Also known as the Golden Eyed Commander of Wishes, AURYN signifies the will of the Childlike Empress, who is the living embodiment of the world. Whoever wears an AURYN amulet is recognized across all Hyboria as an emissary of the Empress, usually for good, though sometimes for ill. Furthermore, the wearer can call upon the capabilities of AURYN while wearing the amulet in an effort to petition for cosmic intervention in their times of need, though these may not always be answered.
Often bestowed as a sign of trust and good faith from the Empress, AURYN is universally recognized in all of the high courts of Hyboria as a symbol of peacekeeping.
“AURYN: The Crystal, The Triforce, and the Shard of Division” is the story of Hyboria, a living world comprised heavily of elements from “The Legend of Zelda”, “The Dark Crystal”, “The Neverending Story”, “Legend”, “The Last Unicorn”, “Labyrinth”, and more that is broken into four campaigns- “The Crystal, The Triforce, and the Shard of Division”, “Lord of Darkness”, “The Hunt for the Last Unicorn”, and “Princess of Destiny”. I’ve worked to find interesting ways to combine these elements and have specifically looked at their similar themes, such as the mare unicorn from “Legend” and the unicorn from “The Last Unicorn” becoming the same character in this story.
The world is populated with all manner of beings, from those included in the 5 Edition Source Books to more obscure beings from the mish-mashed elements here; Brownies, Fairies, stuff like that. Some races, such as the Hylians, may be represented by Elves, whereas others, like the Kokiri, might be represented by Gnomes. NPCs abound, be them good or evil. They will react reasonably to your actions; if you burn down the local inn at a town that is mostly lawful good, for example, the police force will come for you and you’ll have to decide how you want to proceed, either through violence of surrender. In contrast, if you if do something good for the NPCs of a village, town, city, or whatever, they will remember your kindness and may rewarded you justly.
Your enemies are vast in number. You may encounter threats in the world that are mundane, like bandits in the wild or marauding goblins, or you may come up with very smart, well organized, and deadly opposition that directly reports to one of the bigger threats like Darkness or Ganondorf. There is also the possibility that you could uncover a new threat, something else deadlier and more cunning than anything you previously known about as it plots to enter the world stage.
Or you could even create the threat yourself.
War On All Fronts
The courts of Hyboria scramble as threats rise out of the darkness all around them.
Lord Vader marches south across Fantasia, his military expertise and well regimented, highly diverse units smashing all that rise against him and driving the survivors before them. They have crushed the Halfling Khan’s of the Nockmaar Grasslands in the Battle of the Shem and have lain siege to the Tower of the Elephant and the urRu Mystics living there. Their sights are set further south, on Castle Grayskull…and possibly the Ivory Tower. THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, charged with reuniting the Dark Crystal and the Shard of Division are on a collision course with this juggernaut…and the question is…will they survive long enough in the face of this enemy to complete their mission?
Jareth, the Goblin King, has been cast out of the Labyrinth, his own Goblin army having turned on him. The usurper? Blix, the Goblin entrusted by the Lord of Darkness to kill the last two unicorns and plunge Hyboria into never-ending night, who now has possession of the stallion’s alicorn. Armed with near limitless magical offense, he has risen up to overthrow Jareth and rally the Goblins to him. It is now up to the band of heroes known as DAWN GUARD to wrest the alicorn from his control and unseat him from his new throne.
Ganondorf has cut a path of destruction across Hylia. Zora’s Domain is shattered, and the survivors hold on to what is left deep in their subterranean fortress. The Kokiri Village has been decimated and the Great Deku Tree is dying. Refugees flood the Kakariko Village and King’s Landing as the battle for Hyrule Castle turns for the worst. Now armed with the three Sacred Stones as well as the Triforce of Power and with his new ally, the Lord of Darkness, in tow, Hyrule Castle has fallen and the Temple of Time stands undefended. TWILIGHT EMBERS is hot on his trail as they scramble to learn what the Lord of Darkness’s new intentions are while they work with the Dawn Guard to find where the Last Unicorn has gone into hiding.
You can be almost any sort of character you want for this campaign within the bounds of reason. When you join this campaign, you’ll be given a campaign link which will grant you access to ALL of the sourcebooks except for Strixhaven and Fizban’s. Content sharing is enabled. I’m open to homebrew, but we’ll need to discuss how it works first.
You’ll start at level 4, allowing you to get somewhat of a grip on who you want your character to be. Unless you multiclass, this should at least allow you to get your Race / Class / Subclass figured out from the beginning. Ability Scores will be rolled. This campaign relies on its own personal Discord server for coordinating information and dice rolls. The Avrae bot is ready to go and has been programmed to give you three sets of rolled dice when you request them. These rolls are generous, a reflection of your character’s life in the world as he or she prepares for their next adventure.
An adventurer who has been living in the world will probably have some possessions that are important to them. You can begin the game with 3 Uncommon Items (the green ones when you Add Items).
There are a lot of opportunities to improve your character as they adventure around the world. I fully intend to allow training and educational opportunities for your characters, so if you plan to learn a new Language or improve an Ability Score or learn a new Feat between leveling up, just communicate with me so we can figure out what you need to do to make that happen.
Speaking of Feats, all characters will start with 1. For some builds, this means you could enter the game with at least two Feats. Variant Human, for example.
I know this sort of starting mechanic isn’t for everyone and that some folks feel like starting with good bonuses cheapens the game, but here’s my argument; you play DnD to have a good time and do cool shit. As your Dungeon Master, I’m here to make sure you get what you need to do said cool shit. Again, you’re a hero. You’ve been living in the world. You’re going to have done more than learn the basics by this point.
The Princess of Destiny
Princess Zelda Hyrule, a born successor in a long line of princesses in her name, has fled Hyrule Castle, spirited away by the Sheikah. Master rogues with a penchant for operating in the shadows and being seen only when they want to be seen, the Sheikah are her best chance for survival…but at a cost; the Princess of Destiny has with her the Ocarina of Time.
Atreyu, the military strategist aligned with the Ivory Tower and the Childlike Empress, has deemed locating Princess Zelda to be a top priority, and that she should be protected at all cost. Furthermore, it is imperative that the aligned Forces of Light get their hands on the Ocarina of Time before Ganondorf.
Not every encounter need be a combat encounter. You encounter a Goblin patrol in the woods? Try talking with them. It might not work, but then again it might. There’s also no shame in running from an encounter you know you and your party are not equipped to face.
Monster encounters will increase in frequency the closer the world comes to ending. Conversely, the more that is done to restore balance, the safer the lands will be. It is possible to encounter nearly any CR level of monster at any PC level, so be careful where you go! If you know an Ancient Dragon has been sighted in its lair at the top of a specific mountain you plan to explore, then perhaps that means it is time to turn back…for now.
There is also a high probability that many of these monsters you encounter could be working for enemy forces, supporting the efforts of characters like Ganondorf, who will stop at nothing to secure his seat on the Hylian throne and to capture the three pieces of the Triforce for himself, or even lesser villains like Calibos, who hunts the Last Unicorn for the Lord of Darkness. These boss type NPCs will be very prominent in the story of “AURYN”, so be prepared to encounter some or even all of them in your journeys.
Also, keep in mind that a high number of monster encounters are really just encounters with what is essentially an animal in this world. You may not recognize it immediately as an animal, but remember that this is a complex ecosystem different from our own. There are a lot of strange creatures that live here, and many of them will behave like animals. Not every fight will be a fight to the death. Maybe just leaving the area will deescalate the situation. And remember what I said about talking to goblins? The same thing can be said for the more intelligent monsters too; don’t just view them as monsters. Like some monsters being animals, some may be viewed as people.
It is also very possible, as I alluded a moment ago, that some monsters may not be malicious at all. Some may even be allies to the cause. Attacking them unnecessarily could severely hamper relations with their kind should you need their help later.
Have a hankering for a unique mount? Use your animal handling skills to try to tame something unusual…as long as it isn’t of evil alignment or otherwise obviously hostile.
One last thing. Remember when I said ‘not every fight has to be a fight to the death’? You can die. Your characters can be killed in this world, either through accident, trap, combat, condition, or disease. Never forget that.
The Ocarina of Time
Paramount in their struggle against Ganondorf is the Ocarina of Time, the magical heirloom of the Hyrule Royal Family that, combined with the appropriate melody, can unlock the chronological powers of the Pedestal of Time. With Ganondorf set to gain access to the Temple of Time, it becomes increasingly important that the Ocarina is found and kept from his grasp at all costs, preferably with the Princess of Destiny in tow.
Remember to start with three Uncommon Items. These can be pretty much anything green listed in the inventory section of character creation. These starting Uncommon Items can also be Homebrew, but please take note!- if you want a Homebrew Uncommon Item, either your design or someone else’s, you need to clear this with me first. Send me a PM here or on Discord at J.F. Capps#7996 and we can discuss.
I am a big proponent of allowing players to do cool stuff. I am also a big proponent of bending the rules to supplement this desire to allow you to do cool stuff and to maximize the joy of character development and game play. There are tons of cool magic items, cool spells, cool Feats, just cool stuff in general that we need to take advantage of.
Of course, to offset this, I’ve designed “AURYN” to be unforgiving. Your character can die (we’ll talk about this again later) pretty early on, in the right encounter, and can easily bite off more than they can chew as they are forced up against insurmountable odds, so I feel like these good starting bonuses are justified.
Remember, too, that the world is full of these items. They are in dungeons ready to be earned as loot, in towns and villages ready to be handed out as rewards, or may even come to the characters who are lucky enough to be heard by AURYN.
Become the Legend
AURYN is a unique campaign experience. Rules are important, but they play little role in the telling of our story. The players of AURYN are more interested in the story itself, the progression of the lore, and the epic journeys of the characters. The world is ever changing; in fact, the situation that the players started with when AURYN began in January 2022 has already evolved significantly, and in many ways that I, as the Dungeon Master, didn't even predict. Characters are being challenged with difficult decisions, powerful foes, and moral dilemmas. The characters, outfitted with bountiful knowledge of the world, are still encountering unknown environments and mysteries.
