Here's most of what I've got as far as Cas goes:

Ability Scores:

• Str: 13 (+1)


• Dex: 16 (+3)


• Con: 14 (+2)


• Int: 14 (+2)


• Wis: 10


• Cha: 10

Proficiency Bonus: +2

Passive Perception: 12

Armor Class: 17

Hit Points: 12

Speed: 30

Skills:

• Acrobatics +5


• Arcana +2


• Athletics +3


• History +2


• Insight +2


• Nature +2


• Perception +2


• Religion +4


• Sleight of Hand +3


• Stealth +3

Spells:

• Cantrips
  
  
  
  • Green Flame Blade
    
    
  
  
  
  

Weapons:

• Scimitar


• Dagger (x2)


• Shortbow (20 arrows)

Armor:

• Studded Leather


• Banded Ghostwood Shield

Other Equipment:

• Pouch


• Clothes, Common


• Waterskin


• Bedroll


• Incense (5)


• Rations (10 days)


• Rope, Hempen 50 ft


• Amulet (religious symbol)


• Vestments


• Tinderbox


• Mess Kit


• Backpack


• Torch (x10)

This is almost as glorious as that coffee maker I keep asking for would be! 10,000 thanks, O' Master of our Web!

Starting

To

Investigate

Necromantic

Gnome

Sightings

...and look around to see who Ayrn might show up as.

This is going to be an interesting group from the looks of it!

Scribbled in my sketchbook a bit, last night... haven't drawn a gnome in ages and, for the life of me, can't recall ever having drawn a tiefling (odd as that feels to admit). I have a feeling that this adventure is going to light a fire under my recently dormant need to draw... Soooo, when you fine folks get around to putting some physical descriptions to your characters, I'll likely be hovering about and looking to snatch them up for character pics.

As far as I know, Cas will be starting with a single cantrip at his disposal.

 He had hoped to skate off unnoticed, of course… get himself as far from Markham, its talk of this Dude in White, and the red-eyed Damien, as he possibly could. As luck would have it, though, a strap on his pack snagged a trash bin and produced just enough of a clatter to draw Castlebrand’s attention…

S#!t, Haze cringed, feeling the old-dude’s gaze swing his way.

“Hey,” Castlebrand called, his progress back inside the pub halted at the sight of the kid, “What are you doing here?”

A little disappointed that he’d been spotted, Haze heaved a sigh and pushed an errant lock of hair out of his eyes as he turned and regarded the man. “Dude,” he said with a shrug, “I was just hoping to nosh on some gratis grub, right? But then that got all twisty-turny-sideways when you people turned a bountiful buffet into a full-on-freak-fest.” The kid’s weight shifted nervously from one foot to the other and, for a split second, his eyes scoured the darkness into which Mr Creepy, Damien, had recently disappeared before ticking back to Castlebrand.

“How much of that did you hear,” the older man asked, realizing that this disheveled kid had probably been lurking for a good while.

“More than I wanted to, bro,” Haze grimaced. He considered letting that be the sum total of his conversation with this old dude but, for whatever reason, instead of letting it lay and skating off, he fixed the man with an almost admonishing expression and added; “Y’know… ya really shouldn’t talk to…” he waved a hand in the direction the Damien thing went, “…to things like that. Good way to end up dead or somethin’…”

Castle looked at the kid that had been lurking in the alley.  Clearly he wasn't trying to mug anyone, just get some free food.  "Gratis grub" and a "bountiful buffet."  He wouldn't normally expect to hear phrases like that from a skateboarding kid that looked homeless while hiding in an alley.  And the more the kid kept talking, the less he seemed like your normal teen punk.  

"Things like that?"  He aksed.  Something about how the kid spoke and looked around nervously seemed to suggest he knew something.  "Things like the guy who just left?"  He tried to get a good look at the kid without appearing to study him.  "What do you mean?  He didn't attack me."  At this point he did give the kid a direct look.  "Or you for that matter."  He glanced back the way Damien had gone.  "You were upstairs.  After the food.  I don't know much about either bit of strangeness.  Why shouldn't I talk to him?  He didn't seem to be the bit of strangeness causing all the trouble."

