Bramzoz Nannin - Human Wizard

[foxtrot636]

Name: Bramzoz Nannin, or "Bram" for short.

Character Concept: A faltering wizard apprentice with delusions of grandeur is seeking the skull and lost prophecies of Alaundo to prove he too is a "Seer."

Character Sheet

Class, Race, Background: Wizard, School of Divination, with the Sage (Apprentice) background.

Description: Bram is young for wizard apprentice at nearly 20. His face has just begun to lean out, to match his skinny frame, and his facial hair finally looks intentional rather than neglectful. His sandy brown hair is short, with a bit of wave to it. His most notable physical feature are his bright hazel eyes. They are intelligent and seem to take in every detail. When he is in a conversation and truly focusing on someone, they are sometimes taken aback by the ferocity of his focus that his eyes portray. He wears simple, but comfortable and well made robes beneath a traveler's cloak. His most prized possession is his spellbook which he keeps quite literally attached to his hip. His spellbook doubles as a journal that he writes in religiously each day. His arcane focus is a simple staff made of oak, but if inspected closely, one would see intricate patterns carved into the wood by someone with a delicate and practiced hand.

Bram believes he is destined for greatness and tends to act like it as well. This does not usually benefit him in the social scene, but its hard for him to turn it off. He believes he has prophetic dreams and that one day these dreams will lead him to the skull of Alaundo the Seer. Legend has it that the rumored lost prophecies of Alaundo are wrapped around the skull, and once read, the finder will be able to talk directly to the spirit of Alaundo through the skull. Bram knows that this will be how he learns to harness his powers of foresight and become a true Seer, to continue Alaundo's work. Considering this, he has trouble focusing on small things like practicing his cantrips or copying the lines given to him by his master. When the world of tomorrow is so promising, why would he focus on the now?

What does Bram "feel" like? That's hard to say, exactly. I would say he feels like anyone you've met who knows deep down that they are better than everyone else. It might not be true, and that might not always mean being a jerk, but they just have that air about them that feels... entitled, i guess is a good word.

What does Bram "seem" like? I think even though he comes across as a bit of an entitled prick, his heart is in the right place. So, even if he may seem a bit above the riff raff, he'll tend to do the right thing. He knows his eventual powers will be used to save the world, so he might have a bit of an air of misplaced benevolence?

Origin: Bram grew up in Candelkeep to a wealthy family. He was the 8th child of 10, which means he had very little expectations forces his way while enjoying the love and support of a family that was fortunate enough not to have to struggle to survive. He was free to explore his interests, which quickly gravitated to books, knowledge, and eventually the arcane. This relaxed environment allowed him to excel in his studies, and he was able to purchase an internship with a local mage younger than most.

His work as an apprentice flourished at first, when he began to learn much rather quickly, but slowly petered out when the learning grew regimented and was accompanied by required work for the mage. His progress in arcane prowess faltered, and his inquisitive mind forced him to seek engagement elsewhere. He found it on the streets of the very city he lived in. Mysteries seemed to lurk in every corner of Candlekeep, and he began to explore all he could get word of. He tended to enjoy exploring the occult more than most, as their very nature suggests their fabrication, but Bram realized that most tall tales have more truth people want to believe. It was during this work he learned of Alaundo the Seer and his very respected prophecies. He had not told anyone how often his own dreams seemed to come true, and instantly took to researching all he could about the great Seer.

Include at least two of the following in your application:

Start of Darkness: Bram's "prophetic" dreams began when he was about 10, when his oldest brother was slain in a duel over family honor. It had happened right in front of him, and had happened so quickly that it had put the young Bram into shock. A scion of a rival house had called Bram out for being weak and strange, and his brother Moldo had unfortunately heard. Moldo was the heir to the House of Nannin and could not let the insult go. The fight erupted before Bram could do a thing to stop his brother, and before he knew it, Moldo was bleeding out in his arms. To his family's credit, he was never blamed for the incident, and they offered him love and support to eventually break free from the shock. After, his dreams seemed more vivid and he could always remember them. It was a year or so later when he began to see his dreams in his waking life. It was then he realized he had the gift of Sight. The unfortunate side effect of this "gift" is that he always associates it with the memory of Moldo, who died for Bram. The guilt and pain is always there, gnawing at him.

