Basically, what if a Shaper Psion could use Minor Creation (or maybe even just the Mental Tools Wild Talent Cantrip) to create metal? It's possible in any other setting, so I don't see any particular reason why it should be impossible in Athas. Of course, the concept behind this character would be that this is something that other Shapers in Athas can't manage to do, making her unique.
I'm also not looking to try to exploit the idea by attempting to sell the metal that she creates or anything like that. As a new fan of Dark Sun, pretty much what I want to know is how such a character might fit into the world and what sorts of forces might take notice of her talents and how. Also, it would also be good to know whether anybody knows of a way that a shaper could make a permanent metal item, a talent that I would like for her to eventually learn.
Siemhouk has the unique and powerful wild talent to calm beasts. Although not greatly detailed in the Ivory Triangle supplement, it essentially says Siemhouk *might* be able to help in a Dragon Metamorphasis. Nibenay, in particular, was extremely protective of this youth, and he was convinced that the youth would help him in his transformation to Dragonhood. His conviction was great enough that he gave her power, position, protection, anything she wanted. Of course, his Shadow-wives and biological children were extremely jealous of the attention (there's a box in the 4e DSCS about Dhojakt's jealousy).
The point is: if a PC (or other character) ended up having an ability as useful and as powerful as being able to make metal, they would be approached by a powerful merchant house or Sorcerer King and, essentially, pampered. If the character resisted... they would probably be captured and enslaved.
This could be an interesting situation for the character and could make an interesting campaign - especially a solo campaign. Playing a Siemhouk character, backed by infinite resources and power sounds like an easy scenario. If the character has half a moral conscious, however, the moral guilt of following an evil tyrant might eventually get to her. It's called Karma. And Karma might start to catch up with her. What happens if she is the target of an assassination attempt? What if she eventually runs away? She'd be followed by the Sorcerer King and by anybody else that knows about her powers... including "good" individuals like ex-slaves and primal druids. She'd be safe... no where. What if the Dragon catches wind of her disappearance? Etc, etc...
"With great power comes great responsibility". Cheesy quote from Spiderman, but appropriate.
Note: this type of ability should probably not be learned, but instead a wild talent. If the Psion could teach the skill to others... any powerful tyrant would easily extract (mind-****) the power for themselves, killing the character in the process.
Realizing what you've said that she basically has the option between being pampered by a Sorcerer-King, enslaved by a Sorcerer-King, or killed, she sees that the only real option is to accept the patronage of a Sorcerer-King, thus serving an evil tyrant. However, there are a few additional elements to consider here. First, remember that her powers do not (yet) afford her the ability to create metal permanently. Second, I would like for her to be a good, heroic character and thus eventually plan on turning on her patron and aiding a resistance movement of some sort. In the mean time, in order to make her work as an adventurer, I'd like for her Sorcerer-King patron to give her permission to venture in search of a way to make the metal that she creates permanent. It might even be possible for the DM to use this as a means of getting resources to the party in ways that do not require treasure, such as if this Sorcerer-King patron sends resources and supplies every once in a while when she reaches a town or something.
Of course, being a new fan of Dark Sun and not being nearly as familiar with the setting as many of you, I have a lot of questions about how I might make this work. First, which Sorcerer-King would work best as such a patron? Which would rather act as her patron than her owner, and would be willing to allow her to adventure in search of making her talents more useful, but would also not be intelligent enough to foresee her betrayal? Also, what sort of already existing resistance movements against the Sorcerer-Kings might I be able to have her work with? And that still leaves me with the dilemma of how to find a way for her to eventually create permanent metal?
Given that you want a pretext for adventuring, you're also going to need to explain the very long leash the SK has given you. As much as they'd want you to be able to create metal permanently, exposing you to the harshness of Athas puts you at incredible risk, whether from the natural world or jealous rivals. You need protection from wilderness, murder, and kidnapping (and any thoughts of betrayal you might have).
First, I expect that an SK, if they're already suitably convinced that you're loyal, would insist on you being made into a templar. It binds you to them, not by compelling you to service, but by, through your service, staining you. Once you've become a templar to an SK and done his bidding, you're tainted for life.
Second, the SK would also insist, I believe, that you be accompanied by someone with long and trusted standing in his service. If you can arrange it with an interested player, they could make a PC whose back story involves both long service and genuine loyalty to a sorcerer-king. Also a templar, their character might be older in years (if human, maybe their 40s) to represent a life of service. They might be a wizard who can be present to consult and study your ability, or a warlock drawing power directly from the SK. I think a very good choice would be a swordmage-templar. Such a templar would be very intelligent, dangerous, and, of course, a defender, which makes sense both thematically and strategically.
