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[Iron Kingdoms] The Pawnbrokers
JohnnyCache
Starting DefensePlace at the tableRegistered User regular
Starting DefensePlace at the tableRegistered User regular
The Pawnbrokers:
A meditation on the application of leverage in human affairs during that unfortunate time of inward-looking internecine warfare students of Immorese history now know as the Iron Wars, or, more fantastically, the Cortex wars (that time during the early stages of the first encounter with the empire known then as the "Skorne").
This monograph purports to relate certain events in the year 608 AR, in and around the benighted and corrupt port known to most as "Five Fingers," although it must be disclaimed that to this day, the state of morality and economics in that strange city renders the canvasing of primary sources ... problematical.
What is known: late in 608 AR, the following personae had stepped out of various walks of life and found common cause in a small fellowship engaged in various personal pursuits of scientific, arcane, and skeptical inquiry. They supplied these enterprises materially via numerous capitalistic endeavors, of varying legality and wisdom, which were profitable enough to secure for them the use of an aging cannery, given to disrepair owing to the drying of its wharf by a shift in the system of communally maintained seawalls.
From the former store front and offices of that cannery, they operated what was ostensibly a pawnbroker, the shelves and custom of which offered them deep inroads into the fiscal, informational, and political oddities of their dubious "community." It must be mentioned that the business itself was not well run; it seems to have served primarily to justify the income of their other endeavors to various civil and national authorities.
Following are brief sketches of each of the Pawnbrokers at the beginning of the events chronicled in this narrative:
The one known as "Shay," a notorious female pirate most recently of the sometimes-privateer clipper Avaunt. Records remark only lightly on her history, but the sensational papers of the time refer to her as both beautiful and dangerous.
A madame-doctor Tari Rislyth, an Iosan Scholar and Historian, whose education spanned institutions both in her then-isolated homeland and abroad. Risltyh lead many lines of inquiry and was respected in her time, despite a reputation for ... field science. Her possible past relationship to the sequestered Iosan recluse known as the Shar'deth of Krssh has been remarked upon, but is unconfirmed.
The alchemist and scientist known as "Handsome Tom" (perhaps ironically) , known mostly to us via uncolorful research notes, a man so indistinct some speculate he was a pseudonym or nom de guerre of another personage. Names bandied about by others include A_____ of Highgate; one or more dukes of Cygnar have been also been nominated, but we fine this speculation regrettable.
Alexi Dushel, a Captain and gun mage of Cygnar, termed deserter by some.
Kaelin Bastian, a talented mechanik and aracanist who laid down her wrenches to join her countrymen in LLael, only to be set adrift as that nation was ground between three armies, and wash ashore in five fingers, too idealistic for crime and too haunted to return to academia or engineering full time.
Last, but in his own way perhaps the most intriguing to history, is the seaman Blake. At the time of this writing, of course, he has taken on a certain noteriety, but as these events unfolded, he was known even among his friends as a simple pirate.
A meditation on the application of leverage in human affairs during that unfortunate time of inward-looking internecine warfare students of Immorese history now know as the Iron Wars, or, more fantastically, the Cortex wars (that time during the early stages of the first encounter with the empire known then as the "Skorne").
This monograph purports to relate certain events in the year 608 AR, in and around the benighted and corrupt port known to most as "Five Fingers," although it must be disclaimed that to this day, the state of morality and economics in that strange city renders the canvasing of primary sources ... problematical.
What is known: late in 608 AR, the following personae had stepped out of various walks of life and found common cause in a small fellowship engaged in various personal pursuits of scientific, arcane, and skeptical inquiry. They supplied these enterprises materially via numerous capitalistic endeavors, of varying legality and wisdom, which were profitable enough to secure for them the use of an aging cannery, given to disrepair owing to the drying of its wharf by a shift in the system of communally maintained seawalls.
From the former store front and offices of that cannery, they operated what was ostensibly a pawnbroker, the shelves and custom of which offered them deep inroads into the fiscal, informational, and political oddities of their dubious "community." It must be mentioned that the business itself was not well run; it seems to have served primarily to justify the income of their other endeavors to various civil and national authorities.
Following are brief sketches of each of the Pawnbrokers at the beginning of the events chronicled in this narrative:
The one known as "Shay," a notorious female pirate most recently of the sometimes-privateer clipper Avaunt. Records remark only lightly on her history, but the sensational papers of the time refer to her as both beautiful and dangerous.
A madame-doctor Tari Rislyth, an Iosan Scholar and Historian, whose education spanned institutions both in her then-isolated homeland and abroad. Risltyh lead many lines of inquiry and was respected in her time, despite a reputation for ... field science. Her possible past relationship to the sequestered Iosan recluse known as the Shar'deth of Krssh has been remarked upon, but is unconfirmed.
The alchemist and scientist known as "Handsome Tom" (perhaps ironically) , known mostly to us via uncolorful research notes, a man so indistinct some speculate he was a pseudonym or nom de guerre of another personage. Names bandied about by others include A_____ of Highgate; one or more dukes of Cygnar have been also been nominated, but we fine this speculation regrettable.
Alexi Dushel, a Captain and gun mage of Cygnar, termed deserter by some.
Kaelin Bastian, a talented mechanik and aracanist who laid down her wrenches to join her countrymen in LLael, only to be set adrift as that nation was ground between three armies, and wash ashore in five fingers, too idealistic for crime and too haunted to return to academia or engineering full time.
