MerakSpielman
First Post
Re: EN World City Project: NPC Contest
That is correct. We are still in Contest 1.
That is correct. We are still in Contest 1.
Lalato said:
EN World City Project: NPC Contest #1... Final Results!!!!
- Thread starter Lalato
- Start date
MerakSpielman
First Post
I'm going to need a 5 hour extention please (if Mark agrees).
My wife and son are getting back into town 3 hours before the deadline, and I won't have a chance to work on it before then. After they get back, I might just want to spend some time with them before they go to bed
My wife and son are getting back into town 3 hours before the deadline, and I won't have a chance to work on it before then. After they get back, I might just want to spend some time with them before they go to bed
Mark the Hammer
First Post
That is fine with me. I can't have two byes in this contest! Give me more time to come with something anyhow. So in EST that is when?
MerakSpielman
First Post
Unless I'm wrong, the deadline would have been about 12 hours from now. I'm extending it to 17. That's 2 in the morning here in Mountain Time. I guess that makes it midnight Eastern, though I could be subtracting instead of adding. I'm not a math person.
Mark the Hammer
First Post
Alrighty then... I am still toiling with this one anyhow.
Best of luck!
Best of luck!
Mark the Hammer
First Post
Thanks!
Ingredients:
Key phrase: “The female of the species is more deadly than the male”
Other Ingredients: A sailor’s wife, cloak and dagger, “Nasty, brutish and short”
NPC: Ronald Wimbly (19 year old human fighter)
Others: Elsie Norwitch (29 year old human bard)
Heathcliff Norwitch (30 year old human rogue)
Background
Ronald Wimbly thought of himself as a pretty good bodyguard. He had hired his services out to Lord Holdhurst only three months ago and his life at Windstoke Manor was a fairly pleasant one. His duties mostly required that he stand outside of Lord Holdhurst’s door while he was working, or possibly intimidating the local rabble that gathered to gawk at the Lord’s magnificent four horse carriage. With his one day off a week, he went to the Merry Maiden, a tavern on the shores of Lake Enoria. There, he would watch the tavern proprietor, Elsie Norwitch, entertain her guests with stories and song. She had a most charming effect on everyone; it was almost magical the way her songs could hypnotize you. At any rate, the wine flowed quickly while she sang.
Unfortunately for Ronald, Elsie was already married. Her husband was a sailor, and traded along the river that ran from Lake Enoria out to the sea. That, indecently, was how Elsie managed to keep her tavern stocked with the best wine and spirits that could be had, at a fairly reasonably price. Not that the townsfolk wouldn’t have come to see her perform anyway.
“I don’t know what a wonderful woman like Miss Elsie could see in such a wretch of a man like Heathcliff Norwitch. He’s positively brutish! He smells of fish and salt water half the time! And that’s the good half!” though Ronald. “Sigh. Too bad she is not for me.”
Short as he was, Heathcliff Norwitch was an intimidating man. Rumor has it that he killed his way to the top of his sailing ship before he made landfall in Mor’s End. Scarred and with one good glaring eye, Heathcliff stayed in the shadows of the Merry Maiden. “It is not good business, my dear,” Elsie would tell him, “for such a… coarse… vision of trade to appear. You create half the wealth of this enterprise by… acquiring… the goods we sell. I have the responsibility to sell it as an honest good. Please don’t disturb me while I’m tending to the patrons.” A kiss on the forehead, “Love you, dear.” And with that she would return to her singing.
Ronald would indeed be dismayed at the knowledge that Elsie and Heathcliff had been pirates for a good many years. Heathcliff led his one pirating vessel, as opposed to his legitimate vessels, on raids most every month. The wealth reaped by selling the ill-gotten gains at the Merry Maiden numbered in the hundreds of gold coin every week. That, and the fair margins gained on the legal trade in the tavern, amounted to quite a sum.
