#grifter burnside

[pistols-and-pastries]

Grifter Burnside

[timholtorf]

After two sessions of the D&D campaign, stuff I’ve discovered about Grifter Burnside, Tabaxi engineer

Manages to play a decent harmonica (has a charisma of 9 and has no points in perform, making it a -1, rolled an 18 his first time playing it).

Seems to know more about nature than the druid (sometimes, rolled a high roll on his first nature check, which is based off of intelligence which gives him a +3).

Sherlock Holmes a campground to find a secret passage in a tree (yes, Sherlock Holmes is now a verb, and he rolled a nat 20 on an investigation check).

Helped build a pretty good raft (with assistance from the rest of the party, they began to raft down the river).

Built the raft so well, he began thinking back to his days in cub scouts (note; cub is literal as Tabaxi are a feline race) while they just Tom Saywered their way down the river (Tom Saywer is also now a verb, could also say Huckleberried).

Need to find a way to craft rubber bullets, as the first time he fired a shot he nearly killed his target right off when they needed to question people.

Plans on making Dark Vision goggles for the entire party, has already made one set for the halfling monk (who seems to play instruments better than our bard).

Will next work on a healing turret, and see if there’s some way to give it a rudimentary sentience, that way it can follow the party.

Although, this idea may backfire in the event someone decides to ask it a philosophical question.

So far, that homebrew GW2 engineer crossover that @asmeauhomebrews made is working out great for this campaign.

And, just a note, apparently we have fantasy 7-11s in this world.

[guildwarsstartrekskyrim]

Considering a retcon

I’m considering a retcon, and have spent this evening attempting to work through the ins and outs of this retcon.  This retcon involves Flintlock Burnfur, Shani Wennemein (and her siblings, of course), but also includes Grfiter and Mia.

For the most part, everything is still the same; Shani, Wren and Pania discover the burned out merchant wagon near Black Haven and discover that the bodies are charr.  One of the bodies was hiding a tiny cub, who would become Flintlock.  Shani takes Flintlock in, and adopts her.  They live in Fort Salma.

For Grifter, his story also stays the same, but changes somewhat.  He was 7 years old when Flame legion attacked his parents’ farm, his sire ordered him to take an infant Mia and get away from the farm as fast as he could, pointing the young charr to the west.  Now, sadly, instead of telling Grifter to head toward a norn settlement or a charr settlement, Grifter kept going.  Fear and worry was driving him based on what his father told him to do.

Here’s where things change, where the retcon kicks in.

Flintlock was never taken to the Black Citadel.  No covert ops to take humans into charr lands, no Black Riders that helped the fight against the Flame Legion.  So Flintlock lives in Fort Salma, and from time to time, she gets some much needed education in Lion’s Arch.  Grifter, being resourceful and needing to take care of his sister, manages to find food for her, but also travels way off course and finds himself in the Kessex Hills region as he’s ducking in and out of hiding.  He realises he’s in human lands and he’s a touch scared due to the fact that he’s heard the stories, so to speak.  But at Black Haven, three riders on horseback see him and Mia.

It takes some coaxing, but Shani manages to get Grifter to come out from his hiding spot, holding Mia protectively.  A bath and food for both Grifter and Mia proves to be the one thing that lets Grifter finally stop worrying.  A little more coaxing, and Shani manages to convince him to come with them to Fort Salma.  After all, Shani would tell him, Flintlock has been with the Wennemeins for several years now.

So instead of a traditional warband, Grifter and Mia become Flintlock’s brother and sister.  Through the tight knit family bonds that are created through Shani, Wren, Sywyn and Unia, the three charr find themselves a part of a big family.

So why exactly did I decide on this retcon?  A couple of reasons, but the big one that even tweaked me a bit was the one where humans were in charr lands and acted without any supervision.  I doubt that would happen while humans and charr were at war.  It would also be difficult for Shani to convince anyone to help her take Flintlock back to the Black Citadel.  And besides, there was a lot of things Shani and Unia could teach Flintlock, along with Grifter and Mia.

The other thing that sort of tweaked me a bit was how would Flintlock, Grifter and Mia stay with Unia in Claypool having never had that much exposure to such a family unit at an early age.  By taking Flintlock to the Black Citadel, she misses out on continued exposure and a family bond with Unia.  As for Grifter and Mia, there’d be no reason for a family bond with Unia outside of Flintlock.  Therefore, it would be easier for Flintlock, Grifter and Mia to all have grown up together and therefore become more connected with Unia, which would have the affect of all three charr calling Unia nana.

