Character 82 - Torin (Altorielal) Illiskata

Illustration by Luis Perez

When I was looking at the stats for this week’s random rolls all I could see was an elf that didn’t care. What little is known about the Deamon Harbinger Ahriman show that he is a true nihilist and so are his followers. The character’s lack of charisma and high intelligence I saw as being cold and calculating. His lack of wisdom comes off to me as not having an emotional understanding of anything. So I went looking for some classes to reflect that.

Since he was going to be thoroughly evil but curious, when I saw the interrogator archetype for alchemist I knew that was where I wanted to go. But then I saw the empiricist archetype for investigator and I knew I wanted that too. Lastly I took a look at the vivisectionist archetype for alchemist and I knew exactly where I was going with the character. However, because I needed to multiclass to get the full scope, this character is not actually written up as first level, as my usual characters are.

Torin (Altorielal) Illiskatal

Torin was born within the confines of the elvish homeland of Kyonin. His parents were servants to one of the noble families that lived in this small enclave. As a child his life was not easy, the children of the noble families would pick on him relentlessly. They would do so, not only because he was beneath them in station, but because he was odd.

The young elf didn’t understand people; he would trap himself with whatever books he could sneak out of the noble family’s library. He found interest in the strangest things, dead things. He was constantly bringing small creatures he found to show his parents, although he never understood why they would look at him so strangely when he did.

No one applauded his interest in the internal workings of things. Nobody wanted to know why things worked the way he did. And so as he grew older he learned to stop sharing with people, even his own parents and sisters. Even though he stopped being openly so weird he still met with malice from the other elven children around him.

Torin’s curiosity turned from morbid to downright violent. There were times when he couldn’t find corpses to poke and prod and so he would make his own. People’s pets began to go missing but, despite suspicions, no one could place these deeds on Torin. Although he hadn’t learned to understand why people found his musings creepy he recognized that they did and made sure to hide his curiosity and his misdeeds from them.

Eventually Torin would head off to school like all elves. Even the lower class children attended classes. Torin was an excellent student. He voraciously devoured any forms of knowledge and was especially keen on those things having to do with anatomy. He was top of his classes which saw even more derision from his peers, many of whom felt their status meant they should be better at everything than him.

During his time in school he had one rival, only one person who was as smart – and occasionally smarter – than he was. The two were always in competition, but the race for academic supremacy spurred them both to greater heights. Torin’s heights also included becoming more vicious and spiteful.

Illustration by Luis Perez

One of the things Thorin had become good at was convincing others to do things. He wouldn’t appeal to their emotions, he would assault them with unerring logic. In many cases he could convince others that the ideas he was pushing weren’t his but the logical next steps in their own thinking. During one particularly tough assignment he wanted to beat his rival so badly that he convinced one of the local pixies to destroy the student’s project. Driven by his own malice he turned a creature of almost pure good into an instrument of chaos.

Thorin’s misdeeds would eventually catch up to him as he took further and further risks to slake his curiosity. Although he had yet to make his first kill he came across a body. A man died in the woods, by the look of it from an animal attack. Thorin took the corpse back to his secret ‘workshop’ and began the arduous task of taking it apart bit by bit. But the experimenter’s lair was not so secret –at least not to his rival – and the guard came upon him up to his elbows in blood and gore.

After being found out he became a pariah, an outcast. Thornin fled Kyonin over the border into the human occupied land of Galt. The constant revolution usually saw people fleeing from Galt and not to it, but even the nation of anarchists has a place where criminals and dissidents go to lay low. Thorin made his home in the town of Woodsedge at the northern tip of the Verduran Forest.

Because Woodsedge was a place where everyone kept to themselves and people came and went as they pleased, Thorin found it the perfect place to continue his studies. He had long since exhausted most of the study he could do on the dead and sought to test the limits of the living. His intellectual endeavors in Kyonin had included some alchemical study during his academic tenure but he began to explore that in earnest in Woodsedge.

The general temperament of the populace of Woodedge meant it was also a place that organizations went to recruit those with special talents; talents that may be looked upon unfavorably by the populace at large. Thorin was scouted and approached by not one but two such groups who believed they could make use of his unique skills.

The group known as the Grey Gardeners had – through informants – come to understand that Thorin had developed new techniques for interrogation. They approached the elf to join their ranks and help them root out those who would bring dissent to the land of Galt. They did so by first attempting to threaten Thorin, but his emotionless nature was unmoved by their posturing. He was, however, interested when they offered him an endless supply of test subjects.

