Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Mr. VanderMeer 09-18-03, 05:47 AM	A story had to be written that fit the following character: Please look at the entries and tell us what you think. (There are only two entries. One by Galahad Knight and one by me. Galahad Knight won the contest) The Character Race: Dwarf Classes 1 Barbarian 1 2 Barbarian 2 3 Druid 1 4 Druid 2 5 Barbarian 3 6 Druid 3 7 Druid 4 8 Exotic Weapon Master 1 9 Exotic Weapon Master 2 10 Exotic Weapon Master 3 11 Barbarian 4 12 Druid 5 13 Shape shifter 1 14 Shape shifter 2 15 Shape shifter 3 16 Exotic Weapon Master 4 17 Exotic Weapon Master 5 18 Shape shifter 4 19 Shape shifter 5 20 Shape shifter 6 Feats chosen 1 Fullblade 3 Dodge 6 Mobility 9 Spring Attack 12 Natural Spell 15 Blindsight 18 Extra Rage Other Choices 3 Wolf Companion 7 Switch Companion to Ape
Mr. VanderMeer 09-18-03, 05:49 AM	This is my entry, which is very short (the word count was extended after I wrote this) I hope you will like it anyway. Please let me know what you think: The tale of Murat Stonebreaker. A muscular dwarf with the brightest green eyes you have ever seen is speaking to you. Tough and riddled with scars, the dwarf is a terrifying sight. His bright green eyes seem to look right through you. A grim determination is etched into his face, but you can see that he is genuinely happy to say you: “Never before have I seen a city. This festering, repulsive heap of humans, living in each others smell. Why, you ask? I guess it was just coincidence. My tribe lived in the forested mountain regions of Gaelea. You may never have heard of it, but it is a beautiful wild land. No humans too, probably the reason that the land was still pure. Anyway, I lived the life of my tribe for a while. Making glorious war on our neighbors the longears. Eh…elves I think you call them. Until one day I was chosen by the elders to follow the path of the tree and the rock. They taught me the green ways and I gained great mystical powers. But I never gave up the way of the warrior. Any great raids against the longears and you can be sure I was there, swinging my mighty blade. I got to be quite adept at fighting with that blade. Heck, I became quite adept with all weapons, the stranger the better. My fighting style matched the weapons. I learned to jump in, move back, evade counter attacks and basically just move like a madmen. I drove my enemies crazy, hahaha. And always by my side was Hurek, the most beautiful wolf you have ever seen. She came to me when I was initiated on the path of the tree and the rock. Fearless and faithful, she saved me a number of times. But then, then came the blasted humans. Conquerors, they were not out for honorable battle. Instead they sought riches and all they brought was slaughter. I quickly discovered that they were a bit superstitious. The powers I gained by following the path of the tree and the rock enabled me to change my shape to certain holy animals. Animals that the humans feared. They were very afraid of the huge wolfbrother. I learned how to make the wolfbrother even more terrifying and I engaged the humans. Hahahaha, they ran like hares. But they tricked me. An elaborate trap was placed and I was so consumed by my rage, I did not see it. And neither did my faithful Hurek. She was strong, but not as strong as me. While I survived, she drew her last breath that day. My rage increased tenfold and I started slaughtering the humans like the scum that they are. The humans are only worthy of vengeance, and when a group of them escaped I followed. But they left behind a strange creature. It looked like them, but was shorter and much hairier. Above all it was much friendlier. The creature was abandoned and I felt I had to offer it a chance on a better life. I later learned that these animals are called apes. They are the more civilized ancestors of the humans. When I asked for his name he made a strange sound and so I called him Oe-Oe. I followed them to this enormous, stinking gathering of humans that they call city. And I had to find this one small group in that seething mass of human flesh. In my eyes it was almost impossible to find these specific humans in this place, but I persevered. It took me over two years to track ever single one of the raiders down and kill them. In the streets I heard reports of a nightmarish beast roaming the dark alley and killing at random. At random, ha! If only they knew. And now my task has almost ended. There is only one left… and you die now.”
Trydan 09-18-03, 07:14 AM	Yes, I definately like it. :) The style is unusual, but consistent, so by the time I'd finished reading it, I'd come to have a really good feel for the character. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to enter, as I was too busy that week, and I didn't have access to all the books (3.5 hasn't been translated yet, and the splat books for 3.0 are only just starting to come out now). However, there's no way my entry would have competed with this, so I saved myself some time ;)
Savras 09-18-03, 07:15 AM	Nice! Savras
Mr. VanderMeer 09-18-03, 09:10 AM	Hi, thanks for the comments. :D Please be sure to check back in when Galahad has posted his entry.
