Character Workshop

[roryb]

Almund Stormcaller
Aspects
High Concept; Impulsive Scion of Sibbe's Noble house
Facts
• 1st son and heir
• Rich and well equipped
• Educated
• Envied
• Figure head

Dragon; Igjarjuk the Savage, black scaled vicious adolescent Scythe-Talon
Facts
• Igjarjuk views everything apart from me as prey or rival
• Ambush predator
Power Facts
• Fearsome claws (inflict fear effect when displaying claws?)
• Razor scales (damage to anything close enough / grappling?)
•Talons like the reapers blade (inflict conditions / aspects like crippled limb, bleeding etc)
• Reaping tail blades
• Flensing blast breath weapon – hail of tiny flecks of razor scales

Dragon bond; ‘Like making a soul bond with a shark’
Facts
• Only Almund is completely safe to turn his back on Igjarjuk
•

Some good stuff here. Kinda terrifying, but good. I can see how the bond aspect can create blowback not just in the obvious sense, but as reputation spreads. I’m sure Almund has encountered counsel that he should have put his steed down for the betterment of the cause. “She’ll be our downfall!”

Free Aspect: I proved my mettle carrying the Fangorim banner through the carnage at Black Tooth Pass, now Lords and soldiers both North and South know my worth as a warrior.
Facts
• Bloody but ultimately inconclusive pitched battle

Great. I think you have a bunch of facts in your aspect. You can compartmentalize most of those off and stick with something like “Banner Bearer” for short. Your list of facts detail it’s meaning further.

Approaches
Quick +3 (Precipitous)
Clever +2 (Cunning)
Flashy +2 (Dreadful)
Forceful +1 (Ferocious)
Sneaky +1 (Devious)
Careful +0 (Enduring)

How does that look?

... I want to work something in about the dragons propensity for sudden ultra violence, 0-60 at the drop of a hat, but ill keep thinking on that.

I think you’re effectively getting across your goal here. So far, so good!

I'm not really sure how power facts are supposed to look / work; I can't find them mentioned in the FAE book.

These are just narrative helpers. None of the rules are changing by their assertion. Once we begin play, you’ll see how the four actions work and how sometimes selecting the appropriate action is no a science and is influenced by your intended goal. But certain narrative actions will be allowed only by discrete permission or justification. For example, if a dragon is grappled or pinned, usually, that will limit what actions are available. How can you counterattack if you’re bound? Igjarjuk’s razor scales allow him to Cunningly attack while pinned in certain circumstances. Listing the power allows us to make a determination on possibilities that may only be uniquely permissible. You’re still picking an approach and an action and rolling the dice. You can always invoke the relevant aspect to get more out of that. Power facts will justify or deny actions...and sometimes denying actions is very powerful.

For your info, I stole the ideas for them from Four Color FAE, a free fan-made supers hack using Fate Accelerated. Some good discussion in there if you’re interested. But not required.

[roryb]

Ninja’d by Marullus!

[Marullus]

#Arvad

FB_IMG_1617839573496.jpg (62.02 KiB) Viewed 633 times

[Leitz]

[roryb]

Okay. Tell me about Queen Sibbe. Is she the ruling monarch of the Fangorim? Is she a dwarf? Most of you have a connection with her, so I imagine a first scene where she’s summoned her knights for an urgent matter.

[Marullus]

From conversations so far:

• She is not a dwarf. As a dwarf, I have lived through multiple generations of human monarchs.
• She is human if Almund is "first son and heir" of her House.
• Presumably, she is Almund's mother. Maybe Grandmother? (If non-hereditary, perhaps Aunt?)
• She is distinguished by feats of arms in her own right, as she led a Company in which Lukkor served.
• She has or had a dragon, having led a Company of riders.
• Getting Lukkor out of his dwarfhome and into her direct service means she faced some sincerely dire threat in her heyday which is currently undefined in the story.
• She is no longer leading a Company directly, perhaps due to age or loss of her dragon. She wasn't on the field at Black Tooth Pass (allowing Almund to shine) and Lukkor's service in her Company is past tense (allowing him to have resumed retirement for some interrim).
• Arvad got nice gear from a "secret admirer" who remains unknown - it could either be Queen Sibbe or a rival hoping to see him rise in prowess and destiny to be a challenge to her House.
• Lukkor's service to Queen Sibbe was a positive experience and he respects her as a monarch. (Having first-hand experience with the whole line of Fangorim rulers, it implies he sees her as a fitting tribute to their line and supports (or supported) her against other claims.)
• We have not established if the monarchy is actually hereditary or merit-based. Did Queen Sibbe inherit the role, prove herself worthy by feats of arms, or both? (This has implications on Almund and his presumptive role as heir.)

