Mark the Hammer
First Post
Great one MerakSpielman!!!!
EN World City Project: NPC Contest #1... Final Results!!!!
- Thread starter Lalato
- Start date
Lalato
Adventurer
cptg1481 is cutting it close...
cptg... your submission should be in by 11:18am... Otherwise, Mark the Hammer will win this round by default.
Here are the rest of the deadlines...
Felix vs. ajanders: 4:23pm (originally was 11:23am)
orbital vs. Tech: 5:04pm
Merak vs. Witch: 8:13pm
--sam
cptg... your submission should be in by 11:18am... Otherwise, Mark the Hammer will win this round by default.
Here are the rest of the deadlines...
Felix vs. ajanders: 4:23pm (originally was 11:23am)
orbital vs. Tech: 5:04pm
Merak vs. Witch: 8:13pm
--sam
ajanders
Explorer
Iron NPC Entry
I swear I didn't read Merak Spielman's at all. Just a coincidence.
Ingredients:
Key Phrase: "He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches"
Other Ingredients: Abandoned love; A cat, black as midnight; "New kid on the block"
StatBlocks
Thomas Fontaine, Male Human Exp2: CR 1: hp 6:Init +1 Spd 30 ft. AC 11, touch 11, flatfooted 10: Atk+1: SA None, SQ Blind: AL
N. SV: Fort-1, Will+4, Ref+1: Str 8, Dex 12, Con 8, Int 15, Wis 12, Cha 10.
Skills: Craft (Bookbinding) +7, Craft (Calligraphy)+7,Decipher Script +8, Forgery +4, Knowledge (architecture/engineering)
+4, Knowledge (Geography)+6, Knowledge(History)+6, Knowledge(Local) +6, Knowledge (Nobility & Royalty) +6,
Profession(Scribe)+8
Feats: Skill Emphasis(Decipher Script), Skill Emphasis(Profession(Scribe))
Languages:Common, Elven, Dwarven, Halfling, Gnome, Draconic
This stat block does not include the calculations for blindness
History
Thomas Fontaine loved books. He loved the smell of the paper, the sound of the turning pages, and the beautiful contrast of
fine black ink on fine white paper.
So it was really no surprise when his parents apprenticed him to one of the scribes in Mor's End. It was even less of a
surprise when he finished his apprenticeship two years early, completed his masterwork (a set of elegant ledgers for the
Mor's End clerks) in six months.
A year later his services were in constant demand: he could quickly and elegantly transcribe or translate any conversations
in the common (or even uncommon) languages of Mor's End, then make a neat book out of them. He was intimately familiar with
the official documents of the city and capable of drawing them up so neatly the official clerks might have thought it was
their own work. His work in all the trade and diplomacy of the city meant he grew well informed about regional politics and
economics, so he began to write small bulletins for some of his best clients to keep them informed of events in the city.
The new kid on the block was making a great name for himself.
Then disaster struck. As Thomas was bleaching a fresh supply of writing paper, a strange cat, black as midnight, leapt
through the window of his workroom, onto his workbench, and into his container of lye. The caustic liquid splattered
everywhere: including into Thomas' eyes. The cat fled back out the window and disappeared into the night, never to be seen
again by anyone in the neighborhood.
But Thomas was blind, and his scribing days were over.
He continues to live his life as best he can, which is not so bad as it might be. Although he cannot read, he still makes a
good living teaching languages and translating, and occasionally supplements that by acting as a private tutor for those who
wish to learn about politics, history, or geography. If you ask him, he will say he's very happy: he's very grateful he has
skills that keep him from being a beggar, and he doesn't miss his books at all. No, never. You'll never see him cry about
his woes.
Of course, the lye has seared his tear ducts shut.
Description: Thomas is tall and decidedly scrawny, with a mass of red hair, beard, mustache, and sideburns, freckles, and
milky white eyes he usually hides under a thick scarf. Formerly he was something of a man of fashion, but he now wears
simple robes of a solid color: usually black or gray.
Adventure hooks:
1. A cleric or paladin who needs to perform a quest of atonement may be ordered to heal Thomas' eyes.
2. Thomas is a valuable source of information about Mor's End and it's environs. PC's with questions about laws, trade
routes, history or landforms will find him cheaper than a formal sage.
