Character Creation Rules and Applications

George the Student: George Prosper was the son of shopkeeper. When he was 11, clerics of Pharasma noticed he was an intelligent boy. After testing his brains and his aptitudes, they offered to sponsor him to study magic and medicine in exchange for taking the Lady of Graves as his patron deity and serving the temple for 4 years after he graduated. George gladly accepted this opportunity to better himself, especially when he learned that he would study wizardry at the prestigious Academae.

But George did not guess how difficult his combined studies would be. It was bad enough in his 1st and 2nd years, during which he studied history, magic theory, the language Draconic, humanoid anatomy, and how to feed infants and change their diapers. In his 3rd and following years, when he started to learn actual spells and serious medicine, the average number of hours he slept at night dropped from 6 to 5 and then to 4.

Like many of his fellow scholars, George looked for ways to meet the grueling physical and mental demands of his studies. He started with tea, but soon went on try other, stronger herbs and substances. George was careful to use wisely, limiting how much he took in any given week. As a result, he passed all his exams and graduated from the Academae at age 21. A few months later, he was certified to practice medicine with only minimal supervision from a cleric.

George the Physician/Wizard: George became an accomplished young man, respected by the community for his selfless dedication to treating the illnesses of the poor as well as for his diploma from the Academae. He was also a lonely and depressed young man who yearned for the end of his indenture like a thirsty man yearns for water in the desert.

Eight months ago, George heard a rumor of a drug called Shiver. He thought little of it until one of his clients, an emaciated, shaking woman who had come to the temple of Pharasma to die, spoke of it in her last hours. Despite his better judgment, the physician was intrigued by her fevered descriptions of the beautiful dreams the drug offered. He was in the last year of his indenture anyway. Didn't he deserve some fun?

It took only a week for George to find a supplier and take the drug shortly before he lay down to sleep. The dreams were indeed as beautiful as his patient had hinted. George was confident that he could avoid addiction, just as he did when he was a student, but the lure of Shiver proved stronger than he expected. It took him only 2 months to become addicted.

George's situation might have continued on a slow downward spiral of debt and deceit, but then he took a bad dose of Shiver and nearly died. He woke up as a patient in a hospital bed, and one of his colleagues explained that George had been poisoned. George could see that the other doctor was suspicious, but since his reputation was entirely respectable thus far, he was able to mollify her and avoid professional ruin.

George took a leave of absence for a few weeks, ostensibly to get better after being poisoned, but really to deal with the symptoms of withdrawing from Shiver. He emerged feeling quite weak, but free of addiction.

In the last few months, George has been working diligently. His indenture is very nearly at an end, and he wants to escape with his reputation intact. He fears he might be drawn to take Shiver again, and to avoid this George has learned the spell Polypurpose Panacea, which among other things allows him to dream lucidly.

He feels guilt over letting Shiver nearly destroy him after so many years of hard work. In his idle moments, he ponders what to do to make up for his error. He contemplates the supplier who had sold him the Shiver: a criminal called Gaedren Lamm.

Taking 25-point buy.

Three hundred years ago, the head of a minor noble line fell in love with a Celestial and they were married. Since then, children born into the Diarte family have occasionally manifested signs of their Celestial blood. Such a child is considered a good omen, but none more so than those whose very appearance marks them. Andrew was one such child, and he should have been the pride of the Diarte family. The only problem? He was born the youngest, with four older brothers and two sisters. He had no realistic claim to lead the family. Worse, by quirk of fate his birth coincided with his older brother Arthur's own birthday. The omen of his birth was attributed to mean Arthur's good fortune, and Andrew himself was assigned the fate of any surplus son: he was more or less forgotten.

Still, Andrew did not lack for opportunities, as he was tutored in the same fields as his brothers: he excelled most in archery and falconry, possessing a knack for them both thanks to his Garuda heritage. He proved a passable fencer, but nothing special - he could never best his brothers at swordplay. Their teacher despaired that Andrew lacked elegance, and it was true: he was better suited to the weapons of the common classes, finding that he favoured the brutal simplicity of a powerfully swung axe or hammer. Of course, if he could help it he intended to stay an arrow’s flight from any one or thing that intended him harm, and use the weapon skill where his true talent lay.

Nor did Andrew lack for ambition, and being a redundant child at least freed him up to pursue his personal agenda rather than concern himself with the future of the Diarte line. He determined to forge a path of his own rather than walk one dictated to him. His parents weren’t pleased when he declared his intent to leave and seek his fortune once he came of age, but they didn’t attempt to stop him. If he stayed, he would end up either married or perhaps apprenticed in the interests of the family, but such an arrangement would hardly be essential for he simply wasn’t important enough.

The young aasimar paid passage to Parthacia where he began looking for work. Initially it was something of a culture shock, and he made a fool of himself many times. But Andrew possessed an education, weapons training and other practical skills, not to mention an extreme stubborn streak.

He eventually signed on with Parthacia’s standing army as a scout, excelling and being promoted to sergeant within a few short years, then being promoted again to lieutenant. By this time however he was bored of the military life, wanting more excitement and opportunity. Resigning from his commission to become a mercenary, Andrew forged a new place for himself in the city by taking on any paid work he could find. Sometimes the jobs were tough, sometimes they were menial or even ridiculous. As long as they paid, Andrew took them. He began rather optimistically referring to his chosen career as that of a "Hero for Hire".

