PDA

View Full Version : Roleplaying Undead Viking



Maat Mons
2018-08-30, 05:14 PM
I'm making a character. He was a member of a "barbaric" tribe, that had a lot in common with vikings. But 11 years ago, his entire tribe was wiped out by the armies of an invading nation. And I don't mean that everyone except for him died. He got killed alongside all his brethren. But he got better, insofar as undeath is better than regular death.

Tomorrow night, I'll be playing this character for the first time. And my GM said I need a "detailed backstory," so I feel like I need more stuff to wedge in there. Can anyone give me suggestions?

Okay, so last Friday, I agreed to be part of a Symbaroum champaign. My first session will be this Sunday. And I don't have anything more than a general idea of what my backstory is. Is there anyone here knowledgeable in the lore of Symbaroum who would be willing to help me flesh this character out?

Here's the gist of the character. He was a barbarian, of the Jezora clan. The entire clan was wiped out by and Ambrian army, himself included. He is now undead (already okayed by the GM). And he desires vengeance against Ambria as a whole.

The campaign will be taking place "around Blackmoor and Thistlehold," which I gather is a part of Ambria close to where barbarians dwell.

I'll have access to the False Shape ritual, so I probably won't be immediately killed for being undead.

How do I add some life to this undead's backstory?

Maat Mons
2018-09-06, 10:33 PM
I turned out to have a whole extra week to sort this out. But then I squandered it. So now I'm right up against the deadline again.

Can someone help me out of my self-inflicted mess?

BRC
2018-09-06, 10:44 PM
Okay, so you have a pretty solid start. Tribe was massacred, he rose from the dead. Detailed doesn't have to mean Long.

A few things to address

How did your character come to be undead? They died with the rest of their tribe, but why are they back? Did a passing spellcaster raise them? Are they a vengeance-powered revenent? Did whatever god they follow intervene and give them a second chance of life?

If your character doesn't know the exact mechanism behind their resurrection, make a point of that. It can be a plot hook for later.

Also, get some flavor in there. This backstory is begging for a nice juicy Nemesis. Who was the enemy commander who ordered your village to be massacred? Why did they take such a cruel step? Did you perhaps see them give the order.

Give your village a bit of a distinction besides "Kind of like Vikings". Maybe you wear a cloak with your tribe's symbol on it, such that others might recognize the symbol of the massacred clan.

Who was your character before the massacre? Why are YOU the only one that rose from the dead? Were you a fisherman? A Smith? A warrior? The chieftain?

Kyrell1978
2018-09-06, 10:51 PM
I turned out to have a whole extra week to sort this out. But then I squandered it. So now I'm right up against the deadline again.

Can someone help me out of my self-inflicted mess?

I really like this concept.

I am not familiar with the system but here we go.

Details needed:

1) who killed his tribe? I know you said the Ambrian Army, but was it a specific general that has prejudice towards his people, was it by order of the lawful authorities, was it actually highwaymen dressed up as the army, etc.

2) Why did the perpetrator kill his tribe? They were barbarians and viking like. Was it in retribution for a raid, was it unprovoked, did they all die while they were actually on a raid or a caribou hunt or whatever.

3) How specifically did he die? This is going to get a bit graphic so sorry if it offends you. Did he watch his children die, did he watch his wife get raped, did the army take him in for questioning and rip out his entrails while leaving them intact. What horrific thing happened to justify his undeath (think the crow).

4) How did he become undead? Did his God see the injustice and grant him this, did he make a deal with a dark power (think spawn), did his tribe dabble in necromancy and he was the nearest body to the shaman when the shaman cast his dying curse?

5) What is his end goal? Does he just want to kill every Ambrian he sees, does he want to topple the empire, is he smart enough to stay his hand in order to topple the empire

That's all I can think of right off the top of my head with the info provided. Like I said I'm not super familiar with the system but I hope that helps a bit.

