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Star - AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +8 | Ref: +11 | Will: +9 HP: 41/41 | Rebel Points: 1/3 | Perception: +9 | Stealth +10 ConditionsNone +2 initiative "Well, the Nurs'ry's always got the poorest folks in it, an' a lot o' homes there got burnt down durin' the night 'f ashes. Homes made 'f wood, close togeth'r, long way from the riv'r. Tiefling area." Star walks around the table toward Kjersti, bumping into Rexus as he returns from refilling his coffee. "Since the night, I reck'n there's been more folks pilin' in there too. Not just tieflin's, neither. I think the dotters 'r' drivin' 'em outta the other districts, shovin' 'em in there if they ain't got nowhere else to go." Star unrolls Rexus's favourite map of the city onto the breakfast table. (Rexus looks surprised, and starts patting his pockets in confusion). She points at a spot to the east, at the edge of the Devil's Nursery. "How 'bout we set somethin' up here? It's inside the nurs'ry an' would be hidden from dotters patrollin' along the main road, but a bunch'f homes got burnt there an' last I checked there was still some clear space. Well, it'd be clear if we got rid 'f the rubble. It's close 'nough to the edge of the nurs'ry that folks from the rest 'f redroof'd be able to use it as well." "I c'n eat on four copp'r a day if I have to. So that means with ten gold a month we c'd feed...um..." Star attempts to count on her fingers, before giving up "a lot 'f people." Show Mechanics Star's estimate of four copper a day is based on the Subsistence cold of living, which is 4SP per week. I assumed that at least a quarter of that is spent on other necessities, and then rounded to the nearest whole number of copper pieces. I've made some assumptions about the current situation of Kintargo, which seemed pretty likely - if I've got anything plot-relevantly wrong then let me know.

Star - AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +8 | Ref: +11 | Will: +9 HP: 41/41 | Rebel Points: 1/3 | Perception: +9 | Stealth +10 ConditionsNone +2 initiative Star doesn't normally speak during breakfast, preferring to focus on eating as much as possible and stuffing her pockets folr later. Long experience not knowing where her next meal will come from has taught her never to refuse free food. (Coffee, on the other hand, is still a mystery to her.) But today, she clearly has something on her mind. She only picks at her food, and keeps looking as though she's about to speak, only to change her mind and lower her head again. Finally, when the meal is almost over, she speaks up. "Y'know," she says with a careful attempt at casualness, "There's a lotta folks out there what had homes an' such destroyed by Thrune. Folks what ain't got nowhere to go and don't know how ta live on the streets. Kids too, what had parents killed. Times 'r tough, 's what I'm sayin'. An we've got a lotta money now. Maybe we c'n do something? Set up some sorta soup kitch'n say? It'd help the rev'lution too, spreadin' goodwill an' such," she adds hastily, evidently afraid that the rest of the Ravens will object to spending money on a project that would only help the city's poor and won't bring any practical benefit. Show Mechanics

Star - AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6 HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 1/3 | Perception: +7 | Stealth +7 ConditionsNone Star looks surprised at the compliment from Kyla. She tries to hide it, and mutters a dismissive "I've survived worse", but she's obviously pleased by it and by Zea's words, and walks back to the Devil's Nursery with her head held high. A bath would be nice. She hasn't allowed herself a luxury like that for a long while. Since...actually, the last time was just after Camilla found her injured on that rooftop after...after Ellie, Kas and Namoh were killed. Star quickly stops thinking along those lines; the memories still too painful. Instead she focusses on the upcoming bath, and the events of the day. She smiles. For this evening, at least, she's at peace with the world. Show Mechanics For those who weren't present from the beginning of the campaign, Camilla was one of the original PCs. She was a relatively wealthy young woman who moonlighted as a masked vigilante called the Veiled May. She was also friends with Deadman and Star.

