Exclusive Contest! Todd Lockwood draws your character! [NO MORE ENTRIES!]

[RangerWickett]

I sorta let this deadline sneak up on me. I am submitting 10 entries in separate posts, and I hope one of them impresses Mr. Lockwood or the very generous Kai Lord.

My entries will include:

• Victorious Elrad, human water elementalist mage.
• Tri'ni Gren'eys, dark Elf wild spellcaster.
• Sabri Zeldathane, half-minotaur temple guardian.
• Vidania Berendt, half-Elf air elementalist mage.
• Jenny Windgrave, modern day Native American theater student turned paladin, from the Savannah Knights storyhour.
• Quillathe Nailo, dark Elf whip-duelist.
• Stanely Deadtree, follower of Zorok, three-headed chicken god of everything.
• Gook Moop, Goblin hero.
• Hera 'Harley' Fyana, Elf performer and stage magician.
• Bobbie-Sue Komalofski, human mage-for-hire, adopted daughter of gnomes.

Victorious Elrad
Created by my friend, Justin Rollins

Victorious is a member of the Elemental Guardians, an order of elemental mages that has existed for thousands of years. The youngest member of the order, Vic is very confident in his skills, and still adventures for his own enjoyment, considering it the best way for him to both hone and show off his magical talents.

A human male, Vic stands just under six feet tall. His skin is dark and tanned from many travels on the open sea, with about the complexion you'd expect on the legendary Sinbad. His hair is white, flowing down to slightly below his shoulders, and he has recently grown a distinguished goatee and mini-beard. As is to be expected for a water mage, his eyes are a cool blue.

Though eager to brag and show off, Vic is supremely relaxed, comfortable in nearly any situation. He usually wears a confident, friendly smile, and enjoys laughing at the various friendly rivalries he has with other mages. His wits have allowed him to use magic in rather unorthodox ways. For instance, Vic is only able to summon aquatic creatures, but once he was fighting a dragon that would not land to fight, so Vic summoned a whale in mid-air over the dragon. The falling whale knocked the dragon out of the sky, and Vic and his allies were able to finish the beast.

An experienced and successful adventurer, Vic is able to afford the finest, most impressive clothing. He favors dark blues and grays for his colors, and most of his garments are magically enhanced so as not to restrict movement underwater. His common adventuring outfit is a light loosely-sleeved shirt, black leather pants, calf-high boots, and a belt that holds essential spell components, a dagger, and a waterproof bag of holding. Over this he wears a smooth silk vest that appears to waver like the surface of water. Finally, he wears a heavy blue cloak with gold tracing. The inside of the cloak is lined with pouches to hold and conceal useful magical items.

He also carries a smoothly lacquered staff cut from driftwood, with no adornments except a few carvings at its head to resemble cresting waves. Vic's most important magical item, however, is a gold ring with a large square sapphire. This ring was forged from the magical energy of an Underdark river delta, and acts as Vic's link to the elemental plane of water.

Victorious is often accompanied by a panther named Simba, whom he bought early in his adventuring career. Vic eventually had Simba awakened to sentience, and they take care of each other as close friends.

When Vic uses magic, his ring's gem glows dimly, and often a halo of water globules form over his head. With his ability to metamorphose liquids (like water to wine) and to walk on water, and because of his long, flowing white hair and slight beard, Victorious could easily pose as an image of God creating the world from the watery depths. Plus, panthers were long used as symbols for Christ in Medieval bestiaries.

Here's a very old drawing of him, back when he first started adventuring. You'll have to copy-paste the link, since Geocities is mean. http://www.geocities.com/rangerwickett/ToH_Images/Victorious1_watercolor.jpg

 

[RangerWickett]

Tri'ni Gren'eys, dark Elf wild spellcaster
Created by myself.