Last, but in his own way perhaps the most intriguing to history, is the seaman Blake. At the time of this writing, of course, he has taken on a certain noteriety, but as these events unfolded, he was known even among his friends as a simple pirate.
@steelhawk
@Mikey CTS
@Rainfall
@GnomeTank
@OtakuD00d
@NealNeal
You guys are GTG and are our crew for the moment
@NotoriousBEN
@spacecaptaindickjustice
Haven't seen sheets from you dudes, so you are reserves
Players, could you make a post on page one with your char sheet and then we'll commence?
Let's try to generally obey the convention of spoilering meta and OOC conversations, so only the game prose is visible.
House Rules spoiler:
@Mikey CTS
@Rainfall
@GnomeTank
@OtakuD00d
@NealNeal
You guys are GTG and are our crew for the moment
@NotoriousBEN
@spacecaptaindickjustice
Haven't seen sheets from you dudes, so you are reserves
Players, could you make a post on page one with your char sheet and then we'll commence?
Let's try to generally obey the convention of spoilering meta and OOC conversations, so only the game prose is visible.
House Rules spoiler:
Ogrun/Huge Stature: Ogrun subtract 1 from the penalty for the use of "hand and a half" weapons (like the caspian battle blade) and use them at their two-handed power. An ogrun using a weapon in one hand takes a penalty of one to a weapon that already has a penalty of -2 or more. In other words, the TOTAL penalty for an ogrun wielding a large weapon in one hand will generally be -3
Weapon specialization: I do not take the interpretation that weapons specialization removes "all" penalties with a weapons, as is literally written. I take the POV that it refers specifically to the innate penalty some weapons have. Situational penalties like those for bad visibility, firing into melee, etc, are not relieved by taking this single ability.
Gifted tree: Making a gifted character without access to a spell list is permitted.
Unarmed Combat and two-handed fighting: I use common sense with this. If you have a character built for two weapon fighting, I allow the use of an off hand or two attacks unarmed. If you have a character clearly built to use unarmed fighting as a primary skill, two handed fighting and ambidexterity can be considered "in play" ... This isn't to be construed as meaning that all characters can constantly up their number of attacks by fighting with say, a shield, a polearm, and sparta kicks using unarmed. Common sense, cooperation, and coolness are invoked here
Quick work and thrown melee weapons: Yes, but only those made to be thrown that can "also be used in melee"
Stormblades have a special version of gunfighter that works with stormglaives. Or, if you prefer, the ranged component of the stormblade is ruled to be an integrated electrical pistol. Whatever lets you sleep at night. Point being: Stormblades can zap shit with gunfighter, it's clearly intended.
Rhulfolk are generally assumed to work with Rhulic jacks, but not hard-banned from working on others.
Iosans are strongly assumed to work with "myrmidion" tech if they are mechanikally inclined, but are not banned from working with human jacks unless associated with the retribution
Any character eligible to start with a "light labor jack" may take the Miner, Scrapper, or Angler variants from Urban Adventurers.
I do not allow people to take two types of sorcerer. You may mix and match other spellcasting classes with sorcerer and each other, but no, you can't make a fire/ice or storm/stone caster. I don't want to hear about how the cosmos works in yin and yang contrasts or that the private is trying to express the duality of man. Arcanist/Sorcerer is good enough if you want a "pure wizard"
You MAY use the "trade-in" rules
You may start with a bonded mechanika weapon in place of a bonded suit of warcaster armor if you feel the need.
A bonded suit of warcaster armor does not allow you to make boosted unarmed strikes or boosted shoulder checks or boosted kicks. You can pay to have spring holsters, spring blades, or small compartments built into warcaster or other medium or heavy armor for +5gc (5gc in the case of a compartment). the target number to detect them is 12. You may pay up to ten gc extra to increase this target number on a one for one basis.
Mechanikal arms have the ability to KO as a sap, club, or trench knife.
"unarmed combat" is presumed to be with a mixture of fists and feet, no extra bonus is generally to be had by declaring a kick vs a punch. You may use "Unarmed combat" with your head in the proper situation, but it is a mere unarmed combat roll - the "headbutt" power attack requires the Headbutt ability
Weapon specialization: I do not take the interpretation that weapons specialization removes "all" penalties with a weapons, as is literally written. I take the POV that it refers specifically to the innate penalty some weapons have. Situational penalties like those for bad visibility, firing into melee, etc, are not relieved by taking this single ability.
Gifted tree: Making a gifted character without access to a spell list is permitted.
Unarmed Combat and two-handed fighting: I use common sense with this. If you have a character built for two weapon fighting, I allow the use of an off hand or two attacks unarmed. If you have a character clearly built to use unarmed fighting as a primary skill, two handed fighting and ambidexterity can be considered "in play" ... This isn't to be construed as meaning that all characters can constantly up their number of attacks by fighting with say, a shield, a polearm, and sparta kicks using unarmed. Common sense, cooperation, and coolness are invoked here
Quick work and thrown melee weapons: Yes, but only those made to be thrown that can "also be used in melee"
Stormblades have a special version of gunfighter that works with stormglaives. Or, if you prefer, the ranged component of the stormblade is ruled to be an integrated electrical pistol. Whatever lets you sleep at night. Point being: Stormblades can zap shit with gunfighter, it's clearly intended.
Rhulfolk are generally assumed to work with Rhulic jacks, but not hard-banned from working on others.
Iosans are strongly assumed to work with "myrmidion" tech if they are mechanikally inclined, but are not banned from working with human jacks unless associated with the retribution
Any character eligible to start with a "light labor jack" may take the Miner, Scrapper, or Angler variants from Urban Adventurers.
