[Fantasy and Sci-Fi] The Winterwier and Black Hole thread

[Charles Phipps]

I really like her write-up!

Excellent job Libra!

[Libra]

Thank you very kindly Charles - I can only hope my upcoming articles are equally worthy of praise.

[Charles Phipps]

I would prefer to imagine instead that on the Savage Worlds of Charles Phipps, Evil has a clear edge over the White Hats - but not an invincible one, even absent the intervention of Our Heroes - or, to put it another couple of ways, Our Heroes are in at the ground floor to help Alacarn drag itself up out of Eternal Darkness by it's bootstraps and stop the Villains of the Stellar Cloak before they truly dominate the Galaxy (A bit like being able to head off Palpatine before he really got started on his domination of the Galaxy).

To put it in perspective, I see the worlds of the Winterweir/Black Hole multiverse as dark, but not yet wholly rotten or corrupted, if still permanently balancing on the edge of a knife; honestly it helps me wrap my head around them more comfortably than if they were entirely Doomed to Unspeakable Horror without Our Heroes.

A nice analogy. The short version is, however, that corrupt factions have been running Winterweir and Black Hole for the better part of two thousand years. If the Pcs never take up the fight then it's not like the world will suddenly become the domain of the Shadow King (though it's likely he may FINALLY win in the next 100-200 years) or Malaxas will eat everything. It's more likely that it'll be "business as usual" for another thousand years. There are heroes in the world but it's mostly about trying to prevent the world from getting worse.

Medieval Wolfram and Hart rules Alacarn, not the Master or Angelus.

In her youth, Karmeera D'Traym's absolute conviction that she had it in her to become a Goddess fit to be ranked with or just plain overshadow any amongst the ranks of Kalinka's Twelve would sadly not have been as uncommon as it probably should be (The Aristocracy of Alacarn being what it is), but would still have been considered delusional, if not outright insane.

Ah, hubris. It's what goes best with dinner.

Given that High Queen Karmeera is the most absolute tyrant in the history of Vokelstein's Royal House and, as the only Vampire Queen since the destruction of the first at the point of Ebonbane, very probably the most powerful single Vampire in the history of the Continent, these days her power is such that it is difficult to tell if she's still blatantly insane or if she has truly become so powerful that her delusion has passed through madness to become a kind of truth.

Given Ebonbane is sentient (and not QUITE as evil as Stormbringer), he hates leaving a job unfinished. He'd honestly love to test himself against her but his wielders tend to be weak-minded fools easily destroyed by the power inside of him. Contrary to expectations, Ebonbane WANTS a strong personality wielding him since he's grown too powerful for any Non-PC to wield safely.

If she actually cared in the slightest about Brother Shadowspawn's dream of making Vokelstein the first stepping stone towards the release of the Crimson King, the Foundations of Alacarn might well start to crumble - thankfully she doesn't care to serve anything beyond her own vanity, appetites and ambition, the latter of which has long since been assuaged by her assumption of the rule of Vokelstein as something very like a Tyrannical Demi-Goddess.

It's a mixed blessing Evil vs. Evil is the rule in Alacarn - otherwise the ranks of the Dark Side would really spread.

After all Carnella is well aware that, as an Aristocrat Born and a being convinced she is a GOD, it's the business of inferiors and servants to do the dirty work - if only so that SHE can have her 'Fun' undiluted by effort afterwards.

A very nice summary of her character - Bravo!

I'm planning to do a write-up for 'Brother Shadowspawn' and may even manage to slot in Alfred D'Heller (since I seem to be in a bit of a Vokelstein mood at the moment).

Splendid!

[Libra]

Lucien D'Dragoth was born twisted and has only grown more crooked with age, not less - but then what else can one expect of an aristocrat of Ancient Turlon who not only sold out his own prince to the Vampire Queen of D'Henna in return for the curse of Vampirism only she might bestow, but accounted himself well pleased with this devil's bargain?

