Pre-Game Briefing

[NoTrammeling]

I just wanted to give a little direction to those writing bios. I'll post a more definitive briefing once everyones' characters are in.

The game is going to begin with the party already together (maybe split into two groups if we have 6-7 players), under the pretense of that you've come to the Dalelands to do some adventuring (or if you have a more specific purpose that brings you to Daggerdale in particular, perhaps you've fallen in with some adventurers for added security/power/comraderie). The party will have briefly met in Shadowdale (a more prosperous place than Daggerdale, and one ideal to begin adventuring careers), then headed to Daggerdale due to its rugged, untamed, unexplored nature.

It's fine by me if you wish to be from Daggerdale proper, maybe you made a short trip to Shadowdale to recruit help for your cause or maybe you can meet the party on their way in.

It's completely up to you as to why/how your character joined up with this group, and I'll certainly work with any bio you wish to write ^^

Also, you can choose just how little or how much interaction your PC's have had with each other. Just because you all joined up doesn't mean you're comrades or even friends yet, this may well be your first week together. Have fun!

[Breila]

The only reason I can imagine for Eringard to come to Shadowdale is that she has been sent there by her superiors, either to report on the lack of progress of the temple rebuilding effort, or to do counseling for problems the temple community has in Shadowdale. On her way back, she would be likely to join a group of people heading to Dagger Falls, simply not to travel alone.

[onlie2005]

I was thinking, maybe Eringard knows Maria's family?

Umara Fezim, a red wizard and Maria's mother, was a rarity among red wizards. A kindhearted gentle soul who was fiercely independant of the other red wizards and perhaps the most heroic and charitable. Umara was shunned by the other red wizards for her genuine acts of bravery and goodness. She was part of an adventuring party who often adventured in the Dalelands. This party often was in league with Randal Morn who they helped in his rebellion against the Zhentarim. Aside from fighting for him, Umara was also known to help the sick and wounded rebels, was a fierce protector of young children and was much beloved in the Dalelands, especially since she disregarded her red wizard superiors constant anger towards her for riling up the Zhentarim whom they did not want to antagonize unnecessarily. Eringard knew Umara personally as a child since the woman was often caring for the children of Daggerdale and protecting them from the Zhentarim. The two were close almost like a mother-daughter. But Umara left 13 years ago to return to Thay after the death of her fellow adventurer and fiancee Allistair Fireheart.

Ten years later though, word was sent all the way from Thay. Umara was alive and well and now had a young daughter. But the daughter was in trouble. A child prodigy and future budding invoker at a very young age, the red wizards wanted to take her away from her mother for a much more proper red wizard training. Thankfully Maria shared her mother's values and had no wish to become one. So Umara called for help from Randal Morn. And he sent it in the form of Eringard who boarded a boat in Yhaunn headed to Thay. Eringard arrived at Bezantur, Priador(a city in Thay) and was surprised to see Umara with a sleeping little girl who was almost an exact replica of Umara herself save for reddish brown hair instead of the normal dark brown. Umara thanked Eringard for coming and handed Maria over to her. Umara said she cannot come because she wanted to act as a decoy so that Eringard and the ship she was on could escape Thay unnoticed. Against her better judgement Eringard agreed and soon the ship was far away from Thay and headed back East. Maria was upset that her mother could not come with her but there was nothing more they could do.

Maria was taken to Shadowdale eventually, where she would be taken in by Jhaele Silvermane, another family friend who knew Umara well. Unfortunately Jhaele had to break some bad news to Maria. Her mother was dead, mortally wounded in a magical battle with another red wizard looking for Maria. Umara won but died soon after. Three years later, Maria has been living happily in Shadowdale, continuing her arcane studies and is under the protection and tutelage of Elminster through his apprentice Lhaeo. Eringard comes over every few days to check up on her and reports to Randal Morn.

What do you think? Maybe Randal has sent Eringard to retrieve Maria for a meeting of some sort or perhaps Jhaele has been noting that Maria has been spending too much time in the library of late and needs some time off?

[Breila]

@onlie2005:
I'm sorry i have to say this, but I rather resent it when someone states that their character has a connection to mine without even making contact with me first. And you even go as far as telling me what she has done in the past years!!!

If you had pm'd me, introduced yourself and laid out your ideas, I might have gone along with some of it. As it is now, you get a very firm no because the Eringard you describe is very different from the Eringard I had in mind, and I can't have another player set up my character.

[onlie2005]

Sorry it was a suggestion by me not intended to insult you. I will remember next time but I did not mean to be presumptuous. I will think of something else of course but I did not mean anything harmful to your character.

[Breila]

It has nothing to do with harming my character, it's my automomy as a player that's compromised. I want to decide about my character's past.

Eringard is only 22 and a rather shy person, she does not know Randal Morn personally. She would prefer to live quietly in her temple community and only leaves it when bidden so by her superiors. She would have been a most unlikely person to be sent to fetch a girl from so far away, not world-wise at all and only 19 at the time herself.
She might have known Umara, but would not have dared speaking to the famous mage.

[Jenara]

Yeah a little presumptuous! Still there is some mileage in the basis, probably worth you two discussing it further.

[NoTrammeling]

Ehhh ^^; I think it best that no one is directly involved with Randal Morn. It's possible, even likely, that you may have met him in the past or currently wish to join him but no serious relation yet.

[HorizonsDream]

Okay, so I know how my character gets to Shadowdale. My question is, how do the rest of the characters meet when they are in Shadowdale? Was there some sort of job posting that brought them all together, and sent them off to Dagger Falls?

[NoTrammeling]

The group is responding to a listing in Shadowdale wherein a reward is offered for the investigation and cessation of a strange malady effecting the people of Dagger Falls. Jain (JAY-in) Longleague your liaison for the mission, could offer little detail on the disease, other than victims are struck comatose.

I have added some info on Jain to the Character Descriptions thread.

[Breila]

Of course Eringard will join as soon as she hears about this, knowing there is a plague in her home town makes her itch to hurry back. After all, people dear to her may be affected and she's a healer!

[HorizonsDream]

Okay, that works for me.

After talking to Jaded, it has been decided that Raina reads the posting, tells Gimak about it, and they decided to join up.

[NoTrammeling]

Excellent ^^ glad this will work out.

[Jenara]

Elianna will of course help, its why she is here.

[NoTrammeling]

The party will leave Shadowdale by the Northwestern road shown on the map in the Game Settings thread. We'll start a half a day's march out of Shadowdale. It should take you 5 days to reach Dagger Falls with all of your gear and the shorter races if you take the shortest route.