15 minutes of Rivulet Brook brainstorming, part 6

I'm potentially starting a new work campaign so I was looking at some videos from this YouTuber Ginny Di and came across some helpful tip-filled videos. I thought I'd use some ("How to give your D&D character a personality", "How to Flavor your D&D Spells", and "How to design clothes for your D&D character") as a basis for more inspiration on my characters. Some of these come from previous posts (1, 2, 3). 

Spellcasting

• Most of the time when I play music, I'm just playing music, but sometimes I'm focusing on the weave of magic that runs through my music, playing with it, learning new ways to harness it to alter reality to your will. (from my DM)
• Maybe sometimes I'm trying to learn to do something specific and sometimes I'm more just experimenting broadly and happen upon something by luck or instinct. But learning a new spell isn't unlike composing a new song. (from my DM)
• When verbal, I sing with my lyre
• I sing them in primordial

Outfit

• A necklace with a coin-sized pendant made of two concentric silver rings (this came from my DM)
• Blues and silvery grays
• Fabric is quick to dry
• Undergarments that can double as swimming costume
• Dark cloak that helps her blend in at night (not to the point of a stealth bonus, to be clear)
• Lace-up back so it can fit just right
• Pouch that has a shoulder strap that can carry a lyre
• Imagine this lyre but with a wave-like pattern around the circle

Personality

• Beliefs
• Everyone has a secret or two
• Some secrets aren't redeemable
• People don't appreciate water enough (and thus Geshtai)
• Change is as inevitable as the tides (though waiting for it can be a bore)
• Persistence is key
• Pelor, Selune, and Melora measure the balance of your life after you die
• How does she interact with the world?
• She loves to interact with the world, primarily through her music but also through listening in on gossip
• She expresses herself through music. Often you can tell her mood by listening to her play her lyre
• Personality coming from her background
• Faith is key to living
• Myers Briggs type
• ENTP (extraversion, intuition, thinking, perceiving)
• "ENTPs enjoy interacting with a wide variety of people. They are great conversationalists and love to engage other people in debates." (source)
• "They are more focused on the future rather than on immediate details. They may start projects and never finish them because they are so focused on the big picture rather than the present needs." (source)
• "ENTPs enjoy being around other people, particularly if they are able to engage in a conversation or debate about something in which they are interested. They are usually fairly laid-back and easy to get along with. However, they can sometimes get so wrapped up in their ideas or plans that they lose sight of their close relationships." (source)
• "They tend to reserve judgment. Instead of making a decision or committing to a course of action, they would prefer to wait and see what happens." (source)
• "ENTPs are immensely curious and focused on understanding the world around them. They are constantly absorbing new information and ideas and quickly arriving at conclusions. They are able to understand new things quite quickly." (source)
• "Debaters make decisions based on logic. They care less about what makes people happy and more about what’s right." (source)
• "They dislike schedules and routine, preferring to keep their options open. They love surprise experiences and challenge the need for rules and regulations." (source)
• Ability-based 
• Exceedingly charming, though some people think that comes off as grating at times
• Flirty
• More insightful and knowledgable than average, but not extraordinarily so
• Though this insight and knowledge aids in the being charming
• Based on another character?
• None that I can think of at the moment

Flaws

• I put too much trust in those who wield power within my temple’s hierarchy and my piety sometimes leads me to blindly trust those who profess faith in my god
• Even though I know those in the temple hierarchy are imperfect, I still put an overwhelming amount of trust in them as they raised me. This can make me blind to flaws that I would easily see in others. When I find other followers of Geshtai, I am overwhelmed with delight to find a genuine connection and, again, can become blind to flaws
• I like to meddle in people's business and love to insert myself into others' problems
• This can get me into trouble
• I am desperate to know what happened to my parents
• I'm willing to do almost anything to find out what happened to them
• Still has a bit of a crush on Keeper Accrah Jr.
• Acts dopey around him
• I am obsessive about honoring Geshtai
• I take a long time to interact with water of any kind
• I don't know my real story, so I often make up a new one
• Can be hard to trust me

