This is the second installment of our character introductions for my upcoming campaign, which I'm calling "Of Gods and Dragons" (for reasons which will become evident pretty soon). Our first installment introduced Brokk, a half-orc/half-demon man who left behind a life made for violence in order to live a quiet life helping people. Brokk is played by a longtime friend and game partner--you may remember him as Carric in the Eastweald campaign, Beor in the mystery campaign, or the DM of the campaign where I got to play Asp. The situation with Aurora, today's character, is about as different as possible. Aurora is not a menacing person at first glance, she has no memory of her past, and she has sought out a life of adventure. And also very differently, Aurora's player is someone who hasn't really played with me much before. In fact, Aurora's two intro sessions are the first time Aurora's player has ever dealt with my brand of roleplay-heavy, storytelling-focused gaming. But rest assured, reader, Aurora and her player are an excellent fit for this campaign and this style of game. Oh, and bonus points--the player is my fiancée! She's great, and after our intro sessions, I can't wait to see how Aurora fits into the world and party. So let's get into this character!
Aurora is a young woman whose story very much begins with her intro session--for reasons that you will see in the summary below, she is unable to remember anything about her life before the first moments of the session. She's relatively unassuming in appearance, at least aside from the wooden sword that is always at her side (even when she tries to get rid of it). She's a quirky and imaginative person with a brilliant mind, and she uses her mental faculties to dream up clever solutions to problems and remake the world around her as she sees fit. But she isn't careless or selfish--she cares deeply about people and always chooses to be nonviolent and even sweet if she can. In terms of her location and occupation, I'll leave that to the intro session summary, which I think better conveys how she ends up where she is at the beginning of the campaign better than I could with simple description here. One final valuable note: Aurora uses a custom class adapted from my custom magic system, glyphs. That is to say, essentially everything about Aurora is heavily homebrewed, and so if the below summary sounds like a departure from typical D&D magic use, that would be because she's using an entirely from-scratch reworking of the rules of spellcasting.
Below is a summary of two introduction sessions that establish Aurora as a character and bring her up to the current moment in the campaign's timeline. We opted for two rather full intro sessions rather than one given that Aurora's backstory is fairly complex for one, and also because Aurora's player is relatively new to roleplay-heavy, story-driven gaming, which meant that getting comfortable in the gameworld was an important factor as well. There are several time jumps in this sequence, which we chose to do so that we could cover all of the most important moments and milestone's in Aurora's character arc and get Aurora's player really comfortable inhabiting the character's mental and emotional headspace. (On that note, the event at the end of this intro session made Aurora's player visibly shaky, so I'm confident she's in the right headspace at this point.)
Enough preamble! Read on to become acquainted with Aurora.
Our protagonist (who is not named Aurora at this point in time), is a fledgling alchemist, out in the forests of northeastern Evanoch, foraging for ingredients for potions. In an attempt to gather what she will need for a basic healing potion, our protagonist captures a few butterflies in a jar. Suddenly, our protagonist hears rustling from some reeds behind her; turning, she sees a small faerie with oversized butterfly wings. The faerie tells our protagonist she wants the butterflies to be freed--in fact, the faerie will make a deal: free the butterflies and agree to a favor in the future, and in return, our protagonist will forget everything about her past (which tortures her) and the ability to "make yourself into anything you want." Our protagonist considers this and agrees to despite not knowing what exactly the faerie means by some parts of the deal. Instantly, our protagonist forgets everything about her life except for what occurred just moments before meeting the faerie; she also suddenly understands a language she has never encountered before but now intuitively knows. Suddenly, a boar charges out of the nearby woods. Thinking quickly, our protagonist (who has now forgotten even what her name is) speaks the new language in a command for the boar to calm down. The words she uses manipulate the energy and matter of the boar, and it stops charging, coming in to be pet. Our protagonist uses the magical language to summon food for the boar, and then she realizes her predicament: she has no name, no past, no connections, and only vaguely knows that she has some alchemical knowledge. She searches her mind for the most socially diverse and accepting city she can think of and comes up with Torga, a port city on the southeast corner of Evanoch which is socially progressive, filled with moral criminals, and easy to travel to and from. [Torga is a city I know well as a DM--it was the home of my D&D podcast, Listen Check, and I DMed in it for nearly three years.] Our protagonist uses the magical language to transport herself to Torga, appearing in a clearing just north of the city. To mark the place where her new life truly began, our protagonist magically creates an earthen statue of the faerie in the clearing and sets out for Torga.
