Two summers ago, Taysun heard the Calling, another Sacrament of Holy Order- an invitation from the gods to explore, travel and spread good deeds in their name. Gaining the story feat Explorer in the process.
House tradition demanded Taysun to formally present himself and appeal to his family elders in a high ceremony whereby he could petition for leave whilst honoring House Moonstar ways and answering Selûne's/ Mystra's call. At the same time Taysun's rival half-elf brother also presented himself to the House elders.
The House elders handed down their blessing to both brothers, granting each leave and securing employment with house bannermen. However, after experiencing a portentous dream the night before, Taysun secretly switch employments with his brother.
Taysun accepted the offer of employment to work for one of the family’s allied privateers- Captain Ithal Jonnes. Here Taysun found success and the company of friends while his brother found an early death at the hands of pirates and their vile sorcerer. Taysun's dream saved his life but at the unfortunate expense of his brother's.
Taysun was the first to join Captain Jonnes and as more would join, Taysun would experience a portentous dream the night before encountering each of them.
Starting Item: Lunar Mace, + 1 Light Mace, Silent and Eclipsed Metamagic Rod
A sacred House Moonstar creation and blessed by the avatar of magic. The weapon functions as a normal +1 mace, Taysun's holy symbol and a both a silent spell and eclipsed spell metamagic rod. (3/day total.)
Crated with a steel shaft handle with a black leather wrap it features a spherical weapon-head the likeness of the moon.
The weapon also bestows
- +2 enhancement bonus on Stealth skill checks.
- +4 situational bonus to charisma based skill checks made when interacting with non-evil aligned divine spellcasters, priests and clerical adepts.
- This weapon is upgradeable.
Furthermore, at night or when the moon is visible, the mace grants the owner low-light vision, this effect occupies the eyes magic item body slot.
Class: Knife Master/Swashbuckler Flying Blade
Sex: Male,
Hailing from Lluirwood, a shire of halflings, Othello traveling to Baldur's Gate where he worked his way into a prestigious thieves guild and gained a deadly reputation as a knife master. His skills with deadly flying blades and his panache served the Shadow Thieves well.
He was an ambitious gentleman's thief who displayed confidence even when the stakes were high- despite his small stature. He knew where and when to strike in formal social situations or from the shadows. Othello despises empty headed warriors- the ones commonly dressed in head to toe armor, paladins especially.
With Othello is Iago, his trusted companion and an agent for the god of thieves; and Cassio, a loyal Shadow Thief scoundrel.
In times past Othello was married to Desdemona, a cat-burglar for the Shadow Thief organization and a beautiful noblewoman. Their relationship was taboo however because Desdemona was not only younger than Othello, but she was a human. Their union was made without the knowledge of her father, a minor Duke in Baldur's Gate, who would greatly object.
While the discovery of their secret was a mystery, this was when Othello’s life changed.
Last year his trusted companion Iago cautioned Othello to be suspicious of Cassio and Desdemona's relationship. Iago called attention to how differently Cassio acted around Desdemona. Unbelievable at first but with doubt already planted, Othello became convinced of his wife's unfaithfulness with Cassio. Their betrayal meant death for both Desdemona and Cassio and desertion for Othello. He also gains the story feat Crisis of Conscience.
That summer along with Iago, Othello abandoned the Shadow Thieves and joined a privateer who employed a crew of rogues who hailed from Calimshan to Waterdeep.
Othello likes social environments and pipe smoke, singing and dancing during lazy weekend nights. Othello loathes evil clerics and avoids the company of egotistical individuals, tolerating them long enough get what he needs.
Iago is Othello's magical dagger, a small, beautiful well honed weapon with a blade that seems to gleam even in utter darkness. Its crafter is unknown.
Inhabiting the dagger is Iago, a fully sentient ancient entity in service to envy and trickery. No secret is safe around Iago. It has a long memory and seems to hold long grudges. It often reports grievances back to Othello- sometimes as petty as who gets more food rations than anyone else.
Iago grants Othello
- +2 to competence bonus Sense Motive skill checks.
- +5 situational bonus to perception skill checks to notice a pick pocket
- fly (as per potion) once a day
- Iago will automatically improve its enhancement bonus to +2 at 4th character level.
Iago was once wielded by a cleric of Mask during the Time of Troubles and is the weapon Othello used to kill his wife Desdemona and friend Cassio for their betrayal.
Class: Bard Studious Librarian, Fighter Lore Warden
In the early days of history it is said that Marthammor Duin, the dwarven chronographer, god of wanderers and travelers ventured between strongholds and castles spreading stories, fighting alongside the dwarves, and joyfully sharing dwarven history.
