Once, long ago, a group of heroes led a revolt against a dormant threat to destroy it before it grew to maturity. The battle, they say, was so fierce and magical that it spread out over sever lands as each chased the other and that one of the later blows knocked one or more of the combatants down into the earth, forming a massive crater where he landed. It was in that crater where the battle was concluded, and the mightiest hero gave the finishing strike, and returned peace to the land.
However, time has long since passed since then. If the battle even did happen, it was no less than half a millennia ago, and history has become distorted, as each generation has a new interpretation of the event, the races of the heroes, the nature of the threat, and how exactly the foe was felled. Since no one was near the final stage of the battle (if they had been, the force of the crater forming would have killed them), no one can truly say if it was not a volcano or meteor that formed the crater.
Regardless, the crater was very near the coast, and eventually filled with water, forming a bay surrounded by mountains. People of various races began settling near the water, but it was eventually noticed by the neighboring empire of Tholoro, who saw its value as an enclosed, easily defended harbor on the bottom of the continent, right next to major trading routes. Tholoro annexed the settlement and built a city, naming it Finishing Strike, after the crater's legend.
However, the prize was not easily won. Tholoro was a primarily human nation, but the original settlers were races that either were able to make the difficult trek over the surrounding mountains or who had preferred a place farther from the rest of society: drow, duergar, kobolds, catfolk, tengu, and others. Tholoro could not risk battle: the bay was self-sufficient and had only one real road in, one that was unpaved and could easily be ambushed. Tholoro settled on compromise, earning the right to build a valuable port in exchange for greater rights and wealth than the native raves could ordinarily hope for in a deal with humans.
While officially, Finishing Strike is a part of the Tholoro empire, in practice it is its own commonwealth. Both mutually benefit from the ship trading that occurs through their harbors, but Finishing Strike does not practice the humanoid-centric policies of other major Tholoran cities. This is especially true in the current rule under Viscountess Aya, who has appointed several of the less common races to important government positions. While there are still ghettoes and not a few chose to move into the caves threading through the mountains rather than submit to Tholoran rule, the city remains a peaceful and, by the standards of most of Tholoro, very unified one. Their Viscountess is beloved in her own community, but rather mistrusted elsewhere.
Perhaps it was the promise of a life where you are less likely to be looked down on because of your species has brought you to Finishing Strike. Perhaps it was the hope to grow and prosper in a new environment. Perhaps it was merely the call of the excessive wealth moving in and out of the city! Regardless, you’re here now, and who knows what awaits you next…
When speaking to you out-of-character in the IC thread, I will be using DARK ORANGE. You are welcome to choose your own color for speaking in-character. The IC thread will, in all hope, be prepared tomorrow, for now, choose your text color and tell me what brought your character to Finishing Strike.
Oh hey, I have one attribute point too many, hmhm...
And a skill point too little! In fact two, from the favored class option, neat.
Wait, I'm a spellcaster.
Do I have a spell book?
I don't have a spell book, do I? http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetvie...sheetid=470019
So after some revisions, everything should now be in order.
I can, in fact, prepare spells now. That makes everything marginally more useful.
I'll grab purple
On the road, over the sea:
Spoiler
It's been a long trip from parts elsewhere and best forgotten. Now after what seems like and might very well have been months, Liresha has arrived in Finishing Strike. Nice city, quaint name. Perhaps at long last arriving in a place she won't have to leave in the middle of the night.
The sea-journey was mostly uneventful, albeit the good Tholoran Red(The captain liked his wine and figured his ship was his finest bottle. Get it? Bottle ship? Ha, ha - no merchant ever found the joke funny) did seem hexed with curious degree of misfortune. Remarkably stale biscuits coupled with niggling, lingering equipment failures and low rolls in every game of dice had the crew on the edge.
The favorable weather and promise of profit in Finishing Strike helped offset the worst of it, although when a good chunk of food went bad because of an unexpected maggot infestation the sailors were visibly worried. An old sea leg mention he couldn't quite recall ever experiencing so much rigging snapping, fraying or wearing out before. Towards the last leg of the journey, hardly a crew member remained without rope burns, bruised palms or bloodied hands.
But these minor problems were to be expected with long expeditions and a captain interested in a profit at the expensive of his crew. Merely the result of bad fortune and a larger than usual compliment of passengers.
Right?
As most of us are all either a little new or a little rusty may I make the suggestion that if we try something remarkably fancy, we provide a link to the Srd page? People have been really good with that so far, and it provides a great way of getting a really good grounding in most of the tinier mechanical tidbits.
Only if it's not too much trouble, by the way. I can always just Google things.
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"It seems any sufficiently pragmatic Evil is broadly indistinguishable from cynical Neutral"
Last edited by Fibinachi : 11-16-2012 at 01:17 AM.