Backstory

• I was left at the Geshtai shrine in Goa as a baby and raised by Keeper Accrah Sr. 
• Left with a magical pendant that helps me overhear others
• What happened to my parents to be found out later (DM will create as I want to be surprised)
• Goa notes
• 2,000-3,000 permanent residents, but many people come through
• Fair bit of nomadic living in this area
• The Goa River flows around it
• Lots of other religious locations
• Pelor Shrine on Aborlar's estate
• Someone who works for Aborlar keeps up the shrine
• Kyrie Aditya
• Half-elf (really a 1/4)
• Nonbinary
• Keeper Accrah Jr.'s age roughly (30s?)
• In service for seven years, their mother was the keeper before them
• Because of this, Kyrie grew up with Keeper Accrah Jr. and myself and they saw me as a little sister
• Introduced me to Aborlar and that's how I came into Aborlar's employ
• Sunny, bubbly attitude
• Ideal: Tradition. The ancient traditions of worship and sacrifice must be preserved and upheld
• Bond: Everything they do is for the common people
• Flaw: Judges those who have betrayed them, a loved one, or Pelor harshly, often tries to extract revenge in whatever way they see fit
• Pelor
• Righteous justice dealt to wrong-doers
• Sun god
• Temple of Gruumsh (Orcish [usually] god of anger)
• Father Narhub is a large orc with dark purple skin and cracked white tusks, older
• Gruff, especially to non-orcs who come to the temple as he's suspicious of their intentions
• Conducts services in Orcish
• Has a soft spot for me and other acolytes in town as he sees them as peers and he's an orphan who found salvation in religious practices as well (bond: he owes his life to the priest who took him in when his parents died). He taught me some orcish 
• My relationship with him helped me feel more comfortable around orcs in Goa
• Sees anger as a righteous emotion when handled correctly and dangerous when unbridled (much like fire)
• Very devout
• Sees omens in every event and action. The gods try to speak to all, we just need to listen.
• Gruumsh appears in smoke and in dreams
• Gruumsh sometimes manifests in sudden flashes of anger
• Ideal: Faith. He trusts that Gruumsh will guide his actions. He has faith that if he works hard, things will go well.
• Gruumsh
• Symbol is one eye
• Gruumsh is a hulking, 10 feet tall orc covered in battle scars and clad in a black, gleaming suit of plate mail armor. His tough, gray hide was corded with muscle, and on his one-eyed face was a bear-like snout. (adapted from here)
• Gruumsh appears in smoke and in dreams
• Gruumsh sometimes manifests in sudden flashes of anger
• Temple of Melora (nature goddess)
• Priestess Titalia, half-elf woman with pale blonde hair
• Haunted one
• A monster that slaughtered dozens of innocents spared her life, and she doesn’t know why
• Led her to seek out Melora as to pray to Melora is to acknowledge the messiness of the world and ask to receive its warmth nonetheless
• Doesn't talk about it often, yet she still appears to have a bit of a haunted look to her
• Loves poetry as its abstraction reminds her of Melora
• Talks to spirits that no one else can see
• We bonded as she caught me talking to my parents
• Proud to have a green-thumb, especially loves vine plants
• Ideal: Charity. She always tries to help those in need, no matter what the personal cost
• She saw my talent for music at a young age and helped me barter for my first lyre
• Melora
• Represents the randomness, uncertainty, and deep emotional pain inherent to applying a structure of justice to an unjust world
• Shrine to Mielikki (forest)
• Doesn't have its own keeper exactly 
• Maintained by the keeper at the temple of Melora and by various travelers who visit frequently
• Keeper Meesrah
• Very old forest gnomish woman with gray hair
• Scrappy
• Brought me tales of the outside world, making me want to travel
• Not as close to her as I am to other religious leaders due to her popping in and out of Goa, but I respect her and her faith
• She has confidence when in small groups, but she is averse to formal speaking and being in charge of larger groups (adapted from here)
• Awkward in large groups, but quite adept in small ones
• Sage background
• Travels the forests and places of learning to learn more about Mielikki and forests, but prefers to get information from people one on one rather than in a book
