@swampogreknight They are stronger, because their mastery of magic allows them to defeat opponents from a distance with a vast array of spells, as well as to raise armies of dead creatures to their cause - much larger than what Revenants can hope to assemble. However, at the RP's start, Wraiths are few and far between, and do not control anything beyond their immediate bounds... so there isn't much of a chain of command going on.
It's possible Godric answers to a Wraith though, if that's what your asking. Indeed, if a Wraith assembled a vast army, then it would be the Revenants who would lead it into battle.
I think this could qualify as tanky. I mean, clerics are tanky... right?
Name: Tsabal
Age: 196
Gender: Female
Race: Drow
Race Overview: The villanous, forsaken cousins of the elves, trapped deep underground. They share the long lifespans, the nimbleness and the magic aptitude of other elves, however drow are also infamous for their resistance to magic. Twisted in an autocratic female theocracy who foments murder and sacrifices, they're cunning creatures, always looking for an opportunity to strike back at the surface who once cast them away. Having been so used to the dark and damp tunnels of the earth, they have trouble adjusting to the sunlight, and it saps their strength right away.
Titles: The Pretender (Among Drow), Dark Whisperer (among others).
Appearance: Tsabal is a lithe, well proportioned drow. With lilac eyes and cascading silver hair that she keeps in a ponytail, she appears far more harmless and gentle than she actually is. Tsabal confines herself to complete body concealing robes and hood of simple construction and earthy colors, and seldom shows her face in public, specially during daytime. Beneath that, she has a pendant of a dark goddess in her neck, denoting her priestess status. If need be, she can fight in a dark half plate with a shield.
Weapons: Spinerender : This hand-and-half (bastard) sword of demonic craft is Tsabal's most prized posession. A sword of exquisite, if ghastly appearance, it burns everything it cuts with unholy energies. The sword itself is said to be cursed, and only those with enough willpower may wield it without succumbing to bloodlust. Tsabal herself acquired her weapon by sacrificing her newborn son to a greater demon.
Crossbow: Her more mundane weapon. It's just a well-made light crossbow. She also carries silver-tipped bolts just in case.
Steed: Bane of Gardeners, a somewhat mischievous donkey which she rides. For some reason he likes to eat prized flower patches.
Abilities: As a drow, Tsabal has enhaced senses and can see into the darkest pit without any problem. She's also fairly resistant to hostile magic. She however, loses a great deal of strength in open sunlight, and repeated exposition might even harm and kill her. While fighting in open daytime, she's as helpless as a clumsy barmaid.
Talents: Tsabal was reared as a priestess of whatever Dark Goddess the drow worship, and a such she's no stranger in the ways of commanding and diplomacy. She's also good with her sword, and she has a decent skill with the crossbow. As a priestess and a healer, she's also a good medic and herbalist...and an excellent poisoner.
Magic: Tsabal's dark arts fundamentally draw from three sources, and two of such are highly forbidden arts. All of them, are however linked to her goddess, and unless she satisfies the whimsical and terrible nature of her deity, she'll be rendered helpless.
Clerical Magic: The most widespread and basic magic among clerics. It includes healing wounds, and setting up blessings. It also includes the art of divination through animal sacrifices, and the highly sought Resurrection spell. Of course in this last case, resurrection carries a price to pay, usually in the form of human sacrifices, or if need be, a lot of materials and animal sacrifices.
Dark Arts: The ability to wither and tamper with undeath is a given among the drow clergy. They can perform curses that sap one's strenght and wilt and age someone before their eyes, and even create, repair and command undead. Tsabal however, can't create anything bigger than the basic undead, and she can't control anything beyond a lesser revenant with her magic (and even a lesser revenant is difficult to steer).
Infernal Arts: The most forbidden arts Tsabal knows, these tamper with the demonic energies and beings. The most basic use of Infernal arts is the ability to summon hellfire, an unholy black magical flame that burns through things it even shouldn't be capable of. Hellfire is difficult and taxing to cast, and if Tsabal is not careful she might end up dead by overexertion. A second application of this involves creating summoning rituals to bring forth demons, although summoning anything greater than imps might carry a chance of the summon revolting and killing the caster. Tsabal learned the infernal arts from a greater demon after sacrificing the lover whom she had sired a son with.
