#cerberi

[dailycharacteroption]

Warlord (Skald Archetype)

 It’s a classic trope of fantasy gaming, the idea of the mighty warlord that rules through fear and perhaps a little magic, leading their forces on terrible raids and battles.

Though today’s entry is a skald archetype, don’t think you’re locked into the viking or other “barbarian” cultures here, as this archetype is just as useful for the armor-clad “dark lord” as it is for one of those. Indeed, as long as they inspire fear in allies and foes alike, this archetype is perfect for any sort of “fearsome leader” character you’d like to run.

Such warlords attract to themselves many warriors who may see them as a ticket to prosperity through violence, or they might serve out of fear after the warlord killed their previous leader, but they do pack the power to back up their bluster.

 Confident and powerful, these warriors do not scare easily.

What’s more, they gain a special performance that puts the fear of failure into their allies and minions, forcing them to maintain resolve against other fearsome things for fear of what will happen if they fail.

Powerful as they are, they naturally begin to attract, recruit, and/or press-gang together a small band of loyal fighters and servants.

Among these minions, they find greater mental fortitude, ignoring distraction and subversion when being inspired to fight harder by their master.

Very useful for an NPC warrior foe with many followers, or for a player eager to play a fearsome master of war. It’s clear at higher levels that you’re meant to be leading minions into big battles, but that’s not necessarily viable for every encounter or campaign, so keep that in mind, as well as the fact that you will also need to fight some battles yourself.

 This archetype doesn’t have an alignment restriction, but it will definitely need some reflavoring to play a good warlord. The phrase “tough but fair” comes to mind, but that just makes them sound like political candidates.

That being said, this archetype was introduced in Ultimate Intrigue, so the idea of a warlord being a major political player rather than just a combat menace does have merit as well.

  A cruel and ruthless tyrant, Golgarak has ruled the Easter Province for years since his successful campaign, and only the foolish dare cross him in his domain. Some say that he has personally tamed a cerberi that he often threatens to feed his soldiers to if they fail him. Regardless if this is true, none dare refuse his orders.

 A goblin is not exactly what one expects when they think of a great warlord, but Culbrat The Crusher has certainly risen to prominence, mastering magic that enhances his voice and keeping his erratic kin in line with threats of dogs and horses and written words.

 A fearsome warlord has burned down the party’s home village, carting off most survivors as slaves. In a classic tale, the party must band together to gain strength and fight back against such tyranny! If only they can learn to work together first.

[royal-insane]

1/9

First sketch of my recent drawing challenge inspired by the good old Heroes of the Might and Magic III. The unit is Cerberi of the Inferno town.

In my opinion, ALL of them are extremely good boys.

[dailycharacteroption]

Sister-in-Arms (Cavalier Archetype)

 Continuing the story of the advancing Golarion timeline, we have another archetype associated with the Gray Maidens, the brainwashed soldiers that were iconic antagonists of the Curse of the Crimson Throne AP.

After the fall of their queen, the Gray Maidens were scattered, some seeking to reinstate their queen or find a new one, while others seek a normal life. If the Sanguine Angel prestige class represents the former, and the Masked Maiden archetype represents the latter that are still struggling to find themselves, then today, we are looking at those Gray Maidens that are mostly stable, and work towards their goals, chief among them being protecting their fellow sisters. After all, they are all technically war criminals just as they are also victims.

Beyond that, however, these Sisters-in-Arms are fairly evenly split between seeking a new powerful figure and those that just want to support each other. While they are all skilled cavaliers, their focus in these regards alters what parts of their training they retain.

Of course, like all setting-specific archetypes, feel free to change it up to make it work in your world.

 Focused as they are on protecting their comrades, these lady warriors aren’t quite as passionate about their challenge as other cavaliers, not being nearly as lethal.

However, their dual focus of royalty and comrades grants them not one, but two cavalier orders, but specifically both the dragon and lion orders, with no other choices. They do, however, gain the full benefits of both. They only follow the edicts of one, however, and which edicts they choose says a lot about their end goals and loyalties.

Eager to defend their sisters, they train themselves to fight to defend their allies, specifically with training that bolsters the defense or nearby allies.

This even extends to their will, channeling their former conditioning of loyalty to the queen for loyalty to their sisters, making their wills hard to subvert when doing so would risk turning them on their allies.

Both the orders of this archetype have special abilities tied to giving commands and rallying allies, and particularly impressive sisters-in-arms are swift to belt them out, letting them bolster and command allies while still performing more complex deeds.

Losing all of their mounted ability, this archetype is the very picture of the cavalier as a support melee class. I recommend a teamwork feat-heavy build, as well as good defenses to better protect your allies.

 Conceptually, this archetype speaks to me as an expression of loyalty. The Gray Maidens all suffered at the hands of their Queen and her servants, and now that she is gone, they have to decide what they do with themselves, and clearly, not all agree.”

  Descendants of fetchlings fleeing the depredations of the kytons, the Knights of Eternal Shadow serve the Silver King, the masked ruler of the Twilight Coast. While they are loyal, they also focus on supporting and protecting their own, even in the face of local law.

