Post by Rinn on May 5, 2019 11:29:33 GMT
Biography
Character Name: Ainsley Gladstone
Character Level: 3
Race: Mountain Dwarf
Gender: Female
Alignment: LG
Deity: Moradin
Size: Medium
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Height: 4’0
Weight: 203 lbs
Age: 50
Appearance:
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History:
Ainsley Gladstone was the first daughter (second child) of Maccus and Germaine Gladstone, King and Queen of the small dwarven hold Bulder, famous for its quarrying and rich deposits of ore. In days long past, legend holds that Culain Gladstone claimed the land in the Vast where Gladstone Hold was built and slew the terrifying monsters who had made it their home, claiming it as his own dominion by right of bloody conquest. The veracity of these legends is lost to the mists of time, but the Gladstone clan has maintained a strong grasp on the land ever since; a mercantile family which has remained popular with all the races who make the land their home due to a willingness to reward success and a genuine interest in the care and upkeep of the Hold as a bastion of civilisation in an untamed wild. Indeed, the Gladstone motto is “Loyalty stronger than stone.”
Ainsley’s older brother Tristian was mentored to take over from Maccus when he retired, with the other sons and daughters (there were many), cousins and other relations raised with lesser obligations. It was expected that Ainsley, being the first daughter, would marry for the good of the Clan and she was therefore left largely to her own devices. There was some expectation that she would learn the rules of Court (which she did), metalworking (which she proved surprisingly adept at), and Needlework (which she despised). The rest of her time was her own.
She dedicated this time to learning martial skills, because she was fascinated by the ritualised honour duels and displays of talent which came with each gathering of the Court. This was frowned upon, but largely tolerated after it became clear that Ainsley was not going to stop, and had some talent with it. She particularly came to value the mentorship of Sir Reginald Beardsley, a man who came from a distant land to find fortune in the Vast, and did so as Ainsley’s instructor.
As her 50th birthday approached, Ainsley was matched with Kenrin Ironarm. The Ironarm family had a none-too-friendly rivalry with the Gladstone family for generations, and it was hoped that their union would smooth this over. Kenrin was renowned as a great and mighty champion, and was seen as a very suitable match.
The match, however, horrified Ainsley, who found Kenrin an unspeakable arse.
Despite her protestations, her father insisted that she marry Kenrin in a scandalously short amount of time, rushing through courtship in literally a matter of days rather than the many months, or even years, which would be expected in the course of ordinary things. Ainsley did not understand the necessity for this, and spoke out against it – but she was ordered to marry by her father as King, and she was honour-bound to obey.
On the day of the wedding, however, the truth became starkly apparent.
The wedding was interrupted by Khyros Soul-Burner. An ancient Red Dragon of immense power, the monster assaulted the Gladstone Keep and there was nothing anyone – least of all Ainsley’s supposed husband-to-be – could do to stop him. Kenrin fled like a coward, his reputation having proved to be nothing but bluster and talk, much to the King’s dismay.
It transpired that Maccus had grown terribly afraid with the birth of Ainsley, and had ordered his army to attempt to destroy Khyros out of fear that the beast would one day set its eyes on Gladstone Keep and burn it to the ground with his baby daughter inside it. The effort had been pointless, hopeless, and utterly terrible. Maccus had been forced by the dragon to promise that he would offer up his daughter when she came of age, and let whatever fate Khyros had in mind befall her. If he had refused, the dragon would have destroyed everyone and everything that Maccus loved.
For decades, Maccus had worked to find someone who could destroy Khyros before his daughter came of age, and Kenrin had been the best hope he had – but the price was his daughter’s hand in marriage. He had attempted to hold off, but in the end, he had no choice, and even that had not proven enough to save them.
Through the efforts of Sir Beardsley and the court wizard, Zaris, Ainsley was able to escape – teleported far, far away to Waterdeep whilst Sir Beardsley and the royal guard held back the dragon in a desperate bid to buy time.
Now, she only hopes that by the time she is strong enough to find her way back home, the Keep isn’t merely a crater of molten stone.
Personality:
Ainsley is a young woman who is caught between tradition and modernity; trapped between duty and obligation. She truly believes in the nobility as a force for good, to shelter the common folk behind strong walls and well-forged steel; but she also sees the privilege and inequality which such has spawned and she finds that hard to stomach.
Ainsley is not confident in herself or her decisions. She fears that she is rash and impulsive; prone to ill-judgement and allowing her emotions to rule her head.
Ironically, the very fact that she fears this so much is what ensures she exercises more careful judgement than most, and she tries hard to let herself be guided by what is right rather than by what must be done.
