As a new DM I am testing out what I am wanting to run with my IRL group next month.
The game will start with the party as prisoners. Come up with a crime your character is accused of committing. You can be guilty or innocent and arrested without much evidence of your wrong doing, just let me know in your backstory.
Long ago, the Frozen King ruled the region of Varnholme, subjugating its people and leading them to ruin. The commonfolks of Varnholme ended the reign of the Frozen King in a great uprising, unseating the tyrannical king and putting him to death. The common folk located a sacred runeblade thanks to a group of heroes, that was used in the execution of their domineering king. Before his death he issued an oath, that has become known as The Oath of Winter, which states "Varnholme is mine in life - it shall remain mine in death. I shall return and restore glory to my kingdom. Then you will know the coldest winter - then you will suffer the slowest, surest death."
After his death, the Frozen King was entombed with his most loyal followers in the Maw of Black Ice, a mountain keep in Winter's Tongue, the far frozen north region of Varnholme. Once an old border outpost, the keep has been overtaken by the ages and the curse of the Frozen King. He has remained, sealed away for centuries, guarded always for fear of his oath coming to fruition....
Use Standard Array Create level 5 characters (with standard equipment, magic items to come later) Depending on interest I will pick characters by Thursday, Wednesday if I have plenty to chose from
Senenir was born to a poor human woman who was stolen from her home by a roving band of orcs. After his birth, his mother raised him and tried to protect him from the terrorizing of the orcs. He spent the first 34 years of his life under these circumstances before he made a fatal mistake. At the age of 34, he tried to steal a weapon from one of the orc guards and got caught. After being beaten within an inch of death, the orcs eventually decided that the punishment for his infraction would be the death of his mother. They tied his mother up and executed her in front of Senenir as he wept for forgiveness. As she lay on the ground bleeding out, an orc came from behind and knocked Senenir unconscious. Upon waking, he found that both his mother's body as well as the orcs had long left and he was alone in an unknown world. He soon stumbled upon the main road and began walking down it. Before long he came upon a traveling merchant who in fear of Senenir's green skin scrambled out of his carriage and drew a sword against him. Senenir charged and strangled the man to death sustaining several wounds in the process. Stealing the merchant's sword, he left the body where it was and found a small natural cave to hide in. It was in this cave that he was eventually discovered by the guards who took him away and arrested him for the murder of the traveling merchant.
After the ending of the Frozen King's rule, the power vacuum in the former monarchy inevitably led to the formation of secret syndicates focused on establishing footholds in the crumbling political landscape of Varnholme. One such society was a less than moral menagerie of souls determined to climb the ranks and earn more than their fair share of profit by committing all sorts of nefarious activity. One such individual was Zmiya, an ambitious trainee from an honorable monastery - after being involved with several altercations in Varnholme, his morals were influenced by the temptation of easy coin. So, he turned his skills in agility and subterfuge to crime - in just a couple years, he'd worked as an assassin, thief, vandalizer, you name it, all without evading capture or recognition for his actions. Unfortunately for him, he finds himself imprisoned, much to his chagrin, for something unrelated to his activities - he'd been caught underselling a product from his thieves' guild and was caught. To Zmiya, it is a mere annoyance - he'd broken out of prisons before, but as with everything, it required patience to wait until the right time, which is where he finds himself at the current moment.
Backstory: Sighdr (sig-HEADer) is a devout follower of the North Wind, a deity of storms and frost. He has been tasked as a Rime-Scour a sect of paladins devoted to weeding out corrupt individuals. Long story short, Sig exposed the wrong individual and was prosecuted as a heretic.
I was born into a hobgoblin tribe. as such, I grew up with weapons, learning how do wield them with skill; they were practically my religion. when i was 14, i decided to go on a quest, looking for ancient magic weapons. after a surprisingly short amount of time, one year, i found one. as a got close, i could feel its power emanating from it. when i touched it, trying to pick it up... my eyes flickered, then turned pure black. i was controlled by the weapon.
reason for imprisonment: the frozen king wanted to extract my power-i meant the weapon's power-and use it.
do we have to use starting equipment, or can we use starting gold instead?
Starting equipment you will have a patron who has furnished generic equipment and will have an opportunity to get a common and uncommon item soon after starting
if you dont like my... rather unusual backstory, i can change it to something my... regular.
I am going to change your reason for incarceration to: Caught trying to break into the Maw in search of the runeblade which is illegal. Since it is what is holding the king's ancient power in check.
If that is ok, the King has been dead for almost 2 centuries at this point.
