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any one think of a background, for a good aligned Deep gnome who has come out of the underdark he has a scythe/hand(like belwar and his Arms) on his right arm, Barbarian/Illousinist(sp) Can any one think of a background?

Originally posted by craig:
<STRONG>any one think of a background, for a good aligned Deep gnome who has come out of the underdark he has a scythe/hand(like belwar and his Arms) on his right arm, Barbarian/Illousinist(sp) Can any one think of a background?</STRONG>

Couldn't think of anything more complicated, could you? Oh, well, I'll give it a try. I'll just call him Sparkle, I don't like writing about people without a name.

Sparkle was born in the underdark in a small deep gnome village. Early on, it became apparent, thet he was different from his fellows. He was always asking questions about the surface,especially about how the sun shone there. His parents were not at all happy with the way their son was turning, and gave him into training with an older warrior of their liking.
Soon, Sparkle was too busy to ask questions about the surface and the sun as he was trying to do his best at keeping up with his training. The old warrior was a skilled teacher, and he was proud that he was always able to find the weapon his pupil was most proficient with. Now Sparkle did not seem to be a very gifted fighter, and his teacher was close to giving up and only kept him because his parents insisted that he had a good influence on him.
They surely would have been less pleased if they had found out that their son had met an learned illusionist one evening after training and had started to see him regularly, as soon as he had any tome to spare. Sparkle had found somebody else who could tell him all he wanted to know about the surface. But he had learnt not to be too obviously enthousiastic about the surface and thus feigned to be only interested in it to better fight against the cursed surfacers. Thus, he slowly gained more and more knowledge about the surface, and about his own talents. The wizard had not been blind, noticing in Sparkle somebody intelligent enough to grasp the suptleties (sp?) of magis. Soon, Sparkle took his first steps as an illusionist.
Now, Sparkle still followed his fighting courses with the old warrior. One afternoon, training went really bad and he was disarmed time after time, his teacher beginning to fume with rage. Once more Sparkle was disarmed, and but this time his teacher did not stop his attacks but continued advancing on him. Sparkle scrambled desperately to get out of reach of his hits as his hand fell on a scythe. Desperated, he grapped the scythe, and, behold!, he scored a hit, almost disarming his teacher, apparently, he had finally found the weapon of his choice. He soon was driving back his teacher along the training ground,pocking up a second scythe as he went along, using it to even deadlier effectiveness.
Now, Sparkle learnt quickly, both fighting and magic, but he had still soo much to learn, when something unexpected happened. He fell in madly love with the clanchief's daughter and apparently, she fancied him too. Unfortunately, her love was not lasting and she soon sought to get rid of him, but he was too much in love to understand this. Thus, she chose to open his eyes once and for all. As almost every day since he met her, Sparkle dressed in his best clothes, picked up his most beautifully polished scythes and went to meet her. But, what was this! When he entered her room, she was lying in sombody else's arms! "Now, do you understand, little fool?", she asked. For one moment, Sparkle stood frozen to stone, then something broke in him, launching him into a frenzy like none before. He positively mowed down his former girlfriend and her new lover, not stopping before he hed reduced them to pieces. Finally coming to his senses, he looked at the scene, horrified and fled, fled the site of his crime, fled from himself.
By sheer luck, nobody had heard him kill them, and he left the village unnoticed, wandering aimlessly. Finally, he sat down and wept. He had found out about a side in him he had not known before, and it frightened him. He had betrayed his own standards, and he was close to punishing himself with death for it. But then he saw a light, pure as he had never seen before. Unwittingly, he had wandered near an earthslide which had opened a passage to the surface. Now seeing this light, he found new hope. He thought of it as a sign, a sign that he could still amend himself, do good, use his illusionist, and, yes, also his barbarian powers to good end. Thus, he slowly began the climb to the surface, and to the sun he had so often dreamed about.

Well, I hope that's not too messy a caracter.

*ducks and waits for the stones to fly*

I don't know you and, you don't know me but i can tell you one thing...(i can imagine your face now )I have a way of thinking of answers for my problems after a few hour(sory) but it is good.

