Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Harrow Blade 07-03-06, 04:24 AM	Before you stands a tall lithe figure clad in much mended black studded leather. From his shoulders hangs a dappled cloak of elven design, muddied about the hem and clasped with an intricate bone carving. Pointed ears are just visible through his long black hair which is braided into many thin braids; some adorned with small wood beads, gem chips and knotted leather thongs. His gaunt angular face is partially masked by white ochre paint and charcoal war designs while his mouth is pressed into a thin lipped grimace. Cold green eyes bore into you as he quickly appraises your potential threat. A flick of his long pale hands and two wickedly keen, custom made hand scythes spring into view and begin to carve lazy circles in the air as he sinks into a half crouch, ready to lunge in any direction. Scars criss-cross his exposed skin and a bloody bandage is tied about his thigh yet his whole figure screams hostile intent. When no threat is presented the whirling blades slow and the disappear beneath his cloak again and he glides on silent steps back into the shadows from which he emerged as if he was born of them. From an empty space behind you a whispered voice sounds, "This place is under my protection, harm no creature or thing and no harm shall come to you. Disregard this warning and the next time you see me will be as your blood wets the earth." This is the image I have for Veldrinthalas, Elf or Half-Elf, I haven’t decided yet, neither have I settled on ranger or rogue or some combination there of. I am looking for suggestions, comments or direction for a background that that is out of the ordinary. As it stands he is a hard character but not perfect by any means, he knows his limits but pushes them frequently. A loner he feels that often companions will slow him down but is smart enough to realize his own strengths and weaknesses and how others can contribute in their own way.
Radijs 07-03-06, 04:28 AM	Looks nice, I'm just wondering though, why does he have such a dark personality? What made him into the man he is today?
Harrow Blade 07-03-06, 09:13 AM	Looks nice, I'm just wondering though, why does he have such a dark personality? What made him into the man he is today? That is where I am stuck, I have this powerful visual but I am wanting to look deeper, past the surface to see why he is the way he is now. I started with the idea that perhaps he had a hard childhood, nasty things happened and it warped him while he was young and impressionable but that seemed too straight forward for my liking. I then started to think how I could subvert that thinking. With that in mind I felt that early in his child hood things were idillic and that it was something else that triggered the transitition to the darker personality that I see. Thus far I am leaning toward a bright, cheerful and exuberant youth who follows his heart and lives for the joys in his life. At some point he falls head over heels for an older exotic woman and she begins to lead him into a side of life that he has never dreamed exisited. But that is just an idea at the moment.
Fithero 07-03-06, 09:57 AM	This is something kinda odd, but ive seen it happen. What if he himself had a pretty good childhood, but those around him had crappy lives. His father struggled to support them, his mother lost an arm, his best friend was drafted, his younger sister was married off to a man she hated. He tries to help these people, but continously fails to do so, his inability to do so weighs heavy on him, and it just gets worse and worse. This guys greatest enemy is himself, he blames himself for things that arnt his fault. As a strange twist, the happier he is, the worse he feels. I dunno, just a thought, hope it helps you with other ideas. Later
Harrow Blade 07-04-06, 01:10 AM	Veldrinthalas, third son of loving parents, was raised in a happy home in thier country estate. Minor nobility his father had used his wits and mercantile savy to create a succesful trading company which kept his family in constant comfort. Aware of the dangers in the world Verdrinthalas' father did his best to keep him and is brothers safe and for many happy years they lived blissfully unaware, playing with the servants children and galavanting through the small orchard playing the games of the young. As his brothers got older and more daring Veldrinthalas would follow his brothers as they snuck out to venture into the nearby town but only ever as far as the wall where he would hide and watch until he could no longer see them before returning to bed to dream of the wonders the world held just beyond the walls. He would often wake when they clambered back inside, frequently intoxicated on freedom and ale, whispering in loud slurs of thier adventures. Veldrinthalas would then sneak to thier door and listen as they boasted to each other until at last they would drift off to sleep. Each of the brothers loved thier father dearly yet despite the dreams of adventure Veldrinthalas was ever loathe to break his fathers decree by sneaking out yet at the same time he would not deprive his brothers of thier fun by speaking of thier late night outings. Time passed and Veldrinthalas neared manhood and the estate began to feel overly small for the young man with big dreams. He wouold beg his father to allow him to travel with him on his buisness trips but always his father gently refused espousing the dangers and always Veldrinthalas would relent and turn away with his heart in the pit of his stomach and tears near welling in his eyes. This longing was heightened as his brothers finally pushed thier father into making them partners and they also began to travel with him on business. This final came to a head when one night Veeldrinthalas snuck out as his brothers had so many nights and ventured into the town, it was this fateful night that he met Sharindal and his life changed.... This is just the begining of his story and it is starting to take shape in my mind. Please keep the coments coming. Harrow Blade
club2bash 07-05-06, 07:07 PM	perhaps he snuck out a few times then one night he was kidnapped. solod into slavery and bought by the local arena. there he was given ranger training and put in the arena. one day he escaped. and soon multiclassed to shadow dancer. uh...that's all I got.
