For those of you that "hear" characters when you read, in my mind, I picture Sir David has a voice and speech pattern of Kevin McKidd from the movie Kingdom of Heaven.

ps. yes i did pretty much copy Shik's post nearly word for word
This message was last edited by the player at 19:03, Thu 19 July 2012.

Hello All, the GM just added me to the Cast.  I was in a prior FS game with the GM (actually we've been in a few previous FS games) and I'm looking forward to playing here.

I could use a little help in picking a character concept.  I haven't had a chance yet to look through all the back OOC posts, so I'm not entirely sure what sort of character concepts are already covered.

I have a few concepts to consider.  First is the concept I was playing in the last FS game (which seems to be either dead or dying) which is a Decados Engineer/Knight (who is a Questing Knight).  He's mostly a techie whiz-kid but his marginal noble title entitled him to an Imperial Charter as a QK (his angle is that the QKs were getting a first crack at any new tech being discovered).  He is not a wide-eyed idealists like many QK but rather someone very practical and perhaps even materialistic.  However he can get kid-like when presented with new or rediscovered high technology.

My second concept was a Hazat Marquis who has joined the Questing Knights as a bit of an idealist, hoping that the Emperor can unify the Known Worlds since he saw the horrors of war during the Emperor Wars.  He is a duelist and socialite who tries hard to uphold his own code of honor.  He also hopes to gain enough influence among the Imperials to be able to persuade the right members of the Court for an Imperial Crusade against the Kurgans.

A third concept is a Brother Battle who has become an Imperial Cohort in part to repay the debt he feels when Alexis came to the rescue of the Stigmata garrison (after the Regent Fleet had been pulled from the system in a political/military move during the Emperor Wars).  He would be fairly martially oriented but would have some basic Theurgy and could even act as a confessor (I'm thinking he's an Adept, which I believe is the equivalent of a priest).  He would have a strong faith but unlike some members of the Church, he believes in the Emperor's vision and feels that, as one of the Stigmata garrison saved, he owes the Emperor his life (or rather he feels that the Pancreator guided Alexis to save the Stigmata garrison).

First off, Welcome to Fading Suns: A futuristic Passion Play. Look forward to RPing with you.



Interesting idea, most Decados are seen by the world at large (Sir David sees only the worst of them thanks to an event in his backstory which probably will come out during gameplay) as worst kind of nobility. A very practical Tech junkie, sounds like quite a good change depending on how you RP him. However, just going with an old character (or concept) might be confusing (only slightly) and might get boring for you.



Could some of the horrors he saw be the Siege of Jericho or the fighting on Surtek.
Don't mean to pin down the character too much but where might you say your lands/assets are for the Marquis? Hira, Surtek, Vera Cruz (its peaceful might be the breeding grounds for a duelist) or he could be one of the few Hazat with holdings on Velisimil (and its the influence of the Ur-Obun during his childhood that makes him an idealist), or he could be a Hazat Noble who owns a chuck of the Throne World (Byzantine Secondus) and when he is off adventuring a close friend and ally of House Lambeth manages it for him.



If you choose this one then your binding yourself to a Hawkwood Questing Knight (since he is the only one in the group, so far) but given the fact that Alexis was House Hawkwood when he landed a military force on Stigmata that might work out. You stated that a part is to repay the debt, another part could be he was assigned to protect a piece of valuable land the order 'acquired' during the Emperor Wars instead of protecting the faithful like he believes the Order should be getting back to. So he joined up with the new order of Knights that Emperor has commisioned 'Questing Knights' because he feels that a quest will require that he defend the faithful from the Terrors that lurk in the Darkness in his fellows hearts and beyond the Fading Suns.
If you go with this option, a way that the Brother could know Sir David. Sir David and a squad of Juandasstas soldiers could be the first responders to the attack when the order seized a Church on Istakhr (because of belief the Pastor and some of the flock were converted to Symbiots) and now that they have met again. Only instead of as possible enemies like then, they are now supposedly on the same side.

A fourth concept is he is a brother Battle who joined the Sanctuary Aeon version (the Sanare) after being saved on Stigmata from a spore infestation. He provides protection for the Priests and Priestesses whose mission requires them to travel into possible hostile lands to aid the suffering. He was recommended to our Questing Knight (up to you and the Questing knight to decide who recommended him) because they felt his services would provide the most influence (or aid) elsewhere.


Well, Welcome again, Good luck with picking out your character concept.

In reply to Vasuvik (msg # 113):

Hello and welcome !

