Character name: Ssejocret Sibilance Species: Dragonborn (Green) Class/eventual subclass: Monk. Way of the Long Death if 2014 sources are allowed, Warrior of the Elements if only 2024 options are allowed. Background: If reflavoring is allowed then Sailor (I just want the mechanical benefits). If not then Scribe or Wayfarer. Ability scores: Strength 13, Constitution 14, Dexterity 17, Intelligence 13, Wisdom 14, Charisma 14. Backstory:
Ssejocret was born to a merchant family but showed no aptitude for numbers or sales and lacked the build to even stock shelves. Setting off to find some form of employment, he arrived at a monastery seeking purpose in life. He was offered a place there as an acolyte and ended up accepting. If nothing else it provided room and board while he stayed there.
Ssejocret took to training like a duck to water. He showed remarkable aptitude at martial arts, but the other Monks noted his temper and the clear enjoyment he got from fighting. It was drilled into him again and again that martial arts were meant for self-defense, not personal gain or pleasure.
Tired of bland meals, platitudes about the importance of peace, and menial labor, Ssejocret left the monastery after deciding he’d learned all he could there. He's come to Oakhurst's Festival of the Golden Apple hoping to claim the grand prize for himself. Even if he can't use the Apple's powers for himself the money he could get for it would let him live well for quite a while.
Character name: Sister Teresa Species: Human Class/eventual subclass: Cleric (Life) Background: Acolyte Ability scores: (Rolled 9, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15) Str 10 Dex 14 Con 12 Int 12 Wis 16 Cha 9 Backstory:
Teresa was the 10th born out of 11 children to a pair of hardworking farmers. They were successful enough, kept the family fed, hired some hands and still kept enough to send some of their older children off to try to climb up in society, through high falutin' learning, or military service. Teresa, with her tending to sick and injured animals and later, people seemed cut for a different path. When she was 14, she was packed up and sent to Hearthhome, the temple to Vestria, goddess of home and healing in a nearby large town. When the town was besieged by raiders and almost destroyed, she rallied the novices she was training with and they went out into the fight, healing the defenders and turning the tide of battle. She knew then that tending to the wounded inside the temple walls would not be enough, that she had to go out into the world and find a way to battle the forces of darkness.
Name: Hurn Durlbin Species: Dwarf Class/ Eventual Subclass: Druid/ Circle of Stars Background: Guide Backstory:
Hurn hails from the village of Durmire known to others as the Stone Garden as it was built into an overgrown dwarven ruin. The Dessarin hills are dotted with such ruins but only 1 still have dwarves still living in them. His mother was the best stone carver in the village, and she always made a point of drilling into Hurn what she knew about masonry and stone carving. She taught not just the how but why she works the same way dwarves in his family line have done for generations. Now his father was something else as he always seems to have his head in the clouds and would leave for journeys that can and have lasted years. When he was younger, he thought he would live his whole life In Durmire. Maybe being a stone carver like his mother, a skilled smith, or a proud dwarven warrior. He apprenticed for a time for each profession only to find none quite fit him. Those days he had many restless nights debating with himself whether he was being overly picky.
Years went by and it seems he would muddle into being a watchman which sits in a tower watching the Dessarin Hills. It was midwinter and his eyes were deeply glazed as he was not looking at anything in particular. A strong hand grabbed hold of the back of his armor and dragged him all the way down below the watchtower and into the old ruins. When he finally struggled free expecting some bandit only to find it was his father. Hurn stared in disbelief as his father standing before him in polished armor and a grim expression that would make old great grandfather Durlbin proud. For once in his life, he felt very small and embarrassed as his father asked him if this is the life he wanted. Such a question from his father the dreamer who left home at the drop of a hat. Hurn wanted to hurl insults but deep down he knew he gave up finding his path in life as he settled for a simple life in Durmire. Moments of silence passed between father and son. Words that needed to be said was spoken through his father's eyes and firm clasp on his shoulder.
Together they went back home, and he found his mother had his pack ready full of basic supplies. Next to it was armor forged from steel. Simple in design but masterfully crafted. Excitement welled in the pit of his stomach as he gave his parents back breaking hugs. Travel in winter is not the wisest decision but one he gladly made. He left the only home he knew and headed to the bustling city Yartar to the north. That was the first time he had seen so many people in one place and people that were not dwarves were strange and fascinating to him. His first night there he was hoodwinked and robbed. Waking with just his clothes was humiliating.