Unfortunately, their success over the past few months has made the Norwitch gang cocky. Last month, Heathcliff led an assault on a rich looking merchant ship sailing up the river towards Mor’s End. Heathcliff ordered all passengers and crew killed, for some recognized him. All were slain, and Heathcliff returned home with fat pockets once more.
Lord Holdhurst was inconsolable; his brother had been aboard the ship attacked by pirates. The hunting trip out into the moors would never happen. He would never see his brother again. Ronald’s lord began to drink heavily.
Ronald, a conscientious young man, didn’t know what to do. None of the other guards would take any action. He had no one to turn to. So he turned to the nicest person he knew in Mor’s End: Elsie Norwitch.
He had to ask Heathcliff to fetch Elsie, as she was upstairs washing her hair. “He’s nasty…” Ronald grumbled, “brutish…” grumble… “and not as tall as I am. Sigh” Elsie came down presently. She smelled divine.
“Please ma’am, my Lord is in great need. I know of no one to help him with this problem. He has refused to talk to any of the holy men for years; I cannot but think that he would strike out in anger at them if I asked them to come. Ma’am, would you please help my Lord?” Ronald didn’t know if he blurted out his words too quickly or spoke them so slow as to appear a fool, he was so enamored with the woman standing in front of him.
“Ronald, my dear,” she began. His ears turned red for her knowing his name. “I will help you, but I don’t think it’s seemly for a married woman to enter the mansion of such a respected, unmarried man in full daylight. I will help him, but only we three must know. Alright, sweetie?” Her fingers twisting in his hair drove any thought of saying “no” out of his mind.
As there was only one bodyguard standing vigil in the night, Ronald had the mansion all to himself. He opened the front door when he heard the agreed upon signal from outside. Elsie stood in the doorway wearing covering, yet suggestive clothes, the craftsmanship of which Ronald had never seen; the richness of the cloak she wore made her look regal. “Ronald, darling, it is cold outside. Will you not ask me to come in?”
Ronald led her to the study, where Lord Holdhurst sat in the dark staring at the fire. “M’Lord?”
“Begone, Ronald.”
“I worry for you, my Lord. I think…”
“I do not pay you to think!” Holdhurst shouted, and began to rise “I pay you to – what is this? What is this woman doing in my home?” His eyes darted back and forth from his guard to Elsie.
Elsie spoke as Ronald struggled for an explanation. “He has been worried for you, Lord Holdhurst. He wishes that you are happy, even after this tragic–”
“Where did you get that? Answer me!” growled the lord, staring at the cloak on Elsie’s shoulders.
“This? Why, my husband bought it for me while he was in port at-”
“Liar! That is Mycroft’s! You slew my brother!” His eyes gleamed red with fury as Lord Holdhurst seized the sword from on top of the mantle. “You will die!”
Ronald did not know what to do. His lord was plainly insane and was attacking someone he had brought in to talk to him, to ease his pain. In truth, he did not know who to defend.
Elsie, however, did not wait for Ronald to choose whom to defend. She mumbled some words, and Lord Holdhurst froze in mid-charge, his eyes becoming frantic.
“No! Miss Elsie, please let him go! He’s just lost his mind, that’s all,” pleaded Ronald as Elsie slowly walked up to the frozen lord.
“No, Ronald. I fear that this is an unfortunance. He is quite right, you know.” Ronald felt his body stiffen. He could not move his arms, or anything else for that matter. “Heathcliff did kill a rich man when he plundered a ship not three weeks ago. Although, I was telling the truth when I said it was a gift to me. He is so sweet about those kinds of things. Alas, Lord Holdhurst has discovered who his brother’s murderer is: the husband of his murderer!” With that, Elsie drew the dagger concealed in the folds of the cloak and cut through the lord’s throat. As his lifeblood slipped out, Lord Holdhurst wondered who would take care of his hunting dogs. He collapsed.
