[4E] Ages of Athas (OOC)

[Meltheim]

Welcome to the OOC thread for the Ages of Athas (Dark Sun) campaign.

Here's a link to the IC thread. It's going to take me a few days to get all the nuts and bolts together, but please feel free to get your character situated. I've posted the "Backstory" to set the scene, but I'll go ahead and post my first official start of the game with a brief intro for each of your characters.

In the meantime, please choose your text color.

Also, if you can, please try to describe the look of your character (or provide a picture if you have one). I will be using OOTS-style avatars for combat and it is easiest for me if you can give me an approximation of what your character looks like.

Player	Role	Character	Race	Class	Theme	Speech Color
Felhammer	Controller	Damakos	Tiefling	Wizard	Veiled Alliance	Magenta
Tegu8788	Hybrid	Calder	Half-Elf	Battlemind/Warlock (Hybrid)	Gladiator	DarkOrange
Dimers	Defender	Eveve	Dwarf	Battlemind/Shaman (MC)	Elemental Initiate	Green
Shular	Striker	Huren	Githzerai	Rogue	Wilder	Blue
Arillius	Leader	Van	Human	Warlord	Elemental Priest	SlateGray
SandDemon	Leader	Lazam	Halfling	Ardent	Elemental Priest	DeepSkyBlue

Here's a link to the MAP

Here's an overland map of the Tablelands region

Spoiler

[Meltheim]

Information on Athas

Spoiler

Eight Characteristics of Athas
The world of the Dark Sun setting is unique in several ways. Many familiar trappings of the Dungeons & Dragons game are missing or turned on their heads. Athas is not a place of shining knights and robed wizards, of deep forests and divine pantheons. To venture over the sands of Athas is to enter a world of savagery and splendor that draws on different traditions of fantasy and storytelling. Simple survival beneath the deep red sun is often its own adventure.

Newcomers to Athas have much to learn about the world, its people, and its monsters, but the following eight characteristics encapsulate the most important features of the Dark Sun campaign setting.

1. The World Is a Desert
Athas is a hot, arid planet covered with endless seas of dunes, lifeless salt flats, stony wastes, rocky badlands, thorny scrublands, and worse. From the first moments of dawn, the crimson sun beats down from an olive-tinged sky. Temperatures routinely exceed 100 degrees F. by midmorning and can reach 130 degrees or more by late afternoon. The wind is like the blast of a furnace, offering no relief from the oppressive heat. Dust and sand borne on the breeze coat everything with yellow-orange silt.

In this forbidding world, cities and villages exist only in a few oases or verdant plains. Some places don’t see rain for years at a time, and even in fertile regions, rain is little more than a humid mist that falls during a few weeks each year before giving way to long months of heat and drought. The world beyond these islands of civilization is a wasteland roamed by nomads, raiders, and hungry monsters.

Athas was not always a desert, and the parched landscape is dotted with the crumbling ruins of a planet that once was rich with rivers and seas. Ancient bridges over dry watercourses and empty stone quays that face seas of sand tell the tale of a world that is no more.

2. The World Is Savage
Life on Athas is brutal and short. Bloodthirsty raiders, greedy slavers, and hordes of inhuman savages overrun the deserts and wastelands. The cities are little better; each chokes in the grip of an ageless tyrant. The institution of slavery is widespread on Athas, and many unfortunates spend their lives in chains, toiling for brutal taskmasters. Every year hundreds of slaves, perhaps thousands, are sent to their deaths in bloody arena spectacles. Charity, compassion, kindness—these qualities exist, but they are rare and precious. Only a fool hopes for such riches.

3. Metal Is Scarce
Most arms and armor are made of bone, stone, wood, and other such materials. Mail or plate armor exists only in the treasuries of the sorcerer-kings. Steel blades are almost priceless, weapons that many heroes never see during their lifetimes.

