Creative WritingThis is totally just a self-promotional dump, to be frank. Here’s a link to the YouTube channel, in which we have a character introduction, world lore introduction, arc synopsis, soon we will add some others such as videos on the NPCs as well as a house rule video. Then we’ll be set for uploading the actual full-length podcast videos!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKbSB-8xBlixKhBwNjWAwog
As stated in Aspen’s backstory tab, Aspen and her twin sister Cedar are formulating their own school of magic, experimental magic, otherwise known as “Dunamancy” at its core, Dunamancy is magic that commands the power of potentiality and actuality. Dunamancy also stems off into two different forms, “Chronurgy” which focuses on the manipulation of time, those who follow the Chronurgy tradition learn to alter the pace of reality to their liking. As well as, “Graviturgy” which focuses on bending and manipulating the violent energy of gravity to their benefit, and the terrible detriment of their enemies. The two twins got noticed back when they were very young as to having great expertise at a very young age, and showing signs of this new magic and got tipped off to the headmaster of Blackstaff Academy, the most influential wizard school in Waterdeep. From then, the headmaster Vajra took the two under her wing, being two of her direct pupils for the years leading up to and during their time at Blackstaff Academy.
Autumn: Human Oath of Repent Paladin. At first, the two did not really get along whatsoever, but to be fair, he was completely and utterly valid in his position towards Neoma, seeing how much oppression that Snow Elves have caused humans and proxy him. Later as time passed and the group grew closer together, they also grew closer to one another. Currently, they get along well, often joking with each other as well as drinking buddies after completing missions or after stressful situations.
Dae-Su: Drow Astral Monk / Echo Knight Fighter. His first introduction was…strange, to say the very least. He was tasked to bring her back home yet asked her if she wanted to do so. She said no, and that was that. Didn’t do much of anything else after that. It’s hard to pinpoint his relationship with Neoma currently; the last time they spoke, she called him selfish, then he left.
Duna: Drow/High Elf Shadow Sorcerer. I’m not sure how to describe their relationship when they first met. They, by all means, were not buddy buddy, but they also weren’t walking on eggshells. I’d say the best thing to describe them at first was just neutral. The two slowly grew to become much closer, especially after certain things in the campaign and just learning more of one another to be, in my eyes, one of Neoma’s closest bonds in the party.
Jonay: Aasimar (basically an angel) Knowledge Cleric. Jonay was someone Neoma met pre-campaign before she had any of her warlock abilities, where she was simply a noble. She was at what I can best explain to be an equivalent of a “getaway house.” She noticed something outside and investigated; she helped him out due to being hurt and then sent him on his way after helping. She thought she’d never see him again, but low and behind, fate works in funny ways, and she met her first non-noble friend once more. In my mind, these two are the closest, Jonay being the parental figure she never had (besides her Grandmother, of course).
Maezara: Tiefling (basically part devil) Bard of Whispers / Swashbuckler Rouge. Neoma and her don’t really have much of a relationship, especially seeing that she was only part of the group for a singular arc (one mission). I guess all I can really say is that she pities her curse, but Maezara is a very…very offputting person. Their personalities are very different.
Litian: Circle of the Shepherd Druid / Monster Hunter Fighter. This one’s a bit hard to explain. Litian is simply put kind of sort of 5 people. He’s known as an Eladrin, which is shown through all 4 seasons, then there’s the one true personality. True Litian. (The player shows this dynamic through DID, which is honestly VERY well done). Spring is “the child” Neoma hasn’t interacted much with him but will do a lot to make sure he doesn’t get hurt. Fall is known as “the cowboy” on neutral terms with her, again, not really interacting much. (I blame the dice that often chose Winter and Summer to front). Summer and her get along well, having similar tastes when it comes to fashions and tastes in both food and drink, known as “the gentleman,” and helped to train her with a rapier. Then there’s Winter, known as “the scientist,” and who I think has the most interesting dynamics with Neoma out of the personalities. They work very well off of one another when it comes to solving things and figuring things out… oftentimes to the dismay of many others since when their mind is set to figure something out, they can, and they will. Finally, there’s “True Litian,” who she only saw for a few seconds. He only fronted when Neoma died, resurrecting her, then the two passing out due to exhaustion.
