#never not gonna say I'm sorry for the crappy quality of those photos

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

Hi:) I made a post with the same questions I'm about to put in here, but then deleted it since I thought I'll be guaranteed to get an answer if I just ask you.

I've been playing MLQC since its launch. To be honest, haven't kept up with the story in years and only continue playing and logging in to get Shaw's cards, but I do know how the game works like the back of my hand.

A few days ago I saw Sylus for the first time on X, and the minute I did I began to debate whether or not I should install Love and Deepspace. Just so I can see what he's like. He's very attractive, and he seems charismatic and mysterious too lol

However, before I decide to download and make a potential commitment, I want to know a few things first. 99% of my questions are general questions, while the other 1% isn't :P

What's the game like? (gameplay, mechanics, options, daily tasks(?), currencies, gacha, etc.)

Are there similarities to MLQC? (gameplay-wise, content, dailies, wish tree, events, etc.)

The cards come with stories, right? I honestly feel stupid asking this, but I'm just that clueless about the game and how it works lolol

Is the game F2P-friendly? (tolerable grinding, fairness in stocking up on required materials, cost of cards, etc.) Is it at least similar to MLQC in terms of abundance in materials and currency?

Do limited cards get re-runs? Or is it that once a card is launched and its event ends, the chance to get it is forever gone?

Can cards only be pulled, or can they also be run in MLQC-style shoot/birthday events and bought using in-game currency (i.e. like the gems in MLQC)?

There's probably a grade to the cards, correct? (SR, SSR, UR, etc.)

I saw on the store that Sylus's 'Wish' event is ongoing at the moment; will his card be added permanently after the event ends, or is this a one-time thing (like the time ltd. Wish Tree events in MLQC)?

Taking into consideration the fact that I'll be a noob with barely any resources, if at all: do I have a chance of getting Sylus's card before the event end if I begin playing soon?

Sorry for all the questions, and thank you for your response in advance :D

hello! firstly i’m sorry but my answers will only have necessary info b/c i’m not in the physical or mental state to go at lengths rn.

(1) it's an otome with action elements i.e. different styles of combats. there's also main story, dates, socmed, mini games, photo booth etc.

(2) idk whether to laugh or cry here tbh. in all fairness, PG really just took every feature of lovepro/ MLQC and upgraded them in LaDS (the combats aside LOL). although personally i don’t have anything positive to say on their writing quality, so you’ll have to figure out your feelings on that yourself ahah.

the dailies are quick once you've been there long enough as it is with most games. the wish tree has pity carry over system. they have two types of gacha pools: permanent and limited. and the two pools have different ticket currencies. there is no exchange system for event cards like MLQC.

leveling up the cards is an extremely tricky business here by the way. it's gonna become an essay if i try to explain, but know that you can never have enough stamina here LOL.

(3) yes. the 5 and 4 stars.

(4) nope lmfao. even if you tunnel vision one bias, it'd be difficult have all his cards without spending. they do have free 5 and 4 star card events though and those give rewards + the limited events often offer some rewards (in-game), but still it'd be hard if you have crappy gacha luck plus their stupid 50/50 choice in the pool almost never works lol and since the game is a simulpub, you won't have the advantage you have with MLQC to plan out your spending.

a friend of mine has done an overview, so please go through that to get an idea: ♡

(5) give it some time 😂 the game is only six months old. eventually all limited cards are re-run in these sort of games.

(6) no, there's no currency only card like MLQC in the game (at least not as of now). all cards are to be obtained through gacha (free ones aside).

(7) yes.

(8) QinChe/ Sylus has multiple events going on at the moment. there's a limited pool that ends on august 1 and you won't be able to get that one after the event until further notice. and the permanent pool also has a limited mechanism right now that will end after the event. but every other card except for event limited card will be added to the permanent pool afterwards.

(9) the permanent cards can be obtained later too (though definitely will be way harder b/c the limited mechanism for the permanent pool will gone then). as for the limited banner, it depends on your luck 😂 70x is the pity for 5-stars. i can't remember if there was any newbie pity, but since there's no guarantee or exchange, it might prove hard to obtain the card without spending if you have bad gacha luck. :/

hope these answer your questions~

—

[dungeons-and-divination]

HORIZON WALKER RANGER  - Wildhunt SHIFTER - Sage (Researcher)

Never built a Shifter before, but I play a weretiger in my main campaign, so I enjoyed this quite a lot. I think it shows. I ended up with a lot more details than I usually cram into these posts. I mainly try to leave enough space for DMs and players alike to build up on the general idea I came up with. This time... Inspiration hit me hard and I couldn’t help myself. Hope you enjoy.

Name: Ichor (likes the nickname Corey better) (18yo)

TAROTS

Mind: Justice (upright) Truth and integrity as the core of an horizon walker’s mind are perfectly okay with me, honestly. It really tells me that Corey is a person that strives to reach a balance into things, that he knows every action has its consequences. I can see them as someone that is perfectly aware of how they can change the world just by existing and making decisions, so they try to weigh their actions because of it. But they also enjoy watching the ripples that every drop in the water causes. So they dislike inaction too. Why stay still when you can do something and be part of the reason for the world to move and change, just to settle and come back to a new balance?

Body: Two of swords (upright) I mean, a tarot about being torn between two people or in general this feeling of disconnection on his body? Of course I could just stop at the obvious issues Ichor could have with being a shifter. But why stop with something as obvious as emotional denial, when there’s an underside of something more? I had to draw a card to try and clear this up. And the Three of swords reversed confirmed there was more. Corey is actually in emotional denial about something deeper, but he’s slowly getting over it. Still, this doesn’t get rid of that “something” that hurt him in the past and Ichor tries to bury it more often than not. So, I would say that this disconnection to his body is more in tune to this denial.

Spirit: the High Priestess (upright) Most of all, I would say this expresses his thirst for knowledge, that’s for sure. But I’m not surprised by that hint of mystery and sensuality that comes from Corey himself. Despite how socially awkward he is, I can picture him being unknowingly charming. Which is probably why he doesn’t trust people that try to be very direct in showing romantic interest. Well, I suppose he can be considered charming at least to people that are into dark, mysterious, dorky nerds with enormous trust issues. I know that the broody types always attract some people's attention.

Past: Strength (reversed) After what that “body” had already given me, this was pretty much a given. Low self-esteem in Corey’s past is a constant. He felt weak and vulnerable, that was the main reason why he stayed stuck in his research for so long (and kinda confirmed my feeling that he wasn’t one of the most thought of predators). He probably had a deep desire to actually get to work in his field, but the biggest obstacle to reach for that dream was his own sense of inadequacy (someone like him in a scholarly role might have been teased just for that after all). Deep down, he knew he could make a difference though, because every decision has a consequence, even a lack of action. And he hated when people couldn’t make a decision SO MUCH!

