Meet the players..

The Dungeon Master:

 I am Dustin Baker, a music loving, game loving, psych undergrad with a penchant for fantasy gaming. This will be my 22nd year playing the game of Dungeons and Dragons, with the vast majority of my time in the DM chair. When I began, my best friends older sister had gone out and bought an introductory boxed set for 2nd edition Dungeons and Dragons. My best friend, his two sisters and mom all joined in the fun of running through the pre-made dungeon with pre-created characters. His sisters and mom didn't cling to the game, but we sure did. Later down the roads some fellas from school joined us and we started buying the books and by then I had long taken my seat at the head of the table.That's the short of it.
 I love creating a good story and plot. I love creating interesting and deep characters. I love when the story takes an unpredictable turn and the challenge it creates for me to keep the game moving. It requires a great deal of ad lib and running off the top of your head. Especially when things go way unexpected, and that's something I love doing and have gotten quite good at. I like to use background music to set the mood and I typically pull those tracks from places like video games of a similar content as D&D and movies or show soundtracks as well. I focus as much on the role playing of the characters as I do the dungeon crawling element of the game. I have a table of 6 great guys that love to do both role play and dungeon crawl (some more than others, but it takes all kinds).

The last campaign broke a few barriers for me (and is what kind of started this). 1- I DM'ed a group of characters from 1st to 30th level (with the same 6 guys through 95% of it, might I add!), it took over four years meeting one day a week on average. That's never happened before on a straight through basis for me. I wasn't alone though, one of the players took a different kind of role where we co-dm'ed, hard to explain, but the short is that he helped me from the players seat and even took the helm a few times when it was called for. 2- I ended the game by breaking the video barrier in D&D, and the campaign ended with a half hour long video telling the end of the story and end credits (I will post it later if there's enough interest). and lastly 3-I've never had a plot line that was completely contiguous for an entire campaign. Everything the characters did flowed into the next thing and so on. it was smooth, everyone stayed on with everything and even when the group saw inner conflict it kept moving in the right direction. The story was amazing, and it took all 7 of us to orchestrate that. In the last 10 levels, my co-dm moved to dm'ing another campaign (that I played a character in!) and those character's story ended up entangled with the one we were playing. It was bad ass, everyone loved it, and the only short coming of the whole thing is that I failed to document it and novelize it in any way....and here we are. Now that I've introduced me, here are the players and their characters:

Jason Wilkinson as Autumn Willow

Jason is one of my newer players. He started playing D&D with me at the beginning of the last campaign and has since become a distinguished player. Of the 6 players he may possibly be the most into the role playing aspect. He values a truly deep and dynamic character and enjoys hiding elements of his character and packing a surprise for later for others to find out, first being underestimated or misunderstood and then later revealing the true element that makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts. Autumn Willow fits that bill appropriately. Autumn is a young ovate druidess that lives in the wooded forests of the Dalelands in Faerun. She has a past she laments leaving behind but made a choice to live the life she was called to over the one that was chosen for her as a youth. Jason wanted to create her as a frail young elven girl with an incredibly strong heart. He made an arrangement with me after rolling his characters attributes to trade in strength for other attributes to tailor her better. Thus, Autumn is frail, boasting only a 7 for strength (that's low, the range you can roll for scores in is 3-18, or 3 six-sided dice, or in game terms 3d6), but has improved abilities elsewhere. Also, even beyond her background, and as Jason would have it, Autumn has a surprise in store that will almost certainly make an appearance later. Autumn lives outdoors with the wild things but is uniquely well read. She is brash and inviting, of friend and foe alike, she is cautiously optimistic and likes to see the good in others, but understands balance. She is blatantly observant as well, and has a way of not caring if others see what she does. She is gentle as the meadow grass but at the same time cannot afford to pull any punches with her frail form in mind. She shares a bond and friendship with our next character on the list.

Germ Bishop as Brutus Hydark 

Germ is also another newer player. Germ and I go a ways back,  and he tried playing D&D a few times over the years before he finally got into the game at the beginning of the last campaign, which he played through from 1st to 30th level, since then he's been as married to it as the rest of us. Germ plays characters that are made of determination and hard work. They are reflections of himself in that manner. Brutus is no different, and is a character also forged in the ideals of raw emotion, fueled by the world around him. He is an absolute ox, boasting an 18 strength and 7'6" 425 lb frame. Despite all this he wouldn't hurt a flea unless it would hurt someone else first. This is a good thing because Brutus is as dumb as an ox as well, he is well observed and very present of mind, he was just never taught many things, like speaking (he speaks broken words but find whole sentences a challenge) Brutus' youth was filled with unearned oppression and disdain. He worked hard to earn the little bit of respect his family and others would show him. He is half-orc bastard child that was neglected and raised under the rule of shame for his blood. He is a truly gentle giant, and has as soft spot for protecting others, especially Autumn, who is the kindest spirit he knows and never judged him for anything but the size of his heart. This created an unmistakable and strong bond between the frail young girl and this grey skinned giant. The same bond will show Brutus his inner strength and his need to protect her combined with his oppressed mind will unleash his inner powers of raw unbridled rage. Will he be consumed by it, or will he find peace through it?

Travis Beemer as Durrock Stoneforge

Travis is a veteran player who has been at the table since we were both teenagers. He was brought into the D&D fold by his older brother Greg and has been around since. He enjoys all elements of the game equally and is also an avid reader of the Forgotten Realms novels. When I began the last campaign (the first I had ever done anything with Forgotten Realms), he helped supplement my research of the campaign setting a lot with information he read in the novels. It was invaluable, and having him around made me make sure I did the novels and setting justice. Without him this and what came before it may have been a complete failure. Travis is also a dungeon master himself and has been DM'ing for a while now. Travis' characters are often reserved and a little quiet, with their actions speaking louder than their words. This doesn't mean that Travis necessarily prefers the dungeon crawl though, he just chooses his convictions and actions of his characters wisely and thoughtfully, and then follows through with them as called for. Conviction and bravery is the calling card of Durrock as well. He is shield-brother (elite guard) to the founding family of Runedar Samman, a dwarven kingdom that recently exiled its founding and leading families after the elder most member fell in combat during a recent war. With the family in exile Durrock and his twin brother followed their loyalty and decided to serve with pride in a new kingdom built from the ashes of one that previously stood in the mountains that overlook the Dalelands. The royal family now rules over Thunderholme and Durrock prides himself as being a part of the vanguard that leads the kingdom to victory over its foes and protects its citizens. As merchants, armorsmiths and weaponsmiths, Durrock and his brother move through the dales with their excellently crafted goods to bring wealth back home and spread the message of peace from the new kingdom developing in the Thunder Peaks that over look the valleys below. 

Greg Beemer as Grout Stoneforge

Greg Beemer and I go all the way back to the 7th grade and he and I have been playing together at the same table for a looooong time now. I have DM'd for him and vice versa and as I said before, he co-DM'd the last campaign with me, taking the DM chair when it was called for, steering monsters and playing pivotal characters that influenced the game in ways greater than just one person can contrive. Together, we weaved a storyline into a saga and helped turn a game and table of 7 guys into a canvas and artists, respectively. Greg has an analytic and forward thinking mind and personality which often communicates to great leader roles in the game. He often forges characters with strong ideals and leadership qualities. Grout Stoneforge will no doubt be similar in this regard. He is a dwarven cleric and worships the gods that his kingdom serves, calling upon these dwarven deities with strength and wisdom. Grout is missing his left eye at the hand of a craven orc. he has his older twin brother (Durrock) to thank for this being the only wound he received that day from the beast. Durrock barely blocked a nasty sword swing with his open hand, slowing the orc's blade and cutting off several of his fingers on his left hand, all so that Grout may live. As a result of this, Grout is very suspicious and racist against orcs. Grout uses his keen skills forged in the heat of battle to keep driving forward, he doesn't let the elements, foes or much of anything stop him from what he sets out to achieve. The only thing stronger than his convictions is his loyalty to those he considers his brethren.      