I can't give you on specific reason to apply AURYN, but I can certainly give you a list of things to think about-
A Fairy Monk has punched the Predator in the face (Yes, that Predator)
A party has delved into the depths of the Great Deku Tree
A party has held audience with Princess Ruto at Zora's Domain
A party has viewed the world of Hyboria through the Scrying Orb of the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull
A Fighter has used the power of the Voice to Fus Ro Dah a wyvern
A character rides a Flail Snail, broken as a warmount, into battle
A character has encountered the ghost of the Hero of Time
Who We're Looking For
We need people who want to participate and write this story. AURYN is widely influenced by popculture, with nods to everything from the present and back, but with heavy nods toward the 80s and that eras dark fantasy settings. While you don't have to know all of these different references, it certainly helps to have a love for some of the source materials, with the most important being the following movies-
Legend
The Dark Crystal
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
The Neverending Story
Labyrinth
The Last Unicorn
*The Legend of Zelda series
Specifically "A Link to the Past", "Ocarina of Time", "Twilight Princess", "Skyward Sword", and "Breath of the Wild"
We are specifically looking for people who can post at least once a day, on average, although we understand that sometimes people can't be on everyday. When you post, it should be something of meaning; if you're the kind of player that shows up every now and then and posts something that is barely even a sentence you're not going to make it and will eventually be written out. Please, save myself and the other players the time and don't apply if this is you.
One of the biggest aspects of AURYN and its success is Discord. We use Discord not only to build a community amongst the people involved, but we also use it to coordinate character and player discussions / actions, roll dice, and share maps and movements. You'll notice that we keep very little OOC chatter in the other three AURYN threads, and it is because we use Discord so extensively. Anyone that wants to be a part of AURYN needs to have a Discord account and needs to be prepared to contribute to their team chat so that everyone can perform on the same page.
Getting Started
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT MAKING A CHARACTER SHEET AT THIS STAGE OF THE APPLICATION!
Please apply in THIS THREAD! Do not send applications via PM, Discord, or any other thread!
I love seeing diversity in players and characters, so anyone and everyone is welcome to join! Furthermore, once you join the AURYN campaign, you’ll be given access to ALL of the source books except for Fizban’s and Strixhaven (although I intend to add these soon).
More than anything else, I want to have fun. And I want you to have fun. That’s why people play D&D. With this in mind, I must insist that if you’re the kind of player that is a rules lawyer, stickler, overly confrontational…well, don’t join. If you do, and this sort of fun-killing behavior starts, I’ll eject you from the game. I’m all about constructive disagreements and so forth, but being a butthole will not be tolerated. Neither will sexism, racism, homophobia, or any sort of discrimination against a protected status, or really anyone for any reason, period.
I do prefer that only adults apply.
There will not be any sexual situations in this campaign. Now then, it will be completely acceptable for a character to be romantically seduced (think Jareth seducing Sarah at the ball or Darkness seducing Lili), but it won’t progress further than maybe, maybe a kiss, and then we’ll decide together what is appropriate.
Show me your awesome characters! You want to make a character that is a homage to an existing character, like Daenerys Targaryen or Luke Skywalker? Please PM me first (on DnD Beyond or on Discord at J.F. Capps#7996) so we can make sure the character fits and that someone else isn’t making that character (or that I don’t already have them inserted into the world as an NPC).
As stated previously, your character is a hero in this world, albeit a minor hero (for the moment). This is what I intend for starting characters-
All characters start Level 4
All characters start with 1 Feat (you can have more than 1 in circumstances where provided by the rules of the game like Human Variant)
Milestone leveling up
Access to all sourcebooks except Fizban’s and Strixhaven
Homebrew allowed!
Already includes homebrew for Gelflings, Brownies, Lightless, Zoras, and Koroks
Jedi subclass
Witcher subclass
Rolled Stats (averaging between 80 and 90 total)
Start with equipment that is appropriate for your character
Start with 3 Uncommon Items
All alignments welcome
You MUST have Discord! I’ll be coordinating most of this campaign through Discord, so I’ll add you to our own Discord server where you can roll your stats and we can talk back and forth about what’s going on in-game. I won’t be cluttering up the game play thread with post orders and all that, so you absolutely MUST be paying attention to Discord for this to work.
One last thing; the more effort you put into your character, the more likely you are to get to join. I don’t have a fixed number of players in mind at the moment, but I might run as many as two or three parties so that different groups can tackle different quests.
DO NOT REVEAL YOUR ALIGNMENT OR SPECIFIC MOTIVATIONS IN THIS THREAD! I will request your Alignment, Personality information, and motivations if I’m interested in your character. If we have an evil character that’s going to sabotage things, I want it to be a surprise.
Character Proposal:
Name-
Race- (remember you have access to almost all of the races and subclasses)
Class and Subclass- (remember you have access to almost all of the races and subclasses)
Backstory-
Available Races
All the races below are linked to their information. Scroll over and click to gain access to their links.
There are multiple clans of Gelfling scattered throughout the world of Hyboria in which our story takes place, all of which are remnants living in pockets left over from the last Great War.
Want more information on the world? Look here for the original recruitment thread! It's chock full of info about Hyboria and the circumstances that started the characters to this point in their development! However, this is a reference thread only! Do not apply in the link below!
Updated some of the information in the above post.
Please apply to this thread. Do not use the original recruitment thread, PM, or Discord to send your application, though you can contact me if you have questions. Thanks!
Backstory- They were left in a field and forgotten about by their creator due to them being not effective. They were created to endure but were not strong enough according to the creator. They knew that this would be their fate because while working for the creator they saw another machine very similar to them being created but with better parts and more time being used to create it. They had to watch in silence as they slowly got faded out from the spotlight for this new creation to take their place.
After a few years their creator took them to a field and just left them there. They slowly rotted and the wildlife consumed their body. As the nature slowly broke their body they realised that nature was slowly replacing their metal parts with natural parts. At rusted parts would scrapped away and replaced with moss then big slabs of metal would be torn out by ants and be replace by wood and finally once their heart ran out of energy the actual moon started to power them. Once the process was complete they took their first step in over 400 years and moved.
They now feel indebted to nature and strive to protect it at all cost.
This looks very interesting! I'm not the most well versed in some of these sources but have some basic knowledge at the very least. I have two characters I'd like to be considered for this with basic backstory information for each that will be expanded on if accepted (Using spoilers to keep it tidy):
Name- Mistral
Race- Air Genasi
Class and Subclass- 1Barbarian/3 Monk (Open hand)
Backstory-
Mistral grew up scavenging the streets with his father. There’s always a diamond in the rough ready to be found or stolen is what he was taught as some don’t appreciate the value of what they have right under their noses. His father used his sleight frame to suit his own needs and ambitions eventually leaving him for an “opportunity”, alone. Joining a youth gang as a teenager he learned the basics of fighting and the importance of having allies for protection while he waited for his fathers return, a wait that proved fruitless and left him filled with resentment. A few years of turf wars and disorganized petty crime eventually led him to pick a fight with a traveling monk who looked to have some interesting goods for the taking. The monk beat him brutally but saw potential in his resolve and persistence and offered him a chance to refine his skills and leave his life of on the streets. Though reluctant his fellow hooligans pushed him into this opportunity as chances like this were rare for folks like them. So he went with his new mentor: traveling, training, learning and refining not only his physical skills but also his mind. It’s been a decade with his master, he’s since completed most of his training.
Name - Javier Whitdew
Race - Human (Variant if allowed)
Class - Wzard (Abjuration)
Backstory -
Javier is a university scholar that specializes in the study of threats and defenses against other planes of existence. As a young boy, a portal opened in his town releasing a host of interesting yet terrifying beings that he had never seen before! While crisis was averted thanks to the local militia, he has since obsessed with those traversing from another world and has spent the better part of his life researching and studying as much as he can. He was never the most naturally gifted student, but was meticulous and worked diligently as time went along. Eventually, he was able to garner a research assistant position at a local university and serves as an adjunct faculty member in the school of defense (University name can be decided on at a later date). When not teaching, he travels the known worlds looking for clues and new information, taking on the role of pseudo archeologist whenever possible as his curiosity often gets the best of him.
Hrothgar comes from respected family. His father Obrin is a paladin who is well known in the surrounding lands. At a young age his father trained Hrothgar to follow in his footsteps. Teaching him more then just how to fight. As a paladin Obrin led a group of soldiers called the Griffons Watch. One of which is Hrothgars uncle Tyron Bhadon, which is how his parents got introduced.
The Griffons watch kept the lands near it safe from the ever increasing evil. Leaning on political connections they respected group managed to maintain their numbers and replenish ranks. In his younger years Hrothgar was often taken to such meetings to learn not just to rely on his sword but to also understand politics and how to conduct himself in the presence of nobles and kings. As the years passed the forces of evil grew both in number and in boldness. Raids on nearby towns were more frequent. The dire times called for action. The Watch lobbied for aid but their hands were forced by greater evil. The enemies number grew in a nearby fortress, preparing to lay waste to more towns. Many innocent lives would be lost so the Griffons Watch were called to arms. Led by Hrothgars father Obrin who rode his Griffon, a rare creature only ridden by the highest ranking soldiers in the Watch. They went to strike the enemy first, choosing to battle away from the towns as Hrothgar was ordered to make sure the townsfolk left for safer cities. Also making sure Hrothgar and other younger soldiers would arrive at the battle later, keeping them safer.
When Hrothgars arrived the battlefield was covered in bodies of fallen allies and enemies. The Griffon banner stuck in the ground where a group held as long as they could. Inside the battle waged on and looked for his father. He was said to have battled a demon luitenant whos body was later found. But no sign of Obrin. Only a shattered gem, a ring and Obrins shield were found. The battle cost many lives but was won. The few that survived returned to learn of a second army of enemies that would arrive shortly. They had no choice but to abandon the lands. With no defenders left several villages, crops and the Watch itself were destroyed. The lands now remain in hands of the enemy.
The Watch itself fell not long after. Without a leader and with so few numbers they could hardly defend much. Many nobles argued that it was Obrins fault the lands were lost, blaming the Watch for what had happened. Others honored the Watch and their sacrafice to save many. The family name is therefore received in various ways now.
Hrothgars uncle now takes care of the family as guard in a larger city. A means to an end. One that Hrothgar could not take. He was restless, not wanting to settle. He ventured forth to try and rebuild his name. Finding small groups to work as mercenaries or simply to do what they felt was right. Carrying his fathers shield with honor, still bearing the Griffons symbol on it. Learning to lead a group he started getting his own reputation, still small but gaining a foothold. Working hard to mend relationships and build trust. Something however still stirred as he started to search for greater steps to take. His newly found motivation pressing him to take further action.