D'Dragoth, you see, sought immortality and had decided that eternal life would be as good a place to start as any - that this immortality was purchased and sustained by the Blood of the Innoccent troubled his conscience not at all. Shunted into the shadows as the most horrible-looking creature imaginable, Lucien D'Dragoth had long since decided that if he could not gladden the hearts of all who saw him he would devote himself to filling those very hearts with a consuming terror and make the very shadows they had cast him into his kingdom; becoming a Vampire, you see, was nothing more than a means to this end, was only the beginning of his schemes.

Worming his way into the favour of The Vampire Queen, D'Dragoth swiftly rose to become master of her spy network, found his taloned feet swiftly set on the path to becoming King in the shadows of D'Henna and yet farther beyond, unseen yet ever spoken of with dread - for the first and the last time in his existence he was content.

Then his oldest sin found him out; Prince Xoan of Turlon, somehow slipping his bonds, slew the Vampire Queen and devoted himself anew to laying waste to all that she ever created - a vengeance so thorough that it felled not only the Vampiric Kingdom which she had created, but the bloodlines which had given rise to her and which she had given rise to were destroyed with it and D'Dragoth's shadowy domain was itself shredded.

No matter how deep into the shadows D'Dragoth retreated, Xoan would find and follow his trail, would pursue his betrayer so relentlessly that D'Dragoth (once so confident in his Vampire state) would relearn Mortal Fear - a fear which in many ways would consume his existence for the rest of his life, prior to the Incursion of Malaxas. For much of this time D'Dragoth, desperate to find a protector powerful enough to preserve him against the Rage of Turlon and the less-than-friendly memories of D'Henna's surviving nobility (including the family which would dominate the Continent) dwelt in Vokelstein, first entering the history of that land as he grudgingly gave his services to he who was then it's master - The Shadow King.

The name bestowed upon him by the vulgar mountaineers amongst whom he had been exiled, about a century into this period of service, still rankles him with the memories it provokes: energies channeled to the service of another's dream, the agony of knowing himself to be so much the lesser of a being whom he could NEVER hope to betray succesfully, the knowledge that even MORTALS could see how much a creature of The Shadow King he was, the gnawing dread of mere MORTALS inspired in D'Dragoth by by the dogged pursuit which had forced him into this intolerable situation - the knowledge that he would forever be barred from pursuing his dream of perfection by the amused disdain his Master felt for them.

Yet Brother Shadowspawn learned, though the Shadow King never deigned to take him as a pupil (He would adopt a MORTAL as a student, as something very close to a Son, before he would so favour 'Shadowspawn'); learned arts of alchemy and magic, perfected the darkest arts of treachery, conceived and then nourished a seething hatred for the Shadow King - along with the cunning to survive despite this hatred, to survive as his dreams of a shadowy dominion were drowned in a darkness yet deeper and greater, apparently for all time.

Then Malaxas came and everything changed.

Some served Malaxas for dread of what he might do to them if they did not; some served because they were too mad to understand the consequences; some simply drowned in the hurricane of The Crimson King's Prescence - a force so immense that even the Shadow King, no matter that he could resist it to the bitter end, was not untouched by it.

Brother Shadowspawn dedicated himself to the Crimson King because Malaxas preached that the twisted form was the most truly divine, that perfection was what he and his followers made of themselves, that to serve him was to serve oneself - he dedicated himself to Malaxas because he became convinced that he had loved the Crimson King before he ever met him.

Not to mention because he met Malaxas at the behest of the Shadow King (cautious enough not to hazard himself against an unknown power) and was driven absolutely insane as a result.

He returned to the Shadow King, fully intent on ensuring that his old master would serve the New Master faithfully, convinced that his own newfound Faith and experience of his old master's cunning made him the perfect agent in the service of the advancement of Malaxas' interests in Vokelstein, the heartland of the being who came closest to being a potential rival to Brother Shadowspawn's new God. He was right - Malaxas had no more cunning advocate of his interests than Lucien D'Dragoth; it was in great part thanks to his efforts that a great army, a force that might well have won the War of Shadow and Flame before the Shadow King could compose a workable plan to banish Malaxas, a force comprising the bloody-handed spawn of darkest alchemy and black magic was built up.

