For anyone who has been keeping track of the "In the Lady's Shadow 2.0" threads, you will know that goatunit ran a great game. As part of a thank you, I am starting up a campaign set in my home campaign world. This is an AD&D 2nd Ed campaign world, with some modifications to the 2nd Ed rules. It is not a planar setting. All the members of the Lady's Shadow have been invited, and I would like to open this up to others who might be interested. There is no particular need to start right now, as I can always add you later if you want to wait and see how the game progresses.

I am getting the website up and running for the game, although I will not post links publicly here (and I ask that others do not as well) since this forum is readable without a login. If, after reading the background below, you are still interested in the game, PM me and I will give you more information.

As a general summary, the setting will begin in a war-torn region of very low magic.

More in specific, the game starts in the country of Seldar, a large loosely organized confederation of baronies ruled by an elected king. The populace values their freedoms, but have paid for them in the form of a somewhat disorganized, lackluster central government that is unable to quickly respond to emerging threats or fast-moving events. The country is centered around an enormous lake (think the Great Lakes of North America), from which most of their economy arises. They have had strained relations and previous wars with one of their war-like neighbors, who has recently attacked and taken over a large portion of the nation. The army has finally mobilized, and is fighting off the attackers as best they can, but much of the populace is struggling with the day-to-day living in a war zone.

In any case, I hope to have things ready to go in a week or two, for anyone that is interested.

Sterling Blackthorn reporting for duty, Sir.

Excellent. I hope that this thread will provide a place for all of you who are interested to discuss characters, backgrounds, etc. so that players can have a better sense of the party makeup and thus those that have not made their characters yet can maybe have some of their ideas firm up.

Sorry for the delay on my end with the website; the scripting is a bit more tricky than I anticipated, and I have some visitors this coming weekend, so it might be a few more days than I hoped.

Okay if I post my backstory here for others to see?

My character is called Emerald Waters, a half elf druid from Swan Island and something of an ugly duckling growing up.

Whatever you'd like. I only ask that you don't post links to my website here on the public forums.

Sterling Blackthorn

Human, male, myrmidon.
Age 24, height 6' 8"

Sterling was born to a Tarvelian couple living in a homestead near to the Anorien forest. Even as a young boy Sterling was big, and he enjoyed helping his father with his work as a forester.

Sadly, this idyllic life was cut short when his parents were both killed in a raid by brigands when Sterling was only 7 years old. His father, also a big man, fought hard and killed or wounded all of the brigands before being brought down. Sterling himself, seeing the last two brigands killing his mother, picked up his father's axe and slew both men.

Sterling was too young to recognise that the 'brigands' were men of Hild on an early raiding sortie.

He was found by some elves from a nearby village in Anorien who, having few children of their own, took him in and cared for him, teaching him some of the ways of the forest folk. He grew even bigger during his time there, reaching the size of a full-grown man by the age of 12. He grew to love and honour the elves, thinking of them as his own people.

However, again tragedy struck, when the invading army of Hild attacked the elven village. The elves hid the children, including Sterling, in a secret grotto, safe from the marauders. When they emerged they found the village destroyed and all the adult elves butchered and left to lie where they fell. Sterling organised the children to honour the dead in the elven way, and cried the last tears he would ever cry that day.

Having taken the elf children to another village deeper in the forest, Sterling left the forest and went to join the Seldar army to fight the Hild. Although only 12 he was able to pass as much older owing to his prodigious height and strength, and he devoted himself to learning to be a soldier, eventually earning a place among the elite ranks of the myrmidons.

Years passed, and Sterling grew into a giant of a man, becoming a fearsome warrior. He was loyal to the Seldar authorities and dedicated to fighting the hated Hild. In time though, he inevitably discovered the part the Seldar King had played in the Hild attack that had destroyed his village. His heart torn, and his loyalty split, he left the army to make his way as a soldier of fortune.

Are you sure you're not HalfGiant?

Emerald Waters, Female, Half Elf, Seldaran

My character is a human fighter. I've been itching to play one for awhile, and I'm going full-on traditional with him. He was a fisherman with a modest house on the lack shore, but was levied for the war effort. He was wounded during an early battle, and mustered out despite his being perfectly capable of continuing to serve (an example of that poor government, maybe?).

When he returned home, he found his house destroyed by unknown persons. Additionally, a neighbor stole his fishing boat. As the neighbor has four able-bodied sons, and my guy is on his own, there was little he could do to get it back. He's been drinking away his military pay since then.

Larenil, could you provide us with the names of some NPCs from the region, or some sample names, or a real world nation that is similar to Seldar? I want to make sure to choose a setting-appropriate name.

If you haven't worked those details out yet, or if traditional fantasy naming conditions rule the day, I'll go with the name Iygus Trollkiller (a name he earned for unifying a gang of ten or twenty fellow fishermen to slay a troll that had taken up residence somewhere near the lake).

You need some help getting your boat back?