Alexis is 3 foot, 4 inches, with dark hair and tanned skin, owing to her long days traveling. Before her resurection, she was usually dressed in brown studded leather amour, regardless of climate or occasion, with a shimmering, if stained, black cloak. At any given time, she could be found to have at least 10 daggers on her person, as well as her short sword and cross bow.

However since being resurected as an owl and going on to defeat her life-time enemy Zagor, the god Greg has degined that she shall resume her true form. Due to an extended shopping trip, she now has much the same equiptment as before, minus the cloak.
Personality

Alexis is usually very sweet tempered and gregarious, especially when she’s about to get her hands on loot or food, and will often attempt to ‘butter up’ those around her to achive these ends. Likewise she also enjoys the attention that she recives whether owing to her small stature or re-telling of her famous exploits, espcially in her ‘home’ town of Toragard.

However, when it comes to the sometimes grim task of adventuring she has no problem putting aside her often ditsy attitude to life and becomes all business, whether it be finding a trap and disarming it, to stiring mayhem in a goblin army or even killing Bad Guys. Though most of the time Alexis shows only courage no matter what the task, she does have one major fear – wargs. She has never spoken to any one about why this fear should be, and though some have looked at her in askence, she has yet managed to conceal the awful truth of her childhood that lead to this phobia.

After the major rending of a previous adventuring party, Alexis sometimes finds she has trouble fitting in and trusting others, but with the most recent group that issuse seems to be working itself out, even if Alexis occasionally talks about things no one but her really quite gets.
Backstory

Unbeknownst to her, ‘Alexis’ means ‘defender of mankind’. She was named as such by her mother, also a former adventurer, who hoped one day Alexis would live up to this title. So far the little woodling has done a good job at this.

Alexis was rasied in a quiet woodland village among her own people untill the age of 15, when a band of dark elves mounted on wargs shattered their peace, killing Alexis’ whole family and freinds in the process, and almost killing her too. For the next 5 years she wandered the woodlands, staying at other woodling villages, sometimes sleeping in trees, growin and learning all the combat techniques she could from the simple folk. Eventually she left the trees and wandered the world, coming to Toragard through an army recruitment poster.

It was there she met Richard Tetherson [farmer-boy elf, turned paladin], Nathardrin [Pansy half-elfarcher], Ithanor Togeral [Human Barbarian], Bastet [Non-evil Dark elf] and Victor With A Monacle [Drunkard Wizard]. From those lowly beginings the group went on to do many great and wonderous acts:

* Freeing the prisners of a Dark elf mine
* Defeating Xagor, and liberating Fire Top mountain
* Deafting Zharradan and liberating Troll Tooth Pass, as well as the flesh golem Three
* Deafeating Balthas Dire and liberating Castle Dire
* Killing Xagor for the second time
* Repelling a blackguard invasion, and helping to rebuild Toragard
* Meeting a Dragon
* Convincing a blackguard to commit suicide [at the dragon’s request]
* Meet another dragon, Kypris, and save him from being captured
* Destroying a temple of the ‘Eye of Myurr’ cult, and burying a demonic portal
* Returning Richard’s farm to him when the Eye of Myurr tried to frame him for multiple murders
* Taken by the turtle Quillox to meet the magic men of Atlantis
* Proving themselves to be worthy of the Atlantian’s trust by enduring a trial of cunning and will
* Taken back to the Eye of Myurr temple to really distroy the portal
* Turning back time so that a crisis caused by Bastette doesn’t happen
* Taking down a temple of the lizard folk who are trying to [yet again] summon the Demon Prince Myurr
* Setting off on a crusade…

It was here that the party finally split. After two years of fighting the forces of evil together, the party disbanded, Richard intent on his crusade against all lizzard folk, Bast and Victor intent on vanishing into the seedyness that is Port Blacksands and Alexis, at a loss, ran from the whole mess.

Skipping forward some 3 months and Alexis has found herself summoned to castle dire by the wizards who have now taken it as their home and place of governance. She is introduced to Hextor Francis who becomes her new ‘party’ and they are shown the results of Richard’s crusade: he is dead as are most of his men, and the evil spawn of the south are rising again. The pair are told of an army encroching to the south, their intent to take over castle dire. And so again, Alexis is cast into the fray, with a new party, to halt the oncoming rush of evil. Along the way the new team:

* Kill an entire army, using a demonic poison slug thing
* Return to liberate various places from Alexis’ past such as Firetop mountain and Troll Tooth Pass [and another flesh golem, Five point Six]
* Find themselves pitted against Alexis’ old and fallen comrades
* Discover that Xagor is still alive [sort of], in the demon planes, and is hell-bent on destroying Alexis – body and soul
* Find themselves back in Toragard, with the assistance and allegiance of one copper dragon named Kipris
* Watch Alexis manage to disintegrate herself and then be resurected as an Owl
* Discover people don’t much like Flesh Golems or talking owls…
* Find the entrance to a portal into a demon dimension and go and kick Xagor’s ass for the last and final time
* Return triumpant to Toragard, get wasted, and find a wizard [by the grace of greg] to change Alexis back into a woodling again.

Her future might be uncertain, but no doubt she’ll be up to her old tricks in no time!

Dates Played March - Sept 2006, Aug-Oct 2007, June 2008-April 2009

Personality:
Eleanor is 11 years old. After being spoilt rotten by her wealthy parents, she is now use to getting whatever she wants, when she wants it. She is very popular at school, with a following of other little girls who hang on her every word. But she can be very cruel and picks on those less fortunate than herself. However she is only haughty and mean with other kids – around adults she’s the picture of childish innocence and knows exactly how to manipulate people. Her favourite things include kittens, Make-up and the colour pink, and her favourite things to do are listen to the latest pop-bands, read magazines and talk to her friends on the phone.
Ten Years Later…

After the events that lead to the death of her family, and that of Bear, Eleanor was placed in the care of some distantly related Aunt who lived in North Wales, in a small village at the edge Snowdonia county. Angry at the others, and seeking what she considered normality Eleanor eschew any contact that came from them, trying to put the past firmly in it’s place and forget all about werewolves, and ghosts and magic. She attended a small high school, and while at first she was rather introverted, Eleanor soon got back into the swing of being Little Miss Popular again. The Aunt made her living as an artist and tried to encourage Ele to keep up her violin practice, but was mostly too consumed by her own work to keep an eye on the girl, simply giving her the weekly allowance and the freedom to do as she would. This lead Eleanor – an otherwise bright student – to spend most of her time skipping school, hanging out with those she considered her friends, being promiscuous, smoking, drinking, listening to predictively loud music and occasionally doing soft drugs like Cannabis and Ketamine. Despite all this she managed to pass GCSEs and A-Levels to study Social Studies for a year at Bangor University.

