Character Creation

[Marullus]

Character creation is meant to be quick and simple - this game encourages us beginning in media res and narrating backstories and details through gameplay exposition.

You can randomly generate a character with 2d6 rolls (kept separate for 36 combinations, not added). Seven times is a PC.

Or, you can look at the list of stuff on the tables and pick. It's in the Character Options tab of this workbook.

A PDF character sheet if you'd like a hard copy for next to your laptop is here.

We will use this thread to discuss and develop characters (feel free to discuss and provide ideas to each other) and then post the finished characters (only) for reference on the Character Sheets thread. If you don't have access to the book and want to randomize a new PC, just paste this into the die roller and paste the output here and I'll give you the results.
Name [1d6][1d6] Occup. [1d6][1d6] Back. [1d6][1d6] Drive [1d6][1d6]
Rituals: One [1d6][1d6] Two [1d6][1d6] Three [1d6][1d6]

[Marullus]

TD03.png (80.04 KiB) Viewed 801 times

TD04.png (51.69 KiB) Viewed 801 times

[Marullus]

...I decided to do an example. Here's a fully randomized character in about five minutes...

Name [1d6]=3[1d6]=4 Occup. [1d6]=1[1d6]=4 Back. [1d6]=2[1d6]=2 Drive [1d6]=6[1d6]=2
Rituals: One [1d6]=5[1d6]=3 Two [1d6]=5[1d6]=3 Three [1d6]=6[1d6]=5

Name: Kiva
Occupation: Blacksmith

• Endurance
• Metal
• Weapons

Background: Emboldened Ratcatcher

• Lairs

Drive: Retire in comfort in the Rose District of Ambaret

Rituals:

• Elegy: Appear as Deceased.
• Maze: the surrounding environment warps into a labyrinth with you at the center.
• Orchard: conjure a few dozen apples, some poisonous.

Ruin: 3 / 6

• Condition
• Condition
• Condition

I think that's rather glorious! I have the choice of keeping 1, 2, or 3 of those rituals and my starting ruin is based on the number kept. (Ruin is the scale of how you fall to madness and corruption by the forest's magic, at 6 you lose your PC.) I think all three fit so well with the Emboldened Ratcatcher background that I want to keep them all. I think the three ruin is indicative of someone who has (perhaps literally) clawed their way up from the destitute poverty of their background into a stolid profession like blacksmith, with the single-minded drive to retire to the Rose District as the epitome of achievement.

[Enoch]

I know it says to pick a name first, but forget that. I want a name that reflects the character.

Rolled randomly for Occupation: 3, 3.
Lamb —innocence, sacrifice, rituals. Sounds appropriate for this game.

Background: 2, 1.
Disinherited Noble — appraisal. Hmm. Okay.

Drive: 1, 6.
Break the geas placed by the Witch of Nevask.
I'm starting to get some ideas.

Rituals:
4, 6: Door — draw a door on a solid barrier to create a portal through it
6, 5: Orchard — conjure a few dozen apples, some poisonous
1, 2: Rebirth — force a known spirit to be reborn in a new body

I will call her Nimah.

[Marullus]

Yeah, that's some interesting flavor!

How many of the rituals will you keep as a naive disinherited noblegirl?

You are flee to flavor your hooks yourself, or I can look in the Trophy Loom book for more things to help you (Canon noble family, who is the witch of Nevask, what is Nevask...)

[buddha]

Okay, here we go with some random rolls!

Name (2, 1): Desarim (He, They, It)
Ruin: 4

Occupation (6, 1): Sorcerer — alchemy, rituals, symbols

Background (5, 2): Orphaned Manikin — mimicry

Drive (5, 5): Restore the lost glory of the Caliginous Grove

Rituals:
(5, 2) Dryad — stay still to transform into a tree and communicate with other trees
(1, 3) Fountain — a forceful spring of water bursts forth from a location you touch
(5, 4) Voice — alter your voice or make it come from somewhere nearby

--

Well, obviously I am a tree from the forest brought to life!