The kid knew something.  And he was scared.  For a reason.  Castle wanted to know why.  Making the kid feel like the expert might keep him talking.  Lectures rarely worked, even in the classroom.  And there might be more food upstairs.  That might keep him around as well. 

"Yeah, dude," the kid answered, "like the guy that just left. Just cuz he didn't attack you don't mean he's bringin' good juju to the table, y'know?" Haze shifted nervously again, wondering why he was even talking to this guy and not flat out kicking it back for Toronto. His eyes skittered past Castle, once more, searching the shadows for Mr Creepy or anything else that might've been drawn out of the dark. When his gaze found it's way back to the older dude, Haze sighed and shrugged. "Dude wasn't natural, bro," he almost whispered, "Not of this world, y'know what I'm sayin'? I learned a while back that stuff like that's best left alone... Don't want it comin' after ya in the night... and talkin' to it just kinda invites it in."

Juju?  Somehow the more the kid talked the more Castle was pretty sure he knew his juju.  And he meant that in all its meanings.  Because this case really seemed to have some weird juju.  He nearly fell into lecture mode with some sort of "it is here whether we want it to be or not . . . hiding doesn't help . . .gotta do our part . . "spiel, but it just didn't sound right and even sounded annoying, even to him.  So instead he focused on what the kid knew and the grub.  "You learned a while back?  Kid, I've seen some strange things, and it seems I'm not the only one in this stinky alley that has.  Look, that guy, he's gone for now - and if he gave me a way to contact him he probably isn't about to come back."  He paused and assessed the kid.  There is still some food upstairs."  He'd seen a bit of splash on the kids shirt and shoes and guessed he might need to reload.  "Right now this place is probably as good as any - and it has some good food.  I'd love to hear about what you have seen - maybe I'll learn to run faster.  Should we go get some more of that gratis grub?"  

“Yeah,” the kid drawled in response to the first question, his eyes wandering away from Castlebrand for a second and taking on a distant haze, “a while…” As the older man continued speaking, Haze continued to stare off, somewhat sadly but, still, with something like anger mixed into his expression; fighting memories he wished he didn’t have…”

“…Maybe I’ll learn to run faster. Should we go get some more of that gratis grub?”

Those words snapped the kid’s attention back to Castlebrand and, for a minute, he just kind of gawked at the guy the reminded him of Mr McGinty. The expression on his face, then was caught somewhere between confused and on the verge of laughter. “Heh,” he allowed a chuckle and a crooked half-smile to finally crack that expression, “Yeah… You seen what I seen, dude, an’ you’d run faster than ya ever thought ya could…” His gaze ticked warily toward the Owl and his settling stomach grumbled at the possibility of reupping on the food it had recently chucked out… “and ya wouldn’t stop.” He’d almost whispered those last words, as if he’d only meant to think them to himself rather than speak them aloud. He shrugged, then, and offered another weak chuckle as his eyes turned back to Castle. “I could do with a refill on the grindage,” he said, “but I dunno that I really wanna talk about what I’ve seen. That cool?”

"I'm certainly not going to force you to talk, although any warnings you might have would be welcome.  For now, there is some stuff upstairs I want to see still.  And the grindage."  He turned towards the bars back door and help it open.  "Upstairs to some food?  My names Alex by the way.  Or 'Castle' to some."  He held the door open and followed the kid in.

The kid nodded; “Yeah. Cool.” Normally, he’d be wary of guys like this but, something about the way Castle reminded him of Mr McGinty along with the almost laid back vibe he gave off set Haze somewhat at ease and he only hesitated a second before following the older man’s lead. “Thanks, Castle-dude,” he said with a grin as he stepped through the door, “Most people that bother to talk to me call me Haze.”

