[RPG] Name this NPC Competition!

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In which the Gentleman Gamer shows off some of his dubious "art" and invites you to come up with some interesting names and bios in exchange for a video!

[@TheGentlemanGamer]

He's a handsome fella, isn't he? Pick up a copy of Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars right here: www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/577605df-9dff-4d1c-8466-85e37e45d228/landing

[@TheChesher]

Hold up i know the inspiration of your character here! 7:15 "No, I'm not Human"' He's basically the creepy guy that tries to get into your house and won't unless you don't have guests you're sheltering at home. Character concept and Bio: Let me know what you think about it. Name: Edgar Notsus Bio: Edgar was always an odd fellow, kept to himself and harmless, timid, didn't talk much, a good craftsman and could fix just about anything in town. Although, it did start changing after this odd book shop was opened, the shop keep was a nice lady and she liked collecting rare and unique books from all over, one day a hooded visitor decided to try and sell her a book, something in her gut told her to refuse despite the generous sum Offered, something was wrong with it, she could feel it, and something told her that the book cover this time, was a good indicator of judgement, it looked like leather, she wasn't sure what kind of leather but the contents of that book weren't good, her senses told her, and suddenly a book at the edge of her sight started falling and she spun to catch it and catch it she did, the hooded visitor however was gone without a sound or trace. But the odd book remained, she didn't dare open it, she put it on a shelf behind her until she decided what to do with it. Few days later Edgar Notsus entered her shop in search of a new book to read, to her surprise she didn't see the odd book, she intended to look for it later and hid her surprise from Edgar, but in its place was another book, another one that looked mundane that could interest Edgar in her opinion, she knew so in her gut, and so she sold Edgar "Mechanics for the gifted", Edgar smiled and paid 20$, the book was hefty, hundreds of pages long, he thanked her and gave her a genuinely warm smile, the shop keep strangely enough felt a warm sensation and smiled back blushing lightly, and for some reason she and him said at once "Maybe we should meet and d...", then Edgar finished "drink some tea sometime?", she then replied "Sounds like a great idea, how about in a few days Sunday morning at "Muffinworth's"?", then Edgar said "10:00 AM?", She answered "Yes that sounds good, I'll finish up with my inventory check by then, oh i haven't asked for you name!, mines Mina Ward", "Edgar Notsus, pleasure to meet you", she blushed and so did he and then replied "I better get going, I have a few generators to get up and running, See you at "Muffinworth's"?", "Yes we'll meet there at 10:00AM Sunday", then as Edgar started leaving something odd happened, a few meters from the shop and she suddenly saw that odd book the hooded visitor left in Edgar's hands instead of "mechanics for the gifted" but as she rubbed her eyes, it was the book she thought she sold him, she felt un easy. The night before their date, after she closed her shop at night she walked home and then someone from the alley grabbed her, he didn't have a face she recognized from the neighborhood, probably a thug from elsewhere because she was local and knew everyone here, to her horror he didn't try to just rob her but assault her instead and before her could scar her mind the thug screamed in pain as a sickening crack from his shoulder was heard, It was Edgar's grasp, she recognized the hand but was horrified by his grin, it was unnaturally wide, the eyes leering at the Thug with malice, standing shirtless with odd signs on his body and the odd book in his left hand, he then said with venom in his voice "That's very unkind stranger, and I don't recognize your voice, I know everyone, in our neighborhood...", the thug tried to reach for his gun but Edgar pressed even harder making the pain utterly unbearable and the Thug screamed, Edgar then proceeded to smash the Thugs head into the nearest wall, to Mina's surprise he was just knocked out even though his skull is most likely cracked and then Edgar said "The book you sold me...", cold sweat ran on her back then he continued "Or rather the book we both thought i bought from you, it's a crafty thing, it wants to be read, it is alive I'm sure of it, and I do believe we should talk about it at your shop, preferably now, and you should read it too, and my gut tells me that you want to...", Mina then said in a shaky voice that was oddly mixed with excitement now as she reached out for him to help her up "Yes, we should read it together...we're still going on that date tomorrow?", Edgar answered "I don't see why not, though our conversation might take longer than we think it might" Mina answered "You might as well stay the night", "We haven't known each other for that long and you're already offering?, I'll get a change of clothes, see you at the shop", "See you there...", Mina returned to the shop still brimming with the same sense of excitement and she opened the door when he rang her shop's door, this time fully clothed with the strange book in hand with the same unnaturally wide grin at her door, this time against all reason she felt that it was a warm smile and soon she had the same grin across her face and so they spent the night together reading the book among other things. Writer's note: Yeesh!, talk about Eldritch Romance!

