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Metropolis (Chapter 3) - The Heart of the City
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<blockquote data-quote="D20Dazza" data-source="post: 2288365" data-attributes="member: 4260"><p><strong>Ghost Hound A.K.A Ghost or Hound</strong></p><p></p><p>[code]</p><p>Ghost Hound</p><p></p><p>Elf Bard 5 (XP 13,100) Alignment: CG</p><p>Height: 5'2" Weight: 93lbs. Age: 130</p><p>hair: white eyes: red skin: white</p><p>Region of Origin: The Apartments (Metropolis)</p><p></p><p>STR 8 -1 (0 point)</p><p>DEX 16 +3 (6 point +2 racial)</p><p>CON 10 (4 point -2 racial)</p><p>INT 14 +2 (6 point)</p><p>WIS 10 (2 point)</p><p>CHA 17 +3 (10 point, +1 4th level)</p><p></p><p>HP: 26 </p><p>Init: +3</p><p></p><p>BAB/Grapple: +3/+2</p><p>Speed: 30ft</p><p></p><p>+1 Light Mace +7 (1d6+1 damage, X2)</p><p>Composite Long Bow +6 (1d8, X3, 110') - 20 Arrows</p><p>Dagger +6 (1d4, 19-20/X2)</p><p></p><p>ACP: 0</p><p>AC: 14 (+1 Bracers Armour, +3 Dec)</p><p>Touch/Flatfooted: 14/11</p><p></p><p>Fort: +2</p><p>Ref: +8</p><p>Will: +5 (+2 vs enchantment spells and spell like abilities and effects)</p><p></p><p>+2 versus saves against all Undead</p><p></p><p>Skills:</p><p>Bluff 11 (8 ranks, +3 DEX)</p><p>Concentration 3 (3 ranks, +0 CON)</p><p>Decipher Script 4 (2 ranks, +2 INT)</p><p>Diplomacy 6 (3 ranks, +3 CHA)</p><p>Gather Information 8 (5 ranks, +3 CHA)</p><p>Knowledge (religion) 5 (3 ranks, +2 INT)</p><p>Knowledge (local) 5 (3 ranks, +2 INT)</p><p>Knowledge (arcana) 5 (3 ranks, +2 INT)</p><p>Listen 4 (2 ranks, +0 WIS, +2 Racial)</p><p>Perform (oratory) 10 (7 ranks, +3 CHA)</p><p>Perform (sing) 8 (5 ranks, +3 CHA)</p><p>Profession (journalist) 3 (3 ranks, +0 WIS)</p><p>Search 4 (+2 INT, +2 Racial)</p><p>Sense Motive 5 (5 ranks, +0 WIS)</p><p>Sleight of Hand 5 (2 ranks, +3 DEX)</p><p>Spellcraft 9 (7 ranks, +2 INT)</p><p>Spot 2 (+0 WIS, +2 Racial)</p><p></p><p>Languages: Common, Elf, Draconic, Goblin</p><p></p><p>Feats:</p><p>Unquenchable Flame of Life (+2 saves vs Undead - Libris Mortis)</p><p>Weapon Finesse</p><p></p><p>Abilities:</p><p>Racial</p><p>Immune to magical sleep effects</p><p>Low light vision</p><p>Racial Weapon Prof - long sword, rapier, longbow, short bow</p><p></p><p>Bard</p><p>Bardic Music</p><p>Bardic Knowledge</p><p>Counter Song</p><p>Fascinate</p><p>Inspire Courage +1</p><p>Inspire Confidence</p><p></p><p>Spells Day: (3, 3+1, 1+1)</p><p></p><p>0-lvl spells (DC13)</p><p>Detect Magic</p><p>Message</p><p>Daze</p><p>Lullaby</p><p>Flare</p><p>Read Magic</p><p></p><p>1-lvl spells (Dc14)</p><p>Cause Fear</p><p>Gryme's (Tasha's) Hideous Laughter</p><p>Hypnotism</p><p>Grease</p><p></p><p>2-lvl spells (DC15)</p><p>Scare</p><p>Locate Object</p><p>Hypnotic Pattern</p><p></p><p>Items:</p><p>2 potions cure light wounds (150gp)</p><p>Cloak Resistance +1 (1,000gp)</p><p>Bracers Armour +1 (1,000gp)</p><p>Dust Tracelessness (250gp)</p><p>Universal Solvent (50gp)</p><p>+1 light mace (2,305gp)</p><p>Composite Long Bow</p><p>20 Arrows</p><p>Dagger</p><p>card: [SIZE=1]"You have been cordially invited to celebrate the 8th birthday of Ms. Stephanie Zimmerman"[/SIZE]</p><p>2 x Phesen [SIZE=1](cure light wounds and restoration fx)[/SIZE]</p><p>Pouch: [SIZE=1]18 silver pieces within and a short note from Burke (editor) commending Ghost on his work. It also mentions that the publisher would like to have words with Ghost as soon as possible. [/SIZE] </p><p></p><p>Utility Belt</p><p>-Flask</p><p>-Bullseye Lantern</p><p>-1 pint oil</p><p>-Scroll case</p><p>--5 sheets paper</p><p>--10 sheets parchment</p><p></p><p>Belt Pouch</p><p>-5 pieces chalk</p><p>-flint and steel</p><p>-2 vials ink</p><p>-2 ink pens</p><p>-small steel mirror</p><p></p><p>Cloak, leather</p><p>-Masterwork manacles (cloak pocket)</p><p>-Empty Sack (cloak pocket)</p><p></p><p>Signal whistle (leather throng around neck)</p><p>Signet Ring</p><p>Dark lensed glasses</p><p></p><p>Total wt: 20.5 lbs.</p><p></p><p>Monies: 30gp, 8sp, 2cp[/code]</p><p></p><p><strong>Appearance</strong></p><p>Ghost Hound is albino, his hair is jaggedly cut to shoulder length. His features are very angular, giving him the appearance of a predatory wolf. His teeth are clean and straight. He wears a light leather trench coat, high leather boots, dark sharkskin gloves, and a dark fur felt <a href="http://www.tesihats.com/f13b.jpg" target="_blank">grosgrain</a></p><p></p><p><strong>Personality</strong></p><p>Ghost Hound is bright and quick-witted, his appearance can be a little confronting but he is a genuinely warm person. He is trusting and tries to be helpful. He feels particularly benevolent towards those in the lower (or lowest) socio economic bracket.