Present: Page of cups (reversed) And here comes back that heartbreak, that emotional vulnerability… With the horrible twist of sexual abuse earlier in his life still there to haunt him. Definitely, the emotional denial from his body as well as his issues with trust are a lot deeper and serious than what I thought at first. Oh, Ichor for sure had some terrible experiences. But he realized that he was in a bad situation, that he’d been manipulated, used by someone older than him just cause he was young and naive. And he decided to get away from it all. The emotional trauma though? That still lingers and weights him down so much that he’s very closed off. I don’t exclude him actually pretending (very badly) like he’s way more confident than he is, in certain situations. Like a copying mechanism to try and hide his insecurities so people won’t use them against him again.

Future: the Hierophant (reversed) Well, with Corey this can go in both the direction hinted at by the tarot. He could absolutely challenge the traditions of the institution he belongs to and that he’s supposed to still answer to. Or he could cling to their traditions in a hope to change how corrupt and twisted things got from the very inside despite how it could break him to go back and be face to face with his abuser. I can’t necessarily give a suggestion in this case; it really depends on how things develop and which way you feel like he would lean towards (even with the party’s support). Either way, not surprised that a decision is at the core of his future. 

FULL BACKSTORY

Ichor was born in a cave in the Beastlands plane. His mother, Shianead, was on a mission for the institution she worked for to research more information on how were-creatures lived when organized in packs like that. She actually fell in love while she was in the middle of that mission with Ichor’s father, Purrenbor. As soon as Ichor was born, Shianead realized she could no longer stay in the Beastlands plane and decided to leave. Purrenbor tried to leave with her, but his tribe didn’t like them leaving with the child; Purrenbor gave his life so that both Shianead and Ichor could run away. Once they were back, the institution wasn’t necessarily happy that Shianead took more than a year for a mission that was supposed to be just 6 weeks long. They were disappointed in her, but once she promised that her shifter son would stay to be part of the institution as well and convinced them that in some way his nature as a shifter could be helpful in understanding better the potential benefits of the were-curse, they agreed to let her stay. Ichor didn’t necessarily have a happy and loving childhood. His mother was more often than not away for more research missions and he was left in the care of a very strict teacher, Clirji Brawen, a dragonborn that made him study for long hours instead of letting Corey run around with the other students of the institution’s preparatory schools. He still was grateful to be considered so bright to have Clirji’s attention, since he was considered one of the best teachers of the school (the one that usually worked with realy talented people). Corey was even allowed to live in Clirji's very luxurious house when his mother was away, instead of staying alone in the dingy apartment that belonged to her. When Corey was about fifteen, his mother had to go on a longer than usual mission that she was even more tight lipped than usual on the details of. Clirji had recently retired from teaching and was mainly just a consultant for the institution, and Corey could no longer stay at his house since he was no longer Corey’s teacher. It was decided from the institution’s schools’ council that he would stay in Norvhila Erishai’s estate. She was the very charismatic head of the research department of the higher level school, and she was hoping not only to find new branches of research for the main institution to focus on with her students, but to find students with a new, bolder attitude. Norvhila was immediately impressed with Ichor, not only for his knowledge reached under Clirji’s guidance, but also for his willingness to try new things before finding once again the balance at the core of the institution’s beliefs. Still young, very impressionable, awkward and mostly a pariah with students of his age, Ichor never realized that Norvhila fascination with him, and her consequent attentions of sexual nature, were very much inappropriate. Ichor felt flattered, and mostly thought he was bound to allow her to do whatever she wanted with him by duty and gratitude since he was living in her house and she was teaching him so much (or so she manipulated him to believe). It took Ichor having a revealing conversation with Clirji when he was almost 18 to realize that he’d been stuck in an abusive relationship all along. Also, Norvhila had been hiding to him that his mother had been considered missing in action for months, because nobody heard from Shianead since her last report from wherever she was for her mission. Ichor found out, when inquiring about his mother’s mission, that Norvhila wasn’t the only person in the institution that was doing morally twisted things that somehow they still considered “part of the balance of the world”. In a last ditch effort to get free of Norvhila’s manipulations, Corey asked the institution’s schools’ council to go on a mission to find what happened to his mother and to consider that his “graduation mission”, a test that every student had to pass to prove that tey were ready to become a fullfledged member. Unexpectedly (and probably with a big push from Clirji), the council allowed him to leave. Corey somehow still believed the institution could do some good, if he just got rid of the “twisted people”. He just find a way to actually make the right decision that would ripple the waters enough for that change to happen. And he had a feeling that finding his mother was just the first step in a much longer path.

(As a note, extra info. I think this could be more for a DM than a player but still relevant for both, especially the part about Clirji that could be considered a little bit of the conversation that cleared Corey’s mind on how things worked inside the institution. Corey is still convinced that, at the core, the institution was doing good [it’s something he always thought]. But, the what the institution truly does in my mind is gathering knowledge to use it as a merchandise for trade; they don’t really care to whom they give it, if the purpose is to maintain a balance. They think, since they gather the most knowledgeable and smart people in the world, that they have the power to pick and choose who and what will tip the scale so that the universe won’t be destroyed. But mostly, they are the reason why wars start and end by manipulating other people so that they could get richer by selling their information to both sides [too much power corrupts and all that shit, you know...]. Clirji, despite being aware of the problem, stayed in the institution as a teacher to try and help the students, to warn them if he could, help them get out of that life too if possible, or scare them away with his harsh attitude if that was the only way that worked. Because he felt like he had no other way to break that machine that made him too other than trying to take away the best minds from them. In a sense, Clirji also tried as much as possible to keep the schools and the institution proper to be very distinct and separate, but it was very difficult since he was one of the few people that was fighting against the system from the inside [and teachers were mostly members of the institution too, it was rare to have outsiders as such important staff figures that could shape the students minds]. When Clirji tried to become headmaster of the higher level school, for example, everyone looking in as an outsider would have picked Clirji since he was so accomplished as a teacher. But the council knew by that point that he was against what the institution truly had become, so they just made him retire, telling him he was too old even to be a teacher. And they obviously picked someone that would fit them better and would turn a blind eye on behaviors like Norvhila’s.)

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Wisdom and Dexterity (try to keep as high as possible Intelligence too), Low Charisma Skill proficiencies: Investigation, Insight, Perception Others: I had to really think which animal would fit for him as his bestial appearance. At the end of the day, I feel any bird of prey would fit him very well: a classic eagle, a nice hawk or even a raven would be wonderful. If you want to go for something more “classic but still different”, a fox could be a nice pick as well considering his backstory.

Suggested Characteristics Trait: I’m willing to listen to every side of an argument before I make my own judgement. Ideal: The world needs to be constantly in balance. But to keep it that way sometimes you need to act, be bold instead of keeping still. Bond: I want to unveil the corruption that’s hiding inside the institution that made me love knowledge so much. Flaw: After a shift, I behave more animalistic than usual for a little time. It unnerves me to no end when people get to see that wild side. (This depends on the animal you pick but it could be mimicking for a crow, pouncing like a fox, little thing like that, easy to roleplay and remember but that can really bring funny moment in a session too. Have fun with it!).

[dungeons-and-divination]

CLERIC ARCANA Domain - TIEFLING Fierna heritage - Noble

So, I admit. This one goes a lot deeper on the card side of things and is a little bit leaner on the actual backstory. Still, it’s juicy! Lots of gossiping! I’ll leave you all to enjoy the read.