At the end of her degree Ele opted to spend two years in the US at Washington University, to take a major in Sociology. As a joke, she attempted to join one of the sororities and to her surprise got accepted into Alpha Phi. Expecting that they would be doing much the same as she had been back in Wales, Ele was very surprised to find that they forbade the use of recreational drug use, including cigarettes, and would only permit alcohol with meals or mild party uses. Eleanor, use to a more wild way of life, considered leaving the sorority but her new friends convinced her to stay and get help. By the middle of her second year there, Ele had become almost a new person. With the help of her new friends – and she now understood that what she had in high school was not true friendship – Eleanor was a more settled person, dedicated to her studies and finding true interest in what had seemed like an easy option back in high school. Many of her professors said she seemed to have a knack and natural empathy for the subject and urged her to consider a job in social welfare. There was even a tentative romantic involvement with one of the boys in her class.

However just as everything seemed to be finally coming together for her, she Changed. Eleanor and a few friends from Alpha Phi were taking an evening stroll around the campus, a gibbous moon lighting their path, when it happened. Suddenly Eleanor became acutely aware of the scent of blood. As she looked around to find the source, Ele found that the world seemed to have changed. Tones were muted, and yet everything seemed to have a sharper edge to it. And while she stared in wonder at that fact, it dawned on her she was no longer at the university. There was leaf mould under her paws, and deciduous trees above her. She yelped in fear and whined at noises coming from her throat. She turned furiously to see a wolf laid on the ground close by, his throat ripped open. Bear. The sudden pain made her unable to breath, felt like all her muscles were trying to burst from her skin. Above the body hung occult looking talismans. Leaves began to fall from the trees above, leaving them naked, and the leaves formed a man who laughed at her. Wildly, angry, she lunged at him but passed right through, only to end up sprawled next Bear’s body while the man laughed long and hard at her. Eleanor the woman screamed, Ele the wolf howled, both sounds fuelled with hate and anger, sorrow and frustration.

When she came to, Eleanor found herself wrapped in a sheet in what seemed to be an old abandoned cabin. In one corner, laid enjoying the morning sun, Ele saw another werewolf. When it saw she was awake, the other wolf stood and gave a little yip. From out of another room came a man in his 30s. He gave Eleanor breakfast and clean clothes and told her that he was there to help her get back on her feet and then out of the area. Apparently she had travelled many miles away from the city, and through a couple of territories that weren’t as friendly as his. He had been the one to find her deep in the forest at the top of a precipice calling to Luna and brought her here. She should, he suggested playfully, lay off the clichés. When she got back to the sorority house Eleanor was shocked to discover police all around. They told her no one had been killed, but it seemed a large rabid dog had gotten in and attacked everyone. They assured her that everything was being done to find the dog and put it down.

With that little revelation, Eleanor decided that it might be a good time to return to the UK…

Aradel is a normal looking elf, average hight and weight. Her skin is fairly pale, and her hair a red-purple colour. She likes to dress simply: black skin-tight tee-shirt, combat trousers, combat boots, long leather jacket and sleek modded glasses. Unusually for an elf, she has a surly attitude that borders on anti-social, preferring to shoot people rather than talk to them, and she likes to eat meat. Despite her normal attitude, Aradel can be very charitable and harbours a secret passion for tending bonzi trees.

Aradel was born a to a noble family in Tir Tanigire. Unlike most of her siblings and to her parent’s displeasure, Aradel was found to be mundane. She consequently developed a strong dislike for magic, and ran away when she was 18. She has spent the past year running with the rest of the team and generally trying to keep a low profile. She has kept her reason for running a complete secret, even from the other members of her team. As far as they know she’s just another down-and-out elf who goes by the name of Muffin. She quietly dreads the day the family catch up with her.

Aradel walked into the bar and straight up to the barman.
“What can I get you?” the man asked. Aradel placed a 20 nuyen note on the bar and slid it across. The cash had been hard to come by but she thought it was worth it.
“I’d like a slice of info pie,” she told him, taking her hand of the note. The barman glanced down “What flavour?” he asked
“Job,” she replied.
“Well, hey there muffin,” said a new voice. Aradel turned to see a portly orc sat on a stool next to her. She didn’t like the grin on his face. “I got a job for you.” The orc reached out and grabbed her arm. Aradel looked down at his hand. She could feel his fingers digging in. She looked back up, bringing her shiny new Colt America into the folds of his neck.
“Let go.”
The orc’s eyes bulged, and his hand dropped.
“I’m sorry miss,” the barman said, anger in his voice. “you’re going to have to get your pie somewhere else.” Roughly he pushed the rumpled twenty back across the bar. Without another word Aradel took it and walked out.

300 yards and a corner later, she stopped suddenly, and turned back the way she’d come.
“You may as well come out,” she said to a seemingly empty street. There was a pause, then out of the shadows stepped a male human and a female elf. Aradel regarded them, her hand already on her gun. “What do you want?”
“To offer you a job,” the man said, also stepping forward. “It’ll be dangerous and difficult.” She shrugged. Any job was better than no job.
“Count me in.” In the half light Aradel saw the man smile.
“My name is Dev. This is Jet.”
“You can call me,” Aradel paused, thinking, “Muffin.”
Memorable moment from the game:
How they ended up:forgotten
Date Played Sept 2007