I do not allow people to take two types of sorcerer. You may mix and match other spellcasting classes with sorcerer and each other, but no, you can't make a fire/ice or storm/stone caster. I don't want to hear about how the cosmos works in yin and yang contrasts or that the private is trying to express the duality of man. Arcanist/Sorcerer is good enough if you want a "pure wizard"
You MAY use the "trade-in" rules
You may start with a bonded mechanika weapon in place of a bonded suit of warcaster armor if you feel the need.
A bonded suit of warcaster armor does not allow you to make boosted unarmed strikes or boosted shoulder checks or boosted kicks. You can pay to have spring holsters, spring blades, or small compartments built into warcaster or other medium or heavy armor for +5gc (5gc in the case of a compartment). the target number to detect them is 12. You may pay up to ten gc extra to increase this target number on a one for one basis.
Mechanikal arms have the ability to KO as a sap, club, or trench knife.
"unarmed combat" is presumed to be with a mixture of fists and feet, no extra bonus is generally to be had by declaring a kick vs a punch. You may use "Unarmed combat" with your head in the proper situation, but it is a mere unarmed combat roll - the "headbutt" power attack requires the Headbutt ability
For a nice certified roller, I recommend Arcadian-designed Orokos:
http://orokos.com/roll/
painless account making process, good roller.
http://orokos.com/roll/
painless account making process, good roller.
JohnnyCache on
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Posts
Dr. Tari Rislyth, age unknown (she won't tell you). PHD in Human History at Corvis U, and Bounty Hunter of decent reputation. Known only to herself and those back in Ios, the well-educated, soft-spoken scholar is, in fact, a mage hunter. Mostly.
Like most young Iosans, Tari did not wish to sit idly by and watch her people die by the time she hit her triple digits. She was recruited by the Retribution of Scyrah at a fairly young age. She was also approached by the Seekers not long before setting out to become a field agent. The Seekers are quick to scout out every brilliant-minded Iosan they can, and did not have too much trouble finding someone like her in particular. The thought of hunting down humanity's arcanists and sorcerers amused her enough to give it a go for a few years, but it was certainly not the real solution. She rationalized that they were simply the effect of whatever ailed Sycrah; not the cause. Killing them might delay her death, but it's just postponing the inevitable at that point. So, of course, she quickly fell in with the Seekers as soon as they presented themselves to her. Working for both of the factions more actively involved in solving her race's dilemma, Tari figured it was her best shot at doing her part, and it gave her the best skillset possible to getting the job done.
Wishing to know her enemy better, Tari went to Corvis University after pitching her idea to her colleagues. The Seekers set her up with a full tuition, and in due time, Tari eventually earned a PHD in human history. She can arguably say that she knows more about the history of the Iron Kingdoms than most humans can admit! Bidding farewell to Corvis, Tari set out on the next phase of her career. In what seemed as a strange twist, at least to her friends at Corvis U, Dr. Rislyth took up bounty hunting, venturing westward and making a living off of hunting down the dregs of society while visiting every library and storehouse of knowledge she could. If someone were to pay close attention to her bounty hunting record, they would notice a peculiar preference for (exclusively) going after rogue sorcerers, suspected thamarites, necromancers, and infernalists.
Tari, like most Iosans, has a youthful appearance. Pale skin, long hair dyed midnight blue- hair dying being a common fashion practice among Iosans (as well as going bald), with long bangs in front, dyed a lighter shade of blue. Tari has somewhat of a longer, more angular face like most Iosans, with piercing, inquisitive hazel eyes and a nose with a soft, rounded tip. Despite years spent studying at Corvis U, Tari worked hard to maintain her lithe, petite figure- not that it was particularly hard to with the occasional danger-filled field class led by a certain adventuring Professor. When traveling, she wears a dark green hooded cloaked over a set of sturdy tailored plate.
STATS.
PHY 5
Spd 6
Str 4
AGI 4
Prw 4
Poi 4
INT 5
Arc *
Per 4
DEF 13 ARM 12 Initiative 14 WP 10 CMD 5
Feat Points: 3
Crossbow RAT 6 RNG 10 POW 13
Axe MAT 7 POW 3 P+S 8
Hand Weapon 2, Crossbow 1
Climbing 1, Jumping 1, Sneak 1, Deception 1, Disguise 1, Etiquette 1, Negotiation 1, Lore (Human History) 1, Lore (Arcane) 1, Lore (Ios) 1, Research 1, Tracking 1
Archetype: Intellectual - +1 Atk/Dmg rolls in CMD range
Genius (Boosted INT rolls)
Crossbowman (Quick Action to reload a Crossbow instead of Full)
Arcane Assassin (Ignores DEF/ARM buffs from spells and extra ARM from focus for power fields)
Iron Will (Reroll a failed WIP check)
Cover Identity (Bounty Hunter, Law 1)
Language (Ordic)
Team Player (lolol can join any adventuring company lolol)
University Education (Reroll a failed Lore/Research check)
GEAR:
Crossbow with 30 bolts in a quiver plus two grappling bolts + rope.
