Bio: Rhen's love of attention and new experiences isn't unique among his people. However, her forwardness and honesty are. Despite his race's natural skill for deception and blending in, she's always lived openly as a changeling. When he came forward as a volunteer for the expedition, the committee saw two benefits. Nobody was ever going to miss a changeling, and they'd have a comprehensive record for the next expedition to go through, whether or not she survived.
Skills: He's blessed with an eye for detail, and investigative mind that can discover the essence and pertinent points of any story. She also has a small gift for languages, but can be confused quickly by fast or complex speech in any other language but Common.
Magic: As with all his kind, Rhen is capable of changing her gender and appearance at will. This includes hair colour, eye colour, voice, skin tone, general build and even sizes of individual body parts. He can resemble the thin elves or the broader humans, depending on how she feels. This does have limits; Rhen has to maintain his general size, and cannot radically alter the length of her limbs or height and weight. Yeah, he has to work off fat like anyone else, much to her annoyance.
Equipment: A book that's enchanted to add pages and a quill that takes dictation from his voice alone. It doesn't seem to react to anyone else, even if Rhen is imitating their voice at the time.
Other: Rhen is flirty and doesn't discriminate. If she likes you, it doesn't matter what you are. If he dislikes you personally, you'll be lucky to get politeness.
"I swear if any of you dung for brains mention anything about me 'frolicking through the forest' I'ma shove this here sword up yer arsehole, and it's gonna hurt."
Name: Cinnia Gòrdanach
Age: 27
Race: Elf
Appearance: Standing at a five foot nine, Cinnia is solidly built for an elf. Muscles that indicate raw strength, rather than the delicate finesse other elves might have. She has bright green eyes and long, fiery red hair usually tied back to keep it out of her way during forging, other work, or training. Upon her face she has two scars - one across her eye as well as one across the bridge of her nose. Trophies from a few rewards testing her weapons. Has a few others, but she ain't telling where. That's for you to find out. Normally she wears simple light clothing as to not get overheated when working the forge.
Role: Blacksmith/Enchanter Cinnia has skill with using a forge to forge both weapons and armor for various purposes. Additionally, she is able to take materials imbued with a source of magic, and forge them into other items if she has enough time, materials, and is already familiar with the function of it. Could also be used as a general laborer, such as helping build things if she's needed too.
Bio: Cinnia, like most elves grew up in the forest. Unlike most other elves though, she spent more time inside the forge rather than frolicking through a field of daisies (She laughs at the idea). Cinnia has always been good with her hands, either when punching someones lights out, making things, or working with whatever it was she is working with. So instead of being a hunter or some sort of...uppity scholar, Cinnia instead took up learning how to smith quality weapons and armor. For an elf, that was a pretty new idea. She spent most of her early life training under a dwarf, even! A traveling blacksmith that wanted to travel the world and see the weapon making techniques of all the races in order to craft better weapons. When he showed up at Cinnia's village, she eagerly went with him and his other apprentice - another elf, by the name of Alena to boot.
Alena and Cinnia became fast friends, with Cinnia taking quite a liking to her somewhat klutzy superior, often spending time training themselves with weapons as well as how to possibly forge better. Somewhere down the road, after getting their hands on some rare Ore Cinnia's talent for enchanting became apparent. Sometime later after hearing of this expedition both her and Alena both applied to go - seeing this as a very good opportunity to expand on their skills.
As for why she was chosen over Alena? Well, the old dwarf was apparently a smith of some renown who had downright rejected the offer. So instead, they picked one of his apprentices - and it just happened to be Cinnia. She does feel a little bit bad that she was the one picked over Alena who was objectively older and much better than she was, but Alena wasn't much of an enchanter.
Skills: - Forging weapons and other things out of metal - Inlaying enchantments upon weapons, so long as she has something to work with. (taking magic from something else, and forging it into a weapon) - While not her main focus, she does have some skill with wood working. - Swordsmanship. Cinnia likes to think a good smith can only be good if they can use the weapons they forge. As such, she knows how to use one even if she doesn't do so that much. She tests the balance, weight, and sharpness of every blade herself and if its not up to snuff she isn't happy with it. - Knows what quality ore looks like, unrefined or refined. - Cook. Yep, she can cook fairly well. Have fun, people.
Magic: Enchanter: As previously stated, Cinnia has the ability to inlay magical effects into metal as she forges it. This is typically achieved by taking magic from something - typically some sort of ore or other material with latent magical properties - and somehow forging it into the resulting item in a very precise way. This can give both weapons and armor some fairly nifty effects - blades that never dull, blades that simply seem...sharper for some reason. Once done however, the armor and weapon will have the effect for its life, and sometimes the result can have some rather unforeseen consequences upon the object. Make it more brittle, for example. Additionally, it can be a time consuming process, and learning to work with new items can be more trial and error than anything, meaning heavy usage of materials.
Equipment: Cinnia bought a wagon full of supplies that any blacksmith might need
-Metal working tools (hammer, tongs, that sort of thing etc.) -Her sword -Portable Forge. A simple construct consisting of multiple parts, but is little more than a metal box on sturdy legs to hold coals or other burnable materials. It's not much, and to make anything more extravagant she'll need to build a permanent one somewhere. It's able to make a fire hot enough to allow for making simple weapons. To be assembled on-site when the group stops.
Other: Tends to be fairly flirty in her mannerisms.
Appearance: He ha sharp green eyes and light brown hair. He has a heavy muscular build. He stands at about 6'8.
Role: Ranger/hunter/survivalist
Bio: Randy was born to a woman out of wedlock and with an unknown father. All he knows is that his father came around the small town where his mother ran an Inn and she was seduced by the suave man and then left out to dry when she was with child. The village where he was born and raised is a remote northern village. While it isn't a lawless land it is a wild land. Much of the food he got was either through hunting or snares.
He ran across a huntsman one day during his daily snare checks and found that the man was stealing his rabbit. The man apologized and began to teach him a few useful skills in exchange for the rabbit. He continued to learn from this man in secret for a few days every few months when he would return. It was odd to him that he never came to the village but the man said that he pretty much only lives in the wild now.