Star - AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6 HP: 18/28 | Rebel Points: 1/3 | Perception: +7 | Stealth +7 ConditionsNone Star gives out a cry of pain and tries to pull her sword arm out of the maddened dog's grip, but that only makes the thing bite down harder. She circles around it, trying to get at an angle she can get her sword out. Then Deadman makes his attempt to save her. While ineffective in itself, the attack distracts the dog and its grip slackens, just for a moment - enough time for Star to wriggle her arm out and drive Thorn down into the beast. It lets out a yelp, then collapses to the floor. Bleeding heavily from her arm but not pausing for a moment, Star spins around. The one remaining human enemy is nearby. Star stabs out, and surprises even herself with her effectiveness. She was vaguely aiming for a disabling but nonlethal blow, but the CCG member staggers back from Temperance's shot and collapses backward right as Star is sliding Thorn forward. Star slides Thorn out of the impaled corpse and looks around to see what enemies remain. Show Mechanics Action 1: Stride to flank the injured dog with Deadman Action 2: Strike the dog - 19+8=27 to hit; crit! The dog is dead without even having to roll damage. Action 3: Strike the remaining CCG goon. 20+4=24 to hit; crit again! The CCG is dead.

Star - AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6 HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 1/3 | Perception: +7 | Stealth +7 ConditionsNone While she was shadowing the dead man, Star tried not to look at the results of his fury. In theory, she agreed with his actions. They were clearly CCG thugs, ready to beat up and kill people like her...and worse. But their screams were all too human, all too familiar. So she tried not to look, even as she kept an eye on what Deadman was doing. When she hears the news about Zea, however, all that stops. Star is rushing off almost before the shopkeeper has finished speaking. Several times she outpaces the rest of the Silver Ravens, then has to stop and pace back and forth impatiently while she waits for them to catch up. By the time they reach the platform, Thorn is already in her hand. As the retorts from Temperance's gun die away, a small blur of anger rushes into the fray, trampling the corpse of one of Temperance's victims with her hooves in her haste to rescue Zea. Star stabs her blade into the closest of the enemies - which happens to be one of the dogs. Her blow narrowly misses its heart, but a flow of blood gushes out as she withdraws Thorn. The dog is still up, for now, but will clearly not live long without medical attention. Show Mechanics Reaction: If Ripleycat allows, Catharsis vs whichever CCG goon called Zea a pit-rat. This makes him flatfooted vs my attacks, and makes me flatfooted vs him (and I have a -2 to saves vs his spells). This also gives me a free Stride. Action 1: Stride a second time, putting me next to the dog Action 2: Strike the dog, which is flatfooted against me due to Surprise Attack giving me sneak attack. 18+8=26 to hit, meaning a crit for 4d6+8=18 damage. The dog is on 2hp. Action 3: Strike the dog again, but miss.

Star - AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6 HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 1/3 | Perception: +7 | Stealth +7 ConditionsNone Star accepts Deadman's hand up, wincing a little as he pulls too hard on her bad hand. She takes the more convenient method of getting back onto the roof, by climbing up the ladder. "No, I don't think we need ta kill them neither any more. Do we?" she asks the Jills' new leader, meaningfully. Then she sighs. "What are we doin'? Look, you Jills weren't like this a few months ago. Goin' round attackin' the Hoof? Thieves fightin' thieves? We're doin' Thrune's work for him! If you really want ta strike a blow 'gainst what's wrong in this city like that Scarplume said, you want to fight gainst Thrune, not takin' it out on the folks Thrune's hurt." Show Mechanics

Star - AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6 HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 1/3 | Perception: +7 | Stealth +7 ConditionsNone Star stares at Temperance's weapon with respect, not to mention fear. She'd seen the other tiefling use it in previous battles, but never with this sort of result. Shaken, she just nods at Kjersti's suggestion, and jumps off the roof to land near Deadman. "Hey," she says, softly, reaching out a hand toward him. "Let 'er go. She ain't the real enemy, jus' a kid what got caught up in somethin' she couldn't stop." She stares her friend in his empty eyes. "Trust me. 'S time to let 'er go." Show Mechanics Using Cat Fall to avoid fall damage, for style :)

