Dungeons & Divination

Mind: The High Priestess (upright) Despite the thirst for knowledge that would very much explain not only why Kiore would join other people doing something meaningful, I was a bit surprised by both the creativity and intuition side of the tarot. I think it made me think that despite being somehow fooled in the past, Kiore learned from it in wisdom. I can then picture them as someone that like to think deeply about what his next move is. Yet, he comes up with clever and creative ideas on how to deal with the situation at hand. I wouldn’t rule out even them having a bit of spirituality. If you are the kind of player that likes to play a non-cleric character that has a deep faith in a deity of whatever pantheon provided by the setting, go for it.

Body: King of cups (upright) Kings are not usually cards that my deck likes to have pop up. It’s like the deck treasures them deeply. Just like queens. To get two kings in just one read was surprising then. But, it fits with the feeling I already had for Kiore. He’s a calm and friendly person. He’s wise and a bit of a romantic at heart, but he’s also loyal to lover, friendly and especially family. I can picture him as this person the party knows they can always rely on to be there. Even his attitude for creativity comes back with this tarot. Yet, I feel like this is something more for the sake of expressing his emotions. So, I encourage the player to have Kiore either write poetry or play an instrument despite not having proficiency.

Spirit: Page of wands (upright)  Energy doesn’t seem to be an issue for Kiore. And that this tarot is his “spirit”, makes me think that he finds that energy either because of his faith or in the people he cares about. It is usually a card related to people that rush into things, but I feel like his trust in his intuitions is the reason why sometimes he doesn’t meditate before acting, which is more of his normal. I decided to clear this intuition, and a Knight of pentacles upright confirmed it. I don’t necessarily relate this tarot to “money”, something usually hinted at by pentacles. I interpreted this as a nod to his loyal and responsible nature. It’s very much a confirmation of his usually very calm personality, of his attitude for stability. Yet, he let’s go when his intuition says there’s something better for both him and others awaits just around the corner.

FULL BACKSTORY

Kiore’elef is the child of an illicit affair between a noble woman, Cathula Huay, and one of her servants, Biteros. His mother never wanted to have anything to do with Kiore, who grew up with his father. He knew who his mother was, but Biteros made sure that Kiore never approached her about it. He lived in the quarter for the palace’s staff of the Huay family with everyone else, and he considered the people that lived there with him and his father his family. They had overall a quiet life, and despite how Cathula always ignored him, Kiore couldn’t help but have a mix of resentment and affection towards her. Maybe taking advantage of his mixed feelings towards his mother, one night, while he was in town for a drink with other staff members, Kiore was approached by a mysterious figure. It was a halfling named Yurimin. He claimed to know about people inside the Huay family conspiring against the King. Yet, he had no concrete proof of it. So Yurimin and the association he was part of, needed Kiore’s help in gathering anything that could prevent the very influential noble family to continue with their evil doing. Trusting that Yurimin and the association’s goal was pure, Kiore found a way to make the Huay family hire Yurimin, boasting the halflings reputation as a well respected wizard despite not really knowing if Yurimin was truthful about it. Kiore still trusted him, especially once he promised to teach him about magic whenever Yurimin was free to do so. With time, Kiore started to bond with Yurimin so much that he loved him like a brother. It hit him hard when, while the Huay family was travelling to reach their summer residence, a few of the members of the association, Yurimin included, attacked the carriages. Somehow, the guards that protected the family were aware of the attack, and managed to either kill or ward off the attackers. Yurimin was one of the casualties and Kiore never had the chance to find out if Yurimin played him for a fool all along or he was betrayed by his association too. The Huay family still blamed him for being the person responsible for letting the attackers have an in to try and kill them all. Kiore made an attempt to explain his innocence, but it felt like Cathula just saw the perfect chance to really get rid of Kiore and the shame his existence brought to her name. He was imprisoned in the Huay palace’s prisons for a couple of days, in wait of official trial; then, his father set him free and allowed him to escape. Despite making a promise to Biteros that he would never come back, Kiore still feels responsible. He still wishes, one day, to uncover the true plot behind the attack and to find out if the Huay family is really evil or if he was unwillingly part of something much bigger he never really understood.

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Intelligence and Wisdom, Low Strength Skill proficiencies: Investigation, Religion (if you don’t really lean into his religious side, I’d go with Arcana or ask the DM if you could pick Perception instead) Others: like I said, I very much suggest having them be somehow creative despite not having proficiency. Any way to express creativity is good: poetry, acting, singing, drawing, dancing, playing an instrument. Go for what you like best. I also suggest him being a worshiper of a deity to your choice. Pick whatever you feel like would be a good fit.

Mind: Three of swords (reversed) Well, the heartbreak comes back once again. This is really related to them not liking being lonely, of course. That it’s a mind card just makes me wonder if there are actually some memories he’s repressing. Maybe he enjoys so much being with other people because he used to be alone a lot when he was young. It would make sense honestly then for them to be the kind of person that likes to be with lots of people. Larkath is also the kind of person that likes to share a lot how he feels. I don’t picture them as someone that really represses stuff, so I think he would be open about discussing anything with anyone.

Body: Two of swords (upright) A strange card for “body”, but I can see why it came up. Like I said already, Larkath enjoys being with people, but he also likes to wander around and explore. I can imagine that at some point he would struggle with the idea that he enjoys staying with a group of people so much that he doesn’t want to leave them. At the same time, he wonders if out there he could find even more awesome people he wants to have a chance to know at such a deep level. That would explain the struggle and the anxiety. Larkath tries to deny that there is such a thing as “settling down” and that it could bring them more happiness than just wandering from person to person all their life.

Spirit: Eight of swords (reversed) Related to “body” and “present”, this makes me immediately think that deep down he knows that the only way to really release that anxiety is either to face their fear and staying with the people he loves, or reaching for that freedom he’s always reaching for. It’s the kind of prison he makes by themselves, it’s something he struggles with, but at the end of the day it’s up to Larkath to decide where lies the release he’s searching for. I don’t picture them as someone that would be deeply depressed, but I don’t exclude that he might have deep anxiety if left alone to think in circles for a long time.

FULL BACKSTORY

Born in a cave in the middle of a forest, Larkath’s mother Atum died giving birth to them. Despite that loss, Larkath lived a happy life with their father Phoros and their two older twin sisters, Pippa and Murash. He was always wandering around from place to place, since their father was a fairly well known entertainer and a storyteller. Their sisters were always more focused on life in nature and once they became of age, they left together to have their own adventures, in the hope that their father would sing about them one day. Used to hearing Phoros stories of great adventures from well known heroes (that usually ended with long lasting friendships and love stories), Larkath began to crave for their own chance to wander the world alone and make such deep connections. He decided then to leave. From the beginning, Larkath realized he was no good at storytelling on a professional level like their father. It was kind of out of boredom and a twisted belief that he could find friends like that, he became a bandit. Larkath joined various groups of bandits, but every time he got sick of the lack of joy he found in just talking to people instead of robbing them. During one of those attacks, Larkath was pretty much left alone when the group he was travelling with ran away, too scared when they realized that the village they were attacking was filled with capable druids. Larkath used his silver tongue to convince the chief of the druids that he was actually just interested in knowing people, not killing them or robbing them. He was allowed, then, to stay with the druids for a while. It was then that he became fascinated with the strange relationship the tribe had with death. Still kind of in denial with how losing their mother before he was even allowed to get to know her hurt them, Larkath embraced the knowledge the druids decided to share with them. At one point after a couple of months with them, the druids even offered Larkath to become an official member of the tribe. Yet, Larkath had become bored of the secluded life the village maintained. He refused the offer and left pretty much immediately after that, sure that he knew enough to survive alone and travel around in search of a group of “funnier” people to join.

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Wisdom and Charisma, Low Intelligence Skill proficiencies: Survival, Perception Tools proficiencies: either cards or dice Musical instrument proficiencies: violin

Mind: Judgement (upright) Not really surprised that a card about Karma is the center of their mind. I feel like this is kind of literal for them. Tanurook feels like since fate has been so mean to them that they have to try and fix the injustice. They have to be the person that brings the karma to those who hurt others, just as much as Tanurook themselves have been hurt. I also kinda wait for the moment when they realize that way of thinking just brings more problems towards them. And sooner or later they realize that they need to head towards a more positive attitude, because Karma does its own thing and good things come to those who wait. I’m also not dismissing that blame/forgiveness ambivalence. I’m fully aware that they blame themselves for something, but sooner or later they ARE gonna get over it.

Body: The Emperor (reversed) Once again, makes perfect sense. I was talking about their parents in Tanurook’s past and here we have their stubborn and hard to control attitude related to daddy issues. Anyway, I feel like both Tanurook and their father are very rigid people: once they decide their stance on something, it’s hard to move them from their position. And I’m also pretty sure the two of them are always fighting because of this. I might feel because of this that Tanurook kind of hates that they look so much like the father they hate with such a passion. There’s also to me that need to feel in control, which is probably the reason why they might be more aggressive than they really are comfortable with, especially with the people they care for.

Spirit: Seven of swords (upright) Well, let’s just say that the first thing that popped into my mind HAD to be enemies masquerading as friends and giving them major trust issues. But also, we come back to the reason why they became the person they are. At heart Tanurook is a brave person that likes to take risks because it’s been proved to them that it’s something that pays off. Yet, they struggle to be sincere with others because people around them lied a lot, especially people they should have trusted. It kind of pushed them to be the same way: to lie and manipulate to get what they want, even if they felt guilty. After all, they got away with criminal behavior way too many times, so Tanurook convinced themselves that it was all for a greater good, to be kind of a weapon at the hands of Karma. They still have a feeling that sooner or later they would be the person that has to pay for their actions. So, once again, things backfire when you least expect them to.