</p><p></p><p><strong>Background</strong></p><p>Hound is a journalist and investigator. He rails against the establishment and strives for a better place for the down trodden. More often than not he finds his investigations leave him waist deep in the paranormal. He works for a local rag (The Independant), a self financed operation run by an ideological hard arsed half orc called Burke. Occasionally, to supplement his income, he hires his investigative skills out but, the case has to pique his interest - a cheater stalker his is not. He has been keen to upgarde his job to a more reputable paper for some time now, he has his eyes specifically on working at The Herald for Devyn McGregor.</p><p></p><p>He was born in The Apartments, 7 tall stone spires with hundreds of floors and a maze of rooms, corridors and staircases. All interconnected by bridges, tunnels and magical portals. All of the races of Metropolis have legends regarding the creation of The Apartments and no two of those legends is the same. The only thing that is common in the legends is the fact that somewhere in the vertical labyrinth something is hidden. Whether that something is benevolent or malign is unknown but every race has representatives searching for whatever it is. The Apartments are a constant skirmish, a war of attrition. Sure, a race may hold a particular series of rooms or even a floor or two for anywhere from weeks to months. In fact the Killi-kelli-hek, a barbaric, flesh-eating breed of dwarf, have inhabited the same three floors in one of the towers for the last 73 years. Recently the Killi-kelli-hek have become agitated and expansionist. Where as before they would hunt in small groups for meats and goods they are now moving through The Apartments in greater numbers. Hound believes that someone is using the Killi-kelli-hek to further their own ends, there is no other logical reason why they would all of a sudden become more aggressive - is there? </p><p></p><p>Hound lost his parents, both Wayfinders, at an early age. Fortuitously for him the first 'people' to wander past the weeping child who sat beside the bodies of his parents were not frenetic nor were they ritualistic, in fact they weren't even hungry. They were a posse of 3 ghouls. The small child, knowing no better, stood and waited. The ghouls, Grym, Gryme, and Grynn, were amazed that the boy had not run screaming from them, he was too young to realise the predicament he was in (and being elven he was immune to their paralytic touch). The ghouls, being not foolish and quite intelligent, decided that they could use the small child. They named him Hound because of the way he trailed after them. The ghouls were careful to ensure that they sheltered their 'child' from the more base, violent, reprehensible side of their nature. The ghouls tutored the boy, taught him how to survive and introduced him to some of the more questionable talents that he uses in his investigations today. Eventually though the gig was up. Hound discovered their true nature and only just made it away from them alive. In fact if not for the actions of Gryme, who had spent the most time teaching Hound, he would surely have been killed. This deception forged Hound into the truth seeker that he is.</p><p></p><p>Hound supposes that the reason so many of his cases end up being paranormal is because of his unusual upbringing, maybe somehow his soul resonates to the pulse of the supernatural.</p><p></p><p>Hound has been investigating a story involving biomagical engineering on indentured workers on some of the sewer farms. He believes that these biofarms are a front for duplicitous 'God' dealings. The farms he has been investigating abut a religious sanctuary dedicated to the mysterious deity known as Hess Ne-el Il'ithuk . The followers of this somewhat questionable deity have a penchant for violence and experimentation. They refer to Hess Ne-el Il'ithuk as 'God' and anyone daring to invoke another deity or call 'God' by his actual name on their patch is dealt with quickly, brutally and without mercy.