Meet the Shadow Sorcerer Big Brother of Those Bastards 5E D&D Live Play

Nerdarchy has a new streamed game for you to watch! Entitled Those Bastards this fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign streams live on Tuesdays 8-10 p.m. eastern on our second channel, Nerdarchy Live. The premise is a gaggle of half siblings, all with the same constellation birthmark, who search for answers regarding their father, themselves and the mystery of disappearing constellations in the sky. As they venture into deep dungeons and face deadly monsters their destinies converge on more questions than answers. Even if they live to find the answers they seek, will they wish they never had?

The Nerdarchy crew brings their team game to you live! Click the image to check out Nerdarchy Live and subscribe so you never miss Those Bastards or any of the long form or live video content on our second channel.

5E D&D live play

As part of our effort to boost the show we sat down with the players and Dungeon Master to discuss the campaign, their characters and how they fit into the party. Today we’re checking in with Nerdarchist Ted.

Who are you, and who is your character?

“I am Nerdarchist Ted and I am playing Galesin Trisrel — Half-Elven Shadow Magic sorcerer.”

What was the thought process behind your concept of Galesin (race, class, story, etc.)?

“Back when we decided to originally play this game I had not done anything with a sorcerer in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. But having another ‘smart’ character was of no interest to me. I went with half-elf as they are super powerful if you are going to play a charismatic character. For my character’s full backstory, you are going to have to stick around and wait as that will be in a separate post. :)”

How does Galesin view the others in the party?

“When we originally made this party, it was all brothers. I have nothing against the concept of it being a siblings game, instead of a brothers game. In the grand scope of it all, Galesin is the oldest of the siblings in the game and he has not met any other siblings that are older than he is, so potentially he is the oldest of the siblings but does not have that mindset. He views the others as a prized possession. He would give his life if necessary for them. He might not fully understand all the intellectual mumbo jumbo that goes on around them, but the desire of Vent to see meaning in all of these events; the comet, the matching birthmarks, the concept of fate and destiny… Now he is convinced that they are indeed brothers, nothing will stop him from helping out his brothers on this grand quest. To fully answer the question, his siblings are treasured as a loving family, something he lacked being brought up by his grandfather, who only ever saw him as a burden on the family.”

All of your characters share a father. Who is Galesin’s mother? What was her upbringing like?

“My mother was an elven woman from a fairly high ranking house. She was very young and betrothed to another house, which was to be a political maneuver to increase house Trisrel’s political standing. However, Selererin Trisrel was seduced by an unknown human one night. A whirlwind romance over a few days, and she returned. Galesin’s father’s name became a crime to say in the house so that by the time Galesin could speak, not a soul in the house would speak of who he was. Selererin dabbled in the art of wizardry but was not accomplished. Her harsh overbearing father was not one to instill confidence, and when her intended broke off the engagement because she was already pregnant, her confidence was shot. Galesin has not seen her for many years. He cares for her only a little. He wishes she had been strong enough to stand up to her father.”

How did Galesin come to meet the others?

“One day while riding his trusty steed, Midnight, a wondrously strong and intelligent black mare, an unusual stranger passed by. Galesin was shirtless, showing off skill and beauty to a woman in town, trying to impress her, but Vent the Fire Genasi had other plans that day. When he noticed the mark upon Galesin, he knew it was part of his destiny. The others were met in sequence. First Oonga and Sheldon and then later, Prudence. There are others that do not believe in the mark on the siblings, but we know better, and they are not willing to embrace their destiny.”

What does Galesin want to accomplish during the campaign?

“Galesin wishes many things. He could stand to meet his father, but will he turn out to be a disappointment like the rest of his family growing up? Will he be awesome like his new adventuring family, or will he be aloof and uncaring like the siblings that did not buy into the lore as others have done on their journey so far? Finding Dear Father is the quest, but the enjoyment comes in the shared memories and adventures with his siblings. He would certainly like to find some lovely ladies to share a bed with. He would love to get his prized steed, Midnight, back. He would enjoy gaining more power and understanding of his dark, shadowy powers while he is full of life and energy. But most of it is living life, with his siblings at his side.”

What is Galesin’s greatest flaw?

“Greatest flaw? Wow, am I supposed to hand over this weakness to our beloved DM, who could use it to destroy him? Sure, why not. Deciding which is greatest in his long list is going to be hard to nail down, so let’s go through the list and let you decide which is the worst. First, he is a pretty boy. That means he obviously cares about his looks, something that could threaten his beauty could be an obstacle for him. What else, since he is concerned with looks, that relates to his propensity to bed women like his father, so a pretty face could easily be a downfall as well. What, there is more? Of course there is. Galesin is not very bright. Mechanically, the smart one in the group is the barbarian Vent who has a 13 Intelligence. Galesin only has an 8 Intelligence so he tends to miss a lot of things. Still more? Yup. As stated earlier, Galesin cares very much for his siblings and would die for them. So if it came down to him or them, he would step in, as a big brother should. This could easily be used against him and the entire set of siblings.”

Is Galesin very similar to or different from the sorts of characters you usually play? How?

What are three facts about Galesin that you can let the audience in on?

“I feel I have already shared quite a bit. Taking a nod from the YouTuber formerly known as Nerdarchist Ryan, Galesin is prone to taking objects from things that happen in game. Trinkets from women he has spent time with, little bits of this and that from fights that have happened. He is not an intellectual, otherwise he would be writing a journal. But he is not, so he tends to collect little things. He has a whistle made of gold colored wood, taken from the same woman where he lost his prized steed, Midnight. He longs to ride her again. (Yup, double entendre on purpose.) While he uses the surname Trisrel, he actually does not care about his elven family. They never treated him all that well. So his real goal of using the name is to occasionally exploit the family and to cause the family to suffer the share of any other bastards that he has left behind. After all, as a wanderer he will rarely be caught, but he has no shame in telling where to find his ‘family.’ Let them feel the burden of treating him wrong as a child.”

Why should people watch Those Bastards?

“If you like Nerdarchy already, then that is all the reason you need. If you are not already a fan, it is a fun game with a bit of silly and a bit of serious. It is being run by a great GM who has not had a lot of room to flex their GM muscles here on the channel and it is about time to let it happen. I am sure this is going to be one wild ride and you should join us to see exactly how this all unfolds.”

Talk about a well-rounded character! Edgy, lecherous and mystical with a heart of gold.

You can catch more of Nerdarchist Ted at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel and right here on our website and blog! You can follow Galesin’s evolving story and catch this streamed D&D game Those Bastards every Tuesday night, 8-10 p.m. eastern with VOD available immediately following each session. Visit Nerdarchy Live to subscribe and hit that notification bell because you don’t want to miss a thing here and until next time, stay nerdy!