The Campaign Builder's Guild

Sorry, I almost finished a brief background for Elisedd a few days ago but I've been too busy to write the half-paragraph I had left to do since then :P
I might get to finish it tomorrow.

I got a call for more knowledge about what is going on, for cluing into what will drive the adventuring, so I am going to share this next bit with you all now, since it is information your characters would be likely to know anyway.

[ic]King Ecnel mac Bain, the petty "king of Ceann Balor" belongs to Clan Tresteg.  His marriage to Ernain of Forna brought unity to the region.  In the past twenty years since his taking the seat at Tor Knockard—the castle at the top of the hill—there have been only minor skirmishes of the sort men have to let off steam.  But he has not yet sired children, and his trusted advisor arranged to find him a new wife.  As per rituals, he was ceremoniously wedded to a new flower maiden, a woman named Elphain, who has stayed on in his house, and whose belly now grows full with child.  The fruit of their union will soon be born, and the city looks forward to the day.

But not all are happy.  Briove of clan Forna is insulted by this new arrangement.  Ernain was his own sister, and he feels she has been cast aside, in favor of an outsider.  The king's new bride was unknown in Ceann Balor, belongs to no clan, and brought the realm neither wealth nor land, nor any alliances.  All that she brought with her was her clothes and a retinue of servants and protectors.  Ecnel spends lavishly, and parades his new gravid wife through the city and the countryside on his golden chariot in long processions.  Briove resents the king's expenditures, and the slight against his sister. 

Now Clans Forna and Tresteg are on the verge of open war, as duels of honor and revenge-killings increase, spiraling the town and countryside toward open warfare.[/ic]

I'd ideally like to get this up and running by the 10th.  Is that enough time for people to get their characters solidified?

Tell me if anything doesn't work in the background, Seraphine (or if I miscalculated anything).

[ic]Name: Arngrim the Haunted
Class: Sea Reaver (Barbarian Archetype) | Level: 4 | Oracle | Level 1
Race: Human | Gender: Male

STR: 16 | {+3 pts}
DEX: 10 | {+0 pts}
CON: 16 | {+3 pts}
INT: 12 | {+1 pts}
WIS: 10 | {+0 pts}
CHA: 15 | {+2 pts}

HP Total: 52 (62 raging)
Defense Bonus: +6 (+5 Training, +1 Shield)
Initiative: +4
Base Attack: +4
Enech: 5
CMB: +7
CMD: 17

Saving Throws
Fortitude Total: +7 (+9 raging)
Reflex Total: +1
Will Total: +3 (+5 raging, +6 vs. spells, supernatural abilities, and spell-like abilities)

Speed: 30 ft.
Languages: Glasconneach (Broken), "Teangránnach"

Weapons
(Masterwork Battleaxe) – Attack: +9 (+11 raging) | Damage: 1d8+3 (+5 raging) | Crit: x3
(Dagger) – Attack +7 (+9 raging) | Damage: 1d4+3 (+5 raging) | Crit: 19-20/x2
(Shortbow) – Attack +4 | Damage: 1d6 | Crit: x3

Armor
none

Skills
(Acrobatics) – Total: +10 (+11 in aquatic terrain) | Ranks: 5
(Climb) – Total: +13 (+14 in aquatic terrain) | Ranks: 5
(Intimidate) – Total: +12 | Ranks: 5
(Profession [Sailor]) – Total: +8 (+9 in aquatic terrain) | Ranks: 5
(Survival) – Total: +8 (+9 in aquatic terrain) | Ranks: 5
(Swim) – Total: +13 (+14 in aquatic terrain) | Ranks: 5

Feats
Sea Legs
Toughness
Improved Initiative
Intimidating Prowess
Weapon Focus (Battleaxe)

