Quote Originally Posted by sun_flotter View Post
First thing first: hello!
I've been reading through your thread for a while now, and your stories are amazing (I haven't read everything yet but so far each and every story was a masterclass)! I absolutely love your pacing and how, despite the number of stories you wrote, they all feel unique and they still leave room for players' creativity, it's remarkable.
I was wondering if you could come up with a backstory for my centaur druid, as I'm not really a creative person (I think her name is indication enough of that)
Name: Hippogyne [shedoesn'thavealastnameyet]
Race: Centaur
Class: Moon Druid
Age: 26
Personality traits:
  • If someone is in trouble, I'm always willing to lend help
  • I often get lost in my own thoughts and contemplations, becoming oblivious to my surroundings

Ideals:
  • Honor. If I dishonor myself, I dishonor my whole clan

Bonds:
  • I would do anything for the other members of my old troupe

Flaws:
  • I overlook obvious solutions in favor of complicated ones

Additional information:
  • She has a frontal, unicorn like, horn. It doesn't do anything and she's too tall to make any use of it. It hasn't been decided yet if her whole clan has a horn or if it's just her (it's up to you if you decide to make use of that information)
  • She's very close to her mother, Agape
  • Centaurs are non-monogamous so most members of her clan were her step-siblings

There's very little fully established things about her story, but I know that she wants to prove herself despite her shy and polite nature and that her dad calls her "his little filly" despite her being an adult, and that's pretty much it!
Hah! This was fun to write!
Having an open ended thing to write left it wide open...
And I tried to cover why you have some of the traits, bonds, flaws you mentioned above in the story...
I did end up playing the relationship between your character and your father, more than your relationship with your mother...
But the father bit near the end could be swapped out as the mother (just need to change the nick name calling)... but to me the father fit more here.
Some of the things that I mention I figured I'd link...

Image that Inspired the Father “Shadow” - https://i.pinimg.com/originals/42/d5...19e89393fa.jpg
Image that inspired the Mother “Agape” (except with white hair instead) - https://about-mythical-creatures.wee...57507_orig.jpg
The Forest Walker (Skerrit) - https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Skerrit
Titanite - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...C_Pakistan.jpg

Anyway, as always, would love feedback. Good, bad, whatever you have!
What worked?
What didn't work?
What did you like?
What did you dislike?
Love feedback! Keeps the thread bumped and alive!
Enjoy!
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There is a saying among humans; that there is no bond stronger than the blood that is shared by family. Perhaps our own human like trait borrowed from such a saying, because as Centaurs, the tribe I come from was non-monogamous, and so each of us was family to one another, which created an incredible bond between us. No one would seek to do harm or betray the other, because in order to do so, you were in fact, betraying your own family.

My name is Hippogyne, and among the Centaurs, I was still quite young, only twenty-six cycles passing. My mother was an elegant centaur; her upper torso was a beautiful shaped woman who wore a leather tunic. Her hair was as white as the snowcapped mountains, but it wasn’t due to age – it was merely the color of hair she’d been born with. That same color came in the form of her long, elegant tail as well. Her eyes were piercing blue and to lock gaze with her was like staring at the heart of winter if she was angry with you; otherwise, it was like gazing into the most refreshing lake. She was primarily a gatherer for the tribe, gathering herbs, berries and fruits for the tribe’s survival, but she was also one of the best with a bow and arrow; most said she was a better hunter than those who’d been designated as part of the hunting side. Her name was Agape, and I was very close to my mother.

My father was named Shadow, named after his dark black hair that he wore long, untied and unkempt. He also had a beard that helped cloak most of his face beneath the darkness of his long hair or black beard. He was one of the Hunters – and he was exceptionally well at it. (Though many would tease him that clearly his time with Agape had taught him how to hunt). My father was wonderful and enjoyed my mother quite a bit, as he often came around to check on her and me, though he had no true obligation as he had many other mates and children in the tribe.

When I reached the age of sixteen cycles, I developed an intense migraine – and my mother was there to comfort me and tell me that it was fine. It was a symbol of power. She pointed out that others in the tribe, who had antlers or horns – and explained that this means, magic runs in my veins and that those blessed with the horns and antlers were touched by the Forest Walker (some called him Skerrit). Magic was an intense headache for another two years, as a single unicorn-like horn eventually developed. Shortly after it had grown to its full length, the migraine subsided. True to my mother’s word, I could soon feel the energies of unseen magic flowing around me, like another layer of air blowing in the wind.

By the time eighteen cycles had passed I was brought to the Circle of the Stone Forest. In truth, it wasn’t even a forest unto itself – rather it was five large stones, standing each ten feet in height, made up of titanite – and the Arch Druid, another Centaur by the name of Evergreen, claimed that The Forest Walker himself placed these gems here as a symbol of life. In low light, they were the pale green of the woods, but when the light struck them just right, they flared orange, yellow and red, the symbol of the sun blessing the woods with the life giving energies.