Playstyle: In roleplay and build going for a leader/captain role and also plan to type out actual speeches for inspirational leader to motivate as well as boast of group members deeds in taverns as a true leader should.
Hooks/items: Have ideas on the 3 items but want to discuss them, also have hooks/goals that you wanted us to keep to ourselves for now, so will have to select me to discuss :)
Hello! First off I'm in love with this setting already, this is something that is right up my alley, a little about me, I'm readily active on here and also have discord so that won't be a problem, I usually post up in the evenings (GMT +1), I'm in my late 20s and go by He/him, For transparency I will say I was pointed in the direction of this thread by one of your current players and I'm currently in an active campaign with two of your current players.
so on with the Character Proposal!
Name; Travin Tiller
Race; A Junk Person, from the labyrinthine Junk fields (I'm thinking mechanically aTortlebut we could discuss homebrew race features if that's something that interests you!)
Class; Bard, College of Whispers.
Backstory; (I'm not sure if you have already fleshed out how the Junk fields interact with Hyboria, if so then this here could be changed as needed)
The Junk fields are situated in a strange little pocket realm which lies dimensionally speaking slightly to the left of the labyrinth, but within its walls. It is used as a trap, a place where Jareth sends people that he wants to tempt off of the path to the Goblin castle. The residents of the Junk fields are an odd bunch, their minds effected by the psychic invasion of the plane itself, this invasion makes them forget their previous lives and motivation, bending their will to one of a hoarding greed, a hunger. A tribe formed long ago, the hierarchy of which is based upon, who so holds the most valuable or largest pile of material goods, holds the most sway and authority. This makes newcomers to the realm prime targets for members of the tribe, newcomers have their valuables pulled from their psyche by the plane itself and physically manifested therein, rumbling up through the mountainous rubble. The tribes people by necessity of their greed became manipulative and tricksy, using their charms or incessant pestering and sometimes inherent magic to take the material goods of the newcomers to add to their own stock pile, and so the cycle would begin again with a new member, then forgetting their past and focussing only on amassing their own protective shell of junk and inevitably joining the tribe to compete to become the best.
Travin has been a long term resident of the Junk fields, he has forgotten all from his previous life but his name, the only piece of junk remaining from that life a prized but broken Sax-A-Boom, All else he has lost and that which he has gained is not remembered from the time before the Junk fields. Travin learned early that the newcomers responded better to charm and friendliness first and foremost, a sneaking condescension of their belongings here, and a feigned disgust in their newfound greed there, had them casting aside things that Travin would then swoop in and take for himself. He also often found that he could weave magic into percussion instruments that he would cobble together from odds and ends around the piles, this gave him a slight edge in the manipulation game and led to Travin amassing a modestly large pile that he keeps as a shell around him and a good standing within the tribe, he looks for more ways to improve his magic, and in turn more ways amass the tribe's version of wealth.
But things changed when the Goblin king fell, his grasp on the pocket plane disappeared and all whom dwelled within the Junk fields were cast out, this shook a lot of the residents who needed the comfort they found in their possessive little homes of junk and they remained within the labyrinth, scrounging around in the spaces within the walls trying to find a way back into the fields. Others like Travin, however, saw the freedom of opportunity, the chance to find new things and to amass more junk than any of the tribe had ever thought possible! So began the journey of Travin as he seeks out the most precious Junk, and also seeks more powerful magic, and finally he seeks to fix his Sax-A-Boom, by whatever manipulative or charming means necessary!
A violent man turned humble, Once a being who tore threw those who had betrayed him leaving nothing by chaos and viscera in his wake. After which he left him ruined home and found himself in the frigid north. There he met a woman who would bear him a Son and give him a Family, Something he thought he would never hold in his grasp again. Yet the winter grew cold and with its biting winds and a Stranger pounding upon the door of their small home. This stranger proved an equal to Deius, casting the Man into a crevace where for what seemed like days the man lay until an old friend creeped up his spine, The screams and shouts of his family causeing a long buried anger to swell within. Pulling himself from up the crumbling earthen walls and returning home. The man found only blood and his wife's axe.
Inspired by Kratos from God of War.
Name: Malenia Race: Variant Human or Elf Class: Fighter (Jedi/Sith) Background:
Edited for Secrecy.
I had thought about what Malenia would be like as a Jedi/Sith while fighting her, Her moveset really reminded me of how the Jedi/Sith fight. Using the Force to move her Prosthesis, with her actual saber concealed within it and ejecting out when she needs it.
Character Proposal: See below. Full disclosure: I am not familiar with any of the fantasy sources listed or referenced in the map (other than A Song of Ice and Fire books and Lord of the Rings of course). Happy to work with my character's background details to fit her into the story.
Name- Ereni Shaidaro
Race- Wood Half-Elf
Class and Subclass- Ranger (Gloom Stalker)
Backstory- See (first) spoiler below. As stated above, I'm happy to work with the details to better fit Ereni into this world and give her place in it.
Ereni's father was an army infantryman, scout and ad-hoc medic. Her mother was a mercenary (wood elf) archer in the same legion. They met during a military campaign together when she was injured.
Parents retired from the army to live in a woodland cottage in an area between a few towns and the forest. This is where Ereni spent her early childhood learning archery from her mother, rapier-dueling and herbal lore from her father and general forester skills and basic literacy from both. Exploring and sneaking through the darkest places in the forest, Ereni taught herself early in childhood. Both parents died in an orc raid that Ereni. still a youngster, barely escaped because she was out exploring in the woods, leading to Ereni's lifelong hatred of orcs and dark, dry, fatalistic humor as a coping mechanism.
While still in late adolescence, Ereni was conscripted into a mostly human army due to her knowledge of the forest and skills as a scout - an army raised ostensibly to fight the aforementioned orc incursions along with other armies raised by multiple local lords. Ereni made and lost friends during the campaign. Learned to be stealthy, scout effectively and efficiently, seeing what needed to be seen... to fight when needed, and not to trust crappy, glory-seeking commanders.
She made at least one major scouting mistake, causing some of her brothers and sisters in arms to be killed, something she will never talk about but will always feel the need to redeem herself for.
After the orc threat receded, the various human armies turned on each other and general looting of the countryside began. Ereni deserted and never looked back after her unit was ordered to sack a peaceful village. She has come to believe that friends and forests and innocent people (especially humans and elves) are worth saving. Lords, priests and generals not so much.
Julien and Alain were twins in so much as they share a birthday and the same parents. The similarities end there.
Alain is a warrior. He is tall, strong, handsome and a true boon to the village.
Julien is not a warrior. Born small, weak and sick he was nothing but a burden.
As a child Julien relied on his brother to protect him from bullies and the dangers of the world. That was until Julien realized his gift, he was very very smart. As he grew it became obvious that what Julien lacked in the body he more than made up for with his mind. He was simply brilliant and he knew it. He would read for hours on end. Devouring books became his only respite from an otherwise cruel existence. His mind expanded and he found that magic provided him with a strength that his body did not have. Emboldened by this revelation he studied endlessly, he practiced constantly and his power grew exponentially.
Unfortunately his body never did. Frail, weak and debilitated by a cough that could only be soothed by tea he was determined grow his magic to compensate for his physical limitations. He pleaded with his brother to accompany him on adventures, to protect him as he did when they were children. And so they did for a long time. They made an incredible team for years but as Julien's powers grew; Alain's body began to suffer the ravages battle and time.
Alain retired from adventuring even though he was still reasonably young. He earned enough for a comfortable life and settled down to start a family. This would never do for Julien. His quest for knowledge and power would not stop because of his brother failing body. He joined any adventuring party that needed his services and held promise.
Character concept based off Raistlin Marjere of the Dragonlance books. There are alot of deeper motivations which I did not put in this post but will discuss in DMs as requested.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM -- The Candlekeep Mysteries 1 & 2Discord PCs -- Christian Dembele Forum PCs -- Edryd Breckon, Fizzlebit Forton Thornberry the Fourth
I really like the overall concept and execution of what you've got going on here. I've watched or played nearly everything you've reference, although a lot of it was decades ago. Figured I would submit an old Mutants and Masterminds character that I played years ago.
Name - Serin Ra'jak
Race -Human (Variant)
Class and Subclass- 3 Fighter(Jedi Knight) / Monk 1
Backstory -
In the final days of the Galactic Senate, Jedi Master Kojin Malrician and his Padawan Serin Ra'jak are dispatched to investigate a strange disturbance in the force located in a previously unexplored quadrant of space. While still in transit to the unknown star system, Order 66 is issued to all clone troopers, including those dispatched with the Jedi.
A brief but fierce battle ensues, leaving Kojin dead, Serin mortally wounded and the ship damaged beyond all repair, derelict in space. With little hope and even less remaining life support, Serin Ra'jak desperately crawls his way to the cargo hold. With his last ounce of strength he throws himself into the carbon-freezing chamber before reaching out with the force one final time. The switch flips, releasing the carbonite that will save him but serve as his prison, perhaps forever.
Character Concept:
Not sure how Jedi fit in, but Vader is here, so I figure there must be some connection in story. I imagine Serin is your typical zealous Jedi Padawan, frozen for years in carbonite before he crash lands and finds Sith Lord Vader present. He chooses to resist, but perhaps has his own struggles with fear and doubt and the Darkside?
It begins with a boy, orphaned & left to his lonesome he’d be any other forgotten face in a small, obscured village of Hylia. Like any typical street urchin he’d steal & struggle to survive, feeding off leftover goods, pickpocketing & sharing whatever bounty he could stumble upon with his friends. Though ultimately, deep down throughout the hardships & joys he was able to muster there always arose a “dissatisfaction.” That was until one day, in stealing the bag of a peculiar old man & rummaging through its contents he’d find a book with an oddly familiar crest. While struggling to recognize it the old man had discovered him, cornering him in an alley & approaching to seemingly enact vengeance only to sit down & ask "would you like me to read it to you?" Recognizing the orphan to be illiterate & exhibiting an inexplicable humility, the boy found himself dumbfounded in his reaction but embarrassed at his own innate curiosity. He inevitably agreed & the two sat down while the old man read an epic account of the book’s hero, August Belmont. While reading a newfound spark lit the boy’s eyes as he was completely engrossed by the tale & its telling. For hours the old man spoke as if performing in front of an audience & with the intimacy as if he was the author himself. From sunrise to sunset he’d tell the tale till its bizarre conclusion, or more appropriately lack thereof. The boy became confused by this while the old man acted as if it was natural. He inquired if the book was even finished desperately needing an ending to the epic cliffhanger. The old man simply responded with "that’s because the story isn’t over" before raising himself & departing, leaving the boy with his book & words he’d ingrained into his heart. And from thereon the boy would seek to correct his life of petty crime & impoverished struggle with a newfound vigor akin to the epic hero he’d been told about. In fact, being so inspired he’d even take up his name as both homage & to further emulate the hero he wanted to be—August Belmont.