• Ideal: Knowledge. The path to power and self-improvement is through knowledge
• Bond: Would die to recover an ancient relic of my faith that was lost long ago
• A bow said to be made by Mielikki and its arrows struck not to inflict injury but to bring life—where they landed, forest plants appeared and grew in a matter of moments, even entangling whoever she wished (mostly taken from here)
• Would get along well with Nima
• Doesn't live in Goa, but visits frequently
• She is nomadic
• Mielikki
• Guardian of the forest
• Druid and ranger (from here)
• Mielikki's is a tall woman of robust and shapely build and lithe grace. She moves with the spring of a leaping buck and the ease of a prowling panther. She has golden-hued moss and leaves for hair her eyes are large and brown, and deep like pools. She wears the leather armor commonly used by rangers with a sheer yellow and green gossamer robe. She speaks in a rich low purr, and always walks on the air so her feet never made contact with ground, and thus didn't leave any tracks and didn't make any sound. She has a stag's antlers emerging from her forehead (adapted from here)
• To do her work, Mielikki might send dryads, satyrs, sprites, swanmays, treants, or unicorns, and forest animals like hawks, wolves, and songbirds (from here)
• The faithful believe her most common manifestation is her whispering voice, echoing forever through all the forests of the world via the rustling of leaves (adapted from here)
• Cheerful and confident (from here)
• A healer (from here)
• She does not consider mortals her friends lightly, but she demonstrated fierce loyalty and protectiveness to those she does (adapted from here)
• Symbol is a white star on a green leaf (adapted from here)
• Encourages exploration (inspired by here)
• In combat, Mielikki is skilled in fighting with twin scimitars—her hornblades—and in archery (adapted from here)
• Places I play music
• The Wooded Veil
• Run by Dzhila, half-orc woman with long black hair
• Rooms, food, drink, sex workers, but not too rowdy, music
• I play music here
• Not too well-known
• The Two Tusk Inn
• North Goa
• Simple looking from the outside
• Run by Wurg Bonebreaker, blue skinned 3/4 orc, with tusks
• Tries to make all feel welcome
• Most clients are orc or half-orc
• Emmett's
• Standard tavern, go-to for middle-class folk
• Run by Emmett and Eliza, married humans
• The Ruby Inn
• Run Yelisa, half-orc with purplish skin and elaborate black braids
• Most upscale
• Have to book in advance to play
• Geshtai shrine notes
• Fair number of pilgrims coming through, has a boarding house
• Some on their way to the Soma (a very holy place where the Goa River joins the ocean)
• Everyone who stays at the boarding house is expected to help cook, clean, etc. and donations of what people can give are common, but no direct fee is charged
• 5 or 6 quirky friends who help with the shrine upkeep
• Sapphira Accrah
• Race: Human
• Gender: Female
• Rough age: Older (roughly the age of Keeper Accrah Sr.)
• Height: 5'3" (shortish)
• Eyes: Golden brown
• Hair: White with silver highlights
• Skin: Pale with a splay of freckles
• Other physical features:
• Nimble calloused hands
• Background: Acolyte
• Job: Weaver
• Personality:
• Kind, motherly
• Can find common ground between the fiercest enemies, empathizing with them and always working toward peace
• Ideal: Aspiration. She seeks to prove herself worthy of Geshtai's favor by matching her actions against her teachings
• Bond: Will do anything to protect the shrine, can have tunnel vision
• Her piety sometimes leads her to blindly trust those that profess faith in Geshtai
• Talented weaver
• Connections/benefits:
• Strong connection to the shrine and can get free boarding for my friends there
• Relationship/history with me:
• Widow of Keeper Accrah Sr.
• Mother of Keeper Accrah Jr.
• Often a mother figure to me
• Taught me to love Geshtai and have somewhat blind faith in her followers
• Andry Havenbash
• Race: Halfling
• Gender: Female
• Rough age: Early 40s
• Height: 3'0"
• Eyes: Deep brown
• Hair: Black and curly, but short
• Skin: Tan
• Other physical features:
• Beautiful
• Knows how to alter appearance
• Background: Charlatan
• Job: Con woman
• Personality:
• Puts on new identities like clothes
• Raised by followers of Geshtai and hasn't been able to give up her connection to the shrine
