Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
Playing the Game
Talking the Talk
The Sky Breathes All Life - OOC
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Anax" data-source="post: 2589419" data-attributes="member: 19868"><p><strong>Iron Lizzie</strong></p><p></p><p>Ahh, life on the sea was a fine fine thing.</p><p></p><p>Of course, that was before the debts started to catch up with her.</p><p>And the threats. First in dark alleys, and then, eventually, in open</p><p>daylight.</p><p></p><p>It wouldn't have happened if she'd been a little wiser, or a little</p><p>more diplomatic. But she'd never been strong on either of those</p><p>points. Oh, she could get along well enough with the salty dogs on</p><p>her ship. She could visit the local tavern anywhere she went and</p><p>leave the graybeards at the captains table roaring with laughter, a</p><p>great smile on their faces.</p><p></p><p>She'd been brought up with sea-folk, after all. The sea shaped her</p><p>first steps, her first words. She teethed with a rough hemp rope</p><p>clutched in her tiny fists. She was born to the sea, and she knew it,</p><p>and the old graybeards knew it, too. They could see the ocean depths</p><p>in her eyes, and knew that the sea had her just as it had them.</p><p></p><p>But the sea never meant that much to merchants, their fat fingers</p><p>dripping with rings, who hired ships by the score. And that... well,</p><p>that made life as an independent captain more than a little bit hard.</p><p></p><p>The first time one of her contracts was broken, there wasn't much</p><p>pain. The ship had to take on a little less water, a little less salt</p><p>pork. The grog still held, and the crew held with it. She nearly</p><p>spat in the man's face when he told her he'd found a faster ship--a</p><p>better ship--a ship captained by a son of a father.</p><p></p><p>The spitting didn't help one bit.</p><p></p><p>The second time, the merchant had heard about the first. He sent a</p><p>lackey around to make his excuses. She barely found a bit of cargo to</p><p>pay the ship's way back to home port... and the hands were thinner by</p><p>the time she reached home.</p><p></p><p>The third trip tore it--they'd taken a loan to get a full load of</p><p>supplies for the trip, and had a written guarantee of goods at their</p><p>destination. A storm took them on the way, and they had to tow their</p><p>boat to a small island to cut replacement masts. While they lay</p><p>sheltered in a small cove, ten of their men were taken from camp,</p><p>without leaving a sign. And that's what made her a legend to them.</p><p>Although the rest of the men clamored to get gone and make their trip</p><p>on time, she commanded that they set out to rescue the missing hands.</p><p></p><p>That night, the drums echoed across the small island, as they made</p><p>their way to rescue the missing crew. Their abductors, it seemed,</p><p>were small, wiry humanoids, their skin wrinkled, their hair like</p><p>porcupine quills. It was a night of fire and madness, but in the</p><p>midst of it all, her booming voice maintained order.</p><p></p><p>At the end, none of them came out unscathed. Most of the men walked</p><p>together, practically carrying each other. But she walked in the</p><p>lead, a triumphant smile upon her face--she had brought her men home.</p><p>No regrets for the torn and bloodied jerkin, no regrets that her</p><p>rapier had been broken midway through the battle, and she'd had to go</p><p>the rest of the way with her longknife and a spit she'd taken from the</p><p>fire... She'd brought them home.</p><p></p><p>Three weeks later, when they finally limped into port, they found a</p><p>merchant's lackey waiting. This time, she'd had enough. She grabbed</p><p>the lackey by the neck and frogmarched him up to the merchant's</p><p>quarter. When she'd found the merchant, and he *still* refused to</p><p>pay, she beat him bloody, and spent the rest of the day in chains.</p><p>And then the next day.</p><p></p><p>The third night, her men came and broke her out. The law had come to</p><p>claim her ship, they said, but they were having none of that. *She*</p><p>was their captain, and no fat man's dandy was going to have them as</p><p>crew.</p><p></p><p>She embraced them, and they took the ship out under quiet orders, and</p><p>ate wind on the way home... Home, where the debts, and the rule of</p><p>law were even then laying in wait.</p><p></p><p></p><p>After that, they took to piracy, of course. It seems that after all,</p><p>the merchants didn't want an independent working for them, so she may</p><p>as well work against them. She had crew to feed, and debts to pay to</p><p>some of the darker elements in town by this point. She even learned a</p><p>little bit how to be diplomatic, as it doesn't pay to spit in a</p><p>thief's soup any more than it does to spit in a merchant's.</p><p></p><p>They had a good time of it--ten years later, the merchants still</p><p>didn't like her much, but she'd earned their dread, and that's also a</p><p>kind of respect. The old graybeards who'd once laughed at her bawdy</p><p>jokes now grimaced and spat as they muttered her name, and told the</p><p>story of how she was driven to piracy. The new young-bloods made</p><p>secret plans of how they'd fight her off to the last breath if she</p><p>tried to take them. The smart ones thought again when she stood on</p><p>their decks.</p><p></p><p>Yes, they were good days, until they were brought short by the man</p><p>she'd taken for a brother, he being raised on the same deck as she.