visionofchaos | Entries tagged with reference

When I came up with the various members of the research team, I went through a somewhat abridged character generation process not all that far from putting together a low-level PC. I wanted to make sure I had some ideas to draw on about who these people were and how their background and abilities related to each other. Some of these went in rather different directions of the others.

All of the research team members include the use of

pteryx's variant/house-ruled version of the Generic Expert from SRD, where the modifications are intended to balance the class with non-generic PC classes. Variation from the class as written:
Higher progression rate applies only to Reflex and Will save bonuses. Lower progression rate applies to Fortitude save bonus.
All skills are class skills.
Skill Points: 8 + Int modifier (or four times this number at 1st level).
Class feature conversions are not allowed.
Class bonus feats must be skill-related.
All other details are as indicated in SRD.
Note also: There is a standing house rule for the campaigns in question that all classes get an additional 2 skill points per level. This is in addition to the skill points value listed above.

"Certainly it has been difficult to live among a foreign people, where distrust is only rarely tempered by a grudging respect... yet being here grants a freedom inexpressibly valuable: When I first arrived, having fallen from the cart in which I'd managed at length to stow away, I awoke briefly in my injured state to see many harsh and fearful expressions; too weak to speak or move, all I could do was look around in the moments before my consciousness fled, knowing in my heart that my life had come to its end and I was about to die. This was not the first time I had believed my death to be imminent, but it would prove to be the last. I no longer have a home or a people. What I do have is a place where I can live and achieve goals in more safety than my life has ever before allowed me to know."

Tikra: Female Kobold Generic Expert 1
HP: 4 STR: 6 DEX: 10 CON: 10 INT: 16 WIS: 16 CHA: 14 BAB: +0
Saves: Fortitude +0 Reflex +2 Will +5
Languages spoken: Draconic, Goblin, Common, Gnomish
Research specialty: Arcane and natural sciences
Flaw: Vulnerable
Feats: Agile, Athletic, Run
Skills: Acrobatics +6, Bluff +4, Climb +4, Escape Artist +6, Stealth +8, Intimidate +6, Jump +2 [+4 when running], Knowledge (arcana +7, dungeoneering +4, local +5, nature +7), Perception +6, Profession (writing +5), Sense Motive +5, Spellcraft +7, Survival +7

Refugee from the Seawall Mountains bordering Darguun. Reticent about past experiences, though Althea may have discovered some things through visions. Attends the Library of Korranberg as a student/researcher. Socially isolated, but respected due to her academic aptitude and perseverance. Althea has been assigned as Tikra's roommate for the duration of her visit, as the two get along reasonably well. Tikra is also friends with Illyvalen; the two seem to have some history dating back all the way to Tikra's arrival in Korranberg.

"Every new language I learn represents a new way of thinking and connecting with people. Even if I might not ever entirely understand someone, sharing their language is a first step in being able to reach an understanding, and helping them share mine does even more."

Illyvalen: Female Gnome Generic Expert 1
HP: 2 STR: 6 DEX: 8 CON: 6 INT: 18 WIS: 12 CHA: 14 BAB: +0
Saves: Fortitude -2 Reflex +1 Will +3
Languages spoken: Common, Gnomish, Elven, Halfling, Dwarven, Goblin, Draconic, Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal, Sylvan, Orcish, Giant, Undercommon, Old Common, English(currently learning)
Research specialties: Anthropology, Linguistics, Medicine
Flaws: Noncombatant, Frail
Feats: Language Focus (languages +1 per Linguistics rank), Master Linguist (languages +1 per level), Skill Focus (Heal), Multilingual (languages +3, +2 to Linguistics checks made to decipher script)
Skills: Linguistics +8 [+2 to decipher script], Diplomacy +6, Gather Information +6, Heal +8, Knowledge (arcana +5, arch&eng +7, geography +8, history +8, local +8, nature +7, nob&roy +7, religion +8, planes +5, psionics +5), Perception +5 [+2 vs. auditory], Perform (Sing +4), Profession (writing +5), Search +6

Frail young woman with a penchant for language and a sweet and sometimes naïve disposition. Attends the Library of Korranberg as a student/researcher. She has a wide range of academic interests, including medical research. Makes friends easily, but is sometimes seen as a bit weird for being on friendly terms with otherwise fairly reclusive sorts, particularly Tikra.

"Whether one stands before a crowd of spectators, a group of small children, a classroom of students, a panel of judges, one's family, friends, a lover pursued or acquired, or even a simple magical artifact, one is always performing. The only question is whether one is aware of one's performance, and the quality thereof. Performance is not about deception. It is the measure of whether and how much you care about what you express and how you are perceived."

Nathaniel: Male Halfling Generic Expert 1/Bard 1
HP: 6 STR: 12 DEX: 14 CON: 10 INT: 12 WIS: 12 CHA: 16 BAB: +0
Saves: Fortitude +1 Reflex +7 Will +6
Spells: 0th level 2/day, 4 known (Detect Magic, Lullaby, Message, Read Magic)
Languages spoken: Common, Halfling, Gnomish, Elven, Giant
Research specialties: Magic and magic items, verifying authenticity of artifacts and documents
Feats: Relic Hunter, Skill Focus (Profession (writing))
Skills: Perform (oratory +6), Profession (writing +9), Acrobatics +3, Appraise +6 [+5 for Dhakaani/Xen'drik artifacts], Bluff +5, Concentration +1, Linguistics +6, Diplomacy +4, Gather Information +5, Knowledge (arcana +4, geography +2, history +6, local +2) [+5 for Dhakaani/Xen'drik artifacts], Sense Motive +3, Sleight of Hand +3, Spellcraft +5 [+2 to decipher spells on scrolls], Use Magic Device +8 [+2 involving scrolls], Disable Device +3, Use Rope +3, Forgery +4
Special: +5 to Bardic Knowledge for Dhakaani/Xen'drik artifacts. +2 to Bardic Knowledge (all).

A charismatic and bright individual with significant writing talent. Despite not being a Gnome, is well-integrated into Zil culture, having been adopted by a gnomish family after being orphaned during the war. Attends the Library of Korranberg as a student/researcher. Appears to be romantically interested in Althea, though she has largely ignored his advances. Interested in the performing arts.

"I know this is something of an unusual project and that some of you may not be familiar with Korranberg or Zilargo generally, that this may be something of an unusual environment. Outside of meetings, I frankly don't care what you do or where or with whom you do it, as long as you're not causing trouble and the work's getting done. But I do expect you to be here every morning to discuss your progress and the project status, and if you can't be, you're to let me know."

Berdmol: Female Gnome Generic Expert 2
HP: 8 STR: 10 DEX: 12 CON: 14 INT: 14 WIS: 14 CHA: 13 BAB: +1
Saves: Fortitude +2 Reflex +4 Will +5
Languages spoken: Common, Gnomish, ???, ???
Research specialties: Anthropology, Crafts/Technology
Feats: Master of Knowledge, Negotiator, Persuasive
Skills: Appraise +5, Bluff +8, Concentration +7, Diplomacy +10, Gather Information +7, Intimidate +10, Knowledge (arch&eng +8, geography +8, history +6, local +8), Perception +7 [+2 vs. auditory], Profession (writing +5), Search +4 [+2 to find secret doors/hidden compartments], Sense Motive +9

Dedicated scholar, slightly abrasive, with a very sharp intellect. Speaks in a plain, matter-of-fact style but may still be prone to a bit of sesquipedalian loquaciousness when subjects of nuance come up. Supportive, but tends to become impatient with people's quirks when they get in the way of conversation or research goals. Research team lead. May be a Trust agent.

"I dare say this is one of the more unusual teams I've been a part of. Thankfully, Berdmol keeps things in relative order. I had my doubts, particularly being teamed up with someone from Morgrave, and I'd never even contemplated the prospect of encountering a kobold scholar at a university. But this Tikra is remarkably intelligent and capable, and Althea would seem in no way representative of the typical researcher from that institution. Now if the other halfling would stop flirting with her, and the younger gnome would stop running her mouth about things that have nothing to do with our research, we could really start to get a lot done."

