DR1368 Madin Moonhunter - Knight Aspirant of the Eternal Order

[Thramzorean]

DR1368

Kelemvor ascends to greater deity status. Knights of the Eternal Order are formed in Iriaebor. Not all members of the order are paladins. Promising youths with potential undead hunting skills are brought into the order to build for the future.

So it is with Madin, a serious young man from Sembia, looking for a purpose in life beyond the crass materialism and social facades of his mercantile homeland.

As a knight errant now looks to undertake a role in a community that suits the teachings of this new god.

 

Name: Madin Moonhunter
Race: Human | Male (Chondathan - mixed)
Classes: Cleric 1
Alignment: LN

 

Cleric 1
Law Domain Feat (Complete Champion)
Travel Domain Feat (Complete Champion)

 

Character Premise
Dark knight of Kelemvor. A (eventually) bastard sword wielding martially focused cleric character that will be a hard hitting front-liner in development.
What I'm looking for with the character is a visceral connection with the setting which I think the premise provides. Something more than, does a bit of blacksmith work in his down time. Madin will have an almost evangelistic role to play, a representative of a new god with new ways (and perhaps be miss-judged because of it).

 

Abilities
Str 19, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 12

Feats
L1: Extra Turning
H: Two-weapon Fighting

 

Default Spells 2 (looses Domain spells)
L1: Wield Skill (MoF pg124) x2
Madin uses his default spells in his daily activities - when he is asked to interpret a will, attempts to heal or similar.
L0: Detect Magic, Light, Purify Food and Drink

 

Skills
3 x 4=12
4 ranks Knowledge Religion
1 rank Spellcraft
1 rank Profession Lawyer
1 rank Profession Executioner
1 rank Knowledge Arcane
1 rank Diplomacy
3 ranks Heal

 

Sembia Starting Equipment
(A) 300gps

 

Stat Block

Madin Moonhunter
m LN Human Cleric, Level 1, Init 2, HP 11/11, Speed 30
AC 16, Touch 12, Flat-footed 14, Fort 5, Ref 2, Will 4, Base Attack Bonus 0
Heavy Mace +4 (1d8+4, x2)
Dagger +4 (1d4+4(2), 19-20/x2)
Light Crossbow +2 (1d8, 19-20/x2)
Chain Shirt (+4 Armor, +2 Dex)
Abilities Str 19, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 12
Condition None

 

Edited December 28, 2023 by Thramzorean (see edit history)

[Thramzorean]

Background
It was a pleasant walk through the lush, fertile fields of Mistledale. Birds whipping over the tended farmland, a soft breeze and gentle sunshine. The sweet smell of freshly mown hay. Unbidden memories of his earliest childhood returned, he must have passed this way riding on a wagon when barely a toddler he realised. Scents stayed with a person, perhaps evoking some primal response to recognise locations. It was, nice. He would have been happy then. Loved. Cared for. With family who doted over him. Was he happy now? Yes, Madin decided. His life had come a full circle. He was at peace with himself. There was an underlying sadness that might never leave him, still now he had purpose, a full life to live, for himself and others.

When had the changed occurred? Madin's apprenticeship with other budding Knights was still fresh in his thoughts. Those were his first genuinely happy days for many years he realised. He found his paladin brothers earnest and keen but from his perspective somewhat naive. A core of their beliefs was redemption and forgiveness, of hope and the righteousness of the world - Madin's experience in life, the reality, was more tempered. Images of his wine-soaked mother, cursing and screaming at him, berating Madin's father, anything and everybody that could be abused would be source of sadness to him to the day he left to meet his true lord. It was nothing uncommon, addiction to alcohol. That habit that would begin with a glass of wine or two with the evening meal every day. To the point where the ruby red liquid ruled every aspect of a person's life, a person who was no longer the person you knew. There came a time, that always took more time than it should, when you had to cut yourself off from that person. When their rescuing was in their own hands alone. So it had been with Madin, his father leading him away from their home, leaving what had been Madin's childhood behind. The grim hardly unexpected ending, that his mother, though she had attempted to break her habit, had finally despaired, taking her own life. Nothing uncommon. Socialites of all ilks in the pretentious status posturing of Sembia would fall to substance abuse: wines, powders from Thay, the smoke of strange burning weeds. What was another failure at life? Wealth made no difference, only easier access to better quality materials. The gold coin measurement that judged an individual's place in their country - what was that really? Only an excuse to enrich oneself at the cost of others. Madin wanted nothing to do with that world. It did not have to be him. It would not be.

It was another sad day when he returned to his new home to find the final result of his father's fears. A commercial rival was known to be offering to purchase the competition his father had created to an established factotum. His father suspected the offer of purchase a ruse to gather more information regards the source and technique used to create the popular goods that threatened to re-establish the Moonhunter's as a force in the marketplace. The threat was real, the nature of the threat completely underestimated and miss-judged. A tale to terrify future upstarts. The Moonhunter residence was covered in the shattered remains of skeletons, a necromancer had been hired for the assassination, a vile offense even by the standards of Sembia. The final indignity the zombie of his father, programmed to walk forever around the roof the mansion, prostrating himself in a specific direction, debasing himself in public view. An unliving reminder to all of consequences.

It had been judged best by friends of the family that Madin should leave Sembia forthwith. Survivors of retribution had a habit of vanishing. So it was Madin had ended up in the Overland City, Iriaebor, put under the patronage of the clerics of Kelemvor to ensure protection against the necromantic, with what coinage he had been able to salvage. Alas the bulk of his family's once sizeable fortune spent in the establishment of their new business.

With his initiation into the Church and Order complete Madin has no particular wish to return to Sembia. Rather he chose to come to the Dales to revisit places of his earliest memories as a child and see the state of the world, to teach and practice the worship of his god.

Now looking across Mistledale, Madin was content with his choice. Let the future bring what it would.

 

Description
A moderately tall man clad in a fine midnight black cowled robe, with embroidered trims and a full matching ensemble of high black leather travellers boots, breaches and a black chain shirt. Immediately obvious is a large silver symbol hung on his chest, that of a skeletal arm holding a pair of scales. Clearly indicative of something, it would radiate a holy power for those able to undertake such a divination - but which god did this represent?
There is a martial aspect to him, a heavy flanged mace swings at his hip. A light crossbow is strung across his back.
Still a glance at the face hidden deep within the cowl shows a remarkably youthful man, perhaps not yet in his twenties, a surprisingly stern countenance, laughing blue-grey eyes and straight charcoal hair framing a pale visage.
While his outfit is practical, the matching embellished jet-black clothing is almost approaching that which a courtier could wear - perhaps a nod to the fact that you can take the man out of Sembia but you can't take all of Sembia out of the man.

 

Personality
In many ways a severe pious individual. A teetotaller who keeps himself on a strict regime of martial training and devotion. Disciplined, able to stand unflinching to execute the condemned. Yet there is an undoubted streak of humour still to be seen at surprising times, a practical joke that nobody can guess the source, an amusing wry comment - dry as the deserts of Anauroch. And also a tender side, caring for those in need, comforting those whose who lost dearly departed. It is this generosity of spirit, a communal compassion, that is the defining facet of Madin's personality. People remember kindly those who aided them, who healed and tended them, who listened then talks, they care little of the fact this is a man who is a representative of a god of death. Lathlander may witness birth and creativity, yet there needs to be those who help usher the inevitable end of things that come to all.

 

A rough day on the job. Caring for the orphaned.

 

A good day on the job. Eternal Order initiation.

 

 

A professional day on the job. Justice with dignity.

 

Storyline

There was crowd, there was always a crowd, gossiping, hushed chattering, oohs and aaahs, the silence and inevitable gasps. A show.

Madin stood as if carved of black basalt by the gallows strut, impervious to the stares and gawking of the peasants and barely literate. It was not their fault they knew nothing of the skeletal arm and scales symbol he bore. Madin was simply another part of the performance.

The condemned man was led up the stairs, hooded, bound, trembling to the point where the guards were carrying him more than guiding him.

The man stood on the trapdoor, the noose of rough hemp was placed around his neck. Still quivering the doomed man hissed and gasped, then made a quavering mutter from behind the hood.

"I am to be hanged, while those who are the truly guilty walk free!"

A calm neutral voice replied that none but the man heard from out of the deep cowl beside him.

"Know that if you have been miss-judged here, you shall not be on the Fugue Plane. You shall receive what you deserve."

There was a despairing sob.

At the front of the gallows the court herald was now reading the condemned man's crimes to the gathered throng. As the court's guilty pronouncement was declared so the hood was removed so that all may gaze upon the wrongdoer.

"My children, I'm all they have!" Weeping eyes turned to a pair of raggedly dressed urchins standing to one side.

The still man in his dark robes suddenly stood forward, his hand held up for quiet.

"You good lady. Yes you."

A homely middle-aged woman jumped as if she had been stabbed when the pointed finger singled her out.

"Kindly remove those two children. At once."

There was a moment of blank confusion, then the situation was grasped and the woman immediately led the sniffling children away.

The mood of the crowd, previously ghoulish, macabre, became sombre.

The hood of the condemned man was replaced.

"Go in peace. Know that regardless of your innocence or guilt your children will be cared for."

There was a shudder. Then a sudden spate of quiet words from under the hood, for Madin's ears alone. "The man behind where the children were standing, he is guilty and the judge with him."

Indeed there was an ill-favoured unkempt individual, gloating, revelling in the scene.

The quick hushed whisper continued.

"Under a truth spell ask the judge where she was last Sune at Eventide."

The court herald stood to one side preparing to drop the lever.

"I will follow your words and pass the matter to the clergy of Tyr. They will not treat lightly if one of their own has betrayed them, and you may be sure neither shall my lord Kelemvor, may disbelievers tremble at His wrath."

There was clank, a jerk, then silence.

A clear voice rang out across the packed marketplace, the crowd quiet, for this was the first time they had heard it. The black statue beside the swinging corpse intoning the new god of the dead's prayer, to inform the Judge of the Damned that a soul was now journeying to him to be weighed.

 

 

Edited December 20, 2023 by Thramzorean (see edit history)

[Thramzorean]

Perseverance 3

[Thramzorean]

I'll declare Madin complete at this point. Still have some mundane items to finalise in his backpack, rope and whatnot, but I'll return to that if the character is selected. I'm travelling from now till after the 31st so while I may add to it, I can't be definite. A merry festive season to all in the interim.