Arvad has a spare Aspect or two left open if he wants to add a relationship or belief to establish himself more directly with the Queen.

[roryb]

Fantastic summary, Marullus! Most of this is for the other two players to plug into and suss out. This gives good clarity. Personally, I like the idea of not a strict hereditary monarchy. Perhaps no more than two or three generations have reigned in succession during the region's history due to the potential for dissidents for the survival of the people. It's a harsh place and weakness eventually is squashed by a new stronger line. My $0.02

[Leitz]

Okay, my brain is waking up. For a few minutes anyway, had dental work done yesterday. We'll see how long "semi-coherent thought" lasts.

Quick digression for a funny note. I'm doing an on-line class, the sample dataset is "sightings of dragons".

• Arvad got nice gear from a "secret admirer" who remains unknown - it could either be Queen Sibbe or a rival hoping to see him rise in prowess and destiny to be a challenge to her House.

This got me thinking. The "secret admirer" likes Arvad relationally (leaving it open to be Sibbe or Astrid) or romantically. The latter assumes a large enough society that such intentions could be hidden. Also, a stratified society, because for some reason the admirer chooses to remain secret, at least at present. However, Arvad doesn't really know.

Let's use the image Marullus posted about Arvad. I'll be honest, it's been a crappy few weeks for me. The image made me smile, and I needed that. Naturally, we can't let such a treasure go to waste, so Arvad has a significant ability to talk to dragons. Even moreso than "real" dragon riders, and scholars. Whatever brought about the telepathic bond with Esme also brought the ability to comprehend and express in Dragon Speech. That makes Arvad pretty cool, and super rare. He's probably already figured out that no one else can, and he keeps it to himself.

That also supposes that dragons are intelligent, but do not usually comprehend human speech. One of our dogs is too smart for her own good, and I can see dragon kind having a range of intellect that at least matches that of dogs. Our other dog, bless his heart, isn't quite so mentally active. Loving and awesome, but none too bright.

Arvad can walk around dragons and understand what they are saying to each other. He can see and feel was Esme thinks, and she can feel his emotions and intent. They fly much better than average because of the bond.

One more thing on this. While the idea of a rival as admirer is there, it won't work. Arvad and Lukkor have a relationship; either directly as the dwarf trained him, or indirectly through Astrid or that Lukkor trained Arvad's trainer. Either way, those relationships are significant to Arvad. There is no chance that he would betray Sibbe, because of his relationship to Lukkor. Arvad doesn't need to know anything about Sibbe, except that Lukkor respects her.

• We have not established if the monarchy is actually hereditary or merit-based. Did Queen Sibbe inherit the role, prove herself worthy by feats of arms, or both? (This has implications on Almund and his presumptive role as heir.)

Back to the idea of Arvad as unborn king. Arvad would see unrestrained authority as a weakness. Remember, he was banished, even though he did what he thought was right. (I may be, or may not be, or may be, conflating real life and gaming...) To Arvad, Sibbe is "good". Not because of her authority or bloodlines, but because Lukkor says she is good. What if Arvad himself was the next ruler? Maybe because of his connection to the dragons? Still, his linked respect to Sibbe via Lukkor would make it unlikely that he would try to overthrow her. She would have to pass the crown on, by word or deed. Almund as presumptive heir means the "unborn king" has not been revealed. As Marullus said, Boromir.

Going deeper, what if Arvad isn't really human? Or not a "usual human"? What if his bond and dragon speech wasn't something new that was given but an innate birthright awakened?

However, "I was born that way" really isn't a seller for why Arvad would become king. Aragorn was born that way, and trained for decades, and had various alliances and abilities. If the society is large and stratified, then there are other complications to be dealt with. If there are going to be battles then Arvad needs to really be trained up for them, but we haven't really talked about dragon rider to dragon rider combat. Swords are too short, lances are too clumsy to use on a maneuvering/flying mount; the weight and length required means inertia would rip it out of the riders hands or throw him from the saddle. That leaves bows, or maybe spells? Hmm....

Arvad has a spare Aspect or two left open if he wants to add a relationship or belief to establish himself more directly with the Queen.