4. Arcane Magic Defiles the World
The reckless use of arcane magic during ancient wars reduced Athas to a wasteland. To cast an arcane spell, one must gather power from the living world nearby. Plants wither to black ash, crippling pain wracks animals and people, and the soil is sterilized; nothing can grow in that spot again. It is possible to cast spells with care, preserving the world and avoiding any more damage to it, but defiling offers more power than preserving. As a result, sorcerers, wizards, and other wielders of arcane magic are reviled and persecuted across Athas regardless of whether they preserve or defile. Only the most powerful spellcasters can wield arcane might without fear of reprisal.

5. Sorcerer-Kings Rule the City-States
Terrible defilers of immense power rule all but one of the city-states. These mighty spellcasters have held their thrones for centuries; no one alive remembers a time before the sorcerer-kings. Some claim to be gods, and some claim to serve gods. Some are brutal oppressors, where others are more subtle in their tyranny.

The sorcerer-kings govern through priesthoods or bureaucracies of greedy, ambitious templars, lesser defilers who can call upon the kings’ powers. Only in the city-state of Tyr does a glimmer of freedom beckon, and powerful forces already conspire to extinguish it.

6. The Gods Are Silent
Long ago, when the planet was green, the brutal might of the primordials overcame the gods. Today, Athas is a world without deities. There are no clerics, no paladins, and no prophets or religious orders. Old shrines and crumbling temples lie amid the ancient ruins, testimony to a time when the gods spoke to the people of Athas. Nothing is heard now but the sighing of the desert wind.

In the absence of divine influence, other powers have come to prominence in the world. Psionic power is well known and widely practiced on Athas; even unintelligent desert monsters can have deadly psionic abilities. Shamans and druids call upon the primal powers of the world, which are often sculpted by the influence of elemental power.

7. Fierce Monsters Roam the World
The desert planet has its own deadly ecology. Athas has no cattle, swine, or horses; instead, people tend flocks of erdlus, ride on kanks or crodlus, and draw wagons with inixes and mekillots. Wild creatures such as lions, bears, and wolves are nonexistent. In their place are terrors such as the id fiend, the baazrag, and the tembo. Perhaps the harsh environment of Athas breeds creatures tough and vicious enough to survive it, or maybe the touch of ancient sorcery poisoned the wellsprings of life and inflicted monster after monster on the dying world. Either way, the deserts are perilous, and only a fool or a lunatic travels them alone.

8. Familiar Races Aren’t What You Expect
Typical fantasy stereotypes don’t apply to Athasian heroes. In many Dungeons & Dragons settings, elves are wise, benevolent forest dwellers who guard their homelands from intrusions of evil. On Athas, elves are a nomadic race of herders, raiders, peddlers, and thieves. Halflings aren’t amiable riverfolk; they’re xenophobic headhunters and cannibals who hunt and kill trespassers in their mountain forests. Goliaths—or half-giants, as they are commonly known—are brutal mercenaries who serve as elite guards and enforcers for the sorcerer-kings and their templars in many city-states

The Big 16

Spoiler

1. What game system are you running (D&D, Call of Cthulu, Palladium, GURPS, etc.), and if applicable what edition (Original, Classic, Revised, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th, etc.)?

D&D 4th Edition

2. What 'type' or variant of game will it be (i.e. "Shadow Chasers" or "Agents of Psi" for d20 Modern)? What is the setting for the game (eg. historic period, published or homebrewed campaign setting, alternate reality, modern world, etc.)?

Dark Sun campaign setting

3. How many Players are you looking for? Will you be taking alternates, and if so, how many?

4-5 players

4. What's the gaming medium (OOTS, chat, e-mail etc.)?

This forum

5. What is the characters' starting status (i.e. experience level)?

Characters will start at Level 2 and can choose a Background specific to Dark Sun for a +2 skill bonus as well as a Theme specific to Dark Sun (does not have to be from the DS Campaign Setting, but must be appropriate for the setting).

6. How much gold or other starting funds will the characters begin with?

Characters will have 250 gp to purchase all of their equipment, including adventurer’s kits, weapons, armor, etc.