It his greatest shame that MORTALS brought this enterprise to nothing - Freeborn Vokelstein-folk courage slowly raised to a pitch fit to win their Freedom, desperate adventurers seeking to either find or create a refuge from the horror in the Lowlands or just die trying to remove the newest threat to their beleaguered folk bred by this most horrid of wars.

Above all The Prince, the mortal who by cunning and sheer stubborness bled the Great Army of Grotesques to death before they could ever truly make their mark on History, who made the Vokelstein-folk his own despite an uphill struggle, who somehow won the respect of the Shadow King by becoming his most determined enemy - a man who above all gave everything to defeating the shemes of Brother Shadowspawn, who died under the avalanche which buried Brother Shadowspawn's ambition and D'Dragoth himself under it's weight for centuries, willingly giving EVERYTHING to serve what would become the Kingdom of his descendants.

Rescued by the ambition of a newly-ascendant Carnella, Brother Shadowspawn has spent the centuries since in the thrall of Malaxas and consumed by his own paranoid fear that his service to that hideous entity is less than perfect, in theory, in practice and in frequency of success. He has been integral in the transformation of that land beloved by his Greatest Enemy into a new Vampire Kingdom, a Kingdom he has determined will be dedicated to Malaxas, a small Kingdom which shall grow to encompass the World and remake it in the image of Malaxas and his most loyal servant - buoyed up by the power that is his by virtue of his position as the spiritual Grandfather and most shadowy eminence of this unfortunate Kingdom.

This time, if he cannot make his dreams of a world made perfect, a world shaped in the image he holds most dear, come to fruition, he will set the world aflame - and laugh in the face of the blaze.

Lucien D'Dragoth has been stabbing Allies and Enemies in the back for so long that it sometimes seems to forget that one can simply go for the jugular instead - as you might expect, this can be a problem for a Vampire.

On a more serious note, Lucien D'Dragoth, an unnatural creature who predates the Empire of Alacarn (albeit only just, having been born into approximately the same generation as it's creator), a beast who has outlived that Empire by centuries and been a master of every subtle art of treachery for just as long.

Fired to an unholy pitch of passionate commitment by his zealotry, a past master of the shadowy underworld which is his chosen battleground and the all the tool neccessary to dominate it, there is very little that can stop him on his chosen ground.

At the top of this short list is his own paranoid fears - fear no longer for his own person, but at the mere prospect that not only might his plans end in failure, they might be less than perfect in theory, in concept and in execution. In the course of his desperate efforts to ensure that his plans are nothing less than perfect Brother Shadowspawn has been known to switch methods, means, agents, short-term goals, outward appearance (although it must be noted that his love for an occult discipline which permits him to twist flesh and bone to his whim means this is seldom stable in any case).

At the height of this madness, even his own patterns of behaviour change like the tide (one instant stalking predator, the next fearsome demagogue, then strangely compelling private gentlemen of monstrous aspect) - only his style remains changeless, pitch-black voice, bestial cunning, graceful craft and absolute conviction knitted into the most charismatic of horrific monsters, a shadowy eminence in Vokelstein and to only slightly lesser degree in the underworld of Alacarn as a whole.

While this unpredictable approach has taken his enemies utterly by surprise, it has also cost him a series of victories where his obsession with perfection in theory has cost him success in practice. It's also noteable that on occasion this paranoia has risen to the point where he will take point on an operation better suited to the talents of another agents, which seldom help at all.

There's also the fact that, as one of the oldest and most storied Vampires on Alacarn, his banes (the weaknesses which as a Vampire circumscribe his every moment) are correspondingly well-known; this leaves him just as hideously vulnerable as one might expect, despite his long experience of minimising any risk he may be exposed to them and their effects upon his plans.

[Libra]

There are heroes in the world but it's mostly about trying to prevent the world from getting worse.

Not to mention across the Universe!

