Curse of the Crimson Throne is a Pathfinder adventure path, adapted for the CORWYN game setting. The story begins in Ashara; the Capitol city of the Kingdom of Gwynne.
PLAYER'S BACKGROUND
Background Traits; Even before Curse of the Crimson Throne begins, you and the other PCs have a shared trait—you’ve all been wronged, in some manner, by the despicable Gaedren Lamm. The campaign you are about to begin starts as you and several other promising young heroes are brought together to do what the city guard cannot (or will not) do—to see that Gaedren Lamm answers for his crimes, be that in a court of law or at the edge of a vengeful blade.
Presented here are five ties to Gaedren you can choose for your character, historical snippets that explain how this detestable crimelord has affected you in the past. Each trait presents an unfortunate event, painted in broadstrokes so you can customize it to your needs, that helped shape your character. Once you’ve selected a trait, pick a benefit that matches your own concept for your character. Feel free to adapt and rework the particulars of your chosen trait to fit your history. So long as you have a reason to see Gaedren pay for his crimes, you’ll have a built-in reason to take up a life of adventuring and, more importantly, a reason to bond with your new companions.
Obviously, these background traits won’t work well for new characters brought into the campaign after Gaedren’s been taken care of, yet the flavor text can be easily changed. Talk with your GM, but it should be a simple matter for you to pick one of the following traits, change a few names, and have it focus on an entirely different set of circumstances. It’s up to your GM to decide if your new higher-level character has already addressed these issues or if he wants to work them into future events in the campaign. The game benefits of the selected trait remain unchanged, and persist even after Gaedren Lamm is taken care of.
The Potential Character Backgrounds are:
1) Drug Addict
Someone you know has become addicted to Khat, a popular, illegal drug. The drug induces sleep filled with vivid dreams, during which the user’s body often shakes and shivers, giving the substance its street name. Shiver is particularly dangerous for the desperate, for its promises of dreams and oblivion are often viewed as the only alternative apart from suicide for escaping a dreary life. You’ve always thought of shiver as a problem of the lower class, but then someone you know overdosed on the stuff. You’ve done a bit of investigating and have learned that the one who got your friend addicted in the first place was a crimelord named Gaedren. Unfortunately, the City Guard seems to be more focused on other matters right now. They don’t have time to devote any resources to what they’ve called, “a bit player in a beggar’s problem.” It would seem that if his operation is to be stopped, it falls to you.
- Addicted Friend: The addict is a friend or lover who might or might not have survived the overdose. Your research into the drug scene and local politics has given you a respectable education in street knowledge. You gain a +2 bonus on Knowledge (local) checks or Gather Information checks (choose one when selecting this trait).
- Personal Addiction: You were the addict. You blame Gaedren for your brush with death and hate how his drugs are causing similar problems among other youths. Fortunately, your body recovers quickly from toxins, and you have a +1 bonus on Fortitude saving throws.
2) Framed:
Someone you know and love was accused of murder. A supposed eyewitness account from a local fisherman seemed to be enough to seal the case, but the accused had enough alibis that sentencing wasn’t immediate. Someone confronted the fisherman and discovered he was intimidated into providing false witness and forced into planting the murder weapon by the actual murderer—a local crimelord named Gaedren Lamm. Lamm’s thugs killed the fisherman before he could recant his testimony. Although this removed the key witness and resulted in the accused being set free, the stigma was enough to badly damage his reputation. If you can find Gaedren, you’re sure you can find evidence that ties him to the murder and can clear the accused’s name.
- Family Honor: The person framed was a family member, perhaps a father or brother. You managed to trick the fisherman into revealing the truth with your skilled tongue, and thus gain a +2 bonus on Bluff checks.
- Dropout: You were the one accused. Although you were eventually freed when a friend confronted the fisherman and got the truth, the damage had been done. You were forced to leave your school or church. As a result, you were forced to self-train and promised yourself you would become better at your chosen profession despite the spurning of your peers. You gain a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks.
3) Love Lost:
Someone you loved was knifed to death in a dark alley one night. You were called to the scene by the City Guard to identify the body, and as rough as that was for you, you also noticed a ring was missing from the body. Whoever murdered your loved one stole that ring—you’re convinced of it. You’ve done some investigation on your own and recently found that exact same ring for sale at a local merchant's shop. Although, to your great frustration, you can’t afford yet to buy it back, the merchant did tell you from whom he purchased the ring: a man named Gaedren Lamm. It seems likely this criminal is the one who killed your loved one, or at the very least knows who did. The only problem is finding him.
- Orphaned: The murder victim was your only surviving parent. You had to grow up fast to take care of your siblings or to handle your family’s matters and were forced from an early age to support yourself. You gain a +2 bonus on one of the following skills: Craft, Perform, or Profession.
- Widowed: The murder victim was a lover. With your lover’s death, a part of you died as well, leaving you haunted, grim, and prone to dark musings. You gain a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks.
4) Missing Child:
You suspect that a child you know has been abducted by Gaedren. Whatever the relationship, you’ve heard rumors about Gaedren’s “Little Lambs,” and of how the old man uses children as pickpockets and agents for his crimes. You’ve even heard rumors that the child you’re looking for has been spotted in the marketplaces in the company of other known to be cut-purses and pickpockets. Although the City Guard has been understanding of your plight, yet it has its hands full with “more important” matters these days, it seems, and has not yet been able to learn anything more about Gaedren. No one else is interested in bringing Gaedren down and rescuing his victims—that task falls to you. Yet where could the old scoundrel be hiding?
- Missing Sibling: The missing child is a brother or sister. Although everyone else has given up hope, you believe your sibling still lives out there. Your constant search for the missing sibling has developed into great skill at rumor mongering and finding information from others. Gather Information and Sense Motive are always class skills for you.
- Missing Son or Daughter: The missing child is your own son or daughter, a niece or nephew, or the son or daughter of your superior or employer and one you had been charged with protecting. The child was abducted during a trip to the market or some other daily event. Long hours spent searching for rumors and your stubborn will to continue grant you a +1 bonus on Will saves.
5) Unhappy Childhood:
You spent a period of time as one of Gaedren’s enslaved orphans. Maybe you were abducted from your parent’s home or during a trip to the market. Perhaps the irresponsible matron who ruled your orphanage traded you to him in return for a desperately needed loan of money. Or perhaps you, like most of Gaedren’s slaves, were merely a child of the street who succumbed to his promise of regular meals and a roof in return for what he said would be “a little light work.” Whatever the case, you spent several years of your life as one of his “Little Lambs” before escaping. You’ve nursed a grudge for the old man ever since.
- Tortured: Gaedren tortured you and left you for dead on a garbage heap after you made one too many errors. Your scars and memories have honed your reaction speed and make you rather jumpy. You gain a +1 bonus on Reflex saves.
- Religious: You found a holy symbol of the god you worship today while on a job for Gaedren and, intrigued by it, you snuck off to attend services. When Gaedren found out, he beat you to within an inch of your life and broke your holy symbol. Your faith let you block out the pain, and you escaped his control and took shelter in the church, where you spent the rest of your youth. You gain a +2 bonus on Concentration checks.
