Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Skye Silverleaf 07-04-03, 01:01 PM	Hi all. I am playing in a campaign and my 1st character (the 2 hit point wonder!) was killed almost at the very beginning. I wrote this background to allow for my new character to be inserted at the same point in the adventure that my old character just died. Please read the background below and let me know what you think. I plan to multi-class this character into a rogue/sorceror at level 2, and tried to account for this in the background story as well. CHARACTER BACKGROUND ======================================== ====== Kyse Felversail was born the son of a tavern-maid in Greythorn. His "father" had been an elven merchant, who, upon consuming too much human ale, decided to see what it would be like to take a human to bed. His mother, being quite comely, had accepted the elf's coin and lay with him, discovering a month later that she was pregnant. Her employer, having always hungered after the lass, took his opportunity, offering to marry the pregnant girl and look after her and the child. She knew he was a cruel, small man, but she saw little choice for herself and accepted. The child was born and she named him Kyse, thinking that the name "sounded elvish". Her new husband insisted that Kyse also take his family name, Felversail. Kyse, perhaps owing to his elven heritage, was a bright and graceful boy, popular amongst the tavern clientelle. He used this to his advantage, often lifting small coins from customers and using them to buy presents for his mother, who always seemed sad to him. At the age of 10, Kyse's mother took ill with a fever and died, leaving Kyse in the dubious care of Tavern Master Felversail. His step-father informed him that he had always know that he was stealing from the customers, and that from now on he would hand over his takings to his step-father. Failure to do so would result in a severe beating, although the man was always careful never to strike to comely lad in the face. After all, he wouldn't be able to get close to marks if he was all scarred up, now would he? As he grew older, Kyse was less able to get close to the tavern customers, as they were less interested in a young man than they were in a precocious child. His step-father then hired him out to a local group of thugs. The gang used him as a lookout, as he could see in the dark much better than any of them. Several times Kyse saved them from ending up in King Orthanc's prison. The gang payed his step-father a portion of the takings from their late-night muggings, the older Felversail often slipping a little something "extra" into a rich looking patron's drink, making them an easier mark for the gang. It was during this time that an unusual customer began frequenting the tavern. The man's name was Gregan, and he was a spellcaster. Kyse often noticed the man staring at him, and, after several days, confronted the man. Gregan told him that he had "a spark", and that he could learn to work the powers of magic himself if he agreed to become Gregan's apprentice. Gregan told him that the type of magic he worked came from within, and that he could use that inner power to cast mighty magics. Kyse was captivated by this idea, and made plans to run away with Gregan. Unfortunately, Kyse's step-father had overheard the conversation, and arranged with the gang to confront Gregan and "convince" him to leave Greythorn without the boy. Gregan was cowed and quietly slipped out of the city, never showing up at the agreed meeting place. Kyse was devestated, but vowed to one-day tap his inner spark and wield the magic power. When he turned 19, his step-father died, killed in a tavern brawl that got out of hand. The entire establishment burned to the ground, leaving Kyse homeless and on the streets. The gang that he worked for offered to take him in, and with no other options, he accepted. For the next 6 years Kyse worked with gang, aiding them in their petty larceny. The gang's leader, Setag, was little more than a thug, and the group limited itself mainly to muggings and break and enter jobs. Still, Kyse was a quick learner and soon had a good repetoire of "proffesional" skills. On his 25th birthday, Kyse went to Setag and told him that he was leaving the gang. Setag laughed in the young man's face, had him beaten, and told him that he belonged to Setag, and there was no way he was letting Kyse leave. After that, Kyse was watched constantly, not getting an opporunity to escape, and knowing he would be hunted down if he did. He found his chance during a break-in at a merchant's warehouse. It was a big job by gang standards, and Setag himself was personally overseeing things. As usual, Kyse was stationed on a neighbouring rooftop, using his enhanced night vision to look out for trouble. Their really hadn't been a need lately, as with King Orthanc's sickness both the watch and army had declined severely. This night, however, Kyse spotted a group of off-duty soldiers 3 streets over, obviously heading out for a night of drinking. Instead of giving the warning signal, Kyse slipped down from his perch and tailed the men. He then boldly snatched the purse from the trailing soldier, letting out a loud cough as he did so. The soldiers turned to see Kyse running away, making sure the stolen purse was clearly visible in his hand. The soldiers gave chase, and Kyse lead them directly to the warehouse the gang was robbing. As he rounded the corner, one of the gang members saw him and shouted in surprise. That shout became a curse as the soldiers thundered after Kyse, stumbling directly into the gang. A battle insued, and the gang were all captured or killed in the fight, including Setag. Kyse slipped away in the commotion. Setag and the other survivors were taken to prison, leaving Kyse a free man. He gathered what he could from the gang's hide-out, including several weapons and set of theive's tools, and then cleared out, fearing that the army would investigate the place once some of the gang members cracked. He was reasonably equipped, but could find only 2 silver coins amongst the gang members' belongings. That would not last him long. Luck was with Kyse the next day, however, when he overheard a nobleman attempting to hire some mercenaries to go and find his daughter, who had left home the day before. There were no takers, as most of the men of that sort in the area were concerned with finding the King's daughter and getting his reward. Kyse quietly followed the man and stopped him as he was going to enter an estate in the cities richer quarter. The man, one Lord Trannyth, explained to him that his daughter Carhana had set out on this foolish quest to save the Kingdom, although he did not explain to Kyse why a noble-born would do that, and put Kyse off when questioned about it. Lord Trannyth had found out from his wife that his daughter was going to try to join a group at the Boar's head tavern, and told Kyse to begin his search there. He promised a reward of 50gp if Kyse brought his daughter back home. Kyse agreed to take the job and then visited the Boar's head. The tavernkeeper told him that a young noblewoman had set off with a group of adventurers to the town of Forstil, to help his brother with some sort of Lizardman problem. Kyse thanked the man and set out, following the road to Forstil. At the end of the first day, he found the remains of a campsite, with the bodies of two headless Lizardmen lying near the dead fire. After a quick rest, Kyse continued on, moving quickly. He soon spotted smoke on the horizon, and discovered a burnt-out farmstead, with several fresh graves. Kyse picked up the trail of several humanoids, and followed it. He soon approached a smoldering village, and heard the sounds of human voices (and was that weeping?) coming from behind a small stone temple of Rok. Drawing his sword, Kyse carefully approached, his booted feet making no sound on the ash-covered earth.........................
Mr. VanderMeer 07-04-03, 04:38 PM	Cool:cool:
Grislof the Blind 07-04-03, 04:54 PM	Very nice background as far as i can see :D
hiryuu 07-04-03, 06:30 PM	Heh-hey...I like that one. Issis fer a rogue/sorcerer, perhaps?
BohbtheArchmage *REMIXED* 07-05-03, 01:29 AM	I like my backgrounds with lots of flavour, and I must admit, your character background is quite tasty :D
Trydan 07-17-03, 01:30 PM	Excellent character history... consistent and plausible. Well done.