Prologue content: March Of The Courageous- Part 2
A sufficiently long and detailed introduction!
Yeah, the last chapter was a bit overly detailed and exhausting to read. I wrote far too much about one specific character, and we haven't even gotten to my OC's yet!
But all of that is gonna change. Last time, I ranted about how Thianna Frostborn was one of my favorite fantasy characters ever, but this time, we're gonna assemble all the members of Team Invicta. And when I said there were nine people in the party, I lied.
Ten is a fitting number in my opinion... Team Invicta, the ten unconquerable, indomitable adventurers. Besides, this clearly isn't the Mighty Nein (wait, did the Mighty Nein really have nine characters? I don't think so.)
One last thing to note: Because ten is such a hard number to manage, the party will start out small at the beginning of the story, likely four, or five people, and it will grow as the anthology gets longer with more chapters.
And if you think Warhammer will STOMP DND, here's a review from someone who read my first chapter:
"I'll bite, but before going any further I should note that Warhammer is NOT stomping Dungeons and Dragons. There's so much stupid bullshit in Dungeons and Dragons that is equally if not more powerful than warp entities and the imperium of man."
"The imperium rules a Galaxy? That's literally insignificant. Most demon lords and God's have infinite sized planes they have complete control of, and that's just scratching the surface."
"Beings like Lo, Io, The lady of Pain, Vecna, and other elder dieties should be able to fight on equal terms with the chaos gods IN THE WARP."
"People really underestimate the sheer level of hax and power Dungeons and Dragons monsters and beings are capable of using."
Romulus "Remy" Littlefoot: Hobbit (Halfling) Cleric
Title: The Determinator
Background:
Height: 3"5
Hair color: Blond
Eye color: Green
Age: In his late thirties (probably 37 at least, Hobbits reach maturity later than humans)
Hometown: Sharn, the City of Towers in Eberron
Constellation: Aquila Custos, the Guardian Eagle
Signature quote: "I like to give my services to people who can't fend for themselves."
Likes: Helping people who can't help themselves, motivating other people to do greater things with their lives, cooking numerous kinds of food, pickpocketing his enemies
Hates: Injustice of any kind (just like the half giant from beforehand,) food that doesn't have enough seasoning, people giving up on their dreams, seeing folks suffering in poverty
Remy's initial story is one of tragedy and adamant resolve. Born into a family of halflings who grew up in poverty on the streets of Sharn City in Eberron, he left his family and joined the local Adventurer's Guild because it was the only opportunity he had at a better life. Other, more ordinary and less risky jobs just weren't available very often to the little folk in Sharn, who were frequently discriminated against, at least in certain parts of the city.
Remy knew that if he was rejected by the council of the Adventurer's Guild, he would be back to trying to survive on the streets, and die a slow, painful death, since nobody was there to look out for him- his whole family had perished from a baleful sickness.
His dream job was becoming a medic or cleric, a sort of charity worker within the Guild, who would help the less fortunate and people in need, while also providing a role in fighting off the invading hordes of monsters and demons, such as the daelkyr, that were planning insurgencies in the various nations of Khorvaire.
And through hard work and fastidious efforts, Remy actually earned his place in the Guild, and acquired his dream job. Not only that, he's an excellent cook, and made his debut as an award-winning chef in "Hero's Feast," an acclaimed cookbook published by the Stormlight Archive. He takes pride in the fact that halflings can eat up to seven meals a day, and have no specific favorite food, enjoying a little bit of everything.
As a cleric, he naturally specializes in healing magic while also holding his own in melee combat- which is no small feat given that he's a Halfling and shorter than the baseline human. He prefers using melee weapons, like maces, axes and polearms, that have been suitably enhanced by sorcery to hit harder and swing faster.
Rather than using brute force with his blows, he prefers finesse, so he can hit an enemy's weak points. Opponents will definitely be shocked to see a tiny hobbit warrior swinging around a blade twice his size!
With his specialty in medicine and healing powers, his surprising strength in duels, and his ability to make good food out of any cluster of ingredients, Remy Littlefoot is a welcome addition to many parties of adventurers and soldiers.