Class Abilities
Marine Terror (Ex): A sea reaver can hold her breath for a number of rounds equal to four times his Constitution score (64 rounds). In addition, a sea reaver can move normally though squares of standing water or bog that is 1 foot deep. It does not cost him extra movement to traverse these terrains. Lastly, a sea reaver ignores the normal cover bonus to AC when attacking creatures that are partially immersed in water.
Rage (Ex): +4 Str, +4 Con, +2 Will saves, -2 Defense while raging (7 rounds/day)
Eyes of the Storm (Ex):  At 2nd level, a sea reaver ignores any concealment provided by fog, rain, sleet, mist, wind, or other weather effects that is less than total concealment, and any penalties weather applies on Perception checks are halved.
Intimidating Glare (Ex): The sea reaver can make an Intimidate check against one adjacent foe as a move action. If the sea reaver successfully demoralizes her opponent, the foe is shaken for 1d4 rounds + 1 round for every 5 points by which the sea reaver's check exceeds the DC.
Savage Sailor (Ex): At 3rd level, a sea reaver gains a +1 bonus on Acrobatics, Climb, Profession (sailor), Survival, and Swim checks made in aquatic terrain, including aboard a ship or along shorelines. These bonuses improve by +1 every three levels after 3rd.
Superstition (Ex): The sea reaver gains a +2 morale bonus on saving throws made to resist spells, supernatural abilities, and spell-like abilities. This bonus increases by +1 for every 4 levels the sea reaver has attained. While raging, the sea reaver cannot be a willing target of any spell and must make saving throws to resist all spells, even those cast by allies.
Mystery – Battle: An oracle with the battle mystery adds Intimidate, Knowledge (engineering), Perception, and Ride to his list of class skills.
Haunted (Ex): Retrieving any stored item from your gear requires a standard action, unless it would normally take longer. Any item you drop lands 10 feet away from you in a random direction. Add mage hand and ghost sound to your list of spells known.
Orisons: 0-level Oracle spells do not consume spell slots.
Weapon Mastery (Ex): Select one weapon with which you are proficient. You gain Weapon Focus with that weapon. At 8th level, you gain Improved Critical with that weapon. At 12th level, you gain Greater Weapon Focus with that weapon. You do not need to meet the prerequisites to receive these feats.

Spells Known:
0th: bleed, stabilize, ghost sound, guidance, resistance, mage hand
1st: divine favor, bane

Spells/Day:
0th: Unlimited
1st: 4

Equipment
-Bag, waterproof
-Pouch, belt
-Bread, loaf
-Cheese, hunk of
-Meat, chunk of
-Flint and steel
-Waterskin
-Whetstone
-40 arrows

The man is huge – well over six feet in height, with broad shoulders and thickly corded muscles to match.  He could be anywhere between thirty and sixty: layer upon layer of scars, dozens of strange tattoos, and years of hard use have obscured his age.  His weatherbeaten skin is like ancient leather, crisscrossed and puckered, chapped by the wind, tanned by the sun.  He is missing two fingers from his left hand, half his right ear, his right nipple, and one of his filed teeth.  His nose has been broken several times and his left thigh is twisted and wrinkled from an old burn.  His eyes are pale grey-blue and dead-looking, the colour of a frozen sea; along with his ropy, whitish-yellow hair, his unwholesome foreign mannerisms, and his savage tribal markings, they mark him as an outsider, native of a cold, cruel land where it is said to always be winter.

He came here many years past, leading a party of his kinsmen in a raid on the folk of Gwladwyn.  The raid went poorly – the foreign warriors were cut down, until only Arngrim (as he is called) remained, frothing at the mouth and cursing in the uncouth tongue of his people.  He was captured, made one of the Daer-fuidir, passed from family to family like a horse or an ox.  He was made to fight, to labour in the field, to perform tasks too difficult, dangerous, or demeaning for free men.  He learnt a few words – enough to follow the orders of his enslavers.  But though he did all that was asked of him with a grudging stoicism, he was bartered away with unusual frequency, for wherever Arngrim went, strangeness followed.  Beasts he tended would give birth to corpses or monstrosities; fields he tilled would sicken and die; if he drew water from a well, it would prove tainted.  Illness and accident seemed to surround him.

Now, finally, the law has granted Arngrim his freedom.  He wanders the Gaedhelic Isles as a mercenary, fighting with a battered old axe which more than one foolish brigand has mocked as a woodcutter's weapon moments before being brutally dismembered.  His black reputation has only grown blacker; these days he is known as Arngrim the Haunted.  Rumour holds that he is accompanied always by the spirits of his dead kinfolk, or perhaps those claimed by his axe.  Other tales paint the warrior as a phantom from the Otherworld, some demon of Annwn - an Unseelie shade intent on bringing death and decay to Abred.

