FortunatePilgrim
Apprentice
I just walked in to see what condition my condition was in.
Posts: 48
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Post by FortunatePilgrim on Sept 14, 2021 5:05:50 GMT -8
I'm really glad you like her! Obviously, it's still a work in progress concept, so if you have any suggestion of your own, especially since you already had ideas for the role of the negotiator...Feel free to pitch them in! And I'd be fine with the modification to the Gloves, if you were to rule that way. My current view of the story is that the Council's plan was for the Company to draw the Wyrm and immobilize her, and then one person was supposed to be the focus of the ritual and that one person was supposed to negotiate with Tiamat. But there was An Incident of some sort and the whole company wound up in the Serpent Queen's presence, unexpectedly. So it's less that I have a bunch of ideas and more than I had envisioned a Dramatic Moment there, and if Sister Magdala was supposed to be that negotiator, then she's on the other side of it, so to speak. And if she's that person, we can maybe find a way for the Incident to be the result of someone's deliberate choice, rather than an accident.
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Matt4
Paragon
Posts: 3,540
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Post by Matt4 on Sept 14, 2021 15:25:17 GMT -8
My current view of the story is that the Council's plan was for the Company to draw the Wyrm and immobilize her, and then one person was supposed to be the focus of the ritual and that one person was supposed to negotiate with Tiamat. But there was An Incident of some sort and the whole company wound up in the Serpent Queen's presence, unexpectedly. So it's less that I have a bunch of ideas and more than I had envisioned a Dramatic Moment there, and if Sister Magdala was supposed to be that negotiator, then she's on the other side of it, so to speak. And if she's that person, we can maybe find a way for the Incident to be the result of someone's deliberate choice, rather than an accident. I see, that's interesting. Let's see first if the others have some suggestions, otherwise maybe it could have been her partner that didn't want to leave her alone and messed up something during the ritual. If the narrative part is fine, I'll start working on the mechanical part then. Edit: I'm starting to think about some Feats to take, there are two that are from Tasha's: Crusher and Fey Touched. Would those two be okay? (They're not definitive yet but I prefer asking anyway).
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Post by Igordragonian on Sept 17, 2021 2:56:05 GMT -8
I hope this is accetpable. I can fix it... {Gruffar Mithrilfork the III} Inspiring Theme: youtu.be/z-9qtX2ckloRefrence: i.pinimg.com/originals/f7/9f/44/f79f44646a9072efb27751662a4e6494.jpgName: Patriarch Gruffar Mithrilfork III. "The Realm Reviver" Most common quote:"Back in the day, the Great Dwarves of Uldarum would-" "Elevator Speech" Gruffar is the priest-king of Uldarum the most ancient dwarf kingdom at the Dwarfholds. Cleric of Brokkr and the high priest of Ivaldi's pantheon. He was a refuge of old Uldarum which has fallen to the cruel greed of the Deep Dragon called Zraxxarz. Gruffar through the power of faith at Brokkr and at his people, had defeated Zraxxarz and his ilthid minions, and has revived Uldarum with it's old glory. But to save the world, he has sacraficed the dignity of the dwarves. His kingdom became an ugly caricature of itself. They were alive, but were nothing like Gruffar wanted them to be. Backstory- Gruffar was born almost 300 years ago, and remmeber Uldarum's in it's glory. But his father,King Tupharr has dug into the Underdark, raising the attention, of ancient, alien and evil entities. The worst enemy were an ancient deep dragon and his ilthid minions. forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Deep_dragonhis name was Zraxxarz. Mosst of the dwarves of Uldarum have died, some were enslaved and tiny minority had escaped into exile. Gruffar held strong in exile, through his pride at Uldarum, and found comfort in prayer to Brokkr. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brokkr) Gruffar empowered by Brokkr, protected and inspired dwarves, exiled and others. He has gathered dwarven hero group and an army, gaining power and influence to release Uldarum, and after a grand battle.. they did. And not only they won back the old halls, Gruffar has led the new Uldarumians back to their old tradition and glory, and so Gruffar the third has sat at the seat of his ancestors the Mithrilforks. Gruffar has married, and had children, and ruled Uldarum wisely for more then 150 years. Uldarum has prospered as golden example to all the kingdoms of the dwarfholds, their craft held as legend to all the world and races. But the purple wyrm has came, raining destruction and madness. Thousands of hill dwarf refuges have arrived at Uldarum, which had safe place (from the Wyrm), near the Underdark. But the food and water were hard to get by, and starvation and plague have slaughtered many dwarves, Uldarumians and others. So, Gruffar has readily accepted the summon to join the Rising Sun Company alongside his wife queen Gronhilda. (Gronhilda was also an Uldramian refuge in her past, but unlike Gruffar she gained power through her own skill, and became one the greatest thieves in dwarven history. At first, Gronhilda and Gruffar butted heads, but they have grown close through adventures and married inside the skull of Zraxxarz. As queen and partner her rationality held Gruffar's dreams and faith to earth. Also she found a secret organization for Uldarum's defence) Fully understanding the danger of this adventure, they have stated their son as the king Tupharr II. Gronhilda, has sacraficed herself in battle, and refused to come back to life. 290 years in this world were enough, and she is proud the way she went away. She would wait for him. She wasn't alive to see the grimm deal Gruffar had to make. Uldarum was unrecgnizable when the Patriarch came back. Tupharr had dissapeared and Gruffar grandchild became king Gruffar IV. young Gruffar has accused old Gruffar of Bronhilda's death and at abondoning the kingdom. At his leave Gruggar IV has basicly enlsaved the refuges through excuses of paying for their stay, and secretly selling them at the slave market of the Underdark, through the Duergars. Also, in this world, he raised the quantity of production of weapons and tools, and made preparation to conqure an empire, using the weakness of the other nations. Gruffar has fought and defeated his grandson, but his cries and pleas to return to the true Uldarumian ways, went on deaf ears. Helpless, he locked himself at the prime Ivaldi temple, with handful of loyal priests and orphans he took under his guidance. Gruffar has now to leave again as he is a dwarf of his word and duty. (Dwarven Religion/Mythology tangent) Brokkr was the main god of the Ivaldian pantheon. Ivaldi was a primodrial dwarf god, which were believed to be the one to forge the world. He crafted gods to take his place, and Ivaldi himself has left to forge something even better, beyond the known planes. Every one of the Ivaldi's pantheon gods is a craftmanship god of sort, even the evil ones, like Fjalar who craft balads and poems by giving hardships and tragedies that would forge heores and villians for his ballads. (So it's common saying for dwarves when they say:"Well, at least it will give Fjalar something to sing about") the worshippers of those gods are called Ivaldians. Not all of them are dwarves, many craftmen of all races and aligments might choose some or all of them to worship. He will leave again for the summon- as he is a dwarf of duty. )End Of tangent) Important NPCs: Gruffar the IV. "The Conqurer"- i.pinimg.com/originals/28/8e/e6/288ee65c5e3896847365bd1c8bcbc0e9.png Gruffar III's grandson, who rose to power after king Tupharr the II has dissapeared. Losing faith at the dwarven-Uldarumian original values, and becoming cold, calculating and cruel. He use the power he has over the refuges, the confusion and fear to reforge Uldarum into a militirastic kingdom which would use the weakness of the up-ground dweller to carve an empire. He gathered an oligarchy of young noble and greedy dwarves and made pacts with the Duergar. Queen Qwenneth- i.pinimg.com/236x/eb/5d/38/eb5d38a4a6370ad2d6735161e259e8e5.jpga Duergar princess, psionic and sorceress, who has married Gruffar the IV through political pact, and manage the underground slave trade. She push for war and conqure to gain more slaves. Priestess Yigrassil-https://w7.pngwing.com/pngs/17/972/png-transparent-dungeons-dragons-pathfinder-roleplaying-game-dwarf-cleric-role-playing-game-dwarf-cartoon-fictional-character-halfling-thumbnail.png daughter of Gruffar III. He would preffer her to sit the throne, but Uldarum is a patriarichal society. She serve Lofnheid the goddess of jewelry and beauty. She will now lead the Ivladian church in Gruffar's absence.