Zephyr: Brenneri Artilleryman
Title: The Shellbreaker
Trivia: A homebrew character from the Starfinder campaign setting, which is basically Pathfinder Warhammer 40k.
Height: 4"3
Fur color: Brown and grey
Eye color: Beady black (like a sea otter, little eyes)
Age: 8 years old (as an otter alien, or Brenneri, he has a much shorter lifespan than humans)
Hometown: Spelljamming Port Bilgewater (I took that name from League of Legends)
Constellation: Rota Calamitas, the Wheel of Misfortune
Signature quote: "What's life without a little risk and double the firepower?"
Likes: Blowing things up, especially farm animals, going to the shooting range, using his cute face to charm people, drawing graffiti, vandalizing statues, gorging on seafood dishes, getting on the nerves of people he doesn't like, riding on his best friend Charlie's shoulder
Hates: Explosive duds, guns that jam, rap music, people insulting Charlie with artificial intelligence stereotypes, feminists (at least initially, he learns his lesson,) poorly seasoned seafood
Once upon a time, in a top-secret laboratory deep in the Astral Plane, there was a mad alien cyborg scientist by the name of Davros, (like the creator of the Daleks from Doctor Who,) who desired to make an army of super-soldiers to take over Wildspace and seize control as a galactic dictator. His candidates for augmentation? A group of mustelid mammals, including weasels, badgers, meerkats, raccoons, skunks, and other smelly, furry critters.
The only problem with this army, besides the blatantly obvious fact that its members weren't all that scary or monstrous to look at, was the general that Davros chose to lead it into battle: Not a wolverine, not a honey badger, or even a mongoose. He chose a sea otter. Why?! They only know how to crack open clams, and can't even hunt large prey like wolverines or the wily mongoose!
Anyway, Zephyr the Otter was supposed to be the brilliant tactician who would be Davros' second in command, assisting him closely in waging war on Wildspace. But instead of emerging from his genetic transformation as an exemplary military leader, with practical logic and discipline running through his veins, Zephyr turned out to be... A COMPLETE IDIOT, autistic and overly sarcastic, all at the same time.
The mentally unstable sea otter escaped, breaking out from the lab Davros had been conducting his experiments inside of, and wandered Wildspace by hitching rides on spelljamming vessels, seeking a place to use his innate, intuitive diabolical talents, which included great expertise with explosives, firearms, and destructive magic, as well as an uncanny ability to mimic the languages of various races across the multiverse, much to the annoyance of some people he would have conversations with.
What Zephyr really wanted was a job that would let him blow stuff up legally, and if the job let him troll a few people and get on their nerves, then it would be even better.
One day, he came to a place called Bilgewater, a pirate's haven in the western edge of Wildspace, and found a towering robotic figure who was testing his Archaeotech laser rifle on a bunch of steel targets, at the local armory. The Warforged introduced himself to the space otter as CHX-72, and said he was a wandering soldier with no cause to fight for. They had an interesting talk together:
"That's a numerical designation, isn't it?," Zephyr said. "Why not have people call you... Charlie? It comes out the mouth easier."
"That sounds like a great idea. That way organic lifeforms can remember my name better."
"I like explosives. You seem to be well versed in the area of marksmanship. Say, should we could find a business that lets us use those talents to make money?"
"I'll stick around with you, then."
"Then it's a done deal! We're working together from now on. Oh, and by the way, my name is Zephyr."
And from that point on, Zephyr and Charlie became a dynamic duo in Wildspace, hired by Xenotermination Limited, who traveled the cosmos finding especially dangerous monsters which threatened civilization, so they could test their weapons on said deadly beasts. Blowing aberrations, undead, constructs, fiends, and other monstrous enemies of society to smithereens, all the better to get paid! A pair of very different people species-wise, but with very similar interests.
The two clearly had a few screws loose, though, being obsessed with making money and causing explosions, and they both saw women, especially human women, as beings of lesser worth.
Not to mention Zephyr is a bit of a troll, who doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut. But he'll learn his lesson, along with Charlie, sometime in the actual story. Kind of like how Sokka initially looked down on women in Avatar the Last Airbender, but grew to see them as equals later on, improving as a character.
