GMNPC and NPC Development

[Schwerpunkt]

Romandan Expeditionary Corps (REC) NPCs
1. King Johann ‘Nordaverdrox’ Karsid [Lawful Neutral] (Class: Berserker, Dark Knight)
The King of Romanda is perhaps best known for his violent resolution to the Romandan Succession Crisis. After gathering his three rivals to the holy ground of Mount Himibrak for parley, King Johann bribed the Icefields Wild Men to attack the gathering, slaughtering all three of his rivals and their karls. Shortly thereafter, Johann swept the rest of the resistance into the sea. His utilitarian brutality first earned him the title ‘the Harsh,’ but was later changed to ‘Axe of the North’ after his personal heroism in the war in Fovoham.

Johann I is a brutal utilitarian – as anyone who lived in the Icefields must be. He runs his kingdom as a meritocracy, paying no attention to anything other than competence. Accordingly, his son’s lack of martial prowess has greatly irked him – his disappointment is never far from the surface when attempting to interact with his son. His son’s apparent conversion to the “eastern gods” has further irked Johann I and potentially wrecked the possibility of Hakon’s ascension to the throne upon Johann’s death.

2. Jarl Hakon ‘Heidinn’ Karsid [Lawful Good] (Class: Zealot)
Jarl Hakon is the Crown Prince of Romanda and, controversially, Romanda’s single most significant convert to Dhalin ad-Din. He is known primarily as ‘the Heathen,’ though never to his face, Hakon is a devout adherent to ‘the Religion.’ While his father is widely regarded to be one of the most dangerous fighters in the world, Hakon is merely above-average. In a land as ruthlessly competitive as Romanda, “above-average” isn’t good enough for a prince.

Despite his apparent shortcomings, Hakon is a competent commander and an efficient fighter. He is, however, most notable for his administrative skills – another oddity, as running the household finances is usually considered woman’s work in Romanda. Despite his conversion, Hakon’s love of snarky comments and glib mockery continues unabashed.

3. Visikarl Jorn Arvidsson [Neutral Good] (Class: Lancer)
Jorn, Captain of the Karls, is perhaps best known for his strong code of personal ethics. As a man who often chafes under harsh orders, Jorn strives to do what he believes to be is the ‘good’ thing. He has been known to personally countermand orders from the King to carry out particularly destructive acts. In a more centralized kingdom, this would be grounds for termination and possible imprisonment: in Romanda, where orders are seen simply as guidelines, it is a confirmation of the traditional tribal leadership system of the island.

Jorn is also considered to be a particularly dangerous fighter with spear and shield. He is one of Romanda’s relatively few high-level commanders that does not embrace the way of the Berserkergang, placing his faith instead in steel and discipline.

4. Berserkr Alva ‘Odrox’ [Chaotic Neutral] (Class: Berserker)
Alva the ‘Furious Axe’ is perhaps most notable because she is one of the few female berserkers in all of Romandan history. While female warriors (shield-maidens) are far more common in Romanda than in Ivalice or Ordallia, female berserkers are not. It is a testament to her dedication and competence that she has not allowed his cultural stigma to impede her path.

Alva is a particularly violent specimen even by Berserker standards, having survived three separate Khamja assassination squads and numerous battles with Riovanes’ conventional forces. Over the course of the War of Succession and the War for Fovoham, she has consistently demonstrated the value of the berserkergang in pitched and isolated clashes against the more conventional and more disciplined forces employed by Grand Duke Barrington.

5. Myrkdrengr Adalrik ‘Dreyrugrsverd av Nordr’ Berensson [Lawful Evil] (Class: Dark Knight)
Myrkdrengr Adalrik, popularly known by the Romandans as the ‘Blood-Stained Sword of the North,’ is perhaps the single most resilient Dark Knight to have ever served Romanda. He fought in the previous invasion of Ivalice, the War of Succession, numerous tribal conflicts, and reportedly slew a full-grown Northern Dragon on one of his hunting expeditions. Adalrik is arguably more of a folk hero than the King.