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Post by Zero Prime on Sept 17, 2021 6:13:33 GMT -8
Allow me to introduce ... Vaehlon, Mage Forged Tyrant of the Taelevor Imperium- Elevator Pitch
Prior to the Kresh Secession Wars, the Taelvor Imperium was a source of great arcane power and education. It's capital, Solium Virtutis, was located on the northern shores of the continent, and blessed with rich veins of Orichilium, residual energies of the Gods' Wars, centuries past. It's ruling elite, blessed with Arcane power and proficiency. When the Kingdom of Kresh summoned the Mad Wyrm, they sought to destroy the seat of the Imperium's power. The first attack that announced the Mad Wyrm's presence devastated the Imperium, nearly ending the Taelevor blood line. Vaehlon, the Imperator Ascendant, survived, and gathered a council with a bold plan to ascend the the Skyspire Peak and force an audience with a force of creation herself, Tiamat, Queen Mother of Dragonkind.
When sacrifice was demanded, one stepped forward, however, Vaehlon saw a path to victory, that would restore the Imperium to it's former glory, and too, offered sacrifice, in exchange for the relics that summoned the Queen-Mother herself. For, in his arrogance and pride, he thought his arcane preparations could return him from beyond the veil, and use the relics to bind the Mother's will to his own, and thereby undo the damage caused by the Kresh's summoning of her childer, the Mad Wyrm. So he sacrificed his blood and soul to the Queen, knowing, full well, this would leave the Imperium weakened, and without rulership should he fail.
His body shredded from existence, his arcane wards extracted his soul, his intelligence, his force of will, shunting all that made him, him, to the Astral plane. A vessel had been prepared and sequestered in Solium Virtutis, with a tenuous tether to the Ethereal Plane which now housed all that was left of Vaehlon. His plan worked, he did return, but it had taken him 10 years of effort, assailed by extra planar creatures intent on feeding on his mind, the frightening madness that threatened to consume him, he did return, though changed by experiences he refuses to speak of. His beloved empire, however, had fallen to civil war and strife, bereft of the Orichilium which graced the ruling blood line with arcane power, the surviving nobility and citizenry had fallen into a dark, savage state, warring against one another in strife unrelenting. The return of Vaehlon, however, restored order, through arcane power, force of will, and a tyrannical hand, there is a tenuous peace, though he questions now, for how long?
- Why were you recruited for the Company of the Rising Sun?
Vaehlon was recruiting to the Company for two reasons, the first, perhaps foremost, is simply put that it was his plan to ascend the Skyspire, and force audience with the Queen-Mother, he had scryed and divined the location of the relic, and so he sought to guide the heroes to their ultimate destiny. Secondly, he was the Imperator Ascendant of the most powerful magical empire the continent had ever seen, a benevolent man of vast intellect and strong will, honorable, and forthright.
- What did you give Tiamat in the Bargain?
When Tiamat first demanded sacrifice, Vaehlon's companion, Magdala, recruiting for her compassion, her wisdom, and her skill with negotiations, spoke on the Company's behalf. Vaehlon, however, saw an opportunity, and so stepping forward, offered his life, blood and flesh, the last Imperator of the famed Empire, he knew the risk he was taking, both with his life, and his empire, however, he too, saw an opportunity to steal from the God-Queen, a conduit, through which, if he survived his pledge, he could force compliance, perhaps even submission from the God-Queen, restoring himself, his kingdom, and undoing the damage wrought by the Mad Wyrm's summoning.
- Tell me about ... the Taelevor Imperium.