3. Thomas may have made some enemies with his rapid success. If they think blinding him wasn't enough of a revenge, perhaps
next time they'll send a bigger cat...say, panther size...through his window. That should rouse the whole neighborhood and
attract the watch.
4. This strange cat, black as midnight, has been seen at some other places in the city. It was at Mother Hubbards house
just before the fire broke out. It dug up some herbalist's prized bed of healing herbs. It sauntered up Robert Thatcher's
ladder while he was at lunch: as he climbed back up, the ladder slipped from the roof. He broke both his legs in the fall.
But nobody claims any responsibility for it, and nobody knows who the owner is. Is it an ill-behaved stray, or an omen of
disaster? Or, whisper the superstitious codgers of the city, does it cause the disasters?
I swear I didn't read Merak Spielman's at all. Just a coincidence.
Ingredients:
Key Phrase: "He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches"
Other Ingredients: Abandoned love; A cat, black as midnight; "New kid on the block"
StatBlocks
Thomas Fontaine, Male Human Exp2: CR 1: hp 6:Init +1 Spd 30 ft. AC 11, touch 11, flatfooted 10: Atk+1: SA None, SQ Blind: AL
N. SV: Fort-1, Will+4, Ref+1: Str 8, Dex 12, Con 8, Int 15, Wis 12, Cha 10.
Skills: Craft (Bookbinding) +7, Craft (Calligraphy)+7,Decipher Script +8, Forgery +4, Knowledge (architecture/engineering)
+4, Knowledge (Geography)+6, Knowledge(History)+6, Knowledge(Local) +6, Knowledge (Nobility & Royalty) +6,
Profession(Scribe)+8
Feats: Skill Emphasis(Decipher Script), Skill Emphasis(Profession(Scribe))
Languages:Common, Elven, Dwarven, Halfling, Gnome, Draconic
This stat block does not include the calculations for blindness
History
Thomas Fontaine loved books. He loved the smell of the paper, the sound of the turning pages, and the beautiful contrast of
fine black ink on fine white paper.
So it was really no surprise when his parents apprenticed him to one of the scribes in Mor's End. It was even less of a
surprise when he finished his apprenticeship two years early, completed his masterwork (a set of elegant ledgers for the
Mor's End clerks) in six months.
A year later his services were in constant demand: he could quickly and elegantly transcribe or translate any conversations
in the common (or even uncommon) languages of Mor's End, then make a neat book out of them. He was intimately familiar with
the official documents of the city and capable of drawing them up so neatly the official clerks might have thought it was
their own work. His work in all the trade and diplomacy of the city meant he grew well informed about regional politics and
economics, so he began to write small bulletins for some of his best clients to keep them informed of events in the city.
The new kid on the block was making a great name for himself.
Then disaster struck. As Thomas was bleaching a fresh supply of writing paper, a strange cat, black as midnight, leapt
through the window of his workroom, onto his workbench, and into his container of lye. The caustic liquid splattered
everywhere: including into Thomas' eyes. The cat fled back out the window and disappeared into the night, never to be seen
again by anyone in the neighborhood.
But Thomas was blind, and his scribing days were over.
He continues to live his life as best he can, which is not so bad as it might be. Although he cannot read, he still makes a
good living teaching languages and translating, and occasionally supplements that by acting as a private tutor for those who
wish to learn about politics, history, or geography. If you ask him, he will say he's very happy: he's very grateful he has
skills that keep him from being a beggar, and he doesn't miss his books at all. No, never. You'll never see him cry about
his woes.
Of course, the lye has seared his tear ducts shut.
Description: Thomas is tall and decidedly scrawny, with a mass of red hair, beard, mustache, and sideburns, freckles, and
milky white eyes he usually hides under a thick scarf. Formerly he was something of a man of fashion, but he now wears
simple robes of a solid color: usually black or gray.
Adventure hooks:
1. A cleric or paladin who needs to perform a quest of atonement may be ordered to heal Thomas' eyes.
2. Thomas is a valuable source of information about Mor's End and it's environs. PC's with questions about laws, trade
routes, history or landforms will find him cheaper than a formal sage.
