Character 101 - Amere Inistar

I had a rough go with this week’s random rolls. It was tough trying to stick with the lore of the world and two aspects of the rolls that didn’t mesh well. Our Dhampir this week had some kind of academy training but didn’t really have the intelligence to be an arcane caster or any type of learned person. She was almost assuredly going to be a martial of some type with the strength of sixteen but finding the names of actual martial academies in Andoran proved difficult. Although I never found the school of combat I was looking for I did find other inspiration.

Along with class, one note on mechanics I will make is that I dislike that Dhampir start out at such an old age. I know they are longer-lived than humans but it makes having living parents and siblings tough. Paizo made adjustments to the Aasimar and Tiefling, reflecting that because they are raised by humans they generally reach the age of maturity when a human would. So although they’ll live longer eventually they have a starting age for play now more in line with humans. To that end even though I rolled 130 years old for this Dhampir I am disregarding that and making her in her early twenties.

As for class I decided on cavalier. I knew I needed a martial and the cavalier fit into the background I had been generating. Although, in this case, she could have just as easily been a fighter as, unlike many of the other characters I have come up with, the class wasn’t central to the character.

Amere Inistar

When you’re born in Claes everyone is always talking about history. For such a small fishing town the people there tend to act much like big city folk; not that a certain amount of pride is unwarranted. One of their own is the commander of the Eagle Knights. But as a child, the legend of General Reginald Cormoth is not easy to live up to.

Being held to the standard of the General was nothing compared to what Amere would later learn was common treatment for those of her kind. Born after an attack by vampires on the village, the eldest Inistar daughter retained some of the taint after her mother was bitten. Most Dhampirs cause the death of their mother during birth and are often ostracized by family and their community. But Amere was loved by birth her parents and, for the most part, accepted by the community at large.

Life is not without its conflicts, and although the Dhampir lived a life that would be considered idyllic by the standards of most of her race, she did butt heads often with her younger sister. Kalistree despised the fact that her sister had an otherworldly beauty about her as well as the fact that she was stronger than even most of the boys in their village. The younger Inistar girl was constantly playing pranks and trying to ruin her sister’s reputation.

In the battle with her sister, Amere would not always stay on the right side of the law. Although she never got caught, she would occasionally break or mar things her sister loved, even if they didn’t technically belong to the younger Inistar girl. The war of the sisters would never be won but Amere never felt too bad about what she did.

Being a Dhampir in a small town felt confining to Amere as she grew up. She longed to see the world around her. She would pray to Desna for the chance to travel the world and meet new people. Her parents knew they couldn’t keep her there forever so they reached out to a friend in Almas. Keiron was a man who came from Claes but unlike the General, he wasn’t world famous. What he was, though, was a man who knew everybody.

Amere left home to see Andoran with Keiron, sent on her way with a hand knit hat from her mother. He traveled from Almas to Augustana to Carpenden; he did business everywhere. And anywhere they went, there were the Eagle Knights. What had been her childhood obsession of pushing away the trial of living up to General Cormoth’s legacy became a young adulthood of trying to embrace it. And with her mentor’s help, she was enrolled in one of the military academies in Augustana.

Although she graduated for the academy with high commendations in the Andoran Defense sword style, a life in the military was not for her. Amere knew that the Eagle Knights recruitment methods were often non-traditional so she decided that she would make a name for herself on the road. With her trusty steed, the girlfriend she met at school, and her dedication to the order of the shield and the protection of her people, AmereInistad headed out into the wider world looking for adventure.

Amere is the direction I went but who was your Dhampir? Which class did your character become? Who was the well-connect friend? What academy did she go to? How why did she commit minor crimes either for or against a family member? If you haven’t written your background yet you still have a chance.

The CRB not only brings you the creative content you desire but helps you look inside for your own creativity. If you feel both inspired and pushed to create, please consider supporting your favorite content provider – that’s me, right? – by pledging as little as $1 on my Patreon or making a direct donation to my Paypal.

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Random Roll 101 - The Randomness

A Dhampir child born to a peasant family in Andoran is the base for this week’s character. A good spread of stats in everything except for intelligence gives us a lot of options too. Sometimes though the paradox of choice makes these things even harder to make because you have so many paths you can take. The question is which path will I take? Which path will you take?

Gender:Female

Race:Dhampir

Human Ethnicity:Taldan

Nationality:Andoran

Age:130

Height:5’ 11”

Weight:115 lbs

Alignment:Neutral Good

Str: 16

Dex: 12

Con: 12

Int: 10

Wis: 13

Cha: 14

Homeland: Town or Village

Parents: Both of your parents are alive.

Siblings: You have 1 biological sibling.

- biological younger sister

Circumstance of Birth: [Lower-Class Birth] You were born among peasants or slum denizens. You grew up working the land around a village or manor, practicing a rudimentary trade, or begging in a settlement.

Parent's Profession: Serfs/Peasants

Major Childhood Event: [Academy Training] You attended a private academy where you studied a number of skills and gained training in your current profession. Whether you were a brilliant student or a dropout, the university environment was your home for a good portion of your formative years.