The question remains, though, was Davros successful in building his army of weasel warriors? And is he hunting down Zephyr at this very moment?
CHX-72 "Charlie:" Warforged Ranger
Title: The Iron Sergeant
Also Zephyr's best friend
Height: 7"6
Armor color: Industrial gray and black with hazard stripes
Ocular color: Purple
Age: 25 years have passed since he was forged by his masters in House Cannith, but his species doesn't age, being artificial
Hometown: Fort Cannith, Eberron
Constellation: Sagitta Scutum, the Archer's Shield
Signature quote: "Being yourself is always a noble and humble thing, no matter who you are."
Likes: Generally the same things as Zephyr, especially big explosions, along with painting fine art, and listening to music
Hates: People trying to draw things on his armored casing, rainy days, people who are suspicious of AI, people that think he doesn't have free will
Before he met his best friend and partner in crime, Zephyr the space otter, Gunnery Unit CHX-72 was a Warforged marksman from House Cannith on the world of Eberron, who had recently left his home and place of creation to find a noble cause to use his skills and weaponry for. However, he wasn't very successful, because many people in the multiverse had a strong prejudice against beings of artificial intelligence, like him.
He started wandering in the first place because he had a never-ending thirst for adventure, but it was tough being a robot in a society of largely organic creatures, that are very suspicious and mistrusting of AI.
He was alone, and couldn't trust anyone... until he met a small, furry, flat-faced critter who was just as much of a freak in the eyes of the majority as him. The one-of-a-kind talking sea otter, going by the name of Zephyr, shared many interests with him, mainly in the department of weapons and explosives. And he had an idea of how strangers could get to know "Unit CHX-72" better as a person... he simply took the serial numbers and letters, and made them into a more standard name, "Charlie."
This worked out great for the isolated and anti-social Warforged, who had endured his share of mistreatment at the hands of organics. If he couldn't get people to say his serial name correctly, he would accept a more casual name, for the sake of wanting tolerance.
In addition, the two misfits found their calling in a new job, for the monster-hunting team of Xenotermination Limited. Their knowledge proved crucial to the people running the team, who would regularly be deployed to hunt down and destroy monstrous beasts that were too dangerous and too powerful for even normal military forces to confront.
Although, like Zephyr, who describes himself as "an Incel and proud," and doesn't think very highly of women, Charlie has lost a few of his marbles too. As in, he unjustly blames women for the mistreatment he's received, and has a short temper, lashing out if someone insults him or Zephyr in a particular way. But hey, you gotta have flaws in the first place if you wanna improve, and like I said earlier, both of these individuals will soon learn to respect females more. Just like Sokka did in Avatar.
Tarmon Gaidon: Lizardman Alchemist
Title: The Brainiac
Trivia: His name is originally a term for the Apocalypse and End Times in the Wheel Of Time book series. A fitting name indeed, given his destructive tendencies and reckless experiments.
Height: 7"4
Scale color: Green with yellow splotches (from excessive potion overdosing)
Eye color: Yellow
Age: In his mid 30's
Hometown: Stormcrest Mountains, Exandria (he's from the same world as the characters of Critical Role)
Constellation: Ampulla, the Flask
Signature quote: "To fail is to learn, to learn is to advance, to advance is to succeed."
Likes: Drinking soda and lemonade, creating explosives and testing them, setting stuff on fire, foraging for alchemy ingredients in the wild, learning new facts and data, teaching and educating people
Hates: Boredom of any kind, dumb people thinking they're the smartest, failed experiments (but he keeps trying,) explosives that turn out to be harmless duds, rodents (he's terrified of them because of childhood trauma, giant rats tried to eat him when he was just a hatchling.)
Bold. Brash. Unhinged. Green and nerdy. Dangerously creative. Addicted to sugar. These are all words that can describe Professor Tarmon Gaidon, the infamous Lizardfolk alchemist from Tal'Dorei, who gained a bad reputation amongst his colleagues at the Adventurer's Guild for almost killing the party members of Vox Machina with a massive, explosive accident. Keyleth, Vex'ahlia, Grog and the others were just too close to his hidden laboratory in the swamps at the wrong time.
