Bozon the Burstbarian

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Name: Bozon the Burstbarian (real name: King Hergot hly'Verdis III, better known as Hergot the Ox for his stubbornness and fine physique) Appearance: Just under 6 feet in height, he is muscular, exuding masculine strength and virility even through the heavy layers of enchanted alchemical latex coating him from head to toe. For the most part, he's a bright, eggshell white hue, save that his slicked-down hair (including his beard, mustache, eyebrows, etc.) is a deep chestnut brown. His enlarged nose is bright red, like a small tomato or a cherry, and a few thin black lines highlight his eyes, which are the only part of his flesh & blood self visible through the latex. He is normally dressed in shorts and a sleeveless vest, both made of dark brown fur, with adventurer's boots, all treated like his own hair and skin are. Background: King Hergot the Ox, monarch in name of the small kingdom of Havony (a hereditary ceremonial post, as Havony is a vassal-state of a larger empire and the important governing is done by a council). Hergot was a fairly good actor, passed off as the ruler to visiting dignitaries and tourists, but had little political clout outside of his own household - and even there, the courtiers knew full well that his duties and position were more ceremonial than anything else. On the other hand, the royal family did get a good stipend, enough to support having a few costly and unusual whims or hobbies. After seeing an unusual buffoon act at a fair, Hergot looked into acquiring a jester for his court capable of doing something like it. Hiring an inflatable jester, once found, he had great fun with the man's antics, pumping him up larger and larger until eventually... *BOOM*, the buffoon exploded into torn scraps of rubber, without gore or guts. Initially shocked, he mistakenly thought that the clowns used were some kind of magical construct rather than real live men subjecting themselves to an uncomfortable and hilariously undignified transformation into human balloons. And, when he could afford another, brought in jester after jester to entertain before being blown to bits. Several years passed, and more than a score of inflated men had exploded for his amusement, several of them his own courtiers and knights under the alchemical makeup. The court assumed that he knew what the balloon buffoons were... until the day he casually asked one of the servants if he'd seen Sir Grarsa lately. The answer chilled Hergot to the bone, being told that he'd executed the paladin last month. More questions, and the color drained from the king's face realizing that his expensive "toys" cost the lives of good men. It did not get far enough for him to find out that a burst buffoon could be (and had been) made whole again, although it took some years before the man could resume his normal life free of the rubber. Guilt was a black cloud over Hergot's life from that day on. Inquiring around, he hired a wizard to make him into one of the inflatable clowns himself, and leaving a request to the council not to rescue him for at least a year, put his new self up for sale and risk exploding for another's amusement. Flaws: Hergot may have academic smarts, but when he fails to notice social cues or things that ought to be obvious, he doesn't get another chance to spot them unless someone or something goes out of their way to point it out. In other words, he has a form of autism. As a balloon buffoon , he's semi-mute as part of the enchantments on him, able to say his character name and about a dozen very common non-magical words, plus the names of the major gods and various words specific to spellcraft and magic usage from the arcane language Antrat-Hea. As he was not a trained magic-user prior to being enchanted, he doesn't actually know this lingua franca of the secular mystic arts in his Oner, much less the secret tongue of Enja-Osdeon's magics. Other than his name, he has to expend magical energy in order to  speak even within these hefty restrictions. As the "Bozon" character specifically, he's barred from being able to write or to show signs that he can read, enforced illiteracy as a "barbarian" clown along with various deliberate social gaffes and faux pas' via a consensual curse built into him. Cannot fight back or use magic to hinder someone from inflating him. Is limited to using social or theatrical means to try to save himself from over-inflation (though usage of magic to entertain rather than hinder or escape is still okay). This is a taboo, and breaking it drains his stored magic, wasting it, rather than being a curse or programmed mind control. Skills: Multi-lingual. Hergot could speak fluently in 5 languages, reading and writing skillfully in 3 of them plus 1 dead classical language. Has a good education by the standards of the region his kingdom is in. Knows history, can do some math more complex than arithmetic, discuss philosophy and classical art, ride a horse, is familiar with the major theological texts and symbols of both pantheons of the region, etc. Is a tolerable if amateur cook. A fairly good actor, as befits his role as a figurehead or puppet king. However, his experience does not extend to actual, improvised theater performance to any real extent, making his new role as a barbaric jester a stretch. Decent parenting skills. Having been an only child himself, losing his father at the age of 6, he has striven to be a good husband to his queen and a good father to their three young ones. Extremely amateur, beginning skills at magic, intimately tied to his enchantment and comedic role for the time being. Technically, he holds the rank of "Mable-Evenemable-Uoueoa" or "Apprentice Conjuror" in the brotherhood, seeing as the enchantments and transformation he's undergone are something originally intended as an ordeal for apprentices to endure. Mana storage. He's just a beginner, but it is part of what the enchantments were designed for, using the transformed apprentice as a power source for their master's spells. He charges up from suffering, whether physical, emotional, social or spiritual, with several different and disconnected pools of power building up depending on the nature of the pain he's enduring. Puncture-resistant skin. A standard part of the enchantment for a balloon buffoon, to ensure than the apprentice doesn't get done away with by a chance rose thorn, pin, or the like. Stronger than normal in this case, since he's going through this for reasons other than sorcery training and is a long-time patron of the brotherhood rather than just another new apprentice to pop as a human sacrifice in a tight situation. If popped but his death isn't used to fuel major magic, he can be pieced back together and revived but at a considerable cost (to his essence and health). Exploding him as a sacrifice in spellcasting eliminates this possibility, more or less consuming his soul. Death by other means is not protected against.