Arngrim's motivations are inscrutable.  Some claim that the northern berzerker seeks a way to lift his curse and quiet the wraiths that clamour at him and plague his dreams.  Others say he is trying to amass enough wealth to buy a ship to bring him back to his icy homeland.  A few who have met the warrior insist that neither is true.  The foreigner fights, they say, because he knows nothing else; he travels as a vagabond because he has no home, no kin, for to return to his native soil after being defeated in battle and enslaved by enemies would be unthinkable.  The ghosts that haunt him, such folk say, have become a part of him, like the scars that mar his body - old friends to keep him company on the lonesome roads and in the desolate wilds.[/ic]

I notice that "Iron Skin" is listed, even though it says you have to be 11th level to take it. 

I was going to say that someone who had socially redeemed themselves enough to be legally granted their freedom would have an enech of at least 15, but you also mentioned that "his black reputation has only grown blacker" since then, so that's fine. 

The only VERY MINOR nitpick is that though Cad Goleór is the name of the SETTING, nobody in the setting would use that name to talk about the world around them.  The term people of these islands would use is "Abred."

Missed that prerequisite!  I thought that seemed to good to be true... will change it to something else!

I had my Cad Goleor/Abred mixed up - I thought the world was Abred and the islands were Cad Goleor :p.  Thanks, I'll change that!

(Also, wouldn't he be "kinless" as well?)

EDIT: also realized I screwed up my hp as well... will reroll.  Been awhile since I created a character!

Quote from: Steerpike
Missed that prerequisite!  I thought that seemed to good to be true... will change it to something else!

I had my Cad Goleor/Abred mixed up - I thought the world was Abred and the islands were Cad Goleor :p.  Thanks, I'll change that!

(Also, wouldn't he be "kinless" as well?)

Yes he would.  Even if he has living relatives back in his homeland, he would be considered kinless, as there is no one on the islands to vouch for him, protect him, or to take responsibility for his wrongdoings. 

And I can see your confusions.  Abred TECHNICALLY is their name for the entire world, but world beyond the islands isn't fully real to them, and is sometimes thought to be part of the Otherworld instead of this world.

There is no word that encompasses both Glasconai and Gwladwyn, though you might call them "The Gaedhelic Isles."

Hey guys, we gonna be ready for this on Monday?  I at the very least need background write-ups from Hippo and Kindling.  Anyone else who wants in on the first session needs to get me a character sheet and background both. 

Sorry haven't had a chance to finish off the last couple of questions, plus I was gonna add a para on how and why he became a vagabond in the first place but I guess that can come to light later.

[ic]Elisedd came to Caenn Balor as a wandering vagabond five years ago, kinless and ragged from his travels.
Upon his arrival he fell in love with a young woman of the Forna named Braith. Despite his disreputable appearance he was able to win her heart, but she had another suitor that her kin favoured; the stocky Forna spearman Arthfael.
The two fought a duel for Braith's hand and Elisedd won after a long and close-run contest. Arthfael, at first glowering and grim-faced, found himself laughing at the sheer joy of the fight and afterwards announced that such a canny warrior as Elisedd deserved a comely bride like Braith.
Arthfael and Elisedd soon became firm friends, and Arthfael was instrumental in persuading Braith's family that Elisedd would be a fine addition to Clan Forna.
Since then Elisedd has lived a relatively quiet life, embracing his new clan's ways and raising a son, Eurig, who is now four years old.
In the recent tensions between the Forna and Clan Tresteg, Elisedd has toed the party line, but has less passion and fervour for the clan's rivalries than his fellows who grew up with them.
Elisedd is a swarthy man of middle height with a compact, sinewy build and sharp features. He limes and spikes his black hair in the manner of the Forna. He prefers to go bare-chested, and favours a cloak over a tunic when the weather is cold.

Do you belong to any particular clan?
Clan Forna.

Are you well respected?  Why or why not?
Moderately. My defeat of Arthfael was competent but unspectacular, however our subsequent friendship is seen as praiseworthy.
   
Who would you risk your honor for?  Your life?
My wife Braith, our son Eurig, my friend Arthfael.

Who would risk their honor for you?  Their life?
My friend Arthfael.

In your opinion, what is best in life?
To love my wife, see my son grow, and to know I have the strength in my sword-arm to protect them should I need to.

