Klein_placeholder.jpg

The Little Star (don't call him that)

META INFORMATION

Description:

He's tall (like 6'3"), thin, but not emaciated (needs to hit the gym), light gray skin, copper hair, pale green eyes. Oh, and he always looks like he was lightly dusted with an even coating of baby powder. Wears fairly snug-fitting clothes (because future wardrobe) and is trying to figure out how to best implement the cloak he picked up in the WoW mission into his ensemble.

RUMORS

4 True & 1 False, you decide which is which…

  • Drunken ramblings from his earliest days in Arcadia begat the rumor that he slaughtered his family.

  • His odd mannerisms and out-of-place fashion sense, combined with some speculation indicate the possibility that he was banished from a distant land.

  • As he is often seen gazing longingly into the sky on clear nights, many believe he sees the far reaches of the future and is looking for various signs and portents of things to come.

  • His pale coloration and signs of apparent madness clearly mean he’s the result of a botched Resurrection spell.

  • His youthful appearance contrasted by eyes that appear as though they’ve seen much more than you have lead many to believe he is originally from one of the Outer Planes.

Bio:

“The vast expanse of space is a realm of magic and mystery. The forces of creation wage war against the unyielding tide of entropy, and amidst this battle of chaos and order, miracles can happen. Sometimes, these miracles manif-“

Whoa, hold it, lets go ahead and put the kibosh on that line and whatever else you were gonna say in that Keith David-sounding voice. As epic as it sounds, let me take over. Why? Because this story is about me, and I want to make sure it gets told properly. You might want to sit down for this one. You’re about to hear a firsthand reckoning of the birth of a Locus. Bask in the awe… okay that’s enough basking. Listen up, this is gonna be good.

People don’t remember their births, for good reason. Think about it. It has great potential to be a life-defining traumatic experience. Trust me on this one, be glad you don’t, because I do. How is that possible? Let’s just say I’m not most people. Like so many other lives, mine started in a nursery. However, unlike many other lives, mine was a stellar nursery. Yea, the deep space cloud of cosmic dust and gasses where stars are born kind. That’s what I was supposed to be, a star. How boring would that have been? So, why am I standing here telling you about this and not floating around aimlessly in the inky blackness of space? Well, somewhere a long time ago, someone decided that major celestial bodies probably shouldn’t be self-aware. Probably a good call. So, this someone gathered up some friends and they set themselves with the task of making sure that didn’t happen. You may be asking yourself some very poignant questions right now, like “What kind of situation arose that brought this someone to that conclusion?” and “How would you even know if a star or planet or something like that has gained sentience?” and most importantly, “How does one prevent it from occurring?” The answers are: “Ignorance is bliss,” “Monitoring equipment scattered throughout the reaches of time and space,” and “You don’t actually prevent it, you use technology so ludicrously convoluted that its development started a couple million years from now and was produced just in time for the beginning of the universe to dissolve the patterns of self-awareness that occasionally develop around major stellar events. That, or yank it out of its snuggly home and cram it into a new, gratuitously more cramped “body” and launch it off in some random direction, in some random dimension, wishing it the best of luck on its journey.” Look, the tech is refined, the process, not so much. In my case, they apparently got caught with their pants down. Sentience isn’t supposed to stew in a stellar nebula for 3,000 centuries before it gets noticed, so they panicked and got a little handsy with me and might have grabbed some of the fusion energy with my consciousness, or at least I’m pretty sure that’s what happened.

From there, things get a little hazy. You try organizing coherent thoughts while your mind is being forcibly ripped from your body. So, since this was the first time they experienced an incident like this, they weren’t prepared. I was put in a “temporary holding container” (see space Tupperware on a shelf in their mad science lab) while they crafted a special body just for me. From my transparent box I saw the subtle ways their society shaped the multiverse, the true elegance of the creation of Loci (when the guy watching the monitors isn’t strung out on food poisoning), and everything else the universes had to offer from madmen gallivanting about in boxes to singular powers that shook the cosmos.

When my time finally arrived, they showed me my fated vessel. A tiny humanoid body, ashen gray with slight hints of the palest blues with a coppery-sand-colored tuft of hair and pale green eyes. The reason it took so long was because they had to design an intricate “technorganic” system of checks and limiters to prevent me from undergoing a spontaneous supernova while allowing me to grow into my abilities as well as letting the body itself grow naturally. Twenty-six years later, and apart from my odd coloration, nobody would suspect I’m anything other than a normal human, except for the intricately patterned hairline scarring along my upper shoulders, only noticeable when you’re looking for them, and in the right light.

And that’s how I came to be. Who am I? Well, the little label on my box said ‘HH-222’, but the lab staff called me Kleinenstern, despite my repeated protests. With that, I’m off. After two decades of observation and poking and prodding, they’re turning me loose.
I look at vehicle that will carry me to my destination. It’s small and sleek, every external surface plated in copper and brass to mitigate the esoteric forces it’s about to be subjected to. As I climb in, I see the launch team going over their strangely-detailed (not sure I like that) ballistic calculations. Yes, ballistic, the pod gets loaded into what amounts to a trans-dimensional cannon. Final checks complete, the launch master unceremoniously fires me toward the mind-rending vortex of nope that is a wormhole just outside the Schwarzschild radius of a nearby black hole.

