The Antigrol Tide (OOC)

[MummyKitty]

Please welcome our newest member, N’un T’Chauck! Mummy Kitty, I think you did a great job with his back story. A few notes: I'm assuming this villiage is on the north eastern part of the continent. For a while, there, I thought it might be on the west coast. Either is fine, although, since you must end in Antigrol, which coast you start on affects how long you've been on your journey.

I was a bit unclear on the geography when I wrote the backstory, after I re-read your intro it does make sense for this village to be on the north-east coast. So, I will make some adjustments to the story for that.

Regarding languages: It costs one skill point to learn a new language. It costs a seperate 2 skill points to become literate. Of course, if your tribe does not have a written alphabet, you cannot become literate in that language.

The tribe does not have a written language. So, I will probably put that other skill point somewhere else.

Speaking of your tribal language, tell me more about that. Is it spoken only by your tribe, is it a dialect, does it belong to a larger family of languages? For a real-world counterpart, check out Athabaskan.

I was envisioning something like the Eskimo-Aleut language which is very widely spoken among the tribes in the north (from Canada to Greenland). Noonchuck's language would be part of that family, with it's own words and phrases but he would be able to communicate with other tribes of the north. (Assuming that fits in your campaign world of course.)

Regarding your cross-class skill Profession(Sailor): considering your background, I will allow you to may make Profession(Sailor) a class skill by making Handle Animal a x-class skill.

Sounds good. The only animals he's really handled are whales and fish and not to teach them tricks or train them. I'll adjust some skill points there as I paid two for one rank of sailor.

Regarding your weapons: I've seen a harpoon before, and that's fine, but I haven't seen an Ice Axe or Iuak. Please give me full stats on those. You said you got them from the book "Frostburn"?

Will post those. FYI, you probably already know, Frostburn is the WOTC arctic book.

All in all, I think N’un T’Chauck looks good! I think he'll add some real flavor to the campaign, and it will be good to have a sailor in the party.

Thanks, I had fun with the backstory, though it definitely needs some detailing and editing.

 

[Mallak]

Strahd,

I knew I had a specific reason for looking in Unearthed Arcana! I opened it up and got completely distracted! Your thug looks fine. Welcome, to the group, Grondar!

More later...

 

[MummyKitty]

Noonchuck's weapons

Noonchuck's Weapons

All from Frostburn by WOTC, pp 76-77.

Harpoon-- Described above. (NOTE: Unlike the typical harpoon points used by Noonchuck's people, which are made out of stone and bone, his current one is a recent purchase and is made of metal.)

Ice Axe (10gp, dmg(S) 1d4, dmg(M) 1d6, Crit. x4, Wgt. 5lbs., Type: Piercing or slashing)
More tool than weapon, the ice axe has a sharp metal head that is perpendiculat to the shaft and has a spiked handle. It grants a +1 circumstances bonus on Climb checks in mountainous and/or icy terrain, even if you do not possess the Exotic Weapon Prociciency (ice axe) feat. If you do posses this feat, the bonus increases to a +4 circumstance bonus. An ice axe may be used as a martial weapon, but takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls in this case.

(NOTE: Although the ice axes used by Noonchuck's tribe are usually made of stone, he acquired this metal one during his wanderings, in fact it is one of the first items he purchased when he came in contact with civilization.)

Iuak (12gp, dmg(S) 1d4, dmg(M) 1d6, Crit. 19-20/x2, Wgt. 4lbs., Type: Slashing)
An iuak is a heavily weighted machete-shaped blade, usually made of bone or stone. While it makes an excellent weapon, its primary purpose is to cut through and destroy ice and other hard materials. If used against an object, an iuak ignores the first 3 points of hardness possessed by the object.

(NOTE: This black blade of volcanic obsidian was made by Noonchuck's father. It is therefore very special to him and he will go through lengths to find it if lost or stolen.)

 

[MummyKitty]

I updated my character. I just put the extra points from language and changing Profession (Sailor) to a class skill back into Sailor, which is now rank 3. Thanks!

 

[Mallak]

MummyKitty,

Glad to see you rolled your extra skill puts into Sailor! I assume your harpoon, ice axe, and iuak are all medium weapons and thus do 1d10, 1d6, and 1d6 damage, respectively? This should be reflected in your character sheet.

Also, if you haven't checked out Athabaskan, do so. You might find it interesting. It is the language family to which belong the tribal languages of the Native American peoples of much of the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, Canada, and, interestingly, the Apaches.


More info on the world will be forthcoming, I promise...

 

[MummyKitty]

Mallak, I'll do some wiki / google research on Athabaskan. I've only read a bit in detail on Native American languages, though I have several books on their legends and culture. From what I've seen, it sounds like it would be a facsinating topic for a linguist. Thanks!

 

[Mallak]

I promised more on the nature of race relations, and here it is:

The Human Perspective
Excerpts from a talk on human-elven relations as given by Professor Torrick at the recent 3rd Annual Economic Summit held in Ferran, a day's journey inland from Antigrol:

[sblock]
"When the Helffledt Expedition succeeded in crossing the Great Eastern Ocean, it was a pivotalmoment for all human kind. For the first time we had made contact with another sentient speicies; a race not unlike our own in stature and temperment. Not only did these elves subsequently introduce us to two other sentient races, the sub-dwelling dwarves and the ingenious gnomes, they held under their command mystical, arcane forces. The objects of great power which they could create and wield, while almost common-place amongst the elves, were of great economic potential here on the Mainland, due both to their rarity and their utility. To recognize the truth of this, one need merely look to the example of the simple freshen charm. A relatively common household item amongst the elves, the freshen charm was a marvel to those wealthy human families who could afford it. It freed up countless manhours that would have otherwise been spent washing and cleaning. It introduced a revolution in hygiene. In the end, it has become indespensable.

Fortunately for the economy of our kingdoms, we humans had something to offer the world: the technological knowhow to extract and work metals, which the elves lacked, the ability to mass produce all sorts of goods, which the dwarves lacked, allowing us to sell at lower prices, and the discipline lacking amongst the gnomes to turn ideas into products and ensure that the entire production process runs smoothly from conception to delivery. Initially, we were also able to eliminate the gnomish middleman that existed in all dwarven-elvish trade.

After a honeymoon period of only half a decade, human-elven relations began to take a turn for the worse. Though freshen and preservation charms were nice, the elves refused to trade in any of their more powerful magics. Human traders were increasingly snubbed by turned up noses at the allegedly inferior quality of their goods. This, in turn, led to worse trade ratios.

Matters nearly came to a head seven years ago with the Ghatts mining scandal. It seems the elves were unaware of the manner in which we extracted metals from the earth. One enterprising young tradesman by the name of William Ghatts thought to sell the process to a certain High Elf Council. Upon hearing a description of the mining process, the council was reportedly shocked and had every human in their kingdom arrested. Apparently, our system of mining is some sort of an affront to their earth goddess. We now understand that the process of the dwarves, which the elves were familiar with, is a much different, more lengthy process of removing minerals from the earth that somehow leaves the earth intact and even encourages the rock to produce other minerals, much like a farmer rotating crops. We currently have men investigating these methods, but they have made little headway, as the dwarves guard their mining secrets closely.

Fortunately for William Ghatts, he had several prominent gnomish friends who were quite familiar with elven law. A deal was struck allowing all humans in the elvish lands to go free, remanded to the justice of their respective kingdoms on the human Mainland. Today, all persons ever involved in or even remotely connected to traditional human mining operations have been barred from elvish lands on pain of execution. When this decision was first decreed, it created a vaccuum in trade between the humans and the elves, into which the gnomish middlemen quickly stepped. Since that time, various human mining operations have changed their practices to be more "elf friendly," but the new processes are expensive, and they are consistently undersold by the larger mining operations doing business through the gnomish middlemen. Add to that the stigma and aloofness that remains amongst elves toward humans, and it is a marvel of modern economics that these "elfly" mining operations even manage to stay alive. They survive largely due to a diehard faction amongst the elves that refuses to use any products that are connected with traditional human mining practices. Many of those elves continue to trade for dwarven goods, but some of them are disgusted with the gnomes for even handling the tainted human goods, and so refuse to deal with any gnomes as well. It now appears that some of these groups have taken it upon themselves to see that no tainted goods ever reach elvish shores. Piratical raiding has been increasing along the major trade routes, and it may be that some of these "pirates" have official sanction. Unfortunately, the realm of elven politics remains difficult to penetrate, and it is not always clear where one kingdom ends and another begins.

