Offstage Stories

[pfooti]

Put backstory posts and other IC stories that don't relate to the actual main game here.

[AlisAtAn]

Dolos Ninjafiend, Dark Whisper Gnome Beguiler ---> Shadowcraft Mage

Growing up the only child of a once great illusionist, I always dreamed of living the extragavant life of the acrobatic rouge or the playful bard, but forced to memorize arcane theory from an early age, and never much of the fighting type anyway, I ended up not quite the mage, but with a knack for illusions. Not quite the acrobatic rouge, but still insightful at there ways. What does that make me? A bard? I do play the violin... No? Not a bard? Aaaawww....

I left my home and mother behind as soon as I came of age,  seeking the truth about my father, whoever he may be. Mom never spoke much of him, but I know the truth is out there somewhere. After all, its not like he doesnt exist? In my company I have my longtime girlfriend, Hearth Toun Yot (Iminimei`s char, we did a joined backstory). She`s not good for much, ever shy, always reading her books and deciphering old tablets. I mean, what kind of bitch reads books anyway? Woman should stick to things they know... She may not be much to look at, but I`m sure with a firm hand and degrading comments I`ll make a fine wife of her yet. We have a open relationship, seeing as I`m a man with needs and one woman alone could never satisfy a man alone. Granted, she seems to be the only one getting any action on the side, but I`m sure that will all change as soon as I get all rich and famous like.

My other long time companion is my good friend and mostly useful wizard Swyno Gwyddion(Stratovarius`s char, he`s part of the fun too). Actually, he`s not all that useful when I think about it, but we do share the same humor... He uses his mastery over mind control to great effect, although I tend to think the best effect is gained with illusions and trickery, which he sadly lacks any competence with. At all. Dont think I have seen him use a single illusion for all the years I've known him, actually. Probably over his league, dont you think? Me and Swyno have always been competing, enchantment vs illusion, what make for best results? Although I would never admit it to him, I have come to the conclusion that us working together yields the best results. It has happened a few times in the past, when dangers to my dear Hearth (Did I say that out loud?) forced us to join spells for a time. Although I never said much about it afterwards...

Together the three of us battle evil, although I do it mostly for the riches. I`m gonna be rich, remember? Some few moons ago we joined forces with another band of adventurers, seeing as safety in numbers will give Hearth better protection than I could ever give and together we can go after even greater riches.

Behind the scenes regarding backstory: The plot twist here is, that the accident that forced mom to cease here adventuring career, was her getting pregnant while having some fun with a shadow illusion of some kind... Resulting in a gnome with the dark template and her sticking to normal illusions for the rest of her life. Course my char doesn't know that...

[Stratovarius]

And here's Swyno's character background, complete with the two cute little gnomes.

[spoiler]Swyno grew up as an absentee child, his rich merchant parents often gone on long journeys and searches for new and profitable dealings. It was not that he was neglected when they were there, or that he disliked them, but more than he wandered out of the door of their northern home on far too many occasions, finding solace in the blustering and chill environment in which they lived.
   There was always the child's desire to escape from the tutors that his parents brought forth for him, for Swyno was certainly not above wandering outside to avoid their presence, but it was more a love of the cold and crisp woods and streams, dells and valleys, that called to him. Days roaming through the forests would often be spent with his naturally curious mind poking and prodding under rocks, in tree wells, and through streams, finding delightful animals and strange plants. Some of those found their way into Swyno's stomach, often to his displeasure, but with the insatiable desire to search, he would merely make a note of what not to eat, and continue to try new things.
   Swyno's father was possessed of some minor magical talents, that Swyno knew, for in those times when his parent was home, the elder man would often show the boy a neat little trick of one sort or another, or, if Swyno was particularly lucky, take him out for walks through the snow and ice, explaining the natures of that terrain, or this plant, or even the little quirks that cold weather allowed. Soon enough, the young boy began experimenting on his own with the magical spells, sneaking peaks at his father's books when the older man was gone on one of his trips.
   The fascination with magic soon grew to even displace his love of nature as the primary objective within Swyno's heart. He would still travel out into the woods, but often it was to a secluded spot that allowed for safe casting, free from the distraction and noise of the town in which he lived. Sometimes, Swyno would attempt a harmless spell on a small animal, perhaps a jackrabbit, to see what would happen. Most often the creature would fall asleep, or stare at him with eyes wide open, and a few times he even managed to make the skittish creature come close and eat from his hands.
   Eventually, his father decided that rather than this unschooled experimenting with spells and wizardry, that Swyno had to spend time at a college for mages, learning the dangers and the advantages of magic in a controlled environment. Some years later, Swyno emerged with a passion for enchanting spells, and returned to the family seat. He spent a pleasant winter there with his family, renewing the bonds of love, and then, as the spring thawed and with his parent's blessing, setting out upon a journey in order to discover the world around him.
   It was on the early stage of that journey that Swyno ran across a pair of gnomes, apparently married, by the names of Hearth and Dolos. They certainly bickered like a married couple, but their love of the magical arts drew Swyno, and they soon formed into a fast friendship, although he could never understand Dolos's love of that piddly illusion school. Why dance an image in front of a creature's face when you could reach into its mind? There are some things that are just not worth explaining.
   Swyno also felt a somewhat strange and inexplicable attraction to Hearth, despite the gnome's short stature. It was almost as if something in his blood called to her. At leas the two gnomes had an open relationship. Still, it was no matter, he would continue on as before.
   The three had had a few notable adventures, but were now looking for something a little greater and more exciting.[/spoiler]

[JanusJones]

Nagaina's story:

A wide-shouldered, narrow-waisted woman, Nagaina is slender and graceful. Her dark eyes are huge, filling nearly half her face, and are framed with long lashes that lend her countenance a smoldering intensity. Her skin is dark, almost blue-black, and she wears her startling golden hair in a single long braid that hangs down her back. She dresses in dark purple leather and midnight blue silk. A fine network of tribal scars runs across her face, underscoring her mesmerizing eyes and high cheekbones.

Nagaina was born into a tribe of draconically descended humans who worshiped the serpent lords. Once a year her people would make their way into the steaming jungles to the Yuan-ti ziggurat to offer their sacrifices - exceptional members of their own tribe, chosen for beauty, strength, or cleverness, to be converted by the priest into a servant of the snakes. The huge, serpentine creature would summon the chosen with a single massive, clawed hand, beckoning them to the altar. On either side the misshapen mistakes - the broodguards - would slobber and gibber, clutching themselves, jeering, eyes malicious with jealous hate and anticipation.

On the altar, the chosen would accept a small, earthenware pot. Those who struggled were held down, the magical poison poured into their choking, gasping mouths; but many were proud to be selected and would hold the casque high, gulping at the viscous liquid greedily, eager to please their new masters. It was never until the next year, when the tribe returned, that they would know the fate of their friends, sons, daughters, lovers - whether their bodies, mutated by the Yuan-ti elixir, would twist into monstrous broodguards or solidify into one of the elite - the elegant, serpentine guards and spies of the serpent lords.

These latter would sometimes return to deliver messages, to demand tribute for the temple, or simply to see those they'd left behind; but no matter how missed, the chosen were always unsettling to their loved ones, made distant by the secret change in their blood. Their kiss, too, was poison - forbidden touch, they would linger, their slivered, serpentine pupils focused on their loved ones, before fading back into the jungle.

In her fourteenth rainy season, Nagaina joined the ranks of the chosen. Trembling, she took her place on the altar, accepted the rough clay bowl, lifted it to her full lips and drank.

In the days of excruciating pain that followed, Nagaina's body warped and twisted. When finished, she had ascended - she was a tainted one, a "hidden serpent." More than her companions, she took to the change; never a particularly athletic girl, she found her new ability to shift forms intoxicating. Under her masters' tutelage, she explored the more exotic of snake-kin - displacer serpents, shadow asps - creatures of sinister and unique power. Trained as an assassin, she became adept at stealing into human encampments, eluding detection, and leaving her victims locked in a poisoned death rictus - murdered in their beds, with no trace of their killer save for tiny fangmarks.

But what impressed the serpent lords most was the powers she unlocked from her deepest mind. Some trace of her people's draconic origins was strong in Nagaina, and perhaps that ancestral tie was what led her to unlock a deeper reserve of psionic strength than others among the chosen. Whatever the source, she had a unique ability: she could mimic not only the physical form of magical serpents, but tap into their supernatural powers as well. As she became more and more powerful, she began to experiment, learning how to best use her new abilities. She would slither through walls as an incorporeal shadow asp, elude attackers and allow for deadly strikes as a displacer serpent, and fly up unscalable cliffs as a sailsnake. She would change her form and milk her own poison, granting her arrows a deadly extra bite.

When she had grown enough, she escaped. Her masters gave little chase; though they valued her, they were unconcerned with her "vacation" - their most powerful servants almost always left the temple for a time.

Nagaina is not evil, per se; simply self-sufficient. She is elegant and beautiful, if somewhat unsettling; something about her, even in her human form, speaks of her serpent heritage.

[Smudgy]

Myrd's Background:

Myrd was living the good life. As a child growing up, his father, Thelonius Faust, gave him everything he could have ever wanted.  Spoiled as he was, Myrd was sheltered,  blind to the world around him. It was to be his downfall. His father, running a large and prosperous business of trade from the Faust Manor, was into some bad dealing with the Zaresh family, the Faust's greatest rivals in their trade. Myrd was expected to take up the family title of House Leader, but he largely ignored his duties for nights out on the town. As it was, the Zaresh family took great personal insult when Myrd skipped out on the trading rights meeting for the dockyards. And, as they often are, the docks are never a safe place.

   The meeting was to take place in the dock master's office, supervised by the man himself, Icarus Tidefellow. As Myrd was skipping his duties, the meeting was attacked. Assassins tore into the room, and killed everyone inside, as the reports said. Included in the deaths, was the Zaresh families own rising protege, Ahir Zaresh. Obviously suspecting the Faust's to be the cause of the murder, the Zaresh family immediately set out to destroy the entire Faust compound. When the blood red sun arose the next morning, the Faust Manor was little more than ashes in the wind.

