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Character Introductions
#1
Use this thread to describe your characters
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#2
Enkili Harbhamit Pesar Al Madii
Background tales and anecdotes



Enkilis parents had a forbidden love.  His Mother Anacha Medberit came from one of the nomadic clans that has uneasy dealings with city dwellers, and Enkidus Harbhamit was the son of militant Al Madii.  They tried to impress their two peoples with deeds that would normally have pleased the two groups, but instead Anacha’s family placed a curse on the young couple, and Enkidus’s family ostracized the couple and stripped Enkidus of ranks and titles. “In an ancient land, Anacha and her rash lover will lose their lives and their children will become the playthings of Efriti.”

When Enkili was nine, his Father Enkidus had his rank reinstated and he was given command of two hundred Al Madii soldiers, priests, sorcerers, and wizards.  His orders were to secure an old human ruin, make it defensible, then wait for experts from the families of Al Madii to show up.  Anacha and Enkili begged not to be left behind, Anacha from fear of the cruelty the Harbhamit clan showed her, and Enkili for the chance to adventure in far off lands (not that a few weeks journey past the Oasis of Mar Benii was a distant land). Along the way, his mother described the nomads way of looting the fallen and searching for items of value while raiding.

After a few months of turning the ruin into a walled fort, Anacha found evidence that this old human city had been built on the remains of some unknown ancient civilization.  So the curse came true, in a matter of days Enkili’s Mother wasted away and died from the cursed artifact she had found, but he and his Father were not given a chance to mourn.  Even as the magical disease ate away at Anacha, the creatures of the desert rose up against the little fort.  Monsters, non human tribes, and even Human nomads took turns ambushing or besieging the hapless soldiers of Al Madii.

By the time Enkili turned ten he had already killed a few enemies defending himself when incursions into the fort occurred, Al Madii had not sent any reinforcements and the dwindling number of defenders made holding the walled fort difficult.  For almost half a year the fort stood its ground alone, fighting for its existence, then a tribe of Dust Orcs came with a potent magic.  A dozen fire Genies were unleashed upon the fort and Enkidus, Enkili’s Father had his head twisted completely around and thus was killed.  As the last defenders were being thrown hither and yon by the Efriti, Enkili was captured but not killed.  The old Medberit curse made it so the Efrit were unable to slay him outright, though they tried to work him to death; passing him back and forth between temporary masters.

After many months in the City of Brass, just as Enkili thought his spirit might break, a Djini appeared in the brass house in which Enkili was chained for the night.  This air Genie freed him and whisked him to a fantastic city in the clouds where no lands could be seen below.  There Enkili was healed then returned to the prime material plane.  The Djini had been bound to an Iron Flask which had been passed down through centuries of Harbhamit use; each of Enkili’s ancestors had used their three wishes then passed the Flask on to their child instead of freeing the bound Genie.  The boys Uncle Mardus, a distantly remembered figure from Enkili’s childhood, broke the chain of possession and freed the Djini after having it rescue his nephew.

   
 

Adopting Enkili, General Mardus saw to his education, channeling those lessons to rough the boy out into a future officer (Enkili never felt forced, this was a path he flourished in taking).  At the age of fourteen their little family received a shock.  News of Uncle Mardus’s youngest brother dying came to Al Madii, where they lived.  Enkili had barely heard of this Uncle Shemlil, he had only been told of how disappointing this younger brother of his Father had been, how he had ran away a coward just after becoming an officer in Al Madii’s army.  Suddenly a secret truth was being fed to Enkili as he found himself at the center of an ancient family secret.

This Unknown Uncle Shemlil was actually a hero, and great champion of the Harbhamit family, though Enkili was not allowed to admit to that in public.  His Grandfather, the High Harbhamit, Father of All Harbhamits, was now taking an interest in him, and this old stranger and his beloved Uncle were now telling him that he was to be the next big shame to the Harbhamit name.  He was going to replace his Uncle Shemlil and chase after an ancient missing heirloom, the Sainted Sword of the Harbhamits.  Only no one in the clan could know except the three of them.  Only muddying Enkili's name would keep the secret from coming out.