When the city was first carved out of the forest, a grove was left in the heart of the polis, cut off from the dark mind of the forest itself. A sapling sprung forth from this disconnected grove, its mind blank and its hungers unknown even to itself, an orphan from the forest. Left alone, it wandered into the city, acquiring the habits and mannerisms of the beings that filled the city's cramped cobbleways. Its search for meaning led it to the Undeemous Academy's doors, the one place where the strange and unparalleled was counted as normal. There it became Brother Desarim, carved itself a new face and form, and among these learned men and women, found some small measure of acceptance. But Desarim's heartwood still ached with an emptiness that could not be filled, and it left the hallowed halls of the Academy to find a way to bring the glory of the forest back to the grove lost in the heart of the city. Will it be able to restore Caliginous Grove, or will it be overwhelmed by the ruinous currents of the primeval forest and lose its self...

[Marullus]

I will add these to the canon as things you know...

The dreaded Forest of Kalduhr holds both horror and wonder for those brave fools who seek
to traverse it. Anyone who frequently travels the roads out of Fort Duhrin, speaks in hushed
tones of The Witch of Nevask. Each traveler has their own set of stories and rumors—how she
is encountered, who she helps, what she can do.

THE NAME NEVASK
The Nevask is one of two rivers that runs
through the Kalduhr, and is said to have
been named after the witch—not the other
way around. Sprung from somewhere deep
within the forest, it tumbles breakneck over
miles of stones and bones. It’s surprisingly
deep for its breadth. As is true of the witch,
many travelers do not appreciate the danger
it poses until it is already too late. The Naveh
River, Nevask’s twin, has stories of its own.

ON CHILD-REARING
The witch has long been used as a bogey for
local children. It seems all parents know the
witch “personally,” and spend some portion
of their social life regaling the witch with
stories of their children’s failings to eat their
vegetables, clean their rooms, or do their
chores. Such children are offered an opportunity
to be taken away by the witch, where
she shoves them in her hut, never to see the
sun again, with only bugs and grubs to eat.

ON CHILDREN’S TOYS
A child’s doll left too close to the woods will
often gain the ability to say a word or two.
One of these words is often “Nevask.” Such
dolls must be burned before they can move
on their own. It’s said that the witch can see
through the eyes of these dolls, and can bid
them do her will.

[Marullus]

When the city was first carved out of the forest, a grove was left in the heart of the polis, cut off from the dark mind of the forest itself. A sapling sprung forth from this disconnected grove, its mind blank and its hungers unknown even to itself, an orphan from the forest. Left alone, it wandered into the city, acquiring the habits and mannerisms of the beings that filled the city's cramped cobbleways. Its search for meaning led it to the Undeemous Academy's doors, the one place where the strange and unparalleled was counted as normal. There it became Brother Desarim, carved itself a new face and form, and among these learned men and women, found some small measure of acceptance. But Desarim's heartwood still ached with an emptiness that could not be filled, and it left the hallowed halls of the Academy to find a way to bring the glory of the forest back to the grove lost in the heart of the city. Will it be able to restore Caliginous Grove, or will it be overwhelmed by the ruinous currents of the primeval forest and lose its self...

That's awesome!

The Caliginous Grove will be in the sprawling city of Ambaret, forgotten in the Paper District.

Booksellers, binders, writers, and prophets—the intellectual heart of Ambaret pumps its blood
from the Paper District. Walking these streets of small, shaded shops and looming spires, the
traveler walks on paths littered with disintegrating vellum and parchment. Many residents
have a cough from the suspended ink dust they breathe.

The Undeemous Academy is located on Goethen Street, not far from the Tower of Prophets.

GOETHEN STREET
This street is a typical city street, with homes
and apartments above street-front businesses.
It is unique in that nearly every business is a
specialty bookseller.

THE TOWER OF PROPHETS
A tall, square building with an unimaginable
number of windows. A prophet sits at each
window, discarding their prophecies into
the street below. These slips of parchment
are largely ignored, ground into paste, and
sometimes used as insulation for new construction.

[Enoch]

I will probably keep all three. It makes sense given her heritage, and I'm OK leaning into being halfway-broken to begin with.

I like the color of all of these, particularly parents using the Witch as a bogeyman to scare children into eating their vegetables.

