Welcome to the Dog Days of Podcasting, 2022 season. This year we’re taking part by creating 30 NPCs to use with table top gaming, writing projects, or other creative endeavors. These NPCs are system agnostic, but may include minor suggestions for how to run the characters with a party of adventures and explorers. They are written with a specific genre in mind, but will include notation for how to use them within at least two other realms.
That said, let’s get started.
Today, we’re visiting The Door Keeper, an NPC designed for Fantasy campaigns.
The Door Keeper
XVII
The passageway should be right here, the map shows it. The wall is even framed with that curled golden lace and ancient script guiding the way. But the insert archway has a solid wall of ancient dust covered brick blocking advancement. Frustrated, the party turns to the guide, and made demands. Xe had been waiting for them to get out of the way and at last, now without them bumbling about xe can. It takes a few tries, but xe finally grabs hold of the passageway that would lead out of the temple. Holding the detached entrance is like staring at a very high-resolution screen, although a bit nauseating at it shows off bits of the foundation and a peek at the floor below the room until at last, the guide slams it into place into the once blocked passage.
Xe smiled at the slacked jawed party and asks if they’d like to proceed to the next chamber through the now open gateway.
Xe is patient and observant, watching xir comrades work their way through their experiences rather than interjecting xir views wontly. The door keeper is a master of Janusian magic, an art of passages, chrono-manipulation, and changes of state, and one which allows xir to shift and change reality to let things flow forward in time. This is reflected in how they deal with others, helping them to change and grow, and move forward in their growth but to do so in the natural progression rather than hastening them through time.
As a guide, the Door Keeper is an enigmatic figure. Xir mastery of doorways and the connection of states of existence serves as the basis of the experience and puzzle with her visitation to a campaign. The door keeper’s first actions are two-fold. First, it should teach the party how to move the doors. Second, it should trap them in the dungeon until they figure it out. Such an encounter should include time locked events that, when triggered properly, will allow the party to move forward to their eventual reward. But the flow of time should always keep moving forward. Time should be manipulated, not broken.
The door keeper’s goal is one of exploration and assisting with unravelling the things that keep the world halted. Xe is drawn to aid those stuck in metaphorical mud, and will gladly be attracted to a mystery in need of unravelling. Xe fears regression, and the loss of hard-fought victories due to stagnation and apathy.
In fantasy, xe is the keep of Janusian magic, a priest of the moving temple. They will use their own quest to aid the growth and change of others.
In sci-fi, xir will is that of the portal master, and seeks to untether a time locked star and free the planets within the frozen system.
In ages of legend, xe is a parrel to Janus, a god of change and passages. Their role is to open a way for ancient heroes to move forward in service to the gods.
Many routes but all take wisdom to discover. Time moves ever forward, and with words and deeds the Keeper will aid those who seek out xir guidance.
The audio portion of this episode is shared on a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Sounds and music are provided by Syrinscape’s Minotaur Maze Soundset. Please see the website for individual song and sound usage. The text for this episode is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Have a good time with the character, and let me know if you use them for something.
Until tomorrow.