First time RP character attempt

[dangelo37]

Name: Oliver Ogleton

Age: 43 (alive) (dead for an unknown amount of time) 5 (undead)

Race: Undead (Forsaken)

Class: Illustrious Grand Master Alchemist (civilian)

Gender: Male

Languages: Orcish, Gutterspeak, Very little Goblin, Common (Learned common during his time in Northrend in Dalaran)

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Faction: Horde - Undercity (specifically the Grand Apothecarium) - Unyielding devotion to Sylvannas for giving him a second chance at life.

Personality: He is a tad on the crazy side. After years of studying different herbs and their effects when combined, he has suffered from a very slight madness. The side-effects of different concoctions have both hindered and empowered him.

Likes: Potions and elixirs He spends hours a day reading different tomes on the subject and enjoys nothing more than trying out new herb/reagent combinations. He recently has been tasked with experimenting on live subjects and is always delighted at the results he gets from gnome test subjects. He often makes temporary potions that do little harm but 'mess with' other individuals (i.e. Noggenfogger).
Feels a special affinity for the Bronze Dragonflight as he was confronted by a bronze as a child.

Dislikes: Dark Iron Dwarves. He knows the difference between a dark iron and any other dwarf (often grouping them into just 2 'races of dwarves'). In his previous life, he was tasked to enter Blackrock Mountain and obtain Black Vitrol so he could begin his work towards his very own Philosopher's Stone. While there he was trapped by a small group of them and kept as a prisoner. They tortured him into an inch of his life and sent him crawling back to Tanaris. He died shortly after making it to Gadgetzan.
He dislikes those who get too serious and never take it easy (he's undead now so he doesn't care so much about the little things the living cling to)

Appearance: He is 5'11" and has no remarkable musculature. Green hair pointing straight outward. Wears the plain robes of an alchemist (usually a dark pink or light red). He carries his own Alchemist's Stone in a small enchanted leather pouch that NEVER leaves his side. The stone itself is never taken out of the pouch as the power it holds is almost too much for even him to handle. It has only been seen once and that was during it's creation. He immediately placed it in the enchanted bag to damper it's potency. He keeps a small dagger inside his robes for when he is out on his own.

Strengths: He has no particular strengths save his mind. He is unseemingly brilliant especially concerning his craft. When alive he normally wasn't one for war, but has used the majority of his undeath creating potions that will aid him in combat. He keeps a variety of premade potions on his person but has plenty of reagents on him so he can mix a quick one on the go.
His most impressive feat is the creation of his own Alchemist Stone. He can draw upon it's power to create reagents he doesn't have or can enhance the potency of elixirs he creates. His specialty is being a Potions Illustrious Grand Master and can create a multitude of potions from very little reagents. He has dabbled in transmutation but is no master of it.

Alchemy Satchel: ((This is a quick description of what he would normally keep on him at all times. These potions are smaller in size and most are ingested through the nose due to his Alchemist Stone amplifying their natural power.))

10 empty vials
a variety of herbs/reagents and mixing bowl
3 earthskin potions (his own specially made potion.Turns the epidermis into stone and cleanses the body of all poisons and diseases)
1 endless healing potion
1 fog of war potion (his own specially made potion. Creates an intense fog that permeates a 1/2 square mile radius from the point of origin)
3 healing draughts
3 mana draughts
3 potions of giant growth (increases size and strength 3x for 1 minute)
6 potions of protection (3 shadow, 1 frost, 1 fire, 1 nature) (temporary invulnerability to the specific magic school for 10secs)
3 acid flasks
2 potions of invisibility
1 potion of illusion (transforms the inbiber into the last person they saw before taking)
6 noggenfoggers
2 indestructable potions
6 Mad Alchemist's potions (small healing potion that gives different side-effects)
3 oils (Sword enchantment. 1 fire, 1 frost, 1 shadow)
3 potions of haste (greatly speeds up movement for a short time)
3 bottle of poison
2 potions of dexterity (heightens hand-to-hand combat for a short time)

Weaknesses: His physical body is weak. He is susceptible in a melee encounter if he is caught without 'pre-potting'. He has little stamina. He takes things in his 2nd life very carefree. To a fault. He has an unwavering allegiance to Sylvannas and will protect her name at all costs. This has caused some tension between him and some unfortunate gnomes...

