Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Water Bob" data-source="post: 5240041" data-attributes="member: 92305">- Character Notes - So many NPCs...I need to make them memorable and distinctive so that the players will look at them as people with personalities and not just cardboard NPCs. Drachena has a pretty good introduction to the players in the scene above. What makes her memorable is the way she looks. She's very "manly". Plain. Lots of "Y" chromosome. Her breasts are small and seem to be an afterthought tacked onto her solid pecs. Think female body-builder--but Drachena's body is natural, not roided. Thick, short, neck. Wide shoulders--her back is a "V" shape to her waist. Large, corded thighs. Thick, dark hair. You can believe this woman can kick some arse. She's a tough one and not weak. Wrap her up in winter gear, and you can't tell her apart from the men--she's got that much bulk. One of Drachena's highest skills is Heal--something she can teach the PCs. Finn is a bit stereotypical. He's a 57 year old big, burly mother-of-a-northman. He's all long hair and long beard, with a barrel chest, thick arms, wide thighs, and a long waist. He's not anybody to be trifled with. And, he'd think you queer if he ever heard you use the word "trifle". He's practical. A leader of men. Not afraid to hear the ideas of others, but strong in his conviction once he's made a decision. And, he's smart enough to use the best tool for the job. He is quite capable of murdering Lyme if he thought he was cheating the inevitable and releasing his wife from her misery. His code is that a man does what a man has to do. Hrathnar, the Aesir, husband of Brenna, is less the warrior-type and more the frontier merchant. While Finn and Dael focus on the actual work of the craftsmen, Hrathnar has grown into a role of running the business. His biggest obstacle is his blond hair and heritage (even though he's spent more time among the Cimmerians than among his own people. The people of Seven Stones long ago accepted him, but he does sometimes get untrusting looks when he travels to other Clans on matters of trade and business. In order to get the best deal, he often sends a surrogate--usually one of the Duncohrs--to do the long distance business. At home, Hrathnar feels he has the advantage enough to do his own negotiating. Hrathnar and Brenna own three mountain ponies--the only horses in town. He uses them pull the trade wagon on business journeys, taking completed metal goods to bartering partners and returning with goods (such as vegetables, breads, and different meat than can be hunted around Seven Stones) needed by the town. Finn has been pondering the idea of creating a "Cimmerian Calvary" with the three horses, but Hrathnar is not keen on the idea. Still, the Aesir does use is ponies for scouting and long-distance, quick, messaging. Hrathnar and Brenna are both leather workers, having picked up the trade over the last five or six years. This incensed the town's master leather worker, who left the Clan about 3 years ago. Now, the two serve the town, and any leather work that Finn or Dael need done is turned over to Hrathnar and Brenna. The leather and hide business has quadrupled the business at the Duncohr Forge. Now a seasoned businessman at age 34, Hrathnar is far sighted and done quite well for himself since being forced to leave his family and people two decades ago. He owns the tannery, the town's only horses, and a small interest in the Duncohr Forge. If the PCs want to learn Handle Animal or Ride, Hrathnar can be their teacher. Any Blue Foxman that speaks Nordheimer can speak it better than most other Cimmerians because of Hrathnar. Brenna, too, is quite skilled in Heal, as is Drachena. Branoc does love his brothers deeply, and he loves Thrallan no less than his twin, Caelis. To Branoc, Thrallan might as well be blood-kin to him. Physically, Branoc takes after his father. Branoc is naturally strong and gifted with the body of a Hyborian sculpture. He's athletic. Coordinated. (STR 18, DEX 12, CON 15) But, he takes time to process things. Even in a conversation, he is prone to refain from answering a question until he thinks of the best answer. (INT 8, WIS 14) This often leads to awkward moments when conversing with Branoc. He can be quite funny, though. He's got a good, dry sense of humor, often citing the obvious with a dead-pan delivery. (CHA 12). When role playing Branoc, focus on his speech mannerisms. Lots of thought. Slow to reply. And, use a peculiar Yoda-like pattern, but in a slow, serious, matter-of-fact voice): "On yonder hill, Olav comes." "Big is the mace that man carries."</blockquote>

Verification