David: Male Human Generic Expert 1
HP: 8 STR: 8 DEX: 8 CON: 12 INT: 14 WIS: 10 CHA: 8 BAB: +0
Saves: Fortitude +1 Reflex +1 Will +4
Languages spoken: Common, Elven, Gnomish, Halfling
Research specialties: Political Science, Sociopolitical Anthropology, Religion, Excavation Planning
Feats: Iron Will, Master of Knowledge, Toughness
Skills: Bluff +1, Concentration +3, Linguistics +5, Diplomacy +2, Gather Information +3, Handle Animal +2, Intimidate +2, Knowledge (dungeoneering +7, geography +5, history +6, local +7, nobility&royalty +7, religion +7), Perception +4, Profession (writing +4), Ride +2

Visiting researcher from the University of Wynarn in Fairhaven, Aundair. Detail-oriented and less prone to generalism. Intelligent but not very savvy. Has a somewhat impersonal manner.

(Note: updated for new skills house rules, and for new HP formulas)

Current Location: Korranberg, Zilargo

"Aureon's work was left half-done, and it's the harder half we're trying to do here.... What drives a rare few to the way of the paladin and lets them actually follow it? Why are certain rare spells selective? What secrets keep druidic magic relatively contained even when talented rangers can draw out some of the same answers? And what are the boundaries of 'faith'?"
— Belgiwig Santor d'Sivis, Founder of the Korranberg Archive

During the Last War, while all eyes were on the front line, some scholars who preferred to stay out of the conflict used the distraction as an opportunity to begin trying to make as much scientific sense out of divine magic as arcane magic. Thus, to a lot of people, this controversial group claiming they could demystify miracles appeared to sprout up overnight...

The Archival Foundation is a society dedicated to studying divine magic as an academic discipline rather than a matter of religious faith. Its members seek to bring about a new magical renaissance in divine magic comparable to the development of the arcane sciences in Khorvaire. Through their collective research efforts, many of the underpinnings of divine magic are becoming clearer, and in the process many widespread religious beliefs are being challenged.

There's no particular alignment leaning among the Foundation members; it often just barely holds together through common cause. One is equally likely to encounter a follower of Aureon who sees this work as finishing what he started, a follower of the Blood of Vol who hopes to throw off the tyranny of gods once and for all, an Aereni elf who simply views this as a natural extension of what elves already suspected anyway, or perhaps a merely curious gnome.

The Archival Foundation often comes into confict with the more staunchly religious, especially the Church of the Silver Flame with its emphasis on the significance of miracles. The underground nature of the Archival Foundation during the Last War helped them to avoid both being drawn into the war and being devastated by some overzealous cleric or another before they were ready to stand up to such threats; however, given that their aims were ultimately of a public nature, they could not afford to remain obscure in the long term.

The Foundation's presence is mostly felt in urban areas; while they might make the Korranberg Chronicle every now and then, in more rural regions there may be many who haven't so much as heard of them, and fewer still who know what they are truly about.

As an element in campaigns, the Archival Foundation can be a source of heroes and villains alike, including those who may be both at the same time, as befits Eberron generally.

(Adapted from an RP exchange and an IRC conversation; The Archival Foundation represents

pteryx's vision for how the Archivist class (source book: Heroes of Horror) would fit into the world of Eberron, though Foundation membership extends beyond those of said class.)

Putting this up since there isn't actually a single specific place to direct people to for summarizing Althea's whole canon. Some of this may be replicated in things like game apps, but this is intended to be a general reference on the subject of Althea's canon.

In the general sense Althea's canon is the Eberron Campaign Setting, which conveniently does have some online reference material available at eberron.wikia.com, though something of an Alternate Universe version thereof.

More specifically, Althea's canon is a story/game/campaign called "Mighty Scions" which takes place in said Alternate Universe Eberron, largely set in the city of Sharn. In the story of Mighty Scions, a new phenomenon has been occurring among dragonmarked individuals: the developing of powers beyond those of normal magic, psionics, and dragonmark abilities. Our cast are among the very few to first discover these new powers, and must decide what to do with and about these powers while balancing their commitments to their House (and the risk of becoming a whole new kind of resource for their House to exploit, should the truth be known). This is an Eberron game with a superhero flavor, as well as a story focused on themes of self-discovery.