As I near my landing site, a cacophony of klaxons blares in my ears. Spatial and temporal anomalies wrack the tiny projectile as it smashes into reality. I look around, the signs of impact only barely noticeable on the soft earth. I am unharmed, but the pod is gone, no sign of it anywhere.

Alright discount Keith David, what do you have to say about that.
“You’re on your own, here. I’m way out of my element.”

Adventuring Log

14th of Planting 347

  • Klienenstern being fairly new to Arcadia as a whole set off from the islands he first arrived at and went to the Float Isles. After an exciting journey up a whirlwind he found himself in Atmos. Klien then tried to discover what he could about the culture and his powers. He found his way to a training chamber and was able to unless his powers in a controlled manner. Later he found himself in the Flying Halfling where he learned of the hunt for the Rainbow Stones. Following a group of hunters Klien made his way outside of town and not only discovered a magnificent view of the night sky but also a Rainbow Stone near where he was. He sealed the power within it and make it back to town despite the efforts of some villains. Upon discovering the importance of it he made his way to Port City and the Mage’s Guild.

15th & 16th of Planting

  • As Barnaby and Klienestern are both members of the Mages Guild they met and a friendship was forged. They each had their own unique jobs that they do to make coin, but they also enjoy each others company. During one such encounter, they went to enjoy the festivities of the Seed Sowing Festive on the 16th of Planting and had quite the adventure. Barnaby met a Satyr who sold him Boots of Elvenkind for the small price of one of his true names… Klienenstern met with one Hell of a merchant who for 2 inconsequential favors sold him a Figurine of Wondrous Power. This Figurine took the form of what he desired most, an…. Armored Penguin… They also met up with a Time Traveler who really confused Barnaby, but with the help of Klien and his expert explanations, a disastrous brain explosion was averted. After completing these two favors that were not technically illegal, they returned to the Mage's Guild to prepare for their first group adventure on the 17th.

17th of Planting

  • After being grouped together, the 5 formed a pact to protect each other in the face of danger when they adventure together. Before setting for into the portal a man rode up on an exhausted horse looking for help from the Mage's Guild. Unable to resist the offered payment of 200gp each the group offered to help. They set off towards Longsaddle and upon arriving were greeted by a statue which was actually Tristan Harpell. Tristan told the group the town of Silverleaf, which he had just purchased, hadn't been heard from in weeks. He tasked them to figure out what happened with the help of C.A.R.T.E.R a sentient map. The map answered all their questions and guided them to the mysterious village of Silverleaf. Upon arriving, they camped outside the village perimeter and scouted around finding nothing. In the morning the silver leaves gleamed in the orchard but no people were around. They entered into the orchard and were shrunk down to 1/60th their height or 5ft to 1 inch. They battled their way to a picnic basket filled with the original inhabitants of the village. They warned the adventurers of the Raven that has been snatching them up as meals. Seeing some sparks flying from the table in the middle of the orchard, they set out to investigate. During the trek, they dealt with savage rain, avoided an angry rabbit, and crossed over a stream on a branch filled with spiders. Once they reached the table, they found Tristan's sometimes girlfriend, always rival, Freya. She admitted it was her spell that went wrong and shrunk everyone and that the only way to fix it was to climb the tree and break the Crystal Ball focus the Raven stole from her. Using potions and skill, they climbed the tree battling wasps midway up. Using her sharpshooting skills, Fim, was able to destroy the orb, turning them back to their original size and sending them crashing to the ground in a pile. After dusting themselves off, Freya told them that House Doomstaff was in their debt and disappeared giving them tokens to turn in for a favor. They were paid their 200 gp each and sent back to Port City after 2 days for some much-needed rest.

19th through the 21st of Planting

  • After having some fun in the cafeteria, Klien meets with his mentor and starts down a road that will lead him to the stars. With the help of an elderly diviner, he gets a star chart and with his passion for learning about the cosmos he decides on a goal that will lead to unimaginable discoveries.

22nd of Planting

  • Klien and Dandy meet up outside the Mage's Guild at the Jobs Board and decide to team up to earn some coin. The job they choose at the Light's Grasp Lighthouses, their decision could haunt them...

23rd of Planting

  • The crew is called upon to help close the portal that was causing problems after Fimdeer and Hien'ir stepped through it. Klien, Barnaby, Fimdeer, Thorun, Dandy, and a new face, Aura has joined the crew. This brave group fought their way through the Rage Fire Chasm and dispatched the demon at the end. Along the way, Fimdeer disappeared completely with an amazing stealth check, and the brave Barbaby ran to her rescue, though he ended up being rescued in the end. They all also discovered that this world could be a fascinating place to visit again in the future.

Start your adventure with us!

Donate