Turpin and the Daughters of the North
atcDave
Member Posts: 2,743
Turpin had been a soldier all his life. And he was the son of soldiers. It was in his blood. He liked forming a team from new recruits best of all. Teaching troops to work together, to anticipate, to protect each other. He’s been good at it.
And he’s been well rewarded for his ability. Made sergeant in his mid-20s. Numerous decorations. Several cash bonusses and rewards. In his early 40s the Baron, his employer, offered him command of his armies. The top professional position in his forces (as opposed to a knight).
Turpin turned the position down. All his life Turpin had also been a man of faith. A devout follower of Tyr. He had long considered working for the local temple. With his savings from his military career he was able to actually train as a Cleric of Tyr. So at 45 years of age he became an acolyte. It was a little funny being in classes and study groups with kids. Everyone assumed he was a full priest and teacher. And when it came to the martial training, well, he was a little more advanced than the instructors.
This has been a bigger change for Turpin than he had thought it would be. He anticipated the challenge of professional change. But for the first time in his life he was a civilian. He liked having a class of peers, it was like when he was a rookie himself again. But it often feels awkward now that his “peers” are kids, and he clearly is not one of them. Funny, a little lonely sometimes.
One evening, Turpin was enjoying drinks and dinner with friends at an Inn near the temple. One of his classmates, Leezel, well actually she was in the Paladin class but he often found himself helping with the martial parts of their training, was sitting laughing with a few other girls he didn’t know… when he noticed there was actual woman at that table. A woman his age! She was smiling and laughing with the girls. She was a vision of such joy and beauty to him, he felt himself go red in the cheeks. It flustered him. Surely no one noticed.
And there was Leezel leading the woman by the hand over to his table. “Brother Turpin, I’d like to introduce you to my friend Hildegard, we call her Hildy. Now don’t have her out too late… or you’ll wake us all up, our suite is tiny…”
They all laughed. Turpin and Hildy talked for hours. It was one of those great changes you never see coming. Hildy changed his life.
Over the next couple weeks Turpin and Hildy grew very close.
Hildegard has lived all her life in the frozen north, Icewind Dale. She lived in Bryn Shander, the largest of the Ten Towns with 1200 residents. She was happily married shortly before she turned 20, was soon with child, and settled in to run the domestic side of family life. But then tragedy struck, her husband disappeared without ever seeing his daughter. He had been hunting, alone in the Dale always carries a certain risk. It was months before his shattered remains were found, far too late for any happy solution.
The community was quite close, friends and neighbors were all there to help Hildy with her newborn and her grief. Gretchen was an energetic sort, always needing attention.
But Hildy would not live on the kindness of others indefinitely. A mage moved into town and erected a small tower. She put out a notice she would hire a maid, but required someone literate. Hildy was one of the few looking for work who met her strict requirement, she was hired. This led to 20 years of stable employment. It wasn’t entirely happy, the mage was a cranky old woman. Hildy was becoming curious about the ways of arcane magic, and the mage often used her to help prepare components for spells and potions. Hildy loved the learning, but the mage was a little paranoid and pointedly would not teach her actual spellcasting. Hildy was paid well though, and her boss was understanding when Hildy needed time for her family. Which was growing in a way…
Hildy loved her daughter and saw so much of her late husband in her. Eventually Gretchen reached the age it was time to send her to the little school in town. Here Gretchen made several friends who would all be very close. And would all spend much of their off time at Hildy’s home. Apparently Hildy was the fun parent. First there was Leezel. Leezel was a lot like Gretchen being active and athletic. Then there was Henrietta, Henri. She was a Halfling. Curious, but quiet and retiring in a way. She loved time with her friends, and would often sit to one side and read while the other girls played.
Lastly was Grace. Hildy always called her Grace, that was her name. She was a little older than the other girls being a half-elf. She was a complete outcast among the older kids, the kids her own age. Because, well, Grace’s elven side wasn’t entirely one of the normal sorts. She had a pale grey cast to her skin. Grace’s mother was also a half-elf, but she was fair like most of her kind. Hildy asked her employer once what this meant, the older mage thought one of Grace’s parents had some significant Drow blood. Presumably the never spoken of father?
But Grace was a dear. Gentle, always a happy smile and she liked to laugh. Never a loud guffaw, always the soft snicker or giggle. Early on, Grace had asked all her friends to call her “Dusky”, because that’s what the big kids called her. It sort of broke Hildy’s heart, but Grace seemed to mean it, didn’t seem bitter. The other girls complied. Hildy did not, she figured she was exempt.
