Backstory for hexblade. Offer suggestions, criticism, rp tips... you know the drill.

[Corran]

I am awful at naming characters, places, anything really. So the names used are not my original ideas (I'll definitely steal Parnast though).
This is a possible backstory for a warlock character with the folk hero background. Feel free to offer opinions and ideas. If you want to share backstories of warlocks you have played, please do so, as I will gladly use anything that I find to my liking for this particular character or for other characters.




The lone(?) survivor
One day a portal appeared just outside of the city of Parnast. No one in the city knew what or who caused it to appear or where the portal led, which were reasons for alarm. The mages of the city examined the portal and concluded about two things. Firstly, that anyone could cross back and forth through it. And secondly, that they could not seal it from the outside. So a plan was hutched by the city's ruler(s) in response to the situation.

Unlike what had been done in times past, when the city would entrust the solutions for its various inconveniences to hired skilled individuals (ie appropriately leveled adventurers, since we are in a dnd universe), it was decided that the honor of this task should not fall to outsiders or fortune seekers, but instead that it was more proper that the situation was dealt by people among them, people who would have a sense of duty to the city. So Parnast decided to send 50 of its finest sons and daughters (all of them newbs). The regiment would be commanded by sir William Orange. Sir William was young, and definitely not the most experienced commander the city could send (or any experienced at all for that matter), but he was also loved by the people of Parnast, and his family was influential and had pulled political strings so that the honor would fall to one of their own.

Preparations were made quickly and when the expedition force began marching towards the portal, the whole city was in the streets, celebrating and cheering for the brave men and women who were venturing into the unknown. And under the praises of the gathered crowd, in an atmosphere full of optimism and joy, the saviors of Parnast entered the portal.

Celebrations in the city didn't stop though. They lasted till late at night, and they carried over to the next day as well. During the first night, it is said that more than half the people in the city slept on the streets or outside the city and by the portal, as everyone wanted to be present and not to miss a moment of the heroes' triumphant return. But the heroes did not return the next day, or the day after, and by the third day even the most optimistic or stubborn among the people of Parnast carried on with their everyday life, hoping that the heroes would return soon. As the days went by, hope gave way to doubt, and doubt in turn gave way to agony. But when one member of the expedition force came back through the portal in the morning hours of the seventh day, only lightly wounded but clearly exhausted, to the point that he could barely stand or speak, the good people of Parnast were really at a loss over whether they should be happy or truly worried that Harvey, and only Harvey, was back.

Harvey does not remember very well the new two days, as he was left to rest. And while he slowly regained his strength, the portal faded more and more, until it had finally vanished. The pubic was given an accounting of what had happened on the other side of the portal. Of how valiantly the heroes had fought and how selflessly they had given their lives away in their effort to seal the portal. It was the same version that Harvey had managed to mumble when questioned about it behind closed doors minutes after his return. Only with more lies in it, that made the story sound even more heroic. Maybe everything that had been done would seem more justified if the people sent had actually lived up to everyone's heroic expectations and if one of the heroes had survived. At the very least, it was certainly a distraction to the good people of Parnast, who despite their grief over the loss of so many, gathered in mass to cheer for their new hero.

The place the portal led to was Shadowfell. The expedition force suffered a devastating defeat (it's likely that had a fight with Tim, and the prince of Orange ordered his troops to form a square; 10 bonus points to whomever caught both references). Harvey entered a commoner and came out as a 1st level hexblade warlock.

Short version (ie the version I would give at the first session at the table): Harvey entered the Shadowfell with a group of fellow soldiers, but they were deafeated in combat. Most of them were slain but a few were taken prisoners. Harvey made a deal with shadow-y not-Davy Jones (enter hexblade warlock), and that saved his life. Harvey came back and was greeted as a hero. He has a (totally undeserved) good reputation that spreads [everywhere I get my DM to agree]. If asked, Harvey will say that he is not a hero, and he is alive because he was extremelly lucky. He doesn't enjoy speaking about the events of those days. Harvey possesses some powers that betray a connection to the Shadowfell. He would probably say something like these shadow powers being the scars of battle and he will probably attribute having them in the weird and mystical nature of that place (Shadowfell).


1) What deal did Harvey make and with whom, in order to be allowed to leave?

2) What roleplaying angle would you go with if you were playing this character?

[Crgaston]

I am awful at naming characters, places, anything really. So the names used are not my original ideas (I'll definitely steal Parnast though).
This is a possible backstory for a warlock character with the folk hero background. Feel free to offer opinions and ideas. If you want to share backstories of warlocks you have played, please do so, as I will gladly use anything that I find to my liking for this particular character or for other characters.

