I'm playing an unaligned Drow Rogue and I have taken some inspiration from my favorite opportunist Jarlaxle(spelling?).
Mekrial lived in the city of Athkatla all of his life, and will do anything to get ahead. He does not know how or why he came to be here as a small child, he has no memories of either of his parents. A small orphanage took him in after he was found alone in a back alley. When he was still young he was kicked out of the orphanage for frequently stealing anything of value he could find. Years passed and Mekrial was making a living as a blade for hire willing to kill anyone for the right price, He didn't take pleasure in the kill but gold was gold. Some time in his mid thirties the Shadow Thieves approached Mekrial with an offer to join as an assassin, He would be given freedom to move as he pleased and would be contacted when needed. Most jobs were easy enough, Just killing people who didn't pay debts, the guild never had trouble finding him. Twenty four years past and He grew bored. With the promise that he would still take jobs given to him, the Shadow Thieves gave him permission to begin adventuring to grow in strength and wealth.
It has potential, but it needs some more detail, I think. One thing is the character feels a little flat, kind of like an uninspired Jarlaxle. What makes him truly unique, your own?
it lacks detail because we were told to write a short back story.
but like I said this is my first time writing one so what kind of details could I put in?
give him a quirk - something that conflicts his primary nature. Maybe a nagging conscience? Maybe if he was taken in by a priest, he chafed uinder the rules, and just did his thing [after he runs away or something like that] like you suggested, but the priest's teachings had an effect on his subconscious? Most non-good drow males are mercenary or sadistic. I prefer to have characters that are not stereotypes, they differ from the norm, if only slightly. If you like stereotypes, that's cool, and ignore my advice. If you hate stereotypes like me, try to find ways to make him different. I'll check on this tomorrow, I gotz to go sleepy sleep nao.
I like the idea of the church but I wanted him to be mercenary, not sadistic he doesn't really care to hurt people just doesn't matter to him if he does. I want him to be mercenary because every Drow in every game I have ever played has been a chaotic good Drizzt clone. I'm sick of it and while I like Drizzt I wanted to be nothing like him in any way.
I also like the idea of a quirk. maybe something like he is very generous to children because of being abandoned.
Does he make friends or just allies?
Is money his only motivation or is their a secret desire for glory or fame?
Is he distrustful?
Does he make friends or just allies?
Is money his only motivation or is their a secret desire for glory or fame?
He is very distrustful.
I suppose he could make friends but most of the time he would only make allies
No, money and Power are it. He doesn't want to be well known. It makes it hard to assassinate someone if your famous and word get around your in town.
Would enough money make him abandon his team or even worse kill them. If so, that needs to be in the background. That information is a must have for the DM.
Okay, money it is.
Would enough money make him abandon his team or even worse kill them. If so, that needs to be in the background. That information is a must have for the DM.
I think I'm going to have to say no. He knows he stands to gain more in the long run with these guys alive than he does with them dead.
I mean a tasty magic item or an exceptional gem might prove a tempting target for one that is only interested in money.
Or is he respectful of other's property? Perhaps he will not loot the corpse of a victim of assassination without expressed orders from the guild he worked for. That's not to say he won't take his share when the spoils are divied up but he won't loot the body himself.
Maybe he doesn't like dead things. They are distasteful for him and he has a terrible dislike of the undead because he believes what's dead should stay dead considering his background as an assassin with the exception of himself of course so he could be resurrected if he dies so he can earn more wealth.
What do you think. Could you work with those?
Will he steal from them?
I mean a tasty magic item or an exceptional gem might prove a tempting target for one that is only interested in money.
Or is he respectful of other's property? Perhaps he will not loot the corpse of a victim of assassination without expressed orders from the guild he worked for. That's not to say he won't take his share when the spoils are divied up but he won't loot the body himself.
Maybe he doesn't like dead things. They are distasteful for him and he has a terrible dislike of the undead because he believes what's dead should stay dead considering his background as an assassin with the exception of himself of course so he could be resurrected if he dies so he can earn more wealth.
What do you think. Could you work with those?
yeah I like the bit about not stealing from the victim its interesting. In fact I was thinking of taking stealing out of his back story and that fits in. The only thing is I cant have a problem with stealing if I'm a member of the Shadow Thieves.
hmm idk I you two gave me some interesting ideas I going to go to bed and tomorrow I'm going to rewrite this.
How does an evil drow walk openly in a human city and survive? Athkatla doesn't strike me as terribly accepting.
Unaligned not evil.
The dm stated before I even decided on drow that they were allowed to walk openly. They may not be liked much but they are accepted.
