{TLDR: this is my character backstory for a charterer I have been working on for a while. The story is a mix 40k Gaunt's ghosts and frozen. The build is under "rogue sniper ghost warrior" in the forum.}
The party walked through the doors at the tavern. It was to be the first warm bed for them in 3 months. It was a small affair, but it offered warm food and bed. The hulking woman all but charged to the bar and put a platinum on the counter. "Open a tab tonight and round for everyone!'' Then she realized that there was only one person there.
"Better luck next time.' said the Nome. "Keeper, I'm the best bard around! Let us stay the night and I shall fill this bar for you."
"Sure little one but it will be a while before the miners are done in the mines. I'll set you up in room 3"
"Well that is done." said the Elf as he grab the key from the keeper. "I will be in the room."
The large woman sat next to the only person sitting at the bar. He was a stout man with whip like muscles and dressed in a long brown coat. he was nursing a steaming cup. "Platinum? Business must be good."
"Orcs, a war chief up north was giving people some trouble. We sign up with militia and gave them a good fight. Forced them into the badlands. The bosses think that winter would get them and send us on our marry way."
"It won't"
"It won't what."
"Winter isn't enough to stop orcs. At least you may win some more of those coins."
"Oh, how would you know."
Sipping his drink. He gave her a tired smile. "That is a long tale, are you sure you want to hear it?"
"A tale?" Said the Nome "Might as well there isn't much to do here"
"In a small city by the sea, I was packing up my stores for the winter when they came. Druids coming through the town with their ranger guards. a few come through regularly but this was a crowd of them. At first I thought of it as nothing and got on with it, but then the criers ran through the street calling up the militia and marines. We were to meet at the field in front of the town. I went to grab my armor and gear, because I was part of the marines you see. It was autumn and their was a chill breeze in the air. Our leaders were there and the oldest druid I have ever seen. Our leaders told us orcs were on the move. I thought the orcs must be were nuts. Why would they march in winter? Why not summer? Then the druid spoke he told us it wasn't just orcs but hobs as well and they don't just intend to siege the city. They intend to use sorcery and on coming winter to freeze the harbor and trap us in. There wasn't enough resources to stop them or time for reinforcements. If we didn't fight them and wound them here they would just keep marching down the coast. That left only the unthinkable. We could only evacuate part of the town by sea, before they arrived. The ships at anchor were setting up to winter to avoid the storms of the season. The captains didn't like suddenly having an entire town on their foot steps demanding passage. Their price was a steep one but we willingly paid it. We sent what few of the civilians we could off with some of us as arm guard to make sure the captains kept their word. those of use left behind set up for a long bloody winter. The orcs and hobs came. A pale woman wearing a pale blue dress was at their head. At a jester from her the harbor froze over, the air was so cold it was painful to breath and snow started to fall. Then the orcs charged. I was in one of the towers with my crossbow, my job was to snipe the leaders. The thing was with orcs you can hit them in the head and only thing it would do would be to annoy them. The first shoot is to crack their skull the next is to drop them. We kept them from the walls but the just pull back and charge some ware else. the druid's rangers were leading raids at night and druids at day were doing their best to keep us from freezing to death. We gave them a good fight but the moral broke when the old druid transformed as a bronze dragon and tried to kill the witch. It was something else to see him standing on the wall breathing fire down on the hoards. The witch and the druid dual on and off for a few months. Until she some how absorb the breath and shoot back an ice shard large enough to impale the dragon. He crushed the section of the wall. The orcs and hobs swarm over his corpse. We were driven back to deeper and deeper into the city. Until we were at the harbor master's manor with the rest the town taken over. Our last hope was the frozen harbor and the last druid in the city. She was injured early on and had to be kept back from the battle. She could shape change and carry enough supplies herself and few others to escape. Since those rangers all died when the hobs caught on and ambushed them all on one of those night raids. I was the only one fit enough even to think about escaping. She and I escaped and fled along the coast while the rest sold their lives dearly."
"How long was this." said the hulking woman.
"last winter I'm afraid."
"but why did the witch wanted to destroy your home?"
"I don't know and I really don't care. I have bigger fish to fry before I concern myself with her."
"And the druid what happen to her."
"Up stairs working on a spell or other. Well it's getting late and you my small friend have a promise to keep."
to be honest I don't know. I was thinking if another player wanted to share a backstory I would let it develop naturally with editing the character as the other player sees fit. If they don't I was thinking it would be fun to have her and Amell be divorced. A marriage built on depression and loneliness would I think fall apart. She divorcing him after a fight she wanting to fight the ice witch, he wanting to find his people. So, either a campaign would start off with at least a friendship between two of the characters or a really depressed Amell. he being the kind of soul to blame himself before others and with a rather casual disregard for the impossible would try to make amends.
That’s a cool idea but if she’s still an apprentice she may be too young to get married and divorced. Maybe have it be just a boyfriend-girlfriend breakup instead. But you know your character’s backstory way better than I do. Just something to think about.