Rob Lee as Pagonel Al-Thor

Rob is the newest player among those I have played with but has been playing for some time now. He has played with me since near the beginning of the last campaign, and completed the game straight through with same character much like most of the others. Rob is also an avid reader of Forgotten Realms novels as well as other fantasy novels. Of the six players at the table Rob has historically been the player that leans towards the action of the game the most, desiring the dungeon crawl and combat over the role playing element. His characters have followed this suit and often have a swing first, ask later, mentality, paired with a short fuse.  Rob prefers martial characters (non-magic users) historically, and this time around that will remain true. Outside that, Rob has stepped out of that mold this time and decided to challenge himself (and me) with the creation of Pagonel. Pagonel is patient, peaceful and avoids violence at all costs. He prefers diplomacy when possible. Pagonel is a advisory council member to General Touraineo Varga, one of the four generals that rule over the Dalelands. He is intelligent and wise as the owl, and as fast as the tiger. He was trained to become a scribe and historian, in a temple of Ohgma (the patron god of knowledge) and owes his homage to Deneir (a lesser god, the scribe of Ohgma). Before he took his residence in the royal keeps of Ashabenford, and before he studied under the monks in the temple, he had a hard-won history. Having been all over the world and avoided walking through deaths door many times should have made him mean spirited at best and a savage killer at worst, but instead he used his history as a means of rising above that life and created a higher state of consciousness for himself. Understanding hardship, he spends much of his free time setting trap lines in the forests of the Dales near Ashabenford to bring in food to feed local orphans.

William Long as Silvos Nightstar

Will is another veteran player and long time friend of mine. Will began playing D&D a long long ways back, and joined the fray with me, about the time Greg did give or take a little; All the way back in the days of binge D&D playing in his basement for weekends at a time, all while we emptied refrigerators full of Mountain Dew together and stinking each other out with our gaseous advents. Will has the advantage of being well rounded in his character experiences, having played everything from multi-classed fighter/mages to paladins and just about everything in between. Will prefers characters that are as interesting on the paper as they are in the game. This time shall be no different as he follows up his last campaigns sub-amnesic paladin Lord Respen with another paladin (a holy knight of a faith) named Silvos Nightstar. Even though Will just wrapped up a paladin, he wanted to give them a shot again under the new D&D next system. The last campaign was played under 4th edition rules and needless to say, there was something to be desired for this class, that this edition clearly restores for him. To raise the stakes of interest, Silvos is a Drow (a dark elf) from the underdark (an underworld network of caverns). Most drow follow a strict life of worship for the evil goddess Lolth (Demon Queen of Spiders) and live a life of tenacious discipline, xenophobic hunting of any other species they can dominate and enslave and communistic involvement in religiously fueled evil plots. not Silvos though. at a young age he found his way away from the underdark forsaking his life below and journeyed to the surface and found himself in the service of Myth Drannor (the oldest elven kingdom in Faerun) as the first ever drow lord. Though he has been knighted and titled others around him challenge his authenticity and dedication, meeting his kind spirit with suspicion with contempt. The outsider drow also does not disciple under Lolth either, instead owing his faith to Corellon (the Elven god of the sun) and wages to bring glory to his kingdom of Myth Drannor in the name of lady Coronal Ilsevele Miritar.

Well, that's the introduction of the players, myself and the characters in a nutshell. Each player has an extensive background for their characters that sets the stage for our game. While I drive the game from the Dungeon Master chair it is really the players that decide the outcome. Will this diverse group find peace enough amongst themselves to achieve common goals? Is everyone fighting for the same things, or will the very nature of what they do and who they are tear them apart and pose them at odds?

Stay tuned as we begin our adventure into a new formed world....