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Chapter 1: The Disappearance of Inigo Sharpe - A [13th Age] PbP
Posts
Kasben Rinker, Gnome Fighter!
STR 12 (+1)
CON 16 (+3)
DEX 18 (+4)
INT 14 (+2)
WIS 10 (+0)
CHA 8 (-1)
AC 19
PD 14
MD 11
Initiative +5
HP 33
Recoveries 9
Recovery Roll 1d10+3
Basic Attacks:
Melee - Kama
Attack +2 vs AC
Hit 1d6+2
Miss 1
Ranged - Longbow
Attack +5 vs AC
Hit 1d10+4
Miss 1
One Unique Thing:
After my eyes were ravaged by servants of The Diabolist, I was trained by acolytes of The Priestess to see using my Gnomish powers of illusion.
Icon Relationships:
Priestess +2
Diabolist ~1
Backgrounds:
Marksman 4
Scholar of the Cathedral 3
Daredevil 1
Feats:
Power Attack
Racial Powers:
Small - +2 bonus to AC vs opportunity attacks.
Confounding - Once per battle, on a natural 16+ I can daze the target until the end of my next turn.
Minor illusions - As a standard action at will, I can create strong smells or sounds nearby. Creatures that fail a save believe the source is genuine; successes realize that it may not be real.
Class Features:
Extra Tough - 9 Recoveries instead of 8.
Threatening - Enemies take a penalty to disengage from me equal to my DEX/CON mod, whichever is higher; only applies if I can make opportunity attacks.
Class Talents:
Comeback Strike - Once per battle as a free action, make another attack with a -2 penalty after my first fighter attack on my turn misses.
Deadeye Archer - Attacks with longbows use d10 instead of d8 damage, and ranged attacks deal Level damage on a miss.
Power Attack - Once per battle before attacking, may declare Power Attack to add 1d4/level with Kama or 1d6/level with Longbow to damage, even if attack misses.
Maneuvers:
Deadly Assault - Melee or Ranged | Natural even hit | Reroll any 1s on damage roll.
Grim Intent - Melee | Natural even miss | Add d6 to damage on a miss.
Second Shot - Ranged | Natural 16+ | After this attack, make a basic ranged attack with same weapon with a -4 attack penalty; can't use maneuvers on this.
Backstory:
After being expelled from the colleges of the Archmage, both for taking extreme risks with his magic experiments and for pranking the faculty one time too many, Kasben was drafted into the Imperial Guard, and trained as an expert marksman.
When the Priestess began to expand the Cathedral, she petitioned the Emperor to post a garrison there for safety - The Diabolist's forces had been swelling in greater numbers in opposition to her efforts. Kasben was assigned to this garrison, and would frequently listen in on the lessons and discussions in the halls of the Cathedral while on duty - occasionally, he would even have the chance to observe the Priestess herself as she debated philosophy with a traveling scholar.
Kasben was about to come off shift one night when The Diabolist sent a raiding party into the Cathedral. The attack came by surprise, and Kasben was caught in the ambush. Though the damage to the Cathedral itself was light, this was perhaps due to the cruel nature of these demons. They were more interested in torturing those who they caught unawares than causing harm to the facility itself; buildings can be repaired, but fear has far more lasting effects. Kasben's eyes were seared out by an efreet, and he was left for dead.
In the aftermath of the attack, the acolytes of the Cathedral found Kasben, and cared for him. Kasben despaired, as he was certain his marksmanship days were over, but the acolytes taught Kasben resilience, and how to tune into his remaining senses and inherent abilities to supplant his lost sight. He continued to study and train in the halls of the Cathedral, and slowly began to master tuning his powers of illusion and his remaining senses to give him "sight" once again. Were it not for his scarred face, anyone who met Kasben today (and especially saw him in a fight) would be hard pressed to believe he lost his actual eyesight some years ago.
(Note: The sight loss isn't meant to mean blindsight or anything like that - the character would function normally where combat conditions are concerned, unless you have interesting ways to use it, in which case by all means)
A list of things, should you be of the gifting persuasion
Peoples personal lives are way more important than games, don't worry about it.
The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
Steam: Korvalain
So thank you @Brody @Nullzone @Elvenshae @MagicPrime & @Reynolds and I hope you enjoy.
Unfortunately, @Grunt's Ghosts will not be able to play with us as he is having computer issues. However, he retains an open invitation to join whenever he likes.