</p><p></p><p><strong>Game Notes</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p><strong>The Apartments</strong></p><p>The Apartments, 7 tall stone spires with hundreds of floors and a maze of rooms, corridors and staircases. All interconnected by bridges, tunnels and magical portals. All of the races of Metropolis have legends regarding the creation of The Apartments and no two of those legends is the same. The only thing that is common in the legends is the fact that somewhere in the vertical labyrinth something is hidden. Whether that something is benevolent or malign is unknown but every race has representatives searching for whatever it is. The Apartments are a constant skirmish, a war of attrition. Sure, a race may hold a particular series of rooms or even a floor or two for anywhere from weeks to months. In fact the Killi-kelli-hek, a barbaric, flesh-eating breed of dwarf, have inhabited the same three floors in one of the towers for the last 73 years. Recently the Killi-kelli-hek have become agitated and expansionist. Where as before they would hunt in small groups for meats and goods they are now moving through The Apartments in greater numbers.</p><p></p><p>The Apartments are sort of dungeon like, although the adversaries are various street gangs. Do you know the movie The Warriors? That movie could happen in The Apartments. There are hundreds of gangs/factions/cults/cabals etc operating in there plus a bevy of treasure hunters. These organisations are based along racial, political, cultural, religious, fun, and plain old survival lines. The Apartments are very fluid with old gangs dieing off and new ones forming constantly. The gangs are always fighting.</p><p></p><p>Not all the gangs are looking for the 'holy grail' and not all inhabitants of The Apartments are gang members. The Wayfinders are nomadic, they live a life running from the gangs and treasure hunters. They are not an organisation but are the refuse of the spires that are forced to flee or die. They are called the Wayfinders as they always seem to find a new, unexplored section of The Apartments. It's as though the buildings are making new tunnels, staircases, rooms, arches, bridges etc to assist the flight of the Wayfinders. </p><p></p><p>There are several neutral areas in the spires where entrepreneurs have set up operations, everything from flea markets to the black market. Almost anything (except that damn artifact) can be found somewhere in The Apartments. The trick is finding where it is being sold.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zimmerman</strong></p><p>Mr Zimmerman is one of the many merchants that are currently partaking of the newest wealthy fad, Family Trading. Purchasing ones own family, or even selling them, in order to fit a social niche has risen in popularity in the past year. Apparently Mr Zimmerman contacted one of the dealers in the Apartments that kidnap street children in order to train them and sell them to wealthy buyers. Mr Zimmerman purchased Stephanie from a black market racketeer called Thylon, .</p><p>His (current?) daughter is Stephanie.</p><p></p><p><strong>Thylon</strong></p><p>Thylon is a ruthless trader and gang leader located in the Dyllathan Buildings. He is willing to take advantage of any situation to sell what the desperate or needy require. He sold his own mother to organ farmers years ago, then purchased several of her body parts back under a third party, then sold them a second time for a substantial profit.</p><p></p><p>Currently his specialty is Family Trading, a fashionable pastime that has picked up in the last year. Due to the chaotic breeding patterns of the poorer areas of town, as well as the recent craze of nobility slumming that ended under a decade ago (Lord Brant found himself up to his ears in visitors when his peasant 'pals' discovered who his was and where he lived) it was found that several children were being born to illegitimate fathers that could be traced back to nobility.</p><p></p><p>Seeing a possible commodity, certain merchant princes purchased a group of children, then paid minor clergymen and wizards to authenticate the birthright, and finally formally adopted them to stake claim to another man's legacy. Showing off such children, and trading them for vast amounts of money, has now become a craze that has blown out of control, and even to own the third son of a merchant prince's cousin is worth something in the world of politics, if you know how to use it of course.</p><p></p><p><strong>The Dyllathan buildings</strong></p><p>are a collection of small spires attached to a central tower that is located on the more hospitable sides of the Apartments, closest to the docks to allow outsiders to trade for whatever the ward chooses to export at that moment. It is rumoured that the Dyllathan building was once home to a Dwarven Warlord by the name of Iobold that attempted to force the Apartments to fall under his rule by 'Right of Might'. Iobold went missing several weeks into his campaign, some say he got lost in the network of tunnels and corridors, others say that the buildings chose to swallow him up rather than conform to this method of Law.