Why did I come to this town? Here, out of all the places to wander to? I guess it was the legend. I have no real love of aesthetic, nor a true enjoyment of narrative, but I'm a sucker for archetypes. And the legend of this place screams power. Power and greatness. I came to learn more about it, to breath in the air of a place founded on myth.
I came to sample immortality, and to maybe take some for keeping.
It's been several months since I was forced from my homeland. After this amount of time my curse still afficts me, and Pharasma has gifted me no signs on how to remove it. It's been too long since I've been into town, My bedroll long ago unraveled, my supplies rapidly dwindle. Passing travelers tell me of a town near the coast, not far from here, and speak of legends surrounding a crater. With little food and no funds, this seems the only option I currently have, so I set out for the town they mentioned, a town called Finishing Strike. I hope good fortune finds me there.
Tholoran Red(The captain liked his wine and figured his ship was his finest bottle. Get it? Bottle ship? Ha, ha - no merchant ever found the joke funny)
This line made me laugh.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nihilarian
In my background, Abe was invited to join a group; is there any group that fits? (Fighter's guild, mercenary group, etc)
Well there's the city guard, who report to the throne and are responsible for keeping the peace in Finishing Strike, but who are known to be a bit less than pleased with some of the city's more controversial policies. There's the Sea Blades, who are a kind of fighter's guild for the harbor. They oversee the loading and unloading of cargo, and escort ships on the first leg of their journey, as the ships are most vulnerable just as they leave the bay.
However, I think that the group that would best fit your character would be the Wolfram Lane Unofficial, or, as they are more popularly known, the Cave Runners. Their job is to oversee relations between the city and the races who prefer to live in the caves within the mountains surrounding Finishing Strike, which they do by escorting diplomats and fighting off various flavors of nasty that tend to pop up underground. The cave dwellers, for the most part, appreciate the extra protection (read: having an outside group to have as monster fodder) and continue their trade of minerals and gems with the surface. The Cave Runners report to the Viscountess, rather than the throne. While they have no official authority in the city, they are well respected, and are sometimes called in to deal with situations the city guard can't be bothered with.
I suppose I would be being unfair to give Nihilarian these options without asking the rest of you if you'd like an option. I will say that a non-core race (or even a half-orc) would look mighty strange on the city guard.
Oh, and Machinekng, just a heads up: for the sake of sheer simplicity (which I value highly), I will be using a magic-psionics transparency rule. For those of you who don't know what that means, I don't blame you. Essentially, it means (to my understanding) that there is no practical difference between magic and psionics. Psicraft and Spellcraft are the same skill, and an Anti-Magic Field will also cancel psionic powers. Now that I check my own SRD, I see that this may already be an ingrained rule in Pathfinder, but there you go.
I want to finish the IC thread today, but I had a few chores to accomplish before now, and now I need sleep (night job). Please don't be mad if it takes 'til tomorrow, but I promise to do everything I can to make sure the game starts no later!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Socratov
Predator turned prey
Dangling helplessly at length
Dragons always win
In a small town at the borders of Tholoro, a solid young man named Abraham Carver, Abe to his friends, was finishing his last year as an apprentice under Master Mason Dale Watson. He was preparing to become a wandering journeyman; in another life, he might have become a Master Mason himself.
Things changed when the town he'd lived in for the past 7 years was attacked. Goblin raiders, emboldened by a persuasive and powerful leader, attacked the town multiple times. To his own surprise, Abe picked up a sledgehammer and joined in the battles; along with most of the men in the village, some of the women, and a traveling half-orc warrior, Abe defended his village many times. He gained the respect of the villagers during these fights, and a sense of camaraderie with the others fighting with him. Finally, the traveling warrior pushed his way to the goblin leader, with Abe and a few others at his back, and struck down the chieftain.
Peace returned to the village, but Abe found in him a new sense of unease. He wasn't sure why; all of the surviving villagers seemed able to return to their normal lives, but Abe felt something was missing. Makoa, the traveling warrior, saw this discomfit and offered him a job; He worked for Wolfram Lane Unofficial, and was returning home. Abe reluctantly agreed, and to the surprise of the townfolk, quit his apprenticeship and left with him.
Abe is still fairly new being a warrior; most of his training comes from experience fighting the goblins and on-the-road teachings of Makoa. While a member of Wolfram Lane Unofficial, he is a junior member and not yet trusted with important jobs. He's starting to enjoy his life here, but he's not yet sure it's where he belongs...
Last edited by Nihilarian : 11-16-2012 at 12:41 PM.
I suppose I would be being unfair to give Nihilarian these options without asking the rest of you if you'd like an option. I will say that a non-core race (or even a half-orc) would look mighty strange on the city guard.
I want to finish the IC thread today, but I had a few chores to accomplish before now, and now I need sleep (night job). Please don't be mad if it takes 'til tomorrow, but I promise to do everything I can to make sure the game starts no later!