• Flattery is her preferred trick for getting what she wants
• Falls in and out of love easily, and is always pursuing someone, but often loses herself in the pursuit, adapting herself to meet the expectations of her would-be  lover
• Can’t resist a pretty face
• Ideal: Independence. She is a free spirit—no one tells her what to do
• Bond: Owes everything to her mentor—a horrible person who’s probably rotting in jail somewhere
• Lucky
• Connections/benefits:
• Knows the criminal element a bit
• Maybe knows Badger?
• Relationship/history with me:
• Helped teach me to move about without being noticed, to overhear what some assume others cannot
• Once tried to steal my pendant, but we overcame this incident after a sincere apology and a promise to help teach me to lie and listen
• Doesn't trust the keepers and so our relationship is somewhat fraught
• Always in debt so is often staying at the boarding house
• Errel Sylris
• Race: Half-elf
• Gender: Nonbinary
• Rough age: Older (close in age to Sapphira)
• Height: 6'0"
• Eyes: Azure
• Hair: Gray
• Skin: Often tanned or even burned white skin
• Other physical features:
• Missing their right ring finger (a giant clam took it)
• Various scars from other fish and water creatures
• Background: Fisher
• Lobster Wrestling. Fought in hand-to-hand combat with an immense lobster
• It Swallowed the Sun. Once saw a fish leap from the water and turn day into night
• Thinks this was Geshtai's fish and thus came to the shrine immediately
• Job: Fisher
• Personality:
• Paranoid
• Ghost Fish. They are haunted by a ghostly fish that only they can see
• Nemesis Clam. A large clam containing a pearl the size of their head claimed one of their fingers before jetting away; one day, they’ll find that clam.
• Needs long stretches of quiet to clear their head
• Thinks that rich folk don’t know the satisfaction of hard work
• Laughs heartily, feels deeply, and fears little
• Works hard; nature offers few handouts
• Dislikes bargaining; state your price and mean it.
• Luck favors them, and they take risks others might not
• Ideal: Balance. Do not fish the same spot twice in a row; suppress your greed, and Gehstai will reward you
• Bond: Will fish the many famous waters of this land
• Inclined to tell long-winded stories at inopportune times
• Is judgmental, especially of those they deem homebodies or otherwise lazy
• Connections/benefits:
• Can always get fresh fish when they're in town
• Can help me get passage on a fishing vessel
• Relationship/history with me:
• Been coming to the shrine for about 10 years (ever since It Swallowed the Sun)
• Isn't there every day or even every week as they go out on fishing expeditions
• Has a crush now on Sapphira Accrah and is bumblingly pursuing her and I try to help
• Encourages me to work hard at my music and delights in my playing
• Taught me some key fishing tips
• Anrel Caijor
• Race: Eloan (a term used for humans with a a small amount of elf blood)
• Gender: Male
• Rough age: 50s (30ish years older than me)
• Height: 5'9" (but holds himself as a tall man)
• Eyes: Gold
• Hair: Salt and pepper dreads (more pepper than salt)
• Skin: Mahogany
• Other physical features:
• Muscular
• Background: Folk hero
• A water fey gave him a blessing to be a brilliant musician in return for loyalty to Geshtai
• Job: Musician and music teacher
• While he is not rich, he is employed by the rich for their "talented" darlings
• Personality:
• Judges people by their actions, not their words
• Confident in own abilities and does what he can to instill confidence in others
• Teaches others music and, regardless of their talent, praises them all
• Ideal: Respect. People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect
• Flaw: Has a weakness for the vices of the city, especially hard drink and sex workers
• Connections/benefits:
• Favorable relationships with places to play music
• A performance boost if I perform with him
• Can introduce to richer people in Goa
• Relationship/history with me:
• Taught me how to play the lyre, songhorn, and tocken and helped get me introductions to the places where I play
• Was impressed with my talent and often called me his star pupil
• Has been around since I can remember
• Shamza Dewbeam
• Race: Rock gnome
• Gender: Nonbinary
• Rough age: Very old
• Height: 3'2" (though is stooped so appears shorter)
• Eyes: Turquoise
• Hair: Silver
• Skin: Pine wood brown
