Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Siduakal 02-24-05, 03:40 PM	Okay, now keep in mind.. I did this in a 10 or 15 minute span. And the ideas just.. randomly came last night when my DM was asking me "Well .. why is he a monk?" "Why?" "Why?" He kind of just flowed out of my imagination. And this morning I took the ramblings I charted down at 3 AM and made them a bit more organized and easier to read. So.. yea.. opinions on the below are welcome and requested. (Edit: I updated the post with things I've added in the thread) Appearance Dark brown eyes, which are rarely noticed because of the Least Dragonmark of Sentinel covering the upper right side of his face(Think Yin-Yang… just realized that’s how it goes. The larger ball part is up on his forehead, and goes down into a point along his jaw). Olive Complexion. A lone, and long, scar across his chest from a battle he refuses to talk about. (Apparently, he refused to let the wound be healed magically so it must hold some significance) His head is shaved completely bald, also. He wears a rather expensive looking outfit. Black Glamerweave pants loose enough to give him complete movement, an image of a silver dragon on the right leg and on his left thigh the House Deneith insignia in silver with a gold blade behind it. He also wears a black leather belt around his waist, two small pouches hanging on the right hip side by side. His feet are bare aside from the wraps that cover all but the toes and heel. A sparkling ruby hangs from his neck, the light shining through it causing the skin around it to appear red, and the Deneith insignia seems to be inside of the gem. Perhaps the oddest part of his outfit, however, is the fact that he wears a pair of Arcane Signet Rings. These rings are usually designated solely to those who are favored by their house, and no one wears two. Perhaps there is a story behind it, but the cold stare he puts upon you when you look at the two rings tells you it isn’t one he is willing to share with you. Ramblings Siduakal d’Deneith, Human Monk, of the Mercenary House Deneith. He has a dragonmark that covers the right side of his face. This guy’s background is that his father had the family heirloom sword. And on a Mercenary mission, it was sundered (aka destroyed) and he was captured. When he finally got back to the battle field, he couldn't find all the pieces to get it repaired. So, to remedy this, he had to find a way to not dishonor his family. It had been their way to train with the Bastard Sword of the family. Always giving the first born son the sword, and training him with it. It was their tradition, and now they had to find a way to let it live on. He hired various well known unarmed fighters from around the world to train his son from birth. Every few years, he'd change a mentor. Because his father didn't want him to be stuck in one style, or to be held back by one weapon. He wanted his son to be a weapon unto itself, even when he was unarmed. At age 15, Siduakal began fighting for his House, taking jobs all over Khorvaire in the Last War. Taking a piece of land for Breland, only to be recapturing it for Cyre the next. He fought for several countries. He held no alliance to anyone except his own house. And if his house members were hired by the enemy, it was no holds barred combat. Because the house believed that was the way it should be. The gold came above all else. His father was killed when he was 18, in a battle between Karrnathi and Thrane. They were on opposite sides, and his father was slain. He refuses to speak of that battle to anyone. It is the one thing even his house cannot order him to do. He wears nothing but what is necessary, his hands wrapped in cloth and leather from the hilt of the family sword, he wears the jewel from the hilt of the sword as a necklace (a ruby which in the center has the House Deneith symbol, symbolizing blood shining in their houses presence), and carries a small pouch tied to his sash which contains the few shattered remnants of the blade from this same sword; keeping his family heirlooms alive even after their destruction. He also wears a pair of sandals to protect his feet, and a loose black …monk pant thing… which has intricate designs of shimmering silver in it. On his left leg is a large dragon and on his right is his House Symbol in silver with a golden blade behind it, symbolizing his rank as a Gold Blade amongst the Blademarks of House Deneith. His shaved head gleams in the sun and his eyes are cold from years of war. Of all these things, though, that which stands out most is the Lesser Mark of Sentinel covering the upper right side of his face. (Along his forehead, covering his eye, and down to his jaw bone, stopping around an inch from the corner of his mouth… think Yin-Yang) A long scar covers his chest, a reminder of something long forgotten by all but him. Though he carries no weapons, not even the goblins of Malleon’s Gate would be so foolish as to believe this one to be unarmed. He adheres to the laws of his house and has yet to fail to complete a mission he was paid to do. Considering he spent the