Category Archives: Character Backgrounds

Character backgrounds/introductions for the Return of the Runelords campaign.

Shimsa, aasimar Inquisitor of Sarenrae

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Why am I here? Do I have some sort of purpose in being who I am? Or is this all just the result of an accident, a night shared between a Celestial being and one of my ancestors? And for all that, if some being of light and goodness intended to sire an offspring in the world, what’s the point of them living in a cesspool of villainy such as Riddleport?

Shimsa spent much of her time thinking thoughts such as these.  Children of Riddleport got street-smart as soon as they could walk.  They had to.  Corruption and danger were normal and expected parts of life as much as the air they breathed.  She instinctively knew, as they all did, when and where not to be seen.  When some poor soul who was delinquent in paying back a debt or who failed to show the right person the right amount of respect suddenly had an “accident.”

And she despised it all.  The wrongness of it ate at her like an open wound in her soul.  Her own family wasn’t exempt from the dangers either.  Living out on the outskirts of Riddleport afforded them a little bit of land and some semblance of privacy but there were incidents when one or another criminal element used that privacy as an opportunity to break in, rob, hurt her family and home.  The first time, when she was only six, she turned to her parents as they cleaned up the aftermath of the robbery, asking who they should call, judges, guards, ship captains, to see justice done.  She didn’t even get the whole question out before the look on her parents’ faces told her all she needed to know.  There would be no justice.  One way or another, criminals like this, those who are more than a would-be thug or ruffian striking out on their own, have a connection to organized crime groups.  Pirate captains.  Someone with connections to the guard, even to judges and the government agents.  No justice would be served.  This was just business.

Well, it wouldn’t be if she had anything to say about it. At six, there was nothing she could do except seethe inwardly and plan to grow up to put an end to evil and corruption like this.  Unlike many childhood dreams and passions about what one wants to grow up to be, she never let this go.  As she matured into adolescence that determination only grew in strength, but it also lacked any true direction.  Was this really why she, an aasimar girl in Riddleport, was here in the world?

One day, in her mid-teens, she was deep in thoughts such as these as she was looking out beyond the harbor when her eyes rested on the familiar, majestic arch of the Cyphergate.  Suddenly a rush of emotion, adrenaline, and mental clarity hit her.  She knew it was somehow her purpose to fight against systemic corruption and evil in the world.  The Cyphergate was not a product of Riddleport, but someting far, far older from a now-dead civilization.  Thassilon.

And stories have lately been told of the rise and defeat of one of the ancient Runelords.  If any society had rampant corruption, it was Thassilon.  As she looked at Riddleport’s own relic of that bygone empire, it occurred to her that if there is in fact a real possibility that the ancient rulers of Thassilon are indeed returning to power, they would bring with them an unparalleled level of systemic corruption and decadence.  This! This is my calling! she realized.

From that moment on, she set herself to devour every bit of information she could about Thassilon and to prepare herself to be one of Sarenrae’s inquisitors, to eradicate corruption and evil from the world while preventing however she could the horror of a new Thassilon from emerging back into the world.

She wasn’t certain how the conversation with her family would go, but she knew she had to tell them of her plans for what she now felt compelled to do with the rest of her life.  They were as resentful of the conditions of Riddleport as any good-hearted people would be, but Shimsa knew they had accepted the status quo as “simply the way things are in the world.” This was something she simply could not do.  Fortunately, they did not try to dissuade her when she finally broached the topic.

“Somehow, I’ve always known you would take up some kind of holy quest like this,” her mother said.  “I may not like it, fearing for your life as you take on dangerous foes, but I think such callings are the destiny of those aasimar children the gods see fit to be born into the world.”

Her father added, “If this is truly what you must do, I know of an academy dedicated to followers of Sarenrae.  It will be difficult to get the necessary recommendations and fees together, but I know the right people who may be willing to help.  And consider this our coming-of-age gift to you, just make us proud of the positive change you bring to the world.  May The Lady Everlight grant you the wisdom to know when to battle and when to retreat, so that you do not needlessly sacrifice your life in a fight you can’t win.  All this talk of Runelords and such powerful beings makes me think you will be presenting a challenge to even Sarenrae to keep you safe, but I pray it will be so.”

To that end, she was sent to the church academy for training as soon as she was of age to be accepted.  It was there that she met the twins Sasha and Shura.  Recognizing others who endured the stigma of being different from their neighbors, they formed a friendship strengthened by shared childhood challenges and a common purpose as emissaries of the Dawn Flower.  When their training was complete, it seemed only natural for Shimsa to accompany the twins as they set out into the world, which led them to Roderic’s Cove.