Here at home, the price of elvish arcane goods has been rising, leading to increased raiding. Also, there seem to be some elves who do not wish to see arcane items in human possession. We believe they are contributing to the raiding. To top it all off, the gnomes have been increasing their percentage, citing increased security costs. This has led to increased smuggling. All this combines for a larger black market, which hurts legitimate trade.

In short, the practices of the gnomes and elves are hurting human business. While the gnomes' actions can be understood from an economic standpoint, many of the elves are engaging in hostile fundamentalism that cannot be allowed to continue. If their own governments will not put a stop to these pirates, then we, the Mainland Economic Trade Federation, must step in and secure our assets."
[/sblock]

Next Time:
The Elven Perspective

 

[Mallak]

According to my records, I have four confirmed characters:

Colmarr Blackrock -- Male Gnome Bard
Grondar -- Male Human Thug Fighter
Magyar Rhineholdt -- Male Human Rogue (Stage Magician)
N'un T'Chauck -- Male Human Barbarian

Pending:

Braerthalas Alathatka -- Male Elven Swashbuckling Aristocrat
Troth Hulebor'n -- Male Half-elf Barbarian
Calan Rivers -- Male Human Scout

Now, I said earlier I'd like to limit this game to six players, so one of the above Pending players may get dropped. However, if they all come up with good backgrounds, we'll run with seven. I don't know what the normal retention rate is for PbP games, but it is my experience that at least one player in a game will drop out early.

Drowned Hero and Magic Gathering,

I know you're waiting on more info from me to come up with a good background for your character. I'll get on that and get that posted here soon.

If all goes well, we should be able to start in the next couple days.

 

[mps42]

All right. sorry this took so long to make up but I had to download and compile the 3.5 SRD so I would have reference material. Here is my low-magic Ranger, Denther Mosy.

Denther Mosie
Male Human Ranger 1 / Expert 1
Lawful Neutral
Representing Denther - MPS42


Strength 16 (+3) 
Dexterity 14 (+2) 
Constitution 11 (+0) 
Intelligence 10 (+0) 
Wisdom 13 (+1) 
Charisma 10 (+0) 

Size: Medium 
Height: 5' 8" 
Weight: 180 lb 
Skin: Med-Tan 
Eyes: Steel Blue 
Hair: Short Black; Slight wave
 

Total Hit Points: 13

Speed: 30 feet

Armor Class: 15 = 10 +2 [Leather Jerkin] +1 [Sheild] +2 [dexterity] 

Touch AC: 12
Flat-footed: 13
Initiative modifier: +2 = +2 [dexterity]

Fortitude save: +4 = 2 [base] +2 [constitution]  
Reflex save: +2 = 0 [base] +2 [dexterity]  
Will save: +1 = 0 [base] +1 [wisdom]
 
Attack (handheld): +4 = 1 [base] +3 [strength]  
Attack (unarmed): +4 = 1 [base] +3 [strength]  
Attack (missile): +3 = 1 [base] +2 [dexterity]  
Grapple check: +4 = 1 [base] +3 [strength]  


Light load:  76 lb. or less
Medium load: 77-153 lb.
Heavy load: 154-230 lb.
Lift over head: 230 lb.
Lift off ground: 460 lb.
Push or drag: 1150 lb.
 

Languages: Common  


WEAPONS		BONUS	DAMAGE	CRITICAL	RANGE	SIZE	TYPE	WGT
-------------	-----	------	--------	-----	----	----	----
Longsword	+5	1d8+3	19-20 X2	  x	med	  s	  4	
Dagger (thrown)	+3	1d4+3	19-20 X2	10ft	tiny	  p	  1	
Whip		-1	1d2	 X2		5ft	sm	  s	  2 Subdual


Feats:

