome Archivist 3 / Bardic Sage 1

Telan, or Red to those who know him, is a gifted and promising young scholar at the Library at Korranberg. He is also a dragonmarked scion of the House of Sivis, and the pride of the Talaraen family.

Like many gnomish scholars, Telan is a polymath. An extraodinarily gifted translator, he is a very good historian and arcanist, a competent cartographer, a scholar of botany, zoology, architecture, engineering and theology. He is a gifted orator, blessed with a remarkable memory and the ability to manifest both arcane and divine energies.

Given his prodigious talents, one might forgive the Talaraen family for being so proud. And so possessive. And controlling. One might also forgive Telan for coming to resent the situation.

Fortunately, while studying in the Great Library, Telan fell into the charge of a truly compasionate mentor: Lilian Laelany Clebdecher, Emeritus Professor of Comparative Religion. Over the years of their association, she has treated him with genuine kindness, protecting him from the machinations of potential rivals and clearing the way for him whenever she could.

When Telan's mother arranged a marriage for him late last year, Telan was shocked. She had selected what she considered to be a fine candidate: Sessaly Sertane Sivis, the comely young daughter of a longstanding political ally, who, not coincientally, had also been gifted with the Mark of Scribing. It's not that Telan found Sessaly unsuitable - far from it. She was brilliant and quite beautiful. Rather, it was the prospect of domestic ties to which he objected. Bouncing babies on his knee seemed likely to interfere with his plans to become a dashing and romantic adventurer - the fearless uncoverer of ancient secrets and finder of lost relics.

Professor Laelany was kind enough to help him plan his escape.

A colleage and friend of hers had recently passed away in Sharn. Thelak Neiran, Emeritus Professor of Cartography at Morgrave University, had died leaving his offices packed to the rafters with the uncataloged, and often untranslated, treasures of his long and varied career. In his will he had specifically stipuated Professor Laelany as the steward of this incredibly valuable mess. Unable (or unwilling) to make the trip and undertake the work herself, she found an opportunity to kill several birds with a single stone.

And so a sabbatical was arranged for Telan. He has spent several productive months cataloging Professor Neiran's collections, studying in the libraries of Morgrave, and ferreting out the secrets of his fellows and colleagues. The history of religion is not the only thing Telan learned from Professor Laelany. He learned to scheme as only a gnome can scheme, and his sharp ears and midnight forrays have gleaned him many a useful tidbit.

Much of Professor Neiran's collection is now organized and packed for shipment back to Korranberg. With the prospect of having to return now imminent, Talen has become highly motivated to find another project to keep him out of Zilargo. And having heard of an upcoming expedition to Xen'Drik, perhaps he has also found a way to realize his vision of himself.

It's a shame, really, that humans react so badly to blackmail. They can be such children about some things.

 

[devrimk]

Code of Honorable Devotion has different houses and different masters. A warrior of these houses must obey his master's commands. Each house has different fighting techniques. Thornel Megrim is the master of "House of Megrim", and mentor of Blade. His house focuses on Bastard Swords with powerful attacks. Their motto is "A good offence is the best defence!".

Basic elements of the code:
Honor,
Courage,
Contempt for death,
Self-control,

The core principles of the Code of Honorable Devotion are honor, loyalty and courage. They seek to unite their weapons with their body, to make them one, and use the weapon as naturally and without thought as any other limb.

Personality:
It's hard for him but he has to play the "insensitive construct", however his actions speak more than his words. He is a loyal companion. Never judges other people, protects the weak, and tries to help them immediately. He has an honor code, he doesn't flank his enemy, never strikes a prone opponent, never strikes surrendered foe, never uses ranged weapon. If it's possible he chooses not to fight but when the fight begins, he hails his opponents and tries to engage the most powerful one.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Here's a character of mine that has appeared on the boards before in games that have started or centered around Sharn. Plotwise this sounds like a good game for me to break him out again.

POHL D’VELDERAN – Human Urban Ranger

Appearance: Pohl is tall and bulky, with muscles that lack definition but have a lot of mass. His parents claim his arms and thighs are like treetrunks, and Pohl will back up those statements. His blond hair is cut very short, his skin is tan and smooth, and his face has a ruggedness that does not instantly scream out "gorgeous", but many a young girl has swooned at the sight of him. His dragonmark is prominent on his left forearm, and he makes every effort to keep his arm open so that everyone he meets will see it. His dress is very stylish of the times, and he makes sure to keep his chain shirt sparkling and clean.

History: House Tharashk has moved into positions of power through the continent because of their abilities to find things that people need... whether that be people or things. The humans, orcs, and halforcs together have set up a guild of exceeding necessity in this day and age, and Pohl d'Velderan has been right there at the forefront of his family's expansion. A young man of intellect and strength, Pohl grew up in the City of Towers in the warm confines of the House... fully expecting to be a success. An only child, his parents (both dragonmarked members of the House as well) raised him with the expectation that he would be a strong, priviledged, and important member when he grew up. Being raised with this incredibly strong support system, Pohl firmly believed in himself and his future. Upon reaching adulthood, there was no one within the House that didn't believe he was destined for greatness... including and especially himself.

However, Pohl learned a very hard lesson once he left the warm, comforting grasp of his loving family and House Tharashk... people just don't like an arrogant, self-centered jerk. This of course came as a shock to him, as his entire life he was looked upon as a shining star. But now, without the glow of his parents to reflect his "greatness", he is considered nothing more than an obnoxious, self-congratulating, blowhard, but who (unfortunately) can in fact back up a lot of his self-serving claims. As he himself says... "it's not bragging if you can back it up"... but that doesn't keep people from getting pissed at him. But he deals with it with a smile and a condescending nod, because after all... lesser people should be jealous of him. It's only human nature.

Pohl specializes in tracking down other people... and he works hard as a bounty hunter for House Tharashk. If you need someone found, you could do worse by hiring him. He has spent his entire life in Sharn, learning the streets and wards like the "back of his hand" (or so he claims), and is always ready to take a job when it is offered to him. He knows it's just a matter of time before he steps into a place of importance within the House, and he looks forward to the day when his name is known throughout the city.

 

[reel_big_gish]

I like what I'm seeing so far. I'm going to hold off on making any decisions until Friday or Saturday, to give any latecomers a chance to submit a concept.

 

[Sidekick]

Reel_Big_Gish: Looking forward to finding out if I made the cut. I might just have enough time to tweak/expand Keldith's history. I jotted down that lot in a short amount of time so its rather disjointed.

Have a good weekend everyone!