K’Rin is the unplanned offspring of a barmaid from Tanamar [in the Lhazar Principalities] and an unknowing House Orien courier. At the age of 16, whilst enjoying the company of a close male friend, she discovered the power of her dragon mark by teleporting into the middle of her mother’s bar in just her underclothes. Thereafter her mother forbade K’Rin the use of the dragon mark fearing house Orien would discover and take her daughter away. During the course of her life, her stepfather taught her how to run a bar and to fight in bar-room brawls, finally handing down his fathers knuckle dusters. However, despite her mother’s protection, house Orien learned about K’Rin’s apparent powers and began sniffing around Tanamar. Fortunately her parent’s heard about an expedition to colonise a far island, and K’Rin jumped at their suggestion she leave and start her own bar…
Memorable moment from the game: Killing a T-Rex, by teleporting onto it’s head and punching it through the brain.
How they ended up: Settling into life as a landlady on Farshore

Adventure log:

And so our fight with the Stone Golem done, we emerged victorious with Erroll, our guide. Some of us where badly hurt, but at least this section of the island was beginning to heal. Over the next few days, as we journeyed south ever closer to Farshore, we began to heal as well. All except poor Errol that is. Gods know what those demonic monsters did to him, but he had become a broken man, and even our cleric had no clue what can heal a damaged soul.

So we strove ever onwards, and in our walking we noticed we were being followed. We thought nothing of it until we came to a great wall set across a narrow section of the island. As we attempted to gain access through the mighty portal at it’s centre, we became surrounded by what we now now to be an Alman tribe. At the time however they seemed strange and barbaric, and they surrounded us with wicked looking spears before we could draw our own weapons. Ever inclined to a fight, I must confess I thought to strike them down and raised my fists accordingly, unaware that behind me the dawrf and bard, Lorcian, were attempting to converse and arrange safe passage for us with the Alman chief. I became aware suddenly, however, when the burly dwarf stepped between me and my Alman spear-holder and thinking not on the subtle electrics that surround my knuckles, took a hold of my fists and lowered them. Reluctantly I allowed him to maintain the peace and he retuned to his conversation.

I know not what he said, or what he gave to obtain our safe passage, but we were soon moving again, being lead to a small village just beyond the wall, where we were allowed to rest and refresh ourselves before being escorted by the fairest these Alman had to offer to a great feast, apparently in our honour. We talked and ate and where told stories of the Alman, and told the story of our journey and, I must confess we had been at sea a long while and my alcohol tolerance must have lowered, became wretchedly drunk on a delightful spirit made of coconuts.

After we woke in the morning [and I am pleased to say I did not have a hangover] the chief offered his son to guide us to another Alman village where we could get boats Across to Farshore. And so laden with provisions we set off and dully came to this other village. However, as we crossed the waters and looked to Farshore, we couldn’t help to quell the rising panic in our hearts: An unnatural smoke was coming from the small settlement. Farshore was alight!

As we alit from the the Alman boats, finally at Farshore, we could see the flames licking more ferociously at the buildings around us. Not seeing anyone on the streets, hurrying to put the buildings out, we hurried to the closest building, Joe staying behind as always. As we gathered in the doorway, we could see a woman trapped at the back of the building. I paused, to ask our demonic friend to save her [since he was the best suited to run into a burning building] when suddenly, before any of us could stop him, Kipris the mage ran in. I called after him, knowing with his flapping robes he would surely perish, but he paid me little attention. Within instants he was alight. Swiftly the demon and dwarf entered after him, the dwarf to rescue Kipris and Lucio to rescue the woman.

Devoid of anything else to do, Lorcian ran back to Joe, who stood at the dockside, to douse his blanket with water. Fixer, the warforged, started off west and north along the main road and I headed South along that same road in search of other people. We had just spilt up, when I heard a yell from Fixer. It seemed he had found someone being attacked by some manner of pirate. I was too far away to help, but I yelled back that he should try and help the victim. I found out later he did, and then some, reducing the pirate to cinders with what he call his ‘frag cannon’ – a wand of magic missile mounted inside one of his arms. As I began to search the streets for more survivors I heard a yell from behind me, and out of a window just behind me flew a burning mound of what looked like rags. It hit the ground and went out. Another yell came from behind me, the voice I recognised as the Teifling, calling me back as he had rescued the woman. As I moved back to take care of her, I glanced down at the bundle of rags, stifling as cry as I saw it was Kipris. His robes where blackened and burn, as was his face. I knelt beside him. He was gone. I said a silent prayer to his god and moved on. I would have time to grieve him later.

As I moved to the woman we had rescued, the dwarf shot out of the building also on fire but swiftly putting himself out. I began to question the hysterical woman about what had happened. Pirates, she said, had landed and burned everything. She didn’t know were anyone was, except that most had left the town. She didn’t know who, if anyone, might be in the other buildings. As I spoke to her the dwarf got an odd look on his face before shooting off in the direction fixer had gone. The tiefling, also restless for more action, headed the way I had been going, muttering something about warning others out of their homes. I finished questioning the woman and told her to find Joe and stay there. Joe will always find the safest place in a battle…

That accomplished, I began searching the other side of the street to the teifling. I had come to a corner in my searching when I began to hear the sounds of battle. That explained why the dwarf had run off. I yelled back to demon-boy and started running at full pelt into the action. As I arrived, I saw pirates fighting with the dwarf and fixer. They seemed to be doing fine. All the towns-folk where clustered around one burning building, trying with buckets to put out the flames. I grabbed one man as he ran past. The building, he said, contained all the town records. I didn’t really understand what he was blabbering about so I released him, but just then Lorcian showed up, yelling out the name of our sponsor. It hadn’t occurred to me that she might be here and in danger. Through the smoke, I could see the masts of her ship and started to moved that way, thinking she would be there. Unfortunately my progress was arrested by a pirate. He leered at me, probably mistaking me for one of the simple towns folk, so I smacked him a couple of times in the jaw, before the teifling turned up to help out. He drove his sword into the pirate’s back. One more punch in the face from me and the vile pirate fell the ground. Lorcian and I had a quick discussion about the town records, while the teifling turned to aid the dwarf. Fixer was no where to be seen. Lorcian stayed to help put out the building, as I headed over towards the boats…

My recollection of the second half of the battle is not what it once was, but suffice it to say that we were victorious. Later we attended the town’s meeting at Lividia’s manor where they discussed rebuilding the town, and various of our party split off to do vital work – Joe and fixer to the forges and craft workshops and Lorcian to asses the ships. Lividia revealed that a pirate had survived, and was being held capture, so McKnuckle and myself set off to interrogate the scum. However our attempts where unsuccessful. Until, that is, Joe turned up. He came to ask us what extra armour we might require now he had a chance to sit down and make some, but we asked him if he might apply himself and his magic in getting the cur to speak. He did so, and admirably. We stepped outside while they spoke, and when he came back out he said the pirate had spilled all. It turned out our little sortie was nothing more than against a scouting party for a much larger problem: the crimson fleet – and we only had a month top prepare. So the dwarf and Joe hurried off to speak to Lavidia.

