Another Interview!

Time for yet another interview! It's the infernal pact human warlock Jorin, and his human player Jason...so things take a turn for the darker...

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Who is Jorin, and what is it that distinguishes him, makes him unique?
Jorin is a character I have had in my head ever since I first read how Warlock works in D&D 4E. As a infernal pact warlock, I wanted more then just the nuts'n'bolts of tossing hellfire at my unsuspecting enemies (although that is fun too) I wanted an intense background filled with drama, suspense and all that good stuff. So I really play up my pact, I hope as our game goes along we can explore some of the more darker tones of my background, real fire and brimstone stuff. When ever I make a character I try to put a little of myself into them, to make them more believable and to allow myself to relate. In Jorin I see a lot of my determination, struggles in being who he is and his overwhelming desire to continue on despite his condition. As you can guess, I put a lot thought into my characters. Not saying my fellow player don't, but unlike them I myself am usually the storyteller in the group and as a storyteller I want my character to be as fully developed as possible so that my current storyteller can have fun picking at my background and creating plot devices. Oh how we storytellers love plot devices!

In a game filled with crazy races like shifters, changelings, and tieflings, you're playing a human. What is it like to play a human alongside these fantastical peoples?
I choose human deliberately, manly for the challenge to create something that is more focused on background then "what" he is. I find some people (and thankfully not my party) when they play D&D or other RPGs and when they get a chance to play exotic sounding races they go overboard with caricatures and effects rather then who they are. We all have heard of the "Proud and stubborn Dwarf", the "I'm so magical elf", the "Sneaky Sneaky Halfling", and who can ever forget the "IM A Half-Elf/Dragon/Drow/Orc Barbarain/Wizard WITH A CELESTIAL BADGER COMPANION!!!" it gets old to storytellers really quick. So, instead I went to play a common and sometimes overshadowed race choice and enjoyed my free feat and 3rd at will power thank you very much.

Getting power from a pact...that's one scary bit of the character. How does it play into who he is?
The infernal pact played heavily into my background. I wanted the pact selection to be more then just a Nuts'n'Bolts character creation decision. I wanted it to be more then just having the ability to toss hellfire at my enemies (although that is fun). I also wanted the pact to help me develop Jorin's outlook on things. I thought to myself, why would anyone make a pact with a devil? The first answer that came to me was having a moment of weakness, desperation and the devil being there at the right time and place. Jorin didn't know what he was getting himself into, he was blind by his own desperation and wanted power as quick as he can get it. I keep reminding myself of this little fact to help color Jorin's decision making; he regrets that he has done this and almost every major decision he makes is based on that one time in his life. He is on the road for vengeance and redemption, hopefully the great storyteller in the sky will allow Jorin to potentially have both in some fashion. As a player, I love these kind of tortured characters. You can really feel for them, maybe even sympathize with them even if their actions may be viewed as extreme. After all some of our best hero's in literature have a bit of the dark-side in them. As for an ascetic I decided to have have his pact literally written all over him which gives him a very striking appearance, and he has a bound devil as a familiar which lives in his right arm, whenever he does his powers a nasty looking gauntlet with an eye in the palm grows out from his skin. I do similar effects for how his power looks, lots of fun descriptions for me to make, I find that a lot of fun.

The DM describes your character as "The Avenger". How'd that come about?
Well in Jorin's background (which you might have gotten a sneak peak from Alicia and Elena), he was once a simple thief who was learning magic illegally in Farth. What you don't know is that he wasn't originally from Farth, but rather from a now destroyed fishing village called Greenwater, supposedly the only survivor. He sought magical power so he could potentially return one day and deal what he had ran away from. Sadly this was not the case for Jorin. On a mission to rescue a detained child sorceress something went wrong, Alicia's character (then known as Aislin) was with him; they just sprung the child out of her prison when the guards discovered them. Instead of fighting them together Aislin shoved him outside and told him to run, that she will "catch up later". Jorin ran even though every part of him wanted to stay and fight along side. Aislin got captured, then killed by Farthian officials. Jorin had and still to this very day blames himself for her wrongful death. "If only I had enough power..." was something he used to say. He then was "found" by an acolyte of a cult that promises power and preaches that "The wicked shall be punished by the faithful" and that a living god will guide them. To summarize, he joined their faith and made his pact with their "god" not realizing that he had jeopardized his mortal soul. Now he seeks to free himself from the restraints of his dark master, recently he even felt that he must free all men and women from oppression from tyrants and even god like beings that seek to control their destines.

We already know that Jorin's having an...interesting...time with Misery. How does he relate to the rest of the party?
Well, lets go by each character and I'll try to keep it short.

Fulchrum: He both admires and hates him. He admires his since of judgment but hates him for his ignorance of "the real world" and his un-justified views of magic. Jorin and Fulchrum have arguments over magic and its use. So far neither of them are really budging. That being said, Jorin would never allow someone to hurt him. If he has to live with this group he wants to have at least someone that can get his blood boiling everyday and get him to focus his anger on something other then himself.

