Assallya

Forgotten Realms: Adventures of Faerun

I stopped reading Salvatore's Drizzt novels after he started writing poorly on purpose in an effort to kill off his own series. I did hear that his writing became better once he shifted away from Drizzt towards Artemis and Jarlaxle but by then I'd already sickened of it.

Forgotten Realms: Adventures of Faerun

Assallya Kressair

Race: Elf
Gender: Female
Age: 92

Class: Wizard
Level: 1
Hit Points: 4
Passive Perception:11

Stats:

Strength: 8 (-1)
Dexterity: 14 (+2)
Constitution: 8 (-1)
Intelligence: 14 (+2)
Wisdom: 13 (+1)
Charisma: 20 (+5)

Physical Description: Assallya is a diminutive, blonde elf with long lustrous locks that cascade down over her shoulders like a river of molten gold. Her heart shaped face possesses a radiant smile replete with piercing azure eyes that can inspire calm or burn like ice. Surprising for a Calishite is her porcelain skin, snow white with but a blush of rose petals. Her flesh is pristine, contains no tattoos and not a single blemish.

Short of stature she is lithesome and willowy. Her manner and bearing change based on any number of assumed personas but in most she does not walk, so much as floats across any given room and has a habit of touching objects at random, caressing them with slender fingers.

At times a wanton wench, at others a pristine uncompromised virgin. However, when she is bent upon enrapturing a man her curvaceous hips and heaving pendulous bosom come into play, inspiring the men about her to come to her aid.

Armor/Attire: Assallya prefers her harem attire (depicted above) which involves ebony silks that cast her fair skin into shadow. She quite willingly adapts other styles to blend. When masquerading as a common thief she will dye her hair and wear soft leathers and carry short blades (that she doesn't know how to use). When masquerading as a bard she wears the attire of a gypsy, long skirts and colourful sashes. She also has a gown for dealing with nobility and simple peasant attire.

Equipment

Equipment

• Vardo Wagon: Anything one might find in a traditional home is likely in this portable home
• A set of daggers made of various materials useful for killing exotic monsters. Not that she'd use them herself but they're nice to have.
• Ring of the Unshod: A magical ring that protects her bare feet like she was wearing soft leather boots.
• Comb of Comliness: A few deft strokes with this comb and hair looks silken and freshly pampered
• Light Crossbow
• Jambiya Dagger
• Several trade bars of precious metals in hidden compartment of her Vardo wagon. All her saving to become a merchant.

Personality

Personality:Assallya Kressair is a charlatan, con-artist, dancer, courtesan, and really whatever role she can think of that gets her by. She is exceedingly good at lying and feigning emotion. Generally, there are two ways to look at any good deed. One could perform such an act out of honest good will but others look upon it as an investment by establishing a bond that can be exploited at a later date. Assallya is of the latter. She is a coward, a braggart and a bully but what she isn't is needlessly cruel nor traitorous. She would not betray her fellows, not unless the reward involved a sum large enough to alter her life substantially. After all, What use is scoring a meager gem or two in return for a half dozen angry and resourceful adventurers eager to tan your hide?

She'd probably be the first to flee when things went sour and most likely wouldn't last more than a moment before capitulating to torture (particularly if they threaten to mar her appearance) but she's also the type to plan ahead in case she is captured to ensure she wouldn't have any information to divulge. After all, if she betrays all her allies who is left to perform a rescue?

She also has something of a phobia of the undead which are largely immune to her magical abilities. She, also, thanks to her upbringing and most unlike other elves, despises all things related to nature.

Background/History

Background/History: Assallya Kressair was born in the autumn in a small village on the outskirts of Evereska. At the young age of 26 (aprox. 11 or 12 in human years) Zhentish slavers attacked and killed her entire village except for those taken as slaves. Assallya, her sister Saeliah, and several others were transported far across Faerun in order to avoid the elven wrath sure to follow. In the city of Calimshan Assallya and Saeliah were separated when Assallya was purchased be Pasha Alkiel. Head of a powerful group of rogues, Alkiel purchased her as a dancer and concubine for both personal use and for information gathering and blackmail. She then served in Alkiel's bedchamber for the next eight years while being trained in dance, seduction and other roguish arts in order to perform her duties.