[@TheGentlemanGamer]

My goodness! That's an epic tale!

[@TheChesher]

​​​@@TheGentlemanGamer I'm glad you liked it, and to think it was inspired from one picture, the book in the story is infectious in a way, and it's very good at manipulation and subverting common sense and sound judgement. Also Notsus is a pun, as in "Not suspicious".

[@dylanchouinard6141]

He is dancing, the Judge

[@TheGentlemanGamer]

@@dylanchouinard6141 Happy fellow!

[@dylanchouinard6141]

@ why wouldn’t he? He is a great favorite. He says he will never die

[@archonofcommorragh1221]

Hey, Storytelling is one of the most ancient arts we have as humanity. For Number 3. Grigoris Papadopoulos Grigoris had always been a wealthy man, his fortune having been pre-made for him from his father's time as a sucessful trader. He was a relic. A Greek in Istanbul. His family had long departed and moved to Greece but he had grown accustomed to the city as he was born and raised there. The political turmoil was not ideal, not like anyone ever caused him trouble. He had enough money to deal with any issues that arose. Lately though he was reconsidering his choices. He daughter and wife has left to Greece and lived with his sister, he would of course visit often and had promised his wife that he would also relocate bussiness in Greece after he "wrapped up" things here. To take his mind off of these things he would go on long walks in the night. Hours would pass until he would get back home, he considered his home to be in here, in this city, no across where his wife was. Lately he had been going more often for walks. It felt to him that his usual routes were getting larger, like there was more city to walk. Maybe an illusion of old age? He was getting older and more tired than when he was younger. But no, Grigoris brushed the thought aside. He had been walking for six hours, but his pocket clock would only change by two when he got back home. He may not have noticed swimming in his thoughts as he was, but the streets noticed. They noticed and were intrigued by this new guest. Maybe one of this nights they would introduce themselves to this night pilgrim. A bit of story-biograpy. Hope you like it.

[@TheGentlemanGamer]

This is a lovely, haunting story!

[@TheChesher]

If you're interested I can post the refined version of my character's story, I worked some more on the story I made in the attempts to refine it writing style wise with some help from gpt (please don't discard the idea, it's still my work here, even though I needed help to make it look better, I still have alot to learn), to give it a better flow, it took quite a few corrections before it came out with all the details I wanted, in the way I wanted, the premise is "You should've judged the book by its cover, if it would let you that is".

[@TheGentlemanGamer]

Please do so!

[@TheChesher]