Axe
Goggles
Tailored Plate
Languages: Shyr, Cygnaran, Ordic
Connections: Retribution of Scyrah, Seekers
Purse: 2gp
Portrait
Background
Nelson was stationed at first upon a coast guard vessel and then later as a member of a dedicated pirate hunter crew. Somehow, through a convoluted turn of events, Brevet Lt. Blake was seconded from the Navy to serve as a liaison officer for a privateer vessel who's charter was to disrupt the activities of ships of the Cryx after the Scharde Invasions. He found it to be great fun to live his dreams as a raider on the seas! While still serving loyally to the Cygnaran crown. The rough and tumble ways of the pirates were much more to his liking than the stuffy Navy way of sailing. It was Blake's job however to keep the privateers focused on the Cryx and not other ships on the sea. And, pirates being pirates, they did not tend to want to attack ships of full of undead and blighted sailors. Go figure. Blake had to keep the captain and the crew in line with his sword as much as with his charm and to stick to their charter lest they face the wrath of the Navy. There were a lot of return trips to Five Fingers and other pirate havens to take on new crewmen.
Loyalty to his position eventually got him run through and tossed overboard with a leaking dingy and just enough provisions to die out of sight of the fleeing pirates. But die Blake did not! He managed to survive and float his way into Five Fingers. So far he has managed to eke out an existence as a drunk and down on his luck sailor, known only as Blake. He takes odd jobs as a guard or muscle for various petty criminal enterprises but mostly by getting drunk in bars and starting duels, he then kills whatever piece of filth he's fighting and loots their wallets. He has gotten quite good at it, so much so that in his bravado he has taken to calling himself the First Sword of the Seas. It will probably get him killed sooner rather then later.
The past six months have been a wretched existence for sure, but Blake has a purpose. He will find his mutinous crew one of these days and get his revenge. Only then will he think about returning to the Cygnaran Navy and make his full report.
Stats:
Skilled, Human, Duelist/Pirate 2XP
Stats:
PHY: 5
Str: 5
Spd: 6
AGL: 4
Prw: 5
Poi: 5
INT: 3
Arc: -
Per: 3
Will: 8
DEF: 12
ARM: 11
Init: 14
Weapons:
Repeating Pistol RNG: 8 RAT: 7 POW: 10 (3 wheels & 15 rounds of ammo)
Cutlass MAT: 7 P+S: 9 (weapon spec. & virtuoso)
Dagger MAT: 8 P+S: 6 (virtuoso)
Skills:
Hand Weapon 2, Pistol 2
Detection 2, Intimidation 2, Gambling 1, Jumping 1, Climb 1, Sailing 1, Swimming 1, Streetwise 1
Abilities:
Archetype: Skilled: Extra attack during activation, Virtuoso (hand weapons) benefit
Parry, Riposte, Gang, Steady, Weapon Spec. (cutlass)
Equipment:
Repeating Pistol (w/ 3 wheels & 15rds of ammo), Cutlass, Dagger, Custom Light Armor
Languages:
Cygnaran, Ordic
Money: 1gp
Feb.27/13 Edit: Gained 2 XP; +1 Detection, +1 Streetwise
The spy “Handsome Tom,” once known as Vincent Michael Wellborn III, had a promising career as a member of the Order of the Golden Crucible and a professor at Corvis University. That was before the accident. While teaching the child of a minor noble an interesting (though slightly dangerous) experiment, something went wildly wrong. Was it an over abundance of charcoal dust in the air perhaps? No matter, suffice it to say the child was maimed, losing a hand and an eye.
Tom was offered a choice; he could either accept a summary execution and destroy his name and legacy or perform a suicide mission in Khador and die a patriot. He decided that if he was to die, it would at least be in service to the legacy he’d spent his short but brilliant career building at the University. In fact the Wellborn Building there bears his name in honor of his “sacrifice.”
Unfortunately for the Cygnaran authorities, not only did Tom not die on his mission, he was wildly successful. Armed with a brilliant mind, a propensity for language, and a natural tendency to find strange but effective uses for his alchemical compounds, Tom had destroyed a Khadoran camp, stolen a secret alchemical formula, and made the entire thing appear to be an accident resulting from the use of the formula he’d stolen.
Having no life to return to, and enjoying the thrill of the mission, Handsome Tom has thrown himself into the life of a spy and mercenary. He has been many different people over the last six years and he has spent the last eighteen months working in Five Fingers creating the personage of Ivan Kharkiv, master surgeon of Khador.
Career: Spy/Alchemist
Country: Cygnar
Archetype: Intellectual- Friendly Characters Gain +1 to attack and damage in Command Range, Genius (Boosted INT Rolls)
Languages: Cygnaran, Ordic, Khadoran
PHY : 5
SPD : 6
STR: 4
AGL : 4
PRW : 4
POI : 4
INT : 5
PER : 4
DEF: 13
ARM: 10
INITIATIVE: 14
WILLPOWER: 10
COMMAND RANGE: 6
Abilities: Grenadier, Poison Resistance, Battle Plan: Shadow, Cover Identity (Khadoran Surgeon- Ivan Kharkiv)
Military Skills: Pistol 1 (5), Thrown Weapon 1 (5), Hand Weapon 1 (5)
Occupational Skills: Command 1 (Social), Deception 2 (Social), Detection 1 (5), Disguise 1 (6), Sneak 2 (6), Alchemy 1 (6), Medicine 1 (7 if using Surgeon's Kit, from Cover Identity), and Research (6)
Connections: Intelligence Network
Assets: Alchemist's Leather Gas Mask, Traveling Alchemist's Kit, Grenadier's Bandolier, Forged Identity Papers, Grenades (Strangle Gas- 1, Smoke- 1, Explosive- 1, Concussion- 2), Surgical Kit, Surgeon's Robe, Pistol, Pistol Ammo- 10 rounds, Ammo Bandolier, Sword (STR+POW=7), Armored Great Coat (Khadoran style), Leather Belt, Alchemist's Apron, Winter Fur Hat, and 9 gold crowns.
