The beastmen came at him from the dark shadows of the tall green pines. Only his sharp eyes saved him from walking into a spear. Prince Gregor had slain three quickly with his skilled strong hands, but the other four attempted to corral him in a wide circle. Recognizing the danger this posed he charged one of the manbeasts, ducking under its crude thrust and running it through, instantly withdrawing his weapon to bring it to bare completely behind him, piercing the other beastman running to slay him. His backswing extinguished whatever life the tainted goat-man possessed as it's blood sprayed into the sky like a twisted fountain, catching him on his sword arm.
An inferno erupted onto his arm where the blood of the goat-headed thing had landed. It was sticking to his skin and burning like some mad bonfire released upon him. A scream erupted from his lips as he released Velrinqor and dwindled to his knees. The pain was a constant intense burning that caused his limb to go into spasms.
The two remaining vile creatures approached him, obviously content with his pain. One of them, who had large horns resting on its dog's head and a pair of slimy brown tentacles right below its chest, stepped closer and gave what appeared to be a mocking laugh. It looked right into his clear dark blue eyes with its black orbs of its own an said coarsely, "The bear of Kislev dies today". With that, it raised the crude stone axe to end Gregor's life.
In that instant, a loud threatening growl echoed throughout the forest, coming from everywhere at once, yet in no one place in particular. The beastman hesistated from its act, stopping to glance nervously around the area along with its other companion. Acting out of instinct, Gregor grabbed Velrinqor in his other hand and thrust with his last strength into the wicked thing before him. The enchanted sword entered into it with the ease of sliding into its own scabbard, ripping through twisted flesh and fur to find the heart of the chaotic creature.
A figure leapt passed him at the bewildered remaining beastman, who had just enough wits to parry the oncoming attack. The prince watched in astonishment as he recognized his savior; Prince Viktor, his younger brother. A fifteen year old who looked much more youthful than his age and who lacked his brute strength and ability with the blade. Yet here he was fighting a thing from some horrible nightmare.
The last beastman did not remain stunned for long, and began to strike back at Viktor. The prince dropped his guard, surprising the mutant who connected eagerly with its mace into the royal's shoulder. The cunning Viktor reacted with percision as the beastman hit, bringing his blade in an unorthodoxical circle before spearing his foe in the neck, ending the bloody struggle.
"....Wha...What are you doing here Viktor? What wa...ahhh! What was that sound?", Gregor asked through the shattering wall of pain.
"Why, I just wanted to see what you were sneaking off to. As for the sound Gregor, you should know your own battlecry!", the prince said with a weak smile as he clutched his shattered collar-bone. He slowly made his way over to Gregor and proffered a hand to help his much larger brother up to his feet.
"You've never made a bear growl like that before, Viktor!", was all that Gregor could manage to say.
The smile grew wider on his brother's devious face. "Let's just say that I never had enough proper inspiration before today. Come, let us get home and face father's wrath. I'm sure it will hurt much worse than our current injuries, but one must be brave, right Gregor? That's what you're always telling me anyways....".
The two brothers leaned on one another as they left the woods. Viktor looked back only briefly at the tracks his brother had overlooked in the confusion. The tracks of a bear. Despite the discomfort, Viktor's smile grew wider still.
The Illustrious Prince Georg Bokha; "The Bear of Kislev"
| Career Class | Warrior | Alignment | Neutral | Age | 26 | Height | 6'3" | Weight | 132 .lbs | Hair | Dark Black | Eyes | Dark Blue | Current Career | Noble rank 5 | Social Status | (n) A 72 | Career Path | Noble, Noble rank 1, Freelance, Templar, Noble rank 2, Noble rank 3, Noble rank 4. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Description: Prince Gregor is tall handsome man with a muscular physique. He sports a dark black moustache to match his shoulder-length hair. He looks very similar to his father, the Tsar, when the ruler was a youth. A long blemish runs along the complete length of his left arm (burns from the acid-blood of a beastman he slew).