He was too ashamed to head home so he sold his services and became a hireling. Hauling heavy junk for an excentric woman fond of bright robes and hair that looked like a bird's nest with twigs and leaves too. In time Hurn started picking some druidic skills from Old Madam Lowry. On top of hauling heavy loads Hurn was in charge of the pigeon coop on the roof. The monotony of daily life left no one to talk to but himself and one day he heard an answer only to find no one there except for the pigeons. He sat down hard and wondered was he going insane. Was he trapped in this rickety building so long that his grip on reality has shaken? Then he heard even more voices, and he realized they came from the pigeons. Crushing fear became elation. Which was cut short when Old Madam Lowry charged him a hefty bill for her time as Hurn's teacher in the druidic arts. Hurn didn't know whether to laugh or lash out in anger. it took him almost everything he had saved from his meager income to pay that bill though on the way out he found near the door his pack and armor he thought lost. A thought twinged through his brain. Was Madam Lowry the thief who stole from him? He turned to her, and she had a serene expression. Thinking it unwise to question her Hurn quickly left. He traveled for a time to test his newfound powers and at times work as a guide. That was when he heard about the Golden Apple. Obtaining one would surely put a feather in his cap. With that he left for Oakhurst.
As agreed, swapping second lowest score to a 16 while keeping the 8. Adjusted: 14 / 13 / 16 / 12 / 11 / 8
Character name: Uthal "Mountainvigor" Gathakanathi Species: Goliath Class/eventual subclass: Barbarian (not sure, but probably Path of the World Tree or Berserker unless the story pushes him more to Zealot) Background: Sailor (or Giant Foundling if legacy 2014 backgrounds and feats are allowed) Ability scores: 16 / 14 / 16 / 8 / 12 / 11 (after background adjustments) Backstory: (Assuming Giant Foundling background is allowed. If not, I can adjust...)
Ideally, Uthal's backstory works better when he's paired with another PC, especially one who is smaller and "squishier," like a rogue, wizard, sorcerer, or even a cleric. We haven't agreed to create joint back stories yet, but I'll just assume that I can do that with one of the other PCs (Friend#1).
Uthal's earliest memories were of life in the great "home" at the peak of a mountain where clouds often passed by below them like a great white ocean. It was beautiful, but lonely, and everything in his home was so big! He used to dream of the day when he would finally grow up and be able to stride about the rooms and up the stairs easily, like his "father" did. Father helped him and tried to teach him, but Uthal could tell that he was unsure how to raise a child. Uthal blamed himself for being not as clever as Father. When Uthal asked about his mother, Father always changed the subject. It wasn't until he reached adulthood and and first met an adolescent "cousin" that Uthal understood that there was something different about him. After that, Father finally explained that Uthal was a Goliath, not a true Giant. Father had found Uthal alone on the mountain 16 years before, either abandoned by his parents or perhaps taken by a Giant Eagle and then accidentally dropped. Father felt sorry for the child, and not knowing what to do, he took the young boy home and named him Uthal.
After that, Uthal felt a strong desire to meet others like himself. He finally left home -- with Father's blessing and advice! -- and slowly made his way down the mountain. It took him many days to learn to understand the people whose villages he found in the hills below the his mountain home. These little men spoke quickly and with such feeble voices! At first, he thought that they must be faeries because they lived in such tiny houses. Over time, as he walked from village to village, Uthal learned that he could trade work for food and permission to sleep in a barn or field so that he didn't have to hunt and find shelter, but he was still lonely.
That's when Uthal met Friend#1! He was traveling the road to the next village, and as he came around a bend, he saw a three men with their backs to him, large clubs in their hands, threatening someone. "Not fair. 3 against 1," he thought. He quickly moved up behind the group of men and knocked one to the ground, shouting, "Leave them alone!" After a brief fight, it was just him and the one whom the bandits had ambushed. They asked where he was going. "Where I go? I go there," he pointed in the direction the road led. The answer seemed obvious to him, but maybe they were just confused after the fight. They just laughed and said, "Well, friend, so do I. Perhaps we could travel together?" A friend?! Of course, Uthal agreed.