Experience: 2
Also, I didn't include a picture because I like the idea that he looks different everytime we see him unless he's actively playing a role.
EDIT: Changed numbers to reflect Experience expenditures.
Profile:
Age: 22
Nationality: Llael
Languages: Llaelese, Ordic
Religion: Morrowan
Kaelin was previously a member of the Order of the Golden Crucible in Llael, where she honed her craft as a skilled mechanik with a particular penchant for crafting runeplating and firearms. Kaelin was barely out of training when the Khadoran forces invaded. The members of the Order located in Llael were left scattered. Kaelin picked up a runeplated riflethen joined the resistance in defense of her homelands. In the field Kaelin turned out to be a crack shot - able to pick off targets clear across enemy lines. When it was clear that Llael was lost, Kaelin packed up her remaining belongs and fled to Ord. She has spent the time since then trying to reestablish herself in her new country, but still finds herself pining for her lost home. Kaelin attempted to rejoin the Order of the Golden Crucible in their new headquarters, but they already massive backlog of Llaelese former members whose documentation was lost in the war. Kaelin fears she many never be a member again. She still has friends in the Order who occassionally throw her work from sources the Order has no desire to do business with.
Kaelin Bastian is a tall woman standing at 5'11 with auburn hair and bright emerald eyes. Her fair, clear complexion is often overshadowed by the soot and smudges that occur in the workshop. She has a strong, lithe build from working with machining tools and forges most of her life. She dresses pragmatically, usually wearing a blouse with blacksmith's pants, a cap to keep her hair up and protective mechanik's shoes. She also carries a reinforced great coat with thick protective gloves and goggles to shield her eyes while weilding.
Spd 7
Str 4
AGI 4
Poi 4
Prw 4
INT 4
Arc 4
Per 3
DEF 13 ARM 12 Initiative 14 Command 4
Willpower 10
blast heavy rifle RNG 14 RAT 6 DMG 12
Optional 3" AOE, 20 rounds of ammunition
'jack wrench MAT 2 P+S 7
Knockout 13+
Military Skills
Rifle (Poi) 4 + 2 = 6
Occupational Skills
Detection (Per) 3 + 1 = 4
Climbing (Agi) 4 + 1 = 5
Craft (gunsmithing) (Int) 4 + 2 = 6
Craft (metalworking) (Int) 4 + 1 = 5
Mechanikal Engineering (Int) 4 + 2 = 6
Survival (Per) 3 + 1 = 4
Abilities
Archetype: Gifted - Can cast spells (Will Weaver tradition)
Crackshot - +2 to ranged attack rolls against targets with concealment/cover/elevation
Dual Shot - Can make two ranged attacks each turn
Fast Caster - Free quick action each turn to cast spells
Inscribe Formulae - Can craft mechanika devices
Marksman - May take a quick action while taking aim benefit
Spells
Arcantrik Bolt Cost 2 | RNG 10 | AOE - | POW 12 | UP N | OFF Y
Causes 'jacks to become stationary
Polarity Shield Cost 2 | RNG 6 | AOE - | POW - | UP Y | OFF N
Target cannot be charged in their front arc
Mechanika
heavy rifle | Blast (optional 3" AOE) | clockwork capacitor (3 charges)
Exp 2
+1 to Craft (gunsmithing) & Mechanikal Engineering
Mundane Equipment
armored great coat
ammo bandolier
rune etching kit
googles
mechanik's boots
10 gc
Alexi Deshal was born the son of a Cygnarian aristocrat and land baron. Sent to the most prestigious military schools, Alexi was an officer in the prestigious Arcane Tempest Gun Mage corps of Cygnar at a very young age. His leadership style immediately rubbed his subordinates wrong. He was brash, cocky and cared little for the lives of his men. Success and glory were his only goals, and those in his charge were expendable in the pursuit of those aims.
Three years in to his commission, Alexi was sent on a mission behind enemy lines with his small squad of Gun Mages. The Cygnarian military had received intel that a Khadoran scout team had been seen near the borderlands. That intel was wrong.
Captain Deshal and his small gun mage strike team stumbled in to a Khadoran battalion camp. A running gun fight ensued as Alexi tried to extract himself and his team from the situation. Much of Alexi's team was killed, and the rest were captured. He alone managed to escape. Gravely wounded, he was found and nursed back to health by local farmers. During his recovery, anger festered in Alexi. He was sure that he had been fed bad intel intentionally, and that it had gotten his men killed. To Alexi, it was one thing to sacrifice his men for a military goal. It was another to knowingly send a Gun Mage strike team in to a trap.
The captain now plies his trade as a mercenary for hire and expedition leader. His skills as a Gun Mage serve him well in the rough and tumble backwaters of the Iron Kingdoms. His skills as a military officer have made him a prized hire among the pirate lords of the seas.