</p><p></p><p><strong>The Hunters</strong></p><p>A small symbol of a sword jutting from the bowels of a dog signifies the Hunters. The Hunters were once a powerful gang of hooligans, thieves and confidence men that slowly grew to establish a large power base within The Apartments. The entire group gathered to oust a local crime lord several years ago, but they had failed to recognize the power that the man held. His magic slew them all too swiftly, and he brought their souls back to their bodies, locking them in eternal undeath. After years of servitude, the necromancer disappeared, allowing what was left of the gang to resume their old haunts, but now their numbers and power had waned significantly.</p><p></p><p><strong>Bremmen duGaur</strong></p><p>Bremmen duGuar was once a heavy in the area, selling insurance to established businesses and ridding the Ivory Markets of 'unwanted traders'. Seems that several years ago he hooked up with one of the many religions the dots the streets of Metropolis, the Yellow Cult, and prospered in his business dealings. Now it seems that Bremmen was doing their work for them, he 'oversees' several stalls in the Ivory Markets that deal with herbal extracts, organ sales, and temporal regression*.</p><p></p><p>*It seems that some people will believe in anything to stay young and beautiful. Temporal Regression is a process that people with the right money can attempt, though the more educated know that it is folly. Merchants deal in Elf blood, injecting it into the veins of the customer in order to grant a small measure of Immortality. As long as people keep getting the treatments, they would live forever. Or so they say.</p><p></p><p><strong>The Yellow Cult</strong></p><p>Ghost had heard of this 'Yellow Cult' before though, crossing them in his dealings investigating the followers of Hess Ne-el Il'ithuk. The Yellow Cult openly provided help to the sick and needy of the streets, but rumour was that they cultivated the organs of the sick and dying for their bio-magical experiments.</p><p></p><p><strong>Phesen</strong></p><p>There are many infusions created by the sewer shamans of Metropolis that rarely see the light of day, mainly due to the fact that they are powerful enough to draw the attention of unscrupulous merchants from the surface. Phesen is a more advanced fusion, usually only created my masters of the art. It combines the magic within two minor spells to assist the consumer, that of cure light wounds and lesser restoration. </p><p></p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p>Advancement</p><p>[sblock]8 skill points - 3 Bluff, 2 Perform (sing), 2 Profession (journalism), 1 Diplomacy; +4hp; new spells - Grease, Hypnotic Pattern[/sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="D20Dazza, post: 2288365, member: 4260"] [b]Ghost Hound A.K.A Ghost or Hound[/b] [code] Ghost Hound Elf Bard 5 (XP 13,100) Alignment: CG Height: 5'2" Weight: 93lbs. Age: 130 hair: white eyes: red skin: white Region of Origin: The Apartments (Metropolis) STR 8 -1 (0 point) DEX 16 +3 (6 point +2 racial) CON 10 (4 point -2 racial) INT 14 +2 (6 point) WIS 10 (2 point) CHA 17 +3 (10 point, +1 4th level) HP: 26 Init: +3 BAB/Grapple: +3/+2 Speed: 30ft +1 Light Mace +7 (1d6+1 damage, X2) Composite Long Bow +6 (1d8, X3, 110') - 20 Arrows Dagger +6 (1d4, 19-20/X2) ACP: 0 AC: 14 (+1 Bracers Armour, +3 Dec) Touch/Flatfooted: 14/11 Fort: +2 Ref: +8 Will: +5 (+2 vs enchantment spells and spell like abilities and effects) +2 versus saves against all Undead Skills: Bluff 11 (8 ranks, +3 DEX) Concentration 3 (3 ranks, +0 CON) Decipher Script 4 (2 ranks, +2 INT) Diplomacy 6 (3 ranks, +3 CHA) Gather Information 8 (5 ranks, +3 CHA) Knowledge (religion) 5 (3 ranks, +2 INT) Knowledge (local) 5 (3 ranks, +2 INT) Knowledge (arcana) 5 (3 ranks, +2 INT) Listen 4 (2 ranks, +0 WIS, +2 Racial) Perform (oratory) 10 (7 ranks, +3 CHA) Perform (sing) 8 (5 ranks, +3 CHA) Profession (journalist) 3 (3 ranks, +0 WIS) Search 4 (+2 INT, +2 Racial) Sense Motive 5 (5 ranks, +0 WIS) Sleight of Hand 5 (2 ranks, +3 DEX) Spellcraft 9 (7 ranks, +2 INT) Spot 2 (+0 WIS, +2 Racial) Languages: Common, Elf, Draconic, Goblin Feats: Unquenchable Flame of Life (+2 saves vs