Chenzor

That sure is a big dog you have there !

When the secret door opened, Gabriel could feel the scent of wolfsbane straight away. He grimaced instinctively, dare not go too close. If he would shift into his wolf-form, it would surely be painful. "What... Is this room?" he asked, but he already knew the answer. Inside, surely he would find more horrors than just wolfsbane...
"Your father wasn't crazy. As much as this revelation horrifies me, he didn't train you to become mad. Because he himself wasn't." Gabriel said, following Vanessa slowly into the room. "The truth is... He was right all along. I don't know about vampires, but... Werewolves are quite real."
He paused for a moment.
"I am quite real."
He stopped behind her, not daring go too far into the secret room.
"We're not just bums, Vanessa. There's a reason I call them 'pack' and not 'gang'. There's a reason we share a connection, you and I." he said, and he wasn't sure how to tell her the truth straight out. He was a werewolf. He had been the death of her family. And here he was, accepting her kindness and hostpitality after robbing her of everything.
"The marks you bear... The pain you carry of the loss of your family... I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry..."
He didn't know what to say next.

Valorhall - Walyr

The Greed of Dwarves

Chapter I

A gentle wind swept through the lands of the Blackbeards as caravans and carriages slowly made their way towards the mountains. The road was wide and well-kept, for the dwarves were crafty folk and take great pride in their exceptional infrastructure. On the mountaintops, snow could be seen glistening and dressing the peaks in a beautiful curtain. Truly, nature was as astounding and beautiful as ever on this chilly but clear winter's morning. But the travellers on the road didn't come to see the wildlife. In the distance, the mountains parted and upon their walls were statues of such size one wondered how many hundreds of years it would take anyone to carve such magnificence out of stone.
Great dwarven heads, clad in helmets and with great big beards that entwined with the mountainwalls decorated the sides of the mountains. And in the middle, a massive gate carved out of the very mountain itself stood, declaring it's grandeur to any and all a traveller to gaze upon it. Not only was it a beauty and feat in craftsmanship and stonemasonry, but also showed off the military might of the dwarves, for countless murder-holes and arrow-slots adorned the walls and even the mountains on either side. Just as much as this great city of dwarvenkind was a welcoming sight and comforting to behold to friends was it able to strike fear into any enemy and dishearten any army who would dare challange the might of Dulrum.

On both sides of the road, mighty pine trees reached far into the sky, clad in powdered snow and given light by the rising sun. This day was a day of days, the people were saying all around. From all over the continent, man, dwarf and elf alike had travelled to attend the grand coronation of Prince Durm II Blackbeard, now to become King Durm II Blackbeard. Not only was the coronation in combination with the funeral and memorial of the late King Dulrum IV Blackbeard, but it was also a grand feast unlike any in recent history. All the nations and races of the continent had been invited, except for the mortal enemies of all such as the brutish Ogres, the savage Goblins and the rather reclusive Orcs. Although it would be unfair to call the Orcs 'mortal enemies of all', they are just as absent from the feast and coronation. Also worth mentioning is that not all the nations invited are on friendly terms with each other, although they are all rather good friends with the dwarves of Dulrum. As such, the soon-to-be King has already seen to it that all embassies and hearth-homes that are to host the representatives of each nation be well protected and accomodated. No incident may plague this feast. No rivalry shall poison the festivities. At least for this week, rivals shall have to put their dislike for one-another aside.
Even the elves of Aeglos have been invited, and as such one of the greatest and most well-armed convoys headed to the capital this day is the Woodland King's own escort. But enough of the Elf-King, for as much as he is an important figure in this world his part to play in this tale is rather minor...

-

Hours later, Lucía stands amid the markets and carnivals of Dulrum's main town squares. She had never seen this many people before. She didn't even know there were this many people in the entire world put together. Truly, this is a magnificence to be alive to behold. All around her, merchants and entertainers of every race, culture and nationality are either trying to show her something awestriking or attempting to sell her their wares.