Deepest, Darkest Desire: Bram knows in his heart of hearts that he will be the one to eventually unravel the mystery of Alaundo's disappearance. In his mind, he is destined to do this, and has never once questioned or doubted this "fact." His deepest desire is to locate the missing skull of Alaundo, read the lost prophecies, and commune with the spirit of Alaundo. This will lead him to his true purpose: prophet? seer? It is his calling to guide Faerun through whatever turmoils he will see ahead.

The following are optional things you may include on your application:

Deity: The House of Nannin officially worships Waukeen, but unofficially, Bram's parents encourage exploration of the pantheon, believing faith can have a large impact in one's growth. After Moldo's death, Bram found Tymora. At first, she seemed shallow, one to favor gambler's and risk takers. But belliving her good fortune could also be preordained helped him come to grips with his new "gift," and made it easier to accept his brother's death. It didn't make the pain go away, but thinking that he was destined for something great helped make sense of it all.

Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX3k_QDnzHE mostly just for feel and sound. A bit excitable, a bit retrospective, a promise for something great (as that sax solo comes in at the end, haha)

Posting Rate: I tend to post a couple times a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less. If less, I try to give a headsup, because it likely means work or family stuff is kicking my ass.

Impressions: I haven't had time to really dive into each application, but first impressions:

• Sulimann seems pretty great. I love the idea of a ex-gladiator turning into a calm presence for peace.
• I like the contrast in Gieselle, she seems to be one of internal conflict, and I can't wait to see how that plays out in Barovia.
• Dyna has a clear concept that has legs to grow. I just realized I picked something very similar to her's for "Start of Darkness," what with the killing of the older brother. I could change mine up if you think its worth it, I don't want to cheapen Dyna's background, its just a little too late in the evening for me at the moment to be making any significant changes.
• I like Joliete's swagger and confidence, and think there would be some fun interactions there for Bran, who is also confident, but with none of the swagger.
• Overall party: it kind of feels like a younger party. Sulimann is in his 30s, and Giselle is an ex-general, so shes likely older, but she also has amnesia, so she might not have the authority of age there. Dyna, Joliete, and Bram are all under 20, so, lots of youthful energy there.

 

 

Images: 

Bram's vibe:

 

Familiar Snips the Owl. She's fiesty:

Edited October 14, 2023 by foxtrot636 (see edit history)

[Gregorotto]

Bram! A perfect name for a game like this.

Is Bram Avowed, or is anyone in his family Avowed? If they're not Avowed, what are they doing in Candlekeep? Just acting as traders and porters and what have you? What do his siblings, particularly the 6 surviving before him, do? Who was his mentor?

Did anyone know about his connection to Alaundo and his desire to follow in Wise Alaundo's footsteps?

How did he enter the Mists?

Just some starter questions.

[foxtrot636]

Quote

Is Bram Avowed, or is anyone in his family Avowed?

So, I think it would make logical sense for Bram to have joined the Avowed. He's an apprentice to a wizard who's likely part of the Avowed, and part of his duties includes doing scribe work, like copying books, scrolls, and other works, so I think he'd have to have passed the questioning that goes along along with becoming an Avowed. Also, his parents would have loved the notoriety of having one of their children become part of such a man esteemed group, so they probably sprang for some help preparing him for that trial. And he would absolutely be committed to the Avowed, with their almost religious worship of Alaundo. To him, it's definitely something that he's proud of, but in a secret level, he also thinks it will further him to his goal of finding Alaundo's skull.
 

Quote

If they're not Avowed, what are they doing in Candlekeep? Just acting as traders and porters and what have you?