Backstory: Oliver was a human born in Lordaeron. Shortly after his birth his parents decided to move to Gadgetzan in Tanaris in an attempt to make some money. He was a boy of small stature and was always picked last in sports. Like all children of The Alliance, he was taught to try and uphold their virtues and defend their way of living. Oliver never felt this same connection to his faction. He wasn't sympathetic to the Horde, but living in a neutral territory and meeting many friendly "unfriendlies" dulled his sense of patriotism. His classmates all grew up learning the skills of great warriors, hunters, and even the occasional mage. He never had an affinity to magic as very few do and, due to his small size, was terrified of physical confrontation. His lack or coordination made it impossible for him to master the art of stealth and he could never discern what the earth was trying to communicate to him. He fell asleep in church and was always chastised by the Bishop for doing so.

He almost gave up his dream of fighting for The Alliance when one day he found a book in the sand. He had wandered far from Gadgetzan and found himself near a cave. He knew he was nowhere near home and suddenly got very afraid. As his fear was about to take over completely he was confronted by a bronze dragon. Frozen in horror the dragon began to speak to him in his own mind!

"I sense a sadness in you young human. Do not despair, for one day you will be apart of a group of adventurers who will assist in saving not only The Alliance but all of Azeroth!"

Suddenly, with a gust of wind and a spray of sand he opened his eyes and the dragon was gone. All that was left behind was a book. Thinking he had seen a mirage and that the Bronze obviously wasn't there, he took the book and ran home. He realized it was a book of Alchemy and started to play with some of the recipes.

His parents did not approve of Oliver's new hobby and discouraged it from the get-go. They themselves worked closely with the local Goblins and were always looking for ways to make money. They even moved from Lordaeron to Tanaris just to be close to the money-hungry race. The best way, in their eyes, was to imitate the locals and sell... anything they could get their hands on. They wanted him to open his own local General Goods store and make a comfortable living. But this was not his destiny. He practiced every day, memorizing each word in his book; picking herbs that were needed. He became quite adept at identifying herbs from the quickest of glances. It was a skill nobody saw any use for.... nobody save a local Goblin.

Very few people started to notice the boy playing with potions and paid him no real mind.... except Alchemist Pestlezugg. He saw something in Oliver that nobody else had ever seen. He saw the desire to learn. He saw the need to be more than what he was. What he saw was himself at an earlier stage in his life. He showed Oliver some books at his shop. Normally he would charge an arm and a leg for something like this, but Oliver was an exception.

Oliver spent the next ten years as Pestlezugg's apprentice. He mastered every recipe the Goblin had and lived a content life making money selling health potions to the local arena goers. Until one day he learned of a legendary stone. Pestlezugg kept many old books in his shop, but one was different. One book was kept under lock and key and one day the Expert Alchemist told Oliver it was time he knew why. Giving the book to Oliver he noticed there was only one recipe in the entire tome. It was for a stone. But not any stone, it was a stone that could turn everyday rocks into the most rare of metals; it could even turn iron to gold. It was the Philosopher's Stone. The elder Alchemist told him the reagents and Oliver's heart sank... he would have to leave Tanaris to find them. Pestlezugg could only trust such an important mission to his own apprentice. Oliver decided that if he were ever to surpass his master then he would need to do it so he agreed.

Not having enough money to buy a suitable horse or even pay a gryphon master properly, he began to think this was an impossible task. Over the next 6 years he traveled around Azeroth looking for the assorted raw materials. His final item on his list was a rare Black Vitrol. It was said to be found in numerous locations but rarely. Blackrock Mountain was said to have an abundance of the stone and so Oliver made his way there. He had heard stories of the dwarves that lived in these mountains and was as cautious as he could be. After a week of scouring the mountain tunnels he found a vein that had the precious gem. Not being a skilled miner, he made a loud commotion obtaining the stone and looked up to find himself surrounded by a large group of Dark Iron Dwarves.

Terrified, he ran and was quickly taken prisoner. They tortured the young Alchemist. This mountain is sacred to them and taking even a pebble was cause enough for death. Oliver begged for his life. He pleaded, bargained, and promised and eventually made a deal with the evil dwarves. He was to create the Philosopher's Stone and return with it a large sum of gold. ((Even Dark Iron Dwarves know the value of gold!)) The leader of the small group gave Oliver a poison. The toxin would kill Oliver in two months times. The only way to cure it was from a special eilixr the dwarf had. Oliver had no choice but to agree and set out on his journey home. He needed Pestlezugg's equipment if he was ever to complete the stone.