By the time he was 13 he was already as tall or taller than most of the men in his village. He had accumulated much knowledge from the strange man in the woods that he met with. He has learned how to craft a bow among other things. He had made his way as a hunter for the most part and on occasion gathered herbs and other plants from the forests. He had a talent with animals as well. It was almost as if he could communicate with them in some kind of primal way. He could sense them when they were near; especially predators. He felt a kinship with them in some way. When he locked eyes with a wolf or a bear there was some kind of...understanding that was shared. He was never attacked by them and nor did he become aggressive towards them. The calm and quiet of the forest soothed his soul. He managed to learn how to blend in with the rest of the wild and hide his presence.
Still at 13 he returned to see his village in flames. Bandits had ransacked the place. His mother was taken. He used his tracking skills to find the bandits before nightfall. Many of the men had captured cattle, valuables and of course the women of the village. While keeping hidden he sniped many of the men with his bow and overpowered the ones that he had to take out with his hands. He found his mother dead with a knife wound in her side. Her hands were still bound behind her back. A white hot rage engulfed Randy. This wasn't like the wild. People...people were wrong. They were cruel. They didn't kill his mother for food or for survival. They did it out of evil. For ...fun. He tracked down the last few bandits over the next few weeks and never looked back. All that he took with him from his childhood was his bow and a hawk chick that he found stolen by the bandits.
Ever since then he has devoted his life to the life of a ranger. He is a hunter who specializes in big game. Traveling across the lands he also gained a sense of adventure for discovery. He has a bound book of blank parchment in which he draws new creatures he comes across. When he heard about this new land that is undiscovered he felt drawn to it.
Magic: Animal Empathy- To varying degrees he is able to communicate with wild animals. They don't understand language so it isn't like a conversation or telepathy but just a shared understanding of intentions. His Hawk, Greyfeather, for example he has an incredible bond with and can follow complex directions or provide accurate information about an area or creature.
Shared Senses- Usually only one at a time. Roger can link senses with another willing individual but far more likely Greyfeather. This is only an expansion to his animal empathy and cannot use animal empathy through the bird.
Guided Arrow- When concentrating he increases his accuracy unconsciously and his arrow is guided sightly to his true target. This helps against things such as wind or other factors that may throw off his accuracy.
-Drill- The arrow head is drill like and the arrow spins rapidly creating a tunneling effect for the arrow that can help it pierce thick armor or hide.
-Ricochet- The arrow bounces off of the first surface it hits at the appropriate angle.
-splitting- The arrow splits into two mid flight to either hit two different targets near each other or to hit a single target twice.
Equipment: Darkwood Hunting Longbow. Quiver full of seemingly mundane arrows. A claymore. Birdfeed.
Appearance: 6'3", 230 lbs, balanced muscular build, short military-cut black hair, unslanted black eyes, sharp facial features, usually wears sleeveless dark-colored shirts and shorts.
Role: Bodyguard. Jurin's role is to keep everyone alive, rather than to do any of his own research.
Bio: Jurin had complications at birth. He was a very large foetus, and when it was time for him to come into this world, his head was away from the birth canal, and no amount of pushing would change that. In the end, his parents, who were wealthy minor nobility, solicited the services of a wizard, who cast a spell that would make Jurin want to survive and instinctively know what wouldn't work. Finally, he was birthed as a healthy baby boy, but the spell stuck to him forever. Later in life, much to the dismay of his parents, Jurin decided to essay his education into foreign languages, rhetoric, geography, philosophy, and politics (his parents were preparing him to become a royal ambassador) in order to make full use of his innate magic, as a bodyguard. He was chosen by the mages of Chaosera to go on the expedition to the new world because he is uniquely suited to assess the risk of a situation, regardless of how little experience he has with it. And naturally, nobody has any experience with the new world yet.
Skills: Beyond his obvious skill in hand to hand combat and most melee weapons (especially daggers), Jurin still retains some of his education as a diplomat, though he hasn't practiced much lately. He has rudimentary skills in nature survival (finding North, limited hunting, starting and kindling a fire, other basic things like that) but he's probably worse than most of the group at this. His understanding of science is limited.
Magic: Jurin has an ability called Death Ward, from which his nickname originates. This ability allows him to instinctively know if he has a greater than 50% chance of dying within five minutes or less if he doesn't change his own actions in a major way. This is a purely yes-or-no ability: he either feels like he's closer than a coinflip to death in the near future or he doesn't. This ability doesn't pinpoint the exact source of danger, or the possible cause or death, or the exact percentage. And in some cases, he may not start feeling threatened straight up 5 minutes before the potential death event, but less than that, if it was, for example, hovering around 40-45% lethality until then. His sense also doesn't trigger on the potential deaths of others, even if they are people he is deliberately trying to protect; for example, if the group is collecting highly poisonous mushrooms and planning to eat them, he won't sense the danger of this if he doesn't like mushrooms and won't be eating himself. One last thing is that Death Ward is, as the name suggests, a death-specific warning spell. If something is about to happen to Jurin that will horribly disfigure or maim him, or send him into a coma, but has a low chance of straight up killing him, he won't know.
Equipment: Machete, three 10 inch daggers, several cords of rope, bandaging cloth, flint, 300 grams of gold in 10 gram nuggets
Other: I would describe Jurin as reckless and not very brave at the same time. What I mean by this is that while his Death Ward is tingling, he will be extremely apprehensive about his surroundings and the source of danger and active about getting himself and the rest of the group out, rather than facing the danger head-on, but while his Death Ward is silent, he is perfectly willing and even happy to take risks, even though he knows that the potential for permanent injury is there. Just something I thought others should know about how he behaves.
