OOC - Character Workshop

[Jack Rothwell]

I'm updating Gabriel since he's becoming more involved in the story (not to mention the long term plan I have for this character).

Name: Gabriel Averis

Occupation: Ralkin member.

Age: 35

Description: Gabriel was a fifteen year man in the Port Lorrel Miltia, he rose to the captain's rank through the virtue of his intelligence and ruthlessness both in inter-city squabbles and in the field. His success didn't last however, during his rise he'd grown corrupted by the opportunities that being an authority figure presented. Investigators inevitably uncovered evidence of the young captain taking brides, leading his men to hit caravans and working backalley deals with some of the more disreputable elements that the city had to offer. Although Gabriel was able to beat the charges against him (by calling in a lot of favours from certain businessmen whose crooked transactions he'd 'overlooked') his reputation was permanently tainted and he was eventually forced to leave the milita anyway. Soon after, he was offered a 'business manager' job by Alec Fredriel, which presented the perfect opportunity for the corrupted Captain to make the most of the skills he'd acquired during his service. Gabriel's military mind invariably made him the rock the storm of The Red Rose swirled around, that was, until the intervention of Jamie Porter and her daring theft of one of his employer's new 'acquisitions'; namely a certain kobold by the name of Tamina. The fat man's fetish for 'cat-girls' led his employee to chase the pair all the way to the Southern Continent, where the situation quickly spiraled out of control.

Upon landing, Gabriel found himself in the middle of a plague that was spreading like wild-fire throughout the region. The plague was, in reality, a complex spell controlled by a group of dark-magic dabblers called 'The Ralkin'. The plague's effects turned the sufferers into 'ferals', essentially warping them into bestial, rabid monsters who were highly hostile and passed the infection on by scratching or biting the uninfected. The whole affair was coordinated by the Ralkin utilization of an ancient artifact which allowed them to 'direct' the monsters into regimented action against the settlements in the area.

In short, Gabriel became one of the infected, but Fucilious' keen observation recognized the ex-captain as a man he could use for something more important than rampaging around and pummeling hapless townsfolk to death. The Ralkin leader brought Gabriel to the group's home while was in the early stages of the plague's symptoms and instead turned the man into one of his experiments. Gabriel was implanted with various artifacts woven with magic, and re-made into something more monster than man.

Although initially under Fucilious' total control due to his connection to the 'plague crystal', the effect was short-lived as Jamie and Tamina arrived at the Ralkin base and shattered the source of the magical infection. Freed from the Ralkin's control and gifted with new strength and endurance, Gabriel's first action was to return to Port Lorrel and murder his old employer in cold blood. Shortly after, he was contacted again by the then group-less Fucilious, and convinced to become an employee of the Ralkin in exchange for further power and influence.

Appearance: Grim faced with a strong jawline, appears gnarled even in his thirties, stands tall at 6"2 and in good physical condition. Gabriel looked like the kind of man people would be reluctant to argue with, much less start a fight with, before his 'operation'. Now Gabriel's body is a patchwork of ugly scars (usually only the furrow on his neck is visible when clothed) and his eyes appear utterly dead. He has a humourless, flat voice to match how he looks.

Skills: Gabriel was a talented swordsman and a good shot with a firearm due to his long service in organised military and life in the corrupted underbelly of Port Lorrel. Since his renovation by Fucilious, Gabriel is possessed of much greater strength and powerful regenerative capabilities*.

*- As in, he took a bullet to the brain and got up a few minutes later in the southern continent thread. But don't panic! There is a way to kill him... but we'll save that for later.

[Jack Rothwell]

Alright, posting up a revised profile for eli given how much his character has changed over the last few threads.

Name: Eli Haverum

Race: Half-elf

Occupation: Former Snamish guard, now a member of the Ralkin

Age: 40 (looks around 25)

Appearance: Stands tall at just over 6 feet, Eli's hair is now cropped short and dyed black, his eyes are a plain brown colour, he has fairly masculine features and a strong jawline. He no longer wears his guard armor now he's left Snamish, and instead wears a less distinctive outfit of canvas and hide, sheltered by a leather duster.

