[OOC] Forgotten Realms: The Viscount's Crusade

[Corsair]

- Name: Lily Beckett - Age: 20 - Race: Human - Class: Paladin - Abilities: As a knight Lily is physically strong, an excellent rider, and a superb swordsman, with ancillary training with polearms and bows. As a Paladin Lily is capable of channeling holy energy through her body to heal the living or harm the undead, focus her spiritual might through her holy symbol to repel evil forces, and focus the energies of righteousness through her sword to smite evil. The holy power coursing through her body grants her protection from many mystical attacks on her body and mind. Lily has been granted a limited ability to focus the power of Torm as spells, enabling her to perform blessings or ward an individual or small area against evil. Additionally as a Paladin Lily has the ability to sense the presence of supernatural evil, such as Fiends and the Undead. - Alignment: Lawful Good - Appearance: Lily stands at roughly 5'10, and has a lean, athletic build that is corded with muscle. Her hair is black and worn long, usually simply gathered together under her helm in battle. Her eyes are gray, and while she is well-calloused she has no scars, suggesting easy access to healing magic. About her shoulders she wears a hooded cloak of deep, dark red. - Personality: Lily is a Paladin, although not with all that implies. She lives her life by a simple code, dedicated to the Triad, the gods Tyr, Ilmater, and Torm - although Torm is her patron, and has her deepest devotion. The code she abides by is a simple one:

A Paladin is a speaker and seeker of Truth. A Paladin does not prejudge, but instead keeps an open mind. A Paladin never shirks from speaking the truth under any circumstance. A Paladin is the arbiter of Justice. A Paladin will never allow the guilty to escape their Just punishment, nor the innocent to be trampled by injustice. A Paladin is Sacrificing. The Paladin will give up everything they have, even their lives in the defense of the innocent. A Paladin is Courageous, and does not shirk from battle with darkness but instead seeks it out and ends it. A Paladin is Compassionate, and is kind to those around them, whether they appreciate it or not. A Paladin is Merciful, and takes life only when there is no other choice. A Paladin is Faithful, to their Masters and to their peers. A Paladin can always be called upon, and will never abandon those in need. A Paladin is Humble, and does not seek personal glory or the adulation of others.

Outside of the tenets of this code, Lily is a simple person - not stupid, she is quite learned and intelligent, but she is not subtle or cunning. She has a habit of believing the best of people who too often don't deserve it. She approaches every aspect of her life the way she approaches her labors as a Paladin - directly and relentlessly. She is, however, smart and wise enough to grasp that not everyone who is good at heart should be forced to abide by her way of life, say, by having her reject the promised reward for a task simply because she has no use for treasure. - Inventory: Lily's most prized possession is her sword, a longsword 46 inches in length, with a diamond-style blade and a cruciform crossguard, the hilt wrapped in black leather with a wheel-shaped pommel - she can wield the weapon one-handed if need be, but favors using it with both. The weapon is rather unremarkable, well-crafted but unenchanted and unnamed. With it she wields a suit of well-forged plate armor, similarly unadorned but nevertheless well cared for. The armor does bear a minor enchantment in that it is self-fastening, enabling Lily to quickly don and remove it in moments without assistance, rather than the minutes she would need even with a squire. In battle she adds a visored barbute. The gauntlets are special as well - each has been anointed by a Priest of Torm, and through them Lily can focus her Paladin capabilities. She also carries a similarly enchanted but much smaller and more maneuverable holy symbol on a silver chain around her neck, a simple circle of metal with a gauntlet etched upon it. Over her armor she has a simple, unadorned red cloak, unmagical but warm and protective from rain. Aside from her battle gear, she carries a light traveling pack holding rations, water, a small vial of blessed water, Tormite Holy Scripture, flints and tinder, fifty feet of rope, a grappling hook, and a utility knife. - History: Lily doesn't really know where she comes from, beyond probable Illuskan ancestry judging by her coloration. Twenty years ago she was found on the doorstep of the Temple of the Triad in Waterdeep, a crying infant in a basket. In a city like Waterdeep this wasn't a terribly uncommon incident, although people usually had the courtesy to hand the baby to a Priest. Being a temple dedicated to three of the most noble and heroic Gods they weren't complete dicks, and so took the child in, fostering her with a humble Tormite Priest by the name of Gabriel, who raised her as his own. Although little more than an apprentice priest, Gabriel was treated with great respect, and as Lily grew she soon discovered why. Gabriel was better known as Sir Gabriel Beckett, Knight and Paladin of the Tormtar, a legendary hero who had guarded the Sword Coast for decades. Upon learning this young Lily was inspired, and hounded the old knight to teach her the ways of the Paladin. Despite his reticence to see the girl he had come to call daughter take up the heavy burden of the Paladin he did not deny her, and her training began. To Lily's surprise the training involved much less sparring and much more deep contemplation and study. Gabriel and her would spend many hours, deep into the night discussing the nature of evil, and how to fight it. Gabriel taught her to use her sword as a last resort, to battle evil with her mind and heart, to offer peace before battle and mercy in victory, even to the wicked who seemed truly vile. "We are Paladins, not judges. Our place is not to lay judgment, but to prevent further evil. " At seventeen she began to shift from pure training to minor missions for the Temple - safeguarding travelers, guarding graveyards, laying to rest ghosts and spectres that came to rest in homes in Waterdeep. Her final mission - and final test - was to join a band of warriors led by Lord Tomas Gram, warrior of Tyr, and quiet the unrest within the tomb of the Nichos clan, a vast catacomb that had become a nest of the Undead in recent months. The mission was successful, and Lily earned her marks, her abilities equally effective at dissipating the angry ghosts and risen bodies and healing the wounds her comrades suffered, and demonstrating her courage and commitment to the cause. Upon their return to Waterdeep she was fully gifted her status as a Paladin of Torm, and granted her armor and sword for use. Within the temple the warriors had uncovered the reason behind the uprising - a book of dark lore had been stolen from a vault deep in the catacomb, the only trace of it a book-shaped patch of thinner dust on a pedestal. Concerned about the potential of such a dark book for it to be so heavily warded after so long the Temple began an investigation, sending Paladins to search out traces of evil magic. While most of the other twenty or so Paladins at the Temple ventured north or south, on Gabriel's advice - and on the word of an old contact in the Harpers - she ventured east, to the village of Falconrest on the edge of the High Moor. - Notes: Lily's Theme If we're doing character music