Great dwarven tales say that Marthammor Duin sired three sons- each a different race of dwarf who, when they reached adulthood, traveled for three decades before establishing clans of their own.
House Deepwinter was one of those dwarven clans. Duingar Deepwinter is the distinguished seventh generation to Marthammor Duin.
Duingar was born literate and began his journals in his first year and would complete his first book by his fifth name day. Proving himself honorable and with roguish charm, Duingar was a troubled youth who seemed to be attracted to haunted locations- especially libraries.
This ability attracted the great librarians and sages in Candlekeep in the North who gladly welcomed Duingar into their fold. Also gaining the story feat Ghost Guide.
As an adult Duingar specializes in recovering lost books, maps, and tomes from lost ruins and haunted libraries for the Harpers of Candlekeep. Duingar was also born with an awareness for the supernatural and can sense and even disrupt hauntings and the like.
Two winters ago, Duingar heard the Calling, an invitation from Marthammor Duin to explore, travel and chronical good deeds in his name. So he traveled south to Waterdeep where an allied house- House Moonstar, who would arrange employment on a Calashite privateer ship looking for a crew of promising rogues.
Duingar loves melancholy songs and poetry about times past over thick and sudsy beers. He loves reading, spreading stories and recites them in combat. He has a distaste for evil religions who preach lies and false histories flushing them out whenever and wherever he can.
Starting Item: Marthammor Duin's Handy Haversack
This dwarven backpack is very old, exquisitely made, and well used. This unique haversack is highly specialized.
Crafted by the first Deepwinter cleric of Marthammor Duin, it was handed down through the decades to others of House Deepwinter.
This haversack has two side pouches, each of are magical scroll cases capable of holding 10 magic scrolls or up to 5 large maps or documents. (Total of 20 scrolls and up to 10 large documents)
A central pouch rolls out to reveal a complete writing space with a small chalkboard, 2 pieces of chalk, 2 sticks of charcoal, an eraser, 3 colors of ink in bottomless wells, 3 unbreakable ink pens and 50 sheets of fire resistant parchment.
The large central portion of the pack can contain up to 100 cubic feet or 1,000 pounds of books, tomes, grimoires or related materials only. Other unrelated materials will not go in the haversack.
The writing kit bestows:
- Grants user the ability to Read Magic as per spell.
- +2 situational bonus on Appraise skill checks to determine the value of a map, book or other written works. Success of 5 or more, determines if the item has magic properties.
- +2 competence bonus on Craft (books, calligraphy, maps, manuscripts, ect.) skill checks, further more crafter only pays 1/4 crafting costs for these items.
- +5 situational bonus on Linguistics skill checks to create or detect forgery documents.
- +5 situational bonus on Linguistics skill checks to decipher writing in an unfamiliar language or a message written in an incomplete or archaic form.
- +4 situational bonus on Use Magic Device skill to use a scroll.
Once per week the writing space can be used reproduce any existing divine or arcane scroll. User must have a scroll with a spell on it to be copied and must be of level you can cast. The Haversack will not make copies of copies.
Even when filled, the backpack weighs only 5 pounds. Retrieving any specific item from a haversack is a move action and does not provoke the attacks of opportunity.
Nora is a moon-touched young woman born during a lunar event that would foreshadow her future. Nora was raised by her widowed father Gildath Wands, a capable roguish human wizard from Waterdeep who was perfect in Nora's eyes. She adored her father who identified her early aptitude with magic.
Not so long ago Gildath married the Lady Diredower, a member of the mage-aristocracy in Amn who was also widowed and with two daughters of her own. An arranged marriage but Nora was told the marriage would benefit her magical education.
However, Nora’s life changed for the worst when her father mysteriously died shortly after marrying Lady Diredower. Drowning in the harbor was the reported cause of death.
Meanwhile the Lady Diredower was extremely jealous of Nora’s natural intellect and was determined to forward her own daughters' interests before Nora. She would therefore burden Nora with mundane duties and ceaseless errands. Lady Diredower, in the meantime would see to her two half-elven daughters, Bestra and Tyrra Diredower trained in the ways of magic and intrigue.
Nora would often venture through the Diredower villa in her downtime, evading her step-sisters until one night Nora stumbled upon a mischievous figurine of wonderous power, a black jade raven. Nora chased the raven out of the villa, into Athkatla where Nora met Anskela a sea elf privateer-mage and follower of the Moon goddess. Together they captured the figurine and a fondness for each other. That fateful night Nora and Anskela became friends with Anskela becoming Nora's magical tutor in secret.