He finally made it to Tanaris but it was already almost two months' time. He knew he was going to die. He decided to craft the stone anyway so he could die in peace, knowing he had finally surpassed his master. Oliver was alive long enough to finish the Philosopher's Stone. It's blue hue glowed dimly. He hugged it closely and passed on with a smile on his face.

After his passing, his parents and Pestlezugg arranged for him to be buried where his family had come from in Lordaeron. All his family was buried there so it was only right. During the burial, Pestlezugg went against all Goblin instinct and placed the completed stone in Oliver's coffin. Afterall, it was his dying wish to create it. Oliver deserved to keep it forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

((Many years later after the events of the first scourge and rising of the Forsaken.))(( Really hoping my timing is right here))

Suddenly Oliver wakes! Everything is dark. He fumbles around trying to get up but realizes he is in a box. Apparently very claustrophobic, he begins to scream and cry for someone to let him out. A blinding light! He is out. He has almost no memory of his past at first. He knows (thinks he knows) he died after completing his life's work but that is all. He looks around and sees a zombie staring at him sighing heavily. "Name?" the zombie inquires and Oliver inexplicably responds "Oliver Ogleton, Alchemist". He suddenly is given a vision. He knows what has happened over the past years and is given back the knowledge he once had. He looks at his arms and realizes he is a zombie... he is a member of the Forsaken. He is Undead!

He quickly finds the Philosopher's Stone in his pocket and is filled with a happiness he thought he would never attain. He can continue his work! He is filled with a respect for the Banshee Queen and swears an oath to her. He will do anything in his power to protect her and serve her. For SHE gave him a second chance to learn... to experiment... to avenge.

Oliver spends the next 5 years of 'life' under the tutelage of various Alchemy trainers. Most notably is Grand Apothecary Putress. He is tasked with developing a new plague. He is under the impression that the Grand Apothecary has given then the permission to work on such a vile job. After Putress betrays the Forsaken, Oliver immediately begins treating the survivors and helps in coming up with a remedy. He is not punished and spends the rest of his time working for and eventually with Doctor Herbert Halsey of the Apothecarium.

Oliver takes personal time to master his craft even further. Being undead means he can travel at his leisure. He can find the herbs he needs. He can search underwater for rare materials. Oliver begins training to use potions offensively as well as defensively. He quickly moves up the ranks (much faster than when he was alive) and eventually is given the title of Illustrious Grand Master.

Just as the campaign in Northrend was ending and before The Shattering took place, he traveled to the cold continent and learned of a way to increase his Philosopher's Stone's power tenfold. He had heard of alchemists taking the stone further but now had a way to do it himself. He traversed the frozen wastes looking for the necessary reagents. After 5 months of nonstop searching, he had everything he needed. Back in The Undercity, he and Dr. Halsey worked tirelessly molding the herbs and stones, trying different combinations, and using up almost all of their Gnomish test subjects until finally his blue stone began to glow much more brightly. He quickly realized that there was more power in this one stone than in any number of Philosopher's Stones he'd ever seen before. Grabbing the pouch Pestlezugg placed the stone in at his burial all those years ago he placed the stone inside. Once the stone was in, the leather pouch reacted and a message appeared on it.

"Oliver, I have watched you grow from a boy to a man. You have made me more proud than any apprentice I've ever had. You may not know this, but you changed me. You made me a better person. Having you always at my shop has given me a new meaning in life. I will continue our work and will keep striving for greatness. Thank you for everything. I leave you with this last gift. May it protect your accomplishment from future harm. Goodbye."
~Pestlezugg

Oliver laughed at the overly emotional note and shoved the pouch in his pocket. Sensing the power-dampening enchantment the pouch seemed to possess, it would be the perfect vessel to carry an artifact of such power.

Oliver spent time researching the Dark Iron Dwarves and was infuriated when they took a seat of power in Ironforge. Not that it directly affected him, but knowing that those evil monsters held seats of power and persuasion made him beyond angry. He loathed the dark iron dwarves with every fiber of his being. He made it a personal goal to torture/experiment/kill any Dark Iron that ever crossed his path again.

