Former Courtier

You might be a noble or perhaps your talents, rather than your lineage, secured you a position in a noble's court. Perhaps you were one of many functionaries or attendants in a lord's great court or you had a slightly less illustrious position that still brought you in contact with the elite. You may have been a valued artist who was elevated to courtier status for your faithful service.

And then you either fell from grace, or sauntered vaguely downwards from the halls of the great and the good.

You may have succumbed to a sense of wanderlust and thirst for adventure. You may have been disgraced and stripped of your position. Perhaps you are trying to redeem yourself by undertaking missions that further the interests of your former patrons... or that's just your cover for doing your patron's dirty work. Whatever the reason, court life is largely behind you -- but not the tricks it taught you.

You may retain a few contacts from your time in the lofty halls of your youth, which can be an advantage for you and your companions... or not. You know how to navigate the intricacies of court life just as well as you now know how to deal with the rough and ready life of the adventurer. You know how to listen and gleam unspoken truths between the lines of idle talk. You bring a sense of class and panache to your party and may serve as a liaison.

Skill Proficiencies: Your time in court and your time in the field has given you a unique perspective on people of all walks of life and you know how to talk to them like one of their own. You know how to read people, rooms and situations like others know how to read books. Choose skill proficiencies of Insight and Persuasion.

Languages: You've spent time among the social elite and and the people of the country and the road and learned how to speak like them, picking up their languages and manner of speech. Choose two languages.

Equipment: Your traveling kit would be lacking without a set of fine clothes, a scroll with signed and sealed references from your former patrons, and a pouch with 5 GP.

Suggested Characteristics

Those who've tasted the life at court and then lost it can be spiteful, bitter and resentful, desperate to claw their way back into the exclusive company of the nobles and their ilk. Or they might find it a strangely liberating feeling, experiencing new and fresh things in their life outside court. They may retain their courtly wit and finesse, or find themselves slowly easing into a more rough and ready lifestyle.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I've enjoyed the luxuries of high society and rough living is a torment.
2	I find flattery to be a useful tool in my dealings -- whether I mean it or not.
3	Despite my past position, I do not place myself above other folk. We all face the same day's struggles in our own ways.
4	I am bitter about my fall from grace and react badly to the smallest slight regarding it.
5	I prefer to use my scathing wit and sarcasm as my weapons.
6	My time in court has shown me people always have other motives, therefore they cannot be trusted easily.
7	I'm always proud to show that I'm a cut above the unwashed masses with my sense of class.
8	I'm always eager to prove that I deserve all the respect I think I should have.

d6	Ideal
1	Greed; I will do anything to claw my way back in the halls of court -- and then some. (Evil)
2	Restoration; I will restore mine or my family's good name in the eyes of the world. (Good)
3	Freedom; My voice will never be smothered by social obligation and I will never be bound again. (Chaotic)
4	Optimism; I cannot undo that which brought me low, but I can rise again. (Neutral)
5	Order; I must reclaim my rightfut status and right the wrong that deprived me of it. (Lawful)
6	Ambition; The world is my oyster and I wish to make something of myself.

d6	Bond
1	I value my remaining bonds with my family above all.
2	Wealth and power are all that matters to me.
3	Holding onto my happy past is all that drives me.
4	I must regain my lost position no matter the cost.
5	I have come to cherish and care for the people I've met during my time on the road.
6	I am driven by the lessons taught to me by my time among the nobles.

d6	Flaw
1	Regaining my wealth or authority is my highest priority.
2	Some people who knew me when I was young know my shameful secret, so I can never go home again.
3	Though no longer living a life of luxury, I still have a strong craving for carnal pleasures.
4	I believe that anyone who isn't a high noble is beneath me.
5	I often speak callously and bluntly, unintentionally insulting others.
6	I have known betrayal that has shaken my ability to trust in others.