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Name: Isobel Vespasian
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Class: Cleric (of Gond)
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Age: 25
Romanceable: No.
Stats (tentative):
STR: 14
DEX: 12
CON: 10
INT: 16
WIS: 17
CHA: 12
Background:
One of the more mysterious places in Faerun is called Lantan, a secluded island nation off the coast of Chult and capital of Gond?s faith. To those aware of it, Lantan has a reputation as a land of wonders, where technology has advanced farther than anywhere else in Faerun and where the church of Gond, god of invention and innovation, reigns. Trade with Lantan is infrequent, thanks to the long voyage between the island and most of civilized Faerun, but one recent trading ship, bearing the strange technological creations of that distant land, has also brought Isobel Vespasian, priestess of Gond, to Athkatla.
Isobel?s background is not unusual for a Lantanna clergywoman-the church of the Wonderbringer is the state religion of Lantan, and almost all Lantanna interested in the spiritual find themselves in service to Gond, god of technology, creation, and craftsmanship, ally of Oghma and Deneir, yet increasingly separate from both. Isobel was born to the lower reaches of society, daughter of a miner and his herbalist wife. Options for a girl born to such a family were limited, save by entering the service of Gond.
Her decision to join the Gondar was not a choice of economics, however. Isobel possessed a spiritual heart and penetrating mind from an early age, and, being the daughter of a miner, was born to the world of industry-mining being the very lifeblood of craftsmanship. She saw the poor conditions that even Lantanna miners endure, the physically difficult labor and sometimes literally backbreaking burdens that industry demands of those who work in it.
Isobel saw the potential for that to change, and she saw it in Gond?s priesthood. For decades, the Gondar knew the secret and closely guarded formula for smokepowder-a seemingly ordinary mix of compounds and powders that, when properly mixed, compressed, and ignited with a flame, burst forth in a powerful explosion. The Gondar priesthood had long used smokepowder as a weapon, in arquebus and cannon, but Isobel saw in the unstable compound the potential for constructive use, as well as destructive. Explosive charges could easily crack open dense formations of rock to expose the veins of useful metals within.
Her history of service in the church of Gond has been unremarkable, if satisfactory. However, after several years of service in Lantan, Isobel decided to strike out from her home, to seek passage aboard a Lantanna trading ship and see more of the world. Though she has read much of Faerun, she truly knows little of it. That, she felt, was of little consequence, until she arrived in Athkatla and saw for herself what she feels is the oppressive nature of Athkatla. However, she had arrived, and Isobel has decided to stay in Faerun, and is currently preparing to venture to a place that might be more receptive to Gond and the idea of technological innovation she so espouses.
Personality and Beliefs
Isobel is an orderly, deeply law-abiding, woman. She does not quite believe that the universe runs on cosmic clockwork, but she does believe in a natural order to all things and all people, and that when things or people act against the order of the universe, chaos results, damaging other things and people. This does not mean she accepts excuses such as demons being anarchical and evil because that?s simply the way they are-in that case, the way demons are means they are to be removed like a malignant growth on the universe. Isobel believes firmly in justice, made as harsh as necessary to enforce compliance, and public order, which she believes strengthens society and is the natural birthright of all.
The question of good and evil matters little to Isobel. To her, results and efficiency matter much more than any notion of morality, and while she is content to work with both good and evil as necessary, she dislikes and distrusts the extremes of both. Extreme good would raise an incredible fuss over the use of slave labor to complete a project, and extreme evil would use a neutral project towards its own ends. Isobel considers both responses to be counterproductive.
The issue of technology also highlights an important part of Isobel?s beliefs and personality-the popular image of technological development fostering chaos and anarchy is, in her mind, a misconception. Anything built by the work of men, be it simple craftsmanship or spectacular feats of engineering, is fundamentally a feat of order, putting purpose and structure to what was previously incoherent or nonexistent. Only in the hands of people predisposed to chaos and anarchy use technology to those ends-in the hands of wise and intelligent people, there is nothing to worry about. In short, Isobel respects wisdom and intelligence. She considers herself to possess both qualities, and respects other people who she considers intelligent or wise, even if she disagrees with what they believe.
