Victor was a fairly recent addition to my portfolio, being dreamt up when I was trying to decide on a character for my first run through Pathfinder: Kingmaker. I hadn’t though about him much in the interim, but once I wrote him up in Character Sketches he simply demanded a similarly themed party of his own. So here they are, hot off the presses!
Victor Lebeda: “Victor”
“Da Boss” (according to Big Jim)
Human Paladin of Abadar, crossbow, longsword
Victor Lebeda is a man who earnestly believes in taming the frontier and bringing the gifts of civilization to the hinterlands. He is a Paladin of Abadar – god of cities, merchants, and law. And the best description of him is if you squinted, looked at the colonial British through the most romantic eyes possible, and actually believed the stories they told themselves about what they were doing.
Victor is honest to a fault, absolutely believes in making mutually beneficial arrangements with the “primitives” and *sticking* to them. And woe be any man in his outfit found abusing the position or cheating them. Natives can be forgiven for trespasses – its is their home and they don’t know our ways. But we are here to demonstrate the best of our homeland. If you cannot treat with them as equals, he will most decidedly deal with you.
He embodies every stereotype of the British general calmly drinking his tea while arrows whiz by is head, eventually exclaiming, “enough of this rot!”, drawing his holy crossbow, and putting an end to the nonsense. Whether that nonsense be bandits, goblins, rogue wizards, or dragons. They will absolutely get a fair chance to parlay, and absolutely be dealt with if they will not.
“british man, medieval style, late 40s, haggard, proper smile and friendly eyes, dark graying hair in a long but neat bob cut, curled moustache, pointy goatee, wearing a light blue surcoat with silver trim and a metal breastplate”
James MacIntyre,”Big Jim”, “Jimmy Mac” :
Half-Orc Monk “Brawler”, fists
Big Jim is technically a monk. Technically. But he would look at you as if you were a moron if you called him that. He’s not resistant to magic out of mystical wisdom, he’s just cussedly stubborn. He doesn’t “heal” himself, he just gets a second wind. He doesn’t have magical protection from disease and poison, he’s got orc blood! As to the rest, in his own words:
“Da Boss sez in forin partz ders ponces wot prance about fighting like dey wuz dancin. Magic hands and inner peace. Bollocks I sez. I practice what I likes to call “the considered application of blunt force trauma”. Stunning Blow? If I getz a solid gut punch in on ya yull be stunned alright. Once ya finish pukin up ya guts. “Quiverin Palm”? More den yur palms’ll be quverin’ if I gets in a good haymaka! And magic hands for dem “special customers”? I gots me own answer ta dat too. Check out deez beauties! (Opens his jacket, to reveal an array of custom knuckledusters). Got ol’ Beanpole to help me lay these out. Custom made. Pansy fairies givin me grief? Dis pair is cold iron. Guaranteed. Werewolves buggin’ the flocks at night? Dis here pair is silver plated. And when ya gots Vampires and such? Look at deez! Had em special made. Imported. Doz spikes iz ironwood. Even had em blessed! Doz bat-boys ain’t so tuf once ya knock out der teeth! Sides. I got bigger ones den dey do anyhow. Anywayz, nuff jabberin. I gots work ta do. Boss wants deez fields clear by Friday, and doz boulders ain’t gonna toss demselves!”
Big Jim grew up in an orphanage. Never knew his parents. Never had much family. But he learned to defend himself early. And true to his name there were few who really put that to the test once he hit puberty. He had trouble finding a place in life once out on his own. Few wanted to give a chance to someone like him. But Victor did. He gave him a job – first as a manual laborer, then expanding to other roles as he proved himself. Victor also provided him with a proper education, which Jim took to with gusto. He may not sound like it, he may not look like it, but he is surprisingly perceptive. And considers himself to owe a life debt to Victor. Big Jim would absolutely do it all for room & board, but Victor insists on paying him a fair wage… most of which somehow keeps finding its way back to the orphanage where he grew up instead of to Jim’s pockets.
