Lux Tenebris: Shireen Orred

SHIREEN ORRED, L7 Human Bard

STR     08 (-1)

DEX    14 (+2)

CON   16 (+3)

INT     11 (+0)

WIS     10 (+0)

CHA   18 (+4)

HP       56

AC      13 (Leather armor)

Traits:

Languages: Common,

Proficiencies: +3

Armor: Light

Weapons: Simple, hand x-bows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords

Tools: Navigator’s tools, Vehicles: water, Fiddle, Drum, Squeezebox

Saves: Dexterity +5, Charisma +7

Skills: Acrobatics +7, Athletics +2, Intimidation +10, Perception +3, Persuasion +10

Feats:

Ship’s Passage

* * *

Bardic Inspiration (d8/4x)

Jack of All Trades

Song of Rest (1d6)

Bard College: College of Lore

Expertise

Font of Inspiration

Countercharm

Spellcasting:

# of Spells: 10

Spell DC: 15

Atk Mod: +7

At-Will (3): Dancing lights, Magehand, Vicious mockery

L1 (4): Detect Magic, Sleep, Thunderwave

L2 (3): Cloud of Daggers, Invisibility, Shatter

L3 (3): Dispel magic, Hypnotic Pattern, Nondetection

L4 (1): Polymorph

Equipment:

Rapier. Melee. +7 to hit; deals 1d8 +4 piercing; Finesse.

Dagger. Melee. +7 to hit; deals 1d4 +4 piercing; Light; Finesse; Ranged, 20/60.

Belaying pin (club). Melee. +3 to hit; deals 1d4-1 bludgeoning; Light.

Leather armor. Light armor. AC 11 + Dex.

An entertainer’s pack, a fiddle, 50 ft. of silk rope, a lucky charm, a set of common clothes, 10gp

Shireen Orred grew up on the coast of Alindrast. Her parents were sailors and Shireen followed in their footsteps. Unfortunately, the life of a merchant sailor wasn’t a good fit for Shireen. Most of the captains of the merchant ships treated their crews like slaves.

Shireen was serving aboard a merchant ship, The Golden Apple, when the crew mutinied. The captain and first mate were shipwrecked and the Apple’s crew turned to piracy.

The pirate life was a better fit for Shireen and she served aboard the Apple until it was scuttled by the Alindrast Navy. Afterward, Shireen made her way south, to Dagger Bay, a port that was notorious for offering safe haven to pirates and smugglers.  There, Shireen joined the crew of infamous pirate queen, Iron Jenny.  Over the years, she rose through the ranks, eventually captaining a ship in Iron Jenny’s fleet.

This was a golden time for Shireen. Iron Jenny ruled the coast of Alindrast and Hylondek. No naval force could match her. Shireen was proud to stand by Iron Jenny’s side and thumb her nose at the merchant companies that controlled Alindrast.

But all good things come to an end.  Iron Jenny’s luck ran out, with her lifeblood, on the point of a rival’s blade.  The merchant companies’ luck ended when Duke Wallen Randego assumed control of Alindrast. And Shireen Orred’s luck ran out when her own pirate crew mutinied and shipwrecked her on a barren, rocky atoll in the Gulf of Promises.

She should have died. She would have if not for the peculiar skills she had picked up during her career. Most Alindrasti sailors distrusted magic and avoided it like the plague, but Shireen had a talent for spells. Magic had saved her life more than once and it would do it again.

Returning to Alindrast, Shireen began to hunt down the members of her mutinous crew. One by one, she sent them to the chill embrace of Rovelek, the God of the Dead. Her hunt has led her, curiously enough, to the court of Duke Randego. It seemed that Shireen’s former first mate had turned over a new leaf and become a popular member of the Duke’s court.

Killing a favored member of the Duke’s court could bring down considerable wrath on her head, but Shireen doesn’t care.  She’s come for her revenge and she’ll get it, by hook or by crook. Whatever happens afterwards, she’ll deal with it as it comes.

Lux Tenebris: One-Eyed Toban

ONE-EYED TOBAN L9 Tabaxi Warlock

STR     09 (-1)

DEX    08 (-1)

CON   14 (+2)

INT     14 (+2)

WIS     12 (+1)

CHA   18 (+4)

HP       56

AC:     10 (Leather armor)/12 (Armor of Shadows )

Traits:

Darkvision

Feline Agility

Cat’s Claws

Languages: Common, Celestial, Infernal

Proficiencies: +4

Armor: Light

Weapons: Simple

Tools: Herbalism kit

Saves: Wisdom +5, Charisma +8

Skills: Arcana +6, Deception +8, Medicine +5, Perception +5, Religion +6, Stealth +3

Features:

Discovery

* * *

Patron: The Fiend

- Dark One’s Blessing

- Dark One’s Own Luck

Eldritch Invocations (5)

- Agonizing blast, Armor of Shadows, Eldritch spear, Fiendish vigor, Whispers of the Grave

Pact Boon: Pact of the Tome (3 cantrips*)

Pact Magic:

Spells Known: 10

Spell DC: 16

Atk Mod: +8

At-Will (6): Chill touch, Eldritch blast, Poison spray, Resistance*, Sacred flame*, Ray of Frost*

L1: Command, Arms of Hadar

L2: Scorching ray, Invisibility

L3: Stinkiing cloud, Dispell magic

L4: Fire shield, Blight

L5 (2): Flame strike, Hallow

Equipment:

Quarterstaff. Melee. +3 to hit; deals 1d6 -1 bludgeoning. Versatile (1d8).

Daggers (2). Melee. +3 to hit; deals 1d4 -1 piercing. Finesse, Light, Thrown (Range 20/60)

Light x-bow. Ranged, 80/320. +3 to hit; deals 1d8-1 piercing. Ammo, Loading, 2-handed.

Leather armor. Light. AC 11 + Dex.

An arcane focus, a Book of Shadow, a Scholar’s pack, a scroll case, a winter blanket, a set of common clothes, an herbalism kit, 5gp.

Walk along the rocky coast of Alindrast, north of the fishing village called Ferdy’s Folly, and you’ll come to a cave-riddled cliff, facing the Gulf of Promises.  Here, you will find the home of a tabaxi hermit, known as One-Eyed Toban.

Silvered and infirm, a rough patch covering his left eye, One-Eyed Toban does not welcome visitors.  He has neither the time or the patience for social visits, but is willing to share his unusual knowledge with others for a price.

The old tabaxi’s behavior has less to do with misanthropy than with penance. Years ago, One-Eyed Toban made a deal with a devil. In exchange for diabolical powers, Toban agreed to perform three feats for his patron. At the time, Toban was brash and heartless. He didn’t imagine the devil would ask him to do anything he wouldn’t do himself. However, time and his patron, proved him very wrong.

One-Eyed Toban fulfilled his part of the bargain years ago. Since then, he has lived in self-imposed isolation. Part of this is penance for what he did, part is because he has thrown himself into esoteric research, looking for a rite that can destroy devils on the Material Plane.

Over the years, One-Eyed Toban has earned a reputation among sages and scholars as an expert in esoteric rituals and the underworld. Knowing the canniness of devils and demons, One-Eyed Toban doesn’t share his knowledge lightly. Although gold is likely to pry some information from his lips, an exchange of information or arcane artefacts is more likely to purchase the old tabaxi’s knowledge.

Recently rumors have begun to circulate that One-Eyed Toban has been approached by High Magister Osre of Alindema. The High Magister is said to have offered One-Eyed Toban access to the vaults of the Iornean Church in exchange for his help.

Most people dismiss this rumor as completely false, but some folk in Ferdy’s Folly have noted that One-Eyed Toban has been purchasing supplies lately with Alindeman coins. So, perhaps there is some truth to the rumors after all?

note: I’ve left the acts Toban performed for his patron-devil deliberately vague so GMs can incorporate them into their campaign. The acts should be suitably horrible to justify Toban’s penance and research.

The Waiting Trees

The trees are waiting.
Watching the sky for autumn.
Ready to strip bare.

The trees are waiting.
Ready to shake naked limbs,
in autumn's chill winds.

The trees are waiting.
Eager to slip into sleep,
away from summer.

The trees are waiting.
Always watching. Always there.
The trees are waiting.

Quick Comic Reviews

Hello, gentle readers! Sorry I've been incommunicado for most of the month but life happened. Still, I didn't want the entire month to go past without some kind of activity here on the blog. So, without further ado, a super-quick review of three of this week's comics!

First up is Gotham City Garage.  This is an Elseworls book set outside of the normal DCU. Comparing it to Bombshells wouldn't be out of place, at least, as far as content goes. The story isn't very interesting and neither is the art. Overall, I'd give this book a pass if I were you.  It's pretty much filler. 1/5 stars.

Next up is Jimmy's Bastards.  The premise is amusing: what if a womanizing super-spy, a la James Bond, was suddenly confronted by all the murderous offspring he'd conceived over the years? Well, that's what Jimmy Regent is facing. So far, with three issues down, it's been a fun little book. If you just want a fun read, I'd say give this a try.  3/5 stars.

Finally, we have Secret Empire. Yes, this is the book that turned Captain America into a Nazi. Yes, it was the core book of another "Marvel Event." That's two strikes against this thing already. So, does it get a third strike? Boy, does it ever. This book is a hot mess. Like all recent Marvel events the climax is utterly flat and there won't be any longterm ramifications or fallout from this title. If there is, I'll be genuinely surprised.  Give this a pass. Zero/5 stars.

Sphere: InfoDump

I was working on a concept for a sci-fi RPG setting called Sphere. I posted a few things here, but, in all honesty, I've pretty much lost interest in the project.

So, here's the remainder of the Sphere-related stuff.

The Hermans. These are humans who, post-Singularity, downloaded their minds into android bodies to survive the ecological collapse of Earth. They are named after the first person to successfully make the transition from organic to inorganic life, a man named Herman Wauk. Over the centuries, the Hermans have reproduced by making copies of themselves with various tweaks or by 'merging' their memories/personas into a new body.  Hermans probably have a better understanding of the Singularity than anyone else the Sphere, but they're not interested in interacting with the Singularity. They're smarter than that. Hermans don't get along very well with the other factions/races, especially the Flawless.  

The Zarans. The Zarans are the descendents of the first Martian colonists. When the Singularity occurred and Earth's biosphere collapsed, a lot of people headed to Mars. Most didn't make it. Those that did, probably wished they hadn't. A pandemic broke out among the refugees. Over 95% of Mars's population died. The survivors were the ones who underwent radical genetic modification, splicing animal traits onto their DNA, effectively becoming something other than human. The entire planet was placed in quarantine for a century, to prevent the pandemic from spreading. This gave the survivors a chance to stabilize their physiologies and evolve a curiously spiritual society with an emphasis on tolerance and self-control. Zarans possess simian and felinoid traits, including a prehensive tail they can use as a third hand and superior night vision. Some, also develop psychic talents such as psychometry, telepathy and precognition.

The Wanderers are the faction that most closely resembles 'natural' humans. They are the survivors of Earth who did not settle on other worlds, but rather chose to wander the Sphere in caravans composed of antiquated, jury-rigged spacecraft.  There are dozens of Wanderer tribes, each one preserving a specific cultural heritage, but all of them united by a strong sense of individuality and personal freedom. Wanderers don't subject themselves to needless body-mods and most nation-states and polities consider them a nuisance. If not for their expansive trade network, the biggest and best in the Sphere, the Wanderers might have a much harder time. Historians and sociologists love the Wanderers as each caravan retains a strong oral historical tradition dating back to their Exodus from Earth. The Wanderers were responsible for the preservation of most of human culture and history.

Singularity Cultists.  Commonly referred to as Sings, they abound throughout the Sphere. They
  worship the Singularity as a deity and patron, and there are as many different creeds and beliefs among the Sings as there are asteroids in the Belt.  Most people have disdainful opinions of the Sings, considering them dangerous and deranged.  Many mainstream religions and political alliances actively persecute the Sings, either driving them out of their territories or executing them as vermin. Some Sings fight back, while others submit to the atrocities inflicted upon them. It varies from cult to cult.  Of great concern are the Sings that do seem to have some manner of contact with the Singularity; some of these cults possess advanced technology and access to information that no one else has. These cults, few and far between, are usually treated with more care than their psychophantic counterparts. Sings can come from any racial group or sub-group, but most are self-perpetuating, using the resources of the Ministry of Population to ensure their numbers.

The Wardens.  Depending on who you ask the Wardens are either jailers or guardians of the Singularity.  It is unclear if they are aspects of the Intelligences that created the Sphere, some sort of construct race or an extrasolar species that works in conjunction with the Intelligences.  The only thing known for certain is that they maintain the sanctity of the Sphere. Nothing gets in and nothing gets out. Manifesting as luminous, asexual humanoids, each Warden has a unique temperment. All are ferociously powerful.  Most people try to avoid the Wardens, but some people do interact with them. Some Wardens seem to enjoy social interactions with natives of the Sphere. It's not uncommon to encounter Wardens among the cities of the Jinn, or in Zaran temples.