Medieval Wolfram and Hart rules Alacarn, not the Master or Angelus.

True, but the former is CERTAINLY waiting in the wings (or more accurately in Vokelstein, which is more of a loft); Doubtless he's busy looking for the latter to boot.

Ah, hubris. It's what goes best with dinner.

Well to be accurate Vampire Queen Carmeera prefers occult sadism (Tzimisce-style, although interestingly she has never subjected herself to the vicissitudes of flesh-warping, since she's content to believe herself as ALREADY too perfect to risk change), reverent masochism, mind-raping intimidation of whomsoever happens to be her meal tonight, with exhaltation of self as a side-order.

She is an Awful individual.

Given Ebonbane is sentient (and not QUITE as evil as Stormbringer), he hates leaving a job unfinished.

To be fair Ebonbane and Xoan were EXTREMELY thorough (there's a reason Brother Shadowspawn had to CREATE a second Vampire Queen on Alacarn, rather than revive his own Sire, after all), it's just that History repeating itself is something that seriously annoys a blade that rejoices in All-New foes to dismember, shred, stab, gouge and generally do a number on.

He'd honestly love to test himself against her but his wielders tend to be weak-minded fools easily destroyed by the power inside of him.

Doubtless Morden the Betrayer would SCOWL at this judgement of him, if it weren't extremely accurate - the irony is that he's stronger-willed than most of those who've wielded Ebonbane since the War of Shadow and Flame, yet he's STILL being eaten alive by the sheer power of the Blade.

Which goes a long way towards explaining why he prefers to humble his enemies with confidence schemes, rather than bladework or spellwork (since for some reason I imagine that the local equivelent of Elric owes as much, if not more, to John Constantine).

Contrary to expectations, Ebonbane WANTS a strong personality wielding him since he's grown too powerful for any Non-PC to wield safely.

Ebonbane, being a millennia-old sentient blade with an abiding thirst for battle, bloodshed and soul-reaping (not necessarily in that order) is a connoisseur of bladework and these weak-willed little puppets just don't have the THEWS for a proper murder-make!

It's a mixed blessing Evil vs. Evil is the rule in Alacarn - otherwise the ranks of the Dark Side would really spread.

Aye, like an oil-slick, rather than a slow drip-drip-drip of poison.

A very nice summary of her character - Bravo!

Thank you very much - it's good to know that I can even produce a nice summary of a thoroughly nasty character!

Splendid!

I have now posted Brother Shadowspawn and I hope that his article is!

[Libra]

Central to Alfred D'Heller's character is his conviction that he is and always has been a healer with a somewhat esoteric focus, not a Hunter, Great or otherwise - given that Alfred is quite probably the single most prolific destroyer of monsters currently extant in Vokelstein, what seems so self-evident to him may come as a suprise to those who learn it, even to those that know him.

Yet the very disbelief so often expressed that this is indeed the guiding ambition of Alfred's life has been to heal, not to hunt may very well be what has permitted him to achieve an unusual longevity and a near-unprecedented level of success as a slayer of monsters in Vokelstein - a kingdom where the greatest of Hunters are the most likely to become the Hunted.

Put bluntly it is very easy for the Aristocracy to pick out the Hunters in the midst of their herd, child's play to comprehend their methods - for no matter how motivation may differ, a Hunter is a Hunter and the Vampire Population is nothing if not rich with knowledge of the Hunt; more to the point it is easy for them to comprehend the actions of a Hunter, for if they understand anything, it is the methods of a predator. . .

Which leaves them utterly blind to one who approaches the destruction of their kind not a Hunter, but as the best kind of surgeon; an individual whose primary goal is to help and to heal others, one who actively seeks to avert the death of living beings - a mindset quite different from that of a Hunter and wholly Alien to the majority of Vampires, whose entire unnatural existence is utterly dependent on the Death of others.