Weapon Focus – Longsword
Quckdraw
 


Skills:		    SKILL MOD	  RANKS
Alchemy			0	=	
Animal Empathy		0	=	
Appraise 		0	=	
Balance 		1	=	
Bluff 			0	=	
Climb 		4	=	2
Concentration 		0	=	
Craft 			0	=	
Craft 			0	=	
Decipher Script		0	=	
Diplomacy 		0	=	
Disable Device		0	=	
Disguise 		0	=	
Escape Artist 	1	=	
Forgery 		0	=	
Gather Information 	0	=	
Handle Animal		3	=	3
Heal 			1	=	
Hide 			1	=	
Innuendo		1	=	
Intimidate 		0	=	
Intuit Direction	2	=	1
Jump 			2	=	
Knowledge (arcana)	0	=	
Knowledge (religion)	0	=	
Knowledge (nature)	0	=	
Knowledge		0	=	
Knowledge		0	=	
Listen 		3	=	2
Move Silently 	3	=	2
Open Lock		2	=	
Perform 		0	=	
Pick Pocket 		1	=	
Profession		0	=	
Profession		0	=	
Read Lips		0	=	
Ride 			7	=	5
Scry 			0	=	
Search 		2	=	2
Sense Motive 		1	=	
Spellcraft		0	=	
Spot 			3	=	2
Swim  			4	=	1
Tumble 		1	=	
Use Magic Device	0	=	
Use Rope 		3	=	1
Wilderness Lore 	4	=	3

EQUIPMENT:
------------------
Explorers outfit
Leather armor
Steel Buckler
Whip
6 throwing daggers
Backpack
Bedroll
Horse (fenton)
Riding saddle
Saddlebags
Hemp Rope (3 x 10ft)
Long Sword

History:

I grew up in a small village outside the city of Port Khemi, far to the south of Antigrol. Just my father Ered, my mother Maala, myself and my young sister Feeli. It wasn’t much of a village but we called it home. Van Karti was a stern master, but, as long as you pay your tithes and follow The Law, you’ll be all right. My childhood, or at least what I remember of it, was happy. I would go out into my father’s fields and run amongst the waving wheat fields, chasing mice or playing at battles with the feirce crow legions.

When I reached my 15th winter, Ered said it was time for me to learn a trade. I always felt welcome in the outdoors so I chose that of a herder. I thought this would be a fairly simple life, riding a Rowahb through the lands, keeping a lazy eye on the goata or whatever needing looking after.
My trainer, Sherpas, killed that dream the first day. ”Go follow the goata,” he said, ”and find their dried droppings.” ”Why would I...” was as far as I got when I felt a blinding pain in my head. I hadn't even seen his hand move. ”The only answer you should need is ’because you were instructed to’ but, because Ered is a old friend of mine, I will answer your question this once: Dried goata droppings, properly cared for and kept dry, will burn better than the finest wood. On a cold night, it may be all that stands between you and freezing to death.” With that, he kicked me out into the goata fields.

I learned many lessons that year: How to ride, how to track the herd, how to climb the steppes on lookout and, most importantly, how to keep my mouth shut when Sherpas told me to do something. It was nearing my elevation from initiate that the defining moment in my life came.

I was getting ready to be moved to my own herd when the news came, my family had disappeared. Sherpas was nearly as devastated as I was and willingly let me leave to see to my fathers’ land. I rode for days on end to get back home. When I got there, all that was left was a smoldering husk of the house where I grew up. There were no bodies, no animals, no signs of life at all. The only thing I did find was a single right-handprint, apparently left in blood, stamped on the corner of the house. I asked everyone in the village, no one knew anything more than I and no one knew who the handprint might belong to or what it might mean. I went back to Sherpas and he told me that it was my duty to find my family and those who’d destroyed my land. At that point I couldn’t have agreed more.

He sent me to Wearda, a weaponsmaster, who trained me in the basics of swordplay with a battered longsword he had available. I studied arduously, I wanted to be ready when I found the man or men I was looking for. At the end of the season, Wearda gave me enough money to by some basics and my own longsword.

I told him this was more kindness than I had ever expected. Apparently Ered had had more friends than I knew. I rode all over the land trying to find who or what this red right handprint might mean or who it might belong to. Everyone I spoke to said that they knew nothing. Some I suspected knew, but would not tell, even when threatened with my sword. I was making my way tracking other men, while tracking my own, for local sheriffs. Tracking down men who they could not find. It paid enough to keep my belly full and gave me the opportunity to ask about the print. Still, no-one would talk. Eventually I ran low on money and began to despair for my family. I had made it all the way to Antigrol, the great city.


(ooc. I am going to attach a word character sheet since that is all I have for Denther.)

 

[Mallak]

mps,

That sounds like a well-developed backstory! I'd like to see the character that goes with it. Unfortunately, we're just about full at the moment. I'll put you on as first alternate as soon as I see your character sheet. You'll then be in if one of our pending players fails to deliver once I get to them the information they need.