Gorim had seen many feasts and carnivals and the like in his days, especially being a noble among the dwarves of Dulrum, but nothing had he ever imagined would be quite like this. Everywhere he saw opportunities, a chance to show his worth or test his luck among gamblers and game-hosts. Resisting the temptation, he gazed from his current locale around the grand square. He had been here many times, and found the black stone familiar always. But today was different. The massive pillars that held up the mighty roof above their heads were clad in banners of different colors, flags of grandeur and splendor were hoised all around him from different tents, huts or carved houses. Mighty torches, braziers and flares roared around them, either on the ground, on the pillars or on the very livingquarters that seemed to go on endlessly through the halls and walls around them. It was as bright as day, despite the gloom of the shady parts where light rarely hits. The streets were many and mazelike, but Gorim could find his way through them easily. He recognized his own banner, the banner of house Dace, on one of the pillars. He never doubted that his family would take the opportunity to show their importance and privilege.

Yet not everyone that made their way through the crowd were pleasure-seekers or fortune-finders. Not all looked upon the massive crowds with glee and wonder. Phae'Ox had a mission, he knew that now. In his dream, the light had called to him and told him that the time had come to take up arms once again. Although he did not know why, his path eventually led him to here, this very day, of the grand coronation of Dulrum's next King. The towering Lares made his way through the crowd with his clunky armor on and massive sword sheathed. Determined but slow, he walked the streets surrounding the square and eventually through the square itself. People around him gave him odd glances, but none the less showed him respect and ducked out of the way when he came walking, slowly. None of them would be able to budge him anyway if they tried.
The City Guard were many and vigilant this day, and many of them had taken an extra eye to the big knight until they realized that he was a Lares of a Knightly Order. Few had ever heard of a Lares Knight that was not one of honor, respect and relative ... Harmony. They left him to his business, seeing as there were no enemies for the Knight to exact retribution upon.

In an opposite fashion of the Knight, another was rather unnoticed at first but later on grew to be more carefully watched by the few City Guardsmen who had actually seen him. The fighter, Jax'Ildan, of half-elf half-human descent was walking the streets of an outlook above the city square. Less people were out here at this time, for most had either gone to the market or were doing other daily business. The few who indeed crossed his path were those who had either got lost or were a city guardsman patrolling.
He didn't pay them any mind, and they didn't pay him none either at first. But his shady appearance and rough scar made him look like quite the rascal, and a few wondered if he was here looking for trouble.
Of course, he wasn't. At least not conventionally. He was here by a purpose and he would see it through. He wasn't sure how, or when, but in time he would exact his revenge.



While the festivities had begun, they were going to last all week. And the coronation itself wasn't going to take place until the next day. Many take the time to celebrate during the day and mourn the late King later on into the night, if they indeed mourn his passing. Meanwhile, any character of any sort may choose to pass his or her time as they will in the city. You may visit the tavern, the local shrines (most of the Gods of Good and Neutrality have their own shrines throughout the city), the brothel if that's your deal, browse through the markets or try your luck at exploring the backstreets where few souls now venture. Perhaps seeking out people in need of good deeds is your thing?

Stats

(info):
Current testing health-template: STR + END + 1d6
Your current wealth was based upon your background. Refered to as "Gold", the coins aren't actually golden but rather made of copper and zinc. For reference you can buy a loaf of bread for 2 Gold, a complete ration for 5 and a room at a shoddy tavern or inn for 10-15, nothing else included. A meal at a tavern usually goes for 5-7 gold. A good sword for 100 and above. Most enemies will yield some coins when looted, determined either by level, dice or a static number.

Lucía Claire

Well-being: 100% (testing this stat, as an overall percentage of how your character is doing other than their raw HP-pool)
Health: 6/6
Wealth: 5 Gold.

Strength: 0
Dexterity: 0
Endurance: 2
Psyche: 2
Intelligence: 0
Wisdom: 2
Charisma: 5
Luck: 1
Fate: 2

Abilities:
- Charmer: Knows how to persuade and tug others' heartstrings.
- Singer: Has quite a beautiful singing voice.
Spells:
- Furious sparks (Mood: Anger): Flashing sparks in different colors off of her body.
- Regeneration (Mood: Sadness, Fear): Boosts own regenerative powers through magic. May rarely work on others.
- Inspiring Presence (Mood: Happiness, Zeal): Through her own emotion she magically inspires those around her.

