20 in 20 #8

[Kailani of Admin]

Create an NPC (or group)

For this challenge:
You will delve deep into your knowledge of Trinaldian Society and create a non-player character (or group).

Rules:
Their race must already be a current NPC or enemy - No Altitanites, No dragons or other beasts/races of myth and legend.
They cannot already exist - AKA Do not create another High King/High Queen of Valorn or another Empress of Ethucan.
You should include a description, a backstory, any information of the general concept such as location, and how or what they add to the society/game (generally the purpose of their existence from an IC perspective).
Include an example of how you might roleplay/interact with an adventurer as them.
Including a picture/portrait is optional.

Post questions below along with entries.
This challenge will run until November 1, 2023.

*This contest does not indicate that you will see any of these NPC idea's come to life in game. However, entries may be utilized with or without content changes without notification to the creator.*


K.

[Alfred Elpin]

Non-Player Group:

Agricultural Cooperative
Race: Humans

The Agricultural Cooperative governs foodstuff production throughout Valorn. They also advise the High Queen of Valorn on seasonal production quotas and suggest crop rotations for the realm. Of course, not all Farmers are happy with the Coop. There are some who choose to produce their own produce and sell it at much higher costs. But, the Coop doesn't fault such people, nor does it argue with their pricing models. Truthfully, the Coop understands that producing organic produce, alone, costs quite a bit more than doing it together with other farmers. It's one reason that the Coop was created: to help alleviate losses that come up through lack of rain, too much rain, lack of proper insects, too many insects... You see where this is going.

The Ag Coop was created by a small group of farmers near the Bromidic Hills sometime during the Reign of Tiah-Tor the Hopeful. Over the centuries, the Coop has grown and shrank. Most farmers of Valorn, today, are part of the Coop and they continue to work together to produce enough food for all of Valorn's inhabitants.

Of course, the razing of Fartown harmed the Coop greatly. The town supported so much more life than was apparent to the uninitiated. Entire families of farmers were lost to Balthazar's forces. While there has been some recovery mainly because of the Coop helping the survivors to consolidate their farms, there is much work to do to increase yields in the region.

Adventurers unknowingly interact with the Coop every day! The foods they eat, the drinks they...drink... all are produced under the guidance of the Coop.

Even the ABV helps promote the Coop because without food there couldn't be people and without people, there couldn't be the betterment thereof!

While it would be helpful for the Coop to have an official office, they choose to limit the costs of bureaucracy by not having more than a small office (read lean-to) near Maggie.

[Turcko]

Question: entries are per character or per player, and is there a limit to how many we can enter?
Could I do an NPC and an NPC group in separate entries, or just one of them?

[Turcko]

Non-Player Group: Centaur Outcasts
Race: Centaur

Being a warring race that values strength and battle prowess, there is hardly any place in the various centaur clans of Valorn for the peaceful, the historians, those too old to fight or those permanently crippled in battle.
While most centaurs that fall into these categories end up victims of their ruthless society, some rare lucky souls manage to escape their clans purging culture and have banded together in a secret refuge in the Cursed Canyon north of the desert.
With secret accesses to both the Eastern and Western mountain ranges, the council of elders that rules them tries to smuggle any outcasts away from their clans before it is too late.

Recently, their location was almost discovered by the increased flux of adventurers to a desert oasis that had been closed for ages (along with the demon inside it), which made the centaurs close the oasis off out of fear of discovery.
Curious adventurers did find them among the twists and turns of the Cursed Canyon, however, and were surprised by what a few centuries of seclusion can do for a peaceful centaur civilization.

Along the blacksmithing that is an integral part of their warrior culture, the Centaur Outcasts of Hoofstead also have detailed records of centaur history, cultural beliefs, medicine, cooking, and even magic, all fostered under the watchful and peaceful guidance of their Council of Elders.

Adventurers (and in particular one Bifrost Janger) managed to secure a tenuous alliance of trade and defense with Hoofstead, enjoying some of the disclosed areas of the settlement.