Background: To call Eli's background dull would be harsh, but not entirely inaccurate. His parents (both half-elves themselves) moved to Snamish some twenty years before the dissatisfied young man (at least young by half-elf standards) was born. Most of Eli's existance was spent in Snamish, learning all the 'cultural necessities' that his parents and rest of the half-elf community thought proper for one of their people to know. The result was a frustrated young man armed with magic, historical knowledge and swordsmanship, but no real opportunity to use it. His ties to the tight-knit community clashed with his desire to see at least a little more of the world outside of the virtual shelter he grew up in. As Eli grew up he found himself taking any and every job available that allowed him to travel. As a result he got to know the nearby towns and countryside in Veracia, at least in passing detail.

Since joining Rose's group much about the bored young man's personality has changed, and not for the better. The exploration of the outside world and being confronted with the ugly reality of the land he was surrounded by pushed him closer to errancy with every intolerant encounter. It was being contacted by the Ralkin Leader, however, which began the slide in earnest.

Between coertion, gifts of knowledge and power, and the promise of a brighter future for his people. The half-elf walked a path which eventually led to his forceful explusion from the group. The final result being chased the half-elf chased through the streets of Goriel by a pair of Peregin's and forced to make an escape. With Drusia now actively hunting him Eli's alliance lies firmly with the Ralkin cult and it's future plans.

Personality: Eli still holds to some ideals, a desire for greater good even if it means an evil action to achieve. However, he is now short-tempered and paranoid, his sense of humour is still there, but tinged with bitterness and weary resignation. Eli shows worsening symptoms of being sociopathic as his work with the Ralkin continues.

Abilities: A fair swordsman but his limited combat experience means he finds it difficult to adapt against unusual styles, although being trained by Drusia gives him a better chance against Elven Peregins, as a mage he's better, possessing an array of magic expected of a half-elf his age (solid offensive/defensive/healing). His continuing work at learning Ralkin summoning magic is still at an apprentice level, but upon leaving Goriel Eli could summon the Galdy and Silka (see cavalcade of creepy crawlies). The amulet he wears, a gift from the Ralkin leader, functions both as a long range communications device and as a conduit to purify the half-elf's innate magic energy, enabling him to put more power behind his spells as long as he keeps in contact with it.


(Note, that Eli's changed his appearance out of a pressing desire to not get murdered on the street )

[Graybeard]

With Brad happily retired and making babies with his wife Lillith, it looks like I need another character for the Southern Continent stuff, unless it merges with something where there's already a character waiting (Keyes?). So as a "possible" PC who'll be around until, if and when:

Name: Khoo Tan-Lian; known simply as "Khoo" although he also responds to "TLK"

Age: 24

Occupation: Graduate student at Sashi Mu, studying Thaumatic Engineering with a specialty in aeronautics; also employed at the Artifex Sashimi Palace to make ends meet until he gets a real job

Appearance: Khoo is short (5'9" or so) and wiry, with a long face, a shock of dark hair, and brown eyes. He wears glasses as a result of not having had a chance for corrective healing as a child, and it's probably too late for it now; at least attempts to fix his vision at the thaumato-medical school at Sashi Mu haven't worked. (The possibility that this may be a manifestation of that tiny drop of half-elf blood that flows in the veins of most Tsuirakuans hasn't occurred to anyone, of course.) He smiles easily and widely and generally has a perky, jaunty posture that matches his disposition well, although he has to rein it in while working at the restaurant. His clothing varies according to the role he's playing -- mage's robes at Sashi Mu, restaurant uniform while working. In his off time, he wears the simple peasant's shirt and pants of the small fishing village that was his home until a couple of years ago. He's quite attached to this outfit from his past, and he carries a change of clothes with him in the Pocket Dimension that is one of his few worldly possessions. He lives in a tiny flat directly above the restaurant in the Tower of Artifex. Despite being a student of magic, he does not own a familiar yet.

