So, I bring you Khalid Al'Ghurab, The Raven.
Khalid was not born with that name, nor was he born on the material world. He is a Shadar-kai (monk|rogue, flavoured to use a mixture of soft form and quick lethal strikes with a Kama-like weapon) who stumbled into a crossing from the Shadowfel to Toril, and was promptly made a slave by a Calishite Efreet. For nearly 60 years, he was made to fight as an arena slave, earning a new name, which means The Raven and which he accepted with an eager will.
20 years ago, he (through buying and selling) found himself owned by a somewhat odd Calimport Djinn who trained him in the arts of soft form combat techniques (basically soft kung fu), and eventually freed from slavery in exchange for great service to his master. He still works for his old master, "troubleshooting", and training arena fighters and other troubleshooters.
His only real friend, other than the odd relationship with his Sifu and former master, is a(nother PC) young woman named Vidania Rogachovia, a failed Purple Dragon Knight from Cormyr. (she's a Vryloka Vice of Fury Blackguard) He has taken it upon himself to train her to focus her rage, and control herself, that she might someday return home and succeed where she first failed.
So, um...we're really not sure how to translate either of them. I can't remember any orders of Knights that fits for Vi, or a good stand in for Calimsham...
Any help in this would be truly awesome.
The Valenar elves, the goblins of Darguun, and the monsters of Droaam all partake in slavery. Are any of those good enough, or do you need more tweaking?
Hmm. Another option would be to start as a slave of Gorodan Ashlord and then end up with an oni, since an oni seems a better match for your form training.
And a Vryloka Blackguard? Karrnath all the way! Personally, I wouldn't make her a failed knight. I'd make her a member of one of the Blood of Vol chivalric orders, like the Order of the Onyx Skull or Emerald Claw. Disavowed by the crown despite loyal service. If she was Emerald Claw, you'd have the double slap of people currently doing disgraceful things under the name of what was once a proud and honorable unit.
As for Khalid, Droaam could work, and I like the Oni idea. I suppose he need not have been a slave for as long as origionally planned, so Gorodan could work. Or maybe in my group's eberron, Gorodan moved to Droaam a couple decades earlier than in the official setting material...
hrm...
I think the idea that her rage caused her to fail to gain knighthood, with family dishonor and a grim quest to conquer her own emotions and finally gain knighthood is basically the central element of the character, in the eyes of the player. Disavowal by the crown could work, and the whole "once a proud and honorable unit" thing is really cool, but she really liked the idea of being a failed knight on a quest for redemption and hopefully knighthood.
That does put a different perspective on things. But I'd still consider the basic idea. A few things to consider:
* Vryolkas just say "Blood of Vol families" to me. Whether you consider it a step towards acheiving the Divinity Within or the consequence of long association with the undead, it seems like a logical connection.
* Likewise, a blackguard is a divine character. So what's her faith? If it's Blood of Vol, than the point is that the power is HER power - her own divine spark. But she's currently allowed that to be tainted/directed by her fury instead of harnessed in a positive direction.
* The Order of the Onyx Skull, in my campaign, was a proud and honorable order. The fact that it has been disavowed by the crown doesn't change that. If her family had long served in the Order - and if she initially served it in before disgracing herself, then you have room for a double play. Her first goal - heroic tier, if you will - is to prove herself to the Order and be reinstated as a true knight. Her second goal is to have the Order itself returned to its proper place. This could involve redeeming it in the eyes of the nation... or potentially, driving Kaius from the throne and taking his place.
Now, Kaius and Morena have condemned the Order of the Onyx Skull, but that doesn't change the fact that there will be many people who remember the service it did for the nation, especially among the Seekers. This will may her disgrace more serious among those groups, but also give support from them once she's in phase two. Meanwhile, you have the Order of the Emerald Claw, which has been seized by corrupt forces and would likely have to be destroyed to fully clear the name of the Onyx Skull.
A much simpler approach would simply be a Silver Flame templar who has let her fury get away with her. My thing is that it's got less long term interest once she's redeemed. With the Onyx Skull, being redeemed in the eyes of the order is simply the first step... and race, class, and specialty all fit well with Karrnathi seeker.
Man. You are the man.
In order to redeem her Order, and perhaps her Kingdom, she must first redeem herself. That could be the tagline for an epic movie or book series.
Dammit.
Now I just have to do more reading on Droaam and the Oni...
Are there any Arabic influenced stuff in Eberron that I'm just blanking on, btw? The valinar always seemed fairly Bedhuin to me, but I can't think of anything else. I suppose it wouldn't be hard to sort of mix the oriental flavour of Oni with Arabian/Persian elements to get the right flavour for a place in Droaam where Khalid was an arena slave...
Also, I have more of a reason to use this photo than just "Eh, she could wear this while sparring with Khalid..."
Blood of Vol Avenger Vidanya? Quite possibly! :D
Are there any Arabic influenced stuff in Eberron that I'm just blanking on, btw? The valinar always seemed fairly Bedhuin to me, but I can't think of anything else. I suppose it wouldn't be hard to sort of mix the oriental flavour of Oni with Arabian/Persian elements to get the right flavour for a place in Droaam where Khalid was an arena slave...
Longer question than I have time to answer right now, but as a short simple answer, the different demenses of Droaam are all very different from one another. Some are jumped up chieftains who didn't exist two decades ago. But then you have places like Khazaak Draal and the Venomous Demense which have longer histories and strong cultural identities of their own. So you could easily make up a high-Oni population demense in Droaam with an arena culture and Arabic flavor... again, using the Oni with more of a djinn flavor.
Just popping in to say thank you so much!
You are very welcome.
