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| Nox_Noctis08-23-07, 04:53 AM | I'm wondering what the initial reaction is to my character and what class most people would guess he is, based on what I have written(which is intentionally vague in some vital areas). One thing to consider is that in this setting, there is no such thing as magic. Thus, Wizard, etc., would not make any sense. Multi-classes are acceptable, as are single base classes or a mixture of classes including prestige classes. Without further ado, I present the character in story: I grew up in a city of steel and stone, but more importantly, of the rain. I grew up in the kingdom of the god-forsaken rain. It was called the Grey Kingdom. It was a prison. Life was torture, which made the convenience of death all the more frightening. "Where did this begin? Where did this all begin?" I can't remember. It's all too much. I can't keep track of it all. It seems to fall out of my head shortly afterward, or else push something else out to make room. Sometimes it makes me feel like I'm losing his mind, not being able to remember. It doesn't really matter. A lot of people can't remember. You don't have to. You just have to make it through the days. That was enough to focus on. Hushed whispers and furtive glances are apparent on the faces of the people as a caravan passes down the road. It's curtains are drawn shut, obscuring the passenger from view. I can only hear snippets of conversations, but it's enough. The words, "high priest," appear a few times. Two weary, ill-fed horses pull the carriage, and at its head sits a man in a brown smock. The sky overhead looks bleak, filled with heavy grey clouds. I can hear the pattering of rain on the dark cobblestones in the distance as the clouds continue to build. The carriage passes through without so much as a greeting from the monk steering it. It sends enough grime through the air though. I wipe the mud from my cheek and fling it to the ground. The monk's face looks sullen, ashy, and pallid. The road continues along to one of the monasteries in the region. It doesn't matter. The carriages pass through often enough. It's always the same. As the day draws on, the rain begins to pour in the village and the denizens draw themselves in to avoid getting soaked, or worse, ill. That is one of the many hard facts of life I've come to learn growing up. There is nothing magical about this world like in stories you have heard. People die because it rains too much and because it gets too cold. That is the truth, not adventurers slaying dragons and feasting upon returning home amongst merry villagers. That is a fool's dream. If you let those tales distract you for even a second, you're as good as dead. As I sit by a crude window watching the rain pouring outside, my mind is drawn to those tales. This life of constant drudgery is about as miserable as the rain. I belong to a small kingdom called Cressell that belongs to a greater federation. However, there has been much fighting between the individual nations lately, and Cressell has been no exception. The king's ranks have been depleted significantly, and as I found out later, the high priest was killed in an ambush on his way to the castle. The carriage was empty. It made my stomach feel like it had been tied in a knot. Maybe it was guilt. Maybe it was dread. It was more likely the disease-ridden meat I got from the market. Due to the fighting, recruits have been drawn from the normal populace, almost entirely unthinkable, and yet horrific. It's the closest a commoner can get to the nobility, and yet, it's the closest you can get to death. It's almost a guaranteed sentence of death in fact. The weather is the closest I've come though. The rain always bears with it death, and so I've come to learn to avoid the rain. People who stay in it too long develop terrible ailments. The lucky ones recover, but not all are lucky. Hell, few are. I guess that's why they call them lucky in the first place. People have been known to drop dead, but only after going through unbearable agony. They cough and sneeze until blood and shreds of their own flesh come out, and then their lungs fill with blood and they die choking on their own fluids. I only wish that was how it would stay, sick and twisted as that sounds. Sitting in my chair by the window, my eyes glance at a piece of parchment that lays on the rickety table at which I normally take my meals. “By order of the king,” it begins. I snorted in disgust the first time I read that. I have never heard anything good about the king, but I have never heard anything good about the other nations either, so I can't honestly expect it gets better than this wretched life. Still, it makes me want to vomit every time I read that first line. The letter goes on to explain that I have been drafted into the king's armies. Soldiers will come tomorrow to escort me to the castle where I will undergo basic training and then I will be sent out with the rest like lambs to the slaughter, underfed, underequipped, and unpaid for my efforts. I'll probably die, and then finally I'll be free of this hellish prison they call the Grey Kingdoms. It's one way out. Everyone dies sooner or later. I take the letter and burn it in my small fireplace and cast a glance around my small hut one last time as it stands before packing a few items into a satchel. I take my seat at the table again. It's a pathetic lot, this place, but somehow