| Isaac Coale | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Artificer 4 |
| Race | Human |
| Age | 32 |
| Alignment | True Neutral |
| Status | Alive |
| Character Sheet | [1] |
Isaac Coale is Connor's player character in the Aetraterra campaign. In combat, he allows others to do the brunt of the work, choosing to step in with tactical support when necessary. He seems to be very respectful and friendly towards his chance companions, but when they aren't looking, he regards them with cold, calculating eyes.
Personality[]
Isaac has two passions: arcane craftsmanship, and treasure hunting (usually for magic items). He considers both to be an art. Everything unrelated to those passions he approaches from a practical, unemotional point of view: how can I use this? He values intellect highly, but considers himself to be in touch with his and others' emotions.
A perfectionist, he takes criticism seriously when it's relevant to his dual-passions. Where a companion to note a flaw in an offered creation, Isaac will scowl, then snatch the item away from his companion and attempt to fix it. Or, if fixing it is impossible (such as if the flaw is imagined), he may very well start over from scratch.
Isaac has been very respectful and friendly towards everyone he meets, and has shown to care about their needs and feelings.
Biography[]
Pre-Campaign[]
Only a little has been revealed about Isaac's past. From what he's mentioned, he has had experience dungeon-delving, and considers himself to be proficient at it. It is known that he used to work with several other mercenaries and treasure hunters. However, the ones that have appeared in the campaign have treated Isaac with anger and disgust, claiming that he had betrayed them and led to the death of their mutual friend, Astyth "Traps" Gildhallow. Isaac denies these claims, and insists that his accusers have an unreliable grasp on the events that occurred.
Isaac has a tenuous connection with Southpaw, having been hired by them in the past.
Isaac is from the port city of Sinkoff, a location of ill-repute.
Campaign[]
Session 01[]
Isaac was en route to Glavdell when his carriage was ambushed by an opportunistic gang of highwaymen. A few of the more well-armed passengers jumped into action, but Isaac was unaware of their capabilities, and doubtful of their odds. Scroll of Invisibility stashed away in his bag, Isaac felt confident that he could safely escape at any time. However, solo-work hadn't going as well as he would like, and he had wanted to find a few partners in Glavdell anyway. With that in mind, he decided to stick around and see how the fight progressed. Maybe one or two of his fellow passengers would impress him? If they survived.
His mind made up to stick around, he emerged from the carriage to help out. His first action was to asses the damage their vehicle had taken... and in the process came face to face with a gigantic brute of an elf wielding an intimidatingly large warhammer. Isaac was reasonably certain that the elf could smash him to a bloody pulp with little effort; this hypothesis was strengthened when the brute failed to so much as flinch upon being punctured by a quickly fired crossbow bolt. Isaac was in deep shit.
Artist's Rendition of Elf Brute
Thankfully, what Isaac lacked in fighting capability, he made up for with his arsenal of scrolls. With little time to spare, Isaac hurriedly dug out a Scroll of Grease and activate the spell within, targeting the lumbering thug's colossal weapon, covering it with a slick coat of grease. Caught off-guard by his sudden inability to keep a grip on his hammer, the elf squeezed his hands tighter... causing the hammer to slip completely from his grasp, into the air and onto the ground. Isaac was of the opinion that the thug would probably be just as capable with his bare fists, but the elf thought differently. He fled from the fight. Isaac was very pleased with himself, to say the least.
To Isaac's surprise, the rest of the battle was going just as well. The group that emerged to defend the carriage wasn't just holding the bandits back, they were winning. As their leader called for a retreat, Isaac began to suspect that he may have found more than just one or two potential partners. He accompanied them and the rest of the passengers on the walk to nearby Creston, on the lookout for opportunities to approach the others.
Session 02[]
The job board was the first thing to catch Isaac's eye when the group of travelers entered Creston. Particularly, the sizable reward for the Nightingale Bandit: 100,000 GP. The things Isaac could build with that much money... he turned his attention towards the unconscious dwarf bandit that one of his fellow passengers had captured during the assault.
Isaac introduced himself to the captor, Kal Grobnar. With the assistance of a charm spell, and another one of the passengers, Emilie Barrowman, the captured bandit spilled everything he knew... which turned out to be not much more than a handful of vague hints. There was little use in killing the thug, and his use as bait was curtailed when he revealed that there would be little chance of the Nightingale Bandit hiring him again, so he was ultimately set free.
...
Ambitions[]
Isaac wants a long, comfortable life, surrounded by a large collection of artifacts and his own creations. Dying is a reprehensible thought: Isaac values control of his life highly, and ceding that to fickle and capricious gods in the afterlife is something he wants to avoid for as long as possible.