“stout half-orc,thick leather armor,white shirt,friendly,clean-shaven,gray-green skin,chinstrap beard,barrel chested,english cap,black hair,boxing wraps on his hands,boxing stance”
Basil Gwiddeon: “Sticks”
“Beanpole” (according to Big Jim)
Half-Elf Fighter/Diviner/Thief, Occult Investigator, Rapier
Basil is somewhat of an occult cross between Dirk Gently and Sherlock Holmes. A specialist in uncovering secrets, understanding the weird, and shedding light in the shadows. With a reputation for being a bit odd.
Basil is an accomplished fencer: quick and precise with a rapier, knife, or walking stick. His skills are as varied as locks and traps, stealth, interrogation, and alchemy. Though perhaps skipping some steps in between. And when those skills are insufficient he has talents in divination, illusion, and enchantment as well. He is also, however, not quite inhabiting the same reality as everyone else.
Sometimes this is because he sees behind the curtain. Others it is because he can find it difficult at times to distinguish between that which is hidden because it is hiding, and that which is hidden because it is not, in fact, actually there. His psychic revelations are cryptic and unpredictable. And while never outright *wrong* – per se – they can be exceedingly misleading, obtuse, or simply totally irrelevant to the matter at hand. And his train of thought can be bewilderingly difficult to follow. This has lead to a reputation for being a bit barmy, but his friends understand that while he may take some rather byzantine paths in his pursuits – often passing by “5”, “red”, and “gazeebo” on the way from “A” to “Z” – he does always arrive there in the end.
“welsh half-elf man,athletic,neat brown hair,knowing look,gray longcoat,leather armor,mid 30s,ornate cane”
Maureen Malone, “Maura”:
“Ma’am” (Big Jim ain’t touching this one. No way no how)
Halfling Cleric of Erastil (Community/Plants), Sling & Staff
Maura is a cleric of Erastil, god of rural communities, farmers, and tradition. She is headstrong, determined, and the conservative counter to Victor’s more progressive notions. She advocates for the farmer and the hunter when he gets carried away with visions of market streets and theater districts. Their vigorous debates as they take their customary walks together have come to be legendary.
Maura has little tolerance for slackers and layabouts, or so she claims. But somehow the drunken bards and vagabonds stay warm and fed through the winter – even if they have to endure the occasional tongue-lashing. Unless they cause real trouble – in which case they may discover just how much spunk and grit can really be packed into a 3’6″ frame. As well as becoming intimately familiar with the feel of a divinely inspired staff slamming into the nethers. Or reliving the tale of David and Goliath from the business end. She will *always* be there when there’s work to be done. She is fiercely devoted to caring for her flock. And hell hath no fury like Maura on the warpath when danger is afoot.
“sturdy hobbit woman,irish,priest,wide face,mid 40s,skeptical smile,simple leather armor,brown cape,weathered,elk symbol broach,short curly light brown hair, crossed arms, standing in a field”
Rosalie Deveaux, “Rose”
(“Sparkles”, according to Big Jim)
Human Conjurer, Arcane Scientist,
Consider a world where Madame Curie took up conjuration rather than chemistry. A world where the unseen hazards of her trade were necromancy rather than radiation. A world were she found the secrets of the universe in sorcery rather than science. That is Rosalie Deveaux.
Rose is a rationalist. She believes the universe is fundamentally orderly, controllable, and understandable. And her approach to magic is much the same. Systemic. Pragmatic. She is equally well versed in traditional academics, though she has a far more solid and sensible foundation than Basil’s odd collection of cryptic specialities.
She and Basil are often at odds over matters both magical and mundane – with Rose preferring straightforward methods and explanations to his seeming flights of fancy about spirits and other-worldly interference. The fact that he is often, in the end, actually correct if you squint hard enough is a source of never-ending irritation to her. But between the two of them there is little they cannot handle when it comes to arcane phenomenon.
“french woman,mysterious,long black hair tied up in a bun,mid 30s,dark red dress with black vest, arcane choker”
Leave a Reply