Soon after, Nora discovered the Lady Diredower had conspired with the vile wizard-aristocracy of the city to murder her father and abscond with the family fortune. Nora confronted the Lady Diredower who downplayed Nora's accusations while questioning Nora’s logic. She even suggested his death was somehow Nora's fault. This enraged Nora and in the light of the full moon Nora found the courage and strength to avenge her father and for the first time changed into a tiger-human hybrid. Also gaining the story feat Nemesis.
Distraught and confused and covered in blood Nora confided with Anskela who invited Nora to escape with her on a privateer ship.
Nora likes the open skies and nature in balance with civilization. She loves animals epically birds and has a beautiful singing voice. She abhors evil female clerics who Nora believes was instrumental in the death of her father.
Note: casting spells or concentrating on spells will not be possible when in hybrid or weretiger form. Furthermore, this character is prohibited from taking any other arcane spellcasting class other than eldritch scoundrel.
Starting Item: "Raven" Black Jade Raven (Figurine of Wonderous Power)
This fist-sized piece of black jade is exquisitely tooled into the shape of a hunched and brooding raven. It was once owned and presumably crafted by Lady Diredower.
Upon command, Raven transforms into a small black raven or a giant black raven.
After three transformations into its giant raven form, the statuette loses its ability to change into a giant raven until the figurine can be recharged under a waxing moon for 8 hours.
Class: Rogue Survivalist/ Urban Ranger
Faruk Khavari is a Calishite royal, the third son of the Caliph of a tribe of desert dwelling ifrits in the Calim Desert.
Ifrits are a passionate and fickle race and like other ifrits in Faruk’s clan, he was not satisfied with a sedentary life. Faruk loved to run and like a wildfire, he felt he must keep moving or burn away. He was therefore likely to scorn his formal responsibilities. Faruk was a survivalist but felt most at home in the city and like many who love the city Faruk loves people.
Not long ago Faruk's mother lost her twin brother to foreign highwaymen keen on preying on unawares tribes. The highwaymen were captured and killed as tradition demanded, but the damage was done. Faruk's father was unsuccessful in consoling his mother and after a few months her flame no longer held the radiance it once had. She began worshiping questionable faiths claiming such practices eased her pain.
Last autumn Faruk's mother traveled to Calimport and when she did not return to the tribe after a few months Faruk went into the city against his father's orders looking for her.
For several nights Faruk searched, then on the night of a new moon he found her in the throes of ceremony- celebrating the darkness with other women parading a dark magical sphere through the sandy streets.
Faruk's rash actions against the ceremony participants to rescue his mother caused unintentional property damage, personal harm of innocent Calashites and- in the colleterial damage of that night- the unfortunate demise of his mother.
Despite Faruk's good intensions this disgrace brought ultimate shame to the tribe and the family, not to mention the heartbreak he caused his father- the ifriti Caliph.
While Faruk's recklessness normally meant death for anyone below his stature- Faruk was instead exiled from the tribe and the family. His title and birthright now forfeited he also gained the story feat Shamed.
Retreating to the city, Faruk worked through his emotions and eventually found work aboard a Calashite privateer ship where he would continue to survive.
Faruk loves being free and enjoys life. He is willing to try most anything just to experience it. He loathes evil religions who he blames for his mother's death.
Starting Item: Blazing Dawn, +1 Flaming Scimitar, Shadow Bane
This fine weapon is intricately crafted with tongues of fire etched along the blade with red-gold inlays and red leather sheath.
This weapon was forged by Faruk's father, Ara Khavari on the day of his birth- it was his birthright and symbol of Faruk's royalty.
- Doubles the benefit Faruk receives from his Sun-Blessed trait:
- Whenever Faruk is affected by a healing effect that would heal more hit points than his maximum hit point total, Faruk gains the excess healing as temporary hit points. Faruk can gain up to a number of temporary hit points per day equal to your TWICE character level in this way. These temporary hit points last for 1 minute (1 encounter).
- As a standard action, the scimitar can emit light in a 30' radius or dim light in a 60' radius.
- It confers a +2 enhancement bonus to Intimidate skill checks to demoralize opponents. If successful, the demoralize effect lasts for one extra round.
- This weapon is upgradeable.
When Faruk was exiled his father promised to break the scimitar, symbolizing his heartbreak he felt but Faruk swapped it before his father could make good on that promise.
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