Advanced Character Themes

This "guide" is a list of character themes and backgrounds that might be of interest for more seasoned RPers, ones who can handle the presented material in a skilful fashion. A more elaborate introduction will come soon (tm).
==Demon's Pawn==
Azeroth has become a breeding ground for cults, whether they serve demons, Old Gods or any of a thousand other dark masters. The last decades have grown progressively darker, presenting a great opportunity for cultists that promise protection from the terrors of the frontier-at the comparatively small cost of eternal loyalty and secrecy. Or so the stories and tales go.
In reality, most cults that operate in the cities have no such connections. Instead, they are composed of indolent noble scions and other privileged progeny using the threat of darkness to gain romantic favor or to intimidate rivals into closing up shop and skipping town. In such cults, youngsters claim to supplicate devils for the sake of their own jests, then drink themselves into oblivion while waiting for their servants to clean up the mess. You used to belong to one such false cult - or at least you thought you did.
It seemed like a good idea at the time - allying with powerful individuals in the mutual pursuit of authority, pleasure and coin. Now, however, you've made a mistake - one that you might end up paying for with your eternal soul.
Although you were born high, you've never been particularly wealthy or influential. In the cult, however, you could rub shoulders with the powerful and the wealthy who are excited to delve into the dark. You saw the potential in making important connections in the hope of securing a good marriage when you finally decided to settle down.
At your infrequent rituals, celebrants would gather around braziers of white-hot coals and invoke the power of strangely named beings. Chanting would ensue, along with tedious and false religious mummery. Nothing ever came of these rites, of course, and each secret conclave would eventually devolve into the more important business of drinking, scheming, and hedonism. It all seemed harmless.
Then one day, you were late for a meeting. When you arrived, it was to discover the ritual chamber covered in blood and gore. Your fellow cultists had been brutally dismembered. The central brazier burned with an unbelievably hot flame, drawing your attention. Enraptured, you stepped toward it, unable to resist. Fire flared, driving into your chest like a lance as it burned you, body and soul. You fled back home and rushed to your bedchamber, then fell into fitful sleep.
When you awoke, it was in your own bed, far from the scene of the cult's massacre. You were happy to dismiss the memory as a nightmare - until you glimpsed a mark on your chest that made the nightmare real. You bear a crimson brand now. What it means, you have no idea - but the implications terrify you.
And now, you seek to gather allies to your side, fearful of what the power that binds you has in store. However, you hesitate to share your dreadful secret with them. What's more, a dark dream has begun to haunt you, wherein you betray those closest to you...
==Gladiator==
Life under the Warchief is hard. But Hellscream knows that even with loyal kor'kron and vast armies at his command, he rule with his subjects' consent. To distract the commoners from their misery, to divert public attention from oppressive laws and heavy taxes, to set an example of battle skill and courage, Warchief Garrosh Hellscream decreed the spectacle of gladiatorial games.
Orgrimmar boasts an impressive arena, with enough seating to hold most of its citizens. Every so often, depending on weather or the Warchief's mood, generals, grunts and peons gather to watch the drama unfold, cheering madly as their favourite warriors duel with other gladiators, work in teams to claim the contest's great prize, or fight en masse to defeat whatever new horror the arena masters have plucked, no doubt at great expense and loss of life, from the far reaches of Kalimdor and beyond.
Naturally, most gladiators are slaves. Chosen for this fate because of their strength or skill, they live and die at the crowd's favor, pitting what training they acquire against myriad foes, never knowing when they will face an insurmountable foe, never sure when their opponent will be their equal. Arena masters understand that their warriors fight with passion when they have something to fight for, and so they offer freedom, wealth, pleasure, or some other incentive to stoke the fires and keep their captive warriors eager for victory. Freedom is the greatest prize of course, but the games are so violent that few gladiators live long enough to earn the victories they need to escape.
Some gladiators are born to the arena, raised from an early age to fight in front of the crowd. Others find themselves in the pit through no intention of their own—sentenced for a crime or sold into slavery, perhaps — only to discover that they were meant for the blood-soaked sands. A few individuals volunteer to fight in the arena, desperate (or cocky) enough to risk life and limb for a purse of high value.
The life of a gladiator is brutish and brief, but it is the one occupation a slave can hold that also brings respect. Gladiators are heroes to the common people. Their trials and victories are the stuff of legend, and many slaves grow comfortable from the accolades their conquests bring.
==Minstrel==
The minstrels of Azeroth are entertainers to everyone, from lowliest commoners to the wealthy and elite. Singers, acrobats, poets, dancers, and storytellers, minstrels brave the wilderness and the war to tour the cities of the Alliance and the Horde in troupes or individually, making a living with their wits and talents. The civilized peoples of Azeroth have long celebrated minstrels and all but the poorest or most suspicious of hosts are proud to open their doors to a lovely dancer or wise storyteller. Hosting a minstrel or sponsoring a troupe's performance reflects well on the host, and most Azerothians are eager to forget their troubles with a few hours of song and dance. Nobles often send troupes of minstrels to one another as gifts; it is seen as a great insult to refuse such a gift, even when all involved know that the minstrels in questions are spies or assassins.
The most skilled (or fortunate) minstrels are highly paid companions of nobility, trusted advisors or agents who enjoy the most intimate confidences of their patrons. In the East, minstrels are often retained by noble houses to tutor young nobles or teach them about the world. They might serve as bodyguards and fighting instructors at the same time. In Kalimdor, minstrels are keepers of tradition and lore. Many would-be hero of the Horde hires a minstrel to chronicle their legendary exploits for posterity. Minstrels who belong to a troupe lack the comfort and trust bestowed on a kept minstrel, but they enjoy the freedom to travel and the aid of a network of informants and allies. The poorest and most humble minstrels are simple wandering storytellers or jugglers who perform for their supper from night to night.
Many minstrels have a dark side they conceal beneath their charm and talent. Those with ambition and ruthlessness find opportunities in the employ of the elite classes. Minstrels often lead double lives as blackmailers, thieves, spies, or assassins; a minstrel's visit or a troupe's performance might conceal a mission of espionage or murder. They are known as masters of poison, concealed weapons and subtle trickery. Even the humblest wandering minstrel with threadbare cloak and battered lyre might be more than he or she seems - there's no better spy than someone who seems harmless and is welcome wherever he or she goes.
Category:Guides