The second group that sought him out was a small cult of a mostly unknown Daemonic being. The Usij, although mostly active in Katapesh, had come to Galt hoping to help the nation, which is hanging on the brink of destruction by a thread, sever that last connection to civilization. Promises of revenge against the elves of Kyonin and a link to the resources he needed to further his alchemical studies, without hunting down the rare ingredients himself, saw Thorin dedicate himself to this religious organization.

Thorin has come a long way from being derided by his peers. He now has the backing of two organizations and all the tools he needs to continue his experiments. How long he will remain among the Grey Gardeners or the Usij is unknown, but he knows that as long as they need him they will be of some use.

How did your elf’s background manifest? What class did he choose? When did he begin his worship of Ahriman? How did he corrupt a non-humanoid monster? And what did he have it do? Why was he bullied?

Bringing these characters to life is a second full-time job. A pledge of as little as one dollar a month on Patreon or a one-time donation to my paypal can help keep the lights on while I concentrate on producing new content for you.

The CRB has been growing as a community on social media; please join us on Facebook,  Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open on all forums for questions, comments, and discussion. If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to have the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon.

The character illustration was created by the fine artist Luis Perez. You can find him on Twitter, Tumblr, and on Instagram at luisperezart. 

Character 77 - Cratan Valiste

I’m a fan of aasimar and this week’s random rolls brought us one whose celestial line comes from the fiery – and native to the material plane – Peri. Being a worshiper of Brigh working some kind of tech or invention into the character seemed a no brainier. How to work that in on the other hand, not so easy. There were actually two alchemist archetypes I liked but eventually I went with the construct rider. So I present to you this week’s complete character.

Cratan Valiste

Pandor Valiste was a smith and an inventor. Although many of his inventions were just deemed “toys” by most, he had a grander vision of himself. When he was young he moved from his home in Taldor in hopes of learning from the Technic League. Pandor’s skill may have been above the pale but it was not anywhere near what the League was looking for. That combined with his lack of magical ability left Pandor dejected.

Rather than return home the young inventor set up shop in Numeria’s neighboring kingdom of Brevoy. He settled in one of the many small scenic towns and set up shop. Within a year he had a son, very soon after that he was married to the local girl that had his child. He had a simple life, although he had given up on his “toys” to afford to raise his family.

Early on it was evident that Cratan was not a normal child. The shocking red hair combined with the almost albino white skin were the first signs. When he hit puberty and filled the house with a smoke cloud it was well evident that he was more than just human. Whether from his father or his mother somewhere along the line the blood of the Upper Planes had found a home within him.

Cratan was always in awe of his father and spent his early years watching the man make things with his hands. If not for his son’s interest Pandor may have given up inventing altogether. The one question the young boy always had was, “how does this work.” Naturally inquisitive Pandor knew that one day his son would out do even him.

Sure enough Caratan did take after his father, inventing was in his blood. He would create small clockwork toys just like his father but many of these went above and beyond. His fire breathing dragon toy was the talk of the younger children of the town and may have gone unnoticed outside of his home if not for a diviner of the Technic League, whose device that detected innate talent found him.

The Half-Orc woman arrived on the family’s doorstep. Quickly bypassing Caratan’s two younger siblings and picking out the young Aasimar as a possible contestant of an annual competition in Starfell for fledgling investors. The talent scout was doubly impressed that the child had appeared to pick up orcish without a teacher and could speak to her in her mother’s tongue. The fire breathing clockwork automaton was the icing on the cake and an offer was made to have the boy come to Starfell for the competition.

Pandor packed a bag for the trip and headed off with his son to the capitol of Numeria. During the journey he managed to garner a fascination for the woman who came to bring his son to the destiny he had hoped for. But all Cratan could think about was the competition.

The Aasimar had never had as many resources as he did in the competition. They Technic League could supply almost anything he wanted. With the ability to do more than he ever had before Cratan put his mind, body, and soul into his work.  His end product was a full sized horse that could think on its own. His creation won him the competition and tutelage from the half-orc who found him.

Cratan lived for years among the Technic League learning to refine his craft which included now a number of alchemical reagents as well as his automaton crafting. His father would come to see him every few months, although that wasn’t the only reason he came. When the first of his half siblings was born to his mentor it was obvious that his father had consummated his infatuation.

Life in Starfell was not all it was cracked up to be however. The League was harsh and often violent, the minions of the black sovereign even more so. Although the now adult aasimar was never one to really worry about anything more than his own inventions his Peri blood would occasionally get the better of him. When he saw two of the town guard beating a poor trader for no reason he snapped.  He and his now iconic mechanical mount beat the two guards within an inch of their lives.

