Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Eccles" data-source="post: 764998" data-attributes="member: 5675">I think I've already put his stats in the other page, but here's the background provided by Yvgeny's player. I understand that he's intending to play Yvgeny as a sort of monkish James Bond, which should be very entertaining!(And much credit to the player for such an excellent background!)-------------The spy who came in from the cold:Yvgeny Del’AnskYvgeny Del’Ansk was born in the town of Valls, a nondescript place in the southwest of the kingdom of Damara, about twenty-three years ago (1349DR) in the month of Eleint. In 1357DR, the fell forces of Zhengyi invaded Damara and overran Valls, killing some and taking others as slaves. Yvgeny, blessed with some quickness of hand and foot, and wit also, managed to escape. When the war with Vaasa was over, Yvgeny (now an orphan) was sent to the Monastery of the Yellow Rose. It was here that he learnt much of the skills of the monk and made his first friends. However, the life of the monk at the Citadel of the White Worm was not to be for Yvgeny: He could not content himself with the studies and quiet contemplation of the lower-order monks whilst deprivation and disease was about the land. It was for this reason that he left the Order of Saint Sollars to travel to Heliogabalus, where he offered his skills to the Temple of Ilmater. The Archpriest (Pietr Orik, LG male Human, Clr 12 of Ilmater) of the temple quickly saw that Yvgeny had a natural skill with the simple divine spells, but also surmised that his temperament would tend to lead towards an active role in promoting the ideals of the Ilmateri faith. Pietr therefore sent for his old friend, Ama (Ama Pashar, LG female Human, Mnk 5/Clr 4 of Ilmater). She, seeing the opportunity for a prodigal student, grabbed the chance and hence Yvgeny was swiftly inducted into the Order of the Broken Ones, as a student of the Twin Path. Promotion came quickly, with Yvgeny showing particular skills in finding information. It was at this time that Yvgeny was involved in discovering the power behind the bandit raids in the north of the kingdom (the wizard Knellict). One of the lieutenants of these bandit raiders (Igor Tomsk, NE male Human, Ftr 3/Rog 3) has sworn revenge for an ambush that saw Tomsk kill some of his own men to prevent their capture. With this in mind, it was decided that Yvgeny should change his theatre of operations. King Drangonsbane, ever mindful of the expansionist tendency the Zhentarim, decided that it would be a good idea it forge an alliance with the Dalelands. With this in mind, Yvgeny was directed to travel to the Dalelands region, to get a feel for the levels of power each faction had. This would probably be a dangerous job, so he was granted the use of powerful magics and given special dispensation to “Extract the Pledge” from anyone likely to cause harm. So, Yvgeny joined a party of Clerics and Paladins of Torm that were making a pilgrimage to the town of Tantras in The Vast. During this journey, the group managed to get on the wrong side of at least one Hobgoblin clan and several Orc clans whilst passing through the Earthspur Mountains. On arriving in Tantras, Yvgeny stayed a short time for the Shieldmeet festival, then left to take ship for The Dalelands. Yvgeny arrived in Scardale Town a couple of days later, which was a baptism of fire to say the least. In just a few months he sent missives back to Damara that indicated just how deep the Zhentarim and the Thayans were involved in the politics of the Dales. However, in persuading the many brigands skulking around Scardale Town that a man with no obvious weapons was still armed, Yvgeny came to the attention of the Monks of the Long Death. He was lucky to escape with his life, and now has the enmity of one Mektar Wazim (LE male Tiefling, Mnk 5/Asn 2). Eventually, Yvgeny managed to pay for passage out of the city, signing on as a guard for a commercial wagon train passing through Cormanthor. Again, fate would ensure life was interesting! Drow had appeared in the forests that once belonged to the Sun Elves and Moon Elves, and the caravans were attacked not once but twice on the way through. Less than half the original group got out alive: Fortunately, one of them was Yvgeny. Having used healing spells to keep the wagon-master alive, Yvgeny was rewarded with a brand new Wand of Cure Light Wounds on arrival in Shadowdale. Again, taking up the post of wagon guard, Yvgeny travelled to Daggerdale, and then on to Dagger Falls. Yvgeny spent some time in Dagger Falls, sending back messages to Heliogabalus detailing the extent of outside influences on the Dalelands in general, and Daggerdale in particular. However, as usual, the need to act overcame the need to watch, and Yvgeny once again became involved in working against the dark plots of the Zhents that were slowly worming their way into the society of Daggerdale. His cover was eventually blown: The Monks of the Long Death had passed certain information to Zhent forces in Scardale Town and this information had finally made it’s way across the Dales. It was at this time that he heard of a group of adventurers going by the name of the Clearwater Crusaders. Judging that the need to make himself scarce had become paramount, Yvgeny ensured that his superior in the Temple of Ilmater (Helm Dundragon, LG Human male, Pal 8 of Ilmater) got the information. Sure enough, only too glad to be rid of him, Helm gave the order and Yvgeny managed to inveigle his way into the group of demi-heroes… 1. Relatives, Trainers, FriendsYvgeny Del’Ansk has family and associates as described in the following sections: 1.1. RelativesThe only known living relative of Yvgeny’s was his sister, Olma. She was taken in the raids on Damara, when Valls was overrun. Scrying has turned up the fact that she is alive and somewhere in Thay. Someday, Yvgeny hopes to rescue her.1.2. TrainersAs mentioned above, Ama Pashar is Yvgeny’s ‘sensei.’ 