Uthal was glad that they did most of the talking: that way he could just smile and nod even if he didn't understand what they were saying. He was interested to learn that Friend#1 was traveling to a specific town. (He wondered how they even knew where to go.) Even better, Friend#1 never gave him that look when he asked questions or was slow to understand something. They were kind and patient. When they reached the next town, Uthal was going to work for their meal and a place to sleep, but his new friend talked to the farmer. They called it "haggling." And they paid for their food and lodging with little shiny pieces of metal. Uthal thanked his friend and asked where they got "the little shiny bits of metal." It took a while to explain his question, and his friend just laughed when they finally understood that he was talking about the "coins." They suggested, "Stick with me, and I'll make sure that we never lack for coin!" Uthal agreed, mostly just because he was happy to have a friend and companion. They found the "jobs" and explained what Uthal had to do, and Uthal happily did his part and went wherever his friend led them.
Eventually, they joined up with others ("More friends!"). Now they're going to a town -- "Oak Hers-T" -- where there's a competition. "I like games!", Uthal says, flexing his arms. He has earned them quite a few coins at various games of strength, speed, and throwing during their travels. Now, Friend#1 said that they're going to compete for a golden apple. Uthal is not sure whether the apple is covered in gold or there's gold in the apple. He's sure that Friend#1 explained it, but he cannot remember. He's just happy to be on the road with friends, headed to a new town, and excited to try to win the prize.
Quirks: Uthal likes to pick pretty flowers and press them in a book that he keeps specifically for that purpose (since he only barely knows how to read and write).
Just one other question: are legacy (2014) backgrounds and feats allowed, following the rules in Backgrounds and Species from Older Books, when there's no equivalent in 2024? I think that I originally used the Giant Foundling background for the character I wanted to submit, but I can adjust the backstory to fit one of the 2024 backgrounds, if the legacy content is not allowed.
Class/eventual subclass: Sorcerer - Either lunar sorcery or divine soul
Background: Guide
Ability scores: 14, 10, 14, 16, 7, 12
Backstory: Those who knew Mira always suspected she was born from a tale rather than a cradle. She had been found as an infant on the riverbank at dawn, wrapped in a cloak no one recognized, and taken in by the farmers of a nearby village. Her first memories are not of hearths or households but of rivers humming like silver strings, of stars reflected in still water, and of apples sweet enough to taste like sunlight. Stories clung to her skin the way dew clings to meadow grass. Villagers whispered about her oddness — the girl who braided wildflowers into her hair, who sang to frogs and foxes, who left little gifts for the moon — but Mira only laughed. The world, she thought, was too alive not to greet it properly.
Her wandering began as a way to escape their watchful stares, but soon became her truest joy. In the meadows and woods she felt at home, as though the world itself were waiting to share its secrets. It was this that brought her eventually to Caelen: a bard with eyes like a summer storm, whose voice could coax a smile from even the gloomiest heart. He found her singing to a scarecrow in a fallow field, convinced it looked lonely. Instead of mocking her, he joined in with his lute, and by the end of the song she was laughing so hard she fell into the hay. That was the beginning.
Together, they made their days into a kind of fairytale. They traded songs with shepherds for bread, held mock duels with willow branches, and played at inventing new constellations on cloudless nights. To Caelen, Mira was not strange but wondrous, and to Mira, Caelen was proof that she belonged to this world after all.
But tales twist when least expected. A journey to forgotten ruins turned sharp when they discovered a jewel that glowed with its own light. It should have been another moment of laughter, another story to tell — yet the shadows there stirred. Mira remembers crying out, unable to see, a surge of magic spilling from her, the air trembling as though the world itself held its breath. When the storm of sound and silence cleared, the jewel was gone. And so was Caelen.
There were no remains, no farewell, only absence — too abrupt to be natural. Some said he abandoned her. Others whispered that she’d imagined him all along. But Mira knows better. She feels the hollow space where his laughter should be, like a missing stanza in a song. Sometimes she wakes at night certain she’s heard his voice in the river, humming to her like he always did.
The Festival of the Golden Apple peaks her interest. A fruit that heals, restores, bends the endings of stories? It might hold the key to finding Caelen again; or at least to discovering what became of him. Perhaps it is only foolish hope — but Mira has always believed foolish hope is the best kind.