With the above in mind, and some of Marullus' earlier notes, I need to redo the character sheet yet again.

[Marullus]

Personally, I like the idea of not a strict hereditary monarchy. Perhaps no more than two or three generations have reigned in succession during the region's history due to the potential for dissidents for the survival of the people. It's a harsh place and weakness eventually is squashed by a new stronger line.

IMHO, this bears out. The third-heir is the one who historically has the greatest challenge in establishing a monarchical line. The first assumes power by merit; the second has direct-apprenticeship and the benefit of the originator's direct pass-down influence. In history, the pressure competing claims is usually strongest at the third in line as he has no direct tie to the original merit. They're either usurped by new merit, or succeed and make it easier for a line of heirs to perpetuate afterwards.

This creates an interesting question for Almund - is the second in line, or the third? How do those challenges and expectations (that he show his personal merit) affect him?

I'll be honest, it's been a crappy few weeks for me.

I don't want to skip over this. Thanks for admitting that. *hug* I'm sorry you're having a hard time. Let us know if we can help. Communities support.

Arvad has a significant ability to talk to dragons.

I think this is really cool and does set up an intriguing story for him. Adding it into the focus of an Aspect makes it true. (Also, being a 'dragon veterinarian" who has a unique ability to speak to dragons and understand them essentially makes him a young Dr. Doolittle, which is a whole other branch of fantastic inspirations.)

I can see dragon kind having a range of intellect that at least matches that of dogs.

I fully support this.

They fly much better than average because of the bond.

So, that sounds to me like you're declaring a Stunt! What does it effect? attack, defend, create advantages, or overcome?

Stunt: Because of my deeply-shared connection with Esse, I gain a +2 bonus to Swiftly create an advantage or
overcome an obstacle if flying together as mount and rider.
The book example on page 43 allows applying to both action types for a flying-related trait just like this, so I recommend that.

One more thing on this. While the idea of a rival as admirer is there, it won't work. Arvad and Lukkor have a relationship; either directly as the dwarf trained him, or indirectly through Astrid or that Lukkor trained Arvad's trainer. Either way, those relationships are significant to Arvad. There is no chance that he would betray Sibbe, because of his relationship to Lukkor. Arvad doesn't need to know anything about Sibbe, except that Lukkor respects her.

Is there no chance, or is that a reason for dynamic tension in the story? You don't have to use this idea. However, I wouldn't rule it out pre-emptorially. Something fated to be true, or manipulated by a third party, that your character would personally balk at and try to avoid is often the kind of grist that makes a book worth reading.

Back to the idea of Arvad as unborn king.

I had thought you ruled it out; also glad to have you keep it as it is interesting in the party. If you want it, you need it to be an Aspect.

Going deeper, what if Arvad isn't really human? Or not a "usual human"? What if his bond and dragon speech wasn't something new that was given but an innate birthright awakened?

Personally, I think this a fantastic twist and worthy of an Aspect if you want it to be true. (Guardians of the Galaxy 2's entire storyline revolves around just such a twist. Or, the "hidden baby" like Loki being a disguised frost giant or Hercules before knowing his divine parentage. Perhaps related to a progenitor dragon and a destiny to restore the age of Wonder, etc.

we haven't really talked about dragon rider to dragon rider combat.

This was put in the premise by RoryB. The rider is inconsequential in a dragon-sized conflict and his attacks aren't used. The rider provides the strategy and tactics and the dragon itself is the weapon (via breath weapon, claws, or teeth). That's also why I think it is important to establish the "dog-like" low intelligence of the dragons as beasts, not Tolkien-esque highly intelligent beings. (Intelligent dragons don't benefit from riders.)

...it would be a good use of one of those "special use" stunts. One per session you as a human can act at the dragon scale. (Giant strength? Celestial/immortal burst of power?)

[Leitz]

"You need to kill it. Skin it fast," Balgor said quietly. "Don't tell the boy til it's dead."

Frozen wind bit on what little skin the hunters had exposed. They knew the ways of far north. Beards sported ice clumps, thick bundles of furry hide covered every arm and leg. They had their money's worth, far more, in the dragonlets already chained up. The clutch would set them to be rich, but selling meant getting them to market before the passes were closed by tons of snow.