FULL BACKSTORY

Tanurook is the son of Mavrud, the leader of a tribe of wandering orcs. Tanurook’s mother, Zhinthye, was one of the few half-orcs allowed in the tribe because of her strength and her skills when it came to negotiations with people the tribe could not conquer or kill. Mavrud was always disappointed by Tanurook. Their father saw them as weak, because Tanurook was a lot tinier than their half-brother Arzak and their two half-sisters Samve and Zeekwa, all full orcs. So, Tanurook tried to find a way to prove to their father that they could be useful to the tribe, despite how much they actually despised to live like they did and how much they dreamed one day to leave the tribe. They were about 12 years old when their mother Zhinthye suddenly disappeared after she failed one of her negotiation. The tribe was then forced to flee empty handed an area they had been raiding for a while because the people of the town finally decided to clap back when they realized the tribe wouldn’t be able to actually manage a full on attack from their guards.  In the back of their mind, Tanurook always found the timing of their mother disappear and that failure very suspicious, especially once Mavrud became much more aggressive in his approach in the following months. It still took them a couple of years to allow themselves to believe that Mavrud had killed Zhinthye. One night, when Mavrud was pretty drunk, Tanurook even managed to get their father angry enough to admit he killed Zhinthye because she was a weakness for the tribe. Finally tired of the situation but well aware that they weren’t strong enough to fight their father to get revenge for Zhinthye, Tanurook left the tribe for good when they were barely 16. Because of what they did for the tribe, they had a knack for being sneaky. Tanurook was always good at infiltrating into places so that they could find traps or place them. They also learned from their mother that sometimes words were stronger than a well placed punch in someone’s face. They weren’t so surprised, then, when they easily found work as a smuggler when they stumbled in an area at the edges of a pretty nasty war. It was quite fulfilling to finally be able to help people escape from the dangers of a cruel world, but at the same time Tanurook wondered if they were actually free from the bullshit their father had put in their mind since they were a child. When the war started to get much worse, Tanurook realized they could do much more for the people that were trying to escape than just smuggle away from the dangers of the war. They just needed to be stronger, like Mavrud always told them they needed to be if they wanted to survive.

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Dexterity and Charisma (Strength following), Low Wisdom Skill proficiencies: Acrobatics, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, Stealth; Suggest expertise in Deception and Stealth.

Mind: The Magician (Upright) It wasn’t a surprise to get such a powerful “success found in skill” message. There’s also a reminder that those skills are actually something she already has in herself, which is something we already established, anyway. She’s resourceful and has influence because of her work, but it’s also the reason why she’s so logical about her approach to things. This is a card that really encourages you to focus on what you want, but… I feel like it kind of backfires in Rolmash’s cases. She focuses so much that she loses sight of what she actually wants to accomplish at the end of the day. She sees the goal right in front of her nose, but can’t reach for what is vague and more emotional.

Body: Queen of Wands (Upright) Once again, a fitting card. She’s the kind of person that can multitask with her eyes closed; but it’s also most likely the reason why she gets so burned out. She thinks she has energy to burn for five people, but nobody can endure that behavior for long. Yet, she’s the kind of person that is always doing something, either because she’s thinking about it or by actually doing the thing. It’s kind of part of her charm, and she has lots of that for sure. She might be hot tempered at times, but most of all she’s just the kind of person that takes charge of a situation because of her passionate and energetic nature. There’s once again this hint to “motherhood”, but… let’s just say she might be a mother hen, if she doesn’t get to be a mother. I can picture her being very caring and loving to those she actually cares for.

Spirit: The Chariot (Upright) Here we go again with the strong message of “success achieved with the power of ambition and determination”. Like I said, it’s really something at the core of her since it’s something we get so much in this read. I’m not surprised to get her hard-work nature back too. Yet, that it’s the Chariot of all possible cards about success, it is very telling. It brings back that wanderlust, that desire for something more that was missing when she was still working as a plaintiff. Overall, to me it speaks about confidence in her abilities, which is something she always maintains despite how much she’s overworked.

FULL BACKSTORY

Rolmash is one of the daughters of Lagentash and Narelden. Both of her parents were involved in the military all their life, so Rolmash grew up with a very strong sense of justice and a deep faith toward the Light, especially because her father Lagentash is one of the Knights that fight in the name of the Light (check my “other” section in the suggestions below for a clearer explanation on the Light). Her mother’s military career was a lot less focused on the religious side; Narelden is more of a tactician, and part of the army that is more focused on actual wars with the outside than the internal justice of their people like Lagentash is. Rolmash is somewhat the middle child of the many daughters and sons of the couple. She has 3 older brothers (Bhivrat, Thronilluz and Iplott), 2 older sisters (Aigris and Zoresell) and 3 younger brothers (Vilav, Droresh and Knenavir). Despite how big the house she lived in her childhood was, with so many brothers and sisters, it felt a little crowded. She was happy that some of her brothers were old enough that they already lived somewhere else, despite how their relationship suffered because of it. Overall, the only two siblings she never really had a chance to connect to are Bhivrat, always too busy with his own military and political career that brings him around the world, and Iplott, which everyone considers the black sheep of the family since he chose to focus on a simpler way of life instead of trying to achieve higher education and a career of some kind (he’s a farmer). Vilav, still considered fairly young, is going through a phase resembling Iplott’s life choices (he works as a construction worker), but Narelden is sure he'll go back to his academic studies soon enough when he gets tired of living in semi-poverty. Thronilluz is the other member of the family that is somewhat of an adventurer, but they always make a point to come back to visit their family, so Lagentash and Narelden are proud of whatever Thronilluz is achieving in life (their parents still see the nobility in the way they fights evil). Everyone else is either an academic (Aignis), involved in the military (Droresh and Knenavir, both young enough to still be members of a military academy) or part of the inner circle of the Light faith like Rolmash. Both her and Zoresell are, in fact, big believers and were chosen to be the “voice” of the Light when it was time to bring to justice criminals from the city. They were considered from the moment they joined, the best team the city has ever had. From the outside it looked like an easy feat for them to put criminals into jail, but despite how well they work together, it still took a lot out of both of them, especially because Rolmash is so driven she can’t help herself and she accepts any cases that ends up on her desk. It takes her sister Zoresell to collapse during a case for her to realize that she was pushing both of them too hard and that she needs to slow down. While taking a weekend off to visit her mother and father, she finds out that her brother Bhivat has actually gone missing. Nobody from the military has any clue of what happened to him, but Thronilluz has already searched for their brother on his own, and sent home a letter that they were convinced someone has kidnapped Bhivat. Convinced that her sister Zoresell will continue to pursue their “mission” for justice back home, Rolmash feels a calling towards whatever is happening with her brother Bhivat. Something big is afoot, something the Light wants fixed. And it's her mission as the Light’s voice to do just that. Even if it requires for her to fight not just with words, but with violence too.

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Charisma and High Wisdom (Intelligence to follow), Low Strength Skill proficiencies: Investigation (from being a Vedalken), Insight, Religion Tools proficiencies: Forgery kit (from being a Vedalken), Calligrapher’s supplies Others: I don’t know much about Ravnica, but as far as I know there isn’t a specific pantheon for that setting. (Like I said previously, I don’t really care about settings anyway, so you can discuss with your DM how exactly Vedalken should be integrated into the world you are playing in). I usually don’t say much about the deity related to the character, but this was kind of an exception. I knew I wanted to go with something that I could somehow relate to the concept of “bringing to light people’s crimes so that justice could be done”. Which is just a way for me to connect the religious side to the entire Vedalken’s justice system: like, clerics are the judicial side with “voice” and paladins are more the police as “hands”, or something like that. This is something to workshop with the DM’s insight, of course. (Promised explanation: I would call the Light more the cult of a specific people, than an actual religion; but they can focus their “prayers” on an object or the sun or something like that if it makes things easier. I picked the more abstract concept of the Light cause I didn’t want to over complicate even more than I already did this thing. It’s somehow reminiscent of the “Luxon” from Exandria, I know, but my brain is dumb. Hope it all makes sense between this and what I wrote in Rolmash’s backstory). I also don’t see her as necessarily lawful good... I kind of think she could be a lawful neutral character, actually.

Mind: Eight of swords (reversed) After what I’ve got from the previous tarots, this card for “mind” isn’t that surprising. Of course it’s not his spirit that is keeping him locked up in this sort of limbo where he thinks he can’t be in a relationship with multiple people at a time. He struggles to convince himself that he can control his impulses, but he knows that it’s a lie and he just wants to be free of being himself. He’s just too anxious that if he said so, he would lose the people he loves once again, especially after the whole divorce debacle. At least he’s aware that he has the power to make this self-imposed punishment whenever he wants if he just finds the courage to be honest.

Body: Eight of pentacles (reversed) Well, I didn’t expect “body” to give us more of an insight on a different part of his life other than his love life, but there it is. Something about his work! For some reason, considering how I actually got a card related to hard work, I think Flare was stuck in a job he didn’t like at all. He lacked ambition because of that, maybe, but I couldn’t imagine him as a slacker. He probably put the required amount of effort, but for a person that could be so passionate you would expect maybe more initiative. Flare was probably more interested in the people he got to talk with because of his job than the career itself. So, he never put any focus to it despite how much of a workaholic he could be when it was required.

Spirit: Six of wands (reversed) Once again, it is no surprise to see Flare’s “spirit” a little broken by failure. First of all, his divorce. Then, there’s probably the lack of recognition for his abilities as a musician and storytelle, and finally the fact that he settled on a job he didn’t like at all. Most of all there’s that very big weight on his shoulders from the failed relationsip: he feels like he was disloyal to his partner cause he lied and cheated. Just because he wasn’t able to tell the truth. He feels very egotistical because of it, but I’m gonna leave it up to you if Flare is actually a bit of a diva with a big ego, or people just perceive him as such because of all the lying and projecting.