• Other physical features:
• Although haggard, they are quite striking with pointed features and high cheekbones
• Background: Hermit
• Communes with the rivers, often far from civilization
• Job: Minor merchant who travels on waterways to exchange goods
• Personality:
• Quiet
• Keeps to themself
• Nomadic, has a houseboat type thing
• Has the utmost respect for the keepers of Geshtai temples
• Somewhat oblivious to etiquette and social expectations
• Ideal: Live and Let Live. Meddling in the affairs of others only causes trouble
• Bond: Still seeking the enlightenment they pursued in their seclusion, and it still eludes them
• Dogmatic in their thoughts and philosophy
• Connections/benefits:
• Wise counsel and deep knowledge of Geshtai
• Relationship/history with me:
• Has been around since I can remember
• Not as close with them as they come and go and they don't approve of my gossip-y nature
• Often repremanded me for meddling with others
• Glarmet Silverriver
• Race: Dwarf
• Gender: Male
• Rough age: Late 20s (close to my age)
• Height: 4'6"
• Eyes: Gray
• Hair: Deep brown
• Skin: Light tan
• Other physical features:
• Handsome
• Waves on a river tattoo on upper right arm
• Background: Sailor
• Job: Sailor
• Personality:
• His time on the water has led him to the shrine
• His friends know they can rely on him, no matter what
• Language is foul 
• Ideal: Freedom. Water is freedom — the freedom to go anywhere and do anything
• Bond: He’ll always remember his first ship
• Once someone questions his courage, he never backs down no matter how dangerous the situation.
• Connections/benefits:
• Can help secure cheaper passage on sailing vessels if departing from Goa or the Soma
• Relationship/history with me:
• New to the shrine
• I welcomed the handsome stranger after seeing the tattoo on his arm and we bonded over the beauty of the Goa and he entranced me with tales of the Soma
• We had a romantic dalliance, but both agreed to remain friends
• Come up with some quotes that would come from the sacred texts/teachings
• “Water is the driving force of all nature.” 
• “Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.”
• “A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the very planet itself.”
• “In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans.”
• “The fall of dropping water wears away the stone.”
• “It is life, I think, to watch the rivers."
• “Water is always working, reorganizing the land.”
• “All water is holy water.”
• “Water is the reason of our birth; it is the healer, the destroyer and the final consumer.”
• “Water is the most perfect traveler because when it travels it becomes the path itself!”
• “Water is soft and humble, but it is the most powerful and is the most endurable.”
• “Water is the mother of the vine, the nurse and fountain of fecundity, the adorner and refresher of the world.”
• “Water is life’s matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.”
• “The sound of water is worth more than all the poets’ words.”
• “When water falls, it flies.”
• “If the planet is a mother then rivers are her veins.”
• “Water sustains all.”
• “A being of wisdom delights in water.”
• “To put your hands in a river is to feel the chords that bind the planet together.”
• “Every drop in the river counts.”
• “No one ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and they're not the same being.”
• “To understand water is to understand the cosmos, the marvels of nature, and life itself.”
• “River is time in water; as it came, still so it flows, yet never is the same.”
• “Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.”
• “All water has a perfect memory and is trying to get back to where it was.”
• “My river runs to thee: Blue sea, wilt welcome me?”
• “Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs."
• “A river is more than an amenity, it is a treasure.”
• “Out of water, I am nothing.”
• “In time and with water, everything changes.”
• Persistence is a key value of Geshtai followers as water can always eventually wear away a stone
• Change is a key value of Geshtai followers
• Followers of Geshtai believe everyone has their own path, even if they have to forge it themselves
• While Geshtai values those who honor her and her domain, she is not a god of people. She teaches the music of a rushing river, the silence of the stars reflected in a still lake, the beautiful balance of rain and cloud and fish and river