Tri'ni grew up as an orphan owned by a slave-trader, her first name the dark Elf equivalent of 'Stumpy'. When she was a child, her owner would underfeed her and use her sickly, skinny form as contrast against the better-fed, more marketable slaves. Eventually she was bought by an old dark Elf man named Rodinn, who took pity on her. Soon after she was bought, however, one of Rodinn's spells went awry and changed both 'father' and 'daughter's eyes to a brilliant emerald green. Rodinn gave her the last name 'Gren'eys,' because it sounded like the exotic surface common language words for 'green eyes.'

Though just barely into Elvish adulthood now, Tri'ni has experienced a full lifetime of adventuring. She eventually ran off with a group of adventurers from the surface, since she wanted to see the rest of the world, and couldn't care less for Underdark intrigues. She has become a talented spellcaster, exploring the peculiarities of the wild magic that her father was prone to, and occasionally refers to herself as a Sculptor of Chaos.

No longer quite as skinny or runty as in her youth, Tri'ni stands 5'2", and has the dark grey skin that is typical of her race (P.S., Todd Lockwood is probably the best artist ever to capture what I think is appropriate dark Elf skin tone). She is slim of build, nimble but not physically strong. Tri'ni's eyes are wide and eager, more human-shaped and less exotic than most Elves. Her irises are a vibrant emerald green. Her hair is white, cut short and cheerfully to above her shoulders. Since her current life is infinitely better than her youth, Tri'ni usually keeps a contented smirk on her face.

Tri'ni wears numerous costumes, favoring comfortable adventuring gear with a few extravagant flares. She usually relies on her magic more than her modest swordfighting skills, and she can typically be seen carrying a smooth, straight black staff that belonged to her father. The staff, an ornate magic item centuries old, is topped with an unfaceted green stone and has numerous carvings and decorations made by dozens of owners of different races and cultures. As a self-trained sorceress, Tri'ni carries few other essentials; since she learned to teleport, she has taken to traveling lightly, with just her staff, an impressive cloak, and a fly spell.

Tri'ni's favorite form of magic is lightning. Most of her attack spells involve lightning, and she loves just standing in a thunderstorm and listening to the sky rumble.

 

[RangerWickett]

Sabri Zeldathane, half-Minotaur temple guardian
Created by Jessica Jones, Acquana on these boards

Sabri's mother, a Minotaur from the village of Awenasa, was already betrothed when the human merchant caravan came through town. She drank too much, woke up beside a very frightened human, and nine months later gave birth to a strange child. Sabri was nearly cast out, labeled "Nitesh" or 'secret,' but one of the town's elders, a deaf priest named Xenofahn, saw something familiar in the child's appearance.

The Minotaur religion holds that the Minotaur people are a collection of the various essences of the other races, combined to a single form. Similarly, they accept all religions as containing some element of truth, and thus they revere every god and believe in every myth, though often with a few twists unique to the Minotaurs. In Xenofahn's case, the infant Sabri reminded him of a goat-legged demon he had seen an illumination of before, and so he thought that she was a blessing from extraplanar forces. She was accepted by the village and given the name of the town's first ever champion.

Sabri is now eighteen years old, stands six and a half feet tall, and is still growing. Her lower body is that of a Minotaur, shaggy and cow-like. From her upper thighs up, however, she looks mostly like a human, with no fur. Her face is a slight meshing of the two races, with an almost-snout that could be mistaken for just a strangely-shaped nose. Her hair is auburn, short in back, with bangs hanging over her eyes. From the back of her head, two short, smooth horns extend backward about four inches, resembling more the horns of a goat than of a bull.

Like most warriors in her village, Sabri was trained to withhold her negative emotions, saving them for combat, when she can unleash them in a berserker frenzy. Unfortunately, her recent travels through human lands have caused her more stress than she could really handle, and her recent rages have come dangerously close to becoming uncontrolled. She has recently turned to practicing pious magic in hopes of calming herself, but something about the mingling of human blood and Minotaur makes it hard for her to master more than simple spells.