Flindrinkin’s nomadic tribe had been too successful. They had become too numerous to support the meager resources they could glean from their mountain ranges. Strength competitions were utilized to “cull the herd” and Flindrinkin was one of several who lost their contest. Exiled from the tribe, the seven losers made their way out of the mountains. Most of them perished relatively soon due to their age and less than optimal health. Flindrinkin, however, grew stronger in the tribulations. After a year of exile, he was the lone survivor and had grown too complacent in poaching animals from the highland herdsmen. Caught. Now he finds himself in prison. Like a trapped animal, he is losing his mind trying to find a way of escape.
Flindrinkin’s nomadic tribe had been too successful. They had become too numerous to support the meager resources they could glean from their mountain ranges. Strength competitions were utilized to “cull the herd” and Flindrinkin was one of several who lost their contest. Exiled from the tribe, the seven losers made their way out of the mountains. Most of them perished relatively soon due to their age and less than optimal health. Flindrinkin, however, grew stronger in the tribulations. After a year of exile, he was the lone survivor and had grown too complacent in poaching animals from the highland herdsmen. Caught. Now he finds himself in prison. Like a trapped animal, he is losing his mind trying to find a way of escape.
Flindrinkin’s nomadic tribe had been too successful. They had become too numerous to support the meager resources they could glean from their mountain ranges. Strength competitions were utilized to “cull the herd” and Flindrinkin was one of several who lost their contest. Exiled from the tribe, the seven losers made their way out of the mountains. Most of them perished relatively soon due to their age and less than optimal health. Flindrinkin, however, grew stronger in the tribulations. After a year of exile, he was the lone survivor and had grown too complacent in poaching animals from the highland herdsmen. Caught. Now he finds himself in prison. Like a trapped animal, he is losing his mind trying to find a way of escape.
Even after the fall of the Frozen King, life in Varnholme wasn't easy. Haesteinn grew up in the small village of Lothdran, tucked in a shaded valley of Winter's Tongue. Winters were long and dark. Summers were brief and bittersweet. Everything they had, they had to take from someone else, and from a young age Haesteinn was taught to fight with whatever worked, no matter how unconventional. He trained with bow, blade, shield and spell. His first raid was in his 11th year. His first kill was in his 12th. In his 16th year he inherited his father's ceremonial witch-axe, Godrunnar, and received his traditional tattoos.
Godrunnar only amplified Haesteinn's bloodlust and greed, and the young man was no longer satisfied with small raids near Lothdran. He journeyed far afield, seeking his destiny. Meanwhile, the witch-axe whispers to him, preparing him for the greatest of conquests.
Crime and Punishment: Hungry and remorseless, Haesteinn attacked a merchant's caravan, slaughtering the guards in a barrage of magic and arrows. The merchant escaped, however, and two days later justice tracked down Haesteinn and jailed him. He awaits his punishment, but presumes it shall be death.
if you dont like my... rather unusual backstory, i can change it to something my... regular.
I am going to change your reason for incarceration to: Caught trying to break into the Maw in search of the runeblade which is illegal. Since it is what is holding the king's ancient power in check.
If that is ok, the King has been dead for almost 2 centuries at this point.
Lumenor was a courtier who was a favorite of the local Lord. He often accompanied the Lord on hunts and travels to nearby lands. Lumenor was proud and arrogant of his position, giving little thought to politeness to those to whom he didn't need to be polite. This rubbed people the wrong way but, while he held the Lord's favor, there was nothing they could do to him. So, a plan was hatched to discredit him and lead to his removal.
To avoid the nasty details, in brief, they murdered the Lord's favorite concubine, and implicated Lumenor with planted evidence and false testimony that he pushed himself upon the lady and when she refused he killed her. Despite his innocence, the Lord believed the other courtiers, but due to their relationship, instead of executing Lumenor, had him imprisoned.
Creed was born into a cult that followed Asmodeus. Her fiendish blood was viewed as a gift, and they raised her in hopes that she would eventually become one of the cult's most powerful members. When she was contacted by the archdevil himself and offered a pact, the cultists were overjoyed and forced her to accept. With this new power at their disposal, they made her participate in more and more intense rituals and sacrifices. But, their overconfidence became their downfall. They were eventually caught and the entire group was arrested, Creed included, even though she was never a willing participant.
As a new DM I am testing out what I am wanting to run with my IRL group next month.
The game will start with the party as prisoners. Come up with a crime your character is accused of committing. You can be guilty or innocent and arrested without much evidence of your wrong doing, just let me know in your backstory.
Long ago, the Frozen King ruled the region of Varnholme, subjugating its people and leading them to ruin. The commonfolks of Varnholme ended the reign of the Frozen King in a great uprising, unseating the tyrannical king and putting him to death. The common folk located a sacred runeblade thanks to a group of heroes, that was used in the execution of their domineering king. Before his death he issued an oath, that has become known as The Oath of Winter, which states "Varnholme is mine in life - it shall remain mine in death. I shall return and restore glory to my kingdom. Then you will know the coldest winter - then you will suffer the slowest, surest death."
