Char name: Resso Race: Changeling Alignment: Chaotic Good Class: Sorcerer Prof: Calligrapher's Supplies, Smith's Tools Lang: Common, Deep Speech, Sylvan
FYI: I copy pasted snippets of lore about the locations of Secomber and Daggerford.
Early years
Resso was born and raised in Secomber, a small town located atop three stone hills on the northern banks of the southern-running Unicorn Run river and the western-running River Delimbiyr. Directly south of the town was the dangerous High Moor. To the north, along the Secomber Trail, was Uluvin.
When Resso was young he wasn’t aware of the fact that there was something off about him. His parents were loving and took good care of him. He was home schooled and besides a few neighbourhood friends he played with every once in a while he pretty much took to himself.
It wasn’t until he got a bit older that he noticed, since he had to explain to some of the kids that they had played together before, that something was going on. He came home one day and explained to his parents that he had to tell Jimm that his name really was Resso and that they had played together only a couple of weeks before. That’s when his parents revealed something to him that he had not noticed before. His mom in a loving voice and really calm asked if he ever wondered why they didn’t have a mirror in their house. Resso said he had never given it much thought and now that she asked I suggested it might be because a mirror is expensive. There is truth to his explanation, actual mirrors made out of glass are really expensive, especially the bigger ones and they weren’t that wealthy at all. But then she took out a small mirror and gave it to him. She said have a good look at yourself in this mirror. And Resso did so. Then she told him to go and play for the remainder of the day in the house and they would continue this talk the next day. Resso was a bit surprised she didn’t want to talk further as she hadn’t explained why he had to go through all that with Jimm.
The next day in the morning his mom came to his bed as he woke up and she again handed the small glass mirror to him. He looked at it and was surprised to see a different boy looking back at him. He looked up at her and then saw a slight troubled smile. She told him that ever since his birth he had changed his own appearance every single day. His parents never questioned this and accepted him just as he was and therefore they never talked about it. He was their boy and they would love him no matter what.
At this time Resso asked why he was different and looked at his mother for an answer. But there was no clear answer, she didn’t know and they had protected him from people who might not have understood. From that day on Resso started to practice his ability, to try and stick to one appearance every single day. At some point that worked almost automatically, when he woke he would check the small mirror his mom had given him on that special day and he would see the face he preferred looking back at him. Other days he would look in the mirror and he saw a random face, he would concentrate and change his appearance.
Missing parents
At about the age of 16 years old, Resso had mastered his innate ability to change his appearance, meaning he was able to hold his appearance day and night. He had made new friends, including Jimm and they now would recognise his appearance. He had started to learn smithing at the local black smith. His father, a scribe, had taught him to write in all manner of nice ways. He was convinced that with these skills he would one day find a nice job at one of the largest blacksmith shops in a neighbouring city, Daggerford. Daggerford is a small but consequential town located in the Delimbiyr Vale within the greater Sword Coast. While it is primarily a farming community, and considered by some to be a stopover town, the town has great ambitions to grow and be seen as an alternative to their northern neighbour of Waterdeep.
As he travelled to Daggerford and started looking for a job at the bigger blacksmith called Cromach's Smithy, there he found that they would take him in as an apprentice. He would have to work and learn, in exchange he would get room and board and a small allowance.
One night he was working the iron, it was a personal project, he was making a gift for his mother and with a loud bang someone entered the blacksmith. It was a large man, rough and dirty looking. He entered the shop and demanded a long sword from Resso. Resso was not to simply give weapons to anyone who asked. He wasn’t allowed to sell weapons at all yet. As an apprentice one may only sell metal items that can not hurt anyone, not even a kitchen knife. So Resso refused the large man, who then became very angry with Resso.
An argument was started and as the large angry bear of a man came closer and closer with mean eyes Resso panicked. In his panic he lost control of his power for a second and his appearance instantly changed into a mirror image of the man that was about to attack him.
The large man shocked at the sudden appearance of Resso stopped mid shop and started yelling: “Devil!!” “Demon!!” “Help!! Help!!”
In a few moments the blacksmith came into the shop and saw two men who looked identical, one screaming at the top of his lungs, the blacksmith grabbed a hot poker and demanded an explanation. Resso who was still shook by this experience regained his composure and automatically reverted back to his “normal” appearance.
Now too the blacksmith yelled at him and demanded he had to leave and could never come back. Resso didn’t get to get his possessions and scurried away from the blacksmith.
After a few days of wandering around and looking for a place to work and sleep he found that he was nowhere welcome. He left the city, back to his parents house. As he came to the front door it was wide open and he hurried inside. His parents were not to be seen inside their house. He slept in hopes of them returning home but they didn’t.
The following days he looked for them, asking around but no one had known or seen anything. He could not find his parents and so he stayed at home waiting for them. First days passed, days turned into weeks and weeks into months. But they did not return.
Resso’s days consisted of, checking up on the message boards for he had put up a poster. 20 gold for anyone who could find his parents. Some came to claim the reward, but they never had a real inkling of where his parents were. They simply tried to get some money with fake leads and false promises.
He had picked up the blacksmiths job at the local smithy. Earning some coin to pay for taxes and food. At night he searched for ways to find his parents. First he looked for conventional ways, when those didn’t lead to any results he started to look for more exotic ways. Well not exotic more in the way of arcana. He read about wizards and sorcerers, and finally decided he would find a way to figure out what had happened to his parents.
After about a year of searching and researching he figured, if he were to find a magical way of finding his parents he would have to go out and find himself a teacher. A wizard or sorcerer that would teach him the basics.
He arranged for Jimm to take care of his parents house and in return of staying there Jimm would pay the taxes and make sure Resso would get a message if his parents would return.
He left for an even bigger city, Waterdeep. There he would go and find someone to help him understand magic. Once in Waterdeep he looked for a wizard or sorcerer that would at least talk to him and hear him out. As he was not someone of any significance he found that no one even would grace his question with an answer. So to tie himself over he headed towards a smithy and asked for a way to prove he was worth investing in. After he proved that he could handle the smithing tools and heat despite his small frame and stature he was allowed to stay and work for a couple of weeks, or at least until he had finished his business in the city.
Working at the smithy gave him the opportunity to see some of the folk who would come in service of their masters to buy some item or weapon that would then be imbued with magical properties. After a while he overheard the blacksmith talk to one of the servants that came to pick up a sword at the end of a long day of work. Resso was able to finish up his workday just in time to go out and follow the servant.
After a few minutes walking the servant stopped dead in his tracks and as Resso came closer, the servant suddenly turned around and looked him in the eyes. The servant turned out to be working for a wizard that most definitely would not help Resso. In a desperate attempt to convince the servant Resso told him he already had some magical knowledge and could alter his appearance. Not convinced the servant allowed Resso to prove his claim and as he saw Resso could indeed alter his appearance he offered to help him.
The servant’s name was Maltov. Maltov looked Resso over and said he would come to the smithy the next day with a possible solution. This was all he could offer at this time and said Resso should not be following him as he would most certainly know and not help him if he did so.
The next day Resso worked and waited. Well more of looking over his shoulder to the door to see if Maltov would come in instead of working. About two hours after lunch break Maltov entered the blacksmith shop and requested to be able to talk to Resso as the blacksmith greeted him and asked what he could do for the man.
A little surprised about the request the blacksmith agreed and Resso was allowed to talk briefly to Maltov.
Maltov explained that he had done some inquiry on Resso’s behalf with Maltov’s master. The wizard had said he would not take up an apprentice and that by the sound of the story Maltov had told him he should be looking for a sorcerer anyway. Maltov had been given a name and an address on a piece of parchment. He had said it would not be easy to get into good graces of this sorceress but if Maltov was right in how he had described Resso’s ability he had a chance. Maltov handed Resso the parchment and left the smithy without any further comments.
The next day Resso looked for the address on the parchment. It took him the better part of the day to walk to the right district and find the address provided by the wizard. The parchment also had the name Lady Logan Mackencie. When he finally arrived at the house of the sorceress he found there was no one at the gate and no way to alert anyone inside of this presence.
He looked and thought of yelling loudly when he felt a weird sensation in his head and a low vibrating sound made its way into his mind. It was such a weird sensation that he immediately started to look around for anything that might have seemed out of the ordinary. As he turned his gaze from the street on his left, towards the right and back again at the house behind the gate he saw something moving behind a set of curtains on the upper floor of the building.
A few short moments later the front door opened and a young girl came skipping towards the gate. She asks in a friendly tone, "What can sorceress Lady Logan do for you?" Resso simply stated he would like to learn about magic so he might be able to increase his chances of finding his lost parents. The girl looks up at Resso and continues: “And why do you think you have what it needs to become a sorcerer?”. Surprised at the obvious question that he had yet to ask of himself, he simply answered: “I have always been different and I do not know why. I believe sorceress Lady Logan can help me figure out that too.”
The young girl simply looked Resso in the eyes and repeated the question, signifying that he had not actually answered the question yet. Resso thought for a bit and at the moment he tried to speak he felt that same weird sensation at the base of his skull and instead of speaking common, instead of making an actual sound he became aware of a strange low vibrating sound coming from deep within him. At that moment the girl laughed out loud, opened the gate with a key, let Resso step inside and said. She is waiting for you in the room with the white door on the second floor. Resso started walking towards the building, heard the gate close and lock behind him, as he turned around to ask the girl what to do next she was gone.
Resso walked inside the house, up the stairs and knocked at the white door in the middle of the landing. Two other doors one left and one right of the white one were visible as well, also white but not as white as the middle one. He knocked again, not noticing he did it twice in quick succession. He waited for a signal that it was okay to enter, as he was about to knock again a low vibrating sound filled his mind again and instead of knocking he simply entered.
Sorceress Lady Logan Mackencie would accept him as an apprentice but only for 11 months and 11 days and 11 hours and 11 minutes. She had noted the time and date of his potential third knock on a piece of parchment and next to it the date, hour and minute she would not have him as an apprentice anymore.
She explained that this was customary for her and all her students would not get a minute more of her time.
She also explained that he would not leave at that time with all the knowledge and skill he was seeking after his apprenticeship. He would have to go out into the world and find other ways to use his magical powers, to use them and to learn from them. He would have to go through dangerous trials and difficult times to attain the knowledge and skills that he needed to find his parents. She also told him that he would be able to save his parents in more ways than one. She did not say anything else on the matter until the final minutes of this apprenticeship.