Public opinion aside, Adalrik lives by a very strict personal code, one that requires him to regularly pit his strength against some of the most dangerous people and monsters in the known world. Adalrik has also managed to unite the oft-quarrelsome Dark Knights of Romanda together in service of the Crown, an act that would have been entirely implausible a mere generation ago. By sheer strength of will, Adalrik has carved his name into the runestones alongside the heroes of old.

6. Jarl Jorid Johannsdattir [Lawful Neutral] (Class: Princess)
Jarl Jorid is, perhaps, more Johann’s heir than her half-brother Hakon is. While Hakon was busy twitting away his time and energies, Jorid was busy educating herself and learning all she possibly could about the kingdom and the wider world. While her father is off away campaigning in Ivalice proper, it has fallen to Jorid to administrate the kingdom in his absence – to mediate petty disputes, collect taxes, and send men and materiel to the mainland.

But Jorid is not blind: she understands that, under Northern law, she cannot inherit the throne. By default, this means that the throne will fall to Hakon – which, in turn, means there will almost certainly be another War of Succession upon her father’s death. But Jorid is nothing if not ambitious and she aims to build up enough influence and support to ignore tradition and take the throne for herself, simultaneously nudging aside her incompetent brother and protecting the realm from civil war.

[kablizzy]

Also, keep in mind that Elidibs is supposed to be one of the Heroes of the 50 Years' War... We just don't know what kind. But I suppose that's up to us to decide. He was a graduate of the Gariland Military Academy, and fought for Ivalice.

By the by, if we do go for the accurate timeline, this is a fantastic resource.

Also, we never hear anything about the Shanten (Order of the Western Wind). Perhaps we can do something with that as well?

[Diethe]

Well, if Hokuten (North) is in Gallione and Nanten is in Zeltennia, Shanten would be near Lionel perhaps? Maybe we could even mix it up to make Shanten a more sea-based order and acts as the elite navy of Ivalice? There's also mention of Tchigolith Fenlands being a major site for battles during the 50 years war.

[Schwerpunkt]

I have no idea what the Shanten are. I don't believe they're mentioned anywhere. Besides, the Church is the power in Lionel. In the parlance of feudal societies, Lionel is an Archbishopric, and so it's self-governing and responsible for its own affairs (Cardinals were governed, especially in the Holy Roman Empire, were typically considered Prince-Bishops and, therefore, ruled an Archbishopric).

The blurb in question just says people died there during the war. It could very easily have been something like refugees trying to flee from Goug or, perhaps, plague carriers being forcibly removed from Lionel to die in the swamps west of the city (which would, in turn, explain why it became poisoned). That's not really a winning strategy for fighting the plague, but...

[Diethe]

Aye, I guess either Shanten's out of the question or Lionel is. Either way, the Order based on being a navy's a good idea eh? Perhaps the Touten to distinguish them and add flavor?

[kablizzy]

I just remember hearing an Ivalician Translation using the word "Shan" as "West", and talking about the "Shanten" as some sort of behind-the-scenes paramilitary force. Beyond that, I don't think there's anything Canon about them.

[Schwerpunkt]

This is the point where I have to ask the all-important world-building question: does adding this new thing actually improve the final product, or does it merely bog us down in more of our own lore? Up until now, most everything has had a purpose. Adding a new mini-faction, complete with upwards of 4 NPCs, probably doesn't add anything we can't get by simply giving a naval squadron to a different faction entirely.

Ultimately, since we're not doing naval battles (I hope), navies don't really give us much beyond lore. They explain how Romanda's invading, they explain why Ordallia cares about Nelveska, and they would logically explain how Baert manages to not hemorrhage money to pirates. But, realistically, they don't do anything beyond that. They're plot devices. We don't need another plot device faction.

[kablizzy]

Indeed, t'was just a suggestion.

[chrisnorcras]

Ok, at the very best, every character mentioned for the larger factions now have a slight outline or description. As the story line and characters progress I'll continue to update them and keep their personas true to whatever life they lead.

Now, on to the smaller factions...