Star - AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6 HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 1/3 | Perception: +7 | Stealth +7 ConditionsNone Star hangs back as Kjersti and Temperance start scaling the building. She's no stranger to climbing walls, but she also knows thief hideouts. The hatch doesn't seem to be locked, and the Jills won't have trapped the only way into their hideout - or at least, they won't have put the trap on the ladder. If she's fast enough, she should be able to get up before the Jills can react. And she has just the thing... Star flicks at the beads of the bracelet she's wearing, then suddenly dashes forward toward the ladder. She's always been fast on her feet - or rather hooves - but now she'd outpace even an elf. She springs to the top of the ladder, opening the hatch and drawing Thorn just as Temperance is pulling herself up. Show Mechanics I've been unwell and unable to post over the last few weeks. With GM permission, I'm taking two turns to catch up to where everyone else is. Round 1: Action 1: Activate slippery ribbon (+10ft speed for 1 minute) Action 2: Move to ladder Action 3: Climb ladder (Success, move 40/4=10ft up ladder) Round 2: Action 1: Climb ladder (Success, move 10ft to top of ladder) Action 2: Interact to open hatch and get off ladder Action 3: Draw Thorn Also, I've redone my post template as I wasn't satisfied with my original. Thanks to Toraka, since I basically copied yours!

Star AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6 HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 1/3 | Perception: +7 | Stealth +7 ConditionsNone "I dunno what glib means, but I c'n hide better 'n I can talk. An' they wouldn't bother attackin' me anyway. Least they wouldn't of. Ain't got anythin' to take. Maybe I should go with Temp'rance an'..." Star trails off mid-sentence as she notices what looks like a pile of greyish rags down the street. Without further explanation, she slips off ahead of the group, crouching down next to it. "Hey, Lil". After a pause the pile stirs, and a gnome woman emerges. Her hair is monochrome grey, and her face is stark white. "Hello, Star." Her voice is shockingly refined for a beggar on the street, but scratchy, as though it hasn't been used in a while. Star quickly gets to business. "I'm tryin' ta find the Red Jills. You always knew this patch well, an' I need information. You owe me, remember." (OOC: Gather information 15)

Star AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6 HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 0/3 | Perception: +7 | Stealth +7 Conditions Star looks slightly uncertain, but allows herself to be persuaded by Kjersti. "Jus'...make sure they are the Jills what you've found 'fore you do anythin'. Not jus' some poor guy what wore a red cloak on the wrong day." She pauses, still looking uncertain, and as Deadman turns to leave she calls after him. "Hey, Deado...try not ta make too much 'f a mess? Kill 'em if you need to, but make it quick. We're tryin' ta get folks to join us, not be frightn'd of us." After Deadman leaves, Star looks at Temperance and Kyla. "The Jills' were based on the Redroof side o' Temple Hill last I heard. Dunno where 'xactly, but we can probly find it if we look hard 'nuff."

Are the Origins talents available in this game? The guidelines say that "all spheres content" is available (except the Bear sphere) but there's no information on how it interacts with the RP system.

Star AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6 HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 0/3 | Perception: +7 | Stealth +7 ConditionsNone Star twists her tail uncomfortably, not meeting the imp's eyes. On the one hand, a part of her wants to kill the creature, to kill all the spawn of Asmodeus. On the other hand, looking at the pathetic sight reminds her uncomfortably of herself, and other tiefling gutter-rats she's known. Is such a small thing really any more evil than she herself? "Can we...I dunno, let 'er choose or somethin'? Make 'er swear an oath, somethin' to make sure she won't harm anyone or work 'gainst us, then let 'er choose whether she wants to 'elp us an' get 'er own back on the ones what wrote that 'tract in the first place? Or just go off an...I dunno, whatever, long as it don't harm people." She looks at the contract uncertainly. She can speak infernal - it's in common use in the Devil's Nursery - but reading it is another matter, especially when it's something as complex as this. She's relieved by Laria's interruption, and when she hears "Cloven Hoof" her own hooves are already taking her toward the stairs up to meet the visitor.