Originally posted by Mysteria:
<STRONG>*ducks and waits for the stones to fly*</STRONG>

No stones, just a very sincere compliment. You're good, really good.

That was REAL good.

Mysteria - do you do requests ..... ?

So I've got this English Literature piece of project work oustanding.......

Loved your characterisation.

./Kharvak

*blush*

thanks for the compliments

@Kharvak: erm, I don't think so

Do you take challenges? such as a... I don't know... Drow elf paladin/rogue?

Only if I'm inspired (which I am not right now)

Might give it a try some day, when I'm inspired.

Just one thing, is a paladin/rogue combo possible without loosing paladin statues? Or a lawful good rogue, for that matter. Not sure right now and I don't have a PHB handy.

btw, are all drow born in the Underdark?

edit: Looked it up. GB says rogues can have any alignement in 3rd edition and there's nothing mentioned about a paladin/rogue combo being impossible.

edit 2 (again ) : starting as paladin or rogue?

Rogue would be the obvious choice.

I've got an idea ... but no time to write it down right now.

So watch this space till I've got some time.

A bit long because I got carried away and there was quite some explaining to be done, enjoy.

Calishia, lawful good drow rogue/paladin

Testing the edge of her shortsword, Calishia nodded approvingly, now it was sharp enough. Taking out her dagger, she began to hone it's blade as just meticulously as that of the sword before. She was a striking young lady, her silvery white hair encasing an ebony black face in which burned a pair of icy blue eyes. She was of slender built, but brimming with energy and was very attractive, above all if she was smiling.

She was not smiling now though, her face grim as she was harbouring dark thoughts. As she vigorously sharpened her dagger, her back still hurt from the whipping she had endured the day before. She should never have let that male know she actually had some feelings for him. Spitting on the ground, she recollected the last few days. She'd been regularly seeing Jentron for some time now and she'd somehow grown attached to him. Her mastress always told her that to harbour any feelings towards a male was weakness, and every weakness was punished. They could not tolerate any weakness, especially not from somebody who sought to become a handmaiden of Lolth, like Calishia did.

Calishia grimaced, she should have known better ... But no, she had had to tell Jentron how much she loved him, not thinking for even a moment that he might not reciprocate her feelings. Tears welled up in her, but she pushed them away, she could not allow herself to show even more weakness. Anger, yes she had to be angry, angry at Jentron for laughing at her when she confessed her feelings to him. Angry at herself to have let him go without punishment, angry at Mayska, her former best friend, for having reported her to the mastress after overhearing Jentron bragging about his conquest.

Hot blood rose to her cheeks when she remembered the stony look the mastress had given her after she had been summoned. She had been given a lecture about being strong as if she were a newly entered novice and the following whipping was still fresh in her memory. She was fuming now, she'd felt herself at odds with her society more than once, but never like this. What was this a life if she could not even love somebody? A life in which one's best friend would betray you? Always forced to be strong, not to show any feelings, not even when your own sister was executed in front of your eyes, just because she'd dared to speak to a surfacer and not kill him.

Now tears rose in her eyes after all, memories of her sister welling up, her last words to her... "He was dying, sister, and suddenly I saw no longer a hated elf lying at my feet, but somebody who breatherd just like I did", she had said, "I could not kill him, I could not and I hope he was found andd survived, even if he's an enemy." Drying her wet cheeks, Calishia sighed, somehow, she was thinking just like her sister... No, she was even worse, she was beginning to hate her own people. She sat still for a moment, shocked at this realization, then she began once more to furiously sharpen her dagger, trying to put these thoughts out of her mind.

Finally, her weapons were ready and she laid out her equipement for their next raid, a smile creeping onto her face. She’d finally been allowed to accompany her mentor, Kenrot, on one of his missions. Even though he was male, she profoundly admired him. He was their best thief, no lock could withstand his skills, and he had chosen her, yes her , as an apprentice even though many an influential family had tried to place their offspring under his turorage. Kenrot had ingnored them all, he was always looking for skill, for talent, not money or power. Thus, he was neither rich nor powerful, but he was respected and, above all, still alive. Lolth alone knew how many thieves had lost their lives already just because their clumsy trainee had set off a trap. Calishia felt proud that Kenrot would be so confident in her skills that he actually took her with her on a real raid. She frowned as she reminded herself that due to her last sidestep she’d almost not been allowed to join, but Kenrot had put in a good word for her. Somehow, she felt that he understood her better than any of the others, she even suspected that he did not follow Lolth but … no, better not even think about such things.