FULL BACKSTORY

Flare is the son of a couple of pirates. Both his father, Roam, and his mother, Wiashanna, pretty much abandoned him in the care of his aunt Valnise when she expressed the desire to retire from her pirates day as a member of their crew, which Roam was the captain of. Valnise still had some money from her days on the seas, so the two of them lived comfortably enough for a while. Every time Valnise started to look concerned about the money they had, Flare also noticed his aunt going missing for a couple of days, before she came back much richer. His aunt never really told him what work she did to gain such a large amount of money in so little time, but he had his suspicions that it wasn’t anything good. Despite the curiosity to solve the mystery, Flare was much more interested in the stories his aunt had to trade about her adventures on the high seas on board of various ships during the years she worked for Flare’s parents. He grew up both hating the pirate life that took away his mother and father before he even had a chance to know them, and daydreaming about what it would feel like to be free to roam the world like they were. Most of all, he became well known on the docks. Valnise warned him to never mention his parents or their ship, but Flare still hung out at the harbors so that more people and sailors could tell him more stories about their adventure, so that he could hear about something different from the life of the pirate. Because of that, he ended up trading his help in fixing ships to learn more about the actual everyday life on a ship. When he was more or less sixteen, despite the warning of his aunt Valnise that it was a bad idea, he accepted to become a member of the crew of a little trading ship as their “on-board” shipwright at least for a little time. Flare quickly fell in love with the life of freedom from the watchful eye of his aunt, he loved the possibility that with it came to know more and more people in every town they docked at. He didn’t mind the actual travelling on the seas, but he realized he had idolized it in the years he dreamed of it all just from the stories he heard. He was more interested in the adventures, in the sporadic moments of action when someone met pirates and survived the skirmish to tell the story so that he could picture how everything happened in his mind. He loved the legends the sailors most likely invented of mythical creatures that haunted the depth of the ocean and caused storms, because he could make them into songs or have the pleasure to tell the story himself to others who hadn’t heard about it before. But most of all, Flare realized he loved the company of someone who wanted to be with him, he loved love itself because of what it brought to people’s life. He wasn’t the kind of person that could stay at sea all alone for long, craving for deep companionship, not only from his brother and sisters in arms. He craved the chance to get to know people with which he could form a bond of long lasting love. It was for that reason that he decided to settle once again and ended up working for a company that built and fixed ships instead of continuing travelling from ship to ship with sailors or pirates. Barely four months later he was already married to Reign. Their love story was really a whirlwind, but Flare felt like he really loved them… He just struggled to commit to just one person and before he even managed to get around the idea that what he had with Reign wasn’t enough, Flare was having multiple affairs behind their back in search of that “more” he felt like was missing in his life. Flare tried to find the courage to explain to their partner how they felt, but every time he tried, that silvertongue that usually convinced everyone to do things for him got twisted and Flare couldn’t help but change idea and keep the feeling to himself. So, they were married for a couple of years, Flare stuck in a work that he didn’t really like anymore with all the rules and restrictions; yet he never changed his ways, waiting every day for a chance to chat with someone wandering around the docks or for his shift to finally be done so he could invite someone to the pub so they could trade more stories (or so that Flare could seduce them into a bed). Then, Reign found out about the cheating and ended their relationship. Still deeply in love with them despite all the other fleeting relationships he had during the years, Flare decided he needed a change of scenery. He left town, wandering once again from ship to ship in exchange of work, before one day he docked in what he considered his hometown. Curious to see what had happened to his aunt, which he’d kept sporadically in contact with during the years, he tried to surprise her at her home. But the house was abandoned; it seemed like nobody had been living there for months, maybe even years, despite how Valnise’s last letter had probably been more recent than that. Convinced that something must have happened to his aunt, he tried to look for some clues, but all of his aunt’s stuff was missing, even her pirate garb from her previous life that he knew she kept hidden under her bedroom’s floorboard. Still unsure if Valnise had been captured, killed, or if she just returned to her days of plundering with his father’s crew, Flare decided to start on his own adventure and to keep an open ear for stories, especially those from a particular pirate crew and the fearsome pirate Shadow of the Breeze, Valnise’s nickname when she was at sea.

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Charisma and Strength (Intelligence as the third highest), Low Wisdom Skill proficiencies: Arcana, Performance, Intimidation (when you get to pick 3 more, I do suggest one of them to be Persuasion; I can see him use more of that than Deception) Musical instrument proficiencies: harmonica, accordion and tambourine Others: Like last time I got a shifter, I had to really think of what animal could fit him. I liked the idea of something known for being tough but also in an underestimated way and for a long time I was stuck on a badger because of that. But I also wanted something “marine”. That’s when I was struck with an idea: a sea otter! They like to have lots of fun, but they’re smart enough to open shellfish and clams with rocks. And they actually have really thick furs, so they are stronger than they look. 

Mind: Four of cups (upright) Not at all surprised by this. Morekra is absolutely tired of the apathy they are stuck into. They are frustrated that they are stuck in a situation they can’t change, because it’s pretty much a given that they shouldn’t wish to wander, to stay and protect their tribe. But they are not like that. They day-dream and fantasize about time of war when members of the tribe get to travel and see the world, even if it’s because of a war. And they know it’s silly to want that, because they also care deeply for their people; that’s why they trained to protect their people after all. Still, they can’t help but feel that yearning for something they can’t have. For sure, they are not the kind of people that like to stay still or do boring thing; that is when their mind is left to wander too much and they become unpredictable.

Body: Justice (reversed) See? At the core the thing that kept Morekra in the place they belonged to for so long is their integrity: they know it’s their duty to remain and protect their people because they swore to just that. But they can’t help but feel like they have been treated unjustly, too. Morekra really wished they could blame someone else, and they probably even tried to do so (maybe they even questioned the people that protected their tribe and how much they were actually doing, even when there was no reason for doing so). But at the end of the day, they know that trying to force destiny, is just silly: Morekra was stuck because they’re not willing to accept that leaving will have consequences on the people of the tribe they won’t be there to protect anymore. And it’s a circle that will always come back to torment them: they will always be stuck between the desire to protect and the desire to wander in search of dangerous adventure.

Spirit: Ace of wands (upright) We come back to that being eager to accept a challenge, which means that as soon as the chance to leave is presented, they embrace it, even if the chance is really just them giving up to the desire to leave. They are also the kind of person that likes to do things with their hands, obviously, but that it’s on “spirit” it really gives me this “they like to debate about what they think” vibe, that I mentioned already. Once again, spontaneity comes back, and like I said, when arguing (with themselves or others) it’s when spontaneity truly shines for them. I like that there’s this subtle potential for growth in the journey itself too. Very fitting for them. Maybe they will leave that spontaneity a little behind and finally mature into themselves so that they can use that spontaneity instead of being victim to those spur of the moments instincts.

FULL BACKSTORY

As the first and only child of one of the leaders of the Lastingroar Pride, Morekra always felt like people had at least some kind of expectation on what would be of their life. While their mother Drinissa was part of the Pride’s council and was always in the middle of the decision making and the politics, their father Fergus was more of a supportive figure and he was more involved with healing the people of the tribe. Fergus never bothered to push Morekra to try and learn their craft, noticing how from the very early years Morekra had always been more interested in bothering the warriors of the Pride to try and learn from them anything they could. Drinissa was a little pushier in trying to convince Morekra that it might be one day Morekra’s duty to be part of the people that lead the tribe, despite how the positions as members of the council were earned and not inherited. Morekra never really bothered to pay attention to whatever Drinissa tried to teach them, but with how insistent their mother was, Morekra couldn’t help but grow very opinionated and outspoken when it came to whatever they thought about pretty much anything. Despite how easy it was for Morekra to become one of the warriors of the tribe, especially considering how strong they were and how easily they mastered the Pride’s techniques, when they mentioned the need for the warriors to be more forward because their Pride was starting to suffer in the very strict territory they’d been confined to, Drinissa was one of the people to clap back and deny.  Morekra tried multiple times to convince their people that they needed to become more proactive, but every time Morekra was rebuked with warnings of how dangerous such a behavior could be for a Pride without allies. Tired of the constant talk without any actual action, Morekra decided to defy any warnings and to start to travel in search for either the allies the council required to try and find a place more suitable for the Pride to live, or find that place and conquering it for their Pride on their own.

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Strength and Wisdom, Low Intelligence Skill proficiencies: Perception (from being a Leonin), Insight, Intimidation Musical instrument proficiencies: drums (as in war drums) Tools proficiencies: leatherworker’s tools (when you reach battle master)

Past: Knight of cups (reversed) Well, all considered, a tarot that pretty much warns about stressful times ahead because of some kind of deception was the very least I could expect for Shan’s read on “past” with what I gathered from my first iteration of her “spirit” and “body”. Still, I couldn’t help but be bothered by the “don’t jump to conclusions” warning this tarot also brings with it. I almost felt like it was also there for me, especially since the Nine of swords from her “spirit” is a card that usually tells that something has been exaggerated by the person that lived the situation. Once again, then, I wanted to clear Shan’s past a little more, just to be sure. And then I got the Seven of cups upright. Which, I mean… side by side with a card that’s about deceit and anxiety, and whatever I got from the previous tarots too... It feels like Shan’xir was stuck in wishful thinking built on someone lying to her. SO, I would say that “don’t jump to conclusions” was maybe related more to the person doing the abuse and how they abused poor Shan’s. I.E. lots of gaslighting. (And if you want to know who that person is, well… just wait for her future, of all things to reveal who it was all along!) 

