Help me populate a 400-person village.

[awayfarer]

Baral and Larab

The twin human sorcerers, Baral and Larab are a bit eccentric. Baral always walks on the left and Larab on the right. Each is a little short despite having recently reached their 17th birthday Though muscular, lean and good looking, perhaps the duos most noticable physical feature are the odd birthmarks covering their body. It seems that each lads marking connect with those found on the other. When they stand next to each other, as they often do, some people say they can see a pattern gently swirl in and out of focus. Exactly what the picture is, or if it's just folks minds playing tricks on them, is anybodys guess.

The twins keep well groomed and their short, spiky brown hair is always kept neat. Bizarrely, they share the one comb they own.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

Dunly

A Gnome Wizard who is usually very calm and collected. He appears to be somewhere a little over 100 years old for a Gnome. He wears a pair of spectacles that let him see magical auras. He spends most of his day in his laboratory researching new spells and working on alchemy projects. If one were to venture into his basement they would find a collection of strange machinery that seems to have no particular purpose. He is quite fond of dairy products and can often be seen either eating cheese or drinking fresh milk.

 

[elforcelf]

Zephyr,a 40th level psion flumph who loves this place! Acts like he is a normal flumph. He might have set the village up based on a 40 year U.K. TV. show or not.

 

[jeffman]

My annoying familiar

Blackfellow, raven familiar

Blackfellow is the fat raven familiar of the deceased wizard Jehan.

Blackfellow spends his days sitting around town, eating, and bad mouthing anybody who passes by, often demanding corn to eat.

 

[awayfarer]

Kuras

As Kuras grew up, he really grew UP. At the young age of 16 he is a massive 7'2 and 400 lbs. His appearance and stature suggest the possibility of some ogre blood, although it is doubtful that he could be a full ogre. At least, if he is, he is both smarter and scrawnier than a normal one.

Kuras spends as much time as he can with Pedimmu. Other than that, he largely keeps to himself. He loves to read although he does so in secret, worried that the activity would ruin his tough, "loner" image. He is not actually mean, just very shy. He tries to appear threatening to hide this.

Other than the founders, those who know what Kuras's face really looks like are few in number. Both his eyes and hair are inky black. When he was found, his face was heavily scarred. He always took great pains to cover it up and he's very sensitive about it. Few ever ask him about it and the large, taciturn lad offers little chance for them to do so.

Oddly, Kuras was found with a mask in the shape of a skull sans lower jaw. It was certainly to big for him as a baby and remains so to this day, although he has grown in to it a great deal. He's had to make some minor adjustments to get it to fit. The size of the mask further suggests some giant or ogre ancestry.

 

[Land Outcast]

Durvin: This one is silent and loves... no, is obssessed with farming. He is a stocky built but pale fellow who tills the soil from sun to sun, rarely spending more than a minute to speak with someone.

Navarra: This gnoll is the archer master in the village, accuracy is his second name. Be it arrows, apples, knives, whatever, he has exacting precision, apart from that he is the second-in-command of the guard, he's honest to a fault and loves competition of any kind.

 

[RangerWickett]

RangerWickett, are you going to include the bar with "Good, Evil and Neutral"? Or was that a different project?

Thanks for reminding me. I'd forgotten. Though I might have to revise it a bit. However, part of the community is that they let people choose a new name for themselves when they become an adult, if they want.

 

[RangerWickett]

Oh, and some of these ideas are great. I might pass on the baby beholder (I'm trying to limit things to ECL 4), and I'm not quite sure a 40th level flumph is what I was shooting for, but the line about the gnoll archer being able to throw apples is just inspired. Nothing quite like taking a tasty bite out of a projectile weapon just before you throw it.

I also rather like the cantankerous raven familiar. It will be nice to show that townsfolk have died over the years (actually, instead of Jehan, I did plan for a halfling woman named Jeima to be the young PCs' first exposure to death). Likewise, an 'elderly' cat is nice, simply because cats age faster than people. However, I can't use it, because of another cat gimmick I have in mind for later.

I'll have to use the comb-sharing twins, and an ogre henchman for Pedimmu will be useful in case tensions flare later. The others I might combine into groups of friends from different age groups. This reminds me, I need to come up with people the same age as the PCs, to have been their 'classmates.'


