GMS notes-

Name: Malakaus Ralthavar Marcosias

Race: Orc

Age: 44

Job: Forester/Miner. He's the overseer of The Grey Crossing's iron mine and smelter.

Class: Fighter/Barbarian (Though he prefers the term "Berzerker" over Barbarian, and will quickly go into a rage if you make the mistake intentionally)

Short Story: Malakaus, like many orcs, got into the adventuring business initially for the adventure and glory. Handy with just about any weapon he could get his hands on, save for those exotic stuff, he joined up with lots of parties and hewed his way through many foes. Of course, he was unique in that he grew old enough to get tired of the whole "Raid dungeons and camps for loot" shtick, and wasn't dead. He retired from the adventuring life when his love, an elven cleric, sacrificed her life to save not only him but their child, who she was with at the time. She had to use a Miracle to extract from her body before she perished. Eventually he arrived to The Grey Crossings to raise his daughter in relative peace.

Notable Quirks: Malakaus can be a rather stern and stubborn orc. He has all the traits of a father who doesn't allow their children to do anything fun. But that's mostly just a safeguard he puts up to dissuaded any thug who thinks they can have their way with his daughter. Those who are friends with him or his daughter would know he can be rather dotting to the point of embarrassment. And unlike most orcs he has a sort of cunning intellect that, while not enough to make him into a wizard, could certainly show he's smarter than he looks.

Skills: While Malakaus is obviously handy in a fight, nowadays he turns to more mundane utility skills. He's a fairly tough guy and can handle hard work, so when it's time to cut down trees or go deep underground Malakaus often takes the lead so he can suffer whatever danger comes before the others do. He has a nose for metal and gems too, and likes to think that he can beat any dwarf when it comes to prospecting. Malakaus has also taken time back when he was training as a fighter in engineering and smithing, hence why and how he managed to open up a wood mill and smelter in the village.

Possessions: Aside from his old adventuring gear and trophies, one of the most common objects Malakaus carries around is his unique Pick-Axe: It's part woodcutting axe part mining pick. Made from adamantine there's little that he can't cut with it, handy when he needs to clear out some trees or prospect ore. He also owns a wood mill a bit away from the village, next to a river. He also part owes an iron mine, though he's simply the overseer there, and it belongs to the village proper.

Hobbies: Greatly enjoys taking hot baths and frequently heads over to the village's hot springs after a day of hard work. Also pretty mean with a fiddle and occasionally does a show with his daughter. When he's not repairing tools for others he also uses his smithing skills to create fine pieces of jewelry with the metals and gems he finds while mining. He never bothers to sell them however despite their craftsmanship, and typically gives them to his daughter or friends.



Name: Sheolred Marcosias

Race: Half-Elf (And technically Half-Orc, but she takes mainly after her mother)

Age: 16

Job: Freelancer. She can often be found in The Grey Crossing's tavern helping out if she isn't helping someone else in the village.

Class: Bard (Though she aspires to learn more magic)

Short Story: Sheolred was only a babe when her mother sacrificed her life to save not only her daughter, but Malakaus, Sheolred's father. Since then her father had retired and moved to The Grey Crossing, where Sheolred grew up. At a young age she always had an interest in magic which Malakaus chalks up to her mother's similar upbringing for her magical talents. However Malakaus had very little desire to let his little girl leave the village to find some magical college, and unless she can discover her own innate magical abilities the best she could do was learn parlor tricks from the other mages in the village. Which was fine with her, as Sheolred also had a knack for theatrics and found magic in performances as well. Sheolred lives a largely carefree life, but as she grows older she desires a more solidify purpose in her life. Something that would give her reason to drive herself forward.

Notable Quirks: A lot of people think Sheolred is an air head, and they wouldn't be too wrong. She's certainly ditsy enough to be mistake as a foolish girl. But she's much more perspective than people would give her credit for, capable of seeing through lies and deception and having a good empathy. She can be rather optimistic and cheerful, especially in the face of bleak times. She'd almost be inspirational if she could keep her focus. Likes animals.

