D&D Origin Month V: The Birth of Ceilos

In an Elvish enclave was born a new life.  He never knew his mother (or in some stories his father, but usually mother), and many of the elves looked down on him, as he aged and matured faster, and was a firebrand in the community.  The youth leaves home, and begins an unusual journey.  His story is a common one among Half-Elves, humanoids with a Human parent and an Elvish parent, and many Half-Elves, as well as Players are fed up, here's Eddard Stark with the report.

Everyone has their main character, the one that defines them, one that they bring in to games every once in a while.  Spoony has his bard Tandem, being perhaps one of the most famous of these defining characters.  I have Ceilos Longstrider, sometimes Canis Longstrider (more often recently I have gone with Canis, because he is hungry like the wolf, and Lupus is unfortunately the name of a not-so-nice disease) is mine.  He is a Half-Elf Rang.... oh wait!!!  COME BACK!!!!  HE'S HIS OWN CHARACTER!!!  I PROMISE!!!!!

Ceilos/Canis is a Half-Elven Ranger, who feels the pull of both worlds, but unlike others who brood with angst and/or try to find their own way, he is kind of okay with it.  He is half Human and half Elf for a reason, whatever that may be, and tends to have a positive demeanor about it.  His weapons are the longbow, the kukri and the scimi.... I see your cursor moving towards that "x", keep reading, you might learn something.

Ceilos/Canis is more unique than you're probably thinking

I first played Ceilos in a campaign lead by a rather awesome DM.  He had a hawk to help him track, and was an expert at that, as well as fighting, originally with a khopesh (its similar to a scimitar, but can do trip attempts) and a kukri.  It was with that kukri that he slew the Hydra that blocked off the entrance to a castle.  It was him that searched for a magic crown, and never returned (the guy stopped DMing, graduation kind of ended it).  However, in Neverwinter Nights, Dungeons and Dragons Online, and in other campaigns (and in my test party to test out encounters/dungeons) he lives on.

In some regards, Ceilos/Canis took on his own existance.  It's very interesting to see a character come to life like that.  When I play him my actions come almost instinctively, as if he tells me what to do.  Of course, it is because I know how to play rangers, and Ceilos/Canis has a very similar personality to mine.  With most other characters there is usually a moment's thought, or its me just acting a role.

It was also with Ceilos that I finally saw how much fun role-playing could be.  There were a few times before making Ceilos that I wanted to stop, because I couldnt find my niche, but then I found it, and things were wonderful.  All players have their niche.  Some know the rules and like paperwork, and play excellent Wizards and Druids, some enjoy the cathartic moments of being a Barbarian or a Fighter.  Some love to role-play and act and play Bards and... er... Bards.  I love the Ranger, because in some ways, they are explorers at heart, and my wanderlust gets to be exercised.  Ceilos/Canis started his adventures by running.

And he's be running ever since.

Had to be done!

And with my Ranger, I have bee through a lot.  Its part of the reason I can say with a straight face that I have slain Dragons and faced the horrors of the Nine Hells, that I have stood fast against the undead and spoken with nymphs.  I have been into the woods and out of the woods.  I have seen the mind fuckery of abberations like Beholders and Mind Flayers, and saw beauty in fictional squirrels and in Elven art.  

Sure, none of those things ACTUALLY happened, it was all in my head, but why should that mean it isn't real?

And I think that is the beauty of role-playing.  All those things ultimately affect us, despite being words and numbers on pages and miniatures and images upon tables.  I have grown so much as a human being not because of the role-playing and fantasy and imagination, but because of the things they brought to the table in front of me.  What started as a timid boy who was sort of self-loathing, at let some preachers on TV tell him what is real became a man, who thinks for himself and stands strong in what he believes him.  And, for once in his very life, he loved himself.  That man is me.

I am proud to be a role-player.