past 8 years doing just that, that’s a hell of a record. His Love Life His love life is but another tragic story in the history of the world. At the moment, I'm working on changing some of his story to fit all this into it right. (I don’t feel like it right now, so I’m just giving it a new spot) Giving him a female partner, who also carried the Mark of Sentinel, and they fought together on every mission, without fail, from their youth till they were 19. The only battle they didn't work as a cohesive unit in was the one where he fought his father, because he refused to allow her to. Instead she kept anyone else from interfering to help the father. They, of course, were romantically involved. They had actually been coupled together once they had both developed the mark. You know, the whole Breeding True thing. (This was also before they were even 15, they had their marks early) In a battle of Cyre and Breland (In which they fought alongside Cyre), she was hit with a fatal blow. She wasn't dead yet, but she was so wounded that she inevitably fell only (Not dead, but unconscious and bleeding) seconds later. He rushed to her body and straddled her, fending off the enemies that continued to come forward for hours. Taking hit after hit, caring nothing for his own injuries and worried only about her safety. He fought until fatigue set in, his fists covered in cuts and nicks from such an extended battle. But when it ended, no enemy was left standing near him. And soon they were repelled by the other forces beside him. When the healers arrived, it was too late. She had bled to death; her wound had been more fatal than he had thought at first glance. And his own blood lust had cost him the thing most dear to him. He made sure she had a proper burial, buried in their home land. He grew even more distant, his fathers death seeming minor compared to this in his eyes. And he blamed himself for not maintaining his composure and focus, thinking he could have saved her if he had been able to think straight. Their rings had been forged together when they began to work for the House at 15 together. And now he wears hers beside his on his right hand. If questioned about it, he grows silent and refuses to talk about it... He gets asked quite often why he wears two, and with one cold stare... the one asking is always silenced and knows better than to press the issue. Insights into how he views things He's... cold. Not harsh, though. But he's emotionless to a degree. He won't react to many things that others quickly react to, he's been hardened by war since the age of 15... He killed his own father. He's seen and done things that many would never dream of doing. Once hired, all he cares about is mission completion. If someone with him is not vital, and they are injured to the point it slows him down, he will leave them behind. Because that is all he has left to live for. The House and the gold. He speaks Dwarven and Goblin. Dwarven, because the Dwarves handle most the banking and of course most of his payments go through them... Goblin, because he has worked with many Darguul mercenaries over time. Elven is one he's still learning, because he rarely works with Valenar. He sees them as being too blood thirsty. And believes that they are a liability in their recklessness. He has no respect for Barbarians, believing there to be more to gain from discipline than to merely abandon all understanding of pain as you hurl yourself forward in a rage. He'd rather step to the side of a blow and land a minor hit for a counter, than to take a nasty blow to land a nastier one. He works with Darguul mercenaries, but knowing his history... He doesn't trust them. He watches them like they are going to turn on him at any moment, because he knows they've done it before and he believes they will do it again. He borders on racism, but he tolerates them and works with them no less... because it's what his house desires. "Know your enemy (Organizations), Your surroundings (Geography), and the mistakes of those before you (History)" would be a quote for him; it’s why I gave him those knowledge skills. --- Not really in story format, but it's what I'm thinking of showing the other players so they can understand my character from what other people know of him. From rumors that circulate in the Mercenary world about this man. (Rumors like.. that he killed his own father in battle.. but is it a rumor?) Opinions? =)
Edymnion 03-01-05, 04:53 PM	Well, only problem I can see is that you made it impossible to start this character in anything short of a 3rd level game. Can't be a gold blade until at least 3rd level, which means you have, by default, skipped some of the best levels Eberron has to offer. Other than that, I would suggest getting the ruby and the bits of metal from the sword made into an Amulet of Mighty Fists to enchant your unarmed attacks with, and make that the new family heirloom. Just that the weapon has changef from the sword to the fist. Eh, and the leather from the hilt wrapping would only last a couple months as a hand wrapping before it wore out. Other than that, sounds like fun.