Maat Mons
2018-09-07, 12:55 AM
Well, I'm using an actual incident from the lore of the campaign setting I'll be playing in. So here's what the core rulebook has to say on the matter:

My clan was called Jezora.
The jezora clan was ruled by a chieftain named Haloban.
Jezora was wiped out by the joint forces of Ambria and Zarek.
Zarek is a barbarian clan with a long history of conflict with clan Jezora.
The chieftain of clan Zarek is named Monovar.
Ambria is a kingdom that used to live further south.
They engaged in a costly war with a group of dark wizards.
The wizards had armies of undead and other such things.
Ambria was victorious, but the land they lived on was thoroughly blighted.
They've abandoned their old territories and pushed north.
They conquered clan Kadiz and put them to work building their cities.
But clan Kadiz was exiled from barbarian society proper.
They also teamed up with clan Zarek (as I mentioned) to defeat clan Jezora.
So, they've carved out a chunk of land without incurring the wrath of barbarian society as a whole.
The queen of Ambria is named Korinthia.
The 11 remaining barbarian tribes are under the loose control of a high chieftain named Tharaban.
But the clans only actually unite under him if there's a large-scale threat.
Individual clans are allowed to war with each other.



My character was a mystic with some training as a warrior as well. His name is Sisu.

In this setting, dead people sometimes rise as undead with no particular impetus. Moreover, this has been happening more and more lately, and no one's sure why. It might be because of all the dark magic the evil wizards were throwing around during the war. It might be a side affect of the destruction of these extremely powerful necromancers. It might be because, as soon as Ambrians got settled into their new home, treasure hunters started trespassing on lands considered sacred to the old races. Or maybe it's all those tombs they've looted from that mysterious, long-dead civilization that used to rule the region.

Anyway, my character doesn't know what caused him to come back. Nor do any of the other people who have returned in similar fashion. But he's definitely planning on using his unlife for vengeance. So we can just say "vengeance-powered reverent," at least for practical purposes.

RazorChain
2018-09-07, 02:36 AM
Go full out drama. The village was taken by surprise as they were celebrating his wedding, he was made to watch while the Ambrians did unspeakable things to his bride, mocking him that they were consumating the marriage on his behalf and then they cut his throat. As he lay there on the ground, he clutched his throat, trying to stop the bleeding. He tried to crawl to his beloved who lay on the ground, not moving.

The soldiers laughed at his struggle, but he just wanted to hold his new wife's hand one last time. His fingers almost brushed hers when a powerful kick to the stomach spun him to his back. His eyes locked with Amarak, the commander of the Ambrian force. He saw only cruelty in those piercing blue eyes.

"How sweet" Amarak said mockingly and his mouth curled into a sneer "but there are no happy endings for a barbarian cur like you, not even in death". Amarak then plunged his sword into Sisu's chest and darkness engulfed him.

Kaptin Keen
2018-09-07, 02:53 AM
I feel you should go less into the whole undead part of the character. Forget all his motivations to kill, and focus on his motives to live. Can he redeem his tribe? Can he ressurrect them, or at least see they find their way to the afterlife they'd have chosen for themselves? Who did he love in life, who were his friends? Can the spirits of his dead tribe help him somehow (this doesn't need any game effect, this can be fluff only)?

He is undead - does he fear true death? Undeath (IMO) is never a reward, always a curse. So it might get a lot worse if he manages to get well and truly killed.

Kyrell1978
2018-09-07, 07:19 AM
Go full out drama. The village was taken by surprise as they were celebrating his wedding, he was made to watch while the Ambrians did unspeakable things to his bride, mocking him that they were consumating the marriage on his behalf and then they cut his throat. As he lay there on the ground, he clutched his throat, trying to stop the bleeding. He tried to crawl to his beloved who lay on the ground, not moving.

The soldiers laughed at his struggle, but he just wanted to hold his new wife's hand one last time. His fingers almost brushed hers when a powerful kick to the stomach spun him to his back. His eyes locked with Amarak, the commander of the Ambrian force. He saw only cruelty in those piercing blue eyes.

"How sweet" Amarak said mockingly and his mouth curled into a sneer "but there are no happy endings for a barbarian cur like you, not even in death". Amarak then plunged his sword into Sisu's chest and darkness engulfed him.

Yeah. Something like this fuels the whole "vengeance revenant" idea and creates pretty deep motivations for your character.

Cealocanth
2018-09-07, 12:51 PM
Present him with an epic poem or edda about Sisu Shieldbreaker, who lived his life dishonorably and bore no heirs in his lifetime, but in an attempt to secure his place in Valhalla, he asked of the Dwarves to craft him a mystic blade that would make him the greatest warrior of time. The dwarves disliked how rude he was and so gave him an accursed blade and didnt inform him that while his greatest foe still stood, he shall never taste Valhalla. He sought glory in battle and found it on his doorstep when his village was razed, and he failed to stop the combined forces of his enemies. So he spent decades in the plane of dishonored dead due to his curse until Monovar (or someone else) was raised from the dead as a lich and he was raised too as a caveat. You have a second chance for glory, and it must end with you slaying your nemesis, or face oblivion in Nflheim again.