I've managed to call it home. My parents died years ago, and I never had any siblings. The only person I really give a damn about is Cordelia. She's had a hard time of it, same as any, but still she's the only person I've ever really trusted. I still haven't told her about the letter. I don't intend to. I'm not scared. It's not that. I don't want to burden her with this. Life is hard enough without having to worry about other people. Worrying about yourself is a full-time trade. Most of the time you end up getting the short end of the stick anyway. The day dawns with a dull light and I hear, very faintly, small droplets of rain falling upon the stone road. I must have dozed off at the table. It was the last night I had left as a free man, and I slept through it; go figure. Then, just as I think to unpack some food, a loud knock comes at the door and a voice follows, “On behalf of King Barin, I have come to take you to the castle. Open up.” I stand there, staring at the door, and then at the ground by my feet. A small patch of dirt grows dark with wetness as I stare and the knock comes again... A Fair Trade. |
| Orchomenos08-23-07, 04:57 PM | :confused: err... a good backstory, but a bit confused... you're either: 1) The Forsaken God of Rain, forced to live amongst mortal. 2) An amnesiac assassin. 3) A commoner who will soon be forced to become a soldier. 4) A fighter who just finished his soldier training, remembering his recent past... |
| Mysteria08-23-07, 04:58 PM | Very nice writting! :ayyyy!: Class ... uhm: first level commoner. :thinks: Not really any PC class I'd put him in right now, not even to think about prestige classes, I get the feeling he's a first level character. Could be a rogue (the thievy sort) if that's how he managed to survive. So, don't forget to post what he actually is once you have some replies. :) |
| cog_n_taz08-23-07, 10:16 PM | Yeah, commoner, rogue or fighter. Nice writing, by the way. |
| Nox_the_Barbarian08-24-07, 06:36 PM | I'm actually getting a strong ranger vibe... like he's been trapped in the city, and its driving him insane. either that or a rogue. or maybe both. |
| Nagusto99908-25-07, 08:14 PM | Hmmmmmm, he's sounding as if he was a passionate person, but the atmosphere around him made this passion go deep inside him. So deep he doesn't realize it is still there. Now the passion, the life inside him, will break out. This passion will fill him. The anger he has long controlled, the hatred for those who made him suffer, made others suffer, this rage he has will be released very soon, and those who wronged him will taste his bitter revenge. Hmmmmmm, I'll have to say a barbarian. :) |
| Free198308-27-07, 12:25 PM | I'll go with commoner. He's way to afraid of the outside to be a ranger. Rangers aren't afraid of the rain :noway:. He's also not bursting out in a rage, so although it would be cool, I don't think he's a barbarian either. The only thing about him we know is that he has a shack as a home and doesn't know how to fight. So I guess commoner is the most fitting class (for now). Cheers |
| Nox_Noctis08-29-07, 12:45 AM | :confused: err... a good backstory, but a bit confused... you're either: 1) The Forsaken God of Rain, forced to live amongst mortal. 2) An amnesiac assassin. 3) A commoner who will soon be forced to become a soldier. 4) A fighter who just finished his soldier training, remembering his recent past... The third and fourth are both somewhat correct. The first few paragraphs occur years later. It is his memories of growing up. He is confused as to how the pieces have fallen the way they have and tries to make sense of his life. "'Where did this begin? Where did this all begin?' I can't remember." He grew up as nothing but a commoner in the Kingdom of Cressel, one of the many nations of the Grey Kingdoms. Following this sequence, he was forced into the army where he was trained and became a frontline soldier(fighter). However, he had an uncanny luck and managed to survive, as most do not. He climbed the ranks and became a "Devastator"(custom class of mine). I have not completed his tale entirely, but the end of his days do not look pleasant, as few are in the Grey Kingdoms. It is a very bleak tale. As for the remarks about him fearing the rain: everyone in the Grey Kingdoms fears the rain. It means many things. The most obvious is that it is a sign of the constant bloodshed, and thus of mortality. Bloodshed causes rain clouds to gather more frequently, and thus it rains endlessly in the Grey Kingdoms. Also, there are virtually no effective medicines. Since the rain, and the cold, lower immune response, people are known to die just because it rains(the people do not know about bacteria, etc.). Even rangers are very careful. Those who said the city/atmosphere have been driving him insane are correct to an extent. As I said above, the rain and the harsh realities of life(and its monotony) are enough to break the spirits of the commoners easily enough, and even the spirits some of the nobility. The cities are void of any kindness and are filled with treachery and fear and pain. To be entirely honest, there are a few respites even in the Grey Kingdoms. Companionship(friendship or more intimate relations) can sometimes give the people hope and allow them to distract themselves from their suffering. It lets them cling to life, wishing that tomorrow will be a better day. I'll try to keep posting segments of his story as I fill them in and expand upon it, working up to the scene taken in medias res at the beginning. Thank you all for your compliments, queries, and insights. A Fair Trade. |