So, correct me if I'm wrong, but the Court of Air is like a large open area with markets and all non-restricted amenities that Candlekeep can provide, right? So I'm thinking there is a significant population that live and work in the Court of Air who make their living by providing goods and services to potential Seekers, other visitors, and also the monks and scholars of the Avowed. Seeing as how seekers need to donate knowledge that can be worth as much as 1000gp just to enter the library, in my head, these visitors have deep pockets, so the competition to provide them with goods and services in the Court of Air is heavy, as profits might be large just for a single visitor. I'm kind of imagining there might be a hierarchy of the traders and business owners in the Court of Air that is analogous to nobility in other cities, and games of politics and power are similarly played here.

Ral Nannin (Bram's dad) and Zisia Nannin (Bram's mom) own an import company that supplies traders and markets in the Court of Air with all sorts of goods from up and down the Sword Coast. They have to be a couple steps ahead of demand, since it takes a while to import goods, and the competition with other such companies is fierce. One season of correctly guessing the trends of the following season can put a family or business way ahead of their competitors, so there is a constant game of espionage between the different companies to try to stay relevant.

Ral and Zisia are currently doing very well for themselves and their family, but it's a constant battle to maintain their prestige and power in the Court of Air.
 

Quote

What do his siblings, particularly the 6 surviving before him, do?

So I guess we're doing this! Haha, I should have picked like 1 sibling.

1. Johan (M, 30): Capable, overworked, and generally stressed out. He is the heir to Ral and Zisia's company. Johan has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. He was never meant to be the heir to the business empire, and had plans of succeeding in other areas, but after the death of Moldo, he was shoehorned into the position. He hates himself for it, but always feels a bit of resentment towards Bram for being the cause of Moldo's death.
2. Asha (F, 27) Intelligent, Charismatic, Ambitious. Asha always knew she wanted to be a bard, and convinced her parents to invest in her future by sponsoring a trip to nearby Baldur's Gate where she might join a Bardic College. She was granted admittance to the College of Glamour and graduated with honors. She's been touring the Sword Coast, performing for all sorts of people and has since payed not insignificant stipends to Ral and Zisia as their return on investment continues to come in. Asha comes back to Candlekeep every year to perform at the open air extravaganza at the end of the harvest.
3. Numum (M, 25): nimble, stealthy, cunning. Num Excelled at acrobatics at a young age and always had a penchant for sneaking up on people. Ral and Zisia recognized the potential in his skills and personality and hired a rogue tutor for him. Just within the last few years he took over as the company's spy master, responsible for espionage, counterespionage, and all aspects of the more unofficial side of business like back room deals and secret treaties.
4. Stron (M, 24): Playful, neurotic, dutiful. Stron and Shigri are twins. They've been close since birth and never very far from each other. They, in fact, married a brother and sister of a competing family and live in one household. They also own and operate a profitable potion shop in the Court of Air. Stron is a superb herbalist who gathers or orders most of the raw ingredients they need for their business. He loves his family, and along with Shigri, is responsible for keeping the whole family together by setting up events and meals for everyone to come to a check in. He gets stressed out very easily and let's the small things affect him. He's always relied on Shigri to help calm him down.
5. Shigri (F, 24): Playful, loving, dutiful. Shigri is not just Stron's caretaker, but also an accomplished alchemist. She makes 90% of the potions they sell at their shop. Shigri and Stron's husband and wife run the day to day of the shop. Shigri always had a bit of a mischievous streak and was always able to convince Stron to join in, so pranks are a rather integral part of the Nannin family experience.
6. Zili (F, 22): wild, aloof, a bit selfish. Zili was hit by Moldo's death pretty hard during an important time in her life. She probably could have used more help emotionally to help her through that time, but with the size of her family, that wasn't always possible. Zili's never been able to commit to any one thing for long, has never held a steady job, and enjoys drinking in taverns a bit much. She helps out Ral and Zisia sometimes for some coin, or travels with Stron sometimes when he goes to collect specialized herbs or reagents for his store to make ends meet. Bram and Zili have a special relationship, both taking Moldo's death pretty hard. They helped each other as best they could, and Bram will never forget her compassion for him. He's been known to lend her coin that he does not ever expect back.
7. Bramzoz (M, 19): just putting him in the lineup.
8. Van (M, 18): serious, athletic, commited. Bram and Van have always been closest out of all their siblings. They played most together as children and shared a room together all their life until Bram got his apprenticeship. As kids they would make believe they were great heroes, Bram a mage of untold power, and Van a chivalrous Knight. When Bram told him about his desire to join the Avowed and become an apprentice, Van realized some of their dreams could come true. He committed himself to training and wants to one day become the Gatewarden of Candlekeep. He will be trying to join the Avowed later this year.
9. Retha (F, 8): curious, adventurous, mischievous, intelligent. Retha was a surprise for Ral and Zisia, who thought they were done after Van. Zisia calls Retha her "miracle." In fact, Zisia found out she was pregnant with Retha a week after Moldo's death. While Zisia's never treated Retha as a replacement, she has grown up in a very different family structure compared to the rest of the kids. All her siblings enjoy helping raise Retha, and all their personalities can be seen in her in various ways.

 

Quote

Who was his mentor?

Farberos Handra (M, 218): Farberos is a high elf of some renown as an abjuration wizard. He's known for uncovering an ancient spell scroll in Candlekeep that is supposed to project a large protective shield over the city, much like an abjuration wizard's barrier. He hasn't quite gotten it to work yet, but Farberos is patient to a fault, and rarely cares about making quick progress. It might be his long life span, or it might just be his personality, but he can spend a whole week researching the history behind a specific spell component before even purchasing one to experiment on.

This is likely what caused Bram to falter in his training. When Bram first started to work with Farberos, it seemed like he would learn something new almost constantly. But recently, Farberos has held Bram back, making him spend most of his time on study of theory rather than practice and research. Even though Bram loves reading and gathering knowledge, the long hours with little to show have begun to weigh on Bram.

 

Quote

Did anyone know about his connection to Alaundo and his desire to follow in Wise Alaundo's footsteps?

I think only surface level. Bram would have had conversations with Farberos, indicating his passion was Divination, and I'm sure he wouldn't be able to keep his interest in Alaundo hidden, or even want to, hoping to learn as much as the elf could teach him on the subject. I just don't think he would have said that he wants to follow in his footsteps or even mention that he wants to find the skull.

Quote

How did he enter the Mists?

The recent lull in Bram's studies have forced his mind to seek exercise fulfillment in other ways. Bram has realized that in a city as large and old as Candlekeep, there are mysteries and adventures all around. He's taken to going out to taverns with Zili to meet all sorts of people, some of which need help. He's been most interested in the occult, ghost stories and the like, but will take any sort of job that helps his mind scratch that itch.

It was on one of these jobs that the mists grabbed him. He was investigating the disappearance of a little girl. She had vanished from a room with a locked window while her parents were just outside her door doing chores. They had heard no one open the window, and she didn't make a sound as if she had seen a stranger. The only way out of the room had been the chimney, but the girl couldn't have climbed out on her own, and no person could have climbed down and dragged her up.

Bram had investigated the room and found nothing out of the ordinary. However, when he inspected the chimney, he found hundreds of tiny scratches in the soot that clung to the sides. On a whim, he followed, climbing to the roof, where he found traces of soot heading down into a nearby alley. He felt like he was on to something and quickened his pace, but as the alley twisted around another home, the mists creeped out around him, suddenly obscuring the building and alleys.
 

At this point I might need DM help, not sure how you play the mists taking people, or if an agreement needs to be made to actual travel to Barovia, but he'd likely go trying to find the girl, even if the mists threaten to take him away some place. He can't resist a mystery this interesting.

[Gregorotto]

Ok good, I thought he would be a good Avowed as presented and glad it came down that way. You are correct about the Court of Air, and the economic espionage is absolutely on point, especially being stuck between Baldur's Gate and Amn, so good work on that. Plenty to work with backstory-wise.

SO MANY SIBLINGS. Johan seems ripe for the picking, Asha is great, Numum is very useful indeed, Stron and Shigri are fun, Zili will be fun to dive into (if possible), Van is pretty neat too, and Retha sounds adorable. I can't use all of them most likely (well, I can but...), but I imagine digging in to a few in particular would be fun. How long is the leash on Zili, with regards to what she can get away with? What area of study does Van want to go into exactly? What instrument does Asha play? What are Numum's moral scruples? If Johan could do anything else, what would he be doing? What was he going to do before Moldo's death?

His mentor sounds fun; did he consciously hold him back, or just his methods?

Surface level interest in Alaundo makes sense, I'll have to see what I can do with that. Should be super easy.

The fun thing about the Mists is that they work however we need them to. In this instance, you walked into a classic case of the Mists taking him away from what he thought his objective was at the time, and into a land that isn't remotely recognizable. The objective would remain the same: it would be more immediate than, say, the Skull of Alaundo, but both would be true. So basically, he just ended up somewhere in Barovia.

The only real question that's holding us back at this point is, how long has he been in Barovia, and is he staying at the local inn? Because that's where I'm going to write you in: you can be a new arrival, or you can be someone who's stayed a few days.

[foxtrot636]

Quote

How long is the leash on Zili, with regards to what she can get away with?

I'd say a fairly short leash. She's been "cut off" financially from Ral and Zisia for a bit now, so they don't have much leverage over her in that way, but she knows her family and her name is about all she has left any more. She's still invited to family gatherings, and usually is on (relatively) good behavior when she's with her family, as to not risk loosing them too. She won't go doing anything to "severely" dishonor her family, but maybe she sleeps around a bit, gets drunk too often, that sort of thing.
 

Quote

What area of study does Van want to go into exactly?

That's a hard one. Any suggestions? I was kinda imagining martial arts and warfare, wanting eventually to become the "head guard" of Candlekeep.
 

Quote

What instrument does Ashaplay?

Lute, violin, and a rare instrument called a harpsichord.

 

Quote

What are Numum's moral scruples?

Loose, when it comes to the family business. He'd do just about anything to gain some damning intel on a rival family. Let's say anything short of torture and murder (to say he's not a complete psychopath, but willing to screw people over, bribe people, and blackmail people to help the business.

 

Quote

If Johan could do anything else, what would he be doing? What was he going to do before Moldo's death?

Johan wanted to be an explorer, maybe join up with a ranger to learn about the wilds. He was probably doing a lot of hunting and camping before he had to switch gears. I was trying to think something that would be a really tough switch into business heir, I think becoming a ranger pretty much is it, haha.
 

Quote

His mentor sounds fun; did he consciously hold him back, or just his methods?

No, not consciously, just his methods. He probably thought Bram was trying to rush things.
 

Quote

The only real question that's holding us back at this point is, how long has he been in Barovia, and is he staying at the local inn?

Yeah, let's say he's been here about half a week. He's trying to make sense of why he's here but maybe has met a few people. Definitely staying at the Inn. With no real lead on getting back to Candlekeep, maybe he's been in the job market?
 

[foxtrot636]

Bramzoz Nannin HP:   20/20 AC:   12Natural, unarmored, no mage armor or shield./15Mage armor, no shield spell./17Natural, unarmored, with the shield spell. /20Mage Armor, with Shield Spell Init:  +2 PP:   13 Speed:  30 Spell Slots: 4/4lvl1, 2/2lvl2 Arcane Recovery:  1/1 Portent Dice:  x/x

Snips HP:   1/1 AC:   11 Init:  +1 PP:   13 Speed:  5 ft. , fly 30 ft. FlybyThe owl doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy's reach. Keen Hearing and SightThe owl has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or sight.

Features

Class Features:  SpellcastingAs a student of arcane magic, you have a spellbook containing spells that show the first glimmerings of your true power. See Spells Rules for the general rules of spellcasting and the Spells Listing for the wizard spell list.

Cantrips
At 1st level, you know three cantrips of your choice from the wizard spell list. You learn additional wizard cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Wizard table.

Spellbook
At 1st level, you have a spellbook containing six 1st-level wizard spells of your choice. Your spellbook is the repository of the wizard spells you know, except your cantrips, which are fixed in your mind.

Preparing and Casting Spells
The Wizard table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your wizard spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

You prepare the list of wizard spells that are available for you to cast. To do so, choose a number of wizard spells from your spellbook equal to your Intelligence modifier + your wizard level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

For example, if you’re a 3rd-level wizard, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With an Intelligence of 16, your list of prepared spells can include six spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination, chosen from your spellbook. If you prepare the 1st-level spell magic missile, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn’t remove it from your list of prepared spells.

You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of wizard spells requires time spent studying your spellbook and memorizing the incantations and gestures you must make to cast the spell: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your wizard spells, since you learn your spells through dedicated study and memorization. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a wizard spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Ritual Casting
You can cast a wizard spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell in your spellbook. You don’t need to have the spell prepared.

Spellcasting Focus
You can use an arcane focus (see the Adventuring Gear section) as a spellcasting focus for your wizard spells.

Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher
Each time you gain a wizard level, you can add two wizard spells of your choice to your spellbook for free. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots, as shown on the Wizard table. On your adventures, you might find other spells that you can add to your spellbook (see the “Your Spellbook” sidebar)., Arcane RecoveryYou have learned to regain some of your magical energy by studying your spellbook. Once per day when you finish a short rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your wizard level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher.

For example, if you’re a 4th-level wizard, you can recover up to two levels worth of spell slots. You can recover either a 2nd-level spell slot or two 1st-level spell slots., Arcane Tradition: DivinationWhen you reach 2nd level, you choose an arcane tradition, shaping your practice of magic through one of eight schools: Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, or Transmutation. The School of Evocation is detailed at the end of the class description, and more choices are available in other sources.

Your choice grants you features at 2nd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level., Divination SavantBeginning when you select this school at 2nd level, the gold and time you must spend to copy a divination spell into your spellbook is halved., PortentStarting at 2nd level when you choose this school, glimpses of the future begin to press in on your awareness. When you finish a long rest, roll two d20s and record the numbers rolled. You can replace any attack roll, saving throw, or ability check made by you or a creature that you can see with one of these foretelling rolls. You must choose to do so before the roll, and you can replace a roll in this way only once per turn.

Each foretelling roll can be used only once. When you finish a long rest, you lose any unused foretelling rolls.

Languages:  Celestial, Common, Elvish, Infernal

Weapons & Armors:  Crossbow, Light, Dagger, Dart, Quarterstaff, Sling, no armor

Feats:  WarcasterYou have practiced casting spells in the midst of combat, learning techniques that grant you the following benefits:

You have advantage on Constitution saving throws that you make to maintain your concentration on a spell when you take damage.
You can perform the somatic components of spells even when you have weapons or a shield in one or both hands.
When a hostile creature's movement provokes an opportunity attack from you, you can use your reaction to cast a spell at the creature, rather than making an opportunity attack. The spell must have a casting time of 1 action and must target only that creature.

Racial & Background:  ResearcherWhen you attempt to learn or recall a piece of lore, if you do not know that information, you often know where and from whom you can obtain it. Usually, this information comes from a library, scriptorium, university, or a sage or other learned person or creature. Your DM might rule that the knowledge you seek is secreted away in an almost inaccessible place, or that it simply cannot be found. Unearthing the deepest secrets of the multiverse can require an adventure or even a whole campaign.

IC

This is narration.

"This is speech."

This is thought.

"And this is telepathic communication."

OOC

Move:  n/a

Action:  n/a

Bonus Action: n/a

Item Interaction:  n/a

Reaction:  n/a