Crow


Crow

Race: Warforged

Class: Paladin

 

Character Background

 

Crow hails from Kem, a distant land in the southeast of the Empire still wracked by the fallout from ancient magical wars.

 

The last of these great conflagrations ended about 1500 years ago, leaving the land and it's few remaining inhabitants scarred beyond recognition. It was then that the first warforged awoke, unscathed and bewildered amongst the rubble. They had no memories of what had come before, and only through painstaking investigation and rare encounters with other inhabitants of Kem were they able to discover the fullness of their land's torrid past.

 

Though they searched tirelessly for their progenitors, an explanation for their sudden existence, they found none. Some say they are the magically-altered survivors of the Metalstorm, a maelstrom of chaositech that tore through the land shortly before their appearance. Others say they were the servants of the powerful mages of Kem, released from bondage in their masters' destruction. Yet another theory says they were torn bodily from another plane by the same fell magics that destroyed their current home. None know for sure.

 

The warforged found themselves uniquely suited to the new form of Kem. They were hardier than most of the other inhabitants, and with no need to eat, breathe, or sleep, many of the hazards of their homeland were easily dealt with. Instead, they turned their efforts toward study, for they were armed with only the most rudimentary knowledge of the world.  Working through the long nights, sometimes for decades on end, they pieced together the fundamental nature of Praemal, uncovering the secrets of magic, artifice, and battle. But it wasn't until several centuries later, when they encountered a wandering cleric of Lothian, that they discovered prayer.

 

Quickly, they turned their eyes toward Heaven and found a multitude of powerful beings, each resembling one of the other races of the world, often acting as protector of their particular flock. Some of the warforged were drawn to these new patrons, but many were instead shocked to find no god resembling themselves. Even the goblins had a god to guide them; what of the warforged? And so they came to call themselves The Orphaned, the Children of None, the people of no god. Some other races said they had no god for they had no souls, that they were merely machines, automatons with only the semblance of free will. But, the warforged reasoned, they could channel divine energies, even without calling upon the strength of a deity. Surely the spark of the divine must rest somewhere within them?

 

They began to study the texts of other religions and found that sometimes, a mortal ascended to godhood through great deeds. Here, perhaps, was a way to grant themselves a benevolent protector in the skies. But their auguries and prophecies were vague, revealing only that a warforged god would be a long time in coming, if ever, and its face was obscured, as if its identity had yet to be decided.

 

Ever pragmatic, the warforged then turned to the problem of progeny. If none of them was destined to rise to godhood, perhaps other warforged might be? After years of research, some of the wisest and strongest of the clan were able to transform themselves into huge, house-sized structures capable of creating new warforged -- Eternal Mothers. Still, the process was slow, taking up to two decades to create a single new being.

 

These new warforged were not as powerful or as talented as the originals, who came to be called Elders, but they were resilient, quick learners, and infinitely curious. They were the first to suggest traveling throughout the wider world to see what they could. Intrigued by the self-reliance of these new beings, the Elders dubbed them Pilgrims, for they believed that the travels of their children would eventually bring about the discovery of the Faceless One, the unknown warforged god.

 

Crow is one of these Pilgrims. Though forged only a decade ago, he is one of the most promising students to emerge from Kem in a century, possessed of both the Calling and the Spark. Since leaving Kem, he has felt himself pulled ever westward, eventually finding his way to Ptolus.

 

Relatively new to the world, he can be idealistic. As a young people, the warforged have few deeply ingrained rituals and customs, and Pilgrims are encouraged to seek their own paths, without regard for the opinions of others, so Crow finds the rigid social constraints and expectations of older civilizations far too confining. Born with the ability to alter his body on a whim, he sees no reason why he, or any other creature, shouldn't have the same opportunity to alter their life's path, to find their own way and choose their destiny as they see fit. He is a champion of freedom, striking down tyranny and oppression wherever he finds it, a beacon to those looking for a way out of darkness.

 

Given his personality and tendencies, most who know him consider him male, but he identifies as genderless, though he embraces the use of the masculine pronoun. He carries a third eye, Mara, a small mithral sphere embedded at the base of his throat. She holds some of the memories and personality of his Eternal Mother and is quite perceptive.

