Catherine Harvestmoon
Lawful Good
Level 8
Fighter
Squire Perk
18/12/12/10/10/16.
(+17 persuade by the end of the character's life. Considerable for a race with -2 charisma penalty and a cross-class skill!)
I think this might had been my second shortest lived character, at only 17 days of age! But hey, we're all here for a good time, not a long time. There's some older saying. "Live fast, die just as fast, embrace eternity", something like that.
Life had just begun for Catherine, and a promising start at that, thanks to the players of Frobo Sappel, Harlon Kephal, the Markov brothers, Wednesday Watkins, Isiah Bhelmont, Rakhel ibn Kalid-al Farsi, Baskar Noor, and, of course, Jasper Maerhult, my peasant-buddy in poverty, who would go on to become a respected retainer and her security cover, in a society that had it out for her, while being her closest friend in secret.
And, naturally, thank you Lialh and Skag for your help. Your ability to portray glass eating psychopaths and bigots is spot on.
Alas, greater things were not meant to be. Tragedy would strike Catherine, and it would be its deathblow.
Background (TL;DR version)
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A no-name Half Orc orphan from the Weald, born under a harvest moon, wheeled around between family to family to do various work on the farm front, while never truly belonging to any one place. She is considered by some local dwellers to be a friendly body, with a rustic, homely charm - a charm naturally built as a result of a reality lived around treading upon eggshells, careful not to draw the ire of an intolerant society, as well as gain as much favor as possible from a sympathetic family.
Between the Torcs' raids and the Ghyl raids prior to their occupation, and the wars taxing the coffers of the great houses who'd once buy beef from her on the regular, life is starting to wind down for Catherine. Hardship and idle time has given her perspective. Between the opportunities that have presented itself in a time of chaos, the bravado of adventurers and retainers that surround her such and even the glory and dashing displays of the DuRange Circus, Catherine dares to live by the sword and chase the horizon.
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IC and OOC goals.
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IC Goal 1: Chase Glory.
- Catherine wants any opportunity to prove her worth to society and follow in the steps of the Green Knight. Perhaps even unearth old lore of the mysterious hero.
-She'll attempt to champion the cause of Maggie's Bookstore, selling it as a greater good for the huddled masses of Little Ticker and the lower class of the Ward that can't afford a private tutor, using social connections to signal boost the effort and lure people in by the offer of glory to wear like a badge upon their chest.
-Then she'll dare for something greater. She'll attempt to truly put on a theatrical display to become the star attention of DuRange's circus.
-Lastly, if she ever earns the favor of a noble house, she'll champion a great quest to truly earn her place, and purchase her place among the stars through feats of legend.
(None of these came true.)
IC goal 2: Battle Bigotry.
It should come as no to surprise to anyone that a feudal society is a poorly educated, racist, inequality-riddled cesspit. Being born into it, one may not know any better alternatives, and Catherine is just one unlucky soul.
-Without targeting the root of the problem that plagues society, she will attempt to battle the symptom it provides, by making social connections inroads to have allies that will be sympathetic to the hardship of nonhumans, as well as provide material and physical support to turn public opinion against those who'd oppress them (violence was certainly in the cards).
(Briefly, this was tangible, until all sympathetic characters in her social circle that she had gotten in good with died.)
OOC goal 1: Suck.
She probably won't accomplish much in her grand scheme. Mechanically she is a train wreck, and in a narrative sense, she is someone with a kind heart in a world that is ruled by the clutches of evil. She will, more likely, be a punching bag for antagonists to build upon, but, everyone has to have a stepping stone to ascend.
(Mission accomplished, I'm fairly certain.)
OOC Goal 2: Legacy.
I don't want her to be a product of my own making, but, rather, this character's outlook and dreams have been founded on other peoples' outlook. I intend to play her as easily influenced, and I want the people she interacts with to mold the world that she inhabits. I want her to do things because someone sold her on the idea that something was right or wrong. I want their ideals and visions to, very visibly, have a reaction on the world as a result of their interactions with this character.
(Mission accomplished. Much of her social habits were spawned as a result of Frobo and associated company in the Lightwardens. She genuinely believed in utopia and believed that, through the same methods they employed, could bring about success. Actually achieving that success was another story, but, enough had actually happened to shape the character like clay, rather than going in with my own ambitions.)[/hide]
Her journal.
https://www.efupw.com/forums/index.php?topic=701637.0
And some screenshots.
[hide= The most important one of them all. Frobo and Rakhel, training Catherine as she threw aside her shovel in favor of the sword. Footwork, blade alignment, spacing and all.]
(https://i.imgur.com/BvaLTY9.png)[/hide]
[hide=Some sick shots of the Circus.]
(https://i.imgur.com/7GomzoI.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/AOhCyYP.png) [/hide]
I admit, this does feel rather abrupt, but given the nature of a lot of my screenshots with Catherine, and that there's current circumstances surrounding them, I can't quite yet share them until it's all done. So, if anyone has any shots they can give me to share with the collection, I'd be happy to add them!
And, lastly, her finale to her abrupt end. (Text, because I forgot to save the screenshot in a folder purge. There might include some paraphrasing, the exact wording fails me. I'm sorry, Lialh!)
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LiAlH4: Catherine was a rare sight, in the ringed city.
She was an honest, good intentioned person.
Through her efforts, she had left the world better than she had found it. Lives had been made better, evil had been destroyed and an elf now travels the city a free woman, free of her slaver's chains.
There is an ebb of the surrounding chaos. A gentle calmness.
Then there is peace.
---THE END.---[/hide]
Magnificent
I liked how Catherine wasn't the bog standard half-orc. She wasn't running her mouth every time someone insulted her heritage. (I figure that like 90% of the city insults half-orcs. Come on.) She would grin, bear it, and act like it didn't hurt. It felt like she was a real person, in that respect.
Her journal also made her feel real. She had real struggles.
Very well done!
Catherine was a really deep and interesting PC! Hopefully we'll get to find out what happened to her someday!
<3 Best half-orc PC ever this chapter. Bravo!