Background hook #1
Hook: You are somehow connected to Zellera, a Varisian fortune teller in her mid-forties who runs a harrow-reading shop from her small home in the Midland district, near the Gold Market. Less than a year ago, Zellera lost her harrow deck (a valuable family heirloom rumored to be magical) to pickpockets. When her only child and teenage son, Eran, took it upon himself to recover the harrow deck, he was murdered. His head and hands were sent back to his mother in a box as a warning. Zellera has been a wreck ever since. We begin the adventure as you find yourself in front of Zellera's shop...
The door is slightly ajar, so you knock and walk in. The front room is empty. You call out, but get no reply. You quickly search the rest of the house, but find no one. Nothing seems amiss. You return to the front room, and notice a harrow deck on the table. A feeling of uneasiness washes over you; you don't remember noticing it as you walked in. The cards are decorated with hand-painted images, the frames gilt in silver. They are worn, but the images on the faces are so vibrant they seem to move when viewed out of the corner of your eye. It dawns on you; this is Zellera's harrow deck, the one that was stolen from her. How did it get here? You step forward, unable to resist. Your fingers brush the top card. A surge of awareness rushes through you. Your mind's eye sees a burning city, a mob, mounds of decaying bodies, a tarnished crown held high by a rusty pitchfork.
You wake from your reverie as you hear a noise behind you. Standing in the doorway to the kitchen is Zellera, tears stream down her face.
"I've found him, the man who hurt my Eran. It took...so long...so much...but now he is revealed to me. He is terrible, a monster who preys on children. The things he does to them...unspeakable things...wounds that can never heal. You know of whom I speak...it is not chance that you have made your way here to me. He hurt you too, not so long ago. I can sense your pain...and...your desire for vengeance. The nightmare that is Gaedren Lamm must end."
Zellera goes on to tell you that she believes you are the one who must engineer the demise of Gaedren Lamm; you and three others who suffered like you. She tells you of the three, hints that will help you find them. As you leave Zellera's, you feel as if you have just awakened from a dream...
This is how the tale begins. One of you is the connection to Zellera. The others ones are destined to join him. How this happens is up to all of you. Discuss it, then post it in the comments section.
ReplyDeleteWell, just to get the ball rolling... I would be willing to have the personal connection to Zellara and her son, but would also be happy to leave that to someone else if it works particularly well with their background.
ReplyDeleteMy as-yet unrolled up and unnamed PC will be quite familiar with the streets of Korvosa, and with the city's seedy underside. He also grew up under Gadren Lamm's thumb, so if you have that much in common, it may be easy for him to figure out who Zellara's hints were referring to-- or perhaps you are otherwise already acquainted "from the streets"? All this assumes, of course, that I am the connection, which I may not be...
You are more than welcome to be connected to Zellara. I too am working on a character with something of a budding reputation in the streets, but we should be able to make easy signs to point to my character, assuming Mitch approves the concept.
ReplyDeleteI have been informed by a higher power that my background would fit the best as the connection with Zellara. So if it works with all of you I will assume the role.
ReplyDeleteIt's all yours, Chris...
ReplyDeleteAlright, as the adventure begins, my PC will have undergone some kind of ritual/occult pact to accomplish... "something"... That something requires some alchemical materials and the brewing of an alchemical potion -- perhaps this might be my link to Eric's PC? Knowledge of the ritual could have come from some arcane caster type, and I have a feeling that Iain's PC may fit the bill (I'm guessing here--I don't even know exactly what class Iain's PC will have)... so guys, do you want to help me accomplish "something"? The next question is... how would I have become acquainted with Iain and Eric's PCs? It seems that at least Eric's PC will have a pretty established presence "on the streets," so it should be fairly easy for my guy to have established some kind of bond over time...
ReplyDeleteI have my own reasons for taking this bastard down, and if they're a little more personal than my status as Magus (even one not graduated from the famed academy) might suggest then that's my business.
ReplyDeleteGiven my access to alchemical supplies (even though I have little knowledge of alchemy myself) I can see a connection to X's character already.
If it is agreed upon that Xav's, Iain's, and Eric's characters have history, it might be beneficial if the three posted some information about their respective characters? This might help solidify the connection. Of course, don't add anything you think should be kept confidential.
ReplyDeleteXav, I don't think it would hurt if you told the others what you were trying to accomplish with your ritual. Is it possible that the idea might have originated from one of the two others? I could easily see Iain's character having found the knowledge in some old tome for example...
