The characters so far

We have now played 25 sessions, and the three main player-characters are coming along nicely. The world of the Young Kingdoms can be a very dangerous place, and the Stormbringer combat system is potentially lethal, so I have always run two accompanying characters to help take the pressure. Others are now dotting in and out of the game, as some of the players' friends occasionally join in, but the focus remains on the three originals. I thought it's about time I introduced them properly here on the blog thing, so here are some stats. They are rendered for D20, because it's easier for the players than percentiles. The characters started as members of the household of Haver Nikorn and stayed together as their fates have become ever more intertwined. Officially, they work for Nikorn's son Jorthan, who has taken over the family's business empire due to the death of his father at the hands of the Pan Tang sorcerer Theleb K'aarna.


Sir Blanque

STR 14  CON 13  SIZ 13  INT 12  POW 17 DEX 20  CHA 17

Hit Points 15  Major Wound Level 8

RH Broadsword Attack 19/Parry 16
Target Shield Attack 9/Parry 8
LH Broadsword Attack 13/Parry 16
Self Bow 6

Major skills: Ride 18; Swim 13; First Aid 15; Music Lore 15; Creative Writing (Poetry) 12; Listen 12; See 15; Ambush 11; Move Quietly 13

Spoken Languages: Common Tongue 23; Low Melnibonean 13
Written Languages: Common Tongue 18; Low Melnibonean 12

Special Skills: Flash/Bang Light Spell 13; Witch Sight 13; Million Spheres 3

Sir Blanque is the 23 year old son of a noble diplomat from Filkhar. He was born at midnight in the Temple of Peace in the capital city of Raschil, with webbed feet and hands. His mother died in childbirth and his father a year later. His webbed digits were surgically altered so that he could fit into normal society more easily. His Witch Sight is a unique talent that he ascribes to the unusual circumstances of his birth. When he was orphaned, he was adopted by Nikorn of Ilmiora, the famous merchant adventurer, who was a business associate and close friend of Sir Blanque's father. He took the baby back to Ilmiora, where he grew up with Nikorn's son Jorthan. He was tutored by the kindly old priest who was Nikorn's major advisor, and developed a special talent in the form of a flash-bang blast of light that works in the dead of night at +3 Power. Sir Blanque is something of a war hero, having been instrumental in leading a cavalry force against a Pan Tang probing raid while he was still a teenager doing his military service; he has also published a volume of quite well received poetry. He is ambidextrous, and in battle he wears a Displacer Cloak, a powerful defensive item that bestows all sorts of useful bonuses. He took this when he killed the demon assassin Thraaak.

So far in the campaign, Sir Blanque has been gifted the Sternbrow Sword for helping to save that family from an ancient curse laid on it by a long-dead sorcerer from Pan Tang. This is a powerful Lawful artefact that adds 5 points to his attack and parry, and automatically does full damage to those aligned with Chaos - a Virtuous blade, in fact. The bonus makes him a Master of swordsmanship. He also owns a family heirloom in the form of a Master quality shield bearing the device of his house. This increases his shield skills by 3 points. He has recently started to develop a two-weapon style of combat with a sword in each hand, and has begun practising with the bow, due to a perceived lack of long range capacity. He has found out that his mother was one of the mysterious mer-people, and that he has a much older half-sister called Calisander on that side of his family. He is of Lawful temperament and has an affinity for Straasha, with considerable favour in the form of 20 Elan points from the Lord of the Waters because of various things he has done that pleases the old Sea Lord - mostly killing Pan Tangians or creatures associated with Pyaray of Chaos, Straasha's greatest enemy. He is owed a boon by the minor Lord of Chaos Baleer, which he won in a dice game, and carries a Nanorion stone. This he acquired when he was possessed by the spirt of a Lawful champion allowing him to kill the great Chaos hero Boak.


Marion Shadowborn

STR 16  CON 15  SIZ 13  INT 14  POW 14 DEX 15  CHA 15

Hit Points 17  Major Wound Level 9

RH Dagger Attack 19/Parry 16
LH Dagger Attack 7/Parry 3
Thrown dagger 12
Brawling Attack 7/Parry 7

Major skills: Climb 18; Jump 22; Ride 16; Swim 11; Evaluate Treasure 16; Music Lore 14; Animal Husbandry 12; Listen 21; Search 15; See 20; Conceal 12; Cut Purse 12; Hide 13; Move Quietly 18

Spoken Languages: Common Tongue 20

Written Languages: Common Tongue 14

Special Skills: Shadow Dance 12; Million Spheres 2

Marion is a 19 year-old person of low origins from Aflitain, capital of Shazaar in the western continent. She made the acquaintance of Haver Nikorn at the tender age of seven when she tried to steal from him; he adopted her on the spot and took her back to his family estates in Ilmiora. Here she grew up with Jorthan Nikorn and Sir Blanque, and surprisingly for a city girl developed a talent for country life. She nearly died from an unspecified serious ailment at the age of sixteen, but now seems almost miraculously immune to all forms of disease.