Skills: Sheolred can be quite a performer, doing feats of acrobatics and dexterity that would impress even the most seasoned of tumblers. She's quite capable of mimicking the movements of others like she would do with dances, and could very well do the same with a sword technique if she had the mind to do so. She's also a sharp sleuth and capable of seeing and considering things that could slip past others, usually anyways. Aside from that Sheolred can be rather knowledgeable in various subjects, though she mostly uses this knowledge to be mildly useful for whatever odd job she finds herself doing.

Possessions: Malakaus trained Sheolred how to use simple weapons with a decent amount of proficiency, including a few other weapons, though Sheolred's "Signature Weapon" would always be her ribbon whip. It simply looks like a a vibrant red ribbon attached to a leather handle, but you'd be surprised with the amount of chaos Sheolred can cause with this twenty-foot long piece of cloth. It's much more durable than it's delicate appearance would imply as it's enchanted with magic, and in Sheolred's skillful and dexterous hands she can use it for everything from forming complicated patterns to swiping the coins out of someone's pocket. She also carries a dagger at her father's behest, not really unique beyond her ability to throw it with deadly accuracy. Sheolred also owns a dire boar as a pet and mount. His name is Oinky. She nursed since it was a baby after her father had killed it's mother during a hunt, and she has since than been protecting the creature from anyone who'd think to make a meal from it. Her father also spoils her with various jewelery made of various metals from the mind, from iron bangles to gold amulets with diamonds. Sheolred, in her pursuit of magic, has tried to enchant some of these with mixed results.

Hobbies: Sheolred often offers her services to anyone in the village in need of an extra hand. If she isn't doing that however, she can often be found at the village library doing research on magic or just reading stories, or practicing a new routine somewhere in the village. She may also be taking Oinky out for a walk in the forest whilst looking for mushrooms to eat. She does have a bit of a mischievous hobby of sneaking into people's homes and helping herself to a bit of cat burglary. She usually doesn't steal anything, doing it only to hone her agility and stealth though she also greatly enjoys the innate danger of being discovered during her escapades. Obviously a secret to everyone.

Name: Vis Starkweather
Race: Half-Elf
Age: 33

Job: Blacksmith by day, Constable by night. Owns a blacksmiths at the edge of town employing 3 Apprentices, makes them do the night watch with him.

Class: Rogue, efficient with a his rapier, though he has put his adventuring behind him and settled down in the Grey Crossings.

Short History: Vis was born to an Elf and a Human, father and mother respectively. From a young age his father engaged him with sword play and survivalism, setting him on the path to becoming an adventurer. By 14 he was pestering his parents to let him leave home, to have his own adventures as his father had but they would not yield; his mother too concerned and his father still in the process of training the young boy. When he became 17 and had shed the awkwardness of adolescence, his father had given him an Iron Rapier and gave Vis his blessings to go and adventure but only if he'd write once a month, as his literacy skills were weak, so Vis accepted these terms and left home. After numerous accidents and near fatal run ins with bandits and other unsavory characters, Vis decided it would be best to settle down but his adventures had lead him far from home and too tired to get back. So he settled in Grey Crossings and set up a blacksmithing business, marrying the sickly daughter of a wool trader and living his life happily, well as close to it as he could get.