Backstory: Tsabal was once an aspiring, all ambitious priestess and commander of the drow that dwelt beneath the Iron Coast. Her arrogance and ill-timed incursion in the surface 50 years ago cost all her followers, and almost her graces with the goddess and her own life. That made her rethink her ways and strategy. Rather than blindly charging in a lustful frenzy to spill the blood of the surfacers, she needed to get a wider view of the world at large.
Tsabal spent decades travelling from town to town as a mysterious crone, offering divinations, healing and poisons to the most seedy of individuals. She started from the bottom, and slowly rose and infiltrated herself in the ranks of the Empire underbelly, now fractured and in recession. She learned how to pull the strings and concocted a master plan, one that would pave the ground for a drow invasion.
But the theme of resources was a constant worry, and as such, she heeded the call of riches to the Iron Coast. Perhaps in addition she could further her schemes and reunite with her folk, deadlocked by the undead invasion.
Race Overview: The near-immortal race of legend, Elves have walked the world since before time was counted. With lithe forms and pointed ears, Elves can be found nearly anywhere, in harmony with nature. High Elves in particular live deep in their enchanted forests and are rarely seen among more mortal peoples. When one does venture out, it tends to be an individual of strong will and great strength, or one exiled for great crime or shame. Oftentimes, it is both. Elven traits include sharp senses, low-light vision, and a prolonged life. High Elves in particular are extremely long-lived, and nearly all of them have hair one shade of blonde or another.
Titles: The Fallen Star (among her kin) and Sun's Disgrace (among her Order)
Appearance: Liliana's most striking features are her platinum blonde hair, which is straight and falls to her waist though it us usually tied back, and bronze eyes. Less noticeable, but still easily separating her from the other races around her are her larger than average pointed ears and sharp features. For an elf she is relatively thick of body, with curves to match, but do not be fooled. The majority of her mass is lean muscle, earned in her years on the front lines defending the Iron Coast from the initial Undead threat.
Weapons: Redeemer Edge:: This curved, two-hand sword is Liliana's primary weapon. Runes inscribed on both sides of the blade glow golden in the presence of Undead. Upon striking many of the weaker Undead, the one hit will burst into gold flames and disintegrate. Against living opponents, this weapon appears to have no magical properties. The blade gleams like polished silver and the wire-wrapped hilt is inlaid with gold.
Whisper:: A silverwood longbow, strung with unicorn hair. Though it will never break and is very powerful compared to a normal bow, it is otherwise unremarkable.
Mithril Scale:: Though not truly magical, Liliana's armor is rather special. The mage-worked steel has a light blue tint and provides her a measure of resistance against magical attack, as well as making it incredibly hard and light. She wears scaled shirt of layered metal plates with only one pauldron, and a half-skirt of the same belted around her hips to cover her flanks. Her other armor includes mithril bracers and sabatons over leather gloves and breeches.
Steed: As a Paladin, Liliana once rode a unicorn, Andruin, into battle. She has lost the ability to summon her companion, and refuses to replace him with a mundane mount.
Abilities: Divine Grace:: Liliana is immune to most mundane sicknesses and disease, and will remain in the prime of her physical condition for many decades to come.
High Elf Blood:: High Elves are naturally attuned to all forms of magic and can use any not specifically granted by a particular deity. Liliana is unskilled in most arts, having devoted much of her life to Sol and her blade.
Talents: Liliana is an excellent fighter with blade, bow, or her bare hands. She also has skills in herblore and forestry, as well as a vast knowledge of history. With her knowledge of the wilderness, she makes a wonderful scout, guide, and cook for any group on the road.
