Consider it added!Originally Posted by Sasbuzzkill
Consider it added.
Kept it kind of short, because it was for an NPC and didn't want to go too deep.Sure, will do!
I do have some NPCs that could use some help with a richer backstory if you find yourself with free time and nothing to do with it
The world used is Forgotten Realms. There is this guy (an oath of conquest paladin) who is on a "personal crusade" to get rid of mages who are (in his eyes) "out of control and abusing their power for selfish needs". You see, he is not an EVIL TO THE CORE kind of guy, I was thinking more of a "Lawful Neutral" kind of alignment. He is just someone who doesn't trust spellcasters (I didn't think about the "why" yet, but definitely something to do with a bad experience in his past).
His biggest flaw is that he enjoys himself in combat a little too much. He is not satisfied in just defeating enemies, he likes to instill FEAR into their minds and crush them when their spirits are already broken. He once commanded a legion of soldiers but was deemed too extreme and forced into exile. Nevertheless, he continues on his personal mission, feeling now more than ever that the world is misguided and needs a firm hand (probably his) to guide it back into a path that doesn't involve chaos and corruption.
That's all I have for concrete thoughts. For a less concrete part, I was considering the idea of his race being an Aasimar. Maybe figuring out this origin was the spark for the start of his personal quest on maintaining order, but despite the supposedly good intentions and guidance of his celestial guide, the paladins' actions fall more into a grey area where people are not really sure anymore if he is actually a good influence or just a lesser evil who takes on bigger evils and therefore are excused for some of his transgressions.
A good old human is also an option. I wouldn't have a lot to go on here based on race alone if he is Human, but the good part is that it's a blank canvas for anything to be added.
Wanted to form that foundation, you'd wanted about his dislike for magic users.
And went with Aasimar because that made it much easier for the "motive"... and whether he even might be 100% sane.
Anyway, enjoy!
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Look at me.
Most can’t see it – but I can feel it.
It’s inside me – coursing through my veins.
It’s something I never had a choice in. Somewhere down my bloodline, some Angelic being decided he or she loved or lusted after some mortal in my family tree – and introduced this damn angelic bloodline into my veins.
Not everyone who is born from then on becomes what I am – an Aasimar – born to serve as “champions of the gods” and my birth “hailed as a blessed event.”
Hardly.
Maybe it’s the “angelic blood” that pounds through my veins, mixed with my “mortal” blood that makes me think the way I do… But I’ve seen too many mortals – Wizards, Mages, Warlocks, Sorcerers – using their magic haphazardly.
Magic, in of itself, is a chaotic energy. It’s not natural for Mortals to be wielding it. This is why Wizards spend years learning it. This is why Warlocks “take the short cut” and often make pact with demons and the like, to gain this magical power far more quickly. And then there are Sorcerers – who like the Aasimar – had some damn powerful being muck with their blood line, introducing an inherently magical gene into their bloodline.
Too many humans – and half breeds – eventually find themselves overcome by the power of magic; short life span, powerful magic, extending their life force through unnatural means. I wouldn’t say I hate and want to kill every single human and half breed caster I come across.
Just.
Most of them.
Most people fear powerful spellcasters – because they can do a lot of things and hurt a lot of people with a flick of their finger and muttering a bunch of incoherent words. But those are the ones I want to get to. Those are the ones that need to be taught that they can’t possess that kind of power. That power will corrupt them. They need to be stopped.
This made me fearless. I thrived on battles where powerful mages cowered behind a row of soldiers. I’d cut down all those who stood between me and the Mage – and when I got to the Mage, it wasn’t just about killing them.
It was about breaking their souls and minds. Making them understand what possessing that kind of power does.
This fearlessness eventually allowed me to quickly rise among the ranks of the soldiers I fought with; and eventually got my own squadron to lead. But when the fools cowered at my tactics, which eventually led to the loss of my squadron as well as being exiled from the forces. It’s to be expected. They were mostly humans, after all.
Ironically, no one ever said I was evil – but nor were they ever certain I was good.
To be honest…
I am not sure either. This damn half breed blood in my veins, sometimes makes me feel like even my own mind is as much a hybrid as I am.
This is probably way past due. :) My apologies, life with the wife's health (for the downside of things) continues; but the plus side, I am DMing a mess of D&D games, and playing in quite a few (the escape is nice!) - But finally had some spare time to get back and give another swing at maybe some of these pending ones.
