Pathfinder Gothic - Recruiting [Fantasy, Supernatural, Horror]

Started by firepyre, October 05, 2017, 12:23:14 PM

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firepyre

The golden age of magic is long over. Darkness encroaches upon the world, the shadows creeping in, twisting and corrupting the world into nightmare. Monsters stalk the night, terrors in every form imaginable, from the enormous bestial werekin, twisted hybrids of man and beast, to the witch-hags that prowl the swamps, practicing their dark sorcery, or the sinister vampires, lording over their kingdoms of undead. Demons infiltrate the populace, sowing discord and fear.

The roads are too dangerous for all but the most courageous and hardy of men to travail, and the towns have become isolated, pockets of light that provide refuge against the wilderness surrounding them. The descendants of the hero kings of old are rulers in name only, powerless to prevent their kingdoms fracturing, and more content to merely stew in their delusions of wealth and grandeur instead.

The old gods are dead, gone from the world, but in their stead rises a new faith, the Illuminators, who believe that the evil arises from weakness in the hearts of men, and that theirs is the responsibility to purge the darkness, through any means necessary. Their inquisitors and paladins travel the lands, delivering their own brand of justice.

Metahumans are barely more than myth now, the dwarves having secluded themselves in their great mountain fortresses, the elves retreating into the depths of their forests, having their own problems to deal with. There are stories too, of villages disappearing without a trace, razed and enslaved by the darker races, though few who have seen them live to tell the tale...






This game is set in a homebrew world that draws upon elements from TV and films such as Van Helsing, Grimm, Supernatural, Hansel and Gretel: Witch hunters, and other similar material. The atmosphere will be a dark blend of horror and fantasy, with low magic, and victorian steampunk elements. I intend to very much make this up as I go, and I'd like my players to help me do so.

As players, you'll be playing a group of hardened monster hunters, moving from town to town as you battle all manner of evil. I intend to blur the line, and the party may well contain several monsters of it's own, kept on a suitably short leash, of course. I'm hoping my players can help me in deciding on the exact nature and dynamic of the party through discussion.

We will be using pathfinder for the system, though with certain restrictions in place to help convey the atmosphere I have in mind for the game. Advanced firearms will be available, even commonplace, with all players being able to add dex to damage while using them. Magic will be restricted and scarce, with magic items few and far between.

I'd very much like to find players and/or Co-GMs who are interested in helping me plan adventures, or even running some themselves. I'm not much of a smut writer, but I'd like players to have an option, so someone focused on that while I focus on the story would be a godsend.

Potential characters will be chosen for depth and realism. Flaws, strong personalities, interesting backgrounds, and, well, character are the kind of things I am looking for. No weaboo stuff, and no mary sues or shallow fantasies will make the cut. Finally, I intend to play a character as well, a disillusioned paladin, who will typically serve in support of the other PCs. I don't see why you guys should have all the fun!




Roles available

Human: 2+(I will be playing a human paladin as well)

  Restrictions: Limited access to arcane magic

  Benefits: All humans are proficient with firearms(and add dex to damage with firearms).

  Disavantages: None

Monsters: 0-2

  Restrictions: To be considered at GM discretion only. I will require a good background about why the group tolerates your existence, and why you're willing to help them. Will look favorably upon those who arrange to have another player as a handler. Strong cantidates for this role would be vampires, white witches, demonspawn, or werekin. Limited access to Divine Classes.

  Benefits: Stronger baseline abilities than humans or metahumans

  Disadvantages: Treated as a monster(you may prefer to conceal your identity, but other players will find out).

Metahumans: 1-2
 
  Restrictions: None

  Benefits: Freedom of choice

  Disadvantages: Can expect to face prejudice and mistrust.




    Art and inspiration drawn from Innistrad. Thanks WoTC!

Chulanowa

You have my interest, good sir.