After his death, the Frozen King was entombed with his most loyal followers in the Maw of Black Ice, a mountain keep in Winter's Tongue, the far frozen north region of Varnholme. Once an old border outpost, the keep has been overtaken by the ages and the curse of the Frozen King. He has remained, sealed away for centuries, guarded always for fear of his oath coming to fruition....
Use Standard Array
Create level 5 characters (with standard equipment, magic items to come later)
Depending on interest I will pick characters by Thursday, Wednesday if I have plenty to chose from
If you have any questions let me know.
can i use homebrew? specifically the blade born sorcerer on this forum: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/homebrew-house-rules/86757-illicit-esoterica-forms-content-and-surveys?page=1#c8
I am an average mathematics enjoyer.
>Extended Signature<
Senenir was born to a poor human woman who was stolen from her home by a roving band of orcs. After his birth, his mother raised him and tried to protect him from the terrorizing of the orcs. He spent the first 34 years of his life under these circumstances before he made a fatal mistake. At the age of 34, he tried to steal a weapon from one of the orc guards and got caught. After being beaten within an inch of death, the orcs eventually decided that the punishment for his infraction would be the death of his mother. They tied his mother up and executed her in front of Senenir as he wept for forgiveness. As she lay on the ground bleeding out, an orc came from behind and knocked Senenir unconscious. Upon waking, he found that both his mother's body as well as the orcs had long left and he was alone in an unknown world. He soon stumbled upon the main road and began walking down it. Before long he came upon a traveling merchant who in fear of Senenir's green skin scrambled out of his carriage and drew a sword against him. Senenir charged and strangled the man to death sustaining several wounds in the process. Stealing the merchant's sword, he left the body where it was and found a small natural cave to hide in. It was in this cave that he was eventually discovered by the guards who took him away and arrested him for the murder of the traveling merchant.
https://ddb.ac/characters/37799583/ynOeEi
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
Go ahead
thanks! I'll make an application soon!
I am an average mathematics enjoyer.
>Extended Signature<
I would be interested in joining!
Name: Zmiya
Race: Human (Variant)
Class: Monk - Way of the Shadow
Character Sheet: https://www.dndbeyond.com/profile/PlumPie/characters/38888836
Backstory / reason for imprisonment:
After the ending of the Frozen King's rule, the power vacuum in the former monarchy inevitably led to the formation of secret syndicates focused on establishing footholds in the crumbling political landscape of Varnholme. One such society was a less than moral menagerie of souls determined to climb the ranks and earn more than their fair share of profit by committing all sorts of nefarious activity. One such individual was Zmiya, an ambitious trainee from an honorable monastery - after being involved with several altercations in Varnholme, his morals were influenced by the temptation of easy coin. So, he turned his skills in agility and subterfuge to crime - in just a couple years, he'd worked as an assassin, thief, vandalizer, you name it, all without evading capture or recognition for his actions. Unfortunately for him, he finds himself imprisoned, much to his chagrin, for something unrelated to his activities - he'd been caught underselling a product from his thieves' guild and was caught. To Zmiya, it is a mere annoyance - he'd broken out of prisons before, but as with everything, it required patience to wait until the right time, which is where he finds himself at the current moment.
Great submissions so far thanks for the interest y'all!
https://ddb.ac/characters/38896188/khanCy
Backstory: Sighdr (sig-HEADer) is a devout follower of the North Wind, a deity of storms and frost. He has been tasked as a Rime-Scour a sect of paladins devoted to weeding out corrupt individuals. Long story short, Sig exposed the wrong individual and was prosecuted as a heretic.
Name: Alexander Swordsoul
Race: Hobgoblin
Class: sorcerer (blade born)
character sheet: https://www.dndbeyond.com/profile/WarlockThatSlaysDragons/characters/38897767
backstory:
I was born into a hobgoblin tribe. as such, I grew up with weapons, learning how do wield them with skill; they were practically my religion. when i was 14, i decided to go on a quest, looking for ancient magic weapons. after a surprisingly short amount of time, one year, i found one. as a got close, i could feel its power emanating from it. when i touched it, trying to pick it up... my eyes flickered, then turned pure black. i was controlled by the weapon.
reason for imprisonment: the frozen king wanted to extract my power-i meant the weapon's power-and use it.
I am an average mathematics enjoyer.
>Extended Signature<
do we have to use starting equipment, or can we use starting gold instead?
I am an average mathematics enjoyer.
>Extended Signature<
Starting equipment you will have a patron who has furnished generic equipment and will have an opportunity to get a common and uncommon item soon after starting
if you dont like my... rather unusual backstory, i can change it to something my... regular.