Within the Circle of the Stone Forest, when we gathered – energy would connect from stone to stone, forming a protective circle around those inside. It was my time with the Druids that I learned that the Druids were the designated protectors of the Woods. The tribe had the gathers, such as my mother, Agape; they had the hunters, such as my father, Shadow; but it was the Druids who called upon the Moon’s light, and the night’s Darkness, to grant them the powers to protect the woods from those who would seek to harm it, or the people within it.

I’d been twenty cycles and out on my own, patrolling the borders of the woods. The sounds of combat caught my attention and I stepped closer to the edge of the woods. I watched as a human woman with fierce red hair, like a beautiful burning fire, singlehandedly fought off three very large, muscular bugbears. She looked to be in trouble, but she also seemed to be quite capable.

“Do not encourage attention to the woods,” my father always said. “Kindness to strangers will only welcome betrayal to the heart.”

I continued to watch as this brave woman fought off the bugbears. She was capable, but she was clearly beginning to show signs of exhaustion.

“Protect the woods,” Evergreen had said. “Keep the dangers out, and those that come in, destroy them if they refuse to leave.”

I grimaced and charged forward – revealing myself, which startled the bugbears who saw me emerge from the woods – I quickly cast Entangle, entrapping the bugbears. The woman, whose back had been turned to me, looked over her shoulder, equally as shocked to see me as the bugbears had been. “Run,” I shouted. “I will hold them.” Thankfully, bugbears relied on melee weapons. The woman quickly fled into the woods, running by me, breathing heavily, thanking me. Not in the woods. Not in the woods. I wanted to scream.

I chased after the woman into the woods, forgetting the bugbears behind me now. Catching up to her quickly I frankly said, “You need to get out of the woods. I didn’t mean for you to run in here. Just away from the bugbears.”

“I just need a moment to breath,” the woman heaved deeply. “Then I will exit your woods. I know the bugbears won’t come in here. They know your kind protects these woods.”

“You are the root, the tribe is the tree,” my mother would say. “To damage the root, you damage the tree. Do what you can to feed the tree. Acts against such a thing will bring dishonor.”

“Well, hello little filly,” a male voice said from the shadows. “Who is your friend here?”

Only one person ever called me that – I turned my head and felt my cheeks burn as bright as the human woman’s hair. “Father! What are you doing here?”

“Thought I heard you,” he admitted, his bow still pulled, an arrow knocked. “Your sweet voice, child of mine, is like a songbird to my ears.” He gestured to the human woman. “Who is she?”

“My name is Amberose,” the woman said. “I meant no harm. Your daughter rushed out to help me against bugbears.”

“Rushed out, you say,” my father’s gaze drifted towards me. My cheeks burned even brighter.

“She showed courage and honor to help a stranger,” Amberose explained.

“How kind of her,” my father’s words were dripping with the sweet nectar of sarcasm. “I am glad that you are alive and well, Amberose. But I am going to have to politely ask you to turn and leave now.” Amberose turned her head, and she could see through the thicket that the bugbears had broken free of the entangle spell, but were pacing a small distance away from the forest’s edge waiting for her to come running back out. The longer she remained inside, the closer they edge, believing that perhaps the forest wasn’t so guarded.

“Father,” I pleaded. “You should have seen her – she was fighting all three of those beasts. If you send her out now, tired as she is, she will not last much longer. Show mercy.”

“Mercy,” Shadow growled the words. “This is why…” My father began, but cut off his words. He rode to the edge of the forest, and within seconds – four arrows flew, and struck their marks – two in the larger bugbear, one for the other two – each piercing the eyes of the bugbears who slumped to the ground dead. He turned his head towards the human, “Now, Lady Amberose, your path is clear. I’d like to ask you to leave again.”

My mouth was wide open, Amberose turned to my father and thanked him, than to me and thanked me as well, before sheathing her sword and making her way back out of the woods.

“This, little tilly,” my father continued his sentence he’d originally stopped. “This is why we don’t help the outsiders. They invite trouble. Those bugbears were edging closer while you were sheltering her. We have taken centuries defending these woods and creating a mystique about the woods where others believe these woods are haunted or protected by demented fey.”

I bowed my head. “I am sorry, father. I was careless. It’s just… she looked incredible fighting… but those bugbears… they were cheating… two would attack, and allow one to rest, then when he was rested enough, he’d leap in and another would back off… you should have seen her… she was incredible.”

My father heaved a deep sigh. “I told your mother there was something about you. Something different. Something special,” he approached me and tapped the unicorn like horn on my forehead, “and I don’t just mean this. There was a deeper love for things than I’d seen. You care for the world the way most of our tribe simply care for one another.”

“I know,” I sighed. “I can change. I can fix myself.”

My father laughed, and pat me on the head, the way he did when I was a child, “Little filly, you are not broken. You do not need to be fixed. Perhaps it is the tribe who needs to be fixed, and see through your eyes.” He placed his arm around me. “We’ve locked ourselves away for so long behind this forest wall, that we have blinded ourselves to the world outside. Perhaps it’s time that changes. Your mother is going to kill me for this… but, by the gods, while I don’t want that to be you… I believe you are just the right person to do just that.”