Her father’s last words to her were that she needed to survive, to leave them, that she might carry on the Gladstone name and deny the dragon the terrible price he had demanded for their folly. Those words burn in her. If she were to obey her King, she would now be seeking to make the most of what life she can, but at the same time, she yearns to save her people. She fears what terrible fate must have befallen Gladstone Keep, and she is horrified that it has all happened because she had the temerity to be born.
That is a terrible weight on her shoulders, but Ainsley holds herself under it as best she can. She knows for certain that she cannot hope to battle the dragon in her current condition, and she wants very badly to take his head.
At the same time, she has been used as a pawn by her father. Bargained away to a dragon and to another clan, what she wanted has never been important. She has always been used as a possession, even if her father was acting out of a desire to keep her safe. The fact that he concealed this fate from her is a deep wound in their relationship which may never heal.
Whilst Ainsley is also a genuine Princess of her Hold, she does not bludgeon others with her title. Indeed, she rarely brings it up. She is very far from the Vast, and one would have to be quite a scholar of Dwarvish Clans to know that Gladstone owns a sizeable Keep in that tumultuous stretch of territory.
For Ainsley, her nobility is a simple fact of her life. She does not apologise for it, but nor does she feel any great pride in it. It has granted her freedoms and opportunities in her life that are denied to the common folk, for certain; but it has also shaped every aspect of her existence to date, and continues to bind her to that far-off home, which may now simply be nothing more than a smoking ruin, along with all important and honour that her name may once have held.
Stats
Ability Scores
Using point buy or the standard array give us the following stats:
Strength: 16 (+3)
Dexterity: 8 (-1)
Constitution: 16 (+3)
Intelligence: 10 (+0)
Wisdom: 12 (+1)
Charisma: 14 (+2)
Class
Fighter
Fighting Style: Duelling
Fighter Subclass: Champion
Skills
History (Background)
Athletics (Class)
Insight (Class)
Persuasion (Background)
Proficiencies & Languages
Chess Set (Background)
Smith’s Tools (Race)
Dwarven, Common (Race)
Draconic (Background)
Background
Noble
Feats
Gear
A set of fine clothes, a signet ring, a rune of pedigree, and a purse containing 25 gp
Chain Mail, Battleaxe, Shield, Light Crossbow (sold, +25gp), Explorer’s Pack
War Pick (5 gp), Warhammer (15 gp), Handaxe x10 (50 gp)
(255 gp remaining)
Character Name: Ainsley Gladstone
Character Level: 3
Race: Mountain Dwarf
Gender: Female
Alignment: LG
Deity: Moradin
Size: Medium
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Height: 4’0
Weight: 203 lbs
Age: 50
Appearance:
History:
Ainsley Gladstone was the first daughter (second child) of Maccus and Germaine Gladstone, King and Queen of the small dwarven hold Bulder, famous for its quarrying and rich deposits of ore. In days long past, legend holds that Culain Gladstone claimed the land in the Vast where Gladstone Hold was built and slew the terrifying monsters who had made it their home, claiming it as his own dominion by right of bloody conquest. The veracity of these legends is lost to the mists of time, but the Gladstone clan has maintained a strong grasp on the land ever since; a mercantile family which has remained popular with all the races who make the land their home due to a willingness to reward success and a genuine interest in the care and upkeep of the Hold as a bastion of civilisation in an untamed wild. Indeed, the Gladstone motto is “Loyalty stronger than stone.”
Ainsley’s older brother Tristian was mentored to take over from Maccus when he retired, with the other sons and daughters (there were many), cousins and other relations raised with lesser obligations. It was expected that Ainsley, being the first daughter, would marry for the good of the Clan and she was therefore left largely to her own devices. There was some expectation that she would learn the rules of Court (which she did), metalworking (which she proved surprisingly adept at), and Needlework (which she despised). The rest of her time was her own.
She dedicated this time to learning martial skills, because she was fascinated by the ritualised honour duels and displays of talent which came with each gathering of the Court. This was frowned upon, but largely tolerated after it became clear that Ainsley was not going to stop, and had some talent with it. She particularly came to value the mentorship of Sir Reginald Beardsley, a man who came from a distant land to find fortune in the Vast, and did so as Ainsley’s instructor.
As her 50th birthday approached, Ainsley was matched with Kenrin Ironarm. The Ironarm family had a none-too-friendly rivalry with the Gladstone family for generations, and it was hoped that their union would smooth this over. Kenrin was renowned as a great and mighty champion, and was seen as a very suitable match.
The match, however, horrified Ainsley, who found Kenrin an unspeakable arse.
