Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Edymnion 07-11-05, 08:07 PM	Garrick Dorn, Human Rogue 1/Fighter X Eberron Campaign Setting Format: First Person Narrative"Well, most of my past isn't something I'm too proud of. Lets just said I originally came from Aundair, where I did things I shouldn't have done, and was given the unnofficial option of leaving the country, or spending the rest of my life there, if I liked it or not. So, I left, and they were happy to be rid of me. For the better part of a year I bounced from place to place, still doing things best left unaddressed, until I heard about Fort Bones in Karnnath. They said that you could get a fresh start there. You could just walk in the front door, and you could sign up with no one questioning who or what you were. Well, like I said, I wasn't proud of the way my life was going, and this Fort Bones sounded like just like where I needed to be. So, I crossed the border into northern Karnnath using a set of forged papers. Lets just say that nobody bothered to tell me to start out early in the year. Travelling during a north Karnnathi winter is damn near suicidal, but by the time I found that out, it was too late to turn back. Obviously I made it through, but its not something I'd want to repeat. Managed to scrape together enough galifers for the Lightning Rail, mostly by dishonest methods. It got me to Vulyar, and I walked the rest of the way. When I first saw Fort Bones, it had to be one of the most horrifying things I'd ever seen. I mean, I grew up in Aundair hearing stories about the dead walking in Karnnath, but I had been in the country for months, and I hadn't actually seen any of them, until now. It was well named, the very walls themselves were made out of bones. Well, the walls were stone, but they were covered in bones of all kinds, including human. And on the tops of the walls, the dead wore armor as polished as the living, walking rounds. It was almost enough to make me turn back on the spot, but I had nowhere else to go. So, inside I went. No one looked at me twice, nobody asked me what my business was, they didn't seem to care about one human walking in the front door on foot. I finally stopped somebody to ask how you signed up, but didn't get the first word out. He just looked me over, and told me to report to the administrative building, and told me how to get there. Once inside, it wasn't long before I was face to face with the Captain of the Skull. Meanest looking woman you've ever imagined. Didn't even bother asking who I was, or what I wanted, just asked me for my papers. She just scanned it down to where my false name was written, and asked me 'Garrick Dorn, do you relinquish all ties to whatever nation you hail from, and swear alliagance to Karnnath and it's king, Kaius the Third?' I said yes, mainly because this was not the kind of woman you EVER said no to, and that was apparent just by looking at her. And with that, she absent mindedly tossed my papers into a brazier burning next to the table and told me I'd be issued new papers with my correct information on them. Next thing I knew, I was being issued armor, a sword, and shoved into the barracks. Didn't have a clue how to use any of it, never had to before. I was more the type to use a knife than a sword, and I was starting to worry that I had made the wrong choice. Especially when most of the other guys in the barrack wouldn't even talk to me. They all ignored me, actually, except for one of them. Guess he saw my boots shaking, because he struck up a conversation, told me not to worry, that they'd teach me everything I needed to know in training. Khyber Week he called it. 'If you can make it through that, you can make it through anything.' Shook my hand by grabbing my arm, said he had duties to attend to, but if I needed somebody to talk to, he'd be back later. He was half way across the barracks, still pulling his boots on, when I remembered to ask him what his name was. Yelled around a mouthful of boot 'Jaron Gates' and was gone. Few minutes later, the sergant came in, ordered us all into our armor, and outside for inspection. He wasn't amused to find out that I had no idea how to put on a breastplate, other than just putting it over my head. Chewed me out something awful while he cranked the straps about two knotches too tight and shoved me out the door. Was outside in the training field, doing my best to stand at attention when something out of a nightmare walked out. A man in a suit of black armor, covered in the bones of humans and elves. Deep voice echoed out of the closed visor, telling us that only the best would make it through the next week, with several veiled hints that the dead walking the walls didn't make it past Khyber Week either. It wasn't true of course, but it got the point across well enough. We had signed up for a year, and we were going to serve out that year one way or another. Then I found out EXACTLY why they called it Khyber Week, because it was. It was pure khyber. No sleep, the more experienced troops yelling at us at every turn, and the constant drills. Marching, weapons training, armor training, combat training. I wasn't half way through the week, and I already felt like