7. Are there any particular character classes, professions, orders, etc. that you want... or do not want? What are your rules on 'prestige' and/or homebrewed classes?

There are no gods in Dark Sun, so divine classes are not allowed. Also, I would prefer if there were no Essentials classes, though I will listen if you can make a good argument for it.

8. What races, subraces, species, etc. are allowed for your game? Will you allow homebrewed races or species? 'Prestige' races or species?

No "Subraces" (Gold Dwarf, Wild Elf, etc.) are allowed. Other than that, you can choose from the following:

Deva
Dragonborn (Dray in this setting)
Dwarf
Eladrin
Elf
Genasi (no water-soul)
Githzerai
Goliath (Half-Giant in this setting)
Half-Elf
Halfling
Half-Orc
Human
Mul
Shardmind
Shifter (Razorclaw or Longtooth)
Thri-Kreen
Tiefling


9. By what method should Players generate their attributes/ability scores and Hit Points?

Standard 22 point buy (starting at 10/10/10/10/10/8)

10. Does your game use alignment? What are your restrictions, if so?

Alignment is not much of an issue – I won’t hold you to it (i.e. would you really do that, you’re lawful good?) but I ask that there are no overtly evil characters.

11. Do you allow multi-classing, or have any particular rules in regards to it?

I do allow multi-classing and hybrids, so long as there are not any divine classes included in the combination.

12. Will you be doing all of the die rolling during the course of the game? Will die rolls be altered, or left to the honor system? If players can make die rolls, which ones do they make, how should they make the rolls, and how should they report them?

All rolls will be made with the forum dice roller. I will roll initiative and enemy attacks publicly, and I will roll passive perception/insight privately. Players should make all skill/attack rolls publicly. In cases where there are a lot of modifiers on a particular roll, players should ‘spell out’ the modifiers so that I can easily see them. i.e. 1d20+9 (+6 normal attack +2 for CA and +1 for Infusion)

13. Are there any homebrewed or optional/variant rules that your Players should know about? If so, list and explain them, or provide relevant links to learn about these new rules.

Skill challenges – I use “Rodrigo’s Rules” (from the Critical Hit Podcast).

Spoiler

In a skill challenge, you can choose any skill that you can justify, but you cannot use the same skill two turns in a row and you cannot use the skill that the player before you used. If you fail the check, you can use an Action Point to reroll the skill and attempt to succeed.

Weapon Breakage - I use the Sly Flourish variant for weapon breakage:

Spoiler

Weapon Breakage (at will)Your weapon shatters upon your foe's armor.
No Action
Trigger: You roll a 1 on an attack roll.
Effect: You may reroll the current attack roll with a +2 bonus to attack. After that attack, you have -4 to your attack rolls until the end of your next turn.

Inherent Bonuses: I will be using the optional Inherent Bonus rule in this campaign.

Spoiler

In Dark Sun, magic items are much less common than other fantasy campaigns. All PCs in the campaign get inherent bonuses to their Attack, Damage, AC, and Defenses based on level. (While heroes in other worlds rely on a larger stable of magical arms and armor, PCs in this campaign rely more on the grit and experience they accumulate surviving the harsh world of Athas than a shiny new sword.)

Rules on page 209 in the Dark Sun Campaign Setting.

Mechanical Benefit: (These bonuses can be enabled in the character builder)

Attack and Damage: All characters gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls at 2nd, 7th, 12th, 17th, 22nd, and 27th level. (These bonuses stack, so at 7th you have +2 total, at 12th you have +3 total, etc.)

Defenses: All characters gain a +1 bonus to AC, Fortitude, Reflex, and Will at 4th, 9th, 14th, 19th, 24th, and 29th level. (These bonuses stack, above)

Inherent Bonuses and magical items: If you have a magical item that provides a bonus to attack, damage, or defenses you may choose to use that bonus or your character’s inherent bonuses (unless otherwise noted). You may use a magical weapon to attack with a power but use your inherent bonuses to attack and damage – if you do so you may still use the critical bonus and properties of the weapon.