Despite her protestations, her father insisted that she marry Kenrin in a scandalously short amount of time, rushing through courtship in literally a matter of days rather than the many months, or even years, which would be expected in the course of ordinary things. Ainsley did not understand the necessity for this, and spoke out against it – but she was ordered to marry by her father as King, and she was honour-bound to obey.
On the day of the wedding, however, the truth became starkly apparent.
The wedding was interrupted by Khyros Soul-Burner. An ancient Red Dragon of immense power, the monster assaulted the Gladstone Keep and there was nothing anyone – least of all Ainsley’s supposed husband-to-be – could do to stop him. Kenrin fled like a coward, his reputation having proved to be nothing but bluster and talk, much to the King’s dismay.
It transpired that Maccus had grown terribly afraid with the birth of Ainsley, and had ordered his army to attempt to destroy Khyros out of fear that the beast would one day set its eyes on Gladstone Keep and burn it to the ground with his baby daughter inside it. The effort had been pointless, hopeless, and utterly terrible. Maccus had been forced by the dragon to promise that he would offer up his daughter when she came of age, and let whatever fate Khyros had in mind befall her. If he had refused, the dragon would have destroyed everyone and everything that Maccus loved.
For decades, Maccus had worked to find someone who could destroy Khyros before his daughter came of age, and Kenrin had been the best hope he had – but the price was his daughter’s hand in marriage. He had attempted to hold off, but in the end, he had no choice, and even that had not proven enough to save them.
Through the efforts of Sir Beardsley and the court wizard, Zaris, Ainsley was able to escape – teleported far, far away to Waterdeep whilst Sir Beardsley and the royal guard held back the dragon in a desperate bid to buy time.
Now, she only hopes that by the time she is strong enough to find her way back home, the Keep isn’t merely a crater of molten stone.
Personality:
Ainsley is a young woman who is caught between tradition and modernity; trapped between duty and obligation. She truly believes in the nobility as a force for good, to shelter the common folk behind strong walls and well-forged steel; but she also sees the privilege and inequality which such has spawned and she finds that hard to stomach.
Ainsley is not confident in herself or her decisions. She fears that she is rash and impulsive; prone to ill-judgement and allowing her emotions to rule her head.
Ironically, the very fact that she fears this so much is what ensures she exercises more careful judgement than most, and she tries hard to let herself be guided by what is right rather than by what must be done.
Her father’s last words to her were that she needed to survive, to leave them, that she might carry on the Gladstone name and deny the dragon the terrible price he had demanded for their folly. Those words burn in her. If she were to obey her King, she would now be seeking to make the most of what life she can, but at the same time, she yearns to save her people. She fears what terrible fate must have befallen Gladstone Keep, and she is horrified that it has all happened because she had the temerity to be born.
That is a terrible weight on her shoulders, but Ainsley holds herself under it as best she can. She knows for certain that she cannot hope to battle the dragon in her current condition, and she wants very badly to take his head.
At the same time, she has been used as a pawn by her father. Bargained away to a dragon and to another clan, what she wanted has never been important. She has always been used as a possession, even if her father was acting out of a desire to keep her safe. The fact that he concealed this fate from her is a deep wound in their relationship which may never heal.
Whilst Ainsley is also a genuine Princess of her Hold, she does not bludgeon others with her title. Indeed, she rarely brings it up. She is very far from the Vast, and one would have to be quite a scholar of Dwarvish Clans to know that Gladstone owns a sizeable Keep in that tumultuous stretch of territory.
For Ainsley, her nobility is a simple fact of her life. She does not apologise for it, but nor does she feel any great pride in it. It has granted her freedoms and opportunities in her life that are denied to the common folk, for certain; but it has also shaped every aspect of her existence to date, and continues to bind her to that far-off home, which may now simply be nothing more than a smoking ruin, along with all important and honour that her name may once have held.
Stats
Ability Scores
Using point buy or the standard array give us the following stats:
Strength: 16 (+3)
Dexterity: 8 (-1)
Constitution: 16 (+3)
Intelligence: 10 (+0)
Wisdom: 12 (+1)
Charisma: 14 (+2)
Class
Fighter
Fighting Style: Duelling
Fighter Subclass: Champion
Skills
History (Background)
Athletics (Class)
Insight (Class)
Persuasion (Background)
Proficiencies & Languages
Chess Set (Background)
Smith’s Tools (Race)
Dwarven, Common (Race)
Draconic (Background)
Background
Noble
Feats
Gear
A set of fine clothes, a signet ring, a rune of pedigree, and a purse containing 25 gp
Chain Mail, Battleaxe, Shield, Light Crossbow (sold, +25gp), Explorer’s Pack
War Pick (5 gp), Warhammer (15 gp), Handaxe x10 (50 gp)
(255 gp remaining)