Ten years ago Grace’s mother left town. No explanation or warning given. Although, not too long before, she had told Grace that her skin color made her furious. One evening as the girls were playing, Grace admitted to Hildy she had been alone at home all week. Hildy was outraged, then heartbroken for the sweet girl. She assured Grace she had a home with her, and Gretchen, and her friends “forever”.
Now Grace had long been fascinated by Hildy’s hair, by her braid. So Hildy took the time to show Grace how to do it. It became a thing for them, they did each other’s hair regularly. And Grace became a permanent member of Hildy’s household, all the girls almost were anyway.
Time passed, and Hildy had put aside a fair amount of money from her work. She wanted to actually become a mage. She thought she had the aptitude for it. And she could pay for her girls too. By this point she didn’t just mean Gretchen and Grace, Leezel and Henri as well. As a plan formed up to head south, to one of the great cities to find a place to train, she worked with all the girls to figure a path for them. Even better, Leezel and Henri’s parents were all on board with this plan and would help pay the way. Leezel’s dad was a part-time city guard and he knew of the Training academies in Neverwinter. So that seemed to be the place to go.
They all talked and formed a plan for who would do what.
Gretchen would be a Ranger and an Archer like her father. Hildy would worry, but given Gretchen’s aptitudes and interests this was not surprising.
Leezel was clearly a warrior. The biggest of the girls by a wide margin, and a striking beauty who drew attention wherever she went. She would be a Paladin of Tyr, with a specialty to be determined.
Leezel and Gretchen were always very close. Although Gretchen often had to laugh at how her friend just drew everyone into her orbit.
Henri would be a Cleric of Tymora and a scout. This seemed fitting to Hildy, Henri was quiet and had a knack always being where the action was. And she seemed to know all the “news” and goings on around town. Her ability to learn and recall everything going on around her was a little amazing.
And Grace would be a warrior. Hildy worried a little that Grace would always be in Leezel’s shadow. She was not obviously big and fit like Leezel, she was more slim and graceful like Gretchen. But it seemed clear this was what Grace wanted.
So the women traveled south together, they found an apartment in the city and enrolled in the training as they planned. Things were going well for all of them, although Hildy looked over her young companions and wondered. Leezel drew male attention just by walking into a room, but the other three were also noticing young men. Hildy expected things would go in unexpected directions as her girls met men… so of all things, she found herself smitten with a handsome cleric trainee of about her age. Turpin proved to be a blessing in many ways. He knew the city and the area well. And he was fine with her eclectic family, he didn’t bat an eye at a halfling, or a half-Drow. He got along wonderfully with all of them.
After several months everyone’s training was officially complete. Hildy asked Turpin to accompany them to their home in the north. Turpin could only agree. He found himself completely smitten, and knew his future must lie in the North with Hildy and her girls.
Turpin LG Human F7/C1
A rugged warrior (Human male, French, grey eyes, age 45, brown with grey hair and beard, rugged, muscular, plate armor, teal surcoat, large wooden shield, battle axe)
7 – 9 – 12 – 14 – 18 – 13
Turpin is the only character in this group that started life as a PnP character. He was a character of mine from the same DM’s setting that led to “Akamas and the Family Outing“. Funny thing, the night we started that game we had three players. We all created our characters, and we wound up with my Paladin (Akamas) and two Rangers. The DM thought a moment and told one player to create a thief, the other to create a mage, and me to make a cleric. Turpin was born.
His scores were adjusted to match PnP with EEKeeper (total is only 83). The other five characters on this run will be original and unique, and rolled within the game.
Turpin will be created as a single class unkitted fighter, then edited in EEKeeper before play to add 64k experience, a suit of Plate Mail armor and a Battle Axe (+1). He will immediately dual class to Cleric of Tyr (Deities of Faerun mod), which will render the Battle Axe unusable. But that represents his starting gear (the plate mail and +1 axe are not otherwise available at game start). Functionally that will give him a nice boost of hit points at 1st level, but otherwise he’s just a 1st level cleric.
We’ll see, if when he unlocks his warrior levels he still has his old axe. I’m thinking he will probably have something better by then.