Galahad_Knight 09-18-03, 06:20 PM	Excellent job, Me VanderMeer! If Autumn hadn't goofed on the Word Count originally I'm sure you would have won. Here's my entry. It's not neatly as flavorful as yours, I'm afraid. But it covers more territory which is probably why it won. I wrote him under the impression tha the was a Shifter rather than Shapeshifter, so that part of him might be a bit off. Devan the Beastfighter Devan was born in a dwarven wilderness colony where he learned that nature could be both savage and beautiful. He spent his youth rough-housing in the nearby woods with his friends, learning how to fight like all good dwarven lads. But Devan had a temper on him and lacked the discipline it took to be a real warrior like most of his friends. Instead he took to savage wild-fighting as a way to prove himself. He spent years leaning how to channel his rage to become power. And he focused that power into the biggest, most devastating weapon he could find, the Fullblade. By the time the lad had come of age he was a mighty warrior in his own right. He spent some time wandering the wilds of his homeland fighting orcs and giants and learning how to use his rage. During this time he also observed the animals and how they fought. He sought to copy their ferocious style and began devoting himself to the beauty and savagery of nature. He particularly loved the wolves and their combination of force and speed. He learned how to dodge attackers by watching a wolf fighting a bear. The wolf ducked and dodged the bear’s savage blows. He was so impressed by the display that he distracted the bear long enough for the wolf to retreat. When it was safe, Devan shared a meal with the wolf and soon they became fast friends. The dwarf and the wolf spent many years traveling together, learning from eachother and ridding the wilderness of evil. During this time the dwarf learned more about how to be mobile in combat while he worked at combining nature’s blessings with his own inner-strength. He learned the combat style of nature and blended it with his rage to create an impressive combination of strength, speed and wisdom. But then a tragedy would end a years-long partnership and change Devan’s path forever. During a fierce battle with a marauding band of orcs, led by a vicious ogre, Devan’s wolf companion was killed, crushed under the ogre’s warclub. Devan let out a howl of rage and sorrow that sent flocks of birds into flights of panic. He charged into the fray, his mighty sword swinging wildly. Howling and roaring, ripping into the squealing orcs with sword and spells he routed the warband. When he had recovered from the battle he reluctantly chose another companion, a wild ape, an animal which he felt reflected his new savage outlook on life. Devan was deeply saddened at the loss of his old companion and vowed that it wouldn’t happen again. He realized that the tragedy happened because he wasn’t versatile enough. For years he had one strategy, one weapon. And it just wasn’t enough. He began studying weapons, every weapon he could get his hands on. He was determined to become adept with every weapon, no matter how bizarre. He also learned how to rush into combat, attack and then retreat. Being able to spring into and out of combat gave him greater mobility and versatility and allowed him to fight a running battle if need be. When he felt he had learned enough about exotic weaponry he went back to his old path of blending nature’s power and his inner-rage. But now he had a new companion and a new path. It didn’t take long for him to master the powers of nature and go beyond merely mimicking the tactics of animals. Devan could now *become* animals. The discovery of his newest powers took the battle-hardened dwarf down a whole new path. Suddenly versatility was more than just weaponry, it was shape and form. Devan began exploring this new power and quickly mastered its use, changing forms freely and often, taking many different shapes depending on what suited the moment, even learning how to cast spells while in his animal forms. Over the years and adventures that followed, Devan learned to truly master his myriad forms, becoming magical creatures, humanoids, animals, monsters of all shapes and sizes. He even learned how to use some of the animal’s abilities out of the shapes they are associated with. He could navigate in the dark better than most natural creatures, for example. But he didn’t neglect his roots. He was still a savage warrior at heart. Even while he mastered his forms he continued to master his weapons. He especially enjoyed combining his two persuits, taking forms of creatures with hands like apes and humanoids and giants so that he could use both the powers of the new form and the power of his ever-growing arsenal of unusual weaponry. He even gained greater control over his rage, allowing him to focus his inner-beast more often than before. And now, decades later, Devan is a truly awesome force on the battlefield. He combines nature’s magic with his inner fire. He combines the freedom of ultimate shape-shifting with the ability to use anything as a weapon. Now, standing on the brink of becoming a legend in his own time, Devan can reflect on his long and bloody road to where he is today. But what awaits him tomorrow? Whatever it is, he’ll be ready for it.
Mr. VanderMeer 09-19-03, 04:40 AM	You did a very good job there. Galahad. Very complete, you found some very good explanations for some of the choices. I love the way you put in the dwarfs quest for versatility. I can honestly say you deserved to win this. :D Well anyway, I had a blast competing. I think I am going to rewrite my story the way I would have made it with more words. I'll then work other way around, create a character write-up to suit the description and use it in my campaign. Now all I want to see is Autumn posting the original.
Galahad_Knight 09-19-03, 07:43 PM	Thanks, VanderMeer. I had fun with it too. And thanks, I'm glad you like my version. But I still think if you'd have been able to do a full writeup you'd have won. And yeah I'd *love* to see the original :D I'm dying of curiosity
Mr. VanderMeer 09-19-03, 08:20 PM	But I still think if you'd have been able to do a full writeup you'd have won. Even though I think I could have made the story much more interesting, I have to disagree with you. I was just writing a nice story. You also wrote a nice story, but you were much better at following the guidelines. You really explained much more about the character than I would have. And you made it all 'fit'. I believe an expression you use is 'kudos'. Well kudos to you. (And please explain to me what kudos means, because I understand it is a compliment, but I don't really know what it means)
Galahad_Knight 09-19-03, 10:22 PM	<chuckles> Kudos accepted. 'Kudos', by the way stems from an ancient Greek word. Basically it means a praising remark, an accolade or compliment. And since we're talking about dead languages, here's a helpful latin motto, by which we should all live. "Semper ubi, sub ubi." "Always wear underwear" :P
Trydan 09-20-03, 05:42 AM	The politeness and spirit of cooperation on this board is amazing. The level of mutual support and good-naturedness makes this place so pleasant... 'tis such a refreshing change compared to most of the rest of the Internet. :cloud9:
Galahad_Knight 09-20-03, 06:40 AM	Actually, we're being scathingly sarchastic...it's just very subtle ;) You're right though. Mr. VanderMeer and I were swapping PMs back and fourth for two weeks. It's been a blast.
Alrunic Silverfyre 09-20-03, 11:51 PM	You both did incredible jobs on this. Good luck to both of you. I wish I had half the talent you guys put forth into your characters.
Mr. VanderMeer 09-25-03, 09:04 AM	Thank you all very much. I am now going to PM WizO Autumn and ask if she wants to post the original.
Mr. VanderMeer 10-29-03, 08:42 AM	In the light of the pruning that is expected, I will bump this thread and once again ask WizO Autumn if she would be willing to post the original. Thanks.
Mr. VanderMeer 11-06-03, 10:43 AM	:( It's not going to happen is it? :(