This made him so hated, that the Guild banned him from ever joining again, and he was chased out of his main workshop by a bunch of Orcs and Tieflings with riot gear.
Tarmon didn't care. The Guild never paid him any attention for his work, and never gave him any credit, not even when his more stable exploits were successful, such as when he created an herbal flask with the capacity to treat dozens of diseases and poisons, or the time he fashioned an enchanted alloy perfect for Magitek prosthetics to help people with disabilities and crippled adventurers. He even came up with a way to upgrade the steampunk machinery used on Eberron, which he called "Hextech," with the potential to increase electricity generation hundredfold!
Nobody cared about his dreams, though. It's no wonder he hates the people at the Adventurer's Guild, especially the shining stars of the Critical Role parties.
But what's even more insane about Professor Gaidon, apart from his unnerving ability to create flawless weapons and potions of mass destruction, is the fact that he somehow survives every time one of his dastardly experiments backfires. The scaly nutjob seems to be practically invincible, at least when it comes to the reckless use of risky alchemy. And nobody has been able to explain this phenomenon.
What drove him to these heights, and the downfall he endured? One could say he was the runt of the litter, growing up in the swamps of southern Exandria. His mean siblings would often beat the snot out of him, and he had to learn to survive in a vicious environment teeming with predators, where parents expected their children to be self-reliant, a lot more so than human parents.
Tarmon's strength wasn't his brawniness. Instead, it was his wits and ingenuity.
So he began looking for a loophole to make himself physically stronger, like Mr. Hyde juice. And sooner or later, he did just that, creating his first mutagen from ingredients gathered in the most hostile parts of the tropical wetlands, which let him bulk up and get even with his rivals, and kickstarted his career in alchemy.
Recently, Professor Gaidon has heard about the exploits of a talking sea otter and a robot marksman from House Cannith, who have put their talents to the test slaying huge monsters, in a mercenary company called Xenotermination. The mad lizard doctor hopes to meet them someday, so he can finally earn the respect he deserves for his inventions and prototypes...
Solomon: Tiefling (Half-Demon) Monk:
Title: The Blue Bomber
Originally from: Godzilla NES Creepypasta, but reworked to be a DND character
Height: 8"6 (not counting his wings)
Hair color: Blue (he's covered in thick blue fur, and has a skull-like face)
Eye color: Red
Age: At least 200 years old
Hometown: The 101st layer of the Abyss
Constellation: Camazotz, the Death Bat
Signature quote: "I'd rather die than serve you!"
Likes: Working out, punching stuff, inventing new insults to shout at people he doesn't like, openly mocking tyrants and despots, bathing in lava pits, marching with activist movements
Hates: Lazy individuals, authoritarian tyrants and despots, people that think like sheep, cold weather, cheaters in a game
Remember this Kaiju from the Godzilla NES Creepypasta? Well, I converted him into a DND character just for fun!
Contrasting to Remy, in both size and beginnings, Solomon was born into a notably wealthy family of Tieflings, or humans that chose to interbreed with demons and devils. His mother, Tarragon, was human, and his father, Baal, was none other than an emissary of the Abyss.
Solomon looked up to his dad in many ways, because he was a successfully redeemed demon who had turned his back on his malevolent origins and began building a sort of civil rights movement for persecuted and segregated nonhuman species in the domains of Wildspace.
It seemed like it was too good to be true, as Baal would go to different planets, and even different planes of reality, to host patriotic speeches and lead marches that would positively contribute to society, aiding those who had been oppressed by the ruling government and local authorities.
But woefully, this didn't last forever. Because of all the abuse and prejudice many nonhuman species had endured over the years, Baal felt a burning anger and violent resentment towards the realm he was raised in. The Alliance promised freedom to people from all over the multiverse, yet it was little more than a farce, and could even be considered a broken promise in numerous instances.
As the systemic xenophobia went on, Baal slowly turned vicious and cruel, to the point where he forgot all about the way he had redeemed himself in the eyes of mortals. He eventually snapped, and began distributing illegal weaponry to extremist factions, so he could start a civil war in the Alliance's territories, an insurgency which would spread throughout the multiverse if left unchecked.
