#solution: humans are purple in 5e

[original-begay-docrime]

All my tieflings will be strange colors

Nothing could ever top the 5e PHB saying “Tieflings can only be normal human skintones and also red” right next to a picture of a purple tiefling

[keres-dndoc]

keres

meet keres (she/they/fae), my lunar sorcerer in a homebrew 5e game based on Dragon Age!!

Keres was born in a very odd manner. They were exactly 3 weeks early, and active labour lasted the same 22 minutes as the full double lunar eclipse. Keres has blue skin, and when she was born their head was topped with purple peachy fuzzy hair. On their forehead, is a white upside down crescent moon that faintly glows. Horrified by the implications, as both her parents were human, Keres’s mother Marie didn’t hold this newborn baby for the first month of their life.  

At age 3, Keres started to show signs that faer magic was brewing, but for the most part it was tame. No attempt was made to hide them from other people in the city, but their parents did “accidentally” spread the rumour that Keres was just, found on their doorstep, and they were so kind to take the baby in, and they’d feel bad abandoning it now, even though it does have magical tendencies out of the chantry’s control. 

At 16, Keres' life had not much improved. When puberty hit, they started growing antlers, leading them to believe that their magic stems from Ghilan’nan. While they are a bit religious averse due to the intensity of their parents, they want to find comfort in the thought that Ghilan’nan could be guiding them home, wherever that may be. When they overheard their parents talking about seeking anti-magic solutions, to restrain Keres’ innate magic, they grabbed what little they could and ran away. Keres felt that this magic was the one thing they needed to hold on to above all else. Not once did they consider a circle. To Keres, magic was innate, and to their parents it was to be restricted. There was no other option. 

They made ends meet by pickpocketing drunk tavern-goers, and performing small gambling swindles (minor illusion and mage hand are quite good for this) and singing songs to sailors and merchants alike on the docks of Aren. 

They were one day, while trying to catch some sleep in the halls of a thieves guild, approached by Shay, a captain of a ship. They said that they’d been watching Keres swindle the people around here, and with light fingers like that, fae ought to make some good out of it. So, Keres joined his pirate crew. He taught them how to size up a target for what they’re actually worth, such as to pickpocket from wealthier types, to give back to the poor (sometimes ourselves, sometimes others). He taught Keres that it’s not really stealing if they needed it more, and Keres understood that profoundly. They never meant to stay on the ship so long, it was only meant to be temporary, but the crew heard them sing their song ‘The Moonlight Lament' and they fell in love with them, and in turn Keres fell in love with their new family too. In order to lay low, fae never exceeded too far on the ship, preferring to stay on as boatswain at most.

One day, when the ship was docked for repairs, Keres was exploring this small town. They were staking out a Chantry, attempting to determine if there were any decent targets for their latest plan to redistribute the wealth. However, they got caught in a bit of a shitshow when a young boy set the place ablaze. Seeing something in him that Shay had once seen in Keres, fae helped them escape authorities and brought him back to the ship. Keres introduced him as her replacement, as they overheard something about Tevinter (a place they knew by name, but knew nothing else about). A chantry-member spoke down on the place, but to Keres that was the appeal. They want to know if they can learn more about the magic they seem to possess. So they left the ship with a heavy heart and headed on their way with nothing but their backpack and pet rat they met on the ship, Vinnie.

They left the ship a year before Present Day, having arrived in Tevinter. They still laid on the outskirts of society, but their presence is well expected in the library. In their readings, they have become particularly fascinated with Lusacan, an Old God; the Dragon of Night. Keres feels this to be a kindred spirit, but they didnt have the courage to read on, fearing what fae might find. In Tevinter they make a living as a clerk in a small magic shop, run by an old man named Piel (p-ee-l), who is going blind. Not much in stock beyond a healing potion and a small selection of common items (at least, common in Tevinter where magic is more prominent), but it’s the first time Keres has ever made honest work of themselves.

Piel’s oldest daughter is coming to look after him, and Keres feels ready to move on knowing that he will be in safe hands. That being said, they are unsure of where the next step is. Feeling no ties to any specific place, Keres feels certain they’ll follow whichever path seems right, and if all else fails, there is a ship they can call home. They fear there might be a higher calling waiting for them, but worst than that, there is nothing, and it has all been a trick of fate.

They receive a letter, calling them to Aren, to aid in a rebellion effort to unseat a boy king who has thrown the nations of Aren and Orlais into war. Keres doesn't have a specific direction they desire to go to next, so they respond to this letter and go to Aren. There, they meet the rest of the party, which includes a member of their pirate crew, and the boy who set a chantry alight, among others.

Our tasks begin small, collect ingredients, escort important people. This escalates, when a prophecy is made by the Seer of Thedas, naming us The Starforged Seven, and predicting the return of a spider queen (it's lolth, it's fucking lolth). We aided the Princess in her escape of Aren, and have brought her into Orlais. We have made an ally of the sworn sword of the seer, a woman named Ferne. Keres, mayhaps, is forming more than friendship with her. Our journeys had us save the village of Redcliffe from swaithes of undead and demonic presences, attract the attention of an important spy council, and arrive at the front lines between Aren and Orlais. Most recently, we faced a band of very unsavoury types, and the one Keres once rescued from the law, and have now become quite close to, met his end. He has been resurrected, but it us unknown where. We don't know when we will see him again, but Keres has hope it is soon. Partly because she misses him, and partly because some of the party members are dating him, and Keres doesnt want to hear them mope for too long.