“Now, what should I do about you, my dear?” Ronald wanted to scream, to run away, to curl up and shut his eyes so he didn’t have to look at his dead lord. “I might kill you, but then, the constable will begin looking for the murderer. That won’t do.” Elsie drew Ronald’s sword, and covered the edge in Holdhurst’s blood. She replaced it in its scabbard at Ronald’s side. “What’s funny is that everyone fears my husband. Silly to do so; the female of the species is more deadly than the male, you know.” She began to walk away. She stopped, said “And I’m sorry for this, but I can’t have you alive and remembering what happened here.”
Ronald couldn’t move. He saw his dead lord lying on the ground and wanted to scream, but couldn’t. Footsteps and a closing door behind him told him someone else had just been here. He remembered that someone was going to come to the house tonight, but he couldn’t remember who. The spell wore off, and Ronald fell to the floor. He rushed over to the body and cradled it. What happened? Who could do such a thing to my lord?
The morning maid found him like that, lying in blood in the study. She screamed, and the Mor’s End watch was sent for. Ronald was imprisoned for the murder of his patron, and awaiting trial. He tried to explain what happened, but there were holes in his memory. Holes where he knew the villain must be. But, after two weeks in the gaol, his sentencing date quickly approached. He knew he would be convicted, and disgraced. If death was not his sentence, he was sure that he would find death at the hands of Lord Holdhurst’s bereaved. Or perhaps Lord Holdhurst’s murderer.
Description
Ronald is a healthy looking young lad, although this crisis has aged him somewhat. His eyes are sometimes sad, and sometimes wild. Not a tall man, this 24 year old has ruddy cheeks and red hair.
Elsie has a pale complexion, whose black hair frames a beautiful face. She is taller than most women, standing 5’10”. Her eyelashes are said to be hummingbird wings, so easily do they flap when talking to men. She acts ladylike, although she is sometimes given to wearing men’s clothing. It helps her performance, she says.
Heathcliff Norwitch is an ugly man. Standing 5’4” tall, his one good eye is able to glare down most men twice his size. His calloused hands come from years working the rigging, and from sticking well timed knives in his enemies’ backs. He has dark hair, but whether it is due to pigment or dirt, no one knows.
Plot Hooks
A friend of Ronald’s on the manor staff has asked the party to intervene. They must find out who killed Lord Holdhurst before Ronald is found guilty.
A rash of pirate attacks on the sea and on the river has motivated the Government of Mor’s End to commission the PCs to find the cause of it all.
Ronald has been convicted, was whipped and branded as a murderer, and set loose. The PCs must trail him to see if he will return to his boss that ordered the hit.
Statblocks
Ronald Wimbly, male human Ftr 2; CR 2; medium sized humanoid (human); HD 2d10; HP 14; Init +1; Speed 30 ft; AC 16; Attack melee longsword +6 (1d8+2); AL NG; SV Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +0; Str 14, Dex 13, Con13 , Int 11, Wis 9, Cha 10
SA None; SQ None
Skills: Spot +6, Listen +3, Profession (guard) +4
Feats: Alertness, Dodge, Weapon Focus (longsword), Skill Focus (Spot)
Items (confiscated): Chain Shirt, MW Longsword
Heathcliff Norwitch, male human Rog 5; CR 5; medium sized humanoid (human); HD 5d6; HP 25; Init +7; Speed 30 ft; AC 16; attack melee shortsword +6 (1d6+1); AL NE; SV Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +2, Str 13, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 6
SA Sneak Attack (+3d6) SQ Evasion, Uncanny Dodge (Dex to AC)
Skills: Climb +9, Profession (sailor) +9, Intimidate +16, Balance +11, Jump +9, Tumble +11, Rope Use +11, Spot +9
Feats: Improved Initiative, Dodge, Weapon Focus (shortsword)
Items: Eyepatch of Intimidation (+10 to Intimidate checks), Short sword +1
Elsie Norwitch, female human Bard 6; CR 6; medium sized humanoid (human); HD 6d6; HP 27; Init +6; Speed 30 ft; AC 13; attack melee dagger +5 (1d4); AL NE; SV Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +6, Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 17