I've not played the Witchlight game (all of the games I DM are homebrew world/setting) and not played in it yet.
So I had to look it up.
I've enjoyed breaking the barrier of writing guy/guy or girl/girl relationships. This one felt very easy to do.
Hoping, despite that it's probably too late if you needed this for a game, that you can still enjoy the story!
As always, would love comments - it helps keep the thread bumped and alive.
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Honestly, I am not even sure why I am here. Was I hoping to see if Idris would be here too? Get a chance to talk to him? See why he left me? It couldn’t be because of what happened a few years ago with that blasted curse. Idris didn’t seem that shallow.
Last time Idris and I had come here, it’d been as our first date. We’d been best friends for a very long time, before I finally had the courage to ask him out; to share how I felt. I was surprised – pleasantly so – that he’d felt the same way but kept his feelings in check. As he’d said – he would rather suffer in silence, and have me as a best friend – then to never have me at all.
So what changed?
Yes, I was cursed last time we’d come here. It was my idea to come here. Back to this damn place.
The Witchlight Carnival.
I’d thought it would be a fun place to ride the rides together, close, side by side, caught in the revelry of the moment. What I hadn’t realizes is that the Carnival attracted all kinds; from bards trying to sing and strum their instruments louder than one another, to thieves who pick pocket the unaware.
I’d been one of the unaware; so wrapped up in being with Idris, I hadn’t considered securing my coin purse; so once we got to the window to pay, after having stood in line for hours – I’d discovered my coin purse had been stolen. I was embarrassed and devastated – as I’d said I’d be the one to pay for the entrance, so Idris had left his coin purse back in the room we’d gotten inside the town that the carnival was closest to. We’d ridden a stage coach here to the Carnival, because it’d been a fair distance away – so walking back would have just driven my embarrassment and shame deeper and deeper with each step away from the Carnival, and miles and miles away, with each step from the wonderful date I’d planned in my head.
We stepped out of line and I turned to Idris and whispered, “Let’s just sneak in. What could go wrong?”
What could go wrong, indeed?
We’d made it to the Hall of Illusions, and were standing in line for that – trying to be as inconspicuous as we could – but Idris saw the Fortune Teller next to it and had begged to go see what I fortune held. He’d wanted to hear how we would find happiness forever.
Begrudgingly I agreed, and as Idris approached, the Fortune Teller came alive, “Dance and song, you will find happiness! Eternally shall it be yours to have! Hand in hand! Dance and song!”
Idris looked at me, because he’d been holding my hand and took that as an omen.
“There,” I’d said, “now can we go to the Hall of Illusions?”
Suddenly the fortune teller’s eyes turned to me, “Truth revealed, stunted and pealed, a wound never healed.”
Suddenly there was a searing pain in my groin as I collapsed to the floor. Idris looked at me shocked, just as I saw a Satyr grab his hand. “We’ll have someone look after him, you come with me! Share a dance and song! We can get along! Forever, forever, as long as we’re together.”
Two hands suddenly picked me up and dragged me out of the Carnival for not having my butterfly wing tickets. Once outside the pain subsided. I waited all day and night for Idris to come back. To leave the Carnival. If he did – I never saw him. But others I knew claimed to have seen him – happily dancing around with a Satyr who’d introduced himself as “Mr. Big.”
It wasn’t until I got back to our room, after a very lonely walk, that I realized the curse the fortune teller had bestowed – she’d reduced the size of my … Well, you can probably guess.
Like I said – I am not sure why I am here. If I hope to see Idris. If I want things… fixed… between he and I … and things fixed for me. But I am here. At this damn Witchlight Carnival.
Heh, you gave me a lot of info and not a lot of info at the same time. I wasn't sure how many "wives" this character had - so I worked around it.
It's not as long as most, but since I've written some pretty lengthy ones for you, I figure you wouldn't mind.
It was enough to set up what happened (for the background you wanted) and some interesting hooks to go with.
This like the others is so late, that it's probably of no use, but maybe enjoy the read anyway.
I'd love to hear comments, because it keeps the thread bumped and alive! So feel free to reply! Good or bad comments welcomed.
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My name is Gaido from House Seishin, and I am a warrior who lost his family by the age of thirteen, learned to rule my own estate for several years, before being lured into a trap that framed me as a murderer of a local lord named Deddorodo.