Out of your ideas the first is the one I like best. For your info there is a decados noblewoman in the current cast. You should find a quick description a couple posts up.

The other two ideas sound fine as well.

One easy tie-in to implement would be to have him working as a starship Engineer on the ship Captain Kidhido'on is currently piloting. Another possibility (perhaps more plausible if he's a Questing Knight) would be for him to be on an Imperial mission to locate and retrieve a rumored cache of 2nd Republic tech - which could involve an expedition somewhere for which he'd need to hire some able adventurers (who would thus become his temporary cohorts). This could even be deemed a mission important enough to warrant sending two Questing Knights together (i.e. you and the Hawkwood). And actually, that could work equally well for your Hazat if you decide to go with him (or as David mentioned, your Brother Battle could be a cohort of the Hawkwood Questing Knight).

Hmm... well since there are a couple of priests already in the group (I assume at least one of them has a bit of Theurgy?), I'll probably pass on the Brother Battle concept.

I'm still having a tough time deciding between the social/duelist Hazat Marquis Questing Knight and the pragmatic technophile Decados Engineer Questing Knight.

For either one of those concepts I would like to have a tie-in with the existing Hawkwood Questing Knight.  The Engineer concept would also lend himself to tie-ins with the existing Guilder characters (in many ways he's more Engineer/Guilder than Noble/Knight).

I'm very open to working out background connections with other PCs once I settle on a concept.  While the Engineer was not particularly active during the Emperor Wars (he was at the Academy on Leagueheim and then apprenticing on Guild merchant ships), the Hazat Marquis was on the front lines as a loyal Hazat noble/officer and as someone suggested earlier it was the Battle of Jerhico (and the personal loss of family & friends) that was the tipping point that convinced the Hazat that rallying behind the unifying force of the Emperor was essential for humanity's survival (ie Humanity could not afford another Emperor War).

While I won't say that either concept is "better" per se (because both are good and could work), the Hazat does seem to bring more pathos and soul to the Epic, which is a central theme of Fading Suns as a futuristic passion play. The Engineer brings more of a skill-based contribution, which is perhaps less meaningful.

So I decided to go with my Hazat QK social/duelist.  I'm just curious in general about the other concepts that were decided upon and what the final "mix" of PCs will look like once character creation is completed?

In reply to Vasuvik (msg # 119):

The Cast atm i think:
Shikaalgargund = an elderly Vorox ex-Li Halan commando, Muster sergeant
Tchak'Ikhlul = an exiled Ukari Banjak theurgist (however as far as i know the priest part is not known to anyone)
Kidhido`on = Etyri male Charioteer pilot war-veteran, rank Captain
Sir David Juandasstas = a Juandaastas Knight discharged from his House's Guard, former rank lieutenant
a down-on-her-luck Decados noble
a Hawkwood Questing Knight diplomat
a Hesychast monk who is 1/3 Engineer and 2/3 Eskatonic trained theurgist with an interest in the Annunaki
Vasuvik = a Hazat Marquis who is a socialite and a duelist who has taken the Emperor call to fill the ranks of the Company of the Phoenix (Questing Knight)

Some corrections:

Captain Kidhido'on - Etyri Charioteer pilot
Sergeant Shikaalgargund - Vorox Muster mercenary (bodyguard to Sir David)
Sir David Juandaastas - Juandaastas knight
Anna Sviatogora - freewoman
Tchak'Ikhlul - Ukari Banjak monk (companion to Sir David)
Daniel Hawkwood - ambassador/diplomat
Rafael Hazat - ambassador/duelist
Andreas Scheuzeri - Hesychast monk/Anunnaki scholar

So it looks like Rafael is going to be a Baron rather than a Marquis (ended up making more sense since the higher the rank, the less freedom to really travel).  Rafael spent quite a bit of time with the Decados both growing up and during the Emperor Wars.  Aside from the Hazat fiefs, Rafael has spent time on Severus and Byzantium Secundus.  During the War, Rafael was a liaison officer between the Hazat forces and their Decados allies (he was usually in the rear echelon helping to coordinate efforts or keep the lines of communication open between the Hazat and the Decados).  Typically Rafael spent more time with Decados forces/HQ or aboard Decados flagships than among his fellow Hazat troops/officers.  While he generally stayed out of the actual fighting, there were a few times that the ship he was aboard was assaulted by enemy boarding parties (thus forcing him to join the defenders to repel boarders).  He has recently lost his elder sister who died fighting the Kurgan barbarians on Kurga/Hira (which resulted in Rafael rising to the rank of Baron and gaining a rich fief to support him on his travels).