Benefits and possibilities for interaction:
- Centaur themed gear for the pretty much empty 60-66 levels segment
- Possible new food and drink
- New Elucidators
- Tunnels connecting the Eastern and Western mountains to the Cursed Canyon containing hostile "centaur bounty hunters" with glowing wild crystals (for the new Elucidators)
- A healer for easier training in the Cursed Canyon and the new tunnels

[Brisingr Blaze]

Non-Player Group: Valornian Archaeology Society
Race: Human

Throughout the history of Valornian society this group has had its ups and downs. At one time it thrived along with the Historical Society, before their latest expedition unearthed the desert tombs and lost the vast majority of their archaeologists thus driving their efforts to a screeching halt. Since then the Society has been slowly building their numbers and recruiting promising adventurers to help in their cause: getting the monocles back from their fallen comrades and possibly much more.

They’ve taken back up residency at their old dig site using the tent as a temporary base of operations. Two guards are stationed out front and appear to be on loan from the A.B.V based on their armbands.

Benefits to Valorn: They provide jobs for Valornians through the A.B.V. Merchants are given business through the Society purchasing tools, food, etc. They help make sure things of note aren’t lost to the winds of time.

Non-Player Character: Petrie Piedra of the V.A.S
Race: Human

This individual peers out at you through two monocles twisted together into a pair of glasses. They have matted snow white hair, but are full of energy despite their advanced age. They wear a leather jerkin with a checkered pattern overshirt, sleeves rolled up and loose fitting trousers. Their boots are capped in steel to provide protection from falling rumble.

Petrie, despite their age appears to have been an adventurer at one point. They have battle scars and the muscle structure of someone who used to fight.. Or simply dug a lot.

[Viviyana]

NPC Group: Valorninati

Race: Human

Backstory: It is rumored that the Valorninati arose during the golden ages when the power of multiple kingdoms coalesced into the hands of but one king. Some say they date back even further and actively worked to prevent the peace agreement between the three kingdoms. They worked to prevent the rise of the Mages of Ryn as the latter further separated themselves and Balthazar gained power. Since that era they have always been lurking in the shadows, seeking to manipulate events and sabotage the powers that be. Part scholar and part radical, they delve in mysticism and the lost knowledge of the Golden Age, believing such knowledge should be free and known to all. They have become increasingly vocal, although still maintaining their anonymity and myth status, after the God's War. They point to this as further proof that the common citizen can not trust the three factions of power in the realm or even the Gods themselves. It is unknown if there is a leader to this group, or if they are just individuals bound together by their love of anarchy and hatred of those in power.

Location:
It is said that members of the Valorninati can be found in any city or hall. They walk among us as bakers, merchants or students. Some say their members have even infiltrated the A.B.V. although, others say they are enemies. Most recently there are whispers they have been messing about in Ryn, seeking ancient knowledge to release to the common folks.

Purpose:
-Introduce more factions, allowing greater variety in character types. (They can't all be happy loyal subjects)
-Allow for more enchantments, even if Ryndall considers it forbidden knowledge aka Mage only knowledge
-Revolution. Democracy, adventurer elected rulers. (from a purely IC standpoint here!)
-A separate path that characters could choose, going down the rabbit hole in unraveling the secrets of the Velominati
-Once a character was initiated they could recruit others. More flavor and "conversation" starters for RP.


Interactions:

-Quests: Everything from having adventurers sneak into Branishor's vaults to treasure hunting and sabotage.
-Encounters: Either to gain knowledge or try and recruit.
-Riots, Rebellion, Mayhem

[Kailani of Admin]

Question: entries are per character or per player, and is there a limit to how many we can enter?
Could I do an NPC and an NPC group in separate entries, or just one of them?

You may have up to two entries: one of each type, per player.

Thank you for the question.

K.

[Turcko]

NPC: Elusive Merchant
Race: Human... maybe?