| Neveroth03-09-08, 02:42 PM | Great story. Just to my taste. |
| The_Shaman03-09-08, 06:28 PM | I'd say go rogue now, fighter later. Rogues are the urban survivors, and the backstory makes it sound like the character has had his share of trouble, knows how do get things done, and probably knows how to fight dirty if he knows at all. Fighter is what you'll probably be becoming if you survive whatever awaits you in the castle, and it's not unthinkable to start as one right now and save you the trouble. In general, however, I think fighter/rogue multiclass would fit you best - heavy on the fighter, for now, maybe going back to rogue or a PrC later. Classy noir vibe, by the way - though I wonder if these adventures aren't becomming predominant over the classical kind nowadays :P Good work either way. |
| Nox_Noctis03-09-08, 06:46 PM | I'd say go rogue now, fighter later. Rogues are the urban survivors, and the backstory makes it sound like the character has had his share of trouble, knows how do get things done, and probably knows how to fight dirty if he knows at all. Fighter is what you'll probably be becoming if you survive whatever awaits you in the castle, and it's not unthinkable to start as one right now and save you the trouble. In general, however, I think fighter/rogue multiclass would fit you best - heavy on the fighter, for now, maybe going back to rogue or a PrC later. Classy noir vibe, by the way - though I wonder if these adventures aren't becomming predominant over the classical kind nowadays :P Good work either way. >_> Er, I made this thread back in August. Thanks for the opinion though and thanks for the compliment. |
| JaiaDrottsingr03-10-08, 12:34 AM | Hey, Nox. :P |
| Nox_Noctis03-10-08, 12:44 AM | Hey, Nox. :P Hey, Jaia. How's life (and to make that relevant to this thread so we don't spam, in addition to that question, how would it be if you lived in the Grey Kingdoms)? I don't think I've seen you around since December when I left Gleemax. |
| pmurray@bigpond.com03-10-08, 12:00 PM | Someone utterly convinced that magic is superstition? Sorcerer. |
| JaiaDrottsingr03-10-08, 04:19 PM | Hey, Jaia. How's life (and to make that relevant to this thread so we don't spam, in addition to that question, how would it be if you lived in the Grey Kingdoms)? I don't think I've seen you around since December when I left Gleemax. Oh, the usual. I got shoved into a washing machine by a seven-year-old (See sparklingly new CT). And, apparently, I have double jointed legs, shoulders, knees, feet, elbows and wrists! If I lived in the Grey Kingdoms, I'd try and escape. Just like the guy. Also, ascared of magicks? Sorcerer. Have him have an epiphany, and go all insano. I don't care that there's no magic in this campaign (I think that's what you said), it's just fun to do that. Now, what did you end up choosing for him? Cause, you made this thread in like, August. Back when you had a trademark and a format. |
| Nox_Noctis03-10-08, 05:31 PM | Oh, the usual. I got shoved into a washing machine by a seven-year-old (See sparklingly new CT). And, apparently, I have double jointed legs, shoulders, knees, feet, elbows and wrists! If I lived in the Grey Kingdoms, I'd try and escape. Just like the guy. Also, ascared of magicks? Sorcerer. Have him have an epiphany, and go all insano. I don't care that there's no magic in this campaign (I think that's what you said), it's just fun to do that. Now, what did you end up choosing for him? Cause, you made this thread in like, August. Back when you had a trademark and a format. The trademark and format are fun, but it's tedious to apply it to every post. How did that washing machine incident happen? I ended up choosing Fighter to begin with since he's fairly "rough-and-tumble." |
| JaiaDrottsingr03-10-08, 05:42 PM | The trademark and format are fun, but it's tedious to apply it to every post. How did that washing machine incident happen? I ended up choosing Fighter to begin with since he's fairly "rough-and-tumble." See the thread about it: Laundered Money. Downy Soft. (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=988822) |
| IMAL03-10-08, 06:19 PM | Tom Hanks in a Tim Burton Production? |
| JaiaDrottsingr03-10-08, 06:31 PM | Highly Off Topic: Nox, I checked out that first link in your siggy, and I'm highly insulted. The ARG is not just a bad memory. |
| Nox_Noctis03-10-08, 06:31 PM | Ignoring the fact that this thread was necro'd and further input now is not necessary, I was not aware that Tom Hanks was a class. :P Jaia, I cannot say that everything was bad. In fact, my departing post expressed the fondness I had for it at times. Regrettably, however, it became quite unbearable by December and in order to preserve any semblance of those good memories, I have to leave before the bad made the rest ugly. Don't feel too hurt. It was fun writing with you. |
| JaiaDrottsingr03-11-08, 06:06 PM | Jaia, I cannot say that everything was bad. In fact, my departing post expressed the fondness I had for it at times. Regrettably, however, it became quite unbearable by December and in order to preserve any semblance of those good memories, I have to leave before the bad made the rest ugly. Don't feel too hurt. It was fun writing with you. I'll PM you the recent goings-on. It's changed a lot. |