I mention this in case anyone thinks their PC might have crossed paths (or swords?) with Rafael either growing up or during the Emperor Wars or in the recent months following the end of the Emperor Wars.  Certainly anyone with links to the Decados (or the Hazat) could have had the opportunity to run into Rafael.

As for Rafael, he is a socialite (with ambassador/diplomatic elements without being a dedicated diplomat) and a skilled duelist.  Currently he is traveling among the Known Worlds trying to "find himself" or find a place for himself or looking for a purpose.  He is reticent to go home as his current relationship with his father & family is a bit strained.

Yeah!  Baron Rafael Santiago Javier Eduardo de Fidelis lives!  ;)

And I see I'm not alone in being newly christened as it appears Sir Daniel Hawkwood has also made his entrance onto the Cast List.

If anyone is interested in possible background connections to Rafael, just let me know (or drop me a PM).

Yes, yes he does. :) Still need your final confirmation regarding your character sheet though.


Indeed he has - though he's still not quite done with character creation (though he's very, very close).

In reply to Lord Rafael Santiago Eduardo (msg # 123):

Welcome into the world :)

My character has never set foot on any of the worlds you have visited, no links possible that I can see sorry.

In reply to Lord Rafael Santiago Eduardo (msg # 123):

The only time Shik might have been on the same planets, he would have been on the other side of the battle lines... Or deep inside the Decados lines spilling their blood...

In reply to Lord Rafael Santiago Eduardo (msg # 123):

Sorry but never been to any of those planets and am a member of a house that would have been on the opposing side against the alliance between Hazat and Decados.

Fair enough... and it is probably unlikely any of you would have "crossed swords" with Rafael as he was rarely on the front line (more a rear echelon type).

What about Anna or Capt. Kidhido'on?

In reply to Lord Rafael Santiago Eduardo (msg # 128):

Kidhido'on is a Charioteer, and is from Grail. He trained on Leagueheim. He was a space-fighter ace during the war. He participated in battles against the al-Malik, as part of the forces mounted by Houses Keddah and Masseri.

Since those forces were mounted on behalf of the Decados, and you were a rear-echelon liaison, I don't think it would be completely unlikely for us to have crossed paths. Either during the war, or in its aftermath. (I haven't specified what his path was after the war ended, having left that to the GM to set up however works best for the campaign intro.) If you feel like making the connection, go ahead and write a couple of lines and shoot them past me. FYI, Kidh is not outgoing and doesn't make friends easily. He has quite a chip on his shoulder. OTOH he could very well have found something to admire in Lord Rafael.

Hi all!

Just to give a brief description, Daniel Windsor Hawkwood is a diplomat of House Hawkwood, being raised on Delphi in the Hawkwood Court, before being sent out across the Known Worlds during the Emperor Wars, where he spent time on the Decados homeworld as he was part of the diplomatic mission to try to get both House Decados and The Hazat cease their opposition to Alexius taking the title of Emperor. During that time he's made a few enemies, and also a few allies.

He's not the type to brook insult to himself or his House, and will challenge any who slight his name to a duel of either sword or pistol. Otherwise, he is well-educated, enjoying discussion and debate with his fellow nobles, as befits someone raised to blend into noble society with little trouble.

This means he's got a half-decent chance of having run into any Decados or Hazat nobles, depending on where they were during the Wars, and might have been on the same ship as Charioteers, again, depending on where they were serving during the Wars.

Any chance of Daniel having run into any of you guys?
This message was last edited by the player at 02:38, Tue 21 Aug 2012.

Would Daniel have ever visited the Hawkwood world of Gwynneth?  If so, perhaps he and David have met before (perhaps in their youth)?

It's entirely possible - he wouldn't have spent long there, but he might have had cause to go there before being sent to Severus.

Well here is... the 'short' form of my character concept.  Please forgive the clipped writing of this - it was originally designed to fit in a limited space on a character sheet and all my usual detail and story-telling was somewhat... abbreviated.
----------

'Oblate' Brother Arthur Aerin Weldensson - Brother Battle, Cohort Companion of the Phoenix / Hawkwood of Delphi
Character Concept:  Wandering Heroic Paladin-Knight in Crisis of Faith but still dedicated to Truth, Justice, Mercy and most of all HOPE

Story:
Father & Mother both BROTHER BATTLE warrior monks.  Mother pursues Vendetta upon The MUSTER for personal reasons.  She is murdered, 1year after having Arthur, by MUSTER agents.  Father pursues legal restitution in the courts for 3 years with no result.  So he hunts down her murders and executes them personally; dying in the process.  Orphaned, Arthur is raised by BROTHER BATTLE and continually hunted by the MUSTER for his sires’ deeds.  They kill all family friends who try to protect Arthur as he matures - so he fights back.  Thus he inherited his mother’s vendetta.