With other people, Isobel considers it her duty as a priestess of Gond to minister to the faithful, and when the opportunity presents itself, to evangelize those who do not believe. She is not necessarily after spiritual conversion-she certainly respects those who believe in deities she herself respects-but considers the duty more intellectual than spiritual, bringing others to consider rationally the ideals of Gond, and the merits thereof, especially of invention and innovation. Indeed, the line between the spiritual and the intellectual is deeply blurred in Isobel?s mind, as it is her view that what one thinks should also be what one believes, and what one believes should be what one thinks.
In her interactions with others, however, Isobel also tries to maintain a certain sense of professionalism, holding a degree of respect and courtesy as a matter of course, and keeping her nose out of places it is not wanted. Her record in maintaining this distance is not spectacular, however, especially over time.
The most notable flaw in Isobel, from what I've written of her now, is her arrogance. Isobel quite confidently believes herself to be right, and those who disagree with her on what she considers important matters to be wrong. She is entirely matter-of-fact about this attitude, and if asked would simply respond that she is right, you are wrong, and there's nothing to discuss about it. Isobel hails from a fairly sheltered culture, where the level of technology is much higher than in much of Faerun, and would be very prone to assuming that people in Faerun have, for example, ready access to books, even for the poorest members of society, due to the invention of the printing press, or be appalled at Athkatla's sewer system, much less sophisticated than that of any large city in Lantan.
Isobel's other main flaw, though I'm not sure how well it could come out in a mod without an extensive quest, is her common failure to think about the consequences of her actions. She believes herself to be wise and intelligent, but there are definite blind spots thanks mainly to her arrogant mindset, and she's much more concerned about actions than their consequences down the road. In a way, she thinks it much more important to be right than correct, insofar as she views the world.
Isobel's age suits her, as I've written her presently. She's old enough to be a confirmed priestess with a few years of experience under her belt, but that experience is mostly entry-level work in the faith, not adventuring, and she still has much to learn and look forward to while she still has her youthful idealism. My original age for her was 32, but considering that humans in FR are considered adult at 15, thought ten years of experience as an adult sounded right.
Romance note:
Isobel will not be romancable. She sees her relationship with <CHARNAME> as a professional one: a mutually beneficial arrangement with no real strings attached. She would not be bothered if <CHARNAME> kicked her out of the party, and would likely be willing to help again if encountered later. However, this is only part of the reason a romantic relationship is out of the question, and another part is simple: she is simply not interested. Isobel does hope to settle down one day with someone she loves, but that is not today, and she especially isn?t interested in an adventurer. <CHARNAME> may have the opportunity to flirt with her a little, and if <CHARNAME> is female, she may even reciprocate, but the flirtation will go nowhere.
Relations with NPC?s
Isobel will be as happy to work with a mostly good party as a mostly evil party, and the characters she will and will not get along well with are diverse-she will like and befriend Aerie, highly respect LN and LG Anomen, and do her best to coexist amicably with Edwin, but Nalia?s beliefs will appall and horrify Isobel, while Haer?Dalis would strike her as badly misguided. Naturally, as a fellow inventor, Jan would be Isobel?s most likely friend, though Isobel?s own rigidly lawful nature versus Jan?s carefree attitude would come into conflict.
As a character idea, I'm content with her being relatively simple: banters with NPC's, a few talks with Charname, but no romance or in-depth friendship. I've also considered trying to create unique items and an ability for her, to create smokepowder grenades as described in the 2E book in faiths in Faerun and specifically the section on Gond's church and his priests.
Joining the party
I was specifically thinking that Isobel would be at the city gates, considering a journey to Trademeet as possibly being fertile grounds for Gond's ideas, and she'd be content to travel with Charname to Trademeet simply as a fellow traveler, but after seeing Trademeet and all that goes on there, she would consider traveling at Charname's side to be quite the interesting prospect. For good or ill, Charname changes a lot as he or she passes through, and Isobel would consider it worthwhile to remain with Charname to see what happens. By the same token, she considers herself an active priestess of Gond, with rank and responsibilities thereof, and she understands if Charname no longer desires her presence-she'll go off on her own, looking for someplace to sow the seeds of invention and progress.
Feedback is welcome!
Edited by Solstice, 11 December 2009 - 08:02 PM.