History: Khoo is originally from a small island off the north coast of the main island of Tsuiraku, across a narrow strait from the village of earlier player character Rice, to whom he is distantly related. He passed his early childhood with every expectation of becoming exactly the kind of fisherman that his parents, and almost everyone else in town, were. However, that all changed one day when his father brought home a net that had torn on some underwater snag, and nine-year-old Khoo instantly repaired it with a burst of magic. Needless to say, that caught his parents' attention, and he was immediately apprenticed to the one real mage in town, a rather well-to-do Tsuirakuan healer who had moved to the islands to "get away from it all." The man's healing skills didn't extend to fixing bad vision, which is why the glasses persist, but he was still considered quite the big fish in the small pond, and Khoo's next few years were challenging on the one hand, and on the other, enough to get Khoo himself quite a bit of respect in the town.

Some years later, as Khoo was about to graduate from high school and leave his magical life behind (other than for entertaining at village functions), his mentor got word that Sashi Mu was starting a small-scale pilot program to recruit and train promising magic students from towns far out in the boonies of Tsuiraku. His tiny town surely qualified, and so he took the array of entrance exams and aptitude tests, surprising everyone but himself (Khoo does not lack self-confidence) by winning one of the few available slots. He's been at Sashi Mu ever since, staying on for graduate work after graduating from the original program. This kind of background leaves him the subject of a certain amount of condescension on the part of many of his classmates from Tsuirakushiti, but Khoo doesn't particularly care. He's just having the time of his life in the sky city, never mind what anyone else thinks.

Skills: He has the basic skills of any recent Sashi Mu graduate, but in addition, has extraordinary virtuosity with "air magic." This is serving him well as he works on his thesis project, which is design and construction of a magically-enhanced emergency escape glider that he hopes will become part of the safety equipment of the Tsuirakuan airship fleet. (If successful, this will make him a whole bucketful of tsuis by way of patents and licensing agreements, but lacking any particular drive to be wealthy, he has no idea what he'll do with them.) He also is expert in the magical preparation of food, reasonable enough considering where he's working. His skills with combat magic are minimal (apart from the ability, derived from his general specialization in air magic, to cast a Slow Fall that lasts about ten times as long as that of an average mage; he's also good at levitation), and he has no non-magical combat skills whatever. Khoo has never been in a fight in his life, and he doesn't plan ever to be in one. He's just having fun doing what he likes to do.

[Jack Rothwell]

I've finally gotten around to posting a pc profile for Tamina. In retrospect, I should have done it in the first place! I've made a few tweaks to make the character work better from the original post as well.

Name: Tamina Nallaki

Age: 13 (early/mid twenties in human years)

Appearance (Kobolds): Kobolds, as a species, are never in danger of being mistaken for human beings, even if they wear boots to conceal their feet, with the slightly elongated heels that rest an inch off the ground, or gloves for the stubby digits and claws of their hands, even if they wrapped up to hide the patches of fur that speckle their bodies*, stuffed their tails down their pants and pulled up a hood to conceal the big cat-like ears, the slit-pupils of their eyes and their needly teeth would still give them away.

Their faces, for the most part, look human enough.

Appearance (Tamina): Wide, yellow eyes called cute by some... predatory by others, petite nose and mouth, her fur is black with spots of white intermittently peppered in, offsetting the bronze of her skin. She stands at 5"6 (fairly typical), her body is in the toned condition expected of a species who hunts their dinner most days of the week.

Since leaving the Southern continent Tamina typically wears basic travelling clothes (canvas/hide clothing, leather boots and a coat with a hood), she sometimes ties a ribbon around the end of her tail.

Occupation: Hunter/Healer

Background: Being one of the few members in her tribe on the Southern continent to have latent magical ability meant Tamina's path was mapped out pretty clearly for her early on. Her childhood was the typical rough and tumble unbringing of the tribes mixed in with a magical education curtosy of the tribal leader. Things might've stayed uneventful for the kobold until her capture by Eisenfault-associated sailors working for the slave and vices trade. The 'cat girl' found herself stuffed into a cage and transported to Port Lorrel prior to her arrival in the Errant Road story.

