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The Fourth Telvar Open Tournament: Characters

Incident at Gerda

The Fourth Open Tournament, July 16, 1994 (January 10, 2170 B.Y.)

A TELVAR Adventure

Dungeon Mastered by: Edwin Brooks Anderson, Jr.
Hosted by: Andrew Anderson and Keith Nelson
Additional Support from: David Chappell

The Characters of the Fourth Telvar Open Tournament (not all are included)

Balmer Ising Lawful Neutral (Evil)

Commander, Special Forces, Garythane City-State Army
You are a shrewd leader of commando forces for the City-State of Garythane. You worked in the city as a thief during the reign of chaotic evil in the city-state. Now that the government is run by a lawful evil oligarchy, you have found a home. Your skills have put you in a position of power. Your task is to recover the infamous Orb of the Night, a morale and vison improvement device for use with troops. It was stolen during the Day that Is Not, and you have been tracking the thief ever since. Somehow the thief made it past some death traps that seem to indicate that the thief was a golem of some sort, but you are not sure. This group was drawn together quickly nad you left illy informed. You know the orb is a small black sphere, and is being carried by a single man-sized being moving across the hills.

There are valleys in these mountains inhabitted by xenophobes who kill all outsiders first and ask questoins later. You thought your party might be a New Empyrean spy who was running to Durrowden, but they have turned north, through a rocky pass, into this valley. The thief’s actions are hard to explain.

Brulsis is a fellow loyal to the city, and Crush the giant is reasonably obedient. You trust both but think little of the giant’s tactical skills. Willis is a devil worshipper and has allegences beyond the city-state. This makes you suspicious of his motives in many circumstances, but he is intelligent and usefull.

Crush Neutral Evil (Neutral)

Special Forces, Garythane City-State Army
You are a member of the Garythane City-State Army because it pays well and gives you a chance to crush things. You are not stupid, just not very smart. You are deformed and awkward moving, but an unstoppable force in most combat situations. The same deformities give you an eye on the side of your head and an ear on top. This makes it impossible to surprise you. Your camouflage makes it possible for you to surprise opponents often on rocky terrain.

The rest of the group treats you as disposable on occasion, and this makes you very uneasy. So far you have not had to fight anything that was a real threat to you, but you worry about the situations that Balmer, and especially Willis, would send you into...

You are a long time friend of the orc tribe Garthclaw’s Raiders and would trust Brulsis under most circumstances. He treats you like a valued ally and would not throw your life away.

All you know about the mission is that you are following some dude into the mountains because he stole a ball of magical darkness.

Willis Bertrand Lawful Evil

Volunteer, Special Forces, Garythane City-State Army
You are a devil worshipper and a volunteer in the Garythane City-State Army. Your physical appearance speaks of simple piety, but underneath is a scheming being of near ultimate evil. The previous ruler of the city-state of Garythane put chaos far too much in power and you are very glad to help the present lawful evil government swing into power, but only as a means of forwarding the cause of lawful evil. You have no interest in the city-state for its own good.

Your task is to recover the infamous Orb of the Night, a morale and vison improvement device for use with troops. It was stolen during the Day that Is Not, and you have been tracking the thief ever since. Somehow the thief made it past some death traps that seem to indicate that the thief was a golem of some sort, but you are not sure. This group was drawn together quickly nad you left illy informed. You know the orb is a small black sphere, and is being carried by a single man-sized being moving across the hills.

There are valleys in these mountains inhabitted by xenophobes who kill all outsiders first and ask questoins later. You thought your party might be a New Empyrean spy who was running to Durrowden, but they have turned north, through a rocky pass, into this valley.

Balmer is a foolish patriot, and Brulsis is stupid enough to worship orcish dieties. Crush is a tool, and should be used as such.


Brulsis Lawful Evil

Leiutenant Commander, Special Forces, Garythane City-State Army

Clan War Chief, Garthclaw’s Raiders Orc Tribe
Your tribe has chosen to throw its lot in with the new government of the Garythane City-State and its plans of conquest of this region of the continent. The leadership is shrewd and strong, and the strong will prosper and survive. You worship Ilneval, the loyal right-hand warrior of the chief orc god, He-Who-Watches. This task is just another mission. You keep in mind that the concerns of the tribe come first, and would not betray the tribe.

Balmer and Willis are just a couple of Garythane soldiers, but you distrust the devil worshipping Willis. Crush is not only a fellow soldier, but an ally of the tribe. You value his life above the humans since he would probably side with Garthclaw’s raiders if something went amiss.