Relationships[]
Emilie[]
Emilie Barrowman and Isaac are developing a friendship, and of all his companions, he thinks he may like the enthusiastic crusader the most. Isaac recognizes incredible potential in Emilie, and thinks that, with his behind the scenes guidance, she will grow into a great leader. However, when he mentioned as such, she appeared to be disconcerted. He needs to investigate that.
He is working hard to earn her loyalty and trust, as he very much wants her as an adventuring companion. He notes that on more than one occasion, she has agreed immediately with his hunches and plans. She becomes starstruck whenever he plays up his adventuring past.
Isaac and Emilie have had several disagreements, the biggest of which has been when Emilie feared that Isaac had Southpaw associations. However, the two have seemingly grown closer for it. Isaac knows that Emilie is suspicious of his past, however. Similarly, Isaac was growing suspicious of Emelie's past as well: What did Southpaw do to her? Why does she always wear a scarf? Why did she happen to have wigs in her pack? A significant portion of these mysteries were solved when Emilie was revealed to be one of the unliving. With ample evidence that Emilie is not an undead of the mindless, contagious, or otherwise dangerous sort, her undeath changes little from Isaac's point of view: The mind is the seat of the soul, not the body.
Emilie's undead status has brought to mind several of Isaac's own thoughts on life and its preservation, which he may broach with Emilie. Given that he can do so without appearing insensitive to her condition, that is.
Kal[]
Isaac was initially impressed by Kal Grobnar's remarkable physical prowess, but this was coupled with caution concerning the warrior's various eccentricities (A battle is no place for a cat!) However, Isaac is learning that Kal's eccentricity is an asset as well: He's proven more than willing to participate in any scheme with gusto.
Further, Kal has defended Isaac on a couple notable occasions, and seems to be safely on Isaac's side.
Namfoodle[]
Isaac respects intelligence, and Namfoodle Scheppen has shown himself to be just that. Isaac enjoys being able to bounce ideas off of someone. Isaac senses Namf enjoys having his ego stroked, but that there's a fine line between what will be accepted and what will be seen as condescending or placating. Maybe if his admiration comes off as grudging? Hmm.
Namfoodle has shown himself to be willfully resistant to Isaac's friendship, purposefully interpreting Isaac's decisions in the worst light possible. Sympathy was only recently gained in light of the ambush at the Top Hat in Trapden, and even that came at the cost of newly-justified distrust. It's an uphill battle with Namfoodle.
Tahlarien[]
Tahlarien was the other warrior that Isaac was impressed with in that carriage catastrophe, showing herself to be skilled in a multitude of ways. She seemed unimpressed by his charm ("testing" his knowledge of Elven with a hearty "Fuck you"), and Isaac was worried that she might be likely to run off as soon as her curiosity wanes. However, she proved willing to chase after a frustrated Emilie to make amends, which might indicate that she considers herself part of the group.
Isaac thinks that actions speak louder than words to Tahlarien... but, defending the elven race from bigotry and prejudice seemed to speak loudest of all.
As time has gone on, Tahlarien has shown herself to be very much like a cat, or an octopus, in Isaac's eyes: She comes and goes as she pleases, and acts like its a coincidence that she's in the same area as the others, but secretly harbors at least a little fondness for the group.
Vic[]
Isaac's relationship with Vic is full of sparks. Unfortunately, Vic isn't Isaac's type. Still, Isaac can tell that Vic's stoic exterior is just covering up deep insecurity and doubt. Isaac is treading carefully to both encourage Vic's feelings without leading him on (Isaac isn't certain of Vic's mental stability yet, and a potentially crazy cleric isn't someone Isaac wants to be the obsession of). Isaac and Vic have recently bonded over an adventure in trying to make Vic and his suit a local legend in Trapden.
Crafted Items[]
Interested in having Isaac craft you a magic item? Use this program to calculate how much it'll cost in time and GP.
Watch Lamp[]
The Watch Lamp is a silver chain earring that covers the edge of Isaac's ear. When touched, the Watch Lamp creates a small globe of light that hovers at Isaac's shoulder and sheds light as a torch.
The Watch Lamp was created inbetween Sessions 4 and 5. It was inspired by the recent adventure into the dungeon hidden beneath Creston's Monastery, as well as, in an abstract sense, the recent encounter with Time.
Phoenix Shield of Blinding[]
An enchanted wooden shield created for Emilie. It was created during the boat ride to Sangor, during Session 11: Diaries of the Dead. Emilie chose to emblazon the shield with the art of a phoenix. The subtle symbolism contributed to Isaac's growing suspicion concerning Emilie's true nature.