From that point on, Enkili was supposed to educate and train himself for the quest ahead.  At the same time he had to keep his actions secret by continuing his obligations to the family and the city of Al Madii, by becoming a soldier, then officer in Al Madii’s armed forces.  All this studying and training would have been anathema to his young man's soul, but Enkili found a few things that made his full itinerary bearable.  Not only did he love the running, jumping, and even swimming athleticism of his pre-soldier exercises, and even soldierly training later, but he found that he could easily get lost in a history book.

History became so important to him that he even began to read the stories of other city states and nations absorbing all he could when he could.  Learning Elven took Enkili longer, as it was not a favored field of study at the time, it was not until later that he gained an appreciation for foreign tongues.  At the time training with various weapons, shields, and armor types seemed more important.

   

The age of fifteen was when the children of prominent families entered the military (and gained the appellation of Min or Pesar Al Madii, Daughter of Al Madii or Son of Al Madii respectively).  They did not lead armies, though many were vain enough to believe they could.  No they entered at the lowest rank and were given the most menial of jobs.  Enkili found himself in front of the animal pens.  At first he was horrified that he not only had to learn how to work with the armies various beasts, he would have to learn how to hitch horses and camels to wagons and cart, the work of slaves or servants.  Though he preferred to work with the dogs (when he got over the shock at his lowly appointment), the army deemed him fit enough to work in supply and logistics as a delivery driver.

The boy in charge of him yelled a lot but never got their team of drivers to deliver the right goods to the right army camp; forget about arriving on time too.  Within months the yelling boy was transferred away and Enkili was put in charge without being given a title or any authority.  He was even given a few new recruits to train on top of having his superiors demand he shape his unit up.  He too could not figure out how to deliver the right goods to the right camp on time.  In a moment of inspiration he asked another delivery section leader how they managed to do things right.  Enkili was told that he would have to win at least one out three Kubb games in order to gain access to that knowledge.  Kubb was a foreign game Enkili had never heard of before.

The lawn game captivated Enkili’s imagination, and he managed to win the very last game.  After that he joined every kubb league he could and even started a few leagues with the cavalry units he would eventually lead.  This obsession with the game also led to a bit of side game gambling, but Enkili has always seemed to win money more often than losing it.  His peer in logistics taught Enkili how to read and translate the maze of paperwork associated with the pick up and delivery of goods.  Enkili figured out how to get the right goods to the proper units but he could never figure out how to do it in time.  It took another game of kubb to learn that he had to make an agreement with the officers of the various camps; let them know that the goods would be a little late, but still delivered in an acceptable time span.  This stopped the complaints against his unit and made it appear that all was perfect.

After he turned sixteen Enkili was made a lieutenant of light cavalry in the Falcon Platoon and for a quarter of the year he assisted his captain in maintaining the affairs of the camp while offering his knowledge to the animal handlers in their camp.  Three months later he was leading his own platoon of heavy cavalry, the Hammer of Lightening Mounted Platoon.  The only combat they saw was when an army of Hobgoblins humbled the fighters of Al Lemech sweeping over them from the north.  High on their victory the sub humans raced towards Al Madii hoping to sack the Greatest of All Cities.  The wizards and sorcerers of Al Madii used their magic to poison the Hobgoblins water supply.  Uncle Mardus used the cavalry to slow the Hobgoblins until the lack of water turned their army into a ghost of itself, then the whole Al Madii army hammered the Hobgoblins in two savage bouts.  Few soldiers of Al Madii died, while a horde of non Humans perished.

When Enkili turned seventeen his Uncle and Grandfather began to “interfere” with his military career.  Whispers were started that he was just as tainted as his father had been by his mother's foreign Medberit blood.  Meanwhile, he was given more time to ransack the Harbhamit secret library to discover where the other Seekers had looked for the Sainted Sword.  Yet he could not be seen to dally in Al Madii forever, so he was sent to Shandeer to join a cousin at establishing their embassy in H’lou, then at a place near the borders between Talmain, Mandagan, and Shandeer (near a little town in Talmain called Three Border).  This is where Enkili gained his appreciation for being multi lingual.  Even as he assisted in crafting trade negotiations with the season fueled governments of Shandeer, he was secretly pricing the various modes of travel he may have to use when he left to be the Seeker.


