I could go a number of places with this one, but I think I know what, or more to point, who I want to talk about.
Back when I was working The Craft of the Wise: The Pagan Witch Tradition I wanted to go back through my years of notes, not just on witches and witchcraft or even my notes on playing a B/X-style game, but on who were the Pagans I was trying to represent. So I took a two-pronged approach.
First. I looked to the rules I was going to be using. In this case, it was the Old School Essentials from Necrotic Gnome, in particular, the Advanced Fantasy: Genre Rules. That was the feel I was going with.
I wanted to create some characters to mimic the feel of a "pagan world." At the same time I was organizing my other RPG books and was thumbing through the game Keltia and it's companion game Yggdrasill. Both really captured the feel I wanted in a "Pagan World" game. So I took two character concepts from here, one from each game, and looked to translate them into OSE, Rules As Written.
What character types fit this notion of both Celtic and Norse/Scandinavian Paganism?
Simple. The Druid and the Bard. Both classes have their roots in Pagan Europe and might even be two of the most "pagan" classes out there save for the Barbarian.
Since my iconic witch Larina is often used to test my new witch classes once they are written, I wanted these two other characters to be my tests for the materials I was still writing. I like to keep my variables to a minimum when playtesting, so starting with established classes is always my first choice. If Larina is my witch, then these are the parents of the witch. Who they were now was easy.
Introducing Lars & Siân
Since I was playtesting a Pagan game I used our world circa 350-500AD. Lars is a Bard from Denmark. He was a member of a raiding party heading towards the British Isles. I choose to ignore the Romans there for this since it worked out better for me. The ship that Lars was on was beset by terrible storms (same sort that would bedevil King James over a 1000 years later) and his ship, and all the raiders were lost.
He washed ashore in Wales (they had gone through the English Channel. I never said they were good or even smart raiders) and was encountered by the locals where they nursed him back to health. They recognized that he was a bard (or a skald in his own language) and thought it would be ill-advised to harm him. He was given over to the protection of Siân, a druidess. If this sounds familiar then I essentially ripped off the story of Amergin Glúingel and his journey to Ireland. Though Lars was not a Milesian.
There was some initial mistrust, but soon they fell in love and consummated their relationship on Beltane night. Some 38 weeks later, Larina was born.
It amused me to use these characters, ones really brand new to me, to be the parents of a character I know so well.
Lars, son of Nichols Lawful Male Human Bard, 12th level
Str: 13
Int: 17
Wis: 16
Dex: 14
Con: 13
Cha: 18
HP: 42
AC: 5 (leather armor, ring of protection)
Spells
First: Detect Danger, Predict Weather, Speak with Animals
Second: Cure Light Wounds, Obscuring Mists, Produce Flame
Third: Hold Animal, Protection from Poison, Water Breathing
Fourth: Cure Serious Wounds, Summon Animals
Lars, despite his name, is not based on Lars Ulrich. If anything he based on a combination of Donovan and Van Morrison.
Siân nic Stefon Neutral Female Human Druid, 12th level
Str: 10
Int: 16
Wis: 18
Dex: 12
Con: 12
Cha: 17
HP: 38
AC: 5 (leather armor, ring of protection)
Spells
First: Animal Friendship, Entangle, Faerie Fire, Predict Weather, Speak to Animals
Second: Barkskin, Create Water, Cure Light Wounds, Obscuring Mists, Slow Poison
Third: Call Lightning, Hold Animal, Protection from Poison, Tree Shape, Water Breathing
Fourth: Cure Serious Wounds, Dispel Magic, Protection from Fire & Lightning, Temperature Control
Fifth: Commune with Nature, Control Weather, Transmute Rock to Mud, Wall of Thorns
I once said "I don't explore dungeons, I explore characters" and I had a great time exploring these two.
It's like reading the Superman stories that take place on Krypton before the planet explodes. Here I explored the Pagan world before Christianity took over (appealing) AND two characters that shaped one of my most important characters.
I loved using HeroForge to make these as well. Lars has Larina's face and hair color. Siân has the same body and staff as my first version print of Larina so many years ago. This pleases me to no end. Siân's face is that of a half-elf with human ears since I consider her to have a bit of sidhe blood in her, but that is true of all the Welsh I think.
I might have to get these. They are two of my new favorite characters. Plus I am so pleased with how the different versions of Larina turned out I am going to have to get her mom and dad!
For those that are curious, yes, I am working on a Digest sized version of Craft of the Wise. Out very soon I hope!