[Schwerpunkt]

Suad ibn Daud should probably be a Zealot, not a Dark Knight. I have no idea why I wrote Dark Knight. Absi Najam's class has been named "Outrider" -- I wasn't certain whether or not the idea would pass muster when I wrote the list. Jalut should be renamed Demagogue, which is our new shotgun-wielding priest/mediator prestige class (let's face it: the idea is hilarious enough to be worth it). Abu Mustafa should be the Dark Knight.

Zalbag should be an Arcane Knight. Ark Knight, Rune Knight, and Temple Knight were overhauled pretty drastically.

Leofrick may or may not be better off as an Ark Knight. He's your NPC, so that's your call. Ark Knight is basically Beowulf's Temple Knight but nerfed and with a few small changes (like the inclusion of Zalbag's skills, from which the class gets its name).

Despite the changes, Dycedarg still works as a Rune Knight.

Barbaneth is probably better off as the Knight Herald, which is a sort of a metaclass like Sword Saint is. As Sword Saint spans Holy/Dark/Divine Knights, Knight Herald spans Ark/Rune/Arcane Knights. You're right in that he doesn't really work as a paladin-esque class anymore.

Ondoria and Louveria should probably both be changed to Monarch. "Ruler" is a little generic. When it comes time to actually do these classes, we may or may not lump those two and the Emperor into a class like "Sovereign" or something.



So. On to the Khamja.

Khamja
1. Mash’ewayad Khalid ibn Amad ibn Rashid al-Riddaya [Lawful Good] (Class: Warlock)
Khalid, son of Averro the Apostate, was the chief force behind the Khamja Schism and the subsequent demise of the Kham-Qayyah. Although now in his elder years, Khalid remains one of the most dangerous men in the known world. Despite his advancing years, which have led to some whispers in the Grand Duke Barrington's court that Khalid was losing his edge, the Mash'ewayad orchestrated the strike that killed Gustav III of Romanda and his only heir. In some ways, the world-weary assassin was single-handedly responsible for knocking Romanda out of the war for over a decade.

In the intervening years, however, Khalid has become more and more of a recluse. While he still leads the Khamja, he has increasingly delegated authority and increasingly encouraged initiative in his underlings, two things that were completely unheard of in the Kham-Qayyah. The old warlock is more interested in writing treatises on Averrianism than he is on signing death warrants.

2. Walid Sind al-Zibayr Zal [Chaotic Good] (Class: Assassin)
Walid Sind, known more simply simply as 'Walid Zal' (Walid the Shadow), is the last of the old guard of the Kham-Qayyah. While he technically did not follow Khalid as part of the Khamja Schism, he did abandon Ordallia roughly a decade later when the Kham-Qayyah was formally disbanded after its dismal failure in attempting to assassinate Denamda II of Ivalice. Despite being a relatively late-comer to the Khamja, he nonetheless earned his place in the group and, by virtue of simply being younger, managed to outlive most of the old hands.

Walid Zal is perhaps best known in Ivalice as being something of a loose cannon by assassin standards. While Khalid spent most of his life micro-managing his assassins, Walid Zal somehow always managed to find a way to obey orders while simultaneously doing his own thing. In most cases, 'doing his own thing' meant wandering the countryside, cutting throats of people he deemed to be evil: bandits, corrupt guards, abusive husbands, and the sort. Interestingly, his willingness to avoid wholesale slaughter when eliminating targets of importance has been criticized by those in the Grand Duke's court, who view his desire to avoid unnecessary killing as squeamishness. Of course, they never say as much to his face.

3. Matar ibn Kasim al-Rimal Wikar [Neutral] (Class: Assassin)
Matar, son of Kasim, is more commonly known simply as 'al-Rimal Wikar' ('The Sand Walker'). His allegiance to the Khamja is perhaps something of a surprise; he is best known as the first Ordallian to travel all the lands between Rozzaria and Romanda, writing his now famous 'Travel Records of a Freedman: the Journeys of Matar ibn Kasim.' And yet, in one of Khalid's most conniving maneuvers, the great cartographer and explorer of Ordallia is in actuality a Khamja assassin.

Matar, for his part, has been a less active assassin than most of his counterparts. He has, however, been accumulating a wealth of information on his trips, almost all of which has gone to the Khamja. Much of the information that has remained has been carefully edited to influence the Ordallian court, primarily with the intent of encouraging Ordallia to commit to long, bloody wars with Ivalice instead of pursuing wars against the vastly weaker states in the far east.