14. Is a character background required? If so, how big? Are you looking for anything in particular (i.e. the backgrounds all ending up with the characters in the same city)?

Characters should have a brief background (1 paragraph is fine, but I will read more if you write more) that explains why they are in Tyr and how they are available for adventuring. Feel free to make it simple (i.e. you are a caravan guard) or you can try to tie it to your theme or background. Feel free to link your personal story to the larger themes of Tyr or Athas in general.

15. Does your game involve a lot of hack & slash, puzzle solving, roleplaying, or a combination of the above?

A lot of this will depend on the players’ choices, but my plan is for about 50/50 between RP and encounters. The encounters themselves will be split between skill challenge/puzzle type and combat.

16. Are your Players restricted to particular rulebooks and supplements, or will you be allowing access to non-standard material? What sources can Players use for their characters?

In general, as long as the feat/power is suitable for the race/class combination, I will be OK with it. However, I would prefer to limit the essentials/dragon materials. If you have a good argument for a feat (i.e. improved defenses) then we can talk about it.

Timeline:

Spoiler

King Kalak ruled Tyr for many years under an iron fist. His disregard for the use of slave labor won him no friends, but his strength more than quelled any talk of rebellion - until recently.

Tithian, Kalak's High Templar and right-hand man, led a long-planned slave revolt and overthrew King Kalak, planting the Heartwood Spear through the man's chest and toppling his reign over Tyr. Tithian did not do this alone, however. As it has now become public knowledge, Tithian was aided in his assassination by several others:

• Rikus - a mul ex-gladiator, who planted the first seeds of rebellion
• Sadira - a half-elf ex-slave
• Agis of Asticles - a high-ranking noble of House Asticles in Tyr, practitioner of The Way
• Neeva - ex-gladiator

These 5, known as the Deposers of Kalak, have spent the past 6 months doing what they can to restore order within the free state of Tyr. They have had to appease rival factions on all sides, from former slaves and commonoers to the House Merchants, Nobles, and Kalak's own former Templars.

[SandDemon]

Lazam

Hey folks,

Looking forward to playing with you all! I'll grab deepskyblue if that's alright. For a character description, are you looking for more detail than what I originally had in place? Posted here for ease:

Compared to most tribal halflings, Lazam hides a lot of his appearance - the wrath from the Kings is always looming and he covers himself in desert clothing over his mekillot scale armor and a filter mask. There would be time to be a true leader but he would give Athas nothing if he died pridefully.

He's not exactly 100% under desert clothing and the mask (no mini Jawa!) - you can tell he's a halfling, just he likes to hide his main features.

[Felhammer]

Damakos shall speak with the color Magenta, for it is the least likely of all colors to be see in the wasteland.

EDIT: Found a picture for Damakos:

Spoiler

EDIT: Backstory for Damakos:

Spoiler

Damakos is a one time Pirate now new-found member of the Veiled Alliance. Damakos of the Waste was born into a familial clan of pirates who raced across the silt sea, preying upon all who dared enter their realm. Debauchery was a way of life for the clan had a debt that could never be repaid. Butchery, savagery and all other manner of basal/carnal desires were perpetrated upon their victims. Why lead a virtuous life when the wasteland was so inhospitable? Better to enjoy the moment than to die a lonely in a city.

This way of life served Demakos well for the first 15 years of his life. Then the Wanderer entered his life. The Wanderer was a Wizard and a preserver. When the Tieflings set upon him like ravenous wolves, the Wanderer merely flicked his fingers and slaughtered the whole clan, save for one young man - Demakos. The Wanderer approached the frightened boy and said "You are special. I have come half way across the world to find you. You are now my apprentice." Awe struck by the man's power and confidence, Demakos left his life as a Pirate behind and joined the Wanderer. Together they traveled the world, battling defilers and other untoward folk. As the two adventured together, they became like father and son. When Demaoks turned twenty years old, the two went to Tyr, where the Wanderer initiated the Tiefling into the Veiled Alliance.