Star AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6 HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 0/3 | Perception: +7 | Stealth +7 ConditionsNone After the incident with the footlocker, Laria puts out some rat traps, only for them to mysteriously disappear. Two days later, the Ravens are sitting at Laria's table for lunch. Suddenly, Star leaps up with a yell of pain - one of the traps has fastened itself around her rat-like tail. As she, and the other Ravens, scramble to remove the trap, Star's headband suddenly unties itself and flutters to the floor. Star yelps again, covers her forehead and flees from the room - but not before those present see an ugly pentagram brand there, familiar to everyone in Cheliax as the holy symbol of Asmodeus.

Star AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6 HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 0/3 | Perception: +6 | Stealth +7 ConditionsNone Star gently sits down near Deadman. Those near her might notice that her own eyes are glistening with tears which her companion is no longer able to produce. After a while, she speaks to him, quietly. "I know. I know the pain of losin' your folks like that. Of seein'...of seein' 'em killed. Of not bein' able to do anythin' to stop it. "The pain ain't gonna get any easier. There's always a hole there, a part what died with 'em. 'Specially for you, I guess. Eventually, I stopped thinkin' 'bout 'em as much, but that's worse, 'cause then I felt I was failin' 'em all over again. "But that pain? I found there was two things I could do with it. I could turn in on myself, hide an' fight an' get revenge. Or I could take it all, an' use it to make things right. To stop other people from gettin' hurt the same way I've been. I know what it's like to be hurt like hell. I ain't gonna stand by an' let it happen to anyone else. Not while I can do somethin' to stop it." She reaches out to Deadman with her good arm, offering him her hand.

Star AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6 HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 0/3 | Perception: +6 | Stealth +7 ConditionsNone Star cautiously approaches the wine cask, keeping her movements slow and obvious. Seeing no sign of Deadman trying to hide himself further in response, she bends down and gently lifts the canvas covering.

Star AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6 HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 0/3 | Perception: +6 | Stealth +7 ConditionsNone A sneaking suspicion growing in her mind, Star looks around, trying to work out where the dead man might have gone. Upstairs or downstairs? After a brief pause to listen, she hears a faint thump from the basement, and trots down the stairs while everyone else is investigating the ground floor. She treads softly, not quite sneaking but avoiding making a scene of her arrival. If she's right about what this place is...well, he might not be safe to be around, but it might also help the pain if there's someone familiar nearby. It helped Star, after all.

   Star AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6 HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 0/3 | Perception: +6 | Stealth +7 ConditionsNone   Star breathes a sigh of relief as she sees Kjersti and Maria emerge, and another as Temperance kills the shark. But the other tiefling's savage comment seems to provoke her, and she rushes after Temperance, easily catching her up. "Doomed? Course we're doomed. I'm a street kid that lived longer 'n most. Rexus knows stuff, but he ain't a fighter an' he can't spot a thief to save his life. Abyss, our best warrior's already dead! An' we're goin' up against the literal legions of Hell! Of course we're not gonna win! But you know what?" Star pauses for breath, tears forming in her eyes as she glares at Temperance. "You know what? I'm still gonna fight. We're still gonna fight. Cause there's some things that you have to fight for, even if you ain't got a hope of winnin'. Some things that are so bad, so...wrong...that you can't hide away an' let it happen. Look, you can go off somewhere else, waitin' for your perfect time to fight back if you want. Who knows? Maybe it'll even happen 'fore you die of old age. But me? I've already lived longer 'n most street rats. I ain't got time to wait for that. None of us have. We're fightin' back now. An' I'm gonna keep fightin' till it...till it kills me. 'Cause..." "What else can I do?"