This job too began to lose its lustre, as there are only so many times a man can rescue Ma Dana’s ungrateful cat before he begins to ask himself if he’s achieved all he wanted in life. Andrew decided to make another change – something big that would earn him fame and fortune. One night he overheard travellers in a pub discussing the vast jungles of the Mwangi Expanse, and the mysterious ruins therein. An idea formed in his mind and solidified over the coming days. He would travel there and find these ruins. He would become a treasure hunter. Andrew purchased a map of the Expanse and began gathering supplies for the journey. He visited the docks at least once a day, and as soon as he found a reputable ship headed in the right direction, paid to go aboard.

The journey to the Mwangi Expanse was not a short one. Andrew endured over a hundred days at sea, and the first few weeks of that were spent in horrendous anguish as the contents of his stomach pitched and rolled along with the hull of the Jenivere. Even after that torturous initiation, after he had laughed along with the crew and been the butt of their jokes until they finally accepted him, Andrew felt there was not much to recommend the voyage. The novelty in such a journey was in planning it, but actually living it? Monotony, terrible food, and forced company - not all of it good. Perhaps it was simply that he wasn't keeping busy, like the crew. Perhaps, more likely, he was meant for other things. He certainly felt reasonably confident that he was not meant to be a sailor. Plundering the riches of the ancient Mwangi ruins seemed much more like his style.

To keep himself occupied, Andrew spent as much time as possible with other people, drinking and dicing with the sailors as much as he kept time with the other passengers (several of whom rather got on his wick).

Of the crew, he got on well with Captain Kovack, Alton the First Mate, and even the cook Terillo, despite lacking any appreciation at all for the latter's skills. Fortunately, his newly hired assistant was marginally more competent in the galley - though only marginally, not that Andrew would ever tell her that. More importantly, she was a familiar face. He had gotten to know Ikari several weeks before, and discovered she was looking for adventure. It was her example in part that had gotten him to commit to his plan and now, apparently, his example had encouraged her to also board the Jenivere. It was good to have a pre-existing relationship to someone on board, even if it was not a particularly deep one, and Andrew enjoyed Ikari's company most of all. He did feel bad that she had to squeeze in with the rest of the crew - it couldn't be easy in amongst all those men, not that she made it any easier for herself with flirtatious manner and her nude swims. A short time into the voyage Andrew let Ikari know that if she ever felt the need for privacy, she could borrow his room for a night or two.

Another familiar face was amongst the passengers - the paladin of Sarenae he had briefly met back in the marketplace of Parthacia, when he fell from the rooftops in chase of a cat. Andrew found he liked Atesin a lot, though her boundless enthusiasm was often exhausting even for him. He made the mistake once of engaging the young Keleshite in religious debate and was forced to endure an hour-long lecture. Now whenever they talk she attempts to re-spark that dialogue but Andrew refuses to be drawn.

The aasimar did not much like Aerys Mavato, but few on board could say otherwise. The woman was uninteresting and quite frankly a chore.

Nor did he much like Otho, after the Chelaxian came aboard. Certainly he seemed pleasant enough at first, and Andrew initially warmed to him. But one night as the pair of them exchanged banter and a jug of spirits, their dialogue took an unexpected turn and Andrew thought he detected a deeper layer, one which he wasn't nearly as keen on. From then on Andrew read different messages in Otho's actions, gestures and words than he had before. The aasimar was not keen on the close association growing between the sly Chelaxian and his friend Ikari, but he remained quiet about it. After all she was a grown woman - substantially more grown than he, being an elf - and furthermore he was not close enough to her to freely voice his opinions about her personal affairs.

Upon meeting the blind elf girl Mariel, Andrew immediately felt a sense of concern. It wasn't just her blindness that made her seem so vulnerable, she was also naive and absent minded. Andrew could just picture her falling prey to men with dark hearts, and he was certain there were at least a few aboard the Jenivere. The aasimar has two sisters, so is no stranger to feelings of brotherly duty. Though Mariel and himself are not related, not even particularly close, he can't help but project that sense of guardianship onto the kind-hearted girl.

Andrew liked Sasha immensely, once she opened up and revealed herself as a pleasure to know. After Ikari, she is favourite person aboard to pass the time with.

Gelik too was in Andrew's good books. While the dapper gnome may be a bit pompous and long-winded, he was good company with a quick wit and unlike the scholar Ieana he didn't seem to mind having his work interrupted for a chat. Many times Andrew sat with the gnome, the little man scratching away with his pen while the aasimar studied his map of the Mwangi Expanse, each of them only half-focusing on their individual tasks as they conversed.

Of Ieana, Andrew has no strong feelings, simply because she keeps herself and he hasn't gotten to know her that well. He has a similar relationship with Ishirou.

Andrew possesses a certain amount of curiosity about the prisoner Jask but not enough to defy Captain Kovack's orders and visit the brig, not indeed enough to as more than a few cursory questions of the Captain.

No matter his personal feelings toward a particular passenger, when talking to them Andrew was always convivial, if occasionally a little full of himself, and pleasant enough to be around.