Name: Haloisi Grenmar (26 yo)

TAROTS

Mind: Ace of cups (reversed) I was pretty shocked when I got this card, I gotta be honest. For some reason while I was shuffling the deck I pictured Haloisi as a very bright and friendly person. And this card points out more of a closure towards meeting new people. But at the same time I understood why she would be like that. I mean I knew she had to have been raised as a proper member of high society since she’s nobility of some kind. It doesn’t come as a shock then for her to be well versed in faking being polite even towards those who are mean to her. And while the card might also suggest she’s repressing the hurt that those mean comments inflict her, I’m pretty sure at the end of the day she just has this deep desire of getting out of that very fake environment. (TL;DR: not an “I don’t wanna make friends” situation but more of an “I’m tired of fake friends” kinda vibe.) 

Body: Eight of pentacles (reversed) This one more in line with what I had in mind for her personality. That Haloisi was gonna be all over the place and lacking both in focus and confidence at this point was pretty much obvious to me. She lived all her life to the motto “fake it till you make it”, but she never really had a clue of what that “make it” was referred to. At the end of the day, we have this pretty materialistic girl, very insecure about what she’s capable of doing and how she looks like, but still plays the diva. She literally pretends to be the kind of girl that has the confidence to act like she owns the world, while questioning every single thing she says or does. The only things she’s sure of? Her family and her faith.

Spirit: Page of swords (upright) And there you go, just to close the circle. At heart Haloisi is a very protective person: she deeply hates injustice, but she also tries to avoid unnecessary arguments. She actually enjoys harmless gossip and she can for sure chat up someone like she used to do around the people that hurt her. But she tries never to be mean herself. Because she knows that words can do just as much damage as a good sword, and if she can avoid it she does just that. And sometimes people can perceive her as an insensitive spoiled brat when she’s a bit direct, but she much prefers to tell it how it is than to lie (because sometimes the truth hurts  too, but she knows people around her are lying and it’s frustrating that she has to deal with people’s gossip and the people that love her can’t be honest). She also kinda hate that people treat her like a bimbo. 

Past: Ten of pentacles (upright) I had a huge laugh at this draw. Not only is it a card that talks about old money in the family (which, you don’t say, she’s nobility, DUH!), but it also suggests to look back at your family tree so that you can discover a long lost family member, or something of the like. And Haloisi being a tiefling is pretty much it, since she has infernal heritage and I had yet to determine if there was any other member of the family that shared that with her or not (spoiler there was not, so… where did it came from?). It speaks of domestic harmony too, so I knew she would at least grow in a loving family, which was a relief.

Present: Two of swords (upright) Well, this one is pretty much related to what I was talking about before and pretty much cleared off my doubts related to her father since it’s a card about being torn about something. And family is the most important thing for her, it just made sense that it was probably the affection towards the father the grew her and the desire to leave behind the long years of denial of the existence of a father with which she share flesh and blood. And she’s the also struggling with the idea of leaving the safety of her home to try and find out what happened to said biological father, despite considering the man that raised her the only father worth mentioning. A very big struggle there for this poor insecure girl that has her family and her god as the true pillars she lives for.

Future: Seven of pentacles (reversed) I usually leave the “future” card for a general suggestion on how to play more or less what I wrote in the mess that were the five card before this one in actual gameplay. Like somewhat of a closure kind of thing. Yet, this card that has as one of the core meaning a change of plans, made me opt for another alternative too. I decided it was too good of a card not to build a bit more on her backstory with those hints of having setbacks on the more work related side of things. It usually points towards finding out that you managed things in a bad way in the past. And I had to pick just one card for her father, just to be sure that my gut feeling was guiding me in the right direction, to that that I hit the jackpot. Cause for Haloisi’s dad the deck gave me the Five of pentacles (upright), another card related to business failure, one that does a possible way out, with a little help from the right person. That’s it, anything else I’m gonna go more into detail on her actual backstory. As far as how to play Haloisi, I think I gave enough of an explanation of how I think her personality is with her mind and spirit card, anyway…

FULL BACKSTORY

A surprise from the moment she was born, Haloisi is the daughter of Baron Ferdumin Grenmar and his wife Baroness Riren Thulai Grenmar. While the local nobility immediately considered scandalous Haloisi’s birth because of her infernal heritage, her family didn’t seem to really care about what other people thought of it all. Haloisi was loved as much as her older brother Moru, and the twins Thioh and Lieh, just a couple of years younger than her (yet, none of infernal heritage). They all received an education worthy of nobility, but were always loved and cared for by their parents. They never felt neglected despite the many business related trips Ferdumin had to make and that Riren usually accompanied to. Despite the happy familial life, Haloisi was surrounded by the malicious gossips of the local nobility. She was aware that people thought she wasn’t related to Ferdumin and her siblings, and said that she was instead the child of an affair between the Baroness some wandering bard that apparently had charmed Riren at a party when Ferdumin had been gone for month for one of his trips.  Haloisi had quickly learned how to ignore the whispers and found ways to deflect people’s attention from those kinds of gossips with her own mostly innocuous hearsays, directed towards the people that tried to hurt her. One thing she always found refuge in were her studies on magic and her prayers. For a while her father tried to convince her to enroll in a school to become a practitioner, but she never really found that idea attractive. She was happy that she never enrolled into that school when a business competitor falsely blamed Ferdumin for fraud. The Baron ended up being framed for the crime and her father spent a couple of years in prison, despite the family attempts to prove his innocence and clean up their reputation so that they wouldn’t go bankrupt. They failed to prove Ferdumin’s innocence before the end of his sentence, and even once he got released from jail the family name was still disgraced and the family business was failing. Since her sibling were the ones that were taking care of the business, Haloisi turned more and more to her prayers. With the guidance of her deity and the abilities she received from them, she decided to try to restore her family names and wealth in a different way, finally leaving the nest for the first time. (And maybe, on her journey, she would even finally have the chance to meet that long lost father that she’s been so long in denial of wanting to actually get the chance to know.)

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Wisdom and Charisma (pretty decent Intelligence), Low Strength (I do suggest dumping Dexterity too, if you are comfortable with that; just to really embrace the “noble girl that lived a very sheltered life” stereotype. Cause why not!). Skill proficiencies: Insight and Religion Gaming set proficiencies: Chess Other: I obviously did not pick a specific god cause that really depends on the setting. But just to give a general idea with Forgotten Realms: more of a Mystra vibe than Azuth. 

Suggested Characteristics Trait: I take great pains to always look my best and follow the latest fashion. Ideal: It is my duty to protect and care for the people beneath me. Bond: Nothing is more important than the other members of my family. Flaw: I often reference how my mother would feel about a topic in a conversation.

[dungeons-and-divination]

Oath of REDEMPTION PALADIN - Draconblood DRAGONBORN - Prisoner

I don’t necessarily have a love for paladins despite how much my characters usually end up being “spiritual”. But I gotta admit, I was kinda fascinated by what came out from his story and I wouldn’t mind playing him myself at all. I hope you all enjoy him just as much.