 Officially, with the fall of King Ervan, all of his private servants were disbanded. However, his Iron Brothers still remain in the shadows, figuring out their next move, the indecision of which threatens to embroil the nation in a shadow war.

 The Black Order of the Cerberus draw upon the imagry of the fiendish three-headed canines to emulate their role as jailors, keeping dangerous prisoners from ever seeing the light of day in the service of their king. However, rumor has it that there is a scism among them, a faction that would seek to rule, rather than serve.

[quarkmaster]

Cerberi Attack

Bryan Sola

[kafsho]

Jetëshkrimi i një gjeli

Aleksandër Babe vdiq. Në këtë pikë ju me siguri do të pyesni e thoni: Kush është? Dhe, s’do mend, keni të drejtë. Aleksandër Babe prej vitesh kish mërguar dhe jetonte në Greqi, por ajo çka ngre peshë në këtë rast, ai nuk qe nga ata personazhe të shoqërisë së përkëndej kufirit që jemi mësuar t’i shohim përnatë në talk show (...).

Para viteve nëntëdhjetë, Babe botoi gjithë-gjithë tri novela: “Kali”, “Bijtë” dhe “Vesveseliu”. Me “Kali”  fitoi çmim në një konkurs kombëtar për letërsinë për fëmijë, “Bijtë” kaloi në heshtje, (...) ndërsa “Vesveseliu” pati një fat të palakmueshëm. (D)o të kartonizohej, i damkosur si vepër me ndikime frojdiste. (...)

Ç’është e vërteta, lypset të mos jua hamë hakun censorëve dhe të pohojmë se (...) novela e Babes nuk kishte asgjë që t’i vinte era realizëm socialist (...) pra, censorëve tanë, nuk ua hante qeni shkopin. Ndërsa frojdizimi i Babes ishte thjesht një casus për cerberët kokëtrashë të metodës (...). 

“Vesveseliu” është jetëshkrimi (në qoftë se mund të shprehemi kështu) i një gjeli (...)! (...) Qysh nga ky çast gjërat vijnë e ndërlikohen: Vesveseliu nuk është një gjel dosido, ngaqë marrëdhëniet e tij me botën që e rrethon dhe, në mënyrë të veçantë, me qeniet me arsye supreme, pra, njerëzit – dhe këtu nuk bëhet fjalë për njeri dosido, po për njeriun e ri të socializmit shkencor – ai i ndërton ashtu siç i thotë rradakja e tij prej gjeli (...).

 Instinkti te Vesveseliu është shprehje e lirisë (...). Dhe pikërisht këtë liri (lexo: mosnënshtrim kundrejt shoqërisë njerëzore dhe, ç’është më e papranueshme, kundrejt autoriteteve, më konkretisht të plotfuqishmit të lagjes!) Vesveseliu do ta paguajë me kokë. Skena e ekzekutimit të Vesveseliut, shpërfillja e tij ndaj vdekjes, është nga më të bukurat e librit. 

(M)jafton një kryevepër e vockël si “Vesveseliu”, që (Aleksandër Babe) të ketë hisen e vet në parcelën e letrave shqipe.

Virgjil Muçi

[coalspines]

Fall || Word count: 425

Character(s):   Oakley Zielinski

Verse:               Cerberi

Warnings:         Implied violence?

Why do you do this? That’s what her sister asked, identical smile painted on her face, all traces of genuine concern on her face replaced with pure, malicious curiosity. She wants to know what’s going to happen, but she doesn’t care, not really. Oakley is not surprised.

“I do what I want.” She says, the look of pure arrogance on her face, and she’s not really surprised, not by herself and not by her sister. She’s gotten used to the person she’s grown into.

I do what I want, and that still echoes inside of her head. And really, how good of a reason is that? Is that a reason at all? Oakley doesn’t think so. Doesn’t mean she doesn’t mean it: it just means that she doesn’t mean it that much, and that there’s something else behind it, something that she doesn’t hide from herself, but she’d never let her know that. Never her sister, because she knows the other doesn’t wish her well.

They were sisters, once. They were also humans, and they’re not anymore, and things are as simple as that.

So Oakley brushes her off, and doesn’t see her for another decade. Doesn’t miss her – doesn’t miss either of them, and they can both go fuck themselves – and she’s fine, living off the drugs that don’t affect her, drink that she can’t hold down at all and with her hands and throat covered in blood and bile and all the other fluids that come to the human throats when you attempt to bite it, and no stories really you of this. No stories tell of you perfume poisoning, or how your victim throws up from shock and you throw up because you’re not human.

Nobody tells you that it’s not easy not being human, and that you have to leave it all behind. Nobody tells you, nobody teaches you that you’re merely humanoid, but if you wish to act human, well, you’ve got another thing coming.

You’re a higher being now, though, so you have to do more and expect less, ask for less. Live on less: less food, less sleep, less sunlight, less emotions.

So why does she do it?

Because she’s not human. She’s not a monster, she doesn’t think so, not really, and instead she’s this half-step from one thing to another and she does it – she risks – because she might fall. Oakley is of those people who think you should try everything once, and she would absolutely love to see what it would be like to fall.