Upon arrival, the three friends joined with the town guard to help the local townspeople while they considered what path ahead of them would be the one Sarenrae intended for their future.

Jigu Bardcreek, halfling Arcanist

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Jigu Bardcreek sipped his ale, sat in the pub, eyed the usual patrons, and waited for something to happen.

There was no guarantee, of course, that anything would, and often when it did, “something” was only vaguely amusing.  But if one was patient, and one had had enough ale, sometimes “something” was worth waiting for.

To be honest, “something” had a pretty low bar to clear.  Roderic’s Cove was not exactly a center for, well, anything.  There wasn’t much crime.  There wasn’t much culture.  There was a fair amount of  commerce, thanks to the docks and the fact that Roderic’s Cove was the closest seaport for anybody living upstream on the Chavali River. It was that same commerce that had kept Jigu employed for several months now.  Deliveries, on an irregular but relatively frequent basis, had been sufficient to eke out a living. It wasn’t a guarantee of elevenses every day, but it made it possible more often than not.

He had been in Roderic’s Cove for several months now, even though he’d originally considered his stay “temporary”.  He was a favored courier, because he had a reputation for honesty and trustworthiness.   His keen ability to appraise items on the spot, had more than once saved an employer from being cheated.

He was pretty sure that nobody in town knew he had also studied spells and wizardry.  It was not particularly a secret, but it just didn’t come up in conversation, and he didn’t really know enough to consider it a profession.  It’s not like he was some sort of bar magician, sawing people in half.  His spells tended to be utilitarian—for a courier, like dancing lantern or, in a pinch, vanish.

Jigu was most recently from Korvosa, nominal home of the Sihedron Hero Trask Feltherup.  Trask’s father has a home and business there, but Trask himself has yet to truly settle down.  Jigu had some theories about how sorcerers and wizards are more similar than many think, and his investigations and research have led him to conversations with Trask himself on a couple of occasions.  In fact, Jigu had managed to work magic in a way, according to Trask, that few if any have done before.   He found Trask impulsive and less…disciplined than Jigu likes his world, but  he was still a source of both inspiration and information.  In fact,  it was Jigu’s consultations with Trask that led to Jigu’s  fascination with things Thassilonian.  The tsunami wave at Magnimar’s shores a few years ago convinced him that the Thassilonian past was still a clear and present danger.

He believed he could learn more about Thassilonia and Thassilonian lore by visiting Magnimar and visiting with other experts.  Travel takes money, though, and he’d paused here in Roderic’s Cove longer than he’d expected.  A one-way job with a delivery caravan had brought him here, certainly off the beaten path if one were going to Magnimar, but…it’s the kind of place, he mused, he wished he’d grown up in.  He’d kind of got stuck here, but really, he didn’t mind it so much.  It wasn’t a bad place to be stuck. Plenty of time yet to head south through Sandpoint—an interesting Thassilonian place in its own right.

But not tonight.  Not just yet.

He ordered another pint of ale, because his observation was,  the more ale that was flowing, the more likely something interesting would happen. And there were no deliveries tonight or tomorrow that would make it a bad idea.  So Jigu Bardcreek sipped his ale, sat in the pub, eyed the usual patrons, and waited for something to happen.

Yanor, human Oracle of Lore

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On Gozran 17th 4710 the elderly couple Yani and Eleanor were enjoying a quite game of shogi when a portal suddenly opens inside their home. As the portal is closing a young boy is hurled from the portal hitting the wall with great force and then crumpling to the ground in a bloody heap. Examining the boy they discover a severe head injury but that the blood dripping off him was not his blood.

Yani asks the church for help with the injuries on the boy but the cleric is away. The young boy remained unconscious for three days before waking up and had no memory who he is, he can’t even remember his own name. He immediately asks about his sister Isabela but Yani just gives him a strange look.

Eleanor puts her hand on her husband’s arm and says something in a language the boy does not understand. Final she turns to the boy and explains that he was the only person that came through the portal. She then goes on to explain that her husband doesn’t understand the language the boy is speaking. Eleanor tells the boy that she always wanted to have a son but that they were not bless with any children.  She names him Yanor, at least until his memory returns.

For the next month Yanor wears bandages as the injury on does not seem to heal. When the cleric finally returns he examines Yanor and discovers low level lingering magic and dispels that magic. With the magic dispelled Yanor is finally able to properly heal and learn to speak common. It is then that Yanor truly discovers that the people of Wartle see him as a bandage wearing freak that comes from a backward place that does know how to speak a proper language.

The only kids in town that would play with Yanor are the twins from the church and even they seem a little put off by him. The other kids in Wartle either bulled or just physically beat him and he Yanor soon was very envious of the fact that the twins always had each other’s backs and he often wished his sister would come take him away. Yanor spent most days growing up at the church going through the books in the church library and talking with the elder woman.