Backstory: The pursuit of true knowledge has been the driving force in Leif’s many years of wandering. Though he has travelled from libraries to wizard towers to hermit hovels, he really respects the insights he gleans from animals most. It is true what they say about dogs for instance, they know a ‘good’ person versus a ‘bad’ one. Leif is truly intrigued by the origin and history of the golden apple. So much so he is entertaining thoughts of entering the tournament…
Character name: Gell Greystone Species: Orc Class/eventual subclass: Paladin/Eventually either Glory or Ancients depending on ic events Background: Noble Ability scores: STR(15(+1) DEX(13(+1) CON(14) INT(11) WIS(10) CHA(15(+1) Backstory:
Gell Greystone was born into a family that earned its noble title not quite through bloodline, but 'bought' through their many monetary contributions over the years to a city that would become their main home. Their great fortunes having been amassed through various mercantile businesses, as well as an inheritance left behind by a forebearer, a supposed son of a warlord that foresook domination and strife for the adventuring life of all things! Or so was the story told to Gell in his youth, though only part of the details ever really concerned him. For despite his parents best efforts, he cared little for their 'tuskless' endeavors to maintain the wealth and connections that more often than not lacked in any honor to it.
In time they realized just how stubborn a soul he was to be, so they'd hatched a plan. They would cater to his longing for adventurer, so long as he trained hard for it. To that end, they hiring teachers, retired mercernaries with some experience moonlighting as adventurers, and gave them few restrictions on how they could go about 'preparing' their son. Their hope was that the harsh training my at best scare their son away from his foolish notions, and at worse cultivate the sort of discipline that might make him yet useful to the family. Gell not only endured, but over time met and exceeded his trainer's expectations. Even then, he hungered for ever greater challenges, believing whole heartedly that he was destined for greatness. Thus, when he came of age, and with little more than some absconded gear and coin for the road, the Orcling ran off in search of adventure!
Things had not gone as well as he had hoped, of course. Partially because his parents hadn't been above send others to try and retrieve him. But, he persevered and eventually found himself in Oakhurst, chasing rumors of a tournament. While he didn't have high hopes of the tourney making him nearly as famous as his ancestors, it was to be the first of many challenges he'd face in writing a greater tale!
Character name: Eithne Yllirien Species: Wood Elf Class/eventual subclass: Barbarian (subclass probably Tree) Background: Soldier Ability scores: Str 12 Dex 16 Con 16 Int 11 Wis 10 Cha 11 Backstory:
Some time ago, the community of the wood elf maiden Eithne was disastrously annihilated. Eithne remembers nothing else about it; no details. But something terrible must have happened, for since that distant day, when she awoke, in the middle of the battlefield where everyone else died (and where she must have been left for dead), the Voices have been a part of her.
Yes, the Voices... for Eithne hears voices in her mind. So many voices. Voices of the wood elves of her slaughtered community. Confused and left without anyone dear or that she can trust anymore, Eithne is forced to begin a wandering existence, but she also matures the decision to make the culprits pay at all costs for what they have done! And there's not a day that the Voices in her mind don't remind her of this.
Learning that the tournament winner walks away with the grand prize—the festival's eponymous golden apple—and that this magical fruit has several properties, Eithne decides to participate. Perhaps the magical fruit will be able to restore her lost memories, in whole or in part!
My apologies to all who applied, but between my other PbP and a personal project I want to work on, I cannot devote my time to this campaign. May your characters find a home in a new adventure.
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Would I be able to change my 5 to something? It's my lowest stat rolled and I already have one above 15.
Ability scores: 17 14 13 14 14 13
Character name: Ssejocret Sibilance
Species: Dragonborn (Green)
Class/eventual subclass: Monk. Way of the Long Death if 2014 sources are allowed, Warrior of the Elements if only 2024 options are allowed.
Background: If reflavoring is allowed then Sailor (I just want the mechanical benefits). If not then Scribe or Wayfarer.
Ability scores: Strength 13, Constitution 14, Dexterity 17, Intelligence 13, Wisdom 14, Charisma 14.
