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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Solarious" data-source="post: 3098056" data-attributes="member: 27346">I'm glad that Arliss and Gharis meet your approval. Frankly, they were the easiest to pin down. Maybe I didn't take creative liberty with your descriptions (and let it be said I absolutely LOVE how Sir Raynarn 'Bonecrusher' Harmor turned out in the end), but I feel I have given them my own unique stamp. That misanthrope and clutterbrain were a product of love.I envision Arliss as a pessimistic sort, the kind who has the philosophy of 'Only people who have money don't value it'. He looks out for himself, and grabs every at opportunity to get ahead. His word is what anchors him, gives him purpose, keeps him from spiraling down into a pit of mindless opportunism, which I feel drove him from the Shadow Guild from the first place. That scar detail in the inital post speaks quite loudly about the cutthroat competition within itself, and I imagine that they hurt a lot but leave few traces. I see a highly complicated subculture, where scars, their positions, their designs, and their perceptability is a major part of one's standing within the organization. Torture, dominance, subtlety, and pain are the passwords of Shadow Guild life.Gharis, on the other hand, is in contrast, simple on the outside while complicated on the inside (compared to Arliss, whom is complicated, shady, opportunist with ambiguous morality on the outside, wheras he is easy to comprehend on the inside as a man of his word). He really does have too many ideas than it is good for him, and wears his heart on his sleeve. The heart, however, is a extremely effective distraction from a much less obvious side of Gharis, and in fact gnomes everywhere. All gnomes hunger for knowledge: it is the ultimate weapon, given the right leverage, and illusions are one of the most powerful ways to utilize it, feeding only what you want others to see, whether it's misinformation or just part of the truth... or even the whole truth and nothing but the truth, depending on exactly how twisted the gnome in question is. That's why they're tinkerers, alchemists, and collectors of dusty closets: it's all part of the information war. Now, Gharis is hardly the paragon of smart-alec doubletalk, but he does follow these words of wisdom: expose weakness to hide strength. He shows his clutterbrain status to the world, and no one suspects his duplicity. It is only after they are lulled into a sense of security does he flash his blade. I think Gharis trapped Arliss in a web of words, one way or another, surprising him. Its not all that implausable, seeing that Arliss has no Sense Motive ranks and Gharis can raise his Bluff with Serene Visage. And I think Arliss somehow respects Gharis for his acomplishment, securing his loyalty without force or duress. Not that it'll stop Arliss from running off when things become completely hopeless, but the master looter will tag along with Gharis until the situation changes.1) I already see people comming back as squirrels.2) You obviously haven't seen the sheer number of save-or-die effects in Maure Castle. On the first level. You don't want to know what's underneath the first level. It is extremely easy to get in over your head.Oh, all it takes is a 1 at the wrong time for all the right reasons. If a party isn't experienced or doesn't work as a team, they'll be minced within a heartbeat. And even if they are, it's still easy to get mulched for the next hapless band. All you need is about half the party about 60' from the wall, just before the tapesty comes down...Yes, this is an actual encounter in Maure Castle. Beware the tapestry.</blockquote>

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