Left with nothing to do I wandered the manor, watching the activity and planning going on around me with a sense of detachment. Maybe I could hold my own in battle, but in this enterprising environment I felt utterly useless. I couldn’t seem to see a way in which to help out. After all, all I was good for was providing alcohol and hitting things, and since I lost my kegs in the shipwreck I could only do one of those things. But then my wandering feet brought me to the Manor’s kitchens, and I recalled to myself I was now a fairly able chef as well. I checked to see if anyone was about [which they weren’t] and began to cook up a thick nourishing stew.

As I walked back through the manor, this time doling out the stew to hungry workers, I heard that McKnuckle had taken two other dwarves to a iron seam just outside Farshore and that Fixer was investigating something called a creation forge.

A few days passed, again with almost everyone I knew and saw indulged in some form of industrious activity. I went to the two and tried to lend a hand where I could. It was in this activity I learned that that the landlord of the islands only pub had tragically died in the fighting. Part of my purpose in coming to the Isle of Dread was to create my own such establishment. I asked around and found that it was not due to pass into the hands of any relatives, nor had anyone else staked a claim to it, and so it belonged to the town. With the mayor also dead, I hurried to Lividia to ask her permission to purchase it. She told me it was 800 gold pieces, and that she gave it with her blessing. Should I wish, she also added, she would pay half and have 50% of the profits. I thanked her and hurried to the town records office where I asked again to purchase it. The clerk asked if I had the money and I handed him a rather heavy bag. He nodded and fetched the deeds. Brimming with excitement, I made my mark as he directed, and with a smile he handed me the deeds. ‘It’s all yours,’ he said.

I went at once to the pub. It’s outsides where scorched, but other than a kicked in door and some turned over furniture, it seemed to have escaped without harm. I asked around and some people said they had worked in the pub, and I asked them if they were interested in continuing their employment. Again they seemed happy with the situation, and so I directed them to begin to straighten the place out. I went down to check the stock levels and brewing equipment. Word must travel fast because when I returned from my inspection, there sat three dirty, sweaty and thirsty dwarves.

Through his ale McKnuckle told me he had visited the Alman chief and found that to employ their aid in the coming battle we had to find and destroy a couple of evil magical beasts for them. He also informed me that Fixer and Joe would not be joining us, but that one of the dwarves with him, Murdok Sprocketheim would be taking their place. It seemed a simple enough task, so I left my new employees to continue repairs and went to prepare for the fight.

Much had happened since the acquisition of my pub.

We fought a shambling mound, with a small detour including fire and spiders, to secure the Alman’s loyalty in the coming battle. They agreed to post warriors either side of Farshore, to protect the channels at it’s back. McKnuckle and Kaskus Kiel, one of the jade ravens, went out into the wilderness to secure the help of some ‘terror birds’ who would protect the rear of the town.

That night we gathered in the ‘Brass knuckle’ to discuss the defeat of the shambling mound and have Lorcian tell us of rescuing the vessel we arrived on. Suddenly the door to the bar swung open, and there stood a War Forged, one we hadn’t seen before. We all stared until Joe broke the silence. He stood, perplexed as the rest of us. “Fixer?” The War Forged smiled.
“Hi meatbags!” I also stood, and looked him up and down. He shone in a way he hadn’t since I’d met him on the shores of sasserine, and his whole demeanour seemed more aggressive.
“I think I need a bigger doorway,” I muttered. Hyper Fixer ducked under the frame and came to sit with us.
“I guess you do,” he said. “Got any oil?”

The next day, we continued with our work. Lorcian and I set to training the town’s people – anyone who could hold a sword was pressed into service. Fixer worked with the town’s alchemist to make quicklime, a deviating substance, while McKnuckle set up stations from which it could be hurled at the invaders. Murdock supervised the repair of the towns palisades. We had our hands busy until the morning of the attack.

We were woken by the church bells tolling. Five Pirate ships had been spotted. We ate a hearty breakfast and took up our defences, as they grew ever closer.

Soon the battle had commenced: We fought tooth an nail against the pirates who landed, calling encouragement to those we had conscripted. Soon after the battle was joined however, McKnuckle noticed a small band of pirates that had broken through our ranks. We chased after them. They flung flares hither and thither, and an instant later mighty fireballs fell from the sky onto the flares. With renewed vigour we engaged the pirates and stopped them from flinging a flare into any of the major buildings like my pub. Instead it was dropped into the fountain. We continued fighting, forgetting for the moment the massive fireballs. The skirmish went well, and in our favour, but as it drew to a close, Murdock suddenly looked to the sky, shrieked and began to run. I, confused, glanced skyward to see one of those massive fireballs making it’s way towards us, and followed Murdock’s lead.

The world around us momentarily became something like the pits of hell: searing heat, exploding chunks of rock and tortured screams. As magic of the fireball faded away, most of us where left only slightly singed and tottering. Poor McKnuckle though. I don’t recall if I have mentioned it before, but at some point he and the ice elemental in his war axe entered some sort of communion, whereby the dwarf becomes infused completely with the Elemental’s power. Unfortunately for him, this power was ’switched on’ when the fireball landed, and he was greatly more injured than the rest of us. It deterred him not and after downing a couple of potions, and a quick healing spell from Lorcian, he was fit as ever and if anything more ready to fight.

As we were recovering form this, we noticed more pirate bands had snuck through our lines, each of them carrying several flares, obviously intending to completely raze Farshore. Joe advised that we wouldn’t have enough time to run around and take all of them out, so we decided to take a dingy and row out to the ship from which the fireballs where coming. With myself and McKnuckle taking the oars, we sped through the water and swiftly climbed aboard.