Now a full fledged member of the Alliance, Demakos was set loose upon the world to aid other preservers, defeat defilers and, most importantly of all, topple the Sorcerer-Kings. To accomplish his goals, Demakos needs experience and the best place to find that is in Tyr.

EDIT: Current Supplies Damakos Has:

Spoiler

Backpack
Bedroll
Belt Pouch
Desert Clothing
Filter Mask
Giant Hair Rope
Survival Day x3
Dagger
Spellbook
Alchemists' Reagents x20

[Tegu8788]

Calder well speak thusly, in dark orange. Here is the posted backstory that I can expand upon.

He is a former Templar that was a victim of political backstabbing, and sentenced to a life in the arena. Dark Sun is already harsh, but the beating he takes in the arena every day has made him very tough, and he's got a personality to match. He's aware of how mortal he is, and looks to find temporary allies to help him achieve his goals. Now that he is free, he has participated in several fights defending Tyr from other cities, but he does not trust any governing body, having seen the best and the worst of what it does. He has a moral code, to help others when it's possible, but he's no bleeding heart. If someone hires him then tries to stab him in the back, he has no qualms about smashing their head in. He has learned to keep his powers close to the vest, despite reveling in the abilities he possess. Away of how risky knowledge of his arcane powers are, and unsure how he still can access them, his king having abandoned him long ago, he does everything he can to mask them as psionics. He seeks personal power, not to reign over others, but so that no one can reign over him.

My intent was for him to have some influence in Tyr, being a former Templar he knows how to run a government, being a gladiator he is popular with the people. However, he is distrusted by the Templars, and his hot temper makes him better suited for leading fighters outside the gate than making compromises inside them. He's the most magnanimous of my characters.

[Meltheim]

FYI i'm so tempted to make everyone with a filter mask have a mini Bane mask

[SandDemon]

Originally Posted by Meltheim

FYI i'm so tempted to make everyone with a filter mask have a mini Bane mask

Mini-bane elemental priest...yeah, I could see that

[Meltheim]

Yes! Lazam = Belkar w Bane mask. That's the image that is pervading my imagination right now.

[Felhammer]

Damakos speaking through a filter mask, We take Tyr from the corrupt! The rich! The oppressors of generations who have kept you down with myths of opportunity, and we give it back to you... the people. Tyr is yours. None shall interfere. Do as you please. Start by storming Blackgate, and freeing the oppressed! Step forward those who would serve. For an army will be raised. The powerful will be ripped from their decadent nests, and cast out into the hot world that we know and endure. Courts will be convened. Spoils will be enjoyed. Blood will be shed. The templars will survive, as they learn to serve true justice. This great city... it will endure. Try will survive!"

[Tegu8788]

The survival kit and filter mask are in the Dark Sun campaign guide, yes?

I'm assuming that it's more effective than a simple scarf over one's face.

Edit: Does this make Calder Robin? Also, the idea behind the tattoos on Calder are they fill in between scars he has. He has a lot of scars. Mohawk because he's been partially scalped.

Spoiler

[Arillius]

Van the Scarred will be using Slategray for his choice of color

I'll have his pictures up in a few.

Pictures
1
2

The first one is his face, the second one is just right save for the hair and the armor/weaponry. He's got a sand colored chitin (scale) armor, a carapace heavy shield of the same color and and a longsword fashioned out of bone.

Background

Spoiler

There are a lot of rumors about Van. Most of them are probably not true. Like the one that a Dragon tried to eat him but found him to tough, the one where a sorceror-king had sent a hundred men to slay him but it only made him mad or perhaps even the one that said he once stood in the middle of sand storm and didn't even get a scratch. As rumors go, they're fairly ridiculous. Most of them, however, are born out of a healthy respect, or fear depending on whose side your on, for the man known as Van the Scarred. Unlikely as it is, the most common and unlikely rumor is actually true. Van is something that's so rare people thought it was impossible. A middle aged mercenary.