Hildegard – LG Human Mage 1
sorceress (Human woman, German, age 40, round face, soft shape, slightly chubby, brown hair with grey in a French braid, yellow tunic with a green tree embroidered on chest, khaki wool skirt, holds a long plain wooden staff)
[note – sorceress in the description is purely for the AI renders, to get the look I want. She is in fact a single-class unkitted mage]
8 – 14 – 16 – 18 – 14 – 13
Leezel – LG Human Undead Hunter 1
woman warrior (German, age 20, Classic German beauty, slim, blue eyes, long blonde hair in a pony tail, dented old plate armor)
[note – the “dented old plate armor” is what her parents were able to equip her with before she was sent off to school. She will *not* be getting plate mail via EEKeeper. I’m thinking the armor is old and obsolete, and will simply be the Scale Maile armor she buys at the game start. It is listed here only for the appearance of renders.]
16 – 15 – 17 – 12 – 13 – 18
Dusky Grace – NG Half-Elf (Drow) Fighter 1
unnaturally grey-skin half-elf woman (pale grey skin, Scottish, age 20, long auburn hair in a French braid, laughing smile, bright green eyes, wearing chain mail with green surcoat)
12 – 17 – 15 – 11 – 10 – 13
Answers to either “Dusky” or “Grace”. She asks people to call her Dusky and that is how she is known at the start. Except to Hildy and Turpin. Hildy has correctly discerned that Dusky is a name of her shame. As she gains ability and poise she will lean into her birth name Grace.
Henrietta McGuff IV – CG Halfling Luckbringer of Tymora Cleric/Thief 1/1
halfling rogue woman (English halfling, age 20, unkempt short blonde hair, red cheeks and nose, big scheming smile, round face, slightly chubby, leather armor)
10 – 18 – 16 – 12 – 17 – 11
Gretchen – LG Human Ranger/Archer 1
archer woman (Human female, age 20, German, piercing blue eyes, shoulder length brown hair shaggy and messy, leather scale armor, holding a bow)
13 – 18 – 17 – 12 – 14 – 14
*****
I don’t think I have a lot to add this time. This team will just naturally end up in Icewind Dale, no great surprise there. This is obviously a balanced team. I’d mention score-wise there is nothing extraordinary here, except Turpin starting with a bunch of hit points.
The build is what I’ve been using, SCS remains on “Improved” setting. I like this level, it adds some extra intelligence to opponents without a lot of gamey castings of short term buffs.
The full write-up for Turpin and the Daughters of the North can always be found at this link and includes at least one video for every update.
And he’s been well rewarded for his ability. Made sergeant in his mid-20s. Numerous decorations. Several cash bonusses and rewards. In his early 40s the Baron, his employer, offered him command of his armies. The top professional position in his forces (as opposed to a knight).
Turpin turned the position down. All his life Turpin had also been a man of faith. A devout follower of Tyr. He had long considered working for the local temple. With his savings from his military career he was able to actually train as a Cleric of Tyr. So at 45 years of age he became an acolyte. It was a little funny being in classes and study groups with kids. Everyone assumed he was a full priest and teacher. And when it came to the martial training, well, he was a little more advanced than the instructors.
This has been a bigger change for Turpin than he had thought it would be. He anticipated the challenge of professional change. But for the first time in his life he was a civilian. He liked having a class of peers, it was like when he was a rookie himself again. But it often feels awkward now that his “peers” are kids, and he clearly is not one of them. Funny, a little lonely sometimes.
One evening, Turpin was enjoying drinks and dinner with friends at an Inn near the temple. One of his classmates, Leezel, well actually she was in the Paladin class but he often found himself helping with the martial parts of their training, was sitting laughing with a few other girls he didn’t know… when he noticed there was actual woman at that table. A woman his age! She was smiling and laughing with the girls. She was a vision of such joy and beauty to him, he felt himself go red in the cheeks. It flustered him. Surely no one noticed.
And there was Leezel leading the woman by the hand over to his table. “Brother Turpin, I’d like to introduce you to my friend Hildegard, we call her Hildy. Now don’t have her out too late… or you’ll wake us all up, our suite is tiny…”
They all laughed. Turpin and Hildy talked for hours. It was one of those great changes you never see coming. Hildy changed his life.
Over the next couple weeks Turpin and Hildy grew very close.
Hildegard has lived all her life in the frozen north, Icewind Dale. She lived in Bryn Shander, the largest of the Ten Towns with 1200 residents. She was happily married shortly before she turned 20, was soon with child, and settled in to run the domestic side of family life. But then tragedy struck, her husband disappeared without ever seeing his daughter. He had been hunting, alone in the Dale always carries a certain risk. It was months before his shattered remains were found, far too late for any happy solution.