Harrow Blade 07-06-06, 04:10 AM	Continued from my post above Veldrinthalas felt his heart race as his feet touched the ground on the other side of the wall and as he took first few steps away into the darkness the world took on a new sharpness. It seemed that his feet barely touched the ground as he walked the few short miles into the town. Eyes wide with wonder Veldrinthalas walked the streets with a handful of scurrying figures until his ears caught the faint sounds of music and laughter. Following the sounds he found himself opening the doors of a tavern where a blaze in the fire place kept the air warm and a bard in the corner was just finishing a bawdy ballad to the applause of the patrons. Almost in a daze Veldrinthalas made his way to the bar and paid for a glass of mulled wine before he stumbled and bumped his way though the people filling the place to a relatively empty seat at a booth. As he sat and took a sip of the wine a silken voice sounded in his ear. "That is either very brave or very stupid of you boy." Veldrinthalas nearly choked on his wine as he sent much of it spilling into his lap when he jerked to see who had spoken. He found himself looking into the most fascinating face he had ever seen. The woman had skin the colour of cinnamon and a sapphire jewelled stud in her nose, dark eye shadow framed her piercing gaze making them look even larger than they really were. A moment passed before a subtle raised eye brow let Veldrinthalas he was starring and he looked down into his lap only to realise that it was wet with spilled wine causing to try and pat it dry with the course linen table cloth. Laughter like silver bells burst from the woman and had he been more alert Veldrinthalas would have noticed the worried looks of the people around them. "Boy, you obviously don't know who I am but you amuse me, sit a moment and talk." Time passed and they talked, mostly Veldrinthalas talked to his life in the compound and his dreams of exploring the great wide world, things he had only read of. When finally the bar keep built up the courage to approach the table the woman spoke without turning her head telling him not to fret, they would be leaving and with that she stood in one fluid movement and began walking towards the door. Veldrinthalas stumbled after her as she swayed her way out into the street. The glow of the early dawn was just staining the sky as they parted ways with the exotic woman whispering in his ear for him to meet her again in three days time. He ran nearly all the way home, partially out of fear of what his father would say but mostly he was enraptured with this strange woman he had met. The days seemed to crawl by more slowly than ever before as Veldrinthalas waited to meet this fascinating woman who had captured his imagination and when the time came for him to meet her he could barely contain his excitement. Again they talked the night away and when it came time to leave it was like he was leaving a part of himself with her. It only occurred to him as he was about to leave that he still did not know her name. When he asked she paused and then looked about as if checking to see if any one was in ear shot before she whispered “You may call me Sharindal, but never speak that name when you are in public for it would only cause me harm.” Both confused and elated Veldrinthalas left dreams of a life flavoured with the exotic spice that is Sharindal coursing through his mind. He was so caught up in his lofty dreams that he failed to see the shadowy figure following him to the walls of the compound, nor did he linger long enough to hear the soft chanting that allowed the figure to see the myriad of protection spells woven into the stone work. Instead he made his way back to his room, careful not to wake any one as he went. Veldrinthalas was oblivious to the fact that the woman he was falling for was no ordinary woman but rather one of the Circle of Knives, the leadership of an organisation of thieves, assassins and spies know only as the Circle who had a hold of much of the surrounding country through fear, blackmail and death. Long had they been looking to make the fortunes of Veldrinthalas’ family their own but had ever been thwarted by his father’s precautions and connections. They now had found a way to strike at the heart of this family yet days and then weeks passed as Sharindal came to know and then in some strange way love the innocent youth that was Veldrinthalas. With his father away frequently on business trips Veldrinthalas had avoided raising any suspicion concerning his late night forays yet he luck dissipated one evening when shortly after going to meet