In the Steps of Giants (DrummXAroro) OOC

The land of Fanderis is expansive and filled with magic. The presence of dangerous beasts and diverse settlements of sentient creatures made it impossible for a single kingdom to rule it. The lands were too spread out and too dangerous for the governing lords and their armies to keep the common folk safe from a series of ongoing assaults at their borders.

In the past, these desperate villagers would join their meager possessions together to post bounties as pleas for aid. This provided some level of security, but had its flaws. Only the wealthier towns and villages were able to gather the bounties required to attract qualified talent. Often times novice adventurers would overestimate their worth and run recklessly into their untimely deaths, often times putting their clients in even greater peril than before. More experienced adventurers would intentionally select bounties they were overqualified for and paid out disproportionate rewards and would leverage their reputation to extort exuberant prices. This grew worse over time until a solution was found.

Hundreds of years ago the greatest adventure of his age partnered with the other heroes of renown to form an adventuring guild. An organization that aggregated quests from across the country side and delegated them appropriately based on ability. This careful deliberation greatly increased the mission success rate and unnecessary death. The decreased overhead lead for economies of scale, allowing less profitable bounties to be subsidized by more lucrative ones. With increased success and response rates, more bounties were posted and more would be heroes sought the call of adventure.

The greatest of heroes recent memory were the Stormbringer’s. A pair of adventurers who found each other in service to the guild. Many tales and works of art were dedicated to the glory of their adventures. But all adventures must come to and end. The adventure began anew when they settled down and raised a family. Now a new generation of heroes seeks to forge a legend of their own.

Name: Morganna Stormbringer

Age: 19

Appearance: Most of the time, it’s hard to tell where the dirt ends and her skin begins. She’s tanned from being outside all the time, and always delving face first into adventures in the forest, building camps, or practicing her swordsmanship. A splash of freckles (or is that mud?) run across her high cheekbones and the bridge of her crooked nose. Chapped, sunburnt lips lie beneath, pouting and unkissed. If she smiles wide enough, you can see a molar missing from the top left, a sacrifice she had to make to get the drop on a particularly troublesome wrestling partner.

Her eyebrows are full and unkempt, and they frame two eyes, golden pools of honey that sparkle with mischievous promise. Her hair, like the rest of her, is untamed and unmanageable. It is brown, curly, and unbrushed. If she had the time or thought it annoying enough, she would pin it in a mass on the top of her head. Otherwise, she let it roam free, as if brown vines were sprouting from her head.

She is fuller on the bottom than on top, and her weight resides primarily in her hips and thighs. She would, of course, sock anyone in their foolish mouth if they dared to make fun of her plump bottom and disproportionately lean chest. And, given that she is 5’6” and 160 pounds of coiled muscle, it would be quite a punch.

Personality: Morganna is like a feral cat: picky, abrasive, and somehow kind of snuggly. She believes in power and showing her might. Mercy is for the patient, who value long-term gains over short-term victories… and she’s not one of those types of people. Hot tempered and quick to throw blows, she doesn’t give much thought to delving out capital punishment.

She has a weak spot for the crippled, young, and infirm. She will never turn her back on someone who is actively trying to improve themselves. She finds compassion hard to find, however, when she thinks someone could be trying harder and doesn’t.

She has an inferiority complex over her brother, whose level-headedness and gentleness won the affection of their parents. She thinks she is better than he is in most weaponry. But she knows that his patience and decision-making skills make him a better adventurer than she is. And she hates it. Despite that, she thoroughly respects him as a powerful leader type, even if she won’t admit it to his face. She becomes aggressively protective over him, and her fuse is even shorter if he is insulted or threatened.