You have a loyal officer named Fritten who is a second level long bow specialist. You also have eight zero level troops:

Fritten, orc, AC (-1) 0/1/4, F2, HP 18 Long Bow specialist, Battle Axe

8 Orcs, AC (2) 3/4/4, HD 1, HP 6, Long Bows and Battle Axes


Ferran Walek Neutral Evil (CN tendencies)

Bounty Hunter
You work for the highest bidder with only one concern, yourself. You enjoy the hunt and the thrill of power from taking down the gretest of game, sentient life. Profit and thrill are more important than death and destruction. You care little for politics and trust no one except faithful Hechas, and even she will no longer be usefull in time. You have the cool of and early movie villan with your tilted

Slink was some assassin wanted by his own guild for breaking the rules. You hunted him down and returned him for the bounty, but the bounty had been dropped. Furious you looked for what you could gain from the situation. Slink had still been banished and he seemed ideal fodder. You could make use of him until he dies. That seemed more efficient than just bagging him.

Hechas Neutral Evil

Bounty Hunter
Although some might mistake you for nothing but a great wolf, you are intelligent, scheming and dangerous. You are a shaman of the the Great Wolf, the greatest of all Worg dieties. You joined with Ferran when you met him and discovered his love ofthe hunt. Now the bond of death between you is strong. With your combined tracking abilities, few stand any chance of escape form your clutches. Ferran enjoys money ad what it will buy him, but to you there is only the hunt and the chance that you can kill the happless prize.

Slink is a loser assassin that Ferran wanted to spare to use as fodder at a later date. You picked hime up when you captured him after a bounty expired. You consider him dead weight and would like him to fit the phrase more easily. He is simply removing soem of the fun of earlier chases.

“Slink”, Oscar Troufalt Chaotic Evil

Bounty Hunter

Former Member of the Shining Wire assassins’ guild
It was two years ago that you fled the city of Felonius after making an assassination outside of guild rules. The price had seemed good until you discoverd that you had killed a guild operative acting as a constable’s scribe. The guild placed a 3000 gold piece bounty on you and you ran for your life. Ferran was i town and hnted you down. You were wanted alive for questioning and torture, so Ferran did rrelatively litle damage as he captured you in the wooded hills out of town. By the time you returned it was discovered that the operative was a double agent and the bounty on your head was dropped. You were still kicked out of the guild for breaking the rules. “Never come back,” they told you.

With no place to go, you suggested that hiring you was a good idea. That has gotten you out of the city and made you some money in the last couple of years. You trust Ferran and Hechas less and less. They seem very uncocerned wiht your safety, but you are only biding the right time to flee with a prize or kill them in the night.

Bugaboo Chaotic Evil (Neutral)

Exiled Bugbear

Samantha Lamondo Neutral Good

Commander, New Empyrean Army
You are an idealist and a patriot. You believe in New Empyrea as the only hope in a sea of confusion. It offers a Nevronian state far beyond the influences of the Royal Empirial Realm. New Empyrea offers answers to religious tensions, sexism, racial conflict, and old poltical entanglements. You are an admirer of Truesister Karolyn, Nevronian cleric leader of New Empyrea. You try to trust all of your fellow Empyrean but realize that they may have local allegences that are stronger than those they have to the rest of the nation.

Garythane and the World Empire are a false beacon. Although they have much reformed with the disappearance of the Tangg-Lord, you see the Empire as an example of govenment gone wrong exercising a brutal strangle hold on its people.

Rygle Vernborne Lawful Good

New Empyrean Army

Durrowden Millitia

You are a loyal member of the Durrowdean Millitia. You objected to early cooperation with the human empire of New Empyrea, but after the fall of the citie sof Loamburrow and Rock Haven you changed your mind. The World Empire will only lead to the extinciton of dwarves and gnomes at the hands of the orcs and goblins. You want to see New Empyrea flourish, but the well-being of hill dwarven culture and its lawful good ideals is all important.

Metronna Chaotic Good

New Empyrean Army

Shell Magic Users’ Guild
Shell is a city run by the great albino wizard Ekrubage the Pale. You are a member of the wizard’s guild there, and owe a certain amount of allegience to the city above New Empyrea. A strange mix of politics and adventure seems to fit your likes.

Nordis Firebrand Neutral Good

New Empyrean Army

Newford Millitia Afield

You come from the mercahnt city of Newford, the largest city in New Empyrea. Your clan lives in the hills nearby and you serve as a security officer for merchant caravans when you are not serving in the army.