Undead - Libris Mortis) Weapon Finesse Abilities: Racial Immune to magical sleep effects Low light vision Racial Weapon Prof - long sword, rapier, longbow, short bow Bard Bardic Music Bardic Knowledge Counter Song Fascinate Inspire Courage +1 Inspire Confidence Spells Day: (3, 3+1, 1+1) 0-lvl spells (DC13) Detect Magic Message Daze Lullaby Flare Read Magic 1-lvl spells (Dc14) Cause Fear Gryme's (Tasha's) Hideous Laughter Hypnotism Grease 2-lvl spells (DC15) Scare Locate Object Hypnotic Pattern Items: 2 potions cure light wounds (150gp) Cloak Resistance +1 (1,000gp) Bracers Armour +1 (1,000gp) Dust Tracelessness (250gp) Universal Solvent (50gp) +1 light mace (2,305gp) Composite Long Bow 20 Arrows Dagger card: [SIZE=1]"You have been cordially invited to celebrate the 8th birthday of Ms. Stephanie Zimmerman"[/SIZE] 2 x Phesen [SIZE=1](cure light wounds and restoration fx)[/SIZE] Pouch: [SIZE=1]18 silver pieces within and a short note from Burke (editor) commending Ghost on his work. It also mentions that the publisher would like to have words with Ghost as soon as possible. [/SIZE] Utility Belt -Flask -Bullseye Lantern -1 pint oil -Scroll case --5 sheets paper --10 sheets parchment Belt Pouch -5 pieces chalk -flint and steel -2 vials ink -2 ink pens -small steel mirror Cloak, leather -Masterwork manacles (cloak pocket) -Empty Sack (cloak pocket) Signal whistle (leather throng around neck) Signet Ring Dark lensed glasses Total wt: 20.5 lbs. Monies: 30gp, 8sp, 2cp[/code] [b]Appearance[/b] Ghost Hound is albino, his hair is jaggedly cut to shoulder length. His features are very angular, giving him the appearance of a predatory wolf. His teeth are clean and straight. He wears a light leather trench coat, high leather boots, dark sharkskin gloves, and a dark fur felt [URL=http://www.tesihats.com/f13b.jpg]grosgrain[/URL] [b]Personality[/b] Ghost Hound is bright and quick-witted, his appearance can be a little confronting but he is a genuinely warm person. He is trusting and tries to be helpful. He feels particularly benevolent towards those in the lower (or lowest) socio economic bracket. [b]Background[/b] Hound is a journalist and investigator. He rails against the establishment and strives for a better place for the down trodden. More often than not he finds his investigations leave him waist deep in the paranormal. He works for a local rag (The Independant), a self financed operation run by an ideological hard arsed half orc called Burke. Occasionally, to supplement his income, he hires his investigative skills out but, the case has to pique his interest - a cheater stalker his is not. He has been keen to upgarde his job to a more reputable paper for some time now, he has his eyes specifically on working at The Herald for Devyn McGregor. He was born in The Apartments, 7 tall stone spires with hundreds of floors and a maze of rooms, corridors and staircases. All interconnected by bridges, tunnels and magical portals. All of the races of Metropolis have legends regarding the creation of The Apartments and no two of those legends is the same. The only thing that is common in the legends is the fact that somewhere in the vertical labyrinth something is hidden. Whether that something is benevolent or malign is unknown but every race has representatives searching for whatever it is. The Apartments are a constant skirmish, a war of attrition. Sure, a race may hold a particular series of rooms or even a floor or two for anywhere from weeks to months. In fact the Killi-kelli-hek, a barbaric, flesh-eating breed of dwarf, have inhabited the same three floors in one of the towers for the last 73 years. Recently the Killi-kelli-hek have become agitated and expansionist. Where as before they would hunt in small groups for meats and goods they are now moving through The Apartments in greater numbers. Hound believes that someone is using the Killi-kelli-hek to further their own ends, there is no other logical reason why they would all of a sudden become more aggressive - is there? Hound lost his parents, both Wayfinders, at an early age. Fortuitously for him the first 'people' to wander past the weeping child who sat beside the bodies of his parents were not frenetic nor were they ritualistic, in fact they weren't even hungry. They were a posse of 3 ghouls. The small child, knowing no better, stood and waited. The ghouls, Grym, Gryme, and Grynn, were amazed that the boy had not run screaming from them, he was too young to realise the predicament he was in (and being elven he was immune