She was treated as an object and was given to allies and employees of the Pasha who performed exceptional services. Soon enough, she learned about the many different types of power and discovered that even as a slave she was far from powerless. Succeeding in seducing one of the Pasha's magicians she bid him teach her magic. At first he balked until Assallya cast for him the only thing her father had taught her at that young age, a cantrip. A small thing, it changed the colour of his fingernails, but it was magic none the less. He agreed then, for he was a lonely uncomely man who rarely received a woman to his bed. However, he placed conditions on his tutorial; refusing to train her in combative magics and warning her that should he ever target him with her spells it would mean her death. She surprised all of them by inventing an inferior version of the invisibility spell which allowed her to sneak away from the Pasha's clutches and return undetected. In this way, by filching jewels and prostituting herself she built up savings with a money lender.

It was with the aide of the Pasha's son that she succeeded in poisoning the Pasha, planning on becoming a partner to the successor instead of a slave. With her manipulative mind behind him to advise his passionate power they were sure to bring their competitors to their knees. What she was not expecting was the Pasha's extended family to hire a necromancer to speak with their departed kinsman. He quickly named his murderer and Assallya regretted bragging as he died.

She ran, the Pasha's son giving her a few moments to escape, fearing that she would claim his involvement which would lead to his family asking him uncomfortable questions. The next few months she moved slowly north, the sands left behind her and the lands becoming more lush and green.

Other Notes

]Other Notes:

• Low Hit Point
• Assallya's goddess, Sharess has changed over the years. As a result, if killed, she will unable to be raised after 1d10 days.
• Assallya's sister, Saeliah, is now a druid somewhere. I never really anticipate them ever meeting again.
• There is a bounty on Assallya's head in Calimshan. It is highly unlikely anyone would chase her this far north.
• Assallya wears a lot of jewelry. However, most with a critical eye will note that most of the gems are semi-precious. They're still worth quite a bit but not a noble's ransom.

Forgotten Realms RP

Well. I'll be be betraying.... err... I mean portraying Asa'alliyeh Kressanthair, more readily called Assallya Kressair.

I'm an enchantress, a sorceress specializing in mind control and illusion. In my spare time I run confidence arts, collect and peddle information and occassionally when the mood suits me dance in a tavern. I'm a noble, a gypsy, a common whore or whatever role it takes to complete the job.

Forgotten Realms RP

My recommendation is vague. I'd suggest anywhere on the edge of the Sea of Fallen Stars. That way you have the most options in terms of story maneuverability.

If its rogue heavy I'd suggest Westgate. Otherwise Sembia is largely unwritten save for their wealth and love of adventuring. Other than that it was ledt to the GM to develop.

I shouldnadd that my character excels in cities and politics but isn't a requirement. Role-playing a fish out of water is fun.

Forgotten Realms RP

My real complaint about 4e Forgotten Realms was the smackdown of all the minor gods to create a "more accessible" pantheon for new players.

The intermediate and lesser powers are the more active ones as they jockey for power leading to more storytelling options.

Also... I like Halruua. I had a froup of players once take on Halruua and The Red Wizards in commerce in the magical itwm market. It proved interesting.

Anyhow. Yes. Interested.

Star Wars: A Stormtrooper's Tale.

*whispers *

Don't tell anybody else but the planet does. What do you think took down a starship? The rebels have their own super weapon, an ancient relic they found but do not truly understand.

Star Wars: A Stormtrooper's Tale.

One thing to remember is that while there are rebel troopers, they're a very different variety. For one, they know from the beginning that they're going to lose. They know that they're mostly there as a holding action to shred papers, burn computer drives and buy time for others to escape. As a result they are incredible vicious and determined. Think about it. These are people who have volunteered for a suicide mission!

Most of the time rebels are small guerrilla groups with whatever they feel comfortable with as weapons. They rely upon stealth and cunning over brute firepower.

All In (Video Game Multiverse)

Mirela Djuric - Assassin's Creed

Poised like a gargoyle over the Renaissance era streets of Venice Mirela Djuric peered down at the milling throng of humanity. She wasn’t Mirela, obviously, she was just using the character’s skin in multiplayer and she was just playing an immersive video game but that didn’t matter. This recreation of Venice was astounding. She loved the simulation. She could hear the mongers on the wharf unloading their hauls of fish, and a pair of older women darning nets. She could smell it too, the sweet stench of rot.
It was quite distracting.