Present: Four of cups (upright)  Once again with the regrets. Lots of those in Shan’s read. Looks like she really had the world at the tips of her fingers at one point (what with that Seven of cups and all the opportunities there for the taking that it actually had as an undertone), but she let it all go. Because people around her were telling her she was not ready, gaslighting her in every possible way. And now she’s too focused on her own negativity to realize there is something better right in front of her. That those opportunities aren’t gone, some are still available if she just really pays attention and is willing to stop daydreaming. She just needs to realize she did not miss on things, she has more opportunities waiting for her if she gives herself and the world a chance.

Future: Queen of swords (reversed) I gotta say, this is pretty much something anyone could have seen coming for someone like Shan’xir. She’s immature, a child at heart still, someone that thrives in chaos. So not learning from her mistakes and repeating them? Pretty much a given. Being manipulated once again? Yeah, in the blink of an eye, especially from the very same person that fooled her previously. And since this card pretty much points to a mother figure with lots of issues of her own, and there’s already a mention of a troubled childhood in Shan’s spirit... We all finally know where her issues come from. I usually give a suggestion, but this time “mommy issues” and "insecure but hides it SO WELL by being all over the place and by looking like she never really cares” is gonna be enough to give you an idea of the whole character of this poor girl.

FULL BACKSTORY

Shan is the daughter of two wandering elves, both part of a circus. Her father Urewar was imprisoned when Shan was barely 10 years old, and her mother Killia’phe decided to leave the circus behind and move from one troop to another just to be safer, since both her and her daughter were apparently wanted for the same crimes Urewar was arrested for. Shan, who had been convinced mainly by her mother that if she wanted to survive she had to lie and steal, was used to be part of all kinds of cons that Killia’s did in every town they stumbled on. One of her mother’s favorite cons was to convince people that Shan had divine blood running through her veins and that if people just paid them enough or gave enough as a tribute, Shan could make sure that they would get whatever they wished for. It was the kind of con they usually run right before they were running out of town, because both of them knew it would get them into a lot of trouble, but when it worked it also gained them lots of money and precious things. Mostly, Shan wasn’t really happy with her life with her mother. People they traveled with offered Shan multiple times some kind of jobs in their circus so that she could stay with them instead of keep doing Killia’s cons. But every time that happened, Killia convinced her daughter that the only thing she was good for was being a sidekick, a pro for her mother’s far better ideas. While traveling with a new troupe, Shan befriended a lady that everyone kind of kept at a distance, because everyone thought she was either crazy or scary or weird. One day, they had an interesting conversation over a cup of tea, where Crazy Flossie, like everyone called her, told Shan that it had never been a lie that the gods had some influence over her blood and that she just had to follow the chaos within her to be able to do what she was really capable of. Shan mentioned the conversation to Killia, but her mother just dismissed Crazy Flossie as “a charlatan as much as me and you, darling”. Convinced that Flossie was actually right and much wiser that everyone gave her credit, Shan followed her suggestion and found out that she indeed had some magic she never knew she was able to use. She tried to convince Killia one more time to let her try and find out if her abilities could actually be something more, something useful for their cons. But her mother kept dismissing her as useless, reminding her that her words about Shan having divine blood had always been just a lie she crafted to get to other people's mind, not Shan’s. Sick and tired of her mother’s manipulations and how much she had given up in the years for Killia, Shan decided to leave in the middle of the night on her own, to maybe find a troupe with which to grow like she knew she was supposed to, so that she could finally be free to live in the true chaos she’d always dreamed of.

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Charisma and Dexterity, Low Wisdom Skill proficiencies: Arcana, Persuasion Others: pretty much this character is built with an affinity to Chaos most of all, but I guess you could pick a different affinity. Also. Would you be surprised if I suggest once again a rogue multiclass? I think you all saw that coming, but honestly, that is how much I love to multiclass rogue with anything. Sorry not sorry.

Past: Strength (reversed) After what that “body” had already given me, this was pretty much a given. Low self-esteem in Corey’s past is a constant. He felt weak and vulnerable, that was the main reason why he stayed stuck in his research for so long (and kinda confirmed my feeling that he wasn’t one of the most thought of predators). He probably had a deep desire to actually get to work in his field, but the biggest obstacle to reach for that dream was his own sense of inadequacy (someone like him in a scholarly role might have been teased just for that after all). Deep down, he knew he could make a difference though, because every decision has a consequence, even a lack of action. And he hated when people couldn’t make a decision SO MUCH!

Present: Page of cups (reversed) And here comes back that heartbreak, that emotional vulnerability… With the horrible twist of sexual abuse earlier in his life still there to haunt him. Definitely, the emotional denial from his body as well as his issues with trust are a lot deeper and serious than what I thought at first. Oh, Ichor for sure had some terrible experiences. But he realized that he was in a bad situation, that he’d been manipulated, used by someone older than him just cause he was young and naive. And he decided to get away from it all. The emotional trauma though? That still lingers and weights him down so much that he’s very closed off. I don’t exclude him actually pretending (very badly) like he’s way more confident than he is, in certain situations. Like a copying mechanism to try and hide his insecurities so people won’t use them against him again.

Future: the Hierophant (reversed) Well, with Corey this can go in both the direction hinted at by the tarot. He could absolutely challenge the traditions of the institution he belongs to and that he’s supposed to still answer to. Or he could cling to their traditions in a hope to change how corrupt and twisted things got from the very inside despite how it could break him to go back and be face to face with his abuser. I can’t necessarily give a suggestion in this case; it really depends on how things develop and which way you feel like he would lean towards (even with the party’s support). Either way, not surprised that a decision is at the core of his future. 

FULL BACKSTORY

Ichor was born in a cave in the Beastlands plane. His mother, Shianead, was on a mission for the institution she worked for to research more information on how were-creatures lived when organized in packs like that. She actually fell in love while she was in the middle of that mission with Ichor’s father, Purrenbor. As soon as Ichor was born, Shianead realized she could no longer stay in the Beastlands plane and decided to leave. Purrenbor tried to leave with her, but his tribe didn’t like them leaving with the child; Purrenbor gave his life so that both Shianead and Ichor could run away. Once they were back, the institution wasn’t necessarily happy that Shianead took more than a year for a mission that was supposed to be just 6 weeks long. They were disappointed in her, but once she promised that her shifter son would stay to be part of the institution as well and convinced them that in some way his nature as a shifter could be helpful in understanding better the potential benefits of the were-curse, they agreed to let her stay. Ichor didn’t necessarily have a happy and loving childhood. His mother was more often than not away for more research missions and he was left in the care of a very strict teacher, Clirji Brawen, a dragonborn that made him study for long hours instead of letting Corey run around with the other students of the institution’s preparatory schools. He still was grateful to be considered so bright to have Clirji’s attention, since he was considered one of the best teachers of the school (the one that usually worked with realy talented people). Corey was even allowed to live in Clirji's very luxurious house when his mother was away, instead of staying alone in the dingy apartment that belonged to her. When Corey was about fifteen, his mother had to go on a longer than usual mission that she was even more tight lipped than usual on the details of. Clirji had recently retired from teaching and was mainly just a consultant for the institution, and Corey could no longer stay at his house since he was no longer Corey’s teacher. It was decided from the institution’s schools’ council that he would stay in Norvhila Erishai’s estate. She was the very charismatic head of the research department of the higher level school, and she was hoping not only to find new branches of research for the main institution to focus on with her students, but to find students with a new, bolder attitude. Norvhila was immediately impressed with Ichor, not only for his knowledge reached under Clirji’s guidance, but also for his willingness to try new things before finding once again the balance at the core of the institution’s beliefs. Still young, very impressionable, awkward and mostly a pariah with students of his age, Ichor never realized that Norvhila fascination with him, and her consequent attentions of sexual nature, were very much inappropriate. Ichor felt flattered, and mostly thought he was bound to allow her to do whatever she wanted with him by duty and gratitude since he was living in her house and she was teaching him so much (or so she manipulated him to believe). It took Ichor having a revealing conversation with Clirji when he was almost 18 to realize that he’d been stuck in an abusive relationship all along. Also, Norvhila had been hiding to him that his mother had been considered missing in action for months, because nobody heard from Shianead since her last report from wherever she was for her mission. Ichor found out, when inquiring about his mother’s mission, that Norvhila wasn’t the only person in the institution that was doing morally twisted things that somehow they still considered “part of the balance of the world”. In a last ditch effort to get free of Norvhila’s manipulations, Corey asked the institution’s schools’ council to go on a mission to find what happened to his mother and to consider that his “graduation mission”, a test that every student had to pass to prove that tey were ready to become a fullfledged member. Unexpectedly (and probably with a big push from Clirji), the council allowed him to leave. Corey somehow still believed the institution could do some good, if he just got rid of the “twisted people”. He just find a way to actually make the right decision that would ripple the waters enough for that change to happen. And he had a feeling that finding his mother was just the first step in a much longer path.