Appearance: Vis stands at 6ft 4 inches tall and weighs 170ibs, his figure would be classed as lanky though he has enough muscle mass to avoid that (but not enough to be called muscular), his skin is pale bit not too pale, it is comparable to milk. He has snow white, pigmentless hair, courtesy of his father, which he generally has slicked back, the color of his right eye is a deep, electric blue, his left eye is a bright green (this one is blind as it was struck with a curse). He has a slim head with rounded features, not the sharp features of his elven father, though he does have the elven ears even though the left one is in tatters, hanging limpy to the side. On the lower left side of his face he is missing the skin and flesh of his jaw and lower cheek, exposing his gums and teeth, this occured from the same accident as the one that ruined his ear, a cross bolt that narrowly missed destroying his life, he covers up the facial scar with a black scarf. When he is not traveling or not engaged in anything that could end his life, he wears a white puffy shirt, with long sleeves and buttons down the front, as for legs he wears grey trousers and a pair of black leather boots, the scarf around his face doesn't go unless he's in private. When he is traveling however he does wear armor, a set of grey leather armor with azure highlights in the place of tassels and the odd leather plate, the armor has a fur neckline and full segmented leather arms and legs. He always has his sword by his side.

Quirks: Speaks with a lisp, has a glowing green eye, always wears a scarf around his face to cover his scar.

Skills: As a blacksmith, you'd hope he is proficient with working metal and he is, his father was strangely enough a blacksmith though not because smithing is strange, but because he was a forest elf. His father began teaching the trade early on, by the time he was 8 he could make farm tools and by the time he was 12 he could make fine swords and armor. However hammering and quenching iron is not all he does, he is also an alloy smith, mixing metals in careful measurements to make fine metals. He also works with gold and silver well, making rings and other pieces of jewelry, though he doesn't work with gems, as he doesn't believe that mortals are worthy to adorn them selves with them.

Possessions: 
- The simple iron rapier his father gave him when he left home to adventure. 
- A thin chain around his neck with two basic silver rings, one his and the other his -recently- deceased wife's.
- The black scarf he wears around his neck and face to cover his scaring. 

Hobbies: Making clock work bits and bobs, as his smithing skills became better his works started to become more detailed and intricate, with more and more smaller designs and bits that were thought to be impossible with metal. One day someone approached him and asked him if he'd ever considered clockworking, at that point he never had and he went straight into it, using his incredibly weak reading skills and superb math skills to learn and engineer little, yet amazing trinkets. He carried this hobbie with him through his adventuring but decided to delve deeper into it when he settled down. He uses these skills to make toys, music boxes and to repair clocks. Another, arguably less amazing hobby of his is sewing, his travels and his choice of leather armor forcing him to know the ways of needle and thread, he uses these skills to make toys which he sells, or coats for the winter months, when people go out less and use their tools less. And finally, a hobby which he doesn't use fit economic gain, he plays music on a home made instrument, which he calls a harp board; basically a rectangle of wood that has been curved, with 18 brass strings that go from one side to the other, producing a tinny, haunting sound that he manipulates into music.

Name: Marnico (Goes by Mary)
Race: Medusa
Age: Adult, equivalent maturity of a mid-twenties human
Job: Priestess
Class: Cleric

Appearance: Mary stands at a fairly tall 6'1", though the nest of snakes that composes her hair adds another few inches to that. She wears a red silk-looking blindfold at all times, to hide the empty holes where her eyes should be. Her clothing is usually somewhat billowy, but anyone who's ever seen her step up to help defend the town from bandits or the like knows that with a few twists and knots, her outfits can usually become fairly close-fitting and good for quick, precise movement without getting tangled in cloth. Her face is pleasant, once one gets passed the scaly skin, serpentine hair, pointed canine teeth and long, forked tongue.

Short History: Born without eyes and thus without the ability to turn people to stone, this was seen as a sign of of divine favor, and Marnico joined the ranks of the Medusan priestesses as soon as she came of age. She showed a lot of promise, and when she left on her traditional time of missionary work it was with the full confidence of her people behind her. With that much pressure on her, she couldn't simply go visit some of the savage tribes that the Medusa shared their island with, she'd need to do something bigger. She'd need to go to the mainland.

Leaving the island home of the Medusa, she found that her kind were widely reviled as monsters by the world at large, and relatively little was even known about them. Over time, people started to warm up to Mary, as she has started to go by since coming to the mainland. Her positive personality, readiness to help and willingness to defend people has earned her quite a bit of goodwill among the people, especially in the town of Grey Crossings, the location she chose to do her missionary work.

