New Norwick, New Plot: The Favored (Character planning/discussion thread)
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Since some folks have already inquired about character ideas...
Welcome to...
A war-scarred land...
Long ago a clan of cursed barbarians cleared a hillside near an ancient wood, and despite the terrible odds, their sun-dappled fields of grain spread. The town prospered and suffered across a century of seasons until the day the Zhentarim Flux erupted from beneath and rained from above. In the blink of an eye, generations of progress sank into the riven earth.
It may be pride or foolishness, but the people of Norwick have returned. Catherine D'Cameron and her Chancellor's Men steer the reconstruction. They've overseen sales of timber to Peltarch and have recruited fresh-faced guards for the defense of the town. But theirs isn't the only vision: the undaunted Ivan Norwick, a descendant of leaders past, has presented himself as D'Cameron's opposition. His Norwick True coalition criticize the current leadership's uneven reliance on Peltarch and question whether one can trust the word of a man like King Thalaman. Meanwhile the Church of Kelemvor has sent a doomguide to construct a new temple. Possessing a single-mind for their sworn duties, the revived temple has distanced itself from the townsfolk's mundane struggles.
Tales by the fireside speak of more ill tidings gathering in the woods. Awakened trees and beasts, the druid circle's wartime guardians, cannot tell the difference between a Zhent logger or an honest Norwickian. Reemerging from their mines, the goblin tribes of the west have stopped their infighting under a new king. Beyond the lake, an industrious clan of hobgoblins have overthrown the empire of the late bugbear king, and all watch where their soldiers will march next.
The newly opened Inn of the Mirthful Cup hosts spirited wanderers from afar, each seeking their fortunes amidst the Zhentarim wreckage. Their callings are myriad: some sought the unknown at the edge of the map, some are natives returning home with a desire to make a difference. A scant few of this number will soon earn a name for themselves like none other: and that may indeed be you, our daring PCs!_
The Favored, Chapter I: The Edge of the Map
OOC ON! Hi! I'm excited and thankful for the chance to DM the introduction of the new Norwick! I have fond memories of the old town and woods, and I can't wait to move its story forward with you. We'll be following the Moonreach model here, integrating DMed story with the roll-out of re-designed maps.
For this campaign, you'll be rolling a new, level one PC. Character options are fairly wide, but I have a couple of guidelines:
- Your PC will be among the favored of a god of your choice, from any humanoid pantheon of the Forgotten Realms. Note this is favored not champion: you don't have to play a divine class, and your PC doesn't even have to know or trust their status yet. Heck, they don't even have to like it, as many chosen of evil gods will attest. But even now at level one, something about their personality, their talents, or their way of doing business has a way of serving some deity's purposes. They may find kindness or invention come easily, or they may feel pursued even when they're alone. Perhaps it's caused rifts of jealousy or roused suspicion throughout their life.
- Ideally, I'd like to place a limit of one PC per deity for variety. I'm hoping for a diverse group so that PCs will witness the story from more than a few angles.
- We're dealing with small town attitudes here, so I don't think we'll be able to work in monstrous PCs (outside of the currently available PC race options).
- You are welcome to tie your PC to server lore, but unlike the Moonreach campaign, please don't presume group/org membership quite yet. Do speak with me if you have an idea that we might make work.
The ETA for the campaign is May 9th. To maximize inclusion, my intention is to treat this more like a PnP campaign, and opportunities to advance the main plot will be scheduled - generally Saturdays, 1-5pm Eastern US time (aka, the usual). There may be occasional side-quests and such, but as a weekender myself, I'll try to remain conscious and consistent in balancing opportunities.
Outside of scheduled events: we're starting at low levels to test the new Norwick offerings as we go. These offerings include quests, crafting, and the ability to join Norwick-centered factions without DM-intervention. So feel free to partake with this character or any other.
If you're interested, reply here to hash out ideas about character concepts with others and claim your deity. You are not required to make your favored's divine connection public knowledge at this time, but I will appreciate a heads-up. Also, as a DM, I love backgrounds but they aren't mandatory. A paragraph or two before our first session would allow me to plan accordingly, but if you prefer the exploratory approach to character, I can meet you there.
Additional Threads:
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Salina Datson - Rogue
The Datsons have lived in Norwick for generations, but now only Salina remained. They had once had a small farm of their own, before the occupation. During the Zhent's time, her family were taken away one by one. First her mother, burned alive inside their farmhouse, for trying to insist on a reasonable price for their crop. Then her father, sent to Zhentil Keep in chains for refusing to kneel before the officer who ordered his home burnt down. Finally both of her older sibings, publically flogged for reportedly passing information to the enemy - then they too followed their father in chains to Zhentil Keep mere weeks before the town was finally 'liberated'. Salina herself kept her head down until the occupation ended, she made ends meet by working shifts at the makeshift inn that would later become the Mirthful Cup.
Now Norwick is free once more, but Salina's home is still ash, her family are all dead or still suffering somewhere in the West. And despite the energetic pluck of the young survivor's demeanor, the scars of the invasion still run deep.
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Marcel Deleuze - Human - Monk | Most Solemn Order of the Silent Shroud (Kelemvor).
White hair already, this almost past mid-age man carries more than one shoulder in his back. He's been a gravedigger since childhood.
(May need a delevel as he's 7. Marcel is an old character I've never had the chance to develop, nor play fully, but he's been a Norwickan since day one.)
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Zorazina Zidane - bright-eyed and bushy-tailed human, hailing from parts unknown.
Zorazina's capacity for dreaming is as great as her impossibly huge hair. Upon meeting someone new, she'll often exclaim, even when unasked, that she's going to be the BEST BLADE-SWINGER OF ALL TIME! Just where this exhuberant confidence comes from is hard to tell - while she's physically fit and strong, it doesn't seem like she's had any serious martial training. Even so, her sheer pluck won her some modest employment with caravans across the desert wastes, mostly as a look-out. Her eyesight is keen enough, but she only ever seems to spy the strangest things.
Reporting back that she met a lizard by the crossroads who crooned a song about selling his soul to a devil in order to play the world's smallest violin - well, not only does this sound like a tall tale but is, evidentally, the sort of nonsense that gets a scout fired. Especially when that same scout completely missed the signs of a bandit ambush.
Deity: as the future greatest blade-swinger of all time, Zorazina pays enthusiastic homage to Tempus. This ardent admiration's one-sided thus far. Instead, and quite unbeknownst to Zorazina herself, she is favoured by Lurue, the whimsical Unicorn Queen.
Class: Rogue at level 1, planning to progress to fighter, then weapon-master (likely scimitar)
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Sebastian Rusk. Aasimar LN of Helm Rogue/Fighter/Banner Knight is the plan. Recruit in the Norwick Redcloaks. He may or may not know that he is actually an Aasimar, even if he knows he is different.. will figure that out before play time!
Character Description is HERE
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Thromm Ironback - Half-Giant - Shieldbearer class. | Grumbar deity.
(Or if de-level is premitted, I'd like to play my Ilmateri cleric)
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Without going into too much detail on backstory or the God that favours him, I am considering rolling a Hawksong Moon Elven Ranger or Arcane Archer (Edited from pure Arcane Archer).