Once aboard we were faced with several lizardmen, and on the ship’s forecastle, the sorcerer we had vowed to destroy. Getting through the sorcerer’s mooks was easy, however the sorcerer had a few tricks up his sleeve and began to levitate beyond our reach. Murdock shot at him with his crossbow, but was rewarded only with a sizzle of lightning that very nearly killed him. At this point McKnuckle and I had the same idea: to climb the mast and grapple him from the air. We reached about halfway before the sorcerer let loose one of those gigantic fireballs at the party. Fortunately for McKnuckle and I, were were not him. However not so lucky where Lorican and Joe. Doubly unlucky was Murdock. While Lorcian and Joe somehow managed to escape death, Murdock fell to the Grim Reaper1. With that the whole party become enraged, and with the situation seeming desperate, I determined that as soon as I had the chance I was going to use my secret power and knock the lizard scum from the air. However, by some fortunate chance, my powers will remain secret, for before any of us could act, Lorcian had skewered the sorcerer with magic arrows and his piercing wit.

At some point Fixer had appeared on deck. We had sent him off early on in the battle to scupper some of the ships, given that he does not need to breath. He informed us that there was now a large hole in the bottom and we should probably leave post-haste. With unusual reverence McKuckle picked up the charred remains of Murdock Sprocketheim, and carefully placed them in our boat, and as we began to row away, we watched the ship split in twain and sink beneath the waves. With sorrow for our downed companion, we headed toward the Blue Nixi to assist them, as it seemed they had been overrun with pirate scum.

That battle was swift and short, and we stood panting in the now midday sun, covered with blood and viscera. Suddenly though there was a scream of pain and rage from the end of the boat. We all turned to see Lavidia, our noble employer, being confronted by a terrible beast. I was astonished to hear her call it ‘Brother’ as they yelled at each other. Lavidia seemed closer to true rage than at any other time I had seen her. This monster was obviously causing her pain of the deepest kind – the kind only a family member can bestow. Needless to say, we all saw red, myself included. I threw caution to the winds and used the power of my Dragon Mark. I Leapt for the beast and dealt it two stinging blows to the back of the head. McKnuckle wasn’t far behind me, with his Urgosh held at the ready. Lorcian and Fixer followed too, while Joe and Snappy took Lavidia to safety. We surrounded the brute and beat on him until he lay dead at our feet. [Strangely, even though I have never used my power in front of the others, except Joe, none of them commented on my Leap. I guess either no one was paying attention or they put it down to a trick of the light]

With this the victory of Farshore was secured. I learnt later that we lost around 40 souls that day, and we held a mass funeral and memorial service for them. Murdock was interred in the mines by McKnuckle. We held his memorial at The Brass Knuckle, and toasted to his memory, and the memory of all those who fell. There was much damage to the town, but I had no doubt that with hard work and perseverance we would see it become a thriving commercial centre. It may have been difficult and frightening at times, but never a day goes by I am not glad that I came to Farshore and the Isle of Dread, for I have good friends and a thriving business. All that is behind me now, and I have only to look around to know my future is secured.

1Feel sorry for Gregmandu. This is the second character he’s lost to fire, and the fourth to die in the whole campaign. It’s not that the GM has it in for him – he’s just supremely unlucky.

Year Played 2008

Personality:
Due to her swift rise through the army ranks, and her subsequent transfer to the task force, Ning has developed a superiority complex. This complex is not helped either by the knowledge she is one of the few left who know the secrets of the Way of the Flaming Fist. She has a tendency to be rather imperious herself, believing that she is the Emperor’s representative on the road. That is not to say she is not completely loyal to the Emperor, and the army’s hierarchy. She is very loyal and will always help out a brother-in-arms.

Quote: Are you sure you wish to disobey me?

Memorable moment from the game: [Excerpt from Ning’s Diary]
Gah! No one listens to me! No one! Even though I am always right, and always advise the best course of action, no one listens!

How they ended up: Lost in time
Date Played June 2008

Name: Forgotten
System: Dungeons and Dragons [D20]
Race: Halfling
Class: Thief
Level attained: 4
Appearance/ Personality/ Background: Forgotten
Memorable moment from the game: Getting attacked in a manor house for finding out about a plan on the black market.
How they ended up: Unknown
Year Played 1999

Name: Azir Moonsinger
System: Dungeons and Dragons [D20]
Race: Human
Class: Bard/ Virtuoso
Level attained: 7
Appearance/ Personality/ Background: Sister and she were sent to a magic school [parents both magic], where sister learned sorcery and she learned music/ magic. Pair left school and travelled together before finding a group.
Memorable moment from the game: Getting a large amount of gold for a hat and then giving it all away to a dwarf who’s business had just been robbed.
Interesting ending equipment: Ring of path finding, XXX Bugman’s Ale.
How they ended up: On an alternate plane
Year Played 2000

Name: Danira [Dan] Tuson
System: Gridlinked [D6; based on the book of the same name by Neal Asher]
Race: Catadapt
Class: n/a
Level attained: N/a [Character points: 3]
Appearance/ Personality/ Background:Slight, 5′4″. Is Azure with silver and dark blue markings. Has tail, and paws on feet, but normal hands. Claws are located in both. Usually wears black shorts and small top, with long black coat. Only obvious possession is a silver hip flask.
Personality is very variable. She has a tendency toward drinking, ’suspicious’ activity, dangerous devices and beings, and suspicious weaponry. It is also quite safe to say she is clinically insane and is given over to some very random and bizarre acts. She is very tenacious in her search for her father, to the point where nothing else matters. NB, whilst not very sane, she is not a floozy, and has been know to severely maim anyone who tries to bed her without permission.
Danira was raised and schooled by her father, an archaeologists, but when she was 16 he disappeared whilst out on a dig. Danira has always believed he was abducted because he was investigating something to do with something called Jain.
From this point on she became part of the ‘quince’, hopping from planet to planet searching for information and doing odd-jobs. It was at this stage in her life she picked up many of her more ‘lucrative’ skills and contacts. At age 45 she moved to Aster Colora to seek out ‘Dragon’ and its knowledge. She lived there for 10 years and was rewarded with one conversation. Shortly after she left Aster Colora, she became a Catadapt and re-integrated herself into the ‘quince’. She attributes her survival of the accident on Fraval to being underground at the time.
Memorable moment from the game: N/a
How they ended up: Having brain re-constructed after having it torn apart by a dragon aug.
Date Played 2002

