Expendable — Roleplayer Guild

Pilgrim's Caravan: An Open-Ended Fantasy (with Worldbuilding!)



Accepted


Ilyana the Half-Human



Race, Age, Time in the Caravan:
Half-elf, 29, 2 months

Appearance:
Ilyana is below average height for a half-elf, standing at 5' 3" with short-cropped sandy blonde hair and dark tanned skin from her time at sea. She's thin and wiry, but looks youthful, so sometimes mistaken for a boy. One cannot help but notice the pink scar that divides her left eyebrow and travels down on an inward slope to her cheek. The artificial eye she wears on the left has an amber iris that contrasts with her natural jade green right iris. She has an eye patch she wears to hide the socket when its out. 

One looking closer can see signs of other scars, and perhaps a peep at her skull tattoo on her chest neatly transected by another scar running from her right shoulder to her left hip. Few would ever see what looks like a second naval just under the ribs is actually a scar from a puncture wound, but anyone who rubs her back may feel the raised ridges of the scars from her flogging. Her right palm has an "L" branded there for "Leshere (thief)".

Born on the 13th of Uktar in a brothel, where her mother took shelter. Unfortunately she died shortly afterward, so nothing is known of her human father. She was raised by the the staff of her Aunt Pol and Uncle Glyberos' house, largely ignored by the family, including their eldest daughter Sylna and their youngest son Keras.

Many visitors assumed the young girl was a child of one of the staff, as she would be frequently seen doing various servant chores. But when Marquis Muleho, friend to the judge and frequent visitor, discovered she was their neice,  her Aunt and Uncle, deeply embarrassed, moved her to a private room and forbade her from doing any more domestic work. They also hired a private tutor to address her neglected education.

Marquis Muleho showed up one day with a spell book that he brought for Aunt Pol to examine, leaving it in the library. Later, when it was discovered missing, her uncle, his face burning red, went to her room first and found the burned out cover in her fireplace. Keras, who'd been checking her chest of drawers, turned around and presented the jewels that had adorned the cover. Glyberos flogged her until she confessed to taking the spell book (she hadn't), then used his authority as a judge to have her branded and imprisoned for five years. 

It was in prison that she learned how to be a thief, a necessary skill to survive in that place. During her third year, diseased ravaged the prison and she spent long hours tending to both guards and prisoners before finally succumbing to illness herself. While she couldn't say for sure, there were times afterward that guards and the other inmates gave her some grudging respect and the ocassional blind eye.

On her release, now fully an adult, she was immediately pressganged into the Royal Navy as a sailor, handed over to the crew of galleon The Golden Falcon. The next four years were spent in hard labor. Crew were not permitted ashore except in the company of an officer, who was authorized to execute them on the spot should they attempt to desert.

Her five years in prison had already inured her to the lack of privacy under close quarters. When Ilyana slung her hammock, it was in the middle of the group, rather than on the edges. She also realized that the thief mark on her palm would make others reluctant to trust her, while others would use it as an excuse to rob her blind by claiming she stole their things. Ilyana therefore kept most of her money on the ship's books, avoided gambling, taking care to mark her few possessions and to keep careful receipts with witness signatures. 

In her fourth year at sea, the Golden Falcon was one of a squadron of ships whose job was to blockade the harbor entrance to contain the ships of the Pretender. Under cover of darkness, the enemy launched some of their ships with skeleton crews to go out with the evening tide, creeping up unaware on the blockading ships before setting them alight before escaping as the fireships, drawn out by the tide, smashed into the blockading ships. In the confusion, the Pretender and the remainder of his fleet made their escape. Ilyana was the only survivor from the Golden Falcon.

Desperate to pull some sign of victory from this disaster, Ilyana was hailed as a hero for her survival - but instead of being released from service, her wounds were treated and she  was transferred aboard the galleon The West Wind. Because of her 'lucky' status, she was given the 'honor' of leading the boarding crews - which led to the loss of her left eye in battle. It was the first of many battle scars she'd earn aboard the West Wind. 

An arrow wound messed up her stomach - and wasn't helped much by the diluted healing potions they'd been supplied with, which made her very queasy and sick all over the place at the least sign of stress. They finally decided to discharge her from service in the Royal Navy, giving her a handful of medals, her silvered cutlass and dagger, the scarred leather cuirass she'd wear in battle, and all of her back pay on the books.

Personality:
Ilyana is always wary and reserved, keeping a weather eye not just on the horizon but the other pilgrims as well. In an open room, she prefers to have her back in a corner. A bit of a loner, she can be quick to anger, especially if pressed. Her speech is often blunt and profane, much to the dismay of others. 

She works hard at being self-reliant and always ready to lend a hand, Ilyana avoids seeking help from others. Many assume it's her pride holding her back, but really it's to avoid debts as not everyone seeks repayment in coin. She knows well the reputation that half-human girls have among her people. 

Ilyana is also aware what people will say about a known thief in their midst, so she keeps a careful inventory on her ledgers, recording each sale or purchase to fight any claims on her purse or property.

Motivation:
Finally free, she decided to join the pilgrimage, since that would mean crossing over wide stretches of dry land that didn't pitch and roll from the sea and the wind, and allow her to see something other than a lot of water from horizon to horizon.

Skills, Strengths and Weaknesses, and Tools:
Animal Handling - good with donkeys, ponies, horses. 
Archer - average skill with shooting a bow and arrow. Works best with a bow and arrows.
First aid - experienced in the basic treatment of wounds and illness. Needs bandages and medicinal herbs.
Lockpicking - some experience in the opening of locks without using a key. Usually reqires lockpicks, although some tools can be improvised on the scene. 
Navigation - sufficient ability to navigate using a map, compass, and/or sextant to get to their destination. Maps, compass, sextant required.
Rigger - Experienced with ropes, knots, blocks and tackle, and rigging. Requires rope, fid, sail twine, pully blocks, serving mallets, etc.
Sailing - experienced in the basics of sailing. Requires a boat with sails.
Sailmaking - skilled in the crafting of sails and other articles of canvas work. Requires canvas, sail twine, needles, and rope.
Swimming - allows them to cross bodies of water. 
Swordswoman - above average skill with her cutlass, especially in close quarters. Requires a bladed weapon.

Strengths 
- Right eye can see in the dark like it was dim light
- Right eye can see in dim light like it was bright daylight
- Speaks Elvish middle-tongue, thieves' cant, a few human languages.
- long lifespan (just shy of two centuries)
Weaknesses 
- Trust issues
- Bears a thief mark
- blind in one eye when not wearing her prosthesis
- Visibly scarred
- Mixed race with reputation of promiscuity (they grow up faster than elves, so many think they're older than they are)
- Underdeveloped body
An artificial eye that carries an enchantment that allows the wearer to see through it as if it was their own natural eye. Does not work in mana-depleted zones.

a canvas bag with a wooden bottom and several interior pockets that hold various rigger tools - sewing palm, needles in a needle case, sail twine, serving mallet, fids, wood rasp, metal file, sharpening stone, various hanks of cords, bundles of oakum, screw eye auger, small hatchet. This also holds her lockpicks, a pouch of tobacco, and a smoking pipe.

A gray donkey harnessed to a small cart carrying her few possessions for the trip. Barrels of water, grain, & flour. A chest containing cooking gear, mess gear, lantern, a few flasks of oil, a small tea chest, and few spices. A sea chest holding spare clothes, bedroll, 50' of rope, hammock, some ledgers, a wooden comb, a lockbox with some gold and silver, and a few well-wrapped bottles of her medicine. A couple small casks of rum. A canvas tarp to cover it all while traveling. This also holds her bow, quiver of arrows and her armor while traveling.

a bronze stem that unscrews at one end to reveal a dipping pen inside, while a small covered pot on the opposite end has a length of silk wadded inside, soaked in black ink so that it will not spill. It can be tucked into a pocket in the interior of her jerkin or slipped onto the belt.

A whistle that makes a shrill sound when blown, can be heard over high winds and far distances. A trained user can make a variety of sounds with one.

leather belt pouch holding two rolled bandages, two bundles of dried herbs to use as a poultice, other medicinal herbs.

-----
Optional Details
What They Most Want:
Freedom

If They Had a DnD Alignment, It Would Be:
Chaotic Good

Three Likes:
A sharp blade
Rum
A good smoke

Three Dislikes:
A dull blade
Storms
Hardtack

Do They Follow Their Heart or Their Mind?:
Their mind. Heart's been betrayed too often

Worst Fear:
Imprisonment

Favorite Color:
Sky blue

Most Like The Animal:
A fox

Favorite Time of Day:
Daybreak and the promise of a new day, the sun shining warm on her face.
Brown wide-brim hat
Red bandana covering her hair
Cream-colored peasant's shirt
white bandana tied loosely around her neck
Lined Brown leather jerkin with her medals stitched on the left breast, a dolphin embroyered in aquamarine beads on the right breast.
Brown breeches
Green Hose
Brown leather boots with the tops folded down
Wide brown leather belt
[Nested]
knife with a broken tip (keeps from punching holes in sails and officers) in a leather sheath
Fid in sheath
Belaying pin tucked into belt
Belt pouch with some coins, flint, small pouch of pipe tobacco.
Flask containing medicine for her stomach
Cutlass with a silvered blade and scabbard.
knotted lanyard that holds a bosun's pipe
Leather curiass
Leather Braicers


Favorite Season:
Summer
What Gods/Spirits/Whatevers They Worship (If Any):
Deep Sashelas - an Elvish god of the oceans who likes to tinker and create new creatures, somewhat flighty. One hears tales about him having affairs with mermaids and land dwellers. Popular deity among Elvish sailors. His symbol is of a dolphin.

Ilyana's themes
- Somebody's Watching Me
- My Demons
- In the End


*Revised and Accepted


Siri



Race, Age, Time in the Caravan:
Human, 25, 1 year

Appearance:
This woman puts you in mind of a mysterious raven. She has narrow blue eyes that are like two windows on the afternoon sky. Her thick, straight, coffee-colored hair is worn in a handsome, exotic style. She is tall and has a wasp-waisted build. Her skin is white. She has hollow cheeks. Her wardrobe is sexy.

Sireena grew up on the family farm with her mom, dad, three brothers, and an older sister, just outside of the tiny village of Upper Hythe.  When she was twelve, she found a violin in a chest of an abandoned house, and spent a lot of time learning how to play it.   Sireena would pop down to the village tavern The Old Wolf, begging for lessons from the wandering minstrels who'd visit.

When she was 14, Taryn the tavern keeper pointed out that  Sireena was hanging around enough that he might as well offer her a job as one of the serving wenches, and she could play her violin for the crowd when they didn't have a minstrel.

The tavern keeper died a few years later, and his wife, jealous of the attention her husband had given  Sireena, fired her on the spot. That night, one of the boys from the neighboring farm was a guest at the dinner table, sitting next to her. It didn't take her long to figure out that her parents were trying to set her up for marriage. She ran away the next day, disguising herself as a boy to avoid unwanted attention on the road.

A little over a week and three counties later she got robbed by some highway men. Angry at the meager coins in her purse, one of them grabbed up her violin, suggesting it might be worth a few coins. When Sireena tried to take it back, the gang jumped her.

She woke up in a feather bed in the house of Mother Lily, the local midwife, who had found her on the side of the road where the gang had left her. When she asked about her violin, Mother Lily sighed, shaking her head and told her the only thing that was left by the side of the road was her, and how like a musican to worry about their instrument before themselves. She then began listing Sireena's injuries, starting with the broken right arm and wrist.

 Sireena spent the first week mourning her violin, but began to take an interest in Mother Lily's house with all the drying herbs, the massive medicine chest, her curious brewing apparatus, and her visitors. Noticing her interest, Mother Lily began sharing some of her work such as the making of medicines.

And then the highwaymen who'd robbed Sireena made the mistake of trying to burgle Mother Lily's house.

When it was over, Mother Lily guided a stunned  Sireena to a wagon in the barn, hitched up her horse, then turned her attention to the cottage - which rapidly shrank until it was the size of a child's toy, which the then picked up and placed into a chest filled with straw. A toy-sized barn was careful place beside it, and more straw packed around them before closing the chest. Bare dirt showed where each had stood.

And so began her apprenticeship. Magic was alternated with lectures about plants, more details on the making of medicines, the brewing of ale, beer, the bandaging of wounds, lectures on the stars and the moon, suturing, winemaking and distilling, the telling of fortunes, brewing of potions, birthing babies, stitching of wounds, treating illnesses...

As well as readings from the Old Believers' bible Mother Lily kept hidden underneath a loose floor board, even though the last soldier of the empire had marched south long before  Sireena was even born. Some of the stories were about the mischevious Lord Jester, a shapeshifting wolf who played pranks on foolish people to get them to mend their ways.

They'd also moved the cottage three times, changing their names and their looks each time to become new people so that the angry villagers whose cows had died or their crops had failed wouldn't find them.

One morning, returning to the cottage after a particularly difficult birthing to a farmer's wife of triplets (two sons, one daughter), she found Mother Lily sitting at the table, her body stiff and cold. There were also two glasses of last summer's wine  on opposite sides of the table, but no sign who the visitor had been.

After she had buried Mother Lily after the rites of the Old Believers, Sireena decided to change her name to Siri and to join the pilgrimage.


Personality:
Warm and caring, it is concerning when she suddenly starts laughing out of the blue. Sometimes she seems very distracted, as if she's listening to people who are not there. Or talking to animals like they having a conversation.
Knowing some of the things Siri collects in the woods and fields, one wonders if she might be sampling her own wares...? 
Still, she's a good doctor, loves to play the violin and collects 'miniatures'.

Motivation:
Tired of moving constantly whenever the villagers would blame them for the family cow dying, the crops failing, or the odd bit of property that vanished one night in lieu of payment, Siri has decided to join the pilgrimage and to see some of the places mentioned in Mother Lily's books and minstrel songs.

Skills, Strengths and Weaknesses, and Tools:
Animal Handling - Has a way with animals
Cooking - a master of the kitchen
Fortune-telling - It's almost as if she has a direct line with Fate. 
Herbology - knows many uses of many plants, always eager to examine new plants
Hermetic Magic - still a journeyman in the study of the Laws of Sacrifice
Medicine - a master at tending to illness and injury, can perform minor surgery.
Potion-making - A journeyman in the creation of potions, odd explosions still happen sometimes.
Shrinking - able to reduce objects and later restore them to their normal size (See Sympathetic Magic)
Singing - Fair singer, knows a lot of songs. 
Sympathetic Magic - still a journeyman in the study of the Laws of Sympathy.
Violin - Very good musician with the violin.

 °Strengths
- Clever
- Dedicated
- Caring

°Weakness
- Makes a lot of assumptions
- Fondness for alcohol and sweets
- Sense of duty
- quirky sense of humor

°Tools
- Living wagon, home/workspace/surgery 
- a small library of books.
- her shrunken collection of "miniatures"

What They Most Want:
Knowledge and new horizons

If They Had a DnD Alignment, It Would Be:
Neutral Good

Three Likes:
- Books
- Music
- Alcohol

Three Dislikes:
- Tobacco smoke
- Needless violence
- Child abusers

Do They Follow Their Heart or Their Mind?:
Their heart.

Worst Fear:
To be trapped

Favorite Color:
Red

Most Like The Animal:
A Swallow

Favorite Time of Day:
Sunset

How They Dress:
- Wide brim hat, either black or white
- Red dress
- Black bodice
- White apron
- Knee-high black boots
- Colorful... sweaters and scarfs when it gets cold
- A red hooded cloak
- Plague mask
- Leather satchel that holds various items and her journal
- Necklace with a crystal ball pendant.

Favorite Season:
Spring, the renewal of the world

What Gods/Spirits/Whatevers They Worship (If Any):
An old believer of the ancient gods of Oscana, admirer of Lord Jester. 

Sirl's themes
- Something Just like This
- Pompeii
- Lone Digger




<<< REJECTED >>>


When I was creating Siri, I realized that there would be some additional characters who step in from time to time as a part of her world, and I didn't want to surprise anyone when they did. Dia would be a companion to Siri and seen in her cat form most of the time.

And yes, I know it won't fool the fairies.

The Witch - Needed revising.
Sireena Siri

"As per our contract, your name now belongs to me," the Fallen lord smiled, satisified. "You are now 'Siri'."


Race, Age, Time in the Caravan:
Human, 25, 1 year

Appearance:
This woman puts you in mind of a mysterious raven. She has narrow blue eyes that are like two windows on the afternoon sky. Her thick, straight, coffee-colored hair is worn in a handsome, exotic style. She is tall and has a wasp-waisted build. Her skin is white. She has hollow cheeks. Her wardrobe is sexy.

Sireena Siri grew up on the family farm with her mom, dad, three brothers, and an older sister.  When she was twelve, she found a violin in a chest of an abandoned house, and spent a lot of time learning how to play it, hanging around the village tavern begging for lessons from the wandering minstrels who'd visit.

When she was 15, Taryn the tavern keeper pointed out that Sireena Siri was hanging around enough that he might as well offer her a job as one of the serving wenches, and she could play her violin for the crowd when they didn't have a minstrel.

The tavern keeper died a few years later, and his wife, jealous of the attention her husband had given Sireena Siri, fired her on the spot. That night, one of the boys from the neighboring farm was a guest at the dinner table, sitting next to her. It didn't take her long to figure out that her parents were trying to set her up for marriage. She ran away the next day, disguising herself as a boy to avoid unwanted attention on the road.

A little over a week and three counties later she got robbed by some highway men. Angry at the meager coins in her purse, one of them grabbed up her violin, suggesting it might be worth a few coins. When Sireena Siri tried to take it back, the gang jumped her.
She woke up in a feather bed in the house of Mother Lily, the local midwife, who had found her on the side of the road where the gang had left her. When she asked about her violin, Mother Lily sighed, shaking her head and told her the only thing that was left by the side of the road was her, and how like a musican to worry about their instrument before themselves. She then began listing Sireena Siri's injuries, starting with the broken right arm and wrist.

Sireena Siri spent the first week mourning her violin, but began to take an interest in Mother Lily's house with all the drying herbs, the massive medicine chest, her curious brewing apparatus, and her visitors. Noticing her interest, Mother Lily began sharing some of her work, the making of medicines.

And then the highwaymen who'd robbed Sireena Siri made the mistake of trying to burgle Mother Lily's house.

When it was over, Mother Lily guided a stunned Sireena Siri to a wagon in the barn, hitched up her horse, then turned her attention to the cottage - which rapidly shrank until it was the size of a child's toy, which the then picked up and placed into a chest filled with straw. A toy-sized barn was careful place beside it, and more straw packed around them before closing the chest. Bare dirt showed where each had stood.

And so began her apprenticeship. It wasn't easy, she thought she would never light the candle with anything other than a taper from the fire. Until she heard a whisper....

The unseen voice named itself Lord Jester, and it seemed to toy with her, needling when she demanded answers, not veiled hints and strange exercises, but somehow Lord Jester's riddles and Mother Lily's teachings came together.

And then a rider appeared at their door.

"Open the door, Sireena Siri," Mother Lily sighed. "It's time."

GOOD EVENING, the hooded figure seem to say, standing in the doorway. It glanced curious at Sireena Siri, leaning close. DO YOU SEE ME, CHILD?
"Y...yes, milord."
MANY TIMES I HAVE STOOD HERE, BUT NOW IS THE FIRST TIME YOU HAVE SEEN ME, Grim sighed, straightening. WE WILL MEET AGAIN, AND NOT JUST AT THE END.
Grim took a step towards Mother Lily, then paused to stare at the crystal ball in the bookcase. AND ONE DAY, I WILL COME FOR YOU AS WELL.

Personality:
Warm and caring, it is concerning when she suddenly starts laughing out of the blue. Sometimes she seems very distracted, as if she's listening to people who are not there.
Or talking to her cat as if it was a person. 
Knowing some of the things she collects in the woods and fields, one wonders if she might be sampling her own wares...? 
Still, she's a good doctor, loves to play the violin and collects 'miniatures'.

Motivation:
Traveling in the caravan would be one way to avoid the angry mobs looking for someone to blame for when their crops fail and their cow dies, but her patronus Lord Jester has commanded it. Not that she minds too much, it's been an interesting trip, so far.
Skills, Strengths and Weaknesses, and Tools:
Animal Handling - Has a way with animals, but not with her cat....
Cooking - a master of the kitchen
Fortune-telling - It's almost as if she has a direct line with Fate. 
Herbology - knows many uses of many plants, always eager to examine new plants
Hermetic Magic - still a journeyman in the study of the Laws of Sacrifice
Medicine - a master at tending to illness and injury, can perform minor surgery.
Potion-making - A journeyman in the creation of potions, odd explosions still happen sometimes.
Shrinking - able to reduce objects and later restore them to their normal size (See Sympathetic Magic)
Singing - Fair singer, knows a lot of songs. 
Sympathetic Magic - still a journeyman in the study of the Laws of Sympathy.
Violin - Very good musician with the violin.

 °Strengths
- Clever
- Dedicated
- Caring

°Weakness
- Makes a lot of assumptions
- Fondness for alcohol and sweets
- Sense of duty
- quirky sense of humor

°Tools
- Patronus Lord Jester
- Dia, when she chooses to help.
- Living wagon, home/workspace/surgery 
- Her team of horses...? Best to avoid when their eyes turn red.

What They Most Want:
Knowledge and new horizons

If They Had a DnD Alignment, It Would Be:
Neutral Good

Three Likes:
- Books
- Music
- Alcohol

Three Dislikes:
- Tobacco smoke
- Needless violence
- Child abusers

Do They Follow Their Heart or Their Mind?:
Their heart.

Worst Fear:
To be trapped

Favorite Color:
Red

Most Like The Animal:
A Swallow

Favorite Time of Day:
Sunset

How They Dress:
- Wide brim hat, either black or white
- Red dress
- Black bodice
- White apron
- Knee-high black boots
- Colorful... sweaters and scarfs when it gets cold
- A red hooded cloak
- Plague mask
- Leather satchel that holds various items and her journal
- Necklace with a crystal ball pendant.

Favorite Season:
Spring, the renewal of the world

What Gods/Spirits/Whatevers They Worship (If Any):
Lord Jester


The Cat
Lanpendia Dia


"As per our contract, your name now belongs to me," the Fallen smiled, satisified. "You are now 'Dia'."


Race, Age, Time in the Caravan:
Half-demon, 17, 1 year

Appearance:
- A black cat with green eyes. 
- A black cat with green eyes and large bat wings.
-This girl makes you think of a dashing jaguar. She has green slitted eyes that are like two spheres of jade. Her thick, straight, black hair is worn in a simple style. She is short and has an athletic build. Her skin is black. She has small feet. Her wardrobe is uncomplicated.

History:
-Born in the Shadow realm, she quickly realized that her mother treated her different from her other siblings, a sort of cold resentment. It finally drove her from nest, only to be abused by both stronger demons and slumming Celestials as she tried to make a living for herself. There wasn't much to remember.

Caught one day outside of her lair by a group of lower celestials eager to prove themselves, they took turns punching and abusing her until Jester appeared towering over them in his Wolf form and drove them off.

For the first time in her life, Dia felt... safe.  It didn't take her much to agree to sign away her name and become one of Lord Jester's most loyal minions, eager to please him.

Personality:
-Anger bubbles away below the surface, appearing as a sort of bitter resentment one can hear in her voice and in her mannerisms. She does not engage in 'play' - pleasure makes you drop your guard, makes you vulnerable, open to attack. Is it paranoia when you know the world is really out to get you?

Motivation:
-To serve Lord Jester with all her being, fearing if she fails, he might cast her out.

Skills, Strengths and Weaknesses, and Tools:
- Flaming claw attack
- Melee-fighting
- Shape-shifting 
- Stealth
- Hermatic Magic

°Strength
- An internal reservoir of magical power
- A trust in Lord Jester
- Able to speak in any form, although the smaller the form, the deeper the voice.
- Her non-demon half allows her to cross over to the Material World without need of preparation or possession.
- Absorbs and converts heat into magic

°Weakness
- A sense of duty, of responsibility
- A lack of social skills

What They Most Want:
- Safety

If They Had a DnD Alignment, It Would Be:
Lawful neutral

Three Likes:
- Lord Jasper's attention
- warmth
- a full belly

Three Dislikes:
- being touched by others
- those who abuse others
- Celestials

Do They Follow Their Heart or Their Mind?:
-The heart cannot be trusted.

Worst Fear:
-To be abandoned and alone

Favorite Color:
-Black

Most Like The Animal:
-Black Jaguar

Favorite Time of Day:
- The night

How They Dress:
- In human form, they may appear wearing a loose peasant's blouse and breeches.
- In either form, they wear a collar with a crystal ball pendant suspended from it.

Favorite Season:
Summer

What Gods/Spirits/Whatevers They Worship (If Any):
-Lord Jester (The Old Wolf)


These next two are just NPCs that Siri and Dia interact with. They have no power in the campaign against the caravan or its people. Jester can't cross over to this world unless a place has been prepared for him, and nobody except a few can see Death.

Also, Jester is offering their grand unified theory on magic and Shadow Realm relations.

The Patronus (NPC)
Lord Jester

NPC Patronus
Although, to be honest, I do miss the old names....

Race, Age, Time in the Caravan:
-Fallen Lord, At the beginning, Never.

Fallen - a being from the Celestial realm who's been drained of magic and exiled to the lower realms
Fallen Lord - a Fallen who's managed to regain a significant measure of magic. What makes them dangerous is how they've managed this...

Appearance:
-This guy puts you in mind of a witty comedian. He has deep-set violet eyes that are like two windows on the evening sky. His luxurious, straight, salt and pepper hair is medium-length and is worn in an utilitarian, severe style. He is tall and has a wiry build. His skin is cream-colored. He has a large nose and wide feet. His wardrobe is complicated, with a lot of greys and blacks.
-The Wolf, black and gray fur with cream highlights, as tall as a two-story building. His howl can bring wolves from miles around.

History:
-We were there in the beginning, my brothers and sisters. Well, not before She, no one was there before She, not even Death. My brothers and sisters, we had charge of a small corner of the world, Oscana, and we guided those who lived in our lands, leading them out of savagery. Oh, the stories I could tell you of those days...
-But then Empire came. They wanted our part of it, our lands, our people. We were driven out of our place in the world and so we fell.
-Now, our names are forgotten, our temples destroyed, our people who would not submit wiped out as heritics and heathens, and with them our power gone from this world. Many of my brothers and sisters are now but dust and dim memories, their names only whispered by the wind. 
-But then the old Empire and their gods too, in their time, were driven out.

Personality:
- Teacher
- Mischievous
- Curiosity

Motivation:
-With all the time that has passed, they now have only the merest toe-hold in the Material world and are eager to see what the child races have done since they fell.

Skills, Strengths and Weaknesses, and Tools:
- Hunting
- Knowledge of the world from before their fall
- Medicine - how to treat injuries and illness
- Hermetic Magic - The Laws of Sacrifice
- Sympathetic Magic - The Laws of Sympathy
- Teaching - the ability to inform and bring about inquiry

°Strengths
- Access to a reserve of power they've accumulated in the Shadow Realm after many years. 
- Very limited ability to portal beings between the Material world and the Shadow Realm.
- Shape-shifting

°Weaknesses
- They cannot set foot in the Material world unless a place is prepared for them.
- They can only experience what is happening in the Material world through their projection and through anchors such as crystal balls (stare into the void and see who blinks first) or their minions.
- Cut off from the Celestial Realm, they have only the fraction of the power they once had. 

°Tools
- Their minions, through which they can spread their influence.
- Their shadow, a projection that allows them to limitedly view and communicate with the Material world or even the Celestial - however, takes power and is vulnerable to attack.
- The creation of artifacts

Rotation of the Material World causes magic to be depleted in the Shadow Realm. This, perhaps most of all, explains why the demons in the Shadow Realms hate the Material World, as it steals away their magic, keeping it low and the realm barren. However, some demons have learned how to create a reservoir within themselves and in objects to hold their magic safe, and to work with less. It's also the reason why demons can work such powerful magic in the Material World.

Fortunately, demons cannot cross into the Material world unless a place is prepared for them, such as using sympathetic magic to create a conjuring circle to thus alter the area within to match the Shadow Realm, or they may possess a host - and not necessarily a living one. (See Succubus, Vampirism, Hermetics)

This stolen magic forms currents within the Material World, in what is called Ley Lines, each taking up elemental aspects of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. Those with the training can, if they are close enough, tap into these flows, although it can take time for them to gather this magic.

However, there is only so much magic the Material world can hold onto, so the ley lines radiate away this power where it collects in the Celestial realm, giving the Celestials a surplus of magic that they can use easily. 

But ley lines may be too far for a mage to tap into. One way power may be gathered is through the study of Hermetics, also known as the Laws of Sacrifice. Many assume that sacrifice requires the death of a living being, but it can also be giving up some of the magic within all living creatures through the use of repetitious rituals like prayer or dance, directed to an altar. It's why so many gods have temples constructed, giving them a source of power they may tap into away from the Celestial realm. 

One must be very careful in old temples and stone circles, as sometimes the altars has been depleted and will draw away one's magic if they connect with it. Some demons have this power too. If too much of the host's magic drawn away, they become shambling hulks, unable to restore balance within themselves.

Hermatics also works with the concept of equivalent exchange, of sacrificing items of equal value to what they desire. However, sometimes the value of the sum is greater than its parts, be careful in your trades.

Sympathetics is another field of magical study, sometimes called the laws of Sympathy, or like calling to like through similarities and symbols like runes. The tale of spinning straw into gold represents Sympathy magic. Those trained in Runes or symbolic magic can use these to  gather and direct magic. When they say "words have power", they are right. One should wary giving up their true name.



What They Most Want:
-To return to power in the Celestial Realm and to be free to walk the Material world once more.

If They Had a DnD Alignment, It Would Be:
-Lawful Neutral

Three Likes:
-The Sun's warmth
-New life and new lessons to learn
-Clever people 

Three Dislikes:
-Pettiness
-Meaningless Destruction
-Those who let evil pass uncontested because it does not inconvience them

Do They Follow Their Heart or Their Mind?:
- Their heart, but they're trying to control that.

Worst Fear:
- To be cut off from the Material world entirely

Favorite Color:
-The color of magic

Most Like The Animal:
-The Wolf

Favorite Time of Day:
-The moment that exists between days.

How They Dress:
- Polo shirt and khakis A suit of dark armor with a wolf's head on the chest plate and a wolf-skin they wear as a cloak - or the Wolf.

Favorite Season:
-Winter, when the Material world rests.

What Gods/Spirits/Whatevers They Worship (If Any):
-The immutable She who was there before Us and will be there past the End.


The Psycopomp (NPC) - Likes to show up when things get interesting. Or for parties. He's bored.

Grim (NPC)


Oscana's Reaper of Souls


Race, Age, Time in the Caravan:
Psychopomp, Eternal, From the Beginning

Appearance:
A skeleton dressed in tattered black robes, carrying a scythe, with a spark or flame burning in their eye sockets.

History:
WHEN THE FIRST SPARK OF LIFE APPEARED, I WAS VAGUE AND UNFORMED. WHEN DISEASE RAN RAMPANT IN OSCANA, I BECAME AS I AM NOW. I SHALL REMAIN THIS WAY UNTIL THE END OF THIS UNIVERSE.

Personality:
Dispatched curiosity. HE finds life to be... odd, in its quirks.

Motivation:
Duty, especially to the old believers.

Skills, Strengths and Weaknesses, and Tools:
- Collecting Souls
- Cooking
- Horse Riding
- Reaping

°Strengths
- Walls younger than a millennia are mere insubstantial shadows.
- Ignored by the living.
- Comes for the souls of Gods, Kings, Heroes, Mages & Witches, and the Old Believers, scattered by the old empire.
- Can control the passage of time, slowing it down, speeding it up.
- Able to ride anywhere in the world or the other realms to collect a soul. 

°Weaknesses
- Curiosity
- Can be seen by Gods, Mages, Witches, Drunks, Ghosts, Small children, & Cats.

°Tools
- Scythe

What They Most Want:
Order

If They Had a DnD Alignment, It Would Be:
True Neutral. It's of no importance to Him what the living do, His job begins when their lives end.

Three Likes:
- Cats - it's nice to be seen
- Libraries - full of dead thoughts
- Parties - although they tend to go downhill at midnight, when the party goers try to take His 'mask' off.

Three Dislikes:
- Being called a killer, a thief, or blamed for suffering - He claims no lives, He merely claims what he is due. With Him, suffering ends.
- Those who try to cheat Him to gain some extra life. That's not His department.
- With the fall of the Oscana, the fall of the old Empire, and the scattering of the few remnants of the Old Believers, He has a lot of time on His hands.

Do They Follow Their Heart or Their Mind?:
Mind.

Worst Fear:
Disorder and chaos.

Favorite Color:
Black.

Most Like The Animal:
A lion.

Favorite Time of Day:
Night

How They Dress:
Tattered robes. Scythe. A black horse.

Favorite Season:
Winter, a very busy time.

What Gods/Spirits/Whatevers They Worship (If Any):
SHE
Expendable Member

...what falls from the skies is not the rain...

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