The hunter nodded, and drew an arrow. No need to clean his blade again, or his billowing coat. Balgor ran the hunting team well, but one did not sheath a blood fouled blade. An arrow, however, could be easily wiped off with two clumps of snow. Everything had to be cleansed of blood; wolves could scent it from a league away. It was said that dragon kind could smell blood of their kin across a year of weather. Best not have any on you when you get near one.

They had laughed at the cracked shell. The other dragonlets had hatched a week ago. This one was weaker. It had barely cracked a third of the shell before giving up. For a full day the hunters had listened to its pitiful wails for help.

The boy had cracked; he'd never make a hunter. Skilled in the wild, given. He could find food and shelter others missed and could climb icy slopes better than the native goats. He wore less yet seemed fine with it.

He had spent hours on the shell, trying to crack it open. Dragon shells were tough. Down south they would be leathery, but here in the cold north they were strong as stone. The boy fed the dying dragonlet and kept hammering at the shell with a rock. Had the creature maintained hope, it could have gotten itself free. The boy, exhausted and not well fed, didn't have the size or strength.

The hunter lifted his bow and drew nocked fingers to his cheek. Morning was just beginning to show, but it would be hours before the sun crested the high peaks. They would be on the move when it did, soon to be rich.

Aiming, the hunter smiled. People were already moving through the camp; making the last hot meal they would have for days, or packing tarps on mules. Camp was breaking, and they would be on their way.

Movement, but no mind. The hunter released the arrow and knew it would fly true.

"No!" The boy yelled. He had already been in motion. Desperation carried him faster than the eye could follow. With a last burst he threw himself over the broken shell.

The heavy arrow struck true; through the meat of the boys back. The sharp broad head stuck forward, out of his chest.

The boy didn't feel the pain yet. He didn't understand why. It was a killing wound. Not immediate, a little to the left would have done it quick. This would take minutes. Maybe hours, if he laid down to rest. Resting sounded good, he was tired.

How could he be tired, he had just woken? He had dreamed of her again; beautiful. Smiling. Green. Her wingspan was broad and her eyes glittered.

He smiled. He didn't feel the pain, and he didn't feel the blood ooze out of his mouth. He saw it, though, dripping on her.

Drip. Drip.

He coughed. His chest hurt and red sprayed over her small head.

Drip.

His eyes lost focus. His knees couldn't hold him up any more. He was tired, and slowly sank to his knees.





A long tongue slithered out. It tasted...fresh. The scent was back; warmth. Not-of-my-kind. But what? Sound nearby.

Energy flowed. From where? It called her. It drove her. She must awaken.

[Marullus]

That's cool.

[Marullus]

Again on the levity front... This is stuck in my head.

[Leitz]

If this doesn't fit with the plan, feel free to say so.

Watched a movie with the wife, ate cheap burritos, then updated Arvad's character sheet with some of Marullus' notes. Started thinking.

Ohh...boy...

What if the lore about the unborn king is a little wrong? Okay, a lot wrong. There is no king of the Fangorim who is coming to save the day.

Because the king is a dragon.

What if power flowed from the southlands? Similar to "ley lines", there is a concentration in the south. That's why the southern kingdoms were able to cast spells to summon demons, and to animate the corpses of dragons. There is some power in the north, but less. Or deeper, and the dwarves feel it. Their bones are one with the stones because of the power, and that's part of why they live so long. Might also be "half pickled by all that ale", but we're not going there.

The constellations are shifting, and the current astrological age has ended. It is now the Age of the Dragon. It was time for the dragon king to be born. True dragons are intelligent and powerfully magical beings. They can tap into the powers of the land and assume other forms. The dragons of today aren't the ones who were best, but descendents of the wildest of their kind. They have forgotten what they are. Who they are.

Whose they are. Until the dragon king's blood awoke a hatchling.

[Marullus]

I think that's AMAZING! But it's up to RoryB.

Aspect: Unknowingly growing into my true self as the Dragon King.

[roryb]

Just catching up. Some great thought and starting fiction. Really good stuff. I hope I can live up to your standards.

Also echoing Marullus...very sorry to hear you’ve had a rough time, Leitz. Vent whenever you need to.

I like all the speculation and conclusions you’re drawing with our starting material. The characters are starting to feel deep already.

If this doesn't fit with the plan, feel free to say so.

Watched a movie with the wife, ate cheap burritos, then updated Arvad's character sheet with some of Marullus' notes. Started thinking.

Ohh...boy...

What if the lore about the unborn king is a little wrong? Okay, a lot wrong. There is no king of the Fangorim who is coming to save the day.