NAME: Zral’thid Benorax (52yo)

TAROTS

Mind: Knight of pentacles (upright) I wasn’t really expecting to get a card with so many positive traits linked to a character with that kind of background. Apparently Zral’thid has always been a person of common sense and practicality, someone that believes that honest hard work is the way to truly achieve your dreams. It made me wonder how he even got imprisoned in the first place, but don’t worry, you’ll found out about it later. I still had from this immediately the feeling that because of his very determined and loyal nature, he probably was doing something related to protecting other people most likely. It also seems like his time in prison made him even more committed to the kind of person he used to be though, like instead of breaking him, Zral’thid found purpose in the punishment. Very noble intents indeed then somewhere in there.

Body: Five of wands (reversed) This card just confirmed that impression that there was some kind of struggle that Zral’thid had to live through. It was something deep in his mind and spirit, so much so that he felt physically ill at times. Till he just exploded and did something rush, totally contrasting his practical nature. It seems his time in jail was enough for him to find peace and harmony once again. Where others might have surrendered to despair, he found a new balance, like I already mentioned, in his focus for order. I do feel like he also probably came to a solution to the dilemma that made him end up in jail in the first place, even if maybe it wasn’t necessarily a solution he wanted at first or particularly liked.

Spirit: Page of swords (upright) The tarot are being very good to me with all these confirmations of my impression going on here. Indeed, Zral’thid found a balance between his protective nature and the need to be patient, to wait for the right moment to act. He’s more vigilant, but he’s still the same man that doesn’t like injustice and always tries to be fair to people. He will always be inquisitive, on the hunt for the truth and a stickler to rules, but he’s also well aware that the justice system isn’t always right nor fair. All in all, he has this tormented, wise, loner vibe to him, but deep inside he’s just an overprotective bear that prefers to use words to defend people instead of a sword because of his oath.

Past: Eight of cups (reversed) So, I had already pretty much a good idea of what Zral’thid’s “past” tarot could have in store for him. I was not surprised when a card that expresses a deep discomfort with the status quo came up, then. I knew that he’d been kind of struggling with something but at the same time his instinct to follow the rules was probably holding him back from acting of whatever the problem was. Yet, this card adds a layer of fear for the uncertainty that lies within the change that his actions might have brought were he to actually succeed. I felt like I needed to clear a bit where this fear might have come from, and the deck gave me a Four of swords reversed. Which made me even more confused for a moment. Then I remembered that one of the meanings of this card is losing faith, and I can see him crumbling under the pressure of whatever situation he was dealing with and losing the righteous path he’d been following, especially if he felt like there was a lack of support or deceitfulness around him. Maybe not a lack of faith in his deity, but on something else then.

Present: Six of cups (upright) It just makes sense that after that big hit from the “past” tarot he gets something related to nostalgia of better times. Yet, Zral’this is well aware that he remembers them as good times cause he did not know, at the time, of the deceitfulness around him. So, like I said previously, despite his facade of the loner wolf, he actually craves the company of a new family so that he can leave behind that homesickness for a home that he knows he doesn’t belong to anymore. Very, very fitting indeed.

Future: Four of pentacles (reversed) I’m so happy that this is the last tarot for him. A hopeful ending after such a hard life is just what Zral’this deserves honestly. So, I really hope that he in fact has the chance to let go of the past, that he stops regretting not being able to do more for his people. But especially, that he realizes that he absolutely can’t control what happens to others, and that he can only do so much to save the world when it crumbles around him. As a general suggestion on how to play him, I’m pretty sure I said enough already, but in case it wasn’t obvious, I’d say have him be slow to trust the people in the party, especially those that like to lie a lot. He’s not necessarily gonna be confrontational with them; actually, he’s probably just gonna be quiet most of the time. Just, I imagine him being able to open up at first only with those that are more open and friendly with him in the first place.

FULL BACKSTORY

Zral’this was born in the house of family friends. By the time he was born, his father, Galxer, had already been executed for treason and his mother, Praam’teth, was still a member of the same rebellion group his father had been part of. It wasn’t long after his birth before his mother had to flee the Realm and leave him behind to avoid being executed herself. (The rebellion was trying to get rid of the people that had forcibly taken power of the Realm he was born into.) With no other family left to raise him and none of his mother’s friends left in town to help him (since they all were put to death or had to go into hiding), Zral’this ended up in an orphanage, where he was raised to despise his own family and believe in the laws of the new established power. It wasn’t a happy childhood, but the orphanage was basically a preparatory school before he was allowed to join a true military academy. So it was pretty much a given that when he reached the right age he started to train to become part of the Realm’s army. Being part of the military, despite how unimportant he was all in all, made Zral’this have a taste of the corruption he had vague memories of his mother and her friends talking about it all before he “moved” to the orphanage.  Despite how much Zral’this hated himself for doing it, he started giving information of what he overheard to someone that approached him once they recognized him as Praam’s son and they presented themselves as an old friend of his mother. It wasn’t long before Zral’this was found out for giving information to a newly reformed rebellion group. Despite his crime, it was decided that he was just to spend some time in jail instead of being put to death, in hopes that he would see his mistakes and return to his service of the Realm. Apparently, one of his superiors saw some potential in him and believed he could make a good general out of him, with enough time. In prison, Zral’this had time to reflect on how wrong he had been to trust the Realm; just because the people in it had shown some mercy in raising him, it didn’t mean that everything they did was right. Actually, it was mainly the contrary. He’d just been a pawn, like many others before him and many more would become if nothing changed.  With that realization, came the calling of a greater purpose, the growing knowledge that sometimes the better course of action is in fact not action, but waiting for the right moment or the right word placed in front of the right person. But most of all, he wanted redemption, not for himself, but for the people he hurt while following a leader that aimed only to hurt and manipulate their people instead of serving them. So, Zral’this promised himself, and the god that started to guide him, that he would make the world a less violent place with each world he uttered once he got released from jail.

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Charisma and Strength, Low Constitution (I know, I don’t really think a lot of players would actually do this. Cause it’s not really a good thing to do mechanic wise. But sometimes you gotta do these things just for the sake of it. It was my first instinct.) Skill proficiencies: Athletics, Religion; replace Deception from the Prisoner Background with Persuasion (discuss it with your DM, obviously). Gaming set proficiencies: Cards or Chess Other: his Ex-Convict feature can seem a little bit in conflict with his backstory. But it’s actually not. Once again, a little bit of rephrasing, and everything is fixed. Instead of knowing people that accept bribes or having a chance to find shelter with criminals, he knows guards that are lenient because they don’t really like the people in power, or he might have an idea of where to look for groups of rebels that are organizing uprisings against tyrannical people in power. Give it a little bit of a flavor with the help and approval of your DM.

Suggested Characteristics Trait: I hoard information, you never know what may come in handy. Ideal: I never betray those who trust me. Bond: I will not rest while others suffer fates similar to mine. (This is referencing unjust imprisonment and unjust laws.) Flaw: I hate lying. If the choice is between dying and lying, I just might choose dying.