Mekrial, a very opportunistic person by nature, has lived in athkatla for all of his life. He does not know how he came to the surface as a child and has no memories of his parents or the underdark. the church of tymora took him in after he was found alone in a back alley wrapped in a ragged black cloak. When he was still young he left the church feeling he could survive on his own. Years past and he was making a living as a sell sword willing to do most things for the right price, even murder. He did not enjoy killing but if it put money in his pockets it didn't bother him. Often the Shadow thieves would hire him to make people "stay silent".Though he hurt many people in his line of work he would never harm children, in fact more than a few times he would feed and clothe orphans, perhaps he felt sympathy for others like himself. When he was nearing fifty Mekrial became bored with his life in Athkatla andset out to find wealth and power. Now he travels Faerun taking jobs other are afraid to take, for the right price of course.
Unaligned not evil.
The dm stated before I even decided on drow that they were allowed to walk openly. They may not be liked much but they are accepted.
That some whacky houserule or does Athkatla not care? BG II it didn't seem like Viconia was getting treated too well.
That some whacky houserule or does Athkatla not care? BG II it didn't seem like Viconia was getting treated too well.
the explanation was that was along time ago and over the centuries they have become grudgingly accepted.
Short is a relative term. Your background is good but short to me would be no more than a page.
You did a great job and I think your DM will be satisfied but if you want more detail then make a few notes about your character for your own use in roleplaying.
the explanation was that was along time ago and over the centuries they have become grudgingly accepted.
That's incredibly vague. Did the DM even bother to think of how they became accepted?
That's incredibly vague. Did the DM even bother to think of how they became accepted?
No it was just for the sake of being able to play drow. If everyone hates you and tries to kill you on site its kinda hard to play the game.
I haven't bothered to read others responses, but I'd go with Dalabad Oasis - the Bregen D'aerth (sp?) already run the place, and its not that far from where you want to be (its Calimshan, so at least its in the same general region you want to be from).
No it was just for the sake of being able to play drow. If everyone hates you and tries to kill you on site its kinda hard to play the game.
That's kinda why you don't get to play drow normally though. It's also a big part of being drow.
-Yup.
Didn't Jarlaxle perhaps get Bregan De Arthe into Athkatla? I know he got some surface dealings going.
-Not that we know of, but there's a "starting off point" for the OP right there.
That particular bit comes from Jarlaxle's presence in Athkatla in the BG games - I do not think it was ever made canon, and only Jarlaxle appears there, which means even in the non-canon game elements, the Bregan De Arthe are NOT present (AFAIK).
He was not in Athkatla, he was in Ust Natha... but that's fairly close.
As for the character -wonderful!
Ust-Natha... Athkatla's 'Undermountain'. :D
Except that Ust-Natha was actually under the ocean and well off-shore, according to the game map.;)
He was not in Athkatla, he was in Ust Natha... but that's fairly close.
As for the character -wonderful!
I hear conflicting remarks about this, I hear that you get teleported out to his location.... you are the first to that I hear to say he was in Ust Natha.
I hear conflicting remarks about this, I hear that you get teleported out to his location.... you are the first to that I hear to say he was in Ust Natha.
You get to the Underdark (which leads to Ust-Natha) one of two ways:
--Take a portal there from Spellhold.
--Take a ship from Spellhold that winds up in a sahuagin city, and from there you head down into the Underdark.
It's a ways away from Athkatla.
I'm sure you can get to Undermountain from Ust Natha - several Drow communities have permanent enclaves within the city (Skullport).
The actual distance something is from something else is VERY different in the Realms then it is in the RW.
The actual distance something is from something else is VERY different in the Realms then it is in the RW.
Well, if magic (ie. portals) is involved, yes.
Haunted Halls of Evening Star - which, interstingly enough, has a portal to Abeir as well.
What?
I don't remember the exact details, but now that we know about Abeir, that long-lost portal supposedly lead to Abeir all along.
Which means Abeirran Dwarves and Torillian Dwarves may have had some interaction even after the worlds were seperated... which is an intriguing plothook.
When the 'hints' about Abeir from the 'Old Grey Box' were extrapolated on by Ed and/or George Krashos, I believe there was something about the Haunted Halls leading to 'somewhere else', and that dwarves had used it in ancient times to travel to 'that other place'. There was even a little something pertaining to this left-out of the original adventure module.
I don't remember the exact details, but now that we know about Abeir, that long-lost portal supposedly lead to Abeir all along.
Which means Abeirran Dwarves and Torillian Dwarves may have had some interaction even after the worlds were seperated... which is an intriguing plothook.
-"Hindsight is 20/20" and/or "In retrospect, you can do whatever you like", whichever adage is more appropriate.
drow would be burned at the stake in Athkatla, it happens in BG2
I'd just like to point out that the scene you are talking about is instigated by priests of Beshaba, not the Athkatlan government...so it's not necessarily law that drow would be burned at the stake. However, it was obvious in the game that the enforcers of the law were "looking the other way."