However, when you say "steampunk", how are you envisioning that? 'Cause I've had iffy experiences with steampunk. Are we looking at H.G. Wells / Mary Shelley stuff, or full-on airships and ballyhoo, modern technology with gears glued on?

eBadger

Very interested. Probably with an android "clockwork doll" concept. 

Would like to hear more about steampunk and magic.  As mentioned, the first can include a lot of different things, and while I think pathfinder with no magic is a bit dull, I suspect you could replace a great deal of that with steampunk flavoring.

LisztesFerenc

  Looks very fun, I love gritty steam punk. You will be playing a human paladin, as in a DMPC? I'm sorry to zoom in on that, I just want to check what that entails.

  I know what most of those monsters are, what's a white witch?

Waldham

Interesting.

Level 1 ?

All officiel supplements authorized ?

I'll like play a character oriented technology, science disliking the profane or divine magic. Is it possible ?

Naiad

I'm keenly interested, this sounds like a lovely idea. What level were you thinking of?

firepyre

Quote from: eBadger on October 05, 2017, 03:01:08 PM
Very interested. Probably with an android "clockwork doll" concept. 

Would like to hear more about steampunk and magic.  As mentioned, the first can include a lot of different things, and while I think pathfinder with no magic is a bit dull, I suspect you could replace a great deal of that with steampunk flavoring.

To clarify on steampunk and magic.

Magic exists. It's just something more commonly associated with the things you'll be facing off against, than something humans can do. How, or why humans lost the ability to work magic is a little beyond the scope of the game at present, but suffice to say, it's tied in with the fall of the old gods. There's still the option for those who want to play magic casters in the form of monsters, or metahumans like elves, but my vision for magic on the whole is that it is something that is rare and taboo. The sort of thing that will get you burned for witchcraft if done brazenly.

When I talk about steampunk, I mean in a fairly low sense of the term. Automatic crossbows, cool hunter gadgets, and the like. Clockwork automatons is a little outside of the scope of this game. Certainly no power armour or steam tanks rolling around. At absolute best, a reasonably functional prosthetic limb might be possible.

Quote from: LisztesFerenc on October 05, 2017, 03:20:46 PM
  Looks very fun, I love gritty steam punk. You will be playing a human paladin, as in a DMPC? I'm sorry to zoom in on that, I just want to check what that entails.

  I know what most of those monsters are, what's a white witch?

Yes, I intend on playing a paladin in a supporting role. I plan on using him to feed you guys information, but also to interact in other ways, and occasionally instigate conflict/tension. He's not intended to be the center of attention, and a lot of the time he'll be anything but helpful, but he is something I very much want to include.

As for a white witch, most witches are wretched twisted things, corrupted by the black magic they weave. A white witch appears as a beautiful human woman, though unlike humans she is capable of witchcraft, though she must be careful how she uses magic, never to harm others, lest she end up like her twisted brethren.

Quote from: Waldham on October 05, 2017, 03:25:40 PM
Interesting.

Level 1 ?

All officiel supplements authorized ?

I'll like play a character oriented technology, science disliking the profane or divine magic. Is it possible ?

All supplements will be allowed, within reason, and level will be around the 8-10 mark. I'm really not interested in your sheets so much as your concepts at this stage though. I'm not intending to put up a specific application form, but I may get around to posting a template for those who would like it eventually.

Technology is fine, so long as it is setting appropriate. I'm willing to work with you on that. Technology like revolvers and breechloading rifles have largely replaced magic in my setting, though true industrial age things like cars and trains are yet impractical, and horse and cart is the primary means of transport.

firepyre

To better acclimatize players with what to expect, I thought I'd elaborate on my version of some of the setting defining monsters. As you'll see they're anything but friendly.