Character Sheet
PHY 5
Spd 6
Str 4
AGL 5
Prw 4
Poi 5
INT 3
Arc 4
Per 3
Willpower 8
Def 13
Arm 11
Init 14
Command 6
Weapons:
Maglock Pistol
RNG 10 RAT 7 DMG 10
Rapier
MAT 5 P+S 6
Skills:
Command 1
Medicine 1 (4)
Navigation 1 (4)
Detection 1 (4)
Intimidation 1
Great Weapon 1 (5)
Hand Weapon 1 (5)
Pistol 2 (7)
Rifle 1 (6)
Abilities:
Additional Study (Gifted Benefit)
Craft Rune Shot
Fast Reload
Battle Plan: Call to Action
Natural Leader
Team Leader
Spells:
Rune Shot: Accuracy
Rune Shot: Brutal
Rune Shot: Thunderbolt
Return Fire (taken from Additional Study)
Equipment:
custom battle armor
ammo bandoleer
gun powder
10 rune shot
cloak
compass
backpack
bedroll
rune shot casting kit
waterskin
spyglass
6gc
Lord Admiral Galten Sparholm III of Sentinel Point, Archduke of Caspia had three daughters. The eldest, Katerine, married the eldest son of Lord Mayor Throckmorton of Caspia. The youngest, Juliana, is currently staying with Archduke Fergus Laddermore, Lord of Durnkeep. The middle daughter, Shay, ran away from home and joined a pirate crew.
Never one for pursuits such as needlework and horseback riding, Shay had always had an affinity for the sea, which pleased her father, who perhaps indulged her too much. Dozens of books of piratical adventures(such as the famous Trollkin adventurer, Brann Bloodhowler, and his adventures across the Broken Coast,) nautical manuals, and detailed maps of coastlines filled her room during her childhood instead of ball gowns and jewellery.
When she reached the age of majority, rather than courting the other prominent nobles of Cygnar like her sisters, she simply fled, taking shelter aboard the Avaunt, a pirate vessel captained by a daring Rynnish gentleman. For two years she sailed up and down the Broken Coast, learning the tricks of the sea and the joy of a life free and unconstrained by her noble duties, and 'Spar' became a valued member of the crew, her talent with a cutlass and pistol, along with the fine manners instilled by a life at court, setting her above the rest of the piratical bunch she sailed with.
However, as the amorous approaches of Captain Valerian D'Esslyn grew harder to avoid, she left the Avaunt and settled in Five Fingers, sending word to her father of her plans. Unwilling to be bound into the stifling atmosphere of Cygnaran high society, yet uniquely situated with connections in the aristocracy and the lowborn pirates of Ord, Shay intends to aid her family with wealth and glory and expanded influence among the High Captains of Five Fingers. Of course, her taste for adventure almost guarantees that she'll find herself caught up in a whirlwind of intrigue soon enough...
Shay is an attractive young Caspian woman, her raven-black hair typically bound in a long ponytail to keep it away from her face, and dark eyes that seem surprisingly soft and cheerful when one considers the things she's seen and done. Years of thin rations and hard labour have left her feminine frame built with strong, sharply defined muscle, giving her strength to perform feats most wouldn't expect of the seemingly average-sized woman. A thick, well-armored greatcoat protects her from the harshest weather and turns the brunt of most blows she faces, and the massive, gold-inlaid quad-iron and dull, frighteningly simple cutlass she wields cut down her foes with brutal efficiency.
Sheet!
AGI 5 Prw 4 Poi 4
INT 3 Arc * Per 3
DEF 14 ARM 10 Initiative 14 WP 8
Cutlass MAT 6 POW 4 P+S 9
Quad Iron RAT 5 POW 10 RNG 10 (can make additional attack after hit with this weapon)
Hand Weapon 2, Pistol 2
Command 1, Etiquette 1, Swimming 1, Climbing 1, Sailing 1, Seduction 1, Negotiation 2, Lore(Arcane) 1
Archetype: Mighty - Additional die on all melee attack damage rolls
FEAT: Bounding Leap - Spend 1 feat point to jump up to 5"(30 ft)
Good Breeding - Reroll failed Etiquette checks
Privilege - No, I won't check it(LOTS of shit from this one.)
Steady - Cannot be knocked down
Quick Work - Free ranged attack after melee kill
Specialization(Cutlass) - removes attack penalties with Cutlass.
Shield Guard - Once per round, when ally within 2" is directly hit by ranged, I can be hit instead
Aristocrat Income - 50 GP per month from home(pays extravagant living expenses, I guess)
Languages - Cygnaran, Ordic, and Five-cant.
GEAR:
1x Quad-Iron with 25 shots, Cutlass, Armored Greatcoat(handcannon holsters sewn onto the inside,) Bandolier.
20 GP
Connections(Nobility) - Shay has ties to Lord Admiral Sparholm, Archduke of Caspia, and as such she can rely on the Cygnaran Ambassador in Five Fingers if she has to. Since she thinks he's an overly stuffy peacock, and he thinks she's insane, their relationship is a bit strained, but he's too useful and her family is too important for either of them to ignore the other.
Edit Log
01/29 - Added in Shield Guard and Lore(Arcane) 1 from Arcane Order bonuses.
02/27 - EXP: 2 - Gain 2 Occupational Skills, Seduction 1 and Negotiation 2
A large, grizzled man in a plain coat walked into the shop and strode up to the counter with a military bearing.
He unslung a burlap sack from one shoulder that looked like it had an extremely heavy coconut in it and set it on the counter with a dull thunk. He whisked aside the covering to reveal a strange sight: What looked like a normal ball from an 8-pounder gun, but covered in strange runes, carved right into the lead.
"I want to pawn this 'ere chunk of shite," he said in a thick seafarer's accent, "and I want to deal wif one of the owners when I do. You've got a rat bastard named Blake 'ere, and I'll only work wif 'im."
Beezle, the Gobber clerk that had come with the store, calmly said "One moment, sir" in his oddly aristocratic tones, and hopped down and over to the far corner where Tari and Alexi where trying to figure out the rules of an obscure Sulese fortune-telling game someone had brought in.
