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View Full Version : Backstory thoughts, Playgound? Please? [Golarion]



Ravens_cry
2012-10-24, 10:32 PM
For once, I decided to do more than draw a doodle for my next character, but to actually write a backstory.
Since I really liked my last character so much, a really, really, fruity bisexual gnome called Fablioso Barbosa Hakuna Matata the Third, I decided to have my next character have a connection to him.
Anyway, I wondered what the playgrounds thoughts were, and any grammar, wording help would be appreciated. Spoilered for extreme length.

Chen, Halfling Ninja
My honored ancestor was a Mwangi halfling who came to Tian-Xia at a young age.
He was a slave.
Some legends say he regained his freedom after saving his master's life in battle.
Others say he bought his freedom, and that of my honored ancestress, through meticulous saving and shrewd dealing.
Still other legends say he came to his master one night when his master was sleeping a drunken stupor and slit his master's throat.
I do not know the truth of any of these legends beyond that he was first a slave when he came to Tian-Xia.
What I do know is that my family has many shrewd merchants, doughty warriors, as well as silent blades.

My honored ancestors met much luck in Tian-Xia, despite been marked forever as foreigners by our skin, our hair, and our stature. My grandfather especially, may his spirit rest in peace with my ancestors, became affluent enough that those not jealous of his great wealth could look beyond the color of his skin.
Gold captures many eyes, as the proverb goes.
My honored father also fell to this path, finding much satisfaction in maintaining, and even expanding upon, my honored grandfather's, may his spirit rest in peace with my ancestors, great wealth, but this path not for me.

For I am neither a first born, nor am I my honored father's son.
I hold no right to his wealth but that given as boon, as gift. I knew I did not wish to live my whole life in my fathers house, yet as a minor daughter, I doubted marriage would come soon.

Then, I met him. Fablioso Barbosa Hakuna Matata the Third.
Such a flighty, fanciful fellow he was, yet he captured my heart. The ways of the goddess of love are strange, no?
He wasn't even halfling.

My honored father, of course, forbid it. My honored mother, may her spirit rest in peace with my ancestors, counseled me against it strongly. My sisters and brothers, my friends and all relations, thought me mad.
I suppose I was.

Within months, we were married.
It might surprise one what a bottle of fine, strong, liquor can buy from a traveling priest.
For a while, I think he actually loved me, I knew I loved him, but soon the gnome was anything but faithful.
The less forgiving would call him a whore.
Man, woman, any race, any size, it mattered little to him; he would bed them all.
I tried to plead with him to change his ways, but he would just laugh in that way of his and say he worshipped life, as if that covered all.
I suppose, to him, it did.
One day, he sailed on some ship, only the gods and he may know just where to, and he vanished from my life.

I will not bore you with the great humiliation that was mine upon being forced to return to my honored father's house, my honored mother's, may her spirit rest in peace with my ancestors, seizure that kept her bedridden until her untimely death, the shame inflicted by all sides upon me, a ruined, lecherous, disobedient child, an utter disgrace to my ancestors.

From that day forth, I kept to the shadows whenever possible. Barely more than a servant, I removed myself from my fathers eyes as much as I could, my own brothers and sisters saw me little more.
What friends I still had saw me never and soon left me, forgotten as a soiled rag.

In this, I had talent to be sure. Sometimes days would pass before being noticed and longer still until commented on.
An old retainer of my honored father, the house assassin, a by-blow I believe, noticed this talent.
He began to teach me, to hone my native talent into the art of swift and silent death, though I knew not at first what he was teaching.
The art of the ninja.

If my honored father ever noticed this patronage, he gave no sign, though I am sure he knew.
In time, when the assassin, he said his name was Feng, felt me ready, he brought me along with him on his expeditions. First, as a scout and watch, but, soon, to kill.

Of poisons, he taught me some theory, how to apply it if needed, but mostly he said it was a parlor trick for those less skilled. Far too many were too powerful to be subdued by such easily, and the expense was dreadful in the extreme.

I well remember the first time I murdered a man. He snored so loudly I feared he would wake himself. A human, he seemed monstrously large, his sides heaving with each rumbling breath, yet he died so easily. His blood formed a great pool, black in the moonlight, around his throat.

