Session 0

[Monsieur Rose]

Kari is open to bribes, she is a half orc sailor after all.

Ok, then. Rocco and Kari have been working together for over a year. When Rocco obtains some goods and needs them shipped with no questions asked, Kari is who he turns to. A few coins and drinks later, at the customer's expense, of course, Kari makes sure that the shipment gets loaded without examination. Rocco is working on expanding to imports as well, no doubt Kari figures into his plans. A little bit afraid of Kari, Rocco finds her company enjoyable and is sure to create reasons to meet with her when she's in town.

Give your sister a Name and I'll run with it.

Riley Wynns. The younger sister of Rocco, apprentice wizard leaning towards Enchantment, and a thorn in Rocco's side. They are on good terms and Riley pretends to not notice that Rocco is jealous.

[dmw71]

I know I'm liking how some of the ideas are coming together, so hopefully you guys aren't too annoyed that I'm forcing this exercise on you.

Speaking of forced-upon exercises, I have another one. I won't make it required, though (but it would be really helpful).

What is your character's long-term goal? Or ambition?

• What did they dream about as a child?
• When choosing their profession (either background or class), what was their "big picture" idea or motivation?
• From a meta standpoint, where do they hope to see themselves (or what do they hope to have acquired, or accomplished) by the time they reach the different tiers of play, or at levels 5, 11, and 17?

It could be as simple as:

• They want to have a million gold pieces.
• They're obsessed with owning a particular magic item.
• Maybe they want to create their own magic item? Or spell?
• Maybe they want to rule a kingdom? Or just acquire enough wealth to be able to settle down and retire.

I would love to be able to draw from these aspirations to create different scenarios and have you guys work towards what you're actually interested in..


If this "motivation" detail is something that interests you as a player, and is something you want to provide for your character, definitely feel free to do so.

[Rex]

Kari

What is your character's long-term goal? Or ambition?
Make enough coin to enjoy life.

What did they dream about as a child?
I envision Kari's past as poor (almost went with Urchin). So she dreamed about just being better off and having friends she could count on.

When choosing their profession (either background or class), what was their "big picture" idea or motivation?
Something she could use to get somewhere better than where she was.

From a meta standpoint, where do they hope to see themselves (or what do they hope to have acquired, or accomplished) by the time they reach the different tiers of play, or at levels 5, 11, and 17?
See ambition, Kari is smart enough to know she probably doesn't have a long life ahead of her so chooses to live in the moment. She values those she can count on and therefore strives to be someone that can be counted on, at least to those she considers friend.

[Darklin2]

1.What is your character's long-term goal? Or ambition?
2.What did they dream about as a child?
3.When choosing their profession (either background or class), what was their "big picture" idea or motivation?
4.From a meta standpoint, where do they hope to see themselves (or what do they hope to have acquired, or accomplished) by the time they reach the different tiers of play, or at levels 5, 11, and 17?




1. Her Dream is to own her own wizards tower fully equiped with a laboratory and spell library. Full of all the spells she has collected and cataloged. With a Magical Research area and forge to create magic items, scrolls, and potions.


2. Motivation she still longs to learn how to scry and see what happened to her family while she was at the Mage Academy. Increasing her power and learning as many spells as she can.

3. To try something different. And some of the gear was cool too. Thought maybe a little bit of local help would help too.


4. By 5th level I would like to have several spells in my book and 2 or 3 magic items that can add to my spell power. Bracers of Defense (Ioun stone of spell storing, ring of spell storing or staff of spell storing.) 11th should be adding a couple wands and misc magic items to the mix. 17th 3 or 4 wands, magic staff and a few misc magic items

[kalstone]

I think it probably makes sense to revise Wyreth’s background. If he came from a coastal village, it would mesh better with Kari’s sailor background. So his coastal village was wiped out by orcish pirate raiders, and he grew up alone struggling to survive on what the ocean could provide.

So maybe Wyreth is tiring of living alone on the beach and wants some kind of connection with other people. He was drawn to Rocco as someone who also lived on the fringes of society and might be more accepting. He's still frightened of large groups of people, but he's willing to trust Rocco to keep him safe.

If it’s ok with you Rex, Wyreth could be very distrustful of Kari due to her orcish ancestry. He is willing to work with her for Rocco’s sake, but expects her to betray them eventually. (Just to be clear, I don’t want there to be any player conflict in game terms. I’m just thinking of something to flavor their interactions.)

Wyreth’s interactions with humans have been overwhelmingly negative, to the point where he hates the human part of him. However, he has met very few elves. He longs to learn more about them so he can fully embrace his elven heritage. He is fascinated with Loran and peppers her with questions about elves and their society.