Sabri fights with a Bokonen, a large metal club with diamond-shaped bumps on its head, similar to an oriental tetsubo (I think that's the name), only thicker. She received a suit of masterwork plate armor from a clan of blacksmith ghosts, and wears it under the ceremonial robes of a temple defender. The robes are similar to a priest's stole, but are made of heavy wool with numerous holy symbols sewn along its edge.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Oh, bah. Might as well toss in a few, hm?

Celebelen Khelekluin, Male Elf

Celebelen is the son of the King of Elves from my homebrew. Since his father was killed, he was supposed to inherit the throne. He's not exactly the kind of person that ever like it, so he ran off with his favorite horse. Ever since then he's always running and constantly being chased down by members of the Royal Court, under his Mother, to bring him back...since, technically, they kind of need a King.

Celebelen is a little under six feet tall, with long blonde hair and ice blue eyes. While he doesn't like the idea of being a King, his weapons are a bit more showy than normal. He carries an elbaboratly engraved longsword but his preferred weapon is his longbow. Celebelen is fairly thin, and usually wears dark and dirtied green robes to hide his face in public. Everywhere he goes, he brings his horse, Tal'sul. Both of them literally grew up together, and are companions for life...to the point that Celebelen's friends have to convince him the horse will be alright if he doesn't sleep in the stable with her.


Terinis Aster, Male Elf

Terinis is the absolute pinnacle of the swashbuckler. He is charismatic, a great fighter, and always in trouble. While he knows that deep down he's still just a thief, he makes sure that everything he does at least is close enough to being legal that no one can catch him for it. While Terinis is a good fighter, he's more of a show off in battle, using far too many jumps, backflips, and other showy and unneccisary moves. He will only kill if forced to, and is actually very talkative while involved in a fight.

Terinis stands around five-foot-four. He always has a grin on his face, and a hand on his rapier...just in case. He wears simple clothing and a large cloak to conceal anything under his clothes more easily. There are only two things he wears proudly and openly: The first is his rapier, which was extremely expensive. Its hilt and wristguard are designed with a Dragon breathing flames on it, and he's proud that it was something he never did steal. The second thing is his bandana. He wears it whenever he feels he needs a boost of luck. It is old, dull red, and falling apart, but whenever Terinis thinks he needs an edge in something, he ties it around under his scruffy hair on his forehead.


Surrgis Dureson, Male Illithid(Something compeltely different)

Surrgis is a young Mind Flayer who plans to prove himself to his people. While not openly shunned, he is mostly looked down upon for his choice to explore to upper world. He is a strong warrior, and a deadly opponent in more than just combat. Though he explores the upper world by his own choice, he detests the creatures of it, and finds himself wondering how the creatures of the surface haven't simply died of stupidity...he even sees himself as the superior to the many Outsiders(mostly Devils) that he has encountered.

Suggis looks like a typical Illithid, with pale blue skin and deep set black in black eyes. He wear very boring and dirty black robes, with a large hood to conceal his identity among the surface dwellers. Because of how he normally appears, a simple humanoid form on a black horse in his black robes with a large sword, he is known as both The Rider and The Dark One among most of the communities which he travels in. On his back, he carries his only weapon, a large two handed bastard sword which he wields with deadly strength. The sword has no distinguishing marks other than a dark green gem in its hilt.

 

[RangerWickett]

Vidania Berendt, half-Elf air elementalist mage
Created by mutual group effort in my home game.

Vidania is the daughter of a fire elementalist, but she herself is training to be an air mage. Soft-faced and often serene, Vidania is currently on a pilgrimage to find a location of powerful air magic that she can bond to, so that she can join the order of the Elemental Guardians like her father.

Vidania's demeanor is generally calm, but she is neither dim nor uncaring. Her mentor, a very old Elf air mage, instilled in her a sense that life should be lived fully, because no matter how long you have to life, your life will eventually end. She reacts to danger and challenges quickly and confidently, and often takes the role of commander with the group of guardians she travels with.