Luckily, I had listened to Master Feng, and not eaten that night, or I am sure I would have had a most unpleasant moment. As it was, I was trembling by the time I descended the rope out the window.
After that, it came easier.
Never easy, but easier

In this hidden way, I served my honored father, to make up for my failing with the gnome, living a life of shadows at the side of Master Feng. Though bastard servant, I am honored to have called him Master.
One night, Master Feng was attacked by beasts after completing his assignment. Like dogs they were, though they burned with the flames of the Hells, or perhaps the Abyss. They savaged him most brutally, I think his guts were almost falling from his belly.

Staggering, his blood staining my garment, his arm looped over my shoulder, we stumbled home, pretending to be drunk to excuse our clumsiness to the few passers by we saw that night, hoping dearly they would not look to close at two drunk halfling.
Our luck was with us then, though a pity not sooner, and the only fellow travelers we met were as drunk as we. For that week was festival, our way lit by the many colored flowers that bloomed in the sky, the fireworks that blossomed as we went our haphazard way.

By the time we reached my honored father's house, I was carrying his unconscious form.
By the time I roused the sleeping priest, pleading in tears with him to come quick and stop quoting useless proverbs, by the time I brought the priest to Master Feng's side, Master Feng was dead and cooling.

Aside from my honored father, who considered it his duty to be at any member of his retinue's funeral, the only one besides myself and the priest was an older woman. Sister? Former lover?
I did not know. I still do not know to this day.

Though apprentice in all but name to the house assassin, I was never officially recognized in this capacity, and soon a replacement to Master Feng was found.
I tried to explain to that one the former working relationship between Master Feng and I, and how I wished to continue in this role, but he merely laughed and said that is not a task for a woman to undertake.
He was very rude that one.
My honored father soon found himself of need of another house assassin.

It was shortly after then that I heard news of Fablioso, of his adventures and heroism in Cauldron. But Cauldron was far away, quite literally on the other side of the world. My father would never consent to my going on such a journey, even if I dared remind him of my existence.

So, I did not ask this of him.

Instead, I took Master Feng's twin wakizashi, which I later learned had a certain magic, a purse of silver with some gold, and set out to find Fablioso.

I will not bore you with my journey, of the perils of stowing aboard a ship, gold captures many eyes, that became infested with risen, mindless dead, of the giant I slew in his sleep, after seeming to out drink him until he fell into a stupor, of the young dragon whose horde I plundered piece by piece until his cave was practically bare, of the countless orcs , trolls and goblins, even men and elves, I slew, of companions I met and lost along the way.
No, I will not tell you of such.

In time I arrived in Katapesh, where I have heard of someone who sounds like one of Fablioso's companions, though I can not be too sure. Many companions he has apparently lost over time, or so the songs tell.
Tomorrow, I will seek one out, see if they truly know of him, to know his present fate, and, I hope, to meet with him once again.

I come Fablioso and you had best be ready.

FallenEco
2012-10-25, 03:45 AM
I like it. It is an interesting and engaging backstory.

Not knowing much about the campaign you're about to go on makes some aspects of advice difficult to deal with. Mostly, if her quest to find/kill hubby would be derailing or murdering the plot.

Not that it should but...

Ravens_cry
2012-10-25, 12:00 PM
Thanks!:smallsmile:
I doubt it would be very disruptive, though if I want to get Fabi raised it's going to take a Resurrection. Still not sure if I want to do that yet, or save it for epilogue.

NikitaDarkstar
2012-10-25, 12:48 PM
Not bad at all. There's a few repetitions here that bothers me a bit, but it's fairly clear that's a character quirk more than anything else so I'm totally willing to let that slide.

Sadly, as has been pointed out, it's hard to help with specifics if we don't know the setting or campaign, but the writing itself is good and engaging. Nice work Raven. :)

Ravens_cry
2012-10-25, 04:18 PM
Well, it's Shackled City, Paizo's first adventure path, and the DM is plunking it in the default Pathfinder setting, Golarion. Tian Xia is Pathfinder East Asia
Thanks for the kind words though.:smallsmile: