Ancestral Home Lost
The Kints place a very high value on the lands and houses of
their ancestors. Sadly, in the resolution of the Unity War some concessions had
to be made on both sides. Perhaps one of those concessions was the forfeiture
of your clan’s land to the people of another tribe. Or, maybe your family’s
ancestral home along the coast was pillaged and razed by a band of Nold
marauders. In any case, you’ve had to make a life for yourself among other
people. Do you hope to one day reclaim your ancestor’s lands, or rebuild their
fallen home? Or, have you accepted that those things are lost and seized on the
opportunity to carve out your own place in the world?
Associated Skills: History, Perception
Bearer of the Heirloom
You have inherited a martial heirloom that has been passed
through the generations. It might be a weapon, a shield, a helmet, a scabbard,
a quiver, or any other piece of equipment. You and your family cherish the
heirloom for its connection to your heritage. Perhaps the item played a pivotal
role in a historic battle or was a beloved possession of a famous ancestor. The
heirloom might also be the subject of a legend. Regardless of the item’s
history, you have acquired it through merit, necessity, or perhaps greed. How
does your ownership of the item affect your decisions? How do you feel about
being its owner? Do you shrink under the mantle of obligation and
responsibility, or do you rise up to earn stewardship of the item?
Associated Skills: History, Intimidate
Associated Skills: History, Intimidate
Believer in the Old Ways
Despite the fact that the Church of Pelor is the state
religion, and worship of the Three Good Siblings is forbidden, you cling to the
Old Ways. Perhaps you are a member of the Tulag or the Grinsfolk, tribes that
live on the fringes of Albirion society and offer mostly lip service to the
King of Albirion. Maybe you grew up in a Briant village, but worship the Three
in secret. In any case, you’ve likely learned to perpetuate some of the old
practices, and to keep your head down.
Associated Skills: Religion, Stealth
Borderland Nobility
Your father or mother is a ruler of an obscure fiefdom along
the frontier. The territory is small and out of the way. Nevertheless, your
parents are nobility, and that status awards them and their family privileges.
As the youngest of many children, you might have no chance of inheriting the
realm, but your heritage has afforded you other opportunities, such as
attending the best schools, receiving the best martial training, and meeting
people of renown. You’ll never inherit your family’s estate, yet you can travel
the world and do as you please, carousing, adventuring, and being a layabout.
With the military talents your upbringing has provided you, you can succeed in
whatever endeavors you undertake.
Associated Skills: Diplomacy, History
Associated Skills: Diplomacy, History
Brash Duelist
You are from a well-born family in Leonis and have always
lived in comfort. However, your temper has often got the better of you, and you
were encouraged at an early age to take up a martial art to channel your inner
fire. While you absorbed your training with gusto, it only fueled your
haughtiness. When you killed a prominent citizen in a duel that escalated from
a minor quibble, you knew that your darker moods had become a major liability.
Your family ostracized you for your uncouth behavior, and now the only trade
you seem to be suited for is that of a freebooting scoundrel.
Associated Skills: Bluff, Intimidate
Broken Pact
The elemental creatures called djinni form pacts with some
Saralyn, granting power in exchange for some manner of service. You made such a
pact, but then failed to live up to your end of the bargain. Now your eldritch
powers have either vanished or become unreliable. And what’s more, the djinn
you betrayed haunts your every move, eager to exact his vengeance upon you.
Have you come to Albirion to escape him? Have you come seeking some means,
foreign to your people, of defeating the elemental creature? Or, have you come
seeking another source of power, one with fewer strings attached?
Associated Skills: Arcana, Bluff
Buried Alive
The Tulag have a tradition: criminals and traitors within
their tribes are sent into the deepest, darkest caves of the Grimpeaks and
sealed inside. For a serious crime, real or imagined, you received this
sentence. You wasted away in the darkness for what seemed like days before a
mysterious entity offered you salvation for a price. Upon emerging from the
darkness, you knew that you could not rejoin your tribe, so you headed south
for lands that were unfamiliar to you. Do you hold a grudge against your former
tribe? Do you hope to one day avenge yourself? Or, do you hope to be vindicated,
and your name cleared? What promises did you make to the obscene forms in the
shadows to secure your freedom?
Associated Skills: Dungeoneering, Endurance
City Grinsfolk
Although most of the Grinsfolk make their homes in the wild
places of Albirion, since the Unity War, a few families have moved into Kint
and Briant towns when food became scarce or when winters were especially harsh.
Some stuck around and wound up raising their children there. You are one of the
Grinsfolk tribe, but you grew up in a town or city. Are you comfortable in this
environment, or do you long to see the wild places your parents tell you tales
of? Do you follow the Old Ways in secret, or have you adopted the faith of the
Church like the people you live among? Do you feel accepted by your neighbors,
or do they still view you and your family as primitive or backwards?
Associated Skills: History, Streetwise
Cruel Stepmother
Perhaps you never begrudged your father’s decision to
remarry after your mother passed away. You couldn’t deny the exceptional beauty
and charm of his new bride. But you never could get close to the woman. When
she looked at you her gaze was always cold. She was never more than
superficially kind to you while your father was alive, and she quickly turned cruel
after he had died under mysterious circumstances. Before long you were reduced
to little more than a servant in the house that was once home to your deceased
parents. You got by putting up with her cruelties and keeping out of sight as
much as possible. You always assumed you were just the victim of terribly bad
fortune, but since you left home and moved on with your life, you’ve met a
surprising number of other young adults with similar stories of wicked
stepmothers. It is enough to make one wonder.
Associated Skills: Endurance, Stealth
Dedicated to an Ancestor
You were born on the same day of the year as one of your
clan’s ancestral heroes, and your parents dedicated you to that hero, whose
name you share. What was that hero known for? Do you feel called to emulate
your namesake’s great deeds, or are you driven to make a name for yourself in a
different way? Do you ever dream of your ancestor, or have feelings of déjà vu,
as if you’re walking in that hero’s footsteps?
Associated Skills: Diplomacy, History
Associated Skills: Diplomacy, History
Disgraced Noble
You grew up in the courts of Albirion or Leonis, the son or
daughter of a noble house. However, you have fallen out of favor with your
peers. Perhaps you failed in some duty, or were guilty of a serious breach of
chivalry. Maybe you are innocent of any offense, but are tainted by association
with an offending family member. Disgraced nobles don’t spend as much time
cavorting with society’s elite as their more esteemed peers, but they still
remember the rules of diplomacy. They are sometimes also practiced liars.
Associated Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy
Divine Calling
Each faithful member of the Church serves the Lord of Light
every day by demonstrating goodness and showing kindness to others, but you
feel called to serve Pelor in some more significant way. Perhaps you witnessed
a display of divine favor on the battlefield. Maybe you were the beneficiary of
Pelor’s healing. One of Pelor’s exarches may have appeared to you in a vision,
commissioning you to carry out some holy quest. Perhaps you know the exact
nature of your calling, or perhaps it is merely a vague notion that you are
destined to accomplish some fantastic deed to the credit of Pelor and for the
good of the upright.
Associated Skills: Diplomacy, Religion
Elf-Blooded
There was a tradition among the Old Ways, that when an
unmarried girl was suddenly with child, and no man would take credit as the
father, she was declared an elf-wife and her child elf-blooded. Obviously, an
elf had entered the village unseen and made the girl his wife. She would remain
unmarried the rest of her life, but she and her child would not be ill-treated;
because everyone knows you don’t cross an elf. Since the Church of Pelor has
become the state religion of Albirion, such ideas have been declared heathen superstition,
and unwed mothers are scorned and excommunicated for their sinful indiscretion.
However, in remote parts of the kingdom, where many still follow the Old Ways,
young women who are especially well-liked or the daughters of local nobility,
might still receive the benefit of this practice. While most of the elf-blooded
are simply illegitimate children with irresponsible fathers, a few do exhibit
just a touch of mystery that makes some wonder if there may yet be truth to the
old superstition.
Associated Skills: Arcana, Religion
Fey Ally
Because the Grinsfolk live in the same deep forests and
remote areas of the wilderness where the fey are most often encountered, it is
no surprise that they have closer ties with the fey than anybody else. While
many in Albirion disregard tales of fairies and other strange creatures as mere
folklore, you grew up knowing for a fact that the fey are real. From an early
age, you learned how to follow elf paths, how to tell a pixie apart from a
sprite, and why you should never enter a fairy ring unprepared. You may have
never interacted with a fey creature directly, but you’ve seen evidence of
their comings and goings – the small traces of magic where their world bleeds
over into ours.