The kobold was saved from an evil fate at the hands (and other things) of the owners of the Red Rose brothel by Jaime Porter. The pair made an escape to the Southern continent the next day and stumbled upon a plot being brewed by the Ralkin (an ancient cult of magic-users led by the half-ef Aleron Harland). Tamina discovered a magically-created plague rampaging through the region, turning the human citizens of Grendell and her own tribe-people into feral monsters. A short, bloody war ensued with heavy causalities on both sides. Eventually the pair were able to make it to the sorcerer's base and destroy the artifact they were using to spread the plague and direct it's victims. Shortly after Tamina and Jaime, who'd become... closer during their experiences with the Killikah's (The kobold word for their society, translates as 'sisterhood' given the greater female population) enemies, returned to the Port and continued their travels. Tamina being sent under the express wish of her tribal elder (Leli) to gain a better understand of the world, and seek anything which would be beneficial to her people while she traveled.

Skills: Along with the strength and speed typical of a young predator, Tamina possesses a degree of skill in Killikah magic, which is a mixture of contact-based healing and enhancement spells primarily intended for giving aid to kobold hunting parties. The magic ranges from closing wounds, removing sicknesses, and temporarily increasing strength, accuracy and speed. Such magic is exhausting for her to use for a protracted time period, however. Tamina is also a fair shot with a longbow, although in a world with guns, that's a skill of limited usefulness.


*Typically; a wide streak from the top of the head, covering the ears and stopping at the neck, a thin streak down the back leading to the tail, patches on the backs of the feet and hands that taper off down the limbs

[Jack Rothwell]

Name: Myra Jianti

Race: Human

Profession: Bandit

Age: 26

Appearance: 5"10 with an athletic build and an angular face typically bedecked with streaks of black warpaint, the design of which she changes from day to day, Myra has shoulder-length black hair which is typically pinned back with hawk feathers to resemble a plume, she wears clothing of fur and hides to add the appearance of savagery, her arms are usually bare to show off the intricate tattoos inked upon them.

Equipment: Typically a sword with a short, thin blade, a hunting knife and half a dozen throwing knives. Myra sometimes carries a crossbow.

History: Myra is from the Northern Plains, born in the city of Rallahiem, a stony, unforgiving settlement to match its barren, unforgiving surroundings. Her family was poor, part of a class who took whatever work was available and resorted to petty crime when hunger pains became to hard to bear. Such was the young woman's existence until the age of 16.

With the decrepit conditions the social bottom of Rallahiem lived in, disease was not so much a risk as an inevitability, and it was one such illnesses that claimed her family and left her orphaned and without a soul to rely on. After a desperate year of thieving, begging and even prostitution she caught the eye of a local bandit leader Samuel Riekstien. The catalyst being a bar fight the delinquent both started and won. The chief, recogizing her potential, recruited the teenager into the ranks of his band shortly after.

After ten years of unscrupulous and violent activity across the Northern plains, the reputation of it's leader grew, as did the people willing to saddle up with the outlaws. the bandits number became large enough to warrant the attention of law enforcers across the region. Shortly after, through bribery and betrayal, they were able to launch an ambush of their own that cost Riekstein's bandits ten men and their leader caught and shackled. Myra, now effectively promoted from the old man's righthandwoman to commander, led the remaining bandits after the men who'd captured Samuel, heading towards Port Lorrel (where a substantial bounty was offered for the bandit leader, curtosy of several businessmen whose financial interests had suffered at his hands). Myra and her men arrived at the outskirts of the Port City shortly before her entrance into Errant Road.

Personality: Hedonistic, quick-tempered, borderline alcoholic. Myra is direct about what she thinks to the point of being deliberately antagonistic and, her own wants will always trump the needs of other people.

Skills: Myra is a competent thief and a decent shot with a crossbow, but it is in melee combat where she really excels. She is comfortable with the majority of hand-held weapons, quick, agile and completely unburdened by any whisper of a conscience when it comes to winning a fight.

[Alberich]

Name: Jargalan Rossa

[UPDATE: This character is now deceased, having been knocked unconscious by Angrist and beheaded by Drusia after a long, hard battle with Aleron and his minions. Change present tense to past for the rest of this profile.]

Alias: Jack Gallow, and various other names over the years. (His aliases tend to be sound-alikes for his real name.)

Race: Elf

Profession: Ranger

Age: About 2000 (per the comic, this makes him one of the youngest of the elves).