On more than one occasion Alfred D'Heller's life has been saved because in the course of every one of his operations his primary concern has been to save the victims of the Monster, rather than the pursuit and destruction of the creature itself - he has passed up pursuits which would have led straight into ambush to tend the injured, has generally obliged enemies to come to HIM because his focus is on the defence of others, has made Allies vital to his cause and more than once a firm friend because he has placed the welfare of others above his own without a second thought.

Yet if this gives the impression of Alfred D'Heller as a purely pacifistic soul then I have done the truth a disservice - for all his Humanity the Fiends of Vokelstein have known more chillingly relentless foe than Alfred D'Heller, for to him those that rule the shadows of his homeland are not prey, worthy or otherwise, but a foul disease which drains the life from the people and the land of Vokelstein for far too long - a disease which must be extirpated for the Kingdom to once more LIVE and not merely endure.

To the destruction of the Un-dead Alfred brings all the talents of the finest surgeons; vast knowledge of his field and a habit of study, ingenuity in extremity, cool-headedness in a crisis and much more - above all he brings a cold disinterest in that which imperils his patient (beyond whatever might lead to it's destruction and the relief of the patient's agony), a quality infinately precise, relentless and ruthless.

Keep in mind that in the course of their career, especially in a medieval setting such as Winterwier, a surgeon will almost certainly shed more blood than most criminals, will wield drugs, poison, things sharp and hot and heavy upon their patients, will countenance the infliction of pain in the pursuit of it's relief, will learn more about death and how it can be brought about than many murderers.

If this is what the Surgeon will do for those in his care, imagine what he does to that which has caused them pain ...

This what Alfred D'Heller does to the Creatures which have infected Vokelstein, every night; It is his sole purpose in life to preserve the lives and health of those whom he is called upon to care for and he will do EVERYTHING that serves this purpose.

No cruelty, no hesitation, no mercy.

What made Alfred D'Heller the man he is today?

In a word? Curiosity. From his earliest years Alfred wanted to KNOW and figured out at an early age that the best way to learn was to ask questions of Everyone and about Everything, including the answers - truly insatiable his curiosity even led him to (carefully and very politely) ask questions of individuals outside his bloodline. Do you know what he learned?

That people are most often just like OTHER people no matter how different one might have been led to expect them to be. Given this bit of knowledge and the answers his insatiable curiosity had helped him garner, Alfred found it impossible to muster the indifference to the fate of those not of his bloodline that permitted much of Modern Vokelstein to go about it's business without being driven to suicide or worse yet to madness - his decision to become a Medical Man (or as he prefers it a Medicine Man) came about to a great degree because this was one of the few ways he could remain affable towards everyone and ask questions no-one knew the answers to as an adult, without being pilloried (or worse).

In all honesty his patience was often tried during this time, especially by the stubborn paranoia his own neighbours directed each other and the chafing restriction this put on EVERYONE, to the point where he removed himself to live in seclusion, deep in the forest (learning the skills of a Woodman which he would later hone to a razor's edge).

In the end, however, Alfred always returned to them, mostly because whatever their faults they were his people and he wanted to help better their lives, help them better themselves no matter how small the degree of change. He married and that marriage bore fruit and he put down such roots that amongst his people that he could not imagine living without them, whatever their faults.

Then the Vampires came to take a daughter of the village for their 'Game' - he joined with her father in refusal and actually slew one of the creatures, saving her soul and even her life, if only for a little while. The Village rallied 'round the family and at his own suggestion refused to see them exiled, previously the customary fate for those who had been marked by the Vampire. It was the proudest moment of his life.

Then the Vampires came again - the Village fought, the Village died and only Alfred was left alive, so that he might carry word of all that had occurred, above all details of the fate that had struck those who had resisted their masters, denied Home but granted safe passage so that this word might be carried to the very farthest corners of Vokelstein.

Alfred did so, although he did not omit the destruction of Vampires nor the gallantry of his fallen Neighbours. He wandered all of Vokelstein, saw how it sickened in the grip of the parasites which had infected it, saw Horrors as they circled the Burgs like the corpse-eaters they were, saw all the Evil which these creatures worked - Alfred D'Heller saw much that was rotten in the State of Vokelstein and resolved to excise as much of it as he might before his Homeland was poisoned to death and died as his Homestead had.