Associated Skills: Arcana, Perception
Fey-Touched
You have had an earlier encounter with the strange and
magical, in some form or another. Perhaps you once got lost in a dark forest,
but followed a trail of willow wisps to safety. Maybe you were cursed as a
child by an elf or a witch. Perhaps you received a blessing from a kindly
fairy. Whatever the exact nature of your brush with the fey, there is no
question that it has permanently entwined your destiny with the arcane. Some
fey-touched embrace this fate, seeking out the mysterious and the magical
wherever they can. Others struggle against it, fiercely denying that they are
any different from everybody else.
Associated Skills: Arcana, Bluff
Foreign Trader
Most Albirion commoners never leave their own town or
village. Many have never met anyone much different from themselves. You are
either an ambitious Albirion, willing to travel even to distant lands for the
sake of adventure and fortune, or you are someone from one of those distant
lands visiting Albirion with the same purpose. You may be a merchant who does
business in nearby Leonis, or a trade ambassador to the island of Norbelkyn or
the distant Saralyn Caliphate. Alternatively, you may be a Leonine, Nold, or
Saralyn trader looking to do business in Albirion. Whatever the case, you are unusual
in Albirion in that you’ve been exposed to a wide range of places, peoples,
languages, and cultures.
Associated Skills: Diplomacy, Endurance, or speak one
additional language.
Gifted Dancer
The Nibenese, a Saralyn tribe, see dance as their gift to the
world. The dramatic liaka-ih style features whirling dancers in veils, scarves,
and ribbons. The comedic and bell-wearing priytu-ih dancers perform for
celebrations and joyful events. Militant, weapon-wielding wriquo-ih dancers
honor warriors and their battles. You have studied the three forms, learning
their techniques. Which form do you prefer?
Associated Skills: Acrobatics, Insight
Associated Skills: Acrobatics, Insight
Hedge Knight
A hedge knight is a capable warrior that is not bound to any
lord. It may be that his lord perished without an heir, or it may be that the
lord who knighted him asked for no pledge of fealty. This typically happens
when the warrior receives his knighthood in reward for some daring deed or
victory in a tournament. It may also happen if the lord granting the title
cannot afford to pay the knight a stipend. In any case, a hedge knight has the
benefit of his title, but no land or regular income. Other knights and nobles
sometimes look down on hedge knights, calling them beggar knights. Many are, at
best, glorified mercenaries; though some take their title very seriously, and
cleave tightly to the codes of chivalry.
Associated Skills: Endurance, Intimidate
In the Shadow of Giants
It is said that in the northern highlands of Albirion,
giants roam. Some believe such stories are just exaggerated accounts of the
Tulag, with their mighty stature, but you know better. Your family taught you
to hide effectively in any terrain, and more than once you’ve cowered behind
rocks or beneath brush as an enormous giant lumbered by, not daring to emerge
until the ground had quit rumbling with his heavy footsteps.
Associated Skills: Nature, Stealth
Knight of the Scepter
You are a member of the Order of the Scepter. The Bishop of
Brenton has declared it a holy mission for the knights of your order to find
the lost scepter of Erathis and bring it to the King of Albirion. Possession of
this holy relic is believed to confer divine right of rulership, and the bishop
believes that this holy symbol will solidify the rulership of King Aldric II
and win him even stronger recognition among the rest of the Faithful world. Do
you take on this mission in true faith, believing that the scepter conveys
actual divine power? Or, do you view this as a political mission, one that will
strengthen the sovereignty of your liege?
Associated Skills: History, Religion
Local Hero
You never trained in a military academy or participated in a
military company. You weren’t an apprentice to a master thief or a squire to a
noble knight. No famous hero took you under his or her wing. Everything you
know, you learned on your own. You dueled your friends for practice, and you
watched soldiers from afar, so when the brigands swarmed your hamlet, you were
ready. You rallied other young men and women behind you and rounded up weapons
to mount a defense. You repelled the villains, and your efforts attracted the
attention of a local lord. The lord offered you the opportunity to receive
proper martial training, and you accepted, beginning your life as a warrior.
Associated Skills: Athletics, Diplomacy
Associated Skills: Athletics, Diplomacy
Maelstrom
The Maelstrom is a never-ending whirlpool of the sea,
shrouded in constant storms, spewing thunder and mist as it inundates the
surrounding lands with rain. Overlooking the spinning vortex is a great rocky
shore, a nesting place for birds and tortoises. The stony beaches are home to
scuttling crabs and scavenging gulls. To those living in its shadow, the
Maelstrom is the birthplace of all living things. To outsiders, it is an
insatiable vortex that swallows all things. The people who dwell in the shadow
of the Maelstrom venture into the stormy waters on its verge to fish or to
salvage wrecked vessels. You were forged in the storm and quenched by the sea.