</p><p></p><p>He understood why she had had to turn pirate--the sea was in her</p><p>blood, and the landsmen wouldn't let her have the sea any other way.</p><p>And she had a responsibility to the crew of course, and they to her.</p><p>Sea salt makes for family closer than blood.</p><p></p><p>And she understood why he had to take her in. She remembered what a</p><p>pirate was to a merchant captain. And even though she'd tried to</p><p>avoid the greatest excesses associated with pirates, there'd been a</p><p>few times when the tide ran high and they'd done what they had to do.</p><p></p><p>And so here she was, jailed again, bound more likely for the gallows</p><p>than for prison, when the call went up for crews to sail against the</p><p>bloody elfs. She heard that, even from the depths of her cell.</p><p></p><p></p><p>She stood, then. Her joints creaked from the damp as she stretched,</p><p>and then walked towards the cell door, still with a bit of swagger in</p><p>her step. Her clothes were ragged, but her graying hair was still</p><p>neatly pulled back in a sailor's queue.</p><p></p><p>"You there, boy!" her voice rang out. It was tinged with the tones of</p><p>command, even here. "Tell your masters they might have some good of</p><p>me, yet. If my name makes their bowels turn to water, just imagine</p><p>what it will do the elfs!"</p><p></p><p>-----</p><p></p><p>Iron Lizzie, human swashbuckler (or fighter), most likely. She is smart,</p><p>charismatic (in a voice of command kind of way), and tough. She is</p><p>faster than she is strong, and while the life of hard knocks has</p><p>taught her many lessons, she's still a little more foolhardy than she</p><p>should be.</p><p></p><p>She's getting on in years--she was probably in her late 20s when she</p><p>made captain, and it's been more than ten years since then. They</p><p>weren't kind years, but the washed out the dross as well as battering</p><p>her bones. This might make application of the Middle Age stat changes</p><p>(-1 str,dex,con and +1 int,wis,cha) appropriate. Probably depends on</p><p>how other stuff goes, with character creation.</p><p></p><p>The swashbuckler class from CW is my first pick for this character, as</p><p>it's a fighter class with more emphasis on fighting smart and fighting</p><p>quick than with bashing away. It also provides more skills than a</p><p>fighter would. Fighter/rogue is a possible alternative, as is</p><p>straight fighter. The Dread Pirate PrC from CA is also an eventualy</p><p>possibility, but, well, the name's a bit cheesy, and I'm not sure it's</p><p>necessary.</p><p></p><p>Access to the Leadership feat *might* be appropriate eventually,</p><p>as Lizzie's former hands come back into the light to fight by</p><p>her side once again.</p><p></p><p>I think that level-wise, any level could work here, although 3rd+ is</p><p>probably more workable than lower. As for how to relate level to</p><p>the fact that she's and older hand than most of these folks, well,</p><p>most people don't have any class levels at all. ;> Perhaps doing</p><p>something new will pump new life through those veins.</p><p></p><p>-----</p><p></p><p>Of course, all up to the DM whether this concept is even workable. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Anax, post: 2589419, member: 19868"] [b]Iron Lizzie[/b] Ahh, life on the sea was a fine fine thing. Of course, that was before the debts started to catch up with her. And the threats. First in dark alleys, and then, eventually, in open daylight. It wouldn't have happened if she'd been a little wiser, or a little more diplomatic. But she'd never been strong on either of those points. Oh, she could get along well enough with the salty dogs on her ship. She could visit the local tavern anywhere she went and leave the graybeards at the captains table roaring with laughter, a great smile on their faces. She'd been brought up with sea-folk, after all. The sea shaped her first steps, her first words. She teethed with a rough hemp rope clutched in her tiny fists. She was born to the sea, and she knew it, and the old graybeards knew it, too. They could see the ocean depths in her eyes, and knew that the sea had her just as it had them. But the sea never meant that much to merchants, their fat fingers dripping with rings, who hired ships by the score. And that... well, that made life as an independent captain more than a little bit hard. The first time one of her contracts was broken, there wasn't much pain. The ship had to take on a little less water, a little less salt pork. The grog still held, and the crew held with it. She nearly spat in the man's face when he told her he'd found a faster ship--a better ship--a ship captained by a son of a father. The spitting didn't help one bit. The second time, the merchant had heard about the first. He sent a lackey around to make his excuses. She barely found a bit of cargo to pay the ship's way back to home port... and the hands were thinner by the time she reached home. The third trip tore it--they'd taken a loan to get a full load of supplies for the trip, and had a written guarantee of goods at their destination. A storm took them on the way, and they had to tow their boat to a small island to cut replacement masts. While they lay sheltered in a small cove, ten of their men were taken from camp, without leaving a sign. And that's what made her a legend to them. Although the rest of the men clamored to get gone and make their