Gunrock 03-01-05, 05:07 PM	I really like the flavor. A lot. That's some excellent reasoning for why the guy is a Monk, and your imagery is vivid enough to make me fill in the details. Aside from Edymnion's (whose oppinions I've learned to respect) input, I see no flaws.
Siduakal 03-01-05, 05:33 PM	Thank you both for your opinions. And we're starting ahead a bit because we restarted the campaign - so we started a wee bit ahead of the start. Nothing major, but we didn't lose all our time either. And yea, the hilt wrapping I had worried would be something that would deteriorate to nothingness. As for the Amulet of Mighty Fists idea. Some of the shards along with the Ruby are going toward that, and the other shards are being melted down into a Ring of Protection.. In due time, atleast. I also changed him a little bit, rather than Improved Initiative as his 1st Character feat, I gave him Education. Now some may think that's a crazy idea, but you have to understand his logic first. "Know your enemy (Organizations), Your surroundings (Geography), and the mistakes of those before you (History)" Granted, these won't be huge things to help ingame, but for concept I think they really add a great deal. And it only makes sense that someone who manifested a mark at a young age has a good educational background if he's part of a house.
Vharuck 03-01-05, 05:41 PM	*applause* :clap: This is a wonderful reason to become a monk, and a wonderfully done history. However, I don't know the character. If you asked me how he would respond to a lovely waitress flirting with him, I wouldn't know. Nor would I know what he would fear (undead or warforged maybe from fighting?), love (trinkets he could wear to make himself seem closer to a weapon), or anything. I'd love to hear more!
Siduakal 03-01-05, 05:50 PM	Yea, I've been sorting out his personality. And am probably going to do a journal for him, though I'm teetering on that (I've never done one before). He's.. cold. Not harsh, though. But he's emotionless to a degree. He won't react to many things that others quickly react to, he's been hardened by war since the age of 15.. He killed his own father. He's seen and done things that many would never dream of doing. Once hired, all he cares about is mission completion. If someone with him is not vital, and they are injured to the point it slows him down, he will leave them behind. Because that is all he has left to live for. The House and the gold. He speaks Dwarven and Goblin. Dwarven, because the Dwarves handle most the banking and of course most of his payments go through them.. Goblin, because he has worked with many Darguul mercenaries over time. Elven is one he's still learning, because he rarely works with Valenar. He sees them as being too blood thirsty. And believes that they are a liability in their recklessness. He has no respect for Barbarians, believing there to be more to gain from discipline than to merely abandon all understanding of pain as you hurl yourself forward in a rage. He'd rather step to the side of a blow and land a minor hit for a counter, than to take a nasty blow to land a nastier one. He works with Darguul mercenaries, but knowing his history.. He doesn't trust them. He watches them like they are going to turn on him at any moment, because he knows they've done it before and he believes they will do it again. He borders on racism, but he tolerates them and works with them no less.. because it's what his house desires. Hm, that's about all I can spit out right now.. Just kind of let it come to me. As for the waitress, he'd merely do what he meant to in that establishment. Be it eat or meet with someone. He doesn't have time for pleasures of the flesh, and love is a concept he doesn't believe to exist. How can you love in a world so full of violence? How can you love one who makes his living off that very thing?
DwarvinJedi 03-01-05, 05:55 PM	I love it, especially the placement of the dragonmark, reminds me of Zell from FF8, but if I show my friend/player he will always want a dragonmark located on or near his eye
Doctor X 03-01-05, 06:15 PM	This character will start at second level... and I don't think it's too far out of the question for him to be a Gold Blade. He's only one level away, and he's an heir of the house (with a dragonmark, no less). He isn't just some random hireling. To get his services, I'm thinking people would have to pay more than to just hire a White Blade.
zambuka 03-01-05, 07:17 PM	I also changed him a little bit, rather than Improved Initiative as his 1st Character feat, I gave him Education. Now some may think that's a crazy idea, but you have to understand his logic first. Nothing crazy about that. It's nice that you took a feat that reflects the character's background rather than aids him in combat. Nice concept and well thought out character.