What is your darkest secret?   Who do you fear will find out?  What would they do if they did?


What are your hobbies? Candle-making? Gardening? Herbalism? Wood-carving?
I like to walk in the woods and wilderness. Not to hunt, as others might, but rather just for the joyful solitude of the far-places.

What is your worst fear? What terrifies you? What do you dread? Is it something terribly personal, or a generic phobia? How did you acquire this fear? Are you ashamed of it?


Is there a geas upon you?  What is it?
No.

Is there an oath you have undertaken, that is yet to be fulfilled?
Only, through my marriage, to serve Clan Forna, which I do faithfully.[/ic]

Quote from: Kindling
Sorry haven't had a chance to finish off the last couple of questions, plus I was gonna add a para on how and why he became a vagabond in the first place but I guess that can come to light later.

Sure.  This is sufficient for the time being.  And the questions were more guidelines for getting you thinking about characters and how they relate to their surroundings than "you must answer all of these."

[ic=Sorcha]
Sorcha
Human Female Witch 5

[ic=Background]Born under an inauspicious moon, it was evident even when she was a small child that Sorcha was odd. While she came from a rather prestigious branch of clan Forna, in a clan known for its strength and prowess, someone like her was an embarrassment. She was not much of a warrior, not much of a huntress, and not even farming came to her very well. In her youth, she was thought a simple fool, and pitied. Yet, she was no fool. She had a frighteningly sharp mind, although it worked in ways quite unlike those of her kinfolk.

In her childhood, she would frequently wander off into the foothills. Her family did little to look for her, believing that if she never came back, perhaps it was for the best. Still, when she was found suffering from a snakebite, they could not bring themselves to not tend to her; she was still their daughter. She recovered, and proceeded to find the snake that had bitten her-- and seemingly befriend it. When a man from the village tried to kill it, Sorcha lashed out, sending him to the ground in a fit of gibbering and coughing. Achnaid then came to the scene. He roused the man, and turned his attention to Sorcha; while some wanted to exile her, he saw the value in someone with her abilities.

All grown up, Sorcha is, perhaps, a comely woman, but certainly not without many quirks. Her glance darts from here to there like a spooked animal, yet her dark eyes deem devoid of soul. Her body is covered in strange, esoteric tattoos she has crafted herself, many of them infused with dark magic. She often speaks in seemingly utterly nonsensical phrases or babbles in unknown tongues. Her prematurely white hair often rises and drifts about of its own accord, wisps of dark magic seem to leak from her fingertips with every one of her erratic motions, and occasionally a small spider will spontaneously crawl from her mouth. When sense can be made of her utterances, there is often surprising knowledge and insight behind them. The languages are bizarre, but they are real; at least one has been proven to be a language from beyond this world. She shows a surprising amount of skill with the small, finely crafted scythe that she always carries. And, of course, her greatest talent: when she manages to focus her erratic magic, it manifests itself in the form of hideous curses and hexes inflicted upon any who cross her and her clan.

She now loyally serves her clan, Forna. Her talents are considerable, and useful, giving her a certain amount of influence, particularly in these troubled times. More than a few enemies of the clan have suffered Sorcha's wicked magic. However, she is often kept at arm's length, feared due to her bizarre behavior and appearance. Her uncle Briove, in particular, has never met with her face-to-face and vows never to, believing he will be struck down by her evil eye if he ever looks directly at her.
[/ic]

STR 13 (+1)
DEX 14 (+2)
CON 14 (+2)
INT 20 (+5)
WIS 8 (-1)
CHA 7 (-2)

HP: 34 (6 + 4 + 3 + 4 + 3 + 10 Con + 4 Favored)
Melee Attack: Scythe +4 (d6+1) [(d6+3) with Arcane Strike]
Defense: +5 (+3 BDB, +2 Dex)

Init +6 (+2 Dex, +4 Familiar)
BAB +2
BDB +3
CMB +3
CMD 15

Enech: 11 (Base 10, +3 Forna, -2 for improper social behavior)

