Introducing: Tabyantia

I have deepened my nerd cred. I have joined a D & D campaign. Well, nominally, at least. As of the writing of this post, I haven't yet played. By the time you’re reading this, though, I’ll have been to my first session; Session Zero, in which I finish up building my character and perhaps play a little bit to get everyone accustomed to the game, their characters and each other. I’m jumping ahead a little. Let me jump back.

I was invited by a friend of mine to play with her and her friends. She is the only one there I know. So, this is well beyond my comfort zone. However, I don’t think she’d be friends with a bunch of absolute Richard Craniums, so I’m not as nervous as I could be. Still really nervous, though. Also, the interactions I have had with them on their Signal chat has been quite pleasant, so there’s that.

Now, I’ve only ever played a couple of homebrewed one-shots, never a campaign. So this is going to be new… and a steep learning curve, I think. But it should be fun. I’m quite excited about it.

Because I’m very new at this, however (shocking, I know!), I’ve decided to start with a character that is quite safe, and might look boring on the outside, but I think her personality will make for a very fun dynamic in the group. I thought I’d expound here what I’m planning. Let me introduce you to Tabyantia – a human fighter.

Tabyantia is from a reclusive people, who live in small villages in the northern forests and marshes of Faerûn. Her people are a warrior people; training fighters from birth. However, they are also a very open people, who believe that everyone has a place in their society. Unlike many warrior societies, those who are not suitable for the warrior class are still valued, and offered other positions. No person is considered useless or undesirable. Kindness and honesty remain at the core of societal values. This does not conflict with the warrior ethos. Killing is not frowned upon. It is the reason for the killing that matters.

Those who able are trained to fight, and then encouraged to go out into the world to make their mark. Any spare coin earnt is sent home to loved ones. When the warrior feels their time in the wider world is done; either they have been injured beyond use as a mercenary, earnt enough coin or fame for their tastes, or find that they cannot cope with life outside their village, they return home to build a more peaceful life (should they survive their excursion outside of their villages). Often times, they return home with a family already (depending on how long they’ve been out in the world), all of whom are welcomed warmly, no matter their race, just so long as they uphold the values of the society they now find themselves in. Once home, they help raise and train the next generation of fighters, and settle into a simple life of farming, study, or artistic creation.

These people worship no gods. When they die, they must make an accounting of their life and deeds to their ancestors. Should they be judged worthy, they are invited to their version of the afterlife, to spend time surrounded by generations of loved ones in an eternity of feast and song. If they fail in their ancestor’s judgement, they are sent back to try again. Spirits may also choose to be reborn if they strongly feel there is more good they can yet do (those who die young are said to usually make this choice).

Into this world Tabyatia was born. Of sound body and mind, she was trained from birth to be a fighter, and taught that her purpose in life is to lend her talents to good deeds. Though her childhood was idyllic and filled with kindness and joy, she is not ignorant of the pitfalls and traps of the outside world – plenty of returned adventurers had a part in her education – but because in her culture, all people are treated with kindness and respect, with no difference between gender or ability, she cannot fathom why anyone would deliberately choose wickedness or deceit. She is not an idiot, but as a result of her upbringing, she can be quite naïve and guileless, and her sense of duty to help, ingrained in her since birth, does mean that she can get taken advantage of. Rather than let this harden her, she leans hard into it. Obstinance is a hallmark of her people, and she is that… in spades. Kindness is her duty. Her strength should be used to defend the defenceless. That is her life’s purpose.

After all, at the end of her days, how could she stand before her grandmother and explain that she refused aid to those who may have needed it on the suspicion that they *might* be lying? She cannot. And she will not.

And that’s Tabyantia. I’m already in love with her, which is not a good sign. In every one-shot I’ve participated in, I roll terribly. I expect she’ll die pretty early on… My mission is to make sure she dies without regrets, and maybe ensure that her enormous heart and really frustrating stubborn streak leaves a mark on the lives of those who interacted with her.

I’m thinking that maybe, while we’re waiting for The Bear to be finished, I might offer recaps of each session here as a subscriber perk, perhaps in the form of letters home. I’ll have to ask permission, of course, so it might not happen. But it would be fun, I think.

The group is looking to meet up twice a month – fortnightly preferred, but that is subject to everyone’s schedules. If I get permission to do recaps for you, it’ll be determined by that schedule, so there will be two a month, but when exactly in the month is up in the air. I’m nervous and excited. Mostly, I’m excited. I think Tabyantia will be a fun character to play, especially in a game where the story can get very dark and so many people have incredibly tragic stories.

Right, I have a bunch of stuff to do today, and so do you, probably. I’m off. A recap of session zero may or may not be incoming.

Slán go foil!