The community was quite close, friends and neighbors were all there to help Hildy with her newborn and her grief. Gretchen was an energetic sort, always needing attention.
But Hildy would not live on the kindness of others indefinitely. A mage moved into town and erected a small tower. She put out a notice she would hire a maid, but required someone literate. Hildy was one of the few looking for work who met her strict requirement, she was hired. This led to 20 years of stable employment. It wasn’t entirely happy, the mage was a cranky old woman. Hildy was becoming curious about the ways of arcane magic, and the mage often used her to help prepare components for spells and potions. Hildy loved the learning, but the mage was a little paranoid and pointedly would not teach her actual spellcasting. Hildy was paid well though, and her boss was understanding when Hildy needed time for her family. Which was growing in a way…
Hildy loved her daughter and saw so much of her late husband in her. Eventually Gretchen reached the age it was time to send her to the little school in town. Here Gretchen made several friends who would all be very close. And would all spend much of their off time at Hildy’s home. Apparently Hildy was the fun parent. First there was Leezel. Leezel was a lot like Gretchen being active and athletic. Then there was Henrietta, Henri. She was a Halfling. Curious, but quiet and retiring in a way. She loved time with her friends, and would often sit to one side and read while the other girls played.
Lastly was Grace. Hildy always called her Grace, that was her name. She was a little older than the other girls being a half-elf. She was a complete outcast among the older kids, the kids her own age. Because, well, Grace’s elven side wasn’t entirely one of the normal sorts. She had a pale grey cast to her skin. Grace’s mother was also a half-elf, but she was fair like most of her kind. Hildy asked her employer once what this meant, the older mage thought one of Grace’s parents had some significant Drow blood. Presumably the never spoken of father?
But Grace was a dear. Gentle, always a happy smile and she liked to laugh. Never a loud guffaw, always the soft snicker or giggle. Early on, Grace had asked all her friends to call her “Dusky”, because that’s what the big kids called her. It sort of broke Hildy’s heart, but Grace seemed to mean it, didn’t seem bitter. The other girls complied. Hildy did not, she figured she was exempt.
Ten years ago Grace’s mother left town. No explanation or warning given. Although, not too long before, she had told Grace that her skin color made her furious. One evening as the girls were playing, Grace admitted to Hildy she had been alone at home all week. Hildy was outraged, then heartbroken for the sweet girl. She assured Grace she had a home with her, and Gretchen, and her friends “forever”.
Now Grace had long been fascinated by Hildy’s hair, by her braid. So Hildy took the time to show Grace how to do it. It became a thing for them, they did each other’s hair regularly. And Grace became a permanent member of Hildy’s household, all the girls almost were anyway.
Time passed, and Hildy had put aside a fair amount of money from her work. She wanted to actually become a mage. She thought she had the aptitude for it. And she could pay for her girls too. By this point she didn’t just mean Gretchen and Grace, Leezel and Henri as well. As a plan formed up to head south, to one of the great cities to find a place to train, she worked with all the girls to figure a path for them. Even better, Leezel and Henri’s parents were all on board with this plan and would help pay the way. Leezel’s dad was a part-time city guard and he knew of the Training academies in Neverwinter. So that seemed to be the place to go.
They all talked and formed a plan for who would do what.
Gretchen would be a Ranger and an Archer like her father. Hildy would worry, but given Gretchen’s aptitudes and interests this was not surprising.
Leezel was clearly a warrior. The biggest of the girls by a wide margin, and a striking beauty who drew attention wherever she went. She would be a Paladin of Tyr, with a specialty to be determined.
Leezel and Gretchen were always very close. Although Gretchen often had to laugh at how her friend just drew everyone into her orbit.
Henri would be a Cleric of Tymora and a scout. This seemed fitting to Hildy, Henri was quiet and had a knack always being where the action was. And she seemed to know all the “news” and goings on around town. Her ability to learn and recall everything going on around her was a little amazing.
And Grace would be a warrior. Hildy worried a little that Grace would always be in Leezel’s shadow. She was not obviously big and fit like Leezel, she was more slim and graceful like Gretchen. But it seemed clear this was what Grace wanted.