Geth roll 1d6 for the Emperor! Positive
Geth roll 1d6 for the Dwarf King. Negative
The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
Steam: Korvalain
Geth, roll 1d6 for the Emperor conflicted
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Edit: Ah - I guess a 1 doesn't do anything in particular?
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Geth, roll 1d6 for The Crusader (Conflicted)
Geth, roll 1d6 for The Emperor (Negative)
Geth roll 1d6 for The Diabolist (Conflicted)
A list of things, should you be of the gifting persuasion
A list of things, should you be of the gifting persuasion
Geth, roll 1d6 for The Queen +
Geth, roll 1d6 for The Archmage ~
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
Steam: Korvalain
Diabolist (Conflicted) 6
Crusader (Conflicted) 6
Dwarf King (Negative) 6
Elf Queen (Positive) 5
Priestess (Positive) 5 5
Actually this was to determine who your contact would to send you on this quest and to get starting Icon rolls out of the way, It seems we have a winner. Introductory post will be up tonight.
I'm open to other suggestions if you have any.
Also, my brother's the religious one. Ask him.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
Steam: Korvalain
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
So, this is sort of how I roll. I don't do parties meeting for the first time.. You're all already existing members of the party and have pre-established relationships which we'll discover as we play. Before we start proper let's go ahead and get some introductory posts for our cast of heroes. Go ahead and describe your characters, have them give their opinion of taking a job for the Priestess, and also give us a suggestion of their relationship with at least one other party member. If you're not comfortable with that, then tell me about a relationship you have outside of the party relating to one of your Icons. If you rolled a 6 during our Icon rolls, then it must be about someone related to that Icon.
Welcome to the party and I hope we all have fun!
To see whats beneath the weathered exterior would be quite the contrast. A youthful face far below his actual years, an untamed mane of golden hair, olive tanned skin, and a glow of embers deep within his eyes. His skin is always hot to the touch, yet he never shows any sign of fever or sweating. His lithe physique the greatest evidence of elven blood in his veins, especially since his ears are currently covered. Close examination would reveal that the other half of his heritage isn't exactly human. Rumors speak of great kingdoms far more southern than the Empire, where vast cities rise from the sands inhabited by Efreeti and other Genie races. Some say the The Queen has even favored these distant lands in her courts, from time to time.
Being a child in the Court you tend to notice other children living the same fake lives. Constantly paraded by their parents, foisted into parties and symbolic rites of passages. Constantly under the threat of betrothment to some strangers' spawn you meet once before your 'wedding night.' Through most of these years 'Mikhail' had met and interacted with Tomas on more than one occasion. To call them friends at that time would be a stretch, because you really couldn't have friends in the normal sense in that environment, but they knew and were comfortable enough with one another to at least have a stand beside and someone to talk to at the droll affairs they were forced to attend.
It was sometime after his 'abduction' from Court and Tomas' 'leave of absence' that they came across one another at a dive tavern in some no-name town. Maybe it was fate, if you believe in that sort of thing -- or maybe just a funny coincidence in an Empire that at times can still seem far too small. After a night of drinking, reminiscing, and general bitching about their families they have been traveling together. It's possible that Tomas knows Mikhail's real name, if he happens to remember it.
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
Hrm. "Those present," indeed.
Slipping a folded note from his laced cuffs, Tomas reviewed the hasty scribble from Kasben and confirmed that, yes, the appointed time was 2:30, and he was here fashionably but not rudely late, and yet the only one here to witness his dramatic entrance was the half-elf. It nearly put him off his stride. Instead, with a grimace, he pulled off both gloves, tucked them behind a silver-inlaid belt, and walked personally up to the bar. A short, whispered conversation later, he placed another coin on the bar and then returned to the table with a dust-covered bottle and the two best glasses in the tavern floating alongside him.
Tomas dropped into a conveniently placed open seat, sighing, as the bottle and glasses clinked gently against the table. "I believe," he remarked to Mikhail, "I believe that our gnomish friend is making sport of me." With a sudden straightening, Tomas pulled his silver-handled dagger, whipped off the wax covering the wine-bottle's cork, and deftly pulled it. The blade found its way back into its sheathe just as quickly, and soon Tomas had poured a sampling of the ruby-dark vintage. With a swirl, he offered it to Mikhail to taste. When the half-elf's approval was given, he filled both glasses generously and placed the now-half-empty bottle deliberately between the two of them. "Sláinte mhaith,"* he said formally, raising his glass, before returning to his aristocratic slouch.