Race: Sifa Gelfing with a small parrot familiar that lives on his shoulder
Class: Rogue: Swashbuckler
Backstory: Plucky sailor whose lived most of his life at sea; depending on the DM’s preference, could be a young junior officer, or a middle-age captain who rose through the ranks.
Cinder was born and raised in a small, relatively unknown village called Redvale. The people of Redvale were a suspicious lot, but mostly kept to themselves. This was a workable situation for Cinder's family. Her father was a skilled engineer and artificer, and her mother was a blacksmith. Cinder meanwhile was the family wildfire. Quite literally. Born with a natural talent for pyromancy but without any training, Cinder almost burned down their home on three separate occasions. The first was the day that she was born. The second was when she was 5 and was frightened of the dark. She lashed out at a figure she thought she saw in the dark, setting some curtains ablaze. The third time was when she was 12. Her mother had been teaching her some basic smiting and she hit her thumb with a hammer. Flames erupted from her as if to protect her from some unknown assailant.
It was on this day that her father knew he needed to do something. His daughter had been lucky so far, only causing minor damage, but the town was being suspicious. As decent as some of the villagers were, they had a serious distrust and hatred for magic.
Cinder's father created a focus for her that would help her control and focus her power. She spent the next few years leaning how to craft and repair a set for herself. By the age of 17 she had had no more accidental flare ups and more or less had control of her inner fire. However by this time things in the village had been getting bad. Years of bad crop yields had led to outright famine. Cinder's family, already the town outcasts for being tieflings and for the many suspicious fires that had started in and around the home were the town's scapegoat.
The town arrived as a mob while Cinder was out getting firewood. They accused the family of being demons, of bringing evil to the town. They sealed the house and set it ablaze. By the time Cinder arrived it was too late. The town mayor, a man named Garrel Crane, wasn't finished however. He had Cinder arrested to be executed in the town square for "Endangering the town, committing evil acts of demonic sorcery, and general malfeasance". The headsman, a local woodsman and hunter brought out his sharpest are for the occasion. Before he could swing, Cinder broke out of her shock and did what she did best. She lost control. Flames erupted from her body breaking past the safety limits of her focus and shattered it. She passed out at some point during this inferno. Looking around the village was gone. The town square burnt down to ashes, the buildings beyond burnt out husks.
She felt no remorse. The people of Redvale had not been kind to her or her family. She returned to what was left of her home and buried her parents as best as she could. Afterwards she used what was left of the workshop to repair her focusing gear and left Redvale. She had no plans, but had no desire to remain at what was left of the town.
Character concept inspired by Chandra Nalaar from MTG.
I love the idea here, and it seems right up my alley, so I decided to make a character.
Name- Elvtyrr
Race- Elf (Hylian)
Class and Subclass- Warlock 3 (Hexblade) Sorcerer 1 (Divine Soul- though I am reflavoring it)
Backstory- Elvtyrr was born with the power to defy fate. No one truly knows where this power came from, but Elvtyrr was always able to beat the odds. As helpful as this power sounds, it made Elvtyrr a target his whole life, everyone wanting to use his power for their own gain. Elvtyrr fled from Hylia, hiding away somewhere where no one knew who he was. Elvtyrr grew older, hiding his powers from everyone, but joined a team of mercenaries to hone his skills so that Elvtyrr can protect himself if anyone from Hylia finds him. On a job, Elvtyrr was the sole survivor of an ambush, no doubt due to his powers. Elvtyrr drifted by himself for a long time, before finding a blade he could feel power emanating from. After taking the blade, Elvtyrr formed a pact with an ancient dragon, giving him more power to protect himself and get his revenge against those who have wronged him his whole life. Elvtyrr has returned home, finally knowing that he can fend for himself against his enemies.
If anything doesn't fully fit or if you want me to change something, let me know!
EDIT: If this doesn’t work, I also have an idea for a character inspired by Joker from Persona 5. Feel free to tell me what you like.
A lot of good applications! I'm still going through apps, making first round picks for follow up questions, etc, so there is plenty of time to apply for anyone who hasn't so far.
And if you haven't heard from me yet doesn't mean you won't. Just a slow process with initial talks and running the other three campaign threads at the same time folks, just FYI.
Just another update for everyone. We are still accepting applications at this time, but some of the current applicants have already been accepted and I expect to start interviews with some of those who have already submitted. Don't be disheartened if you haven't heard from me. I wound up needing a few more than I originally had planned for, which is good news for ya'll, but just means it takes time to get around to everyone.
Sounds like an awesome concept - can definitely post regularly and really think this type of campaign and game style will be a lot of fun.
Name- Flik Featherfoot
Race- Forest Gnome
Class and Subclass- 3 Lore Bard/1 Celestial Warlock
Backstory- Struck by wanderlust, Flik has spent her days travelling from tiny hamlet to tiny hamlet gathering tales and entertaining those she has met along the way with her bagpipes and flute.
Recently, Flik has dreamt of far away places, some filled with unimaginable beauty others with dark foreboding shadows. Throughout these dreams, she has heard a voice guiding her, protecting her and keeping her safe.
A soft growl, echoing with the sound of glittering stars, Flik has learnt that the voice belongs to Starmantle. Starmantle has appeared in Flik’s dreams, a large and noble Celestial Sabre-Tooth. Flik knows now the growls she hears are of encouragement and the roars of defiance bolster her courage in a ways both exhilarating and awe inspiring.
Starmantle has a job for her, the world needs saving and the Alicorn must be recovered. Flik might just be the one to make it happen. Great things come in small packages, and they don’t get much smaller than Flik!
Name- Berkum
Race- Duergar
Class and Subclass- 2 Monk/2 Spore Druid
Backstory- Living deep below the surface of Hyboria, Berkum grew up tending the fungal colonies of the Deep Monastery near his Clan’s outpost and learning the austere and secret language and intricacies of the spore network. When the time came for him to choose a craft, he joined the Monastery under the guise of taking his vows.
But it was the fungi that drew him to this choice and it wasn’t long before he spent more time among the the spores, learning more of their secrets and adapting to their symbiotic ways.
The spores now call Berkum upwards, towards the surface and the spread of war. But not everyone in the Deep Monastery supports Berkum’s decision…
Pietro grew up in a circus. He was raised as a performer. His beautiful plumage made him a popular dancer and many of the children were entertained by his ability to recall any sound he had heard before. Eventually he found a wife and built a family. His wife and children settled down in a small farming community running a small general goods store. Pietro continued to work at the circus since the store did not provide enough income to support the family. One night while Pietro was visiting his family, the store was broken into. Attempting to stop the thief Pietro was knocked unconscious. During his escape the thief knocked over a lamp and the store caught fire. When he awoke Pietro found his right arm and half of his chest was badly burned. The feathers would never regrow. He was also scarred badly on the left side of his face where the thief hit him. Upon return to the circus he was immediately fired, since "no one wants ot pay to see an ugly bird". His family still needed his support so he turned to a life of adventuring. He still sends home a large portion of his profit from adventuring. Although his arm eventually healed he still has a poor range of motion and keeps it covered in a large glove to protect it from the elements.
"Monsters. They plague the land everywhere humanity exists and beyond. They do not discriminate against the weak or strong, the rich or poor, the young or old - they lay in wait, preying upon those unfortunate enough to fall into their grasp. Many folk feel the same about us Witchers, and perhaps they are not all that far from the truth. But what truly defines a monster? Horns and scales? Sharp teeth and leathery wings? inhuman strength and speed? The definition of a monster lies within the eye of the beholder - I am not one to cast judgement, but the sword to carry the sentence for those with more coin than courage. It is my duty, my responsibility - and one I do not take lightly."
-Shirin Nezzoban, Witcher
Monster hunting isn't easy business. From ghouls to ghasts, drakes to wyverns, ogres to oranges - I mean, mimics. There's a lot of variety and therefore a lot to account for. Shirin has dedicated his life to the craft, hunting and researching creatures of every type to help those in need and make some coin in the process. For him there is no shortage of work, but his presence is always met with distain. Rumors and gossip amongst the commonfolk have turned the reputation of Witchers against them, with many believing them to be heartless bastards who have the skill to save the innocent but not without draining their pockets first. Many are met with disdain and suspicion, but that is nothing new for this Drow. If you'd ask him, he'd say he prefers it this way. A man of few words and a likeness to the darkness, he prefers to keep to himself most of the time, finding idle conversation outside of purpose to be a chore. Some find his company cold, while others are thankful they don't have to listen to the ramblings of a drunken bard constantly. But this is for certain - you will not find a better individual to watch your back while you sleep, or one to fight beside in the darkness.
Alright, I'd like to thank everyone that has applied. I'm still going to be doing some work in the background, but for now I'm going to stop applications. We may reopen in a couple of months if there is a need to fill spots.
Thank you so much to everyone who applied and all your hard work! There was a lot to decide here, and a lot of solid characters. Competition was stiff, so don't feel bad if you didn't make it this time; some of the players we currently have took a couple of tries to get it. Just watch for us to recruit again and try then!
Now with epic playlist!
AURYN: An Epic Fantasy / Popculture playlist
AURYN
Princess of Destiny
Limited Recruitment Opportunity
AURYN
Also known as the Golden Eyed Commander of Wishes, AURYN signifies the will of the Childlike Empress, who is the living embodiment of the world. Whoever wears an AURYN amulet is recognized across all Hyboria as an emissary of the Empress, usually for good, though sometimes for ill. Furthermore, the wearer can call upon the capabilities of AURYN while wearing the amulet in an effort to petition for cosmic intervention in their times of need, though these may not always be answered.
Often bestowed as a sign of trust and good faith from the Empress, AURYN is universally recognized in all of the high courts of Hyboria as a symbol of peacekeeping.