Race: Mithra Gender: female Background: Guardian Age 22 Appearance: While a cleancut woman, no one would mistake Esailia as human. Due to her feline heritage she has fur spreading across her arms, legs, most of her back, and around her face. She keeps her fur trimmed, straight, and groomed. She is rather plain save for the Guardian Mark at the hollow of her throat, and her armor was standard issue combat plate from her homeland. She keeps her own shield, however, along with a pair of matching swords, one shorter than the other, on her left hip. Fur Color: dark brown Eye color: green Height: 5'6'' Combat style: Frontliner (uses shield for defensive and offensive means) Skills: Sword and Board (knows and has trained hard with a shield on her left arm and a sword in her right hand). Adept at hand to hand combat, but not reliable in an extended fight. Military tactics (has an eye for defensible positions and is used to giving commands in a fight). Life skills: minor armorer training (enough to repair any dents in her shield with a hammer, and aware if her armor needs to be replaced or repaired), Survival(at the very least knowing how to start a fire and not to eat unknown plants), and discipline(A strict routine when waking up, double checking straps and supplies, that sort of thing). Magic: Able to sustain a simple illumination from a unique type of metal. Her shield was custom crafted out of this metal, but nothing else she will carry into the portal will. Her extreme lack of magical abilities is part of why she enjoys being a Guardian. Gear: Shield, two swords, twenty feet of sturdy rope, a standard issue military pack, a blacksmith's hammer, two whetstones, ten field rations, two canteens for liquids, a pound of dried jerky, a 4 foot by 6 foot blanket, two changes of combat underclothes, two sets of non combat clothing (both types are shirt, leggings, undergarments), three changes of socks, a small multi-purpose knife (not designed for combat), a flute, a journal, and three pencils. History: Born into a mixed heritage, Esailia was always slated for being cannon fodder for her Kingdom. Both her parents expected it of her, and she didn't disappoint. She enjoyed the guidance, order, and neatness that came with military training. Never straying for any other subjects, she quickly found her true calling as a Guardian. A dangerous branch of the military, she was one of a small handful of women to request it.
She was used to being ridiculed for her furred cat ears that sat atop her head and rather thick tail, and never spoke up against derogatory names or insults. Esailia simply showed everyone who doubted her she was not to be ignored or pitied. Graduating top of her Guardian class, she was preparing to join the ranks of the proper military when news came in of a portal to another world. This was her chance. A chance to prove not only was she a capable fighter, but one able to protect the people of all the kingdoms in an expedition through unknown lands and unknown dangers...
She signed up that day, clad in her armor with her personal shield on her back and swords on her hip. Personality : Firm. She won't allow herself to be easily led around by the nose, and while she prefers the strictness of a military schedule, she still has a spark of curiosity that has gotten her into trouble a few times.
Bio: Riki is both a good hunter as well as an exceptional Botanist among her small community of Elves. She grew up in that small community, in the middle of a dense forest, far from all other civilization. She longed to leave, explore and seek out new things, especially plants. When she turned 17 she left her village and began explore the reaches of the world, cataloging all new species of plants she came across. But the world was only so big, and by the age of 26, she’d come to realize that there was nothing else to discover. In her 9 years abroad, she refined her hunting abilities as to provide for herself and lower the cost of her lengthy expedition. After returning home, she quickly put together an encyclopedia of all that she’d found. Two years later she heard of the portal that lead to a new world. Within minutes, she had her things packed and set off to put in her application to be a part of this grand adventure into a strange new land. She doesn't know for sure why she was chosen to go through the portal, but if she had to hazard a guess, she would assume it was for her supposed expertise in botany.
Skills: Identifying plants and their various uses. As she always says, it pays to know what can kill you and what can heal you. She’s rather good with a bow and arrow, as that’s the easiest way to hunt. She can produce crude hunting snares. Also, she knows the basics of how to wield a dagger.
Magic: Riki has an elemental ability. She can create fire; however, her flames are no bigger than the size of a baseball. She has no control over it once it leaves her hand and it usually dies out within seconds. She has no desire to use the ability for violence and uses it solely as a torch in dark places or to light fires for her camp.
Equipment: A bow and quiver of sturdy arrows. Her encyclopedia. A small dagger. A small satchel of special plants with various healing properties. Another small satchel with some snare materials. And a new note book with some charcoal, a quill and ink, so she can catalogue new plants.
Other: Even though Riki spent many years abroad and met many different kinds of people, she still has a very blunt way of speaking. She says what she means and doesn’t particularly care if she offends someone or not.
Shel has very light green eyes and a mop of curly brown hair. He cannot grow much of a beard, virtually no beard at all in fact. He is slightly skinny for a halfling, which leads some to question his cooking ability but they quickly learn the error of their ways. He stands at 3'4, right about average for a Halfling.
He wears a deep green tunic with a brown leather vest over it. The vest has some padding in the shoulder to help him carry his bag. His pants are beige and held up by a custom made Halfling sized buckled belt with attached (empty) sheathe.
Role: Chef, Scout, Diversion
Bio:
Shel Applewood led the happy safe life that it typical of his people. Halfling's don't take up much space, enjoying homes that are small and cozy (even for them) rather than vast and expansive, and that coupled with their famous hospitality allows them to get along rather well. As a young man Shel wanted to follow in the footsteps of his parents who ran a famous bed and breakfast, he wanted to become a famous Chef. At the age of 24 he came to realize that he had gone as far as he would as a Chef. For every step forward he would have had to sacrifice increasing amounts of time and freedom. Already he was well liked by his village, but if he wished to become truly famous as a Chef he would have to dedicate his life to recreating recipes created years ago by some other Halfling. He didn't want to follow in another's footsteps; he wanted to blaze a trail of his own.
Always a rather curious Halfling, Shel seized the opportunity when a large mercenary company was passing through his town. He prepared a particularly sumptuous meal for the company and presented it to them himself, explaining what he had made and how he had prepared it. He had hoped the leader, a stern faced man well past his youth, would hem and haw and heap praises upon him, but instead they simply ate their meals quickly and headed to their rooms. He had given up hope when the mercenary groups second in command came into the kitchen and invited him into the company. Their cook had never made them sick, but that was about the best they could say of the man.
They were not what you would call a friendly group, but alongside them Shel was able to explore the world and devise recipes of his own. He found that he had another skill as well. As a Halfling he was rather dexterous and among a crew of humans, particularly among a crew of often drunken humans, he learned how to stay out of the way and (remembering again that they were drunk lonely men) how to stay hidden. On his trips out from camp to gather flora and hunt he learned to scout out the road ahead, and in order to better scout he learned to draw maps. With the tiny hands he was given at birth and the attention to detail he had learned as a cook a regular piece of paper was a canvas, he found to his delight that he was able to make maps that were uniquely intricate.