Also while he worked in the Elven territory, the Sergeant in charge of the embassy’s security caught Enkili’s eye.  This little woman seemed to get her way with everyone just by using threats and the daunting aspect of her eye patch.  This Harbhamit sergeant took Enkili under her wing teaching him the “art of intimidation”.  He learned that a direct threat to life and limb rarely succeeded in cowing people, yet a threat of punishment from a superior or convincing someone that their position was less than secure could open a person up to letting Enkili have his will.  This sergeant also showed Enkili how to slip away to indulge in the vices of drugs and prostitution.  Today Enkili knows how to choose a quality hash bar or whore house over the average dive.  He returned to Al Madii with this new knowledge and with a greater grasp on written and spoken Elven.
 
With his Grandfather’s help, Enkili set up both the fiction of his “defiance” and “reason” for running away, and the actual means for him to leave Al Madii.  During the Spring Sowing Festival, Enkili vanished from the city using a disguise.  Outside his beloved city, the young man met two slaves who had taken his horse and supplies out days before.  Using a little of the huge supply of coin the High Harbhamit had given him, Enkili pressed papers of manumission upon the slaves, giving them their freedom, then bribing them to never return to Al Madii.  Thus he took care of the only witnesses who would talk about his escape.

This allowed him to cross the waste with relative ease, heading back into the safer regions of Talmain where he was to buy passage to the half mythical northern kingdoms, where it is said that water is so plentiful that it falls from the skies without the aid of a mountain.  Before Enkili reached the coast, though, the lure of his favorite vices pulled him off his path.  While high on hashish and in the arms of a beautiful hired woman, thieves stole away with a majority of Enkili’s coin leaving him near destitute.  When he (and an Elven companion named Rodor) reached the coast his only recourse was to sell his mount and the harness, saddle bags, and saddle in order to gain passage north, that coin and a little he earned from betting on his kubb games has gotten him to where he is now.  He still seeks a sword that has the symbol of seven winged bulls who have full moons nestled in the cradle of their horns, inside each moon is the five pointed star mages use in their art….

   
 

A Description, that first impression:

Armor clatters in the doorway of the tavern.  An imposing figure in laminated banded armor pauses in the door to read the mood of the common area, a four or four and a half foot tall curved two handed sword slanted across his back.  Cold dark eyes scan the room from over a chain mail veil built into the armors coif, those nearly black eyes hesitate when they touch you and your friends, but then move on.  This tall man’s armor has been recently laminated red, with golden highlights, you have seen knights with poorer protection than this young man.  With confidence and an air of nobility, the figure unhooks his veil as he starts across the room.  He reveals the face of a serial killer.  Around a raptors beak of a nose the cold eyes sit over flat cheeks whose angles speak of harsh climes.  His strong chin does him no favors as it proves there is nothing soft or merciful in the man.

As he passes by he gives you another look, then he times a glance at the proprietor of the tavern.  His imperious gesture indicates that he will be attended in the back booth he has chosen, despite the fact that everyone else has to go to the bar in order to place their orders.  You can tell the owner is tempted to ignore this stranger, but too many second thoughts pass through the middle age man’s mind.  That merciless face is too much to ignore, so the barman signals one of his maids to go tend the young man who is now seated with his arms spread across the back of the booth's seat.

Hesitantly the girl sidles up to the table, shooting a murderous look at her boss before she arrives.  Clutching her serving tray like it were a possible protective barrier, the girl starts to ask after the strangers needs.  Something the man says causes her head to shoot up, but then something strange occurs.  This menacing stranger suddenly smiles and his whole face transforms.  You see that he is nothing but a young man with a fearsome visage, he might not even realize the effect he has on the general public with the face he’s been born with.  Soon he has the bar maid laughing along with him as they converse.  This man will not be a source of danger tonight, though you had seen that he would be very capable in a fight from the way he moved and handled that big curved blade that had been on his back; the one now propped up at his side.



Character's Name: Enkili Harbhamit Pesar Al Madii (son 0f the city Al Madii)
Class and Level: Fighter 1
Background: Officer (with a hint of noble)
Player's Name: Roy Simms Jr.
Race: Human, Variant
Alignment: chaotic good
Experience Points: 0
Favored gods: Mahkim and Ahme (Sky Father and the Mother) plus all the others, because they might get jealous.

