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SilverLeaf167
2011-05-03, 10:34 AM
The Marthcoe are an infamous, ages old crime family, preying on strong and weak, rich and poor alike. They have gathered great wealth, which has been sealed into the ancient catacombs under their luxury mansion in the Mornpike Mountains.
Darnith Marthcoe, the eldest of the family has died recently to a mysterious disease. The right and duty of leading the family has now been passed down to his two sons, Samron and Cail, who have been competing for the position since childhood.
A week has passed since his death, and he has received official blessings from his mourning wife Verylin, a priestess of the Shadespinner, Weaver of Night. All the members of the family from around the land have now gathered to the mansion to lay their honored leader down to rest.

The Characters
We are using the gestalt rules and starting at level 3. The PCs are two sons of Cail (who also has a daughter, Merisa).

Kolmarin Marthcoe Monk 3//Druid 3
Using this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150122) Monk fix and the Shapeshifter Druid ACF from PHB2
(Insert-Name-Here) Marthcoe Warblade 3//Wizard 3
Hasn't decided on a name yet.
Houserules
Full HP at every level
WBL one level higher
Unarmed Strikes can be enchanted with handwraps
All special Monk weapons use the character's unarmed damage instead, if higher
Due to real-life hurries, we won't be able to start playing for about two weeks, but feel free to post any comments and questions.
Now, for some more information about the world. This isn't really a necessary read, but some might find it interesting and it's a handy way for myself to store information.

Religion
The gods actually have quite little power on their own: rather than being the rulers of their portfolios, they act as something more similar to representatives of their domains. They do, however, have divine wisdom and the ability to grant great strength to mortals, leading and forcing them to gather and relish worshippers to further their own needs.
Below are the nine major deities. Their true names are hidden in eternal mystery, most likely unspeakable to mortals, and they are known only by their titles.

Dawnraiser, Bringer of Radiance Lawful Good
God of day, light and glory. He is quite bombastic and sure of his might, which he uses to defend the weak and gain respect for himself. His servants usually act in the same way, usually following a strict code of ethics and honor. His altars can be found in most military bases.

Restblesser, Maker of Peace Neutral Good
Goddess of peace, rest and healing. She spends the majority of her time organizing her servants to investigate catastrophes and accidents, helping any victims as well as they can. Her altars can be found in healing centers, and many inns have a tiny shrine dedicated to her in order to ensure a good rest.

Gleesinger, Spreader of Hope Chaotic Good
God of joy, hope, music and art. His servants, mostly bards, are the highlight of any party, social event or noble court. He also brings motivation and courage to faithful warriors. The toasts raised at parties are actually salutes to him. His altars can be found at most entertainment centers.

Sinhefter, Judge of Fate Lawful Neutral
God of justice, law and fate. He creates, interprets and enforces laws very precisely, literally and strictly. Many might say that his servants have "a stick up their ass", but they are very loyal and competent at keeping law and peace. His altars can be found at any courthouse or guard station.

Rootlayer, Protector of Groves True Neutral
Goddess of all of nature, though her title only points towards forests. Most of her servants are druids or rangers. Her altars can be found near almost any natural landmark, though they are naturally formed by nature rather than built by man. Patience and respect to nature are required from all of her most dedicated servants.

Fartreader, Circler of Hills Chaotic Neutral
God of freedom, travel and companionship. His servants include especially traveling bards, merchants and rangers, though almost anyone may visit his shrine to gain a blessing for their trip. His servants must always be ready to travel anywhere at his command. His altars can be found in many wayside settlements and crossroads.

Markorder, Depressor of Rights Lawful Evil
God of tyranny and imprisonment. His basic aim is the same as Sinhefter's, but he plans to achieve it through much more ruthless and cruel methods: capturing, torturing and even executing suspects without any decisive proof of their guilt. He doesn't have any public altars, though officials with an outlook similar to his may have secret shrines.

Blightsender, Inflicter of Doom Neutral Evil
God of death, disease and pestilence. He and his servants gain power by harvesting the souls of the dead, which they try to achieve through any means necessary without attracting too much attention, though they do not find even their own death unfortunate. He enjoys spreading disease and poison into the world. Desperate people may actually try praying for him to spare their lives, if Restblesser does not answer their call.

Shadespinner, Weaver of Night Chaotic Evil
Goddess of night, shadows, deception and crime. Her worshippers are typically criminals themselves, so she doesn't have practically any public altars though they can be found at black markets or illegal guildhouses. She aids her servants in their work towards their dark goals to spread anarchy and dispute into the world, though she doesn't mind having some selfish followers either.

Grendus
2011-05-03, 10:36 AM
Interesting. A two man party is always a tough run.

SilverLeaf167
2011-05-21, 02:45 PM
Session 1: Desperate mercantile
The PCs, their little sister, father, uncle, cousin, grandmother and a few other people they don't really even recognize are gathered at the highest peak of the Mornpike Mountains, above their mansion, all dressed in black robes. Their grandmother, Verylin Marthcoe, is silently mumbling blessings and prayers at a small altar to the Shadespinner. The dead body of Darnith Marthcoe, preserved with magic until now, is lying on the altar, dressed in his best suit of armor and holding his favorite sword on his chest. All the others are standing silently in a circle around the altar. After a while, she slowly stands up, summoning three mystical streams of living shadow that spin up the sides of the mountain, covering the body and spinning around it until dissipating back into nothingness, leaving behind no body, only a small black gem that slowly floats down to Verylin's open palm. A lone tear slides down her cheek.

This is the standard funeral ceremony for the Marthcoe family.

After this, Verylin places the gem on a precious silver plate and starts carrying it down a path spiraling around the mountain. The funeral guests follow silently, one of them stumbling a little. After reaching the mansion, they enter a hidden room through a shrine of the Shadespinner. The room is quite large and round, small indents circling the wall. In some of these indents are black gems. Verylin places the gem in one of these indents, leaving the room once again. The family gathers around a long table for dinner.

Yes, this was just a big narration dump from me.

All the people start eating, except for the stumbling man who somehow manages to find a huge jug of wine, which he walks off with. After a long moment of awkward silence, Samron (the uncle) brings up an important topic.
Samron: Now that our respected elder is dead, who will be the next leader?
Cail: I think I should take the position. I have the most heirs to take my place if, or when, I die.
The people mumble acceptingly.
Samron: Hey, if it's just about the number of children, just wait for about ten months and I'll come back with a couple dozen of them!
Verilyn: Come on now, boys, this is not the way or time to determine the heir. After dinner, we shall return downstairs and search the vault for any kind of message from my dear husband, in case he had some opinion on this matter.
The vault is opened very rarely, and even then only by the elder.

It's getting late, so I'll finish this tomorrow, please tell me what you think so far.