Especially, since she was supposed to be looking for infiltrators. The game was simple. There were two territories, each belonging to a team. Her team wanted the opposing team’s artifact nestled deep in enemy territory. The problem was, if you were in enemy territory you couldn’t harm them but they could harm you.

Right now she was in her own territory, scanning the crowds, looking for the opposing team’s infiltrators. She was close to her own artifact which dulled her ability to sense if an intruder was near but this was where she preferred to be, using her eyes to find opponents. Just then she caught sight of one. It was easy. This close to the goal, anticipation pressed heavily, most started cutting corners. This one was walking against the flow of pedestrians, cresting through the milling crowds like a shark through water. He should have gone with the flow, allowed the rest of the crowd to lead him about in a wide circle and come at the goal again. Now she had him.
She leaped down, grasping a cable from which someone’s laundry hung and dropped carefully onto the metal support from which hung a sign limned with a draft horse sitting upon a stool and drinking a pint of ale. She then stepped off onto a pile of crates and made to follow her prey. She was fast approaching when he turned and looked over his shoulder to see Mirela moving against the crowd as surely as he was.
Mirela cursed as the man began to run, shoving through the crowd and away from her. She followed, bare feet slapping the cobblestone. She was the faster in her own territory but he reached the building first and stepped up to a rope and tackle pulley system. He slashed the rope, releasing the counterweight and went flying upwards, ascending to the roof in mere moments.

Scrabbling up the side of a building Mirela pursued her opponent, chasing him across a cable stretching from roof to roof across the street. The chase went on at length, up buildings, down buildings, across cables between buildings and across buoys floating in channels of Venice. Once even they jumped from gondola to gondola. She almost lost him then. Still, the distance between her and her prey diminished by the stride. Ahead she should see him dive off the edge of a roof, arms extended as if in flight and disappear. She reached the same ledge and dove off, emulating her opponent and landed in a cartful of hay.

Leaping out she peered about. She was in a square. It was too large for him to have raced across it so her prey was hiding, hiding in plain sight. Walking about, her skirts swishing about her legs, she scoured the populace with her eyes, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Finally, she stopped before a man seated upon a bench and flanked by two others. His face was obscured, a hood covering his visage. He stared down at her bare feet, up her blue skirts and finally looked her in the eye.

“You got me,” he acquiesced, spreading his hands out to his side, “Except we just crossed back into my side of the fence.”
Mirela gasped, realization dawning upon her as the Vizier lunged, plunging his dagger up under her breast and into her heart with his right hand while embracing her with his left. She danced on the tips of her toes, suspended upon the knife tip and tried to cry out only to have her final breaths covered by her killer’s mouth and lips. She died then, going limp in his arms and laid her head against his chest.
Carefully, the Vizier turned about, holding up Mirela’s dead body against himself, her toes slipping across the cobblestone. Then he gently set her down in the seat he had just vacated and placed her hands in her lap.

“Excuse me,” he said to the man on the bench beside Mirela, “Could you watch out for my friend here. She’s just ‘dead’ tired.”

***

Mirela opened her eyes...

Star Wars: A Stormtrooper's Tale.

Exactly my point Ollum. Wookiepedia, however, lists all stormtroopers as being "elite", that they are all superb marksmen and... well... a yadda yadda. Your statements are what I grew up with! The Imperial Star Destroyers would bomb the crap out of everything and then the Stormtroopers would walk into the rubble, taking on their enemies with ten to one odds or more just like at Tarsis.

(I should point out that my question, or this resulting discussion, has absolutely no bearing upon nor is it intended as a commentary on the current thread or any of its players!)

I love the Death Star. It was so pointless. The Imperial Fleet was much more capable of wiping out a civilization.

Star Wars: A Stormtrooper's Tale.

Actually, after doing some research I'm rather shocked at how Stormtroopers have changed over the last twenty years. I don't know why. So many other things have been changed over the years. There is no longer any mention of conscription and now the troopers are supposedly all "elite". My question then... is what do the non-elite troops that are the majority of your forces look like?

When I was growing up, the best explanation for why Luke and Han were still alive is that Stormtroopers were poorly trained and relied upon overwhelming numbers.