"Has he given you any more information on his latest scheme, or is your ... summons ... as threadbare as mine?"
* Or whatever the appropriate Elven phrase is.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Kasben strides up past the bar to the table, scrambling into a chair - but rather than sit in the seat, he stands on it briefly before planting his weight on the backrest.* He runs a hand through his military-styled hair, then leans forward and pours himself a glass of wine. "Besides" he says as he swirls the glass and takes a swig, "if I just sent instructions to rendezvous in the field, how would you be able to provide us such fine libations?"
You could almost swear you see a twinkle "in his eyes", such as it were; it can be hard to tell between the darkened spectacles covering his face as well as the trace scarring peeking out around them, along with Kasben's otherwise grizzled expression. Kasben wears spectacles in most social settings so as not to startle people - conversing with him without them takes some getting used to.
Kasben turns and signals the bartender for some foodstuff - a loaf of bread arrives shortly after, which Kasben removes a portion of and begins popping chunks into his mouth, speaking between bites. "As for making sport - I confess, I often derive some entertainment from your beleaguered entrances. But in this particular case, I was delayed by my Captain - I had just returned from a recon mission tracking a Diabolist spy inside Imperial territory and was being debriefed. Duty first, I'm sure you understand." Kasben makes a somewhat exaggerated show of a salute, knocking his fist on the well-polished bone armor he wears bearing the Imperial seal. The armor is remarkably engineered, allowing a range of motion you wouldn't expect for something that produces the kind of resonant thock generated by the impact of a fist.
"Once our other compatriots have arrived, we can discuss the details of the job."
* In case you're wondering what it feels like to watch this happen.
A list of things, should you be of the gifting persuasion
Please tell me you're drinking straight from the bottle.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
A list of things, should you be of the gifting persuasion
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
(How are you color shifting for ooc? I'm bad at pbp)
A list of things, should you be of the gifting persuasion
It's the color tag - I use grey for OOC. You can quote my post to see what it looks like.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Extricating himself from the pile of armor and weapons he had apparently been sleeping in, the burly halfling makes it to his feet with relative ease. Grabbing the tankard off the table he had been sleeping under and finishing last nights beer, he steps out the back door for a second to relieve himself, accidentally scrapping the door frame with his massive prosthetic limb. While he is wearing his plate the size difference is a little less noticeable, but shirtless as he is now, it is clear that the mechanika arm is nearly twice the size as his right arm. As he comes back in, Bragg rubs his eye and winces as he realizes its swollen, and as the rest of the party can see, thoroughly bruised. "I guess I earned my spot last night" he mumbles through a yawn, bending over to scoop up a tank top from the pile to go with his leather pants and... one? greave...
As he plops into a chair next to Kasben, running his natural hand over his head to make sure all his braids are still together, he grabs whatever is left of the loaf and starts stuffing it into his mouth. "So, why are we all here this early?"
Sitting at the table with them is a halfling that, if it weren't for the lack of facial/body hair, would look like a scrawny dwarf. Red, moderately long hair, braided back to keep it out of the way in a fight that seems confined to the upper half of his head. It also looks like he may have more scars than any other halfling in existence, the only place that looks untouched is the skin immediately around his prosthetic. Which somehow seamlessly meets with his skin. Magic is weird yo.
The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
Steam: Korvalain
The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
Steam: Korvalain
Something about fire-beetle racing... and there was some drinking involved... won a few coins... more drinking... someone got punched... who else was there? Kirst maybe? someone else? How in the hells did I end up here?
After a few forced blinks adjusting to the mid-day light seeping through the dirty windows. Bragg rolls out of his pile, clattering off to the left of him. "Oh yes... now I remember..."
He spins his drink a bit and takes another draw.
"Good morning Tomas... Kasban..." he nods to them both. "Bragg... do we have anything left from last night? and where is Kirst... I vaguely remember her 'volunteering' to watch our purse after the... fifth or sixth round..."
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
A bouncer, really? After being the terror of bars throughout Axis, it was a little depressing to be the one chasing people out. But although the Emperor had arranged for the arm, and covered the costs, Bragg was no longer favored of the Arenas, and had to pay for his own room board. So, bouncing. And that's how he had met this group, or at least Mikhail and Thomas. With Mikhail betting on everything under the sun, sooner or later someone had to get angry, and Bragg has been working that night.
