Game idea, history and character creation
A courier arrived at your home one day with a letter and a copy of a will. The letter read as follows:
(character's name),
I pray this letter finds you in good cheer and good health. Should the courier delivering this not have already warned you, please find a place to sit down before reading further, as the news enclosed will come as a shock to you.
Your father, the great bard Alfons Bartel, has died. You are entitled to part of his estate as one of his children. A copy of his will has been included in this message. Should you wish to claim the inheritance your father left to you, please meet at the appointed hour at the temple of Ayaress, goddess of death and taxes, in Watcher's Haven.
Respectfully,
Maudhra, priestess of Ayaress
The will is harder to decipher, as it has been written in flowery script, in some arcane form of Draconic. What you do glean from it is that Alfons Bartel had vast wealth, both in treasure and in land, that you can now claim. All you have to do is arrive at the temple mentioned in the letter and the priests of Ayaress will take care of the next steps to take what is rightfully yours.
You may have met your real father in passing at some point, but he was never part of your life. Your mother may have remarried after you were born, or been married when you were conceived. She may have told you the truth of your heritage, or lied about it. She may never have told you at all. But there is a feeling of truth to this letter; for better or worse, it hooks you, makes you realize there is more to your life than how you currently live. All you have to do is seize it.
About Alfons Bartel
The name Alfons Bartel is known throughout the known world. He was well into his 90s at the time of his death and is easily the most famous bard anyone has ever heard of, both in modern times or antiquity. He is known for the depths of his ballads, the sorrow he draws from his dirges, and most people have heard many of his songs - performed by lesser musicians - in taverns, concert halls, even the houses of the nobility.
Alfons was also notorious for his lustful ways, which were frequently documented ('tastefully') in his works. No being was beyond his interest. Rumors abound that he had trysts with angels and devils, dragons and elementals, and more beyond. No one knows how many children he had, but he made many attempts to have them if nothing else.
He won and lost a dozen fortunes, has been granted multiple titles, and there are rumors he even had been granted lands of his own (though no one seems to know where).
OOC: About the Game
Your characters are the children of the penultimate horny bard. You've been left land in his will, but in order to claim them you'll need to figure out what to do with the current inhabitants - none of whom are thrilled at the idea of not owning 'their' land any more. Whether you work with them to find a solution, force them off or take some other action is up to you, the party.
Starting Level: 2
Allowed Races: Human, Human (PHB variant), Custom Lineage (Tasha's), Half-elf, Half-orc, Genasi, Aasimar, Tiefling, Dragonborn
Ability Scores: Normal point buy
Hit Points: Max every level
Extras: Each character gets a bonus feat of their choice. Lucky is allowed, but you can't use it when an attack is made against you so that we don't slow down combat.
Applying to the Game
If you're interested, send me a message! I'd mainly need to know your character's general concept (Race/Class/Background, whether you knew you were one of the bard's children), a writing sample so I can see how you generally RP, and how often you can post.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:06, Fri 29 Sept 2023.