Artep and Lajeca have a half-elf daughter named Eshedual, but she's the only child of the founders, and she's low on common sense, so the whole town feels a little responsible for keeping her safe. Pedimmu is married to a girl named Itana, sixteen years his junior.

Other NPCs I've already come up with are:

Yjtfub, a heroic gnome woman (think paladin, but more free-spirited) who will go out one day to help try to find a missing villager, not to return for nearly seven years. When she does return, her heroism is faded for she traveled far and saw horrible tragedy. If the PCs can help her regain her faith, she will be a powerful ally, and if they do not, she will be a warning of what lies beyond the safety of their homeland.

Gale, a dark-skinned human woman who acts as the caretaker of the PCs when they're young. She's an everyday person, and can answer everyday questions.

Etymos, a human boy, a year older than them, who starts a sort of gang and bullies them.

Delica, a red-headed human girl who has mild psionic powers.

Kaka, a forestkith goblin brawler who is disliked by most of the townsfolk except Lajeca. He's wild and crazy, like Stitch from Lilo & Stitch.

Najess, a female naga, touch-feely. She's the town messenger, since she can’t carry anything but messages.

 

[Ferrum]

Keep in mind that some so-called racial characteristics are actually societal, not racial. For instance, unless one of the four founders of the town was a kobold, there's no real reason for a kobold raised in this village to have any desire to worship Kurtulmak, any enmity towards gnomes, or any predisposition towards Lawful Evil. Similar arguments could be made about certain traits like skill bonuses (a halfling's Move Silently bonus might be from soft feet, but a half-elf's Diplomacy bonus is said to come from their desire to mediate between their two halves.)

It is true that many racial personality traits are soceitally driven, and not genetic, but who's to say wrath, greed and pride aren't predisposed racial traits?

The founders ask themselves that often when dealing with Voil.

Voil is 22 years old, one of the earlier children raised by the founders. His jet black skin is unique amongst the village complexions, and he keeps his long white hair pulled behind his pointed elven ears, and a long braid starts at the top of his neck and falls to his knees.

He wears dark glasses Damati made for him during his rare appearances in daylight. At night he has been seen lingering around Lajeca's laboratory, and is always present lurking nearby when Lajeca or Damati practice any magic. Though the other founders warn her against it, Damati can't help but indulge Voil's interest in magic.

When not focused on learning magic, Voil keeps to himself in his small home outside of town. Aside from his apprenticeship with Damati, Voil avoids contact with the rest of the town. Unfortunately for him, Greya doesn't appreciate his desire for solitude.

Greya is a 16 year old girl who openly admits her crush on Voil, in whispers, pleasant conversation and self-composed and performed melodies. She's a bright, energetic and lovely young girl, and no one can understand what she sees in Voil.

Her golden blond hair is luminous, and her bright blue eyes seem to glow with warmth. As far as the founders can tell, there is something of the celestial in Greya. She is in fact, an Aasimar.

These characters assume that all races age at the same rate. Do they?

 

[Gulla]

So far most are suggestions are very exotic? Here are some names and ideas for more standard(ish) people.

Marek - Human (Ranger 1). Darkhaired and strong. Silent and slow to anger and even slower to forgive. Very strong as a friend, fearsome as an enemy.

Tammith - Human (Sorceror 1) - Darkhaired, very pretty. Very closely tied to her boyfriend Borovic. A terrible temper and just as likely to fly into a berserkerlike rage and hit people with her stick/quarterstaff as flinging a spell.

Borovic - Human (Barbarian 1) - Plain and plain with a piercing gaze and an aura of authority. Behaves so people feel he should decide things. A leadertype and reasonable guy.

Delthrin - Halfcelestial/human - Pretty boy with blond hair and strong arms. A ladies man, never staying with the same girl for more than a few months but somehow even his exes like him

Shandri - Human (rogue 1) - Nondescript with brown eyes. Nobody really notices Shandri as she is just around. If they do her eyes betray deep knowledge and intelligence, maybe from seeing and hearing far more than she should have.

Leon - halfelf - The Friend. Always there when someone needs a shoulder to cry on, someone to talk to or some practical help. Close to many of the girls, but never as a boyfriend.

Guess that will be all for now.

Håkon