OOC Conversation

I am thinking about making a mage too. As for tradition, I will be going with Alchemy and Hydromancy.

Ah right! In my case, I elected to take one of the preset equipment packs over the 2 gp to buy your own things. If we do that, do we get any pocket money for personal expenditures?

Here's my dude. Working on character sheet now.

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Name: Aazim Azar
Race/Path: Jann
Profession: Philosopher

A jann born into the Magi caste, Aazim wanted for nothing growing up. His family lived on a respectable estate, and there were plenty of servants to attend to his every need. Aazim accepted all this without complaint, despite the obvious plights of the lower castes, and the rigidity of the caste system in general. Why rock the boat when life was so idyllic?

That changed when he turned 18, and was sent off to the Arcanum Collegium [or whatever mage-training place the janni have], as was expected of someone in his caste. At first, his life continued much as it was, although the nuances of magic and the often difficult training tasks caused him some irritation.

That changed when he took a course taught by the infamous Omar Sandaleev. Though also a member of the Magi caste, Omar seemed unconstrained by protocol and tradition: he could regularly be seen conversing with those in the Common or Unclean castes, shockingly treating them as equals...and he always had a witty, self-deprecating comment about the "superior" classes. While many grumbled about Omar's "seditious nature," such was his skill (both as a teacher, and as a practicing mage), that the Collegium tolerated him.

Aazim was drawn to this teacher, though he couldn't explain why at first. Wasn't his life already destined to be one of respect and relative ease? Why was he now questioning the entire system that had nurtured and supported him?

Omar had an answer: "You've been hit with the ideals of freedom, equality, and fellowship, which are as strong as our most potent spells. Yet despite their strength, most of our kind deflect those ideals, instead capitulating to our supposed 'eternal' system. But others...well, they cannot brush aside these things so easily...."

Encouraged by Omar, Aazim began reading "controversial" books, and even talking with the lower castes, doing his best to treat them with respect. Yet every answer only beget more questions...and try as he might, Aazim couldn't completely shed the mental framework he'd developed as a Magi.

But Omar also talked often about a faraway place called the borderlands. A troubled land, to be sure, but one filled with humans, who seemed free to forge their own destinies...at least, relative to the janni.

And so after graduating from the Academy, Aazim stunned everyone (besides Omar) by announcing he was traveling to these borderlands. Will he find what he's looking for? Or will he only run into more unanswerable questions? And does he even want to escape his caste...or will he embrace it, as he once did?

Personality: Though polite and usually mild-mannered, Aazim doesn't exactly express warmth and generosity. As noted, he's never been able to definitively alter the aloof (some would say arrogant, especially humans) mien of a Magi...though he's made many clunky efforts to do so.

He's a deep thinker, though not necessarily a practical one. Even Omar accused him of "getting lost in a sea of words, when you should be living life."

The borderlands and the (to him) free-wheeling nature of humanity has also upended his sensibilities. Perhaps he wasn't ready for this grand self-revelatory journey....

Aazim does show flashes of anger, and he'll occasionally treat others as he used to treat Commons who disappointed him. These often come about due to personal failings and confusion, not because the target deserved it...but Aazim knows that intimidation has its place, and is learning to control and refine these outbursts.

I don’t believe you get extra money if you choose a starting package.

I'll play a Human Priest of the High One. :)

Alright, so it looks like we'll have two mages, a priest, a rogue, a clockwork fighter, and a janni. :D

Are we waiting on anyone else?

We still need TheForsakenEvil's priest. I'll go over the character sheets today and post a few more rules chapters (Equipment, relevant magic traditions). I'll get the gameplay thread up either later today or tomorrow.

All of the character sheets look okay to me. I've opened up the gameplay thread so you may begin posting at your leisure. I've assumed the six of you have recently joined together as a party, so you probably know some basic info about each other, whatever you'd be willing to share.

Sorry for the delay, she's submitted now.

Lauretta Shoemaker



A woman in her 40s that has been victim to much, but carved her own way through life. As a former mercenary soldier, she knows how to fight and will put those skills to use. However, her skills in the art of war are now only a tool she wields to remove evil from the world and prevent harm to others. The Church of the High One gave her a life of purpose, which she intends to fulfill.

I'll be out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday. Posts will resume on Monday.

Have a good holiday!

Enjoy!

👍👍🍗🍗

Enjoy your holiday!

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate! And for those, that don't: Happy Thanksgiving! ;)

Character drama is getting so intense! I love it. Figured I'd go ahead and make Lauretta's backstory public since I know I've enjoyed contextualizing character interactions with others. :)

Lauretta was born to a humble family of cobblers out on the Borderlands. Life was simple, but it was hard. Still only a young girl at the time, an unknown plague swept through their village. She lost her mother, Leeah, and a sister, Taylor, to the disease, but she managed to survive alongside her brother, Elliot, and father, Winston. The stress this caused her family was terrible, but the true schism formed over faith. Winston and Elliot were pious worshipers of the Old Gods, resulting in their decision to leave customary tribute to the Pale Lady in hopes that no such affliction would ever spread again. Lauretta, however, grew to hate the faith in her grief. In a village still loyal to the Old Gods, this alienated her.

Fantasies of leaving to start over elsewhere became frequent occupants of the young girl's mind. She was practically estranged from from her brother and father while they openly carried their sorrow. Teenage angst mixed with grief and a desire for rebellion. The dangers of the Borderlands weren't lost on her, as she began to save up coin for weapons with which she could defend herself. By the time Lauretta came of age, she was ready to turn her fantasies into reality, risking everything. As the wagon with the village's trade goods left to go to the next town over, a brazen stowaway hid herself aboard.

Although still only a young adult, the garb and leather armor her years of savings afforded her allowed Lauretta to pass as someone that was actually prepared to handle themselves. Chance had it that she was offered coin, safety in numbers, and additional training by a recruiter for the Red Banners. Swayed by their sales pitch, she agreed to join the mercenary company. Battle and war were no place for someone of her age and background, but she swallowed down these horrors while reminding herself of the ones she already endured during the plague. Mercenary work paid well, which she proceeded to do for years as she stayed with the Red Banners. Unfortunately, the maturity of adulthood only brought on guilt for abandoning her family in their grief that would never leave her. Inquiries about her home village revealed that it was abandoned.

It was in her travels that Lauretta was exposed to the influence of the Church of the High One, but it was on blood-soaked battlefields that she found succor from their Hospitallers. Desiring more from life and drowning in the void of guilt from death and abandonment inside of her, her skepticism for religion was easily conquered. A skepticism she carried from her youth was no match for the emptiness that grew from seeing fields of bodies in exchange for coin. Instead, the High One offered her a purpose in life that could fulfill her and heal old wounds. It was then that she dedicated years to training for priesthood, leaving her friends and found family of the Red Banners behind. Now, Lauretta aims to live a life of virtue by serving as a guide for others, particularly the lost and the broken. She never wanted to see a field of bodies again, but fortunately her skills as a warrior could still be used to protect the weak and smite the wicked.

Awesome backstory!

Naturally, you know what R3N-L3's vote is, so I don't think he needs to make a post affirming it xD