4. Mash’ewayad Rashid ibn Khalid al-Riddaya al-Djinn Matsul [Neutral Good] (Class: Thaumaturgist)
Rashid, son of Khalid, is the heir apparent of the Khamja warlord. But unlike his father, Rashid is not a warlock in the traditional sense. Rather, Rashid is a 'Djinn Matsul,' a Djinn-Caller, a magi of sufficient enough power to bend the great Djinni to his will. While the Khamja typically prefer to eliminate their targets quietly and from the shadows, Rashid ibn Khalid simply prefers overwhelming displays of power.

Rashid is perhaps best known for his unusual penchant for being involved in pitched battles. The Khamja typically shy away from large-scale conflicts, but Rashid has regularly led cadre of summoners and magi in battle against the Romandans. This is regarded as reckless by the old guard, but the younger assassins turn a blind eye.[/u]

5. Mudrik Jidr ibn Hamdin [Neutral] (Class: Ninja)
Mudrik Jidr is one of two ninja apprenticed to Walid Zal. While not yet a full assassin, Mudrik Jidr has demonstrated his competence at striking from the shadows in numerous missions alongside Walid Zal. He has been deemed not quite ready for a final test, but has nonetheless earned the respect of his superiors for his fierce dedication and unassuming manner.

Mudrik Jidr has not allowed his long apprenticeship to dull his spirits. According to Kham-Qayyah logs, it was quite common for aspiring assassins to spend upwards of a decade in service to their superiors before earning an opportunity to complete the Rite -- which many of them failed and, of those who survived failure, would go on to spend several more years as an apprentice.

6. Larisa Malenkov az-Zarakiyus [Chaotic Good] (Class: Ninja)
Larisa, known amongst the Khamja simply as 'az-Zarakiyus' ('The Zelamonian'), was originally a refugee from Zelamonia who sought safe haven in Zeltennia. During one mission, Larisa saw Walid Zal murder a particularly corrupt Ivalician guard captain. Apparently seeing some value in her, Walid Zal offered her an opportunity to escape the city's notoriously anti-Zelamonian policies. A year later, Larisa became the first ethnic Zelamonian to join the Khamja.

Despite being the proverbial 'new girl' to the Khamja, which has traditionally been a men's club, Larisa's apprenticeship to the legendary Walid Zal has earned her some respect -- and resentment -- from other apprentices. She only sporadically accompanies Walid Zal on missions, she has nonetheless proven herself to be a talented fighter and is expected to complete her apprenticeship not long after Mudrik Jidr completes his.

[kablizzy]

Exquisite, man. Your work with flavor and setting is unreal.

[Diethe]

We forgot about the Silver Knight/Ogre Messam Elmdore for the Nanten, one of the two important generals of the Nanten. Lol.

[chrisnorcras]

Apr 23, 2013 12:08:10 GMT -6 Diethe said:

We forgot about the Silver Knight/Ogre Messam Elmdore for the Nanten, one of the two important generals of the Nanten. Lol.

Nope, not forgotten... I'm working on him right now.

[chrisnorcras]

UPDATE:
1.)All of Schwerpunkt's (and I'm not sure if I spelled that right and I'm getting tired of looking back and forth at it to make sure, lol) updates are now included in the main post and the classes have been updated.
2.) Marquis Elmdore has now been added to the Nanten.

[Schwerpunkt]

These guys were rough.

Baert Trading Company
1. Viscount Ludovich Baert [Neutral Evil] (Class: Merchant Prince)
Viscount Baert, despite his title, is a thug with no real sense of propriety. If he is in a position of power, he's not above reneging on a deal to further his own ends. Baert is, above all else, out for Baert; the rest of the world can burn for all he cares, so long as, at the settling of accounts, Baert comes out ahead of where he was. Accordingly, he runs the city of Goug like his own personal kingdom.

When he's not busy orchestrating betrayals of business partners, murdering competitors, or orchestrating the downfall of rival shipping companies through the selective use of "privateers," Baert does work for the Church. His relationship with Cardinal Delacroix, while strained at times, has proven exceptionally lucrative.