Appearance: About 6'1", a little short for a male elf, with dark shoulder-length hair. Although he can use illusions to disguise his features, in practice he keeps up only a low-level disguise around his ears, to make them appear human and to hide the magic earrings he wears. These earrings serve to mask the illusion against casual use of magic senses. A really determined, powerful mage who's looking for magic in the vicinity of his ears can figure out what's going on in short order. (Which may be why he never takes missions in Tsuiraku.) He also wears cheek pads to flesh out his face just a little more than is normal for an elf, and uses ordinary makeup to blunt his elfin features. Still, anyone who knows him will recognize him.

Equipment: Usually satisfied with a sword, a couple of knives, and thief's tools.

History: During the Errant War, Jack served as a sergeant of artillery (his family is not one of the "leading houses," so a commission was out of the question). When the active fighting died down, his ambition and taste for adventure led him into the Rangers.

His final adventure began when he infiltrated "The Gallows"--a Port Lorrel prison--to assassinate an errant, and ended up a prisoner himself. He made contact with Gabriel Averis, and with the aid of a group of bandits (which included Myra Jianti) arranged for Gabriel's release. This led him to the Ralkin, and a meeting with their top two wizards--Aleron and Eli, both "errants" from Jargalan's point of view. He escaped after a desperate fight with these two, during which the Ralkin turned Myra's allegiance to themselves, and having heard that Gabriel was on his way to attack a group of the Ralkin's enemies that included Drusia Valis and a village of kobolds, he made contact with the Eisenfaust and waited for Drusia to arrive. (It was unthinkable to Jargalan that a human, even such a powerful one as Gabriel, would defeat an elven ranger, or that she would fail to follow his trial back to Lorrel.)

Drusia did arrive, accompanied by several bold adventurers (Tamina, Udo, Khoo, and Angrist). These six, supported by the Eisenfaust, defeated Aleron in a night attack. Jargalan attempted to leave. But Angrist--angered over Jargalan's arrogant behavior (he'd "borrowed" Udo's staff without permission)--knocked him unconscious, and Drusia sliced off his head.

Personality: In the ranks of the Elven Rangers, there are certain noble characters who subvert the purpose of that organization. They distinguish between sane half-elves and the true mad errants, sparing the lives of the former, and dare conflict with their superiors in the process. Drusia Valis and Sarine Elle are among these brave, principled souls. Jargalan isn't. If it's part-human and part-elf, it's an errant, and he kills it at his earliest convenience. Also, he's a total suck-up to the hierarchy. He enjoys moving among humans, getting into fights, and sleeping around. However, he has little or no respect for anyone who isn't an elf, and less than he should for most elves.

In assassinating "errants," Jargalan prides himself on his subtlety. Subtlety in his mind doesn't mean "minimizing collateral damage" or "protecting the innocent" or anything like that - it means "not letting people know an elf was behind it."

Skills: Strongest in hand-to-hand combat and thief skills. Magically, he is a fair hand at illusions and a master of the contraception spell - which he can do flawlessly while dead drunk and half asleep. (The though of impregnating a human naturally fills him with horror.) As a former artilleryman, he can also do combat magic at reasonably powerful elfin levels - especially if he's got a staff - but doing so will normally force him to drop the illusions around his ears. For that reason, and for the "challenge," he prefers never to employ these talents while on a mission - not if he can help it. The combat magic he's used includes mana-assisted leaps (a specialty of his), magic blasts, shields of varying sizes, sheets of flame, and magic winds, and he loves finding ways of using an enemy's own magic against him - for example, by redirecting an opponent's magic wind, adding an edge to it, and using it to fill the air with smoke.

Quotes: "If [his human lover] jumped the smart way, she'd live, and they'd celebrate with a goodbye tumble. (Ah, yes. Feline with a hint of lupine and lapine. Tasty!) If she jumped the wrong way...well, they had such short lives anyway...He lived each day as if it might be her last."

"Wig notwithstanding, Drusia knew this elf from the past. Jargalan Rossa. A ranger and not a well-liked one. She'd once heard him described as 'a dick, right down to his toes.' And he'd overheard, and come over to say that was the perfect description."

[Having discovered that Dr. Rabbitfoot's familiar was a monkey] "Part of him thought a one-eyed snake or a three-legged dog would've been a better fit for this establishment...ah, but then, he himself might fill either of those roles if need be."