• Balance and flexibility are major themes in Geshtai teachings, just as water can be a still pond, it can also be a rushing waterfall and everything in between
• Geshtai would not necessarily favor Melora, Pelor, or Selune over the others, but her followers would likely believe in all three, and believe in the balance
• Connection to Selune as it is recognized that water and the moon have a bond
• Connection to Melora as water is part of nature
• Connection to Pelor is much weaker though and some followers of Geshtai feel animosity to followers of Pelor however others see Pelor as a natural balance to Geshtai (this is more where I fall)
• Followers of Geshtai would have superstitions about the treatment of fresh water. While most of us use water without wondering where it came from, followers of Geshtai would have a keen awareness that all water comes from somewhere. They wouldn't necessarily have any qualms about using water for drinking or bathing or any other purpose, but they may have rituals, public or personal, to honor the source of the water
• Likewise, a follower of Geshtai might eat fish, but would have a strong sense that by consuming fish they were participating in a balanced cycle--and would be careful not to upset that balance
• Followers of Geshtai believe that all water is connected and all life is connected to water
• Some keepers of Geshtai shrines act as guardians of valuable waters (adapted from here)
• Some followers of Geshtai patrol parched areas of land where travellers often become lost and guide them to safety and water (adapted from here)
• Favored weapon: spear (from here)
• Has a fish companion, Gumus (adapted from here)
• Key theology
• Guardian of rivers, lakes, and water creatures
• Narrow in scope
• I speak orc
• I am more of exception in Goa and don't feel out of place with the orcs
• This helps make me a good gossip and a profitable bard
• I work for Aborlar and Aurelius Greentooth
• Aborlar
• Follows Pelor
• Half-elf
• Not that loyal to the empire, but grew up there and has relationships with political figures in the empire
• Has a respectable face for empire folk
• Seen as an ambassador to the empire
• Runs the gray/river wardens who are the police-like force
• Greentooth
• Half-orc
• Seems ready for battle, but has a friendly smile
• Merchant
• Handles luxury goods
• Has good relations with the tribes to the north
• Generally keeps to himself
• While I didn't choose the keeper life, I am loyal to Geshtai and think the world of her and her followers
• When I was younger, I thought I would join the priestly order as it's what I grew up around, however, some things made me astray
• I took up instruments early and found I had a natural talent for them. While music is far from forbidden by Geshtai, the priests are not known for their musical talent nor do they have much time for it
•  Always curious about others, I learned to listen to people as I played. I quickly became privy to all sorts of information and became a town gossip
• At an early age, I witnessed a scandal with one of the pilgrims and was disillusioned from seeing them as flawless beings
• Turns out a leader of pilgrimage (Basin, described below) was charging for admission to the boarding house and to the Soma which is against our beliefs
• Basin, male water genasi, tall and handsome, charismatic, 40ish when the incident happened, long side-burns
• Taught me some primordial (but some of it is also innate)
• Primordial is more in ancient texts and what gods speak
• Came from Bellewick (the capital)
• Makes it harder for me to trust people from the empire
• I grew up with him coming through and found him handsome and admirable until the incident
• I'm the one who found him out as I listened in with my magic pendant and I told the Keeper who banished him, but as far as I know he's still in Bellewick
• Despite this, I do still put an overwhelming amount of trust in followers and acolytes of Geshtai as I find the scandal to be the exception, and not the rule (especially as I thought it was dealt with fairly)
• Sometimes I have information useful to the council, but other times just useful to a suspicious spouse
• I trade in information but pride myself on my musical ability as well

(Prompt by me)

Image produced by my DM through Midjourney AI (ask me more about it if you're curious!)