Although one could say the demon patriarch's hateful, violent reaction was justified in some ways, because of how horribly many fantasy races were treated within the Alliance of Free Worlds.
Solomon was horrified by his father's treachery, and the decision to turn his back on the nation he had served and improved so much. So what did the once proud and hopeful son do, because of these traumatic daddy issues?
He ran away from home, of course. Leaving Wildspace and the Abyss behind to start a new life and forget all about his father's actions, he joined the Adventurer's Guild once he reached Faerun, eager to prove his worth to the organization of heroes, so he wouldn't go down the same path as his dad.
There, at the Guild's outpost on Faerun, Solomon met a Giff (hippo folk) mercenary soldier named Jobaru, who was a professional boxer, that taught him the ways of combat, both with his fists and with firearms. With his great physical strength enhanced by his demonic heritage, fully functional wings, and razor sharp talons, Solomon was perfectly suited to becoming a monk warrior and learning hand-to-hand fighting techniques.
Putting his new skills and training to good use, he followed in his mentor Jobaru's footsteps and became a mercenary too, but he donated all the money he earned to various charities, and to coalitions standing up to dictatorships. Eventually he got involved in the fight against said tyrannical regimes, contributing to bringing down various mind flayer cults, imperialist elf factions, and even his evil counterparts from the Abyss and the Nine Hells.
The only question now is if Solomon will muster the courage to confront the monster his father has become...
Asterion Achilles: Minotaur Barbarian
Title: The Head-On Attacker
Author's note: A homebrew character using classic Greek mythology elements for his origins.
Height: 8"0 (minus his huge horns)
Fur color: Dark brown
Eye color: Red
Age: At least 100 years old, Minotaurs can live several centuries, so he's not even middle aged yet
Hometown: Labyrinth City, on the planet of Elysium
Constellation: Taurus Iratus, the Raging Bull
Signature quote: "We are nonviolent with those who are nonviolent with us. But we certainly don't like being treaded upon. Nobody does."
Likes: Freedom (like William Wallace,) things that are worth fighting for, patriotism, people collaborating for the common good
Hates: Oppression, discrimination, subjugation, colonialism, The Imperium of Man
When the Imperium of Man first came to the Eternal Isles (the DND multiverse,) they were absolutely astounded by the diversity of worlds and realms, in geography, civilization, natural environments, history, and other categories. It dwarfed anything in the Milky Way Galaxy. But what was the point of Imperial humans coming to this new multiverse, if they weren't going to force their way on it?
Hence began The Second Great Crusade.
Many worlds and civilizations fell to the Imperium, which was tremendously powerful in the field of conquest due to all the insane techno-sorcery recovered from the Dark Age of Technology. But the Imperials suffered equally devastating losses at certain moments. And the crusade would take a very long time to make a significant impact on the status quo of the multiverse.
Author's note: As I explained before, DND has things that can counter the overpowered stuff in 40k. Magic weapons, the techno-sorcery of Eberron, an endless abyss of demons and devils, gods that can fight with the Chaos Gods in the Warp, the elemental planes, firearms from Savage Company, countless lesser gods, Spelljamming ships, the insane power levels of adventurers like the ones in Critical Role, among other things.
One such example of a crippling Imperial setback was when the Minotaur prince, Asterion Achilles, led the armies of a thousand worlds, planets and planes of existence, against one of the largest forces of Imperial Guard and Space Marine Legions ever assembled, in the titanic Battle of Elysium. This was the first major defeat suffered by the Imperial forces, almost a century before the events of the main story of the Neckbeard Wars. The Imperium didn't play a major role in the backstory of the nine other protagonist characters. Just Asterion.
Asterion himself wasn't aware of his destiny as a leader of the soon-to-be-formed Allied Resistance. He was just an adolescent when the Imperium attacked, and horrific... things called Servitors came into the palace and killed his family. He narrowly escaped with his royal guards, who got him out of the city and into the woods, where a bunch of refugees had fled from the invaders.
