Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Tavenknaughtlin 12-23-07, 08:15 AM	My latest character is a Wizard/Cleric/Mystic Theurge, named Slohcin. He's an Illumian, and a pretty darn good spellcaster. He's taken the Leadership feat to gain some followers (but not a Cohort, since the DM doesn't like cohorts). He has six level 1 followers; 3 Kobold Sorcerors (his apprentices) and 3 goblin Clerics (his acolytes). Here's some background info: Slohcin's early years were with his well-to-do family, simple merchants for the most part. When he was very young, the merchant caravan his family was a part of was waylayed by Necromancers and their undead minions. He survived the attack by hiding, but was found shortly after and given a choice. He could either accept a quick death and reanimation, or provide a suitable corpse within the hour. Impulsively, Slohcin stabbed the necromancer who offered the proposal in the eye with a dagger, killing him instantly. The other grim casters were delighted, as the now-dead necromancer was in life a terribly annoying git, so they considered the proposal complete. They now gave him a second offer; to join them to both replace the member of their clan that just died, and to show him powers unimaginable. Refusal was of course a death wish, so Slohcin reluctantly accepted. He was reunited with his family, though they were now in Zombie form. This was very trying on his early psyche, nearly driving him mad from seeing his family in such a way. Over time he became unattached to his former family and in truth to anyone else. Seeing what terrible things could happen to your loved ones dissuaded him from caring much about others. Slowly he learned the ways of Wizardry and the Clerical callings. He followed the Undeath domain that many of the Necromancers belived in, if only for the chance to steal the undead's power from the, and turn it against his oppressors. The necromancers' libraries where well stocked with arcane manuals and divine scriptures. He found an old tome, detailing the combination of them into one cohesive doctine; the Mystic Theurge. Instead of becoming the very necromancer that he had secretly hated for so long, he decided to 'fake it', using his Mystic Theurge abilities to mimic his captors powers. After many years of imprisonment, Slohcin's chance at escape finally came. The clan had decided to raid a nearby goblin tribe for fresh corpses, and he was chosen to come along. As the undead hordes stormed through the Goblin's caves Slohcin used the havoc to sneak away, deep into the tunnels. On his way to freedom, he passed by three baby goblins whose parents had either fled or had been killed. For some reason, he couldn't let the tiny creatures fall pray to the zombie mob drawing closer, so he plucked them up and ran as fast as he could deep into the mountain. After days of walking, climbing and crawling, he finally made it out the maze of passages and was at last free. Using his magic, he fled to a far-away town, where over the next few years he raised his three new children, and taught them the ways of being a Cleric, as their minds did not have the focus for wizardry. He named them after the words that were plastered on the wall where he found them; Dogzpit, Gretz, and Shizbat. They grew into close, if a bit disfunctional, family. Not long past his thirtieth birthday, and the goblins' tenth, their small village was attacked by a Kobold raiding party. He felled dozens of the vicious attackers with his spells, ending up with him and his goblin wards cornering several young Kobold sorcerors who were obviously inexperienced. They cowered in fear, awaiting the killing fire that had consumed their compatriots. But that blast never came. Slohcin and the goblins simnply accepted their surrender, seeing an end to the bloodshed. Seeing the power of the mage before them, they begged for him to train them, to be their mentor. Slohcin refused, calling them monsters for attacking his newfound home. The next few weeks saw the young sorcerors shadowing the mage, begging at his doorstep, bringing him gifts of dead field animals, showcasing their incredably limited skill in the arcane arts, until Slohcin couldn't take it anymore. He agreed to train them, if they swore to never harm an innocent again, and to obey their master until their deaths. They heartily accepted, and their training began. He taught them what he knew about Sorcerous magic, which was not a great deal but far more than they could have learned otherwise. Krak, Ryp and Tere slowly began to feel like part of the family. Slohcin couldn't be happier; he had finally got a real family after so long. But he knew that it wouldn't last. Several more years past, and the Necromancer cult had found him. After a battle against a horde of their lifeless minions, they escaped into the night, though not before Slohcin was struck nearly blind by a lucky Ogre zombie punch. Now, Slohcin, 40 years old, and his six adopted children, each in their 20s, are travelling through the country, evading their spiteful enemies at all costs. Whew, now that was a long one. Sorry about the long, rushed post. Does it sound like an interesting backstory? Too Cliche? Too much like TMNT? lol
Terjon of the Blue Rose 12-28-07, 12:14 AM	Certainly it sounds interesting. I might put him a ways outside the town though... He seems the type to avoid human (or demihuman, etc.) contact despite the fact that he rather craves it. Try giving him a sort of strange respect and let him come to be known in the village as a harmless, and sometimes even helpfull hedge wizard who, if not part of the community, is at least an ally of it.