Vidania's eyes are a subtle blue-grey, and though her hair is the same fiery red as her father's, it flows and curls in the wind, occasionally kicking up in the intense gusts that come from her spellcasting. Recently, Vidania was severely burned by a magical fight she got involved in, and she has a major fear of dragons because of some of the challenges her father faced when she was very young, but magical healing has cleared up all of the physical scars. She is still very cautious, however, and wears clothes to cover most of her body, including long gloves and a headpiece adorned with feathers. She still has a veil with which she can cover her face, but she has grown more confident lately, and is willing to go without it.

Her robes have numerous layers, pockets, and adornments, often with feather patterns, designed with unusual stitching so that it drapes and ruffles as if it were in a breeze, even when there is no wind.

Most of Vidania's magic is for mobility and defense, creating wind walls and allowing herself and her allies to fly or breathe underwater, but when she does have to fight, often she'll use telekinesis to hurl objects at foes, or create a choking miasma to suffocate them. Her only weapon is a slightly crooked quarterstaff, whose head turns slightly to face forward, and whose cross-section resembles an eye.

 

[talinthas]

Hollyberry, Afflicted Kender bbn2/rog5

Holly was 12 when Malys came and laid waste to the rolling plains of Goodlund, and he was severly scarred by the experience. His only living kin is his younger brother, an infant at the time of the massacres. Now, at the age of 40, Holly has become increasingly paranoid and bitter about the destruction caused by the giant Red. His younger brother has given into kender instincts and gone off on wanderlust, but Holly lurks around the sewers of Palanthas, trying to find a way to destroy the Dragon Overlord.

Holly is 3'8, and very thin. His short black hair is oiled and spiked upwards, and the network of wrinkels on his face is framed by long sideburns. His pointed ears are pierced multiple times up and down the lobe, and around his neck is a gorget meant to prevent the minions of malys from sneaking up and choking him. His eyes are the only real colorful part of his body, shining a startling green, made even brighter by the pallor of his skin.

Holly has only grown increasingly more paranoid as the years have gone by, and his clothing reflects that. His pants are a dark olive green, and his shirt and vest are shades of Brown and Black. Underneath his clothing are thin sheets of metal meant to deter would be assassins. His pouches hold the usual assorment of picks, but also poisons and varied alchemical devices. His daggers are all modified to deliver poisons on contact. Also in his arsenal is a thin wire for choking as needed.

Ever light fingered, Holly has aquired a few magical items over the years, mainly his boots of striding and springing, and his ring of invisibility.

Holly lives in the vast sewer network under Palanthas, in charge of a group of kender refugees known collectively as the Kender Underground. This band of vigellantes exist to harrass the knights of neraka and all minions of the dragon overlords. Holly's face has been permanently twisted into a most unkenderlike scowl.

 

[RangerWickett]

Jenny Windgrave, modern day Native American theater student turned paladin, from the Savannah Knights storyhour.
Created by myself.

Jenny is a performing arts student at the Savannah College of Art and Design, who accidentally found herself involved in the world of magic when she and several other students witnessed an attack by a supernatural creature. Jenny, bonded to the ghost of a three-hundred-years-dead shaman from her family's tribe, was able to use magic to help fight off the creature, and thus she was recruited to join the Bureau. As a Knight of the Bureau, Jenny helps make sure magic remains secret to most humans.

Twenty-two years old, Jenny is a young and attractive Native American woman who originally saw herself destined to be a star performer in the theater. Now she finds more fulfillment by helping protect endangered humans from various magical monsters. When on the job, she wears well-tailored modern clothes, usually white or beige (she considers this a slight form of rebelling against the trend among her coworkers to wear intimidating black business suits). She has received some training in hand-to-hand fighting, but she usually defends herself with a spear. Normally she carries only the stone spearhead, and when she activates the item's magic, a wooden haft appears.