Werewolves - Cursed to turn into a hideous, ravening beast on the full moon, these creatures wreak havoc before reverting to human form in the morning. The curse is easily transmitted through fluid exchange, and left unchecked, one werewolf can quickly become a pandemic. While many of the creatures delude themselves into thinking they can lock themselves away when the night is upon them, and manage the condition, in practice, the curse almost always results in a bad ending when they inevitably escape. Werewolves are susceptible to silver, and care must be taken to avoid risk of infection.

Witches/hags - Twisted wretches that only vaguely resemble women, most witches are immensely old, and possess powerful magic. They typically prey upon the vulnerable to sate their cannibalistic cravings,  and human sacrifice is a common factor in their spells. Rare, and poorly understood, the true monster is far from the innocent women so often persecuted and accused of witchcraft by ignorant villagers. Iron dampens a witch's spells, but fire remains their greatest weakness.

Vampires - The top of the food chain, Vampires are perhaps the ultimate evil. Hunters seeking to slay a vampire rarely live to tell of it. Fortunately they are largely content to keep to themselves. Engage only with utmost caution. Most vampires maintain a small army of ghouls to protect their territory - reanimated corpses in thrall to a vampire's necromantic power. Ghouls possess formidable strength, but fortunately are slow and mindless. Vampires have few weaknesses bar sunlight, and are nigh impossible to kill.

Demonspawn - Shapeshifters capable of posing as human, demonspawn are perhaps the most challenging of all monsters to identify. Demonspawn possess formidable psychic abilities, and are nigh impossible to pick from ordinary humans unless they give themselves away. They have little regard for life, typically seeing humans as inferior beings, little more than playthings for their amusement. Succubi are perhaps the most well known variety of demonspawn, though by no means the only.

These are by no means all that is out there though, goblins, trolls, feral orcs... the world is a dangerous place.








ChaoticSky

I'd be interested in playing a monster. Pretty sure I could do it justice and I have more than a little experience in playing the blacksheep/enemyfaction in the party without being caustic about it.

How do you intend to crunch monster characters as separate from normal ones? A template? A few extra SLAs?

eBadger

Quote from: firepyre on October 05, 2017, 04:36:47 PM
To clarify on steampunk and magic.

Magic exists. It's just something more commonly associated with the things you'll be facing off against, than something humans can do. How, or why humans lost the ability to work magic is a little beyond the scope of the game at present, but suffice to say, it's tied in with the fall of the old gods. There's still the option for those who want to play magic casters in the form of monsters, or metahumans like elves, but my vision for magic on the whole is that it is something that is rare and taboo. The sort of thing that will get you burned for witchcraft if done brazenly.

When I talk about steampunk, I mean in a fairly low sense of the term. Automatic crossbows, cool hunter gadgets, and the like. Clockwork automatons is a little outside of the scope of this game. Certainly no power armour or steam tanks rolling around. At absolute best, a reasonably functional prosthetic limb might be possible.

So what I'm gathering is the Van Helsing movie, but with better acting? 

If the clockwork doesn't fit I'll probably take a swing at a monster role.  Perhaps a werewolf that's struggling against its nature. 

indarkestknight

#10
In terms of sexual encounters, what should we expect?

Do gunslingers get anything to replace gun training?

Are we using the "commonplace guns" rules (with the accompanying price reduction for early firearms)?

Are divine spellcasters subject to as much suspicion as other spellcasters? If so, for instance, should we expect your paladin to be a potential target for witchcraft? What's the religious landscape of the setting?

Are alchemists treated the same as spellcasters?

Is 3rd party material permissible?

firepyre

Quote from: ChaoticSky on October 05, 2017, 07:06:16 PM
I'd be interested in playing a monster. Pretty sure I could do it justice and I have more than a little experience in playing the blacksheep/enemyfaction in the party without being caustic about it.

How do you intend to crunch monster characters as separate from normal ones? A template? A few extra SLAs?

It depends on the monster, but most monsters might typically expect a small bonus to a relevant stat, and a few unique abilities. Each monster PC will be handled on a case by case basis. The benefit is primarily intended for flavor, and to compensate a little for the social disadvantage of being a monster, rather than to give monsters special treatment.