SA Bardic Music, Bardic Knowledge, Spells; SQ None
Skills: Perform +15, Bluff +12, Diplomacy +12, Gather Info +12, Sense Motive +10, Use Magic Device +12, Profession (innkeeper) +10
Feats: Spell Focus (Enchantment), Skill Focus (Perform), Improved Initiative, Dodge
Spells per day: 3/4/3
Spells Known: 0 – Prestidigitation, Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Light, Read Magic; 1 – Mage Armor, Charm Person, Ventriloquism, Hypnotism; 2 – Hold Person, Enthrall, Undetectable Alignment
Items: Wand of Modify Memory (9 charges left), Mycroft Holdhurst’s cloak,
Key phrase: “The female of the species is more deadly than the male”
Other Ingredients: A sailor’s wife, cloak and dagger, “Nasty, brutish and short”
NPC: Ronald Wimbly (19 year old human fighter)
Others: Elsie Norwitch (29 year old human bard)
Heathcliff Norwitch (30 year old human rogue)
Background
Ronald Wimbly thought of himself as a pretty good bodyguard. He had hired his services out to Lord Holdhurst only three months ago and his life at Windstoke Manor was a fairly pleasant one. His duties mostly required that he stand outside of Lord Holdhurst’s door while he was working, or possibly intimidating the local rabble that gathered to gawk at the Lord’s magnificent four horse carriage. With his one day off a week, he went to the Merry Maiden, a tavern on the shores of Lake Enoria. There, he would watch the tavern proprietor, Elsie Norwitch, entertain her guests with stories and song. She had a most charming effect on everyone; it was almost magical the way her songs could hypnotize you. At any rate, the wine flowed quickly while she sang.
Unfortunately for Ronald, Elsie was already married. Her husband was a sailor, and traded along the river that ran from Lake Enoria out to the sea. That, indecently, was how Elsie managed to keep her tavern stocked with the best wine and spirits that could be had, at a fairly reasonably price. Not that the townsfolk wouldn’t have come to see her perform anyway.
“I don’t know what a wonderful woman like Miss Elsie could see in such a wretch of a man like Heathcliff Norwitch. He’s positively brutish! He smells of fish and salt water half the time! And that’s the good half!” though Ronald. “Sigh. Too bad she is not for me.”
Short as he was, Heathcliff Norwitch was an intimidating man. Rumor has it that he killed his way to the top of his sailing ship before he made landfall in Mor’s End. Scarred and with one good glaring eye, Heathcliff stayed in the shadows of the Merry Maiden. “It is not good business, my dear,” Elsie would tell him, “for such a… coarse… vision of trade to appear. You create half the wealth of this enterprise by… acquiring… the goods we sell. I have the responsibility to sell it as an honest good. Please don’t disturb me while I’m tending to the patrons.” A kiss on the forehead, “Love you, dear.” And with that she would return to her singing.
Ronald would indeed be dismayed at the knowledge that Elsie and Heathcliff had been pirates for a good many years. Heathcliff led his one pirating vessel, as opposed to his legitimate vessels, on raids most every month. The wealth reaped by selling the ill-gotten gains at the Merry Maiden numbered in the hundreds of gold coin every week. That, and the fair margins gained on the legal trade in the tavern, amounted to quite a sum.
Unfortunately, their success over the past few months has made the Norwitch gang cocky. Last month, Heathcliff led an assault on a rich looking merchant ship sailing up the river towards Mor’s End. Heathcliff ordered all passengers and crew killed, for some recognized him. All were slain, and Heathcliff returned home with fat pockets once more.
Lord Holdhurst was inconsolable; his brother had been aboard the ship attacked by pirates. The hunting trip out into the moors would never happen. He would never see his brother again. Ronald’s lord began to drink heavily.
Ronald, a conscientious young man, didn’t know what to do. None of the other guards would take any action. He had no one to turn to. So he turned to the nicest person he knew in Mor’s End: Elsie Norwitch.