Note: Gregor is left-handed. Starter Scheme Advance Scheme Advances Taken Current Profile M 5 0 5 M WS 38 +40 4 78 WS BS 36 +10 3 66 BS S 4 3 7 S T 4 2 6 T W 7 +6 8 15 W I 33 +30 3 63 I A 1 +2 2 3 A Dex 27 +10 2 47 Dex Ld 35 +50 4 75 Ld Int 31 +30 2 51 Int Cl 38 +40 3 68 Cl Wp 27 +20 2 47 Wp Fel 37 +40 3 67 Fel
-Skills- Excellent vision, night vision - 8 yards, Very Strong (already added into profile), blather, charm, etiquette, heraldry, luck, read/write, ride - horse, wit, gamble, public speaking, consume alcohol, specialist weapon fencing sword, musicianship - horn, disarm, dodge blow, secret language battle tounge, specialist weapon lance, specialist weapon flail, specialist weapon parrying weapon, specialist weapon two-handed weapon, strike mighty blow, strike to stun, strike to injure, secret signs templar, game hunting, sing, stewardship, story telling, evaluate, influence, intimidate, law, seduction, cryptography, dynastic knowledge, secret language classical, court intrigue, secret sign noble, theology.
Languages: Old Worlder - Slavic (native tounge), Reikspiel; Eltharin.
Trappings: Velrinqor - enchanted sword (Damage +2, bane weapon vs. chaos creatures), amulet of protection (as ring) vs. chaos (1/2 damage, +10% modifier to all tests against spells and special abilities use by chaotic creatures/warriors), Drulv - enchanted shield (2 APs, missile protection - no non-magic missiles the size of an arrow or smaller can affect the bearer - Prince Gregor), gold ring entwined with mithril (bares the royal crest).
-History- Prince Gregor, first son of Tsar Radii Bokha and Lady Nastassia Morustich-Bokha, was born twenty-six winters ago. Gregor arrived while Tsar Bokha was on a hunting expedition in which the ruler of Kislev slew a bear of enormous size after tracking the creature through many miles. As the Tsar returned with his trophy he found he had become a father. A celebration commenced which lasted a whole week. During that time the story of the slain bear coinciding with the birth of Gregor was taken as a fortunate omen for the first-born prince. The bear, to Kislevites, represents not only strength, but endurance, loyalty, and patience; hence the people of Kislev began to begin to call Gregor 'The Bear' as a sign of affection for the little child. The skin of the bear still resides to this day within the royal throne room to see for all those who come to visit.
Life for the young royal was strict and his upbringing proved to be very easy; Gregor proved to be an apt student in all areas of training. Only a few events during his adolescence was the prince a problem, although this was never made public. These events usually involved things to be encouraged except that Gregor took them to the extreme; practicing fencing until he would faint from lack of food and water, competing in dangerous events with other nobles, and sometimes challenging his father's edicts that he felt were wrong (although he never said his father was wrong, he mainly suggested alternatives to the Tsar to the point of Radii's tolerance).
As a young adult Gregor proved to a master warrior, able to defeat his trainer most of the time in their mock-duels after his seventeenth birthday. The older the prince became, the more independent he was. Oftentimes he would sneak into the forest and hunt, alone, with no guards or protectors. It was duringone such incident that the prince almost lost his life to a band of ambushing beastmen. He gallanty killed five by his own hand out of the band of seven, yet the fifth proved to be deadlier in its death. The dead thing's blood sprayed out, catching Gregor on his arm, burning it severely. While the two remaining beastmen advanced to slay the wounded prince a loud growl echoed through the woods. The growl distracted the beastmen long enough for Gregor to slay one while Prince Viktor emerged from behind a tree to engage the other. After a quick but brutal battle, it was over and the two princes were alive, albiet both wounded. Viktor had followed his older brother to discover where he would sneak off to and was wandering a few hundred yards away when the beastmen attacked. Viktor used a childhood tease, the growl of a bear, to distract the tainted manthings. The fox, it seemed, had saved the bear.
Gregor, within the last six years, has accomplished much. The prince is a Knight of the White Wolf and has become an accomplished field commander, as well as an honorary member of the ranger-knights, the Brotherhood of the Bear. Add to this intensive training in aristocratic functions, it is very impressive indeed. Most natives of Kislev regard Prince Gregor as the best warrior in the lands and tell in awe stories of his might. He has also convinced his father to allocate more funds to battle the chaotic creatures that hide within the deep forests around the cities.
-Personality- Prince Gregor is destined to become the next Tsar, and this fact weighs heavily upon him. He is a man with many burdens and few vices. Duty is all he has known, and although he would never abandon his responsibilities, sometimes he desires to be alone with his thoughts and not be bothered by all the necessities he constantly faces. This makes him moody when he is forced to make many decisions promptly when he would rather contemplate for a time.
The prince, while not jovial, is friendly and has an regal presence. One of his faults is his temper, which is normally not a problem. However, when challenged on an issue he believes strongly in he has been known to raise his deep voice (except to the Tsar, of course).