to their paralytic touch). The ghouls, being not foolish and quite intelligent, decided that they could use the small child. They named him Hound because of the way he trailed after them. The ghouls were careful to ensure that they sheltered their 'child' from the more base, violent, reprehensible side of their nature. The ghouls tutored the boy, taught him how to survive and introduced him to some of the more questionable talents that he uses in his investigations today. Eventually though the gig was up. Hound discovered their true nature and only just made it away from them alive. In fact if not for the actions of Gryme, who had spent the most time teaching Hound, he would surely have been killed. This deception forged Hound into the truth seeker that he is. Hound supposes that the reason so many of his cases end up being paranormal is because of his unusual upbringing, maybe somehow his soul resonates to the pulse of the supernatural. Hound has been investigating a story involving biomagical engineering on indentured workers on some of the sewer farms. He believes that these biofarms are a front for duplicitous 'God' dealings. The farms he has been investigating abut a religious sanctuary dedicated to the mysterious deity known as Hess Ne-el Il'ithuk . The followers of this somewhat questionable deity have a penchant for violence and experimentation. They refer to Hess Ne-el Il'ithuk as 'God' and anyone daring to invoke another deity or call 'God' by his actual name on their patch is dealt with quickly, brutally and without mercy. [b]Game Notes[/b] [sblock] [b]The Apartments[/b] The Apartments, 7 tall stone spires with hundreds of floors and a maze of rooms, corridors and staircases. All interconnected by bridges, tunnels and magical portals. All of the races of Metropolis have legends regarding the creation of The Apartments and no two of those legends is the same. The only thing that is common in the legends is the fact that somewhere in the vertical labyrinth something is hidden. Whether that something is benevolent or malign is unknown but every race has representatives searching for whatever it is. The Apartments are a constant skirmish, a war of attrition. Sure, a race may hold a particular series of rooms or even a floor or two for anywhere from weeks to months. In fact the Killi-kelli-hek, a barbaric, flesh-eating breed of dwarf, have inhabited the same three floors in one of the towers for the last 73 years. Recently the Killi-kelli-hek have become agitated and expansionist. Where as before they would hunt in small groups for meats and goods they are now moving through The Apartments in greater numbers. The Apartments are sort of dungeon like, although the adversaries are various street gangs. Do you know the movie The Warriors? That movie could happen in The Apartments. There are hundreds of gangs/factions/cults/cabals etc operating in there plus a bevy of treasure hunters. These organisations are based along racial, political, cultural, religious, fun, and plain old survival lines. The Apartments are very fluid with old gangs dieing off and new ones forming constantly. The gangs are always fighting. Not all the gangs are looking for the 'holy grail' and not all inhabitants of The Apartments are gang members. The Wayfinders are nomadic, they live a life running from the gangs and treasure hunters. They are not an organisation but are the refuse of the spires that are forced to flee or die. They are called the Wayfinders as they always seem to find a new, unexplored section of The Apartments. It's as though the buildings are making new tunnels, staircases, rooms, arches, bridges etc to assist the flight of the Wayfinders. There are several neutral areas in the spires where entrepreneurs have set up operations, everything from flea markets to the black market. Almost anything (except that damn artifact) can be found somewhere in The Apartments. The trick is finding where it is being sold. [b]Zimmerman[/b] Mr Zimmerman is one of the many merchants that are currently partaking of the newest wealthy fad, Family Trading. Purchasing ones own family, or even selling them, in order to fit a social niche has risen in popularity in the past year. Apparently Mr Zimmerman contacted one of the dealers in the Apartments that kidnap street children in order to train them and sell them to wealthy buyers. Mr Zimmerman purchased Stephanie from a black market racketeer called Thylon, . His (current?) daughter is Stephanie. [b]Thylon[/b] Thylon is a ruthless trader and gang