He had to ask Heathcliff to fetch Elsie, as she was upstairs washing her hair. “He’s nasty…” Ronald grumbled, “brutish…” grumble… “and not as tall as I am. Sigh” Elsie came down presently. She smelled divine.
“Please ma’am, my Lord is in great need. I know of no one to help him with this problem. He has refused to talk to any of the holy men for years; I cannot but think that he would strike out in anger at them if I asked them to come. Ma’am, would you please help my Lord?” Ronald didn’t know if he blurted out his words too quickly or spoke them so slow as to appear a fool, he was so enamored with the woman standing in front of him.
“Ronald, my dear,” she began. His ears turned red for her knowing his name. “I will help you, but I don’t think it’s seemly for a married woman to enter the mansion of such a respected, unmarried man in full daylight. I will help him, but only we three must know. Alright, sweetie?” Her fingers twisting in his hair drove any thought of saying “no” out of his mind.
As there was only one bodyguard standing vigil in the night, Ronald had the mansion all to himself. He opened the front door when he heard the agreed upon signal from outside. Elsie stood in the doorway wearing covering, yet suggestive clothes, the craftsmanship of which Ronald had never seen; the richness of the cloak she wore made her look regal. “Ronald, darling, it is cold outside. Will you not ask me to come in?”
Ronald led her to the study, where Lord Holdhurst sat in the dark staring at the fire. “M’Lord?”
“Begone, Ronald.”
“I worry for you, my Lord. I think…”
“I do not pay you to think!” Holdhurst shouted, and began to rise “I pay you to – what is this? What is this woman doing in my home?” His eyes darted back and forth from his guard to Elsie.
Elsie spoke as Ronald struggled for an explanation. “He has been worried for you, Lord Holdhurst. He wishes that you are happy, even after this tragic–”
“Where did you get that? Answer me!” growled the lord, staring at the cloak on Elsie’s shoulders.
“This? Why, my husband bought it for me while he was in port at-”
“Liar! That is Mycroft’s! You slew my brother!” His eyes gleamed red with fury as Lord Holdhurst seized the sword from on top of the mantle. “You will die!”
Ronald did not know what to do. His lord was plainly insane and was attacking someone he had brought in to talk to him, to ease his pain. In truth, he did not know who to defend.
Elsie, however, did not wait for Ronald to choose whom to defend. She mumbled some words, and Lord Holdhurst froze in mid-charge, his eyes becoming frantic.
“No! Miss Elsie, please let him go! He’s just lost his mind, that’s all,” pleaded Ronald as Elsie slowly walked up to the frozen lord.
“No, Ronald. I fear that this is an unfortunance. He is quite right, you know.” Ronald felt his body stiffen. He could not move his arms, or anything else for that matter. “Heathcliff did kill a rich man when he plundered a ship not three weeks ago. Although, I was telling the truth when I said it was a gift to me. He is so sweet about those kinds of things. Alas, Lord Holdhurst has discovered who his brother’s murderer is: the husband of his murderer!” With that, Elsie drew the dagger concealed in the folds of the cloak and cut through the lord’s throat. As his lifeblood slipped out, Lord Holdhurst wondered who would take care of his hunting dogs. He collapsed.
“Now, what should I do about you, my dear?” Ronald wanted to scream, to run away, to curl up and shut his eyes so he didn’t have to look at his dead lord. “I might kill you, but then, the constable will begin looking for the murderer. That won’t do.” Elsie drew Ronald’s sword, and covered the edge in Holdhurst’s blood. She replaced it in its scabbard at Ronald’s side. “What’s funny is that everyone fears my husband. Silly to do so; the female of the species is more deadly than the male, you know.” She began to walk away. She stopped, said “And I’m sorry for this, but I can’t have you alive and remembering what happened here.”
Ronald couldn’t move. He saw his dead lord lying on the ground and wanted to scream, but couldn’t. Footsteps and a closing door behind him told him someone else had just been here. He remembered that someone was going to come to the house tonight, but he couldn’t remember who. The spell wore off, and Ronald fell to the floor. He rushed over to the body and cradled it. What happened? Who could do such a thing to my lord?