with Sharindal his father arrived back at the family home, keen to greet his son he entered his room only to find it empty. After hours of searching not a trace was found and he began to panic, fearing that somehow something terrible had happened. It was only a matter of moments before he was ready to gather every able man in the compound and go searching for his son that something caught his attention. A lithe figure had just leaped down from the wall and was sneaking across the gardens towards the manor. Sword in hand his father pursued the figure, waiting until he could get close enough to strike without warning when at the last possible moment he saw that it was his son and turned his swing so that the stone above the poor boy’s head took the strike instead. Veldrinthalas looked up into his fathers eyes but instead of seeing the love and relief there he only saw the anger that masked it all. His father was furious at the same time he feared for what might have become of his son, this showed only as anger and it tore at his son’s heart planting the seed of doubt that began to whisper that there was no love in his father only anger. It was amid the yelling and tears that he made the decision that this was the last time that his father would treat him in this way. Security around the family compound was heightened to the point where it would have been impossible to leave undetected. A month went by without incident but to Veldrinthalas it felt like an eternity, he would often sit on the roof of the house looking out over the walls towards the village where Sharindal had been. In his heart he knew that he had to be with her no matter the cost and so it was that he decided that once he left it would be forever. The time came and Veldrinthalas was ready, he had put away some small quantity of gold, a dagger and spare clothing, enough to get him started but not enough to support him self indefinitely. In the dead of night he slipped over the wall and left his old life and family behind dreaming of a new life with Sharindal at his side. ** This is growing to be much larger than I first anticipated and as such there is so much more story to be uncovered here. i hope to continue new exploration of this character soon
club2bash 07-06-06, 04:11 PM	very interesting. have you decided if he is a rogue or a ranger? if not try this. Fighter Variant: Thug The thug is a street fighter, a survivor who learns to mix brute force with a bit of craftiness. He has most of the fighter's strengths, along with some additional skills to help keep him alive on the mean streets. Despite the name, not all thugs are mere hooligans—many are crafty veterans who use their knowledge of the streets to gain an advantage against their opponents. Most thugs are nonlawful, though sometimes gangs of thugs with a lawful streak band together. Class Skills Add the following skills to the fighter's class skill list: Bluff, Gather Information, Knowledge (local), and Sleight of Hand. The thug gains skill points per level equal to 4 + Int modifier (and has this number x4 at 1st level). Class Features The thug has all the standard fighter class features, except as noted below. Weapon and Armor Proficiency Thugs are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light armor. Bonus Feats A thug doesn't gain the normal fighter bonus feat at 1st level. Also, add Urban Tracking to the list of fighter bonus feats available to the thug.
Harrow Blade 07-07-06, 12:55 AM	Club2bash, I have been considering the class plight of my character and it has started to crystalize in my mind. I am thinking rogue 3-5 and ranger for the rest. I know they double up on some abilities but I envision him being extremely deadly with his weapons of choice and sneak attack seems to suit that. I will be looking at feats and other ways of making full use of that feature. I will be writing more when I am not at work.
club2bash 07-10-06, 04:13 PM	I would like to say that you have inspired me to make a new character. Casca Massif first level rogue.
club2bash 07-15-06, 04:07 PM	so... is this dead? I hope not. if you have started using this character already, what has happened?
Harrow Blade 07-16-06, 11:59 PM	No this is not dead, I have just had no time or creative juice left to continue with this. But don't worry at some stage I hope to continue the exploration of this character. I supspect that I may need a new character at some stage soon as our current campaign is getting deadly. Two other group members have had characters die already. I appologise for the delay in posting. Harrow
club2bash 07-18-06, 07:08 PM	two deaths!?! crap, man, what are you fighting!!!
Harrow Blade 07-21-06, 02:56 AM	The combat that caused the deaths of the other party members was a lich 4 lvls higher than us teamed up with several frost giants, about 3 Huge Ice Para-Elementals and about 12 nasty undead ice creatures from frost burn. It took alot out of us to say the least.
club2bash 08-01-06, 01:09 PM	wow! thats big stuff. one question? what campaign setting is this?
Tormsskull 08-01-06, 03:11 PM	Story Not to steal your spotlight, but here's a continuation to the story (in my words) that you might like or might provide you with some inspiration. Feel free to use it, modify it, or scrap it at your desire. Veldrinthalas had a difficult time slipping past the guards, as there were so many these days. He had to lie in wait for nearly in hour before the guards changed positions, giving him the opening he needed to slip by. Once in town he immediately began his search for Sharindal, his spirits high and the adrenaline coursing through his body. The taven he had first encountered her in was his first stop, but after spending one of his gold coins and waiting a few hours he was unsuccessful in locating her. A couple of times he thought to ask for her, but he recalled her sweet words against his ear “You may call me Sharindal, but never speak that name when you are in public for it would only cause me harm.” Slightly intoxicated, Veldrinthalas stumbled out of the tavern and walked along the outskirts of the city. It didn't take long for him to become the target of a cut throat intent upon stealing anything he had of value. When Veldrinthalas first noticed the man, he quickend his pace, but the man pursued. He broke out into a run, crashing into different boxes and crates as he weaved his way back into the town. The man caught up to him after he took a spill over an unseen set of porch stairs. The man slowed, brandishing a dagger and approaching casually. Veldrinthalas drew the dagger he had taken from the compound into his hand, intent upon defending his life. The man lunged towards Veldrinthalas, at which point he threw his dagger, hoping for a lucky strike. The man crumbled backwords, and Veldrinthalas pulled himself off the ground. Glancing down at the man, now a corpse, Veldrinthalas noticed the dagger had not penetrated the man's skin, but a shruiken was lodged into his throat. Dumbfounded, Veldrinthalas glanced all around, only to discover Sharindal positioned on a nearby roof. "I was wondering when you'd show up again." Her smile brought back all of his emotions towards her to the forefront, and he longed to be able to touch her. **************************************** ****************** Sharindal is like an assassin, she has her own backstory and such, but when she meets Veldrinthalas she starts to remember all of the good parts of humanity. In him she sees an innocent, caring person that she feels a strong attraction to. In her he sees an exotic woman, a product of all of the settings and adventures that he was deprived. Together they set out, she training him to fight and to survive, making his mood darker along the way, and he teaching her about the simple beauties and pleasures of the world. Then just before the campaign starts Sharindal would have to be separated from Veldrinthalas for any myriad of reasons. Anyhow, like I said, use it if you want, or modify it, or whatever, sounds like a cool background all in all to me.