“AURYN: The Crystal, The Triforce, and the Shard of Division” is the story of Hyboria, a living world comprised heavily of elements from “The Legend of Zelda”, “The Dark Crystal”, “The Neverending Story”, “Legend”, “The Last Unicorn”, “Labyrinth”, and more that is broken into four campaigns- “The Crystal, The Triforce, and the Shard of Division”, “Lord of Darkness”, “The Hunt for the Last Unicorn”, and “Princess of Destiny”. I’ve worked to find interesting ways to combine these elements and have specifically looked at their similar themes, such as the mare unicorn from “Legend” and the unicorn from “The Last Unicorn” becoming the same character in this story.
The world is populated with all manner of beings, from those included in the 5 Edition Source Books to more obscure beings from the mish-mashed elements here; Brownies, Fairies, stuff like that. Some races, such as the Hylians, may be represented by Elves, whereas others, like the Kokiri, might be represented by Gnomes. NPCs abound, be them good or evil. They will react reasonably to your actions; if you burn down the local inn at a town that is mostly lawful good, for example, the police force will come for you and you’ll have to decide how you want to proceed, either through violence of surrender. In contrast, if you if do something good for the NPCs of a village, town, city, or whatever, they will remember your kindness and may rewarded you justly.
Your enemies are vast in number. You may encounter threats in the world that are mundane, like bandits in the wild or marauding goblins, or you may come up with very smart, well organized, and deadly opposition that directly reports to one of the bigger threats like Darkness or Ganondorf. There is also the possibility that you could uncover a new threat, something else deadlier and more cunning than anything you previously known about as it plots to enter the world stage.
Or you could even create the threat yourself.
War On All Fronts
The courts of Hyboria scramble as threats rise out of the darkness all around them.
Lord Vader marches south across Fantasia, his military expertise and well regimented, highly diverse units smashing all that rise against him and driving the survivors before them. They have crushed the Halfling Khan’s of the Nockmaar Grasslands in the Battle of the Shem and have lain siege to the Tower of the Elephant and the urRu Mystics living there. Their sights are set further south, on Castle Grayskull…and possibly the Ivory Tower. THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, charged with reuniting the Dark Crystal and the Shard of Division are on a collision course with this juggernaut…and the question is…will they survive long enough in the face of this enemy to complete their mission?
Jareth, the Goblin King, has been cast out of the Labyrinth, his own Goblin army having turned on him. The usurper? Blix, the Goblin entrusted by the Lord of Darkness to kill the last two unicorns and plunge Hyboria into never-ending night, who now has possession of the stallion’s alicorn. Armed with near limitless magical offense, he has risen up to overthrow Jareth and rally the Goblins to him. It is now up to the band of heroes known as DAWN GUARD to wrest the alicorn from his control and unseat him from his new throne.
Ganondorf has cut a path of destruction across Hylia. Zora’s Domain is shattered, and the survivors hold on to what is left deep in their subterranean fortress. The Kokiri Village has been decimated and the Great Deku Tree is dying. Refugees flood the Kakariko Village and King’s Landing as the battle for Hyrule Castle turns for the worst. Now armed with the three Sacred Stones as well as the Triforce of Power and with his new ally, the Lord of Darkness, in tow, Hyrule Castle has fallen and the Temple of Time stands undefended. TWILIGHT EMBERS is hot on his trail as they scramble to learn what the Lord of Darkness’s new intentions are while they work with the Dawn Guard to find where the Last Unicorn has gone into hiding.
You can be almost any sort of character you want for this campaign within the bounds of reason. When you join this campaign, you’ll be given a campaign link which will grant you access to ALL of the sourcebooks except for Strixhaven and Fizban’s. Content sharing is enabled. I’m open to homebrew, but we’ll need to discuss how it works first.
You’ll start at level 4, allowing you to get somewhat of a grip on who you want your character to be. Unless you multiclass, this should at least allow you to get your Race / Class / Subclass figured out from the beginning. Ability Scores will be rolled. This campaign relies on its own personal Discord server for coordinating information and dice rolls. The Avrae bot is ready to go and has been programmed to give you three sets of rolled dice when you request them. These rolls are generous, a reflection of your character’s life in the world as he or she prepares for their next adventure.
An adventurer who has been living in the world will probably have some possessions that are important to them. You can begin the game with 3 Uncommon Items (the green ones when you Add Items).
There are a lot of opportunities to improve your character as they adventure around the world. I fully intend to allow training and educational opportunities for your characters, so if you plan to learn a new Language or improve an Ability Score or learn a new Feat between leveling up, just communicate with me so we can figure out what you need to do to make that happen.
Speaking of Feats, all characters will start with 1. For some builds, this means you could enter the game with at least two Feats. Variant Human, for example.
I know this sort of starting mechanic isn’t for everyone and that some folks feel like starting with good bonuses cheapens the game, but here’s my argument; you play DnD to have a good time and do cool shit. As your Dungeon Master, I’m here to make sure you get what you need to do said cool shit. Again, you’re a hero. You’ve been living in the world. You’re going to have done more than learn the basics by this point.
The Princess of Destiny
Princess Zelda Hyrule, a born successor in a long line of princesses in her name, has fled Hyrule Castle, spirited away by the Sheikah. Master rogues with a penchant for operating in the shadows and being seen only when they want to be seen, the Sheikah are her best chance for survival…but at a cost; the Princess of Destiny has with her the Ocarina of Time.
Atreyu, the military strategist aligned with the Ivory Tower and the Childlike Empress, has deemed locating Princess Zelda to be a top priority, and that she should be protected at all cost. Furthermore, it is imperative that the aligned Forces of Light get their hands on the Ocarina of Time before Ganondorf.
Not every encounter need be a combat encounter. You encounter a Goblin patrol in the woods? Try talking with them. It might not work, but then again it might. There’s also no shame in running from an encounter you know you and your party are not equipped to face.
Monster encounters will increase in frequency the closer the world comes to ending. Conversely, the more that is done to restore balance, the safer the lands will be. It is possible to encounter nearly any CR level of monster at any PC level, so be careful where you go! If you know an Ancient Dragon has been sighted in its lair at the top of a specific mountain you plan to explore, then perhaps that means it is time to turn back…for now.
There is also a high probability that many of these monsters you encounter could be working for enemy forces, supporting the efforts of characters like Ganondorf, who will stop at nothing to secure his seat on the Hylian throne and to capture the three pieces of the Triforce for himself, or even lesser villains like Calibos, who hunts the Last Unicorn for the Lord of Darkness. These boss type NPCs will be very prominent in the story of “AURYN”, so be prepared to encounter some or even all of them in your journeys.
Also, keep in mind that a high number of monster encounters are really just encounters with what is essentially an animal in this world. You may not recognize it immediately as an animal, but remember that this is a complex ecosystem different from our own. There are a lot of strange creatures that live here, and many of them will behave like animals. Not every fight will be a fight to the death. Maybe just leaving the area will deescalate the situation. And remember what I said about talking to goblins? The same thing can be said for the more intelligent monsters too; don’t just view them as monsters. Like some monsters being animals, some may be viewed as people.
It is also very possible, as I alluded a moment ago, that some monsters may not be malicious at all. Some may even be allies to the cause. Attacking them unnecessarily could severely hamper relations with their kind should you need their help later.
Have a hankering for a unique mount? Use your animal handling skills to try to tame something unusual…as long as it isn’t of evil alignment or otherwise obviously hostile.
One last thing. Remember when I said ‘not every fight has to be a fight to the death’? You can die. Your characters can be killed in this world, either through accident, trap, combat, condition, or disease. Never forget that.
The Ocarina of Time
Paramount in their struggle against Ganondorf is the Ocarina of Time, the magical heirloom of the Hyrule Royal Family that, combined with the appropriate melody, can unlock the chronological powers of the Pedestal of Time. With Ganondorf set to gain access to the Temple of Time, it becomes increasingly important that the Ocarina is found and kept from his grasp at all costs, preferably with the Princess of Destiny in tow.
Remember to start with three Uncommon Items. These can be pretty much anything green listed in the inventory section of character creation. These starting Uncommon Items can also be Homebrew, but please take note!- if you want a Homebrew Uncommon Item, either your design or someone else’s, you need to clear this with me first. Send me a PM here or on Discord at J.F. Capps#7996 and we can discuss.
I am a big proponent of allowing players to do cool stuff. I am also a big proponent of bending the rules to supplement this desire to allow you to do cool stuff and to maximize the joy of character development and game play. There are tons of cool magic items, cool spells, cool Feats, just cool stuff in general that we need to take advantage of.
Of course, to offset this, I’ve designed “AURYN” to be unforgiving. Your character can die (we’ll talk about this again later) pretty early on, in the right encounter, and can easily bite off more than they can chew as they are forced up against insurmountable odds, so I feel like these good starting bonuses are justified.
Remember, too, that the world is full of these items. They are in dungeons ready to be earned as loot, in towns and villages ready to be handed out as rewards, or may even come to the characters who are lucky enough to be heard by AURYN.
Become the Legend
AURYN is a unique campaign experience. Rules are important, but they play little role in the telling of our story. The players of AURYN are more interested in the story itself, the progression of the lore, and the epic journeys of the characters. The world is ever changing; in fact, the situation that the players started with when AURYN began in January 2022 has already evolved significantly, and in many ways that I, as the Dungeon Master, didn't even predict. Characters are being challenged with difficult decisions, powerful foes, and moral dilemmas. The characters, outfitted with bountiful knowledge of the world, are still encountering unknown environments and mysteries.
I can't give you on specific reason to apply AURYN, but I can certainly give you a list of things to think about-
Who We're Looking For
We need people who want to participate and write this story. AURYN is widely influenced by popculture, with nods to everything from the present and back, but with heavy nods toward the 80s and that eras dark fantasy settings. While you don't have to know all of these different references, it certainly helps to have a love for some of the source materials, with the most important being the following movies-
We are specifically looking for people who can post at least once a day, on average, although we understand that sometimes people can't be on everyday. When you post, it should be something of meaning; if you're the kind of player that shows up every now and then and posts something that is barely even a sentence you're not going to make it and will eventually be written out. Please, save myself and the other players the time and don't apply if this is you.
