Marcus

Overview

Marcus is a human member of the Chosen of Demmazon and, at the time of the surviving character sheet, a Fighter 7 / Ranger 2. He is a skilled tracker and front-line fighter who later became one of the senior military leaders of the Chosen.

He was one of the party's early Chosen mentors and served as a tracker and field leader on several expeditions. He was particularly associated with teaching combat techniques to Chosen recruits, including Dodge.

Character

• Race: Human
• Gender: Male
• Age: 29 (9th-level character sheet)
• Height: 6'
• Weight: 155 lb.
• Eyes: Brown
• Hair: Brown
• Skin: Tan
• Deity: Demmazon
• Languages: Common, Elven
• Affiliation: Chosen
• Classes: Fighter 7 / Ranger 2

Ability Scores

Dexterity 18 includes the +2 Gloves of Dexterity.

Combat Statistics

• Hit Points: 91
• Armor Class: 24
• Base Attack Bonus: +9
• Fortitude: +11
• Reflex: +10
• Will: +4

Weapons

Flametongue Longsword

• Attack: +15/+10
• Damage: 1d8+7 slashing + 1d6 fire
• Against humans: 1d8+9 + 1d6 fire
• Critical: 19–20/×2

+2 Short Sword

• Attack: +15/+10
• Damage: 1d6+6
• Against humans: 1d6+8
• Critical: 19–20/×2

+1 Longbow

• Attack: +14
• Damage: 1d8+1 piercing
• Against humans: 1d8+3
• Critical: ×3

Two-Weapon Fighting

With the Flametongue longsword in his primary hand and the +2 short sword in his off hand:

• Flametongue: +13/+8
• Short sword: +11

Damage:

• Flametongue: 1d8+7 + 1d6 fire
• Short sword: 1d6+4

Against humans, Favored Enemy adds +2 to each weapon's damage.

Feats and Abilities

• Quick Draw
• Two-Weapon Defense
• Dodge
• Weapon Focus (Longsword)
• Weapon Specialization (Longsword)
• Mobility
• Spring Attack
• Blind-Fight
• Toughness
• Favored Enemy (Human)
• Track
• Wild Empathy
• Combat Style: Two-Weapon
• Natural Armor +1
• Detect Chosen

Detect Chosen

Marcus possesses the Chosen ability Detect Chosen. It functions similarly to detect magic in its progressive detection structure, but detects individuals possessing Chosen powers rather than magical auras.

Marcus's ability is at the third and highest tier.

The ability was established in the 20081128 campaign source as an at-will Chosen spell-like ability. The basic progression allows the user to detect the presence of other Chosen, determine their number and the strongest aura, and ultimately determine their location and aura strength.

Skills

His Ring of Jumping (+5) contributes to Jump. His masterwork +2 chain shirt has a –1 armor check penalty; Swim applies twice the armor check penalty.

Against his Favored Enemy (Human), Marcus receives an additional +2 on Listen, Spot, and Survival checks when the check involves humans, as well as +2 weapon damage against humans.

Equipment

• Flametongue longsword
• +2 short sword
• +1 longbow
• 30 arrows
• +2 chain shirt
• Ring of Protection +1
• Cloak of Resistance +1
• Ring of Jumping (+5)
• Gloves of Dexterity +2

Role in the Chosen

Marcus was introduced as a tracker for the Chosen and was described in the early campaign material as quiet and reserved. He became an important field operative and mentor to the player characters.

He was particularly skilled at tracking and fighting. During the investigation of the wolf/orc attacks, Marcus served as the party's tracker and tactical adviser. When the Tower of Plinth was attacked, he participated in the pursuit of the attackers and subsequently helped rescue the party from the Gap, arriving with other Chosen soldiers and an airship.

Marcus was willing to put himself at risk to protect civilians. During the Sandalt/Tandar investigation, when the party considered leaving the threatened villagers behind, Marcus was prepared to remain and help them himself.

He later became a trusted member of the party's wider circle. He accompanied them on major expeditions, including the Sunchaser's missions to Aegea and Godsmount, and participated directly in combat.

The party gave Marcus his Flametongue longsword, which he subsequently used in combat, including against trolls whose regeneration required fire to overcome.

Mentor to the Party

Marcus was an early mentor to the party and was specifically BoDuke's old teacher from the Chosen.

His relationship with the characters eventually developed beyond that of instructor and students. He became a trusted comrade and senior Chosen contact.

Later Career

Marcus eventually rose considerably beyond the level represented by the surviving character sheet.

After the Chosen suffered catastrophic losses, Quenín promoted Marcus and Nate to Senior Chosen, a position explicitly described as equivalent in status to a Founder even though neither had originally founded the organization.

As Quenín became too old to lead the Chosen on the battlefield, Marcus assumed the mantle of battlefield leadership. Quenín began teaching him the subtleties of diplomacy and politics while Marcus spent much of his time at the Tower of Plinth and trained new Chosen recruits in combat.