He dedicated what remained of his lifetime to this cause and to the people of Vokelstein; he swore that he would heal as many of the woes of the Vokelstein-folk as he might or die trying.

He isn't dead yet and he's done a lot of good; his curiosity has uncovered those who are afflicted and ferreted out the weaknesses with which he might destroy those that afflicted them, his experience as a surgeon and woodsman gave him the skills so necessary to exploit this weakness and evade vengeance thereafter, his habits of compassion and kindness have won him allies - though not always friendship, for his very kindness forbids him to mark any soul or settlement as a target by making a new home amongst them.

Alfred D'Heller has on the whole been content with the lifestyle of a forest hermit, has been content to grow into a kindly, eccentric soul in his solitude, gentle in the main - yet capable of such utter ruthlessness towards the Monsters that sicken Vokelstein as can chill even the Vampire.

Alfred still asks questions, of himself, of others and of the World. Someday the answers he so carefully records will change it for the better; he trusts because if there is anything his questions have taught him it's that to answer with trust is to give room for a better reply than most.

[Phrozen]

"Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes heal patients; sometimes execute dangerous people. Either way helps." -Mordin Solus

[Libra]

Given that most of Alfred D'Heller's patients sicken because of supernatural Evil, destroying those who have afflicted them DOES generally help - on the other hand Alfred has difficulties killing mortals, mostly because he finds it difficult to label the Living hopelessly Evil, since he asks too many questions to come up with wholly one-sided answers.

Put bluntly he doesn't deal easily with moral ambiguity and most mortals in Vokelstein tend to be nothing if not somewhat ambiguous, morally speaking.

[Charles Phipps]

Great write-up libra.

Alfred is nicely done (very much not just a Van Helsing EXPY) and so is Brother Shadowspawn (a character which could have been very cheesy)

two thumbs up.

[Charles Phipps]

An homage to a favorite series of mine.

Koris and Kevan

In the Bathas kingdoms there was one gladiator who stood above all the rest in terms of battle prowess, Koris Bloodreaver (not his real name but gladiators are meant to be showmen).

An impoverished child sold to the Gladiator Guild by his debt-ridden casteless parents, Koris spent his entire life killing in the pits for masters who considered him a valuable but disposable commodity.

Koris, eventually, discovered just how disposable a commodity he was when he had his ax poisoned by a rival so he could take a dive in a fight against a captured Drake. Koris, against all sense and reason, managed to kill the creature anyway and was granted his freedom by the Bathas King as a result.

Koris, of course, promptly swore blood vengeance against the entire Gladiator's Guild. Rather than depend on the law (pishaw) to protect them, the Gladiator's Guildmasters fled and left Koris with the uncomfortable job of tracking them across the surface of Alacarn.

A bloodthirsty, hard-drinking, hard-eating, hard-a-lot of things psychotic Bathas was an odd choice for ending up recruiting the rather posh Winterweir ministrel, Ser Kevan, but this occurred not long after Koris' arrival in the future.

"Ser" Kevan, a title he's uncomfortable with given his Yeoman roots, was rescued from hanging (over a minor matter of a dirty song he wasn't aware would be taken as political libel) by Koris due to the fact that Bathas heard Kevan spoke multiple languages including Bathas.

While Koris has picked up a somewhat brutish trade tongue, he still relies on Kevan to serve as his translator and go-betweener for most dealings. Kevan, of course, is rather horrified he's essentially enslaved to P.R. now. Even if he didn't have a small affection for the Bathas, he's now wanted in multiple countries for his part in assisting Koris' bloodrages.

Ironically, the only thing protecting them is that they are actually viewed as heroes. Inbetween Koris' multiple counts of murder against the Guildmasters and their minions, the team sustains itself by bounty hunting and mercenary work.