On the road to town, she meets an old elven couple and asks if she can experiment with her new magical abilities by refilling a spent magic wand. The couple agrees, and she is able to successfully restore charges to the wand. Reaching the city gates, she speaks with the guards, whom she gives a few pieces of magically-generated platinum, though she later discovers that the platinum transforms back into basic stone after about an hour. Our protagonist decides to seek employment and begins to scout out the apothecaries in town. After investigating the three most respectable-seeming shops, she decides on one called The Mortar and Pestle, run by a warm halfling woman named Heather. Heather proposes a test: create a healing potion of sufficient strength, and she'll take on our protagonist as an apprentice. Our protagonist creates her best healing potion, and Heather cuts a deep gash into her own arm and applies the potion to test it. It heals her well, and Heather accepts our protagonist as an apprentice. Heather asks what our protagonist's name is and is puzzled when she cannot remember her name. Together, they decide on the name Aurora because Aurora likes the idea of a beautiful natural phenomenon that can be seen from her new home city, especially given the meaning of casting light in the dark. Heather immediately sets to teaching Aurora how to improve her skill as an apothecary. While they work together, they are visited by a dashing sea captain, a half-elven woman named Zamira. Zamira orders a massive amount of healing potions and tells Aurora that she is literally glowing, which Zamira believes to be a sign of power and potential. Zamira leaves, promising to return in a while for the potion order, and Heather entrusts Aurora with getting a start on the order while she goes to get lunch. Aurora explores the potion shop, discovering a work and storage area, a pair of bedrooms, a library, an altar space, and a mischievous orange tabby who she names Pumpkin after the gourd the cat seems to like sleeping on. Aurora bonds with Pumpkin, making him her familiar, and Pumpkin helps Aurora to make a large amount of potions before Heather returns. When Heather does come back, she is impressed by Aurora's work and industriousness as well as the fact that she has befriended the chaotic orange tabby, and she sets to work helping Aurora to complete the order. As they work, Heather teaches Aurora other potion recipes, and Aurora makes suggestions on how to increase profits using her skills at math, which surprises Aurora--she had not realized that math was something she was good at and doesn't remember learning it. Zamira returns and happily buys the potions; she says Aurora is still glowing, and she says that she'd like to take Aurora on as a member of her ship's crew once Aurora completes her apprenticeship. Aurora is immediately interested in a life of adventure, but pledges to stay with Heather until her apprenticeship is complete.
After some more work, Heather gives Aurora the rest of the day off to explore town and celebrate starting a new life. Aurora finds her way to the docks and discovers the ship that Zamira captains, the Edmund Fitzgerald. There, she meets the ship's carpenter, an orc named Gurrik, and one of the foremost sailors on the crew, a dwarf named David. Gurrik and David take Aurora through the taverns in town, searching for Zamira, and find her drunkenly swinging from a chandelier in a tavern. Aurora drinks with Zamira, Gurrik, and David for a while, and she uses her magic to create a small glass model of their ship. Zamira tells Aurora that she sees potential in her, and though drunk, very seriously offers to allow Aurora to be and become anything and anyone she wants to be, as well as to give her a family in the crew. Aurora agrees to genuinely consider the offer to join the crew once her apprentice with Heather is completed. Zamira walks Aurora back to The Mortar and Pestle, and Aurora reunited with Pumpkin, telling him they had lots of work to do for their future.
We cut then to a year later, on the final day of Aurora's apprenticeship. She suggests a picnic to Heather, and they head off to enjoy a meal and a bottle of mead at the statue of Aurora's faerie friend outside the city. Seeing the statue of the faerie, a few memories suddenly come flooding back to Aurora--memories of where she was before she transported herself to Torga. Aurora and Heather discuss their futures and the shop, Heather telling Aurora that she'll be fine without an apprentice and that she wants Aurora to be able to have the future she dreams of. Aurora blessed the mead, invoking the name of Yondalla (who Heather worships), and the mead makes both of them feel dizzy yet invigorated. Heather tells the story of her childhood and how she learned to become an apothecary--without help after being abandoned as a child--and wishes Aurora well in heading off into a future with a better foundation. At Aurora's request, Heather describes halfling culture a bit more, and then gives Aurora the rest of the day off to celebrate finishing her apprenticeship. Aurora goes to a government building and draws up paperwork to have Heather officially adopt her before heading back to the shop and working on some healing potions, which have become the most trusted healing potions for miles. Using a team of servants magically made from physical force, Aurora manages to complete a huge collection of potions for the shop and make an elaborate dinner for Heather. Zamira shows up, and Aurora invites her to join her and Heather for dinner, which Zamira gratefully accepts. During dinner, Aurora presents the adoption papers to Heather, who tearfully signs. Zamira asks Aurora to join the crew, which Aurora accepts; Zamira recommends Aurora as a future Quartermaster for the ship. Heather presents Aurora with four sets of handmade clothing (styled as an apothecary, a sailor, a ship officer, and an elaborate version of Aurora's simple outfit). After dinner, Aurora goes to the shop's backyard and creates a statue of herself and Heather in an embrace, blessing it with magic. In the morning, Heather makes breakfast for Aurora and promises to send Aurora a letter at every port she's bound for, and Aurora sets off for a future aboard the Edmund Fitzgerald. At the ship, a sailor named Alexandra shows Aurora around, and Aurora uses a well-stocked apothecary's quarters to create inventory for the ship. Zamira comes to check in and discovers Aurora hard at work, with healing potions, alchemical shields, and flying potions; Zamira is floored by Aurora's capabilities and uses the moment to introduce the other members of the crew to Aurora in an attempt to impress them into approving of Aurora as Quartermaster.
