My party is on the way to the Desolation.
How are they getting there? Just curious.
How are they getting there? Just curious.
Well, they just left Port Balfor with Elijayess (sp?) and aided the KoS fighting off draconians. They are about to scale the mountain to get to the Desolation.
Well, they just left Port Balfor with Elijayess (sp?) and aided the KoS fighting off draconians. They are about to scale the mountain to get to the Desolation.
My players headed off into the Desolation with Blight Thistleknot as their guide. He's proved to be a snarky, cunning and feisty ally, too - especially in one scene where the gnolls of the Desolation had sent a pair of behirs to attack the party and guage their strength. The party's tank, Katja, enjoyed the benefits of an enlarge person spell cast by her half-janni team-mate, and severed the head of a behir who'd almost swallowed Blight moments before. When the gnolls arrived, there was a twelve-foot tall woman in armor holding up a behir's head with one hand, and Blight crouched in the thing's gaping crocodile-like jaws shaking his fist at the gnolls, punctuating all of Katja's booming threats with a tiny "Yeah!"
I do love afflicted kender, especially when they're little and hurt big things with picks.
Cheers,
Cam
My players headed off into the Desolation with Blight Thistleknot as their guide.
Thats a cool adjustment. I'm intrigued with Elijayess. Was he from the novels at all? The module hints that he has a back story, but doesn't go into it at all. I'm not up on any of the novels after Summer Flames.
Thats a cool adjustment. I'm intrigued with Elijayess. Was he from the novels at all? The module hints that he has a back story, but doesn't go into it at all. I'm not up on any of the novels after Summer Flames.
Nope.
Cheers,
Cam
Thats a cool adjustment. I'm intrigued with Elijayess.
Me too. I think he's really cool, and he's actually become quite a prominent figure in our campaign. A Kagonesti with ties to Kronn Thistleknot, the Legion of Steel, and who makes off-hand comments about battling Lorac's Nightmare? There's definitely something to his story, I hope we learn more about it somewhere down the line....
Thats a cool adjustment. I'm intrigued with Elijayess. Was he from the novels at all? The module hints that he has a back story, but doesn't go into it at all. I'm not up on any of the novels after Summer Flames.
I think that was just something Coyle through in there. I've read a pretty large fraction of the books, and he's not in any of them.
But he's really a brilliant example of creating a strong character economically. He's like a good Bobba Fett. Once more he's really one of the very few real Kagonesti characters in dragonlance products. Very much in the style of 70's westerns, which is totally appropriate. Kender are a dime a dozen and I imagine all the DM's who want them have their own NPC anyway. But an NPC who can come and go, who's got his own things going on, who's purposes might be in coincidence or at cross purposes with that of a party can add certain easy bigness to setting. That Elijayess is a character like that, is significant enough, but that he's also so standout and yet a character that should obviously exist within the Dragonlance setting is pretty special. Maybe he's the personification of all the movie roles Coyle grew up watching in one Dragonlance character. A little Outlaw Josie Wales, a little John Matrix.... Whatever it is, it works.
Zoe Left-Hand, for example, is one NPC I created and later used in my campaign. She's the Red Robe Mage of Khurman Tor, missing her right hand. Her story's not fully explained, but she was a thief in Khuri-Khan as a youth, before the Chaos War, and had her hand cut off for stealing. She turned to magic, and when she passed her Test of High Sorcery the Orders gave her hand back. It's the hand of the mage she wears around her neck on a thong.
Cheers,
Cam
I think that [Elijayess] was just something Coyle through in there. I've read a pretty large fraction of the books, and he's not in any of them.
But he's really a brilliant example of creating a strong character economically. Maybe he's the personification of all the movie roles Coyle grew up watching in one Dragonlance character. A little Outlaw Josie Wales, a little John Matrix.... Whatever it is, it works.
Actually I do know a thing or two about Elijayess' character origins. I don't believe I'm at liberty to go into any details about his past within the campaign world as it pertains to his involvement in Key of Destiny, but I do know the character wasn't created by Chris Coyle, Cam Banks, or Jamie. ;)
An elven version of equal parts Conan, Tarzan, and Odysseus, with a longbow that has brought down small dragons. His history is quite the story.
I think Coyle did a fantastic job of introducing him in Key of Destiny and establishing him economically, as you put it. I love how he crosses paths with the heroes in the tradition of Han Solo and Aragorn. All three met the party in slums (Mos Eisley cantina, Bree tavern, Port Balifor hideout) and escorted the group to a place of the once living (Alderaan, Weathertop, Kendermore.) Pretty slick, and I'm glad you liked him.
Actually I do know a thing or two about Elijayess' character origins.
I would say so since he's your character, at least according to the EN World boards.
I would say so since he's your character
Well I did say he's a pretty prominent character in my campaign. ;) But he isn't truly "mine" anymore, he's just another part of the official shared world of Dragonlance. A part that I happen to think is pretty cool.
But he isn't truly "mine" anymore, he's just another part of the official shared world of Dragonlance. A part that I happen to think is pretty cool.
That's cool.
Just be careful. Being part of a shared world like DL is cool and what not, but never forget that once you introduce something into Dragonlance, it becomes the intellectual property of Wizards of the Coast. At that point, you no longer control the future of the element that you introduced.
It's entirely possible that a game designer or author may decide to use Elijayess down the road sometime. I think it would be interesting to see how Elijayess is used, and whetherr or not that matches your original ideas for the character.
That's cool.
Just be careful. Being part of a shared world like DL is cool and what not, but never forget that once you introduce something into Dragonlance, it becomes the intellectual property of Wizards of the Coast. At that point, you no longer control the future of the element that you introduced.
That's very true, but the fact that something I created can now take on a life of its own is actually very appealing to me.
I remember opening the 2nd Edition Dragonlance Monstrous Compendium Appendix (the one that had holes to put in a three ring binder) and seeing the picture of the tatoo'd Kagonesti sitting cross legged and holding a knife. I thought that was the coolest looking wild elf I'd ever seen, and almost immediately began envisioning a character concept that incorporated not only my favorite fictional heroes but a fair amount of myself at the time.I had a lot of fun for a lot of years, but now its fun to turn it around and watch Elijayess depart and step out into that shared world where he can inspire the imagination of some starry eyed kid somewhere. Margaret Weis, Jamie Chambers and Chris Coyle were a true pleasure to work with. They really embraced the community spirit of the process, and I'm enormously pleased with the end result.
It's entirely possible that a game designer or author may decide to use Elijayess down the road sometime. I think it would be interesting to see how Elijayess is used, and whetherr or not that matches your original ideas for the character.
Oh man, you and me both.
Umm, not to sound like an idiot or anything, but Kai Lord, who are you? I am usually at the DL forums, not here on WOTC and haven't noticed you over there but I see your name here with stories of character creation...Are you an author/game designer? Thanks!
Not officially, no, but thanks for asking. ;)
Do you appear in the credits of the books?
I am thanked on the credits page for Key of Destiny, but I won't be involved with the next two modules.