Since then he has always traveled, though his maps and meals brought him enough fame that he was able to move from indiscriminate mercenary camps to proper armies. On his last journey he heard rumor of an expedition into lands unseen by man and knew that that would be where he could make his fame and fortune. He would journey where no one had been, he would map out the lands, and he would keep his fellow travelers happy and full. It was all a curious Halfling could ask for.
Skills:
Foraging, cooking, stealth, hiding, wishing the baddies would go away, climbing, basic (informative) reading and writing, and map making. He can also sing passably, and knows a number of songs learned during his travels
Magic:
Shel has no real connection to magic. He has found that as a Halfling animals do not tend to see him as a threat, so long as they are not starving. His abilities however derive purely from his curious good-hearted nature and small stature.
Equipment:
A leather backpack with one strap from right shoulder to left hip, normal size and so quite large on him; inside of which is: - A Butcher's Knife which he hopes never to use outside of cooking - A Several pencils and drawing accessories - A sling and 4 shaped and smoothed decorated stones - A pot filled with vegetables, fruit, a loaf of bread, nuts, berries, herbs and the like - A pan tightly fastened over the pot to keep everything together - A light blue cloak made by his mother for when it gets cold, or windy, or he misses home
Tucked between his tunic and his vest he carries a normal sized ledger of fine paper with many sheets of cheaper paper stuff inside.
Name: Rintor Otorik, aka. The Smiler, The Blade of Boshir
Age: 33
Race: Human (Sub-Saharan African in appearance)
Appearance: Rintor is a smallish, very dark-skinned man in his early thirties, wiry but muscular. He has dark grey-brown eyes and is vaguely handsome. However, he suffers from Alopecia Universalis, which renders him completely hairless across his entire body. He usually dresses in a simple black robe, with black leather boots, loose black pants, a handful of fur pelts, and a thick brown leather belt with a trio of leather satchels around his waist. In his youth, he would often wear a mask that covered most of his face. However, he doesn't wear it anymore.
Role: Linguist, assassin, scout
Bio: Rintor comes from Boshir, a powerful fiefdom in the south, where he was the third son in a family from his country’s equivalent of the landed gentry. His father and grandfather had both served with distinction in the king’s army as armed scouts in previous conflicts, rising to become commanders. Rintor seemed destined for the same path, and indeed demonstrated considerable aptitude as a child. However, he manifested somewhat unexpected magical abilities upon puberty and was sent for schooling in the arcane arts. He showed little promise with higher magicks, but excelled at what was called ‘lightbending’, which, in short, allows him to bend the visible light spectrum so as to appear all-but invisible. Before long it appeared that he had reached a dead-end. While lightbending was a useful skill, people who trained at the academy of thaumaturgy were strictly forbidden from using the abilities learned there for violent ends.
When war erupted with a neighboring Elven kingdom, Rintor, then only seventeen, remained at the academy. He had flourished during his years there and grown into a thoughtful young man. However, after a year, the military situation turned for the worse, and he was personally pulled out of the academy upon orders of the king and placed into the army as a commissioned officer. Whatever his moral qualms, Rintor served as his father and grandfather had before him. If his swordsmanship was subpar for his station, he had little use for it during scouting missions. However, one can only last for so long in a war without resorting to violence. Forced to kill an enemy scout who would have revealed his army’s position, Rintor had shed his first blood. Surrounded by martial culture, his guilt was quickly assuaged.
From that point onward, he became the leader of an advance party that quickly became infamous for its lightning strikes, guerilla warfare, and sabotage. His lightbending skills made him almost absurdly effective, and before long Rintor was doing more than scouting. Assassinations came next, followed by long missions deep into enemy territory. His initial moral objections having become a thing of the past, and fed a steady diet of awards, honours, propaganda, and berserker mushrooms, Rintor became a gleeful killing machine. Gifted a pair of finely honed daggers by the king himself, the lightbender’s trail of bodies grew until he was feared, revered, and loathed across much of the continent. It became something of a legend that he would always appear out of nowhere a bare moment before striking the fatal blow, smiling like the devil himself.
His high (or low) point, came when he infiltrated the bedchambers of the Elven king and murdered him and his entire family in cold blood. This plunged the country into civil war and forced their interim leadership to sue for peace terms. Back home, Rintor was hailed as a hero, but with the war over and the accolades, drugs, and honours drying up, he felt increasingly hollow. He longed for purpose, which he attempted to find in hunting, bloodsport, and horse racing. All were dead ends. The academy had long since severed all ties with him and he was not allowed to return there. At some point, he disappeared from society altogether.
Nobody is entirely certain where he went for seven years, but when he reappeared, he was able to speak six new languages and he seemed to have found his peace. He sat outside of the academy in meditation, drinking only one bottle of water each day, for twenty-six days and nights until he was finally granted an audience with the provost. The price that he paid for readmission to the academy was considerable: all of his lands, honours, titles, and possessions save what he had carried with him, as well as a solemn vow of non-violence to be broken upon pain of a degenerative curse that will slowly and painfully cause him to waste away.
For the next three years, he ensconced himself within its hallowed halls, re-emerging at around the same time that the opening of the portal was announced. He appeared before the king, dressed in his simple black robes, and requested that he be the first of his nation to step through the portal. Given his status as a war hero, it was a request that could hardly be refused. Nobody knows what his motivation is except for Rintor himself, though one would assume that it has to do with the fascination of exploring a new land and finding redemption in the process.
Skills: Rintor can move with the utmost stealth and silence. Even elven ears struggle to detect him. He is almost ridiculously proficient with knives and daggers, though he has sworn never to use them for violence against another sentient being so long as he lives. He is able to draw maps and describe topography in considerable detail, though perhaps not as well as he might’ve in his youth. He is adept at sabotage, guerilla warfare, and has some tactical abilities, though these are qualities that he tries not to advertise. Rintor is a skilled horseman and reasonably proficient with a bow, though not what one would call 'naturally talented'. He can fast for an extended period of time and possesses basic survival skills. He has an innate ear for languages and has studied linguistics over the prvious handful of years, though he tends to speak with a thick accent.
Magic: Rintor is able to bend light so that he blends in flawlessly with his surroundings for extended periods of time when still and short bursts while moving. This effectively makes him able to turn invisible. However, the ability only extends to the visible light spectrum, and requires considerable concentration. He also struggles to blend into backdrops with especially intricate patterns or with many colours and a great deal of motion.
Equipment: Rintor has the clothes on his back, a flask of water in one satchel, some parchment and a quill in another, and some dried fruits, jerky, and nuts in another. He also has a pair of wickedly sharp daggers gifted to him by the king, but he wants nothing to do with them.
Other: Rintor is quiet and reserved – some would say aloof and subtly arrogant. He never shows his teeth anymore when smiling. He seems to be highly intelligent, though he will rarely correct people’s mistakes. He also appears to have little to no interest in women. Though he has tried hard to train it out of himself, he harbours a degree of suspicion towards elves and many near-human beings. Before Rintor went through the portal, the king gifted him his old daggers back and bade him take them through the portal. Rintor could not disobey with so many eyes on him, but he plans to drop them the moment that he steps through, and not just for his own sake. Given his past and his distinctive appearance, I'd assume that he would be known to many of the other characters, at least by name and reputation.
Appearance: Gorlag stands unusually tall at 6’ 7”, despite being atypically lanky for someone with orcish blood. He has little by way of muscles, though is about as strong as a mildly athletic human due to his heritage. He has a shaved head and a white beard of medium length. He is typically clothed in thick, honorary robes granted to him by his University, however, he has brought along a roughspun tunic and sheep’s wool pants. One of his leftmost teeth can at times poke up just beyond his lower lip. Furthermore, his teeth are unusually large when compared to humans. He has an almost unnoticeable black tattoo of a fist on his right pinky finger, indicating membership of the Bankton Pugilism Guild. Gorlag’s eyes are a pale blue color.
Role: Scholar of Magic
Bio: Gorlag was born in the small human village of Bankton in the far north to an Orcish father and a Human mother. Life was simple, and the people were unusually tolerant. Where his father came from, people tended to hate orcs. But in Bankton they found a home. Unfortunately, Bankton’s job opportunities were lacking at best. His father worked manual labor at a nearby forge, and his mother worked as a Tavern Wench. Neither of his parents were particularly skilled at the Magical Arts, but they discovered that Gorlag was when they found him studying “Intro to Advanced Magical Theory” at age nine. Gorlag’s own spellcasting abilities were limited by the unfortunate circumstances of his birth, however, his magical knowledge easily dwarfed that of either of his parents. They started a collection to send him to a college in the interior of the land in order to cultivate his magical skill.
After acquiring sufficient coin, Gorlag was sent on his way at age fifteen, equipped with little more than a sack full of cash and a desire for knowledge in his heart. He couldn’t take a carriage due to the family's financial situation, but he could use his own two feet to take him wherever he desired. Over the course of a year’s journey he traveled far and wide, meeting a number of interesting people, and learning more and more about Magic. When he finally arrived at the University and enrolled, he found the courses to be behind his level - after all the time on his lonesome he’d spent studying, he was beyond the other entry level applicants. Still he continued his studies, approaching the Archmages on his own and attempting to ascertain knowledge that wasn’t in the curriculum - particularly, a mage named Flavius. At age nineteen, after graduating from the college, he immediately applied for an Apprenticeship with the college - the first step to becoming an Archmage himself. His application was quickly denied by a board of Mages that were distinctly anti-orc. Disheartened, he made the journey back home.
After a few days stay with his parents, Gorlag sought a job. There was little in the tiny village that required his magical talents, but, there were those who desired his orcish strength. In his absence the town had grown some, and had itself a Pugilist Guild. Desperate for a job, he joined, and learned how to brutally apply his strength when necessary. After a few fights he became acquainted with a human woman named Devorah, who was a boxer herself. After a few sparring rounds with her, he found himself captivated by this human woman. The two quickly fell in love and spent a year and a half together - until a letter arrived in the mail.
It was from Flavius, his mentor at the college. The board had recently been overturned, and the new attending Mages were willing to accept his application for Apprenticeship. After intense though, Gorlag turned his back on the life he’d been cultivating in Bankton, and returned to the fold of Magic.
Through the years, Gorlag ascended in the field of Wizardry, eventually attaining Archmage status with his invention of the spell ‘Conjure Whetstone’. Granted, he published under the name ‘Quintus Valerius’ to further legitimize his work, by avoiding those in the magical community who despised orcs. Once the portal was discovered, he quickly applied to be sent in. Though considered against more powerful spellcasters, Gorlag was selected to the impeccable and detailed nature of his reports, which would allow him to better catalogue any new magical phenomena discovered.
Skills: -Encyclopedic Knowledge of Magic: Gorlag is extremely well read on Magic. He’s read virtually every tome available to the public, in addition to countless others saved only for Magical Scholars. It is this knowledge that allowed him to create his first spell, Conjure Whetstone. He intends to put this knowledge to use on the trip by attempting to fully realize two more spells. -Author and Storyteller: Gorlag is an excellent author and storyteller. He’s put his writing skills to use in creating a number of detailed reports into the more specific and uncertain natures of Magic, as well as the report that granted him his tenure, “Whetstone Cast”. He has gained some notoriety for making reports that would sound dry and academic coming from most seem interesting to more common folk. -Former Pugilist: For a brief time is his youth, Gorlag was a boxer. He quit after a few years to focus on his magical talents. -Expect Spellcaster: Gorlag is an excellent spellcaster, and finds particular talent in ritual casting. However, his half human and half orc descent has led to some problems with his day-to-day spellcasting, as the interaction between the particular genomes has led to some difficulty in mana production. -Cook: Gorlag fancies himself to be a master chef. This is, unfortunately, not the case…
Magic: -Detect Magic: A simple spell that allows him to detect sources of magical power. It doesn’t have much range to it, though, perhaps five meters. -Conjure Whetstone: The very first spell he created, publishing under his assumed name of Quintus Valerius. It summons an ethereal whetstone one can use to sharpen a blade. -Minor Illusion: Not a typical Minor Illusion spell as one would predict from a D&D or some such, but rather, the ability to generate a small image of some kind in his hand. Imagine something like those hologram disks they have in Star Wars. -Magelight: Conjure a small, bright ball that can be held in his hand. About twice as bright as a torch. -Healing Hands: He can lay his hands on an allies wound to heal them. This really only covers minor scrapes and bruises, anything worse than that requires the attention of a Doctor. -Sense Intent: One of the new spells Gorlag intends to develop over the course of the trip, Sense Intent’s final form should allow a minor sort of telepathy. At the moment, all it can differentiate between is ‘good’ and ‘bad’. Furthermore, it only works on humanoid targets. -Fisticuffs: The other spell Gorlag intends to develop allows him to touch any material around him, and temporarily transform his fists into that substance. At the moment, it only works on stone, and even then, the stone coating on his fists is much more brittle and weak than you’d expect.
Gorlag also knows a large amount of Ritual spells that require very specific materials for them to be cast. Such spells and material requirements for them would be discussed with the GM beforehand.
Equipment: Staff of the Magus- A long, curling Wizard staff with a jewel at the end. It doesn’t do anything magical or augment his abilities in any way, it’s simply a glorified walking stick, given to tenured Professors. Infused Stones- Gorlag carries a bag of about a dozen ‘Infused Stones’. These stones were specially imbued beforehand with a strong magical signature. Though he does not have the tools to detect the stones himself, he intends to leave them at sites of importance so that better equipped parties can find the locations at a later date. Draft of “Fists and Minds”- His first draft of his next big report, entitled ‘Fists and Minds’, after the two spells he is developing. Not very much has been written yet, as he has made little progress with the spells.
Other: As a nervous tick, Gorlag will often rub his tattoo.
Appearance: Standing at the towering height of 3’5”, Treekle has all the typical disproportions of a dwarf from his thick short limbs to his round barrel chest. Hidden underneath his crafty green eyes, rosy red cheeks, and cheery smile is a versatile and strong little man, though he lacks the intimidating aura that most dwarves carry with them, being a much jollier fellow. His head and face are covered in neatly braided red hair, of which he is quite proud and maintains semi-religiously.
He is garbed in a long white coat and brown trousers with a small red cap on his head, and gloves on his hands. For the sake of the journey Treekle has adapted into a pair of travel boots and a red cloak which matches his cap, along with a large pack to carry his different tools and other necessities.
Role: Engineer/Alchemist. It is said that there is no matching the advancement and knowledge of the dwarven race in scientific pursuits and Treekle embodies these traits to the letter. His knowhow when it comes to pulleys, levers, and simple machines is unmatched even among the dwarves. This combined with his interest in alchemy and investigating the unknown; not to mention his station in the royal family lends him perfectly to the task of stepping through the portal. To both continue the dwarves never ending search for the golden formula, and represent his people in this new land!
Bio: Born the thirteenth son to the Dwarf King Vulgrim’s second wife, Treekle never found much companionship in his father or many brothers, half-brothers, and extended family. Hidden away underground, separated from the wider world Treekle spent his early days pouring over books or wandering the wide halls of the dwarf kingdom, searching always for that little bit of extra knowledge. Some of his more adventurous adventures led into the upper world where he learned an all new perspective.
He was a smart dwarf, but not very wise in the ways of the world, so he stumbled into danger quite often and it nearly killed him again and again. His mother realized this and in order to protect her young son’s life she had a small crossbow outfitted for him and instructed the best archers to give him a few pointers. She had many other sons and much to look after which left her little time to keep the young dwarf close by and safe. And forcing him to remain home or with a guard had proven useless, instead she opted to give him the best opportunity to protect himself. Treekle soon adapted the little bow into a far more dangerous weapon to take on his wanderings, even at the ripe young age of ten. Installing a number of modifications to make it faster, stronger, and more accurate.
As a son of the king, if not destined to the mantle of kingship, Treekle was nevertheless well educated, it wasn’t long before his sharp mind was discovered by the alchemists and engineers of the court who took it upon themselves to direct that young brain. They focused his intellect towards greater things sparking in Treekle a lifelong love for machines and a new obsession to be the first to discover the golden formula, or the secret to freshly create precious metals. Dwarven alchemy was centralized around this almost fanatical question and Treekle was drawn in, dedicating his life to answering it. Over the years his skills in alchemy and engineering grew, leading too many new discoveries and even a few inventions, yet never did he come close to answering the seemingly unanswerable, until now…
Skills: Any dwarf worth his salt can swing a mattock to kill a man or beast, but Treekle particularly excels at the crossbow when it comes to violence. However his talents in the fields of alchemy and simple machinery far outweighs his usefulness in battle.
Treekle’s crafty little fingers can mix together strange formulas and create tricky mechanisms to serve his larger purposes, given that he has the time and tools to make them. His book learning, while not preparing him for the wilds of a world, left him with an astounding intellect and a eagerness to learn ever more.
Magic: Treekle possess no mystical talents, investing instead into the realm of machinery and alchemy and tricks. Though, as a dwarf he does possess a slight resistance to magical attacks.
Equipment: Armed with a repeater crossbow and dwarven war mattock, Treekle also carries with him a wide variety of research equipment, with everything from test tubes to a little wooden mallet being intricately packed into his bag.
Appearance: 6'2" Tall, Long hair (as long as his neck) but he keeps it maintainable with his headband, Bluish Green Glazed eyes, and brownish skin color, usually wears green shirt with brown Bermuda shorts, a lightly muscular body, and brownish black hair.
Role: Fighter, he fights the unknown things in the New World and protects his party (if he even has one) or his own self.
Bio: Numzom was different from the other Elves, he was a Hybrid, His father was an Elf and his mother was a Human, making him Half-Elf. When he was five, His father thought him Martial Arts so he could defend himself, and at the age of 10 he started training to use swords, and at the age of 18 he got a Rank for being "Private Swordsman" in the Royal Military, he got chosen going to the New World because of suggestion from General. Fuorth to the New World Exploration Committee.
Skills: He has an advanced skill of Swordmastering and melee weapons, more than any other weapons
Magic: Numzom has a spirit stuck with him which he called Numbo, strangely enough, Numbo gave him an unusual power that can make a Wraith blade, which allows him to move through solid objects while still dealing magical damage. Equipment: Elven Wakizashi, Elven Khanda, 5 Heal pots filled with heal salves, some bandages, a bag of Apples and 250 gold coins.
Other: None :v (I can't RP everyday, I can only RP 2 times a week, but luckily this is my holiday week, so luckily (maybe) I can RP everyday.).
Appearance: Zeke is 5'11" and severely underweight at 108lbs. He has narrow gray eyes and a mop of black hair. He pays special attention to his hygiene, but never to his looks, so he generally seems messy and unkempt. Over a plain outfit of a long-sleeve shirt and pants, he always wears his blue cloak. Stitched into it is a map of the stars (as seen from home), and it is pinned to his shirt with a long silver pin.
Role: Mad scientist Researcher. Also, an astronomer.
Personality: Zeke is incredibly intelligent, even unnervingly so, but at a price. He suffers from a combination of personality disorders, including among them schizoid and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders. He also has an antisocial personality and is most likely mildly schizophrenic*. When he is lucid, Zeke is arrogant, though incredibly deceitful. He makes every attempt to appear normal and likeable so that no one can sense his true self and motives, and sometimes wishes that he were the person he pretends to be. (*I am NOT implying that schizophrenics are psychopaths, or vice-versa. This character just happens to be both. I have researched these disorders extensively and would like to practice making Zeke as believable as possible. Thanks.)
Bio: At a young age, Zeke recognized that he was not the same as everyone else. For a time, he played along, acting like the mindless sheep he saw them as. Eventually, he tired of pretending to be someone he wasn't, and ran away at age 14. He never looked back or concerned himself with the life he lived with his parents, the fates of whom remain unknown to him to this day. He supported himself through illegal means, staying separate from the rest of the society to which he felt he didn't belong.
Zeke always had a fascination for how and why things worked, and an even greater fascination for the unknown. On his own, he studied known mathematics and tried to create new kinds. His interest in the unreachable realm of stars and the space beyond inspired his research, leading him into the world of science. His attempts at space travel and inter-dimensional travel all failed, which he attributed to his profound lack of magical affinity.
A portal to another world entirely immediately caught his attention, and Zeke promptly presented his proficiency in star-charting and his developments in science, including crudely-crafted lenses. He didn't mention, though, that he had no intentions of returning. Why would he want anything to do with a people who, if made aware of the true feelings he harbored, would ostracize him eternally?
Skills: Navigating, drawing, lying, general sciences and mathematics, attention to detail
Magic: None
Equipment: Paper, inking pens, mapmaking tools, pocket telescope, spare glass lenses, other miscellaneous mathematical and scientific measuring devices (such as a compass), scrap wood and metal rods, twine, small gears.
Other: Zeke's silver pin is his primary weapon. It's a bit over a foot long, meticulously polished and maintained. It's good for stabbing, though he generally uses it as a sort of flashlight. It looks like a giant needle, with the head of it installed with a series of lenses designed to magnify and direct light along the reflective shaft. This has practical uses, though it can also disorient foes. Otherwise, it's not a very conventional weapon, as it can only "produce" about 100 lumens of light, given the surrounding brightness, and has almost no range. Considering his poor physique and lack of magic and an effective weapon, it's not surprising that Zeke relies on his wit to oust his enemies.
Appearance: blue hair to the side, natural hair brown ( see my profile pic) 6 foot 5, usually has light blue shirt and grey shorts.
Role: mainly is just a hunter but will fight if needed.
Bio: Tori is from a area where the woods are thick and the town is far away. One day during a hunting trip, her mother and father were attacked by a bear which had hurt them so much they couldn't move their legs, Tori was then put in charge of the family at age 11, her brother being only a year younger than her was able to take care of the family when Tori would go hunting for food. Her mother and father were still able to use magic sense they were advanced in it even if self taught. They would teach Tori every day but her mother's magic ( plant magic) stuck more, one day Tori found a school for magic. After saving up enough money she went to school for magic, after school she had just turned 16 and learned her mother and father had passed away after a sickness struck the town. Her brother kept the house together and had told Tori that he would be ok and going to school also. Tori then worked as a guard of a richer and bigger town's royalty, after months of only small news the town was buzzing with talk of a new land, Tori had never thought she would be able to go, one day an attack was made on the castle with all the other guards fighting outside of the walls, she was trying to get the king and queen out of the castle. After the victory Tori thought she would just go back to a calm guard life. With her name going around the town for saving the royal family, she had been talked to and asked about what happened, one day someone came up to her with a flyer talking about a new land in a portal. Seeing as she could find a new place that her and her brother ( with him leaving school in two years) could live safely. She took that chance and hasn't looked back.
Skills: Skilled hunter, guard, and pretty good with a sword
Magic: Plant ( small walls of plant life, and generally being able to grow and move them) and slight fire ( only good for starting things such as a camp fire)
Equipment: Bow,arrows, sword, natural made face paint ( will share with friends)
Other: Tori has a bit of a trust issue even with close friends, seems really closed off until you get to know her.
Bio: Ayana hails from the faraway land of Ayabukuro. Her family was farmers for as long as their genealogy was recorded. She always tried to stand out among her numerous siblings and cousins by trying to grow the biggest plants and winning farming competitions. When she was twelve, she won her first contest by growing an ear of corn that was three feet long. Ever since, she earned quite a bit of respect in the farming community, and Ayana’s family gave her a plot of land to call her own.
Then, disaster struck. A combination of drought and diseases plagued the field, crippling the production of most farms. Ayana was one of the few people to produce a substantial yield that year, and rationed her crops out to help fight the famine.
When the portal was opened, it kindled a spark of adventure in Ayana. She had never left her little corner of the world, and wanted to see what else was out there. A one year trip was fine; she would go on her adventure and be back before anyone could start to miss her… and yet her goodbyes were full of tears when she was actually selected. She missed her family before she was even 10 miles away from the portal, but still, she felt she needed to do this for herself, and to do some real good for the world.
Skills:Green Thumb: Ayana has a knack for growing plants. She is adept at tending fields, harvesting crops, and growing decorative flowers.
Martial Arts: Ayana has had basic training in martial arts. This is more to keep her body in shape, though, and she lacks any real combat experience.
Magic: Like all kitsune, Ayana can harness the power of foxfire. However, her mastery of it is basic at best. She can use the flame to create minor illusions; she can create sights and sounds, but the illusions are completely insubstantial. Any disturbance will destroy the illusion. Her flame can, at best, create a dim light.
Equipment: A hoe and a scythe for tilling fields and harvesting anything she might grow. A sac of various seeds to see if foreign plants will grow in the new world. A very durable pair of sandals made by the finest weaver in all the lands.
Appearance: Victor stands at 6’0’’ and weighs just over 230Lbs. with an average muscular build. He has orange hair and yellow eyes, ceremonial tattoos are scrawled across his body giving off a slight orange glow at all times, like the light from a single candle. He wears a long headscarf and baggy clothing to hide the glow and his rather infamous face.
Role: Carpenter and lumberjack.
Bio: Victor had a rather normal and simple life growing up. Being raised in a small village far from the hustle and bustle of the city, this village was surrounded by thick forests and the occasional old ruin. His father was a carpenter and his mother a cook, they raised him to know how to read and write. The father teaching the boy how to find and cut trees into lumber and usable pieces, his mother always making sure he was fed and knew how to cook for himself. It wasn’t long before he took a liking to one of the local girls, Sara Frostfire a Kitsune whose family were the local healers.
For a time he was happy, a young strong boy with a very lovely kitsune he was on the verge of marrying who wouldn’t be happy. Alas, things were not to last, one special night he took his soon to be bride deep into the forest to a special place. A small hot spring, light from the full moon shown down into the light blue pool. This was to be their first time alone, to just be enveloped in each other’s company yet someone had other plans. They were followed by others wearing red hoods and black masks, in an instant they were surrounded and subdued before being knocked unconscious, The last thing he remembers is Sara’s screams.
He woke confused and frightened in a large old room, his hands were bound and he had a gag in his mouth. Candles and moon light filled the room with enough light to show strange and old runes spread across the ceiling, walls and floor. The runes that were engraved around him were filled with a red viscus liquid, this place was old, felt old, smelled old with only the sound of a slight dripping somewhere around him and his own breathing. He didn’t see them at first, the hooded figures that stood so quiet and still around the circular room not until one stepped out wearing an entirely black robe and red featureless mask. This Man spoke first then the others followed, they spoke a language he did not understand and somehow it hurt him to hear it. Victor writhed in pain his only thought was to desperately search for his love.
The chanting didn’t stop and some hooded figures soon began focusing their magic towards the center, not on him but towards the runes on the floor around him and then slowly they all began to do so. The pain… the pain… pain… pain… his thoughts were drowned out he could hear screaming he tried to see who was screaming but noticed he couldn’t see anything, only darkness. He woke in that chamber, he could see but he was taller and his field of view had changed he could see more now than before yet he was kneeling. When he tried to stand nothing happened, he couldn’t move or talk and what movements he did make were involuntary as if he was only watching and listening as something else controlled him.
The mage that began the chant stood before him and spoke, “Argor, The Blood Demon, your payment has been fulfilled with the blood of a virgin and the soul of another. I am your new master you will obey your master, you will obey me. Now go Argor and spread my terror and will across the country side.” For the next four years to come Victor had to bear witness to the crimes he was being hunted for, terrible things that left him broken. He was able to find Sara again her body had been ravaged and bled dry, he figured that her blood was the red liquid at the ritual and all he did was buried her and take the ring he gave her.
It took them 4 years, 4 long and bloody years to capture him and take him to court. The local lord a man driven by justice and superstition was his judge, then something unexpected happened someone got it into the lord’s head that if he were to kill victor it could release the demon bound to him into this world. Yet to please the public and their unrest he told them he was going to destroy this man and the beast within. Victor didn’t care no punishment was harsh enough, no jest, insult, or question broke his concentration on the two plain gold rings he held in his hands. And yet he was subdued and put to sleep by a mage’s spell. Now it seems the lord simply wanted to get rid of the man and banish him to the new world by locking him in a crate and placing it in with the food supply that was to go with the expedition team, thus brushing his problem under the rug.
Skills: Other than what is expected of his profession building and lumber gathering, Victor is rather skilled in cooking and foraging, as well as basic farming and medicine with a bit of singing and playing musical instruments put in. With living in the forest for so long his survival skills are quite good and if necessary he can defend himself from wild animals but does not like violence.
Magic: Aside from his curse Victor has no magical aptitude to the point that even enchanted or magic items are simply mundane in his hands, this may be a byproduct of the demon taking whatever magic he has.
The Curse: By means of old magic, Victor is soul bound to a demon named Argor. Lately he has been able to control his transitions and although he has no control over the demon yet it seems to know friend from foe. This binding has given Victor slightly improved stamina and strength compared to normal humans.
The Demon: Argor is a Sadistic cruel creature that has an aptitude for Combat, violence, And bloodshed. Two things change when he takes control of Victor, the first is his eyes turn completely black by unknown means and the second and more noticeable is the color of his tattoos change from yellowish orange to a dark red. This change can be sudden and happens randomly or when Victor is emotionally compromised. However, Being that he is in a separate realm from the mage that summoned him, Argor now has free will of his actions.
Equipment: Other than his carpentry equipment, shovel, pick, ax, saw, hand drill, hammer, nails, knife, Etc… he has nothing other than two golden rings he wears with a simple metal chain around his neck and his unusual baggy clothes. Argor prefers to use the lumber axe when in combat.
Other: If you get him to talk about his past which he is still reconciling, consider yourself lucky he doesn’t like talking about his past. Also the demon isn't a silent bystander and does talk to Victor, where Victor might just seem like hes having an argument or talking to himself to others. Also Victor is known to some as the "Crimson Marauder" for his murder spree and the destruction he has caused.