Hey, it'll get done when it gets done. So long as you're working on it. And no options for me, I'm pretty much just coming to down because my wanderings brought me near and I'm low on both supplies and gold. Matter of survival, really.
I guess I should write a blurb. Everybody's doing it!
Spoiler
Sometimes people tell me that they can't stand life in the city. I usually tell those people to go jump down a hole. Now, I love my parents, and chances are I would have done the same thing they did with our money. But that didn't make the neighborhood smell any nicer. It's odd, I almost didn't notice until I was miles away, but it really, really stank. First thing I do when I strike it rich, I'm buying us a place in a nice part of the city. And if they don't want to leave I'll drag the rest of the clan with me.
For a while I considered just finding a job in a different part of the city. But that just didn't have the same...spirit as leaving the whole frakking place behind and striking out in a new place entirely. So I made two stops on my way out of the city. One, to get myself a decent hat, and two, to find myself a map to check so I had at least a hint of an idea of where I'm going.
And so I set my sights on Finishing Strike. Closest big city and a port town to boot; both mean big bucks and big jobs. Certainly not the name I would have chosen, but at least it's somewhat creative for something humans came up with.
I was prepared to walk, but I learned rather quickly that walking sucks, so I hitched a ride on a caravan as extra security. They didn't have to, since pretty much nothing happened but hey, it shaved a week off my trip.
And so here I am, at the heart of a new city, with a hat on my head, a sword at my hip, and the best kind of shoes (none). Let's go.
__________________
Jace & Zebes by Tinymushroom
Exaltatar by Lord Raziere
[Sorry, Boss, but now, as always, I get the last word.]
Actually having someone who can either call on, or has worked with people in the city can be really convenient if you head right into a dead end.
"Hey, Abe! You used to work with people who ventured into the caves. Could you find someone to ask about this large, glowing scale and where it might come from?
Oh, and if that guy says that, what does that mean?
And where is the inn?
And if I want to buy this and this, where do I go?
And how do I use a sword?
And I see you're twitching again. I'll be quiet" or some such.
Pretty much just arrived like BTB (give or take a month to get settled).
Besides, Komodo, work is work and life is life. Take your time to get things settled.
As for the rest of us, do we want to combine backgrounds or work something together?
__________________
"It seems any sufficiently pragmatic Evil is broadly indistinguishable from cynical Neutral"
As for the rest of us, do we want to combine backgrounds or work something together?
My backstory entails wandering from town to town looking for a way to remove my curse, so it's not implausible that I could've run into one of you before.
"So, Roy, what came through the gate during your shift?"
"Oh, you know. Same old. Couple of merchants, few taffers, some peasants, travelling pilgrims and a six feet tall half-orc with tattoos down his back, a massive axe and battered scale armor."
"That didn't strike you as strange?"
"Not really, no. I mean, I guess it was a little weird when that breeze start tossing his cloak around"
"What are you on about Roy?"
"Well, it's been dead as a dwarf on holiday lately. So where'd the breeze come from?"
"Dunno, Roy. Dunno."
__________________
"It seems any sufficiently pragmatic Evil is broadly indistinguishable from cynical Neutral"
Tis a law of nature. If a PC walks into town, or anywhere, alone and wearing a cape, the elements conspire to produce a breeze so that his cape may flutter in an epic fashion.
Machinekng: Thanks again for the map advice. Maybe when I'm more familiar with the Rules, and I have a bit more time to prepare maps, I'll actually use it! (there is no emoticon for facepalm, so imagine one here)
For now, just use the capital letter that starts your character name. (LordDeathkeeper, you can use M or KM, since we impressively have two K's.)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Socratov
Predator turned prey
Dangling helplessly at length
Dragons always win
I'll take KM at AA20. Leaning on the wall, all shady like a proper Rogue. Anyway. Initiative: [roll0]
^Did I do that wrong or am I supposed to not see a number?
__________________
Jace & Zebes by Tinymushroom
Exaltatar by Lord Raziere
[Sorry, Boss, but now, as always, I get the last word.]
Last edited by LordDeathkeeper : 11-17-2012 at 06:36 PM.
I'll take AA20. Leaning on the wall, all shady like a proper Rogue. Anyway. Initiative: [roll0]
^Did I do that wrong or am I supposed to not see a number?
Did you preview the post before posting? That messes it up. Make a new post and roll again.
I can't do much about the Skeletons (note to self, buy blunt arrows next shopping trip) but I can pump my AC with Force Screen, and go rescue the Kobold and distract the Skeletons.
Hahah. Well, that's simple them. Sic Abe at 'em. I don't think any skeletons can really hold against an earthbreaker.
We'll just stay behind and applaud you from the backrow.
__________________
"It seems any sufficiently pragmatic Evil is broadly indistinguishable from cynical Neutral"
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