The morning maid found him like that, lying in blood in the study. She screamed, and the Mor’s End watch was sent for. Ronald was imprisoned for the murder of his patron, and awaiting trial. He tried to explain what happened, but there were holes in his memory. Holes where he knew the villain must be. But, after two weeks in the gaol, his sentencing date quickly approached. He knew he would be convicted, and disgraced. If death was not his sentence, he was sure that he would find death at the hands of Lord Holdhurst’s bereaved. Or perhaps Lord Holdhurst’s murderer.
Description
Ronald is a healthy looking young lad, although this crisis has aged him somewhat. His eyes are sometimes sad, and sometimes wild. Not a tall man, this 24 year old has ruddy cheeks and red hair.
Elsie has a pale complexion, whose black hair frames a beautiful face. She is taller than most women, standing 5’10”. Her eyelashes are said to be hummingbird wings, so easily do they flap when talking to men. She acts ladylike, although she is sometimes given to wearing men’s clothing. It helps her performance, she says.
Heathcliff Norwitch is an ugly man. Standing 5’4” tall, his one good eye is able to glare down most men twice his size. His calloused hands come from years working the rigging, and from sticking well timed knives in his enemies’ backs. He has dark hair, but whether it is due to pigment or dirt, no one knows.
Plot Hooks
A friend of Ronald’s on the manor staff has asked the party to intervene. They must find out who killed Lord Holdhurst before Ronald is found guilty.
A rash of pirate attacks on the sea and on the river has motivated the Government of Mor’s End to commission the PCs to find the cause of it all.
Ronald has been convicted, was whipped and branded as a murderer, and set loose. The PCs must trail him to see if he will return to his boss that ordered the hit.
Statblocks
Ronald Wimbly, male human Ftr 2; CR 2; medium sized humanoid (human); HD 2d10; HP 14; Init +1; Speed 30 ft; AC 16; Attack melee longsword +6 (1d8+2); AL NG; SV Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +0; Str 14, Dex 13, Con13 , Int 11, Wis 9, Cha 10
SA None; SQ None
Skills: Spot +6, Listen +3, Profession (guard) +4
Feats: Alertness, Dodge, Weapon Focus (longsword), Skill Focus (Spot)
Items (confiscated): Chain Shirt, MW Longsword
Heathcliff Norwitch, male human Rog 5; CR 5; medium sized humanoid (human); HD 5d6; HP 25; Init +7; Speed 30 ft; AC 16; attack melee shortsword +6 (1d6+1); AL NE; SV Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +2, Str 13, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 6
SA Sneak Attack (+3d6) SQ Evasion, Uncanny Dodge (Dex to AC)
Skills: Climb +9, Profession (sailor) +9, Intimidate +16, Balance +11, Jump +9, Tumble +11, Rope Use +11, Spot +9
Feats: Improved Initiative, Dodge, Weapon Focus (shortsword)
Items: Eyepatch of Intimidation (+10 to Intimidate checks), Short sword +1
Elsie Norwitch, female human Bard 6; CR 6; medium sized humanoid (human); HD 6d6; HP 27; Init +6; Speed 30 ft; AC 13; attack melee dagger +5 (1d4); AL NE; SV Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +6, Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 17
SA Bardic Music, Bardic Knowledge, Spells; SQ None
Skills: Perform +15, Bluff +12, Diplomacy +12, Gather Info +12, Sense Motive +10, Use Magic Device +12, Profession (innkeeper) +10
Feats: Spell Focus (Enchantment), Skill Focus (Perform), Improved Initiative, Dodge
Spells per day: 3/4/3
Spells Known: 0 – Prestidigitation, Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Light, Read Magic; 1 – Mage Armor, Charm Person, Ventriloquism, Hypnotism; 2 – Hold Person, Enthrall, Undetectable Alignment
Items: Wand of Modify Memory (9 charges left), Mycroft Holdhurst’s cloak,
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