Influential Associate:[Well-Connected Friend] In your circle of disparate associates, there was someone everyone knew. This person collected friends like trophies, and she had contacts in every social or professional circle. Through this connection, you continue to meet and associate with a wide variety of people in every walk of life.

Conflict: [Petty Crime] You committed a minor crime, like vandalism, trespassing, or mischief.

Conflict Subject: Family member.

Conflict Motivation: Hatred or Malice.

Conflict Resolution: [No Guilt] Either guilt is for the weak, or you know you made the right decision. You might not openly brag about your part in the conflict, but you don’t deny it when confronted either.

Deity/Religious Philosophy:Desna

Romantic Relationship(s):[Current Lover] You are currently involved in a romantic relationship.

Drawback:[Attachment (Object)] You are attached to a precious possession with immense sentimental value and significance. Without it, you are no longer yourself and are prone to suffer from depression, moodiness, or aggressive behavior.

(Trait) Child of the Temple

(Trait) Focused Mind

(Trait) Militia Veteran

(Trait) Poverty-Stricken

(Trait) Starchild

(Trait) Well-Informed

(Story Feat) True Love

(Drawback) Attached

In the comments give us your ideas for how to make this into a fully realized character? What class would this character take up? How was a Dhampir born to this family? Which family member does she hate? How did he end up in a formal academy? And don’t forget to stay tuned Friday when my background hits the CRB.

The CRB not only brings you the creative content you desire but makes you look inside for your own creativity. If you feel both inspired and pushed to created please consider supporting your favorite content provider – that’s me right – by pledging as little as $1 on my Patreon or making a direct donation to my Paypal.

If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to get the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon. And to keep up with my other musings and thoughts you can follow the CRB on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter.

Character 83 - Keresk Dragn

Illustration by Luis Perez

This week’s random rolls left me with some hard choices. The strength and constitution being high meant some kind of melee fighter was probably the go to. The high intelligence could have led to any number of intelligence casters. The stats in and of themselves screamed Magus, but the background bits did not lead me to think caster. So after a search I had the choice between the two skilled fighter archetypes and I went with Tactician. So now we have a chance to meet our military minded Kellid born Dhampir from Brevoy.

Keresk Dragn

Life in the tribe was never something that felt right to Hurak Dragn. He felt like an outsider even among his own people. Scraping by in the blasted lands of Numeria, always afraid of what the fallen star stuff would spawn next. So he left his homeland with his new wife and set out to the west.

Brevoy always seemed like a land of opportunity and Hurak being the outgoing type skipped over the small towns and made his way to one of the biggest cities, Restov. Although he had little in the way of what would be considered civilized skills he did have quite the repertoire of musical ability. His skill at some of the traditional musical instruments of the Kellids was a selling point and after a few months performing on corners in the market square he was picked up as a novelty by one of the local taverns.

Kellid music was apparently a hit as, after a few years, Hurak was requested from taverns across the city. Even some minor nobles started having him at parties to play for them. The music had become a talking point, although these same nobles always spoke of it as ‘savage music.’ Hurak had made a small name for himself regardless and had settled into a nice life just in time for his wife to become pregnant.

Hurak’s big performance came while his wife was midway through her pregnancy, one of the swordlords was throwing a gala and he was invited to perform.  He was invited to bring his family with him to enjoy the festivities as well and so he did. The evening was full of music – his music – and dance. But after the event his wife fell ill.

For the rest of her pregnancy his wife was bed ridden. There were even a few close calls where the midwife thought that the child was lost. The entire ordeal drained the kellid woman who seemed cold and pale all the time. When the child was born, Hurak’s wife passed, the struggle was just too much for her and she succumbed to whatever sickness had plagued her.

Illustration by Luis Perez

The first son in any Kellid family is celebrated but Keresk son of Hurak was not. It was hard to celebrate the birth of a son and grieve the death of a wife at the same time. This was made especially difficult because of how obviously different the child was. Although he had his parents features – the traditional angular facial structure of the Kellids – he had none of their ruddy complexion. His skin was pale, almost white and much like his ailing mother, cold to the touch.

After his wife’s death Hurak went into a slump, he just couldn’t perform with the same enthusiasm he once had. Bills began to pile up as the mourning Kellid barely made it out of his house on most days. After weeks of his landlord coming by for payment the man finally stopped. When Hurak inquired about it the landlord said he was paid and also that some monies were left for him with a note. The folded slip of paper read, “for care of your son.”

It would be many months before Hurak could perform and when he did it was never as good as his older work. But no matter what his son was never in want for anything. When it came time for school Keresk was accepted at one of the better learning institutions. And although he took after his people’s tradition of strength and vigor he apparently also had a keen intellect.

Keresk through all his years of schooling seemed to gravitate toward military history. He was no slouch when it came to actual combat, but where he really excelled was tactics and strategy. Like everything in the boy’s life when he expressed interest in the field his father found that his tuition had been paid to one of the military academies in Restov.

