This character
had a lot of pieces to tie together. Figuring out a character of an ethnic
group that is not common to the listed homeland isn’t easy. Nor is how to get
the half-sister without making another bastard-born child. And of course what
class to choose for this character.
Choosing a class was really the most difficult part. There
were a lot of options and none really stood out. I weeded out any intelligence
or charisma based characters to start. The high wisdom meant a divine character
would work best, but Yog-Sothoth didn’t lend itself to divine
casters. I had also recently done a Warpriest and
an Inquisitor so
I needed to move away from that. I ended up linking his bird-like celestial
blood to his class by choosing a ranger with the falconer archetype.
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| Illustration by Luis Perez |
Born in the god-forsaken land of Rahadoum, Caoloai’s life
took a tragic turn early. Although his parents were lower-class by birth his
father sought to move them out of their current state. His parents lived as
subsistence farmers and when Caolai’s mother was pregnant his father
joined the Pure Legion. Although the life of a soldier — hunting those
who forsook the laws of man — was no easy profession, he wanted what was best
for his family.
Caoloai had the ashen skin of his people but he was
born with a full head of blond hair. This was the first sign of things to come
for the young Rahadoumi. As he aged he didn’t grow much despite the fact
that his father stood well over six feet tall. Even his twin sisters were
taller than him by the the age of ten, and he was two years
older. His father assumed he’d have his growth spurt when he hit puberty
but something much worse happened.
The first signs were the colored streaks in his hair. This
was followed quickly by Caoloai’s eye color changing to a deep amber.
When the feathers started appearing on his forearms it was clear – at least to
his parents – what was happening. Being a part of the Pure Legion his
father was well versed in the divine and he knew his son – his eldest – had the
blood of a celestial running through his veins. This posed a very immediate
problem.
Caoloai’s father was torn. Love of his son and love of
his country battled in his mind. His mother on the other hand was more
decisive; she turned her own son in. They came in the night and took away the
confused boy. His father cried but there was little he could do at the moment.
It wasn’t until the next day that he made up his mind. He used his position to
see his son and broke him out of the local outpost before he could be
transferred.
Flight from the Pure Legion isn’t simple, but his father’s
knowledge of their skills and tactics kept them one step ahead. The border
wasn’t far and they made it into Thuvia. Heading toward the capital,
leaving getting as far away from Rahadoum was their ultimate goal.
Boarding the first boat leaving Merab, the father and son ended up at the
terminus of their journey in Jalmeray.
Jalmeray turned out to be a place of new revelations
for the young aasimar. As it turns out the celestial blood he inherited
belonged to the Garuda. These bird like creatures were supposedly birthed by
the Vudrani goddess Janasini. Unlike in his home country, where
his celestial blood was reviled, in Jalmeray he was met with awe and
wonder.
Caoloai was drawn to birds. While his father took up
work as a guard for hire, his son took an interest in falconing. His
Garuda blood made being around the avians feel like returning home.
He trained his own bird day in and day out and even began entering
competitions. Even so young he distinguished himself as a master
falconer.
He also began to immerse himself in
the Vundrani forms of mysticism and enlightenment. There were many
gods among the pantheon of the impossible kingdoms and although this left a lot
choice for worship, it also meant that many unsavory beings could sneak among
the mystery cults of Jalmeray. This would one day
become Caoloai’s downfall.
His father remarried when he was sixteen. His new wife was
another outsider to Jalmeray, an elven woman. While his father was
occupied with his new bride, and eventually his fourth child - another sister
– Caoloai would spend much of his time running with the street kids.
His best friend knew everyone and everything on the streets of Niswan.
The aasimar became a fairly common face, roaming the streets with his
bird and his bow.
All of this popularity and interest in the mystical drew
attention of the wrong sort. It was easy enough for Yandari to seduce
the young man, his own self-doubt helped in this account. Using mind-altering
substances during meditations as well as more intimate means of actualization
kept the boy coming back for more. He thought he was in love, and he thought he
was expanding his mind beyond the bounds of space and time. What he was doing
was allowing an insidious evil in.
Things happened so fast. It wasn’t until there were more
than a dozen bodies behind him that Caoloai realized what he’d
become. At this point he didn’t care though. He had done it all for her, and
for their hidden master. When he accepted his true
nature Yandari brought him into the fold of the true cult. Worshipers
of the outer god Yog-Sothoth.
Caoloai has left his family behind, disappeared into
the underground of Niswan. He has devoted his life to his mistress and her
patron. He has become an assassin for the outer god and its minions. His
occasional bouts of doubt are soothed by whatever Yandari gives
him.
That is the story of the fall of Caoloi, but that isn’t
the only tale that can be told by these stats. What do you create when looking
at the given attributes and background information? How did
your Mwangi end up in Jalmeray? How did he come to worship The
Lurker on the Threshold?
Bringing these character to life is a second full time job.
Contributions to my Patreon or Paypal help me be able to
invest more of that time into creation instead of worrying about keeping the
lights on. If you’d like to support your favorite content provider – come on,
that’s me, admit it – please consider contributing. If you’re enjoying the
blog, why not join the rest of the fans of the CRB on our social media
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inbox is open on all forums for questions, comments, and discussion.
The character illustration was created by the fine artist Luis Perez. You can find him on Twitter, Tumblr, and on Instagram at luisperezart.
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