Harrow Blade 08-02-06, 02:01 AM	wow! thats big stuff. one question? what campaign setting is this? It is a home brew campaign set in the Forgotten Realms. The base line story is a demon horde is about to storm the realms and our group of adventurers have come across the artifacts of the group that stopped the original demon attack thousands of years ago. As such we have began the journey to find the all the required bits and peices to put a stop to it again. Tormskull, thank you for your in put. I realise that it has been a while since my last meaningful post in the background for this character but I will attempt to ammend this here. Your take on events is somewhat similar to the direction that I was going to take. Veldrinthalas had his mind filled with lofty dreams of traveling the realms with Sharindal, of finding adventure by each others side and love in each others arms. He was so caught up in his fantasy that he never noticed the shadowy figure following his every move. He made his way to the tavern where he had meet this captivating woman each time before, he bought a drink and settled down to wait. Hours passed and slowly doubts began to enter his mind, would she actually come, did she know he was here? A couple of times he thought to ask for her, but he recalled her sweet words against his ear “You may call me Sharindal, but never speak that name when you are in public for it would only cause me harm.” Each time he would sit again and drink while he waited. He waited until the tavern owner began to close up and he stumbled dejectedly out into the damp night. Slightly intoxicates he wove his way down the street looking for a place to sleep when without warning a long arm reached out of a narrow alley and dragged him in. Foul breath hissed into his face as a lanky rat faced man jabbed the tip of a very sharp dagger into the base of his throat. A few drops of blood welled about the point and the man grinned flashing rotting teeth at Veldrinthalas as he froze in place. "You are going to come with me," the man whispered threateningly "make a sound or try to run and you will bleed alot more than you already are!" Rat Face took Veldrinthalas by the wrists and twisted them behind his back and deftly tied his fore arms together then proceeded to direct him further into the alley by the point of the dagger. Veldrinthalas had stummbled a handful of steps before he something whistled out of the darkness past his ear to strike with a wet noise behind him. Half drunk and half petrified with fright Veldrinthalas froze, he heard a gurgling sound behind him followed by a thud as then rat faced man fell into view. Bloody fingers weakly clawed at hilt of a jeweled dagger that was burried to the hilt in the rat faced man's throat. Out of the darkness strode a vision of beauty, Sharindal, she walked up to Veldrinthalas and quickly checked him over for wounds before retrieving her dagger. "You must go back to your father." She insisted, "It is not safe for you here." "No!" Veldrinthalas asserted almost before he knew he was saying it. "I will not go back. Not now. Not ever." "Do you truly mean that?" "Yes" "Then come with me now, we have a long way to go and there is much to explain."
Harrow Blade 08-04-06, 03:23 AM	Veldrinthalas quickly lost track of all the twists and turns that Sharindal lead him on, occasionally she would freeze and listen for signs of pursuit before sprinting off in a new direction with him racing to keep her in sight. Finally they stopped in a small dark room that was little more than a closet, but it was warm and dry and Sharindal had stopped urging him to run on a little further. Exhausted Veldrinthalas slumped against a sack in the corner and was asleep before he knew it. Sharindal on the other hand could not sleep despite also being tired from the run. She could not fathom what had come over her. Sharindal, a prominent member of the Circle of Knives, an infamously ruthless cabal of underworld figures and here on this very night she had defied the orders of her immediate superior and killed a fellow member. She had signed her own death warrant in another man's blood and with that had put both her life and the life of a man she barely knew in the sights of some of the most dangerous assassins this part of the world had seen. Sharindal would know she was one the best. In a strange and inexplicable way this handsome youth, as naive as new snow, had found a gap in the emotional armor that she had forged over many years. Combined with her increasing dissatisfaction with the Circle of Knives he had turned her down a path she had never thought to tread. She sat watching him sleep in the pitch black, enchanted jewelry allowing the darkness to keep no secrets, listening to his breath in the stillness. Here at a time when she should have been gravely concerned about the wrath of her former associates she felt peace. Reaching forward she brushed a stray lock of hair from his brow and on impulse leaned forward and gently kissed him on the lips. Sharindal started as the sleeping Veldrinthalas shifted a smile turning his lips as he slept. Grinning at her reaction she whispered to herself, "Sharindal you stupid girl, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" She then settled back to watch out the hours until night offered its cloak against seeking eyes. Together Sharindal and Veldrinthalas fled the region, traveling by night avoiding contact on the roads and slipping into towns and cities unseen. Along the way Sharindal began to teach her young lover the art of remaining unseen and unheard, firstly out of necessity then pride as he quickly displayed an aptitude for stealth. The only thing growing faster than his skills was the passionate bond between the two. They were rarely out of arms reach as they traveled from city to town always stay just a few steps ahead of the pursuing Circle of Knives. Not only were they furious that Sharnidal had left in such bloody circumstances but she was paying for their flight by selling her knowledge of the cabal to it's opposition and various lords and governments that had felt the sting of a spy's secrets or assassin's blade. Doing so she enraged them beyond any reason but in doing so she planted the seeds for the organization’s demise. Hmm, it seems that there is more and more story to uncover every time I sit down to try and wrap this thing up. I am however enjoying the way it is progressing. If you get to read this far please leave me a comment even if it is to say I am a long winded old goat (wish I had an emoticon for that :D ) Till the next installment Harrow Blade