One of the biggest aspects of AURYN and its success is Discord. We use Discord not only to build a community amongst the people involved, but we also use it to coordinate character and player discussions / actions, roll dice, and share maps and movements. You'll notice that we keep very little OOC chatter in the other three AURYN threads, and it is because we use Discord so extensively. Anyone that wants to be a part of AURYN needs to have a Discord account and needs to be prepared to contribute to their team chat so that everyone can perform on the same page.
Getting Started
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT MAKING A CHARACTER SHEET AT THIS STAGE OF THE APPLICATION!
Please apply in THIS THREAD! Do not send applications via PM, Discord, or any other thread!
I love seeing diversity in players and characters, so anyone and everyone is welcome to join! Furthermore, once you join the AURYN campaign, you’ll be given access to ALL of the source books except for Fizban’s and Strixhaven (although I intend to add these soon).
More than anything else, I want to have fun. And I want you to have fun. That’s why people play D&D. With this in mind, I must insist that if you’re the kind of player that is a rules lawyer, stickler, overly confrontational…well, don’t join. If you do, and this sort of fun-killing behavior starts, I’ll eject you from the game. I’m all about constructive disagreements and so forth, but being a butthole will not be tolerated. Neither will sexism, racism, homophobia, or any sort of discrimination against a protected status, or really anyone for any reason, period.
I do prefer that only adults apply.
There will not be any sexual situations in this campaign. Now then, it will be completely acceptable for a character to be romantically seduced (think Jareth seducing Sarah at the ball or Darkness seducing Lili), but it won’t progress further than maybe, maybe a kiss, and then we’ll decide together what is appropriate.
Show me your awesome characters! You want to make a character that is a homage to an existing character, like Daenerys Targaryen or Luke Skywalker? Please PM me first (on DnD Beyond or on Discord at J.F. Capps#7996) so we can make sure the character fits and that someone else isn’t making that character (or that I don’t already have them inserted into the world as an NPC).
As stated previously, your character is a hero in this world, albeit a minor hero (for the moment). This is what I intend for starting characters-
You MUST have Discord! I’ll be coordinating most of this campaign through Discord, so I’ll add you to our own Discord server where you can roll your stats and we can talk back and forth about what’s going on in-game. I won’t be cluttering up the game play thread with post orders and all that, so you absolutely MUST be paying attention to Discord for this to work.
One last thing; the more effort you put into your character, the more likely you are to get to join. I don’t have a fixed number of players in mind at the moment, but I might run as many as two or three parties so that different groups can tackle different quests.
DO NOT REVEAL YOUR ALIGNMENT OR SPECIFIC MOTIVATIONS IN THIS THREAD! I will request your Alignment, Personality information, and motivations if I’m interested in your character. If we have an evil character that’s going to sabotage things, I want it to be a surprise.
Character Proposal:
Name-
Race- (remember you have access to almost all of the races and subclasses)
Class and Subclass- (remember you have access to almost all of the races and subclasses)
Backstory-
Available Races
All the races below are linked to their information. Scroll over and click to gain access to their links.
Aarakocra
Aasimar
Bugbear
Brownie
Centaur
Changeling
Dragonborn
Dwarf
Elf (Hylian)
Fairy (played as TINY vs Small)
Firbolg
Genasi
Gith
Goblin
Goliath
Gnome (Kokiri)
Grung
Halfling
Half-Elf (Half Hylian)
Half-Orc
Harengon
Hobgoblin
Human
Kalashtar
Kenku
Kobold
Korok
Leonin
Lightless
Lizardfolk
Locathah
Loxodon
Lupine
Minotaur
Orc
Satyr
Simic Hybrid
Shifter
Tabaxi
Tiefling
Tortle
Thri-Kreen
Triton
Vedalkan
Verdan
Warforged
Yuan-Ti Pureblood
Zora
There are multiple clans of Gelfling scattered throughout the world of Hyboria in which our story takes place, all of which are remnants living in pockets left over from the last Great War.
The Gift of Flight (Females Only)
Dousan Clan
Drenchen Clan
Grottan Clan
Sifa Clan
Spriton Clan
Stonewood Clan
Vapra Clan
Homebrew Subclasses
Jedi / Sith Knight (Subclass of Fighter)
Witcher (Subclass of Ranger)
The Original Recruitment Thread
Want more information on the world? Look here for the original recruitment thread! It's chock full of info about Hyboria and the circumstances that started the characters to this point in their development! However, this is a reference thread only! Do not apply in the link below!
AURYN: The Crystal, the Triforce, and the Shard of Division Recruitment Thread
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
DM of Legacy of NIMH
Updated some of the information in the above post.
Please apply to this thread. Do not use the original recruitment thread, PM, or Discord to send your application, though you can contact me if you have questions. Thanks!
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
DM of Legacy of NIMH
Character Proposal:
Name-
Project 15823TR-33Race- Warforged
Class and Subclass- Druid (Moon)
Backstory- They were left in a field and forgotten about by their creator due to them being not effective. They were created to endure but were not strong enough according to the creator. They knew that this would be their fate because while working for the creator they saw another machine very similar to them being created but with better parts and more time being used to create it. They had to watch in silence as they slowly got faded out from the spotlight for this new creation to take their place.
After a few years their creator took them to a field and just left them there. They slowly rotted and the wildlife consumed their body. As the nature slowly broke their body they realised that nature was slowly replacing their metal parts with natural parts. At rusted parts would scrapped away and replaced with moss then big slabs of metal would be torn out by ants and be replace by wood and finally once their heart ran out of energy the actual moon started to power them. Once the process was complete they took their first step in over 400 years and moved.
They now feel indebted to nature and strive to protect it at all cost.
This looks very interesting! I'm not the most well versed in some of these sources but have some basic knowledge at the very least. I have two characters I'd like to be considered for this with basic backstory information for each that will be expanded on if accepted (Using spoilers to keep it tidy):
Name- Mistral
Race- Air Genasi
Class and Subclass- 1Barbarian/3 Monk (Open hand)
Backstory-
Mistral grew up scavenging the streets with his father. There’s always a diamond in the rough ready to be found or stolen is what he was taught as some don’t appreciate the value of what they have right under their noses. His father used his sleight frame to suit his own needs and ambitions eventually leaving him for an “opportunity”, alone. Joining a youth gang as a teenager he learned the basics of fighting and the importance of having allies for protection while he waited for his fathers return, a wait that proved fruitless and left him filled with resentment. A few years of turf wars and disorganized petty crime eventually led him to pick a fight with a traveling monk who looked to have some interesting goods for the taking. The monk beat him brutally but saw potential in his resolve and persistence and offered him a chance to refine his skills and leave his life of on the streets. Though reluctant his fellow hooligans pushed him into this opportunity as chances like this were rare for folks like them. So he went with his new mentor: traveling, training, learning and refining not only his physical skills but also his mind. It’s been a decade with his master, he’s since completed most of his training.
Name - Javier Whitdew
Race - Human (Variant if allowed)
Class - Wzard (Abjuration)
Backstory -
Javier is a university scholar that specializes in the study of threats and defenses against other planes of existence. As a young boy, a portal opened in his town releasing a host of interesting yet terrifying beings that he had never seen before! While crisis was averted thanks to the local militia, he has since obsessed with those traversing from another world and has spent the better part of his life researching and studying as much as he can. He was never the most naturally gifted student, but was meticulous and worked diligently as time went along. Eventually, he was able to garner a research assistant position at a local university and serves as an adjunct faculty member in the school of defense (University name can be decided on at a later date). When not teaching, he travels the known worlds looking for clues and new information, taking on the role of pseudo archeologist whenever possible as his curiosity often gets the best of him.
Name: Hrothgar
Race: Variant human
Class: Fighter (purple dragon knight)
Background:
Hrothgar comes from respected family. His father Obrin is a paladin who is well known in the surrounding lands. At a young age his father trained Hrothgar to follow in his footsteps. Teaching him more then just how to fight. As a paladin Obrin led a group of soldiers called the Griffons Watch. One of which is Hrothgars uncle Tyron Bhadon, which is how his parents got introduced.
The Griffons watch kept the lands near it safe from the ever increasing evil. Leaning on political connections they respected group managed to maintain their numbers and replenish ranks. In his younger years Hrothgar was often taken to such meetings to learn not just to rely on his sword but to also understand politics and how to conduct himself in the presence of nobles and kings.
As the years passed the forces of evil grew both in number and in boldness. Raids on nearby towns were more frequent. The dire times called for action. The Watch lobbied for aid but their hands were forced by greater evil. The enemies number grew in a nearby fortress, preparing to lay waste to more towns. Many innocent lives would be lost so the Griffons Watch were called to arms. Led by Hrothgars father Obrin who rode his Griffon, a rare creature only ridden by the highest ranking soldiers in the Watch.
They went to strike the enemy first, choosing to battle away from the towns as Hrothgar was ordered to make sure the townsfolk left for safer cities. Also making sure Hrothgar and other younger soldiers would arrive at the battle later, keeping them safer.
When Hrothgars arrived the battlefield was covered in bodies of fallen allies and enemies. The Griffon banner stuck in the ground where a group held as long as they could. Inside the battle waged on and looked for his father. He was said to have battled a demon luitenant whos body was later found. But no sign of Obrin. Only a shattered gem, a ring and Obrins shield were found.
The battle cost many lives but was won. The few that survived returned to learn of a second army of enemies that would arrive shortly. They had no choice but to abandon the lands. With no defenders left several villages, crops and the Watch itself were destroyed. The lands now remain in hands of the enemy.
The Watch itself fell not long after. Without a leader and with so few numbers they could hardly defend much. Many nobles argued that it was Obrins fault the lands were lost, blaming the Watch for what had happened. Others honored the Watch and their sacrafice to save many. The family name is therefore received in various ways now.
Hrothgars uncle now takes care of the family as guard in a larger city. A means to an end. One that Hrothgar could not take. He was restless, not wanting to settle. He ventured forth to try and rebuild his name. Finding small groups to work as mercenaries or simply to do what they felt was right. Carrying his fathers shield with honor, still bearing the Griffons symbol on it. Learning to lead a group he started getting his own reputation, still small but gaining a foothold. Working hard to mend relationships and build trust. Something however still stirred as he started to search for greater steps to take. His newly found motivation pressing him to take further action.
Playstyle:
In roleplay and build going for a leader/captain role and also plan to type out actual speeches for inspirational leader to motivate as well as boast of group members deeds in taverns as a true leader should.
