Jump to Episode 1: Understanding misunderstandings
Note: The characters were created using the EZ JORUNE system custom built for this campaign. It took us about 90mn to create the 5 characters. In many of my games, I use an Everway-inspired technique to spice up character creation. Each player has to ask another player a question about their character, and the question can be prescriptive, and the answer should deepen or transform an aspect of the character. It's these questions and answers that I've included in italics under each character description.
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Nico plays Dhar'en Kross, a human condrij (mercenary). A member of the renowned Kross family of Lelligire, Dhar'en first studied to become a learsis (healer) before leaving Lelligire and distancing himself from his family. He worked as a mercenary principally in Ardoth, where he escorted merchant caravans, and undertook other more dangerous missions. A while back, he decided to come back to his native Lusail and undertake his tothis, but he wants to do it on his own merits and has not informed his family.
Dhar'en is socially shrewd and particularly good at leveraging his "pure" human privilege in a society that is still largely dominated by his kin.
Q: Why did you the sudden death of your best friend lead you to abandon your Learsis studies?
A: The tutoring program was highly competitive, and I was not doing as well as my best friend. I'm convinced that my parents had him eliminated to augment my chances which is why I turned my back on my family.
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Arnaud plays Roosh Woarr, a woffen meirsh (marshalnd explorer). He was born in Lusail, not far from the Suh'larvan swamps. He lost his parents quite young and had to fend for himself from a young age. The swamp became both a place to make a living and a place where company was not needed. As a young adult, he realised that if he wanted to build a family and have cubs of his own, he needed to make himself more respectable, and undertaking his tothis is a good way to do so. Also, it means going through cities with more and different inns, and who doesn't like a good pint of rusper (root beer) or three? Roosh has particularly fine senses of hearing and smell, even for a woffen.
Q: Crugar killed your parents. What did that do to your outlook on life?
A: It made me understand that crugar are cold-blooded killers that do not deserve the benefit of the doubt. A good crugar is a dead crugar.
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Patrick plays Feul Blovvyl, a muadra caji (dedicated student of Isho). Blovvyl does not remember his early years and has no recollection of parents or family. His first memories, around the age of 8 or 9 are about his mentorship with a Lusail caji who taught him not just the basics of Isho and kerning (purging one's isho store), but of life in general. He is dedicated to knowledge, understanding and being useful to his community, and has decided that tothis was a good way of achieving that. Feul has altogether learned six dyshas (Isho manipulations, ie. spells) from his mentor.
Q: How did the death of your mentor affect you?
A: At first, I became recluse and believed life was no longer worth living for. I lived as a hermit and stopped eating, having no will for nourishment. One day, in the throes of starvation delirium, I sax my mentor. He only said one thing to me: "come on, you know some of the plants around are edible, I taught you as much." That vision jarred me, and I ate a few of the edible leaves and roots around me, and slowly came back to life with a new determination.
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Camille plays Rrounni Grana, a Bronth shast (innkeeper) who left Dobre (the country of bronth) a few years back to check out life in Burdoth. She is convinced that a new civil war is looming in Dobre and she wants no part of it. She landed in Ardoth, hired herself as condrij to escort caravans (where she met Dhar'en) and ended up in Lusail, where she found a job again as shast (where she served Roosh.) She came to realise however that only by owning her establishment could she welcome bronth and boccord who are too tall for most places. This gave her the motivation to undertake her tothis. Rrounni has a pet tarro called Groo.
Q: You left Dobre convinced that a new civil was would happen yet you left your family there to fight and die should that happen. How do you live with that?
A: They would probably embrace and welcome a war. I wouldn't. The problem is with me. Deep down, I left because in Dobre I wasn't behaving like a good bronth should. I want to see if bronth in Burdoth are different, or if I really am a bad bronth.
***
Francis plays Baramas Tharimus, a boccord entris (interpreter). Both of Baramas' parents were reputed hishtin (Isho trainers) in Lelligire, where he grew up. Naturally, he was taught and trained to become a hishtin himself. When he was a teenager, his father went on a trip to another city, and there got caught in a scuffle where he lost his life. The loss of his father shook Baramas and made him reconsider what he wanted to do with his life. He decided that he wanted to promote understanding between cultures and become a diplomat, so that the stupid fights that got his father killed would no longer happen (or happen less). He trained as an entris with the ultimate goal of becoming a Burdoth diplomat, which is why he is now undertaking his tothis. Baramas has knowledge of numerous Isho colors for interfering.