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The home world and universe were my own invention, combining elements from a number of published sources. It's a pre-industrial world, closer to late Medieval or early Renaissance in his region, so steampunk and clockworks are unknown there unless imported from a different Oner. And there are social-political forces holding things in stasis preventing much advancement - imposed on them from a neighboring universe. Think theme park world, in some respects. The native magic systems are more in the spiritual direction, but use a form of charges (i.e. quantum spell points) primarily stored within living minds/souls rather than in crystals or shards. The Antratscheldor-haii (wizards) are divided in brotherhoods, guilds specializing in certain kinds of spellwork and lore. The 13 major brotherhoods are arranged in a circle, with Mahkailh in the middle, the positioning of two brotherhoods with respect to each other along the circle reflecting relationships between their magics and how difficult it will be to learn spells belonging to the other brotherhood (difficult in metaphysical terms, that is). Mahkailh is apparently two brotherhoods away from any and all of the others, thus its' central placement. Enja-Osdeon (The Brothers of the Weirding Device) is located opposite to Faanel-Feleodji (The Brothers of the Changing Beast), and is neighbored by Nahal-Osdea (The Brothers of the Wind in the Clouds) on one side and by Osda-Odeam (The Brother of the Cold Seas) on the other. Religiously, there are two pantheons, one native and one from another Oner, each divided into several camps of related gods and demons. Some beings are suspected to be members of both pantheons (i.e. there are suspiciously close similarities between them, even if names and forms are widely divergent - example, He-Enriath of the Rocto-CathSinnian pantheon and Gruganu of the Pavaric pantheon, which brings disturbing implications about the Pavaric god Ksarul possibly being the unspeakably malign entity that the Rocto-CathSinnian faiths know as "The One of the Dark Horn"), and others are viewed as peers sharing the same sphere of influence (such as the five war gods the pantheons have between them). Priests can learn spells of other temples in their own god's camp(s) to a degree, but the further apart the faiths are the harder it becomes both metaphysically and practically. Trying to learn magic belonging to a god with no apparent connection to your own is practically a superheroic deed in itself. Among the Pavaric faiths, there is no difference between wizards and clerics, while the Antratscheldor-haii derive from the Rocto-CathSinnian side. Magic from both systems tends to be disrupted by the presence of metal during casting, though there are specialized spells for affecting, even safely enchanting metals and certain styles of magic are resistant to a single metal (i.e. priests of Ksarul can ignore silver, but not copper, gold, tin or iron). Once a spell is completed and functioning, metal does not usually disrupt it. In both systems, magical energy originates from 'the Planes Beyond' with some locales having thinner or thicker barriers between the mortal world and these otherworlds. The mana storage function of Bozon uses his suffering to pull in such power, storing it for later usage by either the apprentice or a master who knows how to tap into it.

1. Havony. He loves his homeland, and is aghast that he did something so dishonorable and shameful as its' king. Redemption and atonement are strong forces in his mind right now, thinking that he'd killed a good friend and staunch, loyal knight for fun without knowing it.
Of course, he doesn't understand that Grarsa had gone into it fully aware of Hergot's habits with his jesters, chewing the scenery with glee and gusto to the end.