The following 11 months, 11 days, 11 hours she taught Resso anything and everything he needed to learn to be able to use his innate magical abilities. He learned basic spells and a new language she calls deep speech, the low vibrating sounds he had suddenly experienced in his mind. She taught him that magical powers could go wild if not controlled properly, he would have more abilities if he would leave them unchecked at times but it would come at a possible cost. She taught him about religion and arcana and how the two sometimes get mixed up and sometimes are the same. She also taught him how he could get in touch with places of beauty and nature to connect his essence to the wild forces of magic that are present there. She hinted at things like the Fey and their lands called the Fey wild and after much insisting she also taught him Sylvan the language of the Fey.
In the final 11 minutes of his apprenticeship she called for Resso and told him he had no place with her anymore. He felt sad and wished it wasn’t so but he knew it would not help to ask for more time. This was the second and final time she would talk to him about his parents. This is what she said:
“Resso, you now have the basic understanding of sorcery, you have the basic skills and spells you need to be able to continue your learning in the wild where you belong. Don’t settle anywhere until you have found what you are looking for. Don’t fight for something you don’t believe in. Don’t forget who you are. Seek out assistance on your travels and try to do good as much as possible.
You will find your parents at some point, don’t ask me when or where or how I know. I won’t be able to answer your questions, but know this. All of this has been for a reason, all of your hard work, pain and loss will not be in vain. Know also this, there will be more pain and suffering for you and your allies, you will be in danger and you might not realise what I have foretold. But if you are strong and keep on going you will attain great wealth, beauty and love. And when you have what you need the most, give away what you most desire to keep for that is the price to pay to be able to enjoy the remainder of your time here.
We will meet again but not here, go now and be brave. Dragons and Gods are no match for you in the end but remember what I’ve said to you today and in the past 11 months, 11 days and 11 hours.”
As she finished her final sentence she kissed Resso on the lips and she hugged him in a tight embrace. Resso closed his eyes, tears flowing from his eyes and as he wiped them away, he let go of Lady Logan. When he opened his eyes she was gone.
To this day he has not settled. He has not forgotten Lady Logan. He has not forgotten the word she spoke to him in those final minutes of his apprenticeship. He has not forgotten his goal. He has not forgotten his parents. He wanders the world in search of adventure and learning. He has met challenges and failed multiple times. He has been looking for answers. He has adopted many faces. He has never felt so alone.
Tried using Xanathar's Guide to Everything for this backstory, hope you'll enjoy:
Name: Ziore Of The Steelfang
Race: Leonin
Class: Rouge
Background: Criminal
Ziore's parents were immigrants from a mythical land known only as Theros, she was born in the carriage that they came to the land in. She was raised in a small cozy house with her mother and father, and despite being a Lionin, lives a moderately normal life. She was a troublemaker however, and committed several small crimes, mainly stealing, and was almost never caught. She was nimble, able to strike her foes in seconds, and slip back into the shadows just as fast. Her skill grew as she avoided her parents, as they were local law enforcement. Until one day, she was caught, she fled her home, leaving everything and everyone behind. She was on the run for day, months, and years, she never visited her home, until she learned of her Father's death. She immediately went back to her home, and grieved with her mother, and the village. Before she left, her mother gave her with a message, "The man who killed your father had a strange insignia on his palm." Now, armed with a goal and reason, she now travels the land, looking for the man who killed her father.
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Damion Wild, Mark Of Storm Half-Elf, Druid (Circle Of Wildfire) 5, Monk 3
Here's the backstory for my first D&D character, Rig. By first, I mean, I just made him, I'm very new. I've played D&D about 8 years ago, AT LEAST, and I'm just getting back into it with a human barbarian. I've never made a backstory for a D&D character before. Let me know what you think~
Rig was born in an arctic climate and culture. For the majority of his life, he lived on the plains, with nothing but snow and ice as far as the eye could see. He doesn't know much about his birth family, since his family had sold him into slavery before his birth to the Cua family. All he knows is that his parents and any siblings he might have had were killed by his extended family for trying to smuggle him away when he was born. He's probably related in some way to his owners, fourth cousins once removed or some such. What really happened, though he doesn't know these details, is that his parents, being of a lower caste than the Cua family, agreed to give them their next child in exchange for money, since they had not the means to care for another child. However, when he was born, they made a last-ditch effort to run away and become refugees to escape the Cua's. However they were sold out by Rig's uncle, who was closer with the Cua family, and they were all killed before they could flee, the Cua's taking Rig in and naming him Boa. From birth to the age of 8, he lived with them, mainly cared for by the other slaves and working with the animals on the property. At the age of five, he was placed in charge of caring for the family's dogs, and later helped with the horses as well. The Cua family was a large one, and he rarely interacted with them, the other slaves passing down the orders.
Cua Era: The Cua family were a middle class large clan in a small city on the edges of the arctic taiga of Rig's homeland, named Wrekwell. They were a respected family, and, given it was a wealthy city, they owned expansive property, animals, and slaves, even though they were only considered to be moderately wealthy. The family were whalers, delving into the ocean to catch and kill the great whales for their meat, oils, and blubber. They were one of three whaling companies in Wrekwell, and the three largely worked together without too much competition, as it was such dangerous work. They went out in fleets to weather the storms, frigid water, and aggressive prey they sought. They, being with a wealthy city, relied mainly on the local militia for protection, though the only major military threats were the neighboring city, Khost, who had been warring with Wrekwell for generations. What had started as a family feud had escalated into full out war after murders, raids, and crop burning had gotten out of hand. The Cua family were planted in Wrekwell many years ago, spying on them for the Khost governors. Rig's parents were a sub-clan, who were supposed to be loyal to Khost, but were actually loyal to Wrekwell. This was known by the Cua clan, and caused a divide in the families, though the Cua clan had superiority over Rig's family, bullying them into keeping quiet. Rig's family were very poor, and relied on the Cua's too much to betray them. Rig, (known as Boa), was the only survivor of his direct family after their slaughter by the Cua family. The murders went beyond his family trying to back out of their word, the Cua's had hated his family for years, due to the split in alliances. The Cua clan feared Boa's family might betray them, but their code of conduct wouldn't allow them to kill their own relations without good cause. Since they could never prove anything, they jumped on the family's attempted flight as a good enough reason. Boa was just a bonus. As such, he was scorned by the family, though the other slaves shielded him from this, keeping him under the family's radar. Only his uncle Vou really interacted with him on a regular basis, and would frequently tease and taunt him, but the other slaves always were quick to find something Boa should be doing. Cama, Hera and Domin, three other slaves, were closest to him, but as he aged they expected him to care for himself, since no one had the means or time to coddle anyone. He learned everything he knew the hard way, and spent a lot of time getting hurt, be it from an impatient Cua or just falling out of a tree.
When he was seven, he got caught up in a battle between the Wrekwell people and the Khost people, and was nearly killed, only saved when Domin realized he was missing and snuck away from the property to find him. How might all of that happen, you ask? Like this, I answer: Boa had accidentally let one of the dogs out, and was chasing it down to get it home before anyone noticed and he was punished, but what he didn't know, (being 7), is that there had been an attack earlier that day, and the city a few blocks from his owner's property had been destroyed. The dog ran right to that spot, being a war/hunting hound. Boa followed her, and got caught up in the aftermath. As the Wrekwell armies marched towards the destroyed homes, the dog found the Khost armies picking through the rubble, waiting for the back up. She attacked one, and was instantly killed by a spear. Boa had been trying to call her back, but the Khost soldiers heard him and caught him. They were going to kill him; they saw from the brand on his chest that he was nothing more than a slave, but right before they could, the Wrekwell armies arrived, and they abandoned him for bigger fish. Domin, who had just arrived, rushed in, scooped up Boa, and carried him home, though he was steaming mad. They both got into massive trouble, Boa for leaving the property and letting one their prize hounds escape, and Domin for leaving the property to rescue him. Domin was beaten until he was unconscious, and Boa was whipped until he almost passed out from blood loss. The Cua family didn't care whether he died, since he'd let one of their best hounds get out and get killed, plus he was just 7, he wasn't irreplaceable. Hera patched them both up, and Domin refused to speak to Boa for months afterwards.
When Boa was eight, two major events happened: One, he witnessed Cama and Domin's deaths, and two, he escaped. During the summer of his 8th year, he found out that Cama, Domin, Hera, and a couple of the other slaves were planning an escape. Escaping was dangerous in this city, since many had slaves, and all would know when a slave was not where they were supposed to be. They would have to get to the outskirts of the city without being seen by anyone, and then try to survive the arctic wastes as they headed out of the taiga and into the plains. They weren't going to take Boa with them, since they felt he would only slow them down, being so young. He threatened to tell the family if they didn't take him, so they grudgingly agreed, warning him that if he couldn't keep up, he would be left behind as bait. For months they planned and prepared, and finally, they were getting close to ready. However, before they had completed all preparations, Voa found out about their plans, and told the Cua family heads, Madam Leni and Master Mia. Mia, enraged, ordered the slaves be burned alive. The guards seized Domin, Hera, Cama and Boa along with the other attempting escape, demanding to know who's idea it had been. When no one volunteered the information, Mia and Leni randomly selected Cama and old the guards to douse her in whale oil and set her alight. It was at this point that Domin stepped forward, hoping to save them by saying he had planned it, begging for mercy. Mia tricked him and Cama, telling them they would be spared if they subjected themselves to burning their hands. Of course they stepped forwards to do so, but as they approached the vat, the guards pushed them in, setting it aflame and leaping on the other slaves, pushing them into the inferno. Hera grabbed Boa and fled, the screaming of the other slaves audible from the entire house. Hera and Boa made it out in the chaos, but were pursued to the edge of the property. Hera had them split up, and they fled in opposite directions. Hera, being a bigger target, got chased, caught, and killed before she was even out of sight, but Boa managed to make it all the way out into the tundra. However, since they hadn't had time to grab any of their supplies, he was minimally dressed, had no food, and though the sun never set, (it being summer), it was still freezing cold. He walked as far as he could, before finally collapsing in the snow. 4
Saha Era: He was found by Aven Saha, a son of a larger family living on a homestead a few miles away. He'd been on his way back from a supply run to Wrekwell, and when he saw Boa, half frozen to death, he carried him home in his cart, where he was unofficially adopted by the Saha clan. The family elders, the hunters and trappers that were now too old to work, decided he could stay, though they clearly saw the slave brand. They never told anyone else, and ordered Boa to keep it hidden. He adopted their last name, and was now Boa Saha, a son of the Saha clan. They cared for him as one of their own, teaching him how to survive the hostile environments of the arctic tundra, how to hunt, trap, and farm. None of the rest of the family knew of his origin, and the elders made sure he never went to town or anywhere off the property. They treated him fairly, though he was expected to pull his weight and work hard. The Saha family was one of four family trappers living in the area, who all largely worked together and helped sustain each other. The other families were the Coatoka, the Mankam, and the Shoan clans. Together they formed a small community, and though they weren't particularly close knit, they shared resources, helped each other on their fields, hunting in large groups to bring down the enormous buffalo creatures that called the tundra home. Their lands were conjoined, however they each owned massive properties, and it could be three day's travel before you could get from one clan's house to the next. Therefore the families were constantly trading out workers, sending their brothers and daughters over to a neighbors house so they might stay for a week to help with whatever event they had need for. However, the Saha elders mostly kept Boa home with them, and though he wasn't kept a secret from the other families, they rarely deliberately brought him up or had him around. He was simply known as the orphan son the Saha had been kind enough to take in, and was viewed neutrally by the other families.They raised him in their religion, but he would drop it quickly later, since he never entirely believed in it anyways. He'd been told no God cared about him or his 'kind' (slaves), by the Cua family, and it was a deeply ingrained message. He eventually stopped believing in gods all together. The family was fair and kind, but they were also hardened and tough, and expected Boa to be the same. He learned by going out with them, watching them, mimicking, them, and testing it out for himself when he was sent out or errands around the massive farm. He learned by observing, testing, correcting, almost dying, surviving, and refining. He was welcome to ask questions, and quickly learned to, because information was rarely offered to him. That was a skill he actively had to learn, since he was used to getting told everything he needed to know by the other slaves when they passed down the orders to him.
