Bryn Gemflower
"We can now initiate Phase One of Operation: Elimination Attempt Targeting Annoying Small Spellcaster, or 'EAT ASS' for short." -Bryn Gemflower, after being bullied by Chio Weaver during the 2023 Spring Battle Royale
Bryn Gemflower
Bryn Gemflower is a half-drow, half-human male Player Character who sails on The Changemaker in the Toivoan Trainwreck campaign. His primary class is Sorcerer.
Appearance and Personality
Bryn is a young man in his mid-20s with pale skin and white hair. He wears a long black coat, mainly to hide the signs of his Clockwork Magic - spectral clockwork gears hover over the skin of his arms. The gears normally spin slowly in place, but their behavior often changes when Bryn casts a spell: speeding up or slowing down to cast Haste or Slow; spreading over his body and locking into place to form Armor of Agathys; or grinding to a screeching halt to cause a Headache.
Bryn is a brilliant battlefield tactician and uses a logical, mathematical approach to combat, relying on his vast library of knowledge and constantly assessing foes to determine the best way to leverage the party's skills to exploit weaknesses. Unfortunately, his curiosity often leads him to wander off on his own in dangerous environments, usually resulting in the party having to come rescue him.
While attending the Albani Institute of Magic, Bryn received extensive magical training, allowing him to recognize and use magic from across the arcane spectrum. However, Bryn was deeply unsettled by classmates at the academy who went to extreme lengths to get an edge over their rivals, usually by taking magical stimulants to push themselves beyond safe limits. As such, Bryn is extremely cautious of Blood Magic, despite having witnessed its power firsthand.
Bryn has a kind nature and is hesitant to hurt someone who might be innocent, even if "the job" calls for it; this sometimes puts him at odds with some of his more practical, business-minded companions, such as Seatoad Coin. After spending his childhood as an outcast, Bryn is outgoing and eager to make friends, especially with creatures of uncommon racial or mixed-race heritage like himself. His time at the academy sharpened his wits, and he is always ready with a joke.
Due to his half-elf, half-human heritage, Bryn is an adult but has not yet reached the age where he would start to develop a serious interest in romantic relationships. However, this does not stop NPCs or even fellow party members from flirting with him, and he is easily flustered despite his wit and charisma, much to the amusement of his companions.
Background
Childhood
Bryn was born to a Human father and a drow mother. Bryn never met his mother, being told she died in childbirth, and when he was very young, his father remarried to a Human woman and had two Human children with her. Bryn was close to his younger step-brother and step-sister, and his father and step-mother treated him well, but being the only non-human in his family, he always felt a bit of an outcast.
Bryn's life at school was lonely; his village had a mostly Human population, and he was often picked on (or worse) by the other students. The ostracism grew worse after Bryn began to demonstrate magical talent and spectral clockwork gears appeared over his arms. His extended family was no better, treating him as the black sheep of the family, with the exception of his half-orc uncle, "Denny" Dench. However, Uncle Denny disappeared from Bryn's life without explanation when Bryn was still quite young, and Bryn never learned what happened to him.
The Albani Institute of Magic
Despite his miserable social life, Bryn excelled academically, and his strong performance attracted the attention of the Albani Institute of Magic, where he was offered a full scholarship. He held the day he received the invitation as the best day of his life, immediately seeing it as a chance to start anew.
However, Bryn would grow disillusioned with life at the Institute, eventually leaving after a betrayal from a fellow student. Illyria, a Fey-child, sabotaged Bryn by giving him false notes to ensure her own success, leading to Bryn's academic failure and deep mistrust of deals, especially those with the Fey.
The Start of an Adventure
After leaving school, Bryn lived the life of a nomad, eventually joining a group of strangers who were captured by bounty hunters. With the help of The Agent, they escaped, stole a boat, and rechristened it Changemaker, beginning the Toivoan Trainwreck campaign.
Recent Events
Ostrea
While roaming the Ostrean Plains, Bryn and his companions encountered a tribe of gnolls performing a ritual around a wayfaring crystal. They intervened, and through an intense series of events, Bryn was nearly sacrificed to the spirit Kashanah, but a gnoll named Sootmouth sacrificed himself in Bryn's place. This act had a profound effect on Bryn, leading him to view each day as a gift he must repay by protecting those dear to him.
Noushan Summer Battle Royale (2022, 7th level)
Bryn participated in the Noushan Summer Battle Royale, forming alliances to survive until the later rounds. He was eventually defeated by Chio Weaver but was revived after the battle. Bryn and Rifyr Ironspring converted the arena's wild magic surge generator into the Advanced Wand of Wonder, gifting it to The Changemaker's crew.
Character Build
Bryn is primarily a Clockwork Soul Sorcerer, with several levels in Valor Bard. He focuses on team support and battlefield control, using spells like Haste, Slow, and Vortex Warp. He carries several magical items, including a Staff of Healing, a Wand of Identify, and Presto's Magic Hat.
Character Stats
- STR 11
- DEX 16
- CON 14
- INT 19
- WIS 12
- CHA 20
- Class: Sorcerer 9 (Clockwork Soul), Bard 3 (Valor)
- Feats: Metamagic Adept, Fey Touched (Charisma), Chef (Constitution), Ostrean Wayfinder
- Metamagic: Subtle Spell, Quickened Spell, Twinned Spell, Distant Spell
- Favorite cantrips: Silas' Hinder Fate, Headache, Mind Sliver, Prestidigitation
- Signature spells: Haste, Slow, Counterspell, Dispel Magic, Vortex Warp, Misty Step, Mirror Image, Enhance Ability, Blindness/Deafness, Silvery Barbs, Faerie Fire, Armor of Agathys, Wall of Fire
Quotes
"I'm a straight shooter. Well, figuratively, I mean. I don't really do much actual shooting. Except for Magic Missile, I guess. Those do always go in a straight line, now that I think about it... but it does that automatically, so it doesn't really count." -Bryn, about himself
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