[mightywombat]

Okay here's a random character (okay, I picked one thing, see if you can guess which), let's see where it goes!

Name: Toram, a blacksmith and escaped cultist.

Skills: Deception, endurance, metal, weapons.

Drive: Win the heart of the heir apparent of Naganeh.

Rituals:
1) Enliven - Give flesh and breath to an effigy.
2) Parse - Divine the meaning of any word, writing, sounds, sign, or symbol.
3) Sever - You can detatch and reattach a bodypart, and still control it while removed.

A cultist of the Hidden Witch of Naveh, the cult is convinced that there exists a second witch within the forest who can grant her followers great power, if they can find her. Toram's cult was destroyed but the crown's Inquisitor and her spies, but Toram escaped.

Toram:s plan is to bring the power of the witch back to Naganeh and use it to win the hand of the Princess and make the cult of the Hidden Witch the official religion of Naganeh. Then, sack the city of Ambaret and destroy the Inquisitor.

Step 3: Profit.

I think Naganeh is a distant city, possible long a rival of Ambaret. Toram was not the leader of the cult, but as the only survivor of the purge he has taken it upon himself to rebuild the cult. I'm open to modifications!

[Marullus]

I think Naganeh is a distant city, possible long a rival of Ambaret. Toram was not the leader of the cult, but as the only survivor of the purge he has taken it upon himself to rebuild the cult. I'm open to modifications!

That tracks! Ambaret is the only city of THIS kingdom, but there are two known rival neighboring kingdoms - Naganeh and Tirollis. Naganeh is to the south.

It looks like your town-with-a-cult would fit well in Levasti, which is a place of smallholds steeped in traditions represented by feast days.

Levasti
Bucolic. Pastoral. Steeped in tradition. The Levasti countryside is one of the most peaceful and
beautiful places in Kalduhr. It’s a land free of the stench of Ambaret and the terrors of Fort
Duhrin, a place where you can live in harmony with the land, raise children, and grow old.
But the people of the Levasti countryside are no fools—they understand that what they have
is special, and that Kalduhr has a long and terrible history which must always be remembered.
They choose to remember this history through the tradition of the “estate festival,” in which
the great landowners of the Levasti countryside throw feasts and fetes designed to honor a
specific event from the past.

FEAST OF THE SERPENT’S FALL
This festival celebrates an ancient uprising in
the Kingdom of Naganeh, when the common
people overthrew the snake-men kings who
ruled them. The feast is held in the great hall
of a Levasti manor house, and the guests are
invited to wander the house as they wish in
an attempt to find thirteen poisonous adders
that have been hidden throughout. Those
who find a snake are entitled to an expensive
prize sponsored by the estate holder. At the
end of the feast, the thirteen adders are beheaded
and buried near the estate’s border.

THE OLD SERPENT
Most villages fear the wisdom and cruelty of
serpents, but a few venerate the Old Serpent.
Those who revere her respectfully address
her as “grandmother” and leave offerings in
the places where her children den. Villagers
who have survived a snakebite are said to
have her blessing: they can speak the language
of serpents and see through their eyes.
Such favored ones have the power to cure all
poisons and venoms, but may charge what
price they see fit. Some scholars see in this
belief a distorted version of the serpent faith
of the kingdom of Naganeh.

If you want to spin that direction, there's a ready-made cult...

The Cult of the Serpent Queen
Centuries ago, the world cowered at the name of Sehtet ils Noh, the Devourer. Ambitious and
resolute, this conquering queen spread her empire across the world. Even today, statues of the
Serpent Queen tower over the lands she once subjugated. Rulers and pretenders alike claim her
as an ancestor, seeking to emulate her victories. Some view the Serpent Queen as a bringer of
order, whose conquests brought peace and prosperity—others remember her as a tyrant.
Central to the reign of Sehtet ils Noh was her embrace of the serpent cult and its secret rites.
The queen cultivated the priesthood of the serpent and was initiated into their mysteries. The
devotees of the snake cult became her closest advisors, and their mystical beliefs are said to
have inspired both her courage and her cunning.
Legends vary when they speak of Sehtet ils Noh’s death. Some say it was a Sister who drove a
holy blade into the Serpent Queen’s heart, while others say she took her own life as her armies
fled from an alliance of rival nations. Still others say she was cut down by an assassin within the
ranks of the serpent cult itself. In Naganeh, the priestesses of the Devourer teach that Sehtet ils
Noh did not truly die at all. Instead, she transcended her own mortality and ascended to godhood,
shedding her physical form as a snake sheds its skin. The faithful pray to her for wisdom,
for strength of character, and for deliverance from the cruelties of the world.