Here are my views on the various candidates:
Andropinis
Quite a good option. The Ole Andy is just the sort to manipulate you carefully into his service, and probably the most inclined to permit you to wander the world, probably often attached to Balic's merchant services. This would also strongly bind you to Balic's civic services, making for interesting adventures.
Tectuktitlay
Not a great choice probably, but interesting. Being a moon priest both means you're a noble scion of Draj and that you've murdered dozens of people. It's probably too outright evil and restrained (given the religious demands) to work, but Tectuktitlay is also crazy for magical power, and might send you out to test your powers, while also capturing slaves and resources for him.
Lalali-Puy
Wrkable. The Oba might perceive your ability as representing something like a primal connection with Athas; you can create something the world has lost. Lalali-Puy also expects spiritual duties from her templars, so she might send you to wander the world.
Nibenay
A strong choice. Nibenay seems to be addicted to making templars, and he has the Temple system; you would certainly be placed in the Temple of Thought. Since he also gives his templars more latitude than do others, it's pretty simple to explain the relative freedom you might have. Given his particular quirks, though, I can see him doing dark things to keep you in line. For instance, he might have you bare him a child, both to hold hostage and to study.
Abalech-Re
Hm. She's out of her mind, a bit anyway, so it's easy to get away from her. However, I think that her general lack of attention to relevant affairs might mean you don't have enough control from her to make it an interesting plot idea.
Hamanu
He works for many of the same reasons as Nibenay, except that Hamanu's templars are much more strictly controlled. It's difficult to think of Hamanu granting you permission to leave the city, given your value.
Nibenay's treatment of Siemhouk was basically training and brainwashing her from the very beginning. When she was originally presented in the 2e rules she was something like a dual-classes templar 14/psion 6 or something. I don't remember exactly, but her levels were VERY high, especially for what was basically a prepubescent girl. This was explained by Nibenay basically taking her on "adventures" (in the outer planes, actually: this was before the whole "athas is totally isolated from other planes" bit really took hold in the setting writing) and helping her earn craploads of experience so she could level up. In a bit of a meta-gaming mindset, he wanted her to level-up quickly. The higher level she is, the more powerful her wild talent is and the more PSPs she would have to fuel it. At which point he could take the plunge, enter the next step of his transformation, and hope she would be up to the task of keeping his rage in check.
Hamanu's treatment of Pavek was very different. Part of the reason Hamanu favored him so much was he was a very straightforward kind of guy who didn't take guff from anyone. Aside from marking him as one of his favorites and letting it be known he was under the direct protection of Hamanu, there wasn't much else. He had a lot of certain privileges nobody else did (like more or less on-demand access to the Sorcerer-King), but he was also basically the kind of guy who'd rarely if ever take advantage of those types of things.
Dregoth and Mon Adderath's relationship was similar to that of Pavek and Hamanu, though not exactly. Where Pavek was basically just a lowly templar who excelled in his own way so much that he got Hamanu's notice and favor, Mon Adderath and Dregoth have been close friends for thousands of years. They grew up together, went separate ways, then met up again after both had become powerful in their own rights. Then (if I remember correctly), Dregoth granted his friend immortality and they became inseparable from then on. It was emphasized that MA is NOT a flunky or underling, but an actual close dear friend whose advice and opinions are things Dregoth respects and listens to. Something that shocks many people who witness MA doing the unthinkable and directly contradicting, countermanding or disagreeing with Dregoth—in public. Without being instantly reduced to a smoking stain on the floor
Out of the three, Siemhouk had something Nibenay needed or wanted, Pavek impressed Hamanu with his character, and Mon Adderath has simply known Dregoth for . . . well, forever.
In the case of someone having a rare and special gift, you'd end up with the Siemhouk position. Put simply, Nibenay treats her like a pet. Like a puppy you found that can do a clever trick. He took her in, takes care of her and gives her anything she wants, but he doesn't care about her. He's preparing her to do what he needs her to do. The only time you see her take action is in the Mauraders of Nibenay and she's . . . well she's just kind of weird and creepy. In the sense that Nibenay's been molding and brainwashing her (deliberately or not) into the tool he needs. She's not that different from a child soldier in some African civil war. In the case of someone whose gift was discovered after their formative years, how they were treated would probably depend on how near and dear their gift was to the desires of the SM or merchant family who discovered them. If it's something incredibly personal and near and dear to them (as in the case of Siemhouk: she's literally the only chance Nibenay thinks he has to not turn into another mindless rampaging Borys), then the SM (or whoever) is going to take a very direct and personal role in their life, protection and "education."