Phae'Ox

Well-being: 100% (testing this stat, as an overall percentage of how your character is doing other than their raw HP-pool)
Health: 14/14
Wealth: 30 Gold.

Strength: 6
Dexterity: 1
Endurance: 3
Psyche: 1
Intelligence: 0
Wisdom: 0
Charisma: 0
Luck: -1
Fate: 1

Abilities: Blacksmith

Skills/Spells:
- Stonestance (main style): Immobile style which boosts defense(parry) and counter attacks.
- Windstance (sub style): Sweeping style which is good vs multiple enemies, boosts attack.
- Smokestance (minor): Flowing style which relies on remaining in motion boosting dodge and speed.
- Blessing: A short prayer to Sin Ashari or any god embuing you with power. Given power differs, but may buff self or an ally depending.
(When praying to Sin Ashari for a blessing, you may choose between being imbued with the Holy Blade spell or the Heal spell. Praying to any other God may yield different results depending on wether or not the God favors you and what you ask for.)
- Holy Blade: Infuse your weapon with holy power, increasing damage done by 1d4 as holy damage.
- Heal: Heal self or a friend for 2*(own level).

Jax'Ildan Katkana

Well-being: 100% (testing this stat, as an overall percentage of how your character is doing other than their raw HP-pool)
Health: 8/8
Wealth: 22 Gold.

Strength: 2
Dexterity: 3
Endurance: 2
Psyche: 0
Intelligence: 1
Wisdom: 3
Charisma: 0
Luck: 1
Fate: 1

Abilities:
- Acrobatic:
- Sword Profficiency: Skilled in the use of swords in one or both hands.
- Racial ability: Sense Magic. By your dominant elven blood you can feel nearby sources of magic and sometimes detect magical items before they are activated.
- Racial ability: Dark-vision (minor). Your elven eyes are well-adjusted to the dark and are able to detect details that humans normally can't.
Skills:/Spells:
- Combat Perception: Your knowledge of anatomy have gained you the ability to analyze an opponent in the middle of battle and strike him where he is most vulnerable.
- Maim: When striking an opponent you may choose to maim him, aiming for his legs. This will make the opponent slower and cause him to bleed for extra damage every turn. Success is decided by a Dex-roll, but your hit is rolled as normal.

Gorim Dace

Well-being: 100% (testing this stat, as an overall percentage of how your character is doing other than their raw HP-pool)
Health: 7/7 (having minus in endurance does not mean you get that minus when calculating your health. Gz.)
Wealth: 60 Gold.

Strength: 2
Dexterity: 1
Endurance: -1
Psyche: 0
Intelligence: 2
Wisdom: 0
Charisma: 3
Lucky: 5
Fate: 1

Abilities:
- Dark vision: Dwarves have a naturally greater darkvison.
- Poison Resistance: Dwarves have a natural resistance to poisons (such as alcohol!).
- Crossbow Proficiency: You have greater skill and experience in handling a crossbow.
- Sleight of Hand: Years of gambling have made Gorim into a seasoned gambler who knows what it means to take risks and fight odds.
- Higher education: Growing up as a noble have granted Gorim a higher education which enables him to read Rune-Scripture to some extent and slightly favors the outcome of Int-based actions and rolls.

Spells/Skills:
- Quickdraw: At the start of combat you may draw and fire your ranged weapon at an opponent despite the initiative of any friends and foes. Hits with slightly greater accuracy.
- Pocketsand: When you disengage from an enemy you may choose to use Pocketsand to blind your opponents and make some distance between you. Successrate is determined by a Dex-roll.

That sure is a big dog you have there !

Walking back inside, the pack attempted to occupy themselves with whatever activities they could. They talked, walked around, did pushups... They all seemed rather restless. They didn't know what to do.
Gabriel looked around the house. "Vanessa?" he said as he turned every corner. Eventually he made his way downstairs and found her at her father's desk, in his old office. He hadn't been down here yet. Looking around, the office looked strangely discreet for being a hunter's office. There was probably something hidden from his sight in this room. He didn't like it.
"Sorry I walked out on you like that. Things are... rather serious right now. And I don't know what to tell you, or how." he said to her as he stood in the doorway, ashamed of himself. He was ashamed of his past, how he's treating Vanessa, and... Even ashamed of being a werewolf. It had only caused himself and his close ones harm, and now they were stuck in the middle of a brewing conflict.
"I... Thought I'd tell you tomorrow. To think about it some more. To try to make sense of the situation, make sense of ... myself." he continued. "But I think I'll just tell you right now. Are you ready to hear the horrible truth, Vanessa?"