His love of military life had always meant that Keresk liked to keep his life in a certain amount of order. He was strict with himself even if others weren’t. He also expected those above him to conform to proper regulations and standards. When one of the majors teaching his class had taken the students on maneuvers and through the officers negligence one of the students died, Keresk didn’t understand why their wasn’t punishment. The young Kellid understood military order but he did not understand politics and why the son of a noble could get away with the death of another.

In Keresk’s mind justice had not been served and so he set about making it right. For the boy justice was something that was swift and unforgiving; an eye for an eye. Keresk followed the officer on his daily routine and when the time was right he struck. A long sword pierced the man’s chest and Keresk meted out justice of his own. He then disposed of the body so it looked like the man had abandoned his post.

Upon graduation Keresk enlisted with the local militia. He wanted nothing but to serve, that is until he fell in love. The woman was a beauty, and a noble to boot. Keresk would have had no chance if she didn’t approach him. Something seemed familiar about her with her pale skin and dark eyes. The two became inseparable.

With the help of his lover Keresk moved up in the ranks of the militia. And she helped him find his way through high society as well. Where she would point he would go to the point of dedicating himself to the same Infernal Duke she worshiped. Eventually she revealed the she was a vampire and the one whose influence allowed him to be born. She charged him with not only being her lover, but her agent in the mortal world.

Now Keresk roams Brevoy doing the bidding of his lover. In some cases joining other adventurers if it furthered his mistresses goals. He carries with him a pendant with her picture inside to remind him why he travels so far from his home. His deeds always influenced by her will.

Where did your Dhampir’s background lead you? What class did he choose? Where did his inheritance come from? How did his mother die? Who did he kill?And why?

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

Character 83 - The Randomness

A Kellid, living in Brevoy whose mother birthed a dhampir. He is strong, tough and smart. We have to decide what the statistical limitations of what this character could become means. Then we must balance that with what his upbringing as the son of entertainers who goes on to be a murdering follower of the infernal duke Ose tells us. How do we mesh these things together to make a whole character?

Gender: Male

Race: Dhampir

Human Ethnicity: Kellid

Nationality:Brevoy

Age:

Height: 5’ 7”

Weight: 165lbs

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Str: 15

Dex: 11

Con:  14

Int: 14

Wis: 10

Cha: 11

Homeland:City or Metropolis

Parents: Only your father is alive.

Siblings: You have no siblings.

Circumstance of Birth: [Middle-Class Birth] You were born to the middle class, which includes merchants, artisans, and tradespeople. You likely grew up in a good-sized settlement, and one of your parents is likely associated with a guild or other trade organization. As a free person, you don't experience the bondage of serfdom or peasantry, but you also lack the privilege of the nobility.

Parent's Profession:Entertainers

Major Childhood Event: [Inheritance] A great sum of wealth or property was bequeathed to you at an early age, providing you with extraordinary means. Daily costs of living have ceased to concern you, and you've learned that there is little that money cannot buy.

Influential Associate: [The Lover] You had a romantic connection in your adolescent years, and this person deeply influenced your personality. Perhaps this was a first love, a casual partner you grew close to, or the one who got away. The experience bolstered your confidence in romantic interactions even though you often find your thoughts still straying toward that special someone from so long ago.

Conflict: [Murder] You killed someone.

Conflict Subject: Civic or military official.

Conflict Motivation: Justice.

Conflict Resolution: [Denial] You feel little if any regret, and deny the event mostly so others won’t judge you. Few if any know of your part in the conflict, and your constant denials are meant to keep it that way.

Conflict Resolution: [No Guilt] Either guilt is for the weak, or you know you made the right decision. You might not openly brag about your part in the conflict, but you don’t deny it when confronted either.

Deity/Religious Philosophy: Ose

Romantic Relationship(s): [Current Lover] You are currently involved in a romantic relationship.

Drawback: [Attachment (Object)] You are attached to a precious possession with immense sentimental value and significance. Without it, you are no longer yourself and are prone to suffer from depression, moodiness, or aggressive behavior.

(Trait) Artisan

(Trait) Charming

(Trait) Civilized

(Trait) Hellish Shackles

(Trait) Merchant

(Trait) Poverty-Stricken

(Trait) Rich Parents

(Trait) Vagabond Child

(Story Feat) True Love

(Drawback) Attached

In the comments please tell us how you would tie all these bits of information into a whole character? What class would this character become toward? How did his mother birth a Dhampir? Who did he kill? What made him take up the worship of Ose? And don’t forget to stay tuned Friday when my background hits the CRB.

The CRB not only brings you the creative content you desire but makes you look inside for your own creativity. If you feel both inspired and pushed to created please consider supporting your favorite content provider – that’s me right – by pledging as little as $1 on my Patreon or making a direct donation to my Paypal.

If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to get the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon. And to keep up with my other musings and thoughts you can follow the CRB on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter.