This added at second level!!!
System: D20 Incarna; Character Creation: 1/2020
Background: Executioner
Race: Half-Orc
Male, 7’3″, #345, age: 22, 10″ unit, right handed, olive skin, black hair/chops, ivory tusks, Move: 30’, Size: medium [Well groomed and clean; Only drinks if he can mix the blood of an enemy.]
Alignment: Lawful Neutral (the law/authority = equality = stability = tolerance); “Everything is eaten”, all ways are the natural ways.
Class: Ranger (variant) 2nd
STRength: 17 {+3}
INTelligence: 13 {+1}
DEXterity: 10
CONstitution: 14 {+2} (not prone to sea sickness)
WISdom: 14 {+2}
CHArisma: 8 (tusks get in the way of speaking non-Orrish languages) -1
SANity: 10
Essence: 5 / Aptitude > 1 Divine (-7), 1 Kinetic (-7)
Faith: Elements (Dennio venerated – earth – mostly The Oldening) “Let the blood of my foes feed the earth.”
HP: 25 (10+5, 6, +4; 150% at 1st; regain 3/night; Relentless Endurance + Second Wind = buffs)
=
Inspiration: 1+1
Skills: Intimidation +3, Athletics +5 (+1 Kinetic Affinity), Investigation +3, Nature +3, Animal Handling +4, Stealth +2, Perception +2/+2 scent based checks
Lores: [+2] Bureaucracy
Tools: Herbalist Kit (For sedating and calming the condemned; creating “plant food”)
Ability: Strength, Dexterity
Senses: Darkvision 60’
Languages: Orrish, Dundarum (human), Kaithlen
Speech of Beast and Leaf: You have the ability to communicate in a limited manner with beasts and plants. They can understand the meaning of your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return. You have advantage on all Charisma checks you make to influence them.
Armor: Light, Medium, Shields
Armored Maneuvers: Light Armor, if worn, or Shields gains one extra resilience which can only be used by the character, they adapt it until they drop or doff the item. Once dropped, it is considered ____.
Weapons: Martial, Simple
Fighting Style: Duelist (with 2 handed weapons only) +2 damage
Racial: Relentless Endurance: When you are reduced to 0 Hit Points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a (Short) Rest. & Savage Attacks: When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon Attack, you can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.
Feat: Polearm Master (Opportunity attack when opponent crosses reach, d4 Bonus attack with blunt end)
Favored Enemy: Kaithlen and Cazua (2 humanoids) +2 damage/Advantage on Wisdom and Intelligence tracks to know details and track them.
Second Wind: Bonus Action = [9] d10/5 + ranger level 1/Short Rest > Kinetic = Suppresses a level of Exhaustion for an hour per proficiency bonus, and gets Proficiency Bonus.
Bonded with The Land: [Divine aptitude 1/Kinetic 1]
Charms: Once every 4 long rests or single moon cycle, a ranger may attempt to make a charm that replicates the effects of a druid ritual spell which they would be allowed to cast as if they were a druid. It is typically tied with strong, folded, or somehow held together using natural means and when the charm’s seal is broken, it activates. It is treated as if it is a spell cast at the rangers level. At 4th level, the ranger can pass them on to others to trigger so long as their intent is within the ranger characters outlook. At 7th level, any charm made can be activated by anyone willingly given one. A character can have a total of their Proficiency Bonus and Wisdom adjustment combined, active charms. It takes a Short Rest to make one, and a Religion check.
Soul of the Earth: 1/Long Rest at 6th level, as a bonus action (end as a bonus action) assume a large tree like form. Size becomes large, barkskin w/2 resilience, speed drops to 5’, reach is +5’, druidcraft when entering and leaving the form, protection from evil/good when initially taking the form. Last for a number of rounds equal to their spells known.
You are a master of navigating the natural world, and you react with swift and decisive action when attacked – taking advantage of every element of terrain, weather, light, etc. This grants you the following benefits:
In addition, you are skilled at navigating the wilderness. You gain the following benefits when traveling for an hour or more:
Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group’s travel.
Your group can’t become lost except by magical means.
Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger.
If you are traveling alone, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
When you forage, you find twice as much food as you normally would.
While tracking other creatures, you also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area.
: (Makes his own Hide; symbols/hunting scenes/landscapes) Hide AC: 12 [1 Resilience]
: (when traveling) medium-light [+2 AC/1 Resilience]
quarterstaff: (iron shod/studded on ends; d6+1/2d4+1 – prefers not to spill blood outside of his work) +5 attack; heavy staff 10’ reach & 2 resilience
pole > 1h = 4/7/14 + 3 (str) / 2h = 11/14/23 + 5 (str + style)
butt > 1h = 5/7/11 / 2h = 7/9/11
battle axe: (d8/d10) 1h = 4/8/16 + 3 (str) / 2h = 5/10/20 + 5 (str + style)
Crossbow (light): +2 vs medium and heavy armor, D10/5 = 5/10/20 (+2 if armored)
Hand axe – use when traveling d6/3 + 3 (str) = 6/9/15
Footwear: soft leather shoes (none in countryside)
Backpack: blanket, linen (sack/rags), small tarp + clothes [2 sets] large cloak w/full cowl, breeches, tunic; washes clothes in water with natural flower/plant oils each day, shackles, whetstone, 2 bow string, flint + tinder
Satchel: made from hide 2 headed aquatic dog like thing: Herbalist kit (oil+dye) + 2 poison sacks > weapon d6 poison + poisoned state if both; Orc tribal war paint (CHA penalty = bonus to Intimidate)
Charms: Detect Poison and Disease x3
Purse: [around neck] 10 silver, whistle (silvery/feels like reef)
OTHER NOT CARRIED > Elemental temple; if i die, they can have ’em =
studded leather (given by town; greater resilience 1); 2 explorer packs with ciphered notebooks and better drawing tools
JOB = Pole and pennant: a sign representing gaol and headsman services; [Black leather] hood w/mask + high leather gloves + black leather apron for job duties
PARTY FUNDS: silver = 2000
[policy is Mufasa takes 25% and does not report it] 3 gold
-100 for dog breeding “Aimee”
Train: Fetch, Stay, Be Quiet, Follow, Find me [“Caramin”], Never let anyone sneak up behind me (growl)
-100 for a owl (falconry) “Maduke”
Train: preys on snakes that might seek the warmth of a campfire or bedroll, rodents that get into stores
-50 pair of squirrels “Tit and Tat”
Train: watch over area in camp, play, eat, and bring me the green marble if no one came, yellow if someone came and went, and red if still in the area.
Personality Trait: I’m not a person of many words. I get by with a nod, a head shake, or a single word as often as possible.
Ideal: Truth: Before any justice can be meted out, it is important to draw out the truth no matter what it takes. (Neutral)
Bond: There is this one criminal who had jailbroken before meeting his conviction. I will find him and give him what he’s due.
Flaw: I obey any legitimate authority, even when they might be wrong.
Campaign Benefits: +1 feat, speech of beast and plant, 150% starting HP
Background: His parents are a mystery. His mother was an orc, and his father was a human. The circumstances of how it happened, his mother never told him. Those in the tribe hinted he was a slave, and died.
He was raised by his mother, and she sought out the shaman to teach him the language of humans so that he may have a better chance of survival as a half breed. He grew up partly nomadic as a hunter-gatherer. He was taught to respect the land, the wind, the sun and the rain. As his tribe was not very accepting of him, he spent many hours alone in the woods and hills. He volunteered to be a wood cutter, it was one of the most solitary jobs he could get within the tribe – to keep him away from the brutal warriors. He got good with climbing and axes (large and small) this way, learning to fell trees very swiftly. While felling wood for travois for the tribe, he was set upon by the tribes hunters. They had cornered a coyote and slain it, and were amped up. They beat him severely and he fled to the edge of the forest. He came upon the coyote den with pups. These were the first animals he learned to care for. Thereafter he made a point of finding animal orphans and raising them. Mostly he would trade within the tribe and sometimes with humans. Animal husbandry became a passion.
Among his tribe, he kept to himself, he is usually quiet and observant, his folk think him dim. He learned that half-breeds are not listened to, and only good for menial tasks. Equality was not part of his peoples way – gender, race, and power dictated procedure, not rights or laws.
The tribe grew, and traded with the human lands. His people migrated and hunted. They slowly became more sedentary. Eventually they and the humans mingled and he spent more time with the humans – he was small and weak in his tribe, but among the humans he felt large and strong. Hunting was something he could do for him and his mother alone, and he grew his skills around this.
He was in the crowd at an execution when the aging executioner tripped. He assisted and afterward became an apprentice with two others. He said he was 19, but in reality he was only 14. The town of Dorath grew to a city of 10,000 with rolling farmlands over the next few years. He learned patience in hunting, and the slow progress of the law.
After years, and much experience with the headsman, bounty hunters, jailers, and judges, he was able to officially enter the ranks of jailers and headsmen. He took his oath to never be judge or jury, only executioner. He accepted the marks (tattoos) on his forehead and the backs of his hands, of the closed eye. His teacher made him swear an oath to execute the lawfully appointed authorities command to watch over and punish those detained by the law. The law is what protected him and his position in a society that was not overly welcoming – so he adopted its letter wholeheartedly.
He was swept up in a war between nomadic humans who moved into the region and his adopted city. The reservoir of fury held in check by the ways of law and civilization was unleashed. He did well, but many of his fellow volunteers were scared of him. He served as the army jailer executioner as well. The nomads were conquered, and they were driven off or settled in villages and became part of the growing city state. There was a tumultuous time – there were many executions while they assimilated.
Served in the city watch, then the military, mostly as a scout outside the city. Learned to use the crossbow against the marauders of Merowey.
At 25, he decided to let his friend that he trained with, Luke, take the official role of executioner for the city state of Dorath. His mother had died and his people had been settled or resumed their hunter-gatherer ways and left the area. The people had grown afraid of him, with rumors of his savage ferocity making people distrust him. He knew he had to go somewhere else and start over. He left to make his fortune.
The Journey to Hiddzwaur
Cast out and alone, Caramin goes east, to the coast. He works his way north along the coast, learning to swim and to haul large nets. His temper would get the best of him in many places, and he would eventually leave. It took him a year to make his way to Hiddzwaur (the Kaithlen were pushed out) – following the tales and news from the greatest town of the area. It took all his abilities to avoid the Kaithlen and the burgeoning war that tore the area apart. Hiddzwaur was the island of stability for 50 miles, and a destination for many. Rumors had it for years that it was growing and attracting many, Caramin decided that he may find a need for his talents there. Hiddzwaur was no longer active though, but had many farmsteads and a thriving maritime community that was rebuilding around the ruins. It reminded him of the early days of Dorath. This made it a target, and Caramin knew that he had matured and honed his skills in the hundreds of miles to get to the town. Spent 2 years, near permanent member of the militia.
Kaithlen moved on to prevent war in the area – only the savage ones stay
Temple to Medja was used to rebuild other buildings
Militia = 10 at any given time + captain and second (hammer) in charge
Big fish festival, we (Caramin + Mufasa) are conscripted to serve as security
There is a run that is around the wall and then over pilings from one dock to another
We get happy drunk to prevent him from trying to ambush the beer wagon (we are assigned to protect)
1 hour to messenger post
FISH LEGS = hired us to tip crates into harbor; former pirate and smuggler and operative for Vern Kelps)
VERN KELPS = Local fishmonger (mogul of the area/wealthiest in town)
HAPPY FIELDS = Former paladin of Methrane; drunkard
BENTER SMITH = Head Jailer
MARCUS FISHER = Harbormaster
TED BAILEY = “Baileys Bar” (heaith)/Inn Owner (expensive; plus penny hangs)
> our “sign” for trouble is his staff brings me a drink
FATHER CORPUS WHALER = Penitent/devout of church of the elements (Lasio/water); cartographer
Half hour till wagon, teamster + 2 guards = success
We knock crates in to be raided
Festival fight with Mufasa
Mill area attacked, realize its a diversion
Kelly hides on docks and waits for the swimmers coming in that he spotted
30 climb out, 3 teams; 15, 10, 5
Team 10 goes toward mine, rest pillages with flame
Team 5 on docks, Caramin and militia handle
We swim out to boat (dog paddle Caramin, Mufasa catches up) and take out guards
We try to ambush returning raiders
We beach the boat after waiting
We get militia and kill the sea creature in the cabin; Caramin gets taken out as a shield for the rest
Aggressive behavior lands Mufasa in prison (3 days)
We leave for a rest trip and go to the mines – mines opened after Kaithlen
Mines are guarded, we bribe the guards and stay for a night
We find where the raiders were killed by specters
The second in charge of the guard and ex-paladin tracks show up as finding the same thing
Specters attack and we run – ten of them.
We take an additional day to return – to make it look like we did leave to relax
So, is there someone we can talk to about the specters we encountered?
> Thus far nobody knows anything. All of the Guardsmen you’ve spoken to were given orders by either the Mayor or the ‘Hammer’ to keep people out. No explanation given.
The locals who were at the mine during the attack only know that the raiders came in, killed whoever was in their path and ran into the mines. They never saw anyone come out, but before the attacks on the town had stopped they were told to evacuate and then the following day informed that the area was closed down and that they were not to go back. The town treasury even covered their wages for the month. Cursory talks do not reveal who initially gave the order to evacuate. It seems most people were told by other Miners and laborers that they needed to get out.
Is there any presence of faith in the town?
> For information on the Divine, mystical, odd or historical your best sources are any unique people making port (long shot), the Mayor (Wyeth Green), Father Corpus Whaler (A penitent of the elemental faith, Devoted to Lauccio) and MAYBE the Militia captain Kenneth Green.
> The Ex Paladin, Happy Field (No one argues with him about that being his name any more), was a follower of Methran. Methran is the Conqueror, the aspect of war among the Lords of Chaos. “War is only a tool to determine divine right.”
Is there anyone at the mine who was there when the raiders hit it, and if so, did they say what they were after?
> Locals who MIGHT know more, this is all what you can get through normal conversation. Despite having lived here for a while, your characters would be aware that you don’t know the town and people as intimately as you could.
+2 Days to return to towns; darkness starts at 32 (second sun sets) and ends at 4th hour/ into town at 8
@late summer
Boat we beached has been emptied and floated = ready to dry dock
Ted to Baileys Bar to see if word got back or anything happened
We see “demon sea captain” (captain Zendrevs = [“handles primarily the rare and unique” = her words] tough as nails/scary as shit Tiefling, only appears when valuable/weird is around for last 50 years – she looks 26/27 years old, usually gets what she wants and leaves, but not a pirate) that has known to make landfall here – she is in the bar and intercepts us. Ted confirms we are the ones shes looking for. Crowd starts talking.
> She offers us a job: locate an island to scout out (who wont scare people with demon horns); 2 part =
1st: sail to leechwaters (prefer “”/east 75 miles) to get info and tool for 100 silvers each (hazard pay separate)
> she, her vessel and crew are not allowed to make port there (dont mention we work for her)
2nd: find isle and scout for cash/gear (find pendant) – lost shrine of Achtval – third lord of chaos, AKA “changing lady” (fluid form/confusion/freedom – “do as though wilt”); Zendrevs can now find the island with the stone in the sextant we delivered to her. Shrine was hidden from dedicated folk to chaos lord.
Drop 10 silver to father corpus for good tides and wind for our journey.
> 1000 silver total to find the shrine, 2000 w/info; getting the pendant = offers to protect us from chaos lord powers. Not good enough for Caramin. That relies on her being alive.
Drops off at delta of silty river via rowboat. They will wait in bog and whistle a certain way to summon them to row us out. Night more ideal; ask for Timmy Jim, say the “hot one sent us” and get package.
Leechwaters here we come. We came from Saltmarsh – looking for work as mercenaries.
+2 hours and scout: argue on road, lots of leeches, venomous eels (delicacy) in muck, Mufasa gets bit = fuck this place. pop 250, ground rises as dry, lots of built stone structures more than straw and mud; head to tavern. Locals want us out, we want work, referred to TJ, he says we are weird couriers, but OK. Asks us toconfirm who sent us, Caramin gives him 5 seconds. Bob ferries us out to dry through bog. Bobs tells Caramin how to prepare as exotic food.
1 week time limit on Tidesbreak Island (singular, not part of a chain)
Longboat takes us in to 20′ (chaos ward) – we dont really get a feeling, but Caramin feels like holy ground
Undergrowth/Overgrowth = none/light scrub
Trees = no/small/scrub
Animal Population = birds, crabs, fish
Elevation and grade = (highest point? 75′ spire) up to center point
Fresh water on island? just rain
Caves? unknown
PLAN = follow shore line and look for caves, check spire first
Spire: Spire not natural! looks it from a distance. Alcove: Shrine to Lauccio (elemental water) at the base of the spire. Carved prayers. Footprints – barefoot, older; 1-2 months into and leave to north; clean, old offerings of sea plant, coral, etc.
Climb to the top: etched into stone = combined holy symbol of elementals, line representing Dennio = deeper/ticker (earth); blood into groove – it glows. Caramin leaves all the silver they have as an offering – 424 silvers tucked into the rocks. Get the sense that Dennio power was used to thrust the spire up out of the earth.
We do a march around the island, cursory exploration, find nothing. We are forced to leave the island because of bad weather. We race back to town, in danger of the boat being tossed in a storm. When we return, we re-provision, and Mufasa is thrown into jail for assault and battery – Caramin does not intervene. Caramin takes the misc. goods and weapons (cutlass, short sword, dagger, hand axe) and donates them to the Elemental temple in town. Caramin gives the elemental priest the ciphered journals to see if he can decipher them. He tells them where we got them.
Eric [Athol] comes from sailing and merchant background and probably had money in his family at some point. He replaces Mufasa to aid in fighting. Looks like Caribbean descent.
Krylin [Ben] received a vision outside of town, the vision makes sense when he sees Caramin and delivers “you missed something”. He explains his vision of a stone spire out in the ocean, and a false image of something being there that should not be there. Relatives were attached to Nanto – the spirit of fire. Caramin bows to the gods who obviously brought the holy man hither. Krylin the halfling assumes leadership of the group.
Confirm that tracks went off to the north, someone kneeled and squatted. Eric picks up Krylin and takes him up the spire. The wind buffets them. Eric makes the climb to the top. Silver is still there. Clue is there is something under the spire. We find a plate hidden by debris. Caramin finds a thing at the top of the shrine, a handhold stone moves and it opens the plate in the shrine being held shut. We go down a stone stair case for 5 minutes. Water is running down the walls. We are at sea level, and there is standing water, the stairs go down into. It IS low tide. The hallway leads for a minute and a half underwater to a lighted chamber. The torch is lighting the chamber with a witch green light. Passage leads to a lighted area with non flickering light. Caramin stealths ahead to see whats up. A creatures comes out of the water behind the others and attacks them as Caramin scouts ahead. Another creature appears. They are made of dried seaweed, coral, rock and have 4 eel heads on their back. Gross smell of rotten seaweed when they die. Kylin checks it out (similar to golem – maybe Dennio and Laussio working together?), while Caramin explores forward.
Room under the spire – line where the light ends. At the edge of a shrine. Mess of crystals, rock, etc and splinters light in some pattern?
Throw a shoe in, shoe stops for 15 seconds and then recovers.
Time slows. We enter. Corpse looking thing behind the curtain of light. Its a vampire Casua.
Caramin asks if he has a message for his people – to the emperor: “Beware the gifts of other lords.” From a servant to Achtvaal. Been down for a long time, longer with time dilation. It says the chaos lords are vying for power – Tyranus especially is rising and has influence in the world more than he ever had before. Cataclysmic power!!! Methran the conqueror is not doing much. Caramin lets down his sanity to commune with the spirits of the place – reality warps.
1) lose leg or genitalia = resisted
2) drunk = x2 healing rate
3) burn 1 CHA all within 100m = hear as though next to me = resisted
4) Powerful build (1 size larger for carrying capacity)
We learn that the situation has served its purpose. Insight into Casua; emperor has direct tie to Achtvaal = does not age. Caramin has insights of the emperor throughout time. Caramin offers his arm for blood. The vampire says he was the emperors best friend, helped him get the throne. Wants to kill emperor, but cant remember why. Caramin dons the necklace and gets an exact sense of where the chaos shrine on the island is. When the vampire meets Zendros, he says she is a much more elaborate transformation than his. No explanation. She seems in awe of him.
Take the vampire shackles.
Scroll: Blessing of Achtvaal.
Gives us a mark: she gets half of 2500 bounty
Marcus Condars = child sacrifice on the misty coast. Has some training as a wizard. Maybe sacrifice to get power fast. paranoid. Does not trust anyone – employs mercenaries, has no friends. Targets kids who are a bigger challenge – not just easy pickings. Prefers boys. Stays close to the coast for quick transport out.
Village of Pederast (150 pop), misty coast. Get dropped off down the coast.
100 silvers pouch, 400 jewelry pouch, book – methodical in Impari > in mill
disguise, witchcraft stuff, spell book? > in hut