[dungeons-and-divination]

Circle of the LAND DRUID - AARAKOCRA - Soldier

You might notice something different with this post, but I kinda wanted to somehow improve my photos and I’ve been experimenting a little. I think this works better, even if I’m still not the best photographer. Hope you enjoy this character.

Name: Aeredek (10yo)

TAROTS

Mind: the Hierophant (upright) A card about sticking to traditions, being very committed. Not surprised at all for someone that is supposed to have a military background of some kind. I can picture Aeredek being the kind of person that followed with a passion the orders of the institution they were to become part of. But I can appreciate the undertone of finding new personal traditions, so I also think Aeredeks’ is not a blind following of directives, they just have a deep love for conformity and the certainty that having order gives them. A very logical person, not into chaos at all.

Body: Four of cups (upright) The search for greener grass really confirms it for me. Aeredek likes order, but somewhere on the path of becoming a soldier they realized it wasn’t what they wanted and they got disillusioned with that kind of life. They started regretting their choices, but probably still felt some kind of responsibility to that commitment they made at first when they enrolled and so, felt stuck. It’s when they probably started daydreaming despite their very logical mindset. 

Spirit: Nine of wands (upright) Not really surprised that they would feel battle weary if they are constantly trying to get out of that commitment while still feeling some kind of sense of duty. At the same time, this is a tarot that expresses believing in your courage, in your own persistence. And it hints that in those virtues you can find the solution to get out of the mess you are in. So despite all of the back and forth Aeredek has been doing in their mind, they are about to find a solution to get out of this commitment, and they know, and that’s why they keep holding on to their dream.

Past: Death (upright) I find it incredibly fitting that someone like Aeredek that is trying to reach for a big change in their life gets such a powerful card of change like this one. Death is not necessarily well accepted by most people in a reading, but of all people, I feel like Aeredek, very logical Aeredek that would shrug away even the idea of having someone doing tarots for them, would just say something like “of course there’s death in my past, I’m a soldier”, while not really understanding the meaning of the card. I had to dig deeper! I wanted to know what kind of change was involved in their past! And the deck gave me the only reversed card of this read: the Eight of wands. Which just goes to confirm exactly what came before. Aeredek was looking forward to some kind of change, maybe something in their career, something related to traveling most likely, but because of bad timing or some unfinished business, it ended up in them being still stuck there, impatient and frustrated.

Present: the World (upright) Look at that, not surprised at all to see accomplishment and travel hand in hand in their read once again. It really feels like Aeredek will find those in one another. Just perfect for a good adventure, really. Lots of opportunities available it seems too, both in business and their personal life, so maybe they will be a little less strict once they have a chance to travel and they realize how chaotic the world actually is. Who knows… 

Future: Page of pentacles (upright) Well, this kind of still keeps going on building on the opportunities that had previously opened up and building foundations for something more lasting for the future. Which is all good and fun. But, I think I want to focus more on the relationship side there for a moment, just on one of my usual hunches. They will find people they rely on to help on those kind of long lasting projects, and it’s good, because they are not the kind of endeavors they should face alone. It might be a mentor, someone more experienced, but it could be also someone just dependable and ambitious that they trust. As far as my usual suggestions, I think I already cleared up this but I picture them as someone very rigid and logical at first, that likes things that make sense and can be explained or can be learned somehow. But with time, they will learn that a little bit of chaos is not gonna hurt them.

FULL BACKSTORY

Aeredek became almost at birth what their people called a “child of the tribe”. They were not necessarily abandoned by their father, Tishmok, but their father never cared for Aeredek’s existence, and he barely admitted that they were related. Sillyia, their mother, had always been more of a wanderer, and despised that the clan had become permanent and so similar to an actual village (both physically and in political structure). So, she left as soon as she felt good enough to travel after giving birth to Aeredek. As a child of the tribe, Aeredek was grown at first mostly by the midwife of the tribe and then put under the care of a volunteer caretaker till they were old enough to care for themselves. That person was a man that they called uncle Myal. Myal was one of the warriors of the tribe, like Aeredek’s father, but while Tishmok was too focused on his career to care for their offspring, Myal always tried to be there for Aeredek. Not once, Aeredek had the impression that Tishmok inquired to his subordinate about Aeredek’s well-being, so Aeredek wasn’t really heartbroken when Tishmok died defending the tribe from an attack of Ogres. Aeredek still developed a love for the idea of becoming part of the military force of the tribe. Instead of being part of the assault team like Tishmok, they became fascinated by the magic coming from the nature they were surrounded by, the same magic Myal used to defend their people. It was no surprise when Aeredek joined the warriors as soon as they were old enough to do so. They had joined for only a couple of months when, during what felt like a very average security detail job for a delivery of stocks from the nearby village, they were attacked by a manticore and Myal died to allow Aeredek and the other people with them to run away. After losing their uncle, Aeredek tried to become better at what they did, but they soon found out that staying with the tribe was not ideal for growing their abilities as fast as they wanted (especially because after loosing so many of their warrios made them become even more secluded than they had been till then). Aeredek inquired, then, with the clan’s council for permission to travel, even just to reach maybe an alliance with other nearby tribes or to find a more suitable place for their people. After long discussion that seemed to suggest the result would be otherwise, it was decided that it wasn’t a good idea, because the clan needed all the warriors it had for protection and it was too much of a risk to let Aeredek just wander around without a clear destination. It took two more years but, after a premonitionof certin doom incoming for them all from one of the sages of the tribe, Aeredek was finally allowed to leave to find out why the clan was apparently soon to be wiped away completely by a mysterious treat. The only clues, a couple of very vague lines from a vision that could lead them to various places around the continent or to very different, very dangerous kind of treats…

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Wisdom and Dexterity, Low Strength Skill proficiencies: Perception, Survival Gaming set proficiencies: dice set Others: I don’t necessarily see them being lawful good in alignment despite what I said about them disliking chaos (or the Ideal I suggest down below). But if you really want to play them as lawful, I would go for LN. (It’s mainly because I play by a very loose idea of what lawful means usually, but you do you. It really depends on the player and the party if a very strict LG character could fit.)

Suggested Characteristics Trait: I always plan what to do for “when things go wrong” ahead of times. Ideal: It is the duty of all civilized people to strengthen the bonds of community and the security of civilization. Bond: Someone saved my life on the battlefield. To this day, I will never leave a friend behind. Flaw: Deep down, I know I only do this for the thrill.

[dungeons-and-divination]

WARLOCK FIEND Patron - TIEFLING Baalzebub heritage - City watch (Investigator)*

I know, a tiefling with a fiend patron is kind of cliché, but that’s what my random generator gave me. I just embraced what the tarots decided later on too. I think people that like to play grayer character will like this one, because if you have to go for cliché, might as well go all in, right? (PS: anybody notices a pattern with the tarots in the photo? Or is the quality too crappy?)