Now, don't get me wrong, everyone knows that middle aged people aren't that rare. But by that age, mercenaries have usually done one of three things. They've been killed, they've been hired onto a cushy permanent job with a noble, or they've retired. An old mercenary is a lot like a stupid one. Rare and liable to get himself killed. Judging from all the scars on his body, a number of people have seemed to try against this imposing warrior. Judging from the fact that he still walks, even if the cold of the desolate nights does make his scars ache, suggests that they didn't succeed.

The age of this man seems to be the only remarkable thing about him though, despite all the rumors of his terrifying skill and ruthlessness. He has a lot of scars, one even going right down the center of his left eye which is covered with an eye patch not big enough to hide the damage, but most people these days do. He's a heavy drinker, but who isn't that can afford it in his line of work?

The fact is that the rumors about this man seem to speak of someone completely different. He's a decent fighter, but to match the skill whispered about in dark alley's, to have the terrifying drive to do what makes for good stories to scare the kids with, one has to do better then decent. Like a lot of folk, Van's past is probably filled with stories. And, like a lot of folk, their stories he'd probably rather forget, if one were to judge by how much he drank.

[SandDemon]

Is it assumed we know each other or not? Just hesitant to read their backgrounds if we don't know each other.

[Meltheim]

Originally Posted by SandDemon

Is it assumed we know each other or not? Just hesitant to read their backgrounds if we don't know each other.

You guys can make that decision amongst yourselves. I will not force it either way

Just let me know so that I can write storylines appropriately. This weekend is going to be my brainstorming session.

I will create a unifying event, of course, that brings you all together, but whether you come together in groups or as individuals is based on you all.

[Tegu8788]

It's always possible we know of each other, but not actually know each other. I wouldn't worry about reading things, as along as you can keep OOC knowledge and IC knowledge separate.

Now that we are locked in, we can always start making some ties. For example, the Templar that betrayed Calder's first mission was slaughtering Van's family. A nice indirect tie. Not forced, but a starting point.

[Meltheim]

Also, i will try to put together some 'common knowledge' that you would all have about the city, politics and surrounding environs

[Tegu8788]

Appreciated. Do you have an idea of about how long it's been since the dear old king got a giant toothpick stuck in him? I'd like Calder to have been in the arena that day, and from there to whatever time we start, he'd have been working with the existing ruling body to enforce some kind of order. Somewhat resuming his Templar duties, but as an outsider.

Anyone that wants to connect with him, he's got plenty of opportunities, just PM and we can work something out.

[Arillius]

Probably case by case basis.

Van's background contains mostly rumors. If you've done deals with mercenaries, you've heard of him. Everything from the meanest thing to walk the world since dragons too a drunken slob who can't keep his eyes open long enough to spot the sun.

Also, Tegu, that's one of the details about Van that's not common knowledge. XD Not in the least.

[Meltheim]

Originally Posted by Tegu8788

Appreciated. Do you have an idea of about how long it's been since the dear old king got a giant toothpick stuck in him? I'd like Calder to have been in the arena that day, and from there to whatever time we start, he'd have been working with the existing ruling body to enforce some kind of order. Somewhat resuming his Templar duties, but as an outsider.

Anyone that wants to connect with him, he's got plenty of opportunities, just PM and we can work something out.

RE: Timeline - that is part of what I'm putting together. I'd say it's probably been 6 months, but I'll do something official and edit the beginning of this thread.

[Tegu8788]

Well then, that will be OOC knowledge. Calder has probably heard rumors of Van, but no actually interaction, less they meet in the Dark Sun equivalent of a tavern.

[Meltheim]

Here's an attempt at Lazam

[Tegu8788]

For the record, Calder is going to be using the trident primarily. Swapping net for shield. Mostly it's flavor. I just like tridents, and since magic weapons are unlikely, having a weapliment doesn't matter. He's covered in weapons, because things break. Literal scale armor, I want to try and keep the kama. The image of him spinning around, skirt spinning, shield up blocking attacks and trident poised to lunge while the giant mop of red hair blows in the wind, is cool.

