So last time the raid on Greenest ended in utter and complete disaster when my party of 4 heroes was wiped at the mill. This is the second time the party is defeated. The first time only one of them actually died but this time half of the party perished, leaving only two of the original adventurers alive: Ignomini the tiefling with the prophetic fate and Pypui the cult escapee with a price on her head.
This second defeat happened in a location far from the keep. According to the adventure it will take reinforcements ten minutes to get there, which means that the chances for rescue are next to non-existent. The options we have now are either to start a total new group of adventurers or find a way to continue the story of Ignomini and Pypui. The way I see it there are two possibilities for this:
- Pypui and Ignomini are brought to the keep to be ransomed by Cyanwrath for a duel.
- Pypui and Ignomini are brought to the cult's camp as slaves.
There are clear problems with both of these arches. The problem with the ransom is that there would need to be a way for Pypui to be brought to the keep without Frulam Mondath actually recognizing her. This could be done by having her face smeared with grime.
The problem with the second option is that almost nothing has been written about the camp's inner workings. I would need to homebrew an entire section of the adventure and as daunting as this may be I think that I will go with the second option. Because there is no way of Pypui and Ignomini being able to face Cyanwrath in a duel this means that Sergeant Markguth is fighting him (and dying valiantly).
Then the two adventurers will need to recuperate a bit, which the castellan will gladly facilitate after all they've done. What I need is a reason to ask them to go on to the next stage of the adventure. So we'll empty the inventory of both adventurers of anything of value and introduce two new characters to stand up and bring them to their feet and into the action. Let's again make two new characters.
As always I'm using the tables for 'This is your life' provided by Xanathar's Guide to Everything:
🎲Race: (85) Halfelf
🎲Class: (44) Fighter (again...)
🎲Occupation: (94) Sailor
🎲Gender: Homebrew Table: [d10: 1-4 male, 5-8 female, 9 nonbinary, 10 DM's choice]:(7) female
🎲Name Origin: [d6: 1-3 elvish, 4-6 human] (4) human
🎲Name Origin 2: (10) Japanese
🎲Name: (61) Maiko
New Character 1: Maiko, the human fighter with the Sailor background
🎲Parents: (29) Maiko knows who her parents are or were.
🎲Half-Elf Parents: (6) One parent was a human and the other was a half-elf
🎲Birthplace: (10) Home
🎲Number of Siblings: (10) (7) 10
🎲Birth Order: (5, 6, 9, 9, 9, 10, 10, 11, 11, 11) Maiko is the third of eleven children
🎲Family: (7) Guardian
🎲Absent Parents: (1, 2) One of Maiko's Parents died, the other was enslaved, imprisoned or otherwise taken away. (4) This is her father.
🎲Mother's Death: (9) Maiko's mother was torn apart by a monster or natural disaster.
🎲Guardian: (2, 89, 12, 12, 7, 6) Maiko's Guardian is a male Half-Orc artisan of neutral alignment. Maiko had a friendly relationship with him. He is now doing poorly due to (1) injury.
🎲Fate of siblings: (7, 8, 9, 9, 10, 11, 11, 11, 12, 17) Two are alive but doing poorly, seven are alive and well and one is alive and infamous.
🎲Family lifestyle: (8) Poor
🎲Childhood Home: (60) Small House
🎲Maiko became a Sailor because (6) she had few prospects where she was living, so she left to find her fortune elsewhere.
🎲Maiko became a fighter because (2) she squired for a knight who taught her how to fight, care for a steed, and conduct herself with honor. She decided to take up that path for herself.
🎲Age: (25) 25 years
🎲Life events: (2)
- 🎲 (2) Maiko suffered a tragedy
- 🎲(7) A lover disappeared without a trace. Maiko has been looking for that person ever since.
- 🎲 Lover Fate: (8) Maiko's lover is alive but doing poorly due to injury, financial trouble or relationship difficulties
- 🎲 Lover Identity: (9, 93, 82, 11) Maiko's lover is a nonbinary tiefling bureaucrat of neutral alignment
- 🎲(78) Maiko went on an adventure
- 🎲Adventure: (28) Maiko was wounded but recovered fully in time.
🎲Plot Hook: (4) Ontharr Frume, a crusading warrior and champion of good, is Maiko's friend and mentor. He has asked her to travel to Greenest in search of rumors of increasing dragon activity.
Maiko comes from an enormously productive family. She lived with her family in the city of Neverwinter. When the mount Hotenow erupted her mother died and both her father and two of her siblings were injured in the collapsing house. From one day upon the next Maiko had to take care of her younger siblings and she did so as well as she could. Her father turned to drink and then to crime to support his habits. Eventually he fell in with criminal folk and was arrested for his crimes. Maiko's siblings were distributed amongst several charitable folks who wanted to raise them. Maiko herself was assigned as a squire the Ontharr Frume, a boisterous paladin who for the longest time thought her to be a boy.
Frume took her with him to Elturel where she learned from him how to fight. She didn't share his religious convictions but that didn't stop him from turning her into a decent fighter. When she had outgrown her squireship Ontharr let her go into the world to - as he said - forge a name for herself. Maiko went to work on the river ships that sailed the length of the Chionthar.
After proving herself Maiko were assigned as a bodyguard to a traveling bureaucrat with whom she eventually fell in love. Frume had taught her how to fight but Muse taught her how to love. They traveled for quite a while before one day they were set upon a dragon. Both were critically wounded and the dragon flew away with their horses. While staggering along they met a group of robed figures on horseback who offered their help. They lifted the two wounded people onto the horses where Maiko lost her senses.
When she woke up she was back in Elturel, under the care of Ontharr's order. He told her that he didn't know the wereabouts of Muse. It took a long time for Maiko's body to heal but her soul never fully recovered. She undertook several trips to find Muse but has so far been unsuccessful. Recently Ontharr has heard rumors of dragon activity in the Greenfields and to distract Maiko from her sorrows he has sent her to Greenest.
From her Background Maiko gains proficiency in Athletics and Perception as well the use of navigator's tools and water vehicles. Maiko's background leads me to the following characteristics:
Personality Traits: My friends know they can rely on me, no matter what. I work hard so that I can play hard when the work is done.
Ideal: Fairness: We all do the work so we all share in the reward.
Bond: I'm loyal to Ontharr Frume, he gave me a new life and I cannot thank him enough.
Flaw: Once I start drinking it's hard for me to stop.
🎲 Rolled Stats: 13, 14, 15, 15, 16, 16
Racial Bonuses: Charisma +2, Two others +1
STRENGTH: 16 (+3) | DEXTERITY: 16 (+3) | CONSTITUTION: 16 (+3)
INTELLIGENCE: 14 (+2) | WISDOM: 15 (+2) | CHARISMA: 16 (+3)
Maiko has amazing stats. She is the full package. No wonder that both Ontharr Frume and Muse were smitten by her. She is both strong and agile, smart and wise, healthy and charismatic and enjoys a good drink. With these attributes she is true leader material and will therefore take the Battlemaster subclass. As a halfelf she also gets proficiency in two more skills. I'll take persuasion and insight, because Maiko is a true people person. The third language she speaks besides Common and Elvish will of course be Infernal because of Muse.
🎲HP: (10+3)+(2+3)= 13+5 = 18
Fighting Style: Defense for extra AC
Class Skills: History, Animal Handling
🎲Starting Wealth: 110g Spent: 110g
💰Starting Equipment: Studded Leather, Katana (Greatsword), Wakizashi (Shortsword), 10 shurikans (darts), Bag (Backpack), Blanket, Bedroll, Waterskin, Common Clothes, Mess kit, Whetstone, Soap, 7 Candles