Backstory:
Ssejocret was born to a merchant family but showed no aptitude for numbers or sales and lacked the build to even stock shelves. Setting off to find some form of employment, he arrived at a monastery seeking purpose in life. He was offered a place there as an acolyte and ended up accepting. If nothing else it provided room and board while he stayed there.
Ssejocret took to training like a duck to water. He showed remarkable aptitude at martial arts, but the other Monks noted his temper and the clear enjoyment he got from fighting. It was drilled into him again and again that martial arts were meant for self-defense, not personal gain or pleasure.
Tired of bland meals, platitudes about the importance of peace, and menial labor, Ssejocret left the monastery after deciding he’d learned all he could there. He's come to Oakhurst's Festival of the Golden Apple hoping to claim the grand prize for himself. Even if he can't use the Apple's powers for himself the money he could get for it would let him live well for quite a while.
Ability scores: 15 9 13 16 16 11
Just being a pleasant human:
Y'all have some fun ideas
Ability scores: 9 14 12 9 11 15
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
Character name: Sister Teresa
Species: Human
Class/eventual subclass: Cleric (Life)
Background: Acolyte
Ability scores: (Rolled 9, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15) Str 10 Dex 14 Con 12 Int 12 Wis 16 Cha 9
Backstory:
Teresa was the 10th born out of 11 children to a pair of hardworking farmers. They were successful enough, kept the family fed, hired some hands and still kept enough to send some of their older children off to try to climb up in society, through high falutin' learning, or military service. Teresa, with her tending to sick and injured animals and later, people seemed cut for a different path. When she was 14, she was packed up and sent to Hearthhome, the temple to Vestria, goddess of home and healing in a nearby large town. When the town was besieged by raiders and almost destroyed, she rallied the novices she was training with and they went out into the fight, healing the defenders and turning the tide of battle. She knew then that tending to the wounded inside the temple walls would not be enough, that she had to go out into the world and find a way to battle the forces of darkness.
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
Name: Hurn Durlbin
Species: Dwarf
Class/ Eventual Subclass: Druid/ Circle of Stars
Background: Guide
Backstory:
Hurn hails from the village of Durmire known to others as the Stone Garden as it was built into an overgrown dwarven ruin. The Dessarin hills are dotted with such ruins but only 1 still have dwarves still living in them. His mother was the best stone carver in the village, and she always made a point of drilling into Hurn what she knew about masonry and stone carving. She taught not just the how but why she works the same way dwarves in his family line have done for generations. Now his father was something else as he always seems to have his head in the clouds and would leave for journeys that can and have lasted years. When he was younger, he thought he would live his whole life In Durmire. Maybe being a stone carver like his mother, a skilled smith, or a proud dwarven warrior. He apprenticed for a time for each profession only to find none quite fit him. Those days he had many restless nights debating with himself whether he was being overly picky.
Years went by and it seems he would muddle into being a watchman which sits in a tower watching the Dessarin Hills. It was midwinter and his eyes were deeply glazed as he was not looking at anything in particular. A strong hand grabbed hold of the back of his armor and dragged him all the way down below the watchtower and into the old ruins. When he finally struggled free expecting some bandit only to find it was his father. Hurn stared in disbelief as his father standing before him in polished armor and a grim expression that would make old great grandfather Durlbin proud. For once in his life, he felt very small and embarrassed as his father asked him if this is the life he wanted. Such a question from his father the dreamer who left home at the drop of a hat. Hurn wanted to hurl insults but deep down he knew he gave up finding his path in life as he settled for a simple life in Durmire. Moments of silence passed between father and son. Words that needed to be said was spoken through his father's eyes and firm clasp on his shoulder.
Together they went back home, and he found his mother had his pack ready full of basic supplies. Next to it was armor forged from steel. Simple in design but masterfully crafted. Excitement welled in the pit of his stomach as he gave his parents back breaking hugs. Travel in winter is not the wisest decision but one he gladly made. He left the only home he knew and headed to the bustling city Yartar to the north. That was the first time he had seen so many people in one place and people that were not dwarves were strange and fascinating to him. His first night there he was hoodwinked and robbed. Waking with just his clothes was humiliating.