   Star AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6 HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 0/3 | Perception: +6 | Stealth +7 ConditionsNone   Star draws a dagger from her belt, taking aim at the shark and trying to ingore the sense of impending dread as it gets nearer. She's never really practiced throwing weapons, though - at least, not since she broke her good arm and had to learn to fight with her left hand. Through cracks in the rubble, she catches shadowy glimpses of Kjersti and Maria as they explore, unaware of the danger lurking outside. No...I ain't just watchin' this time. Acting on impulse, Star throws her dagger, but the shark is too far away, and the dagger just misses, sinking into the silt. It was tactically stupid, but Star feels stronger for having tried something. She mutters under her breath, trying to will Kjersti and Maria to notice the shark.   In the ruins of the tavern, Maria suddenly hears Star's voice in her ears, undistorted by the water. She's muttering: "C'm'on, get outta there, 's a damn shark outside, don't you dare-" and then her voice is cut off. A moment later, Kjersti hears Star's voice: "-drown down there, the shark's gonna get in 'f you don't leave quick..."   Mechanics: Spent a rebel point for fluff matters, following a discussion with ripley Action 1: Throw dagger at the shark (12 roll + 8 to hit - 2 range increment = 18: miss) Actions 2-3: Accidental Message*2 to Kjersti and Maria. Technically, each of you can reply as a free action on your turn if you want to, which would certainly surprise Star - although that would require you to use up breath.

  Star AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6 HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 1/3 | Perception: +6 | Stealth +7 ConditionsNone Star shifts from hoof to hoof, fidgetting nervously with her tail. She cringes when Kyla introduces her, and she feels everyone's eyes on her. For someone who's used to being on the edges of society, ignored or chased off, being the centre of attention is deeply unnerving and she has to fight the urge to run off and hide in a corner. But she masters herself, even managing to give a little wave before Kyla - thankfully - moves on to Maria and the others. A few moments later, though, Star gives a yelp. She had foolishly let go of her tail in order to wave, and one of the youngest Argentblooms took this as an invitation to grab it and give it a pull. Star pulls back, too hard, stumbling backwards and crashing into Rexus from behind just as Maria is dragging him forwards...

Star AC: 19 (+2 nimble dodge) | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6 HP: 28/28 | Rebel Points: 1/3 | Perception: +6 | Stealth +7 ConditionsNone "Yeah, I know how ta pick locks," Star answers, looking up from searching the ruins. Her tone is casual, neither embarassed at the admission, nor showing off. She clearly doesn't view her skill as anything special. Then again, among her rungs of society, perhaps it isn't particularly special. She walks over to the safe, producing a set of lockpicks from one of her many pockets. She kneels down in front of the safe, and - after checking it over for any obvious traps - selects two picks, passes the rest to her tail to hold, and gets to work. OOC 19 perception to search (if I can still do that?) 24 perception to find traps 26(!) to pick the lock. I was going to say that if I'm at risk of breaking the lock and the platinum key looks like it'll fit I'll back off, but it doesn't look like that's relevant.  