Aer: He genuinely likes her, but gives her a hard time for being an outsider. He hopes that she learns their ways and apply it but her superstitions really gets on his nerves and he isn't afraid to show it. I guess the main reason he likes her however is that despite her odd ways, sometimes she make since and its good to talk to someone he considers his mental equal.

Hrothgar: Jorin thinks that his views of the world are dated to a time he won't let go. He feels that his pride will kill him and Jorin rubs it in his face when he gets a chance, he does it not for kicks however. He wants the dwarf mad because from what he has seen, when the dwarf is mad he fights better and sometimes thinks more clearly. Show him an enemy and he can smash it into a pulp, Jorin respects that.

Zephyr: Jorin is not certain what to think about him. Zephyr hasn't been to forth coming with who he is. The only clue Jorin has of his past is that it involves a wicked and greedy merc and something about the God of the hunt being their favorite. Other then that Jorin is amused by Zephyr's fear of his power, he likes creeping him out but won't ever let Zephyr know that most of the time he is doing it on purpose. Its like playing with fire with him, dangerous but fun!

Hestia: Sadly the only person in the entire party he honestly feels he can call a friend is her. After she discovered about his pact, instead of fearing him, hating him or out right "I'm going to kill you!" responses he has received, she wanted to help him. Jorin now has mixed feelings because of this. He feels happy to know someone honestly cares about his condition, he is even admiring her in more ways then one. At the same time he feels that he can not get himself to close to her, he can't afford losing someone close again. This gets really awkward because of Misery being there too. I love drama.

What would be one thing that could push your character to his limit? (and yes, I know that's a dangerous question to answer when your DM is reading this blog no doubt...so you're free to be as vague as possible)
First let me say I love it when players give up plot ideas to storytellers either intentionally or unintentionally. It makes great game moments. Now as for what would push Jorin to the limit? I have to say forcing him to face his past before he feels ready, Jorin wants to fight his own battles alone, he really doesn't want anyone's help. He got himself into his position and damn it he will get himself out. So having him face overwhelming odds by himself that comes from his past could put him to the brink. I look forward to the role play potential.

Done anything really, really cool with Jorin, either in combat or out of combat?
I have several moments of awesome in game that I enjoyed... but to pick one I would have to say was a combat action I made, well to be exact multiple actions one after the other. You see I get very imaginative when I think of whats going on in combat, I see what my fellow players are doing even if they aren't really describing it. So instead of saying the action choices I made in three rounds of combat I will narrate the following of what happened for Jorin.

A creature previously cursed by Jorin explodes in hellfire, releasing black smoke that trails like a dark haze all around his enemies. Arrows fly down the rock carved hallway zipping by his ears all the while he concentrated on the demon inside him, instructing it to conjure more hellfire. The fire forms in his hand in the shape of a grinning skull, he tosses over head at a wicked darkman who was about to cast a nasty spell at Jorin's companions. "BURN!" shouted Jorin, as he watch the skull cracks square in the creatures chest setting him and those around him in a blaze, when suddenly a nasty brute came barring down upon Jorin. He then felt weaken by some unknown effect, and barely dodged out of the brute's axe swing. For a moment his conscious slipped and he noticed he was bleeding. Jorin looked square into the eyes of the brute that struck him, and a voice not his own cried out to it. "For that, your soul is mine!" The demon inside of him used Jorin like a glove for a fleeting moment, but in the moment he had great power. He trusted his fist into the creatures chest and ripped out it's heart and the demon feasted upon it!

That, my friend, was how I imagined a couple of die rolls (one being a critical hit), magic item uses and how my familiar assisted me in a devastating attack using an action point.

What's your history with D&D and roleplaying games in general?
I know I said this before but I mean it this time, I'll keep it short. I started playing way back with 2ed edition. My parents thought that It would be good for me (I know, sounds weird, right?) They had it in their heads that games like D&D would force me to be better at interacting with others and allowing me to express some of my creativity. I was almost always the storyteller and I had a lot of fun creating monsters, nations and all sorts of havoc for my players to conquer and be heroes. I had other game experiences; heck, I even ran a Shadowrun game using IRC chat rooms, and for just about an entire year I was a storyteller for a Werewolf: the Apocalypse game that took place 1/2 of the time in the Umbra...but I always seem to come back to play D&D more then any other.

Final question, then. If you run into an RPG newbie, what one bit of advice would you give them?
If you are a newbie to a game remember these three things and you should be okay.

-If you need help, ask!-
No one expects you to know ALL the rules of a game and if you need help to clarify something you don't understand don't sit in your chair and pretend to know whats going on, speak up!

-Be helpful outside of game-
Your storyteller takes a lot of time and effort to prepare for game night, but not all storytellers make great party hosts. If he/she is having trouble make yourself useful and take some of the burden. Bring snacks for all of the players, offer to take hosting responsibility, see if the Storyteller needs anything before game starts to get the mood right, etc...

-Enjoy the game... and give critical reviews...-
Storytellers are ALWAYS wanting feed back from players, they want to know if you enjoyed a game session or if they could have done something more/less. Let them honestly know what you think, the better your feed back the better your storyteller will get and ultimately that means the better the game will become!