Sealed One (5e Background)

Sealed One

You were sealed away from the world long ago, before being recently freed. You've spent countless years in isolation: perhaps you were put in stasis in a faraway plane, or you found yourself stuck in a temple you were exploring, or maybe you even forgot how you were sealed in the first place, and are now forced to adapt to a world that's new and alien to you. Who's responsible for sealing you? Did you do this to yourself, or did someone else lock you away? Was it the doing of a friend, a foe, or some greater being of divine or otherwordly nature? How and where were you sealed? For how long did it last? Were you sealed alone, or with some other creature? What was your time being sealed like? Did you age, or stayed the same? Do you have anywhere to go back to, a goal you sealed yourself for? How were you set free? Do you recall the answers to all of these questions?

Skill Proficiencies: History, Arcana

Languages: Ten of your choice

Equipment: A trinket which dates from before you were sealed, a piece of paper on which you wrote something in the past, some anachronic-looking clothes and a pouch containing 50 gp.

Reason for your seal

You lived the first part of your life years, decades or maybe even centuries ago from the present. What led to you being sealed off for so long?

d6	Reason
1	The stone which composed the ruins you were exploring collapsed, trapping you (and perhaps your companions) inside of them.
2	Your community was struck by a terrible disease or an invasion. To both protect yourself and your testimony of what happened, you decided to seal yourself.
3	An opponent of yours couldn't or didn't want to send you to your grave, and decided that locking you up would keep you from messing with their plans.
4	You were foretold or have foreseen a very impactful event, and sealed yourself to escape or witness it.
5	When nearing the end of your lifelong quest, you were struck with a deadly wound and needed to buy yourself time.
6	One of your close relatives believed that you were the children of a prophecy, but that you were born far too early, and decided to correct it.

Feature: Lost Knowledge

Due to being imprisoned without contact with the outside world for an extended period of time, you are one of if not the last living being on your plane to remember knowledge that was otherwise forgot or twisted. You may know the truth about a historical event that was only partially retold, or be the last person to be fluent in a long-lost language. Perhaps you hold a grudge against a family whose name was, in your time, synonymous with crime and dishonor, or you have a deep respect for the descendants of a family that used to be great friends with yours. Maybe you remember the previous layout of the landscape, allowing you to find secret passages nobody else can, or maybe you have the slightest clue of the whereabouts of a powerful artifact. Whatever it is, your information is unique and precious, which might both be a boon or a burden.

Suggested Characteristics

Someone who's been sealed is probably out of touch with the current state of the world, most notably its etiquette, although this doesn't automatically mean that they are a rude or crude-mannered individual; after all, there probably was some sort of etiquette at the time they originally lived in. They're likely to refer to things that are unknown to the younger parts of the population, or talk in an old-fashioned way, for instance. Some are fascinated by how their world has changed, while others refuse to accept how much time has passed. Being sealed away from civilization can also be a very traumatic experience, which leaves some of them scarred for life.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I have a complicated relationship with historians. They're some of the few people around which I don't feel like an outcast, but they can't stand me correcting them all the time.
2	I always make sure tavern owners and other tradespeople write my name down and remember my face, even if I have to be loud and annoying to do so.
3	Inexplicable waves of nostalgia sometimes hit me.
4	Spending time with people that weren't alive when I first was is hard for me.
5	I'm obsessed with stories about time travel.
6	Sometimes, I confuse strangers on the street with old friends of mine.
7	I can't help but bring up old, often irrelevant facts when I'm in a conversation.
8	Going to sleep is hard for me. What if I wake up thousands of years later?

d6	Ideal
1	Acceptation. Whether I like it or not, the past is gone, and I have to live in the present. (Lawful)
2	Destiny. The world may have changed, but my goals have not. (Neutral)
3	Refusal. I refuse to live in a world I don't belong in. (Chaotic)
4	Altruism. There's nothing I can do for my loved ones now, but there are new people in need of my help. (Good)
5	Chaos. I don't know this world and it doesn't know me: nothing stops me from finally giving into my selfish desires. (Evil)
6	Knowledge. What I know has almost been lost. I have to secure it before I meet my end. (Unaligned)

d6	Bond
1	One last person I knew is still alive. I have to find them.
2	I will do anything to help the person who let me free.
3	I sealed myself with a specific goal in mind. Time to achieve it.
4	Someone or something sealed me intentionally.. I have to know who and why.
5	Even before being locked away, there was a place I wanted to see at least once.
6	I made a promise long ago, and whether the person I made it to is alive or not, I still intent on keeping it.

d6	Flaw
1	I get extremely upset when people don't believe my story.
2	I'm terrified of being sealed again.
3	I'm desperate to find anything related to my past.
4	One of my old traumas from before I was sealed is still an open wound to me.
5	I completely refuse to acknowledge the fact that I spent all of this time locked up, and try my best to pass as a "normal" person.
6	I committed a terrible crime and will do everything in my power to make sure it stays buried in the past.

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