All I can say is FUCCCCCCCCCK this guy. He was Neoma’s patron for a good while, he made a pact with her, offering her exploration, knowledge so many things as I have stated prior that she’s craved. She had no idea as to who he was for the longest time before he reared her ugly head when she got too curious. Often times causing her and her party members grief, that showing itself through nightmares or messing with the spells that some of them would cast. Even after her breaking her pact with him (after her death that was mentioned previously) still caused and still does cause them grief, especially Neoma, seemingly getting enjoyment of the trauma he continues to cause her.
Kasios: Kaisos is a REAL piece of work. He as I have stated prior, is based on Judge Frollo, and is also a corrupt judge, and is also a religious man. Kasios is a coward, at the end of the day he will lie and cheat his way to keeping his pristine image but if push comes to shove he values his own survival above all else, even if it puts everyone else in harms way, a real fucking coward. Also, the Goddess that he believes in is named Phaedra. Domains being order and control, she is also the prime deity of Sun Elves. Very much something Kasios applies to his everyday life especially when it comes to the whole “corrupt judge” and judge Frollo inspiration. He has a very twisted view of her ideals, twisting and warping them to be very hypocritical and corrupt to fit what he views is right and wrong.
Ira: Ira is a cold and calculative individual, she also seems to have an understanding of things that no normal person would. She’s also very offputting. You look at her and something seems off about her, but it’s very hard to place as to why, and the longer you spend around her the more that unsettling feeling continues to grow. Which is very much what Loralynn felt in her very last moments alive.
Val (Mother): She was very ill by the time Loralynn was a teenager, Loralynn tried to get a job but her mother didn’t want her to overwork herself so advised against it and continued to work herself. Later her mother collapsed and finally relented and let Loralynn get a job. Loralynn obviously kept this job and all her money went to help her mother (this was when she began working as a sex worker), while Loralynn wasn’t in the best living conditions if her mom was getting the treatment it’s all the mattered. But after Loralynn died well…you can get the gist, she didn’t last too long after that. Loralynn was around fifteen when this happened, a year after she began working to support her mother.
Solerin (Father): Loralynn doesn’t know much of him, there was always a “guest” that came to visit her mother from time to time. She was never allowed around him and told to “Go buy candy from the store” anytime he’d visit. The two parents would often get into pretty bad arguments when Loralynn would leave. Arguing about so many little things. At some point, he just disappeared. While Loralynn didn’t know it until she was a teenager. He sometimes helped Loralynn’s mother, but not often, when she started showing signs of getting sick is when he disappeared. If Loralynn would ever run into him, he’d immediately recognize her, while she wouldn’t recognize him. He’d also have another family of his own with a significant other (can be any gender, male, female, non-binary) with another kid. I imagine him to be relatively soft-spoken, he’s a character that I can best describe as, despite being there, he feels like it isn’t, as if he’s off someplace else constantly.
Amos: Amos is one of her oldest clients, both in age and in how long she’s seen him. They never did much, he was an older gentleman who lost his wife and had really no one. He was alone, and Loralynn was there to listen to him when no one else would. The most he’d do is hold her, he’d cry a lot, and all she could do was hold him back. Also who Loralynn named her Viola after.
Virgil: They were a very melancholy individual, but despite this, they took comfort and solace in one another. They were one of the only people to call her out for her toxic positivity, so they were one of the only customers to see past her facade. Despite having feelings for them, she knew she couldn’t mix in feelings in a professional setting, so kept it to herself. In the current day, they would have moved on and got married at some point, again gender doesn’t matter same with if they have children. The point is to show time moved on when she was gone. But the two will always have a soft spot for one another, seeing that at one point they did have feelings for the other, it’s all just bittersweet. Also who Loralynn named her Lyre Harp after.