Name: Djitha (28 yo)

TAROTS

Mind: Seven of swords (upright) A card about mental manipulation as “mind” is a pretty harsh introduction. But I know some players enjoy very much playing these “on the line of being a bad guy” kind of characters. Anyway, despite that first impression of lies and trickery, let’s not forget that there’s as well an undertone of adaptability and sharp wit connected to this tarot. So despite it all, Djitha is very clever in the way she deceits people. She plans, she tries to always be a step ahead of the game, which is probably how she gets away with her bad deeds.

Body: Eight of cups (reversed) I usually relate this card to a low of self-esteem, but in Djitha’s case I feel like it’s more likely that all of the manipulating she does kind of made her forget to actually focus on her own emotions. She might be the kind of person that hides behind her lies for fear of being rejected,sure that there’s nothing interesting about her true self. So, at the end of the day we actually come back to some latent self-esteem issues in a roundabout way… For some reason I also had this very strong feeling that she would be the kind of person that strongly dislikes any kind of physical contact.  

Spirit: Knight of cups (reversed) And we even get an explanation for her “body” issues. A broken heart by another manipulator, someone that got her in a very unhealthy relationship and broke her “spirit” to the point that she decided that she wanted to become just like them so that nobody else would play her like that ever again. Full circle back to “mind”. This card also tells me that sometimes Djitha jumps to conclusions and has tantrums, so despite how smart she is and how much she plans… well, maybe she isn’t that wise after all.

Past: Five of pentacles (upright) Not surprising that in the past of poor Djitha there’s a tarot that is very much about hardship, bad luck and breakups. It’s pretty obvious that her life was not easy in the past but her background connected to this tarot and to her tendency to lie, made me really think that she had both a hard childhood, a nasty abusive relationship in her teen years, AND some kind of scandal related to her work when she was a grown up because of her manipulations and lies.

Present: Two of pentacles (reversed) This card just confirmed my suspicions. The poor decisions she has made in the past probably left poor Djitha in a bit of a pickle financially speaking. And for a person like her that really likes to feel like she has control of everything, even a little setback is kind of a big deal that would make her spiral even more in tantrums and uncontrollable fits of rage for the things she doesn’t know how to control. She’s probably in the “trying too hard” phase after that mess. Which would probably mean lying a lot but in a very careful way (so, not a lot of speaking, really), lots of brooding and thinking way too loud (but overall a lack of actual organisation), and maybe a short fuse on those tantrums.

Future: The Moon (reversed) Once again, full circle and right back to the top. She will get out of that funk in the future, but it kind of seems it could go in two ways: either by deceiving even herself that everything is gonna be okay because her lies have already been discovered and she can build some new one on the ashes of those, or by actually admitting the truth and living with the consequences of her actions. Still, the major point of this tarot is that she’ll soon be dealing with mental issues. And I already pointed out how many Djitha has, of course. So, my suggestion is that whatever ends up happening while playing, this decision on which path to follow should also very much be related to how much her fears and issues are explored with the other members of the party. 

FULL BACKSTORY

Djitha was pretty much rejected from birth by her family. Her parents were both humans, and despite having two older sisters, Minea and Lahrysa, she was the only member of the Elair family of infernal heritage. Her father Haluk especially blamed Djitha for the sickness that made her mother Riette die prematurely when Djitha was just three years old. Haluk somehow also found a way to blame her for their life on the street, despite that being the way they always lived, dirt poor since Djitha had memory. Despite the hate she received from her family, Djitha was easily loved by others around her, especially because she quickly learned how to be a people-pleaser and how much she could gain if she just smiled a little bit even to those she didn’t necessarily like. It also helped to keep a semblance of peace with her father, who was pleased when she brought back food or some coin when she begged in front of shops. When she was around fourteen, her father pretty much abandoned her because he thought she was adult enough to feign for herself. Already used to a life of begging, Djitha was convinced that she could become a thief, but she was quickly caught red handed; like always, it was her attitude of manipulating the truth and people that got her out of the situation. She convinced the chief of the city guards that she could be more useful working for them, investigating the less reputable areas and reporting back suspicious activities, since she was so well know and loved. Because of her job and the sense of fulfillment she felt when she helped the guards to catch criminals, Djitha got involved with a man, Temithope Paquet, a bit of a celebrity of the local criminal syndicate (almost a criminal right under the nose of the guards that could not be caught because proof against him always had a way of being misplaced). He was way older than her, but Djitha was sure that she couldn’t be fooled by him. Either because Temithope was very good at persuading people, or because she was very young and lonely, Djitha actually fell for him pretty quickly and became his pawn that would give information on the guards activities so that the syndicate could do whatever they pleased. It only took a couple of months of abusive relationship filled with demeaning comments, before eavesdropping on one of his conversations with someone else from the syndicate made Djitha decide that enough was enough. Djitha finally saw how empty all of Temithope’s promises of easy riches and power were, and decided that she would no longer be his plaything. Trying to seek revenge, Djitha actually convinced the chief of the city watch that she had been trying to play the long-con with Temithope and gave them a bunch of proof of all the nasty things Temithope been doing in those months. With her abuser finally behind bars (despite him promising revenge for it), she was allowed to become officially part of the investigation team. At first Djitha thought that she would find a new purpose in her career. But she soon found out that she was still considered a nobody and that trying to do things “the right way”, by following the rules wasn’t gonna get her anything (especially nor riches neither power). Unlike breaking them, which she had somewhat positive experience with overal (she could actually order around people when she was under Temithope’s protection). So she started, once again, working with the criminals in the city. Djitha was sure she was doing alright; people in the guards were happy with her tips on meaningless goons while she protected people in high places in the criminal hierarchy. Everything was fine, and she was starting to grow a reputation again, until, during a massive investigation with people undercover, she was finally sussed out. Desperate to get out of town and find a way to keep being hidden, it was easy for Djitha to accept the offer her patron made her to give her the power she so desperately craved and that surely would keep her out of jail. She had things to do for her patron now, after all, it was in her patron’s interest to keep are hidden…

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Charisma and Intelligence, Low Wisdom and Strength Skill proficiencies: Deception, Intimidation. *Instead of Insight from the Investigator Background, talk with your DM and ask if you could go for either Stealth or proficiency in thieves’ tools; I feel like it fits better with the complete story of being involved with criminals so much. Others: I suggest either pact of the Chain or pact of the Tome. I do think this character would be a very nice multiclass wizard, but spellcasting multiclass is kind of a pain, so I get why you might want to stay away from a thing like that. I decided not to go into details on the Patron. It’s very much a matter to be discussed with the DM in my opinion, so I kept as vague as possible on that matter.

Suggested Characteristics Trait: I think money is the true measure of appreciation and affection. Everything else is talk or an act. Ideal: Money and power can be gained more easily with a fake smile than a real opinion. I plan to gain as much as possible. Bond: My past mistakes cost me dearly. I’m actually, maybe, a little on the run for a crime. Flaw: People who can’t take care of themselves get what they deserve (something she actually “learned” from that abusive relationship and VERY MUCH applies to herself most of all).

[dungeons-and-divination]

Swashbuckler ROGUE - (PHB) HALF-ELF - Harborfolk

I’m sure you all were wondering when I would finally post a Rogue on this blog after suggesting multiple times a Rogue multiclass. My random generator left this class in particular for the second half of this first round of characters, so it took a while to get to my fave (I’m not gonna deny that I would pick to play Rogue any day of the week). But here she finally is in all her glory. I hope you enjoy her!