This is the document I sent to my DM when I brought this character into the campaign at L8. She's a Fighter 1/ Fey Bladelock 9 at this point.

Edit: My DM has built a rich homebrew world complete with political factions, etc., and there are some names and places in here that reference that world.

Unlike her sister, whose talents run to the more courtly skills, Zarina was born to be a warrior. After completing her mundane combat training, she was selected to join the ranks of the Bladelocks, warriors who pledged their souls to the Fey Court in exchange for power, blending Fey magic into their fighting techniques. As her skills progressed, she was often selected to locate and interdict those who were working against the interests of Ewend. Zarina is one of many agents of the Fey Court in the mortal world. Although her primary affiliation is with Sarula Iliene, she ultimately answers to Titania, Oberon, and the rest of the Court.

Zarina, like Tsura, is slender and dark. Although she is a good bit older than Tsura ( just over 40 years old), the Elven blood has kept her in her physical prime. She stands just over 5 feet tall and just under 100 pounds. Her thick black curls are kept long enough to pull back into a tight bun, but they often escape, giving her a somewhat disheveled look at times. Her bright green eyes are often half-lidded, giving her a relaxed or lazy appearance, but this is deceptive. She is alert and frighteningly quick.

Like her sister, she was a bit coddled as a child and used to having a position of privilege, though she is not one who enjoys book learning. When it comes to fighting and working magic, however, she is all in.

Currently she is floating a bit. After having completed her last assignment, which was a simple smash and grab of some documents from a Righteous Rule camp near Gildazeer, she received an order drift northwest on the Open Road, recording her observations. She has a fair amount of autonomy, and when not on a specific mission can operate at her own discretion.

She typically dresses in mahogany and forest green, be it clothing or armor, and carries several daggers on her person. Since one of her abilities allows her to summon any weapon she chooses, she doesn’t always carry visible weapons beyond the daggers. When she does manifest a weapon, either for appearances or because she’s alert to danger, it typically takes the form of a small green and black enameled shortsword, an exquisitely carved and painted longbow as tall as she is, or a supple whip of braided black and brown leather. She does have a small shield of blackened mithril embossed with forest green enamel that she carries slung over one shoulder until it’s time to rumble.


Overall her purpose is to further the Fey interests in the world. Currently, this includes keeping tabs on the developing political situation between the Righteous Rule, the Sightseekers and the Separatists. She has recently been hearing about something disturbing involving Lady Susanna, Guidance Belten and Baron Goldmight and is making her way in that direction.

Although her blood is Addani, her allegiance is to Ewend and the Fey Court. She has no time for those who look down on her because of her “mongrel” blood, as she knows she is better than they are. This can cause problems sometimes, but she can usually be either persuasive or frightening enough to avoid severe negative consequences.

With regard to other personality aspects, I prefer not to use the PHB tables and let a character’s personality develop organically.

So far, she is predisposed to like The Turtle King and Gepeddo because of their Ewend connections. She respects Slag because she is obviously a competent warrior and also likes her because she was honest about the situation. Macon she is not so sure about. He’s obviously a likeable guy, but she is unsure about his motives and character at this point.

I chose Urban Bounty Hunter for her background.
https://www.tribality.com/2015/10/03/sword-coast-adventurers-guide-previews-4/

She’s not so much the “grab people for money” type bounty hunter that Bind and Zienne represent, but I figured the skillset fit well with the “agent who gets things done” role I had for her. Also the “Ear to the Ground” feature represents the systemic infiltration of Getera, Ilea and Evrun that the Faeries have set up. As such, she is possibly aware of Lucien’s exploits, although the do not likely concern her overmuch outside of the fact that she might know he has the ability to be a disruptive influence.

She is intrigued by the Gnomish gunner. If she figures out that he used to be a soldier for the Righteous Rule, she will very likely want to have him meet with some others in her organization for a friendly chat about where he was stationed, who he served with, supply lines, passwords, etc.

Whether he likes it or not.

She will be passing the information about Belten on at the earliest opportunity, either with whatever Fey agents (Feygents?) she can find the next time they are in a town.
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After being imprisonment, escaping, and defeating Guidance Belten, Zarina is growing more fond of her newfound companions. She is intrigued by the promise of having some support from and insight into the Fireforge Clan, as it will allow her to gather intelligence and sway opinions more easily than on her own.

While she is still somewhat suspicious of Macon, she does realize that he is a very clever and capable individual. Which makes him dangerous. She does like that he seems to trust and value her, though. The Turtle King appeals to her with his unruly brilliance,


To cast the Water Breathing spell the first time, Zarina will ask the party to each capture three small aquatic creatures. The green freshwater crabs that live in creeks and streams are best, but any fish, amphibian, or crustacean will do. While they are doing this, she collect some berries and some leaves suitable for weaving. While the leaves are soaking in water, she will build a fire and make some hot coals or a stone stove. Once the fire is lit, she will weave the wet leaves into a small basket and add whatever vegetables, herbs, and spices she has found.