We jump again to two years later--Aurora has served as Quartermaster for most of her time onboard the ship and is generally well-liked by the crew, especially due to her work in improving the profits of the ship. Aurora has only sparingly used magic aboard the ship, trying to keep that part of her skillset relatively quiet. One day, the ship spots an armored fishing vessel being fired on by a pirate ship. Aurora asks Zamira to pilot the ship towards the pirates and uses a powerful spell to create a seastorm that tears apart the pirate ship; the storm disappears as the Edmund Fitzgerald draws closer. The crew begins to loot the pirate ship and take the pirates captive, and it becomes apparent that the captain of the pirate crew is missing, presumed drowned with the remains of his ship, so Aurora casts another spell to transport him onto the deck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The pirate captain appears there, coughing up water, and is bewildered to be alive at all. Zamira questions Aurora about her magical abilities, and Aurora offers an earnest explanation--she can speak her intention in her magical language, and the effect usually happens. Zamira is shocked and asks Aurora to only use her abilities in responsible ways that will help the crew, and Aurora agrees. The ship turns around and picks up the man in the armored fishing boat only to find that he cannot speak. Aurora uses a spell to form a mental connection with him, but he does not communicate that way either. Looking for solutions, Aurora tests the spell with Zamira and even tries connecting Zamira and the mysterious man, but nothing yields results. Finally, Aurora asks the man to identify himself through writing, at which point he says his name is Hyrum Gotham, a man of no rank. Hyrum points to a map, indicating the city of New Dalton, and offers a bulging coinpurse; Zamira peeks inside and agrees to change course back to the city. As the ship pulls into the docks of New Dalton, Hyrum comes to Aurora's quarters. He speaks, saying that he had been trying to find her for a long time. He comes at her with manacles, and she casts a spell that withers his muscles, rendering him no longer a threat. Hyrum asks why Aurora is pretending to not know him, if she thinks she can escape her past, and why she is pretending to have forgotten everything about Pelor's Mercy. Curious, Aurora uses a spell to probe through Hyrum's memories. She sees him in a fancy home at a split in a river, often beating prisoners. She also sees him being ordered by a bearded human man to find someone, but the name becomes static-y, and Aurora cannot understand it. Aurora sends Pumpkin to bring back Zamira and contemplates what to do about Hyrum. Aurora explains what has happened to Zamira, who asks why he had come for her. When Aurora does not know, Zamira says that Aurora is a risk--her crew may not be safe given this revelation--but she believes that Aurora is a risk worth taking. Zamira asks whether Aurora would like to kill Hyrum or have someone else do it. Aurora cast a spell that tried to remove Hyrum's memories of her, but Zamira explains that it's too dangerous to risk him learning who Aurora is again and coming back--he must be killed. Aurora lies to Hyrum, offering him a "healing potion" which will actually render him unconscious, and Zamira helps her to weight him down with cannonballs and throw him overboard. Zamira reveals that the coinpurse Hyrum had was filled with gems and sets sail for a northern city called Xale, renowned for its jewelers, and promises to return to Torga next to give the crew and especially Aurora time to recover from the incident.
That's where we ended the intro sessions. Aurora's quirkiness doesn't come off in this summary as it does in-game; as a for instance, after making the pirate captain appear alive on the deck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, she simply asks his name and rank despite his absolute bewilderment at the situation. Zamira's crew regards Aurora as an odd but reliable and powerful ally, and by the time we arrive at the current moment, the crew owes Aurora their genuine allegiance. Out of game, we established that Heather sends consistent letters and enjoys occasional visits from Aurora and remains an important emotional part of Aurora's life. Aurora's use of her custom magic system is obviously rather powerful, aided in part by the fact that Aurora's spells' efficacy is partially determined by Arcana rolls, which Aurora has a significant bonus to. The combination of Aurora's quirkiness, sweetness, naïveté, and intelligent use of considerable power is a fun mix to DM for--you never know if you're going to get a genuinely kind and emotional moment like the adoption papers or statue of Heather and Aurora or something bone-chilling like the sea storm or mind-probing of Hyrum. All in all, Aurora is going to be a great fit for this campaign.
Next time, we'll be meeting our third and final character, who is currently being developed. They will be played by another veteran gamer in my world, the same person who played Ell in the Eastweald campaign and Ais in the mystery campaign. Delving into this final character, Lethanin, will give us a good sense of what we have in store. After that, we'll dive into our first session and see how the characters adapt to this unconventional campaign.
Until next time, folks! Happy gaming!
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