Gaming

Last night I wanted to make a character portrait for my character “Sir Sparrowhawk” and I found myself missing the City of Heroes character creator. For those unfamiliar with the now defunct game, players could create very detailed customizations to the look of characters. It was unlike any other game I have seen before or sense.

So last night I went looking to see if anyone had a website that would do a similar job for those that aren’t artistically inclined, like myself. I ran across Hero Machines 2.5. The website also had a 3.0 version but I haven’t dived into that yet. As I started into it I was able to create a nice little portrait. I will have to see if I can make the wings a little more translucent in the future. For the look, I was drawing heavily on inspiration from several 1980’s movies.

Sir Sparrowhawk (Level 1)

Day 1:

Another day in Suzail started with Songammem and I out looking for some potential work. Along the way we heard some humans hollering about two knights looking for adventuring minded soldiers. That sounded just like the sort of employment we were looking for so we decided to look into it more. We also noticed two other interesting characters that seemed to be looking into the jobs and we decided to follow them as they did all the leg work for us.

The one in the lead we later found out was Sehadra, an elf cleric of Selune. She seemed like most elves except she doesn’t seem stuck up enough. She must be young. Give her a century and that will change. She was heading to meet some bloke in a tavern called the Grey Griffin when we noticed a flamboyantly clad sailor heading into the same direction. Somehow I could imagine him singing and dancing while gutting someone with his sword or maybe that’s just the overactive imagination my tutors always told me to keep to myself. I later found out his name is Markus the long knife. I like names with flair. I had Duke wait outside by the door.

They talked to some old adventurer with a tattoo across his face and he filled in some information on the potential employers. During all that Songammem tried to look as unobtrusive as a seven foot tall, twenty stone fur rug can and I flew around drinking down a drink or two. As harmless as Songammem tried to be… that fool with the bad tattoo still tried to give her trouble and made some jokes about taking my dust. Most people don’t look for trouble and when given an excuse to explain away Songammem, they look the other way but not this moron. I have to remember to introduce him to a beautiful river nymph sometime, so she can drown him. That sounds like a fun joke for someone that is mean to my friends.

But I digress back to the day… so we followed Sehadra and Markus out to the grounds were adventuring parties form and Sehara asks us to join their group. Normally Somgammem and I work as a dynamic duo but she seemed nice enough and the well dressed seaman amused me. So we joined them We have decided to call our group “Grey Griffin Adventuring Inc”.  We talked to the knights hiring adventurers and the young Lady seemed too excitable to me. After meeting Sir Oris, Knight of House Grenfell he seemed to have a much more methodical and well planned method. We felt most comfortable with him and signed up after some discussion. He was even thoughtful enough to give an advance if we needed it. Songammem and I purchased five gallons of Ale because we like to plan ahead for the important stuff. We will be hunting down Thomas Malore a renegade War Wizard and leader of the Crimson Wolves.

Character notes:

I originally planned to play my character more silly and childish but after seeing Anthony’s great slapstick performance, I decided to drop that plan. We would never get anything done if we’re both silly. I have decided to play the pixie with more of a perspective of an older child. Intelligent and serious most of the time but he still has a love of games and pranks.

I had also neglected to flesh out his knightly order more. Sir Sparrowhawk is a member of the Order of the Red Falcon. The order’s patron is the Red Knight.I figure he would see battle as a big game he wants to excel at.

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Order_of_the_Red_Falcon
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Red_Knight

Duke:

We ended the last game with the Winterhaven squad preparing to travel back home.

The “Free Sons of Nerath” have been living the life of regular garrison duty while in Winterhaven. The small village has reached the size of a town due to refugees fleeing the Troll Wars to the south. Surrounding the village walls thatch roofed homes have sprung up and an outer earth and wood palisade acts as an outer barrier to protect against raids from Orcs, Ogres and Goblins coming from the Cairngorm Mountains or from the Stonemarch beyond that. Luckily the Orcs haven’t entered the Nentir Vale in the numbers that once decimated the Vale since the day the a dragon moved into the mountain and effectively stopped their pillaging in large numbers around one hundred years ago. The dragon is still rumored to be sleeping in the mountain resting on a pile of treasure or at least that is how the story goes.

While on garrison duty the company has been assisting in building the palisade, digging ditches and going on patrol for raiding parties. You have even had the chance to find a new recruit. The patrols have taken the company several miles outside of Winterhaven and you all have become familiar with the rangers who patrol the foothills on the Cairngorm Montains and others who live outside of the village proper in their own steadings. The company has also been rewarded with “War Mules” that they can use as mounts or pack animals as they wish. In my setting a War Mule is a Draft Mule (combination of a large horse and donkey) that has been exposed to blood and load noises so that it will not spook in a battle. War Mules are known for strength, endurance and being easy to care for.

You have settled into life in the village. Work has become routine and regular pay and ale are nice. The company lives in an old thatched barn has small rooms partitioned off for each of you and your animals live on the other end. You wake one morning to find that Claw has been murdered in a very odd way. Someone has performed a ritual to cut off his bodies connection to the Raven Queen which has ended his ability to reanimate it. No one crosses the company and lives. After some investigation you find some kobold tracks and follow them back to the foothills but lose them along the way. You send back a message to Lord  Padraig of where you are looking and then head out to see if some of the rangers have any information to lead you in the right direction.

After heading to the nearest ranger outpost you find a young ranger named Will. Will has tells you about some kobolds they have been tracking and the potential site of the lair. The rangers have been tracking them but they haven’t had a chance to call for assistance in clearing out the cave.

So you of course charge off to kill them yourselves. The cave was easy to find you have killed the first two groups in a small grouping of caves. There are a few more caves to go before you believe your revenge is complete but after interrogating a kobold you find that they were hired by a goblin named Iron Tooth who has taken up residence in Shadowfell Keep. When you tried to question him further about the other kobolds he started biting at your ankles, at which time you stomped his head in.