So the women traveled south together, they found an apartment in the city and enrolled in the training as they planned. Things were going well for all of them, although Hildy looked over her young companions and wondered. Leezel drew male attention just by walking into a room, but the other three were also noticing young men. Hildy expected things would go in unexpected directions as her girls met men… so of all things, she found herself smitten with a handsome cleric trainee of about her age. Turpin proved to be a blessing in many ways. He knew the city and the area well. And he was fine with her eclectic family, he didn’t bat an eye at a halfling, or a half-Drow. He got along wonderfully with all of them.
After several months everyone’s training was officially complete. Hildy asked Turpin to accompany them to their home in the north. Turpin could only agree. He found himself completely smitten, and knew his future must lie in the North with Hildy and her girls.
Turpin LG Human F7/C1
A rugged warrior (Human male, French, grey eyes, age 45, brown with grey hair and beard, rugged, muscular, plate armor, teal surcoat, large wooden shield, battle axe)
7 – 9 – 12 – 14 – 18 – 13
Turpin is the only character in this group that started life as a PnP character. He was a character of mine from the same DM’s setting that led to “Akamas and the Family Outing“. Funny thing, the night we started that game we had three players. We all created our characters, and we wound up with my Paladin (Akamas) and two Rangers. The DM thought a moment and told one player to create a thief, the other to create a mage, and me to make a cleric. Turpin was born.
His scores were adjusted to match PnP with EEKeeper (total is only 83). The other five characters on this run will be original and unique, and rolled within the game.
Turpin will be created as a single class unkitted fighter, then edited in EEKeeper before play to add 64k experience, a suit of Plate Mail armor and a Battle Axe (+1). He will immediately dual class to Cleric of Tyr (Deities of Faerun mod), which will render the Battle Axe unusable. But that represents his starting gear (the plate mail and +1 axe are not otherwise available at game start). Functionally that will give him a nice boost of hit points at 1st level, but otherwise he’s just a 1st level cleric.
We’ll see, if when he unlocks his warrior levels he still has his old axe. I’m thinking he will probably have something better by then.
Hildegard – LG Human Mage 1
sorceress (Human woman, German, age 40, round face, soft shape, slightly chubby, brown hair with grey in a French braid, yellow tunic with a green tree embroidered on chest, khaki wool skirt, holds a long plain wooden staff)
[note – sorceress in the description is purely for the AI renders, to get the look I want. She is in fact a single-class unkitted mage]
8 – 14 – 16 – 18 – 14 – 13
Leezel – LG Human Undead Hunter 1
woman warrior (German, age 20, Classic German beauty, slim, blue eyes, long blonde hair in a pony tail, dented old plate armor)
[note – the “dented old plate armor” is what her parents were able to equip her with before she was sent off to school. She will *not* be getting plate mail via EEKeeper. I’m thinking the armor is old and obsolete, and will simply be the Scale Maile armor she buys at the game start. It is listed here only for the appearance of renders.]
16 – 15 – 17 – 12 – 13 – 18
Dusky Grace – NG Half-Elf (Drow) Fighter 1
unnaturally grey-skin half-elf woman (pale grey skin, Scottish, age 20, long auburn hair in a French braid, laughing smile, bright green eyes, wearing chain mail with green surcoat)
12 – 17 – 15 – 11 – 10 – 13
Answers to either “Dusky” or “Grace”. She asks people to call her Dusky and that is how she is known at the start. Except to Hildy and Turpin. Hildy has correctly discerned that Dusky is a name of her shame. As she gains ability and poise she will lean into her birth name Grace.
Henrietta McGuff IV – CG Halfling Luckbringer of Tymora Cleric/Thief 1/1
halfling rogue woman (English halfling, age 20, unkempt short blonde hair, red cheeks and nose, big scheming smile, round face, slightly chubby, leather armor)
10 – 18 – 16 – 12 – 17 – 11
Gretchen – LG Human Ranger/Archer 1
archer woman (Human female, age 20, German, piercing blue eyes, shoulder length brown hair shaggy and messy, leather scale armor, holding a bow)
13 – 18 – 17 – 12 – 14 – 14
*****
I don’t think I have a lot to add this time. This team will just naturally end up in Icewind Dale, no great surprise there. This is obviously a balanced team. I’d mention score-wise there is nothing extraordinary here, except Turpin starting with a bunch of hit points.
The build is what I’ve been using, SCS remains on “Improved” setting. I like this level, it adds some extra intelligence to opponents without a lot of gamey castings of short term buffs.
The full write-up for Turpin and the Daughters of the North can always be found at this link and includes at least one video for every update.
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