leader located in the Dyllathan Buildings. He is willing to take advantage of any situation to sell what the desperate or needy require. He sold his own mother to organ farmers years ago, then purchased several of her body parts back under a third party, then sold them a second time for a substantial profit. Currently his specialty is Family Trading, a fashionable pastime that has picked up in the last year. Due to the chaotic breeding patterns of the poorer areas of town, as well as the recent craze of nobility slumming that ended under a decade ago (Lord Brant found himself up to his ears in visitors when his peasant 'pals' discovered who his was and where he lived) it was found that several children were being born to illegitimate fathers that could be traced back to nobility. Seeing a possible commodity, certain merchant princes purchased a group of children, then paid minor clergymen and wizards to authenticate the birthright, and finally formally adopted them to stake claim to another man's legacy. Showing off such children, and trading them for vast amounts of money, has now become a craze that has blown out of control, and even to own the third son of a merchant prince's cousin is worth something in the world of politics, if you know how to use it of course. [b]The Dyllathan buildings[/b] are a collection of small spires attached to a central tower that is located on the more hospitable sides of the Apartments, closest to the docks to allow outsiders to trade for whatever the ward chooses to export at that moment. It is rumoured that the Dyllathan building was once home to a Dwarven Warlord by the name of Iobold that attempted to force the Apartments to fall under his rule by 'Right of Might'. Iobold went missing several weeks into his campaign, some say he got lost in the network of tunnels and corridors, others say that the buildings chose to swallow him up rather than conform to this method of Law. [b]The Hunters[/b] A small symbol of a sword jutting from the bowels of a dog signifies the Hunters. The Hunters were once a powerful gang of hooligans, thieves and confidence men that slowly grew to establish a large power base within The Apartments. The entire group gathered to oust a local crime lord several years ago, but they had failed to recognize the power that the man held. His magic slew them all too swiftly, and he brought their souls back to their bodies, locking them in eternal undeath. After years of servitude, the necromancer disappeared, allowing what was left of the gang to resume their old haunts, but now their numbers and power had waned significantly. [b]Bremmen duGaur[/b] Bremmen duGuar was once a heavy in the area, selling insurance to established businesses and ridding the Ivory Markets of 'unwanted traders'. Seems that several years ago he hooked up with one of the many religions the dots the streets of Metropolis, the Yellow Cult, and prospered in his business dealings. Now it seems that Bremmen was doing their work for them, he 'oversees' several stalls in the Ivory Markets that deal with herbal extracts, organ sales, and temporal regression*. *It seems that some people will believe in anything to stay young and beautiful. Temporal Regression is a process that people with the right money can attempt, though the more educated know that it is folly. Merchants deal in Elf blood, injecting it into the veins of the customer in order to grant a small measure of Immortality. As long as people keep getting the treatments, they would live forever. Or so they say. [b]The Yellow Cult[/b] Ghost had heard of this 'Yellow Cult' before though, crossing them in his dealings investigating the followers of Hess Ne-el Il'ithuk. The Yellow Cult openly provided help to the sick and needy of the streets, but rumour was that they cultivated the organs of the sick and dying for their bio-magical experiments. [b]Phesen[/b] There are many infusions created by the sewer shamans of Metropolis that rarely see the light of day, mainly due to the fact that they are powerful enough to draw the attention of unscrupulous merchants from the surface. Phesen is a more advanced fusion, usually only created my masters of the art. It combines the magic within two minor spells to assist the consumer, that of cure light wounds and lesser restoration. [/sblock] Advancement [sblock]8 skill points - 3 Bluff, 2 Perform (sing), 2 Profession (journalism), 1 Diplomacy; +4hp; new spells - Grease, Hypnotic Pattern[/sblock] [/QUOTE]
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