As Yanor grew into manhood he noticed that women started to look at him differently .The same girls that for years treated him poor start meeting up with him in private. These private meet ups go on for several years even though the twins keep insisting him that they are using just him. At 16 his adoptive mother dies and 1 year later her husband passes away. Yanor finally has had enough and leaves Wartle at the age of 17.

Yanor has been in Roderic’s Cove for several months after working as an assistant for a small group of researchers investigating a possible Thassilonian ruin a few hundred miles away. He originally was looking for information about his sister Isabela so he eagerly seeks out Miesalo Salen from the Temple of the Stars and Roads as well as Desil Marphan and Audrahni at the Graveyard/The Lady’s Chapel to any records or grave sites related to the name Isabela or anything they know about Thassilonian. He is openly obsessed with anything Thassilonian and would seek out anyone with similar interests and exchange information with them.

He is intrigued at seeing a person he met at Riddleport ‘s Cyphergate just lying down in the circle.   At the idea of this being a Thassilonian ruin he begin looking into the possibility of the circle being a Thassilonian ruin.

Yanor after looking over the site for many days Yanor take a few moments to gather himself before using knowledge arcane skill to try to figure out information about the circle. If there is a connection he would then drop into geek mode explaining in detail how this is connected with Thassilon.

Sasha and Shura, twin changelings: Inquisitor of Sarenrae and Cleric of Sarenrae

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Orienas, the half-elf priest of Serenrae, is barely worth mentioning; but brings three important things to the story of the twins:

  • He is extremely virile and lasted longer than the Hag expected
  • His mental fortitude did not match his confidence
  • He was the son of a twin.

Wiedzma, an Annis Hag, likewise enters and leaves the story of the twins rather quickly but is worth mentioning because

  • she chose not to make the twins into a tasty stew when they were born
  • was a member of a coven that liked to gloat over their conquests of pious men by sending their belongings as trophies with the abandoned children
  • decided to leave the twins, and the scimitar and holy symbol of Orienas, beside the burning embers of a Varisian caravan near the small city of Wortle.

The twins might have had been very happy living a nomadic life in a Varisan caravan but the caravan witch, being extremely superstitious, felt the pale fey twins were an evil omen. Too afraid to tempt the Fates and simply abandon them, the witch instead had them delivered to the first church they found in Turtleback Ferry; a church dedicated to Desna, run by a well respected hero, Kane.

Again as the Fates would have it, were the twins delivered to Kane without their father’s belongings, they may have found themselves raised under  the teachings of Desna. But Kane took the belongings as a sign and soon as they were old enough to travel, delivered them to Olexandr, a friend and follower of Serenrae.

The twins were raised within the confines of the church and for the early part of their lives only left under direct supervision. Their childhood was without merit or mention, until they hit their teenage years.

The church, aware of the calling that would eventually draw the twins to their Hag progenitor, decided to force-ably separate them in case one turned, they would not lose both. Shura immersed herself in her martial training to resist the Call. Sasha, did not as easily shake free of the Call which awoke in her some of her innate magical nature which she hid from the clergy. To mask the ability, she committed herself to her studies and clerical pursuits. Apart for the first time since they were born, the twins were devastated by the isolation and many months later when they were returned, swore to never be apart again.

At 18 the twins left the church to being their mission work. As an inquisitor and cleric, they were the judge and enforcer for the church of Serenrae. Sasha applied her talents for the Glory of Serenrae and excelled in representing the Church.  Shura committed her sword to Serenrae’s Truth, to purge the world of deception and misdirection.

Free to roam, the twins sought out Roderic’s Cove because it was the last known residence of their father.  They were uncertain if they wanted family or just understanding of where they came from. Either way their travels took them to Roderics Cove where they met Audrahni who eventually helped them find their search lead to the graves of their grandparents.

Since then they have remained in Roderic’s Cove to help defuse the conflict between the rival gangs working with the local law enforcement as mediators and additional trained “police”.

Droste, human Slayer

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Droste was born in the year 4700 in the city of Riddleport to Roer and Heilzemé Vaassen. The couple own a manufacturing business in the Free Coin district that produces goods and tools used by the entertainment professions (especially gambling houses) that are prevalent in the quarter. While profitable, their shop is a front for the other services they offer, which involves “guard work” (mostly handled by Roer) and “redistribution of wealth” (mostly handled by Heilzemé). The Thieves Guild pays regular visits.

Both Droste and his older sister, Etienne, have been trained in all aspects of the family business. But while Etienne embraces following in their parents’ footsteps, Droste has other interests and other plans.