He was too ashamed to head home so he sold his services and became a hireling. Hauling heavy junk for an excentric woman fond of bright robes and hair that looked like a bird's nest with twigs and leaves too. In time Hurn started picking some druidic skills from Old Madam Lowry. On top of hauling heavy loads Hurn was in charge of the pigeon coop on the roof. The monotony of daily life left no one to talk to but himself and one day he heard an answer only to find no one there except for the pigeons. He sat down hard and wondered was he going insane. Was he trapped in this rickety building so long that his grip on reality has shaken? Then he heard even more voices, and he realized they came from the pigeons. Crushing fear became elation. Which was cut short when Old Madam Lowry charged him a hefty bill for her time as Hurn's teacher in the druidic arts. Hurn didn't know whether to laugh or lash out in anger. it took him almost everything he had saved from his meager income to pay that bill though on the way out he found near the door his pack and armor he thought lost. A thought twinged through his brain. Was Madam Lowry the thief who stole from him? He turned to her, and she had a serene expression. Thinking it unwise to question her Hurn quickly left. He traveled for a time to test his newfound powers and at times work as a guide. That was when he heard about the Golden Apple. Obtaining one would surely put a feather in his cap. With that he left for Oakhurst.
As agreed, swapping second lowest score to a 16 while keeping the 8.
Adjusted: 14 / 13 / 16 / 12 / 11 / 8
Character name: Uthal "Mountainvigor" Gathakanathi
Species: Goliath
Class/eventual subclass: Barbarian (not sure, but probably Path of the World Tree or Berserker unless the story pushes him more to Zealot)
Background: Sailor (or Giant Foundling if legacy 2014 backgrounds and feats are allowed)
Ability scores: 16 / 14 / 16 / 8 / 12 / 11 (after background adjustments)
Backstory: (Assuming Giant Foundling background is allowed. If not, I can adjust...)
Ideally, Uthal's backstory works better when he's paired with another PC, especially one who is smaller and "squishier," like a rogue, wizard, sorcerer, or even a cleric. We haven't agreed to create joint back stories yet, but I'll just assume that I can do that with one of the other PCs (Friend#1).
Uthal's earliest memories were of life in the great "home" at the peak of a mountain where clouds often passed by below them like a great white ocean. It was beautiful, but lonely, and everything in his home was so big! He used to dream of the day when he would finally grow up and be able to stride about the rooms and up the stairs easily, like his "father" did. Father helped him and tried to teach him, but Uthal could tell that he was unsure how to raise a child. Uthal blamed himself for being not as clever as Father. When Uthal asked about his mother, Father always changed the subject. It wasn't until he reached adulthood and and first met an adolescent "cousin" that Uthal understood that there was something different about him. After that, Father finally explained that Uthal was a Goliath, not a true Giant. Father had found Uthal alone on the mountain 16 years before, either abandoned by his parents or perhaps taken by a Giant Eagle and then accidentally dropped. Father felt sorry for the child, and not knowing what to do, he took the young boy home and named him Uthal.
After that, Uthal felt a strong desire to meet others like himself. He finally left home -- with Father's blessing and advice! -- and slowly made his way down the mountain. It took him many days to learn to understand the people whose villages he found in the hills below the his mountain home. These little men spoke quickly and with such feeble voices! At first, he thought that they must be faeries because they lived in such tiny houses. Over time, as he walked from village to village, Uthal learned that he could trade work for food and permission to sleep in a barn or field so that he didn't have to hunt and find shelter, but he was still lonely.
That's when Uthal met Friend#1! He was traveling the road to the next village, and as he came around a bend, he saw a three men with their backs to him, large clubs in their hands, threatening someone. "Not fair. 3 against 1," he thought. He quickly moved up behind the group of men and knocked one to the ground, shouting, "Leave them alone!" After a brief fight, it was just him and the one whom the bandits had ambushed. They asked where he was going. "Where I go? I go there," he pointed in the direction the road led. The answer seemed obvious to him, but maybe they were just confused after the fight. They just laughed and said, "Well, friend, so do I. Perhaps we could travel together?" A friend?! Of course, Uthal agreed.