Alrighty... my PC, Lugo the Whip, has suffered severely at the hands of Gaedren Lamm. Over the past few years, Lugo has done everything within his power to avoid Lamm -- he is terrified of him. Lugo's home is the Shingles, but he earns his coppers by gambling, performing sleight of hand "magic" on the streets, picking pockets, and the "odd job."
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, a pseudodragon named Majenko took an interest in Lugo. A bond gradually grew between them, and one of Lugo's friends/acquaintances (Iain's PC?) indicated that he knew a ritual that might further enhance the bond -- he would tell Lugo how he could make Majenko his familiar. Lugo worked hard to earn the coin required to pay for the materials required for this ritual (100 g.p.). Iain's PC helped Lugo perform the Quicksilver Ritual, a ritual apparently tailored for those who live by their wits and stealth, and who have little aptitude for the arcane arts. As Lugo and Iain's PC focused on the ritual, they were caught off guard by one of Lugo's other "friends," who captured Majenko and made off with him. This so-called friend, the two later found out, had given the pseudo-dragon to a local crime boss named Devargo Barvasi, in exchange for a job as one of his enforcers. Lugo lost everything he had in the ritual, and was devastated by the loss of Majenko. Not being the particularly daring or strong type, Lugo decided to not confront Barvasi and his former pal. Instead, he withdrew in on himself, and disappeared from site for the better part of a year...
A year or so later, once Lugo had resurfaced, he again bumped into Iain's PC. The latter saw how much Lugo was still suffering from the loss of Majenko, as well as from the torments he had experienced at the hands of Lamm as a boy. Iain's PC had learned of another ritual that might help Lugo free himself from his unbearable inner torment -- something called Shadow Pact, which essential would grant Lugo's shadow an existence separate from his own. Based on Iain's PCs' understanding of the Shadow Pact, Lugo would be the perfect candidate for it. Lugo was sceptical at first, but eventually went for it... what else did he have to lose?
In order to pull it off, they would also need the aid of one of Iain's PC's acquaintances -- Eric's PC. The latter would be more skilled at the preparation of unusual alchemical formulae. So Iain's PC would explain to the other two how the ritual would work, Eric's PC would concoct the alchemical potion, and Lugo would be the guinea pig...
How does that sound?
If if everyone's on board, then as the game begins (or whenever Mitch determines), Eric and possibly Iain's PCs would need to make some Craft (alchemy) checks to determine whether the ritual and alchemical potion were done properly.
Preparing the potion requires a successful DC 20 Craft (alchemy) check.
The ritual requires an additional DC 12 Craft (alchemy) check (the ritual requires proper use of thirteen specially prepared ceremonial candles placed in a ritualistic pattern around the character at the heart of the ritual; specific alchemical substances are added to them in a particular order).
Mitch said that whoever takes the lead on each task should make the rolls... if one of the checks fails, then the ritual fails, and I'm out 100 g.p, of my 1st level starting gold with nothing to show for it! But that's part of the game...
Don't forget... if you both have ranks in Craft (alchemy), then you can Aid Another on both tasks!
If your curious... the mechanics for this comes from the 3.0 Book of Familiars, by Troll Lord Games (soon to be updated and re-released for the Pathfinder RPG).
Perhaps Chris's PC will stumble upon the three other PCs as the ritual is nearing its end -- in which case the rolls can be made at the table and an element of suspense can be introduced into the opening moments of the first session?
ReplyDeleteGood job Xav.
ReplyDeleteIn light of what you have written, I have decided to start the adventure as your characters are in the midst of planning the ritual.
This would mean that the last part about Chris stumbling upon you as the ritual is proceeding is impossible.
Does anybody have any ideas about how Chris' pc could be included in the plot. Remember, Zellera would have given him clues, most likely through divination (a harrowing)...I am in possession of a harrow deck if you want to make things really interesting...
If anybody has any comments/additions/changes to make to Xav's ideas, please do so, nothing is written in stone at the moment (well, except the part about the Shadow Pact, that has to stay if you please).
Alternatively, if group concensus is against creating this background story, we can always just assume that you all know each other and start from there...I just thought it would be more interesting if all the character's backgrounds were connected before we started as opposed to meeting in an inn or something like that. Another reason is that this adventure path is pretty cool (IMO), but it is quite 'rail-roaded' at times. The more info you give me about your characters, the easier it is for me to tie you to certain parts of the AP, which (hopefully) will make everything flow a bit smoother.
Thanks
Ooooh, yeah, I think you should use the harrow deck to connect Chris with the rest of us... what do you do that prior to, or during the first session?