dropping dead, even if it did mean my body would walk the walls. But the man in the bone armor, the Bone Knight they called him, all he had to do was LOOK at you, and you kept going out of pure fear. Working yourself to death suddenly seemed infinately preferable to anything he would do to you if you failed. And at night, when I was finally allowed to drag myself back to the barracks, Jaron was there with a bowl of hot gruel ready for me. Didn't know how he had the energy to go to the mess hall, much less bring anything back for me, but he did. Every single night. Didn't have the energy to talk much, but it was always fun to compare who got the worst bruise from training, something I unfortunately won more often than not. I don't know how I made it through that week, but I did. So did most of the recruits, you didn't dissappoint the Bone Knight. The ones that did were never seen again. Oh, sure, we found out later that they were just kicked out of the fort and told not to come back, but at the time, it was a threat that was always lurking at the back of our minds. Anyway, end of the week, the Sergant was congratulating us, and telling us that it would get easier now, for a while. We'd be taught the finer points of combat, but that the hardest part of the training was behind us. You could hear the collective sigh of relief we let out from a hundred paces. Which turned out to be a BIG mistake. As if on cue, the Bone Knight came out from the side and roared that we were still inferior maggots. He walked down the ranks and glared at us. You couldn't see anything but his eyes surrounded by that black bone helm, but that was more than you wanted to see. He finally stopped right in front of me, of all people, grabbed my shoulder, and threw me out of formation. 'You, maggot! Show me what you learned, defend yourself!' I nearly wet my armor at the sight of that monster coming at me with his sword bared. I barely had time to get my shield up to keep him from cutting me in two, and the blow still rattled through the shield and knocked me to the ground. Rolled to my feet like they had taught me and just barely avoided that sword from splitting my head open as it cleaved into the dirt. Got a few swings in, which just glanced off his own shield. 'This is insane' I thought, 'I don't know how to fight somebody like this!'. And I was right, the next instant my shield was in about a thousand pieces, and my arm felt like it was in similar shape. At least that was enough to make him stop his attack. He just laughed and called me pathetic. Grabbed my injured arm and yanked me up off the ground by it. 'Next time, I'll take it off!' he said, as his hand glowed and most of the pain vanished. Kicked me back towards the formation and told me to get back in line, and left. Did I ever have a tale to tell Jaron that night, and a bruise running from my wrist half way up to my shoulder to prove it. Apparently he had already heard that the Bone Knight had picked me out, because he had some kind of salve from the medical building that must have been some good stuff, because it took the rest of pain out, and even cleared up most of the bruising. For the next couple of months, we kept training, but at a slower pace. We learned the finer points of combat style, how to care for our armor and weapons, and the way the Karnnathi military worked. By the end, we were spending as much time reading books about tactics and the like as we were actually practicing fighting. That part wasn't so bad, actually, I even got paired with Jaron as a sparring partner. When training was finally over, there was an elaborate cerimony where we swore a formal oath to Karnnath. Then, one by one, we entered a small stone building. And one by one, the others came out with a look of pride on their faces, and a wrapped bundle in their hands. When it was my turn, I walked into that small room, and there was the Bone Knight, and the door closed behind me. 'You again? So you made it all the way through, thats a surprise! Maybe even a mistake. Give me your sword!' So, I drew my sword and handed it to him. He looked it over, and told me that it was 'a sword of a proud cadet in the training of Karnnath' and that I had no right to weild it. He raised his knee, and snapped the blade in two like a twig. I was crushed, all of my work and training were going to be for nothing. Then, he did something odd. He stopped standing so rigid, reached into a container behind him, and pulled out a wrapped bundle just like the others had been holding. He unwrapped the top, revealing the pommel of a sword, with a silver skull decorating the hilt just below the blade. 