Uthal was glad that they did most of the talking: that way he could just smile and nod even if he didn't understand what they were saying. He was interested to learn that Friend#1 was traveling to a specific town. (He wondered how they even knew where to go.) Even better, Friend#1 never gave him that look when he asked questions or was slow to understand something. They were kind and patient. When they reached the next town, Uthal was going to work for their meal and a place to sleep, but his new friend talked to the farmer. They called it "haggling." And they paid for their food and lodging with little shiny pieces of metal. Uthal thanked his friend and asked where they got "the little shiny bits of metal." It took a while to explain his question, and his friend just laughed when they finally understood that he was talking about the "coins." They suggested, "Stick with me, and I'll make sure that we never lack for coin!" Uthal agreed, mostly just because he was happy to have a friend and companion. They found the "jobs" and explained what Uthal had to do, and Uthal happily did his part and went wherever his friend led them.
Eventually, they joined up with others ("More friends!"). Now they're going to a town -- "Oak Hers-T" -- where there's a competition. "I like games!", Uthal says, flexing his arms. He has earned them quite a few coins at various games of strength, speed, and throwing during their travels. Now, Friend#1 said that they're going to compete for a golden apple. Uthal is not sure whether the apple is covered in gold or there's gold in the apple. He's sure that Friend#1 explained it, but he cannot remember. He's just happy to be on the road with friends, headed to a new town, and excited to try to win the prize.
Quirks: Uthal likes to pick pretty flowers and press them in a book that he keeps specifically for that purpose (since he only barely knows how to read and write).
Thanks!
Just one other question: are legacy (2014) backgrounds and feats allowed, following the rules in Backgrounds and Species from Older Books, when there's no equivalent in 2024? I think that I originally used the Giant Foundling background for the character I wanted to submit, but I can adjust the backstory to fit one of the 2024 backgrounds, if the legacy content is not allowed.
Ability scores: 17 14 15 16 12 13
Whoops, realised I did that wrong. I'll try again!
14101416712
Interesting spacing but works I guess lol
Character name: Mira
Species: Sea Elf (or maybe Water Genasi)
Class/eventual subclass: Sorcerer - Either lunar sorcery or divine soul
Background: Guide
Ability scores: 14, 10, 14, 16, 7, 12
Backstory:
Those who knew Mira always suspected she was born from a tale rather than a cradle. She had been found as an infant on the riverbank at dawn, wrapped in a cloak no one recognized, and taken in by the farmers of a nearby village. Her first memories are not of hearths or households but of rivers humming like silver strings, of stars reflected in still water, and of apples sweet enough to taste like sunlight. Stories clung to her skin the way dew clings to meadow grass. Villagers whispered about her oddness — the girl who braided wildflowers into her hair, who sang to frogs and foxes, who left little gifts for the moon — but Mira only laughed. The world, she thought, was too alive not to greet it properly.
Her wandering began as a way to escape their watchful stares, but soon became her truest joy. In the meadows and woods she felt at home, as though the world itself were waiting to share its secrets. It was this that brought her eventually to Caelen: a bard with eyes like a summer storm, whose voice could coax a smile from even the gloomiest heart. He found her singing to a scarecrow in a fallow field, convinced it looked lonely. Instead of mocking her, he joined in with his lute, and by the end of the song she was laughing so hard she fell into the hay. That was the beginning.
Together, they made their days into a kind of fairytale. They traded songs with shepherds for bread, held mock duels with willow branches, and played at inventing new constellations on cloudless nights. To Caelen, Mira was not strange but wondrous, and to Mira, Caelen was proof that she belonged to this world after all.
But tales twist when least expected. A journey to forgotten ruins turned sharp when they discovered a jewel that glowed with its own light. It should have been another moment of laughter, another story to tell — yet the shadows there stirred. Mira remembers crying out, unable to see, a surge of magic spilling from her, the air trembling as though the world itself held its breath. When the storm of sound and silence cleared, the jewel was gone. And so was Caelen.
There were no remains, no farewell, only absence — too abrupt to be natural. Some said he abandoned her. Others whispered that she’d imagined him all along. But Mira knows better. She feels the hollow space where his laughter should be, like a missing stanza in a song. Sometimes she wakes at night certain she’s heard his voice in the river, humming to her like he always did.
The Festival of the Golden Apple peaks her interest. A fruit that heals, restores, bends the endings of stories? It might hold the key to finding Caelen again; or at least to discovering what became of him. Perhaps it is only foolish hope — but Mira has always believed foolish hope is the best kind.
Character name: Leif Aulderoot.