((OOC: This post construed and constructed by Eol and Nomad. I figure Haze will follow Castle’s lead for the time being… back up the stairs to get some more grub and let Castle do his poking around.))

Dude! That is a MOOOOOOOOUTHFUL!!!!

I like it!

See your PMs for some thoughts on the nature of Karos' relationship with Castien.

Also, thanks for the kind words re: the sketch! I was waiting for a load of laundry to finish drying, enjoying a rum, and thinking about this world that Lady Dark is readying to plunge us into when I started to work that one up... I do that from time to time... aaaaaand, once I see descriptions for other characters coming though, who knows, I might just get inspired and work up sketches for the entire party. I've been known to do that, as well.

Anyway... as always, looking forward to seeing what the rest of you bring to the table! Very excited to start playing this one! 

...is to copy the post from the thread itself before you go to the edit screen. Once in the edit screen, select all (ctrl+a) and delete it, then paste what you copied from the post and you should have all the info at hand, formatted and spaced normally. Make your edits from there, click submit, and BOOM! you're good to go. From that point forward you should be able to hit the edit screen and no longer see the "run-on" business.

I'll PM you tomorrow. 

...I keep forgetting Goncalvo is half a day ahead of most of us.

Just hadn't seen him mabout in a bit and was making sure!

Udaman, Brom!

In case none of you have noticed, yet, there's now a map of Eylirith posted in the QA thread. It's a beauty! You should have a gander!

Also, I scanned that sketch I did of Castien and tacked in on to his History/Description post... just in case you're interested.

I went with acolyte. Given Castien's history and the details I got from Lady Dark about what growing up in the Temple would have been like, acolyte made the most sense. I looked at Faction Agent, as well, but realized they were essentially the same thing (just swap out "faith" for "faction" and they're practically identical). Cas is probably something of a zealot where it comes to Astryliene.

I'm exceedingly jazzed for this game to get rolling but, still, happy to sit here and "dig into the depths" before things really take off. Got so into it, last night, that I broke out the sketchbook and started drawing Castien.

Mayhaps I'll slap some color on it and post it up a bit later.

...as far as your character and Cas having some kind of relationship is that, perhaps your trickster was being chased down by some folks that meant to do him harm and Cas intervened, keeping your character from being beaten silly or worse. Maybe he did get beaten pretty soundly and, after chasing of his attackers, Castien took him back to the Temple for healing/recuperation. Compassion is a pretty major tenet of Astryliene, after all.

We can run with that idea, if you like, or we can brainstorm others. Up to you.

...push!

Nomad - I'll drop you a PM soon.

First, I like the concept. It should be a fun and interesting add to the group.

As far as motivation to stay true to the party goes, I can come up with an idea or two...

1. Maybe he's not dedicated to the party so much as he is to a certain other member of the group. As long as said other stays loyal to the group, so does your character. Any number of factors could contribute... I can think of one or two possible scenarios with Cash if you'd like to explore that... Or you can wait and see what the rest come up with and link up with someone else.


2. Perhaps the group as a whole gives him a sense of security and belonging (or maybe just convenience) so he staves off any impulse if turning on them until he's gotten his use of them.


3. Maybe he doesn't! Could make for some interesting RP.

Fortune's Favored has been added to the list. I've kind of been going back and forth between the threads listed above as I get the time. I'll get into this one in the near future.

Just the one, really... Two if you count Cas' father, now. I want to say that the name originally came from the Sylvari Name Generator here at the Inn. I dunno... I just like the name, I suppose.

Looking forward to getting a glimpse of the druid.

...to say that I'm enjoying the read, so far! Great stuff, folks! I'll keep lurking!

I went ahead and rolled up his "final stats" and equipped him per the PHB, as well. PM'd that to you for review when you get a chance.

I'm also looking forward to see what everyone else comes up with character-wise! Can't wait to meet them all!

P.S. If you need help with the map, Lady D, just let me know. I can probably assist with that.

