Entry in the Unique NPC Contest.
Ah! Damn, I was floating placidly in ignorance, not realizing the clock had ticked its way past the deadline. Oh well, I had intended this for an entry into the contest but I think I've gone and missed it. I'll post it anyway, just because I think it's a cool character (and I wanted to post to the list to prove I haven't died or gone away; still working on Tale of the Wayfarer and am very far into a novelette set on Lionheart; coming soon...) Okay everyone, please bear with me. I'm two thousand miles away from any of my rulebooks on how to roll up a character (the player's handbook or any of the various 'complete' handbooks) but I had an idea for a spelljammer NPC I wanted to put out there for consideration, so please excuse any game mechanic inaccuracies (I was going from memory) Tevian Human male, 3rd lvl fighter (when not in combat)/24th lvl fighter (when his combat sense descends on him) HP: 62 AC: varies with equipment. Though he is often unarmored (AC 7) he sometimes wears leather (AC 4) Str: 16 Dex: 11 (normal)/20 (combat) Con: 8 Int: 13 Wis: 15 Cha: 16 Com: 17 History: Tevian - as he knows himself now - came into being less than four standard years ago. He found himself lying in an unfamiliar field in an alien land, with no idea who or what he was and no memories of any kind. He judges his age to be about twenty-four, and as far as he can tell he is a perfectly normal human male. When he came to himself he was dressed in a strange uniform - not armor, but of a military cut - and has surmised that he must have once been an officer of some kind, though in what army or force he cannot fathom. He carried no letters or identification of any kind (indeed, he later discovered that he could not read or write common, though he speaks it quite fluently, and hence has surmised it is not his native tongue). Four years later and he knows almost as little as he did then. Throughout his wanderings he has never encountered any being who recogizes his uniform or the insignia upon it, and has discovered precious little about his homeland, who his is, or how he came to awaken in that field with no memories. During his wanderings, though, he has made a few startling discoveries. He chose the name Tevian randomly early on, when he was first asked his title, but he is now certain it is a name he knew before his memory loss, as it holds a haunting familiarity for him. He speculates that it possibly was his own name, the name of a close friend or family member, or the name of a bitter enemy. A number of other phrases have come from his mouth in moments of startlement, and he has pieced together a few of them, though they are in another language (which he does not know, yet which is intimately familiar to him at once). The name 'Lyressa' is one that comes to him in his sleep - though whether it is a person, place, or thing he knows not. Perhaps the most startling discovery of all came when Tevian was first attacked by a gang of cutthroats in a bar. Surrounded by three hardened thieves with bared steel, Tevian was taken by surprise and his only weapon was a butterknife that was near to hand. In a display of combat prowess the barkeep of that particular tavern still marvels at, Tevian slew them all. Tevian himself does not remember the battle - in fact never remembers any battle he engages in. He considers himself to be an inexpert amateur when it comes to combat and though he wears a sword he can handle it only clumsily. However, when true danger threatens, he undergoes a remarkable change. The clumsy, inexperienced Tevian goes into immediate unconsciousness and something else - some reflexive and deadly memory of what he once was - takes his place. Tevian, though aware of this strange effect, is nonetheless terrified of battle and will go to great lengths to avoid combat. Once battle is joined, however, it is a different tale. Two years ago he made his way to the Prime Material plane by mistake (he awoke on the planes, a fact he does not know but suspects) and through happenstance found himself on a spelljamming worldlet. One of the first beings he saw sent a shock of recognition through him - a dracon. He recognized its form, though he had never seen such a creature before, and immediately befriended the dracon in hopes that at long last he had discovered a link to his past. The dracon, a reserved adventurer named Krythl, was friendly but did not recognize Tevian. Upon hearing Tevian's strange tale he reluctantly allowed the human to accompany him aboard the spelljamming ship 'Tenbright's Pride' on a voyage to the Rock of Bral. At present, Bral is his 'home grounds' where he bases all his operation. He does some odd adventuring with Krythl and his crew from time to time, but does not like the dangerousness of the work. Just as often he takes odd jobs on Bral, trying to determine what skills he might have had in his previous life. He has discovered he has some skill at blacksmithing (a strange fact as he is whipcord slender and not at all bulky) and at weaving, though none at all in pottery making, woodworking, and cooking. Whether this is any indication that in his former life he was either a weaver or a blacksmith or whether instead these are simply talents he was quick to develop is idle speculation. The truth about Tevian's mysterious past, though, is nothing he has ever guessed at. Tevian is a dead man. He was born Prince Danel d'Berthnial, third son of the king of a distant empire far beyond the boundaries of known space. 'Tevian' was in fact his older brother's name, and though they bore a great love for each other they came to be on opposite sides of a great war which wracked the land. There was a woman they both loved, Lyressa, who came between them, and an evil and grasping mage who manipulated events so that Danel was betrayed by her. Danel was slain in battle along with the loyal dracon knights who had sworn service to him. Instead of passing to the plane and realm he had earned in life, Danel's spirit instead was bound by the mage in an awful rite and sold to a demon lord from the abyss. For many years he was forced to serve the terrible creature until at last, in a feat of trickery, he managed to outwit and destroy the foul demon and escape his enslavement. The tale of how he fought his way from that terrible realm to the relative peace and freedom of the Outlands is a terrifying one, filled with unimaginable horrors and incredible feats of endurance. Somehow Danel won free, though it cost him his memory. And he awoke in the Outlands, with no memory... Weapons: The only weapons Tevian carries on a regular basis are a standard longsword which he wears strapped to his back for protection (and to look intimidating enough that others won't force him into combat) and handles clumsily. He also carries a small dagger which he uses for everyday chores (cutting meat or line, whittling, etc). When he 'combat-shifts' he is a grand master with the sword and expert with any other weapon he finds. He also has a deadly mastery of several martial arts.