I believe I may have been set up by Deddorodo’s eldest son, Azamuku. Azamuku had both wanted the family estate, as well as the heart of Utsukushi-sa. It can not be coincidence that on the night that I was lured out to find the body – the guards timely arrival – had been the very same night, I’d been visiting the estate on trade business and had met Utsukushi-sa there. Though nothing had happened between her and me, she’d given me plenty of attention and none to Azamuku himself. He’d tried, several times, unsuccessfully to put himself into our conversation – and though I welcomed it, she seemed to terminate any conversation he’d started.
Several of my wives fled with me, not because they feared for their lives – in truth, each of them had been trained by the finest Rogues, Monks and Fighters, whose reputations I knew and trusted. They’d fled with me because they said they were bound to me – not in any financial form of way, though they were “mine” by my noble background – the bond I shared with each of them ran much deeper – what some would dare call love.
I’ve sent them away for now. Not because I don’t think they’re capable or that they would slow me down – just the opposite, really. As I said, I had them trained by some of the finest in the land, because I knew something like this might happen one day. Where I would get in trouble or some Lord would come to seek and take my land from me because of my young age. I wanted my wives trained by the best so they could defend themselves if the need arose. So now I have sent them aboard to use those skills in which they were trained to gather information for me – to confirm if it was indeed Azamuku who framed me for the murder of his father.
Azamuku isn’t a fool. After his father’s death, he did not hesitate to take over the estate and triple the amount of guards and demand more from the people who worked the lands around him. If Azamuku is to blame for my dishonor, I will come for him – but it will be difficult.
But he thought he would only have to contend against me. He failed to take my wives into account. Two of which have already infiltrated his circle.
Sorry this is so late, like the last few. Probably too late to use for your character, but perhaps you can still enjoy the background.
I'd love to hear feedback - as it keeps this thread bumped and alive, and the last few I've written haven't gotten any feedback (I can't tell if that's good or bad....)
Anyway, enjoy!
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There in the chilling region of the Spine of the World, far to the north – and just south of the Reghed Glacier a lonely castle, made into the face of the mountain, long forgotten by time lived a single individual.
In his youth, Kvol lived in the Evermoors, among several other Lizardfolk like himself, and for the most part had led most of his life quite directionless, never sure what he was going to do or where he was going to go. When a black dragon named Sha’douse attacked the lizard folk village with the intent to make the Evermoors its new home, Kvol – like the others of his village fought for their homeland. Kvol remembered all of them charging the Black Dragon – and the last thing he’d remembered was the Black Dragon rearing back, its mouth bubbling with acid. Much to Kvol’s surprise, he was still alive when he regained consciousness. Yet somehow he’d found himself in the middle of Lurkwood. Fleeing from Ettins and giants, and confused as to what had happened, Kvol had finally managed to come out just north of Xantharl's Keep. Fleeing to the north – Kvol heard a woman’s voice beckoning to him.
It’d been that voice that led him to the long forgotten ruins of the castle in the face of the wall, pounded by the chilling winds from the Reghed Glacier. As Kvol made his way around inside the ruins of the castle, he saw raven symbols everywhere – and eventually found the ruins of the chapel, where Kvol finally slept peacefully. There he had a vision of a large raven landing next to him and taking the form of a human female. She’d touched his head and mentioned how he’d endured so much pain and misery and fear – just what she had wanted.
When Kvol awoke the next morning, there, leaning against the shattered pillar of the chapel was a beaten breastplate and shield that bore the symbol of the Raven Queen herself – a raven’s head, in profile, facing left. He donned the armor and equipped the shield and realized it’d been his duty to come here and protect this castle… He felt it in his heart, and his very soul, that the cold, biting winds brought the physical pain similar to the pain of the memories that echoed and screamed in the Raven Queen’s own castle in the Shadowfell – and that one day, she would return here perhaps – and it was up to Kvol to ensure that it remained protected.
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2021-10-21, 10:01 PM (ISO 8601)Bugbear in the Playground
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- Mar 2004
Re: Need a character background written up?
Last edited by Tawmis; 2021-12-13 at 03:54 AM.
Need a character origin written? Enjoyed what I wrote? How can you help me? Not required, but appreciated! <3
Check out my 5e The Secret of Havenfall Manor or my character back stories over at DMsGuild.com! (If you check it out - please rate, comment, and tell others!)
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