I am an average mathematics enjoyer.
>Extended Signature<
I am going to change your reason for incarceration to: Caught trying to break into the Maw in search of the runeblade which is illegal. Since it is what is holding the king's ancient power in check.
If that is ok, the King has been dead for almost 2 centuries at this point.
Flindrinkin’s nomadic tribe had been too successful. They had become too numerous to support the meager resources they could glean from their mountain ranges. Strength competitions were utilized to “cull the herd” and Flindrinkin was one of several who lost their contest. Exiled from the tribe, the seven losers made their way out of the mountains. Most of them perished relatively soon due to their age and less than optimal health. Flindrinkin, however, grew stronger in the tribulations. After a year of exile, he was the lone survivor and had grown too complacent in poaching animals from the highland herdsmen. Caught. Now he finds himself in prison. Like a trapped animal, he is losing his mind trying to find a way of escape.
https://ddb.ac/characters/38749206/p7PgZu
Mana - Verdan Bard - Dragon Heist
”I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” - Douglas Adams
”I’ve suffered a great many catastrophes in my life. Most of them never happened.” - Mark Twain
Your character link doesn't work. Like the backstory tho
Let's try this:
https://ddb.ac/characters/38749206/C2qRqe
Mana - Verdan Bard - Dragon Heist
”I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” - Douglas Adams
”I’ve suffered a great many catastrophes in my life. Most of them never happened.” - Mark Twain
Haesteinn Bluevein
Even after the fall of the Frozen King, life in Varnholme wasn't easy. Haesteinn grew up in the small village of Lothdran, tucked in a shaded valley of Winter's Tongue. Winters were long and dark. Summers were brief and bittersweet. Everything they had, they had to take from someone else, and from a young age Haesteinn was taught to fight with whatever worked, no matter how unconventional. He trained with bow, blade, shield and spell. His first raid was in his 11th year. His first kill was in his 12th. In his 16th year he inherited his father's ceremonial witch-axe, Godrunnar, and received his traditional tattoos.
Godrunnar only amplified Haesteinn's bloodlust and greed, and the young man was no longer satisfied with small raids near Lothdran. He journeyed far afield, seeking his destiny. Meanwhile, the witch-axe whispers to him, preparing him for the greatest of conquests.
Crime and Punishment: Hungry and remorseless, Haesteinn attacked a merchant's caravan, slaughtering the guards in a barrage of magic and arrows. The merchant escaped, however, and two days later justice tracked down Haesteinn and jailed him. He awaits his punishment, but presumes it shall be death.
Character Sheet: WIP
Another medical problem. Indefinite hiatus. Sorry, all.
sure
I am an average mathematics enjoyer.
>Extended Signature<
https://ddb.ac/characters/38901913/lFSZ2y
Name: Lumenor Darkstrider
Race: Shadar-Kai (Shadow Elf)
Class: Arcane Archer
Lumenor was a courtier who was a favorite of the local Lord. He often accompanied the Lord on hunts and travels to nearby lands. Lumenor was proud and arrogant of his position, giving little thought to politeness to those to whom he didn't need to be polite. This rubbed people the wrong way but, while he held the Lord's favor, there was nothing they could do to him. So, a plan was hatched to discredit him and lead to his removal.
To avoid the nasty details, in brief, they murdered the Lord's favorite concubine, and implicated Lumenor with planted evidence and false testimony that he pushed himself upon the lady and when she refused he killed her. Despite his innocence, the Lord believed the other courtiers, but due to their relationship, instead of executing Lumenor, had him imprisoned.
**By the Light of the Sun, you will burn!**
Previously BENEFICENCE
DM: Storm Lord's Wrath || Syr Valor Dayne: Sleeping Gods || tooltips | guides | dice |
https://ddb.ac/characters/38898711/Dt7JOs
Name: Creed
Race: Tiefling
Class: Warlock (Fiend)
Creed was born into a cult that followed Asmodeus. Her fiendish blood was viewed as a gift, and they raised her in hopes that she would eventually become one of the cult's most powerful members. When she was contacted by the archdevil himself and offered a pact, the cultists were overjoyed and forced her to accept. With this new power at their disposal, they made her participate in more and more intense rituals and sacrifices. But, their overconfidence became their downfall. They were eventually caught and the entire group was arrested, Creed included, even though she was never a willing participant.
Iris - Tiefling Cleric | Cassandra - Elf Warlock | Solace - Tiefling Monk | Tempest - Hexblood Monk | Lex - Fire Genasi Barbarian
Lilyn - Triton Ranger | Candor - Changeling Bard | Echo - Changeling Warlock/Bard | Rowan - Fairy Wizard