trip on time, she commanded that they set out to rescue the missing hands. That night, the drums echoed across the small island, as they made their way to rescue the missing crew. Their abductors, it seemed, were small, wiry humanoids, their skin wrinkled, their hair like porcupine quills. It was a night of fire and madness, but in the midst of it all, her booming voice maintained order. At the end, none of them came out unscathed. Most of the men walked together, practically carrying each other. But she walked in the lead, a triumphant smile upon her face--she had brought her men home. No regrets for the torn and bloodied jerkin, no regrets that her rapier had been broken midway through the battle, and she'd had to go the rest of the way with her longknife and a spit she'd taken from the fire... She'd brought them home. Three weeks later, when they finally limped into port, they found a merchant's lackey waiting. This time, she'd had enough. She grabbed the lackey by the neck and frogmarched him up to the merchant's quarter. When she'd found the merchant, and he *still* refused to pay, she beat him bloody, and spent the rest of the day in chains. And then the next day. The third night, her men came and broke her out. The law had come to claim her ship, they said, but they were having none of that. *She* was their captain, and no fat man's dandy was going to have them as crew. She embraced them, and they took the ship out under quiet orders, and ate wind on the way home... Home, where the debts, and the rule of law were even then laying in wait. After that, they took to piracy, of course. It seems that after all, the merchants didn't want an independent working for them, so she may as well work against them. She had crew to feed, and debts to pay to some of the darker elements in town by this point. She even learned a little bit how to be diplomatic, as it doesn't pay to spit in a thief's soup any more than it does to spit in a merchant's. They had a good time of it--ten years later, the merchants still didn't like her much, but she'd earned their dread, and that's also a kind of respect. The old graybeards who'd once laughed at her bawdy jokes now grimaced and spat as they muttered her name, and told the story of how she was driven to piracy. The new young-bloods made secret plans of how they'd fight her off to the last breath if she tried to take them. The smart ones thought again when she stood on their decks. Yes, they were good days, until they were brought short by the man she'd taken for a brother, he being raised on the same deck as she. He understood why she had had to turn pirate--the sea was in her blood, and the landsmen wouldn't let her have the sea any other way. And she had a responsibility to the crew of course, and they to her. Sea salt makes for family closer than blood. And she understood why he had to take her in. She remembered what a pirate was to a merchant captain. And even though she'd tried to avoid the greatest excesses associated with pirates, there'd been a few times when the tide ran high and they'd done what they had to do. And so here she was, jailed again, bound more likely for the gallows than for prison, when the call went up for crews to sail against the bloody elfs. She heard that, even from the depths of her cell. She stood, then. Her joints creaked from the damp as she stretched, and then walked towards the cell door, still with a bit of swagger in her step. Her clothes were ragged, but her graying hair was still neatly pulled back in a sailor's queue. "You there, boy!" her voice rang out. It was tinged with the tones of command, even here. "Tell your masters they might have some good of me, yet. If my name makes their bowels turn to water, just imagine what it will do the elfs!" ----- Iron Lizzie, human swashbuckler (or fighter), most likely. She is smart, charismatic (in a voice of command kind of way), and tough. She is faster than she is strong, and while the life of hard knocks has taught her many lessons, she's still a little more foolhardy than she should be. She's getting on in years--she was probably in her late 20s when she made captain, and it's been more than ten years since then. They weren't kind years, but the washed out the dross as well as battering her bones. This might make application of the Middle Age stat changes (-1 str,dex,con and +1 int,wis,cha) appropriate. Probably depends on how other stuff goes, with character creation. The swashbuckler class from CW is my first pick for this character, as it's a fighter class with more emphasis on fighting smart and fighting quick than with bashing away. It also provides more skills than a fighter would. Fighter/rogue is a possible alternative, as is straight fighter. The Dread Pirate PrC from CA is also an eventualy possibility, but, well, the name's a bit cheesy, and I'm not sure it's necessary. Access to the Leadership feat *might* be appropriate eventually, as Lizzie's former hands come back into the light to fight by her side once again. I think that level-wise, any level could work here, although 3rd+ is probably more workable than lower. As for how to relate level to the fact that she's and older hand than most of these folks, well, most people don't have any class levels at all. ;> Perhaps doing something new will pump new life through those veins. ----- Of course, all up to the DM whether this concept is even workable. :) [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Talking the Talk
The Sky Breathes All Life - OOC
Top