 

Isolated as they have been for so long, the warforged have developed a unique vocabulary.

 

Crow    Warforged Paladin 4

Initiative +1               Senses Perception +12

HP 53; Bloodied 26; Surge Value 13; Surges/day 12

AC 23; Fortitude 18; Reflex 16; Will 18

Resist 5 fire and 5 necrotic

Saves +2 vs. ongoing damage; take 10 vs. death


Speed 5 (plate)
Basic Melee Magic battlaxe +1 -- +9 (1d10+5); short sword -- +9 (1d6+4)

Basic Ranged javelin -- +8 (1d6+4)

Other Abilities Channel Divinity, Divine Challenge, Lay on Hands 3/day

Alignment Good          Languages Common         Background Pilgrim preparation (university student)
Abilities Str 19 (+4), Con 15 (+2), Dex 8 (-1), Int 10 (+0), Wis 17 (+3), Cha 11 (+0)

Feats Toughness, Warrior of the Wild, Warforged Tactics (+1 to attack if ally is adjacent to enemy)
Equipment Magic battleaxe +1, Black Iron plate +1, docent of protection +1 (embedded)*, Cannith Goggles (embedded)*, heavy shield*, Reparation Apparatus, javelin x2, retractable short sword (embedded)*, standard adventurer's kit, everburning torch*, extra belt pouch (embedded)*, 283g

* component

Skill Name
Attr.
Mod
Level Trained Misc. Total
Acrobatics Dex -1
+2
-4 -3
Arcana Int +0
+2     +2
Athletics Str +4 +2
-4 +2
Bluff Cha +0
+2     +2
Diplomacy Cha +0
+2 +5
  +7
Dungeoneering Wis +3 +2
  +5
Endurance Con +2 +2
-2
+2
Heal Wis +3
+2 +5
  +10
History Int
+0 +2     +2
Insight Wis +3
+2 +5   +10
Intimidate Cha +0 +2   +2
+4
Nature Wis +3 +2
  +5
Perception Wis +3
+2 +5
+2
+12
Religion Int +0
+2 +5 +2
+9
Stealth Dex -1
+2   -4 -3
Streetwise Cha +0 +2
  +2
Thievery Dex -1
+2
-4 -3

  

At-Will Powers

Holy Strike -- +9 vs. AC (1d10+5 radiant; 1d10+8 radiant if target is marked)
Valiant Strike -- +9 vs. AC and an additional +1 to hit for every adjacent enemy (1d10+5)
Divine Challenge (minor; enemy within 10 squares is marked. First time it attacks anyone but you, it takes 3 radiant.)

 

Encounter Powers

Channel Divinity:  Divine Mettle (minor; grant immediate save to an ally within 10 squares)

Channel Divinity:  Divine Strength (minor; +4 to damage of next attack)

Hunter's Quarry

Piercing Smite -- +9 vs. Reflex (2d10+5 and mark target and up to 3 adjacent enemies until the end of your next turn)

Staggering Smite -- +9 vs. AC, (2d10+5 and push target up to 3 squares)

Warforged Resolve (minor; gain 2d6+5 temporary hit points and make a save against ongoing damage. If bloodied also gain 2d6+5 actual hit points)

 

Daily Powers

Lay on Hands x3 (minor; spend a healing surge and target gains HP as if they spent a healing surge. Can be used on self to gain 2d6+13 HP.)

Martyr's Blessing (immediate interrupt; attack that hit adjacent ally hits you instead)

Paladin's Judgment -- +9 vs. AC (3d10+5 and you or an ally within 5 squares can spend a healing surge)

 

Mara (Docent of Protection +1)

Senses Perception +9

Alignment Unaligned

Languages Common, Giant, Supernal

Trained Skills Perception

 

Coveted Items (in order of importance)

Magic battleaxe +2

Gold

Personal Information

Age: 10

Height: 6'2"
Weight: 280
Hair: none

Eyes: Grey (appear green)
Region: Kem