[ thank you for your criticism, I did some editing to match the critique]
the backstory is
Amell was born in Uncle Sam's bar, son of a bard and a bar maid. (it's a bit of a joke for me to have all my characters be related to the same traveling bard.) Amell's mom didn't want her son's lack of a father limit her son and worked her hands to the bone to give her son the best education, which include the basics of magic. His uncle didn't want his nephew grow up to be a sissy boy and and try to teach him how to fight. Amell was absolutely terrible with large melee weapons but when he was given a bow things really take off.
In morning it was studies with his tutors, practicing with the bow in afternoon and working for Uncle Sam in the evening. When the bar fell on hard times Amell sign on with the Tanith marines for the money. It was after his first tour when his skill with bow marked him out for specialist training to become a sniper. In his second year was when Tanith fell. He barely escaped with Annabel Creed the last surviving druid of her circle. They traveled together for a year and found some comfort for their loss in each other. Until the day she revealed why Tanith fell. Her circle stole something powerful from an ice witch and hid it a way. He was livid that his people were scattered and impoverished for the circle's arrogance. Her grief grew into a desire for vengeance and wanted to find this artifact (insert curse artifact here) and use it to destroy the witch. She was hurt when Amell put his people over her vengeance and broke up with him and left.
Amell now is trying to make his way in the world, find his people, heal from the break up and eventually go after and help Annabel with her witch problem or save her from her self.
I think that would be the best point in time for it. By that time the build should start to feel like a sniper and the character should be well explored at that. I personally haven't had time to play the game because of college and work. I've writing characters just for stress relief.
I hope so. But some how I ended up mixing in Garus from mass effect into Amell's character. Oh well, if I don't play either of them I might write a novel about the two.
{TLDR: this is my character backstory for a charterer I have been working on for a while. The story is a mix 40k Gaunt's ghosts and frozen. The build is under "rogue sniper ghost warrior" in the forum.}
The party walked through the doors at the tavern. It was to be the first warm bed for them in 3 months. It was a small affair, but it offered warm food and bed. The hulking woman all but charged to the bar and put a platinum on the counter. "Open a tab tonight and round for everyone!'' Then she realized that there was only one person there.
"Better luck next time.' said the Nome. "Keeper, I'm the best bard around! Let us stay the night and I shall fill this bar for you."
"Sure little one but it will be a while before the miners are done in the mines. I'll set you up in room 3"
"Well that is done." said the Elf as he grab the key from the keeper. "I will be in the room."
The large woman sat next to the only person sitting at the bar. He was a stout man with whip like muscles and dressed in a long brown coat. he was nursing a steaming cup. "Platinum? Business must be good."
"Orcs, a war chief up north was giving people some trouble. We sign up with militia and gave them a good fight. Forced them into the badlands. The bosses think that winter would get them and send us on our marry way."
"It won't"
"It won't what."
"Winter isn't enough to stop orcs. At least you may win some more of those coins."
"Oh, how would you know."
Sipping his drink. He gave her a tired smile. "That is a long tale, are you sure you want to hear it?"
"A tale?" Said the Nome "Might as well there isn't much to do here"
"In a small city by the sea, I was packing up my stores for the winter when they came. Druids coming through the town with their ranger guards. a few come through regularly but this was a crowd of them. At first I thought of it as nothing and got on with it, but then the criers ran through the street calling up the militia and marines. We were to meet at the field in front of the town. I went to grab my armor and gear, because I was part of the marines you see. It was autumn and their was a chill breeze in the air. Our leaders were there and the oldest druid I have ever seen. Our leaders told us orcs were on the move. I thought the orcs must be were nuts. Why would they march in winter? Why not summer? Then the druid spoke he told us it wasn't just orcs but hobs as well and they don't just intend to siege the city. They intend to use sorcery and on coming winter to freeze the harbor and trap us in. There wasn't enough resources to stop them or time for reinforcements. If we didn't fight them and wound them here they would just keep marching down the coast. That left only the unthinkable. We could only evacuate part of the town by sea, before they arrived. The ships at anchor were setting up to winter to avoid the storms of the season. The captains didn't like suddenly having an entire town on their foot steps demanding passage. Their price was a steep one but we willingly paid it. We sent what few of the civilians we could off with some of us as arm guard to make sure the captains kept their word. those of use left behind set up for a long bloody winter. The orcs and hobs came. A pale woman wearing a pale blue dress was at their head. At a jester from her the harbor froze over, the air was so cold it was painful to breath and snow started to fall. Then the orcs charged. I was in one of the towers with my crossbow, my job was to snipe the leaders. The thing was with orcs you can hit them in the head and only thing it would do would be to annoy them. The first shoot is to crack their skull the next is to drop them. We kept them from the walls but the just pull back and charge some ware else. the druid's rangers were leading raids at night and druids at day were doing their best to keep us from freezing to death. We gave them a good fight but the moral broke when the old druid transformed as a bronze dragon and tried to kill the witch. It was something else to see him standing on the wall breathing fire down on the hoards. The witch and the druid dual on and off for a few months. Until she some how absorb the breath and shoot back an ice shard large enough to impale the dragon. He crushed the section of the wall. The orcs and hobs swarm over his corpse. We were driven back to deeper and deeper into the city. Until we were at the harbor master's manor with the rest the town taken over. Our last hope was the frozen harbor and the last druid in the city. She was injured early on and had to be kept back from the battle. She could shape change and carry enough supplies herself and few others to escape. Since those rangers all died when the hobs caught on and ambushed them all on one of those night raids. I was the only one fit enough even to think about escaping. She and I escaped and fled along the coast while the rest sold their lives dearly."