3. Thomas may have made some enemies with his rapid success. If they think blinding him wasn't enough of a revenge, perhaps
next time they'll send a bigger cat...say, panther size...through his window. That should rouse the whole neighborhood and
attract the watch.
4. This strange cat, black as midnight, has been seen at some other places in the city. It was at Mother Hubbards house
just before the fire broke out. It dug up some herbalist's prized bed of healing herbs. It sauntered up Robert Thatcher's
ladder while he was at lunch: as he climbed back up, the ladder slipped from the roof. He broke both his legs in the fall.
But nobody claims any responsibility for it, and nobody knows who the owner is. Is it an ill-behaved stray, or an omen of
disaster? Or, whisper the superstitious codgers of the city, does it cause the disasters?
Mark the Hammer
First Post
ajanders,
I think that the PC Hooks are pretty cool. Hook #4 is pretty sweet...
I think that the PC Hooks are pretty cool. Hook #4 is pretty sweet...
Mark the Hammer
First Post
"Too bad... I was hoping we wouldn't have any advances by default."
Well that makes two of us then...
Well that makes two of us then...
cptg1481
First Post
Appologies all around
Sorry for busting the suspence date....
I had a sort of family emergency that ate up all my free time.
My dog and best buddy for the last 10 years was sick....anyway I had to take her to the vet . A couple hundered dollars later I found out that she has an enlarged heart and a few other internal problems most likely (tests not back yet) she has a cancer on her liver or stomach.
So, I appologize to you all for not meeting the deadline....my brain was under intense bombardment by random emotions. Besides, I still have to telll my 5 year old daughter.......
Wish me luck....
Sorry guys.....
Sorry for busting the suspence date....
I had a sort of family emergency that ate up all my free time.
My dog and best buddy for the last 10 years was sick....anyway I had to take her to the vet . A couple hundered dollars later I found out that she has an enlarged heart and a few other internal problems most likely (tests not back yet) she has a cancer on her liver or stomach.
So, I appologize to you all for not meeting the deadline....my brain was under intense bombardment by random emotions. Besides, I still have to telll my 5 year old daughter.......
Wish me luck....
Sorry guys.....
Mark the Hammer
First Post
Well I am definately sorry to hear that. I wish you the best!
The statblocks are on their way. Just wanted to get out what I had.
Ingredients:
Key Phrase: “He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches.”
Other Ingredients: Abandoned love; A cat, black as midnight; “New kid on the block”
History
Simonides of Ceos had always loved thinking. Even when he was very young and toiled in the olive groves of the south, he found himself thinking of what was Real. He imagined himself a prince, asleep in his huge chamber, dreaming of the life of a peasant. The examination of reality continued up to his entrance into the Skeptic School at Elis when Simonides was 18.
At the school, which was merely a forum for debating theories of life, the multiverse, and everything, Simonides was the new kid on the block. He met another young man with similar interests whose strong personality attracted Simonides. His name was Zeno, and he had a small talent with the manipulation of arcane energies. These two young men were often at the center of the most heated discussions in the forum.
After a few years, Simonides lost the innocence of the olive groves and became increasingly bitter and taciturn. “The world is not real,” he would often argue “if we cannot even prove the existence of a single thing without using our subjective senses! Consider love. What is it? Poets will spout verse attempting to explain it but all fail without exception. Rarely do they even agree to what it is. I say it is a figment! Not real! Conjured by a sadist to plague humanity. Prove it exists, and you will have given true reality to the world!” None of the student ever could, although Zeno never stopped trying. Talks long into the night, begun in earnest, usually ended up in shouting competitions. Eventually, Zeno decided the Skeptics had taught him as much as they could, and traveled with an adventuring company, employing his now increased magical abilities.
Not many years after Zeno’s departure, Simonides found waiting upon his doorstep a woman carrying a child. She handed him the boy and told him that the mother had died in childbirth. There was nowhere else for the boy to go. She also told Simonides that he was the father. Only once had he joined the other young men going to the brothels, and he found the activity both stimulating and disgusting. And here was the product of that one trip. The woman turned and walked away from Simonides standing in the door cradling a child.