Because the king is a dragon.

This is actually what I was thinking when I came up with that prophecy, but you were running with it, and I’d prefer if players were invested in whatever it was. I think this can be one of the main focuses besides “survival of the kingdom by fighting overwhelming forces”...a point of hope or renewal. Since you’ve spoken of this new truth, we can add that perhaps Sibbe’s rival (the adorer?) has latched onto the theory that the Unborn King means exactly this. It’s an unpopular theory and clashes with the established orthodoxy as far as the sages go. But this person is quietly recruiting agents to align with this understanding and champions to see it through. There can be other interpretations of this prophecy. This can create some interesting tension between allies that the PCs have to come terms with.

[Leitz]

Thank you for your support. When the going gets tough, I buy technical books (Amazon loves me), learn something new (on my second class of this "episode"), and game.

There are some plusses and minuses to the "Arvad as Dragon King" idea. The upside is that it avoids prioritizing PCs; Almund can stay as Sibbe's heir because Arvad is king of the dragons, not of "The North". This lets two kingdoms work together, and gives ingress into the dwarven kingdom via Lukkor. Very much a "united front" against the southerners.

The downsides need to be addressed. Dragon King assumes dragons can be "awoken"; that is, brought back to their majestic (higher intellect, more power) nature. If the PCs depend on their dragons staying "as is", that's an issue. It also means that dwarven use of dragons amounts to slavery. Neither I nor Arvad are hyped about that.

So far my thoughts are that the awakening requires a little of Arvads blood (as seen in the scene). That also means proximity, can't FedEx a few drops to each dragon. There's also the idea that some dragons have been who they are for so long that they cannot "awaken". Leaving this up to each PC means their stories can go however they want.

That's where I am so far. If you all are okay with the idea, I'll work on some more character development. After class, I still have several videos to go.

[Spykee]

I'm a little late to this conversation..
@Leitz, I hope things ease off for you soon mate.

In response to the discussions since my last post;
I think Sibbe is a Human, and I like the idea that she's Almunds Grandmother, so the original heir apparent (Almunds father or mother) is dead. I think that the Monarchy is a kind of hybrid - hereditary by default but the heirs are required to prove their worth / right to rule. So Almund found his dragon by relying on his own abilities (although rumour may suggest otherwise). I'm going to try to write in Igjarjuk being a reflection of something in Almund. Maybe some of the other veterans of Black Tooth Pass saw some, ah, extreme violence by Almund? So gossip and rumours have begun to circulate. This makes the Black Tooth Pass thing less one dimensional, and creates a situation where Almund isnt just managing Igjarjuk, but also might be fighting something dark in himself.

Somewhere else in the character thread it was suggested that Lukkor had been asked to keep an eye on the less experienced dragon riders. That implies to me that Sibbe is still active, but maybe noncombatant. I think if you've no dragon, you'd have a hard time ruling the Fangorim, so her age and value as overall leader are what kept her from the field.

I really like Lietzs idea that the prophecy refers to a King of Dragons, not Fangorim - it introduces a whole new level of potential conflict / drama;
It could change the whole Fangorim to allies rather than masters of their dragons, or even servants. It could end the Fangorim altogether and unleash something the South has no hope against. It could very well lead to war against the Dwarves. All potential grist for a game.

I've some more Aspects and stunts to figure out. Ideas I'm considering are using 'Stormcaller' as a power aspect for weather / lightning magic, or something more metaphorical, maybe the storm Almund calls is the rage in mens (or Dragons) souls?
I'll probably use the stunts suggested earlier as their the kind of thing I was thinking about for Igjarjuk's abilities. Just need to come up with one for Almund then.

Apologies for spelling and grammar if its off. Ive had a long day chasing my kids through the woods and I'm rushing

[roryb]

That all looks interesting, @Spykee. Sorry, everyone, for being slow. This is turning out to be a busier week than I thought. In the coming day or two, I'll start a thread for each of your characters that we can use as character sheets. They don't have to be fancy, except keeping the power facts in a spoiler block under each relevant aspect as listed.

[Leitz]

roryb, no worries! I'm feeling slow myself. Not bad, just a lot on my plate. I really need some inspirational reading or video for this.

[Marullus]

Also, remember to make a Campaign ID and post it so we can attach a character to it and link rolls to the game when we start.

Click here: https://www.unseenservant.com/index.php ... tcamp&id=0