He coughed for attention, then gently tugged on Alexi's sleeve.
"There's a customer here demanding to see Blake, sir, and only Blake. Seems like a bit of a horses' ass, pardon my language ma'am"
I host a podcast about movies.
Also, where is Blake? Do I know? You didn't mention in your post.
"Oh. Right." She mutters, looking back towards the entrance, "You take care of that, then. I will ... just go back to this." With that, Tari reached over and grabbed a tome, flipping over to the bookmarked section and reading it. Presumably it was something she's already been reading.
"Maybe, lad, you or the lady will be the ones who know what needs done with this horrible thing, but if this Blake is the man I think he is, we'll have our chat with both of ye in the room. Save us the trouble of repeatin' it, at least. I hear the sound of him relaxin' out back, now, don't I?"
I host a podcast about movies.
Nevermind....lets keep the game moving.
Blake is sweating hard from his training routine. Furiously spinning wooden practice swords around each other in an exercise designed to keep the arms strong and quick. He spots Beezle motioning towards the front counter and a frown mars his handsome face. He reaches for a towel to dry off his naked torso, lingering absentmindedly at the ugly scar in his belly that his former crew left him. His lean and muscular body had earned some minor scars over a lifetime of sailing the seas, but that was the only one that bothered him.
Throwing on a shirt and running a hand through his wavy brown hair, Blake belted on his swords before striding confidently towards the counter. He was wary. Someone asking for you by name in a town like Five Fingers was just as likely to be bad news as it was good.
"I ain't relaxin' no more." Blake says, with his picked up seaman's accent. It was getting harder and harder to speak like a proper Cygnaran these days. It was also getting harder and harder not to speak to somebody without your hand and your cutlasss these days as well.
"I'm Blake. Whaddya need?"
She nodded a greeting to the customer before walking over to Tari, sitting down on the chair with perfect posture and speaking to her in Cygnaran, on the off-chance that the fisherman wasn't overly familiar with the language.
"What's with the cannonball and this gentleman needing Blake here? Sounds fishier than our usual messes."
Under the web of new scars and weatherbeaten skin, Blake recognizes someone from one of his early crews. Phin McNamara was an artillery targateer for a marine deck gun crew. He'd been a straight shooter...years ago.
"Can we talk in front of these folk?"
At Blake's nod, McNamara sucks in a deep breath and lays it all on the table.
"I heard you were here. This thing here? It came out of the barrel of a jack the size of a house. A sudden squall ran a clipper into a cove and drove the crew aground. A warcaster and this thing were waiting for it, and they took the intel, they killed the crew, and they sank the clipper.
This giant jack? It had a pirate flag on it, and these shots did things only a gun-mage should be able to do.
I ended up in intelligence, Blake, and we've gotten three guys killed on this. We've got a leak. So I'm going outside. I need someone to find out why mercs have a top tier jack, who built it for them, why that jack can shoot rune shots, and what that clipper was carrying. Cygnar needs you, but I know you don't care about that anymore. I can pay you, but you're not going to do this one for money. You're going to do this one because that a couple crewmen got away, and they described that warcaster, and either that warcaster is Targ the Typhoon or there are two one-armed, one-eyed, seven foot weather witches on the broken coast."
Blake doesn't just hear the name, he feels it like a punch in the guts. He remembers a lopped off arm, a gouged out eye, and a giant man bellowing in pain and calling down lightning, right before a shower of boots, fists, and truncheons came down.
I host a podcast about movies.
@GnomeTank - Geez dude. What happened? Hope your OK.
Blake reels at this information. He'll worry about the implications of the massive warjack with a rune cannon later. Right now his head is spinning with thoughts of his past life flooding back into his mind at the sight of McNamara, and moreso with the images of Targ. They are...unpleasant. Hopefully, putting her in a grave will cleanse some of those stains on his soul.
After a moment, Blake calls for Beezle to find some rum and leads McNamara futher inside the clubhouse. Nodding for Alexi to look after the rune-cannonball and the rest of the Pawnbrokers to gather around.
"Dhunia's teats, McNamara. Never thought I'd see you again. Brings back some memories, it does. Nevermind how you found me." Blake thanks Beezle for the rum and pours shots for everyone. "I'll do your job for ya, if it gets me a shot at that bitch, Targ. But you'll pay for it too, and pay well, ye will. Army intel's got deep pockets, I know. Now just what the hell was that ship carrying thats so important? And why are you callin' us and not the bloody army if there is a monster warjack at play?"
I host a podcast about movies.
"No idea what those runes mean. It'd take a skilled arcanist to figure out gunmage marks on a good day. It might be a good idea to get them investigated, though. If we can figure out anything about what we're up against, it'll help us prepare to tackle something like Targ the Typhoon. I thought he was just a rumour, y'know?"
She paused, then looked across the table at Blake, her dark eyes glittering as she brushed a lock of hair back behind her ear.
"If half of what the pirate crews say about her is real, you just landed us in a serious pickle by saying yes, Blake. That said, I'm always willing to help Cygnar, so I'm in on this one. McNamara, you'd better be prepared to foot a serious bill. Dealing with a Warcaster doesn't come cheap, even with patriotic spirit and revenge backing it."
Shay doesn't know anything about that rune shot, that's for sure!
Interesting fact: he is not the captain of the crew. He was a weather worker and occasional surgeon for the crew when you saw him last. That he was controlling a jack was very, very odd
I host a podcast about movies.