(As a note, extra info. I think this could be more for a DM than a player but still relevant for both, especially the part about Clirji that could be considered a little bit of the conversation that cleared Corey’s mind on how things worked inside the institution. Corey is still convinced that, at the core, the institution was doing good [it’s something he always thought]. But, the what the institution truly does in my mind is gathering knowledge to use it as a merchandise for trade; they don’t really care to whom they give it, if the purpose is to maintain a balance. They think, since they gather the most knowledgeable and smart people in the world, that they have the power to pick and choose who and what will tip the scale so that the universe won’t be destroyed. But mostly, they are the reason why wars start and end by manipulating other people so that they could get richer by selling their information to both sides [too much power corrupts and all that shit, you know...]. Clirji, despite being aware of the problem, stayed in the institution as a teacher to try and help the students, to warn them if he could, help them get out of that life too if possible, or scare them away with his harsh attitude if that was the only way that worked. Because he felt like he had no other way to break that machine that made him too other than trying to take away the best minds from them. In a sense, Clirji also tried as much as possible to keep the schools and the institution proper to be very distinct and separate, but it was very difficult since he was one of the few people that was fighting against the system from the inside [and teachers were mostly members of the institution too, it was rare to have outsiders as such important staff figures that could shape the students minds]. When Clirji tried to become headmaster of the higher level school, for example, everyone looking in as an outsider would have picked Clirji since he was so accomplished as a teacher. But the council knew by that point that he was against what the institution truly had become, so they just made him retire, telling him he was too old even to be a teacher. And they obviously picked someone that would fit them better and would turn a blind eye on behaviors like Norvhila’s.)

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Wisdom and Dexterity (try to keep as high as possible Intelligence too), Low Charisma Skill proficiencies: Investigation, Insight, Perception Others: I had to really think which animal would fit for him as his bestial appearance. At the end of the day, I feel any bird of prey would fit him very well: a classic eagle, a nice hawk or even a raven would be wonderful. If you want to go for something more “classic but still different”, a fox could be a nice pick as well considering his backstory.

Past: Death (upright) I find it incredibly fitting that someone like Aeredek that is trying to reach for a big change in their life gets such a powerful card of change like this one. Death is not necessarily well accepted by most people in a reading, but of all people, I feel like Aeredek, very logical Aeredek that would shrug away even the idea of having someone doing tarots for them, would just say something like “of course there’s death in my past, I’m a soldier”, while not really understanding the meaning of the card. I had to dig deeper! I wanted to know what kind of change was involved in their past! And the deck gave me the only reversed card of this read: the Eight of wands. Which just goes to confirm exactly what came before. Aeredek was looking forward to some kind of change, maybe something in their career, something related to traveling most likely, but because of bad timing or some unfinished business, it ended up in them being still stuck there, impatient and frustrated.

Present: the World (upright) Look at that, not surprised at all to see accomplishment and travel hand in hand in their read once again. It really feels like Aeredek will find those in one another. Just perfect for a good adventure, really. Lots of opportunities available it seems too, both in business and their personal life, so maybe they will be a little less strict once they have a chance to travel and they realize how chaotic the world actually is. Who knows… 

Future: Page of pentacles (upright) Well, this kind of still keeps going on building on the opportunities that had previously opened up and building foundations for something more lasting for the future. Which is all good and fun. But, I think I want to focus more on the relationship side there for a moment, just on one of my usual hunches. They will find people they rely on to help on those kind of long lasting projects, and it’s good, because they are not the kind of endeavors they should face alone. It might be a mentor, someone more experienced, but it could be also someone just dependable and ambitious that they trust. As far as my usual suggestions, I think I already cleared up this but I picture them as someone very rigid and logical at first, that likes things that make sense and can be explained or can be learned somehow. But with time, they will learn that a little bit of chaos is not gonna hurt them.

FULL BACKSTORY

Aeredek became almost at birth what their people called a “child of the tribe”. They were not necessarily abandoned by their father, Tishmok, but their father never cared for Aeredek’s existence, and he barely admitted that they were related. Sillyia, their mother, had always been more of a wanderer, and despised that the clan had become permanent and so similar to an actual village (both physically and in political structure). So, she left as soon as she felt good enough to travel after giving birth to Aeredek. As a child of the tribe, Aeredek was grown at first mostly by the midwife of the tribe and then put under the care of a volunteer caretaker till they were old enough to care for themselves. That person was a man that they called uncle Myal. Myal was one of the warriors of the tribe, like Aeredek’s father, but while Tishmok was too focused on his career to care for their offspring, Myal always tried to be there for Aeredek. Not once, Aeredek had the impression that Tishmok inquired to his subordinate about Aeredek’s well-being, so Aeredek wasn’t really heartbroken when Tishmok died defending the tribe from an attack of Ogres. Aeredek still developed a love for the idea of becoming part of the military force of the tribe. Instead of being part of the assault team like Tishmok, they became fascinated by the magic coming from the nature they were surrounded by, the same magic Myal used to defend their people. It was no surprise when Aeredek joined the warriors as soon as they were old enough to do so. They had joined for only a couple of months when, during what felt like a very average security detail job for a delivery of stocks from the nearby village, they were attacked by a manticore and Myal died to allow Aeredek and the other people with them to run away. After losing their uncle, Aeredek tried to become better at what they did, but they soon found out that staying with the tribe was not ideal for growing their abilities as fast as they wanted (especially because after loosing so many of their warrios made them become even more secluded than they had been till then). Aeredek inquired, then, with the clan’s council for permission to travel, even just to reach maybe an alliance with other nearby tribes or to find a more suitable place for their people. After long discussion that seemed to suggest the result would be otherwise, it was decided that it wasn’t a good idea, because the clan needed all the warriors it had for protection and it was too much of a risk to let Aeredek just wander around without a clear destination. It took two more years but, after a premonitionof certin doom incoming for them all from one of the sages of the tribe, Aeredek was finally allowed to leave to find out why the clan was apparently soon to be wiped away completely by a mysterious treat. The only clues, a couple of very vague lines from a vision that could lead them to various places around the continent or to very different, very dangerous kind of treats…

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Wisdom and Dexterity, Low Strength Skill proficiencies: Perception, Survival Gaming set proficiencies: dice set Others: I don’t necessarily see them being lawful good in alignment despite what I said about them disliking chaos (or the Ideal I suggest down below). But if you really want to play them as lawful, I would go for LN. (It’s mainly because I play by a very loose idea of what lawful means usually, but you do you. It really depends on the player and the party if a very strict LG character could fit.)

Past: Eight of cups (reversed) So, I had already pretty much a good idea of what Zral’thid’s “past” tarot could have in store for him. I was not surprised when a card that expresses a deep discomfort with the status quo came up, then. I knew that he’d been kind of struggling with something but at the same time his instinct to follow the rules was probably holding him back from acting of whatever the problem was. Yet, this card adds a layer of fear for the uncertainty that lies within the change that his actions might have brought were he to actually succeed. I felt like I needed to clear a bit where this fear might have come from, and the deck gave me a Four of swords reversed. Which made me even more confused for a moment. Then I remembered that one of the meanings of this card is losing faith, and I can see him crumbling under the pressure of whatever situation he was dealing with and losing the righteous path he’d been following, especially if he felt like there was a lack of support or deceitfulness around him. Maybe not a lack of faith in his deity, but on something else then.

Present: Six of cups (upright) It just makes sense that after that big hit from the “past” tarot he gets something related to nostalgia of better times. Yet, Zral’this is well aware that he remembers them as good times cause he did not know, at the time, of the deceitfulness around him. So, like I said previously, despite his facade of the loner wolf, he actually craves the company of a new family so that he can leave behind that homesickness for a home that he knows he doesn’t belong to anymore. Very, very fitting indeed.

Future: Four of pentacles (reversed) I’m so happy that this is the last tarot for him. A hopeful ending after such a hard life is just what Zral’this deserves honestly. So, I really hope that he in fact has the chance to let go of the past, that he stops regretting not being able to do more for his people. But especially, that he realizes that he absolutely can’t control what happens to others, and that he can only do so much to save the world when it crumbles around him. As a general suggestion on how to play him, I’m pretty sure I said enough already, but in case it wasn’t obvious, I’d say have him be slow to trust the people in the party, especially those that like to lie a lot. He’s not necessarily gonna be confrontational with them; actually, he’s probably just gonna be quiet most of the time. Just, I imagine him being able to open up at first only with those that are more open and friendly with him in the first place.

FULL BACKSTORY

Zral’this was born in the house of family friends. By the time he was born, his father, Galxer, had already been executed for treason and his mother, Praam’teth, was still a member of the same rebellion group his father had been part of. It wasn’t long after his birth before his mother had to flee the Realm and leave him behind to avoid being executed herself. (The rebellion was trying to get rid of the people that had forcibly taken power of the Realm he was born into.) With no other family left to raise him and none of his mother’s friends left in town to help him (since they all were put to death or had to go into hiding), Zral’this ended up in an orphanage, where he was raised to despise his own family and believe in the laws of the new established power. It wasn’t a happy childhood, but the orphanage was basically a preparatory school before he was allowed to join a true military academy. So it was pretty much a given that when he reached the right age he started to train to become part of the Realm’s army. Being part of the military, despite how unimportant he was all in all, made Zral’this have a taste of the corruption he had vague memories of his mother and her friends talking about it all before he “moved” to the orphanage.  Despite how much Zral’this hated himself for doing it, he started giving information of what he overheard to someone that approached him once they recognized him as Praam’s son and they presented themselves as an old friend of his mother. It wasn’t long before Zral’this was found out for giving information to a newly reformed rebellion group. Despite his crime, it was decided that he was just to spend some time in jail instead of being put to death, in hopes that he would see his mistakes and return to his service of the Realm. Apparently, one of his superiors saw some potential in him and believed he could make a good general out of him, with enough time. In prison, Zral’this had time to reflect on how wrong he had been to trust the Realm; just because the people in it had shown some mercy in raising him, it didn’t mean that everything they did was right. Actually, it was mainly the contrary. He’d just been a pawn, like many others before him and many more would become if nothing changed.  With that realization, came the calling of a greater purpose, the growing knowledge that sometimes the better course of action is in fact not action, but waiting for the right moment or the right word placed in front of the right person. But most of all, he wanted redemption, not for himself, but for the people he hurt while following a leader that aimed only to hurt and manipulate their people instead of serving them. So, Zral’this promised himself, and the god that started to guide him, that he would make the world a less violent place with each world he uttered once he got released from jail.

