You are familiar with wealth and status. You once carried a noble title, and your family still owns land, collects taxes, and wields significant political influence. Something in your past caused you to run from your family. Be it a banishment, voluntary exile to protect your family, or another reason, you no longer reap the rewards of your family's name.
Is your exile one that is barely spoken of and whispered only in rumors? Was your running away the talk of the town for weeks, fuelling the gossip in taverns and inns? Was your banishment handled by the sovereign or by the head of your house? When you ran away, what state did you leave your house in? Is your family on the verge of collapse? Or are they even better off without you around?
- Skill Proficiencies: History, and Insight or Persuasion
- Languages: Two of your choice
- Equipment: A set of fine clothes and a pouch containing 5 gp
For whatever reason, you had to leave. You may have angered your family, fallen in with a bad crowd, disobeyed your sovereign, or even simply loved the wrong person. In the end, you left.
| d8 | Reason for Running Away |
|---|---|
| 1 | My family was disgraced and lost everything. I am on a quest to redeem their name and help them rise to prominence once more. |
| 2 | Life was miserable for me growing up. As soon as I was able to, I gathered what I could and left to seek a life of adventure. |
| 3 | I had to leave to protect my house. An outside force threatened or blackmailed me to leave or else my house would suffer the consequences. |
| 4 | My family arranged my marriage to someone awful for their own political gain. I fled before the wedding rather than be a pawn in their game. |
| 5 | I found out a dark secret. Now my conscience won't let me stay. I must decide whether to protect or expose my house. |
| 6 | I fell in love with a member of a rival family and was ostracised for it. I hope to one day restore peace between our families with a marriage of our houses. |
| 7 | I fell in with a bad crowd and absconded with a portion of my family's wealth. Returning home could mean imprisonment or death. |
| 8 | Though the heir to a noble line, I felt called to another life. I ran away knowing my family would not approve. |
Your knowledge of how bureaucracies function lets you gain access to the records and inner workings of any noble court or government you encounter. You know who the movers and shakers are, whom to go to for the favors you seek, and what the current intrigues of interest in the group are.
Suggested Characteristics
Nobles are born and raised to a very different lifestyle than most people ever experience, and their personalities reflect that upbringing. A noble title comes with a plethora of bonds—responsibilities to family, to other nobles (including the sovereign), to the people entrusted to the family’s care, or even to the title itself. But this responsibility is often a good way to undermine a noble.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I still carry myself with dignity and poise, reminding everyone around me that I am still of noble birth. |
| 2 | I am resentful of condescending attitudes whether directed at me or at others who don't seem to deserve it. |
| 3 | I have lost my friends and family, and this sadness follows me wherever I go. |
| 4 | I will forge my own path and make my own fortune, just so I can rub it in my family's faces. |
| 5 | I’m rude to people who lack my commitment to hard work and fair play. |
| 6 | I often talk wistfully about my house and how I long to return some day. |
| 7 | I like to work for others, to forget the title I once had. |
| 8 | My favour, once lost, is lost forever. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Responsibility. One day I will return home to face my family, whether I return victorious or in chains. (Lawful) |
| 2 | Respect. All people regardless of station deserve to be treated with dignity. (Good) |
| 3 | Individuality. No one's birth should define who they are. Everyone should be judged on their own deeds, not the deeds or names of their ancestors. (Chaotic) |
| 4 | I want to see those that still have power fall, no matter the cost. (Evil) |
| 5 | I do not care for the ties I broke off anymore, my past has stopped bothering me. (Neutral) |
| 6 | I want to live the life I build for myself in peace. (Any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | Nothing is more important than the other members of my family. |
| 2 | Despite my circumstances, my loyalty to my sovereign is unwavering, and I will serve with or without my house. |
| 3 | With my fall from my house, I have become an icon of the common people. |
| 4 | I had a romantic tryst with the heir of a family that my family despises. I love them still, and am constantly torn between them and my family. |
| 5 | I keep the things bearing the symbol of my family close, to never forget where I came from, maybe wishing to return one day. |
| 6 | I value the relationships I made after leaving my family more than the ones I had before. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I too often hear veiled insults and threats in every word addressed to me, and I’m quick to anger. |
| 2 | I am prone to selfish acts of indulgence. |
| 3 | I have lost everything and my broken pride makes me hesitant to accept help. |
| 4 | I hide a truly scandalous secret that could ruin my family forever. |
| 5 | I keep people at a distance to not be recognised. |
| 6 | I still believe that the common folk are far beneath me. |
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