Celia: She was out traveling for her business, she and her wife have an open relationship and would often talk about how much she loves her wife. Also who Loralynn named her Pan Flute after.
Lottie: A free-flowing individual, who lives life as it comes at her. She very rarely let’s things ever bother her. She is also very high energy and a very active personality. Would and could kick your ass. Another point of note is that Lottie offered Loralynn a bit of an allowance (Loralynn said she didn’t need additional pay but Lottie insisted) to visit her (Lottie’s) mother as a means to show she’s in a relationship because she was ill, something the two bonded over. Even after Lottie told Loralynn that she couldn’t really afford to give her an allowance anymore, Loralynn didn’t mind whatsoever, and still visited Lottie’s mother and played the role of girlfriend. It might’ve made her feel guilty for lying, but she understood Lottie wanting her mother to feel happy even if she was ill. Also who Loralynn named her Tambourine after.
Silvo: Silvo was the owner of the brothel/club or whatever ya wanna call it that Loralynn worked at. He had the whole “pretty boy” and “posh” kind of attitude, but that’s a persona he puts up when he’s working. Silvo is very much a softy and was one of the first people to put in motion Loralynn’s missing person case.
Jacques (Father): Harsh, Hard to Please, Never paid much attention to his daughter (wanted a son). He was the reason that Neoma found out her family was not created out of love but created for mutual gain. Long story short, she caught him with another woman and asked her grandmother about it because she was scared to tell her mother.
Élisabeth (Mother): Two-faced, can go from harsh to kind in the matter of seconds (which is really scary when she’s angry), charismatic like if you were outside the family, you’d think she’s the sweetest thing. Somewhat fake-sounding, if that makes sense, it’s almost as if she’s trying to make her voice sound more feminine than it really is.
Yvonne (Grandmother): Out of Neoma’s family, she gets along with her grandmother the most. Part of the reason is her grandmother was forced into the marriage and reacted similarly to Neoma. Questioning everything and multiple attempts to run away, she was stripped of her eyesight because of her attempts to run. Out of everyone in the Levin family, she’s the kindest if you don’t include Neoma, but she isn’t naive, unlike her granddaughter. She also was the one to right Neoma’s wrongs as a child and talked her off the ledge both metaphorically and literally. She has a strong understanding of the world and is realistic about the struggles one would face. She has a lower voice for a female and is scarily calm all the time; very rarely will you ever see her sweat. She also had a child with a human, but the baby was killed, and that was the reason they rushed her to be married at an earlier age than planned to cover up the death of her unnamed child and the human she loved. She also has very little when it came to raising Élisabeth; they didn’t want her to try & pull something, but she was able to help raise Neoma due to her parents constantly being busy, and many years have passed since her “incident.” She’d also have a bit of a drinking problem, which got worse since Neoma’s disappearance.
Marius (Grandfather): Very much prone to anger. His personality, as well as his wife, are the reason Neoma’s mother is two-faced. Neoma has barely spent time with him due to his anger, and Yvonne and Élisabeth both feared what he’d do to Neoma in order to “toughen” her up.
Dmitri (Ex-Husband): Boring/bland, very religious/old-fashioned, eloquent word choice (fucking prick) oh yeah. He very much will put his needs about Neoma’s and doesn’t really take into account her feelings for much of anything; this very much became prevalent to Neoma during their honeymoon.
Here is a link to everything that I have written about Neoma and her backstory.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/13cetNth0bS5HMka2W-r79DNHSySydfvPuBXEUNwQIEI/edit?usp=sharing
Cedar (Twin Sister): Cedar is Aspen’s twin sister, specifically fraternal, and means the entire world to her. Unlike Aspen, Cedar is a lot more “free” is the best way I can put it. She’s very much is the type of person to go with the flow of things rather than stress about it, and try to solve the problem with brute force, which is a thing Aspen tends to do. While the two are both equally as smart, Cedar tends to find the solution after walking away, taking a break, and clearing her mind. Another thing I can equate her to in order to help visualize her is very much a hippie. Cedar also bears a scar on her lip, it was from an accident when the two were young. The two got momentarily separated, Cedar herself getting cornered by a thief trying to mug her; trying to fight back but also proximity it was harder for Cedar to deal with the thief, but it did alert Aspen. But by the time she got there, it was too late, in an attempt to stop Cedar from casting they cut her mouth and took the twins’ shock as a means of escape.
Kya (Mother): The twins’ mother is an interesting person to talk about. When she was younger, she was very smart and also wise, working as a sort of diviner to help her husband make ends meet, seeing that she had a strange knack for predicting the past, and the future accurately. While the twins don’t know and in Kya’s case, can’t remember, she had an incident with a type of aberration known as an “intellect devourer” which kept slowly eating away at her sanity as time went on. But Kya was strong-willed, so it didn’t affect her, that is, at least until her husband died. That’s when it truly started to affect her and her sanity and mental health plummeted, causing the twins at a very young age to need to watch their mom slowly deteriorate and grow up way too quickly.
Cyrus (Father): As great of a memory that Aspen has, she can’t really remember her father too much. Along with his wife/the twin’s mother, he too worked himself to the bone, but he worked for the town guard, add into the mix that the family didn’t have too much money, and focused everything on their kids, not having proper nourishment and self-care and well…his death was inevitable.
Aspen from a very young age was exposed to many of the harsh things life can throw at you. Her family which consisted of her, her twin sister Cedar, her mother Kya, and her father Cyrus who will be further elaborated in Aspen’s family tab did not have much money. Her mother worked as a sort of fortune teller, while her father worked as a part of the city guard. Also from a young age, Aspen and Cedar showed very strong grasps of magic, this pushed the twos parents to put them through schooling, even if it bleeds them dry, and often had to go days without eating for the family, it was all for the future of their children, they wanted them to succeed. A small point of note about Aspen, she currently is struggling with a small handful of things. I often akin her to a depressed college kid. She is very intelligent for her age, completing wizard school alongside her sister by age eighteen and by age nineteen being sent out to a place as a “test” to be a part of a powerful group that is known as the “Force Grays” to protect the city, she often feels stressed out and overwhelmed when she is doing nothing or taking a break, thinking that she is being lazy or not doing enough. She is also struggling in the sense of keeping up with the new magic she and her sister discovered and are currently experimenting with to make a new school of magic, this magic will also hopefully help her feel more comfortable with herself, and make a body for herself that she can breathe comfortably in.
Neoma grew up in the region of Suller’tho, otherwise known as the frost of the north, a frozen tundra where ice and snow are the features of the land; what lies underneath said ice and snow is unknown and revered. The large area is home to predominantly Humans and Snow Elves in civilized culture and is home to bands of Goliath or Orc raiding parties that stay near the mountains and forests deep in the everlasting frost. There is a central city by the name “Diamant” or Suller’than for Diamond. The city is a dull and restricting society built upon by a city of nobles whose families are the founders of their particular practices or organizations. She was born into one of the thirteen noble houses, specifically the newest thirteenth house, the Levin household. When she was of the age of marriage, it was dropped on her without her knowledge or even consent that she was to marry Dmitri, the eldest of the ninth household, otherwise known as the Laroux household. Soon after this, Neoma’s mind began to deteriorate, thinking that there was no way out of her situation (which will be further fleshed out in the “Family” tab), and a voice began to come to her as a whisper. At first, thinking she was crazy, she brushed it off. But later down the line, the last day of their honeymoon, it came to her stronger than ever, telling her to kill the man that slept peacefully on the bed as if nothing terrible just happened. This voice offered her freedom, knowledge things she craved for her entire life. After every nasty and disgusting thing this man has done to her for the entire year spending time with him and keeping appearances up to being an engaged couple and the week of their honeymoon…she couldn’t take it anymore. Dmitri was dead, and she ran.
Here is a link to everything that I have written about Neoma and her backstory.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/13cetNth0bS5HMka2W-r79DNHSySydfvPuBXEUNwQIEI/edit?usp=sharing
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