Class Features:
Hexes
Familiar: Snake (Greensting Scorpion)
Patron: Deception

Feats:
- Arcane Strike
- Inscribe Magical Tattoo
- Iron Will
- Extra Hex

Hexes:
- Incapacitate (Slumber) [DC 17]
- Evil Eye [DC 17]
- Cackle
- Flight

Saves:
Fort +3 (+1, +2 Con)
Ref +3 (+1, +2 Dex)
Will +5 (+4, -1 Wis, +2 Feat)

Speed: 30ft.
Languages: Glasconneach, Coillenach, Realtach, Fomor, "Mysterious Language", 2 more

Skills (40 ranks):
Craft (Tattoos) +13 (5 + Int 5 + Class)
Disable Device +5 (3 + Dex 2)
Fly +9 (4 + Dex 2 + Class)
Knowledge (Arcana) +10 (2 + Int 5 + Class)
Knowledge (History) +9 (1 + Int 5 + Class)
Knowledge (Nature) +9 (1 + Int 5 + Class)
Knowledge (Nobility) +6 (1 + Int 5)
Knowledge (Planes) +10 (2 + Int 5 + Class)
Linguistics +6 (1 + Int 5)
Perception +4 (5 + Wis -1)
Ride +5 (3 + Dex 2)
Spellcraft +12 (4 + Int 5 + Class)
Stealth +5 (3 + Dex 2)
Swim +5 (0 + Str 1 + Hex)
Use Magic Device +6 (5 + Cha -2 + Class)

Spells Per Day: 5x level 1, 3x level 2, 2x level 3

Spells Known:
Level 1: Cure Light Wounds, Ear Piercing Scream, Enlarge Person, Mage Armor, Mount, Obscuring Mist, Ventriloquism, Beguiling Gift, Charm Person, Command [DC 16]
Level 2: Blindness/Deafness, Detect Thoughts, Invisibility, Vomit Swarm, Web, Hold Person [DC 17]
Level 3: Bestow Curse, Suggestion [DC 18]

Tattoos:
Tattoo of Power level 1 - Lower back ("Belt" slot)
Tattoo of Power level 2 - Upper chest ("Armor" slot)
Tattoo of Power level 3 - Entire left arm ("Shield" slot)

Other Possessions:
Masterwork Scythe
Tattered Black Cloak and Skirt
Small Leather Pouch containing tattooing needles and spell components

[spoiler=Flavorful Modifications]
Snake familiar
Mechanically, her familiar is a greensting scorpion. However, a snake worked better thematically.

Cackle
Her Cackle hex doesn't always involve cackling. Sometimes she'll blather in some unknown language, or just stand motionless and stare, since it takes a move action.

Incapacitate
Her Incapacitation hex works mechanically just like Slumber, but does not put people into a peaceful sleep. Instead, they collapse in a fit, sometimes twitching and seizing, sometimes coughing, sometimes laughing madly. This is just fluff and the effect is mechanically identical; the person is still incapacitated, requiring some action by someone else to snap them out of it, like the standard Slumber hex.

Tattoos of Power
They're just Pearls of Power in a tattoo form. She has one for each of the spell levels she can cast. When their power is drained, they become drab and monochrome.
[/spoiler]

[ooc=Tattoos]If other characters want magic tattoos (and are willing to fork over the cost of them), we can figure out a way Sorcha made them for you, as long it's something she's able to actually do.[/ooc]
[/ic]

Cool Sparkle.  Looks great!

And since you mentioned languages nonspecifically, I will make mention of that.  Instead of just one "common" tongue there are two (one for each island): Glasconneach is the tongue of this island, Gwladwych being the "common" tongue of the other. 

Other languages are:
Coillenach (essentially Sylvan)--The language of the Sidhe and of intelligent woodland creatures, which comes in upper and lower dialects;
Réaltach--The language of the Tuatha (gods);
Fomor--the language of the Fomorians;
Teangránnach, which is not an actual language at all, but rather the umbrella term for all "Ugly Tongues" from other lands.

Actually, there would probably also be at least one more language for the Fir Bolg, but it would not be widely known outside of Thiodonn. 

SH, thanks for the information. Given Sorcha's weird "speaking in tongues" aspect, I think I'll deliberately not give her Gwladwych or other human languages as her known languages. Such things would be far too mundane for her. The other weird stuff is good. What sort of "feel" do these languages have? (e.g., sounds "Russian", sounds "Chinese", etc.) In other words, since she tends to blather in them, if I wanted to add some of that to her IC speech, what kind of inspirations should I draw on?