Contrary to the usual mercenary companies, the two usually end up drastically changing the course of conflicts due to Kevan's unusual way of thinking (informed by genre saviiness of all things) and Koris' near-invincibility as a warrior. Yes, poor Kevan is a hero now and so is Koris, considered an intrepid duo of monster-hunters due to Kevan's own ballads about them that have spread like wildfire.

Yes, Gods help them, they've become heroes.

Koris is, for all intents and purposes, a combat machine. He has no real interests other than self-indulgence and improving his ability to kill things. He trains constantly and spends all of his coin between the two extremes. He is distrustful of magic but doesn't let that get in his way for enchanting his weapons and armor. He has numerous mystical tatoos which lightly increase his physical attributes, something he thinks is very clever. Likewise, he's covered in piercings that give him ready access to magical rings he can switch out to when he needs defenses against certain things (demons, ice, cold, etc).

His battle axe, Skull Reaper, is a sacred relic of the Bathas he recovered from a Daemon's tomb.

Kevan, on the other hand, is pretty much the definition of a Winterweir dandy. Having grown up in a relatively enlightened society compared to the rest of Alacarn, he's prone to being shocked and appalled by the treatment everyone recieves. A great deal more civilized than Koris, he seems to spend most of his time doing damage control and working on his ballads (when not getting into romantic pitfalls). Despite this, Kevan is actually a surprisingly talented fighter.

His willingness to cheat to survive and make use of every advantage possible, albeit not to the level of Koris also helps him survive to grow stronger.

[Phrozen]

His battle sex, Skull Reaper, is a sacred relic of the Bathas he recovered from a Daemon's tomb.

Really? What kind of Daemon?

[Charles Phipps]

*kills some to make a cover up*

I don't know what you're talking about.

[Libra]

Great write-up libra.

Alfred is nicely done (very much not just a Van Helsing EXPY) and so is Brother Shadowspawn (a character which could have been very cheesy)

two thumbs up.

Thank you very kindly Charles, for being patient to put up with my importune request! - since I suspect that you have better things to do - I am, however, very glad that you like my characterisations of the characters, since your approval of my contributions to The Savage Worlds of Charles Phipps is rather precious to me.

After all, if you can't point out my mistakes, who can? (besides everyone else!).

[Libra]

In the Bathas kingdoms there was one gladiator who stood above all the rest in terms of battle prowess, Koris Bloodreaver (not his real name but gladiators are meant to be showmen).

Amusingly Koris HATES being called a gladiator - he was a PROPER Pit Fighter, not one of those poncy swordsmen! (Koris doesn't mind killing with a sword, but that doesn't mean he'd want to be caught CARRYING one, like that poncy friend of his!).

Koris, you see, prefers a weapon that can wreak both Murder AND Mayhem, like an axe, his fists, his head or some other painfully blunt object.

Koris, eventually, discovered just how disposable a commodity he was when he had his ax poisoned by a rival so he could take a dive in a fight against a captured Drake.

This is actually something of a reconstruction put together by Kevan - as Koris tells it there WAS a poisoned Axe, but it was the edge, rather than the handle which was poisoned (no-one thought that even Koris would stand a chance in the nethermost deeps of killing the thing - although they were pretty sure he'd maim the flame out of it before it gobbled him up) so the smart money was on the wyrm; the Gladiator Guild intended that the DRAKE take a fall.

Since Koris had his professional pride and was entirely confident in his eventual success - there was only ONE lizard, after all - he cast away his weapon and tore the beast's heart out with his bare hands (though he has to admit that he'd been obliged to kill stalagtite first).

This is PROBABLY a blatant lie, but since it's Koris who makes the claim, no-one cares to argue!

Koris, of course, promptly swore blood vengeance against the entire Gladiator's Guild. Rather than depend on the law (pishaw) to protect them, the Gladiator's Guildmasters fled and left Koris with the uncomfortable job of tracking them across the surface of Alacarn.

Why did Koris' former masters run, rather than try to subvert the Courts of Justice in their favour? - well they tried, but even THEY didn't have enough money to persuade the appropriate parties to do anything quite so certain to tick off the Batha who killed a DRAKE single-handed as getting in the way of his Bloody Vengeance!