Strength:  17  modifier: +3 | +2prof.  15 Str +1 racial bonus, +1 feat bonus = 17
Dexterity: 13  modifier: +1
Constitution: 15  modifier: +2 | +2prof.  14 Con +1 racial bonus = 15
Intelligence: 10  modifier: +0
Wisdom: 10  modifier: 0
Charisma: 10  modifier: 0

Saving Throws: Str- 3+2= +5  |Dex-  +1 |Con- 2+2= +4  |Int- +0 |Wis-  0  |Cha-  0
Inspiration:
Armor Class: 15+1(fight. style)=16
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30

Hit Dice: 1
Hit Die Type: 1d10+2
Hit Points: 12
Temporary Hit Points:
Death Saves- Successes __ __ __.  || failures __ __ __.

Personality Traits: Though he carries himself as a lord, Enkili does not consider himself better than anyone else.  To gain favor among his associates, he tries jokes even though the cultural differences may not translate well.
Ideals: Being good shows nobility, dedicating himself to serving the well being of others reflects well on his family and Al Madii, the jewel under the desert moon!
Bonds: Finding the Sainted Sword and breaking the family free of their godly punishment is the only way he will be able to see his beloved Uncle Mardus and the city of Al Madii again.
Flaws: Mandagan's have many taboos, hashish and hookers happen to be indulgences of Enkili, simply because they are the best ways to keep his "rebellious" nature hidden while bucking the hidebound traditions of his people.  Financial problems have been known to occur though.

Acrobatics: (dex)  +1
Animal Handling (wis)  0+2=+2
Arcana (int)  +0
Athletics (str)  3+2=+5
Deception (cha)  0
History (int) +0+2=+2
Insight (wis)  0     
Intimidation (cha) 0+2=+2
Investigation (int)  +0+2=+2
Medicine (wis)  0
Nature (int)  +0     
Perception (wis)  0
Performance (cha)  0
Persuasion (cha)  0
Religion (int)  +1   
Sleight of Hand (dex)  +1
Stealth (dex)  +1  disadvantage in armor 
Survival (wis)  0
Passive Perception:  0

Proficiencies and Languages:  Mandagan, Common, Elven.  (class) Proficient with all armor and shields.  Proficient with all simple weapons and all martial weapons.
(Background) Proficient with gaming tool set = kubb set.  Proficient with land vehicle (wagon).

Attacks:
Weapon-  Attack bonus-  Damage and type; weapon characteristics
Mandagan Greatsword- 3+2= +5- 1d12+3 slashing; Deadly, heavy, two handed.
Shortbow- 1+2= +3- 1d6+1 piercing; ammunition, range (80/320), two handed.
dagger (Khanjar style)- 3+2=+5/1+2=+3- 1d4+3/+1; piercing; finesse, light, thrown 20/60

Copper Pieces: 8
Silver Pieces:  9
Electrum Pieces:
Gold Pieces: 11
Platinum Pieces:
Gems and Jewels:

Equipment:
Item-  Price-  Weight-  Properties-  ||  Item- Price-  Weight-  Properties-
Mandagan Greatsword- 60gp.- 7#- see attacks. || Shortbow- 25gp- 3#- see attacks. ||Banded armor- 55gp.- 45#- AC15, stealth disadvantage. || Backpack- 2gp- 5#- 1cubic foot/30# gear capacity || Bedroll- 1gp- 7#- - || Soap- 2cp- 0#- - ||Quiver- 1gp- 1#- - || 20 arrows- 1gp- 1#- - || Kubb set- 5gp (free)- 2#- req. tool proficency). || dagger (khanjar 'S' curved)- 2gp- 1#- finesse, light, thrown 20/60 ||


Total cost__148 (153)gp__.  Total Weight Carried_72#_.  Carrying Capacity_255#_.  Push/drag_510#_.  Encumbered 85#.  Heaviy Encumbered 170#

Features and Traits:
(Racial)  -bonus skill- Investigation.  -bonus Feat- Athlete- I have undergone extensive physical training to gain the following benefits: *Increase my Strength (or dexterity) score by 1, to a maximum of 20. *When I am prone, standing up only costs me 5 feet of my movement. *Climbing does not halve my speed.  *I can make a running long jump or a running high jump after only moving 5 feet on foot, rather than 10 feet. (Fighter) HD=1d10. Proficiency with all armor and shields, all simple and martial weapons.  Saving Throws: Strength and constitution.  Skills: Animal Handling and History.  Fighting style: Defense- When I am wearing armor, I get +1 to AC.  Second Wind (Bonus action to regain HP pg.66)- I have a limited well of stamina I can draw upon to protect myself from harm.  On my turn, I can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d10 plus my fighter level.  Once I use this feature, I must take a short or long rest before I use it again.
(Background) Skills: Athletics, Intimidate.  Tools: Kubb pins and boards (outdoor game). Drive Land vehicle.  Mandagan military rank (captain)stripped and replaced by reading, writing, and speaking Elven.

