Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2001 12:51 pm
I could use Magus after Throne of Bhaal, but that might be excessive:
Str: 12
Dex: 13
Con: 12
Int: 20
Wis: 20
Chr: 19
Then again, Int, Wis, and Chr have no real impact on anything besides personality.
Or I could use his stats from after Suldanessellar:
Str: 11
Dex: 13
Con: 11
Int: 19
Wis: 18
Chr: 17
I guess it depends at what point in the Baldur's Gate saga we start at, assuming we're basing our story on the Baldur's Gate saga.
Here's one proposed setting:
After defeating Raistlin, and saving Athlatka, the mysterious band of adventurers disbanded, their identities known only by a select few. The city was left to ponder the strange passage of events unaided, and tall tales grew in abundance.
The most popular of these tales said the gods themselves were offended by the dark mage’s abuse of magic, and that he was stripped of his power and imprisoned deep beneath the earth. Many a power hungry apprentice took heart in the tale and searched greedily for the place of his imprisonment, so that they might use a freedom scroll and become the mage’s right hand.
Others said a great denizen of the Upper Planes, a planetar lord, was upset by the city’s great demonic infestation. He crossed into the prime material and slew the presumptuous mage, sending his soul along with his demon cohorts screaming back to the Lower Planes.
But a few knew the true story. They remained silent, respecting the parting wishes of those that did not care for the burdens of fame. Well, perhaps not so much “respecting” their wishes, as heeding dire threats of bodily harm if they did not cooperate. A stoic barbarian named Fallout comes to mind. Or death come swiftly from the shadows of the night, as Rail the assassin darkly promised. So it was that the heroes’ deed fell into myth and legend, while the heroes themselves went their separate ways, some to settle down, and others to continue adventuring in some other distant land.
But peace is always a transient thing, and eventually all things must come to an end. A decade has passed since Athlatka’s siege by demons, and only in the poorer sections of town do reminders remain of that cruel time. Since then, Athlatka’s paramilitary organizations have grown greatly in power. After the defeat of the demons, they stepped in to fill the power vacuum left by the government’s bumbling ineptitude. The government is now merely a puppet of these powerful groups, namely the Cowled Wizards and the Shadow Thieves.
In the aftermath of the devastation, the Cowled Wizards played on the outrage created by the popular imprisoned dark mage story. They used this leverage to strengthen their power over magic-users into a stranglehold. Now only members of the elite group have the right to practice magic. Not only that, but all magical items brought into or out of Amn must first be inspected for “evil magics.” Of course, a hefty “downpayment” will clear up most misunderstandings. Their coffers swollen with money from the magical item trade, the Cowled Wizards are more powerful than ever before. Enemies and dissidents quickly disappear, never to be seen again.
As the Cowled Wizards’s rule became increasingly corrupt and oppressive, people fled to the only other group influential enough to keep the wizards at bay: The Shadow Thieves. Their ranks swelled with new recruits like never before, and soon the great crime organization wielded as much power as the Cowled Wizards themselves. Smuggling magical items through the Cowled Wizards’ customs posts became as lucrative as the taxing itself. Over time, the Cowled Wizards and Shadow Thieves, in their opposition, achieved an uneasy balance.
Until now, that is...
Absorbed in an ultimately futile struggle against each other, an upstart mercenary group has steadily grown in membership right under their noses. Known only as the Black Helm, it started as a guild created to train Athlatka’s city guard. Their jurisdiction quickly grew more and more, until it now controls Amn’s entire military, excluding the majority of the battlemages, who remain affiliated to the Cowled Wizards. This guild, though as yet still no match for either the Cowled Wizards or the Shadow Thieves, threatens to tip the uneasy balance between the two supergroups.
Amn is at the brink of civil war. Its neighbors lick their chops in anticipation. And opportunistic adventurers and mercenaries alike come to Amn to pledge their allegiance for gold, glory, and adventure.
