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| #1keithpOct 31, 2009 17:35:35 | As I mentioned here: community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/758... Brosha Manx has developed into a significant character in my campaign. I'm adding the following back story, which I'd be pleased to have crticism of:
When Ariel Manx, better known as Midnight, was elevated to divinity as the godess Mystra, members of her family were marked with some mysterious aspect of the Weave. This did not manifest itself until the Spellplague, after which no more Manx children were born and lived. Most of the Manxs could not conceive at all. For others, their babies were born plauge-touched and never lived long. This became known as the Manx family curse. Brosha Manx was born to Albert Manx, a nephew of Ariel, and the elf Ninaran in the town of Winterhaven in the Thunderpeak Mountains in 1360. An unhappy loner, Brosha longed to leave his small mountain town. In 1381 he signed up with a trade caravan and went west. Not liking the caravan either, he settled in Loudwater where he apprenticed to the alchemist Yarmul. Brosha's master Yarmul perished in the Wailing Years, and Brosha took over the shop. Separated from the rest of his family, Brosha was unaware of the curse. In 1410, Brosha fell in love with the human woman Sindril, the only person to whom he was every close. Brosha and Sindril wed. In 1411 Sindril died in childbirth. The baby was a pathetic plague-changed thing that lived for one agonizing week. Brosha never named the baby, or even knew if the baby was a boy or a girl. Grief stricken and suspicious of all, Brosha came to the notice of Shar, the Lady of Loss. Shar, amused at the possiblity of turning a relative of Mystra's to her uses, nursed Brosha's grief and pulled him towards her. Brosha secretly became an invoker of Shar, specializing in magic of despair. When the Lady of Shadows came to Loudwater, Shar subtly moved her and Brosha to make contact. Brosha was entranced to make contact with a denizen of the Shadowfell and became an important figure in her new organization, even providing alchemical help for her traps. [Now, my players have already viewed Brosha Manx in the Lair of Shadows, but he has escaped. The Lady of the Night has other uses for him ...] When the Lady of Shadows' gang was broken up, Brosha fled Loudwater, returning ultimately to his home and to his mother. Ninaran, having become more and more of a sullen loner as the Manx family died off, was amazed to see her son again, and was soon pulled into Shar's web as well. Shar then endowed Brosha with greater powers and charged him with a greater mission: To free the dragon Shadroxil so as to unhinge Cormyr .... [If and when my players get to Keep on the Shadowfell, I'll replace Kalarel with Manx.] |
| #2The_SilverswordNov 02, 2009 7:46:37 | Aww man poor Brosha, I really feel for the guy, I look foward to seein what happens, are the PCs going to just kill him off or will they try to save him from the vile clutches of Shar? A villain to be pitied for sure, I like it! |
| #318DELTANov 02, 2009 8:51:48 | What kinda Phat Lootz will he have... |
| #4keithpNov 02, 2009 19:06:53 |
Thanks! When my players searched Brosha's shop with Captain Harrowleaf, they discovered some of Brosha's bitter and paranoid ramblings mixed up with his alchemical notes. These traced the history of his grief through his discovery of Shar, and provided some clues about the local criminal goings-on. There is also a mention of Winterhaven. I gave these to the players as handouts, and some of them did feel pretty bad for him. They have plumbed all of the later clues yet. I'm planning on doing the Spellguard adventure in some form as part of sending them east towards Cormyr. If I can keep their interest in Brosha alive, maybe this make for some good questions for Lady Saharel. I suspect that some of the PCs will be interested in leading him to redemption. I don't think that it's promising, but I'll have to think about the possiblities. |