The heart of the Taelevor Imperium, is Solium Virtutis, nestled among the northern coast of the Continent, it is blessed with rich deposits of Orichiliam, the God-Ore, the preserved, fossilized, remnants of the gods themselves, shed during the creation of the world. These deposits, first discovered and harnessed by the Taelevorians, allowed them, through study and practice, to divine the nature of reality, to subjugate it and bend it to their will. The Orichilium was ground, invested, and attuned to the bearer, tattooed into their skin, a glyph, allowing them access to the arcane power through which the realm became a kingdom, and the kingdom became an empire. An empire founded on knowledge and power, but who held intelligence, reason, and diplomacy in highest regard. As the Empire expanded, a network of Orichilium runes and arrays allowed the lowest of Taelevor citizenry to access basic magics that would improve their lives. However, the study of higher arcana, was restricted to the Taelevorian elite, it's nobles and rulers, and this was the debate that caused the province of Kresh to seek secession, for it was the ruling elites thought that the power of high arcana in the hands of the common folk, untutored in it's usage would lead to corruption of power, and an end to the empire. So, in the end, when the nation of Kresh summoned the Mad Wyrm the elite of Taelevorian had a moment of 'I told you so.' Right before the Mad Wyrm set all the remaining Orichilium in the world alight. As nobles combusted, their runes and glyphs setting their flesh and bones alight, Vaeholor instead, through steely resolve, removed his own hand. The was the Taelevor of yesteryear ...
When Vhaelor found his way back to Solim Virtutis, his soul bound to the mage forged golem he had crafted after the Mad Wyrm's initial assault, he found his empire had fallen. It was a dark age for Taelevor, as bannerman of the ruling elite fought house against house, province against province, in endless strife as they sought to restore the glory of an empire built upon Orichilium in a world without. With a name that commanded respect, he exited his Domus Praesidium, clad in a form of adamantine and onyx, steel and jet, he brought order back to his realms, slowly. Knowing their Imperators strength was built on Orichilium, there was resistance, but the God-Ore had only amplified what arcana the rulers knew, and his decade of exposure to arcana in it's purest, ethereal form, had only heightened his power. He put down rebellion's with tyrannically efficient methods, there is now a council of Taelevor, a senate, who can overrule the Imperator's decisions. However, the Senate is fractious, at best, for it's leaders have battled one another for the last ten years, and the insults of that strife is hard for any man or woman to put aside, and so Vaehlor is able to keep reign on his Empire, but it is much diminished and not the jewel of knowledge and education it once was. - When the six heads of the statue of Tiamat were broken off, they needed to be hidden.
Obviously, given the nature of Vaehlor's sacrifice, he was unable to hide the relic when the company disbanded on Skyspire. However, since his return, he has discovered the location of one of the relics, hidden by a former companion, the barbaric Horselord, Qotho, Lord of the Bladegrass Sea. His strength and vigor taken from him by the compact struck with the God-Queen, Qotho had hidden the relic in the most sacred of sites known to him, the Mare Crescent Lake, a grotto where, it is said, the first horses were birthed to his people. However, in the years since the compact had been struck, Qotho informed his former ally, that all horses born in the vicinity of the lake were born with twisted legs, and brittle bones, none of which could bear a rider. He thought he could purge the area, but it was his duty to guard the tainted relic of the black dragon. So Vaehlor made compact with the Horselord, that he, would remove the relic, so that, in generations to come, the Horselords could, once again, sit astride their majestic steeds.
So it was that he intoned a ritual, causing the armored archmage and the relic to instantaneously travel from the Mare Crescent Lake, to a specially prepared chamber, that served as a conduit between planes and was connected to his Domos Praesidium by a door. Out of Character, it has been Sequestered, rendering it immune to divination & scrying, stored on a Demi Plane, and it's entrance is protected by the spell Glyph's and Wards, while the entrance to that area is hidden, and itself Sequestered. Wizards are nothing if not paranoid, and he is very very willing to do the same to other relics should their guardians no longer wish to protect them. - When the summons comes, tell me why it's the worst possible time to drop everything and go.