That sure is a big dog you have there !

I see you're having a rough patch, buddy.
Just wanted to let you know it's alright and just take your time :)

That sure is a big dog you have there !

When Kelsey stared Gabriel down, he suddenly realized. His infatuation with Vanessa had made him blind to Kelsey's intention from the start. He became quiet, with a stern look on his face. Conrad and Jaze noticed it too, but Thomas and Robyn also went quiet when they saw the other three with such stern looks.
Gabriel listened to Vanessa speak, but didn't answer. He just kept staring at the door where Kelsey had left. "Uh... Gabe?" said Thomas carefully, worried. "Pack meeting. Back of the house, now." Gabriel said suddenly, calmly but sternly. The others obeyed immediately and left for the back door, while Gabriel stayed for a moment with Vanessa. She was probably wondering what the hell was going on.

Gabriel looked at her, and his face grew softer... But also sad. He knew what he had to do, but telling her would break his heart... And probably hers. He decided not to tell her the truth yet.
"You said your father was a hunter, right?" he started, gently taking hold of Vanessa's hands. "And Kelsey is one as well. And you've had training. I... Think I know what kind of hunters they were." He looked at her, straight into her eyes.
"I need to speak to the others. Just wait inside and we'll be along shortly. It's a serious matter and I don't want you to be involved, alright?" he continued. "I... Promise I will tell you the truth one day. Just not now... I can't tell you yet."
With that, he gave her a kiss on the cheek, let go of her hands and walked out the back door to the others. They walked into the woods a bit, but not far. They could still be seen from the house windows. They sat down on some rocks or stood by the trees in a circle when Gabriel arrived.

"What's going on?" asked Thomas and Robyn.
"That Kelsey girl... She's a hunter." said Conrad. "It was obvious, the way she boasted about her archery skills. She wanted us to know."
Thomas looked puzzled. "What do you mean? What kind of hunter?"
"The kind that hunts and kills werewolves." said Gabriel sternly. "She knows our secret. She knew as soon as she walked in the door. I should've known..."
"What?!" exclaimed Robyn. "That's... Fucked up! Why would anyone hunt werewolves! We're people, just like anyone else!"
"Yeah, what the hell?!" added Thomas.
The rest of the group fell silent. Gabriel and Jaze knew, and they had told Conrad about it a while ago. They hadn't told Robyn and Thomas because they thought they were too young, but times change and they now have to know the harsh truth. "All werewolves aren't people. Some are... Mindless beasts, who succumb to their instincts and bloodthirst. They kill, and kill, and won't stop until they are dead themselves." said Jaze, which was probably the darkest thing he had ever said in his life.
"Remember what I told you about my turning?" said Gabriel. Thomas nodded, scared of the situation. "I think the people I killed during my rampage was Vanessa's parents. The scars she bears are of my making. This is why we share a strange connection to each other, I think. Hopefully Kelsey doesn't know this yet, but I don't think Vanessa does either and I don't know how to tell her." he continued. "Anyway what I mean is, some who turn don't always return to their senses after their rampage. Some just continue their bloodthirst and never stop. This is why there are Hunters, like Kelsey and Vanessa's families. The Hunters have existed for hundreds of years and have kept primal werewolves in check to protect others. However, they never could see the difference between primal werewolves and... Us. Normal people. They believe we are as bloodthirsty as the primals, and that we will one day be reduced to such a state again. So they hunt us, too."
Gabriel's explanation gave Thomas chills down his spine. He slumped down on a rock, too tired to stand. He didn't know what to say. Robyn was looking quite grim as well, as if she was going to burst into tears any moment.
"We can't stay here. If there are more hunters out here than Kelsey, we'll be in more danger than we already are!" said Conrad.
"But what do I tell Vanessa?! That we are glad for her hostpitality but have decided to go back to a life of homelessness and poverty? That her kindness to us was all for naught?!" Gabriel retorted.
"Tell her the truth." said Jaze softly, looking at Gabriel. Their eyes met for a moment, and Gabriel didn't know what to say. He wasn't often speechless...
"But how?" Gabriel said after a moment of silence. "How do I tell her that I killed her family? Will she even understand? She will hate me and maybe even seek revenge! And Kelsey will help her, she's already on to us!"
"If you love her..." said Jaze, "You have to tell her the truth. If she loves you back, she will understand. Or at least try to."
"I... I can't..." said Gabriel.
"You have to." responded Jaze.

