The Mind of Nox

Friday we get to move forward with this story. AJ has a basic world. We plan on posting a page for the Riva Contingency so you can check out the world lore stuff. We appreciate you sticking around while we got this set up. We hope to tell a decent story come Monday, but we have no idea where it’s going. Chapter 1 will be just getting the gang all together.

But let’s not languish anymore and introduce our last party member. Rosana. They are not based on any specific past character — someone completely new.

Rosana was new to Ashbourne. But Macabre Genesis was always their home. The guild spanned the known world, supplicants to the Raven Queen, but their dealings were less about soul snatching, and more about providing the Queen’s men with their desires. Everything from whores to weapons. 

And Rosana was just an artisan with whom the guild employed. Their machinations were renowned throughout the guild and their potions drew in even the most rich of patrons. There were rumors of a draft that could cure the malady that fell over the denizens of the Wellsorrow Region. The guild tasked Rosana with finding the source, replicate it for the guilds disposal and eliminate the source once they had the recipe.

Their only clue came from an anonymous source, a note written in Infernal as a childish rhyme.

There once was a boy held captive in a cell. He broke out and his dear old mother fell. To Ashbourne, he fled. A Boogle to be bled. For the addiction to be fed.

AJ has been looking for a campaign manager for the DnD world she’s creating cause Dabble just isn’t cutting it for that. It is but it isn’t. AJ found The Goblin’s Notebook. She’s having fun with it. You can chain things together with relationships. There are quests and organizations, creatures and things and it’s all in markdown. And for those of you who know AJ, you know there is a big love for markdown in AJ. It’s limited on the free version, but it’s very cool. AJ likes it.

I hate to truncate my rambling, but we have another character to introduce. Miranda Elovar who is in my world, but you’ve not met her yet as Mandy. She is in some of our AUs, though not sure you’ve read any with her in it. But she’s good friends with Alex.

Real Name: Else Orlantis

Preying on the weak had always been a thing for Else. Her parents had taught her their tricks of the trade and Else’s gift of song and her enchanting voice made it all that much easier to make the marks fall for her and she could steal their money while they slept.

Else found herself far from home with a man who claimed to be from nowhere. He was handsome in a way, but it was the cool demeanor that drew her to him. Her seduction had only worked because he had wanted her to come to his bed. And when she stole his belongings, her life changed forever.

Their dalliance not only cost her her way of life but also conceived a child. One in which her now master ferried away a family to raise while she worked for him. Else now did what he said, followed his rules. And maybe one day she’d be able to see her son again.

Her current mission: return that which was stolen from him.

AJ was watching The Sandman this weekend, and a man who can’t die was truly impressed with Chimney’s. In the olden days of yore could you imagine all the ashes from the indoor fireplace? All the smoke?

I don’t really think the next back story is something you are going to curl up around a modern or olden fireplace — it’s much too short, but hey, get cozy and I’d like to introduce to you Alushtas Maskan. Or in the Common Tongue Rain Fire. Who you might better know in my worlds as Ryan.

Backstory

Born in Shadowfell. Lived in Shadowfell. His father was never present, but the best of the best raised him — the most devoted to the Raven Queen herself. Alushtas was the son of her most trusted Soul Bringer. 

Alushtas was proud the day the Raven Queen called to him. Gave him the gifts of Holy might. The cold darkness of the Shadowfell felt brighter with the knowledge the Queen had given him. 

And when his father failed to bring the Queen the soul of the doctor, Alushtas pledge himself deeper into the fold. But Alushtas’ devotion was tested when his father asked him to watch over the son of the doctor — his half brother.

Alushtas prayed to the Raven Queen and waited for an answer. His devotion brought one of the Spirits of Shadar-kai to him. The spirit lead him through the Leech and pointed the way to Diremore — the town of his brother’s birth. The Raven Queen had forgiven his father — and it was now Alushtas job to bring back the boy his father begot to complete his father’s failed job.

We have got the options available for each characters first scene, AJ just has to write them. So we’ll start with them on Monday. We will leave each one on a precarious ledge and you’ll help us decide which way to go. AJ has some thoughts on the way we’d like to go. But we expect there will be a big denial of those paths by the roll of the dice and your choices.

So this is how we are going to do it. We’ll roll the appropriate dice and that will be our vote. We’ll check to see what you guys think, and if they match great, if not we’ll take the higher count. ie: There are 4 options for the first round. If we get 3 votes, but roll a 4 the 4th option would win. If you only have 2 votes, well then option 3 would win.

At least that’s our thoughts at the moment. That could change as we move forward.

Today you get al’Zand Elovar’s back story.

Life was rough for al’Zand as he grew up. His mother a prostitute and his father a John he never knew. He grew up in the brothel his mother worked. Saw all kinds of depravity from a young age — from gambling to killing. He’d seen it all before the age of ten.

And by twenty, al’Zand had made a name for himself. It might not have been the best name, but it was a name. During his childhood, al’Zand had picked up any musical instrument that was left by the patrons of the brothel. He taught himself the songs of merriment and wrote a few himself. He was very good at entertaining.

All the girls loved him. Most of the Johns thought he was amusing. And al’Zand took his playing to the streets. But the streets were a dangerous place for a boy with no money. So al’Zand started playing cards, and dicing with boys on the street — gaining a few coins here and there to make his life easier. Stealing a few coins from the Johns at the brothel when he returned. He even managed a few games before the owner kicked him out.

That’s when times got even harder after that. Money was tight. But a game was easy to find, and al’Zand found one every night. He even found a man willing to pay him to win games for him. Until the day al’Zand found out they rigged the next game. Instead of going in, losing his shirt, al’Zand ran with the money he’d made for his patron and caught the first ship out of his homeland — never to return.

His stop lead him to a city teaming with gambling and money to be taken, but his patron found him and al’Zand fled again on another ship, this time as stowaway. Without a booked passage, it was harder to track him — at least that was his plan.

al’Zand met a woman with golden blond hair and a beautiful voice. She introduced herself, and soon the boat was rocking in more ways than one. Else Orlantia was a con woman who tried to steal from him the moment he fell asleep. But he caught her. 

al’Zand thought they had parted ways at the next port, but she waltzed up to him and the innkeeper in Ashbourne and introduced herself. “We are the Great Elovars. Maybe you’ve heard of us? We could play a few songs tonight, entertain your crowd for room and board?”