Taelevor's strength is still a fragile thing. A bickering senate, an empire stuck in the dark ages, reason and education abandoned for power, influence and martial strife. While he does leave a Simularcrum sitting atop the Throne (Doombot? ) it's ability to manipulate the politics and duplicity of the council is somewhat lacking, as such he has rivals on the council, magisters seeking to unearth arcane might that could rival his own, and those loyal to him relying on him to hold the various factions together and restore order to the chaotic empire. However, the opportunity to recover more of the relics would allow him to research them to find a way to manipulate the God-Queen and solidify his kingdom's rebirth, restore it's Orichilium stores, and enable a return to reason and prosperity.
So at this point, this is all I really have, though I have looked at the mechanical side of it, reading high level spells is fun. So a couple things, I ended up taking Noble, however instead of History & Persuasion, I took History & Intimidation, and swapped out the Gaming Proficiency for Artisan Tools (Calligrapher). As for Feats, I took: Resilient Constitution at 4th, Lightly Armored at 8th, Moderately Armored at 12th, Heavily Armored at 16th & Skill Expert at 19th. Skill Expert being the on only Tasha's feat I took ... As for Items, I took the following: Legendary: Staff of the MagiVery Rare: Tome of Clear ThoughtRare: Arcane GrimoireUncommon: Adamantine PlatemailUncommon: Ring of Mind Shielding
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Post by Igordragonian on Sept 20, 2021 5:57:45 GMT -8
Woooh, new characters. Those both seems really cool! Igor I like the idea of giving a musical theme to your character, I'll see if I can find something for Magdala as well. I like this one. (Also the art you used for the daughter of your character is the same I'm using for my dwarf cleric xD) I aplogize. I didnt knew that. I'll find somethjng else. I'l wait for the GM's aproval before I make the crunch
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Matt4
Paragon
Posts: 3,540
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Post by Matt4 on Sept 20, 2021 8:09:17 GMT -8
Woooh, new characters. Those both seems really cool! Igor I like the idea of giving a musical theme to your character, I'll see if I can find something for Magdala as well. I like this one. (Also the art you used for the daughter of your character is the same I'm using for my dwarf cleric xD) I aplogize. I didnt knew that. I'll find somethjng else. I'l wait for the GM's aproval before I make the crunch Nono, it's in another campaign, there's no need to change it I just thought it was a cute coincidence!
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FortunatePilgrim
Apprentice
I just walked in to see what condition my condition was in.
Posts: 48
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Post by FortunatePilgrim on Sept 25, 2021 9:03:35 GMT -8
Gruffar Mithrilfork the III Looks good! It's a classic archetype and there's lots of room for good drama. Can you do me a large favour, though, and give me short direct answers to the questions I list in the original ad? I know you touch on them all in the backstory, but it really helps me to have those few quick, direct touchpoints to build on when I'm getting started. Vaehlon, Mage Forged Tyrant of the Taelevor Imperium Excellent. There's a lot there but I can already see some threads I'll want to tease out. I'l wait for the GM's aproval before I make the crunch The concept is for sure approved. And Force Cleric is totally fine. Hold off on the Crunch for a little bit, though, if you can. I've found in the past that initial workshopping and discussion goes better if you haven't made all the mechanical decisions already. In other news, I asked to get a Game Board made. And once that's up (and I figure out how to work it), we can get started. Thanks, everyone, for the work you've done so far. I'm excited to see how this all turns out.
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Post by Daos on Sept 25, 2021 13:01:07 GMT -8
Okay, forum is up.
And I've decided to withdraw. I can't really come up with anything good that someone else hasn't already done better, and I haven't really had the time and energy to really work on it. Plus, I'm already running six games (with a seventh on the way) and playing in four, so my plate is pretty full at the moment anyway. And I don't think I have the experience in 5E to even try and make a 20th level character from scratch.
But I wish you all the best, and I'll follow the game with interest.
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