The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
Steam: Korvalain
"Yeah, your purse is just fine, see!" That green hand tossed the missing container, empty of course, onto the table. Leaning further forward, the half-orc snatched up the bottle of wine as soon as Kasben returned it to the table, replacing it with a miniature 'travel size' bottle in the same fluid motion. "This is more your size, shorty~" She grinned at the gnome before tilting the bottle back and chugging the remaining contents, kicking feet sending yet more empty containers thudding and tumbling off of the table her lower half was precariously dangling over. It was fairly easy to determine where all of the profits from last night's endeavor had wound up. The big spending likely explained why Kirst and Bragg had been allowed to sleep things off in the tavern itself.
"You already paid for this, right, pockets?" She was apparently referring to Tomas, from the way her grin turned towards him. A moment later, the empty bottle was forgotten about as her greedy hands grasped at the air in the universal 'gimme gimme' motion before she squirmed far enough over the partition to reach the bread, savagely ripping and tearing chunks away with both hands. She wasn't as strong as an orc, but she was almost as tall, and definitely had the appetites to match.
A young brunette, her hair pulled into a high loose bun, with big brown eyes comes over to the table carrying a tray. From the tray she puts a tall glass of cold beer in front of @Brody Bragg and at the center of the table a plate with more breed, some cheese, and assorted fruits.
"Honestly," Molly sighs, taking a moist rag to wipe the crumps @Reynolds Kirst has splayed everywhere. "I know it's a rowdy place but you could show a little respect. It's like you enjoy making even more work for me," Completing her tasks she tucks the rag back into her apron with a huff, brushing some loose strains of hair from her face. "Let me know if you all need anything else."
She moves to start clearing the unwelcome gift of empty bottles left for her.
Kasben turns and takes a far more serious posture - as much as one can sitting so strangely - and unfolds a letter from his pouch, placing it on the table.
"Here's the reason I sent for you all. Elsa is one of the Sisters I knew at The Cathedral; she was just in training then, but now is fully ordained and runs a mission in the Commons called the Lost Hope Mission. She wants me to help her track down a missing scholar, Inigo Sharpe, and see his safe return to Eldolan. While I'm happy to oblige and could certainly set out to do some recon on my own, if Inigo is in trouble I wouldn't want to waste time trying to form a posse en route. Plus, I'm a little puzzled at what someone who manages a soup kitchen has to do with a scholar, so I'd rather be prepared going into the situation."
A list of things, should you be of the gifting persuasion
The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
Steam: Korvalain
Without betraying any sort of reaction, Molly deftly snatches the coin out of the air while leaned over stacking empty bottles on her serving tray. As she stands straight, she tucks the coin into her apron then pulls on the hem of her dress and crosses her ankles to offer Kasben a curtsy in appreciation.
"Much obliged, Master Kasben," she thanks him, returning to her duties.
The light comes to rest on his arm, and dims enough to show a mostly humanoid shape, albeit quite small. It stretches up, almost child like on its tiptoes trying to get a better look at the letter on the table. It looks back up at Mikhail, who is begining to chomp into the fruit.
"Oh... well that looks VERY official... don't you think?"
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
The emergence of the remaining members of the group gave Tomas an excuse to turn his attention elsewhere. "You already paid for this, right, pockets?" asked the half-orc, dangling over the partition. Tomas answered with a half-smile, "In point of fact, no. The gold was the Childe Lauclair's, until I took it from him at sevens last night. As for how he got it, no doubt it was his from his father, the Duc Lauclair, a quite stodgy fellow who would disapprove most stridently of his heir gambling it away. The Duc, of course, is the very wealthy Master of the Almsharen Mint, which he holds at the request and pleasure of the Emperor. And so, when you come round to it, it is therefore the Emperor himself who is buying our, by which I mean, 'my', drinks this afternoon." Tomas raised his glass in a mock salute. "You, of course, are just stealing from your betters." From someone else, it would likely be a deadly insult; from the nobleman who had occasionally employed Kirst for her lighter fingers, it rang like a very long-running in-joke. "At least have the decency to pour it; you'll get the dregs otherwise."
Kasben turns and takes a far more serious posture - as much as one can sitting so strangely - and unfolds a letter from his pouch, placing it on the table.
"Sharpe? That name ..."
@Mikey CTS
What are the odds that Tomas either knows Sharpe personally or has heard of him?
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]