Q: Why do you feel guilty about your father's death?
A: As a teenager, I wasn't working as hard as I should have and my father knew it. I was supposed to go on that trip with him, but I simply wasn't good enough to join him, and he dies alone. I have never forgiven myself, but it's made me work hard at what I want to achieve.
Dhar'en is socially shrewd and particularly good at leveraging his "pure" human privilege in a society that is still largely dominated by his kin.
Q: Why did you the sudden death of your best friend lead you to abandon your Learsis studies?
A: The tutoring program was highly competitive, and I was not doing as well as my best friend. I'm convinced that my parents had him eliminated to augment my chances which is why I turned my back on my family.
***
Arnaud plays Roosh Woarr, a woffen meirsh (marshalnd explorer). He was born in Lusail, not far from the Suh'larvan swamps. He lost his parents quite young and had to fend for himself from a young age. The swamp became both a place to make a living and a place where company was not needed. As a young adult, he realised that if he wanted to build a family and have cubs of his own, he needed to make himself more respectable, and undertaking his tothis is a good way to do so. Also, it means going through cities with more and different inns, and who doesn't like a good pint of rusper (root beer) or three? Roosh has particularly fine senses of hearing and smell, even for a woffen.
Q: Crugar killed your parents. What did that do to your outlook on life?
A: It made me understand that crugar are cold-blooded killers that do not deserve the benefit of the doubt. A good crugar is a dead crugar.
***
Patrick plays Feul Blovvyl, a muadra caji (dedicated student of Isho). Blovvyl does not remember his early years and has no recollection of parents or family. His first memories, around the age of 8 or 9 are about his mentorship with a Lusail caji who taught him not just the basics of Isho and kerning (purging one's isho store), but of life in general. He is dedicated to knowledge, understanding and being useful to his community, and has decided that tothis was a good way of achieving that. Feul has altogether learned six dyshas (Isho manipulations, ie. spells) from his mentor.
Q: How did the death of your mentor affect you?
A: At first, I became recluse and believed life was no longer worth living for. I lived as a hermit and stopped eating, having no will for nourishment. One day, in the throes of starvation delirium, I sax my mentor. He only said one thing to me: "come on, you know some of the plants around are edible, I taught you as much." That vision jarred me, and I ate a few of the edible leaves and roots around me, and slowly came back to life with a new determination.
***
Camille plays Rrounni Grana, a Bronth shast (innkeeper) who left Dobre (the country of bronth) a few years back to check out life in Burdoth. She is convinced that a new civil war is looming in Dobre and she wants no part of it. She landed in Ardoth, hired herself as condrij to escort caravans (where she met Dhar'en) and ended up in Lusail, where she found a job again as shast (where she served Roosh.) She came to realise however that only by owning her establishment could she welcome bronth and boccord who are too tall for most places. This gave her the motivation to undertake her tothis. Rrounni has a pet tarro called Groo.
Q: You left Dobre convinced that a new civil was would happen yet you left your family there to fight and die should that happen. How do you live with that?
A: They would probably embrace and welcome a war. I wouldn't. The problem is with me. Deep down, I left because in Dobre I wasn't behaving like a good bronth should. I want to see if bronth in Burdoth are different, or if I really am a bad bronth.
***
Francis plays Baramas Tharimus, a boccord entris (interpreter). Both of Baramas' parents were reputed hishtin (Isho trainers) in Lelligire, where he grew up. Naturally, he was taught and trained to become a hishtin himself. When he was a teenager, his father went on a trip to another city, and there got caught in a scuffle where he lost his life. The loss of his father shook Baramas and made him reconsider what he wanted to do with his life. He decided that he wanted to promote understanding between cultures and become a diplomat, so that the stupid fights that got his father killed would no longer happen (or happen less). He trained as an entris with the ultimate goal of becoming a Burdoth diplomat, which is why he is now undertaking his tothis. Baramas has knowledge of numerous Isho colors for interfering.
Q: Why do you feel guilty about your father's death?
A: As a teenager, I wasn't working as hard as I should have and my father knew it. I was supposed to go on that trip with him, but I simply wasn't good enough to join him, and he dies alone. I have never forgiven myself, but it's made me work hard at what I want to achieve.
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