Hooks/items:
Have ideas on the 3 items but want to discuss them, also have hooks/goals that you wanted us to keep to ourselves for now, so will have to select me to discuss :)
Concept Art:
Hrothgar
His father Obrin/possible future old look:
Hello! First off I'm in love with this setting already, this is something that is right up my alley, a little about me, I'm readily active on here and also have discord so that won't be a problem, I usually post up in the evenings (GMT +1), I'm in my late 20s and go by He/him, For transparency I will say I was pointed in the direction of this thread by one of your current players and I'm currently in an active campaign with two of your current players.
so on with the Character Proposal!
Name; Travin Tiller
Race; A Junk Person, from the labyrinthine Junk fields (I'm thinking mechanically a Tortle but we could discuss homebrew race features if that's something that interests you!)
Class; Bard, College of Whispers.
Backstory; (I'm not sure if you have already fleshed out how the Junk fields interact with Hyboria, if so then this here could be changed as needed)
The Junk fields are situated in a strange little pocket realm which lies dimensionally speaking slightly to the left of the labyrinth, but within its walls.
It is used as a trap, a place where Jareth sends people that he wants to tempt off of the path to the Goblin castle.
The residents of the Junk fields are an odd bunch, their minds effected by the psychic invasion of the plane itself, this invasion makes them forget their previous lives and motivation, bending their will to one of a hoarding greed, a hunger.
A tribe formed long ago, the hierarchy of which is based upon, who so holds the most valuable or largest pile of material goods, holds the most sway and authority.
This makes newcomers to the realm prime targets for members of the tribe, newcomers have their valuables pulled from their psyche by the plane itself and physically manifested therein, rumbling up through the mountainous rubble.
The tribes people by necessity of their greed became manipulative and tricksy, using their charms or incessant pestering and sometimes inherent magic to take the material goods of the newcomers to add to their own stock pile, and so the cycle would begin again with a new member, then forgetting their past and focussing only on amassing their own protective shell of junk and inevitably joining the tribe to compete to become the best.
Travin has been a long term resident of the Junk fields, he has forgotten all from his previous life but his name, the only piece of junk remaining from that life a prized but broken Sax-A-Boom, All else he has lost and that which he has gained is not remembered from the time before the Junk fields.
Travin learned early that the newcomers responded better to charm and friendliness first and foremost, a sneaking condescension of their belongings here, and a feigned disgust in their newfound greed there, had them casting aside things that Travin would then swoop in and take for himself.
He also often found that he could weave magic into percussion instruments that he would cobble together from odds and ends around the piles, this gave him a slight edge in the manipulation game and led to Travin amassing a modestly large pile that he keeps as a shell around him and a good standing within the tribe, he looks for more ways to improve his magic, and in turn more ways amass the tribe's version of wealth.
But things changed when the Goblin king fell, his grasp on the pocket plane disappeared and all whom dwelled within the Junk fields were cast out, this shook a lot of the residents who needed the comfort they found in their possessive little homes of junk and they remained within the labyrinth, scrounging around in the spaces within the walls trying to find a way back into the fields.
Others like Travin, however, saw the freedom of opportunity, the chance to find new things and to amass more junk than any of the tribe had ever thought possible!
So began the journey of Travin as he seeks out the most precious Junk, and also seeks more powerful magic, and finally he seeks to fix his Sax-A-Boom, by whatever manipulative or charming means necessary!
Travin Tiller, Junk Dweller Bard, AURYN.
The Ironmaiden, Questionable Artificer, Descent into Avernus.
DM, Peacekeepers of Northmorrah
Name: Deius (Dei)
Race: Goliath
Class: 1 Monk/3 Barbarian (Totem)
Background:
A violent man turned humble, Once a being who tore threw those who had betrayed him leaving nothing by chaos and viscera in his wake. After which he left him ruined home and found himself in the frigid north. There he met a woman who would bear him a Son and give him a Family, Something he thought he would never hold in his grasp again. Yet the winter grew cold and with its biting winds and a Stranger pounding upon the door of their small home. This stranger proved an equal to Deius, casting the Man into a crevace where for what seemed like days the man lay until an old friend creeped up his spine, The screams and shouts of his family causeing a long buried anger to swell within. Pulling himself from up the crumbling earthen walls and returning home. The man found only blood and his wife's axe.
Inspired by Kratos from God of War.
Name: Malenia
Race: Variant Human or Elf
Class: Fighter (Jedi/Sith)
Background:
Edited for Secrecy.
I had thought about what Malenia would be like as a Jedi/Sith while fighting her, Her moveset really reminded me of how the Jedi/Sith fight. Using the Force to move her Prosthesis, with her actual saber concealed within it and ejecting out when she needs it.
Malenia - [Monk - Way of the Jedi] - Auryn: Princess of Destiny
Character Proposal: See below. Full disclosure: I am not familiar with any of the fantasy sources listed or referenced in the map (other than A Song of Ice and Fire books and Lord of the Rings of course). Happy to work with my character's background details to fit her into the story.
Name- Ereni Shaidaro
Race- Wood Half-Elf
Class and Subclass- Ranger (Gloom Stalker)
Backstory- See (first) spoiler below. As stated above, I'm happy to work with the details to better fit Ereni into this world and give her place in it.
Ereni's father was an army infantryman, scout and ad-hoc medic. Her mother was a mercenary (wood elf) archer in the same legion. They met during a military campaign together when she was injured.
Parents retired from the army to live in a woodland cottage in an area between a few towns and the forest. This is where Ereni spent her early childhood learning archery from her mother, rapier-dueling and herbal lore from her father and general forester skills and basic literacy from both. Exploring and sneaking through the darkest places in the forest, Ereni taught herself early in childhood. Both parents died in an orc raid that Ereni. still a youngster, barely escaped because she was out exploring in the woods, leading to Ereni's lifelong hatred of orcs and dark, dry, fatalistic humor as a coping mechanism.
While still in late adolescence, Ereni was conscripted into a mostly human army due to her knowledge of the forest and skills as a scout - an army raised ostensibly to fight the aforementioned orc incursions along with other armies raised by multiple local lords. Ereni made and lost friends during the campaign. Learned to be stealthy, scout effectively and efficiently, seeing what needed to be seen... to fight when needed, and not to trust crappy, glory-seeking commanders.
She made at least one major scouting mistake, causing some of her brothers and sisters in arms to be killed, something she will never talk about but will always feel the need to redeem herself for.
After the orc threat receded, the various human armies turned on each other and general looting of the countryside began. Ereni deserted and never looked back after her unit was ordered to sack a peaceful village. She has come to believe that friends and forests and innocent people (especially humans and elves) are worth saving. Lords, priests and generals not so much.
Mud(Paladin2):Frandal's Scourge/Inge(Barbarian1):Krayveneer's After the Fall/Seri(Cleric1/Sorcerer1):Uhtred's Windward Isles/Shin(Wizard2):Dimir_MTG's Surviving
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric3):Vos' Beyond the Veil/Soren(Druid4):Bartjeebus' Ravenloft/Nivi(Rogue3):Raiketsu's CoS/Lyra(Warlock2/Bard2):BlameItOnWinter's Will of the Ancients
Joren(Fighter5):NotDrizzt's Simple Request/Quyen(Adept1):Constance's Nentir Vale/Rel(Warlock2):Uhtred's Phandelver/Xarian(Fighter1/Wizard1):ShieldHero's Drakkenheim
Name- Julien Affré
Race- Human, variant
Class and Subclass-Wizard, Illusion
Backstory-
Julien and Alain were twins in so much as they share a birthday and the same parents. The similarities end there.
Alain is a warrior. He is tall, strong, handsome and a true boon to the village.
Julien is not a warrior. Born small, weak and sick he was nothing but a burden.
As a child Julien relied on his brother to protect him from bullies and the dangers of the world. That was until Julien realized his gift, he was very very smart. As he grew it became obvious that what Julien lacked in the body he more than made up for with his mind. He was simply brilliant and he knew it. He would read for hours on end. Devouring books became his only respite from an otherwise cruel existence. His mind expanded and he found that magic provided him with a strength that his body did not have. Emboldened by this revelation he studied endlessly, he practiced constantly and his power grew exponentially.
Unfortunately his body never did. Frail, weak and debilitated by a cough that could only be soothed by tea he was determined grow his magic to compensate for his physical limitations. He pleaded with his brother to accompany him on adventures, to protect him as he did when they were children. And so they did for a long time. They made an incredible team for years but as Julien's powers grew; Alain's body began to suffer the ravages battle and time.
Alain retired from adventuring even though he was still reasonably young. He earned enough for a comfortable life and settled down to start a family. This would never do for Julien. His quest for knowledge and power would not stop because of his brother failing body. He joined any adventuring party that needed his services and held promise.
Character concept based off Raistlin Marjere of the Dragonlance books. There are alot of deeper motivations which I did not put in this post but will discuss in DMs as requested.
DM -- The Candlekeep Mysteries 1 & 2 Discord PCs -- Christian Dembele Forum PCs -- Edryd Breckon, Fizzlebit Forton Thornberry the Fourth
I really like the overall concept and execution of what you've got going on here. I've watched or played nearly everything you've reference, although a lot of it was decades ago. Figured I would submit an old Mutants and Masterminds character that I played years ago.
Name - Serin Ra'jak
Race - Human (Variant)
Class and Subclass- 3 Fighter(Jedi Knight) / Monk 1
Backstory -
In the final days of the Galactic Senate, Jedi Master Kojin Malrician and his Padawan Serin Ra'jak are dispatched to investigate a strange disturbance in the force located in a previously unexplored quadrant of space. While still in transit to the unknown star system, Order 66 is issued to all clone troopers, including those dispatched with the Jedi.
A brief but fierce battle ensues, leaving Kojin dead, Serin mortally wounded and the ship damaged beyond all repair, derelict in space. With little hope and even less remaining life support, Serin Ra'jak desperately crawls his way to the cargo hold. With his last ounce of strength he throws himself into the carbon-freezing chamber before reaching out with the force one final time. The switch flips, releasing the carbonite that will save him but serve as his prison, perhaps forever.
Character Concept:
Not sure how Jedi fit in, but Vader is here, so I figure there must be some connection in story. I imagine Serin is your typical zealous Jedi Padawan, frozen for years in carbonite before he crash lands and finds Sith Lord Vader present. He chooses to resist, but perhaps has his own struggles with fear and doubt and the Darkside?