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Charisma and Strength, Low Constitution (I know, I don’t really think a lot of players would actually do this. Cause it’s not really a good thing to do mechanic wise. But sometimes you gotta do these things just for the sake of it. It was my first instinct.) Skill proficiencies: Athletics, Religion; replace Deception from the Prisoner Background with Persuasion (discuss it with your DM, obviously). Gaming set proficiencies: Cards or Chess Other: his Ex-Convict feature can seem a little bit in conflict with his backstory. But it’s actually not. Once again, a little bit of rephrasing, and everything is fixed. Instead of knowing people that accept bribes or having a chance to find shelter with criminals, he knows guards that are lenient because they don’t really like the people in power, or he might have an idea of where to look for groups of rebels that are organizing uprisings against tyrannical people in power. Give it a little bit of a flavor with the help and approval of your DM.

Past: the World (reversed) It’s so nice when your deck keeps proving your gut feelings right. Another card about disappointment, which, like I said, explains better her spirit. In the past Ainsley failed in doing something and for some time she felt stuck into the status quo. She also couldn’t accept the disappointment of said failure, and to realize that her mistakes were not a matter of other people failing her, but her failing herself somehow. It might be the reason why her spirit is still broken down over it. It took her so long to realize that she was the one that could always change it all and she’s bothered by that knowledge. Yet, her overall attitude changed, because at the end of the day she did get out of that situation, at least with her mind and body. At the end of the day, I suppose this means she’s not depressed over the situation at the moment, but her spirit is still not completely over the situation… Might be a sign that she’s still in denial about something and just a little mistake might have her crumble.

Present: Seven of wands (upright) Once again, back to her newly found territorial and assertive nature that pushes her to stand up for her beliefs. It’s a way for Ainsley to keep control of her life, to finally stop blaming others for things that happened (or didn’t happen) in her life. It’s also a new release for the pent up energy she feels like had gone to waste in the past with the way she’d been stuck. Yet again, Ainsley isn’t gonna do it in the smartest way, all impulsive chaos, but at least she’ll have a big grin on her face while doing whatever she put her mind into accomplishing!

Future: Knight of wands (upright) Quite fitting, a card about a bright future ahead, of her energy and enthusiasm being the reasons why she actually achieves her goals (she even should have better results than she expected). It'll give her a big boost of confidence, obviously, which will make her feel fearless for a bit. But there’s a warning that goes side by side with that positive twist. This tarot tells Ainsley that she shouldn’t become hasty because of that new founded courage. The undertone of adventure and travel of this card, actually talks to me more about romance when it’s related to Ainsley (again, just a gut feeling); maybe it’s because I see Ainsley as this cheeky person that thrives in challenging times. My suggestion is this then: have her be at her best when things are at the worst for the party. When there are times of peace and calm she would probably be frustrated that there’s nothing to do. Not necessarily in a mean way, more with an “I feel like we’re not helping people in need” kind of attitude. 

FULL BACKSTORY

Ainsley doesn’t really have a clue of who her true parents are. She knows just that her adoptive family found her in a forest and that she looked just a couple of days old when they picked her up and saved her from certain death. Since then, they have become the only family that really matters. Her father Tiocha, her mother Predys, and their, at the time seven years old, son Nereius, were in the middle of a move in a new town; it was something they did often because of the couple’s jobs as merchants. Tiocha and Predys actually didn’t really mind living so much on the move, and they had a good lifestyle, even if it was difficult for both Nereius and Ainsley in their childhood to maintain long lasting friendships. It was probably the reason why they became almost codependent on each other, to the point that the dream of one grew to be also the one of the other. When Nereius became a soldier and started his military career in his very early teens, Ainsley dreamed of quickly following him, despite her age being something that stopped her from doing so. By the time Ainsley was old enough to finally try and follow in her brother's footsteps, a war had begun. She tried to enlist, but despite the need for people on the battleground, she got rejected multiple times, too young, untrained and rush to go into the fray instead of obeying orders. It wasn’t long after that, when news of Nereius' unfortunate demise came to both her and her parents, which at that point forbid her to try once again to become a soldier. Dejected, Ainsley gave up momentarily her dream and decided to find an honest well paying job. Somehow she ended up working at the harbors, where she found that sense of belonging to a group of people, like she’d felt once upon a time, when travelling on a ship with her family, while still staying long enough in one place to actually get to know the people around her. Even better, the people that traveled around and came back to the docks, remembered her, and they always found her to recount their adventures around the world if she just paid their drinks! Listening to their stories was a chance for her to dream once again of a life filled with excitement, companionship and a higher purpose. And with time those stories built up her desire to go to the adventure on her own. Ainsley was confident that the numerous scuffles she got into with the random unruly ruffians at the docks taught her enough to manage to protect herself! And her parents didn’t have to know about her leaving anyway… And it’s not like she’s barely 20 anymore, right?! She can manage! She can finally make the world better like she dreamed of doing with her brother!

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Charisma and Dexterity, Low Intelligence Skill proficiencies: Perception, Animal Handling (from Half-elf skill versatility), Deception, Investigation, Insight, Persuasion, with expertise in Persuasion and Perception Gaming set proficiencies: either playing cards or dice Others: Like I said in the intro to this post, I admit that I have a huge soft spot for rogues. But I mostly like to multiclass them or have other classes multiclass rogue. So, I HAD to suggest a multiclass. Despite picking Charisma as one of her best scores, I feel like she would fit as a multiclass Fighter or Barbarian better (I know you all were thinking Bard or Paladin). Fighter is a way easier option. Barbarian requires a bit of rethinking and planning ahead of time for later on (or a lot of luck with those ability scores rolls). I GUESS, Paladin could be an okay option because of her military obsession, but I can’t necessarily picture her being very religious. Either way, this is just my usual suggestion corner (longer than usual, sorry for that), so you can just ignore this rambling mess and go with plain rogue.

Past: Five of pentacles (upright) Not surprising that in the past of poor Djitha there’s a tarot that is very much about hardship, bad luck and breakups. It’s pretty obvious that her life was not easy in the past but her background connected to this tarot and to her tendency to lie, made me really think that she had both a hard childhood, a nasty abusive relationship in her teen years, AND some kind of scandal related to her work when she was a grown up because of her manipulations and lies.

Present: Two of pentacles (reversed) This card just confirmed my suspicions. The poor decisions she has made in the past probably left poor Djitha in a bit of a pickle financially speaking. And for a person like her that really likes to feel like she has control of everything, even a little setback is kind of a big deal that would make her spiral even more in tantrums and uncontrollable fits of rage for the things she doesn’t know how to control. She’s probably in the “trying too hard” phase after that mess. Which would probably mean lying a lot but in a very careful way (so, not a lot of speaking, really), lots of brooding and thinking way too loud (but overall a lack of actual organisation), and maybe a short fuse on those tantrums.

Future: The Moon (reversed) Once again, full circle and right back to the top. She will get out of that funk in the future, but it kind of seems it could go in two ways: either by deceiving even herself that everything is gonna be okay because her lies have already been discovered and she can build some new one on the ashes of those, or by actually admitting the truth and living with the consequences of her actions. Still, the major point of this tarot is that she’ll soon be dealing with mental issues. And I already pointed out how many Djitha has, of course. So, my suggestion is that whatever ends up happening while playing, this decision on which path to follow should also very much be related to how much her fears and issues are explored with the other members of the party. 

FULL BACKSTORY

Djitha was pretty much rejected from birth by her family. Her parents were both humans, and despite having two older sisters, Minea and Lahrysa, she was the only member of the Elair family of infernal heritage. Her father Haluk especially blamed Djitha for the sickness that made her mother Riette die prematurely when Djitha was just three years old. Haluk somehow also found a way to blame her for their life on the street, despite that being the way they always lived, dirt poor since Djitha had memory. Despite the hate she received from her family, Djitha was easily loved by others around her, especially because she quickly learned how to be a people-pleaser and how much she could gain if she just smiled a little bit even to those she didn’t necessarily like. It also helped to keep a semblance of peace with her father, who was pleased when she brought back food or some coin when she begged in front of shops. When she was around fourteen, her father pretty much abandoned her because he thought she was adult enough to feign for herself. Already used to a life of begging, Djitha was convinced that she could become a thief, but she was quickly caught red handed; like always, it was her attitude of manipulating the truth and people that got her out of the situation. She convinced the chief of the city guards that she could be more useful working for them, investigating the less reputable areas and reporting back suspicious activities, since she was so well know and loved. Because of her job and the sense of fulfillment she felt when she helped the guards to catch criminals, Djitha got involved with a man, Temithope Paquet, a bit of a celebrity of the local criminal syndicate (almost a criminal right under the nose of the guards that could not be caught because proof against him always had a way of being misplaced). He was way older than her, but Djitha was sure that she couldn’t be fooled by him. Either because Temithope was very good at persuading people, or because she was very young and lonely, Djitha actually fell for him pretty quickly and became his pawn that would give information on the guards activities so that the syndicate could do whatever they pleased. It only took a couple of months of abusive relationship filled with demeaning comments, before eavesdropping on one of his conversations with someone else from the syndicate made Djitha decide that enough was enough. Djitha finally saw how empty all of Temithope’s promises of easy riches and power were, and decided that she would no longer be his plaything. Trying to seek revenge, Djitha actually convinced the chief of the city watch that she had been trying to play the long-con with Temithope and gave them a bunch of proof of all the nasty things Temithope been doing in those months. With her abuser finally behind bars (despite him promising revenge for it), she was allowed to become officially part of the investigation team. At first Djitha thought that she would find a new purpose in her career. But she soon found out that she was still considered a nobody and that trying to do things “the right way”, by following the rules wasn’t gonna get her anything (especially nor riches neither power). Unlike breaking them, which she had somewhat positive experience with overal (she could actually order around people when she was under Temithope’s protection). So she started, once again, working with the criminals in the city. Djitha was sure she was doing alright; people in the guards were happy with her tips on meaningless goons while she protected people in high places in the criminal hierarchy. Everything was fine, and she was starting to grow a reputation again, until, during a massive investigation with people undercover, she was finally sussed out. Desperate to get out of town and find a way to keep being hidden, it was easy for Djitha to accept the offer her patron made her to give her the power she so desperately craved and that surely would keep her out of jail. She had things to do for her patron now, after all, it was in her patron’s interest to keep are hidden…