2. The fine arts. Painting, music, dance, sculpture, theater, cuisine, Hergot has a taste for the unusual and evocative in art, even if he freely admits that he has no special gift for it himself.
3. The common folk. He might be a king in name and ceremony, not the real ruler, but he appreciates the need for the ordinary man in order for the exceptional to stand out. And that much of import happens in the churn of common folks' thoughts and desires, rather than in those who are in power.

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You protagonist’s emotions are what fuel their magic and what gives them the ability to cast magic in the first place. Their wound is the reason why they can do magic and their current emotional state is what allows them to continue using it. Since a protagonist’s negative emotions are what fuel their magic, only the negative ones are relevant to them casting magic and are divided into categories and put on the character sheet both as a visual reminder of how many Drama Points you have currently but also how your character is feeling and what kinds of scenes you can frame in order to affect those categories and earn yourself some Drama Points. The categories of emotions that can be affected negatively in some way so as to earn you Drama Points are: Self-Worth, Love, Freedom, Justice, Safety and Trust. Gaining Drama Points Whenever dramatic scenes are enacted that affect one of the categories in some way, you get Drama Points which you then put into one or several of the categories affected in that scene. Players should be framing scenes in which their protagonist and the other cast of characters build up drama in their lives in order to gain Drama Points as often as possible, while the Negotiator, on casting turns (as explained in Chapter 4), is encouraged to constantly be setting up scenes in which players cast magic and expend their Drama Points. It is possible to both use Drama Points when casting magic and to gain Drama Points by taking emotional wounds at the same time. If you are unsure of how to affect one of the categories negatively, put your protagonist or other character into situation where they are: Self-Worth: ashamed, beaten down, criticized, disrespected, embarrassed/humiliated, made to be felt inferior, insulted or invalidated. Mocked, offended, put down, resented, ridiculed or stereotyped, teased, underestimated, made to feel worthless, ennui. Love: abandoned, alone, brushed-off or ignored, confused, heartbroken, neglected, rejected, apathetic, unheard, unknown, unloved, unsupported, unwanted, depressed or in despair. Freedom: bossed around, controlled, imposed upon, imprisoned, inhibited, manipulated, obligated, over-ruled, powerless, pressured, trapped. Justice: accused, blamed, cheated, disbelieved, falsely-accused, guilttripped, interrogated, judged, lied about, lied to, misled, punished or robbed. Safety: abused, afraid, attacked, defensive, frightened, insecure, intimidated, over-protected, scared, terrified, threatened, under-protected, unsafe or violated. Trust: cynical, guarded, skeptical, suspicious, untrusted, or betrayed. Whenever you earn Drama Points, you put them in one or more of the five categories. Here are the guidelines for determining how many Drama Points you earn. You earn one Drama Point for scenes that leave your protagonist with only slight emotional fallout such that it is quickly forgotten within a few hours of the incident. Having your books knocked down to the floor in passing by somebody would count for one Drama Point if it upsets your protagonist. You earn two Drama Points for scenes that leave your protagonist with emotional scarring that is memorable and will stick with them for at least a few days. Being humiliated by a teacher in class in front of everybody would probably earn you at least two Drama Points depending on your protagonist. You earn three Drama Points for scenes that leave your protagonist with emotional scarring that lasts at least a week or two. Confessing your love only to be crushed (depending on your protagonist’s personality and resilience) might earn you three Drama Points. You earn four Drama Points for scenes that leave your protagonist with emotion scarring and memories that other people, and especially your protagonist, will not forget for at least a semester. Public humiliation or accident, a failed spell in class gone wrong, a mistake that earns you a nickname for the rest of the school year would all earn you four Drama Points. You earn five Drama Points for scenes when the consequences of a scene affect your protagonist in such a profound way that it changes them and how they are described on your character sheet. Hurting or accidentally killing someone, doing something that earns you a nickname or reputation that haunts you for years to come; the death of a loved one, being betrayed by a confidant or your mentor so that you find it hard to trust someone ever again are all examples of thing that would earn you five Drama Points. Characters and relationships must first be introduced and built up before a player can cash-in on more than one drama point. If another character appears in a scene with your protagonist for the first time, you can only get one drama point. You have to build up that relationship first before you can cash in on it. Take notes on the back of your character sheet or on a fresh sheet of paper and put a hatch mark next to a character each time your protagonist interacts with them. If you do this it can be of great use when you are unsure of a scene to frame for a Drama Turn - look over your list of characters you have a vested interest in, choose one and start framing.