1. Long term goal - Find a village of elves that will accept him so he can have a home.

2. Wyreth is haunted by nightmares of his village’s destruction. As a child he dreamed of finding a community that would accept him.

3. Wyreth loves the shore and the ocean and sought ways to build a closer connection to nature. In his wanderings, he came across a few druids who taught him the basics of druidical magic.

4. I’m going to have to think about meta objectives. From a story objective, his main goal is to learn more about the elves and find a welcoming elvish community.

[Rex]

I am fine with that. I think distrust would be the most common feeling she would be met with and her most difficult obstacle to overcome in her daily life.

[Monsieur Rose]

Rocco's dreams and desires:

• Rocco would love nothing more than to be respected by his old man. How to do so is the question. His current fixation is to be a great spell-caster and influencer. Somehow. As a bard.
• He always snuck into his father's workshop to wonder at all the amazing things magic can do. He dreamed of one day standing at the top of his career, wielding infinite power over creation. In a good way. That dream took a pretty big hit when he was rejected from school.
• He didn't really choose his profession, it just kinda fell into place naturally. He tried the traditional way of magic, failing miserably, but kept trying to find ways to cast magic. Deep in drink at the tavern, he was impressed by the music of a wandering bard, Kallista. She helped him see that there were other ways to use magic and impress daddy. Unfortunately, some things she taught would only disappoint daddy even more.
• From a meta standpoint, Rocco would like to have a place he can be himself at lv 5. Create or find new spells at 11. Be the master of the city at 17.

[Enoch]

Hey all! I'd like to join if there are no objections. My concept is a half-elf Oath of the Ancients paladin. Mechanically, I think that would help Kari on the front line.

Story-wise, he's a libertine son of an ancient noble house with long ties to the Powers-that-Be in the Feywild, more interested in drinking and gambling and wenching than in attending to his duties. After a particularly intense evening of revelry, he stopped beneath a gnarled old oak to sleep it off, and fell into a deep sleep and dreamed intensely. In this dream, he was in the Court of Summer and managed to impress the Summer Queen--so much so that she offered to knight him by her own hand in exchange for his service. Bemused, he accepted and was knighted, receiving an ornate suit of armor and rapier.

When he awoke, he found he was still wearing the sword, and the armor lay at his side, though strangely covered in moss. When he returned home, confused, he found he'd been gone for a hundred years. Shaken, the young prodigal decided to honor his vows to the Summer Court. As his family taught him, you do not break a promise made to a fae, even when you make it in a dream...

If this works for you all, I had some thoughts on bonds to build on what you all already have:

I don't think he'd have a problem spending evenings down in dockside bars, where he very well might have met and befriended Kari.

Monseur Rose, do you have an idea who was being conned? It might have been my character--or I might have simply been watching in amusement. Being conned wouldn't bother him much, as long as it was entertaining; he can always get more coin from his family. The idea of smuggling wouldn't bother him. Heck, if the smuggling took money out of his family's pocket, he'd probably get a chuckle out of it.

For Wyreth, I think a druid and an Oath of the Ancients paladin are a pretty natural fit. Maybe Wyreth has heard rumors of this knight of the Summer Court, or perhaps one of the inscrutable demands of the Court was for him to seek out Wyreth and accompany him.

There's a lot about Loran that would intrigue Qilynn. The fact that Loran is a folk hero; Qilynn's attracted to any sort of popularity, even if it is from peasants and farmers. And a wizard! I mean, that's fascinating. Qilynn is likely to constantly ask questions about that. If Qilynn ran into Loran, he would definitely invite her to a party.

[Marullus]

Hello all! I'm the (last) late addition, thanks for having me. I'm new to 5e and looking forward to trying it out.

Meet Tharmyr.

Tharmyr.jpg (54.75 KiB) Viewed 3592 times

He's a wizened gnome well-known in the seaside warfs. He's a (druidic) (Storm Sorcerer) devotee of the Sea and its Drowned Gods and speaks freely (perhaps uncomfortably truthfully) to the sailors about the nature of the uncaring mistress to whom they trust their fate. He loves mysteries and knowledge and has been an ecclectic sage in the seaport for many generations (about 200 years), collecting odd bits of lore about history and arcana, particularly the provinance of items passing through.

The gnome is well known to sailors who seek wisdom for their voyages and superstitious comfort. He also enjoys tinkering with and building nautical astrolabs and mechanical contrivances. He is popular among grifters as an appraiser - since he loves a mystery and values knowledge as its own goal, he is happy to identify items of dubious provinance and pleased to know the truths without asking awkward questions like "where did you get it?" He loves intellectual discourse (and is loquatious after his first pint) and would welcome the elf wizard or woodland druid as well in any pub.