A bloodthirsty, hard-drinking, hard-eating, hard-a-lot of things psychotic Bathas was an odd choice for ending up recruiting the rather posh Winterweir ministrel, Ser Kevan, but this occurred not long after Koris' arrival in the future.

Ser Kevan, you may be amused to learn, usually settles for 'Hard-headed' when called upon to describe Koris outside of song - somewhat amusingly Koris rather likes this description, since he can make a thoroughly dirty joke out of it.

You really don't want to know - just ask Kevan, who still rathers wishes HE hadn't been given a front-row seat at it's debut ... in a nursery (To be fair Koris was boasting to the nursemaid, a fellow Batha - Batha are held to be excellent childminders, by virtue of being judicious taskmasters).

(over a minor matter of a dirty song he wasn't aware would be taken as political libel)

The Queen of Winterweir doesn't mind lovers who kiss and tell - so long as the telling is entirely complimentary - but she DOES mind poets who can't be bothered to do their research! (Kevan had, in fact, never met the Queen at that point in his career - their first actual encounter, you'll be amused to know, ended with an exhaustive cramming session so that the bard could make good his previous lack of research).

While Koris has picked up a somewhat brutish trade tongue

Koris prefers to ave his voice for the important things in life (like Oaths of blood and just plain Cuss-words, not to mention Barmaids or Barmen).

Contrary to the usual mercenary companies, the two usually end up drastically changing the course of conflicts due to Kevan's unusual way of thinking (informed by genre saviiness* of all things) and Koris' near-invincibility as a warrior. Yes, poor Kevan is a hero now and so is Koris, considered an intrepid duo of monster-hunters due to Kevan's own ballads about them that have spread like wildfire.

Yes, Gods help them, they've become heroes.**

*It should be noted that while Kevan doesn't always know what to expect himself, he DOES generally have a rather accurate idea of what OTHERS will be expecting, which can prove rather useful when trying to uncover a way to NOT die at the hands of an outraged mob or two dozen.

**It should also be noted that, united, the two are capable of achieving what neither of them could apart - Kevan has the right mindset and morals for a Hero, but lacks the fierce temper and capacity for habitual violence.

Koris, on the other hand, lacks the attitude but makes up for it in sheer bloody-mindedness and bloody-handed execution of whatever or whomsoever happens to be threatening his immediate vicinity (which happens to extend several leagues around him, in every direction.

It also helps that his professional pride extends to a refusal to kill the defenceless - mostly because they couldn't put up a good enough fight, but every little helps ...

His battle axe, Skull Reaper, is a sacred relic of the Bathas he recovered from a Daemon's tomb.

Koris likes to claim that this Axe is the only reason he doesn't continue to favours his forehead, bare hands and any other weapons he cared to grab from someone else when he felt like being creative; he's also been known to brag that he found the Axe in a Demon's lair, but took it from a Demon's Tomb.

This is one of those times when the saga practically sang itself for Kevan.

Kevan, on the other hand, is pretty much the definition of a Winterweir dandy.

Amusingly this is entirely accurate - most of the other fashionable duellists in Winterwier are still working on the evolution from Cavalier to Fop, while old Kevan desperately wishes he could find more opportunities in his life to play Beau Brummel and somewhat fewer Pointed incentives to play the Swashbuckler!

His willingness to cheat to survive and make use of every advantage possible, albeit not to the level of Koris also helps him survive to grow stronger.

To be fair and strictly accurate, Kevan is MUCH better at cheating than Koris, but has to be because he's less willing to exploit ANYTHING to survive - there are some lines he declines to cross, which might mean he has more pride even than Koris or just less sense and more sentiment.

Or something of all three!

[Kouya]

Woah, this is a meaty thread. I am not yet through, so i am sorry if this has been asked already:

Any chance winterweir will ever get an official M&M 3e treatment?
It really Sounds like a setting i'd dig (you had me at Berserk ) but i strongly dislike Savage Worlds.

Best,
Kouya