After some advice, assistance, and lots of back and forth with Lady Dark, I think I've gotten to a point where it's character creation time! To that end, below is what I've come up with thanks to all of you! I won't bore you with stats just yet but here are "the basics" where our future Eldritch Knight is concerned. Enjoy!

Name: Castien Mithretaryl

Race (Sex): High Elf (Male)

Class (Lvl): Fighter (1)

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Height: 5’10”  Weight: 145 lbs

Eyes: Blue  Hair: Black

History: Castien’s parents, Jarenion and Saerima, were unregistered Bladesingers who operated, primarily, in the Deeper Wilds of Khadask for many years before being discovered by the Arcaren Authority. Their refusal to register with and submit to the Arcaren’s mandates quickly made them targets of the Authority’s Agents. As Saerima had recently given birth to Castien, she and Jarenion decided that, rather than staying in Khadask and trying to raise their son on the run from the Arcaren Authority, they would try and escape to The Evril Islands; their ancestral home and a place where the Arcarens had no presence. They made it as far as Watertown before the Authority’s Agents caught up to them.

There were very few ship captains who would so much as listen to the elves pleas once their destination was uttered and even fewer who so much as pretended to have any interest in making the trip whatsoever. With their options running out, their time growing short, and the Agents closing in, Saerima sought out the Sisters of Astryliene and, rather than allow him to be captured and/or killed along with her and Jarenion, entrusted the care and raising of Castien to the Sisters. Saerima left Castien with a kiss, her sword, and her shield, then, she and Jarenion attempted to flee the city. Their fate is unknown to this day.

Thus, Castien was raised in the Temple of Astryliene on the small island off the coast of Watertown where She was born. His memories of his true parents are few and even those are vague and dreamlike and, since he grew and trained in service to the Sisters of Astryliene, he simply acknowledges Grand High Father, Umanu, and the Grand High Mother of his order as his “parents.” He has been a devout and tenacious student over the course of his years at the Temple and, as such, given the balance he has managed to strike between his magical aptitude and martial prowess, Umanu has chosen to induct him into the elite team of acolytes known as Astryliene’s Blades. With this high honor bestowed upon him, Castien has redoubled his efforts to prove himself worthy of the title and the Blessing of Astryliene that comes with it. With his training now nearing completion, Grand High Father Umanu has decided that Castien is ready to face The Trials that will cement his standing as a Blade…

Appearance: Castien is readily identifiable as an elf, of course, with his slender, graceful build and the eerily beautiful features of his people. His ebon hair is worn long but neat, secured from ever falling into his eyes by a series of simple braids and a ponytail that pins the majority of his tresses behind his elegantly pointed ears. His eyes are a blue almost as clear and pure as the waters in The Pool of Tears; as beautiful as they may be, though, Castien’s eyes are rarely described as such, instead, words like “stoic” and even “severe” are utilized far more often. The studded leather armor he wears is dyed an almost muted blue-gray hue and is tooled and embossed in a motif that evoke an homage to The Living Storm. He wields an elegant scimitar of elven make that was once carried by his mother, Saerima, and, also her shield of banded ghostwood, though these are not his only weapons.

...not much for Sam to post to until others post, I suppose.

Should nothing come of Sam's crude breakfast conversation, the remainder of his day will likely be as follows:

1. Going over/tweaking flight plans, etc, with Wyatt and consulting with Wolf to get max efficiency out of our fancy new engines.


2. Doing whatever is on his share of the chore list... I imagine, in absence of the Kid, Sam will help Ma with clearing/cleaning breakfast dishes, probably have some other clean up/sort out tasks (make room for cargo, etc), and re-check flight plans blah-blah-blah.


3. If she asks, Sam will also go with Ma to ferry the supplies promised by Mrs Wilson.


4. Whatever Wyatt asks

And, that should cover it until he's got to strap into his seat on the bridge and burn atmo.... unless, for some reason, word reaches him that Misty's run into a peck of trouble because she came back to play... in that case, who knows what might happen? It probably won't be good for anyone involved, though.