Her ghost, Pataman, is not normally visible to humans other than Jenny herself, but she can see him fine. Pataman is dressed in the same clothes he died in, a shaman's outfit with modest adornments, but no weapon. Pataman provides Jenny with access to healing and defensive magic, and protects her from supernatural dangers that would kill normal humans.

 

[RangerWickett]

Quillathe Nailo, dark Elf whip-duelist
Created by myself.

Quillathe is a very old dark Elf woman, but still is young enough to fight with perfect vigor and agility. She has mastered an exotic fighting style, wielding a rapier in her left hand, and a whip-dagger in her right. Her dark red-violet hair is braided down her back in a spiderweb pattern, and she wears elegant maroon Elvish plate armor that is light enough to not interfere with her fighting style. Quite possibly the most skilled whip fighter in the world, Quillathe uses the whip to disarm, trip, and strangle her foes before she closes to deliver the killing blow with her rapier.

 

[RangerWickett]

Stanely Deadtree, follower of Zorok, three-headed chicken god of everything
Created by Michael Gallogly.

Stanely is dim-witted, but a strong warrior. He and his family believe that they were rescued from wolves by blessed chickens, and they started a new religion (with six members total). Chickens are to be revered, not eaten, though eggs are the blessing of Zorok, and can be enjoyed freely.

Perhaps Stanely's beliefs are simply a corruption of the well-documented myth of the Stormchaser Eagle, a powerful holy bird. Regardless, Stanely desires to spread the glories of Zorok, and fights fearlessly to win fame for his deity. Square-jawed, poorly shaven, and clad in heavy plate armor, Stanely fights evil with a pair of magic swords -- a shortsword that drips hot tar, and a longsword that sheds feathers as you swing it. When he kills his foes, he leaves them baptized as is demanded by his religion: tarred and feathered.

 

[Piratecat]

Dranko "Coaltongue" Blackhope (aka Mellindiel Brightmirror), half-orc cleric/rogue with a few lasher levels

Really, he wanted so much to be cool.

You would, too. Imagine if you were a half-orc child rejected by your maternal grandparents and turned over to the church for a proper raising. Sure, the church is sacred to the God of Healing, but discipline is done by the sect known as the Scarbearers... clerics who feel that by hurting themselves and then healing the wounds, they become closer to divinity and closer to God. Their healing spells always leave scars, and they are far from gentle with their charges. When a charge happens to be a rebellious and stubborn half-orc, they did their best to beat the devil out of the child.

Christened Mellindiel Brightmirror, the fostered child soon chose a name which he felt was a much better fit: "Dranko," meaning "unloved" in orcish.

By the time Dranko was of age to leave the church, he had over 200 scars on his body. None were self-inflicted, unless you consider direct rebellion in the face of excessive discipline to be "self-inflicted."

And so, finally, he was free of his church's rules and looking to prove himself - the proud, bitter front that hid a reservoir of anticipated pain. Both a rogue and a cleric, it was common for Dranko to rob someone, pause, and heal them before vanishing into the shadows. He affected an eyepatch he didn't need, smoked stinking cigars, bought a wardrobe of black leather and red lining, and prepared himself to scrounge his way into society. The slightly protruding tusks and untameable shock of black hair combined with the numerous scars and his coal-black tongue to make him look more than a little intimidating. Unfortunately, in the tradition of "new money" everywhere, the outfit also made him look cheap and tacky as it advertised that he was simply trying too hard.

He never realized. Not too bright, our Dranko.

Nowadays, after years of adventuring, he's developed a bit more class and - thanks to his friends who he trusts more than life - a lot more self-confident. He's still prone to treasure-baths and crowns of tacky jewels, because the ostentatious display of wealth is really half the fun. The fake eyepatch is gone, though, as are the painfully new clothes that were once designed to scream "I'm a thief" to anyone who might pick a fight. He's got more scars, though. Some things never change.

Stats if ya want 'em! And Kai Lord and Todd, thank you again; what a cool contest.