ReplyDeletePrior to the first session. Harrowing ain't easy you know!
ReplyDeleteI'm down with Xav's story. I'll post what the rest of you know of my character below:
ReplyDeleteBaelgren is one of the city's less salubrious Magi. Doing business out of a neighbourhood Tavern, he is known primarily as a source of arcane information and cheap magical scrolls. He has also acted as an intermediary between parties who seek arbitration in the past - as he can be quite charming and forceful when the mood is upon him.
His speech and his comfortable familiarity with the city mark him as a local boy, but he maintains no ties to his past - whatever that may be. No family, no property, only his magical education and training - rumour has it that he was a orphan in the Shingles who was apprenticed to magic at an early age. He is very tightlipped about his past before the time where he met Xav's character.
As people who have known and worked with him in the past (maybe not Chris!) you'll know that so long as you don't cross Baelgren he's quite friendly and easy going. Cross him, though, and he has a habit of fixating upon vengeance.
In the past it is rumoured that he has dealt out some quite severe injuries to business partners who have attempted to renege on their side of a deal.
Learning about my character probably isn't too hard, especially if we know each other. Here's some background stuff:
ReplyDeleteBorn of a beautiful noblewoman’s tryst with a handsome elf, Aerodus Laroung grew up in the lap of luxury. Using his parents’ money, he studied alchemy at the University of Korvosa. Though quite brilliant, he fell in with a bad crowd- and in love with a beautiful girl. At the behest of one of his instructors- Yargin Balko, he soon turned his alchemical skill to distilling drugs, working for minor crime bosses like Gaedren Lamm. His love became addicted to his drugs and he dropped out of school to “work” full time. Things went great until she overdosed on the drugs he had made. Mad at himself, mad at the world, but mostly furious at Gaedran Lamm, Aerodus has turned his focus to ridding the streets of thugs like the one that murdered his love, becoming a leather trench-coated vigilante.
Aerodus is a well-groomed and good-looking man with an unruly mop of blond hair and his father’s piercing blue eyes. He keeps a small apartment in Midland over a shop in Eodred’s Walk. This apartment doubles as his office, where he keeps his alchemical supplies and does his work, though there is little enough of it since he has gone “clean”. This apartment could be over Doom and Gloom (assuming that the Varisian fortune-teller is Zellara), if that helps. Have a look at pg 22 of the Guide to Korvosa. I assume we’ll be using my place as the base for the ritual...
Otherwise, I'm all over the ritual as a means to know each other. What else do we know about Chris' character?
Eric, Iain... would Lugo (my PC) "owe" you anything for your participation/assistance with the ritual? I would have no objections if he did...
ReplyDeleteI would imagine that Aerodus expects to be paid for his services, but we can figure out exactly what that entails later.
ReplyDeleteLucien Graysong is human. He stands a little over six feet, and is of a slender build. The clothes that Lucien wears are worn and dirty, but you are able to tell that they were once of very fine quality.
ReplyDeleteBy the strips of gray that streak his long jet black hair (which he always wears in a ponytail), and the wrinkles that crease his face you estimate that he is in his mid forties.
Under his five o'clock shadow and dirt that cover his face, you can tell that Lucien is a very handsome man. You would even go so far as to call this man beautiful. Upon looking at Lucien, you realize that he looks very familiar. You can't quite put your finger on it but you know you've seen him before.
...Perhaps one night the three of you get together to become better acquainted. To discuss a certain ritual maybe... You decide to step into Jeggy's Jug (which so happens to be an establishment were I perform a few nights a week). Once there, Lucien overhears a whispered conversation about Gaedren Lamm...
Although using the harrow deck could be pretty cool.
Xavier - You would be expected to cover the costs of any materials that Baelgren had to source using his status as Magus to do so.
ReplyDeleteAs for the cost of his participation in the ceremony, there's no reason why you would pay off that debt in gold, unless you insisted in doing so - most likely it would be in the form of a favour of equal size to be named in the future.
Baelgren understands the value of influence.
I'm not going to put up Lugo's full background here, as it's quite lengthy, and the other PCs probably would not know the full story... and you already have a good idea of key elements above. I'll have a physical description ready in time for the game...
ReplyDeleteMitch, is there anything else you'd like us to do on the blog at this time, or do you have what you need to prepare your first session? And do you have an idea of when you might be able to run the first session?
Baelgren -- Lugo is satisfied with the terms of the bargain. Aerodus -- yes, I'm sure something will be figured out eventually... -)
ReplyDelete