As he was turning twelve, he met Seersha, one of the Coatoka clan's daughters, who was around his age. They quickly became friends, then started to fall in love with one another. But Seersha's parents were wary of this stranger who spent all of his time on the Saha land, never leaving to help his neighbors. After about a week of them clearly falling for each other, her father forbid them from seeing each other again. Boa, being a chaotic neutral already, didn't care in the slightest, but Seersha refused to see him after that, rejecting him when he snuck over to see her. On the three day walk back home, his little heart broken into a million pieces, he was found by Vaen, one of his older brothers, who took him home where he promptly got into massive trouble for being gone for six days straight with no warning. He was punished with another six days of the less fun jobs around the farm, and essentially grounded, only able to go out with one of his family members. One of the real reasons for this was the elders being afraid of his old owners finding out about his existence here. Not only would they be entirely unable to defend him against any sort of military what-so-ever, they also could be accused of escapee-harboring, a highly punishable crime in their culture. At best, they would lose everything and become shamed outcasts of their community, at worst, some of them might be executed. They were quick to make this clear to Boa, not-so-gently telling him the horror stories of what happened to escaped slaves that got caught again, and trying to scare him into not leaving again. It...kinda worked? At this point, Boa wasn't too scared of much, and what he was scared of, he was confident the Saha's could take care of. He figured that they were exaggerating, but decided not to leave again anyways. Him deciding they were just telling stories may have been a mental defense mechanism, so he wouldn't get scared. Also, he'd just had a pretty decent emotional blow as well, so he wasn't likely to have anywhere else he'd want to go. The Saha's had taught him to be reliant on family, and so he didn't at all mind staying with them while he felt like trash.
About a year after that, news came from the Mankam family, who held the property closest to Wrekwell, that there was a group of merchants asking about an escaped slave. That made the Saha elders mighty nervous, even though they didn't know for sure that the merchants were at all tied to Boa. They asked Boa for details of his old owners, and asked the Mankam family for details about the merchants. Yup, it was the Cua's. They were still tracking Boa down, all these years later, because they were afraid of what secrets of theirs he might spill. Also, this culture was fairly unlikely to just let an escaped slave go. Since in this part of the world slaves were still considered citizens and often part of the family they worked under, (hence why Boa was given their last name), they had strong laws surrounding slaves, and slaves were to be held accountable by those laws as firmly as anyone. Attempting an escape was paramount to murder to them, since it gave other slaves big ideas, and also it broke many, many smaller laws along the way. It would be the same as if in our culture, someone killed someone else, but as soon as the police lost their immediate trail, they just said "Welp, that's one that slipped the net" and dropped the case. Slave owners were allowed to take matters mostly into their own hands when it came to finding their charges, but if they needed the military to get involved, oh, would they.
As to why it took them this long to reach the Saha family, the little collection of homesteads were a long way away from Wrekwell, a good nine days to the Mankam house, and then tack on another three or four to get to the Saha house. Since they lived in an environment considered harsh compared to the environment in Wrekwell and the taiga, they had been hesitant to even go this way. The weather off the tundra was fairly neutral, but out on the plains, the incredibly strong winds blew shards of ice through the air to bite into your skin, the cold air cutting right through almost every layer of clothing you tried to add on. With nothing around for miles except for wildlife that went out of it's way to try and kill you and the occasional cagey homesteader, the environment had a reputation of taking the lives of all but the most prepared and hardy. Knowing this, the Cua's had largely focused their efforts searching the taiga up until recently. When they'd heard about the homesteaders not too far away, they decided to check there, just in case. And now they were only a few days away, and the elders had to do something fast. So they waited until the middle of the night, then woke Boa, handing him his things and telling him he had to go, that his old masters were hot on his tail. That kicked him in gear. He was also very aware of the gruesome fate that would befall him if he was caught. The elders gave him the only horse they could spare, and aged stallion named Kikko who had a top speed of about three miles an hour, and he departed. The elders, before he left, told him to try and find this tribe of barbarian human and orcs that traveled the area. They were forever taking in strays, and no one was stupid enough to mess with them, especially when their leader was an ex-convict with many murders in his name. They were Boa's last and only option.
Shukk's Tribe: For six days, he searched the area, trying to keep going in the vague direction the elders had pointed him in. In the end, the tribe found him. As he'd been travelling along, one of the tribe saw him from a distance and reported it back to the leader, an orc named Shukk. Shukk went out to find him, and after surprising and scaring the bejeezus out Boa, Shukk explained he was the leader of the tribe. Boa begged to be taken in, explaining his situation and who was following him. Shukk, fearing no mortal consequence, immediately took him in, and welcomed him into the tribe. He was instantly befriended by Dhall and Shug, two orcs about his age, and was quick to befriend Bhuavaul and Javan, a half-orc and human, as well. Shukk renamed Boa 'Rig,' to distance him from his past, and gave him the last name 'Boaka' to remind him of it. Shukk quickly became a father/mentor figure to Rig, and the two became quite close as Rig proceeded to follow him around everywhere and learn from him. Shukk began to think of Rig as a son, and invited him into his personal family. he taught Rig about Rage, and encouraged his anger over his past, and helped him control that anger into the reason for his rage.
As Rig aged, he was finally found by the Cua clan, while he was out hunting on his own. By now, he was sixteen, and though he was a strong able fighter, he was still young, and no match for the best militia the Cua clan had sent out. However, they hadn't anticipated how close an eye Shukk kept on his tribe, and just as they were overwhelming Rig, they found themselves attacked by a huge orc in a bloodlusting rage. Shukk killed or chased off the militia before carrying Rig home and getting his wounds treated. But this was just the start of a war that Shukk was more than happy to partake in. As the Cua gathered their own army from both family and also friends from Khost. They vastly outnumbered the tribe, but each attack was met with a wild ferocity that left the Cua armies splintered and broken each time. As Rig began to master his rage, he joined the battle, the act of taking revenge on his old tormentors driving his rage to a new level as he fought beside Shukk.
Faced by this unbeatable foe, the Cua clan retreated, seeming to give up on reclaiming Rig. The tribe carried on with their travels, slowly letting their defenses down as no further attacks came. For nine more years Rig lived with them, finally finding real family and peace. When rig was twenty-five, Shukk passed away, having been attacked by a terrible sickness that swept through the tribe, seeming to target mainly orcs. Many of the tribe died of the sickness, Shukk being the last, finally succumbing to the illness after seeing his tribe begin to recover. He named Ekaral, his oldest daughter his successor, and she took over the tribe. Rig took his leave at this point. Though he was still close to the tribe, without Shukk, the tribe became a place to ruminate in grief, and he didn't want that. For several years now he'd been interested in a career as a prizefighter, so he left to finally follow that goal. He visits the tribe when he can, and has come to find the Cua clan are after him yet again now that he's on his own, but he just steers clear of them. He gave himself the third name Shauk, ('of Shukk'), to commemorate the only real father he'd ever had, and set out on his travels.
Well, here’s my newest characters backstory, for a play by post that started a few days ago
Amnesia is a piece of trash. Alax Haorick can remember nothing before the last 15 years, which is short due to their elf heritage. They have no idea why or how they became conscious in the middle of a temple, and no idea how they got there. But the temple of the prime one is an accepting place, one that draws all into it’s fold. So now, after this religion being all they have known, and thus having been easily indoctrinated, they are now a Paladin of conquest, claiming all in the prime’s name. (Still needs a bit of work, but I’m giving the dm some space to mess with frontstory and amnesia.)
I watch. I wait. I listen. I like roleplaying games. Avid fan of messed up homebrew and horror rpgs. Lancer>dnd5e, go read Kill Six Billion Demons. I will shoot you with my transgenderification beam pew pew
So, torch(will be changed to be more creative) is an artificer, soon to be artillerist. Dropped off at a forge/ work shop at a young age, torch picked up being a blacksmith and tinkerer quickly. One day, a war forged (created by torch) short circuited, going wild in the workshop, torch tried to turn off the machine, with no success, the only thing he got was a crushed left arm and right leg, to broken to be healed by any magic for awhile. Once the war forged was stopped, torch scraped the robot and started to work on magical, metal, braces to help his broken limbs. The injury on his arm, was a positive thing for torch, using the metal brace and adding a small cannon to fire the spells torch learned from. Now torch travels the lands, looking for a Adventuring party and get enough gold to make his own workshop.
I'm not up on all the lore and although I played years ago, haven't played in a long time. Came back and am trying to get my backstory set up. Please read, feedback is welcome. My character is a human paladin, and our group is going into Baldur's Gate: Descent to Avernus. I choose faction agent as my background and tried to tie that in with this.
Kyner does not remember much of his early childhood, nor any information of his parents. His memories start at a monastery being raised by monks. He has no recollection of how he ended up at the monastery.
As Kyner was training with other children he often found himself being scolded for not getting it quite right. During time of meditation he found his mind wandering and not being able to stay focused. At times he swore he could see a celestial being during his time of meditation. Sometimes he was made fun of for this when he tried to explain it. He never could figure out exactly what the being wanted of him, as they never spoke, only made gestures or signals to him. As he grew into a young man, he began hearing he may not be suited for the role of a monk. Other monks laughed at his attempts to learn unarmed combat. Kyner was a larger man, built of dense muscle, and was not as agile as the others training as monks. When Kyner was alone he found himself drawn to a sword and began learning to wield it. One day at the monastery a group of men came in seeking refuge from a recent battle. The monks gave them aid, and Kyner seemed extremely interested in these knights. Most carried a sword and shield, others just a sword, or a polearm, and all were wearing heavy armor that glistened in the light. A monk saw Kyner lurking and asked that he fetch a pail of water to help clean one of the men’s wounds. As Kyner obeyed and returned with the water the knight began asking him questions. After a brief conversation, the knight asked Kyner to show him his sword wielding ability and offered his sword to Kyner. Kyner had never practiced with an actual sword, only a carved wooden model of one. He instinctively reached for the sword, in his hand it felt light, yet firm, and as he flicked his wrist a few times, balanced as if it belonged there. He stepped back, took his stance, and began to show off what he thought was his sword skills. Many of his monk friends laughed as they watched, but the knight seemed to pay close attention. It was as if Kyner was performing a dance with the sword as his movements seemed more fluid than any of the monk training he had. The knight looked at the monk tending to his wounds, shook his head as if to say yes, and then turned to Kyner and asked, “young man, would you like to come with us when we leave tomorrow morning? When we return to our fort we can train you to become one of us, as it seems you have been blessed with talent best used as a paladin, then a monk.” Kyner had never met a paladin but he looked around at the men, their arms, their armor, and he knew he must go.
Kyner trained with the Knights of Holy Judgement from then on. He quickly was able to pick up sword fighting skills and became talented in combat. As he grew, he began taking part in adventures with the Knights that lead him to track down criminals and monsters alike and bring them to justice for some wrongdoing. He became close friends with the men he often went on adventure with. They became very skilled as a group and often were honored after coming back having rendered justice on someone or something. His name grew more common as his combat prowess grew. One day his group was asked to hunt down a specific devil that had been ransacking and killing people from a nearby village. They found the devil and the fight ensued. It was a tremendous battle that raged on for some time. Kyner began getting frustrated they could not best this devil, and he pushed closer to attempt to get the final blow. The devil reacted and Kyner was thrown down unconscious. The battle continued around him, until the last of his group had succumbed to the devil. The devil was severely wounded but was able to slink away from the battle having bested the group that day. Kyner awoke hours later… Dried blood laid everywhere within visual distance. His fellow paladins laid on the ground cold and dead. He wandered around but could find no sign of the devil in the area. Weak, tired, and injured himself, he picked up what he could and got ready to head back to the Knights of Holy Judgement and inform them of what happened. The celestial body he had seen during his mediation time in the monastery reappeared in the middle of the battleground. This time it spoke to him. “Kyner, you were destined to be here. Destined to survive this battle. I could not tell you before, as I could only watch over you. Now you need to see that this is your destiny. You are meant to hunt down and destroy this devil and avenge your fallen companions.” Kyner looked around as if to see if anyone else could see or hear the being speaking to him. Kyner responded, “I was bested today, who is to say I would not be bested again by this devil if I were to find him?” The being in front of him said, we have guided you this far, have provided you with everything you need to become strong enough to defeat him. However, you lack that burning desire to ignite you. The death of your friends should provide that now. You must take up arms, vow vengeance on this devil and seek to bring justice for those around you that fell today.” Kyner again looked around, picked up his backpack and belongings and began walking. The being stated, “I can already see in your heart the flame I speak of that will push you to this conclusion. Hoar is watching you and will provide you with what you need to defeat the devil when the time is right.” And with that the being was gone. Kyner continued walking but looked over his shoulder to confirm that the being was no longer there. At the edge of the battlefield, he stopped, took a knee, bowed his head, and made the vow to Hoar, that this devil would be cleansed, and his friends avenged with the devil’s death.
Kyner returned to the Knights of Holy Judgement, alone. As he entered the gates nothing but silence as everyone starred. He spoke in front of everyone and explained he was the only survivor and the devil yet lived. He did not mention anything of the celestial being that spoke to him. He did however speak of his vow of vengeance to seek out and battle the devil once more. Everyone tried to empathize with Kyner and make him feel better. He recovered from his minor wounds, packed his belongings, and said goodbye to fellow knights. They said he was always welcome and they would aid him if their paths crossed again. He then sought out on his quest.
Here's an interesting character I've been toying with the idea of using.
A half-elf Rogue (Thief subclass)/Warlock (Pact of the Celestial).
Sounds odd, right? Allow me to explain!
Aliza Iliyarus spent most of his childhood (and the early years of adulthood) as a sneak thief, and a rather good one, at that. He had a crew of loyal friends who were always willing to help him pull off whatever daring caper he had in mind. He loved to drink and steal and fight, and not a care in the world was given aside from the next job. He's got a few scars, and a great tale for each and every one.
Until the day one of his "friends" betrayed everyone and set them up to be captured by the city guard in exchange for the reward put on Aliza's head.
As he languished in the dungeon, awaiting his trial and eventual execution, he was visited in a dream by a unicorn offering him freedom. But this was no ordinary unicorn! This was none other than Princess Glitterhoof the Splendifirious, Most Fairest of All Unicorns. She would whisk Aliza away from the cell he was rotting away in and grant him a portion of her power, in exchange for his service. Aliza readily agreed, not quite knowing what he was getting into. Not only did Aliza gain his freedom and new powers, but also a special tabard and sword as well. (The tabard looks like every single Lisa Frank folder and notebook vomited all over it, and the pact weapon is a rainbow longsword with sculpted cloud guards, a pink hilt, and a giant ball of candy for the pommel).
Aliza not only gained a patron, but a companion as well: Shyla Dazzleshadow the fairy! An incredible saccharine companion who strives to keep her wayward charge in line. Shyla keeps him from drinking to excess (changing his wine or beer into milk), silences him when he's about to swear, etc. She will take any opportunity to sing the praises of Princess Glitterhoof and remind Aliza of his sworn oath to protect the innocent, heal the sick, and strike down evildoers wherever they may be!
All Aliza wants is a drink.
Just.
One.
Drink.
The idea behind Aliza was trying to make the D&D equivalent of the moody goth teenager being forced to join choir and be sociable by a well-meaning but slightly overbearing mother. It might be a bit one-note at first and would require some careful play on my part to avoid being more than a gimmick, but it does sound challenging enough to give it a try eventually.
If you character's backstory gets to a point where it could possibly count as a concept for a movie. Would it be better to brake it down into dot points, so it could be used as a reminder to help tell the story later. Or should I attempt to write the whole thing as if It was a book?.
I'd say the bullet points would be a good format for the basic info that you want to share with the other players and the DM.
But as far as developing the character for yourself, go as in-depth and narrative as you can. That way you'll begin to hear the character's voice and feel the character's responses and your RP'ing will feel a lot more natural.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Tayn of Darkwood. Lvl 10 human Life Cleric of Lathander. Retired.
Ikram Sahir ibn Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad, Second Son of the House of Ra'ad, Defender of the Burning Sands. Lvl 9 Brass Dragonborn Sorcerer + Greater Fire Elemental Devil.
Viktor Gavriil. Lvl 20 White Dragonborn Grave Cleric, of Kurgan the God of Death.
Here's a character I've been working on for a while now. I feel pretty good about the backstory.
Taril'xt Lith'Inian. A shadowblade of great repute within Menzoberranzan. Using a combination of magic and blade skills, the mercenary is valuable to more than one of the great houses.
Taril'xt was born into house Na'Dir as an elderboy, a lowly house with no considerable repute. Taril'xt's mother, Matron Na'dir, was desperate and power-hungry, willing to do anything to advance their name among the great ranks of the city. Some time passed before a deal was struck with one of the Lolth-favored houses, House Zahlkahst. Their high priestess, Jhaelrna Zahlkhast, much desired a consort, a male that she could exact her wishes upon. In exchange, not only would House Na'dir receive protection, but also the destruction of their rival family, House Du'Unre. Without a second thought, Matron Na'dir agreed to the exchange. Against his will, Taril'xt was sent off to House Zahlkahst as a favored consort of the priestess. Should he ever leave without permission or attempt to break the agreement between houses, his family and home were to be destroyed by the full might of House Zahlkahst.
Jhaerlna was a physical creature that preferred the more carnal enjoyment that came from having a favored consort. In return, Taril'xt was granted arcane knowledge to further bolster his magical skill. When he was not being used as a tool of pleasure to temporarily satisfy Jhaerlna's lecherous desires, Taril'xt was a slave, cleaning the family house, polishing statues of Lolth, and delivering messages to other houses. He had minimal contact with his house, who all acted as if he was dead.
Finally, Taril'xt was sent back to his house after nearly a century of acting as Jhaerlna's favored consort. This was sign was the herald of the destruction of House Na'dir. Jhaerlna had had her fill of Taril'xt, and she had found a different male to play with. As a result, the armies of House Zahlkahst descended upon Taril'xt's house and wiped it from history. Unbeknownst to anyone, Taril'xt alone survived, living in exile. He began to learn the ways of the Underdark, training his mind and body, sharpening it like a knife. He studied the ways of the shadowblade, rogue mercenaries that were directed by coin. Taril'xt indoctrinated himself, passing the final test of becoming a shadowblade; bonding himself to a shadow demon and infusing its essence into himself. With this complete, Taril'xt gave himself a new surname. Lith'inian. He quickly proved himself among the higher-ranking houses of the drow families, becoming a valuable assassin for hire when they wanted.
I'd like to read it!
Hello! I am just a relatively new D&D player, who also likes SimplePlanes and War Thunder.
My characters are:
Okay here it is:
Char name: Resso
Race: Changeling
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Class: Sorcerer
Prof: Calligrapher's Supplies, Smith's Tools
Lang: Common, Deep Speech, Sylvan
FYI: I copy pasted snippets of lore about the locations of Secomber and Daggerford.
Early years
Resso was born and raised in Secomber, a small town located atop three stone hills on the northern banks of the southern-running Unicorn Run river and the western-running River Delimbiyr. Directly south of the town was the dangerous High Moor. To the north, along the Secomber Trail, was Uluvin.
When Resso was young he wasn’t aware of the fact that there was something off about him. His parents were loving and took good care of him. He was home schooled and besides a few neighbourhood friends he played with every once in a while he pretty much took to himself.
It wasn’t until he got a bit older that he noticed, since he had to explain to some of the kids that they had played together before, that something was going on. He came home one day and explained to his parents that he had to tell Jimm that his name really was Resso and that they had played together only a couple of weeks before. That’s when his parents revealed something to him that he had not noticed before. His mom in a loving voice and really calm asked if he ever wondered why they didn’t have a mirror in their house. Resso said he had never given it much thought and now that she asked I suggested it might be because a mirror is expensive. There is truth to his explanation, actual mirrors made out of glass are really expensive, especially the bigger ones and they weren’t that wealthy at all. But then she took out a small mirror and gave it to him. She said have a good look at yourself in this mirror. And Resso did so. Then she told him to go and play for the remainder of the day in the house and they would continue this talk the next day. Resso was a bit surprised she didn’t want to talk further as she hadn’t explained why he had to go through all that with Jimm.
The next day in the morning his mom came to his bed as he woke up and she again handed the small glass mirror to him. He looked at it and was surprised to see a different boy looking back at him. He looked up at her and then saw a slight troubled smile. She told him that ever since his birth he had changed his own appearance every single day. His parents never questioned this and accepted him just as he was and therefore they never talked about it. He was their boy and they would love him no matter what.
At this time Resso asked why he was different and looked at his mother for an answer. But there was no clear answer, she didn’t know and they had protected him from people who might not have understood. From that day on Resso started to practice his ability, to try and stick to one appearance every single day. At some point that worked almost automatically, when he woke he would check the small mirror his mom had given him on that special day and he would see the face he preferred looking back at him. Other days he would look in the mirror and he saw a random face, he would concentrate and change his appearance.
Missing parents
At about the age of 16 years old, Resso had mastered his innate ability to change his appearance, meaning he was able to hold his appearance day and night. He had made new friends, including Jimm and they now would recognise his appearance. He had started to learn smithing at the local black smith. His father, a scribe, had taught him to write in all manner of nice ways. He was convinced that with these skills he would one day find a nice job at one of the largest blacksmith shops in a neighbouring city, Daggerford. Daggerford is a small but consequential town located in the Delimbiyr Vale within the greater Sword Coast. While it is primarily a farming community, and considered by some to be a stopover town, the town has great ambitions to grow and be seen as an alternative to their northern neighbour of Waterdeep.
As he travelled to Daggerford and started looking for a job at the bigger blacksmith called Cromach's Smithy, there he found that they would take him in as an apprentice. He would have to work and learn, in exchange he would get room and board and a small allowance.
One night he was working the iron, it was a personal project, he was making a gift for his mother and with a loud bang someone entered the blacksmith. It was a large man, rough and dirty looking. He entered the shop and demanded a long sword from Resso. Resso was not to simply give weapons to anyone who asked. He wasn’t allowed to sell weapons at all yet. As an apprentice one may only sell metal items that can not hurt anyone, not even a kitchen knife. So Resso refused the large man, who then became very angry with Resso.
An argument was started and as the large angry bear of a man came closer and closer with mean eyes Resso panicked. In his panic he lost control of his power for a second and his appearance instantly changed into a mirror image of the man that was about to attack him.
The large man shocked at the sudden appearance of Resso stopped mid shop and started yelling: “Devil!!” “Demon!!” “Help!! Help!!”
In a few moments the blacksmith came into the shop and saw two men who looked identical, one screaming at the top of his lungs, the blacksmith grabbed a hot poker and demanded an explanation. Resso who was still shook by this experience regained his composure and automatically reverted back to his “normal” appearance.
Now too the blacksmith yelled at him and demanded he had to leave and could never come back. Resso didn’t get to get his possessions and scurried away from the blacksmith.
After a few days of wandering around and looking for a place to work and sleep he found that he was nowhere welcome. He left the city, back to his parents house. As he came to the front door it was wide open and he hurried inside. His parents were not to be seen inside their house. He slept in hopes of them returning home but they didn’t.
The following days he looked for them, asking around but no one had known or seen anything. He could not find his parents and so he stayed at home waiting for them. First days passed, days turned into weeks and weeks into months. But they did not return.
Resso’s days consisted of, checking up on the message boards for he had put up a poster. 20 gold for anyone who could find his parents. Some came to claim the reward, but they never had a real inkling of where his parents were. They simply tried to get some money with fake leads and false promises.
He had picked up the blacksmiths job at the local smithy. Earning some coin to pay for taxes and food. At night he searched for ways to find his parents. First he looked for conventional ways, when those didn’t lead to any results he started to look for more exotic ways. Well not exotic more in the way of arcana. He read about wizards and sorcerers, and finally decided he would find a way to figure out what had happened to his parents.
After about a year of searching and researching he figured, if he were to find a magical way of finding his parents he would have to go out and find himself a teacher. A wizard or sorcerer that would teach him the basics.
He arranged for Jimm to take care of his parents house and in return of staying there Jimm would pay the taxes and make sure Resso would get a message if his parents would return.
He left for an even bigger city, Waterdeep. There he would go and find someone to help him understand magic. Once in Waterdeep he looked for a wizard or sorcerer that would at least talk to him and hear him out. As he was not someone of any significance he found that no one even would grace his question with an answer. So to tie himself over he headed towards a smithy and asked for a way to prove he was worth investing in. After he proved that he could handle the smithing tools and heat despite his small frame and stature he was allowed to stay and work for a couple of weeks, or at least until he had finished his business in the city.
Working at the smithy gave him the opportunity to see some of the folk who would come in service of their masters to buy some item or weapon that would then be imbued with magical properties. After a while he overheard the blacksmith talk to one of the servants that came to pick up a sword at the end of a long day of work. Resso was able to finish up his workday just in time to go out and follow the servant.
After a few minutes walking the servant stopped dead in his tracks and as Resso came closer, the servant suddenly turned around and looked him in the eyes. The servant turned out to be working for a wizard that most definitely would not help Resso. In a desperate attempt to convince the servant Resso told him he already had some magical knowledge and could alter his appearance. Not convinced the servant allowed Resso to prove his claim and as he saw Resso could indeed alter his appearance he offered to help him.
The servant’s name was Maltov. Maltov looked Resso over and said he would come to the smithy the next day with a possible solution. This was all he could offer at this time and said Resso should not be following him as he would most certainly know and not help him if he did so.
The next day Resso worked and waited. Well more of looking over his shoulder to the door to see if Maltov would come in instead of working. About two hours after lunch break Maltov entered the blacksmith shop and requested to be able to talk to Resso as the blacksmith greeted him and asked what he could do for the man.
A little surprised about the request the blacksmith agreed and Resso was allowed to talk briefly to Maltov.
Maltov explained that he had done some inquiry on Resso’s behalf with Maltov’s master. The wizard had said he would not take up an apprentice and that by the sound of the story Maltov had told him he should be looking for a sorcerer anyway. Maltov had been given a name and an address on a piece of parchment. He had said it would not be easy to get into good graces of this sorceress but if Maltov was right in how he had described Resso’s ability he had a chance. Maltov handed Resso the parchment and left the smithy without any further comments.
The next day Resso looked for the address on the parchment. It took him the better part of the day to walk to the right district and find the address provided by the wizard. The parchment also had the name Lady Logan Mackencie. When he finally arrived at the house of the sorceress he found there was no one at the gate and no way to alert anyone inside of this presence.
He looked and thought of yelling loudly when he felt a weird sensation in his head and a low vibrating sound made its way into his mind. It was such a weird sensation that he immediately started to look around for anything that might have seemed out of the ordinary. As he turned his gaze from the street on his left, towards the right and back again at the house behind the gate he saw something moving behind a set of curtains on the upper floor of the building.
A few short moments later the front door opened and a young girl came skipping towards the gate. She asks in a friendly tone, "What can sorceress Lady Logan do for you?" Resso simply stated he would like to learn about magic so he might be able to increase his chances of finding his lost parents. The girl looks up at Resso and continues: “And why do you think you have what it needs to become a sorcerer?”. Surprised at the obvious question that he had yet to ask of himself, he simply answered: “I have always been different and I do not know why. I believe sorceress Lady Logan can help me figure out that too.”
The young girl simply looked Resso in the eyes and repeated the question, signifying that he had not actually answered the question yet. Resso thought for a bit and at the moment he tried to speak he felt that same weird sensation at the base of his skull and instead of speaking common, instead of making an actual sound he became aware of a strange low vibrating sound coming from deep within him. At that moment the girl laughed out loud, opened the gate with a key, let Resso step inside and said. She is waiting for you in the room with the white door on the second floor. Resso started walking towards the building, heard the gate close and lock behind him, as he turned around to ask the girl what to do next she was gone.
Resso walked inside the house, up the stairs and knocked at the white door in the middle of the landing. Two other doors one left and one right of the white one were visible as well, also white but not as white as the middle one. He knocked again, not noticing he did it twice in quick succession. He waited for a signal that it was okay to enter, as he was about to knock again a low vibrating sound filled his mind again and instead of knocking he simply entered.
Sorceress Lady Logan Mackencie would accept him as an apprentice but only for 11 months and 11 days and 11 hours and 11 minutes. She had noted the time and date of his potential third knock on a piece of parchment and next to it the date, hour and minute she would not have him as an apprentice anymore.
She explained that this was customary for her and all her students would not get a minute more of her time.
She also explained that he would not leave at that time with all the knowledge and skill he was seeking after his apprenticeship. He would have to go out into the world and find other ways to use his magical powers, to use them and to learn from them. He would have to go through dangerous trials and difficult times to attain the knowledge and skills that he needed to find his parents. She also told him that he would be able to save his parents in more ways than one. She did not say anything else on the matter until the final minutes of this apprenticeship.
The following 11 months, 11 days, 11 hours she taught Resso anything and everything he needed to learn to be able to use his innate magical abilities. He learned basic spells and a new language she calls deep speech, the low vibrating sounds he had suddenly experienced in his mind. She taught him that magical powers could go wild if not controlled properly, he would have more abilities if he would leave them unchecked at times but it would come at a possible cost. She taught him about religion and arcana and how the two sometimes get mixed up and sometimes are the same. She also taught him how he could get in touch with places of beauty and nature to connect his essence to the wild forces of magic that are present there. She hinted at things like the Fey and their lands called the Fey wild and after much insisting she also taught him Sylvan the language of the Fey.
In the final 11 minutes of his apprenticeship she called for Resso and told him he had no place with her anymore. He felt sad and wished it wasn’t so but he knew it would not help to ask for more time. This was the second and final time she would talk to him about his parents. This is what she said:
“Resso, you now have the basic understanding of sorcery, you have the basic skills and spells you need to be able to continue your learning in the wild where you belong. Don’t settle anywhere until you have found what you are looking for. Don’t fight for something you don’t believe in. Don’t forget who you are. Seek out assistance on your travels and try to do good as much as possible.
You will find your parents at some point, don’t ask me when or where or how I know. I won’t be able to answer your questions, but know this. All of this has been for a reason, all of your hard work, pain and loss will not be in vain. Know also this, there will be more pain and suffering for you and your allies, you will be in danger and you might not realise what I have foretold. But if you are strong and keep on going you will attain great wealth, beauty and love. And when you have what you need the most, give away what you most desire to keep for that is the price to pay to be able to enjoy the remainder of your time here.
We will meet again but not here, go now and be brave. Dragons and Gods are no match for you in the end but remember what I’ve said to you today and in the past 11 months, 11 days and 11 hours.”
As she finished her final sentence she kissed Resso on the lips and she hugged him in a tight embrace. Resso closed his eyes, tears flowing from his eyes and as he wiped them away, he let go of Lady Logan. When he opened his eyes she was gone.
To this day he has not settled. He has not forgotten Lady Logan. He has not forgotten the word she spoke to him in those final minutes of his apprenticeship. He has not forgotten his goal. He has not forgotten his parents. He wanders the world in search of adventure and learning. He has met challenges and failed multiple times. He has been looking for answers. He has adopted many faces. He has never felt so alone.
Tried using Xanathar's Guide to Everything for this backstory, hope you'll enjoy:
Name: Ziore Of The Steelfang
Race: Leonin
Class: Rouge
Background: Criminal
Ziore's parents were immigrants from a mythical land known only as Theros, she was born in the carriage that they came to the land in. She was raised in a small cozy house with her mother and father, and despite being a Lionin, lives a moderately normal life. She was a troublemaker however, and committed several small crimes, mainly stealing, and was almost never caught. She was nimble, able to strike her foes in seconds, and slip back into the shadows just as fast. Her skill grew as she avoided her parents, as they were local law enforcement. Until one day, she was caught, she fled her home, leaving everything and everyone behind. She was on the run for day, months, and years, she never visited her home, until she learned of her Father's death. She immediately went back to her home, and grieved with her mother, and the village. Before she left, her mother gave her with a message, "The man who killed your father had a strange insignia on his palm." Now, armed with a goal and reason, she now travels the land, looking for the man who killed her father.
Damion Wild, Mark Of Storm Half-Elf, Druid (Circle Of Wildfire) 5, Monk 3
Cool!
Hello! I am just a relatively new D&D player, who also likes SimplePlanes and War Thunder.
My characters are:
Here's the backstory for my first D&D character, Rig. By first, I mean, I just made him, I'm very new. I've played D&D about 8 years ago, AT LEAST, and I'm just getting back into it with a human barbarian. I've never made a backstory for a D&D character before. Let me know what you think~
Rig was born in an arctic climate and culture. For the majority of his life, he lived on the plains, with nothing but snow and ice as far as the eye could see. He doesn't know much about his birth family, since his family had sold him into slavery before his birth to the Cua family. All he knows is that his parents and any siblings he might have had were killed by his extended family for trying to smuggle him away when he was born. He's probably related in some way to his owners, fourth cousins once removed or some such.
What really happened, though he doesn't know these details, is that his parents, being of a lower caste than the Cua family, agreed to give them their next child in exchange for money, since they had not the means to care for another child. However, when he was born, they made a last-ditch effort to run away and become refugees to escape the Cua's. However they were sold out by Rig's uncle, who was closer with the Cua family, and they were all killed before they could flee, the Cua's taking Rig in and naming him Boa. From birth to the age of 8, he lived with them, mainly cared for by the other slaves and working with the animals on the property. At the age of five, he was placed in charge of caring for the family's dogs, and later helped with the horses as well. The Cua family was a large one, and he rarely interacted with them, the other slaves passing down the orders.
Cua Era:
The Cua family were a middle class large clan in a small city on the edges of the arctic taiga of Rig's homeland, named Wrekwell. They were a respected family, and, given it was a wealthy city, they owned expansive property, animals, and slaves, even though they were only considered to be moderately wealthy. The family were whalers, delving into the ocean to catch and kill the great whales for their meat, oils, and blubber. They were one of three whaling companies in Wrekwell, and the three largely worked together without too much competition, as it was such dangerous work. They went out in fleets to weather the storms, frigid water, and aggressive prey they sought. They, being with a wealthy city, relied mainly on the local militia for protection, though the only major military threats were the neighboring city, Khost, who had been warring with Wrekwell for generations. What had started as a family feud had escalated into full out war after murders, raids, and crop burning had gotten out of hand. The Cua family were planted in Wrekwell many years ago, spying on them for the Khost governors. Rig's parents were a sub-clan, who were supposed to be loyal to Khost, but were actually loyal to Wrekwell. This was known by the Cua clan, and caused a divide in the families, though the Cua clan had superiority over Rig's family, bullying them into keeping quiet. Rig's family were very poor, and relied on the Cua's too much to betray them.
Rig, (known as Boa), was the only survivor of his direct family after their slaughter by the Cua family. The murders went beyond his family trying to back out of their word, the Cua's had hated his family for years, due to the split in alliances. The Cua clan feared Boa's family might betray them, but their code of conduct wouldn't allow them to kill their own relations without good cause. Since they could never prove anything, they jumped on the family's attempted flight as a good enough reason. Boa was just a bonus. As such, he was scorned by the family, though the other slaves shielded him from this, keeping him under the family's radar. Only his uncle Vou really interacted with him on a regular basis, and would frequently tease and taunt him, but the other slaves always were quick to find something Boa should be doing. Cama, Hera and Domin, three other slaves, were closest to him, but as he aged they expected him to care for himself, since no one had the means or time to coddle anyone. He learned everything he knew the hard way, and spent a lot of time getting hurt, be it from an impatient Cua or just falling out of a tree.
When he was seven, he got caught up in a battle between the Wrekwell people and the Khost people, and was nearly killed, only saved when Domin realized he was missing and snuck away from the property to find him. How might all of that happen, you ask? Like this, I answer:
Boa had accidentally let one of the dogs out, and was chasing it down to get it home before anyone noticed and he was punished, but what he didn't know, (being 7), is that there had been an attack earlier that day, and the city a few blocks from his owner's property had been destroyed. The dog ran right to that spot, being a war/hunting hound. Boa followed her, and got caught up in the aftermath. As the Wrekwell armies marched towards the destroyed homes, the dog found the Khost armies picking through the rubble, waiting for the back up. She attacked one, and was instantly killed by a spear. Boa had been trying to call her back, but the Khost soldiers heard him and caught him. They were going to kill him; they saw from the brand on his chest that he was nothing more than a slave, but right before they could, the Wrekwell armies arrived, and they abandoned him for bigger fish. Domin, who had just arrived, rushed in, scooped up Boa, and carried him home, though he was steaming mad. They both got into massive trouble, Boa for leaving the property and letting one their prize hounds escape, and Domin for leaving the property to rescue him. Domin was beaten until he was unconscious, and Boa was whipped until he almost passed out from blood loss. The Cua family didn't care whether he died, since he'd let one of their best hounds get out and get killed, plus he was just 7, he wasn't irreplaceable. Hera patched them both up, and Domin refused to speak to Boa for months afterwards.
When Boa was eight, two major events happened: One, he witnessed Cama and Domin's deaths, and two, he escaped.
During the summer of his 8th year, he found out that Cama, Domin, Hera, and a couple of the other slaves were planning an escape. Escaping was dangerous in this city, since many had slaves, and all would know when a slave was not where they were supposed to be. They would have to get to the outskirts of the city without being seen by anyone, and then try to survive the arctic wastes as they headed out of the taiga and into the plains. They weren't going to take Boa with them, since they felt he would only slow them down, being so young. He threatened to tell the family if they didn't take him, so they grudgingly agreed, warning him that if he couldn't keep up, he would be left behind as bait.
For months they planned and prepared, and finally, they were getting close to ready. However, before they had completed all preparations, Voa found out about their plans, and told the Cua family heads, Madam Leni and Master Mia. Mia, enraged, ordered the slaves be burned alive. The guards seized Domin, Hera, Cama and Boa along with the other attempting escape, demanding to know who's idea it had been. When no one volunteered the information, Mia and Leni randomly selected Cama and old the guards to douse her in whale oil and set her alight.
It was at this point that Domin stepped forward, hoping to save them by saying he had planned it, begging for mercy. Mia tricked him and Cama, telling them they would be spared if they subjected themselves to burning their hands. Of course they stepped forwards to do so, but as they approached the vat, the guards pushed them in, setting it aflame and leaping on the other slaves, pushing them into the inferno. Hera grabbed Boa and fled, the screaming of the other slaves audible from the entire house. Hera and Boa made it out in the chaos, but were pursued to the edge of the property. Hera had them split up, and they fled in opposite directions. Hera, being a bigger target, got chased, caught, and killed before she was even out of sight, but Boa managed to make it all the way out into the tundra. However, since they hadn't had time to grab any of their supplies, he was minimally dressed, had no food, and though the sun never set, (it being summer), it was still freezing cold. He walked as far as he could, before finally collapsing in the snow. 4
Saha Era:
He was found by Aven Saha, a son of a larger family living on a homestead a few miles away. He'd been on his way back from a supply run to Wrekwell, and when he saw Boa, half frozen to death, he carried him home in his cart, where he was unofficially adopted by the Saha clan. The family elders, the hunters and trappers that were now too old to work, decided he could stay, though they clearly saw the slave brand. They never told anyone else, and ordered Boa to keep it hidden. He adopted their last name, and was now Boa Saha, a son of the Saha clan. They cared for him as one of their own, teaching him how to survive the hostile environments of the arctic tundra, how to hunt, trap, and farm. None of the rest of the family knew of his origin, and the elders made sure he never went to town or anywhere off the property. They treated him fairly, though he was expected to pull his weight and work hard.