Edymnion 03-01-05, 08:35 PM	Perhaps you could work out a bit of a side-quest for your character. The sword was sundered, he was only able to recover the hilt. The rest of the metal of the blade was recovered by scavangers, and was used to make new weapons/items. Perhaps the sword had gained a semi-intelligence over it's many long years, and wants to be reassembled as much as you do. Say, perhaps... the gem glows when it's near something that was made from the metal of it's blade. You're on a quest to hunt down the pieces of the sword, which is why you adventure, because you never know where a piece might turn up. The more pieces you get, the more powers you get. Sort of a mini Rod of 7 Parts side campaign. Once you get all the pieces together (all of which somehow got made into magical items), and the sword is reforged, it emerges as some kind of minor artifact. More than just the sum of it's parts. Since you'll be a high level monk, perhaps say that it uses your Unarmed Attack base damage, counts as a monk weapon for you and you alone, and has assorted other powers.
Siduakal 03-01-05, 08:44 PM	That rocks. But I think he'd not KNOW it was intelligent. Or even that it had any control over him. (After all, it was his father who once wielded it, not he.) Make it so the item is .. subtly hinting at him, sending those thoughts to his mind. Controlling him for its own purpose without him being aware that it's doing so. So for him, he is merely carrying these trinkets of his past.
Siduakal 03-01-05, 09:04 PM	At the moment, I'm working on changing some of his story. Giving him a female partner, who also carried the Mark of Sentinel, and they fought together on every mission, without fail, from their youth til they were 19. The only battle they didn't work as a cohesive unit in was the one where he fought his father, because he refused to allow her to. Instead she kept anyone else from interfering to help the father. They, of course, were romantically involved. They had actually been coupled together once they had both developed the mark. Y'know, the whole Breeding True thing. (This was also before they were even 16, they had their marks early) In a battle of Cyre and Breland(In which they fought alongside Cyre), she was hit with a fatal blow. She wasn't dead yet, but she was so wounded that she inevitably fell only(Not dead, but unconscious and bleeding) seconds later. He rushed to her body and straddled her, fending off the enemies that continued to come forward for hours. Taking hit after hit, caring nothing for his own injuries and worried only about her safety. He fought until fatigue set in, his fists covered in cuts and nicks from such an extended battle. But when it ended, no enemy was left standing near him. And soon they were repelled by the other forces beside him. When the healers arrived, it was too late. She had bled to death, her wound had been more fatal than he had thought at first glance. And his own blood lust had cost him the thing most dear to him. He made sure she had a proper burial, buried in their home land. He grew even more distant, his fathers death seeming minor compared to this in his eyes. And he blamed himself for not maintaining his composure and focus, thinking he could of saved her if he had been able to think straight. Their rings had been forged together when they began to work for the House at 15 together. And now he wears hers beside his on his right hand. If questioned about it, he grows silent and refuses to talk about it.. He gets asked quite often why he wears two, and with one cold stare.. the one asking is always silenced and knows better than to press the issue.
Siduakal 03-01-05, 11:56 PM	Updated his Appearance.. Appearance Dark brown eyes, which are rarely noticed because of the Least Dragonmark of Sentinel covering the upper right side of his face(Think Yin-Yang… just realized that’s how it goes. The larger ball part is up on his forehead, and goes down into a point along his jaw). Olive Complexion. A lone, and long, scar across his chest from a battle he refuses to talk about. (Apparently, he refused to let the wound be healed magically so it must hold some significance) His head is shaved completely bald, also. He wears a rather expensive looking outfit. Black Glamerweave pants loose enough to give him complete movement, an image of a silver dragon on the right leg and on his left thigh the House Deneith insignia in silver with a gold blade behind it. He also wears a black leather belt around his waist, two small pouches hanging on the right hip side by side. His bare feet, well aside from the cloth wrapped around the arch area and his ankles, tapping impatiently on the ground. A sparkling ruby hangs from his neck, the light shining through it causing the skin around it to appear red, and the Deneith insignia seems to be inside of the gem. Perhaps the oddest part of his outfit, however, is the fact that he wears a pair of Arcane Signet Rings. These rings are usually designated solely to those who are favored by their house, and no one wears two. Perhaps there is a story behind it, but the cold stare he puts upon you when you look at the two rings tells you it isn’t one he is willing to share with you.
