I'm a DnD player (3.5, none of that ver 4 bullshit.) and I have been for years now. I enjoy tabletop RPG's for the same reason many of you watch movies, play video games, or even write. The release is the exact same. The creative input? No different. The strategy? Multi-faceted and complex. No it's not live-action roleplaying, the stuff you see where nerds (of the most nefarious sort) are dressed in cheap Renaissance style knock-off clothing, throwing hackey-sack "fireballs" at each other. It's pen, paper, a ton of dice and your imagination. It's one time a week where you can forget your troubles and embark on an epic journey to the Abyss and back. On top of that, it's just a game. A really fun game with tons of freedom and potential. On to my reason for posting: I'm currently running two characters through a pretty rough campaign. I wrote up a short bio for both of them as they've turned into really interesting toons. Both actually reflect certain facets of my personality and you'll find that if you play, you can tap into parts of your ego you never have. It's almost therapeutic.

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Adel: Sorcerer
Size/Weight: Med/135 lbs
Build: Skinny (but not gaunt)
Height: 5'7"
Eyes: Grey
Hair (color/style): Black (hints of grey)/Long
Skin: Pale
Posture: An air of pride but obviously forced. Most often walking with a bit of a slump but when called to attention is seemingly confident and stands tall.

Adel sees himself as a victim of circumstance.

Background:

With little initial direction in life (other than the anger he felt towards his father) Adel was generally introverted and aimless during his youth. He remained much the same throughout his teen years. His passive aggressiveness grew; whereas his passion for life, quite the contrary... He was once quoted as saying, "If a man puts forth no effort into others he will never face failure and if that is the cost of happiness, so be it. A man should worry about himself and nothing more."

He never much cared for the books he was forced to read nor did he care to venture from them. Organization and control seemed to be his only real allies. So, he made friends not with the books he owned but with the cloth he used to dust them. Adel is a man of control and rejects change. The only thing he truly desires is to control the consistency and the meticulously predetermined pace of his existence. He will die when the mark on his calender says so.

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Viren: Impoverished Monk
Size/Weight: Med/215lbs
Build: Fit but on the thinner side
Height: 6'4"
Eyes: Blue
Hair (color/Style): White/Bald with traditional ponytail
Skin: Olive
Posture: Always walking tall but always willing to conform to those around him in acts of humility. Most often seen trying to reach eye level with whomever he speaks.

A man of god; he seeks enlightenment.

Background:

His first steps marked a life of servitude. A studious and polite youth, he was always in pursuit of knowledge. Knowledge, that would lead to his salvation by At'ar, mold his unwavering benevolence, and send him on an endless journey across Faerun. As a young boy he followed his father across the lands, bearing witness to those living sedentary and materialistic lifestyles. He would watch his father work tirelessly to feed and clothe the poor, when he himself ate nary a morsel or wore much more than a worn cotton robe. Seeing his father's devotion and compassion inspired Viren to follow in his footsteps. At the age of 12 his father decided that Viren was to be more than a mere acolyte, he was to be his successor. During a time of pilgrimage his father would teach him everything he knew. He would teach him how to deprive oneself of worldly pleasure. He would teach Viren to have pity on those stuck in the miserable pursuit of satiation and instant gratification. With this, he began to learn to use his bare fists as weapons of mercy and peace. More than anything, his hands would become an instrument of compassion. Sadly, it's what Viren's father did not teach him that would lead to his greatest of lessons.

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If you guys have any questions about my Monk (Viren) or Sorcerer (Adel) builds feel free to contact me for advice or if you would like to see my feats/spells that I choose, let me know!

Alright Kiddos, it's time for you to go *bye-bye!* I've been waiting for this moment for years; years and years. The moment I thought my first love was dead, she's back with a vengeance. It's time to forgo the pleasantries of first-hellos and get in your face with some tachi gigas.



3rd strike ya'll. Street Fighter III.

I'm tired of the people in this terrible, terrible place. I'm sick of the quiet. I'm sick of it all. I miss the sound of the traffic. I thought, I knew; I just fucking knew I'd have a few years of solitude to get my emotions into place and myself together before I once again injected myself into society. I'd find out what peace felt like. I'd find some sort of zen in the thickness of the woods. Of course not. Instead, I feel like I'm imploding. Some sort of dense, terrible thing is amassing in the pit of my stomach and it won't go away. It screams at me constantly, some sort of compulsion to dig myself into a deeper, lonelier state.

Two years I've been alone now. It's funny how time changes when you're alone. Minutes turn to hours, hours into days; evenings are the longest. Even the television can't console me anymore. It raised me for years and years only to leave me alone and turn its back on me just like everyone else.

Even physical contact has become sort of sick game. At first I thought it was my natural compulsion to avoid handshakes, hugs, and high fives. It's a sick game now. How can Acie keep from touching you? How can he deprive himself of the pain that he will eventually both receive and create? I now keep track of how long it's been since I've felt the touch of another. Two years now, a bit longer. I suppose I could count the minutes exactly. But, that sick sense of pleasure I get from knowing the numbers, I don't deserve it.

It's funny to think that one or two choices in my life led to this. I suppose if anything I could stand testament to the importance of each action in one's life and how seriously it can impact you. No matter how little it seems, it will come full circle. You, whoever you are, never forget that. Never take love, friendship, or even a passing glance for granted. And for fucks sake, if you do end up in my position, don't be an ass and whine about it like I do.