Description: When veiled all one sees is cold dark eyes and red and gold laminated banded armor, and a chain mail veiled khula khud style helmet with crown spike; also red and gold.  Enkili is nearly six foot tall.  Physically he seems lean and sinewy unless you see him with his shirt off, then you realize how buff he is.
Unveiled, Enkili has brown skin, brown almost black deep set eyes covered with thick dark brows, a prominent raptor beak nose, high cheek bones with flat planed cheeks, and a chiseled chin.  Altogether your first impression says "serial killer", until he smiles; then you see he is just a kid with a harsh face.  His long hair grows in natural ringlets, sometimes he tries to grow a beard, which never gets long enough, it too grows in ringlets that can “afro” out when static is involved.

Age: 18
Height: 5' 11.5"
Weight:  187#
Eye Color: Dark brown, almost black
Skin: light brown
Hair color: black with bluish sheen
Looks: see description.
Token Picture:
   
P.S.  I have a larger version of this picture to make the token from, but it is too large to put into this post.


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#3
I will need to build your character in Fantasy Grounds. I'll try to attend to it in the next day or two.
Are you able to email me the larger image?
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#4
(07-14-2020, 11:27 PM)Ravenblade Wrote: I will need to build your character in Fantasy Grounds. I'll try to attend to it in the next day or two.
Are you able to email me the larger image?

Email on its way @ 10:41am 7/15/2020
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#5
Dear DM,
Grovelling player here.  I have been looking at Enkili's Heavy Armor Master feat and realizing how situational and how much incremental irrelevancy that feat has built in.  One, it only works against non magical weapon damage.  Many monsters don't use weapons (while many do, granted), but as we go up in levels, more and more weapons brought to bear against us will be magical in nature.  This feat will probably be mostly redundant by the time we reach 10th level.  I was wondering if I could switch this feat out for the Athlete feat.  This feat actually goes more along how I envisaged Enkili and not too much rewriting has to go into the character sheet.
Athlete Feat reads thus: I have undergone extensive physical training to gain the following benefits. 
*Increase my STRENGTH or Dexterity score by one, to a maximum of 20. 
*When I am prone, standing up only uses five feet of my movement.
*Climbing does not halve my speed.
*I can make a running long jump or running high jump after moving only 5 feet on foot, rather than 10 feet.

Enkili would, of course, choose to increase his strength which the former feat also increased by 1, so no change to that ability is necessary.  I feel Athlete will be relevant through out all this characters life, granting him a better command of the battle field and reflecting the training I claimed he underwent in his background tale.  I burn expensive incense to you, sacrifice fat calves in your name, and plead on my knees for your intercession for this feat change.  If you want, I will sacrifice a Dwarven bard to you to have this done....Wink
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#6
In order to give just a little back ground: grey elf, from Shandeer, rogue - thinking about arcane trickster when I hit 3rd: Name Rodor.
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#7
Leiya Tevorova. Onostian. Hermit. Wanderer. Mystic. Aspiring cleric.

More later, after I've had some sleep. Smile


For you are following a thread. For you are cloaked in dawn. For in a field you have found a hidden treasure. Kneel, traveler, and take it. It is a word. Now stand, take up your staff, and travel on until you find another.
(Ivrom, Priest of the Stone)

I sat down in the wilderness with my books, and wept for joy.
(Elathuid the Voyager)

... the discovery of this mystery of prayer is a foretaste on Earth of the bliss of heaven.
(an unnamed monk)

Good speech is silver, but silence is pure gold.
(Saint Ephrem the Syrian)

I was spoken to by a god, and I found myself unworthy of him ...
(Leiya Tevorova)

O seeker, find God in the breath of all breathing ...
(Kabir)
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#8
Leiya Tevorova, doing things.

I'm loving the character descriptions and backstory, by the way, Enkili! Great stuff. I look forward to "meeting" him and all of the other characters.


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