Things were looking grim, but with stoic resolve, the minotaur prince continued onwards, vowing to get revenge on the evil monsters who had taken his family from him and ruined his life.
Despite his young age, Asterion had been trained to be a military leader, as Prince of the Minotaur Commonwealth. And when the Adventurer's Guild got involved in the conflict, he had the chance to play his part, and learn more about his new role, which was critical for success. (Get it?)
By speaking to ambassadors, diplomats, emissaries and political figures from all over the multiverse, in an assembly conference big enough to hold thousands of said representatives, Asterion founded the Allied Resistance, a new armed force which put together armies from all across time and space, bringing the worlds of the Free Alliance closer together than ever, to face a new threat from beyond the void.
Returning to Elysium, to take the Greek mythological planet back, the Allies fought the Astra Militarum, Adeptus Mechanicus, Adeptus Arbites, and Legiones Astartes, all at once, and won. The loss of life was horrific on both sides, but in the end, Elysium was liberated.
Conflicts between the Allied Resistance and the factions of Warhammer 40k would go on for decades, and Asterion was present at many pivotal battles and events.
In the process of commanding the Resistance, he had inherited the kingship of his deceased father Adonis, and traveled the realms, learning all the skills he needed to bring his parents' killers to justice, and training himself to peak physical and mental perfection. That way he was ready to take back his homeland, when the time came to return to Elysium.
So... pretty much a Minotaur Batman/Bruce Wayne. Interesting, right?
But Asterion definitely wasn't alone in this fight for freedom and liberty. In time to come, he would make friends with other legendary heroes, many of which were also geeks and misfits that didn't have very much in common with him, a royal heir. But even radically different people can get along just fine!
Uxas Chloris: Plasmoid Wizard
Title: The Sticky Seeker
Trivia: I wanted to make an Ooze character for a game of DND Spelljammer. This is the result. Also, the character uses they/them pronouns because Slimes do not have sexual characteristics or organs in the same manner as standard humanoids.
Height: 6"2 when in humanoid shape
Slime color: Usually blue, but can change their outer coating to purple, red, or even green
Ocular color: Chloris has yellow spots on their body which function as organs for sight
Age: Unknown. This particular slime person has spent so long in a dark dungeon, even they don't remember how much time has passed!
Hometown: The Deeplands, caves beneath the surface of the mountain planet Vindagyr
Signature quote: "Strangers are friends too, you just have to get to know them well enough."
Likes: When other adventurers pay them attention, looking for legendary figures to tag along with and assist
Hates: Being ignored, being told that they're not helpful
Before Uxas Chloris became an adventurer, they were a resident of a subterranean dungeon beneath the mountains. They long desired to witness the light, because they had a natural instinct to explore, and were just really bored of predictable life in the caverns, dissolving the same food, crawling around the same rocks, and seeing the same kind of terrain everywhere.
Uxas devised several meticulous plans to get past the dangerous beasts and traps in the dungeon, all of which failed, many times almost costing them their life.
Just as they were about to give up, an outside force freed them.
The slime's unexpected helper was an elderly human wizard named Zadik, who was going to enter the dungeon in search of ingredients for his potions, enchanted weapons, and other kinds of loot. What he got first, though, near the entrance, was an eternally grateful ooze who owed him everything for freeing them from the boredom and mediocrity of the catacombs below.
Uxas followed Zadik around for quite a while, and the old wizard in due time accepted them as an assistant.
Under Zadik's tutelage, Uxas became a skilled mage, using their physical actions and contortions as a catalyst to cast spells of all kinds. The two were inseparable.
But one day, everything changed.
Zadik left home in his clifftop tower one day to gather arcane crystals lower down the mountain, but he never came back, even as Uxas waited days, weeks, months, and in the long run, years, for him to return.
Finally realizing with sorrow that their master was long gone, Uxas left the tower, visited a port in the foothills, stowed away on a hammerhead spelljamming pirate ship, and began crossing Wildspace to find a new master and a new home.
The wandering slime tagged along with countless heroes and adventurers, including legendary groups like Vox Machina, the Hellfire Club, the Fellowship of the Trumpet, and the infamous Order of the Stick of Truth.