"How long was this." said the hulking woman.
"last winter I'm afraid."
"but why did the witch wanted to destroy your home?"
"I don't know and I really don't care. I have bigger fish to fry before I concern myself with her."
"And the druid what happen to her."
"Up stairs working on a spell or other. Well it's getting late and you my small friend have a promise to keep."
"Wait what's your name before you go?"
"It's Amell. Amell Black."
Outside the Lines Fantasy – A collection of self published fiction stories.
Needs editing, but not bad. What’s the relationship between Amell Black and the Druid girl?
to be honest I don't know. I was thinking if another player wanted to share a backstory I would let it develop naturally with editing the character as the other player sees fit. If they don't I was thinking it would be fun to have her and Amell be divorced. A marriage built on depression and loneliness would I think fall apart. She divorcing him after a fight she wanting to fight the ice witch, he wanting to find his people. So, either a campaign would start off with at least a friendship between two of the characters or a really depressed Amell. he being the kind of soul to blame himself before others and with a rather casual disregard for the impossible would try to make amends.
Outside the Lines Fantasy – A collection of self published fiction stories.
That’s a cool idea but if she’s still an apprentice she may be too young to get married and divorced. Maybe have it be just a boyfriend-girlfriend breakup instead. But you know your character’s backstory way better than I do. Just something to think about.
[ thank you for your criticism, I did some editing to match the critique]
the backstory is
Amell was born in Uncle Sam's bar, son of a bard and a bar maid. (it's a bit of a joke for me to have all my characters be related to the same traveling bard.) Amell's mom didn't want her son's lack of a father limit her son and worked her hands to the bone to give her son the best education, which include the basics of magic. His uncle didn't want his nephew grow up to be a sissy boy and and try to teach him how to fight. Amell was absolutely terrible with large melee weapons but when he was given a bow things really take off.
In morning it was studies with his tutors, practicing with the bow in afternoon and working for Uncle Sam in the evening. When the bar fell on hard times Amell sign on with the Tanith marines for the money. It was after his first tour when his skill with bow marked him out for specialist training to become a sniper. In his second year was when Tanith fell. He barely escaped with Annabel Creed the last surviving druid of her circle. They traveled together for a year and found some comfort for their loss in each other. Until the day she revealed why Tanith fell. Her circle stole something powerful from an ice witch and hid it a way. He was livid that his people were scattered and impoverished for the circle's arrogance. Her grief grew into a desire for vengeance and wanted to find this artifact (insert curse artifact here) and use it to destroy the witch. She was hurt when Amell put his people over her vengeance and broke up with him and left.
Amell now is trying to make his way in the world, find his people, heal from the break up and eventually go after and help Annabel with her witch problem or save her from her self.
Outside the Lines Fantasy – A collection of self published fiction stories.
This is great! I really like his backstory.
Well, outside of the pretty blatant incorrect English—which I won't judge since I don't know your first language—it's pretty good.
As Penelope said, definitely needs editing.
Ecthelion Q'Xorlarrlin, Scribe of the Moonwood, Heir to House Xorlarrlin, Mage, and Lord of FIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
Baenre? Cool.
I have been editing and revising it on and off for the past few days. The sad thing is, English is my first language.
Outside the Lines Fantasy – A collection of self published fiction stories.
Maybe when Amell reaches ninth level he should try and go find Annabel again.
I think that would be the best point in time for it. By that time the build should start to feel like a sniper and the character should be well explored at that. I personally haven't had time to play the game because of college and work. I've writing characters just for stress relief.
Outside the Lines Fantasy – A collection of self published fiction stories.
I’ve done the same thing lol.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/story-lore/84368-by-the-moon-in-winter
here is Annabel's backstory
Outside the Lines Fantasy – A collection of self published fiction stories.
This is a really cool backstory. Amell and Annabel make a good couple.
I hope so. But some how I ended up mixing in Garus from mass effect into Amell's character. Oh well, if I don't play either of them I might write a novel about the two.
Outside the Lines Fantasy – A collection of self published fiction stories.
Nice!!