The group stood still in their circle for a while. They couldn't smell the scent of any intruder eavesdropping on them but they were weary, perhaps the hunters had found a way to cloak themselves from the pack's heightened senses. Nervously, they looked around every now and then over their shoulder, fearing someone was aiming at them with a bow and arrow from behind.
But no attack came.
"Alright... Let's go back inside." Gabriel said quietly in defeat. "I... I will tell her tomorrow. I have to think about this first."
"Of course." said Jaze, and put his hand on Gabriel's shoulder to reassure him. Gabriel gave him a soft smile in appreciation, and then everyone turned back to the house and walked back inside the back-door.

That sure is a big dog you have there !

While the others kept talking with each other and about many different things, Conrad began to notice Kelsey. When she looked at him, he pondered for a moment. "What's wrong?" he said while the others weren't paying attention, as they were talking about other things. "Do I frighten you?"
Normally Conrad was pretty good at reading people but he couldn't get a good read on this Kelsey, almost as if she knew how to mask the usual tells. He did notice however, she looked at him as if she recognized him. Not good. he thought to himself.

"Oh sure I do." said Gabriel in response to Vanessa blushing. "And you sure did stand on your own feet, but those guys weren't people you want to stand up to. You get the chance you run. Although there are worse people on the streets of New York, these guys can be very dangerous too." Robyn and Thomas nodded agreeingly, Jaze simply listened. Of the entire group, Jaze was the only one that got had a bad feeling about the situation. As if something was off, something the others didn't notice. He couldn't be sure but he suspected Conrad might feel it too.

Valorhall - Walyr

Name:
Race:
Age:
Gender:
Class:

Alignment: Lawful evil, lawful neutral, lawful good, neutral evil, true neutral, neutral good, chaotic evil, chaotic neutral, chaotic good.
Values:
Faction: Great, so you're a human. But part of what kingdom? Okay so no kingdom, but what about guild? Are you part of an organization, an order, a band? To whom to you owe your loyalties, if anyone?

Appearance:
Personality:

Clothing: Apparel that are not armor. Does not require extensive descriptions.
Equipment: Your weapons, armor and containers like satchels and pouches. Not what you keep in your pockets but what you use and wear.
Items: What's in your satchels and pouches. Not what you wear but take with you.
Abilities: Are you a good climber? A tracker? Perhaps you have a useful ability?
Skills:/Spells: Skills mean skills that are non-magic but would in an RPG-sense still be a 'spell', for example Mortal Strike, Headcrack, Adrenaline Rush, Bloodrage, etc.
Spells are magic skills like Fireball, Windblast, Warp, Enhance Weapon, Summon Aidling etc.

Background: May seem like simple flavor-text to some, but your background should reflect your ambitions and where your character is now. Depending on his or her ambitions and what he or she has endured, you may gain certain bonuses (or in rare cases a debuff) like bonus stats or a special item.

Other information: Any other information you feel necessary to be known to the DM and other characters but haven't been covered in the other sections of the CS.

Don't forget your stats!

That sure is a big dog you have there !