Name: Kellandra
System: Earn [D6]
Race: L’Arn
Class: Lore Master
Level attained: N/a [Character points: 13]
Appearance/ Personality/ Background: Long black hair, shot with purple streaks, pale skin [as a result of years on inside study], tall, with frail-seeming structure and eyes that change with mood. Wears dark purple dress and midnight coloured cloak.
Quiet, studious, devoted to learning about the natural forces, and culture of the mountains and it’s people [The Draan’ae]. Can become emotional/ excited about new discoveries and attacks. Mostly takes the diplomatic stance.
Brought up as a L’arn, under the name Kalith. Left home after becoming a Loarmaster and travelled to the mountains to study the natural forces, and culture of the Draan’ae, where she was given/ adopted the name Kellandra.
Memorable moment from the game: Getting the Gibbit ‘Neep’
Interesting ending equipment: Magi diary, gold serpent necklace [with ruby eyes], blue jell stuff that keeps boats watertight and rot free.
How they ended up: Last seen in the middle of a swamp; game on going
Date Played 2002

Name: Karka
System: StarWars [D20]
Race: Bothan
Class: Scoundrel
Level attained: 2/ 2
Appearance/ Personality/ Background: Basically Karka is a spy, but she gets her information in all and every possible way; some she steals, some she buys and some she coerces out of people by other means. She is not afraid of doing what it takes to get her information. In recent years she has become known in high circles as a ’special lady friend’ to those in power. Having said this, only those close to her, or in the underground communities realise what she is. She appears to work for no one government, or person, but frequently to the highest bidder.
She is also fairly well trained in hacking into computers, and when observed explains the ease with which she does this as ‘a knack’.
After aiding a young man she met on Bothawui gather information about the operations of the Empire in that system, Karka left Bothawui at 18, the young man having realised her worth to his investigations, and they travelled to some of the outer and mid rim worlds to carry out further investigations. It was during this time that she was trained in the basics of spying, computer hacking, and industrial espionage, and arrived by her equipment. But thinking she would never be permanently parted from the young man, she did not bother to get large amounts of her own specialised equipment.
However, 3 years ago, the young man, who was well know by many aliases in underground core communities ‘disappeared’. Some said he was killed, some say he simply moved on, but most agree that Karka had a hand in this.
Karka never had the full explanation to the young man’s activity, but has said herself that she will never reveal his details, his reasons, or current location to any one, or under any circumstance. Nor will she qualify any rumours.
She has no known family, but is still reluctant to speak on the subject, even with close friends, of which she has few. To many this would indicate that there where once people she cared strongly for, who are now deceased, possibly by brutal means.
Karka’s appearance is in many aspects similar to most Bothans. She is of average height, and slim. Her hair is black, and her eyes emerald green. Her beard is in 4-5 braids, each with a few dark coloured beads on the end and woven into the braid. She usually dresses in a close fitting cat suit made of a dark shimmering material that has gaps in interesting places, black boots and a long dark blue coat. In this way, she appears exotically attractive to those in power, but it also makes her look largely unremarkable when moving about government institutions.
Memorable moment from the game: Flying upside down on a speed bike through a canyon very very fast.
How they ended up: Unknown, left the game
Date Played Sept - Dec 2003

Name: Aleaha ‘MoonSneak’ Delance
System: Dungeons and Dragons [D20]
Race: Gnome
Class: Thief
Level attained: 4
Appearance/ Personality/ Background: She is a thief, plain and simple. She is a very good one though, with the talent sometimes becoming a habit. For example, often when at shopping with her mother at the market, Little Aleaha would often pickpocket those around her, just out of boredom.
Like most Gnomes, she has many nicknames, and her favourite being simply Moon, or MS.
Moon has always had tendencies towards roving, and exploring, and therefore stealing little gifts from wherever she had been for friends and family [a tradition she continues still]. Many of these traits where honed and encouraged by a mischievous uncle, who showed her many ‘tricks of the trade’, as he was of like spirit, and it was from him she gained her equipment, therefore, much of it is fairly elderly, but still strong as it is well made. These items hold much sentimental value for Moon, and they are of good quality, so she would be loathe to loose them, indeed, pity the soul who tries to take them!
The Uncle was an integral part of Moon’s life, so when he passed away at the ripe old age of 426, just she left her family home. As expected the family were angry, and upset by her disappearance, but the loss of the Uncle was a hard one for Moon to bear, and for several years just wandered from place to place, doing odd jobs, stealing here and there, trying to sort herself out emotionally, before winding up back at her family home. There she made her peace with all, and gave out gifts she had collected on her travels. But, for Moon, that was just a taster, and after a while she pined for the open road again. The family understood and once again she left, but with their blessing this time. Moon still keeps in contact with her family, and tries to return home for the feast days of The Watchful Protector.
To most people, Moon’s aspect appears quite strange. At just under 4 ft, she is tall by Gnome standards, and is also quite slim. Her hair is, for the most part, black, shot through with dark purple and blue braids. Her skin is the colour of old parchment, and her eyes are the colour of a raven’s wing. She normally wears dark blue linen shirt, black wool waistcoat, black cotton trews, held up by a many-pouched belt, knee-high black leather boots and a black woollen cape, fastened with a silver broach that depicts her namesake [a moon with a gap in the shape of the silhouetted form of a gnome].
Memorable moment from the game: Sulking about having to let the ranger use her rope to get the stupid fat human fighter out of a hole; an innuendo filled moment about the ranger being sat in a tree doing ‘manly’ things while an enemy was passing beneath.
Interesting ending equipment: Thunderstone, Eyes of the Eagle, Boots of Elvenkind, Ring of Protection +1, Cloak of Resistance.
How they ended up: Unknown, left the game
Date PlayedSept - Dec 2003