Name: Star Gender: Female Age: About 17 Ancestry:  Human (Tiefling) Background: Street Urchin Class:  Rogue (Thief) Intended Archetype: Cathartic Mage (Hatred of Asmodeus) Reasons to Protest: Looking for trouble Alignment:  Chaotic Good (Star would say Chaotic Neutral) Deity:  None (Star would say Asmodeus) Note: For pnp games, I like to develop my character's "voice" by writing their background in character. Helps me get into their mindset, and gives me an easy reference to keep them consistent during the game. So this isn't the most efficient backstory ever, but hopefully it's fun to read and gives more insight into her personality than a list of characteristics. Star has been whisked away into an otherworldly non-place for an interview with the GM. Appearance: A teenage girl with a filthy face approaches, casting cautious glances around her as she does - even though this room is perfectly safe. She wears simple leather armour, and carries at her left side a thin sword in a fancy-looking hilt, held against her side by a loop of string. Despite the quality of the sword, her tattered clothes, thin looks, and tendency to keep an eye on her surroundings all suggest that she is a child of the streets.  You can easily see that the girl is a tiefling. She has two small, curly horns protruding from her forehead - just below a tattered green headband - and her eyes are red. The long ratlike tail - which she is currently fiddling with nervously - was also a bit of a clue. As she gets closer you notice more details. On one of her little fingers she wears a simple copper ring. Her right arm bends oddly, the result of a bad break at some point in her past. Her headband slips slightly, and as she whips her hand up to push it back up, you catch a glimpse of darkened, scarred flesh beneath it. Some kind of brand? Background: The girl remains standing, ignoring the offered seat. "So I need to tell you about myself before I can go? Well, fine, but don't expect great details an' stuff. The name's Star. I dunno how old I am, not exactly. Nor who my parents are. My guess is some family didn't want a tiefling baby spoiling their precious reputation. Anyway, someone dumped me outside the Cloven Hoof in a basket. Whoever it was didn't give me anything. Not even a name - I picked 'Star' myself later. Just this old ring. Never sold it. Not worth anything, and I kinda got attached to it. Anyway, the Hoof gave me food an' such, taught me to speak proper. But after a few years I left. They didn't have much money, an' couldn't afford so much. Sides, I felt kinda bad takin' so much already. "So I grew up on the streets, begging. And yeah, picking pockets, but only those who'd not as miss the cash. Learnt to do sums an' stuff too. Snuck onto the roof of one of the fancy schools a few times, an' found there was a place I could perch where I could see through a window and hear the lessons. Then they spotted me up there an' covered it with spikes. Because of course they did. Can't have a tiefling stealing their precious lurning." She winces. "I hopped down to the spot without checking first." "Well, I went on. Learnt to survive. Started workin' with a few mates. It became a whole thing. There were four of us, and I was leader. Kas had the same kinda story as mine. Tiefling. Left to an orphanage, ran away. Different reason to me, though. That place he was in...well, there weren't any tears shed when it burnt down one day, which is more than you could say while it were runnin'. Namoh was also a tiefling, but you couldn't see it 'less you looked close. Her parents were more blatant, I think. Lived in the Nursery. Least, they did 'til the plague got 'em, five months before I met Namoh. So she ended up on the streets. And then there was Ellie. Elistia. She was the only one of us without devil blood. Her family were traders, couldn't pay a debt. Everything they had was taken and they were sold as slaves. They got split up soon after, ended up in different cities - though I heard her brother's still here in Kintargo somewhere. Ellie managed to avoid being sold, she never said how and I never asked. "Anyway, we worked together, livin' off gold we took from them who didn't deserve it. Ellie or Namoh would ask a passing rich guy for a few coppers. If he gave 'em, well and good, if not then one or two of us would distract him while another...helped themselves. We'd switch roles around every now and then. Worked quite well, or 'least, we survived an' had food to eat. But then one day someone caught us in the act. Figured out what we'd been doing, and apparently he had guards in the crowd 'cause we were quickly caught and dragged away." Star's voice has been growing slower and more pained throughout this monologue, and now she breaks off completely. "I escaped. They died." She refuses to enlarge upon any more details, or say anything more about her history. Personality/Motivations: Giving up on that topic, you eventually turn your