Marcus became particularly associated with teaching Dodge. Later campaign material notes that almost everyone aboard the flying ship returned from an expedition knowing Dodge after training with him.

Personality and Reputation

Marcus is consistently portrayed as:

• Quiet and reserved
• Practical and tactically minded
• Highly skilled at tracking
• A capable front-line fighter
• Protective of civilians
• Loyal to his comrades
• Trusted by the Chosen
• Comfortable taking responsibility in dangerous situations
• A capable combat instructor

He tends to provide information and tactical advice rather than dominate the decisions of the people he is accompanying.

Source Notes

Character Sheet

The surviving character sheet establishes Marcus as Fighter 7 / Ranger 2, rather than the 5th-level Ranger described in an earlier planning document.

Planning vs. Campaign Record

The Wolves Attack planning document describes Marcus as a 5th-level Ranger. This appears to represent an earlier planned version of the character rather than his actual recorded build. The surviving character sheet therefore takes precedence for the mechanical snapshot above.

Chosen Development

The 20081128 source establishes the mechanics and progression of Detect Chosen. Marcus's character sheet records him as possessing the ability at its third/highest tier.

Later Development

The later campaign material establishes Marcus's advancement into Senior Chosen and eventually a major battlefield leadership role. His eventual level and complete later character statistics have not yet been established from surviving source material.

Notable Actions & Accomplishments

Investigated the Sandalt Attacks

Marcus accompanied the newly recruited The Chosen on their first field investigation into the attacks on Sandalt. He scouted the village, assessed the damaged defenses, helped the party understand the tactical situation, and pressed them to aid the civilians.

When the party considered declining the villagers' request for help, Marcus was prepared to remain behind and help them himself.

Led the Pursuit After the Attack on the Tower of Plinth

Following the assault on the Tower of Plinth that killed Effron and dozens of Chosen, Marcus took command of the party's pursuit down into The Gap. When the elevator collapsed, he used a supply of Rings of Feather Fall to help the party survive the descent and subsequently helped search the devastated construction site for survivors.

More than 30 Chosen and many non-Chosen workers and allies had been killed in the attack.

Rescued the Party From the Gladiatorial Arena

When the party was imprisoned and forced to fight four stone golems without weapons or armor, Marcus led a The Chosen rescue operation.

He descended into the arena with four Chosen soldiers, coordinated the extraction, and used a Horn of Valhalla to summon berserkers to hold off the golems while the party escaped aboard an airship.

Marcus's rescue also established him as more than a tracker or combatant: he was trusted to lead Chosen personnel during a dangerous field operation and successfully extract the party from an otherwise nearly impossible situation.

Tracked the Werewolf Threat

Marcus accompanied the party during the investigation of the attacks on the Tower of Plinth. He followed the creatures' trail south and west from The Gap toward Tandar, using his exceptional tracking ability to reconstruct their movements.

At Tandar, he continued to interpret the remaining tracks and helped distinguish the forces that had remained in the village from those that had continued onward.

Participated in the Expedition to Aegea

Marcus was among the The Chosen personnel selected to accompany the party aboard the Sunchaser during the expedition to locate and investigate the ruins of Aegea.

He participated in the subsequent underwater exploration and was trusted with equipment from the Chosen's personal stores for the expedition.

Participated in the Party's Recovery From Captivity

Following the party's rescue from Toreon, Marcus was among the Chosen who received them.

He briefed the party on the conclusion of the war at Trondhammen and explained the Chosen's attempts to contact Nate through the scrying connection that Effron had established before his death.

Fought at Godsmount

Marcus was selected as part of the small group accompanying the party on foot into the dangerous magical environment of Godsmount.

During the expedition, he fought frost giants and trolls. A frost giant's critical hit dropped him in combat, requiring the party to intervene and heal him.

Later, Marcus used the Flametongue sword that the party had given him to finish off the unconscious trolls, overcoming their regeneration with its fire damage.

Helped Restore Malachi's Life

When Orinder began casting Raise Dead on Malachi, Marcus helped restrain Dew Gooder when Dew attempted to stop the casting.

The spell succeeded and Malachi was restored to life. Marcus was subsequently impressed by the apparently miraculous power Orinder had demonstrated.

Promoted to Senior Chosen

Following the later defense of the Tower of Plinth, Quentin promoted Marcus and Nate to Senior Chosen.

Their new status was explicitly described as equivalent to that of a Founder, despite neither having been among the original founders of the organization.

Assumed Battlefield Leadership of the Chosen

By the time of Dark Times, Marcus had taken a major leadership role within the The Chosen.

As Quenín became too old to lead the Chosen on the battlefield, Marcus assumed responsibility for battlefield leadership. Quenín began teaching Marcus the subtleties of diplomacy and politics while Marcus spent much of his time at the Tower of Plinth training new Chosen recruits in combat.

Marcus became particularly associated with teaching Dodge. His instruction was sufficiently widespread that almost everyone aboard the flying ship returned from the expedition having learned the technique.