'The sword of a cadet is not for you. You are now a full member of the Company of the Skull, and you will be outfitted as such!' He rewrapped the sword, and told me to report to the armory. And I, like the others, walked out of that room literally beaming with pride. I had made it. Even the Bone Knight seemed proud. Not with me personally, but with the fact that I had passed the tests, that my training was complete. At the armory, they took my armor, that I had worn and cared for for months. The unadorned, plain metal vanished into a crate as they brought out a wonderful new suit, specially fitted just for me. It was dark steel, with a white laquered bone motiff that made it vaguely resemble a rib-cage. The right shoulder plate was fashioned into a stylized skull, the emblem of the Company. A similar shield was issued next, equally dark, also laquered with the skull emblem. Just like the ones worn by the men on the walls, both living and otherwise. Last thing they gave me was a new set of identification papers, with the once false name I now considered to be the new me written across the top. Garrick Dorn. Nationality, Karnnath. Order of the Skull. I was moved from the cadet barracks into much more private quarters. Instead of sharing a room with a hundred, it seemed I was to share a room with only one other. You could imagine my relief when Jaron walked into the room. First thing he said was 'Wow, a lot nicer than the cadet barracks, isn't it?' Same thing I had been thinking. I didn't know if there had been a mistake or what, but we were in some of the finest quarters I had ever seen in the fort, which still wasn't lavish by any stretch of the imagination, though. Apparently Jaron had already been to the quarters, as he flopped himself down on one of the beds without a second thought. Said we had better get some sleep, that we had patrol duty in the morning. So, I carefully packed my new armor and sword into the foot locker, and we called it a night. Next morning, I woke up from a pillow in the face and Jaron telling me to get up already. I was so eager to try on my armor, I finished my shower and was back in our room, halfway into the armor before he even walked in the door. Laughed at me for being too eager, and said 'Since you're already done with yours, help me put mine on, will ya?'. I nearly dropped my new sword onto the stone tile out of shock. Jaron had opened his chest, and was pulling out a pair of gauntlets. Jet black, and covered in bone. 'What, you didn't think you got quarters this nice on your own, did you?' Jaron, my best friend for the past six months, was the Bone Knight. The monster I had hated and feared was the same man I had compared injuries to and swapped horror stories about the Bone Knight with. Jaron, the Bone Knight, just chuckled as I numbly helped put his armor on. There was no doubt about it once he clicked the helm into place. This was no joke, this was no mistake. My best friend, and my worst nightmare were the same person. Turned out that he liked to go through the motions of the training with recruits every so often to... how did he put it... 'keep in touch with normal people', or something like that. He took a shine to me from that first day, said I reminded him of himself when he had first reported for mandatory military service when he was younger, and that he had seen real promise in me after our little duel. I was still half in shock when he took the helmet back off, slapped me on the back, and told me to get to the wall. We stayed good friends, once I recovered from the initial shock, and he never did ask me about what I had done before I came to the Fort of Bones, which I never did truely thank him for. We spent a lot of time together on the wall, playing Conquerer while we watched the horizen for the elves. I don't know how many Valenar I killed while I was there, and I didn't really care. It became as much of a game as Conquerer, seeing how fast we could stop the damned elves in their tracks. My year of service came to an end, but I stayed on with Jaron, that was where I belonged. Until the last big raid. The Valenar came five times as strong as they usually did, but Jaron and I rode out to meet them just the same, along with the other troops. Things didn't go well, for every one I struck down, it seemed like two more popped up to take his place, but we held. Then, one of them with a scimitar swung it like an axe, cut my sword in two like firewood. Jaron came through just then, and mowed the elf down before it could recover from it's swing, and then two more in quick succession. He took one look at the broken hilt of my sword, and tossed me his. A big black hilted sword, with as much bone on the hilt and back of the blade as was on the rest of his armor. 'Don't worry about me' he said, as he raise his hands and two of the fallen Valenar stood back up, 'I can take care of myself.' And he could, I knew that. So, I kept fighting. Unfortunately, I found out later that the other Valenar didn't take kindly to that act. They swarmed him on the other side of the field, there were just too many of the bastards. My friend Jaron didn't come back to our quarters that night, and he never would again. After that, it just didn't feel right inside the Fort of Bones anymore. Every corner had a memory in it, memories I didn't want to be reminded of every time I turned my head. So, I requested extended leave, and here I am. I'm not ready to leave the Company of the Skull yet, but I couldn't stay there either." Patting the hilt of his jet black sword, covered in bone, he continues. "I've got some things I still need to work out, and a friend to honor as best I can. One day I'll return to Karnnath. Perhaps even to Fort Bone. But not today, and most likely not tomorrow. But some day."