@@TheGentlemanGamer Here's the revised version, feel free to enjoy and tell me what you think of it. The Book That wrote Them (Revised) The air inside Mina Ward’s bookshop felt heavier than usual that afternoon. The hooded visitor stood at the counter, a leather-bound book resting beneath their fingertips. Their face remained hidden beneath deep shadows, voice devoid of warmth. “I’d like to sell this.” Mina hesitated. The book… it was wrong. She couldn’t explain it, but her gut twisted just looking at it. The leather looked too smooth, its cover lacked a title, and yet-something about it seemed to watch her. “I- I don’t think I can take this,” she murmured, stepping back. The visitor didn’t move, didn’t argue. Silence stretched unnaturally between them. Then- From the edge of her vision, something shifted. A book, untouched for hours, teetered on the high shelf. Mina turned sharply. It began to fall. She lunged, catching it just before it hit the floor. She exhaled. And as she straightened- The visitor was gone. Vanished. No footsteps. No whisper of movement. Only the book remained on the counter. Mina’s skin prickled. Every instinct screamed at her not to touch it. So instead, she slid it onto the shelf behind her-out of sight. Out of mind. But she would not forget. Not really. Edgar’s Visit Later that evening, Edgar Notsus entered the shop. His presence, usually steady and reassuring, felt like a lifeline after the unease of the afternoon. When he asked for a recommendation, she turned to scan the shelves-her fingers brushing against Mechanics for the Gifted. She froze. Hadn’t she put the other book in that exact spot? A whisper of doubt curled around her thoughts. But the title was clear. The cover familiar. She shook it off and handed it to Edgar for 20$, his warm smile dispelling her unease. As they spoke, their words overlapped- “Perhaps we should meet and-” They both faltered, then laughed. Edgar finished the thought, grinning. “Drink some tea sometime?” Mina smiled, heart fluttering. “I’d love that.” He chuckled. “Then let’s meet at MuffinWorth’s.” Mina nodded, considering. “Sunday. 10:00 AM.” It felt right. As Edgar turned to leave, she watched him go. Then- Her stomach dropped. The book in his hands wasn’t Mechanics for the Gifted. It was the leather-bound book. She blinked. No. Mechanics for the Gifted was back. Had she imagined it? She wasn’t sure anymore. The Alley The night air was thick with silence, broken only by the shuffle of boots against pavement. Mina barely had time to react before a rough hand seized her wrist. A thug-broad-shouldered, unshaven, and reeking of sweat and whiskey-leered at her. “Where you off to in such a hurry, sweetheart?” Before she could scream, before fear could even fully register- A sickening crunch. The thug screamed. His shoulder collapsed inward, bones crushed under an impossible force. Mina’s breath hitched. Edgar stood beside them. But- He wasn’t the Edgar she knew. His shirt was gone, discarded or torn away, revealing a physique far beyond what he had before. Muscles coiled beneath his skin, his frame broader, denser-inhumanly so. His veins pulsed darkly beneath the streetlight. His hand still gripped the thug’s ruined shoulder, fingers sinking into the flesh like claws. “That’s very unkind, stranger,” Edgar murmured, his voice even, almost amused. He tightened his grip, eliciting another agonized cry. “And I don’t recognize you. I know everyone in our neighborhood…” The thug’s free hand twitched-reaching for a gun inside his coat. Edgar saw. Before Mina could react, Edgar grabbed the man’s head and slammed it into the brick wall. The impact was sickening. The thug crumpled, unconscious. Mina expected gore. Expected a splatter of blood. But- There was none. The man’s skull was cracked, his breathing shallow, but no blood leaked from the wound. Mina took an unsteady step back. “Edgar… what-” His gaze flicked to his hands, as if realizing something for the first time. Then, he exhaled, relaxing his shoulders. The book, still clutched in his other hand, pressed against his side. “The book you sold me…” Mina stiffened. A cold sweat crawled down her spine. Then, Edgar smiled. Too wide. Too sharp. “Or rather, the book we both thought I bought from you.” He met her gaze, eyes dark with something unreadable. “It’s a crafty thing-it wants to be read. I’m sure it’s alive.” He took a step forward. “We should talk about it. At your shop. Preferably now.” Mina opened her mouth. To refuse. To say no. But- A different emotion slithered in. Curiosity. Excitement. It wrapped around her thoughts like ivy, creeping, coiling, changing something inside her. She should be terrified. But she wasn’t. Her hand trembled as she reached for his. “Yes,” she whispered, voice unsteady-yet laced with anticipation. “We should read it together… we’re still on for MuffinWorth’s, right?” Edgar chuckled, his grin stretching wider. “Of course.” Then, he glanced at his bare chest, as if only now realizing his state. “I’ll go home and change first.” Mina nodded. “I’ll be at the shop.” The book had its second reader. And it wasn’t done yet. The Final Door That evening, Mina returned to her shop, heart thrumming. When Edgar rang the bell, she hesitated. Then, she unlocked the door. He stood there, properly dressed. But something was still… wrong. The book was in his hands. His grin-too wide, too unnatural-gleamed in the dim light. And yet- It felt warm. Mina smiled back. Her grin stretched. Widened. Matched his. That night, they read together. By dawn, they were something else. The book had them. Or rather, whatever lurked within it did.