I wanted to bounce the idea around here and see what people thought of it before I go ahead and sort of make this the new standard for the three charr and the Wennemein family. Let me know what you think.

[wennemein-siblings]

To journey alone

The sun had begun to set as Grifter found a small hideaway on the eastern edge of Ascalon Settlement in the Gendarren Fields.  No humans would see him and no centaurs would either.  He was crafty that way, and he remembered the original path that had taken him here before some snake oil salesman capture him along with his sister.

Grifter had no hatred for the Wennemeins, he felt they had done what was in their hearts and for the brief time he was there in Fort Salma they never looked down on him once.  It made it easier for him to leave Mia there so she could grow up with a family.  Besides, he thought that if he made it to Diessa and the old ranch his parents ran he could come back for her.  At least, that was what he said in the note he had left.

The air was quiet as he started a small fire.  It was time to cook the small rabbit he’d captured late in the afternoon.  He’d learned how to skin and strip a rabbit the first time he’d travelled west, at least this time he wasn’t worrying about a fussy infant.  As he worked away, he felt as though he were being watched.  Carefully, he set down his cutting board and walked around the fire, stopping when he saw the silhouette of the familiar woman in her stetson, sitting quietly at the edge of the clearing.

“How long have you been there?” he said with a heavy sigh.  He’d hoped that none of the Wennemeins had followed him.

“I started followin’ ya a few hours after ya left,” Shani replied in her usual matter of fact tone.  “An’ don’t worry, it’s just me.”

“Why are you here?” Grifter asked as he returned to his cutting board.  “I mean, I’m going back to Diessa.  There’s nothing changing my mind.”

“Uh-huh,” Shani just said with a nod.  “Whatcha cookin’?”

“Rabbit,” Grifter said quietly.  “I caught one this afternoon.”

“Fair ‘nough,” Shani replied.  “Ya mind if I sit closer by the fire?  It can get cold at night.” Grifter nodded quietly and returned to cutting up the rabbit for his stew.  “This here’s a good spot,” Shani commented as she took a seat.  “Hidden from the Settlement, ain’t no centaurs thet come ‘round.  Should makr this fer future.”  Grifter only listened as he began putting chunks of meat and some vegetables into a stew pot.  “Ya left Mia back at the house, thet’s a good idea.  Best ta move on yer own.”

Grifter looked up from his stew pot and studied Shani’s face.  “Why are you here?”

“Make sure y’all get where ya need ta go?” Shani replied.

“I’ve done this before, you know,” he protested.

“Ya did this only b’cause it were outta need an’ desperation,” Shani said.  “Y’all were dealt a hand thet weren’t fer nothin’ an’ ya made it worth somethin’.  Along the way, ya had a coupla bumps, but ya made it.”

“You don’t make any sense sometimes,” Grifter said as he shook his head. “Are you gonna follow me all the way into Diessa?”

“If I need ta, yeah,” Shani nodded her head firmly.

“But...” Grifter began, unable to tell if Shani was being honest or merely saying something she felt Grifter might want to hear.  “But I know that humans and charr are at war.  They’d kill you on sight.”

“That is a possibility,” Shani said in her usual matter of fact way.  Grifter could only sit beside the fire and stir his cooking stew.  “What d’y’all expect ta find in Diessa?”  Grifter only shrugged in reply.  “I remember what ya told us thet night we got you an’ yer sister back ta the house.  How yer daddy told ya ta take Mia an’ head fer the hills.  Thet ya saw Flame Legion shamans an’ soldiers swarmin’ down onta the farm.”

“I...” Grifter began, but he suddenly couldn’t give a proper explanation.  He suddenly felt so alone, so cold and so afraid.  Try as he might, there was no way he could contain his emotions in front of Shani, and he began to cry as he spoke.  “I just miss them so much.  I want my dad and my mom again.  I want the ranch back.  That was my home and now it’s been taken away.”

Shani moved over to sit directly beside him.  She took a handkerchief from her coat and handed it to the young cub.  Grifter took it gingerly and sheepishly wiped his eyes and blew his nose.  “We all go through hurt in our lives.  But the hurt thet matters the most is the one ya go through right now.” Grifter blinked away his tears and looked up to Shani as she spoke.  “You an’ I have a lot in common.  We both have lost family in our time.  People like us gotta stick t’gether.  B’cause o’ that, I swear ta you thet I will go with ya ta Diessa an’ seek out yer momma an’ daddy’s ol’ ranch.  An’ I always keep my word.”

Grifter found himself leaning against Shani.  Flintlock was right, Shani wasn’t like other humans.  She didn’t look down on people when they needed help, and in a weird sort of way she was rather comforting.  “I guess...” Grifter said quietly before stopping to blow his nose.  “Maybe I could go back to Fort Salma with you and when it’s safer we could go out there together.”