Magic: Natural Magic:: This magic calls upon mother nature to provide what is needed most, be that a simple meal or a raging storm. Small animals can be turned into messengers or a dead plant can be returned to life to give food or medicine. Liliana has not spent much time with this magic, but has perfected a single spell; one that calls down blast of lighting at a nearby designated location. It drains her considerably to use it often, but she can manage to pull it off at least three times a day.
Sol's Gift:: As one Disgraced, Liliana has extremely limited access to her once-formidable array of holy magic. Where once she could have called upon the Sun's light to wash away legions of the dead, she can now only manage a single scalding ray projected from her palm. There was a time when she could recall a soul to its body and return it to proper life, but now she struggles to heal even minor wounds.
Backstory: As a youth, Liliana spent her time in her woodland home as a gardener and tamer of flying beasts. She married young, for an elf, and thought her life idyllic and wonderful. That was, until a thing almost unheard of among her kin came to pass. Upon returning from a hunt with her prized hawk she discovered her husband to be unfaithful, catching him with another woman. Showing a depth of emotion unknown to High Elves she struck down both in a fit of rage, killing them. This earned her the ire of her elders and race as a whole, and she was cast out to live among those less removed from the world.
Lost and alone, she turned to a guiding light in the darkness. Liliana discovered her new purpose in the worship of Sol, God of the Sun. Aiding those in need and striking out against the forces of darkness, she aspired to become a Paladin. She was accepted into the Brotherhood of the Sun due to her exceptional skill and the high priest's orders, despite the Order's previous exclusion of women among their ranks. This led to her being disliked by many, but especially hated by the Knight-Commander, Orlan. When things started falling apart, she was dispatched to the Iron Coast with minimal support and only one other Paladin.
During the original Undead threat Liliana was ever on the front lines, desperate to prove herself. In the end, this led to her undoing. In a particularly bloody battle the small group of soldiers she and her companion, Aren, had joint command of, was entirely wiped out. Before they were able to retreat, Aren fell to the Revenant leading their opponents. Outmatched and outnumbered, Liliana barely escaped with her life to report to the Order. In the end, Knight-Commander Orlan ruled that she was to blame for this disaster, and had her cast out. Disgraced and alone once more, she returned to the Iron Coast to seek her end. It has yet to come and now, many years later, she seeks to redeem herself in the eyes of her Order by ending this curse once and for all.
@OneStoryToMany Wouldn't consider him entirely lucky, Liliana holds a lot of grudges against men in general. She doesn't quite trust arcane magic either.
True, and I doubt he'd be all that comfortable with a race known for their evil ways. So there is that to consider as well. All that female flesh, and he can't touch it...eternal frustration.... hahaha.@FateWeaver
Uh so I actually have a question. I didn't think of this before, but some of my power won't be usable unless the other characters are comfortable with me harvesting pieces from still living creatures.
While those abilities are unnecessary for plot purpose, the results would be mostly positive. Would your characters accept the more...gory side to the magic my character uses? Or should I just ignore a portion of the magic I have (since it won't be long before the majority of living beings will be my companions...and like El isn't stupid enough to try harvesting pieces from them :p)
Dang it, looks like Wal should have begun in Campus Magnus.
@OneStoryToMany And Wal should be ok with whatever magic practices you have. He's not very judgemental at all. He might even be willing to offer some of himself if it's necessary.
@rechonq He can jump ship, and ride out immediately. Leave those others by themselves. Join us where the parties at!!!!
And to be honest I doubt she'd need much from the companions, except sustenance after major workings, or some blood or cells for healing purposes. So it wouldn't really be a major hang up. it's mostly a curiosity/ I need to know so I don't accidentally get murdered to death by the other characters.
I'd mostly harvest the blood, bones, and organs from the animals we hunt prior to reaching the death filled locations. I can use these to provide a source of highly nutritious food (for El mostly) or magical components.
@FateWeaverThanks for letting me know! Since there's a few who's decently ok with being around it, I'll have some of the more active part of the magic involved. Though I'll try to stay light on the details of viscera and gore.