Name: Ainsley Daele (55yo)

TAROTS

Mind: Five of wands (upright) Such an energetic card for mind, very refreshing! Gives Ainsley’s “mind” this very chaotic feel, almost like she would be the kind of person that would flourish when in the middle of conflicts. Makes sense for someone so passionate and unruly to have a bit of a love for some quick witted bickering. I can picture her thinking of a good insult as foreplay with that attitude actually. That insult has to be toward her, though. Cause if you insult the people she loves, well… That’s just gonna trigger her territorial nature.

Body: Queen of wands (upright) This just confirms my first impressions of her having a lot of sexappeal with her very energetic and outgoing personality. Ainsley has a very optimistic approach to things, with a side of a little bit of a hot temper sometimes, sure. But with such a good sense of humor, people just forget about her meaner side usually. Despite it all, I feel like she’s more of a “do” person, a multitasker, than a “think” kind of gal… I wouldn’t be surprised if she was a little bit forgetful too occasionally.

Spirit: Six of wands (reversed) That’s quite interesting. I wasn’t expecting something that talks about being hunted by broken promises and disappointment. I guess it talks about her strength too, though. Ainsley is a person that despite having been broken by something in the past, puts up with every challenge and comes out of it with a smile on her face and a positive attitude. She might be perceived as arrogant or a diva from others because of it, but she’s just the product of battles she lost in the past, of people not supporting her… Her “past” card will clear this.

Past: the World (reversed) It’s so nice when your deck keeps proving your gut feelings right. Another card about disappointment, which, like I said, explains better her spirit. In the past Ainsley failed in doing something and for some time she felt stuck into the status quo. She also couldn’t accept the disappointment of said failure, and to realize that her mistakes were not a matter of other people failing her, but her failing herself somehow. It might be the reason why her spirit is still broken down over it. It took her so long to realize that she was the one that could always change it all and she’s bothered by that knowledge. Yet, her overall attitude changed, because at the end of the day she did get out of that situation, at least with her mind and body. At the end of the day, I suppose this means she’s not depressed over the situation at the moment, but her spirit is still not completely over the situation… Might be a sign that she’s still in denial about something and just a little mistake might have her crumble.

Present: Seven of wands (upright) Once again, back to her newly found territorial and assertive nature that pushes her to stand up for her beliefs. It’s a way for Ainsley to keep control of her life, to finally stop blaming others for things that happened (or didn’t happen) in her life. It’s also a new release for the pent up energy she feels like had gone to waste in the past with the way she’d been stuck. Yet again, Ainsley isn’t gonna do it in the smartest way, all impulsive chaos, but at least she’ll have a big grin on her face while doing whatever she put her mind into accomplishing!

Future: Knight of wands (upright) Quite fitting, a card about a bright future ahead, of her energy and enthusiasm being the reasons why she actually achieves her goals (she even should have better results than she expected). It'll give her a big boost of confidence, obviously, which will make her feel fearless for a bit. But there’s a warning that goes side by side with that positive twist. This tarot tells Ainsley that she shouldn’t become hasty because of that new founded courage. The undertone of adventure and travel of this card, actually talks to me more about romance when it’s related to Ainsley (again, just a gut feeling); maybe it’s because I see Ainsley as this cheeky person that thrives in challenging times. My suggestion is this then: have her be at her best when things are at the worst for the party. When there are times of peace and calm she would probably be frustrated that there’s nothing to do. Not necessarily in a mean way, more with an “I feel like we’re not helping people in need” kind of attitude. 

FULL BACKSTORY

Ainsley doesn’t really have a clue of who her true parents are. She knows just that her adoptive family found her in a forest and that she looked just a couple of days old when they picked her up and saved her from certain death. Since then, they have become the only family that really matters. Her father Tiocha, her mother Predys, and their, at the time seven years old, son Nereius, were in the middle of a move in a new town; it was something they did often because of the couple’s jobs as merchants. Tiocha and Predys actually didn’t really mind living so much on the move, and they had a good lifestyle, even if it was difficult for both Nereius and Ainsley in their childhood to maintain long lasting friendships. It was probably the reason why they became almost codependent on each other, to the point that the dream of one grew to be also the one of the other. When Nereius became a soldier and started his military career in his very early teens, Ainsley dreamed of quickly following him, despite her age being something that stopped her from doing so. By the time Ainsley was old enough to finally try and follow in her brother's footsteps, a war had begun. She tried to enlist, but despite the need for people on the battleground, she got rejected multiple times, too young, untrained and rush to go into the fray instead of obeying orders. It wasn’t long after that, when news of Nereius' unfortunate demise came to both her and her parents, which at that point forbid her to try once again to become a soldier. Dejected, Ainsley gave up momentarily her dream and decided to find an honest well paying job. Somehow she ended up working at the harbors, where she found that sense of belonging to a group of people, like she’d felt once upon a time, when travelling on a ship with her family, while still staying long enough in one place to actually get to know the people around her. Even better, the people that traveled around and came back to the docks, remembered her, and they always found her to recount their adventures around the world if she just paid their drinks! Listening to their stories was a chance for her to dream once again of a life filled with excitement, companionship and a higher purpose. And with time those stories built up her desire to go to the adventure on her own. Ainsley was confident that the numerous scuffles she got into with the random unruly ruffians at the docks taught her enough to manage to protect herself! And her parents didn’t have to know about her leaving anyway… And it’s not like she’s barely 20 anymore, right?! She can manage! She can finally make the world better like she dreamed of doing with her brother!

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Charisma and Dexterity, Low Intelligence Skill proficiencies: Perception, Animal Handling (from Half-elf skill versatility), Deception, Investigation, Insight, Persuasion, with expertise in Persuasion and Perception Gaming set proficiencies: either playing cards or dice Others: Like I said in the intro to this post, I admit that I have a huge soft spot for rogues. But I mostly like to multiclass them or have other classes multiclass rogue. So, I HAD to suggest a multiclass. Despite picking Charisma as one of her best scores, I feel like she would fit as a multiclass Fighter or Barbarian better (I know you all were thinking Bard or Paladin). Fighter is a way easier option. Barbarian requires a bit of rethinking and planning ahead of time for later on (or a lot of luck with those ability scores rolls). I GUESS, Paladin could be an okay option because of her military obsession, but I can’t necessarily picture her being very religious. Either way, this is just my usual suggestion corner (longer than usual, sorry for that), so you can just ignore this rambling mess and go with plain rogue.

Suggested Characteristics Trait:��My friends are my crew; we sink or float together.  Ideal: We all do the work, so we all share in the rewards. Bond: My brother was a soldier, but he was killed. I really look up to the men and women who serve. Flaw: Once someone questions my courage, I never back down no matter how dangerous the situation.