I've also added something called "Mysterious Language" to her list. At the moment, Sorcha herself is the only person she or her clan has ever heard speaking it. It could be something entirely made up by her disturbed mind, or it could be the language of some long-dead yet-undiscovered civilization. I'll leave it as an open plot hook. I'd kind of like to flesh the sound of this one out myself, but if you have suggestions, I'd love to hear them, too.

That leaves 2 left. High Int in d20 leads to quite the polyglot! Any thoughts?
Or we can just leave these ill-defined for now. Perhaps something in her ramblings makes sense to someone somewhere. :grin:

Here are a couple of things I've noticed about other characters:

- From talking to SH on IRC, I got the sense that we had amassed a decent amount of "stuff," that being trade goods or whatever equal to the 5th level WBL, 10500 gp. It's how Sorcha got all those fancy magic tattoos, for example. She's still got about 3100 gp worth of stuff left over to reflect her home, lifestyle, and so on, though I imagine the goods and land are entrusted to someone in her clan a bit less... odd. Most of the other characters don't really have a lot. I'm thinking you guys could probably afford at least a really nice weapon or a couple of magic tattoos or that ship Arngrim supposedly wants to buy.

- Kindling, I think you've miscalculated your HP. I'm not sure how a Fighter only ends up with 33 when my Witch has 34. Did you forget your con bonus? With average HD rolls (which is what I did) you should have 42 HP, or 47 if you use your favored class bonuses for HP.

Sorry for having taken this long to get around to posting my character concept. I'm still eager to play :)

[ic=Cadwgan]
CADWGAN MAC MUIREDACH

Born and raised in the fliath warrior-nobility, Cadwgan is a bold and dangerous man. Since an early age he has excelled in the traditional pursuits of his caste: hunting boar, raiding cattle, and leading men to glory on the battlefield. The fruits of his exploits have done much to elevate the fortunes and standing of his household. But that glory is now tainted by the scandal of fratricide.

Two years ago, Cadwgan marched with a warband on a raid upon a remote village perched on a barren hill. The raid was successful enough, despite furious resistance by the natives; slaves, cattle and gold were plundered. Cadwgan himself had the honor of facing and slaying the son of the local chieftain in single combat. What he had not anticipated was that said chieftain, old and gray, was quite a formidable witch. As vengeance for taking his son's life, the man placed upon Cadwgan a geas, a prohibition to "suffer a man to live who treads on his shadow". Bound by this curse, Cadwgan was doomed to slay his younger brother Ruadhan, the most beloved to him among his family.

It happened when he was returning home from the raid. Ruadhan, who by chance was out tending to the livestock that evening, made with haste to greet his brother. With the sun setting behind him, casting his shadow long, Cadwgan hadn't enough time to warn his sibling, who stepped on his shade. Moments later Cadwgan was standing by the bleeding corpse of his brother, whose face was frozen in an expression of shock and terror. His blood-dripping blade fell off his hands as the enormity of what he'd done sunk in.

A murderer! A kinslayer! A traitor to his line! His geas had left him with little choise, but the blood of his brother now stained his hands all the same. It would follow him for the rest of his days, he realized, no matter what he did.

The shame of the fratricide has driven Cadwgan to the brink of despair and madness, the memories of it haunting his dreams and the weight of guilt bearing down on him during waking hours. He finds a temporary reprieve from the horror in only two things: the heat of battle and the heat of inebriation.


APPEARANCE:

Cadwgan is tall, though not particularly tall for fliath. He is built like a young ox and bears scars from numerous battles, giving him a fearsome, albeit somewhat blemished appearance. His hair is tawny with a hint of red to it; he lets it grow wild but shaves his face. His eyes are steely blue. For clothes he wears plaid trousers and a heavy cloak.
[/ic]

Stats are still in the making, but he'll be a Shielded Fighter.

Ah, very interesting Ghost!  Seeing as "Cadwgan" is much more Welsh sounding than Irish or Scottish, and Gwladwyn is the "Wales" analog of the setting, does your character have any Gwladwych heritage?

That's a serious geas!  Could lead to difficulty in life.  That might be a disadvantage worthy of an extra feat.

I hope you can join us.  I know timing is difficult: are you available to play at the times we were talking?