Warjack? The size of a house? Stormwall? That's a new one- she can't say she's heard of such a thing, but if the pirate warjack is the size of a house AND a Stormwall, then she can conclude that the Cygnaran military is rolling out plus-sized Warjacks... Assuming the Stormwall was just such a thing- but why else would he drop that name when making the size comparison to the mystery 'Jack? The only other thing that came to mind that was similar size was House Shyeel's border guards, the Hyperions.
"Oh, my." She muttered to herself, rather alarmed by the news. It's no secret that the entire region's at war, but if the Cygnaran military and even private entities are deploying those things now, then there's little doubt in her mind that Khador must have something similar up its sleeve. There is just too much bad blood between those two countries to let them fall too far behind. It will be the Colossal Wars all over again. Wherever they may end up going, she must get her hands on any sort of blueprint or schematic for these things- regardless of design. Her people need to know.
Wait. Did that man just imply the Menites were at it, too?! This is bad.
And of course, this is where her Retribution-instilled paranoia sets in; realization that everything is escalating in a really serious way. Wasn't quite sure how far into her head I should go, but here's a start.
He downs the rum, says almost to himself, "Fixing leak may lead to regular work. Da, finding leak is good." Then looking over to Blake, "We should help your old comrade. For large sums of money of course. Maybe we can buy good vodka then."
Kaelin gasped with embarassment upon recognizing they had company in the shop, her face flushing deeply behind the soot and grease stains. "Oi, excusez-moi, monsieur," she whimpered, shrinking back into a corner, "I uhh did not realize we had une customer."
Her jaw slacked when her eyes wandered to the strange cannonball McNamara had brought in. She took out her glasses to study the object carefully. "D'où est-ce que ceci ... Excusez, mmm where did this come from? It is a most remarkable devise."
Mechanikal Engineering to discern the rune shot cannonball: 2d6+5 17
Hahaha yes, you will tell me all your secrets. :twisted: That is, do I learn anything through my Mechanikal Engineering roll?
Too bad I'm already full up on feat points.
Composing himself, he stands fully upright and adjusts his coat. Turning to Blake, he states, "So...this Targ fellow..seems like a wonderful chap, all things considered". The sarcasm in his voice is apparent. Pausing for effect, Alexi takes a breath and continues, "I can tell you this, if this guy has a Stormwall, or anything like it, this is going to be a dangerous job. I've seen a Stormwall first hand. I was at the Battle of Thornwood when Lord Commander Stryker deployed a Stormwall. To say they are devastating would be a gross understatement. They are the harbingers of hell. Even Stryker's old mule of a 'jack, Ol' Rowdy, seemed nervous around the Stormwall."
I host a podcast about movies.
Kaelin furrows her brow looking at the cannon ball. The layout of runes is familiar, but the runes are not. The patters would seem to convey some of the standard gun-mage falderal, crashing explosions, extra kinetic impact, the old standbyes...but, well, it's a cannonball.
After a moment of study, though, she gasps: There is a secondary pattern of smaller runes that appear to be some kind of containment matrix, something designed to gather or hold force, but they aren't in a familiar runic alphabet.
I host a podcast about movies.
"But then we look here, c'est très particulier," Kaelin addressed pointing to the smaller strange runes. She looked back to Alexi. "It appears to as some sort of containment field. As if it were ment to gather and contain pression, oui?"
She stands up straight and removes a tin of cigarettes from her pocket. "I am ashamed to admit this but I do not know what purpose such runes would serve. Stranger still," Kaelin says, striking a match to light a cigarette between her lips, "it is written in a runic language that... well, to all current arcane theory, should be not exist.
"Runic language should be uniforme. Constant. This is why arcanists can recognize each others' spells and mechanika."
Kaelin, in retrospect, your roll is good enough to reveal another odd fact about the ball: some of the deeper runes seem to run all the way through a lead shell to a core of some harder metal...likely steel, but you can't tell for sure.
I host a podcast about movies.
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3895348/ 3d6+5 = 18
As he stands pondering the situation, Alexi idly fiddles with his magelock pistol, almost as an instinctual reflex. Suddenly the expression on Alexi's face changes, "Perhaps...yes...hmmm". He again begins to fiddle with his pistol. "Perhaps I can call in some old favors in the Cygnar military. Someone in Cygnarian military research may have more information, though I can't promise anything."
Seeing the Brokers go straight to work takes some of the worry out of McNamara's bearing, and he sags with fatigue.
"I've taken a room just up the street at The Loyal Sow, I've had a long ride, and I feel like sleep. We can talk further business in the morning, if you're in."
I host a podcast about movies.
Blake is still smouldering at the thought of Targ the Typhoon being out there. "Relax Shay, You know he'll pay. If he even wants his evidence back, he'll pay. They all do. But this one? This one I'd do for free. I thought Targ was dead already. Since he ain't, I fully intend to finish the job."
Blake slams another shot of rum and heads to his room, fully intending to get suited up in his finest and then go out amongst the dockside bars and cantinas, trying to find a lead on Targ's whereabouts and giant pirate warjack.
"Are you sure you want to ask the Academy for help? Remember, there's a leak somewhere in the Intelligence service, and we really don't want them to know that we're coming. We can keep low here in Five Fingers, but I'm not so sure about calling in favors with the Cygnaran military. If you think it's best I won't fight it, though."
She smiled fiercely and took another shot of rum before straightening up and heading over to the door, calling over her shoulder.
"I'll keep an eye on Blake and make sure he doesn't run into any trouble."
With that he stands and returns to his workshop.