I always kind of wanted it to be a mix between what Camimshan is, strong Arabian and Andelusian influences, with a stark dichotomy of Islamic Golden Age style sophistication and dire savagery.
For instance, how long ago was The Order of The Onyx Skull disavowed by the Crown? Where in Karnath were they based? What was the normal enlisting age in Karnath during the War? (I figure someone training to be a knight would see at least some action as a squire, but possibly a year or two later than other people their age. Does that make sense?)
Any idea what kind of coats of arms Karnathi nobles use?
Any good online resources for these sorts details?
Seriously, Keith, can you write some EOE articles about the Nobility of Khorvaire? :P
Have you looked at the Eberron Wiki? eberron.wikia.com/wiki/Eberron_Wiki. It might have the information you want, albeit in a slightly disorganized fashion.
For instance, how long ago was The Order of The Onyx Skull disavowed by the Crown? Where in Karnath were they based?
There's very little information about the OS. It's noted as having been the order that created the Bone Knight PrC. According to Forge of War the Emerald Claw was outlawed in 976 YK. In my personal campaign, I set that date much closer to the present day - more around 990ish - with the general idea that the followers of the BoV overall are being blamed for much of Karrnath's failings. Perhaps they caused the plagues and famines that weakened the nation! If the Karrns had stuck to the old traditions, they would have won the war!
So I'd say do what works best for you; per straight canon, it's not even clearly stated that the OS WAS disavowed along with the Emerald Claw.
What was the normal enlisting age in Karnath during the War? (I figure someone training to be a knight would see at least some action as a squire, but possibly a year or two later than other people their age. Does that make sense?)
Certainly. Nobles would receive considerably more training. Peasants would start earlier and receive fairly basic training, though they likely would have also done simply group drills as children. Needless to say, it would depend on species, but I'd expect people to start their military training as soon as they hit "adulthood".
Seriously, Keith, can you write some EOE articles about the Nobility of Khorvaire?
Unfortunately, not anytime soon. EoE topics are set for the year, and it's a level of detail I can't really do in Dragonmarks. I'm not convinced it's the sort of topic I could sell as an EoE (they are general very specific), though I certainly see the value of it.
For instance, how long ago was The Order of The Onyx Skull disavowed by the Crown? Where in Karnath were they based?
There's very little information about the OS. It's noted as having been the order that created the Bone Knight PrC. According to Forge of War the Emerald Claw was outlawed in 976 YK. In my personal campaign, I set that date much closer to the present day - more around 990ish - with the general idea that the followers of the BoV overall are being blamed for much of Karrnath's failings. Perhaps they caused the plagues and famines that weakened the nation! If the Karrns had stuck to the old traditions, they would have won the war!
So I'd say do what works best for you; per straight canon, it's not even clearly stated that the OS WAS disavowed along with the Emerald Claw.What was the normal enlisting age in Karnath during the War? (I figure someone training to be a knight would see at least some action as a squire, but possibly a year or two later than other people their age. Does that make sense?)
Certainly. Nobles would receive considerably more training. Peasants would start earlier and receive fairly basic training, though they likely would have also done simply group drills as children. Needless to say, it would depend on species, but I'd expect people to start their military training as soon as they hit "adulthood".Seriously, Keith, can you write some EOE articles about the Nobility of Khorvaire?
Unfortunately, not anytime soon. EoE topics are set for the year, and it's a level of detail I can't really do in Dragonmarks. I'm not convinced it's the sort of topic I could sell as an EoE (they are general very specific), though I certainly see the value of it.
Ok. I think I'll go with the same date in my game, and have the OS be disavowed along with the EC, since that's part of what makes the general idea so cool. I agree on nobles getting more training.
We figure she'd probably start seeing action as a squire/second around 18-20, just at the tail end of the war, as she's 24 now.
one more thing I was wondering. Did any of the five nations knowingly use slave "mercenaries" at all in the last war? If so, it's possible that some of Khalid's time as a slave was spent on the front lines in a shock troop unit or something. Not sure if that's where I want to go or not, though.
Nobility of Khorvaire EoE? Seconded.
Have you looked at the Eberron Wiki? eberron.wikia.com/wiki/Eberron_Wiki. It might have the information you want, albeit in a slightly disorganized fashion.
I have, and it really is disorganized. Helpful anyway, though.
Did any of the five nations knowingly use slave "mercenaries" at all in the last war?
Sure. They called them "Warforged."
Seriously, though: Slavery is outlawed by the Code of Galifar and none of the Five Nations openly condone it. If you really wanted to have that be part of the story, the most likely way would be for him to be a slave WITHIN a company of Droaamite or Darguul mercenaries, and to have his employers be unaware of his status.
Did any of the five nations knowingly use slave "mercenaries" at all in the last war?
Sure. They called them "Warforged."
Seriously, though: Slavery is outlawed by the Code of Galifar and none of the Five Nations openly condone it. If you really wanted to have that be part of the story, the most likely way would be for him to be a slave WITHIN a company of Droaamite or Darguul mercenaries, and to have his employers be unaware of his status.
Could work. I'll have to think about it....
There's an arena in Stormreach. Sharn has small scale operations like the Burning Ring. I'm sure dueling clubs are popular in Karrnath, but weird foreign elves and disgraced knights from disgraced orders probably aren't invited.
That's another thing I need to figure out. How do people react to Shadar-kai. I figure they're mostly unchanged from the core, except that there's no Raven Queen, but I assume they're quite rare in the mortal world.
Stormreach could be a good choice. Or Sharn.
I'm thinking that with his new freedom he's basically working as an inquisitive, and occasionally fighting in arenas/training fighters for his old master, so Sharn could be perfect.