2. Pietro Farro the Red [Chaotic Evil] (Class: Spellsword)
Pietro Farro, known as 'Pietro the Red' for his remarkable skill with red magic, is Viscount Baert's chief enforcer. He is a man with even fewer scruples than his nominal master. He has been known to burn entire ships and clap entire crews in irons solely so he could sail to Laqant and offload them at the single largest slaver city in the known world. Pietro Farro's warship, The Screaming Maiden, was previously a warship in the Ordallian Southern Fleet. At least until he brazenly attacked a ship twice the size of his and with three times the crew, only to somehow emerge victorious.

According to popular legend, Pietro the Red has been hanged twice, shot six times, drowned, burned, struck by lightning, and has been involved in four shipwrecks. The people of Lionel widely believe that he is simply immortal and, if given the choice, would much rather simply run away than encounter him. He is currently the most wanted man in Ivalice and relishes the attention.

3. Fabrizio Natale the Mercer [Neutral Evil] (Class: Alchemist)
Fabrizio Natale is perhaps the best known purveyor of clothing in Lionel. Indeed, his designs influence fashion as far away as Gallione, where young men and ladies consider wearing "the Mercer's finest" to be a symbol of status. This success, combined with a mutually beneficial relationship with the Viscount, has led Fabrizio Natale to almost preposterous levels of wealth.

When he's not enjoying his solid gold furniture, Fabrizio can be found in his basement lab, twisting the laws of physics and creating monstrosities to unleash upon Viscount Baert's rivals. According to rumor, the Tiamat strain was developed in his lab. Unfortunately for the civil authorities, they've thus far been unable to link Fabrizio's lab to anything more than a few foul-smelling adhesives used in the production of his nigh-legendary clothing line.

4. Jayyah Zubaidah al-Ghwazhari Natale [Neutral] (Class: Surgeon)
Zubaidah al-Ghwazhari, a former slave captured in one of Pietro the Red's innumerable raids, was born the only daughter of a soldier-turned-deserter and a surgeon. After her father's ignominious desertion in Vaseria, she and her mother were both enslaved by the vindictive Suad ibn Daud. They were to be shipped to Romanda as a good faith gesture to the new king there, but along the way were waylaid by Pietro the Red, who apparently had enough audacity to attack, capture, and take for his own a double-deck Ordallian warship.

Pietro promptly sold the girl and her ailing mother to Fabrizio Natale, who claimed he needed a lab assistant. Zubaidah took the title Jayyah, 'Surgeon,' some time later. In the intervening years, sometime after the death of Zubaidah's mother, the two married. This caused no small amount of alarm in Ivalice, which had been at war with Ordallia since before either of the two had been born. But after Zubaidah's nominal conversion to the Church of Glabados and the subsequent blessing of Cardinal Delacroix, who appeared at the ceremony with a magnificent new regalia, the union was begrudgingly accepted. When Zubaidah's not busy setting bones and mending cuts of Ludovich Baert's more dubious employees, she's joining her husband in his less-than-orthodox experiments on the nature of monsters and men.

5. Radic Santic the Butcher [Neutral] (Class: Civilian)
In all of Ludovich Baert's wide network of agents and thugs, Radic Santic of Zelamonia is perhaps the most eccentric. Known throughout the entire city of Goug as the best butcher in town, he has parlayed his skill with knife and cleaver to earn handsome amounts of money on the side. Whenever the Viscount needs someone flayed alive, or a body dismembered and 'disappeared,' he calls Radic, known in the seedy underworld as 'The Cadaver Cleaner.' Which is in itself odd, as it's doubtful many of the Viscount's underlings can even spell "cadaver."

Radic, for his part, doesn't ask any questions or make any waves. To him, disposing of a corpse really isn't all that different from disposing of a chocobo or what-have-you. As always, it's simply a matter of cleaning the bones, destroying the more distinct ones such as the skull, and devising a method with which to sell the meat. As everyone in the business knows, one does not buy 'Butcher's Choice' from Radic. Ever.