“I will take thet as a deal,” Shani said and held out her hand to Grifter.  The cub looked to her hand, then up to Shani and finally took her hand in his small paw.  “B’sides, I think yer sister will be more comfortable with you around.  You were her protector for a good part o’ her life.  An’ goodness knows Flintlock will be tickled ta have ya around.  Someone she can wrastle with, hell she’ll be pleased as punch.” Shani smiled with this final comment, and Grifter couldn’t help but smile in return.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, living in a human village.  Maybe he’d find the family that he’d needed after more than a year away from his first.

[pistols-and-pastries]

Set sails!

My muse is a pirate on the run from the law that just so happened to commandeer the boat your muse was napping in. From @luxelen and @gulmontjonty

While Mia was often times shy and quiet, she was incredibly observant.  For instance, since the three charr finished building and launched this boat, she knew where Flintlock kept all of the sweets in the galley, she knew where Grifter kept all of the parchment for writing down drafts and designs and she knew the combination locks to all of the doors throughout the ship.  And those doors that didn’t have combination locks and only had regular locks, she knew how to pick them.  A handy skill that her mother, Shani, taught her.

And being as small as she was, she could move around as quietly as a mouse (the actual kind of mouse, not the kind of mouse that was used as a slur against humans). With that, it meant that Mia could climb out of bed, get into her overcoat and make a midnight kitchen raid without Flintlock or Grifter ever knowing about it.

Besides, that’s where the ice cream chocolate creamcicles were stashed.

Mia’s stealthy ability also meant that the two people who had suddenly came aboard the ship and started arguing, albeit in a quiet manner, didn’t notice the small charr elementalist.

So there it was that Mia was first shaking Grifter awake and then Flintlock.  The two older charr groggily woke up.  Grifter looked out the window in the crew quarters to see the full moon shining brightly in the sky.  Flintlock rubbed her eyes and looked around for a moment as she tried to figure out just where she was and what time it was.

“It’s about midnight, I figure,” Grifter said as he looked back from the porthole.

“What’s goin’...” Flintlock began and then caught sight of Mia nibbling away on her freshly absconded ice cream treat.  “Mia, how did you get into the freezer, I had that locked.”

“I picked it,” She replied with a shrug and then added, “Luxelen an’ Monty are on the deck an’ I think they’re havin’ an argument.”

Both Flintlock and Grifter paused a moment.  They both attempted to figure out just how the two could have gotten on board the boat when they were anchored off the western coast of the lands that would be Elona.  They were sailing toward the Sandswept Isles, using an alternate route of travel that avoided all the dangers on land.  Orr was the only real exception, and that wasn’t nearly as difficult as it seemed as the Risen weren’t as organized now that Zhaitan was dead.

Flintlock and Grifter raced for the stairs that lead up to the main deck as Mia followed along behind them, still quietly nibbling on her ice cream treat.  Sure enough, there was Luxelen and Gulmonty arguing about something in as quiet a matter as one could have an argument.

“...most daft idea I’ve heard,” Monty said in a whispered shout as he was obviously trying to position himself in the argument.  “Joko’s phylactory is no where ta be found in Elona proper.  He’s gonna have it somewhere familiar, an’ b’sides we’ve no idea if he even has one!  An’ it’s a fool’s errand to try it anyway seein’ how all the Mordent Crescent is wise to what we did before!”

“Mordent Crescent be damned, they’re the fools.  Besides, Joko will want the object nearby in order to keep it safe,” Luxelen quickly countered.  “If we steal it, then we have a huge bargaining chip to use over him.”

“That’ll just piss ‘im off more!” Monty again argued. “We don’t just steal it, we destroy it right there.  IF it even exists...” Monty stopped as both he and Luxelen looked toward the three charr.

Before Flintlock or Grifter could say a word, it was Mia who piped up.  “Whatcha guys doin’?”

[pistols-and-pastries]

Grifter filled in for Flintlock at the tea shop this week.

[pistols-and-pastries]

The members of the Burn Warband.  Flintlock Burnfur, Mia Corpseburn and Grifter Burnside.

[pistols-and-pastries]

Grifter Burnside, born to a pair of cattle ranchers in Diessa Plateau, he finds comfort in helping the farmers of Claypool and surrounding area.  He often helps set up fence lines, works on the machinery in the windmill and repairing walls in the township.  Together with Flintlock Burnfur, Grifter raises his little sister Mia and prove to the human lands that charr aren’t just mindless beasts wanting to wage war.