Picking up her things, she stepped outside and joined the raiding party at the drow city’s main gate. A few hours later, they were stealthily creeping along an old tunnel and had soon reached a secret entrance to an old elven keep, now mostly inhabited by humans, but still a worthy target as some powerfull relics were kept in it’s crypts. Calishia did her job well, finding several traps on her own, the rest being diarmed by Kenrot. They had reached the crypt when a human soldier unexpectedly rounded a corner and sounded the alarm. Only minutes after, the keep was teeming with half dressed but no less deadly soldiers and drow, elf and humans fought a short but grim battle. Most drow escaped back through the tunnels, but one man hit Calishia heavily in the rips, breaking several of them with his mace, and left her for death as she slipped into inconsciousness.

As everything had calmed down a bit, Reifawl and several other men began to check the corridors for any stragglers left behind. Turning a corner, he stopped short as he spotted a dark shape on the floor, then approached cautiously. Coming nearer, he saw a attractive young female drow lying on the floor, seemingly death but as he approached, she moand slightly. Jumping back, he was ready to strike, but the drow made no move to attack and there was blood seeping out of her leather armor. Reifawl quickly knelt down and checked on her wounds. She’d been badly hurt but was barely alive, he had to help her, be she drow or not. He disarmed and bound her, then prepared a healing spell, but was rudely interrupted.

“Don’t you dare, paladin! There will be no healing spells wasted on drow as long as I’ around to stop it!”, the elf that had rounded the corner, followed by several others, was furious. “I’ll end her pitifull existence right now!”, he growled and raised his sword, but Reifawl was quick to raise his own.

“You’ll do nothing of the sort! She’s wounded and needs healing, you may judge her after.” For a moment, the two stood facing each other, ready to jump at each other’s throat, when a clear voice rang out and the lady of the keep joined them.

“Lower your swords! I will not have good men killing themselves for a drow.” After a closer look at Calishia, the lady declared “In this keep, my word is the law. The drow’s destiny shall be left to fate and will receive no healing. If she lives, she’s free to go wherever she wants, if she dies, we’ll bury her on our own grounds.” The elven warrior was furious and the paladin looked outraged, but they both bent their heads under the stern stare of the lady. “She is still young and might be able to learn, so she shall have a second chance.”, she declared, then left the group again.

Picking up the drow, Reifawl brought her to his own room and tended to her wounds as best as he could without spells, then pulled a chair to him and watched over her. For days, Calishia was between life and death, but finally her wounds began to heal and soon she recovered consciousness. At first, she was taken aback by what had happened to her, her only thought being to escape as soon as she could. Reifawl noticed this, but said nothing about it and started telling her about his own life as a paladin and life on the surface in general. Somehow, he had the mad hope that he could convert the beautiful drow to his own beliefs. At first, Calishia scowled at his stories, but soon she found herself hanging onto his every word. What he told her seemed so just, so right, so different from everything she had learnt before, so much in accordance with her own secret thoughts. A paladin he called himself, sworn to help the deedy, defend the weak and represent justice.

Finally, the day came when she was ready to leave and Reifawl provided her with everything she needed to set out.H e came to her room one to check on her one last time before she left and asked, “So, Calishia, where to now?”

“I don’t know.After all you have told me, my own people now seem foreign to me.” Then she looked him straight into the face and asked, “If I stay, will you teach me? Teach me to become a paladin like you are?”

Astounded, Reifawl was left speechless and could only nod.

Damn you're good.

Damn!

eek!

I want more! Whenn does your next book come out?

Happy to hear that

Next book? What next book?

That would be a good idea... to compile a bunch of backgrounds for various characters and make a book out of them of just put 'em online somewhere.

Up for a challenge? (I actually already have her history, but I would like to see variations seeing as how she's not a player character but a supremely powerful NPC)

Tayanna Spellbane - Fighter/Rogue/Forsaker
Alignment Lawful Neutral (in every sense of the word)

*In case you don't know what a forsaker is, it's a presitge class that people can multiclass into. When you do this you relinquish all magic items and any magical powers (be it spells, spell-like abilities or supernatural abilities) and refuse any magical aid. In return you get some incredible stat increases, special damage reduction and even spell resistance). I must remind you, NO magical anything. Think of it like this: She considers magic to be a cancer on the world and wants to eradicate it. Also, big issue, she's got a knack for clockwork.

Make of it what you will, good luck.

Clockwork???

Like "machinery with springs, like that in a mechanical clock" ?

Now, how can one work such a thing into a bio .... hm, have to think about this one.

edit: what level do you want her at?.. got the impression that lvl 1 everywhere won't work.


edit 2: what race?


or shall I just decide race + level by myself?

(you see, I'm already hard at 'work' )

Originally posted by Rodo
Tayanna Spellbane - Fighter/Rogue/Forsaker
Alignment Lawful Neutral (in every sense of the word)

Sorry for jumping in Mysteria! I just wanted a turn too!

I'm not sure what class you started at, but I'll take it you were a Fighter, just to get the ball rolling. Is Human ok?

Tayanna Spellbane, her name meant more than just a 'tag'. It was part of her whole history...

She started life training in the Martial aspects of war, learning to wield weapons with deadly intent and skill, trained more through practice than some kind of regular training, she showed no flashy style or skill, just a steadied practice, learning the best ways to battle and deal with foes. An unconcious decision faced her though, her training was not proceeding quickly. She wasn't sure that her skills were best suited towards the arts of war.

During one of her quests, she was unlucky enough to get on the wrongside of a trapped corridor. She stepped forward, unknowingly setting off an arrow trap. A massive thunk came from in front of her. Before she even knew what she was doing, she hit the floor and rolled clear of the arrows. She stopped short of a tile, suspiciously lighter in colour than others. She smiled and jammed a handy dagger beneath the tile and lifted it off. A small clockwork device waited a small amount of pressure. Again she smiled. Her father, a clockmaker before that vile wizard stole him away, had shown her some of his devices. Similar in nature, she was able to cut the device free and place it in her pack.

Was this the best option for Tayanna to pursue? She seemed to be very light on her feet, after all, she dodged that trap well enough, but would she be better suited to the job of a Rogue? The quest continued. She walked into a large room, through an ornate doorway and on a small table, beneath a stained window, was a large grimoire. Feeble light washed over it, and the brass lined book seemed to reflect more light than provided to it. She grimaced at the thought of her touching that, vile thing, but she resolved and stepped forward, until she was blasted by an orb of magic power.

"Come to steal my book have ye? You'll have to go through me first!"

A human male appeared out of nowhere. He was unkempt and dirty, his robes tattered and his face black with filth. He cackled hideoulsly, his voice rough and grating on Tayanna's ears. He grinned again and began chanting something. Tayanna rolled behind some kind of statue and breathed deeply. Covered in shadow, she resolved to stay hidden and creep around, dealing with the wizard.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" Another hideous cackle erupted and another bolt of energy pinged off of the statue. Tayanna breathed deeply and walked from behind the statue, the wizard looked around, he couldn't see anyone but bootsteps were heard!

"Blast ye, ye thief! You won't get my book!" Something rang in Tayanna's head. I am a thief... She thought.

She crept round, avoiding the wizards awful gaze. She stepped up behind him.

"Night, night." She whispered in his ear. As her blade entered his back he gurgled and the blood escaped from his mouth. He coughed and the blood flecked out on the floor. She slid her pack off of her back and grabbed the cloth from her back. She wrapped the book up in the cloth and quickly put it in her pack. She walked off, grimly determined to obtain training in the Rogue arts, and lastly resolved to neglect all magic for what it was...

Is this ok? I just wrote this on the fly so it's probably poor...

Is this ok? I just wrote this on the fly so it's probably poor...

Poor????

I like it , no wait I think it's great

I think I'll start her off as thief, then fighter, then get her the Forsaker class.

Also thought of her as human.

Somehow, I can never keep these things short