questions to the present day. What is her goal in life? Why is she going to this protest? Questions like that. "You want to know what drives me? Helping people. There are too damn many people in this city who get forgotten about by everybody. Not just by the Asmodeans and the nobles and the like. By the forces of 'good'." Star coats this word in a heavy dose of sarcasm. "Those 'good' guys don't seem to like people like us much. Funny that." Star affects on a mocking 'pompous lecturer' tone. "The Tiefling subspecies has an inbuilt evil nature and tendency toward criminal activities, and so our codes forbid us from associating with them." Star continues in her normal voice. "I do what I can to help. The way I see it, my life here is a wreck anyway and I'm damned for ever when I die. Might as well spend what's left of it saving others from going the same way. Not that I can manage much. And what I can takes money. So that's why I'm goin' to the protest. I mean, I agree with what they're shouting about. This new guy is a whole new class of awful. Not that they have a hope of succeeding, but then, why should that stop you doing the right thing? But there's a family on my street who have run out of money and are starvin'. Something to do with the martial law. If I pick a few pockets and buy some bread for them, they'll maybe live a bit longer. If I don't, they'll die. So can I go now?" What Star didn't say There's no way that Star would actually reveal the following information without character development, even in a contrived scenario. But if at some point in the future she begins sharing what happened after her group was caught, here's how she might put it. I've put this in spoiler tags, because it's information that Star will certainly not be revealing to the other PCs straight away. Fellow players, I have no objection to you reading it (I'm sure everyone here knows how to keep player and character knowledge separate) but if you want to avoid "spoilers" you might want to skip it. Spoiler So we were caught. I struggled, and got my arm broken for my trouble, and we were locked up somewhere. A few hours later, we saw some money change hands, and we were being taken away by some priest. Hmm? Legal? It might be. Maybe the nobles got a law passed sayin' they can do what they like to us if they catch us stealin', or somethin' like that. Certainly wouldn't put it past 'em, but does it matter? It happened. So...look, do I really have to keep tellin' you all this? Fine. This priest had bought us to use as...as sacrifices, for some ritual or something. The four of us were tied up, and taken somewhere else during the night - a temple of Asmodeus, I'd say, though it weren't the big one. There were several guards or acolytes or something there, and a pile of stuff - taken from those who came before us, I guess. There was an altar, and a fire burning near it. First thing they did was took tgus hot metal block with the symbol of Asmodeus out of the fire, and branded our heads. Marking us as his. Course, I normally keep it hidden with the headband and my hair. Works quite well at covering it up most of the time. Had a couple of close calls, though. One time I - right, the temple. Sorry, keep avoidin' it. ... Ellie was killed first. They put her on the altar, and...then they stabbed her through the heart and let her bleed to death while we watched. Next was Kas, and then Namoh. Slaughtered like an- like animals, and sent on to who-knows-where. And I couldn't help them. Could only watch. I...Somethin' in me broke then. I stopped bein' a frightened girl. Became somethin' stronger. I might be about to die, but at least I'd go down fighting. I struggled with my bonds and managed to wriggle a hand out, though with my broken arm it hurt awful - I'd say it hurt like Hell, only I've a nasty feeling it didn't. Broke several bones in my hand doing it too. I undid my feet, but by that point the guards had noticed. We'd been dumped near the pile of items, and as a guard rushed through it at me this rapier rolled up next to me. I snatched it up left-handed. Course, I didn't stand a chance of actually killing them - there were five of 'em, six if you count the priest, and I'd never used a sword before. Even if I had defeated them, there was nothing I could have done for my - my friends - only magic would have helped them, and the priest weren't exactly bein' coop'rative. But I managed to get away. If they chased me, they never tracked me down. Maybe they thought I was too badly wounded to survive. But I did. I found my way to some supplies I'd hid a few weeks before. Lucky for me, I'd left enough for four people to survive for a day or so. So I was ok for a couple of days. I managed to get this headband - well, it was a strip of fabric that someone had thrown out. Held my arm in place as best I could, which wasn't very well. I found a bit of cloth that had been thrown out, and wrapped it round my head to hide the brand. Fact: Havin' a dirty cloth pressed to a fresh burn is its own special kind o' pain. Then Carmella found me. That girl who worked with that school what burnt down, in Redroof. I'd known her 'fore all this, a bit. I guess not as much as I'd thought. We'd gone to her 'casional when we needed somethin' you couldn't get on the streets. I reckened I'd got her measure. Pampered but nice. Tryin' to do good. Wouldn't hurt a fly. Turns out that ain't quite true...but that's her story to tell, an' if you don't already know it you'll havta ask her. Anyway, she found me, somehow got me to go to a place she knew, set my arm an' all. I...I reckon she saved my life that day. [private=ripleycat]See the private messages between me and Oceane on pages 9-10 of the OOC for more details of this.[/private] I never told her what had happened. Left as soon as I were fit enough. Didn't want to put her in danger, see? They coulda been chasing me still for all I knew at that point. I went back to pickin' pockets, and yes I know that was what had started all this. But I didn't have much choice. 'Sides. it's amazin' how much an obvious weapon can stop people nearby noticin' you commit crimes. During my free time I began practising with the sword, training myself to fight properly. Course, I was having to use my left hand. My arm did heal, more or less, but it's never been properly good again, as you can see. I've not got the strength and control I used to have with that hand - not enough to use a weapon well, which is why I still fight with my left. Originally I was training to defend myself against the Asmodeans, if they decided to chase me. But I kept goin' after I realised that wouldn't be happening. It gave me something to do, let me forget about the things that had happened to me for a while. I'm not sure, as I haven't ever really had to fight anyone since the temple, but I seem to have got fairly good with it. Here's the thing though. It doesn't really matter how good I am, in the long term. I'm claimed by Asmodeus. Got his mark on my forehead. And it won't go away, not even with magic. So I reckon...I reckon we're damned. All four of us. Ellie, Namoh, Kas...and me. I'm just takin' a slightly longer route there. Doin' what I can to make life better for everyone else in the meantime. Prob'ly storin' up all sorts of extra punishment for myself when I do cork it. Should prob'ly act all selfish or start worshippin' him or something to get points now. But no. Never. This world may be awful, I may be damned and this might all be totally pointless, but that's no excuse for not doin' what's right. **** you, Asmodeus! You took everythin' else from me, but you ain't takin' that! I'm doing the right thing, [B]because it's right![/B] And you, and everyone else, ain't ever gonna take that away from me! Design notes: I originally made Star many years ago, when Hell's Rebels was originally released. She was the first character I ever made who really came to life as I was writing her - I really like her as a person, and was looking forward to playing her. Unfortunately, schedule issues meant that the campaign we were planning fell through, and Star has languished at the back of a mythweavers folder ever since. So...yeah, I'd really appreciate a chance to play her now! Star was originally designed as an answer to the stereotypical "edgy" character. You know. "Woe is me, everything is blackness, time to go out and murder-hobo everyone around me". She has all the makings of one - a race with a tendency to evil, no parents, tragic backstory involving major trauma, rejected by society, and so on. (The 1e version of her was a Harbinger from Path of War, which is very much "edgelord: the class".) But she also has an extremely strong moral compass. She looks the darkness square in the face, and uses it not as an excuse for doing morally dubious stuff, but as a reason for doing good. She's an extremely damaged person, but I hope that she will find healing over the course of the campaign. There's another point that I wasn't able to work into the backstory explicitly. Out of character, I say that Star is chaotic good. But she dislikes those who identify themselves as aligned with Good in universe, viewing them as hypocritical and selfish. (This is an error on her part. Disproportionately many of the "good" organisations in Kintargo have lawful stupid tendencies, because those which aren't like that tend to get banned. After one too many encounters with that kind of person, Star thinks the whole alignment is basically Lawful Stupid, including the gods.) Star also thinks that the gods have rejected her (or more precisely, that she is inaccessible to them) for reasons discussed in the spoiler. And thus, she is left "following" Asmodeus, despite utterly rejecting everything he is. I leave it up to you to decide whether she's right about this or not. If she isn't, then it might be interesting to do something with Milani later in the campaign.