Anacreon was the boy’s name, and his childhood was an interesting one. Very early on he learned the forms of rhetoric, logic, and oration. He was raised by his father more as a student, and less as a son. Even with a child’s presence, Simonides continued to refuse belief in reality, or in love. Soon Anacreon, who showed promise as a philosopher, began to assume the traits of Simonides; they were cold and distant to each other, even as they were both capable of fiery passion when talking of philosophy.
Upon Anacreon’s reaching majority, he stood full in front of his father and proceeded to unload 16 years of feelings in the span of a few minutes. Few of it was good. Anacreon’s mention of Zeno was the worst: “I can understand why your only friend didn’t want anything to do with you after you couldn’t even show him one bit of affection! He was right! The world is real, love is real, and surely he will assist my studies in how to create the real through the arcane! I tried to love you, but you would have none of it. Well, he shall be the father you should have been!” And with that, Anacreon left. Simonides stood still with a look of both confusion and condescension on his face.
That look remained on his face for 10 years. He ceased to publish any works or take part in the debates in the forum. Simonides’ life floated along, and all the while he was wrestling with what his son had said. “I tried to love you, but you would have none of it.” Simonides thought, “How was the father supposed to know what his son thought love was if it was not real? How to you accept an inexistent gift? Impossible. His son was out of his mind,” he concluded. Soon after every conclusion he made, Simonides would begin thinking about it again.
Simonides’ belief in his philosophy supported him in those 10 years of doubt. But they failed him when he heard of his son again. A large crate arrived on his 62nd birthday. Attached was a note from Zeno:
Simonides,
I assume that you are still contending that there is no love in the world, so this package will find you in good stead. A son is always in need of a father’s love. The pain you will feel at your son’s undeath proves that you have lost someone you loved. If you need to look further than your pain at your lost son, observe Anacreon’s cat familiar; Felix has mewed over the corpse ever since I created it. The gift I give you is the knowledge that love exists in the world, as well as the responsibility to take care of your undead son and his familiar. Inside the crate, there hangs an amulet with which you may control Anacreon. Unfortunately, since he lost his lungs, he is rather less talkative than when I met him. Take care of him! Let him be a reminder for you that you indeed have loved and knew it not. The skeptics were famous for their comment “Those that can, do; those that cannot, teach.” Go! Teach, if you cannot love! Take this knowledge and undo the wrongs made by your skeptical speeches in the forum. Let the world know that love is real; that feelings are real.
Zeno
The letter was not halfway read when Simonides frantically pried open the crate with his bare hands and beheld Felix the cat, black as midnight, curled against the rotting flesh of the zombie that used to be Anacreon. As Zeno had said, an amulet lay in the crate. It blurred out of vision as Simonides collapsed crying, realizing that he loved his son.
Simonides reached Mor’s End only last week, in his 71st year. Traveling around the world, concealing his son’s presence, Simonides preaches love for all things. He has little belongings, although a black cat is often seen trailing him. At night, people whisper that this old man sleeps in the graveyard, for no known reason. His only valuable is the bejeweled amulet that hangs on his neck.
Description
Simonides is a withered old man with a bright face. Wrinkles so deep might make you wonder how the skin stays on. His garments are shabby, rags mostly, with a ruby amulet hanging around his neck.
Plot Hooks
- There are rumors of undead lurking in the graveyard. The PC’s must investigate and find that this seemingly benign old man is involved.
- The PC’s are commissioned to find a cure for Anacreon before Simonides dies of old age.
- The PC’s are sent to find Zeno, the wizard that has eluded Simonides’ searches for the past 9 years.
Simonides is willing to talk about philosophy to anyone and everyone. He might not be a wealth of information on applicable topics, but his is convicted in what he does know.
Simonides of Ceos, Male Human Exp2: CR 1: hp 4:Init +1 Spd 30 ft. AC 8, touch 8, flatfooted 8: Attack –1; SA None, SQ None
NG. SV: Fort-2, Will+4, Ref-1: STR 6, DEX 8, CON 7, INT 17, WIS 13, CHA 13.