Cast:
Kyra Vivian Friedheim d'Vadalis, a.k.a. The Prism: Cleric of Boldrei, with powers connected to Irian, the Eternal Day (light-based plane); young human boy, but commonly believed to be a female elf in his alternate identity. The Hero and team leader. Appeared in arcs 1-3 and 5-8.
Liridon d'Deneith, a.k.a. The Fairy Knight: Paladin of The Traveler (paladin of freedom), with powers connected to Thelanis, the Faerie Court. The Lancer. Appeared in arcs 1-5.
Gauvain d'Orien, a.k.a. Mindflare: Psion with powers connected to Lamannia, the Twilight Forest (nature-based plane). Appeared in arcs 1-4.
Kale d'Medani, a.k.a. The Crane: Urban Ranger with powers connected to Syrania, the Azure Sky (angelic plane). Appeared in arcs 1-4.
Gharta'torrn (House Tharashk), a.k.a. The Swift Hawk: Swashbuckler with powers connected to Syrania, the Azure Sky. Half-orc bounty hunter, and The Big Guy. Appeared in arcs 5-8.
Althea Tamochi d'Jorasco, a.k.a. Vision: Psion with powers connected to Kythri, the Churning Chaos. Student/researcher at Morgrave University and The Smart Guy. Appeared in arcs 5-8.
Dakota d'Phiarlan: Bard with powers connected to Mabar, the Endless Night. Appeared in arc 4.

Arcs:
1. Attack of the Black Terror: An unusual thief with the power to induce unnatural fear prompts Kyra, Liridon, Gauvain and Kale to team up to take him down, and find out who is behind him.
2. Vengeance (log not available): A ghost from Mindflare's past shows up in Sharn looking to settle an old score...
3. Child of Mabar (log edit in progress...): Kyra has been kidnapped! As Liridon, Kale and Gauvain try to track down their companion, their investigation settles on an apparent cleric of Dol Arrah, who now seems to be openly attacking both the Silver Flame and Dol Arrah...
4. Deal With the Crimson Devil (log not available): With Kyra out of town, the rest of the group tries to thwart an attempted robbery by Daask, but end up with more trouble than they bargained for... (incomplete)
5. Horrors of Light: Irian has become coterminous with Eberron, but amid the spectacular light show not all that crosses over is benign; the Prism returns to the scene along with new allies, and teams up with the Fairy Knight and the Swift Hawk to face the realm of light's own homegrown terror...
6. Sin of the Silver Ninja: A friend of Gharta's mentor is murdered, and she takes it upon herself to try to get to the bottom of it, along with the rest of the team's help. As the investigation proceeds, it becomes clear that followers of The Traveler are being targeted; when the perpetrator strikes again, this time the victim is someone much closer...
7. The Chains of Power: Gharta receives a bounty for two halflings who have recently entered Sharn; upon confronting them, one of the halflings, a marked scion of House Jorasco, suddenly awakens to a frightening new power, forcing both Gharta and her own partner to flee for their lives. It quickly becomes clear that this Dipali may be another like those of the group, with powers tied to Shavarath, the Battlefield. But with Dipali clearly not in control of her own powers and her whereabouts unknown, it becomes a race against time to find her before she winds up hurting someone... or inadvertently revealing the dangerous secret they all share.
8. The Mine to Khyber (log not available): Kyra convinces his father to take him along on a business trip to Cragwar, bringing Gharta along as a bodyguard. Vision makes her way out independently, joining the group under the guise of "Sophia Ressen." Once there they find that an entrance to Khyber has opened up in a Mithril mine and is endangering the miners... (incomplete)

Status of logs:
The logs currently available are the result of our post-production-focused effort at maintaining IRC logs which read well and can be reasonably easily edited. Such logs exist in raw form for each arc, but some need a fair bit of work to clean up which has not yet been undertaken. Additionally, two arcs were never completed due to OOC difficulties (in the case of arc 4, this is related to certain cast members having to be replaced for arc 5) and thus will never be available in a truly satisfying form. Nevertheless, I do hope to eventually have most of the logs available in edited form. (If you've gone through the available logs and are dying to know what happened in the rest of the story, let me know privately and I can see about making the raw logs available...)

So what's the point of this?:
If you're here, you most likely were directed from somewhere where Althea is being roleplayed; as an original character who nonetheless has a fair bit of established written canon to draw on, I'm hoping this is a useful resource for understanding the context Althea is coming from. Moreover, I really do like this story and setting (in the campaign-specific sense), and hope that others may enjoy and/or be inspired by it.