In the course of the campaign, Marion has acquired various daggers of quality, usually appropriated from other people, and is now the proud owner of a Demon Dagger. This takes her ability to the level of a Master, and she has recently started to train in her off-hand for parrying purposes. She was unaware of her family name until she encountered Lady Merut of Chaos, an oracular seer who told Marion that she is affiliated with the Balance by birth, and unlocked a special ability of "shadow dancing" that enables Marion all sorts of strange abilities at night or in the shadows. Marion is now very intent on finding out more about her heritage, and has just recently acquired the tip of some sort of magical staff, possibly something that is at least of artefact level. She also has a couple of rings that give her extra protection, even when not wearing armour.


Destiny Wyvernrider

STR 13  CON 14  SIZ 11  INT 19  POW 22  DEX 16  CHA 18

Hit Points 16  Major Wound Level 8

Battle Axe Attack 19/Parry 16
Target Shield Attack 4/Parry 14
Dagger Attack 10/Parry 11
Bone Bow 16
Javelin 7

Major skills: Climb 17; Ride 21; Credit 17; Persuade 10; Evaluate Treasure 16; First Aid 16; Music Lore 17; Pick Lock 22; Sleight of Hand 10; Listen 22; Search 21; See 17; Conceal 10; Move Quietly 18

Spoken Languages: Common Tongue 20; Low Melnibonean 20; High Melnibonean 18
Written Languages: Common Tongue 14; Low Melnibonean 19; High Melnibonean 16

Special Skills: Witch Sight 18; Million Spheres 7

Summonings: Water Elementals 7; Fire Elementals 14; Demon of Protection 12

Aged 19, Destiny is relatively short for a Melnibonean and, even more unusually, has striking blonde hair, a boon she says was granted when she visited a temple garden back home on Melnibone. This is also where she met the strange mentor who started to tutor her in the magical arts - strange for a Melnibonean, that is, because he wasn't entirely decadent. Her family name translates as 'wyvern rider', and she holds the title of Duchess, meaning that she is a blood relation of the royal family, albeit a tenuous one. Her father is the half-brother of the treacherous Yrkoon, who died horribly under the screaming runesword Stormbringer when he tried to usurp the throne from the rightful emperor, the young Elric VIII. Worried about the knock-on effects of the rebellion on other members of the family, Destiny's father decided that it might be safer for her diplomatically to leave Melnibone and see the Young Kingdoms for herself; it is well known that Elric wishes to know more about the new human states, since he has some sort of plan for Melnibone's place in the world. So far there have been no reprisals from that quarter; Elric seems to consider the matter closed with the death of his ambitious cousin. Destiny fetched up in the northern continent and attached herself to the Nikorn household, a major player in the subtle power struggle against Pan Tang.

Destiny has achieved much in the campaign so far, including sending the treacherous Theleb K'aarna of Pan Tang to hell. She has been advancing in the sorcerous arts due to her acquiring his grimoire upon his death (as well as his demon horse), and now has two water and two fire elementals, as well as a useful set of regenerating demon armour that she summoned for herself. Other possessions include a very recently acquired air elemental, and title to a ruined Melnibonean tower on the Ilmioran coastline. She dreams of returning that to its former glory so that she can move in and continue her studies. One of her developing specialist areas of magical expertise is in rune magic, and she now wields a magic battleaxe inscribed with a rune of sharpness. She is in favour with Eequor of Chaos, the Blue Lady, because she helped one of her servitors, as well as because of the wanton destruction she has visited several times on those of Pan Tang origin. At one point this led to the party acquiring a beautiful bireme containing a bound water elemental, so they have their own means of sea transport. She also now owns a Demon of Desire in the form of a beautiful young woman and a Demon of Knowledge, both taken from the still warm corpse of Tormiel, an old enemy who was one of those responsible for the death of Nikorn.

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