Gregor is fond of his little brother, and has protective feelings towards him. These feelings surface when he sees his brother's 'skulking' episodes. The elder prince is confused to as what the source of these negative emotions, but tries to do his best to cheer Viktor up. Lately his brother has been harder to reassure, and this concerns him gravely.
The Exalted Prince Viktor Bokha; "The Fox of Kislev"
Career Class: Warrior Alignment: Neutral (good tendencies) Age: 24 Height: 5'11" Weight: 179 .lbs Hair: Dark Red Eyes: Grey-blue Current Career: Noble rank 5 Career Path: Noble, Noble rank 1, Noble rank 2, Noble rank 3, Gambler, Charlatan, Noble rank 4. Social Status: (n) A 65
Description: Prince Viktor is unremarkable in description, except for his long dark red hair which he wears in a pony-tail (it hangs down to the middle of his back). A sly smile and the raising and lowering of his bushy eyebrows are facets of his personality that peak out sometimes during the more boring moments of royal pageantry he is forced to endure from time to time.
Starter Profile Advance Scheme Advances Taken Current Profile M 4 0 4 M WS 31 +40 3 61 WS BS 33 +10 1 43 BS S 3 0 3 S T 4 0 (*) 5 T W 7 +6 6 13 W I 33 +30 3 63 I A 1 +2 2 3 A Dex 31 +10 2 51 Dex Ld 34 +50 4 74 Ld Int 39 +30 3 69 Int Cl 38 +40 3 68 Cl Wp 33 +20 2 53 Wp Fel 30 +40 3 60 Fel
-Skills- Ambidextrous, sing, disarm, acute hearing, blather, charm, etiquette, heraldry, luck, read/write, ride - horse, wit, gamble, public speaking, consume alcohol, specialist weapon fencing sword, musicianship - horn, dodge blow, game hunting, specialist weapon lance, specialist weapon parrying weapons, stewardship, story telling, evaluate, influence, intimidate, law, seduction, specialist weapon two-handed, palm object, disguise, mimic, cryptography, dynastic knowledge, secret language classical, court intrigue, secret signs - noble, theology.
Languages: Old Worlder - Slavic (native tounge), Reikspiel, Khazalid.
Trappings: Cloak of disguise (as robe; may use the spell Assume Illusionary Appearance once per day and Clone Image spell also once per day), Belosk - enchanted sword (+3 damage, freeze attack - causes an extra d3 wounds if target fails a Toughness test), bracer of vigor (adds +1 to Toughness; not added into profile), ring of silver entwined in mithril (bares the royal crest).
-History- A year and a half later the Tsar found that he would be a father again. Happy with the current affairs he promised a gift to the people of Kislev on his second child's birthday in remembrance of the fond wellwishers of his first son's birth. When the time came the Tsar was beset by pleas from various groups as to what the gift should be as Viktor was born into the world. Radii listened intently and sifted through the requests with his advisors. He was beginning to feel foolish for his oath of a gift to the his whole nation - what could he possibly give to that many people? Not another holiday, for it would indicate favor to the lower working classes, displeasing those whom they worked for. A work of art or monument would not please those of the lower class, as it would indicate favor to those higher up on the social ladder.
Finally, a represntative from Erengrad arrived and brought with him a suggestion - pardon a hero to the people for his past crimes and allow him to retire within the lands he loved so much. Vastor Felvak, 'The Fox', was an outlaw of wide reknown whose name had reached Radii's ears many times. Vastor was a thief of great reknown who would often steal from the pompus and arrogant, more to teach a lesson than to gain monetary wealth, usually giving away most of his ill-gotten goods to those in dire straits. He had earned the nickname 'The Fox' due to his cunning and ability to always find a way out of the situation. The Tsar himself had some of his ancestral jewelry stolen by none other than Vastor, and was quick to point out even if he were to pardon all the Fox's other crimes he would still pay dearly for the lost treasures that were, no doubt, in some Brettonian noble's filthy hands. The represenative suggested it might be possible to retrieve the items if the pardon were forthcoming. The Tsar thought on this for a while, realizing it would be to his advantage to exonerate the Fox; this would free a popular legend which would help fulfill his 'gift' as it were to his people and he would fulfill his own desires by gaining back his family's precious gems.