1.3. FriendsYvgeny has a friend in the Saint Sollars. This Monk of the Yellow Rose (Alethra Manov, LN female Human, Mnk 5/Rgr 2 of Ilmater) is currently leading search and destroy missions in Vaasa. Yvgeny also has a friend in the city of Heliogabalus, by the name of Pavel del Praka. This ex-gadabout Bard (CG male Human, Brd 4/Exp 3) now makes musical instruments for a living, but has much useful information to impart on virtually any topic, including Yvgeny’s genealogy. Yvgeny made a ‘friend’ in Scardale Town, a ‘Dancer’ by the name of Wen Cricklewood (CN female Lightfoot Halfling, Ftr 3/Rog 3). It was not obvious whether Wen took to the shine in his eye or in his purse, but she did help smuggle him out of Scardale Town for quite a modest fee, all told. However, she also extracted a promise of quid pro quo that Yvgeny will probably be honour-bound to uphold… Finally, after making it into Dagger Falls, Yvgeny managed to team up with a Paladin of Lathander. This Paladin (Ravel Burrdeep, LG male Human, Pal 7 of Lathander) was a ‘partner in crime’ with Yvgeny in many escapades in and around Dagger Falls, to the extent that Yvgeny has now achieved some notoriety amongst the underworld in that town. 2. Likes, Dislikes, Fears and FoesPresented here are some examples of what makes Yvgeny Del’Ansk tick. 2.1. Likes and DislikesYvgeny likes: Challenges; any test of skill, marshal or otherwise, is likely to be accepted. Honesty; Yvgeny prefers an honest enemy to a dishonest acquaintance. He has no dishonest friends. Music; Yvgeny is a great appreciator of all kinds of music, though he claims no natural musical skill himself. Yvgeny dislikes: Tyrannical behaviour; Thayans in general; ostentatious shows of wealth; meat. 2.2. FearsYvgeny is particularly fearful of capture and/or incarceration. Being helpless (bound up, entangled, etc.) is anathema to him. There is a good chance that Yvgeny suffers from some form of claustrophobia too.2.3. Foes: GeneralThis section covers foes in the The Dalelands region only. Foes that know Yvgeny by sight are: - The Monks of the Long Death, Scardale Town. Foes that know Yvgeny by reputation are: - Zhent agents in both Scardale Town and Daggerdale. Daggerdale/Dagger Falls underworld. Other foes: - Drow of House Jaelre, Cormanthor. 2.4. Foes: SpecificA list of foes can be found in Yvgeny’s biography, above. Specifically, these are: - Igor Tomsk, NE male Human, Ftr 3/Rog 3. Mektar Wazim, LE male Tiefling, Mnk 5/Asn 2. Additionally, though he isn’t aware of it, the Zhentarim has marked Yvgeny as a spy and have sent an agent into Daggerdale specifically to work against him, and to assassinate him if possible. The agent, using the pseudonym Randal Tallstag (NE male Human, Rog 6/Rgr 1/Sha 1), has currently tracked Yvgeny to Dagger Falls and is closing in… 3. 3. General Notes on the Genealogy of Yvgeny Del’Ansk (as provided by Pavel del Praka)Yvgeny Del’Ansk’s family does not originate in Damara, but is very likely Mulhorandi. This is clear to me for three reasons: 1. He does not have the pale coloration normally seen in northern peoples; his skin is olive, betraying the mixture of dark skin with the paler northern. 2. His surname is not Damaran. Despite some Damaran influences, it seems likely to me that Yvgeny’s original surname was in all probability Anskuld, a fairly typical Mulhorandi surname. 3. Yvgeny is not Human. I am an artisan: a creator of fine musical instruments, and a merchant too. As such, I have had Yvgeny in my shop to purchase diverse items for King Dragonsbane’s court. Having attempted to bluff a higher price from him once, I can vouch that the strangest feeling of being watched forced me to a more honest (indeed, positively ruinous!) price, with no prompting from Yvgeny, excepting a straight ‘Look.’ It was at this juncture that I decided: This man is no Man, he has the blood of Celestials in him! The more I thought the more I realised the likelihood. Most scholars know of the fact that the Mulhorandi gods lived amongst their people for a large part of the history of Mulhorand; the entire place hardly has a pureblooded Human to call it’s own. Perhaps I exaggerate. But it is known that a goodly portion of the population can claim a divinity, or at least a divinity’s minion, for an ancestor. To round off my deductions, I will add the only item I consider conjecture: Yvgeny’s family were probably escaped Thayan slaves, who were taken in that country’s raids on Mulhorand in 1279-1280DR. I hereby rest my case.</blockquote>

Verification