What's the Cult up to? (Rumors)
Protecting an exiled member of the
Naganeh royal family against assassins sent
by their vengeful cousins. Such abandoned
offshoots of the ruling clan could be useful if
the kingdom were ever to undergo a succession
crisis.

I would say you can riff of that as an existing cult, or you can tie to your Cult of the Second Witch and desire to make it predominant in Naganeh (replacing the worship of Sehteh ils Noh) or becoming ascendent in Ambaret and making it the religion here in Kahlduhr.

Whatever you choose to riff off of is fine.

Also, what of the three rituals are you keeping? (If you keep all three you have Ruin 3 / 6, so are half lost... just like the other two PCs so far. )
... A blacksmith with the ritual of Enliven is pretty dope.

[mightywombat]

I'm happy to riff off the existing lore. Maybe Toram thinks that the Hidden Witch is the Great Serpent in disguise. He's going to the forest to find her and get the power to recreate her cult. Maybe the exiled member of the royal family of Naganeh is the princess whose hand he wishes to win, and together they will return to Naganeh and depose the current ruler and return the cult of the Great Serpent to power.

[Marullus]

Nice!

I'll check in with Chuck. For the rest of you guys, go ahead and post your final version in the "Character Sheets" forum.

[sixgunninja]

Lets see if this works?

Name [1d6]=4[1d6]=3 Occup. [1d6]=4[1d6]=5 Back. [1d6]=6[1d6]=6 Drive [1d6]=6[1d6]=3

Gonna see what this comes out to before I decide how many rituals.

[sixgunninja]

That comes to:

Name: Neven
Occupation: Nest (Coordination, Rituals, Vermin)
Background: Wandering Refugee (Disguise)
Drive: Recover the lost banner of The Nameless Legion

but what the heck kind of profession is "Nest"?

[Marullus]

Wow...

Okay, so there is no further information about what a nest is (or what the Nameless Legion is, either), leaving both with complete narrative freedom. The occupations are only described in context by the skills they provide and whatever it inspires for you.

The skills it gives you are Coordination, Rituals, and Vermin. Being skilled at Rituals means you are close to the forest but also less likely to accumulate Ruin. Vermin, though, is the kicker.

I think you are actually a Nest. A nest for vermin. One with nature in an unnatural way. Coordination could be your own balance and agility, or your ability to coordinate with the vermin/pets who call you home.

Are you infested with fleas, caterpillars, or earwigs? Are you a brown wizard with birds in your hat and a stick bug on the tip of your tongue? Are you an urchin whose only friends have always been the large family of mice living in the pockets of his oversized coat? Are you actually three raccoons in a trenchcoat (succeeding through Coordination?)?

If that evokes a "Hell naw!" Go ahead and reroll.

[sixgunninja]

I'm just sort of at a loss how to imagine roleplaying a swarm of rats as something other than instinctual and rather uninteresting honestly? Three goblins in a trenchcoat? Sure, I see character there. But a swarm? How does that have a personality?

That said Nest & Wandering refugee do make sense together.

I'm mulling it over.

[Marullus]

"A person infested by vermin" is also applicable. You don't have to be a living swarm.

A guy with a coat full of pet mice can have them do things for him with skilled Coordination, after all.

Though for inspiration on living swarms:
Oogie Boogie from Nightmare Before Christmas
Bug in an Edgar Suit from Men in Black
The bug-swarm demon from Constantine

[buddha]

Just a quick question, from what I read, Ruin starts at 1. You add one Ruin per Ritual you keep, so keeping 3 Rituals means your Ruin is 4, correct?

[sixgunninja]

I'm going to change Neven's Occupation to Guide (foraging, hunting, paths) and keep the rest. And no rituals to start.