Spoiler

[SandDemon]

Originally Posted by Meltheim

Here's an attempt at Lazam

Awesome. No mini-bane mask eh? Arillius, mind speaking about how your char is an elemental priest? Think there could be something made there for our characters to know of or at least understand each other.

Background:

Spoiler

Born into one of the darkest times of life, Lazam knew nothing of it as he was showered with love as a child of the Forest Ridge. The town and pyramid of Ogo was his home and even from birth the Way was present in his life. Nurtured and shown the ways of the tribe, Lazam grew into quite the amiable leader despite lacking what some would consider "smarts" - Lazam knew very little because he didn't think that much else mattered growing up. Everything was brought down to its simplest form of desires and necessity and he handled everything in this basic manner. As he reached the age of decision it was the Spirit Oracle who saw this simplicity and built upon it. "Lazam, my special child, you will bring the rain. Venerate the living elements of Athas and stand among them. But to understand necessity, you must be deprived of the forest gifts. Rain only comes with the storm. Be hardened by the sun and listen to the world's cry, Lazam." From then on, Lazam always seemed distant - as if he was in two worlds at once. Led by the echoes of elemental spirits, Lazam followed signs south through the Forest Ridge and finally left it by crossing the Ringing Mountains....finding himself in the rebel city of Tyr. Elemental priests were enemies of the Sorceror Kings and Queen - perhaps he was led here to learn something specific.

Lazam is an elemental priest, using the Way to continue on his path for the furthering of life....well, that and a bloodied pair of wrist razors to extract it when necessary. He takes sustenance seriously and like most halflings has no qualms with eating another to survive. His goal as he now sees it is to restore the balance of the elements and learn whatever he can of the lacking element of water. Life would always be hard for him but Lazam welcomed the challenge. Compared to most tribal halflings, Lazam hides a lot of his appearance - the wrath from the Kings is always looming and he covers himself in desert clothing over his mekillot scale armor and a filter mask. There would be time to be a true leader but he would give Athas nothing if he died pridefully.

[Arillius]

He actually doesn't talk about it much and passes of what little he can do as 'psionics' so... XD

[Meltheim]

Here's an attempt at Damakos. Robes are harder than I remember!

[Shular]

Guess I'll go with Blue.

Huren was part of the resistance that overthrew Tyr's sorcerer king, mainly through scouting/information gathering/spying. If any other characters were involved with that, then there's a chance they know each other.

Since the revolution, he's been trying to figure out his place. He supports himself mostly as an information merchant, though will resort to petty theft if he needs to eat/drink.

[Meltheim]

Originally Posted by SandDemon

Awesome. No mini-bane mask eh? Arillius, mind speaking about how your char is an elemental priest? Think there could be something made there for our characters to know of or at least understand each other.

Well you said that his face is always covered, so the mask is underneath the cloth. I can change it if you want, so just let me know.

[Felhammer]

Originally Posted by Meltheim

Here's an attempt at Damakos. Robes are harder than I remember!

I'm stunned! that looks great!

[Arillius]

Oh, right, Van's right eye is completely blind, white and has a large scar running through it.

[SandDemon]

Originally Posted by Meltheim

Well you said that his face is always covered, so the mask is underneath the cloth. I can change it if you want, so just let me know.

I'm more inclined to see the mask just because I think it'll look great :) Maybe the clothing that would go over it is hanging loosely around his neck and he pulls it up when necessary.

[Tegu8788]

Yeah, passing magic off as psionics is going to be a common theme in this game I suspect. I've looked for magic powers with Psychic Keywords.

We are a pretty melee heavy party. As such, I'm keeping my Warlock at-will that has some range. Put Eldritch Strike would be a perfect replacement if the group thinks we have enough ranged fighters.

Edit: Calder could have reason to know Huren. Between Calder looking for information about the other cities and possibly fighting together against those other cities, it would not be unreasonable for them to have run into each other.