During a busy night at the local inn, or as whispered gossip among the merchant stalls, you may hear about it.
Some claim to have dealt with a young woman surrounded by a mind numbing perfume. Others swear they talked with a bent old man of wrinkled hands. None can describe the face within the hood though, of the cloaked Elusive Merchant.
Seen throughout the lands in the most varied (and always hard to access) locations, this supplier of exotic goods never lingers long, vanishing into the shadows as suddenly as they appeared.

Concept:
An NPC that jumps around. Think Mysterious Portal and not Haggie. This merchant should be a myth, someone adventurers swear to have met between drinking mugs of ale and who no one believes.
One could try to convince others that they had found the Elusive Merchant, only to return to the area and find them gone, everyone else laughing and patting on the back offering the next round of ale.

The merchant would offer a rotational supply of goods, all very expensive, for some gear slots that don't have many alternatives: Armor Slots 1 and 2, pouches, stat rings, arm bands.

[Ursarius]

Non-Player Group: Centaur Outcasts
Race: Centaur

Being a warring race that values strength and battle prowess, there is hardly any place in the various centaur clans of Valorn for the peaceful, the historians, those too old to fight or those permanently crippled in battle.
While most centaurs that fall into these categories end up victims of their ruthless society, some rare lucky souls manage to escape their clans purging culture and have banded together in a secret refuge in the Cursed Canyon north of the desert.
With secret accesses to both the Eastern and Western mountain ranges, the council of elders that rules them tries to smuggle any outcasts away from their clans before it is too late.

Recently, their location was almost discovered by the increased flux of adventurers to a desert oasis that had been closed for ages (along with the demon inside it), which made the centaurs close the oasis off out of fear of discovery.
Curious adventurers did find them among the twists and turns of the Cursed Canyon, however, and were surprised by what a few centuries of seclusion can do for a peaceful centaur civilization.

Along the blacksmithing that is an integral part of their warrior culture, the Centaur Outcasts of Hoofstead also have detailed records of centaur history, cultural beliefs, medicine, cooking, and even magic, all fostered under the watchful and peaceful guidance of their Council of Elders.

Adventurers (and in particular one Bifrost Janger) managed to secure a tenuous alliance of trade and defense with Hoofstead, enjoying some of the disclosed areas of the Settlement

Polaris Ursica has been Trying to Negotiate Peace with the Centaur Clans (Training level 25-26) in the Mountain pass near Jensen the Healer. (For Roleplay And Backstory Reasons) She plans to ONE DAY Build a Ursine Guildhall for Human Adventurer Members but also a Mountain Bear Sanctuary in the Empty Lot beside Shieldwall.

I support Bifrosts Entry for Centaur NPC Group.

[Pallas]

The Silent Ones

Race – spectral. Originally human.

For the most part, when the physical body perishes the spirit moves on to its future plane of existence, determined by the life led. But some of those spirits, ghosts or phantoms may retain enough determination to remain in the lands.
We’ve seen spectral ranch hands and the farmer at Milltown’s undead farm. Ghostly sailors and a lighthouse keeper, the rainforest death phantom, infesting these lands even after death. Their hatred of adventurers gives them the will to remain, to work ill on the humans who walk the lands.

Others, more benign, perhaps merely curious about how events will develop after their passing, remain. They bear no ill-will to us, and have been known to alert people to impending peril.

The Silent Ones give the appearance of being travellers usually cloud in simple clothing and wrapped in a cloak, although it’s been said there’s an indefinable air of insubstantiality about them, presumably as what is essentially a spirit form gathers the illusion of a human body around itself. They might be seen anywhere in the lands.

They pose no threat. The Silent Ones merely watch. They do not speak, nor do they attack travellers or adventurers. Indeed, it’s believed that they will warn of impending danger.

They may not always choose to visibly reveal their presence. How many times have you felt a tingle on the back of your neck, or felt your hair standing on end? It’s believed this is a warning from the Silent Ones. Unseen, they’ll lay a hand on your arm or shoulder. The touch itself sends a chill through you. We interpret the feeling as being a sense of being watched – which is certainly the case – and also as a warning of a nearby threat, which again is true.


Benefit to Valorn – This is uncertain as the Silent Ones do not communicate with humans, though they will often warn those who are in peril. It may be that they watch for some over-arching danger to the lands, at which time they may break their silence and take a more active role. Their motives, though unknown to us, seem to be protective of the well-being of those who walk the lands.

Interactions -
Pallas frowns slightly as he notices a slight haziness in the appearance of the traveller.
Pallas turns quickly at the feel of an unseen hand grasping his arm, in time to see an enemy ready to attack.
Pallas rubs at the back of his neck, becoming more alert as he recognises the sensation of being watched.

Pallas
53943

[Telvonus]

Broken Pillar:

The Broken Pillar in the Tall Grasslands, west of the river, is a life monument, with a village around it. (Anyone, adventurer or not, can try to tie to the monument, but some people will fail to tie, and some who do tie will not return if they die violently.)

The village was settled by Ethucan gentlefolk, under the King of the East, in the Golden Age - as an agricultural colony. It was then some of the great houses of the gentlefolk, clustered tightly around the monument itself. When the Golden Age passed, and the Plain of the East was invaded by giant insects, the farmers and the servants took refuge in town.

The present inhabitants of the village mostly claim Ethucan descent, and practice somewhat old-fashioned customs, like family approval of possible bondings. Everybody works and fights. Telmacha and I are descended from Teleus, a Cantabrigian, and grew up in Teleusstead; Topaz's mother Flavia was also from Broken Pillar. Unlike most tribes of the Grasslands, known to adventurers as bandits, we neither served Balthazar, nor did we believe that the rest of the world did. This is partly because the portal to Broken Pillar would be found as a Blue spell, once or twice a century. Generally, the enchanter who found it would portal back and forth to Dundee on a regular schedule, taking whoever wanted to go with her. The last enchanter cast the portal back to Broken Pillar one Sunturn, as usual, and went in; neither he nor his passengers have been seen since.

Telmacha and I were sent away about ten years ago, during an invasion of insects. We have not been able to find it since we have been able to walk through the Grasslands. (Since most contact was by portal, and our trip was difficult, we're not exactly sure where it is on the map.)

Possible encounters:
Being welcomed by our fatherTelcontes, or other householders.
Trading grain and cloth for our traditional mushroom wine.
Reading Ethucan books not available in other libraries in Valorn - or Iscax, as far as I've seen.

[Blossom]

Houliad the Juggler

Houliad juggles for everybody; he is bespoke by Queen Cordelia, but can also be found in Corbie's - both Corbie's. An incorrigible gossip, his news is uncannily accurate; but if you believe his hints, he's been out drinking with everybody else from the Crier and Zeric down to Tyral and Nedd Shafar,

Always recognizable, in pointed burgundian boots and a pointed hat, he has a fondness for stripes of many colors. His claims to be a retired Trickster should be taken with a grain of salt; after all, what's a Trickster?

Typical interactions:
"Hey, did you hear what's new?"
"Nice party. Want some entertainment?"
"Ya know where a fellow could get a drink?"

[Morris]

Hawkers Traveling Market.

A group of traveling Merchant that travel around setting up stalls where ever the mood takes
these items can range from the basic of food and potions to the more luxury one of a kind items.
One should never pay the asking price but should Haggle to get a fair price???

Or A Traveling Potion Seller, (perhaps a service that is to be paid to use) we all have been caught short down in the tombs, simples send for the seller and he'll bring the potions to you

[Kailani of Admin]

I love these!

Thank you for your creativity! There is no *real* prize for this - however, you may find that some of these make their way in game in some form or fashion!

Thank you for an amazing 20 years in DG! Our players are THE BEST!

K.