Michael Osborne Lawful Good

Nevronian Cleric

New Empyrean Army


Sayer Trueblood Chaotic Good

New Empyrean Army
You are here as standard army. You have few ties to anywhere, but you want to make sure the good guys win in the political struggle taking place. You believe in New Empyrea and its basic framework because it is such an open stucture. Government is a neccesary evil, and weak central government seems te best bet.

The dwarf gets on your nerves. He’s picky and pushy. You would stand up for him as much as any of the party in a fight, but otherwise you might tease him.

Schaelyck Chaotic Evil

Field Commander
You have been sent out to make a crucial purchase. Soon an elven thief will deliver the infamous Orb of the Night. The Orb is a magical item that confers great morale powers in pitch darkness. it has vision altering powers and confusion abilities. Possessing it would be a great boon to you and your fellow Derro Dwarves’ quest to destroy the mainstream dwarven kingdom. It would work all of the time underground, where the real battles would take place. You are unconcerned with surface politics.

In your travel case in the waterfall stronghold there is an iron box to which you hold the key. Inside is eighty thousand gold pieces worth of gems and jewelry. Your task is to get the item from thte thief. You know he has stolen it from a surface empire called the World Empire, a lawful Evil country. You are to get the orb at all costs. If you could get it without paying you could pocket the money, but he operative would be lost...

Three days ago you arrived at the outpost alone and met the four dwarves manning it: a savant named Telzwick, his student “Straws”, and two warriors named Belikae and Jeshkus. They are probably good demon worshippers like yourself so you do not trust them completely. The derro dwarf who walks back to the settlement with the orb’ in hand will be rich and powerfull...

Telzwick Chaotic Evil

Student Savant

Outpost Monitor

You have recieved word that an elven thief has stolen an item known as the Orb of the Night. The Orb is a magical item that confers great morale powers in pitch darkness. it has vision altering powers and confusion abilities. Possessing it would be a great boon to you and your fellow Derro Dwarves’ quest to destroy the mainstream dwarven kingdom. It would work all of the time underground, where the real battles would take place. You are unconcerned with surface politics.

Three days ago, a field commander named Schaelyck arrived carrying an iron box. You are aware that the box contains the money to buy the Orb of the Night. You work at the outpost with three other derro dwarves: your student “Straws” and two warriors: Jeshkus and Belikae.

Straws: Spell-Wall of Fog, has magic spear, spiked buckler, short sword

Belikae: Has short sword, repeating crossbow with poison, buckler

Jeshkus: Has spiked buckler, spear, and pick

Nearby is your ally Looper, a natural stone gargoyle. He is unaffected by normal weapons but a weak fighter. He was a runt and a reject from his home. You also have a undead, skeletal bat that you can fly about as a scout:

AC 7, MV 15”, HD 1/2, HP 2, Speed 6, Damage 1 point

You wil do whatever is neccesary to get the orb in derro dwarf hands.

You would prefer not to break your truce with the natives of the valley. You have set up trade with them through drop-offs at the waterfall. The food they provide makes your life much easier, and occasionally you get gems. Stashed away in your quarters under a loose floor stone are 7 gems of 100 GP value.

The derro dwarves are part of a group of dwarves banished from the dwarven kingdom for meddling in magic and trying to overthrow the king. Long ago a group of dwarves found they could obtain sage-like spell powers through arcane experimentation. The king declared in ‘Black magic’ and a civil war began between the magic-using dwarves and those loyal to the king. The rebellion failed. All of the dwarves who revilted wrere banished and cursed not to grow a beard for a hundred generations, about twenty thousand years... The derro dwarves have honed thier maigcal skills ever since. You now have the opportunity to do some damage to the hill dwarven kingdom at Durrowden with the Orb!

Looper Chaotic Evil
You are a creature of natural caves, and you presently live by a waterfall. You count on your dwarven allies for gems. You do wark for them and they give you cut gems or food. Hidden near the water fall in a small cave are 7 gems you have and like. The people in the valley are scared of you, but the dwarves have told you not to mess with the humans.

Today different humans have appeared, and you have flown to tell the dwarves.



The Fourth Open expected attendee list, which may not reflect ACTUAL attendees:

1 Andrew B. Anderson
2 Kathryn Klawiter
3 Rodger L. Henson
4 Keith Nelson
5 Chris Allen
6 Steve Barbe
7 David T. Chappell
8 John Johnson
9 Alan Jones
10 Rhonda S. Jones
11 David Keen
12 Ashley Merritt
13 Stephanie Parker
14 Sean Paus
15 David Sakell
16 Rick Smathers
17 Scott Tillman
18 Eric Wright
19 Adam Majewski
20 David C. Jones
21 Dean Nestvogel

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