First, which Sorcerer-King would work best as such a patron? Which would rather act as her patron than her owner, and would be willing to allow her to adventure in search of making her talents more useful, but would also not be intelligent enough to foresee her betrayal?
Any Sorcerer Tyrant could fit under your description. It mostly depends on how you'd like to model this NPC. I would suggest you just go ahead and read up on the various regions and sorcerer tyrants in the Campaign Setting and CC, and pick one. There is sooooo much potential in any Sorcerer King that you could evolve this storyline just about anywhere. Maybe pick the sorcerer king around one that models your role-playing style the best?
Also, what sort of already existing resistance movements against the Sorcerer-Kings might I be able to have her work with?
Well, obviously the Veiled Alliance is the biggest potential resistance movement. After "survival", "recruitment" and "don't be stupid" as objectives, their major goal is to kill all Defilers: especially Templars and the Sorcerer Kings. However, each Veiled Alliance cell is different, and many of the cells can be so extremely paranoid that they are rendered useless. There are subtle hints that each Sorcerer King actually knows about their respective Veiled Alliance cells, and manipulates the cells like puppet masters.
I've read a history of Athas that talks about a hidden war that the Sorcerer Kings engaged in: a Preservers vs Defilers war of assassination, betrayal and hatred. Remember, any preserver could turn into a defiler at any moment: Think Jedi and the lure of the Dark Side; Think Cylons in Battlestar Galactica. The eventual losers (Preservers) were almost destroyed and were forced to take their teachings underground and form hidden groups: the Veiled Alliance. Most of this history is lost...
Nibenay has another "Veiled Alliance", under the tutelage of Poortool outside the city. Because they live in the wastes and do not have Templar neighbours, they have more freedom. In effect, they form a more effective, bolder, radical and free-willing veiled alliance.
The Druids of the waste or Halflings of the Forest Ridge are other groups. If you want a Primal powered theme, this is a good option. The Druids and Halflings tend to be completely outside the control of the sorcerer Tyrants and tend to abhor the SKs completely. You could also use the Eladrin as haters of the SKs (like the Rivendale of LotR). Are these groups "moral"?
Travelling bands, like the performers of Salt View (made up of ex-slaves) could be another interesting choice. These groups roam the caravan routes like travelling gypsies. They would be poor resistance fighters, but could provide an interesting escape for your character.
Some Merchant guilds can be moral. House Wavir of Balic abhors Slaves, for example.
You can also play around with the "good" vs "evil" vs "survival" theme. What is good and evil? Is the enemy of your enemy your friend? Do the sorcerer kings actually have moral goals and are committing evil acts for the "greater good"?
Your character might eventually learn that her patron is actually the only defense against a truly worse evil (see: the Dragon or even Rajaat), and that to kill her patron is to release a greater evil on the land. I was planning on using this exact theme in my campaign: kill the Dragon and you MUST replace him, or all hell breaks loose. What do you do? Demand a levy from the SKs and embrace evil or try something different, something bold, something risky?
And that still leaves me with the dilemma of how to find a way for her to eventually create permanent metal?
Evolve. Start off with a wild talent that can "detect metal"... like a divining rod. This talent would be extremely useful in the mines of Tyr (did a Tyrian overlord take her under her wing, pre-Kalak's death, and abuse her and her talent?). Another option: metal smiths are very rare in Athas, maybe your character has the natural talent to work metal - like an instinct. She knows proper temperatures to heat metals and crafts beautiful and exact designs - modern metallurgical techniques?
After a while, evolve the talent to greater powers. Maybe a magnetism (telekinesis to attract metals)? Psychometabolism (form her own flesh into metal)? Or transform small items (like coin-sized) into metals. Make the talent useful in fluff, but less useful mechanically. Or maybe even go about producing steel (remove that 1-5 chance to break weapons with Reckless Breakage).
Maybe she has a natural affinity to the Psion class, or Battlemind. Eventually (paragon tier), she can transform a single item or armor into metal for short times (like a single combat).
Permanent creation of metal out of thin air could take a while. Is there a drawback? Does it require defiling or a life sacrifice? Does it drain her own strength? Is there a psionic backlash that attracts the attention of powerful psionists around her?