Keep in mind, Monsters are hunted for good reason. A werewolf will likely need heavy chains so he/she can be chained up on the full moon. Some characters might even be recruited unwillingly, like a captive demonspawn, being forced to serve his/her master/mistress. It's these weaknesses that should make the monsters interesting to interact with, and the reason I am allowing monster concepts in the first place.

Quote from: eBadger on October 05, 2017, 09:22:27 PM
So what I'm gathering is the Van Helsing movie, but with better acting? 

Yes, Van Helsing, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, and Werewolf: The beast among us are all sources of inspiration, and convey the atmosphere I am aiming for.

Quote from: indarkestknight on October 06, 2017, 02:06:11 AM
In terms of sexual encounters, what should we expect?

Do gunslingers get anything to replace gun training?

Are we using the "commonplace guns" rules (with the accompanying price reduction for early firearms)?

Are divine spellcasters subject to as much suspicion as other spellcasters? If so, for instance, should we expect your paladin to be a potential target for witchcraft? What's the religious landscape of the setting?

Are alchemists treated the same as spellcasters?

Is 3rd party material permissible?

The game is not intended to be sex-centric, though themes like rape, sadism, and sexual violence will be present in the background. How far this is explored will largely depend on what the players want to do, though I don't want it devolving into fantasy fulfillment, and intend to shuffle anything that drags on into a side thread. By all means, we're here to have fun, just don't let it get in the way of the story.

Gunslingers will not receive anything to replace gun training, but many archetypes trade it away, though regardless, I am satisfied the gunslinger retains enough utility to remain a solid choice.

Yes, commonplace guns rules are in effect, with the accompanying price reductions.

Divine casters connected to the church have some leeway, but others are likely to be viewed with suspicion. If the old gods are supposed to be dead, and the only source of divine power left is the church, where is it coming from? But yes, you can play other divine casters.

There is only one major faith in the world(at least among humans). The church is widespread, with priests known as Illuminators in every town. Though some of the most educated men in their towns, in practice, you can expect most illuminators to be every bit as ignorant as their flocks. The church believes that the darkness is a reckoning of sorts, caused by man's impure heart. They preach all the usual virtues, of charity and compassion, though the organisation is riddled with corruption, and it's not uncommon for congregations to simply lynch those they suspect of "impurity". Like any other group, you take the good with the bad.

Third party material will be considered on a case by case basis. I am unlikely to approve it unless it is particularly flavorsome, however.

LisztesFerenc

  I kinda like the idea of a witch witch, but with 2 others already expressing interested in monsters and 2 is the max, I'll go with a human then. Rapier and gun, not sure if I want to go swashbuckler, gunslinger, or both. I am tempted to have her lost an arm in her backstory, and now have a copper prophetic, powered by, either fire opals or bottled lightning. Humans only, or can she be an elf?

1651Leviathan

I'm pretty busy, but if I have time, I'll definitely come up with something! I have ideas for any of the different character types, so we'll see!

ChaoticSky

Quote from: firepyre on October 06, 2017, 03:16:41 AM
It depends on the monster, but most monsters might typically expect a small bonus to a relevant stat, and a few unique abilities. Each monster PC will be handled on a case by case basis. The benefit is primarily intended for flavor, and to compensate a little for the social disadvantage of being a monster, rather than to give monsters special treatment.

Keep in mind, Monsters are hunted for good reason. A werewolf will likely need heavy chains so he/she can be chained up on the full moon. Some characters might even be recruited unwillingly, like a captive demonspawn, being forced to serve his/her master/mistress. It's these weaknesses that should make the monsters interesting to interact with, and the reason I am allowing monster concepts in the first place.