The DM asked that Enoch and I collaborate, so at game-start, Qilynn and Tharmyr are already acquainted. Since the young newly-minted-paladin has woken up after a 100 year nap, he's sorely out of sorts with his surroundings. He sought out Tharmyr (who has been tinkering about in the warfs for 200 years so is likely the only friendly face), who was able to authenticate the nature of the paladin's newly-acquired armor and rapier and confirm the reality of what he thought he dreamt. It is easy for Tharmyr to be acquainted with any of you (or all of you, as you wish), and I can bring Qilynn to the proverbial table.

Tharmyr will join the Circle of the Coasts at level 2 (an ocean-themed druid). He has been reasonably content for a long time - his goal to learn new things has been well-sated here. Likewise, the promise of an enticing mystery is all it will take to lure him onward.

He can either be settled in a half-cupboard beneath the stairs in the pub, or temporarily staying there as he moves up and down the coast with his tinkering equipment and supplies on his faithful little donkey.

What is your character's long-term goal? Or ambition?
What did they dream about as a child?
When choosing their profession (either background or class), what was their "big picture" idea or motivation?
From a meta standpoint, where do they hope to see themselves (or what do they hope to have acquired, or accomplished) by the time they reach the different tiers of play, or at levels 5, 11, and 17?

He's pretty simple and I don't have profound answers to these just yet. If it is okay, I'd like to see where the campaign is going?
He did come with two flavorful hooks from his Sage background - he carries a letter from a colleage about a question he doesn't yet have the knowledge to answer and he also possesses a book far too dangerous to let out of my hands. Both of those will be fun.

[Rex]

Welcome aboard both of you, glad to have you. Kari probably knows Tharmyr based on his history.

[Marullus]

How well? Is it a good relationship or a dubious one?

[Monsieur Rose]

@enoch: Rocco has conned many, many people. Not so much in his 'home' town, but all over the area. Possibly Qilynn purchased a potion that Rocco claimed to free him of his Fae obligation. Or maybe he just watched and learned the fascinating game that is Three-card Monte. Or possibly Rocco was impersonating a member of Qilynn's family, pretending to be the long lost grandchild of the mysteriously missing Qilynn for hereditary reasons. Maybe Rocco pointed Qilynn to Tharmyr the sage when he was trying to authenticate his new gear.

I like impersonating Qilynn's heir, personally.

Which leads me to tie in Tharmyr. Rocco would love a curious old gnome that can serve as an appraiser. They may have possibly worked together many times to determine the value and use of something Rocco has obtained.

[Enoch]

I like that, too. How about this: Qilynn knew straight off Rocco was an imposter, but it just seemed like too much fun to ignore, so he invited you to a ball that his mother was throwing and introduced you to all the petty nobles as a long-lost member of the family?

[Monsieur Rose]

Done. Rocco will now call you 'Pops'. At this point, maybe he's not even sure if you guys are related or not since both of you are going along with it.

[Marullus]

Happy to have Rocco as a returning client.

How superstitious is Kari about the sea? That might influence her initial relationship pro/con Tharmyr.

Is Tharmyr known to the wizard or druid and what initial relationship (like/dislike) do they want?

So for the "impersonated heir" - Rocco is impersonating Qilynn's grandson when Qilynn returns unaged and proceeds to help him with the ruse to dupe his family? Is Qilynn recognized by his family as his 100-year lost self, or is he feeding Rocco pertinent details without revealing his role?

[Rex]

Kari is very superstitious. I would think that would make her friendly to Tharmyr, wanting to keep his aid on her side. He is a known and the sea (or what controls it) is the unknown.

[kalstone]

Wyreth sees Tharmyr as a sort of guru. He may even be the one who first taught him about the sea.

I think Wyreth would be unsure of the interest Qilynn is showing in him. He doesn't exactly distrust him, he's just mystified by it.

[Marullus]

Both sound fair!

I am excited to begin.

[dmw71]

I also named "an ancient text that holds terrible secrets that must not fall into the wrong hands" as The Yugsoth Codex and put it in his inventory. (Up to the DM what that turns out to be, besides a MacGuffin. )

I love it!

Question: Is "Yugsoth" meant to be a proper name, or did you mean Yugoloth, like the fiend?

[Marullus]

A proper name, but of what is deliberately flexible so you can craft the story for us. I wanted it to sound Lovecraftian (like Yuggoth, but not) to relate to his Drowned Gods research. It could be about a person, place, or thing. I may have written the tome (that should never have been written in one place) or simply discovered it (and it is far more powerful than I could truly comprehend).