This event forced Cratan to flee Starfell. He took what meager supplies he could scrounge and rode as far as he could. Now that he was a man without a home, he decided to make a name for himself. For him it would no longer be about the League, or his father. It would now be about building the best inventions he could and using them to affect the world around him.

Did this character turn out close to yours? What class did your aasimar choose? Who was his seer/mentor? And why did he need to seek justice? Why does he have half-orc siblings? How did he come to worship Brigh?

Bringing these characters to life is a second full-time job. A pledge of as little as one dollar a month on Patreon or a one-time donation to my paypal can help keep the lights on while I concentrate on producing new content for you.

The CRB has been growing as a community on social media; please join us on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open on all forums for questions, comments, and discussion. If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to have the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon.

Character Exploration 49 - Jubo

This week’s randomly rolled character is probably my favorite race, halflings. We see a highly intelligent, although clumsy for a halfling, resident of the Kavaa Lands in the Mwangi Expanse. A follower of the DemonLord Zura who oversees cannibalism, blood, and vampires. The choice for what kind of halfling was easy. So much so that Wednesday’s article was very specifically on the cannibal halflings of the Kavaa Lands.

Choosing a class was a bit of a harder prospect. How to choose a class that embodies the savagery and the tribal nature of the halflings while still making the most of the high intelligence? After narrowing it down I eventually went with the alchemist, a class I have yet to use in these random rolls. I liked the idea of the beastmorph and the vivisectionist; a character that studied people and animals innards to best mimic those aspects when using their mutagens.

Jubo

Life in the jungles of the Kaava Lands was harsh, but the tribal halflings of the region liked it that way. It weeded out the weak and made the tribe stronger. Jubo was neither the strongest nor the weakest. He wasn’t the toughest or the most fragile. To other halflings he was a bit clumsy, but he maneuvered around as well as the humans and so he wasn’t always injuring himself. What Jubo was, was smart.

The middle child of five Jubo was often left to his own devices. The older siblings had their place in the tribe already and the younger ones still needed looking after. His family was nothing special, they mostly farmed and gathered the other necessities of life in the jungle. Jubo himself was a bit of a naturalist, he found the jungle and all its wonders fascinating—a trait he shared with his uncle Botan.

Botan was old, probably older than anyone who lived the savage life his people lived ought to be. He was considered something of a freak even among the other demon worshiping cannibal halflings. Where the tribe ate meat to sustain them, Botan had a sick need to take apart the creatures they killed. He studied the insides of other humanoids, animals, and anything else he could get his hands on. When no one was watching Jubo would join his uncle on trips to learn what made things tick.

Botan eventually died of old age. This broke Jubo deep inside. The young halfling began fearing for his own mortality. He prayed to the tribes patron, the Demon Lord Zura to become one of her vampiric minions, but that prayer went unanswered. He went to the tribe’s seer to find out about his own death, to which he was told that The Vampire Queen had already seen fit to give him the means to live longer.

It took weeks to figure out what this meant, and it wasn’t until Jubo went through the belongings of his uncle that he made the connection. Botan had always spoken of elixirs that enhance the body. His study of other creatures was a means to make these elixirs stronger and possibly stave off even death. Botan had kept some small amount of notes and from this Jubo began teaching himself.

Jubo’s explorations into the mutating agents through trial and error led to other discoveries. His burgeoning alchemical talent brought him more respect within his tribe, but also brought other rivals as well. One of these rivals was an aspiring medicine man and servitor of Zura. He claimed that Jubo was taking on his uncle’s insanity and that the Demon Lord looked unfavorably upon him. He urged the tribe to consider casting him out.

Jubo took these accusations with an uncommon amount of calm. He knew that Zura had great things in store for him, possibly even everlasting life. In the night Jubo used one of his mutating mixtures and snuck into his rival’s hut. He killed not only his accuser but his entire family. Mother, father, brothers, and sisters. In the morning the matter was settled, the more cunning had prevailed and Jubo feasted that night on the body of his enemy.

Jubo now spends his time trying to find his immortality. As time goes on this takes him further and further afield from his tribe. He knows that once he finds a way to live forever he will be the greatest asset his tribe has ever had. For now he is experimenting with further ways to make his mutating agents make him a better warrior.

A halfling that worships a cannibal god and is really smart, meet Jubo the alchemist. What would you have done with these stats? What class would you have picked? Who would his now-dead enemy or rival been? Why does he seek to stay young?

Where devouring your enemies is a no-no in the real world, you can always devour the content the CRB brings you. If the CRB has sated your hunger for gaming ideas, please consider becoming a contributor to my Patreon. If you’d like to see what else the CRB is up to, join me on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open on all venues.