MT-296 "Dagger" 07-11-05, 09:46 PM	....... Now that was a great read! Just a couple of questions though. What is Garricks original name? and what things did he do to get exiled from Aundair? From the sounds of things he is going to be a sad depressed type character with a desire to strike back at the Valenar.
Edymnion 07-11-05, 10:02 PM	What is Garricks original name?I dunno, actually. Haven't come up with one. The name he's using is actually right out of the common names for a Karnnathi found in Five Nations. Which was intentional, because if he was using forged papers, it would only make sense that he'd have a very common sounding name.and what things did he do to get exiled from Aundair?Well, he is a first level Rogue at the start (before he gets to Fort Bones and adds a level of Fighter), in a setting where all of your normal thieves and catburglers would just be commoners or possibly experts. Exact details would be something to work out with the DM for story reasons, if it comes up. But it would be quite likely that he was a fairly big named criminal. Whom they were about to catch and throw in a dungeon for the rest of his life before he skipped the country. Whatever he was doing, exactly, he found it highly distasteful and wanted out. What his original name was, and what he did are part of his "old life", which he would rather forget ever happened. As far as he's concerned, his new life began when he walked into Fort Bones, and his real name is Garrick Dorn, if that was the name he was born with or not.
Dippiey 07-12-05, 12:33 AM	Great character!!!!!!!! I hate to diminish your wonderful background story w/ such technicalities, but........... Alignment?
Edymnion 07-12-05, 01:00 AM	Great character!!!!!!!! I hate to diminish your wonderful background story w/ such technicalities, but........... Alignment?Chaotic Neutral at the start, Lawful Neutral at the end (and his final alignment). Strong sense of order and discipline instilled during his time at Fort Bones, but he doesn't fight for any altruistic greater good. He knows that sometimes you have to do terrible things in order to survive, such as animating the dead to fight when you've run out of "good" options. Doesn't go out of his way to hurt anyone, and will try to avoid doing so whenever he can, but if someone has to be sacrificed so the rest can survive, he's ready to make that decision. The good of the many outweigh the good of the few, or the one. As long as he's okay, and those he is responcible for are okay, he's happy.
Edymnion 07-12-05, 01:19 AM	Oh, and my favorite part of all this? Except for the background level in Rogue for flavor reasons, this is a straight up sword and board human fighter. To everybody that thinks you need a dozen classes/PrC and a race with more templates on it than you've got classes before you can have an "interesting" character, I have only one thing to say: http://palcomix.com/forum/images/smiles/tt_cyborg_booya.gif
Need_A_Life 07-12-05, 02:06 AM	Great work! It is quite worth the read and I found some things very nice; A) He isn't the typical Lawful Good fighter who has never done anything wrong and B) He's killed elves (as opposed to orcs and/or goblins)! This should be stickied IMHO
Edymnion 07-12-05, 03:00 AM	Great work! It is quite worth the read and I found some things very nice; A) He isn't the typical Lawful Good fighter who has never done anything wrong and B) He's killed elves (as opposed to orcs and/or goblins)! This should be stickied IMHOHeh, well as for the first part, I always have one thing in the back of my head when I'm making a character background. I hate reading character backgrounds. So many of them that I've seen just go on and on and don't say anything that they're a chore to read. So I at least try to turn a character background into an interesting story in it's own right. A) Never done anything wrong? Well, where's the fun in that? Even my Paladins have done things they'd rather not discuss (and which doing them again would most likely cost them their Paladinhood). You gotta have a few skeletons in the old closet to keep things interesting! Heh, just gotta hope that any campaign I get him into won't be going into Aundair, or things could get dicey if he's recognized. B) Damn dirty elves... think they're such hot stuff... :P Heh, and chances are, the bones in his sword are elven bones :D Yeah, he's really not going to be a happy camper around elves, reguardless of who they are. He might have grown up thinking they were okay, but a year or two defending Karnnath from constant Valenar incursions would have given him a good bit of racial prejudice. I'll try and work up a physical description of him sometime tomorrow, its late now, too late, and I should be in bed. ;)
