Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 fetalclown Apr 02, 2009 2:32:39	I've got some idea of what I want to do with this guy, but I'm really bad at names and backstories, so I'm hoping some of the more inventive and creative people around here might be inclined to throw some ideas around. Here's what I've got so far: He's a Razorclaw Shifter, and my idea is that he was raised by one of the secretive Avenger temples to be an instrument of Tempus. He may have lost his parents in some terrible event, or if that's too cliched he may also have run away for some reason. He is unquestioningly devoted to serving Tempus and exacting his vengeance. He loves battle, but only honorable and tactical fights. He fights and kills because he believes in the way of the sword. If it is his time to die, he will not run from it, but towards it. Since he was raised by the temple I was hoping to give him a name that has something to do with the lore of Tempus, as it would have been given to him by someone at the temple. I had in my mind an Elf mentor that taught him everything he knows about avenging, and who he looks up to immensely. So the name could be Elven, Shifter, or something from the Tempus lore / story, and the backstory could also probably use a lot of work. This will be my first time getting this deep into character development, and I'm not really sure where to go from here.
#2 lord_karsus Apr 02, 2009 10:38:52	-Faiths and Avatars has the most in-depth information about Tempus and his church, so that is the first source to go thumbing through if you are looking for a title related to Tempus' church. Shifters have never existed in the Forgotten Realms as Shifters, so you'll have to look though the Eberron Campaign Setting to get cultural information on them; I don't have it, so I know nothing about them. Elven names, as well as general Elven information, can be found in Elves of Faerûn.
#3 power__cosmic Apr 02, 2009 10:49:00	Do you know why this character went to Tempus for Guidance? What drives his desire for vengeance? Why would he embrace death? Is it fearlessness or does he have nothing to lose? I like your concept!
#4 lord_karsus Apr 02, 2009 10:56:41	Do you know why this character went to Tempus for Guidance? What drives his desire for vengeance? Why would he embrace death? Is it fearlessness or does he have nothing to lose? I like your concept! -The character was raised by a temple of Tempus.
#5 power__cosmic Apr 02, 2009 13:16:55	-The character was raised by a temple of Tempus. or if that's too cliched he may also have run away for some reason. Well that implies that he's a tool of Tempus.. he isn't self motivated. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It could have some interesting RP consequences later but I got the impression that the character willingly serves tempus. So my question would be, for what personal goal? What motivates this character to adventure in the world. What drives him into battle seeking vengeance. Is there something from his past? Or is he simply a tool of tempus' temple! EDIT: to be a little more clear.. after being raised in the temple why did this character choose to follow a path of vengeance? It isn't an emotion you just stumble upon in the middle of the night and then wrap yourself in like a baby blanket. - PC
#6 Mirtek Apr 02, 2009 13:36:11	Do you know why this character went to Tempus for Guidance? Same reason than everyone else who went to Tempus for guidance in 4e ;) PS: I am also thinking about an avenger of Tempus :P He loves battle, but only honorable and tactical fights. How about an avenger of Tempus who fights from the shadows and slays with stealth? There's a reason why many avenger sects are considered heretics by the main church, so don't fell to bound by Tempus' usual dogma. Violate the tenets and retain only a slight connection to Tempus' teachings
#7 power__cosmic Apr 02, 2009 13:49:09	Same reason than everyone else who went to Tempus for guidance in 4e ;) Crush your enemies, see them driven before you and to hear the lamentations of the women!
#8 Mirtek Apr 02, 2009 14:09:58	Crush your enemies, see them driven before you and to hear the lamentations of the women! And if that's not possible at least get the the Broken Rage of Tempus feat :fight!:
#9 lord_karsus Apr 02, 2009 15:18:53	EDIT: to be a little more clear.. after being raised in the temple why did this character choose to follow a path of vengeance? It isn't an emotion you just stumble upon in the middle of the night and then wrap yourself in like a baby blanket. -I was just addressing the part about why the character is a Tempuran to begin with. Most people who are raised in/by a specific religion stay in it throughout their lives. As to why the character seeks vengeance, battle, and fighting, the second two are part of the core tenets of Tempus' church, and the first one arguably could be as well.
#10 fetalclown Apr 02, 2009 21:19:34	Thanks for the replies so far guys. Lord Karsus is right on about pretty much everything. The way I see it, he gets most of his motivation from his Elven mentor, who basically raised him as a son. In our campaign right now, we're up against the Order of Blue Flame (I'm not sure how much it has been elaborated on / modified by our DM, but basically they make slaves of the Spellscarred). So I was going to go with: my mentor was enslaved by the Order and passed down to me that I should exact my vengeance up on them. I'm joining the party in progress, they're already on a mission against the Blue Flame. I don't want to think of him as a tool of the temple. He believes what he's doing is right; he wants to help his mentor, who does have good intentions. I feel more and more drawn to the temple taking him in as a baby. And they were not cruel to him, it was a pretty good place to be raised overall. I'll look into those books you mentioned, see what I can come up with for a name.
#11 lord_karsus Apr 02, 2009 22:26:21	I'll look into those books you mentioned, see what I can come up with for a name. -What region is the character/the temple from (to help throw out suggestions)?