Most of my parties and characters are fairly good aligned. Even Grim’s Gang, though decidedly more mercenary than most, has lines they won’t cross and a moral compass of sorts. These folks… are no such thing. They are not truly evil (most of them). They will absolutely *never* break a single line of a contract. They will follow it to the letter. And when they have completed the job you will agree, you *will* honor your terms of the bargain – also to the letter. And you will very likely never wish to see them ever again. They epitomize fey capriciousness, twisting the words and meaning of any agreement to suit their own ends. They cannot even truly trust each other beyond the web of allegiances that binds them together. This is a group for when you simply want to make trouble. And they are best hired with terms similar to “travel to nation X that I hate. Stay there for a long time. And be yourselves”. They will never betray the agreement. They will never turn against you for a better deal. They were never on your side to begin with. From a DM’s point of view they work even better as antagonists or a rival party as they do as protagonists themselves.
‘Smilin’ Sammy Shades
CN Halfling Fey Enchanter/Sorcerer. weapons – you
‘Smilin’ Sammy Shades looks innocuous enough. If you don’t look too closely. Curly hair. Impish grin. A harmless little man. But if you see him pull up a stool next to you in the bar, ready to strike up a friendly conversation…. run.
Many who first meet this band – or hear of them – think of Reynard as the leader. He looks the part. He acts the part. And why would the imperious fey noble *not* be the the obvious leader? Few spare an initial glance for the little man watching them from the sidelines. This is a grave error.
Sammy was once the simple halfling he appears to be. Once. But he took to sorcery early. And between his uncanny ability to manipulate people, his calculating mind, and his natural talent for sorcery his power grew rapidly. Soon he was wheeling and dealing with the fey themselves, making bargains, twisting agreements, paying contracts – all in the service of ever more power and prestige in the realms of the fey.
You can be absolutely certain that if Sammy offers you a deal, you would be better served not to take it. He will always get the better end of the bargain. But he will also only offer when he knows you are in no position to refuse. And if you come to him, you had best be in dire straits indeed. Always make sure the contract is iron clad. Dot every ‘i’, cross every ‘t’, and have the best legal minds review every clause. Because he will honor every *letter* on the paper, but will twist any ambiguity remaining to his own advantage.
In game terms Sammy is a simple halfling. Enchanter wizard or Fey/Enchantment-focused Sorcerer, depending upon the system. Perhaps Beguiler. Whichever magical twist allows him to do what he does best… His role is both tactical leader and turning the enemy against themselves.
The challenge in rendering Sammy is to simultaneously suggest “simple, harmless halfling” while also suggesting his darker and more menacing overtones. His ability to deceive has to be believable – he cannot be too overtly dark. But there should definitely be something simultaneously unsettling about him.
“dark fey halfling male,mid 30s,irish,short dark curly hair, stout,dark fey cast to his features, large insincere grin, fey, creepy, spooky, shadowy outline, foreboding, dark penetrating shadowed eyes”
“The GrindleJack”
TN Tiefling Barbarian – Staff, hands, opponents
The Grindlejack is the closest thing to friendly in this band. He has few goals or ambitions in life. He loves to laugh and he loves to fight. And he loves nothing better than combining these into a single activity. The harder you hit him the harder he laughs. And the harder he laughs the stronger he grows. Fighting him is not a winning proposition. Other berserkers may fly into a rage of anger, taking out their fury on all before them. The Grindlejack explodes into a rapture of pure joy, and cannot resist sharing the fun.
The Grindlejack is the only member of the band not bound to Sammy by some form of bargain or wager. Their connection is far simpler. The Grindlejack’s needs are few, and Sammy provides them. That is all.
In game terms the Grindlejack is a Firbolg, Tiefling, or some other such large, horned humanoid. Berserker/Barbarian with whatever kit or subclass focuses best on damage resistance and resilience. His role is to demand attention and absorb (and distribute) punishment. Which he enjoys immensely.
The challenges in rendering him are many. There are few “standard” fantasy types that look much like him. And he needs to be both obviously a large and threatening figure while also obviously enjoying himself. So settling in on the description below took a *lot* of trial and error.
“firbolg male, huge, muscular, stout, stocky, wide face, hide armor, head thrown back laughing, furry, dark red hair, smooth gray skin, twirling a wooden staff”
Reynard “the Viper”
CE “Elf” Fighter/Duelist – Rapier and Dagger, Thrown Dagger
Reynard is by outward appearances a rich male elf. Dressed in fine clothes, aristocratic bearing – all one would expect of a young elven noble. Until you look closely. Some sense an air of “serpent” about him. Others “cat”. But the word that best describes him is “predator”. And not “silent killer”, but “toys with his prey”.
Reynard is a fey noble of some repute, and the only truly malevolent member of the crew. He likes nothing better than toying with his prey. Whenever possible slowly cutting them down and bleeding them out instead of finishing them off. He absolutely despises Sammy, and has no care whatsoever for any other member of the crew. However he was once foolish enough to make a wager with a then little-known rival. And the price for losing was trivial. A mere 100 years servitude. Thus he is biding his time, serving Sammy as the deal requires, until the last second ticks off the clock. And then, he imagines, his revenge will be delicious.