She has gained a few converts to her faith, and she holds weekly sermons in the small church they've built together, really more of a glorified shrine. While some don't appreciate her bringing in her outside faith, they at least respect the fact that she doesn't actively force it on people, instead trying to be an example that draws people to her faith rather than a shepherd who herds people towards it. As such, while she may not see eye-to-eye with certain more devout members of the community, she has so far managed to stay on good terms with nearly everyone in the small town.

Quirks: She seems younger than she is. The type of Medusa that Marnico is resulted from a cursed group of Elves, and they age the same slow way. She's actually in her mid forties, but she acts like she's in her mid twenties and looks like she's in her early twenties.

Skills: Mary is a reasonably powerful priestess, and has the ability to channel divine magic. She wields a three-section-staff, her deity's favored weapon, also with a solid amount of skill, to the point where she's capable of training others in its use. Though lacking eyes and completely blind, she's not without the ability to perceive. As part of the same divine favor that took her eyes, she also has always had the ability to see blood, even when it's still inside people. This means that, while she may have a hard time catching objects and she can't read, she's perfectly capable of noticing and even recognizing people. This ability also greatly assists her whenever she's trying to provide medical aid to anyone, as she can in some ways see the injury far clearer than a normal person could.

As the Medusan priestesses are obligated to forsake their sight as part of their vows, they have another form for recording information other than writing: knots. This is the only thing that Mary can "read", feeling the knots and understanding them as one would understand braille.

Of course, as befits a priestes, she also has a full, functioning knowledge of her religion and important dates and rituals.

To recap:
-Skilled with the three-section-staff
-Spellcaster
-Can see blood, blind otherwise
-Can read properly-tied knots
-Capable healer

Possessions: Her three-section-staff was a gift to her when she left home. Not a simple set of wooden lengths, it is a lightweight, dark-silvery metal that is somewhere between iron and mithril in quality. Aside from the serpentine carvings along the length of it, there's a very thin channel through the inside filled with blood, allowing those possessing Marnico's gift to see the weapon with full clarity.

Aside from her staff, she wears a blindfold that has some minor enchantments to stop it from coming untied or getting dirty or damaged, and she carries what looks like a bundle of thin, knotted string. This bundle is actually the equivalent of a prayer book, and to one who can read the knotwork it's full of prayers and sermons and songs.

She owns no armor, instead preferring simple cloth clothing.

Hobbies: Healing, teaching, helping, protecting.

Name: Rav "Laughing Devil" Troklen

Race: Tiefling

Age: 113

Job: Tavern/Inn proprietor. Sole owner to the Dizzy Imp, home of their speciality ale, Asmodeus's Contract, a slightly spicy cinnamon taste that feels good at the time but your sure to regret it the next morning.
- Performer at the bar as well should the mood take him, as it usually does after a few drinks.

Class: Sorcerer (Infernal Bloodline)/Bard

Short Story: Rav's earliest memories are those spent playing with the children of his traveling troupe. He had been there as long as he had remembered, living with a halflings couple when he was younger. The he and the children who he had been fast friends with, had been relegated to helping maintain the wagons and feeding and cleaning the animals, with older children being trained to follow their parents footsteps. At the wizened age of 8, it became rather obvious to Rav that he had no footsteps to follow in. His first clue had been the halflings he had grown up with had no tails to speak of, nor even a nub of a horn to speak of.

Armed with this sudden realization, and weilding a righteous fury only known to Heironeous and 8 year olds, he had demanded the ringleader tell him where his parents were. The fact that he was still wearing a clowns garb to advertise to townsfolk lessened the effect somewhat he feared. After the man had recovered from the shock of the angry little clown, he had spun a tale recounting the heroic efforts of his parents.

