NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
CAREFULLY CRAFTED CHARACTERS
INSPIRATION +FUNCTIONALITY
With over eighty (so far) characters, it’s easy to find inspiration for your next side quest or even a full adventure. Even better, their assigned location could be the perfect backdrop or starting point.
DROP THEM IN
In the middle of a session and you need a blacksmith or a noble? The quickread summary lets you breathe life into your roleplay while maintaining the flow of the game.
FEATURES
IN-DEPTH AND
INTERCONNECTED
NPCs are woven into the fabric of the region. They live, they breathe, they dream. They have friends and enemies, were born locally or migrated from afar. They plot and conspire or try their luck. They join the military or buy a farm.
WHEN FANTASY, HISTORY AND NPCS COLLIDE
Many of the characters aren’t humanoid and may even be from species created for this guide. Those that are human are sometimes gods-touched or have features shaped by eons of tumultuous local history.
BASIC INFO
Human Wizard
Neutral Good
Theme: Sea
TRAITS
Politically Savvy
Bold
Pragmatic
Formidable
DESCRIPTION
Scarred
Fine clothes in disarray
Amulet of the Grand Magister
Missing arm, or tentacles on display
Tall and broad shouldered
DILEMMA
A man wearing the badge of the Guild of Sages has been mauled to death. What’s curious is that no one is missing from the Guild. Garron is making this the adventurers’ problem to solve – report back asap.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Strangers stop in their tracks when Garron walks by. Some clasp the hilt of their weapon or take a step back. Perhaps it’s the violent scars on his skull, the missing arm, the broad shoulders that top off a tall and sturdy frame. The more observant notice the fine but frayed clothes, the soft leather boots marred by scuff marks, the neatly trimmed but tangled beard.
What happened to this man? is what the strangers think as their minds turn to fight or flight. And yet, the prestigious seal of the Grand Magister hangs about his neck, and he strides with the vigorous intent of one who belongs in a civilised city. The strangers shrug and resume their journey, keen to put distance between them.
PERSONALITY
There’s a story told to new Guild members. If they’re wise they’ll take heed:
In his early years, when travelling, he was set upon by brigands. A thug pinned Garron against a tree with a spear and promised to skewer him unless he begged for mercy. Garron grinned as impaled himself on the spear until he was run through. Now that he was within reach, he called forth his tentacles and strangled the bandit, causing the others to flee.
After this event, Garron received his first promotion up the ranks of the Guild. To this day, even those who know him well still find the sight of the tentacles unnerving, which Garron uses to his advantage.
STAT BLOCK
Each character will include a typical stat block of their ability points, actions and so on. Find out more about Garron’s special abilities in the setting guide.
BACKGROUND
Garron’s first assignment as a journeyman Sage was aboard a merchant ship. His spells swelled the sails and dispersed any gathering clouds. A week into the passage, when wisps of cloud grazed by a sickly moon, the ship was swarmed by mozgo, green-glowing squid believed to be sailors cursed by Deopnes (god of the deep).
The crew rallied too late and were voraciously consumed, the marrow sucked from their trembling bones. Garron ripped off the one latched to his skull and made a break for it in a life boat along with two of the crew. Just when they thought they were free of the horrors, a mozgo launched from the water and tore off Garron’s arm at the elbow before slinking into the sea.
Garron’s days as a Sage were numbered, as two arms are generally needed for spellcasting. Cruelly, his arm still felt real and present. He could feel himself flexing his fingers. It would be better if he could feel nothing than be reminded of his loss. Then and there he vowed that if he made it to shore, he would never cross the sea again.
In the delirious days they were adrift, he hallucinated green tentacles bursting forth at the nub of his shredded arm, but then the shrieks of his fellow survivors proved the rubbery appendages were real. A practical man, Garron had no need for questions, just solutions, so he soon learned to manifest the tentacles at will, and then to manipulate them to cast spells. Calling on his magic, the survivors were once again hydrated and the waves took them home.
Upon returning to shore, the Guild of Sages took a keen interest in their young Garron. They judged the tentacles to be a favour from Deopnes. Garron discovered he was now weaker in some kinds of magic and stronger in others. Was this a blessing? Or a curse?
Oddly, by the end of each day, no matter how often he preened or donned new clothes, his garbs and hair would fray, as if shredded by the maw of a mozgo. One tactless Sage joked that he resembled a pirate king. The other scholars stroked their beards and looked thoughtful. Many a true word spoken in jest, one remarked.
As befitting for a pirate king, he was trained in battle magic, the art of the sword and the spell. And with the consensus that he was favoured by Deopnes, was it any wonder he became the Grand Magister of the port city?
Now once a year, on the day before the city’s annual dedication to Deopnes, Garron rows out to sea, alone, to give Deopnes a chance to change its mind. A mozgo slides over the side of the boat and accompanies him for the journey. But for this annual trek, Garron honours his vow to never again cross the sea.