Uxas never stayed long, though, and felt they didn't belong in any of those parties.
Even now, they continue to trek across the multiverse, looking for a new mentor in magic, and a place to stay permanently…
Desstra Kisaragi: Dark Elf Rogue
Title: The Shrouded Lotus
Trivia: The second character from Lou Anders' Thrones and Bones books. She is a special operations agent from Deep Shadow, who was kicked out of the nefarious terrorist organization she was working for, because she was too kind, compassionate and sympathetic to be part of the Underhand.
Height: 5"7
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Yellow
Age: About 18 or 19 years old
Hometown: Deep Shadow, mines beneath the Ymir Mountains
Signature quote: "You don't have to look tough to be tough."
Likes: Foraging for mushrooms of all kinds, climbing, gymnastics, sneaking up on people, eavesdropping on conversations, taunting and mocking her opponents in battle
Hates: Her former comrades in the Underhand terrorist group, weapons that don't have a pointy edge, people that lie to harm others, corrupt law enforcement, corrupt governments
Honestly, I said way too much about Thianna Frostborn, so I'll keep Desstra's backstory brief.
She was trained as a special operations agent and ninja assassin, working for the dark elves' secret service, the Underhand, looking for incredibly powerful artifacts in order to conquer the surface dwellers and bring about an eternal night.
Her superior officer, Tanthal, led her and a small force of dark elven warriors across the continent of Katernia, looking for the legendary Horn of Osius, a magical musical instrument with the power to change the world (I won't spoil what it actually does.)
While occupied with this mission, Desstra and Tanthal tangled with many opponents, including two notable adventurers, Thianna and Karn, who had the objective of stopping the Underhand from achieving its goal of world domination.
However, Desstra's "soft heart" and sense of compassion and empathy was getting in the way of her masters' goals. Would she act on these beliefs, or would she suppress them and dedicate herself to cruelty and hatred, the "values" she was supposed to embrace?
John Henry Irons: Human Artificer
Title: The Forgemaster
Trivia: Another "original" character I created for the Eberron campaign setting. Imagine Iron Man, but in Dungeons and Dragons. Also, unlike many of the other characters on this list, who have odd and eccentric traits, he's just a generic dark-skinned human.
Height: 6"3
Hair color: Black, mostly shaved
Eye color: Amber
Age: About 30 years old
Hometown: Fort Cannith, Eberron, Khorvaire
Signature quote: "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups."
Likes: Tinkering with his inventions, building custom suits of Magitek Armor, fixing anything mechanical in general, computer programming, hacking with AI, fireworks, coming up with inventions to solve problems in society
Hates: Truly stupid people of any kind, individuals who use technology to exploit others, magic that can't be integrated with science, old school methods of propulsion, (like horses and wagons,) primitive societies that don't understand the power of advancement
John Henry is a renowned weaponsmith for House Cannith, who was unlucky enough to get kidnapped by demonic terrorists, the Daelkyr, in the middle of the night while sleeping. The reason for the kidnapping? The demons want him to build powerful techno-magical weapons for their armies. And if he refuses, he will die a slow, painful death as a host for necromancy.
But instead of accepting his fate, the artificer takes a different route: He builds himself a suit of Magitek Armor using the meager materials the terrorists gave him, and busts his way out to freedom.
When he gets back to House Cannith, he quits his whole deal of selling weapons to the highest bidder, and instead uses his skills with technology and magic for a more heroic purpose: Fighting the same forces of terror and tyranny that held him captive, with his own suits of armor!
The only thing that separates him from regular Iron Man is that he doesn't have an injured heart and a pacemaker. Which is actually a big difference, as this is one of Tony Stark's most recognizable characteristics.
Yes, I took the whole concept of Iron Man from Marvel, and put him in DND lore instead. Then again, this whole party is derivative fanfiction material.
Eberron Artificer John Henry will have a much different character arc than Tony, though, once the story gets going.
And there you have it! My party members for the Neckbeard Wars.
The actual story is coming next, so get some popcorn when I'm ready to put it out there!
-Spuddies