He listened in awe as the ringmaster told him of the terrible luck they had, falling into the path of a wandering war tribe of hobgoblins, who soon set their eyes on the rather poorly defended caravan. They had put up a rather valiant attempt at fending off the pack, a few of their entertainers knowing a bit of fighting good for shows and a few spells here and there, but most were hedge mages at best, all bluff and bluster. However it seemed that divine favor had been upon them that night, as a traveling tiefling cleric of Fharlanghn and her human husband were soon seen in the fray, none of the troupe having known where they came from, but they were surely turning the tides.

The battle had lasted long into the night, with many casualties. However despite this, the troupe somehow made it through the night, adrenaline pumping through them as they saw the retreating forms of the hobs. The ringleader hadn't learned until after the fight was done of the two strangers intervention, but was saddened to hear they had both fallen in the battle. The ringmaster had found Rav then in his own tent, and had taken the young boy as to respect the memory of those who had sacrificed themselves. He had then given Rave the tokens he had kept from his parents.

As the years passed, Rav gradually came into his heritage, going down a more arcane path than his mother's, and soon left the troupe afterwards, hearing the call of the road. After many adventures, a trail of broken hearts, and more than enough excitement to last him for awhile, Rav retired to the budding town of Grey Crossing 8 years ago, establishing the Dizzy Imp from a run down little stable with chairs to a rather well kept inn, bringing in a regular bit of buisness. He has been recently working on creating a new mead, having become satisfied that Asmodeus's Contract is now perfected.

Notable Quirks:
-Was born without the need to sleep
-Has a fairly high resistance to fire due to his bloodline, and will often set himself ablaze in non-musical performances... and occasionally in the musical ones if he's having a particularly tough crowd that night.
-Tends to fidget with his tail when thinking.
-Has a weakness for bets, often claiming with a chuckle that it must be a family trait.
-Will often hold a grudge against racist bastards. If it's pointed at him, no outward signs will be shown initially, as he will remain perfectly polite, they can expect their drinks to taste "funny", to be called as a volunteer for his acts, and should they order a room, it will unfortunately has a small vermin problem. However should it become a problem for his patrons, the offender shall find himself quickly out the door, his breeches often newly ventilated.

Skills:
-Is rather skilled with the cello and viola, though can play most stringed instruments with some degree of competence.
-Quite the charmer, well aware of the mannerisms needed to work a crowd.
-Most of his spells fall into the illusion and enchantment schools, often preferring to end a fight with as little blood shed as possible. Though his few evocation spells stereotypically are flame spells.Has dabbled a bit in the other schools, mostly situational spells though.
-Has become rather adept at brewing after experimenting for a few years to perfect Asomdeus's Contract, could simply make most of the other drinks he keeps in his bar, but it's easier to buy stock from the other brewers than make it, as well as keeping up good relations. Exports a few barrels of his own ale a month, but tries to keep it in town to drum up local business.
-A decent fencer, able to take on most common men and dispatch the usual fare of monsters without too much trouble, though most of the warriors in town can run metaphorical circles around him when it comes to swordplay.
-Can grow leathery wings for a few minutes of flight due to his bloodline
-Can speak Common, Abyssal, and Gnomish. Can understand a few words in Draconic, but is far from fluent.

Possessions:
-A personal enchanted mug made to refill on a command word with Asmodeus's Contract. Can hold a pint at a time
-His mother's pendant
-His father's masterwork rapier. Has been altered with a returning enchantment after a arduous escapade to retrieve it, having resulted in the collapse of two kingdoms, the alignment shift of a minor deity, though he refuses to say which one, and the resealing of an archdaemon...3 Times.
-Viola
-Cello
-An engraving of his mother, obtained from the temple she had trained at.

Hobbies:
-Gambling
-Drinking, often his own supply
-Preforming, especially if he has someone to preform with.
-Fencing, when the chance arises.
-Flirting, happens so often it qualifies as a hobby I suppose, though mostly harmless.