Completing his training he takes a tour as an Imperial Cohort – Arthur Companioned 'Dame' Alyssa Fairborn Hawkwood ‘The True’, as Questing Knight, {Companion of the Phoenix}.  They became Intimate friends, Passionate lovers and parted after term sworn to stay in touch.

At the end of his Imperial Tour he returns to church service to hunt for ENGINEER Heretics.  Which he did for two years... necessary as it was Arthur always felt uneasy always having to use violence to bring these...mostly scholars and educated men and women to justice only through killing them.  He always felt that something was just not right about enforcing ignorance instead of enlightened understanding of the wonders of the 2nd Imperium.

In his last engagement his Church Official/Commanding Officer, a friend he had known for years in his apprenticeship and early career,  'Adept' Brother Brian Stonesworth, overzealously attempted to slay a helpless mother and her new-born changed-child in a outlaw technician base camp that resisted Church troops as she plead for mercy.  Arthur cannot stand by a let this happen something in his heart siad it was wrong - he defends her and his friend flew into a blind rage attacking Arthur.  Arthur sought only to calm his enraged friend with reason but, Brian's savage assault causes him to impale himself on Arthur’s Flux Sword – POLARIS slaying him instantly.  Arthur fled, no longer sure if such self-righteous fervor was not a path of ‘EVIL’ as well.  Now he wanders; seeking True Righteousness and direction.

Assuming my current character concept is approved, I'll be playing Nicholas Tolent, owner of Anaurochs Ltd. and Muster animal handler.

Well, Arthur's issues are not with "legitimate" Muster members of the Armed Mercenary Forces of the Imperium... his 'Vendetta' is with the "Chainer's" specifically.  He has taken a vow to oppose slavery and end it with force at every turn if it is possible to within his power.  Usually he spirits such freed slave into the Sanctuaries of Aeon Sanctuary and the Amaltheans.

As such it is the "Chainer's" that have declared him 'Outlaw', but that goes only as far as they can enforce it.  As such Arthur has committed no crimes... other than the freeing of slaves whenever he can... so that might be considered theft even though he does not keep the slaves or sell them himself for a profit.

Of course not ever time he runs across slaves in chains can he reasonably free them without cause more potential for death and destruction... likely his own.

A righteous and wise man looks for the opportunities that present themselves.

LOL! Just don't leave untended slaves in his presence or you will not likely find them on your return as he will likely free them!
This message was last edited by the player at 04:27, Fri 31 Aug 2012.

Well as I understand it, slavery is legal in the Known Worlds and the Chainer side of the Muster is just as legitimate a business operation/franchise as the mercenary or labor force side of the Muster.

In fact I believe even the Church can have slaves.  At the very least the Church has serfs to work church lands and the difference between being a slave and being a serf is fairly minimal.

Of course as a member of the Church, it might be difficult to legally bring a BB to trial... assuming Church superiors cannot be persuaded to bring charges in a church court.

Slaves are considered "property" and someone who frees them without the consent of the owner would most likely be regarded as a criminal & thief.  Worse yet, how does one free a slave current in the custody of a Chainer without violence against the Chainer?  And what if the Chainer comes across the slave as the slave is being set free?  The Chainer would be within his legal rights to use force (even lethal force, though it is wasteful to damage costly goods) to recapture the slave or prevent the slave from running away.

Then again... the GM may view things differently for this campaign.  I'm just saying that from a FS canon view, someone who actively works against the Chainers and deliberately frees slaves is apt to be "branded" a criminal and might be legitimately hunted as a fugitive felon.


On a different note, Sunphoenix the GM has informed us that this campaign is set right after the end of the Emperor Wars (say 6 months up to perhaps less than 1 year after the War ended) and as such the Questing Knights (and their Cohorts) aren't fully formed or are only just forming.  As such, it would be impossible for any QK or potential QK to have actually completed a tour of duty as a Questing Knight (they just haven't been around long enough) and I would imagine the same would be true of an Imperial Cohort.

Again... that said... the GM may have other ideas about how to handle that.  But I'm pretty sure, given the timeline for this campaign, that your BB could not have served a full Tour as a Cohort and then returned to the Church full time.

I bring this up as the earlier timing for this game (compared to 2nd Ed.) may be something you want to keep in mind (it may require a little rearranging regarding your backstory).