"From his attitude you'd think he considered his opponents less than human and nothing could penetrate that view. But that wasn't so. The truth was that, to him, there was nothing 'less than human.'"

[Alberich]

Udo's been around for almost a year now and I've never written him up. So -

Name: Udo Fujomori

Race: Tsuirakuan Human

Profession: Adventurer

Age: 33

Appearance: About 5'10", broad-shouldered, a little paunchy but strong underneath it, blonde-haired and -bearded, purple-eyed. Udo typically wears a dark variant of a battlemage robe minus the active-duty insignia. He's been known to wear a chestful of medals, though the paperwork showing his entitlement to these medals is non-existent classified, of course.

[Update: Udo has since given away all his medals to a group of very brave kobolds on the Southern Continent, save only a single service medal such as any Torouko might have after a few years of garrison duty. His robe was stolen during the "Puppet Masters" thread, so he now wears pants, boots, and a loose tunic that closes with a sash.]

Equipment: His primary weapon is his staff, a Special Weapons Mark VI Big Man Frontier Blaster, a variant of a weapon that lost out to the Yuuki Staff as standard issue for battlemages. (This weapon has a couple of bulges along its length, useful for holding on to it when using the gliding wings; however, it is not as obviously a magical device as the Yuuki, and can more readily pass as an ordinary staff.) He usually has several swords, knives, and sticks about his person as well. He's been known to use some improbable large firearms (such as the Hand-of-Fate Doomcurdler), though not recently. His pockets contain odds and ends such as rations, maps, dice, and dirty pictures. When travelling in the wilderness he'll carry a pack with camping and survival gear. Which may include more dirty pictures.

[Update: Udo lost most of his weapons during the Southern Continent/Puppet Masters adventure, and now carries only his staff and a concealed boot knife.]

History: According to the girls at the Red Shell House of Comfort in Goriel, Udo's background is so classified that it's dangerous to know it. But if you believe official records, he did about five years as a battlemage (at the Torouko level) right out of high school (Baka Ryu Basic, well downmarket from elite schools like Sashi Mu), and was discharged after being court-martialed on colorful charges. Some ten years later he turned up in Farrel as a highwayman. What he was doing in the meantime has never been clearly established, but at least part of the time he was serving on a Rapid Tactical Force at one of Tsuiraku's largest indoor retail shopping areas, the perfect gig to hone his skills and taste for danger. His career as a Gentleman of the Road was cut short when his first victims -- a one-wagon caravan guarded by Jamie and Tamina -- convinced him to join them instead.

After the "puppet masters" adventure Udo is known to and on friendly terms with the Eisenfaust in Port Lorrel, but not in a way that lets him call in favors from them. He recommended that the alleyway nearest Aleron's tower be rechristened Ralkinlutscheneselhodenstrasse, but it wasn't immediately clear that they'd agree.

Personality: Udo's self-image is dashing and heroic, and quickly recovers from the various jolts and humiliations brought to him by fusty old reality. He has strong opinions on subjects ranging from Tsuirakuan military history to comics illustrated thaumo-fiction. He loves adventure, treasure, and good times. His tales of his own heroism may be a trifle augmented, but he's faced plenty of danger since his adventuring career began, and he hasn't shown the white feather yet. He appears to have some chivalrous instincts, especially when confronted by a fair damozel, and especially if that fair damozel is a kobold. He also has some lecherous instincts, especially when confronted by etc. etc.

Skills: He's reasonably competent at basic battlemage skills, at least when he has his staff, with which he can deliver powerful blasts and raise a strong shield, and create force wings for gliding. Even without his staff he can manage low-level hygiene, light, and fire spells. He can also use firearms and gunpowder artillery, though not with great skill. At hand-to-hand combat, armed or unarmed, he can hold his own. Sort of. He is a strong player of various obscure Tsuirakuan boardgames. It's been established that he can do the kind of non-contact dances known to Tsuirkuan high-schoolers, but does not pick up other forms easily. His other skills reflect his background.

[Update: In the Road to Salaband adventure he has been getting some training from Angrist; so if he makes it through he'll be handier in a brawl than before, though there is absolutely no way he could muster the monkish devotion necessary to learn the time magic and thaumically enhanced strength Angrist has.]