[ 07-05-2001: Message edited by: Magus ]
Str: 12
Dex: 13
Con: 12
Int: 20
Wis: 20
Chr: 19
Then again, Int, Wis, and Chr have no real impact on anything besides personality.
Or I could use his stats from after Suldanessellar:
Str: 11
Dex: 13
Con: 11
Int: 19
Wis: 18
Chr: 17
I guess it depends at what point in the Baldur's Gate saga we start at, assuming we're basing our story on the Baldur's Gate saga.
Here's one proposed setting:
After defeating Raistlin, and saving Athlatka, the mysterious band of adventurers disbanded, their identities known only by a select few. The city was left to ponder the strange passage of events unaided, and tall tales grew in abundance.
The most popular of these tales said the gods themselves were offended by the dark mage’s abuse of magic, and that he was stripped of his power and imprisoned deep beneath the earth. Many a power hungry apprentice took heart in the tale and searched greedily for the place of his imprisonment, so that they might use a freedom scroll and become the mage’s right hand.
Others said a great denizen of the Upper Planes, a planetar lord, was upset by the city’s great demonic infestation. He crossed into the prime material and slew the presumptuous mage, sending his soul along with his demon cohorts screaming back to the Lower Planes.
But a few knew the true story. They remained silent, respecting the parting wishes of those that did not care for the burdens of fame. Well, perhaps not so much “respecting” their wishes, as heeding dire threats of bodily harm if they did not cooperate. A stoic barbarian named Fallout comes to mind. Or death come swiftly from the shadows of the night, as Rail the assassin darkly promised. So it was that the heroes’ deed fell into myth and legend, while the heroes themselves went their separate ways, some to settle down, and others to continue adventuring in some other distant land.
But peace is always a transient thing, and eventually all things must come to an end. A decade has passed since Athlatka’s siege by demons, and only in the poorer sections of town do reminders remain of that cruel time. Since then, Athlatka’s paramilitary organizations have grown greatly in power. After the defeat of the demons, they stepped in to fill the power vacuum left by the government’s bumbling ineptitude. The government is now merely a puppet of these powerful groups, namely the Cowled Wizards and the Shadow Thieves.
In the aftermath of the devastation, the Cowled Wizards played on the outrage created by the popular imprisoned dark mage story. They used this leverage to strengthen their power over magic-users into a stranglehold. Now only members of the elite group have the right to practice magic. Not only that, but all magical items brought into or out of Amn must first be inspected for “evil magics.” Of course, a hefty “downpayment” will clear up most misunderstandings. Their coffers swollen with money from the magical item trade, the Cowled Wizards are more powerful than ever before. Enemies and dissidents quickly disappear, never to be seen again.
As the Cowled Wizards’s rule became increasingly corrupt and oppressive, people fled to the only other group influential enough to keep the wizards at bay: The Shadow Thieves. Their ranks swelled with new recruits like never before, and soon the great crime organization wielded as much power as the Cowled Wizards themselves. Smuggling magical items through the Cowled Wizards’ customs posts became as lucrative as the taxing itself. Over time, the Cowled Wizards and Shadow Thieves, in their opposition, achieved an uneasy balance.
Until now, that is...
Absorbed in an ultimately futile struggle against each other, an upstart mercenary group has steadily grown in membership right under their noses. Known only as the Black Helm, it started as a guild created to train Athlatka’s city guard. Their jurisdiction quickly grew more and more, until it now controls Amn’s entire military, excluding the majority of the battlemages, who remain affiliated to the Cowled Wizards. This guild, though as yet still no match for either the Cowled Wizards or the Shadow Thieves, threatens to tip the uneasy balance between the two supergroups.
Amn is at the brink of civil war. Its neighbors lick their chops in anticipation. And opportunistic adventurers and mercenaries alike come to Amn to pledge their allegiance for gold, glory, and adventure.
[ 07-05-2001: Message edited by: Magus ]