Yep! I am familiar with the character type. If it helps; the experience i mentioned was in playing a Chaos cultist in a Dark Hersy game. Born and raised on a chaos-held world with nothing more than passing knowledge of the Imperium who was captured during a raid, fitted with a bomb collar and handed off to the group of acolytes to act as a knowledge-base for chaosy things without them having to sully their minds with profane knowledge and occasionally to poke dangerous artefacts before someone who isnt-already-damned lays a hand on it. Was alot of fun, walking Forbidden Lore encyclopaedia, psychic powers, casually heretical as all fuck. The party leader had the trigger to the bomb collar. 

Fun times.

I have a few ideas for the monster, would you be amenable to chatting over discord to streamline the process? Or would you prefer if i just PMed my ideas to you here?

Quote from: LisztesFerenc on October 06, 2017, 05:50:09 AMcopper prophetic, powered by, either fire opals or bottled lightning.
*Ahem* http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/c-d/clockwork-arm/

firepyre

Quote from: LisztesFerenc on October 06, 2017, 05:50:09 AM
  I kinda like the idea of a witch witch, but with 2 others already expressing interested in monsters and 2 is the max, I'll go with a human then. Rapier and gun, not sure if I want to go swashbuckler, gunslinger, or both. I am tempted to have her lost an arm in her backstory, and now have a copper prophetic, powered by, either fire opals or bottled lightning. Humans only, or can she be an elf?

Until I have actually accepted a character for the role, no role is taken. I won't be picking characters on who calls dibs first, and I'm more inclined to accept a few high quality characters than a lot of cookie cutter ones. Elves are allowed, if you can come up with a good reason why they'd want to be keeping company with humans.

@Chaotic Sky: I'm about to hit the sack, but I don't mind making myself available for discussing characters on discord.

https://discord.gg/X8C2U2


Also a note on creative freedom: I'm happy for people to take whatever liberties they like in creating their characters. Inventing places, people, customs and the like is fine. Being homebrew, there's very little set in stone, and if there's anything that clashes too badly with the overall tone, we can tweak it later. The more you guys flesh out, the less work left for me.

Chulanowa

Man, I've got so many ideas here. How to sort them out? I'm kinda leaning towards a Divine or Occult spellcaster, or barring htat an alchemist or even barbarian. Hmmmm.

LisztesFerenc

  Okay, I'm going to be playing Mossa, an elven girl who grew up in the forest of her people, and was studying to be a healer, working as an apprentice to Emeres, learning how to bind wounds eilas leaf and reduce a fever with white crest's pollen. In a rather cruel twist of fate, she was ambushed one day whilst searching for herbs, a questing beast, a creature that slowly flickered between claws, spikes, fangs and malice. It bite her, and though she managed to escape, the essence of the beast marred her wound. She was found by a ranger, who knew he needed to treat the sound to save her, but lacked the magic powerful enough to break curse. With no other option, he cut up Mossa's right arm at the shoulder, and tied the wound.

  When Mossa returned to her home, she hoped that the magic of her people would fix her, but she was disappointing. The elders argued she was not in need of such drastic measures, the amputation was clean, not infected, and she could still live, albeit a limited life. They would not rouse the spirits necessary for such powerful magic when there was not an elven life at stake. Mossa was broken by this news, and though she tried to continue being an apprentice healer, the quality of her work suffered. Then one night she heard a traveler tell tales of humans and their crazy ambitions. These did not sound like a people who would accept life crippled, perhaps they could help her. Leaving behind sad but understanding parents, Mossa left the land of her people, to explore the land of the human, accepting that she would not be welcome back among her kin, after mingling with such lesser races.

  Is that good? I'll add some more details later.

  Class-wise I'd want to go magus, with the dervish dancer feat, but if that's not possible (you said humans and elves get access to limited arcane magic) I would probably go whirling dervish swashbuckler instead.

Callie Del Noire

Reminds me of a game while back when I first started here, I played a tie fling gunsmith who was hunting cabal who had changed her human to her current form.

One thing she had done was knock a were prone and drop a sp on its chest before shooting the coin to hurt it.