Quotes: "He wanted to be her Noble Knight Protector, really he did. Could he help it if he was a Noble Knight Protector with a boner?"

Udo: "I told you - I live my own reality!" His friend Mako: "Only when you're on I-root..."

(Having been warned that Aleron has many allies): "Yeah! We'll go through 'em like sharks through mackerel!" And we'll go through their pockets like...like... another shark through some more mackerel.

So, these evil, rich Ralkin cultists liked to turn people into marionettes? He wanted to turn them into puppets. The other kind of puppets, the kind with a big fist shoved up their ass. That'd show 'em!

[Alberich]

An update for Brother Tim, since he's been in play for a RW year -

Name: Timothy Gantric

Race: Veracian Human

Age: 20

Occupation: Priest, militia officer, upstanding citizen

Description: Approximately 6'2", lean but strong, handsome, angular features, brown eyes, sandy brown hair. Used to talk and smile a lot, now does much less of both. Up the left sleeve of his robe he wears a large knife, more of a tool than a weapon. He's agile, at least physically. His singing voice is a pleasant lyric baritone.

History: Brother Tim served as a rural priest in the town of Umbertiel, a ways away from where his family was. Before that he did some training in Emerylon. Unlike most priests there, he owns a small house, but whether he will ever see it again is open to question. While he is literate and was proficient as his studies, he normally preferred spending time outdoors and among the people. He has also served as a platoon leader in the local militia (this is why he still uses his last name sometimes, as priests normally do not).

Tim met Sister Rose and company in his home village when he helped Desiree to heal Bishop Cyrus from death by heart attack. He was ordered to accompany them to Getesemiel in pursuit of Inquisitor Blaise, then volunteered for a "plausibly deniable" mission to Goriel for the same purpose. (His first encounter outside Umbertiel was with an unearthly three-armed lust monster, which would have split him in half had not Desiree frozen it with her own magical fascination. This left him with strongly conflicting feelings about Desiree.)

After the death of Blaise (at the hands of the unholy sniper, Jamie Porter) and a battle with the death-worshipping Outlaw Clan Gyermanov, Tim struck off without orders to Port Lorrel to try to rescue Eli's endangered soul from the effects of the Ralkin magic he'd been using--which Tim naturally interpreted as the work of demons and devils. He successfully infiltrated Aleron's organization in part by learning some of this magic himself, and in part because they wanted an "in" in the Veracian Church. When Drusia, Jargalan, Tamina, and their companions attacked Aleron, Tim struck down Eli at a key moment. In a very risky use of a Ralkin crystal and mind speech, Tim managed to convince Eli to purge all knowledge of Ralkin magic out of both their minds. (This remains the proudest moment of Tim's life and it seems to have cured his occasional stammer.)

Aleron died, Eli departed, and the Church reassigned Tim to Rose's mission, this time an airship trip to the Northern Confederacy under the command of Father Amalric. Amalric without warning dropped Rose, Tim, Therese, and their companions from the bottom of the ship in a glider, then crashed into their enemies' lair in an explosive Totenritt. That left the survivors to make their way back overland to the nearest port, and thus back to Veracia. The nearest port was in the country of Clovius, a heathen land with a small community of faithful Luminosians but no ordained priest. Tim requested and received permission to stay there.

Skills: Tim is strongest at healing magic, his greatest talent. Since joining the group, he has improved his skills at basic defensive magic, and has learned basic spells such as Luminosita's Visage. He figured out how to modify the Visage to include writing on the God's vestments, though his efforts on the one occasion he used it proved totally futile. He has also learned mind-speech and, over time, become comfortable with its use.

For weapons, he can use the halberd, sword, and knife, in reverse order of proficiency, and knows something about how to take advantage of his reach.

He's also good at carpentry and woodcarving - that's what he was apprenticed to do before he was selected for the priesthood, and is a good way to pass the time when there's time to pass. It's been established that he can play the pennywhistle, though not brilliantly.

Personality: Tim is an Orthodox Veracian priest, and a devout one by his own lights. He is also a Veracian patriot, and greatly dislikes the disdain with which some foreigners treat his countrymen (and, for that matter, himself). His body is by no means immune to fleshly temptations, and the need to resist them has sometimes left him flustered and embarrassed. So far, however, he has not strayed from his oath of celibacy.