Appearance: In life the honourable White Raven was tall, wide shouldered and relatively handsome. He still holds his stature, standing nearly 7 feet tall, his shoulders still as wide as two lesser men. His once handsome face has became gaunt and scarred from years of fighting those who have opposed him. The skin of his left cheek has been torn off, leaving teeth and bone visible. His right eye was lost to an arrow in his final battle in the ranks of the living and the left one burns with what seems like blue fire - though it still retains at least some warmth. A small goatee still adorns his chin, just as jet black as his long hair which flows down to his shoulders.
Ramius' left arm has remained seemingly unharmed, the color of the skin has became a rancid green and the veins are visible as purple lines. His right arm is emaciated and rotten to the point of being mostly bone from below the shoulder.
The suit of plate armor that was once gleaming white has been blackened and bloodstained by the magic and the horrible injuries Ramius suffered in his final battle. Though the armor is more or less complete the White Raven's right forearm and hand are completely visible. Visible too are his ribs on the right side of his body. The tattered black cape he has hanging from his shoulders still has the white raven emblem barely discernable on it.
Abilities:
Commanding the Dead - Ramius can call upon the lesser undead and has with him a handful of lesser revenants who used to be his comrades in arms.
Touch of Death - Ramius can use his right hand to momentarily paralyze the living, a weak willed opponent is completely paralyzed, but an opponent with a strong enough will might easily break the paralysis.
Fury of Undeath - Ramius is able to push his undead body even further than your average revenant, he can seemingly take a horrendous amount of damage and still keep functioning.
Talents:
Skilled swordsman - though Ramius was not quite hailed as a master swordsman he was still quite a bit above an average swordsman.
Skilled tactician - Ramius was not hailed as a master tactician either, but he has retained his cunning and can still come up with a plan or two if need be.
Ever the diplomat - In life the White Raven was both a warrior and a diplomat, he has retained his silver tongue to a degree - at least towards those whom he sees as being no true threat to himself.
Weapons: Two longswords strapped on his right hip, both with a blackened hilt and blade - infused with Ramius' hatred towards both the living and the undead. The pommel of both swords are quite large rubies. The weapons have been enchanted by the dark energies and the wielder's rage to infect any wounds they make.
Steed: -
Magic:
Necromancy - Ramius is skilled enough in necromancy to raise what some would refer to as a small army, however his approach is more quantity over quality. He is also able to cast a few spells that bolster the power of himself and his minions.
The Tale of a Corpse: The White Raven fell not due to his own failures, but due to the cowardice of the men fighting beside him. When he arose as a revenant his sheer fury towards the men who fought at his side kept him focused and sane. It was a stroke of luck that he came upon some of the men who were traitors in his opinion - to him, not to them - as Ramius unleashed his fury on the men who had left him to die the lesser dead began to gather around him. Soon the warrior began gathering a small army - even raising some of the former traitors to his side and crushing any revenant weaker than himself while staying clear of the more powerful ones until he could contend with them. The few living warriors who have faced the White Raven and remained in the ranks of the living tell a weird story about the man - or what remains of him - searching for a powerful enough opponent. Not so he could become truly dead, but to have a magnificent battle worthy of song. Even if it would mean Ramius himself would be the only one left to sing it.
@Frengo Uh question! Is there any living animals left in the Iron Coast, short the few monsters? Cause if not....all of our characters are going to starve. There's no towns, and if there's nothing to hunt....we're kinda s.o.l....
Uh so I actually have a question. I didn't think of this before, but some of my power won't be usable unless the other characters are comfortable with me harvesting pieces from still living creatures.
While those abilities are unnecessary for plot purpose, the results would be mostly positive. Would your characters accept the more...gory side to the magic my character uses? Or should I just ignore a portion of the magic I have (since it won't be long before the majority of living beings will be my companions...and like El isn't stupid enough to try harvesting pieces from them :p)
Pff Tsabal kills critters all the time for divination.
@AtomicNutThat...is a really good point :p is it like the Mexican practice of slitting the hen's throat over a hot plate? Cause I always thought that was an especially interesting divination technique.