Tsar Radii Brokha summoned the messanger back and agreed to those terms, to which the messanger brought forth a large silk bag which was given over to the advisors of the court. When opened the royal jewels were discovered to be the contents. Radii was amazed at how the represenative had obtained them so fast, to which the man replied that he had no need to travel for the treasure he had hidden within the palace. The man was none other than Vastor Felvak, the notorious Fox! Radii was amazed at the audacity of this thief, but fulfilled his promise (if a little reluctantly). The rogue made a final comment as he left the throne room, saying that young Viktor should inheirit his title, as he was the only one clever enough to catch the elusive Fox. Vastor's story of his pardon spread throughout all of Kislev and beyond, giving rise to Viktor's new title. The bear now had a fox for a brother.
Viktor's childhood was different from his older brother's. He never had Gregor's command of weapons, nor the inclination for other physical activities. The young prince did like the more scholary pursuits, and was reknowned for his light-hearted attitude towards life. Hardly a day would go by without Viktor being chastised for not being more like his brother, yet his demeanor did not change in the slightest. A problem his instructors worried about was his light build - they had hoped he would eventually fill out his frame like his brother and grow stronger, but this wish proved in vain. The prince, to this day, has a light physique.
One day Viktor asked his father if he could study to become a wizard. The Tsar grew so furious at his son he began to berate the young prince in front of the entire court, going so far as to say that he was deeply ashamed of him. Viktor bowed and marched coldly out of the room. Radii felt that a royal becoming a wizard would soil the family's honor and let this be known to everyone. Since that day, despite the Tsar's best efforts, Viktor treats him with a cordial aloofness that borders on ignoring him totally.
Since that day the prince began leading a secret life outside of the palace. At first he would go into gambling establishments and make huge bets, not caring the true outcome, what did money mean to someone who could always get more? Viktor often was a winner, as he had a natural talent for playing the odds. Soon he became tired of this endeavor and looked for a more challenging ventures. It came to him in the form of Silus Rencott, one charlatan from Altdorf. Silus took the smart young man under his wing and taught him a different type of magic, one much more subtle. Viktor had not informed his teacher who he really was, all the charlatan thought he was some minor noble down on his luck. After a few months, when the prince had learned all that he could, he revealed this fact to Silus (who fainted and could not be revived for an hour). The royal appointed Silus his chief advisor, a post which he serves most eagerly to this day.
Viktor has a strange habit of dissappearing for long periods of time, disguised as someone from the lower class. Many tales have sprung up around the cities of Kislev of the prince helping those who sought to aid his false persona, which is true. The Tsar knows of this, but says nothing for fear it will drive his son farther away. The other members of the aristocraty frown on this activity, yet seldom voice their opinions outside their manors (one never knows if the Fox is listening).
-Personality- Prince Viktor is truly a unique individual, someone who is content with the simple things in life. The pleasure of embarrassing a snobby baron or joy at rewarding those who are willing to help their fellow man. Very rarely does the prince become angry, and never has he become violent. He can defend himself if he must, but has little wish for battle of any kind. Recently the prince has become more cynical, even passing up opportunities for mirth, which is out of character for him.
Sadly, Viktor often feels inadequate when compared to his older sibling. There is no hatred between the two, and they both share a genuine friendship. It is just that Gregor has always been his father's favorite (in Viktor's mind anyways), and in some ways the younger prince is in his shadow. This causes Prince Viktor to occasionally suffer from fits of self-doubt and depression, often going on drinking binges that would make the hardiest of warriors cringe. A few onlookers have noted that the prince has adopted a flippant attitude to his own well being, caring little for his appearance as of late. Some even go so far as to think that the royal is contemplating suicide.
Self-destruction is the farthest thing from Viktor's mind. He wants freedom. What he is actually contemplating is running away, possibly towards the Empire, and start a new comfortable life for himself. Perhaps with the right friends....
+Role-playing Ideas+
Prince Viktor decides to run away from his heritage and travel to the Empire. Prince Gregor, talking with Silus, discovers his brother's source of discomfort - him. Without consulting his father, Gregor sets out to follow him. The Tsar is at a loss as to what to do; both of his sons have vanished without a word and he is in the dark why.
The pcs could be a group hired by the Tsar to track down his sons. Or the pcs could actually meet one of the 'common' looking princes and befriend him, helping them in their seperate quests (i.e. hiding/building a new life or searching for the lost prince).
Another interesting challenge is if the gm actually allowed his players to play the two princes in a scenario, with any left over pcs taking the roles of Silus, bodyguards, royal friends, advisors, etc. The adventure could be about many different things : political intrigue (a bastard son of the Tsar shows up to upsurp their posistions), a threat to the monarchy, an ambassador role, etc.
That's it... let me know if this info is helpful to anyone... Chris Clements chris@atmnet.com "Vale, mi amice."