Reynard is best modeled as an elf. Fighter,swashbuckler, slayer – whichever best models his lightning quick, deadly fighting style. His role is obvious – to dish out the pain..
Coming up with Reynard’s appearance was far more straightforward than many of the others. “Menacing fey knight” is not an uncommon trope, so it is just a matter of finding the right descriptors for his particular cruel nature.
smirking thin male elf duelist,mocking the viewer,predatory smile,russian,hyena eyes,cocked head,vertical pupils,sharp face,very skinny,very thin,haughty,arrogant,long knife,age 30,long blond hair,fine white coat over ornate leather armor”
Melody Rose:
CN Half-“Elf” Bard – Bow, spell, short sword
Melody Rose is a half-elf. In appearance anyway. She has a mesmerising voice, an enchanting way with a crowd, and can keep people literally spellbound with her performances. When she is happy.
When Melody Rose is *not* happy the other side of her true nature reveals itself. She is not part elf. Her non-human lineage is Harpy. And when she is angry that same sweet dulcet voice is literally pain given sonic form.
Melody Rose’s connection to Sammy is straightforward. When her dual-natured powers began to manifest she found herself in a lot of trouble with powerful adversaries. She did not initially have a great deal of control over either her magic or her emotions, and made many an avoidable enemy. Her deal with Sammy is simple – protection for service. And as long as her enemies desire her blood, she has little reason to forsake the arrangement.
Melody is most definitely a half-“elf” Bard – in all its glory. Whichever subclass or kit focuses most heavily on pure sonic power.
The challenges with rendering Melody are to imply her harpy connection without making it explicit, and to give her a face that easily lends itself to both of her manifestations while still being recognizably *her*.
“Good” Melody
“half-elf woman singing and dancing,surrounded by people sitting and staring at her spellbound,in motion,sharp facial features,cavalier hat,bare shoulders,bard,long thick red hair,slanted yellow bird eyes,feather eyebrows,sleeveless vest and shirt,mischievous,eyes half closed,glowing illusions swirling around her”
“Bad” Melody
“half-elf woman screeching angrily,in motion,people around her falling to the ground and clutching their heads,glowing magical whirlwind swirling around her,sharp facial features,cavalier hat,bare shoulders,bard,long thick red hair,slanted yellow bird eyes,feather eyebrows,sleeveless vest and shirt”
Morwenna
TN Elf Druid/Witch
Morwenna is the rarest of the rare – a mortal to strike a bargain with a green hag and come out of it having acquired what she sought. She accomplished this by making an additional faustian arrangement with Sammy, pitting Sammy and the Hag against each other for the rights to her servitude. It was not a good deal for the hag. Morwenna learned what she needed to start down her own path to power, and the hag… is no more. Her current servitude to Sammy? An acceptable price.
Morwenna is essentially an Elven Druid or Witch, with whichever kit or subclass most leans into curses and similar effects. Morwenna can be both disabler or killer, as the situaation demands, But with a more Necromancy/Earth Magic bent than Caliban’s flashy fireballs and lightning bolts.
The challenges in this portrait are several. One is simply that Morwenna is not an attractive woman. She is not ugly, twisted, or deformed. But nobody with functioning eyesight would describe her as the slightest bit “pretty”. Imposing, regal, and unsettling are better descriptors. The other is to imply her hag-fey connections without outright making her into one.
“{very ordinary polish elf woman},{age 40},{plain face},witch,stout,{pale lime gray skin},{thin lips},{large pale eyebrows},weathered,{straight limp pale hair},{grey eyes},{plain robes}”
Caliban
CN Satyr Evoker/Fey Warlock
Many of these “companions” are in the company because they are bound to Sammy by agreements. Caliban, on the other hand, is trying desperately to find a way to subvert one – and is relying upon Sammy to wheel and deal his way to more satisfactory arrangement.
Caliban was never much like other Satyrs. He was as grouchy as they were gay. He has a dark mood, a sarcastic temperament, and generally wants nothing more than the power to take what he wants and construct for himself a private estate in the hills. Unfortunately he took the worst of shortcuts to get there. Seeking the power to gain easy riches and drive away all interlopers in his imaginary fiefdom, he made a deal with a higher fey power – Pan. He did indeed receive much of the power he requested, though it is slowly doled out to him as he “earns” it through completing tasks rather than being given up-front. The price, however, is what he finds truly intolerable. In order to cast the slightest cantrip, in order to summon the smallest magical bolt, he must appear joyous. He must dance, sing, and act merry. And there is nothing he despises more than any of those. So for now he waits. He stews, he simmers, and he is so joyful it *hurts*. But he would give Sammy *anything* for a way out of the contract while retaining his power….
Caliban is a warlock through and through. His entire definition is “sold his soul for power”. If that is not available as a class, his focus is on pure elemental devastation.
The biggest challenge in this portrait was trying to get a render of “fake joy”. Clearly smiling, clearly attempting to convey “happiness”, and just as clearly not meaning it in the slightest.
“male faun, 30s, very fake expression, angry eyes with a forced smile, pretending to be cheerful, leather armor, brown hair, goat ears, goat eyes with vertical pupil, hands raised with mystic energy arcing between them”
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