The Saha family was one of four family trappers living in the area, who all largely worked together and helped sustain each other. The other families were the Coatoka, the Mankam, and the Shoan clans. Together they formed a small community, and though they weren't particularly close knit, they shared resources, helped each other on their fields, hunting in large groups to bring down the enormous buffalo creatures that called the tundra home. Their lands were conjoined, however they each owned massive properties, and it could be three day's travel before you could get from one clan's house to the next. Therefore the families were constantly trading out workers, sending their brothers and daughters over to a neighbors house so they might stay for a week to help with whatever event they had need for. However, the Saha elders mostly kept Boa home with them, and though he wasn't kept a secret from the other families, they rarely deliberately brought him up or had him around. He was simply known as the orphan son the Saha had been kind enough to take in, and was viewed neutrally by the other families.They raised him in their religion, but he would drop it quickly later, since he never entirely believed in it anyways. He'd been told no God cared about him or his 'kind' (slaves), by the Cua family, and it was a deeply ingrained message. He eventually stopped believing in gods all together.
The family was fair and kind, but they were also hardened and tough, and expected Boa to be the same. He learned by going out with them, watching them, mimicking, them, and testing it out for himself when he was sent out or errands around the massive farm. He learned by observing, testing, correcting, almost dying, surviving, and refining. He was welcome to ask questions, and quickly learned to, because information was rarely offered to him. That was a skill he actively had to learn, since he was used to getting told everything he needed to know by the other slaves when they passed down the orders to him.
As he was turning twelve, he met Seersha, one of the Coatoka clan's daughters, who was around his age. They quickly became friends, then started to fall in love with one another. But Seersha's parents were wary of this stranger who spent all of his time on the Saha land, never leaving to help his neighbors. After about a week of them clearly falling for each other, her father forbid them from seeing each other again. Boa, being a chaotic neutral already, didn't care in the slightest, but Seersha refused to see him after that, rejecting him when he snuck over to see her. On the three day walk back home, his little heart broken into a million pieces, he was found by Vaen, one of his older brothers, who took him home where he promptly got into massive trouble for being gone for six days straight with no warning. He was punished with another six days of the less fun jobs around the farm, and essentially grounded, only able to go out with one of his family members.
One of the real reasons for this was the elders being afraid of his old owners finding out about his existence here. Not only would they be entirely unable to defend him against any sort of military what-so-ever, they also could be accused of escapee-harboring, a highly punishable crime in their culture. At best, they would lose everything and become shamed outcasts of their community, at worst, some of them might be executed. They were quick to make this clear to Boa, not-so-gently telling him the horror stories of what happened to escaped slaves that got caught again, and trying to scare him into not leaving again.
It...kinda worked? At this point, Boa wasn't too scared of much, and what he was scared of, he was confident the Saha's could take care of. He figured that they were exaggerating, but decided not to leave again anyways. Him deciding they were just telling stories may have been a mental defense mechanism, so he wouldn't get scared. Also, he'd just had a pretty decent emotional blow as well, so he wasn't likely to have anywhere else he'd want to go. The Saha's had taught him to be reliant on family, and so he didn't at all mind staying with them while he felt like trash.
About a year after that, news came from the Mankam family, who held the property closest to Wrekwell, that there was a group of merchants asking about an escaped slave. That made the Saha elders mighty nervous, even though they didn't know for sure that the merchants were at all tied to Boa. They asked Boa for details of his old owners, and asked the Mankam family for details about the merchants.
Yup, it was the Cua's. They were still tracking Boa down, all these years later, because they were afraid of what secrets of theirs he might spill. Also, this culture was fairly unlikely to just let an escaped slave go. Since in this part of the world slaves were still considered citizens and often part of the family they worked under, (hence why Boa was given their last name), they had strong laws surrounding slaves, and slaves were to be held accountable by those laws as firmly as anyone. Attempting an escape was paramount to murder to them, since it gave other slaves big ideas, and also it broke many, many smaller laws along the way. It would be the same as if in our culture, someone killed someone else, but as soon as the police lost their immediate trail, they just said "Welp, that's one that slipped the net" and dropped the case.
Slave owners were allowed to take matters mostly into their own hands when it came to finding their charges, but if they needed the military to get involved, oh, would they.
As to why it took them this long to reach the Saha family, the little collection of homesteads were a long way away from Wrekwell, a good nine days to the Mankam house, and then tack on another three or four to get to the Saha house. Since they lived in an environment considered harsh compared to the environment in Wrekwell and the taiga, they had been hesitant to even go this way. The weather off the tundra was fairly neutral, but out on the plains, the incredibly strong winds blew shards of ice through the air to bite into your skin, the cold air cutting right through almost every layer of clothing you tried to add on. With nothing around for miles except for wildlife that went out of it's way to try and kill you and the occasional cagey homesteader, the environment had a reputation of taking the lives of all but the most prepared and hardy.
Knowing this, the Cua's had largely focused their efforts searching the taiga up until recently. When they'd heard about the homesteaders not too far away, they decided to check there, just in case. And now they were only a few days away, and the elders had to do something fast.
So they waited until the middle of the night, then woke Boa, handing him his things and telling him he had to go, that his old masters were hot on his tail.
That kicked him in gear. He was also very aware of the gruesome fate that would befall him if he was caught. The elders gave him the only horse they could spare, and aged stallion named Kikko who had a top speed of about three miles an hour, and he departed. The elders, before he left, told him to try and find this tribe of barbarian human and orcs that traveled the area. They were forever taking in strays, and no one was stupid enough to mess with them, especially when their leader was an ex-convict with many murders in his name. They were Boa's last and only option.
Shukk's Tribe:
For six days, he searched the area, trying to keep going in the vague direction the elders had pointed him in. In the end, the tribe found him. As he'd been travelling along, one of the tribe saw him from a distance and reported it back to the leader, an orc named Shukk. Shukk went out to find him, and after surprising and scaring the bejeezus out Boa, Shukk explained he was the leader of the tribe. Boa begged to be taken in, explaining his situation and who was following him.
Shukk, fearing no mortal consequence, immediately took him in, and welcomed him into the tribe. He was instantly befriended by Dhall and Shug, two orcs about his age, and was quick to befriend Bhuavaul and Javan, a half-orc and human, as well. Shukk renamed Boa 'Rig,' to distance him from his past, and gave him the last name 'Boaka' to remind him of it.
Shukk quickly became a father/mentor figure to Rig, and the two became quite close as Rig proceeded to follow him around everywhere and learn from him. Shukk began to think of Rig as a son, and invited him into his personal family. he taught Rig about Rage, and encouraged his anger over his past, and helped him control that anger into the reason for his rage.
As Rig aged, he was finally found by the Cua clan, while he was out hunting on his own. By now, he was sixteen, and though he was a strong able fighter, he was still young, and no match for the best militia the Cua clan had sent out. However, they hadn't anticipated how close an eye Shukk kept on his tribe, and just as they were overwhelming Rig, they found themselves attacked by a huge orc in a bloodlusting rage. Shukk killed or chased off the militia before carrying Rig home and getting his wounds treated. But this was just the start of a war that Shukk was more than happy to partake in. As the Cua gathered their own army from both family and also friends from Khost. They vastly outnumbered the tribe, but each attack was met with a wild ferocity that left the Cua armies splintered and broken each time. As Rig began to master his rage, he joined the battle, the act of taking revenge on his old tormentors driving his rage to a new level as he fought beside Shukk.
Faced by this unbeatable foe, the Cua clan retreated, seeming to give up on reclaiming Rig. The tribe carried on with their travels, slowly letting their defenses down as no further attacks came. For nine more years Rig lived with them, finally finding real family and peace.
When rig was twenty-five, Shukk passed away, having been attacked by a terrible sickness that swept through the tribe, seeming to target mainly orcs. Many of the tribe died of the sickness, Shukk being the last, finally succumbing to the illness after seeing his tribe begin to recover. He named Ekaral, his oldest daughter his successor, and she took over the tribe.
Rig took his leave at this point. Though he was still close to the tribe, without Shukk, the tribe became a place to ruminate in grief, and he didn't want that. For several years now he'd been interested in a career as a prizefighter, so he left to finally follow that goal. He visits the tribe when he can, and has come to find the Cua clan are after him yet again now that he's on his own, but he just steers clear of them. He gave himself the third name Shauk, ('of Shukk'), to commemorate the only real father he'd ever had, and set out on his travels.
Cool! I thought the backstory I made was good, but yours is amazing!
Hello! I am just a relatively new D&D player, who also likes SimplePlanes and War Thunder.
My characters are:
Well, here’s my newest characters backstory, for a play by post that started a few days ago
Amnesia is a piece of trash. Alax Haorick can remember nothing before the last 15 years, which is short due to their elf heritage. They have no idea why or how they became conscious in the middle of a temple, and no idea how they got there. But the temple of the prime one is an accepting place, one that draws all into it’s fold. So now, after this religion being all they have known, and thus having been easily indoctrinated, they are now a Paladin of conquest, claiming all in the prime’s name. (Still needs a bit of work, but I’m giving the dm some space to mess with frontstory and amnesia.)
she/it pronouns
I watch. I wait. I listen. I like roleplaying games. Avid fan of messed up homebrew and horror rpgs. Lancer>dnd5e, go read Kill Six Billion Demons. I will shoot you with my transgenderification beam pew pew
:O Awwe! Thank-you!!
I don't think I saw yours, did you share it earlier and I missed it?
I did, but It might take you a while to find it in this mess.
Hello! I am just a relatively new D&D player, who also likes SimplePlanes and War Thunder.
My characters are:
Haha I believe that xDD
lol
Hello! I am just a relatively new D&D player, who also likes SimplePlanes and War Thunder.
My characters are:
WIP
So, torch(will be changed to be more creative) is an artificer, soon to be artillerist. Dropped off at a forge/ work shop at a young age, torch picked up being a blacksmith and tinkerer quickly. One day, a war forged (created by torch) short circuited, going wild in the workshop, torch tried to turn off the machine, with no success, the only thing he got was a crushed left arm and right leg, to broken to be healed by any magic for awhile. Once the war forged was stopped, torch scraped the robot and started to work on magical, metal, braces to help his broken limbs. The injury on his arm, was a positive thing for torch, using the metal brace and adding a small cannon to fire the spells torch learned from. Now torch travels the lands, looking for a Adventuring party and get enough gold to make his own workshop.
I'm not up on all the lore and although I played years ago, haven't played in a long time. Came back and am trying to get my backstory set up. Please read, feedback is welcome. My character is a human paladin, and our group is going into Baldur's Gate: Descent to Avernus. I choose faction agent as my background and tried to tie that in with this.
Kyner does not remember much of his early childhood, nor any information of his parents. His memories start at a monastery being raised by monks. He has no recollection of how he ended up at the monastery.