[@jgr7487]

Character #1, Fatima, aka the Hatice, is a subversive, faithful woman who witnessed the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the emergence of laicist Turkey. She's older than her wrinkled face suggests, and she may be hiding tentacles under her hijab. Character #3, Musical Hasim, is a hinterland Turk who is totally out of his luck and tries to make a living out of his auful music. Character #7, Deniz, the shopkeeper, is wearing a completely thorn shirt. He looks and sounds like a questionable travelling salesman who couldn't care less for his appearance. Is he under the influence of a drug or a cosmic entity? We'll never know. He has wares no one should have (magic items?) that are sold for money. He likes to haggle, but he's bad at it. Character #8, Captain Eggard, the Egghead, is a know-it-all. His position is aide to the British Military attaché to Turkey. His face is punchable. Character #10 looks like the average Turk, but he is the head of the al-Azifi cult. No one knows his real name. Character #12, the fish merchant, is an older Deep One hybrid who's starting to show his marine origins, but not a single person attests to his growing weirder. To everyone who kinda knows him, he's an average guy whose stink comes from his line of work. He totally isn't a member of the Esoteric Order of Dagon. Extra Character at 12:01. 4th line down, 3rd column left to the right. Are there Yuan-Ti in CoC? She is a Snake Person or a Yuan-Ti.

[@TheGentlemanGamer]

There are indeed serpent people in Call of Cthulhu! I'm very fond of these options!

[@jgr7487]

@TheGentlemanGamer writing them was really fun. Feel free to use them as you like.

[@WilliamRoyNelson]

I made a comment in the video where you drew Killer Bob with generally the same gist, but I'll say it again. There are certainly more talented artists out there, but your drawings are charming, competent, full of character and express a distinct style. They remind me a little of some of the art in older RPG books from the 70's and 80's where the typesetting and art was sometimes a bit janky. I just spend the last 30 minutes trying to find an example of an artist you reminded me of, and there's a few illustrations by Jim Pavelec for the 1st edition of Unknown Armies where the eye shapes strongly remind me of a few of the drawings at the end of your video. Look up some of his more recent work, not a bad artist to be compared to!

[@TheGentlemanGamer]

I'll have to look up Jim Pavelec and see if he's stealing my style!

[@Havic1137]

#7 - Harold Rattsby

[@TheGentlemanGamer]

Got a bio for him?

[@krispalermo8133]

Lovely video, much fun. I love the pink tie. Sadly, I remember next to nothing of CoC mechanics let alone the Cold War, or Turkey of that time era. As for my last gaming group 20+years ago, it was common to tie PC skills into the character background. Old question, " How did your PC learn those skills ?" .. and that created their background. Such as the PC has a good Reflex dodge skill but have a bad limp with movement penalties. The reason he has good reflex dodge is because he learns to drop or dive for cover because he is unable to run.

[@TheGentlemanGamer]

Fair enough!

[@drakethesnek6429]

5) gloria winters: heiress to massive wealth who threw it all away to become a nun running an orphanage after receiving what she perceived to be a vision from god. 7) jerry skinner: life insurance salesman who frames women for the deaths of their husbands and pockets the money in exchange for his silence.

[@TheGentlemanGamer]

7. Is inspired! I like it a lot. It sounds authentic.

[@Helghast73]

Hmmm, Adolf Von Winkmire ? A very shify looking individual you've drawn here Gent.

[@TheGentlemanGamer]

Got a bio for him?