Master of shaarat'khesh 03-02-05, 12:12 AM	:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: Very well done. I would love to have you as a player or play along side you. I am very impressed with the thought you have put into this character. From his backstory and history to the fine details that make far an interesting charcter you've done a very good job. I also appreciate the fact that you're willing to make changes and update him. I find so many times that players get stuck and fixed and are unwilling to change things. Again, well done. :)
Siduakal 03-02-05, 12:23 AM	ty, no one saw who he originally fended off of his loved one. It was Valenar Elves.. my DM felt that was a bit far fetched. -sigh- Whats a 2nd level monk to do?
Siduakal 03-03-05, 01:03 AM	His In Character Journal (http://www.livejournal.com/users/siduakal/) - WARNING Shadows of the Last War spoilers will begin to appear as we progress through it! I only wrote a little bit from the session in that, but I'll update it more during the week. (I work early tomorrow, so I don't have the time to get absorbed in it) Edit: I'd like opinions on the Journal if at all possible. I've never done it before, and I'm hoping I did okay. My DM seems to like it.
AvonRekaes 03-03-05, 02:21 AM	I thought your journal was really well written. Perhaps a little too detailed on the combat and too vauge on the character interaction. But then again, as someone who's done nothing but fight for the last 8 years, it's probably in his character to focus on combat. (Not to mention the combat likely took up most of the gaming session, right?) Keep `em coming.
Siduakal 03-03-05, 02:27 AM	Thanks. I've decided to do one entry per 3 days of travel at the minimum. I posted the first one just now, they'll always be short if they're travel entries though. Also, we only played for.. um.. 2 hours, I believe. Actual gaming that is. The tavern really wasn't time for talk, because it was all business. Other things happened, but my character didn't SEE them. So far, though, 2 of the group members don't know ANYONE else. And the other two are friends. So for my character, his interaction is very little. He's the strong silent type, and mysterious. Most of his character development for the first two or three sessions will be in his journal.
AvonRekaes 03-03-05, 02:32 AM	AH okay. I just felt there was something missing, because I was pretty suprised when he said that he liked August. I had the feeling that he didn't like the smartass type.
Siduakal 03-03-05, 02:42 AM	Yea, my DM asked, too. He likes August because August is like him in how he carries himself. In combat, he doesn't play. He focuses on victory, just like my character. He sees him as somewhat of a kindred spirit.
Doctor X 03-03-05, 03:12 AM	Yeah... I'm his DM, and I'm very happy with this character, I must say. We're running this campaign online (we live on near opposite sides of the US), so I'm kind of sad that I can't get him involved in a tabletop game. I am running the published adventures, though, which is also a shame. I want to build an entire campaign of my own around this guy... but I already have another which I run weekly, and I'm a little too lazy to run two full campaigns at one time. Overall, one of the best players I've ever had, though. Keep it coming Sid... maybe I'll tell the guys I play with on Saturday that I'll be running modules for them. :D
Siduakal 03-03-05, 10:48 AM	I just added another entry, probably the only one I'll add today. I've resisted the urges to go back and edit it, because I don't want to corrupt it. I'd rather just sink into his shoes and let him speak and leave his words alone. The new entry is more or less just observations he's making on himself. Most of the "travel entries" will be trivial, though. Atleast, until I can discuss some things with other players. Well, that and until he starts to relax more around them. Though that won't be for a while.