Much of his knowledge about foreign cultures comes from devotional works such as The Temptation of the Elves and The Narrative of Sister Sakura, the latter a book by a Tsuirakuan convert, who wrote in disapproving terms of her city and its wicked ways. (One fears that the allure of these wicked ways, even described in disapproving tones, is part of what makes the book so popular among some of the celibate clergy.)

Quotes: "A soul in peril tops in worth / All the wealth of all the earth."

"Someone somwhere -- a pre-Captivity king, or a heretic, perhaps -- had said priests should not shed blood. What foolishness. Priests administered justice here in this world, and justice could be very bloody business."

"He didn't believe in taking children into danger. Women either, for that matter, excepting soulless elf-amazons like Drusia. For him, 'women and children first' was an order to evacuate, not to charge."

[Browncoat]

I've been meaning to start a second character for while now and I stumbled across this old design (made a few tweaks). I deliberately made sure he was very different from my first character to help me practice switching between differing personalities. Now I just need to find a place/time to introduce him.

Human
Name: Mordan
Age: 26

Occupation: Mage, Animal Worker

Description: 4'5, mud brown hair, forest green eyes. Usually grinning. Happy nature. Very energetic. Often mistaken as being younger than he is. Simple travel clothing under a brown robe (all of it dirty and stained with green)

History: Born the youngest child of four to a family of low-level nobility. As the youngest, he had virtually no responsibilities and often spent his time outdoors, often in the company of animals. One of his teachers discovered Mordan's talent for magic and his parents ensured that he received proper training. Because of his size and youthful appearance, Mordan was frequently bullied by other students. This caused him to develop a serious interest in defensive magics. A prank combined with a miscast spell cost him the ability to grow facial hair. After graduation, Mordan spent some time in the military, but this was more out of familial obligation than any actual interest. It wasn't long before he left; never experiencing any military battles. He took to travelling. While far from home, Mordan took a blow to the head in a tavern and developed a spotty amnesia. Since then, he has wandered, searching for something, but he doesn't know what. Though he doesn't know it, his family had him declared dead when they couldn't find him.

Skills: Magic, specializing in earth magic and defensive magic. He also knows a few miscellaneous spells and plans to learn more healing. Fair understanding of military theory, but not practice. Excels at hands-on learning, but can't focus well on theory or books. Practiced at surviving outdoors and his body has developed some resistance to unfavorable conditions. Excellent climber and swimmer. Innate talent with animals.

Personality: Mordan is somewhat like a child in the body of an adult... that still looks like a child. Along with the innocence caused by his missing memories, he chooses to enjoy the sort of fun deemed "childish" and he sometimes uses his diminutive size as an excuse. Animals instinctively know Mordan as a friend and will frequently seek him out. He prefers to sleep outdoors, and isn't bothered by poor weather. While his positive outlook is generally seen as a true virtue, some find his boundless energy to be trying. Mordan's hyperactivity is completely natural and odds are that the first person to give him any stimulant will regret it.

[Graybeard]

Interesting concept. Where were you planning on introducing him? One minor thing: there was a big long "discussion" a while back on the concept of nobility in Errant Road, with Impy (who, after all, needs to be listened to on such things) indicating that most of the main countries of the regular Errant World -- Veracia, Farrel, Tsuiraku -- don't have nobles. In Errant Story itself, the Northern Confederacy never got developed enough to make it clear whether there is nobility there, and we kinda-sorta adopted a quasi-nobility-like system (in a very rough, disheveled way) in Goriel. Still, it wasn't "nobility" in the usual sense.

The Southern Continent, on the other hand, is unknown in Errant Story itself, and we have some latitude in how to work things. Some kind of nobility could exist there without running afoul of canon, any more than the Southern Continent itself does (and Poe gave a virtual head nod, or at least a shrug and grunt, on that way back). This character could very easily join the party currently operating in the Douaga threads; they're going to need a guide, at the minimum. The "animal worker" part could come in handy too, in a setting that (once we get moving) is expected to be more biologically based than mechanically or magically, at least for now. So he'd fit right in there. Was that your intention?