Tithe

Of Amor, Armor, and Alchemy

Back Story/Concept

As a baby, Tithe was given up by his parents as a gift to a holy order of the Stone Elves. It is unknown to Tithe whether this was to compensate for some transgression, or for some other reason. Upon reading his auspice signs, it was decided to send Tithe to the Temple of the Forge at Caminus, for it seemed he had some destiny there. Once he reached toddling age, he was given off to a band of Stone Elf warriors led by a well-known soldier named Tolmen. Most of his childhood was spent with this band, on the road, learning the way of the warrior, and his cradle was a heater shield, carried by his countrymen or laid on the hard ground.

Tolmen and his band eventually were sent to Caminus, at least in part to offer some defensive training to the city's troops for fighting off the vicious blood elf raids that plagued the island, and to establish some political ties for the Stone Elves amongst the inner isles. Tolmen approached the temple with two gifts: a suit of finely wrought Stone Elf armor, and Tithe, then old enough to hold his own shield, albeit barely. The band stayed on for many months, training soldiers - specifically the guardians of the temple - in certain Stone Elf strategies, then headed off to explore the surrounding regions, leaving Tithe behind.

As of the present, Tithe - now 17 - has lived on the temple grounds for a number of years. Though he has always been a bit of an outsider (the temple authorities did not know quite what to do with the gift of a young elf), Tithe has made something of a place for himself as a guardian of the temple and bodyguard of its priests. Although the temple was at first reluctant to encourage this activity, as Tithe has matured into a relentlessly dedicated warrior, they have welcomed his presence a bit more. Still, Tithe has few close ties. Tolmen - the only parental figure in Tithe's life - stops by sporadically to continue Tithe's training, and then disappears again. The only real friend Tithe has is Daenerys, who has gone out of her way from the beginning to be kind to him and include him in conversations and activities. Tithe treasures this friendship greatly. Indeed, in truth, he has a persistent and hidden crush on her.

Tithe is tall, lithe, and wiry, with grey skin, a shaved head, and a blue-inked tattoo of the sign of the forge at the base of his neck. He is patient, quiet, and prone to standing still for long periods of time, which makes him a potent watchmen. Though quiet, he isn't dour, he enjoys riddlelike jokes, and has a noticeable laugh, though his sense of humor is a bit odd to most. He is also a bit of a sensate, particularly enjoying sounds. He can sometimes be found simply listening to the wind for long stretches of time. Seemingly uncharacteristically, Tithe also enjoys games of chance, and is usually keen to play any of the various gambling games that are popular, though he isn't particularly fond of money and likes to play the games for stones or other worthless items.

Tithe jointly worships two dieties: Amor (in the pure form generally respected by Stone Elves) and the Goddess of the Forge. He reveres both as dual-faceted aspects of creation. Amor represents the bedrock of creation, the natural, and the spiritual connections between all things. The Goddess of the Forge represents the creative abilities given to the sentient races, the synthetic, and the material forces out of which all are made. Tithe has also been known to be civil to Jaksan, giving offerings to him when trekking through the wilderness, especially in the mountains.

Tithe fights defensively, a one-man phalanx in hoplite style with spear and shield or shield and short sword/dagger. He was fairly recently earned the right (according to Tolmen) to actually wield a shield in battle.

Character (90pts.)

Characteristics (38pts.)

Tithe

Val	Char	Cost	Roll	Notes
15	STR	5	12-	Lift ??kg; ?? HTH damage
11	DEX	3	11-	OCV: 4/DCV: 4
15	CON	10	12-
12	BODY	4	??
10	INT	0	11-	PER Roll 11-
10	EGO	0	11-	ECV: 3
10	PRE	0	11-	PRE Attack: 2d6
10	COM	0	??
7	PD	4		Total: 7 PD (0 rPD)
7	ED	4		Total: 7 ED (0 rED)
3	SPD	9		Phases: 4, 8, 12
??	REC	0
30	END	0
28	STUN	0
6"	Run	0
1"	Swim	-1
3"	Leap	0

Str: 15 [5pts.]

Dex: 11 [3pts.]

Con: 15 [10pts.]

Body: 12 [4pts.]

Com: 10

Int: 10

Ego: 10

PD: 7 [4pts.]

ED: 7 [4pts.]

Skills (8pts.)

WF: Common Weapons [2pts.]