Skills:

• Athletic: High endurance, quick, fast reflexes
• Weapons Proficiency: Proficient at almost all weapons, ranging from throwing daggers, bow and arrow, long sword and shield, to blunt weapons. She has some difficulty with large, two handed weapons
• Weapons Mastery: Master in dual wielding blades and hand to hand combat
• Survivalist: Can identify edible wild growing food, make camps and fires, navigate by map or stars. She cooks rather well
• Reading and Writing: Proficient in the commonly spoken language
• Horseback Riding: Can ride a horse well, and use her dual blades or bow and arrow from its back
• Minor Magic: Knows low-level spells, such as magic arrow or heal
• Monster Identification: Save for the rarest of beasts, she can identify most monsters and knows their attributes (such as physical or magical resistances, elemental affinity, or deadliest abilities)
• Animalistic Instinct: Has gut feelings that she generally follows. Usually, it helps her avoid danger. Sometimes, it leads her into danger
• Stubborn Streak: Will not give up a fight unless unconscious or forced to. She has nearly barbaric black outs when she feels like she is about to lose, strengthening her but also making her susceptible to injury

Equipment:

• Medium Armor: She has studded armor that is enchanted to be quiet and not restrict her movement
• “It’s Bigger on the Inside!”: Her backpack contains more items than it seems possible. In addition, the weight of the items is reduced to a tenth of its original weight, making most items easy to carry. Once she brings it out, it goes back to its normal weight
• Lightbreaker: An enchanted saber, whose form is hard to tell. It shimmers and twists in the light. It recharges via sunlight. It’s able to cloak its user with a chameleon effect for 10 minutes per day. It also can emit a flashbang 2x a day.
• The Primordial: A short sword with a consciousness. Proud and unrelenting, this sword fights its master if it finds them unworthy. It passed through many hands before landing in Morganna’s, who only grabbed it to prove a point during an argument. While it usually strikes the unaware with lightning or caught their hand aflame, it was intrigued by the determination swirling within her depths. It has not given its full power over to Morganna, choosing instead to encourage her growth. It has, however, allowed her some access to lightning strikes and flametouch. However, it feels that the toll on her body would be too great, so it limits the number of times she can do it per day.

Name: Tristan “Giant Slayer” Stormbringer

Age: 26

Appearance: Just as much a diplomat as a solider, Tristan is conscious of his appearance. He makes a point of keeping his face and hands clean when not on the road or in the heat of battle. Like his mother and younger sister his hair is naturally curly, thick, and dark brown. He prefers to wear it short on the top and cropped on the sides. His eyes are a pale blue, deep and contemplative, rarely changing under his thick brow. He has high cheekbones and a strong jawline. His face is longer than round. Rarely smiling, his lips are often flattened and pulled out towards the edge of his face. Though not pale, he is not as tan as his sister from spending much of his time drafting treaties and plans.
At 6’2” he is taller than average, though nothing exceptional by adventurer standards who count warriors of monstrous proportions among their ranks. He is well built with broad shoulders resting atop of a thick core. Even in heavy armor his impressive physique is emphasized by his impeccable posture. He always holds his chin up and his chest out. He may be a gentleman and a scholar, but it would be foolish to forget that he is a warrior above all.

Personality: If Morganna is a feral cat, Tristan is an old bear, calm in demeanor but commanding a great presence. He has always been a devoted son, and for the past twenty years, a dotting big brother. He firmly believes that all people are good at heart and can be brought back to the path of righteousness with a proper influence and a great deal of patience. He believes that it is the duty of the strong to protect the weak. At the same time, he is as much a pacifist as his profession allows, confident that diplomacy and understanding are the paths to long-lasting peace. He uses violence only as a last resort. He is humble firmly believing that true strength is quiet, and that true confidence is being open to listen with an open mind.
He is contemplative to a fault, and is especially slow to commit to violence, though once he makes a decision he will proceed with unmatched fervor and resolve. He is deeply compassionate and will put other’s needs before his own without hesitation. He is also quick to trust and forgive, even when he knows it is unwise.
He admires his parents and loves his sister. He is proud of her growth and accomplishments, but fears that her temper will lead her down the wrong path, if it doesn’t get her killed first.
Skills:

• Athletic: tireless and capable of bursts of great strength.
• Weapons Proficiency: Skilled with most short-ranged weapons. Has a preference for one handed blunt weapons. Little can stand against the full force of one his blows.
• Bastion: Tristan’s true martial prowess lies in his defense. His natural stamina paired with a mastery of shields and heavy armor allows him to shrug off most attacks, expertly blocking with his shield or deflecting blows to where they will deal the least damage. Lacking the reflexes and dexterity of his sister his speed comes from predicting his enemies and knowing when and where to strike. When forced into combat he waits patiently for an opening to deliver a decisive blow.
•Battle Master: his value on the battlefield goes beyond his own fighting abilities. He is an excellent tactician and commander. He is able to remain calm in dire situations and instill a sense of bravery and loyalty in others.
• Horseback Riding: Can ride a horse, but will not bring one into combat as he believes animals do not understand risking one’s life for a cause.
• Diplomacy: Tristan is a skilled public speaker and negotiator. He uses his diplomacy skills to avoid conflict when possible. His commitment to the craft has lead him to learn written and spoken Elven and Dwarvish in addition to common. He hopes to learn more obscure languages like giant, goblin, and orc, but only knows a phrase or two in each.
• Righteous Resolve: even when something slips past his defense, he is able to withstand a good deal of more punishment than most, fighting through most injuries using willpower alone.

• Divine Magic: His fealty to his ideals grants access to magic. This magic does not come from studying the arcane or directly from a god but is rather an expression of his devotion to his cause. This list may not be all inclusive. Bolded powers are beyond his current abilities.
• Smite: Melee attacks by Tristan deal bonus magical damage. He can increase this damage further by actively fueling it with magical energy that would otherwise be used to cast spells. When he does so the attack is accompanied by a loud thunder-like crack.
• Lay on hands: Tristan can heal others or remove curses or other magical effects by touching them. This is a limited resource and using it tires him physically as well as spiritually.
• Emissary of Peace: Tristan can use magic to increase his charisma for the purpose of persuasion. Only works for 10 minutes (can’t be split up) per day.
• Rebuke the violent: Once per day can deal radiant damage proportionate to the damage the attack inflicted upon him on a single attack.’
• Aura of the Guardian: Tristan can magically prevent damage inflicted on others by transferring the damage to himself. This damage ignores his armor and any magic protections he may be benefiting from.
• Tireless Spirit: when injured his wounds will begin to heal magically. This is slower than his lay on hand healing, but does not consume any magical resources.
• Spells most of his spells are used avoid fighting or quickly end fights nonviolently. Those that force an effect upon a creature can be resisted when cast or later broken out of with time and effort. He can only concentrate on one spell at a time.
o Sanctuary, puts a protective unseen aura around a target that discourages people from attacking them. The effect ends if the target commits of violence.
o Sleep, puts creatures to sleep, one of his easiest to resist spells.
o Calm emotions, exactly what it says on the tin.
o Daylight, creates light. The light is comparable to the natural light of the sun and will not blind or hurt creatures who would not be affected similarly by direct sunlight.
o Hold person, magically binds a person, essentially paralyzing them in place, does not work on large or monstrous creatures, hence the person bit.
o Wall of Force: creates and invisible wall or dome through or around an area or creature. Requires concentration. Can currently last for up to a minute and is as strong as a stone wall. Max duration and strength will increase as his magical powers do.
o Stone skin: increase the hardness of the targets skin and bones, making them resistant to damage. Requires concentration. Can last up to 10 minutes.
o Counter spell, stops another spell from taking effect requires that he sees the spell being cast, has time to react, and the spell is no stronger than what he would be able to cast.
o Hypnotic Pattern: creates a magic hypnotic pattern on a flat surface. A stronger multi-target alternative to sleep. Harm to a creature will break its trance. Require concentration.0/[b]
o [b]Hold monster: like hold person but works on larger and non-humanoid creatures.

Equipment:

• Heavy armor: Tristan wears full plate, his helmet does not cover his face as he believes it is important for people to see the face of their heroes, and that a man needs to look his opponent in the eye before dealing a fatal blow.

• Skyfall: a two-sided Dwarven Warhammer crafted from a fallen meteor. It has no overt magical properties, but is exquisitely crafted and adorned with dwarven runes and holy symbols. It is heavier than one would expect from looking at it.
• He has sacks full of provisions and rations one would typically bring on an adventure. They are generally carried by a horse.

Posting to avoid the auto-prune