Name: Jenny “BSU” Hu
System: Fung Shui [D6]
Race: Human
Class: Techie
Level attained: N/A [Exp: 8]
Appearance/ Personality/ Background: Description: Fairly innocuous; dressed on cargoes, small tee and jacket [pockets cover all clothes]. Tough boots. Carries backpack. Wears her hair in two plaits and a ‘you want fries with that?’ baseball cap.
Story: My Father disappeared whilst on a S. American archaeological dig when I was 16. I went through several years of depression as a result, but came out determined to find him. I sold most of our possessions and invested in light ’survival’ gear, and my search has taken me through most of the countries of the world, but has finally let me here. It was in Prague that I met a ‘pyrotechnics’ expert and he taught me most of the stuff I about, well, Blowing Shit Up.
Memorable moment from the game: The whole game.
How they ended up: About to blow up a demon temple in another plane
Year Played 2005

Name: Alleah Dalliance
System: Titan/ Dungeons and Dragons [D20]
Race: Woodling [or Halfling]
Class: Thief
Level attained: 5
Appearance/ Personality/ Background:
Memorable moment from the game: Pretty much the whole game
How they ended up: On the verge of splitting from the rest of the group
Date Played March - Sept 2006

Name: Celest
System: Forgotten Realms - Underdark/ Dungeons and Dragons [D20]
Race: Gloaming
Class: Thief
Level attained: 2 [+2 level offset]
Appearance/ Personality/ Background: Celest is a 15 year old, 2′9″ Gloaming. Her skin is violet-grey and her wings and hair are deep black. She has elaborate tattoos and relishes showing off the shadows. She dresses in gold and black leather armour.
Her interests mainly lie in gathering secret knowledge and artefacts. In fact she is very interested in acquiring the Universal Key. She spends most of her time around Great Bhaerynden gathering expired adventures’ gear to sell at the great rift.
Interesting ending equipment: 2 pints of Aboleth Mucus
How they ended up:Getting stuck and drowning in a tunnel, then having the rest of her party come and cut her up and eat her
Date Played 2006

Name: Bukaroo Bonzi
System: Forgotten Realms - Underdark/ Dungeons and Dragons [D20]
Race: Gnome
Class: Thief
Level attained: 3
Appearance/ Personality/ Background: A male Gnome based on the idea of Indiana Jones, and the name is a pun on ‘Buckeroo Banzi’
Memorable moment from the game: Being Tortured and as a result turning evil and purposely leaving a Drow to fend for herself.
How they ended up: Dying in an un-winnable battle against clawed hands
Date Played 2006

Name: Misty Fields
System: Fung Shui [D6]
Race: Human
Class: Gambler
Level attained: n/a
Appearance/ Personality/ Background:
Memorable moment from the game: None.
How they ended up: Forgotten
Date Played 2006

Name: Drucilla Black
System: World of Darkness [D6]
Race: Human
Class: Librarian/ geekess
Level attained: n/a
Appearance/ Personality/ Background:
Memorable moment from the game: None.
How they ended up: Forgotten
Date Played 2006

Name: Azuka Rackell
System: Starwars [D6]
Race: Human
Class: Monk/ Jedi
Level attained: n/a
Appearance/ Personality/ Background: Dresses in dark trousers and top, with long black coat. Is very no-nonsense and reticent. Has no recollection of life before the age of 15. Trained with her master in martial arts and some force use, before being released at the age of 18 to travel and gain life experiences.
Memorable moment from the game: Blew up a planet full of Agan crystals. Shot an evil captain in the head while he was prone, because he was evil and she was pissed because he’d double crossed the group.
How they ended up: Finding the ultimate child of the Light Side, and rearing him to beat the ultimate Dark Side bloke. Probably went to the darkside. The game kind of played it’s self into a corner.
Date Played Sept 2006

Name: Liz Rimstone
System: Dungeons and Dragons [D20]
Race: Human
Class: Bard
Level attained: 2
Appearance/ Personality/ Background: Looks like a pirate. Started out being quite care-free. Somewhere along the line she got a conscience.
Memorable moment from the game: Nothing really. Not a very good game.
How they ended up: Running around doing petty favours for kings so they would lend troops to quell a rising tide of darkness. And plotting to free a princess.
Date Played Oct 2006

Name: Lady Dru
System: Dungeons and Dragons: Ebberon [D20]
Race: Half-Elf
Class: Ranger
Level attained: 7
Appearance/ Personality/ Background: Lady Dru, full name Lady Drusilla Ebonheart of Varna in the Eldeen Reaches, is a solitary creature. A half-elf of modest beauty, fair intelligence and great wisdom, she has a learned way about her and a noble, if occasionally flippant, bearing. She is simply a wanderer well versed in the ways of the wilderness, paying her way as courier, guide, reporter, gatherer of information and occasionally a blade for hire. However, most folk who meet her always comment that there is something slightly uncanny about her, as though she has some great secret that weighs heavy on her soul. What most people don’t realise, that this is the case.
At the age of 16, after a pleasant childhood learning the ways of the forests and grasslands from her father, a human ranger affiliated with the Wardens of the Wood, Dru learnt from her mother that aberrant Dragonmarks ran in her family, usually on the female side. Her mother said that they have a tendency to turn up every 3rd generation, and that there was a high chance she would get one. This would have not have been such a bad thing, had not a maid overheard, in ignorance mentioned it to a market seller who gossiped it to her husband, who was overheard in a pub by an agent for a member of House Vadalis who, on reporting it to his jealous master, one Tond d’Vadalis – a low level member with few contacts who believed those with aberrant marks should be destroyed or controlled by the true Dargonmarks - was ordered to retrieve Dru so she, and her possible Dragonmark, might be controlled. In one night Dru was bereft of family and home, thrown into the wilds, pursued by agents of House Vadalis for a talent she did not yet posses, yet was already terrified of.
In terms of appearance, Dru is slight with dark hair, deep blue eyes and, of course, slightly pointed ears. She favours a long sleeved tunic of royal blue under a dark leather jerkin and bracers with dark leather leggings, her silver rapier and crossbow at her opposite hips. She can be frequently seen wearing a heavy hooded cloak to hide her features.
Memorable moment from the game: Don’t really remember that much.
How they ended up: Being told that Arman [the warforged] was really Jah’Arman, some kind of god, then facing a skeleton hoard.
Date Played Jan 2007