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Charisma and Intelligence, Low Wisdom and Strength Skill proficiencies: Deception, Intimidation. *Instead of Insight from the Investigator Background, talk with your DM and ask if you could go for either Stealth or proficiency in thieves’ tools; I feel like it fits better with the complete story of being involved with criminals so much. Others: I suggest either pact of the Chain or pact of the Tome. I do think this character would be a very nice multiclass wizard, but spellcasting multiclass is kind of a pain, so I get why you might want to stay away from a thing like that. I decided not to go into details on the Patron. It’s very much a matter to be discussed with the DM in my opinion, so I kept as vague as possible on that matter.

Past: Six of wands (upright) Well, I was just done talking about expectations, and praises, so of course, here it is, a past filled with them in his childhood and teenage years. I can absolutely picture him being one of those brilliant kids with lots of potential that all the adults around him encouraged to try and cultivate. And nobody really knows the weight those words have on Hadwin, while he slowly is weighted more and more down by them. Really, with such an important card of success, it’s really not a surprise that Hadwin really struggles with his self-esteem. For sure, that “spirit” card now seems VERY appropriate.

Present: Six of swords (upright) I’m happy to see that I had the right feeling with the Chariot about travelling somewhere, cause, here it again! This one is actually more of an escape card actually, but I think that travelling is the very best way to run from whatever is the problem that’s afflicting you. So, it’s pretty much obvious to me that Hadwin is trying to leave his troubling times behind. This tarot also has this undertone of healing and moving forward, it speaks of an inner growth, which is perfectly in tune with that. He probably wanted to leave his past behind, forget the expectation and start to use his abilities more for himself than for anyone else. This usually requires some spiritual guidance of some kind, but in this case I’m almost tempted to think that it’s losing his usual guide that brings calm and a new perceptive to him. Maybe it’s that hint of healing? It might be that at this point I was influenced by my preconception on this, cause I already felt by now that he was gonna lose his mentor... 

Future: Ten of pentacles (reversed) Well, this is very much on the nose. Of course there was gonna be a tarot related to the inheritance. Still, I feel a dispute of some kind because of it, I feel it with the lost family of the mentor, but it’s not a given since this is really up to what a DM might work up with this backstory. Not much else I could add to that, really then. What I could give is my usual suggestion on how to play the character on the future card, even if I think the “spirit” explanation was enough so… I do suggest though to think of little special moments related to the inheritance and the mentor that gave it to Hadwin, and every now and then to sprinkle them in the interaction with other people. Just to really make it something special, so that if it really ends up being used as a hook, it hits hard as a moment in game when the “conflict” comes up.

FULL BACKSTORY

Hadwin is the older son of a couple of drifters that used to live of trade and seasonal work. Despite the very dreary life-style of the very early years of Hadwin’s life, his father, Nester, decided that the family needed to become more stable and they moved into a large city after the third pregnancy of his mother, Quandha. It was obviously a good choice, because the life on the move was way too dangerous for both Hadwin, his two brothers, Xodash and Thamil, and his two sisters, Dapha and Ampash. His mother was mostly busy with being a housewife, but in her free time she kept weaving fabric to sell to the local market like she used to do when they traveled; his father mostly worked at the docks, where his silver tongue sometimes put Nester into trouble and other times was useful for getting work of dubious morals. Even in his early childhood years, Hadwin was always very bright;for one, he liked to build stuff with scraps he found around, but Quandha noticed his fascination with people that had magical abilities too. For this reason Nester decided to pay for the most expensive tuition he could afford for his son at the time (much to his brothers and sisters jealousy), in the hopes that he would get noticed by someone that could maybe one day take him as their apprentice. Despite it all, at the end of the day it was Nester’s silver tongue that allowed Hadwin to become the apprentice of Master Zyphon Volso. Zyphon (a human on the older side), had been travelling mostly alone for years, but as old as he was getting, he was in need of somewhat of a page to take care of the menial things during his travels. In exchange for Hadwin's services, Zyphon promised Nester that he would teach his son what he knew. Hadwin left his family and started following Master Volso in his travels. He mostly took care of menial things, but since he was the son of drifters, he had kind of a knack for tracking and hunting food for them both when they were in the middle of nowhere. There were times when Master Volso would also leave him alone, dismissing Hadwin with rushed excuses; most of those times he would be gone for two or three days, before coming back and pretending like nothing happened. One of those times, after a sudden grumble of “there’s something of the utmost importance I need to deal with”, he left and never came back. The only thing left behind of Master Volso was his precious book with all of the notes of his research, something Hadwin knew Master Volso had never left behind before. Curiosity got the best of him and Hadwin checked the book that had always been inaccessible to him: inside of it there was a note to him. “Hadwin, if I don’t come back in four days, I’m dead. I leave you this as my legacy. I know you can figure out a solution. Make me proud. Zyphon.”. The only problem is that Hadwin really has no fucking clue of what 90% of what is written and drawn inside the book is supposed to mean. But his Master wants him to “make him proud” and that’s exactly what he wants to do!

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Dexterity and Intelligence, Low Strength or Wisdom. Skill proficiencies: Arcana, History, Investigation. Musical instrument proficiencies: any kind of percussion to your choice or some kind of flute. Artisan’s tool proficiencies: cook’s utensils. Others: as mentioned before, I suggest the Inheritance from his background to be a “book of projects” his teacher was working on. He doesn’t understand much of it at first, but with time things can change.

She actually likes to be called Vera a lot better. It’s very rare that she even tells people her name is Veronica. She kinda hates her name, but finds it hilarious that with all the lies and manipulations she does everyone calls her basically “true”. She’s that kind of person.  She had a lot of issues even when she was human, mainly because her parents were drug addicts, but the thing that really messed her up and gives her nightmares to this day, was being a victim of sexual abuse when she was barely a teenager. When her parents died, she basically run away so that she wouldn’t end up in the system since she was still a minor. And yes, her sire embraced her when she was still a minor. And if you think she’s okay with that? Yeah, no, that’s the king of thing that messes you up even more. She kinda has this hate/love relationship with her body, where she hates that she will forever be stuck in a body that attracts the very people she’s most disgusted by (which, you know, with her issues with the abuse, you should get who that might be). But at the same time? She kind decided to make her mission to eat mostly from those kind of people. Because if they are to busy being her herd and hung up on her, they won’t be a danger for other young teenagers. Also, she kind of has control issues when she’s very hungry, and… if she ends up sucking dry some of those sick bastards, WHO CARES. One less pervert on the streets, and her hunger tamed for a little bit. There is that little problem that her sire is not really okay with her policy of “WHO CARES about those sickos?!”. Which is how Vera ended up with her sire kinda casting her out of her protection. Not like Vera really cares about it. Just more trust issues to add when it comes to “parental figures”, right? SO, this is more or less her backstory. And here we come to what is the situation in her life at the moment. Let’s say Vera and the coterie she’s part of have been accused of being thief (which, would be actually fitting for Vera, but for once, she’s not guilty of this crime! Look at that). Still, the coterie had to prove their innocence and in the meantime we uncovered a way more complicated plot against the Prince.  In one of the previous sessions, in an effort to gain “potence” as a new Discipline, Vera, like the true risk taker she’s at heart, decide that it was a good idea to start a little bit of a bloodbond with a Nosferatu that we met when were gathering information. At first we were sure the people we were sent to were “safe”. But after a while they became suspicious, since their information started to be contradictory. So, we went back to them. And ended up in an ambush. Suffice to say, Vera, that had kind started to be into this Nosferatu in a very “crazy-obsessed girlfriend that texts you 50 times an hour” kinda way, was VERY pissed. Especially when said Nosferatu vanished and never answered to any of her angry messages after everything went down. Bare in mind, we play Revised and I just had the ability to use The Haunting. I was VERY tempted to use that on him, but my coterie convinced me that having him completely crazy was a bad idea if we caught him and wanted to ask him questions later on. At the moment of me doing the read you can see up there, we still have to face the damn idiot. But every time I have tried to do a read on Vera, something about him as come up. I’m not surprised, then, that once again, this is about him.

Past: Seven of wands (upright) When it’s related to Iraeonos, “past” is a little bit of a complicated issue (what isn’t with them?). Because they kind of had another entire life before the one they “just” started living (things will be clearer in the backstory, no worries). So, it was hard for me to decide before picking a past card if I wanted to focus on Iraeones first life or their more “recent” past. For a bit I even considered picking two cards, but at the end of the day I just trusted my deck to know better. I think my confusion translated into my draw. I wouldn’t call this a bad card in a normal read, but in this case it’s just very generic. It speaks of struggles and standing up to them, of taking the high road and never giving up even when under attack. I admit, since I wanted their backstory a little looser so that they could eventually fit into any setting, I decided not to clear this confusion with another pick despite my curiosity. I left the matter of this issue for later. 