MT-296 "Dagger" 07-12-05, 11:20 AM	Drats Double Post. And I can't find the delete feature
MT-296 "Dagger" 07-12-05, 11:22 AM	Oh, and my favorite part of all this? Except for the background level in Rogue for flavor reasons, this is a straight up sword and board human fighter. : To everybody that thinks you need a dozen classes/PrC and a race with more templates on it than you've got classes before you can have an "interesting" character, I have only one thing to say: http://palcomix.com/forum/images/smiles/tt_cyborg_booya.gif Sigged!
Edymnion 07-12-05, 01:45 PM	Sigged!Images don't work in sigs, you might want to just change that to BOOYA!.
Edymnion 07-12-05, 05:28 PM	Physical DescriptionHeight: 5'9" Weight: 176 lbs. Age: 24 Garrick stands several inches short of six feet, and despite a well toned layer of muscle, he still has an appearance of having a somewhat slim build. Its not something that is immediantly obvious, but as you look, you definately get the impression that he was once much lankier than he is now, and that his current strength is a relatively recent addition to his frame. Short black hair, which appears to have been recently washed and trimmed, matches his equally dark clothes. While unadorned, they appear to be thick, sturdy, and well made, if of relatively simple design. Which, when taken into account with his armor, is likely quite intentional. Ornate and highly polished, he wears a breastplate of dark steel, inlayed with with several lighter colored steel bands across the chest, which give it an almost skeletal appearance. The right shoulder plate, which has been sculpted into a stylized skull only reinforces the bone motiff. Had the clothing underneath been equally ornate, it would have simply been a distraction. As is, it perfectly accentuates the quality of the armor without being intrusive itself. While the armor gives the appearance of being bone, the sword hilt his hand rests upon is another matter. It actually IS bone. Or more precisely, it has a large deal of bone worked into it's design. The steel pomel is nearly pitch black, wrapped in black leather studded with small bits of bone for grip. The hilt itself seems to have bone embedded directly into the steel as well. Its rather morbid, managing to look out of place on him, even despite the skeletal theme of his armor. A heavy black winter cloak draped over the back of the chair next to him, combined with the proudly maintained armor and the overall impression of death can mean only one thing. He's Karnnathi, and a soldier from the looks of it.Basic Crunch:Alignment: Lawful Neutral Abilities: Str 14, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 12 Skills: Climb, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (Local), Move Silently, Open Lock, Sleight of Hand, Search, and Spot: 4 ranks Sense Motive: 3 ranks Knowledge (War): 1.0 ranks Ride: 1 rank Feats: Action Boost, Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (Longsword)
Need_A_Life 07-13-05, 06:51 AM	Might want to change Knowledge (War) to knowledge (History), you'll remember great battles with either. :bow: :fight!:
Dippiey 07-13-05, 02:33 PM	Might want to change Knowledge (War) to knowledge (History), you'll remember great battles with either. :bow: :fight!: True, but you wouldn't do things such as recognize battle tactics. You would know what people did in battles but not how they did it.
Edymnion 07-13-05, 05:23 PM	True, but you wouldn't do things such as recognize battle tactics. You would know what people did in battles but not how they did it.And I don't see him as being the kind of character that could whip out random information on the history of various subjects. To be honest, I invented a War knowledge skill just in order to cover things like military ranks, who won what battle, tactics, etc.