Name: Drucilla [Dru] Black
System: World of Darkness [D10]
Race: Human
Class: n/a
Level attained: n/a
Appearance/ Personality/ Background: Geeky Librarian who can see the future
Memorable moment from the game: When I got my power or telekinesis.
How they ended up: Wandering around the sewers of Poole, trying to find a vampire.
Date Played March 2007

Name: Keeva
System: World of Warcraft [D20]
Race: Night Elf
Class: Druid
Level attained: 1
Appearance/ Personality/ Background: Insane [in a non-lethal way] healer
Memorable moment from the game: There was no game.
How they ended up:Unknown. Char was never actually played in the end
Date Played N/A [2007]/p>

Name: Various, currently Paper
System: Kobolds ate my baby!
Race: Kobold
Class: n/a
Level attained: n/a
Appearance/ Personality/ Background: Cute and furry. Stupid, but fearless.
Memorable moment from the game: Pretty much the whole thing…
How they ended up:First got drowned in beer, second got sucked down a rabbit hole and left in a mixed metaphor, the 3rd is still alive
Date Played June 2007

Name: Elisa
System: Heartland Saga
Race: Human
Class: Bar Wench
Level attained: n/a
Appearance/ Personality/ Background: Very much like a bar wench, but trousers instead of skirt. Unbearably cheerful and excitable, fearless and slightly insane. Likes wandering off to look at interesting things As far as she knows she is the granddaughter of Brin, the owner of the Smouldering Ember. Believes unwaveringly in Charon, the god of her personal protection.
Memorable moment from the game: Pretty much the whole thing… Getting stuck by lightning; Getting attacked by a dragon; Figuring out a puzzle; Almost getting carried off by orcs; Having to sing about how cool it was to be in the group to a dragon statue to get a ruby; falling out of mid air; walking into several traps; getting captured by rangers; getting stuck in a temporal rift thingy; the sand horse; killing mammoths.
How they ended up:Was last seen in a jungle being captured by some scary rangers after being teleported some thousand miles from a desert to a jungle.
Date Played July 2007

Name: Azuka
System: Shadowrun
Race: Human
Class: N/A
Level attained: 1
Appearance/ Personality/ Background:
Memorable moment from the game: None, game lasted one session.
How they ended up:Last seens about to sneak into a secure facility.
Date Played2007

[Character resurected]
Name: Alleah Dalliance
System: Titan/ Dungeons and Dragons [D20]
Race: Woodling [or Halfling]
Class: Thief
Level attained: 9
Appearance/ Personality/ Background: Alleah is 3 foot, 4 inches, with dark hair and tanned skin, owing to her long days traveling. She is usually dressed in brown studded leather amour, regardless of climate or occasion. At any given time, she can be found to have at least 10 daggers on her person, as well as her short sword and cross bow. She also wears a shimmering black cloak.
Usually she is very sweet tempered, especially when she’s about to get her hands on loot or food, and enjoys attention. However she tends to sulk a lot when things go wrong or she doesn’t get her own way. Alleah has also learnt to use her diminutive stature to her advantage, variously posing as a child or a goblin to steal, cause mayhem, escape or move things along in her favour. Her favorite drink is ale and will eat whatever is going.
Addendum: Since her previous party split up, Alleah has had trouble trusting others and fitting into other groups, and also has a tendency to babble about things that have happened in the past that nobody but her really understands.
Memorable moment from the game: Game one: Pretty much the whole thing; Game two: Getting resurected as an owl, becoming the prophet of Gregism, seeing several [previously dead] people she cared deeply about being useed against her to evil ends.
How they ended up: Game one: On the verge of splitting from the rest of the group; Game two: Turned back into a halfling from an owl by the graciousness of Greg.
Date Played Aug-Oct 2007

Name: Rachel Stephendottir
System: Shadowrun [D6]
Race: Human
Class: N/A [magician, tradition: 6th sense]
Level attained: N/A
Appearance/ Personality/ Background: Rachel stepped slowly through the dim room, the slanting sunlight highlighting her ash-blond hair. She held her arms out either side, long fingers brushing the dusty surfaces. Quietly she stopped, her head tilted to one side.
“What is it?” asked Kipris, coming alert from where he’d been lent in the doorway.
“She was held here,” Rachel said, pointing to a metal ring set into the floor. “It’s all grey and muddy.” Rachel turned to him, and Kipris saw her eyes where still glazed. “She must have been so afraid.”

Rachel, or Ray as she is better known, is 20 years old. She is tall and thin, with a pale complexion. She dresses in boot-cut jeans, a purple crop-top and a kaki wool jacket, all made out of ballistic fibre, and is usually seen with an Eye of Hours Pendant. While she usually has a cautious and shy attitude to the world, Ray knows her stuff when it comes to the astral and to sensing things before it happens.

After her parents died, Ray grew up under the care of a wise-woman for Seattle’s small Icelandic colony. Even though she is technically not one of them, she feels very strongly about her adopted family, in particular her troll ‘brother’, and the efforts they made to send her to the University of Seattle where she is currently completing her BA Arts thesis.

Kipris ahead of her, and Thorir behind, Ray snuck through the corridors of Aztechnology’s ziggurat shaped building. They came to a corner. In her gut something tingled.
“Wait!” she hissed, reaching out for Kipris’s arm as he took a step forward. But she was too late. Gunfire rattled and Kipris cried out, pulling himself back to cover. He flopped back against the wall.
“Bastards got my arm,” he said revealing a bloodied hole.
“Take care of him Ray,” said Thorir stepping to the corner. “I’ll take care of them.” Carefully Rachel pulled Kipris back.
“Just relax,” she told him, sending tendrils of amber coloured power into the wound. Behind them more gunfire rattled out and then yet more closer as Thorir returned fire. Under all the noise came a soft ‘chink’ as the healing flesh pushed the bullet back out.
“Ah!” groaned Kipris, as he flexed the arm. He shot the magician a wane smile. “Good work Ray.” Standing he said, “Now hang back a mo while Thor and I kick their asses.”
Memorable moment from the game:
How they ended up:Waiting for the coat to be clear enough to emerge from the shitty safe house they’re staying at.
Date Played Sept 2007