I know, I meant to type this two weeks ago, but kept finding reasons to put it off...We started the campaign two weeks ago! As I sat here trying not to allow the local carnival distract me as I try to think of things needed for tonight's session and realized I had yet to update on the first session. It was awesome to play without arguing with each other over semantics.
In fact it only took us about five minutes to get set up. It took maybe another five or ten minutes to get the backstories straightened out enough to play. I have a habit, and the DM's have mostly allowed said habit, of figuring out my character's backstory as we game. I was already having trouble with this particular character's backstory. It just kept refusing to reveal itself. That is until the DM and I talked about the background of the fey'ri race.
In Races of Faerun, the fey'ri were created thanks to power-hungry sun elves of a particular house in the realm of Faerun. For this campaign, we switched theories. Instead of sun elves using succubi and other demons to be made stronger, the succubi kidnapped elves of all kinds to use for breeding, trying to increase either certain abilities or the effectiveness of their looks. It did not work the way they wished. In fact, the succubi saw these creatures as below them. They saw them as so far below them that they referred to them as slaves. These slaves were kept hidden in cells that had anti-magic fields upon them. They had learned with the first ones that fey'ri had easy access to a number of spells. They decided to use them for their own goals. While the fey'ri were never certain of just what their purpose was the older ones were feared even more than the ones who had sword and shield tattoos upon the backs of their hands.
All fey'ri that reached one hundred fifty years of age were "sorted" based upon their abilities. They were all tattooed with an unfilled heart at birth. As they were raised to be put to use as entertainment and cannon fodder when needed, the heart would be filled in if the fey'ri were troublesome. Upon losing their virginity somewhere between the age of one hundred fifty and two hundred, a teardrop would be tattooed either filled in or not, to match the heart. Often times the filled in hearts went to more sadistic creatures for breeding and entertainment. They were taught only the weapons with which their first owners would allow. Every owner branded their own symbol upon the fey'ri and when said fey'ri gained a new owner by being sold to a new owner, the old owner dying, being traded, or just a partnership in the ownership of the creature.
On the troublesome fey'ri would be a tattoo of a skull and crossbones on the back of the neck starting at age two hundred. Every infraction or instance of disobedience, the tattoo would increasingly be filled in to be a completed skull and crossbones with black eyes. After the tattoo was completed the infractions would result in the loss of applicable body parts. Each demon owner held different limits before they would get fed up and punish their piece of property. Either way, those that would be considered troublesome would be severely scarred and the older ones would be missing parts of their wings, fingers/claws, tongues, etc. The older fey'ri were feared because they survived and some, not many, were survivors of some of the most sadistic owners.
My character was definitely among the troublesome. She didn't exactly filter her mouth and seemed to always wish to fight. She was put in with those who gained the sword and shield tattoo. She gained a filled in heart and skull and crossbones. In fact she only had one more eye to color in before she would be losing parts. Her tongue would have likely been first.
Anyway, the race mostly managed to escape about fifteen years prior to the start of the campaign. While they'd been captive, they were kept bald and held to other standards. None of the fey'ri that had been held captive were willing to sheer their hair after their escape. They aren't sure exactly how they escaped, but they traveled on different planes until about twelve years ago they managed to find safety on the Plane of Air. Now, the planes are bleeding into each other and Sul'ri, named for what they are the descendants of, has been sent to find more information on how to keep them safe and been given carte blanche to fight those who challenge her.
Luckily, it's now time for us to head out for the next session. Here's to gaming in D&D 3/3.5e!