Species: Forest Gnome
Class/subclass: Wizard/Illusionist
Background: Sage
Ability scores: 14 16 13 10 10 9
Backstory: The pursuit of true knowledge has been the driving force in Leif’s many years of wandering. Though he has travelled from libraries to wizard towers to hermit hovels, he really respects the insights he gleans from animals most. It is true what they say about dogs for instance, they know a ‘good’ person versus a ‘bad’ one. Leif is truly intrigued by the origin and history of the golden apple. So much so he is entertaining thoughts of entering the tournament…
“I am a leaf on the wind! Watch how I soar.”
Let's see what we're working with here...
Ability scores: 11 13 15 15 10 14
Goyo - [Tortle]Druid/Warlock - Circle of Sea/Celestial (Libretalia)
Drozo - [Hobgoblin]Cleric - Blood Domain (Call of the Netherdeep)
Character name: Gell Greystone
Species: Orc
Class/eventual subclass: Paladin/Eventually either Glory or Ancients depending on ic events
Background: Noble
Ability scores: STR(15(+1) DEX(13(+1) CON(14) INT(11) WIS(10) CHA(15(+1)
Backstory:
Gell Greystone was born into a family that earned its noble title not quite through bloodline, but 'bought' through their many monetary contributions over the years to a city that would become their main home. Their great fortunes having been amassed through various mercantile businesses, as well as an inheritance left behind by a forebearer, a supposed son of a warlord that foresook domination and strife for the adventuring life of all things! Or so was the story told to Gell in his youth, though only part of the details ever really concerned him. For despite his parents best efforts, he cared little for their 'tuskless' endeavors to maintain the wealth and connections that more often than not lacked in any honor to it.
In time they realized just how stubborn a soul he was to be, so they'd hatched a plan. They would cater to his longing for adventurer, so long as he trained hard for it. To that end, they hiring teachers, retired mercernaries with some experience moonlighting as adventurers, and gave them few restrictions on how they could go about 'preparing' their son. Their hope was that the harsh training my at best scare their son away from his foolish notions, and at worse cultivate the sort of discipline that might make him yet useful to the family. Gell not only endured, but over time met and exceeded his trainer's expectations. Even then, he hungered for ever greater challenges, believing whole heartedly that he was destined for greatness. Thus, when he came of age, and with little more than some absconded gear and coin for the road, the Orcling ran off in search of adventure!
Things had not gone as well as he had hoped, of course. Partially because his parents hadn't been above send others to try and retrieve him. But, he persevered and eventually found himself in Oakhurst, chasing rumors of a tournament. While he didn't have high hopes of the tourney making him nearly as famous as his ancestors, it was to be the first of many challenges he'd face in writing a greater tale!
Imagery:
Goyo - [Tortle]Druid/Warlock - Circle of Sea/Celestial (Libretalia)
Drozo - [Hobgoblin]Cleric - Blood Domain (Call of the Netherdeep)
Rolls: Ability scores: 12 10 14 11 11 10
if you don’t roll at least one 15+, the lowest roll becomes 15.
==> 12 15 14 11 11 10
Character name: Eithne Yllirien
Species: Wood Elf
Class/eventual subclass: Barbarian (subclass probably Tree)
Background: Soldier
Ability scores: Str 12 Dex 16 Con 16 Int 11 Wis 10 Cha 11
Backstory:
Some time ago, the community of the wood elf maiden Eithne was disastrously annihilated. Eithne remembers nothing else about it; no details. But something terrible must have happened, for since that distant day, when she awoke, in the middle of the battlefield where everyone else died (and where she must have been left for dead), the Voices have been a part of her.
Yes, the Voices... for Eithne hears voices in her mind. So many voices. Voices of the wood elves of her slaughtered community. Confused and left without anyone dear or that she can trust anymore, Eithne is forced to begin a wandering existence, but she also matures the decision to make the culprits pay at all costs for what they have done! And there's not a day that the Voices in her mind don't remind her of this.
Learning that the tournament winner walks away with the grand prize—the festival's eponymous golden apple—and that this magical fruit has several properties, Eithne decides to participate. Perhaps the magical fruit will be able to restore her lost memories, in whole or in part!
My apologies to all who applied, but between my other PbP and a personal project I want to work on, I cannot devote my time to this campaign. May your characters find a home in a new adventure.