Skills: Knowledge(Philosophy)+11, Knowledge(History)+11, Diplomacy +6, Bluff +6, Profession(Olive Picker)+2, Profession(Author) +6, Perform +6, Profession(Cook) +5
Feats: Skill Focus(Know: Philosophy), Skill Focus(Know: History)
Languages:Common, Draconic, Elven
Item: Amulet of Undead Control
This amulet has been aligned to controlling the undead form of Anacreon, and it will work only for him. The wearer may direct the zombie to perform any simple task. If left undirected, zombie Anacreon will not move for any reason.
Felix, tiny cat familiar : CR 1 : HP 10 : Init +2 : Spd 30ft : AC 18, Touch 12, Flat footed 16: Attack 2 claws +4 melee, bite -1 melee : Damage Claw 1d2-4, bite 1d3-4 : SA Speak with animals of its type : SQ Alertness, Improved Evasion
CG : SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1 : STR 3, DEX 15, CON 10, INT 9, WIS 12, CHA 7
Skills: Spot +3, Listen +3, Balance +10, Climb +5, Hide +17, Move Silently +6.
Feats: Weapon Finesse (Claws, bite)
Ingredients:
Key Phrase: “He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches.”
Other Ingredients: Abandoned love; A cat, black as midnight; “New kid on the block”
History
Simonides of Ceos had always loved thinking. Even when he was very young and toiled in the olive groves of the south, he found himself thinking of what was Real. He imagined himself a prince, asleep in his huge chamber, dreaming of the life of a peasant. The examination of reality continued up to his entrance into the Skeptic School at Elis when Simonides was 18.
At the school, which was merely a forum for debating theories of life, the multiverse, and everything, Simonides was the new kid on the block. He met another young man with similar interests whose strong personality attracted Simonides. His name was Zeno, and he had a small talent with the manipulation of arcane energies. These two young men were often at the center of the most heated discussions in the forum.
After a few years, Simonides lost the innocence of the olive groves and became increasingly bitter and taciturn. “The world is not real,” he would often argue “if we cannot even prove the existence of a single thing without using our subjective senses! Consider love. What is it? Poets will spout verse attempting to explain it but all fail without exception. Rarely do they even agree to what it is. I say it is a figment! Not real! Conjured by a sadist to plague humanity. Prove it exists, and you will have given true reality to the world!” None of the student ever could, although Zeno never stopped trying. Talks long into the night, begun in earnest, usually ended up in shouting competitions. Eventually, Zeno decided the Skeptics had taught him as much as they could, and traveled with an adventuring company, employing his now increased magical abilities.
Not many years after Zeno’s departure, Simonides found waiting upon his doorstep a woman carrying a child. She handed him the boy and told him that the mother had died in childbirth. There was nowhere else for the boy to go. She also told Simonides that he was the father. Only once had he joined the other young men going to the brothels, and he found the activity both stimulating and disgusting. And here was the product of that one trip. The woman turned and walked away from Simonides standing in the door cradling a child.
Anacreon was the boy’s name, and his childhood was an interesting one. Very early on he learned the forms of rhetoric, logic, and oration. He was raised by his father more as a student, and less as a son. Even with a child’s presence, Simonides continued to refuse belief in reality, or in love. Soon Anacreon, who showed promise as a philosopher, began to assume the traits of Simonides; they were cold and distant to each other, even as they were both capable of fiery passion when talking of philosophy.
Upon Anacreon’s reaching majority, he stood full in front of his father and proceeded to unload 16 years of feelings in the span of a few minutes. Few of it was good. Anacreon’s mention of Zeno was the worst: “I can understand why your only friend didn’t want anything to do with you after you couldn’t even show him one bit of affection! He was right! The world is real, love is real, and surely he will assist my studies in how to create the real through the arcane! I tried to love you, but you would have none of it. Well, he shall be the father you should have been!” And with that, Anacreon left. Simonides stood still with a look of both confusion and condescension on his face.