Once the party have caught their creatures, she will instruct them that they need to place two of the creatures in the basket and then consume an eye from the third before putting it in the basket as well. The wet basket will provide some protection from the flame, prevent searing, and allow the creatures to cook more slowly, allowing the flavors to steep together.

This is actually mostly a prank. The material component for the spell is a short reed or straw, so none of this is necessary. But this way Zarina gets to eat some fresh crab and deliver a gut check to the party at the same time.

And here's what I came up with when he asked how I envisioned the Warlock/Parton relationship...
I don't think Zarina would be in direct contact with Sarula, at least not yet. For the structure of the Fey Court, I am imagining a sort of feudal meritocracy. Sarula would have advisers and courtiers in attendance who would rise and fall in standing based on their current relevance and the mood of the court in general. These rises and falls could happen because, for example, they negotiated an excellent trade agreement, hosted a fantastic party, pulled off a social accomplishment, defeated a powerful rival, or otherwise achieved excellence in some endeavor, especially that which involves the acquisition or trade of knowledge. These people would in turn have networks of people in their sway and employ, who would then have others, and so on.

Every 15-20 years, on Obora, at least, there is a Convocation of the Fey and their Agents at the bottom of the lake at Diremist Falls (the lake and the palace need names) in Sarula's demesne. At each Convocation, thirteen new Initiates, all of whom are Warlocks (Fey Pact) or Paladins (Oath of the Ancients), swear their allegiance to Sarula in exchange for her gifts, blessing, and power. All of those who have previously sworn are expected to attend, though not all do, for various reasons. Among the attendees, deeds are recognized, promotions or rewards are given, and punishments or penalties are meted out. It is from this group of individuals that Sarula's advisors and courtiers are chosen.

Zarina affirmed her Pact at the last convocation 17 years ago, so she is near the top of the bottom of the totem pole. It has helped that both her parents are members of the Convocation. The next Convocation will be her mother's fourth, and would have been her father's third, but he has retired from public life after a humiliating political defeat at the hands of a rival. He is also quite advanced in years for a human.

Every Convocation in its turn is dedicated to one of the thirteen months of the Fey calendar, each associated with a type of tree.

The Birch Moon
The Rowan Moon
The Ash Moon
The Alder Moon
The Willow Moon
The Hawthorn Moon
The Oak Moon
The Holly Moon
The Hazel Moon
The Vine Moon
The Ivy Moon
The Reed Moon
The Elder Moon

Each rising Circle of Aspirants is bound to itself as well as those of the same Tree Moon who came before….

There are thirteen members of Zarina’s Convocation, some of whom are allies, and some of whom are rivals….

Since some of the members on Obora live long enough to attend ten or more Convocations (Elves), even her mother's 4th is not particularly notable (though she does exercise considerable influence). It is quite rare for someone to receive a direct audience with Sarula before their second or third Convocation, though not unheard of, and Zarina does not have a direct line to Sarula at this time. Since Zarina prefers not to rely on her mother's position and influence, she does not send her messages through channels that involve her mother. Fortunately, she has other options.

Candidates for each Convocation are selected by those who have gone before them, and are trained by those with expertise in various fields, so Zarina will have other mentors, sponsors and advocates within Sarula's advisers and courtiers. These individuals can be developed at another time, but I am imagining at least one who is influential enough to either provide assistance for Dariff directly or secure an audience with someone who can. Once she has captured an ear, the potential to speak directly with Sarula might be there, but not guaranteed, or even necessary.

[Klorox]

Short and sweet version that works for your generic warlock:

[insert name here]’s hometown is under attack by raids of [insert enemy type here]. As [insert character name here] watches his/her family and friends get cut down, s/he prays to whatever/whoever will listen for the power to fight off [insert enemy type here].

The pact is made, and you blast away enemy after enemy, defending your village and saving whatever friends and family remain.

The pact has changed you, and in the following weeks you decide to leave to sort out this new life you’ve adopted, and to learn to control these powers so that you won’t accidentally hurt or kill a loved one.

This really works for most pacts, and is generic enough to fit into most any campaign.

The PC doesn’t even need to know why whatever patron granted their power to the character. That’s part of the mystery the character must figure out.

[suplee215]

A fun, off the beaten track version for a warlock I been toying with is an archaeologist ala Indiana Jones who discover their patron in an ancient temple. A blade pact patron is almost perfect for this as you discover some ancient weapon or part of one or the map to one in here and you start dreaming or speaking to it