Maat Mons
2018-09-19, 08:12 PM
Okay, I've played one session, and the next one is this Saturday.

A few new things in the character's backstory.

When he woke up undead, he assumed he'd just been knocked unconscious.
He then tried to meet up with other survivors of the battle/massacre.
As soon as they saw him, they all tried to kill him.
That's how he found out he was undead.
Knowing there was basically no one who wouldn't try to kill hum for being undead, he took up residence in some ruins.
In this setting, there are a fair number of ruins that are considered cursed.
Almost everyone is too afraid to go near them.
And going near them is highly illegal too.
Somehow, while living in the ruins, he worked out how to create a magical disguise.
So now, about 11 years after he died, he's ventured out among people again.
There are rumors that a group of survivors from his clan have taken up residence in the vicinity of Thistlehold.
So now he's there trying to find someone who knows anything about them.


My character has so far been attempting to coax rumors out of the other barbarians living near Thistlehold. (They're from a completely different clan. And have been subjugated by his most hated enemies.) The other character currently in the game is a changeling who was raised among the subjugated tribe (before they were subjugated) and routinely appears as a member of that tribe. Our current pretext for being together is that he has criminal contacts, and has offered to help me get some information on my tribe... if I help him with something first.

His character doesn't know mine is undead. My character doesn't know his is a changeling. I don't have more than an inkling that he's involved in crime. And he doesn't have more than an inkling that I belong to the slaughtered clan (but it's obvious that I'm from one of the barbarian clans).

Also, some problems for the future. My tribe knows full well that I died. I didn't kill the other survivors who saw me. My illusion makes me look like a completely different person, but it can't imitate an specific person. Actually, I'm not sure I can even make a new casting look like the old casting did. The illusion only lasts a week, so that might be something that matters if I try to stay around the same people for more than a week. Anyway, when I do meet up with my clan, I'll look like someone they've never seen before, albeit with features suggesting I come from the same clan.

dmteeter
2018-09-20, 02:49 PM
Solomon Grundy,
Born on a Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Grew worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday.
That was the end,
Of Solomon Grundy.

Done lol

Maat Mons
2018-09-24, 08:33 PM
Good news everybody! My character stands a good chance of dying next session! So the fact that I'm completely stumped for his motivation/personality may not matter!

Allow me to explain. We had our second session. In the first session, I'd agreed to work with the other player character on the condition that he'd help me find some information.

Then, in this session, he made me keep lookout while he attempted a robbery. My character did, because he had no other leads. Then I accompanied him on a job where he was given 20 thaler (the largest currency unit of the setting) to hand off to an information broker. He then scammed the broker by convincing him that he was only given 15 thaler to deliver.

Anyway, my character's entire reason for working with this liar/thief was that it got him closer to information. So, naturally, I regarded coming face to face with an information broker as something of a fulfillment of the other character's purpose. Obviously I asked the broker how much the information I was after would cost, but it was far more than I had.

Not to be deterred, I asked the broker if I could instead trade some information and service for what I was after. I then told him that the other playey had, in fact, been given 20 thaler to pay him with, and had scammed him. (That being the information I was offering.) And I further offered to get the money out of the other player and, if he wanted, ruff him up a bit. (That being the service.)

Well, I got the gold out of him with a basic mind-control effect, but it was the sort that has to be checked every round, so he wound up slipping free. And then he tried to stab me, which was fine. But then he successfully stabbed the information broker, which was not fine. But I picked up the broker and ran off with him, giving the other character the slip. So I had a grateful source of information, who promised to look into what I asked about and get back to me, so everything worked out in the end.

When we ended the session, I was walking through the woods, unknowingly being stalked by the other player character, and blundering headfirst into a monster.

The DM said he'd not sure if the two of us working together can actually defeat this monster. And my character has a burden that prevents him from running from battle. He was only able to carry the information broker off to safety by spending an experience point. I don't have anymore unspent experience, so I'm incapable of even trying to get away from this thing.