Re: World of Freedom 3.2 - Horus! Hercules! The Ultima! Sentinels of Emeraldias!
Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2017 7:19 pm
The Castle Crow
Thanks to Daibhid C for suggesting the above image!
As a boy, Guigliemo Shabat's greatest joy was to sit at his grandfather's side and listen to tales of Emeraldias' past. Though the old man swore that all his stories were nothing less than the simple truth, the world they described seemed so utterly different from the city he knew, impossible to reconcile with the court he sometimes visited in the company of his parents. Best of all the tales, often revisited, were the stories of the Castle Crow, a mysterious figure who'd appeared in the night to strike down the enemies of the throne if they dared to approach the Emerald Castle.
Much later, after his grandfather had passed away and he'd grown to adulthood, Guigliemo chanced to gain access to the castle archives, and whimsically decided to look up records about the Castle Crow. He was shocked and horrified to learn that, while there had indeed been such a person, that individual was not by any means a heroic one. One of the Princes of two centuries past had developed a madness that led him to go about after dark and murder random individuals, who were subsequently declared 'enemies of the throne'. Nor was that the only dark secret he discovered hidden behind the tales of heroism he'd so enjoyed.
Shaken by this, Guigliemo chose to put the past behind him and focus on the present, where he strove to be worthy of the legacy his grandparents and parents had left to him, in a time when so many of his fellow aristocrats cared for nothing but their own advancement. He avoided entangling his family's destiny with that of the Regent, and watched the fortunes of his fellows start to outpace his own, with only the satisfaction of his own integrity and the company of a few others of like mind ... from whom he eventually learned that the Princess was making plans of her own.
The notion that the corrupt Regency might be brought to an end appealed to him, but he was also aware that many of the Princess' ancestors, such as the one behind the Castle Crow legend, had taken action in less than wholesome manners. He needed to be sure of her character before he offered her his allegiance, but how to gain that surety? And then the idea came to him, and he developed the identity of the new Castle Crow, a thief-taker who joined the Princess' entourage without revealing his true nature.
So far, he has seen nothing to suggest that Her Majesty has succumbed to the dark side of her heritage, and yet he continues the masquerade. At times he wonders if perhaps he has contracted some manner of madness, that his double life would not end even if his secret were known to all ...
The Castle Crow -- PL 8
Abilities: STR 3 | STA 3 | AGL 5 | DEX 5 | FGT 8 | INT 5 | AWE 2 | PRE 2
Equipment: Concealed Armor (Protection 2, Subtle), Fighting Staff (Strength-based Damage 2, Reach 1), Throwing Daggers (Strength-based Ranged Damage 2).
Advantages: Benefit 3 (Wealth), Close Attack 3, Defensive Roll, Equipment 2, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Quick Draw.
Skills: Acrobatics 3 (+8), Athletics 5 (+8), Expertise: Burglary 5 (+10), Expertise: Courtier 6 (+8) Intimidation 5 (+7), Investigation 1 (+6), Perception 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Throwing Daggers 4 (+9), Stealth 5 (+10).
Offense: Initiative +5, Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 3), Fighting Staff +11 (Close Damage 5, Reach 1), Throwing Daggers +9 (Ranged Damage 5).
Defense: Dodge 9, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 7/5/3, Will 6.
Totals: Abilities 66 + Advantages 12 + Skills 20 + Defenses 12 = 110 points
Complications: Responsibility--Motivation. Secret.
Thanks to Daibhid C for suggesting the above image!
As a boy, Guigliemo Shabat's greatest joy was to sit at his grandfather's side and listen to tales of Emeraldias' past. Though the old man swore that all his stories were nothing less than the simple truth, the world they described seemed so utterly different from the city he knew, impossible to reconcile with the court he sometimes visited in the company of his parents. Best of all the tales, often revisited, were the stories of the Castle Crow, a mysterious figure who'd appeared in the night to strike down the enemies of the throne if they dared to approach the Emerald Castle.
Much later, after his grandfather had passed away and he'd grown to adulthood, Guigliemo chanced to gain access to the castle archives, and whimsically decided to look up records about the Castle Crow. He was shocked and horrified to learn that, while there had indeed been such a person, that individual was not by any means a heroic one. One of the Princes of two centuries past had developed a madness that led him to go about after dark and murder random individuals, who were subsequently declared 'enemies of the throne'. Nor was that the only dark secret he discovered hidden behind the tales of heroism he'd so enjoyed.
Shaken by this, Guigliemo chose to put the past behind him and focus on the present, where he strove to be worthy of the legacy his grandparents and parents had left to him, in a time when so many of his fellow aristocrats cared for nothing but their own advancement. He avoided entangling his family's destiny with that of the Regent, and watched the fortunes of his fellows start to outpace his own, with only the satisfaction of his own integrity and the company of a few others of like mind ... from whom he eventually learned that the Princess was making plans of her own.
The notion that the corrupt Regency might be brought to an end appealed to him, but he was also aware that many of the Princess' ancestors, such as the one behind the Castle Crow legend, had taken action in less than wholesome manners. He needed to be sure of her character before he offered her his allegiance, but how to gain that surety? And then the idea came to him, and he developed the identity of the new Castle Crow, a thief-taker who joined the Princess' entourage without revealing his true nature.
So far, he has seen nothing to suggest that Her Majesty has succumbed to the dark side of her heritage, and yet he continues the masquerade. At times he wonders if perhaps he has contracted some manner of madness, that his double life would not end even if his secret were known to all ...
The Castle Crow -- PL 8
Abilities: STR 3 | STA 3 | AGL 5 | DEX 5 | FGT 8 | INT 5 | AWE 2 | PRE 2
Equipment: Concealed Armor (Protection 2, Subtle), Fighting Staff (Strength-based Damage 2, Reach 1), Throwing Daggers (Strength-based Ranged Damage 2).
Advantages: Benefit 3 (Wealth), Close Attack 3, Defensive Roll, Equipment 2, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Quick Draw.
Skills: Acrobatics 3 (+8), Athletics 5 (+8), Expertise: Burglary 5 (+10), Expertise: Courtier 6 (+8) Intimidation 5 (+7), Investigation 1 (+6), Perception 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Throwing Daggers 4 (+9), Stealth 5 (+10).
Offense: Initiative +5, Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 3), Fighting Staff +11 (Close Damage 5, Reach 1), Throwing Daggers +9 (Ranged Damage 5).
Defense: Dodge 9, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 7/5/3, Will 6.
Totals: Abilities 66 + Advantages 12 + Skills 20 + Defenses 12 = 110 points
Complications: Responsibility--Motivation. Secret.