Associated Skills: Athletics, Intimidate
Market Thief
From your early childhood, you mastered the arts of
chicanery, deceit, and petty theft. You roamed the streets and alleyways of the
Brenton marketplace, or the market of some other city. Were you a pickpocket or
burglar, preying on the dull-witted locals? Were you an entertainer who
distracted the crowds so that other kids could steal from them? Do you still
steal your daily bread, or have you moved on to a more respectable occupation?
Associated Skills: Streetwise, Thievery
Associated Skills: Streetwise, Thievery
Reaver
With a battlecry on your lips and battleaxe in hand, you
live for the thrill of conquest. As a Nold you hold the sea in your heart and
thirst for plunder in your veins. Feared up and down the western coast, you are
renowned for your ferocious spirit and triumphant roar. With the tenuous peace that
now exists between your people and the kingdom of Albirion, you are uneasy and
anxious, looking for another pursuit to apply your battle skills towards.
Associated Skills: Endurance, Intimidate
Recent Convert
You were not raised in the Church. Perhaps you are of the
Grinsfolk or the Tulag tribes, who never really accepted the conversion forced
on the rest of Albirion. You could even be a Nold or Saralyn traveler who has
settled in Albirion, bringing with you your own customs. In any case, you grew
up with your own beliefs but recently put your faith in the Lord of Light. What
convinced you to change your beliefs? Was it listening to the persuasive
rhetoric of a priest of Pelor? Did you witness a miracle? What path does your
newfound faith motivate you to follow?
Associated Skills: Insight, Religion
Scion of a Legend
You have spent your life in the shadow of your mother’s or
father’s martial reputation. You might be the latest descendant in a long line
of legendary warriors, or you could be the offspring of a hero who rose to fame
through recent deeds. Your parent might be proud or humble, but regardless, he
or she has always been the subject of envy and praise. Your sense of who you
are is defined your parent’s reputation and by the expectation that everyone
holds for you. Do you work twice as hard to prove yourself worthy of your
family’s reputation? Do you spurn your martial heritage to seek recognition of
your own unique talents? Or do you hope to emerge from the shadow of your
predecessor, ascending higher than he or she could ever imagine?
Associated Skills: History, Intimidate
Squire
You studied under a famous knight, serving the warrior until
you mastered the talents she taught. What kind of person was this knight? What
was the most important lesson you learned? Is your mentor still alive? How long
was it since you last saw the knight? Did your association end on good terms?
Associated Skills: Athletics, Nature
Associated Skills: Athletics, Nature
Stormtouched
The Nolds worship the storm god Kord as the embodiment of
victory and glory. You had a brush with a storm; perhaps you were born during
an especially bad thunderstorm, or maybe you were struck by lightning as a
young adult. Now Kord’s touch is on you, and it is evident in the exceptional
prowess you display in battle. But to what ends will you apply this gift, and
with what price will it come?
Associated Skills: Nature, Religion
Tamwar Dervish
You come from the Tamwar, Saralyn nomads who live on the
edge of the Endless Sand Dunes. As a youth you were chosen to learn the ways of
the elemental spirits and become a holy warrior of your people. Perhaps you
left your tribe to seek your fortune in the wider world, hoping to earn great
wealth in the civilized lands. Or maybe you are the last of your family, the
sole survivor of a dark tragedy. Are you a mercenary or a scout for hire, ready
to trade your desert knowledge for a few coins at a time? What do you think of
the city dwellers you meet?
Associated Skills: Athletics, Nature
Associated Skills: Athletics, Nature
Thane-Blooded
The patriarch or each Kint clan holds the title of thane. When
the High Thane Maclaird pledged allegiance to King Aldric I at the height of
the Unity War, Aldric declared Maclaird the Duke of Highlia, and each thane the
baron of his respective shire. However, among the Kint, they still use their
old title of thane. You are the son or daughter of a thane. Maybe you are the
next in line to inherit your father’s title, or perhaps you are a younger child
who is still proud of your heritage. You may be the scion of one of the
forgotten thanes, a handful of clan chieftains who refused to follow Maclaird’s
lead and bow to the Briant king. In this case you’ve grown up an outcast and a
refugee. Most of your own people look at you askance, because your forefather
failed to stand united with the rest of his people. Others who resent having to
bow to the king of the Briants may offer you their sympathy and aid.