Present: Ace of cups (upright) Any “new beginnings” card for Iraeonos is a little bit of a wink to their rebirth as a new person as far as I’m concerned. With that, I decided to consider the “past” tarot related to their previous life, and the Ace of cups more of a nod toward the person they’d become since they were reborn. And I’m happy that Iraeonos found friendship and people accepting their “new” personality. There’s that hint of happiness and possible love that I actually decided to leave more as a possibility for their actual present, maybe in someone else in the party when they get to start their adventure.

Future: Ace of wands (upright) Yet again, a “new beginnings” card. I think it’s hilarious to get two of these for the person that’s already been reborn. Anyway, I see them finding a new talent in the near future, maybe a new passion. Also, being bold in the decision making process. And while I always leave open these kinds of things to whoever decides to play the characters, in this case, considering the Strength card coupled with this once, I do very much suggest having Iraeonos accept their previous life and multiclass in what was probably their class in that life.

FULL BACKSTORY

Let’s immediately clear that Iraeonos was reborn from the Luxon. For any Critical Role fan, they pretty much need no extra info, they already got an idea of what is going on here. But for anyone new to the setting or that does not want to dabble into that part of the lore of Exandria, let’s just say that I decided to leave Iraeonos’ previous life foggy enough that their “past life” could be built with a DM and quickly fixed for any other setting. SO, back to Iraeonos’s origins. Iraeonos was born from a sweet couple of halflings in their humble home. Their parents actually named them Euris Boycee (I'm aware that having dead names in a backstory is bad etiquette, but it’s this is more of their true identity name vs an alias they picked for other reasons that are later clearer. I hope nobody gets offended by this mention of a name Iraeonos doesn’t use anymore.)  Iraeonos never lived in the good side of town, but their mom, Juli, and dad, Taragh, were honest people that worked hard in an establishment for horses&ponies training. So they always had enough food and lived an overall peaceful life. Despite the happy childhood, Iraeonos always had a fascination for the “bad boys” running around the rundown area they lived in. Iraeonos used to get into trouble a lot with their friends when they were early teens. Their mom wused to say to them that they would end up in jail one day, like a true criminal, but Iraeonos was just trying to live their dream of becoming a strong fighter like those they saw sometimes walking around town. Iraeonos had always had very weird and realistic dreams, but they were usually brushed off as just that: Iraeonos having a vivid imagination. When they turned 15, those dreams became more and more insistent and violent, till they started to feel like they weren’t dreams at all. Iraeonos was sure they were glimpses of a previous life that they’d always been in denial to be slowly remembering, and maybe even the reason why they had always wanted to be an adventurer in the first place. They never again talked about the dreams, and became more and more closed off to the world, trying to hide how much they actually remembered of their previous life. At the time their memories of that were still vague, but they remembered enough to know that they did not want to go back and that they wanted Agar’thaw Melch, his previous-self name, to stay in the past with whatever that person did in the place he came from. Their dream of becoming a strong fighter became even stronger, maybe in a desperate desire to fix whatever mistakes they were sure their previous self had made into the world. Or maybe cause they wanted to be like the person they used to be, but at the same time, not at all. So, they ran away from home before even turning 18. Already confused about their identity, they actually abandoned the name their parents gave them and embraced the identity of Iraeonos in the hopes that nobody would ever relate the person that grew up with that sweet couple, with the mysterious fighter Iraeonos wanted to become.

(As you can see, I decided to really leave open to choice how much they wandered and how old they are at this point. Are they at the very start of the journey? Or did they leave their home a long time ago?)

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Intelligence and Dexterity, Low Strength (YES, for a fighter, I’m not going crazy)  Skill proficiencies: History, Acrobatics Other: like I said, I suggest multiclass. I kind of pictured them as a Rogue (either Assassin or Inquisitive), but I would honestly be perfectly okay with a Wizard too (Chronurgy or maybe War). It really depends on how you change their backstory anyway. Anything could fit since I left it so vague this time. If you are wandering why, while still trying to hide, they would tap into a magic that belongs to the very place they are trying not to go back to (I’m talking about choosing the echo knight archetype), like I said: they’are struggling to admit that the two people are not two people at all. They still have those memories of the past, and the ways and magic of the Kryn are still part of them. They know it’s stupid to waste potential they have. Which is also the reason for them to embrace the class they used to be in the past, once they realize that it’s basically the same line of reasoning on a more conscious level.

Past: Wheel of fortune (reversed) And look at that, once again the tarots point out how Donny’s life was going perfectly well, then they crumbled in front of him. And that mess made him feel so powerless, despite knowing it was kind of his fault since he never was a very good businessman. Yet, Donny sees that mess as an opportunity, he can finally move on and what he does best. Which is get mad and kick people in the nads. He just has to bear the weight of the responsabilties he’s leaving behind to everyone elses he loves. 

Present: Eight of swords (upright) While this card can be related to actual imprisonment, I feel like considering everything I already got from Donny’s read, this is more of a psychological issue for him. A deep denial of how he truly feel probably. This very brave man, facing every enemy without a care in the world, yet, when it comes to coming true to his family, he shies away from the discussion. Literally paralyzed by the fear of coming back home and finding out that they’ll never forgive him. Yeah, more that kind of prison of the mind.

Future: Two of pentacles (upright) Aw, I’m moved. That Donny got this card just confirms how much of a family man he is deep down. He’ll struggle deeply to keep that balance between adventuring, and staying with the family he loves so much. Like always, the future card is a suggestion on a general direction for this character development. I do see Donny really trying to make a decision between the two things, especially if he finally decides to apologize in person to his family for leaving. I can see him torn between the party and his family, before either his family or the party helps him finally make a decision. Or they help him realize that he doesn’t necessarily have to choose at all, if the party becomes family too.

FULL BACKSTORY

Born in a brothel, Melbek is the son of Kettin, a sex worker. His father, unluckyly, was never in the picture, despite Kettin repeatedly telling him that he would have loved to be with them (apparently, Tordek, his father, had been captured by a bounty hunter just a couple of months before Melbek was born and Kettin, which at the time was planning on leaving her life as a sex worker with him, never saw or heard from him again). Melbek lived all of his childhood and teenage years with his mother and his two older half-sister, Gymres and Ingres, inside the rooming house where a lot of other sex workers lived with their own children. He considered all of them actual family, to the point that he called aunts and uncles the other sex workers and cousins their children. Some of those kids, he even considered brothers and sisters, mostly because in their early teens they got into trouble all together. His family still struggled a lot with money, so both his sisters and Melbek started to work as young as they could. The first job Melbek could find was as an errand boy for a brewery in town. He was known for getting into trouble, but also for not having an issue putting in his place people way bigger than he was with a well placed kick or punch. So, while he was allowed sometimes to help inside the brewery for the actual brewing (and he did develop a passion for the process), Melbek mostly delivered the product to the local seedy dive bars. It was during one of these deliveries to a bigger establishment that he stumbled in the middle of a brawl; nobody was actually trying to stop the fight, and the bartender, a very worried and way too young to be dealing with the situation girl, was about to have a mild panic attack because of it. Deciding he wanted to help, Melbek got into the fray and quickly stopped the fight, to the cheers of the other people and the gratitude of the poor girl. The following delivery to that establishment, came with a proposition from the owner itself, that was so impressed by the very glowing recommendation given by the bartender, that he wanted Melbek to be sort of a bouncer for him, since it wasn’t the first time that the place had been half-destroyed by things getting too heated up. In the following months, Melbek quickly gained himself a reputation and a nickname. Everyone started calling him either Donnybrook or Donny. Everyone but his family and the cute bartender, Maerma, which spent longer and longer talking to him, even when both of them were actually supposed to be working. Nobody was really surprised when they married just two years later. What came as a surprise was the inheritance from an old almost forgotten aunt of Maerna a couple of years after they married, when Maerna had just got pregnant with her first child. Apparently, Maerna was the only relative her aunt Gwenmyla had left, and while she used to visit her aunt a lot in her childhood, she hadn’t seen Gwenmyla since she was 7, when Maerna became an orphan and ended up in an orphanage. With the suddenly acquired money, the couple decided to buy a comfortable house for the family (which included not only the two of them and the baby that was about to be born, but, to Maerna’s insistence, even Kettin, Gymres and Ingres). The remaining money was put to a project that the couple had been talking about since the moment they met: opening their own bar, where they could have beer that they themselves brewed. So, they opened a new family business: the Brewer’s Den. For a long time their life seemed to be fantastic. Mearna and Donny became proud parents of two baby girls (Maeve and Marryn), Donny’s family was finally doing something that made them all happier… Yet, the bar never really seemed to completely succeed. They were always struggling, despite Donny’s efforts to brew fun and creative beers or liquors that could attract people to their establishment. After about twelve years from the opening, they were on the verge of bankruptcy. Well aware that he could do nothing for his business other than apparently make it go into even deeper debt, Donny tried to think of what else he could do to try and prevent his family from ending up on the streets. One night, while he was tending the bar on his own, a group of adventurers in very expensive looking garb, entered to find momentary shelter from a terrible rainstorm. Impressed by their wealth, he inquired about their way of life. And a forgotten dream, the dream of a child playing with his brothers and sisters in the seedy streets of the poorest neighborhood in town, quickly came once again to the forefront… Could he really gain so much wealth like them? Could he really make sure his family was happy once again? Before he knew it, he’d already decided… And left just a couple of days later, in the middle of the night, only a letter left behind, a heavy guilt inside his heart and a hope that he’d made the right choice this time.

SUGGESTION CORNER