[@Helghast73]

@TheGentlemanGamer Of sorts yeah 😬 Adolf spent his early years in Germany but in the mid 40s emigrated to the USA with his father Heinrich and mother Helga who are both scientist. Adolf went to the right school, collage and university and then started working with his father and mother at NASA but all wasn't well, Adolf had developed a taste for researching into myths and cults if it's a The Cthulhu Mythos based game or bioengineering and genetics if it's not. Both parents saw this as wasted time and he should continue to push the development of astronautics and space technologies. This caused a huge rift between the three and ended up with Adolf leaving NASA without saying a word and has now started out on his own. He has become a bit unstable and quick to anger, he has also let himself go physically and his teeth are almost worn down to points like a mastiffs. He is 6ft tall, dirty blond hair with dark brown eyes. His skin complection is pasty with pinkish blotches round the eye sockets, nostrils and mouth. He is no fool and a dab hand with a saber, after all father taught him well.

[@skeletonking4119]

no i am NOT human

[@TheGentlemanGamer]

@@skeletonking4119 Well spotted!

[@orionspero560]

Lady number one is abbess Aghavni of an armenian orthodox convent. That is not an Islamic headscarf. It is a habit, but one that has been adjusted to be less conspicuous relative to a muslim female community. Her order is oriental orthodox as the Armenian churches, but has good connections to both sides (of the iron curtain) eastern orthodox churches and to the roman catholic church. She and the order by extension, have a public face that is more fryer than monk, despite their structure being manastic. Behind the scenes, the order is an intelligence agency in favor of the targeted minorities. Of the turkemon supremist movement in the the nineteen fifteen revolution. That means they are supportive of the pkk. But they are much more moscow rules and much less battle angel, then the p k k. In private, she is the consummate spy master.But in the sense of good leaders are not necessarily good people. For role, play hints that direction go to victoria hand from agents of shield.

[@TheGentlemanGamer]

Oh I like that a lot. A nice twist on expectations.

[@orionspero560]

@TheGentlemanGamer I was actively aiming for something that would fit in a nineteen fifties or sixties call of cathulu game. I intentionally set it up to be a red herring.Cult, that wasn't a cult at all

[@LemonsInTheShade]

Steve

[@TheGentlemanGamer]

Does he have a bio?

[@elivazquez9287]

#11 Yusuf Arslan A young man, headstrong and prideful, looking to find his own way in the current Turkish period of turmoil. His family, wealthy through the textile industry, saw a future for themselves and Yusuf despite the growing political and militaristic instabilies that seemed to be festering. Yusuf, however, desired a life of excitement and adventure, and with the political landscape looking more and more Rocky, what better way to get his fix than to enlist in the military Turkish land Forces. His father obviously objected but Yusuf was able to convince him that enlisting like this would bring honor to the family name and add Prestige to the family name for business purposes. Although yusuf's relationship with his father was fairly straightforward and normal one could say this was the first time that his father showed true Pride to his son which only emboldened his choice further. He proved himself to be quite the capable soldier and eventually had worked his way up to Junior commissioned officer. On assignment leading task force, battalions, and their operations, he started to notice strange things happening. Unexplained things, things that only he seemed to notice. Slowly this paranoia grew and Yusuf eventually found himself as a senior commissioned officer no longer commanding task forces and battalions in the field but behind the command desk. Yusef's outgoing an extroverted demeanor slowly withered and became more introverted as these paranoias grew. He still can't put his finger on it but he knows that something else is out there potentially even adding to the instability that turkey is experiencing and perhaps even farther than that is not so quick to share these feelings with most but should you break his wall, he will display his obsessive nature. The most will see it as endearing due to his articulate way of speaking and Suave and composed demeanor. He uses his military connections and authority to investigate strange happenings and makes it a habit to command from the field as much as he can get away with. Adventure still calls to him, though now, he isn't so sure if he should answer.

[@TheGentlemanGamer]

You are the winner, Eliva! What would you like a video about?

[@elivazquez9287]

@TheGentlemanGamer Thats Awesome thank you! Video Subject: Ideas, Tips, Tricks, or what have you for STs, GMs, DMs on how to really fostor atmosphere, ambiance, and mood for horror games and some tried and true methods you've used to great success!

[@TheGentlemanGamer]

@elivazquez9287 I shall make a video on that very subject! Thank you for the suggestion.

[@elivazquez9287]

@@TheGentlemanGamer thank you for doing what you do. Keep it up!