AF: Shields [1pts.]

Stealth [3pts.] 11-

Language: Human, no literacy

Language: Faerie, no literacy

Climbing 8-

Conversation 8-

Deduction 8-

Paramedics 8-

Shadowing 8-

Survival (Mountainous AND Forest) 8-

High society 8-

Trading 8-

PS (Bodyguard) 11- [2pts.]

Powers (15pts.)

Life support (1600 years; 4pts.)

Sphere of Silence (Darkness based silencing powers, centered on self; 10pts.) - Ben, you can decide whether this is an innate capacity of Stone Elves, or a Divinely Inspired Templar ability

1 experience pt. reserved for Miracle-Making

Equipment (29pts.)

Bag of Stuff [5pts.]

Short Spear [13pts.]

Daenerys-forged Dagger (+1 DC; FREE BITCHES!)

Large Shield (+3 DCV; 7pts.)

Heavy Leather Armor 4/4 [4pts.]

Disadvantages

Normal Characteristic Maxima (0)

Distinctive Features (Greyish-blue skin, white hair, pointed ears, & tall, slender build; -5pts.)

Social Limitation (No permanent settlements, high respect for "guest rights"; Frequently, Severe Consequences, not limiting in Stone Elf cultures; -15pts.)

Psychological Limitation: Dogmatic (generally refuses to break established laws/principles/precepts, usually for no other reason than because they are laws/principles/precepts; Common; Strong; -15 pts.)

Psychological Limitation: Obstinate (once Tithe chooses a course of action, it is very difficult to persuade him to do otherwise; Common; Strong; -?? pts.)

Tithe's Plans

Tithe, though generally patient and well-composed, is increasingly perplexed and flustered by the recent events. His closest and beloved friend has been stricken down, there is unrest in the temple he is sworn to protect, and he is being pulled in different directions by what seem to be conflicting duties. On top of that, it seems clear that there is evidence of treachery within the temple itself. Worst of all, Tithe has felt quite impotent in the face of all of these challenges, and is somewhat ashamed of his inability to assist in the quest to find out what is going on. So, after some intense meditation, Tithe has come to some decisions:

- His highest allegiance is to the high priestess of the forge. All efforts to aid her will take priority over other duties, though he will obey principles not in conflict with such efforts, and will accept the punishments for breaking laws, etc. in undertaking these efforts.

- We must 1) ensure that Daenerys is safe for the foreseeable future, 2) ensure that the powers that be know what type of poison has afflicted her, and 3) attempt to root out the treacherous elements within the temple. To these ends, Tithe intends to approach the high attendant/charcoal-burner - if possible - to a) let him know the nature of the poison, and b) attempt to ascertain if he is trustworthy (even if a miracle is necessary to do so).

- He is going to prepare for voyaging, as this seems to be a likely necessity to find a cure for Daenerys. To this end, he is going to visit the armory, fill his bag with appropriate voyaging materials, trade in his teardrop shield for a round hoplite shield (no game effect, but makes for easier carrying), and appropriate (officially) both armor (heavy leather at most) and clothing for travel.

- In terms of finding a cure, Tithe sees three options worth pursuing: (1) finding somewhat highly proficient in alchemy/herbology on the island (perhaps Gwyndolin the missing witch), (2) waiting for the arrival of Galen's head healing priest, to see what he might be able to do, (3) quest back to search out some of his people, since Stone Elf healers have a reputation as being among the best.

Thoughts for Future Development

Presence Power (+10, only usable against fear effects; 5pts.)

Silent Scream (Flash silencing power, 5d6; 15pts.)

Sphere of Silence (Darkness silencing power; 5-15pts.)

Notes

Language: Human, no literacy

Language: One other, no literacy

Climbing 8-

Conversation 8-

Deduction 8-

Paramedics 8-

Shadowing 8-

Survival (2 terrain types) 8-

Streetwise OR high society 8-

Trading 8-

One PS at 8-

Stone Elves: 24 Dex, 10 PD/ED Maxima, 23 INT, 25 EGO, 25 COM. Your other basic language is Faerie. 4 points of Life support (1600 years). Distinctive Features -5pts. Social Limitation (type varies by elf-type: for sea elves, as an example, this is their inability to live and/or settle on land for long periods of time)-15 pts. (Frequently, Severe consequences, not limiting in some cultures).