As Kyner was training with other children he often found himself being scolded for not getting it quite right. During time of meditation he found his mind wandering and not being able to stay focused. At times he swore he could see a celestial being during his time of meditation. Sometimes he was made fun of for this when he tried to explain it. He never could figure out exactly what the being wanted of him, as they never spoke, only made gestures or signals to him. As he grew into a young man, he began hearing he may not be suited for the role of a monk. Other monks laughed at his attempts to learn unarmed combat. Kyner was a larger man, built of dense muscle, and was not as agile as the others training as monks. When Kyner was alone he found himself drawn to a sword and began learning to wield it. One day at the monastery a group of men came in seeking refuge from a recent battle. The monks gave them aid, and Kyner seemed extremely interested in these knights. Most carried a sword and shield, others just a sword, or a polearm, and all were wearing heavy armor that glistened in the light. A monk saw Kyner lurking and asked that he fetch a pail of water to help clean one of the men’s wounds. As Kyner obeyed and returned with the water the knight began asking him questions. After a brief conversation, the knight asked Kyner to show him his sword wielding ability and offered his sword to Kyner. Kyner had never practiced with an actual sword, only a carved wooden model of one. He instinctively reached for the sword, in his hand it felt light, yet firm, and as he flicked his wrist a few times, balanced as if it belonged there. He stepped back, took his stance, and began to show off what he thought was his sword skills. Many of his monk friends laughed as they watched, but the knight seemed to pay close attention. It was as if Kyner was performing a dance with the sword as his movements seemed more fluid than any of the monk training he had. The knight looked at the monk tending to his wounds, shook his head as if to say yes, and then turned to Kyner and asked, “young man, would you like to come with us when we leave tomorrow morning? When we return to our fort we can train you to become one of us, as it seems you have been blessed with talent best used as a paladin, then a monk.” Kyner had never met a paladin but he looked around at the men, their arms, their armor, and he knew he must go.
Kyner trained with the Knights of Holy Judgement from then on. He quickly was able to pick up sword fighting skills and became talented in combat. As he grew, he began taking part in adventures with the Knights that lead him to track down criminals and monsters alike and bring them to justice for some wrongdoing. He became close friends with the men he often went on adventure with. They became very skilled as a group and often were honored after coming back having rendered justice on someone or something. His name grew more common as his combat prowess grew. One day his group was asked to hunt down a specific devil that had been ransacking and killing people from a nearby village. They found the devil and the fight ensued. It was a tremendous battle that raged on for some time. Kyner began getting frustrated they could not best this devil, and he pushed closer to attempt to get the final blow. The devil reacted and Kyner was thrown down unconscious. The battle continued around him, until the last of his group had succumbed to the devil. The devil was severely wounded but was able to slink away from the battle having bested the group that day. Kyner awoke hours later… Dried blood laid everywhere within visual distance. His fellow paladins laid on the ground cold and dead. He wandered around but could find no sign of the devil in the area. Weak, tired, and injured himself, he picked up what he could and got ready to head back to the Knights of Holy Judgement and inform them of what happened. The celestial body he had seen during his mediation time in the monastery reappeared in the middle of the battleground. This time it spoke to him. “Kyner, you were destined to be here. Destined to survive this battle. I could not tell you before, as I could only watch over you. Now you need to see that this is your destiny. You are meant to hunt down and destroy this devil and avenge your fallen companions.” Kyner looked around as if to see if anyone else could see or hear the being speaking to him. Kyner responded, “I was bested today, who is to say I would not be bested again by this devil if I were to find him?” The being in front of him said, we have guided you this far, have provided you with everything you need to become strong enough to defeat him. However, you lack that burning desire to ignite you. The death of your friends should provide that now. You must take up arms, vow vengeance on this devil and seek to bring justice for those around you that fell today.” Kyner again looked around, picked up his backpack and belongings and began walking. The being stated, “I can already see in your heart the flame I speak of that will push you to this conclusion. Hoar is watching you and will provide you with what you need to defeat the devil when the time is right.” And with that the being was gone. Kyner continued walking but looked over his shoulder to confirm that the being was no longer there. At the edge of the battlefield, he stopped, took a knee, bowed his head, and made the vow to Hoar, that this devil would be cleansed, and his friends avenged with the devil’s death.
Kyner returned to the Knights of Holy Judgement, alone. As he entered the gates nothing but silence as everyone starred. He spoke in front of everyone and explained he was the only survivor and the devil yet lived. He did not mention anything of the celestial being that spoke to him. He did however speak of his vow of vengeance to seek out and battle the devil once more. Everyone tried to empathize with Kyner and make him feel better. He recovered from his minor wounds, packed his belongings, and said goodbye to fellow knights. They said he was always welcome and they would aid him if their paths crossed again. He then sought out on his quest.
Here's an interesting character I've been toying with the idea of using.
A half-elf Rogue (Thief subclass)/Warlock (Pact of the Celestial).
Sounds odd, right? Allow me to explain!
Aliza Iliyarus spent most of his childhood (and the early years of adulthood) as a sneak thief, and a rather good one, at that. He had a crew of loyal friends who were always willing to help him pull off whatever daring caper he had in mind. He loved to drink and steal and fight, and not a care in the world was given aside from the next job. He's got a few scars, and a great tale for each and every one.
Until the day one of his "friends" betrayed everyone and set them up to be captured by the city guard in exchange for the reward put on Aliza's head.
As he languished in the dungeon, awaiting his trial and eventual execution, he was visited in a dream by a unicorn offering him freedom. But this was no ordinary unicorn! This was none other than Princess Glitterhoof the Splendifirious, Most Fairest of All Unicorns. She would whisk Aliza away from the cell he was rotting away in and grant him a portion of her power, in exchange for his service. Aliza readily agreed, not quite knowing what he was getting into. Not only did Aliza gain his freedom and new powers, but also a special tabard and sword as well. (The tabard looks like every single Lisa Frank folder and notebook vomited all over it, and the pact weapon is a rainbow longsword with sculpted cloud guards, a pink hilt, and a giant ball of candy for the pommel).
Aliza not only gained a patron, but a companion as well: Shyla Dazzleshadow the fairy! An incredible saccharine companion who strives to keep her wayward charge in line. Shyla keeps him from drinking to excess (changing his wine or beer into milk), silences him when he's about to swear, etc. She will take any opportunity to sing the praises of Princess Glitterhoof and remind Aliza of his sworn oath to protect the innocent, heal the sick, and strike down evildoers wherever they may be!
All Aliza wants is a drink.
Just.
One.
Drink.
The idea behind Aliza was trying to make the D&D equivalent of the moody goth teenager being forced to join choir and be sociable by a well-meaning but slightly overbearing mother. It might be a bit one-note at first and would require some careful play on my part to avoid being more than a gimmick, but it does sound challenging enough to give it a try eventually.
I have a Question.
If you character's backstory gets to a point where it could possibly count as a concept for a movie. Would it be better to brake it down into dot points, so it could be used as a reminder to help tell the story later. Or should I attempt to write the whole thing as if It was a book?.
I would say put some not that important plot points in bullet points
Both!
I'd say the bullet points would be a good format for the basic info that you want to share with the other players and the DM.
But as far as developing the character for yourself, go as in-depth and narrative as you can. That way you'll begin to hear the character's voice and feel the character's responses and your RP'ing will feel a lot more natural.
Tayn of Darkwood. Lvl 10 human Life Cleric of Lathander. Retired.
Ikram Sahir ibn Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad, Second Son of the House of Ra'ad, Defender of the Burning Sands. Lvl 9 Brass Dragonborn Sorcerer + Greater Fire Elemental Devil.
Viktor Gavriil. Lvl 20 White Dragonborn Grave Cleric, of Kurgan the God of Death.
Anzio Faro. Lvl 5 Prot. Aasimar Light Cleric.
Here's a character I've been working on for a while now. I feel pretty good about the backstory.
Taril'xt Lith'Inian. A shadowblade of great repute within Menzoberranzan. Using a combination of magic and blade skills, the mercenary is valuable to more than one of the great houses.
Taril'xt was born into house Na'Dir as an elderboy, a lowly house with no considerable repute. Taril'xt's mother, Matron Na'dir, was desperate and power-hungry, willing to do anything to advance their name among the great ranks of the city. Some time passed before a deal was struck with one of the Lolth-favored houses, House Zahlkahst. Their high priestess, Jhaelrna Zahlkhast, much desired a consort, a male that she could exact her wishes upon. In exchange, not only would House Na'dir receive protection, but also the destruction of their rival family, House Du'Unre. Without a second thought, Matron Na'dir agreed to the exchange. Against his will, Taril'xt was sent off to House Zahlkahst as a favored consort of the priestess. Should he ever leave without permission or attempt to break the agreement between houses, his family and home were to be destroyed by the full might of House Zahlkahst.
Jhaerlna was a physical creature that preferred the more carnal enjoyment that came from having a favored consort. In return, Taril'xt was granted arcane knowledge to further bolster his magical skill. When he was not being used as a tool of pleasure to temporarily satisfy Jhaerlna's lecherous desires, Taril'xt was a slave, cleaning the family house, polishing statues of Lolth, and delivering messages to other houses. He had minimal contact with his house, who all acted as if he was dead.
Finally, Taril'xt was sent back to his house after nearly a century of acting as Jhaerlna's favored consort. This was sign was the herald of the destruction of House Na'dir. Jhaerlna had had her fill of Taril'xt, and she had found a different male to play with. As a result, the armies of House Zahlkahst descended upon Taril'xt's house and wiped it from history. Unbeknownst to anyone, Taril'xt alone survived, living in exile. He began to learn the ways of the Underdark, training his mind and body, sharpening it like a knife. He studied the ways of the shadowblade, rogue mercenaries that were directed by coin. Taril'xt indoctrinated himself, passing the final test of becoming a shadowblade; bonding himself to a shadow demon and infusing its essence into himself. With this complete, Taril'xt gave himself a new surname. Lith'inian. He quickly proved himself among the higher-ranking houses of the drow families, becoming a valuable assassin for hire when they wanted.
I'm not begging for attention, but if you like World Anvil, go give me a look.
Which one sounds better?
A: US marine gets suspended from duty, due to cockish behaviour and decides to go on solo camping trip. -Loyalty
B: US marine is denied permission to leave the army, (due to story reasons) and plans to disappear on solo camping trip. -Treachery
Both have no immediate impact on the story.
I think Treachery could be a fun route.
I'm not begging for attention, but if you like World Anvil, go give me a look.