Kelsey seemed like quite the charismatic and charming character, so instantly everyone had a pretty good first impression of her. "Silverwood, eh?" Jaze said in response to her introducing herself by her full name. "That's quite the fancy name."
Vanessa and Kelsey came back from the kitchen with drinks, and Kelsey spoke. ''Vanessa, you are not going to tell me that you do not date one of these guys.. You must be, they are all so handsome'' she said, and Robyn snickered. She responded with "She does, she dates our leader." and pointed at Gabriel. Thomas however, was quite flustered. "Ya hear that, Robyn? I'm handsome." he said and stretched, feeling confident. Robyn gave him a punch on his arm. "As handsome as a puppy."
"Good choice, he is the most handsome." Kelsey said to Vanessa, who laughed and shook her head. Gabriel himself was also laughing at such a comment. "I didn't choose on handsomeness.. I choose on the purest heart." answered Vanessa and walked over and gave Gabriel a kiss. "Is it really dating though?" he said and gave her a kiss on the cheek back. "I mean, we haven't really gone on a date. Unless taking a walk counts. Or fighting some muggers. Or patching me up with bandages and stuff... In fact, if those does count as dates, we've had quite an exciting streak of dates." he said and chuckled.
The others were happy to see Gabriel in such a good mood. Ever since Vanessa came into their lives (very suddenly, one might add), their days had become better, brighter. Although one in the group could tell something was still troubling Gabriel.
Conrad had been quiet for a while, and was looking at Gabriel, analyzing him as he does sometimes. Almost unnoticable, of course. Conrad knew Gabriel had to be the one to kill Vanessa's parents on the night of his turning. He knew Gabriel lived with the shame that his first few nights were uncontrollable, that he was little more than a bloodthirsty beast before he regained control of himself and fled to the city. Conrad knew his inner struggle, for he knew Gabriel wanted to tell Vanessa the truth but couldn't. Perhaps he blamed himself for Vanessas sadness at the loss of her parents.
Conrad smiled and decided to rejoin the others and stop standing in the corner. He joined in on Gabriel telling the story of how he and Vanessa met to Kelsey.
"... so I see these three thugs creeping up on her in an alleyway, and they demand that she give them her purse or whatever, but she not only refuse, she spit in their faces! I almost laughed, giving away my position. Of course, I couldn't let them harm her or worse, so I stepped in. I know those morons from before, and they were intruding on my territory, so any of their business becomes my business. I put one of 'em on their ass and they fled." Gabriel explains excitedly to Kelsey. "And the funniest thing is, Vanessa says I should be careful out this late! Me!" he laughed loudly.
Conrad smiled.

That sure is a big dog you have there !

Yo I'll be out of town for new year's. I'll be back on Sunday or Monday! Just a head's up :)

That sure is a big dog you have there !

Even though Vanessa had told Conrad to sit down, he insisted he should help her. "I may be a bum but I wasn't raised as one." he said jokingly as an argument and helped her take out the dishes into the kitchen. The others sat by the table and talked about the blessing that was pizza. When the doorbell rang, the group all went quiet however. Was Vanessa expecting someone? Most of them were smart enough to notice the ringing was routine and confident, suggesting it was someone she knew. Still, they were on their guard. After all, old habits die hard.

A new girl was introduced to the group, Kelsey was her name. Appearantly a friend of Vanessa, the two came into the room to be introduced. "Vanessa what did you do?" the new girl asked her. Gabriel snickered. "I gave a few friends a new home." was her answer. Kelsey seemed like a hearty person, and the entire group couldn't help but burst into laughter when she said "Good lord, you gave this woman a wa ytoo big heart." Gabriel had stood up as soon as they entered the room. Being the leader of the pack, he introduced himself first. "I'm Gabriel. This is Jaze, that's Conrad and the two kids over there are Robyn and Thomas." he said confidently. Everyone smiled at Kelsey when their names were mentioned. Conrad looked at the new girl and rubbed his stubbed chin. Oddly familiar, he though, and he wasn't sure if he liked the feeling. He didn't say anything however. He was way too polite for that.
Gabriel continued to speak. "We were all homeless when Vanessa found us. We met in a dark alley, I helped her against some muggers and in return she nursed me back to health when the muggers came back with a few friends for round two." he walked over to Kelsey to shake her hand or something, he wasn't completely oblivious to manners but he wasn't sure how courtesy worked. "The next thing I knew, Vanessa has befriended the entire group and earned our respect. She offered us to live with her here and we're... Greatly considering the offer." The last part he said with a grin, slightly sarcastic. This was dreamy to them, to go from being homeless to be living in a mansion.
Conrad couldn't help himself. "Hi there. Might we know your name?" he said politely and extended a hand to Kelsey in a shake. Conrad was seen as the wise one of the pack, being in his mid 30's and have actually had a higher education.