One key player dropped, going as far as to delete every one of his posts, and the game died

indarkestknight

I am also considering magus, likely with a few feats or an archetype thrown in to give a bit of vigilante flavor. Ideally, the social personality would avoid any spellcasting, but while outside of the social identity, the character uses magic more freely, coming from a family line (or larger organization, perhaps) that believes in fighting the supernatural with magic, keeping it secret so as not to tarnish their reputation. Has taken up the habit of using spell combat to mark his foes with arcane mark.

So, basically, magic swordfighting Zorro.

firepyre

Sounds like a good backstory, Lisz. No issues with an elf magus, I think that fits nicely, and elves being a little more magical than humans seems about right. I'd imagine human prosthetics might be a bit of a disappointment for her as well, but struggling with the loss of her arm makes for a great flaw.

The human magus I'm less inclined to allow, as I think it fits the elf far better, and the setting is not intended to be high magic. You'd need something pretty impressive to convince me otherwise.

I've done up the paladin that'll be supporting you guys, to give you some idea of what I'd like to see for your characters. You don't need to go into quite as much detail, and you're welcome to go into far more if you like, but once I have a few good submissions besides Mossa, I'll release the details for your character sheets.




Odric Richter

Race: Human

Appearance: A man in his late thirties, the premature silvering of Odric's jet black hair, and weather-beaten features make him seem much older. He rarely smiles, youthful enthusiasm having long since given way to detached stoicism. A beaten up breastplate peeks out from beneath his coat, emblazoned with the faith he once served, a matching scabbard strapped to his belt. His rifle, a far more practical weapon, in this age, he carries slung across his shoulder, nothing fancy, just a good, reliable gun. He stands perhaps a hair under six feet tall, not a big man, but by no means small either, his build middling, strong, but beginning to show the signs of his age. Dark circles underline his tired eyes, the result of too many sleepless nights. His weathered skin is pocked with scars, one of the many tolls the years of plying his trade have taken upon him.

Personality: Odric is a gruff man, with a cynical outlook, and a stoic temperament, a personality not uncommon among experienced hunters. Life has long since cured him of his youthful optimism and drive, passion given way to indifference. He has been through a lot, and it wears on him, making him detached and distant at times, and dour at others. Moments of cheeriness are often few and far between, and it has been a long time since he has enjoyed any real camaraderie, preferring to keep others at arms-length, lest they too fall victim to the many many dangers that have claimed so many others.

Skills: Trained as an Illuminator Militant, a paladin of the church, Odric is resistant to many forms of evil. Though a capable combatant, his glory days are gone, and he prefers to support from the sidelines where possible, leaving the heavy lifting to better, more nimble hunters. Perhaps his most useful ability though is the power bestowed upon him by the church, the miracle of healing. His hands have saved many a life, though not all wounds can be healed, and he has lost many as well.

Background: In his youth, Odric served the church as one of it's elite soldiers. However, years of service against the horrors of the dark left their mark on him, shaking his faith. The formation of the inquisition was the final straw, as Odric, a man who had served loyally for many years, was excommunicated for his criticism of the new order. With nothing but the cloak on his back, and a lifetime spent in service to an organization no longer wanted him, Odric had little choice but to do the only thing he knew how in order to survive. He fell in with the monster hunters soon enough, finding a crowd every bit as hardbitten as he was, and twice as deadly. It is rare to see him on the front line nowadays, preferring to lend his aid in the form of advice, and support instead.

LisztesFerenc

Quote from: firepyre on October 07, 2017, 06:10:01 PM
Sounds like a good backstory, Lisz. No issues with an elf magus, I think that fits nicely, and elves being a little more magical than humans seems about right. I'd imagine human prosthetics might be a bit of a disappointment for her as well, but struggling with the loss of her arm makes for a great flaw.

  Cool, I'll work up a proper character sheet and try to PM it to your, probably tomorrow. We can also discuss the specific of the copper arm as well, it should certainly fukll short of a full arm replacement.

  Couple more questions for the general thread about character creation:
For stats, point buy (how much) or rolling?
Are traits allowed? Drawbacks?
What about WBL? Do we still get the full amount, and just spend it on non-magical items, or is it reduced? If so, how much can we spend on mundane stuff?

indarkestknight

Quote from: firepyre on October 07, 2017, 06:10:01 PMThe human magus I'm less inclined to allow, as I think it fits the elf far better, and the setting is not intended to be high magic. You'd need something pretty impressive to convince me otherwise.

I actually never said human in my pitch. Half-elf, actually. Emphasizes his dual nature: a nonmagical human side and a magical elven side. The mantle of legacy he's filling would probably come from his elven side. But if that's still too high magic, I'll see what I can wrest from the drawing baord.

eBadger

Sapphire and Onyx
Human Spiritualist (and Phantom)
Sheet

Appearance:
Sapphire is a human spiritualist, dark haired and pale skinned.  She is in her mid twenties, tall, lithe, and strong, scarred and battle hardened.  The ghost of her twin sister Onyx seems almost identical, if darker and disquieting, outlined with an aura of shadow. 

Personality:
While both are driven, Sapphire has always been the calmer of the two; soft spoken, contemplative and polite, even friendly despite her distrust.  Onyx is more emotional, usually suspicious, angry and mean spirited. 

Background:
Hate the demon.  Hate the cursed.  But most of all, hate the betrayer. 

Sapphire and Onyx, twin sisters, were left as children on the steps of the Black Abbey; taken as wards of the church, they were trained as Vestal Virgins of the Midnight Order, sworn to find and destroy heresy against the One Church.  They served faithfully, dedicating their bodies, minds and souls to the greater good.  With quiet pride they helped burn witches, eradicate the cursed and break heretics into conversion. 

Their dedication was not unnoticed.  They were approached by one of the elders, on behalf of the Abbess herself, to join a cabal within the Order.  The Twilight Circle was dedicated to the legacy of the Order's martyrs; not only to honor them, but to resurrect champions to annihilate the forces of darkness.  Firm in their righteousness and armored with their faith, these chosen Sisters delved into knowledge that might corrupt weaker souls. 

However, their own weakness was not their undoing.  As the cabal grew in power, the Abbess became jealous; even paranoid.  Finally in reach of their goal, the Circle gathered together in the abbey crypts on the Longest Night beneath the eclipsed twin moons, and were betrayed.  Most were killed in the battle with the rest of their own Order; those who surrendered were executed brutally.  Only a few survived the slaughter, fleeing through the catacombs as Onyx stayed behind to guard the tunnel. 

The energies of the necromantic ritual were not dispersed, however, and they found a focus in Onyx's hatred.  When she finally fell, pierced and bloody, she seemed to rise again rimed in darkness and half transparent to begin fighting anew.  It took the Abbess herself, armed with an ancient relic blade, to finally dispel the apparition.  Even then, the martyred Onyx fled through the ether to her sister, tethered in a state of undeath. 

Her faith shattered, life destroyed and mind haunted by the ghost of her sister, Sapphire struggled to survive.  Even destitute and starving, though, she was drawn to hunt down every rumor of a vile thing.   Encountering Odric was inevitable, and joining his group was natural.  The Abbess hasn't attempted to hunt down Sapphire since.  The Circle's power was already broken and public condemnation could easily lead to scandal and accusations.  Sapphire and Onyx have sworn to take vengeance, but their hatred burns deep and quiet; for now, they continue the crusade against evil which they have been dedicated to since childhood. 

MisoThe Mouse

Hi  ;D! Interested in this game. I was thinking of a supporting character though, maybe a Wendigo one of our heroes felt sorry for and decided to keep on a leash until they can find a way to cure him. Thoughts? Any input?