[dungeons-and-divination]

WIZARD School of NECROMANCY - VERDAN - Haunted one

Okay, let’s say I messed up a little on Verdan's lore. I read about them, and I know they're born from a mutation caused by caos, more or less. At the end of the day, I decided that rules are meant to be broken and why not, this could work. All magic could be drawn from the cosmic caos and mess up someone enough to change them into something else, anyway. And with that, I’ll leave you to it.

Name: Apalasin (became a Verdan just 6-7months ago)

TAROTS

Mind: Two of cups (upright) I loved this card for Apalasin. They obviously are a troubled soul because of their past (duh, their background is literally haunted one!), but this tarot card convey how much they still shine with a special spark despite all of the deep wounds they had to suffer. They like to be around people and everyone they meet notice this. Apalasin attracts people to them in some way. I gotta say, I do think of Apalasin as a romantic person too, maybe it’s because I don’t picture them as necessarily the very bubbly and over the top kind of charming, but more of a very polite, always with a smile on their face and happy to have a pleasant conversation with people walking down the streets kinda person.

Body: Five of cups (upright) Yeah, it had to be expected that there was gonna be this looming grief for poor Apalasin somewhere in the reading. And that I picture them as a romantic, I immediately leaned on this being a lost lover for which Apalasin feels a deep regret. It’s almost like they feel guilty for letting their lover down or even like Apalasin is sure their responsible for theirs lover demise. Yet, this card has also this twist of trying to look at the bright side, to not cry over the things you lost… How could I not see that meaning on body as Apalasin repressing his guilt and pretending like they were completely over their problems?

Spirit: Page of cups (upright) An entire “cups” read was not what I expected for Apalasin’s personality, but I guess it fits them very well. Because after that whole ordeal in their past, I do figure they would try to connect more with their more youthful side. They know life is very short, after all, and they would probably want to really enjoy it to the fullest. Yet, they saw so much pain that they couldn’t help but be loyal, affectionate and kind to others. So, like I already said, I don’t necessarily picture them as bubbly. Curious for sure, affectionate too. But to give an overall definition of them, they are more of a Introverted Extrovert than a total Extrovert, if it makes sense at all. 

Past: Two of pentacles (reversed) So, this tarot is very much centered on difficulties in maintaining balance, being overwhelmed and put under pressure because of it. And at first I was struggling to understand the context of it. So I drew from the deck again, and ended up with the Eight of swords reversed (yes, I forgot to put this one in the photo, sorry). It quickly cleared up to me that Apalasin was imprisoned and the struggle was probably them trying to maintain some kind of faked loyalty to the person holding them hostage while still trying to break free, both them and the person they loved. Especially cause the Eight of swords usually means that you have the abilities necessary to break free. Quite the tragic story... 

Present: The Empress (upright) I immediately felt like this card was related to their “spirit” tarot. Because this one is also related to finding a softer side and exploring emotions. And while I do think that once Apalasin breaks free they probably have a freaking breakdown, I also kind of relate this card to that need to be gentle to a world that was very mean to them. I do think Apalasin would be very nurturing, like I said multiple times at this point, friendly in a very gentle way. I don’t exclude them really leaning into that femminine side. 

Future: Strength (upright) Still keeping in line with the whole read, this is a card that tells it all. It talks about inner strength, about being compassionate not only to the outside world, but to oneself. Which, considering Apalasin is gonna be relevant I suppose. Like usual, a suggestion related to this: slowly be more open about Apalasin’s true feeling, less repressed and closed off on their past, more willing to admit that they need the help of others as much as they as willing to give away all of them so that no one has to suffer like Apalasin did. Slowly build their courage to face whatever fears and anxieties might arise while playing (and I do suggest having them discovering some unusual fears once they get out into the world, since they have lived all their life sheltered, like I’ll explain in a little bit).

FULL BACKSTORY

Born a goblin in imprisonment in the secret laboratory of the necromancer Lord Threz Amilak, Apalasin saw their father Javeed die because of the tortures and experiments the necromancer was doing on the other goblins in the dungeon Apalasin lived all of their goblin life. Apalasin’s mother, Tansy, was “lucky” enough to be the personal servant of Lord Threz during the Lord’s experiments and one day she mysteriously vanished, leaving everyone in the cell to wonder if she managed to escape or what happened to her. They all just knew that no remains was left of her to deal with for her successor as the personal servant. Apalasin suffered many years of torture, but they at least had Zehra, another prisoner that was sweet enough to always take care of them when Apalasin was hurt (and so did Apalasin with her).  After watching many other servants disappoint their “Master” and meet a very unfortunate end, Apalasin himself was chosen as the new personal servant. Seeing it as a chance to maybe find out what happened to Tansy, Apalasin decided to be the best servant Lord Threz ever had, while still watching and learning as much as they could. During those years it was mostly Apalasin taking care of Zehra after witnessing her being tortured, Apalasin not being able to really stop Lord Threz in any way without their plain of running away being discovered. The two of them still managed to have deep feelings towards each other and Apalasin promised Zehra that they would do whatever they could to get both of them out of that prison. Apalasin and Zehra slowly made a plan but before they were confident that it would work, it looked like the Lord was getting closer and closer to the results he was searching for in his experiments. So they decided to try to escape anyway. On the night decided for their escape tho, the Lord called on Apalasin and did a ritual that messed with Apalasins’ nature. Apalasin was sure they were gonna die, that whatever the necromancer was trying to do was not gonna work and that maybe that was what happened to their mother too. Yet, Zehra, which Apalasin already left with a key to the cells of the dungeon, let free every goblin that was prisoner, interrupting the ritual the Lord was trying to do with the chaos that exploded inside his tower. Furious, the Lord at first launched against the other goblins without really aiming at anyone in particular, just trying to manage the riot. But once he realized that Zehra was helping a weakened Apalasin to run away, he focused just on her “stealing” his experiment, leaving Zehra dead at Apalasin’s feet.  Filled with guilt and regrets, but right in front of the tower’s blown open door, Apalasin decided to run, hoping one day to maybe avenge poor Zehra and use against him the magic they learned by watching the Lord Threz torture their people for so long.

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Intelligence and Constitution, Low Strength and Wisdom Skill proficiencies: Arcana, Investigation, History, Medicine Other: I know Apalasin is supposed to forget what happened to them when they become a Verdan. It doesn’t really work with the way I built up their backstory, but if you like the personality and want to rework the rest, discuss with your DM on how to play a character that might have amnesia and doesn’t really remember anything but the last 6-7 months of their life. As far as I’m concerned, I suggest the “my telepathy isn’t really the best, but at least I remember my past” approach instead. Llike, every time you try to use telepathy, you roll a d100. If you roll 15 or lower, your powers don’t work as they should; it’s a little bit harsher on the mechanical side, but it could be a fun twist. I can immagine it as just them misunderstanding what the other person is trying to covey, or accidentally giving them a headache and having no clue how they did it. It could be an opportunity for some shenanigans, but once again, it’s something your DM has to agree on. 

Suggested Characteristics Trait: I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy. / I hide my depression&trauma behind a toothy smile. Ideal: My gifts are meant to be shared with all, not used for my own benefit. Bond: I would sacrifice my life and my soul to protect the innocent. Flaw: I talk to spirits that no one else can see.