Associated Skills: History, Intimidate
Tree Talker
Your parents swear you could climb trees before you learned
how to walk. You spent your childhood high in the branches, and for as long as
you can remember, the trees whispered to you whenever the breeze moved through
their leaves. Sometimes they would warn you of looming danger—a poisonous snake
or a mountain cat. At other times, they shared secrets with you, such as who
met secretly beneath the poplar the previous night.
Associated Skills: Athletics, Nature
Ward of the Church
There are no orphanages in Albirion, but the Church of Pelor
never turns away a child in need. For this reason, many orphans grow up as
wards of the Church. These children are treated well, for the most part, but
they are expected to work hard at maintaining church grounds, behave according
to the tenants of Pelor, and participate in church services. You may have grown
up very devout, eager to reflect the kindness that was shown you in the name of
Pelor. Or, perhaps you were ill-behaved and frequently chastised, eager to get
out from under the shadow of the church and make your own way in the world.
Associated Skills: Heal, Religion
Ward of the Court
You were orphaned at a young age and have inherited a noble
title and position from your father. However, you were deemed too young to
handle that position, so the king appointed another trustworthy noble to care
for your responsibilities until you are of age. Seeing as it is important that
you be brought up correctly so that you can one day accept your inherited
position, and lacking any living relatives that could do so, you became a ward
of the royal court. You grew up among princes and princesses, although your own
station was somewhat lower. Did the royal children accept you as a peer, or did
they sneer at your lower status? Do you eagerly await the day that you take on
the responsibilities that come with your father’s former position? Or, would
you prefer to extend your carefree days as long as possible?
Associated Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy
Winter-Bitten
You were once caught in a blizzard and nearly froze to
death. In those moments that you were closest to death your body slowed and you
could barely keep your eyes open. However, you have the vaguest memory of
opening your eyes once and seeing a raven perched nearby, its solid black shape
a sharp contrast with the wall of driving snow behind it. Or, perhaps you saw
the indistinct shape of a woman, wrapped in a cloak of raven feathers, with an
iron crown set above her pale face and black tresses. You have no idea if your
vision was real or merely the delusion of a person near to death, but since
that day you’ve never felt the warmth of the sun or the hearth in quite the
same way. And you have the nagging sense that something just beyond your vision
is watching; and waiting.
Associated Skills: Endurance, Perception
Winter’s Voice
One child in each generation of a Tulag tribe is selected
after rigorous testing to travel north, beyond the Grimpeaks, into the frozen
Everwinter Wastes. You were that child for your tribe and your generation. You
trekked through an endless wasteland, braved many dangers, and finally you saw
it, in the distance. Across a frozen sea, towards a grim castle atop a jagged
peak, marched an endless procession. It was the dead on their way to the Raven
Queen’s citadel. You knew better than to go any further, but that’s all the
further you needed to go. When you returned to your tribe you were changed. You
were the winter’s voice – gifted with the insight to advise your people on the
course that they should take. But now you have left your people, following an
insight that tells you that your destiny lies elsewhere. Perhaps you must leave
your people to save them.
Associated Skills: Endurance, Religion
Witch Hunter
Your faith moves you to enforce the king’s decree abolishing
the Old Ways in favor of the faith of the Church of Pelor. You seek out those
who still observe the rituals and ceremonies associated with the Three Good
Siblings and bring them to justice for their pagan ways. You show no mercy to
those who actually practice the arcane arts. Is your hunt sanctioned by the
church or the crown? Or, are you simply a lone zealot fueled by righteous
indignation?
Associated Skills: Arcana, Religion
Common Occupation
You were a member of one of these common occupations.
Artisan; Associated Skills: Insight, Streetwise
Barrister; Associated Skills: Diplomacy, Intimidate
Beggar; Associated Skills: Insight, Streetwise
Entertainer; Associated Skills: Bluff, History
Farmer; Associated Skills: Endurance, Nature
Guide; Associated Skills: Nature, Perception
Herbalist; Associated Skills: Heal, Nature
Herder; Associated Skills: Insight, Endurance
Hunter; Associated Skills: Nature, Perception,
Stealth
Priest; Associated Skills: Diplomacy, Religion
Mariner; Associated Skills: Acrobatics, Perception
Merchant; Associated Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy
Scholar; Associated Skills: Arcana, History, Religion
Soldier; Associated Skills: Athletics, Endurance
Storyteller; Associated Skills: History, Religion
Very good, many choices. A few of them intrigue me - see you Sunday!
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