[BingTheWing]

Name: Adrian Phalenost Age: 26 Race: Half-elf Class: Bard of Valor Abilities: Half-elf: Adrian inherited both human spirit and elven grace from his parents. He also has a natural tact for diplomacy. He can speak Common, Elven and a smattering of Sylvan and Halfling. College of Valor: Adrian chose to be of the college of valor. Valor bards favor spells that enhance the combat abilities of their allies and hinder the ones of their enemies. They are also decently proficient in light to medium armor and martial weapons. Folk Hero: Adrian comes from a simple rural background. About three quarters of his life was spent on the farm and with nature, so Adrian is proficient in animal handling and basic wilderness survival. He can also relate with his kin and can find places for the party to recuperate and rest among the common folk. Alignment: Chaotic Good Appearance: Height: 5'10 Weight: 165 lb. Eye color: Dark brown Hair color: White Personality: Adrian is always ready to lend help. He's also confident in his abilities and does what he can to instill confidence in others, whether by word or spell. He believes that nothing and no one can steer him away from his destiny. He has a special bond to his lute, his first and last childhood woodcarving endeavor. However, Adrian believes so much in his destiny that he's blind to his shortcomings and the risk of failure. Inventory: - Longsword - Dagger - Leather armor - Lute - Adventurer's Pack with five days' supply - Notebook with writing implements - Traveller's clothes - Blue brooch with Harper insignia - Spyglass History: Adrian was found on the doorstep of a humble yeoman farmer who lived in a small village along the Waterdeep-Neverwinter road. From a young age, the elf inside him manifested quickly. He taught himself how to read and write Elvish from a young age, using a dusty journal left behind by a traveller. The musical elf inside him was also apparent. He carved his own lute when he was five, and has never substituted it for any other instrument since. He also took a liking to Elvish songs and lore. However, he was also teased at from a young age because of his white hair and pointy ears. Adrian wasn't sure which side of him he was going to eventually surrender to. But one day, on the eve of Adrian's 'manhood' birthday, he was wandering into the nearby woods which had a reputation for being 'queer'. Because it was queer, and like the young man he was, Adrian obviously ventured in. He sat down by a lake and began singing a beautiful Elvish song, accompanied by his lute. When he had finished, he discovered that a beautiful fey lady - he wasn't sure what kind - had been listening to his song nearby. Impressed by such musicianship and handling of the Elvish language, the fey lady granted Adrian the gift of using his songs to manipulate the fabric of reality - he would become a bard. Not just any lute-plucking minstrel, a real bard. For the next four years, Adrian went to the same spot where he first sang his song and the fey lady would tutor him in his bardsmanship. That is, until one day the fey lady failed to appear. Instead of getting angry, Adrian thought that her disappearance meant it was time for him to put his skills to the test. Sure enough, one day hobgoblins besieged the village. Adrian was called up to the village militia. His insistence on bringing his lute with him made him the laughingstock of many of the 'tougher' village men, who deemed him a sentimental wimp. But every man was needed - time and time again the hobgoblins lead brutal charges against the village boundaries and they would not hold for much longer without outside help. However, the village men very, very soon changed their mind about Adrian. The 'White Warrior', as he was called afterwards, had apparently guided twenty militiamen to safety and with his magic forced a considerable amount of hobgoblin troops to retreat. He became a village hero. His aging father told him that the simple rural life was definitely not for him. Something greater was in store. Adrian set out from his village, armed with his lute and his militia gear. He became a travelling scholar, a part-time sellsword and even a Harper recruit specializing in intelligence-gathering. Yet, somehow, he felt that mere research of his destiny could not quench his spirit. Then he began having recurring dreams about the fey lady four years ago. He interpreted it as a message that his time to become a great hero was near. A Harper friend hit the nail on the hammer when he told Adrian that Korick the Halfling was looking for adventurers to participate in a mission to the High Moors. Notes:

Inspiration

(I didn't use it as an appearance because I wasn't sure of the gender.)