Alex's characters

Here's an NPC from Darkness Delayed, since I just wrote her. I can't reveal a few plot important secreeets, since Emi's playing in that campaign.

Arile Pensprit, cursed recluse

An old woman with very long white hair, as well as piercing and startlingly blue eyes. Dresses all in black, with cloth-of-silver embellishment.

She's about 70 years old, a highly skilled conjurer and arcane researcher. However, she does not participate directly in the Arcanist's Guild, but lives as a recluse in a laboratory on the very edge of Murk, on an island in the Sweetwater river where it joins the sea.

Although she avoids contact with others, and has never voted or spoken on any issues in the guild, she's contributed many innovations in necromancy aimed at lessening the damage caused by undead, somehow magically transported directly into the quarters of the First Speaker despite their many wards.

Her legend goes like this.

In the midst of the Uprising, 50 years ago, she was betrayed in some great fashion by a lover, whose identity is unknown. This part of the story has many variations, from him being a soldier who abandoned her for war or a noble of House Belphus who was secretly a pawn in her assassination. What's known is that, mad with grief, she fled into the dreamlands. There she dwelled unhappily as a pet of some fey inhabitants of that realm; when she tried to escape back to the material plane, she was captured by the fairies and cursed never to be able to tread upon the mortal ground, eat of mortal fare, or even look upon the sights of the material plane. This done, they grew bored with her torment and set her free.

Sick of the illusionary chaos of dream, she crafted a set of magical items to allow her to return to her home. A set of mirrored goggles, that would reflect light twice before it entered her eyes; an amulet that would allow her to walk hovering an inch above the ground, and a ring of sustenance.

So about 20 years ago she returned to Murk to find the continent ravaged by the aftereffects of the Uprising, and set to solving what problems she can.

Aside from all that boring roleplaying stuff, though, Arile is awesome, because she's a lady-of-shalott inspired wizard who's pretty much going to drive the plot.

Edit: by the way, the Uprising was a massive proliferation of undead that nearly destroyed all life on the continent about 50 years ago. You kinda need to know that for the world to make sense.

Here's my character for Matt's Dark Heresy (the roleplaying spinoff from Warhammer 40,000) game.

Nicodemus Tertius, voidborn arbitrator turned inquisitor

The first thing that would strike you about Nicodemus would be his monochromatic appearance. His voidborn status, hailing from the now destroyed starship the Data Expunged, betrays itself in his case with deathly pale skin and jet black hair. To the educated, it is demonstrated by the name Tertius, signifying that he was brought to term from a foetus in the ship's third incubation bank.

For 38 years, Nicodemus lived aboard the Data Expunged. He became an arbitrator (policemanish - think Judge Dredd), a punishing burden, yet found the time and energy to maintain a wife and child. However, the ship was destroyed by a genestealer infestation which might have been halted with a greater concerted effort from the arbitrators aboard; Nicodemus and his friend the assassin Haecus managed to escape the ship, and were later recruited by the Inquisition on Scintilla.

Hence Nicodemus blames himself in part for the loss of the Data Expunged; not only did he flee the ship rather than fight further and die with it, he also failed to dedicate himself fully to its protection. This has led to his utter commitment to the duties given to him by the Inquisition.

Nicodemus' relationship with the propaganda of the Imperium is interesting. He throws himself into the work of Inquisition because he believes it his duty to the Emperor and Holy Terra, but the actions he must take are abhorrent to him, because an Inquisitor must work outside the rules of the Imperium. He truly believes that ignorance is bliss, curiosity is sin, and the rest of the doctrine; at the same time he sees its necessity to protect the Imperium, and allow others the absolute belief. It didn't work to try and combine these two worldviews aboard the Data Expunged, by maintaining a family whilst acting as arbitrator - he saw that as reducing his effectiveness, making him weak, allowing him to blame himself for the failure to expunge the genestealer cult, however irrational that blame might be.

But although he works efficiently at his duty, he sees it as monstrous; at every turn he betrays the principles he fights to protect and encourage in others. His consolation is the likelihood that, should he seriously overstep his bounds to become a threat to the Imperium, he will be killed by it quickly. He hopes to die fighting clearer threats before that day.

Aside from all that boring roleplaying stuff, though, Nicodemus is awesome, because he's a Judge Dredd lookalike who shoots people with a handcannon. Boom, dakka, boom.



Epic drawing by Matt, askaris.deviantart.com/

Quixote, drow arcane trickster

Quixote was a character for an adventure by Peter, where everyone played drow. Naturally I was an arcane trickster rogue, because they're fun to play.

He used a swordcane disguised to look like a rod of evocation, so he could threaten to blast people with lightning or just run them through if they called his bluff. Also, he used the cantrip Launch Bolt to shoot people without lugging a crossbow about, and with the element of surprise.

His familiar is a monstrous spider, K't'l!Perras, pronounced keh-teh-leh-clickclick-perrassss. It's a spider name; it's tricky to say if you don't have mandibles.

Aside from all that boring stuff, though, Quixote is awesome, because he fed his spider both of Andrew's character's severed arms over the course of the adventure. I think I won that little feud pretty handily.



Epic drawing by Matt, askaris.deviantart.com/