"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien
⒈Character Proposal:
Name- August Belmont (Formerly known as Tí)
Race- Variant Human
Class and Subclass- Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Backstory-
It begins with a boy, orphaned & left to his lonesome he’d be any other forgotten face in a small, obscured village of Hylia. Like any typical street urchin he’d steal & struggle to survive, feeding off leftover goods, pickpocketing & sharing whatever bounty he could stumble upon with his friends. Though ultimately, deep down throughout the hardships & joys he was able to muster there always arose a “dissatisfaction.” That was until one day, in stealing the bag of a peculiar old man & rummaging through its contents he’d find a book with an oddly familiar crest. While struggling to recognize it the old man had discovered him, cornering him in an alley & approaching to seemingly enact vengeance only to sit down & ask "would you like me to read it to you?" Recognizing the orphan to be illiterate & exhibiting an inexplicable humility, the boy found himself dumbfounded in his reaction but embarrassed at his own innate curiosity. He inevitably agreed & the two sat down while the old man read an epic account of the book’s hero, August Belmont. While reading a newfound spark lit the boy’s eyes as he was completely engrossed by the tale & its telling. For hours the old man spoke as if performing in front of an audience & with the intimacy as if he was the author himself. From sunrise to sunset he’d tell the tale till its bizarre conclusion, or more appropriately lack thereof. The boy became confused by this while the old man acted as if it was natural. He inquired if the book was even finished desperately needing an ending to the epic cliffhanger. The old man simply responded with "that’s because the story isn’t over" before raising himself & departing, leaving the boy with his book & words he’d ingrained into his heart. And from thereon the boy would seek to correct his life of petty crime & impoverished struggle with a newfound vigor akin to the epic hero he’d been told about. In fact, being so inspired he’d even take up his name as both homage & to further emulate the hero he wanted to be—August Belmont.
Name: Pag (pronounced Puck)
Race: Sifa Gelfing with a small parrot familiar that lives on his shoulder
Class: Rogue: Swashbuckler
Backstory: Plucky sailor whose lived most of his life at sea; depending on the DM’s preference, could be a young junior officer, or a middle-age captain who rose through the ranks.
Name: Cinder
Race: Tiefling
Class and Subclass: Sorcerer (Pyromancy)
Cinder was born and raised in a small, relatively unknown village called Redvale. The people of Redvale were a suspicious lot, but mostly kept to themselves. This was a workable situation for Cinder's family. Her father was a skilled engineer and artificer, and her mother was a blacksmith. Cinder meanwhile was the family wildfire. Quite literally. Born with a natural talent for pyromancy but without any training, Cinder almost burned down their home on three separate occasions. The first was the day that she was born. The second was when she was 5 and was frightened of the dark. She lashed out at a figure she thought she saw in the dark, setting some curtains ablaze. The third time was when she was 12. Her mother had been teaching her some basic smiting and she hit her thumb with a hammer. Flames erupted from her as if to protect her from some unknown assailant.
It was on this day that her father knew he needed to do something. His daughter had been lucky so far, only causing minor damage, but the town was being suspicious. As decent as some of the villagers were, they had a serious distrust and hatred for magic.
Cinder's father created a focus for her that would help her control and focus her power. She spent the next few years leaning how to craft and repair a set for herself. By the age of 17 she had had no more accidental flare ups and more or less had control of her inner fire. However by this time things in the village had been getting bad. Years of bad crop yields had led to outright famine. Cinder's family, already the town outcasts for being tieflings and for the many suspicious fires that had started in and around the home were the town's scapegoat.
The town arrived as a mob while Cinder was out getting firewood. They accused the family of being demons, of bringing evil to the town. They sealed the house and set it ablaze. By the time Cinder arrived it was too late. The town mayor, a man named Garrel Crane, wasn't finished however. He had Cinder arrested to be executed in the town square for "Endangering the town, committing evil acts of demonic sorcery, and general malfeasance". The headsman, a local woodsman and hunter brought out his sharpest are for the occasion. Before he could swing, Cinder broke out of her shock and did what she did best. She lost control. Flames erupted from her body breaking past the safety limits of her focus and shattered it. She passed out at some point during this inferno. Looking around the village was gone. The town square burnt down to ashes, the buildings beyond burnt out husks.
She felt no remorse. The people of Redvale had not been kind to her or her family. She returned to what was left of her home and buried her parents as best as she could. Afterwards she used what was left of the workshop to repair her focusing gear and left Redvale. She had no plans, but had no desire to remain at what was left of the town.
Character concept inspired by Chandra Nalaar from MTG.
I love the idea here, and it seems right up my alley, so I decided to make a character.
Name- Elvtyrr
Race- Elf (Hylian)
Class and Subclass- Warlock 3 (Hexblade) Sorcerer 1 (Divine Soul- though I am reflavoring it)
Backstory- Elvtyrr was born with the power to defy fate. No one truly knows where this power came from, but Elvtyrr was always able to beat the odds. As helpful as this power sounds, it made Elvtyrr a target his whole life, everyone wanting to use his power for their own gain. Elvtyrr fled from Hylia, hiding away somewhere where no one knew who he was. Elvtyrr grew older, hiding his powers from everyone, but joined a team of mercenaries to hone his skills so that Elvtyrr can protect himself if anyone from Hylia finds him. On a job, Elvtyrr was the sole survivor of an ambush, no doubt due to his powers. Elvtyrr drifted by himself for a long time, before finding a blade he could feel power emanating from. After taking the blade, Elvtyrr formed a pact with an ancient dragon, giving him more power to protect himself and get his revenge against those who have wronged him his whole life. Elvtyrr has returned home, finally knowing that he can fend for himself against his enemies.
If anything doesn't fully fit or if you want me to change something, let me know!
EDIT: If this doesn’t work, I also have an idea for a character inspired by Joker from Persona 5. Feel free to tell me what you like.
A lot of good applications! I'm still going through apps, making first round picks for follow up questions, etc, so there is plenty of time to apply for anyone who hasn't so far.
And if you haven't heard from me yet doesn't mean you won't. Just a slow process with initial talks and running the other three campaign threads at the same time folks, just FYI.
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
DM of Legacy of NIMH
Just another update for everyone. We are still accepting applications at this time, but some of the current applicants have already been accepted and I expect to start interviews with some of those who have already submitted. Don't be disheartened if you haven't heard from me. I wound up needing a few more than I originally had planned for, which is good news for ya'll, but just means it takes time to get around to everyone.
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
DM of Legacy of NIMH
Sounds like an awesome concept - can definitely post regularly and really think this type of campaign and game style will be a lot of fun.
Name- Flik Featherfoot
Race- Forest Gnome
Class and Subclass- 3 Lore Bard/1 Celestial Warlock
Backstory- Struck by wanderlust, Flik has spent her days travelling from tiny hamlet to tiny hamlet gathering tales and entertaining those she has met along the way with her bagpipes and flute.
Recently, Flik has dreamt of far away places, some filled with unimaginable beauty others with dark foreboding shadows. Throughout these dreams, she has heard a voice guiding her, protecting her and keeping her safe.
A soft growl, echoing with the sound of glittering stars, Flik has learnt that the voice belongs to Starmantle. Starmantle has appeared in Flik’s dreams, a large and noble Celestial Sabre-Tooth. Flik knows now the growls she hears are of encouragement and the roars of defiance bolster her courage in a ways both exhilarating and awe inspiring.
Starmantle has a job for her, the world needs saving and the Alicorn must be recovered. Flik might just be the one to make it happen. Great things come in small packages, and they don’t get much smaller than Flik!
Name- Berkum
Race- Duergar
Class and Subclass- 2 Monk/2 Spore Druid
Backstory- Living deep below the surface of Hyboria, Berkum grew up tending the fungal colonies of the Deep Monastery near his Clan’s outpost and learning the austere and secret language and intricacies of the spore network. When the time came for him to choose a craft, he joined the Monastery under the guise of taking his vows.
But it was the fungi that drew him to this choice and it wasn’t long before he spent more time among the the spores, learning more of their secrets and adapting to their symbiotic ways.
The spores now call Berkum upwards, towards the surface and the spread of war. But not everyone in the Deep Monastery supports Berkum’s decision…
Character Proposal:
Name- Pietro
Race- Kenku
Class and Subclass- Bard/College of Swords
Backstory-
Character Proposal:
Name- Shirin Nezzoban
Race- Drow
Class and Subclass- Ranger, Witcher
Backstory-
"Monsters. They plague the land everywhere humanity exists and beyond. They do not discriminate against the weak or strong, the rich or poor, the young or old - they lay in wait, preying upon those unfortunate enough to fall into their grasp. Many folk feel the same about us Witchers, and perhaps they are not all that far from the truth. But what truly defines a monster? Horns and scales? Sharp teeth and leathery wings? inhuman strength and speed? The definition of a monster lies within the eye of the beholder - I am not one to cast judgement, but the sword to carry the sentence for those with more coin than courage. It is my duty, my responsibility - and one I do not take lightly."
-Shirin Nezzoban, Witcher
Monster hunting isn't easy business. From ghouls to ghasts, drakes to wyverns, ogres to oranges - I mean, mimics. There's a lot of variety and therefore a lot to account for. Shirin has dedicated his life to the craft, hunting and researching creatures of every type to help those in need and make some coin in the process. For him there is no shortage of work, but his presence is always met with distain. Rumors and gossip amongst the commonfolk have turned the reputation of Witchers against them, with many believing them to be heartless bastards who have the skill to save the innocent but not without draining their pockets first. Many are met with disdain and suspicion, but that is nothing new for this Drow. If you'd ask him, he'd say he prefers it this way. A man of few words and a likeness to the darkness, he prefers to keep to himself most of the time, finding idle conversation outside of purpose to be a chore. Some find his company cold, while others are thankful they don't have to listen to the ramblings of a drunken bard constantly. But this is for certain - you will not find a better individual to watch your back while you sleep, or one to fight beside in the darkness.
Alright, I'd like to thank everyone that has applied. I'm still going to be doing some work in the background, but for now I'm going to stop applications. We may reopen in a couple of months if there is a need to fill spots.
Thank you so much to everyone who applied and all your hard work! There was a lot to decide here, and a lot of solid characters. Competition was stiff, so don't feel bad if you didn't make it this time; some of the players we currently have took a couple of tries to get it. Just watch for us to recruit again and try then!
Closed
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
DM of Legacy of NIMH