   But what of our protagonist? Ah, but he returned to his home after a night of gallanting and revelry, and was struck to the core by what turn his life had taken. A Zaresh patrol spotted him and gave chase, obviously to complete the job that was intended. Myrd fled, and disappeared into the undergrounds of the city. As he rose into adulthood, he made his living with thievery and cunning. But as rookies do, they make mistakes.

   As his prominence rose, Myrd became somewhat cocky in his manner, and decided one day to pick the pocket of one of the college's wizards, knowing there must be something good. Though, not to his knowledge, the target of his theft is known to many as Kartagos the Sly, Archmage of the College of Esteemed Initiates. As you can imagine, Myrd is caught without hardly any thought, and was taken to court. Thought to be some reckless coward, he like many other thieves was sentenced to have his hands removed. But Kartagos, seeing something in the lad, decides to pardon the boy, under the exception that he was put into indentured service at the college. With the Archmage's renown, the court allows it, and the sentence is finalized.

   In the first few weeks of work, Kartagos closely watched the boy as he works, starting conversation with him many a time. The lad had a fantastic intellect, and was able to coherently speak with the Archmage, never faltering in mind or speech. Warming to the boy, Kartagos took him under his wing, and began to teach him the wonders of magic. Myrd learns very quickly, and found a great liking of the school of conjuration. Kartagos teaches the boy humility, and the child learned a great sense of patience as well. Kartagos pushed him harder than he has ever been pushed. Myrd studied nonstop, determined to someday avenge to his father's name, as well as find out who it was that had made the coup, knowing his father never lowered himself to such deeds. His searches proved to be fruitless, his specialization in conjuration providing him with nothing to help him find the killers. Frustrated, he was determined to find new ways to discover the killers, and restore his family's honor.

   Myrd, finding the college has nothing else to teach him, left with the permission of Kartagos. His ventures took him through various jobs, as he traveled from city to city, never closer to finding the murderers. His travels eventually led him to the city of Dun Eamon, a city known for it's trade. With his current band of adventurer's whom he'd recently met, Myrd travels to enters the City of Mists, to find what adventuring there is to be done, and what clues that exist of the Zaresh murder.

[amalcon]

Narius's Journal, Summary of Lost Records[spoiler]
My previous journal was lost in a boating accident; I shall need to be more careful.  Here is a summary of the events therein for the sake of posterity.

I don't know precisely what happened to my family.  I call them my family, but they are truly more of a group of accidental outcasts; only my mother was truly a blood relative.  I was told that we became separated from the main clan while moving the city, but I was never informed the reason for moving the city, nor the cause of the separation.  I was told only that it was a wondrous place, and that one day, we would find the others and help build a new city.  An even greater city.

For a time, this was enough for me.  We searched far and wide, and found signs from time to time, but we never seemed to make real progress.  In time, I began to doubt that we would ever find the others -- that we would ever rebuild the great city.  We climbed the highest mountains, in hopes that the others may be hidden atop them, and there I met Kaervyl.

Kaervyl taught me much:  he taught me the power of nature.  He told me that we would find the others, but that it would not be how everyone thought.  I did not believe him.  In retrospect, he was only half mistaken:  the others did know how it would be; it was only I who did not understand.

In time, we did find the others, atop a high mountain.  They had already done much work on the new city -- it had been more than a dozen years since the separation, and they did not expect to see us again.  The city did hold wonders, but it also held... darker things.  Our group of outcasts would never have thought to take from one in need, or to keep what one does not need, but the city had this.  The guard, they called it, were a group whose purpose was solely to counteract those who would harm others.

My father, with whom my mother and I were finally reunited, told me that this city life was truly the way of the world.  There was only one way to know for sure:  I would need to walk the world.

If this is the way of it, I will learn, and return to help my people live with it.  If this is not the way, I will learn, and return to teach my people to live without it.
[/spoiler]
Narius's Journal, Day 1[spoiler]
My kinsmen had never told me that there was an entire city concealed within these mists.  More cities.  These are what I've run from.  I've never been entirely comfortable being so close to so many:  I am unsettled that I walk past so many that I do not recognize, or that I may recognize someone with whom I have never spoken.  Still, if I'm ever to rejoin my kinsmen, I will need to face my discomfort.

If I'm going to be spending time in a city, it should just as soon be one in a perpetual cloud on the ground.  Kaervyl [ed. note: name of spirit guide] thinks I want to use the mist to hide from the others, but the truth is that I like mist in the air.  Most of my kinsmen will not enter a cloud, as it comes with a sort of blindness.  I like nothing more than to leap from a mountain-top and glide through the celestial darkness.  It is soothing to me.  I long for the day that I gain the strength to fly into the clouds on my own.

My current companions seem to agree that this is a good place to stop.  We will at least take a few days here to gather supplies.  If nothing takes our interest, we may move on.  If I want to ease into civilized life, remaining here is in by best interest, but my companions have shown themselves reliable.  I suppose I will have to cross that bridge when I come to it.[/spoiler]

[Ieniemienie]

[ksbsnowowl]

Jered Winter's Life and Times

Character background: