Vertigo

星空 不朽 | Hoshizora Everlasting

Really interested in this, and love the tabletop flair. Going to see if I can get a CS in!

Here to Help D&D 5e GMs and Aspiring!

So, someone pretty new to the tabletop scene here. Been part of an online campaign for a few months now (through roll20), so I know the basic gist and whatnot, but I've never really done it physically/locally and don't own any real materials - no dice, rulebooks or player books or... whatever else there even is.

Now, I've a few local friends who'd really like to try out D&D, and I'd be interested in running a game for them. I've read up on some advice for novice DMs, but all guides seem to assume that I already have the necessary materials and can just... start. My problem is that I'm still one step behind; I don't really know what to even get to start DMing.

I know there's this, for example, which sounds like just what I need - but I'd need to order it from abroad (as is the case with most D&D material, I'm afraid) so I'd rather know in advance whether it's a good buy. Do you guys have any experience with that particular starter kit? Or can you recommend some others? Are starter kits even needed, or can I find everything I need online, just to test the waters before I commit to a physical copy?

... That's a bunch of questions, welp.

Current Mood in One Gif

> When it's 10 AM and you're not as awake as you thought you were.

Hyrule's Civil War (Zelda RP)

Yeah, there's no need for that. I think a lot of us were just taken aback and confused, for different reasons.

Made my history very vague, so it can facilitate additional details later on if needed.

Will get a post in later today!

Hyrule's Civil War (Zelda RP)

Nadijah, She Who Stabs

Nadijah

---

Name

Nadijah of the Razordancers; second daughter of Farajah, the One-Eyed Watcher of the Valley. Yes, the full title is very important

Species

Very aggressively Gerudo

Gender

Female

Appearance

Nadijah is a striking sight to behold - literally, because you will probably notice the weapon she's thrusting your way before anything else. Tan and built with lean muscle, she stands at 5'9'' and carries herself with the poise and pride befitting a warrior - most of the time, anyway. It doesn't take much to make her drop into a battle pose even when one isn't needed.

She doesn't carry much in the way of clothes, her heritage ensuring that she needs little protection even in the hot summer sun of the desert. She does have a cloak on her person for when she needs to keep a lower profile or shield herself from the cold (or her understanding of cold, anyway - please don't let her ever see snow) but in general she finds armour and heavy clothing constricting. And anything that makes her movement less fluid, must go.

One would think that the many weapons she carries around would be more a hindrance than another layer of leather, but her priorities are rather set in stone. Her twin scimitars, bow and dagger mean the world to her, and if she could have strapped her warhorse to her back to carry it around on her journey, she would have. No, really. She would have.

Personality

Nadijah is first and foremost a warrior of her tribe, duty-bound to protecting her land and people come what may. She's prideful and matriotic, and is liable to react violently to any perceived insult towards her country or kin. Xenophobic and mistrustful of 'outsiders' - particularly those of voe variety - she is difficult to approach and even more difficult to befriend. Not that you'd likely want to befriend her, anyway; she's callous, hot-headed and lacks the common courtesy not to voice unpleasant opinions out loud in polite company.

With that said, she's well aware that she is on a mission of reconnaissance at the moment, and knows that beheading random townsfolk for looking at her and her heritage with disdain is harmful to her duty. As such, she is attempting to tone down her violent tendencies and crudeness, lest she start another war. She's--- just not always successful at it.

But though she's ridden with faults, she is no monster. She fiercely cares for her own and is willing to risk her life for a cause she believes in. And though she holds no love for foreigners, she at least holds an immense amount of curiosity towards them, being both willing and eager to learn about them and theirs. True, this willingness stems from the thought that one should know their enemy to best fell them, but it is still arguably a better attitude than closing your ears and eyes from anything new or different.

Of course, as often is the case with Nadijah, she takes this curiosity a tad too far. Rude and intrusive questions aren't uncommon of her, and neither is downright poking, prodding or snatching things that she wishes to examine closer. So keep your fancy gadgets and especially unique weapons far from her unless you want her to repeatedly smash them on a wall to see whether they'll break. (If they do, she'll consider them boring and give them back, at least).

​

Background

​​Nadijah's story doesn't much differ from the others of her generation. She was a child born unto the doorstep of war, her mother a renowned warrior, her father a mere flicker of a presence within a society not meant for his kind. Come with the dusk, gone with the dawn, Nadijah never asked for his name, and her mother never cared to tell.

The young Gerudo's first few years were spent in normalcy that she cannot recall. Her first memory proper is of fire; in the sky, on the heads of braced arrows, and in the eyes of her mother and sisters. The world burned, red-hot with hate. She was handed a blade all too heavy for her hands and told that soon enough she, too, would become a part of the pyre.

And a part of the pyre she became.

Hers were menial tasks at first; practicing for the years to come, repairing weapons, gutting game, washing wounds, laying rest the dead - and taking shelter when the heavens exploded with sound and colour. But as the years grew, so did the scope of her responsibilities. There was blood on her hands before she saw her tenth summer, drawn from the arm of a man with hair as golden as the sun. A foreigner, she thought. An outsider, she was told as her hand was guided for another stab, unwilling to talk.

By the end of the night, he spoke plenty.

Years held little meaning in war, and at some point, Nadijah stopped counting them. She told time by births and deaths, by the amount of able warriors and the frequency of hot, dry winds that heralded a season of drought. The elder Gerudo would often shed bitter tears over loved ones lost to strife, lamenting the harshness of life in the Valley. Nadijah never understood. To her, this was simply life. The only kind she'd ever known.

And then, one day, the world stopped burning.

But she never did.

Weaknesses

Strike first, think-- actually, just strike again - Nadijah cares little for diplomacy, and even less for idle chatter. It's not that she is dumb, it's just that recklessness is carved into her very soul. She knows, in theory, how to plan out a quiet, stealthy assassination and carry it out with utmost care. She knows how to observe an enemy's weak spot before striking to avoid unnecessary injury. She does. It's just that... at times, once blades start to sing just so, she forgets - and throws herself into the fray with reckless abandon.

What sorcery is this - Magic is weird. Magic is creepy, and she would rather stay the hell away from it. And no, it's not because she discovered early on that she had absolutely no affinity for it. No, not at all. She definitely meant to burn her hair that one time, and the merchant's ware that other time; all she sold were crude counterfeits, anyway. With that said, she can conjure fire to this day - but you probably don't want her to, considering she has no control over it.

Me, myself and definitely not you - By teamwork, you mean the way a blade serves as an extension of arm and soul, yes? Oh, or perhaps you mean the unique bond between a warrior and her mount, carrying her off to countless battles? No? Wait, you mean, working together with another person...? Well, her Gerudo sisters are capable, so if need be, she would not min-- teamwork with outsiders?! Are you out of your damn mind?!

Curiosity killed the cat(ty) Gerudo - Though she doesn't like to admit holding any curiosity or interest towards the outside world, she... does. Badly. And she's entirely unsuccessful at hiding it. She's bound to stick her nose where it doesn't belong, prod at the wrong people or examine that one very suspicious lever that everyone keeps screaming at her not to approach, because how can she not. And when something bad inevitably happens, well, that's your fault for not adequately warning her.

Strengths

Float like a butterfly, sting like a motherfucker + Nadijah may not have been blessed with much of a strategic mind, but point her at an enemy you just want gone, and she's on the task like a flock of cuckoo scorned. Stealthy and fast on her feet with strength and skill to spare, she attacks like a bladed hurricane. At least, if hurricanes had a perpetual scowl and a foul mouth.

If it's sharp, it'll do + Some children play with dolls, swing wooden swords or chase after hapless hens. Nadijah's first toy was a dagger, and the first game she played was gutting game her elders had caught. She can utilize most anything as a weapon, particularly if the object is sharp. She may not always know the correct way to use a new weapon she has only just seen, but you can bet she will find a way to make it deadly in a matter of minutes.

Ultimate Edgelord + Throw her in a pit of bones or have her watch an execution up close; she will not so much as flinch. She was warborn, living and breathing blood ever since she was old enough to understand the concept of battle. She has seen things, heard things and done things that would make most grown men shiver or soil. Some would say her cruelty and callousness is a weakness - she doesn't understand how it could be anything but a strength.

Attributes:

Attack: 4
Magical Attack: 0
Speed: 5
Defense: 1
Intelligence: 1

Hyrule's Civil War (Zelda RP)

I'm still at a bit of a loss on what to do with the history now, but I really want to get it done so I can join the IC mischief. So err, for now, I'll just write it with no mention of the entire event, and will edit things accordingly when I get some form of clarification. Hopefully that's not a problem.

Hyrule's Civil War (Zelda RP)

Do you guys usually have a character's entire history in their bio? Where I've RPed we usually have a flair for...surprise and drama to entertain everyone. It would kind of spoil the story if we told everything indirectly, wouldn't it? There's more to Lesina's story.

@Perascamin

Well, it's just that my character is also a Gerudo, who is around the same age as yours. So if the enemy managed to sneak into the Valley during the war to steal a baby, that's something that would affect the entire village and, by extension, also my character.

There'd just be a lot of questions, ICly and OOCly. How did they manage to do that? Why did they steal this baby? Why didn't they do something else? Did they do something else - because if so, I should know to add to my history. It would be a bit cumbersome to find out halfway in the rp that there was actually a big event at the Gerudo Valley that I was not aware of, even though my character should have been.

I don't mean to come off as mean-spirited or anything, by the way, and I apologize if I do! I'm just genuinely confused by what I know of the events, and not sure how/what to include in my history, which I'm writing right now.

Hyrule's Civil War (Zelda RP)

Lesina was robbed from the cradle at birth during the Hylian-Gerudo war and then made to serve in the Hylian Army when she came of age. She fought small battles with her Troop under the command of Commander Gerald (who will be mentioned eventually) and became the second-in-command of that Troop. It's not really an important title that would make her famous, but when the war ended she was largely sent back home to fulfill whatever duties the Kingdom is asking of her at the moment. There's most likely more than one gate to watch, right? I didn't specify that she was guarding the literal castle gate, it could have just been Green District.

Sibela likely could have met Lesina during her Squire training if they were in the same Barracks as young girls. If you want Sibela to know about Lesina, that wouldn't be unlikely. @Inkarnate

@Perascamin

Wait, wait, robbed from the cradle during the war? As in, from the Gerudo Valley? Because, hrm, if the enemy was able to successfully sneak behind the Gerudo frontlines (which I imagine were centered around the narrow entrance to the place), why would they steal a baby instead of, well--- anything that would aid in the war effort? Killing important people or blowing things up, etc.? Risking your life carrying off a random baby in the middle of a war doesn't sound like the smartest of plans.

Hyrule's Civil War (Zelda RP)

Good morning, which is probably y'all's night, but anyway.

Oh man, need to finish that history fast so I can jump in. Got some stuff to read back on, too!

Hyrule's Civil War (Zelda RP)

Will finish Nadi's history, move her to the character tab and then see about posting after D&D unless the history needs edits.