Droste has always been fascinated with Riddleport’s Cyphergate, which has developed into a keen interest in the Thassilonian empire and especially with the ruins scattered about Varisia. He was especially intrigued by the (relatively) recent exploits of a group of adventurer’s that had thwarted the return of the rune-lord Karzoug. When he found a copy of a journal that was purportedly written by a member of that team, he bought it, despite it being written in Shoanti, a language he could not at the time read.

A year ago Droste journeyed with his friend Fan Laarsted to see several Thassilonian ruins described in “The Journal”, starting in Sandpoint and working their way up to the Storval Stairs. He returned with Fan as far as Roderic’s Cove more than six months ago.

Since arriving in town Droste has worked as a guard for traders, merchants and travelers seeking extra protection on their way through the Churlwood, and has made numerous trips as far north as Riddleport (spending just enough time with his family so they don’t send someone out looking for him) and as far south as Magnimar.

This work is sporadic, and when not traveling he keeps his skills honed by volunteering under Captain Freson at the guard house.

He remains in Roderic’s Cove because he is fascinated with the Circle and the possibility of it being a Thassilonian ruin. He can be found at odd hours in the Circle poking about the paving stones — sometimes even laying down (to the amusement of passersby) to get a closer look.

Vladimir Pavel, 25-year-old human Magus

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Vladimir Pavel was born in Korvosa in 4693 to parents of very little means. As a Varisian family, they were second-class citizens—bordering on undesirable—and had few prospects for escaping poverty. It had already been difficult for Imana and Danio to maintain their meager apartment in the Bridgefront ward of Old Korvosa, and adding a child, and specifically an unplanned one, did nothing to improve their station.

For over a decade they tried to stay afloat. Imana spent six days a week cleaning houses, and Danio took whatever work he could find. His jobs were mostly hard labor, poorly paid, and seasonal, which meant that most months they were just scraping by. In Vald’s twelth year, Danio tried to change their fortunes by working as a drug mule for a gang under the auspices of the Cerulean Society, often taking Vlad with him to deflect suspicion. On a run to a new gambling hall in the remote community of Turtleback Ferry, they were caught in a flash flood. Vlad nearly drowned, marking his first brush with death.

His father died later that year in a conflict with a rival gang, leaving Vlad with his mother and her growing addiction to Cabble-Weed. They spent the next year living among the Shingles, and Vlad frequently resorted to theft to keep them both alive. He quickly learned to favor students of the Acadamae, as they were not allowed to leave the campus grounds and thus could not risk reporting the thefts. They also tended to carry books on arcane magic, which Vlad kept for himself in hopes of learning magic, himself.

When Queen Ileosa took the throne, life among the Shingles became exceedingly dangerous. The populations of imps, stirges, giant spiders, and other horrors swelled under her influence, and it was an imp that gave him a second brush with death. Only the last-second intervention of one of the few remaining pseudodragons in the city saved his life.

With Korvosa no longer safe, and his mother all but lost to addiction, Vlad ran from the city, making a long, slow, and difficult trek to Magnimar. There, he found refuge in Ordellia in an unofficial home for runaway children of various races known as Tineri House. It was run by other runaways in an abandoned building on Kyver’s Islet, and more or less tolerated by the district because it was better than urchins living on the streets. He spent the next several years unlearning the lessons of his youth, as well as shedding his anger and penchant for theft. He grew to care for others in need, both more and less fortunate than himself.

In 4713, Vlad was helping run Tineri House when he had his third brush with death. Magnimar was struck by an earthquake, and though the city was spared widespread damage from it and the resulting tsunami, Tineri House was not so lucky. The decaying building collapsed in the quake, burying over three dozen in rubble. Vlad was one of only four that were found alive by rescuers.

It was Chadali’s faith that helped him move on after this tragedy, and eventually to see the connections in his own past. The flood near Turtleback Ferry, the earthquake which brought down Tineri House, and (albeit, indirectly) the miasma of Queen Ileosa’s rule: all these events which nearly claimed his life were rooted in Thassilon and its Runelords. This wan’t coincidence: it was a calling.

To understand it, and be prepared for where that calling took him, he needed to resume studying magic. He still had the books he stole years ago, but what he needed was time and fewer distractions. So in 4715, he left Magnimar and moved to the community of Roderic’s Cove. It was close enough to a large city to not be isolated, but small enough and quiet enough to meet his needs. To support himself, he used his experience from the mills on Kyver’s Islet to get a job at Meir’s Sawmill. In addition to his ad-hoc training in magic, he spent his time learning more about Thassilon, and the adventurers and heroes who confronted the Runelords as they awoke in modern times.

Most importantly, he learned that some of them still slumbered.