That look remained on his face for 10 years. He ceased to publish any works or take part in the debates in the forum. Simonides’ life floated along, and all the while he was wrestling with what his son had said. “I tried to love you, but you would have none of it.” Simonides thought, “How was the father supposed to know what his son thought love was if it was not real? How to you accept an inexistent gift? Impossible. His son was out of his mind,” he concluded. Soon after every conclusion he made, Simonides would begin thinking about it again.
Simonides’ belief in his philosophy supported him in those 10 years of doubt. But they failed him when he heard of his son again. A large crate arrived on his 62nd birthday. Attached was a note from Zeno:
Simonides,
I assume that you are still contending that there is no love in the world, so this package will find you in good stead. A son is always in need of a father’s love. The pain you will feel at your son’s undeath proves that you have lost someone you loved. If you need to look further than your pain at your lost son, observe Anacreon’s cat familiar; Felix has mewed over the corpse ever since I created it. The gift I give you is the knowledge that love exists in the world, as well as the responsibility to take care of your undead son and his familiar. Inside the crate, there hangs an amulet with which you may control Anacreon. Unfortunately, since he lost his lungs, he is rather less talkative than when I met him. Take care of him! Let him be a reminder for you that you indeed have loved and knew it not. The skeptics were famous for their comment “Those that can, do; those that cannot, teach.” Go! Teach, if you cannot love! Take this knowledge and undo the wrongs made by your skeptical speeches in the forum. Let the world know that love is real; that feelings are real.
Zeno
The letter was not halfway read when Simonides frantically pried open the crate with his bare hands and beheld Felix the cat, black as midnight, curled against the rotting flesh of the zombie that used to be Anacreon. As Zeno had said, an amulet lay in the crate. It blurred out of vision as Simonides collapsed crying, realizing that he loved his son.
Simonides reached Mor’s End only last week, in his 71st year. Traveling around the world, concealing his son’s presence, Simonides preaches love for all things. He has little belongings, although a black cat is often seen trailing him. At night, people whisper that this old man sleeps in the graveyard, for no known reason. His only valuable is the bejeweled amulet that hangs on his neck.
Description
Simonides is a withered old man with a bright face. Wrinkles so deep might make you wonder how the skin stays on. His garments are shabby, rags mostly, with a ruby amulet hanging around his neck.
Plot Hooks
- There are rumors of undead lurking in the graveyard. The PC’s must investigate and find that this seemingly benign old man is involved.
- The PC’s are commissioned to find a cure for Anacreon before Simonides dies of old age.
- The PC’s are sent to find Zeno, the wizard that has eluded Simonides’ searches for the past 9 years.
Simonides is willing to talk about philosophy to anyone and everyone. He might not be a wealth of information on applicable topics, but his is convicted in what he does know.
Simonides of Ceos, Male Human Exp2: CR 1: hp 4:Init +1 Spd 30 ft. AC 8, touch 8, flatfooted 8: Attack –1; SA None, SQ None
NG. SV: Fort-2, Will+4, Ref-1: STR 6, DEX 8, CON 7, INT 17, WIS 13, CHA 13.
Skills: Knowledge(Philosophy)+11, Knowledge(History)+11, Diplomacy +6, Bluff +6, Profession(Olive Picker)+2, Profession(Author) +6, Perform +6, Profession(Cook) +5
Feats: Skill Focus(Know: Philosophy), Skill Focus(Know: History)
Languages:Common, Draconic, Elven
Item: Amulet of Undead Control
This amulet has been aligned to controlling the undead form of Anacreon, and it will work only for him. The wearer may direct the zombie to perform any simple task. If left undirected, zombie Anacreon will not move for any reason.
Felix, tiny cat familiar : CR 1 : HP 10 : Init +2 : Spd 30ft : AC 18, Touch 12, Flat footed 16: Attack 2 claws +4 melee, bite -1 melee : Damage Claw 1d2-4, bite 1d3-4 : SA Speak with animals of its type : SQ Alertness, Improved Evasion
CG : SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1 : STR 3, DEX 15, CON 10, INT 9, WIS 12, CHA 7
Skills: Spot +3, Listen +3, Balance +10, Climb +5, Hide +17, Move Silently +6.
Feats: Weapon Finesse (Claws, bite)
Last edited:
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