Campaigns: War of the Greys: Lordaeron

---------- Post added 2012-09-11 at 03:34 AM ----------

Taking all criticisms and advice. Is this character even viable? Thanks in advance for reading!

Sorry for the delay! I've been busy.... I redid a lot of the minor mistakes. Thanks for the great advice

[Chonar]

I like it. It's got a lot of potential for growth and I thoroughly enjoy the love for his craft to be his reason for.. unliving. Two minor points I'd adress;

The Vial of the Sands. While commonish enough for us as players, in an RP setting a simple potion (that never runs out?) to transform into a sandstone drake should be quite a feat! It's sure to turn a few heads and you may want to fleshen that out a bit. A good friend of mine on an RP server uses it in his backstory as his own tie to the Bronze Fight (since the sandstone drake uses both the [Sands of Time] to make, and is sort of a bronze drake of itself). Perhaps you could do the same?

Secondly, positive emotions shown by an undead/Forsaken is rather uncommon. Shedding a single tear, feeling nostalgic or feelings of warmth... not buying it. Even if his tear ducts would still be intact and capable of producing tears, I just don't know... seems uncharacteristic of even the least hostile Forsaken, een if all of his hatred and ire is aimed at the Dark Irons.

[Mengucekli]

Hi there!

Nice character, great depth, but as Chonar stated, may need minor polishing. Other than that, a great, passionate alchemist is a typical scientist which is very much viable

But i must point out one thing: You state that after he was raised by Forsaken at around events of Third War, he studied for more than 40 years with Putress. But you may need to correct the amount of years here, because (i am no expert or such, people here know a lot than me about this but) after the Scourge incursion and Third War, it has been only 4 years or so untill Vanilla Wow, and 6 (or maybe 8? i dunno, maybe someone else is better with chronology here) years untill today's Wow with cataclysm and stuff. So i don't think 40 years would be correct, nor his 5 years spent in Northrend.. Adjust the time spent to fit in current timeline? Or find any other solution you would like more, totally up to you of course.

Nice one for first try tho! Regards,

Meng

[xensorlol]

Men and Chonar pretty much indicated everything that may/may not need a bit of polishing, so I don't think I really need to say anything on that matter!

It looks great, for being a first BIO! I absoutely love the idea of him being an alchemist. It's definitely something I've never seen before! Looking forward to RPing with him!

[dangelo37]

Firstly, thanks to all of you for reading I was very happy with this guy and LOVE the feedback.

>>Sandstone Drake: I think I will consider finding the potion/recipe from a Bronze at another time though. Oliver has had a very small run-in with the Bronze Flight before so it would definitely fit in somewhere. Maybe it'll be something I expand or retcon in later.
>>The 'single tear' didn't really feel right while typing but it sounded like it HAD to go there. Making someone who was once alive and is now undead can make a person mix up emotions. I could delete that line and no one would even know...
>>Warmth wasn't the right word. I was trying to get across that he was hot with anger and to someone who is cold, warmth would be hot to them I guess. I'll reword that so it makes sense.
>>The Azeroth timeline.... I hate it. I didn't do any prior research on the actual timeline and now that I have I feel bad for all Azerothians. So much damage has happened in such a little time. 10,000 years before year 0 very little happens. Things are spread out and that makes a lot of sense. After year 0 (coming of the Orcs from the Dark Portal) a TON of stuff happens and currently we are like year 28 or so. The Forsaken don't even rise until year 22ish.... so that makes a big difference. Will edit to make sense... eventually.

[xensorlol]

LOL... I always mess up the timelines. it's so hard to make sense of most of the time, especially when you're trying to age your character to match it. I feel your pain

[Omertocracy]

LOL... I always mess up the timelines. it's so hard to make sense of most of the time, especially when you're trying to age your character to match it. I feel your pain

Easiest solution I found for that is to have Wowpedia? Wowwiki? The one that is more up to date... up in the background on the timeline page so it's easy to refer to.

[Fogged]

"I sense a sadness in you young human. Do not depair,

Just a friendly notice

Other than that, looks like there could be some awesome stories with this character, here's hoping you update for us in the future.

[dangelo37]

I've been away for a loooooong time but I finally got around to updating this guy
Thanks for all the advice! I've made some necessary changes and am confident in Oliver now more than ever. With MoP coming out tomorrow, I hope I don't get too distracted again and can start RPing now...