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Post by KRoZ on Dec 22, 2005 17:46:05 GMT -5
All is not well with the world. Evil, corruption, and death are everywhere. The blight: a sickness that has gripped the land is ever spreading. The land dies as the blight spreads. Killing crops, tainting water, and with it comes the forces of darkness. Unholy creatures are rampant more so now than ever before, and now, more so than ever before, the land is in need of champions. Heroes from all walks of life who would strike a blow against the evils that infest the lands and take back the peace of times long ago. You are those champions. - - Prologue - - He came to you some way or another. Waving you over in the crowds of the city streets, calling you aside after sunday service, or perhaps even sending you a letter out of the blue. A holy man, but unlike any you have ever seen. A dark man. Tanned harsh skin, long black hair pulled back to a ponytail, rugged hands from years of hard labor. A deep scar across his jaw and an eyepatch concealing further disfigurement. A priest... or so he says. There was much concern when he moved to the city of Lampras Tern, an addition to the local clergy. Who is this dark man? He seems so unlikely a priest as any thief or murderer. With no given name he would sit quietly during all sermons. Never was he put in charge of prayer or talks, but always present for every service, sitting to the rear left of the preacher. Naturally, it came as quite a shock when he chose to speak with you. Wondering what he would have to say, you agreed, for whatever reason, to meet with him later at a tavern in a particularly unsavory part of town. Questioning your own judgement, you go to meet him and begin to discuss something that would change your life. Whether you had thought about it in the past or not, from any walk of life, you are invited to join him, and others with him, in persuit of a peaceful future where good men need not fear the night. He explains the order he represents, operated out of the very church you may or may not have cared to attend in the past. It seems you have something, skills, abilities, perhaps just a good sword arm, that he feels would benefit the order in some way or another. After taking in what feels like a wagon load of information, he formally extends his invitation and offers you a shake of agreement. Whatever drives you, beliefs, curiosity, the fight itself, or something else entirely, you agreed. - - Chapter 1: The Shambling Horde - - You are given free room and board on the church grounds. Now and again you see others like yourself, recruited long ago or perhaps recently, but only for brief moments. Never time to speak or give much more than a quick nod. Everyone seems so much more busy than you. Low man on the totem pole. And the cathedral grounds are so much larger than you initially thought. After countless investigations of superstitions and folk tales, fruitless ventures all, you had begun to think that perhaps this duty isn't for you. Not what you expected. Then comes the notice. Slipped under your doors in the early morning, a letter with the wax seal of the church. Your usual assignments given through simple folded pages or word of mouth, this seemed different... special. Opening it, whether eagerly or at your leisure, you read the contents: "Your patience has been appreciated. Now it is time to test your mettle, a cutting of teeth as it were. Meet in the garden one hour after evening service tonight to review your first assignment.
- A"
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Post by Frederic Bourgault-Christie on Dec 22, 2005 20:08:59 GMT -5
Stormaxe nods and smiles. "I dinnae how much my 'mettle' will be tested, but 'ey, it's worth a schot!" He prepares a smattering of his alchemical solutions, straps on his ax, and heads out to church, eagerly awaiting the chance to test his new formulae...
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Post by halfhero on Dec 22, 2005 21:18:47 GMT -5
Guts will grunt and toss the letter in the fire.
Load up silver and cold iron bolts, spend some time sharpening my blade, then head to the meeting location.
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johndamnit
Superhuman
Why am I a penguin?
Posts: 52
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Post by johndamnit on Dec 23, 2005 16:57:02 GMT -5
After reading the letter Chip leaves his room to finds a nice quiet place within the grounds and puts himself through a rigorous training routine the entire day untill the meeting time.
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Post by KRoZ on Dec 24, 2005 2:15:42 GMT -5
(Those of you who haven't posted yet, I am ASHAMED of you. I'm looking at you Bob, Ominai and Ainsophaur! Justin's connection is unreliable to begin with so I don't count him. FAVORITISM.)
Stormaxe spends the majority of the day building reserves of alchemical solutions and potions. Afterwards he attends the evening sermon in quiet anticipation of things to come.
Guts returns to the supply room. Normally holding lantern oil, eating utensils, buckets, and general round the house items, he had long had a suspicion that more was available. Upon arriving he is greeted by a clergyman with "Ah. You're early." Afterwards he is shown to supplies he had expected to find when he first came to look. Weapons to fight the supernatural.
Bolts are supplied free of charge in bundles of a dozen, Guts helps himself to two of each and a new whetstone. The rest of the evening until meeting time is spent on meticulously sharpening and swinging one handed at the air.
The quietest and most fitting place to practice that chip finds is the Garden itself. At the very least, he will be punctual one way or the other. The entire day is spent on a combination of flips, leaps, kicks, strikes, and meditation. Once the bell sounds for evening service, Chip notes that he has an hour to carry out his cooldown exercises before the meeting.
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Post by halfhero on Dec 24, 2005 21:15:11 GMT -5
Guts is gonna spend the last half hour or so making his peace with god.
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johndamnit
Superhuman
Why am I a penguin?
Posts: 52
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Post by johndamnit on Dec 24, 2005 22:41:35 GMT -5
Cooldown exercises it is.
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Post by Frederic Bourgault-Christie on Dec 25, 2005 2:00:17 GMT -5
Given a choice between battle and faith, battle intrigues Stormaxe more. He daydreams about zombies being immolated back into the good earth and worries about the note, whether it has been traced, etc.
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Post by KRoZ on Dec 25, 2005 3:34:18 GMT -5
I'm going to wait for at least one more of the other players to post before I continue. Also, Fred and James, can you PM me a copy of your sheets? I think you have one james... think.
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Post by Ainsophaur on Dec 27, 2005 23:21:28 GMT -5
Grove give go down to the supply room, get a bundle of each type, (silver and cold iron) bolts, and get some pain, and fatiuge medication. Then he'll go and pray make peace with god, ponder his existence, and speak to some priests and ask for blessings, and some holy water, lots and lots of holy water.
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Post by KRoZ on Dec 28, 2005 0:08:36 GMT -5
Not being a man of war by trade, Grove probably wouldn't think immediatley about picking up crossbow bolts until he knew what the job was about. Also, they don't have any fatigue medication, just stuff for pain usually packaged in bandage kits.
Each priest who is asked blesses Grove in the name of their patron diety, this church being varied in beliefs but entirely devoted to the good guys. He is also given six portable vials of a half pint of Blessed water.
Time passes, the service is let out, and eventually the group in the garden begins to grow.
A young martial artist who has spent the day here is the first, followed by Guts looking grim and unhappy as usual. Grove arrives shortly after and Stormaxe shows up after making his way from the service.
As well, an older bearded man with spectacles and a temple cleric come walking together followed by a large barrel chested man also dressed in priest robes.
It seems there were more people invovled in all of this than many of you thought.
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Post by Frederic Bourgault-Christie on Dec 28, 2005 0:12:23 GMT -5
Stormaxe will say, "Is it preemature to be doing introductions?"
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johndamnit
Superhuman
Why am I a penguin?
Posts: 52
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Post by johndamnit on Dec 28, 2005 2:09:17 GMT -5
(awww no david?)
"I'm certainly not the one in charge here, but hey, name's Chip." I'll give a friendly wave to everyone present.
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Post by KRoZ on Dec 28, 2005 14:03:02 GMT -5
(Not everyone has arrived yet)
I guess nobody else wants to be social.
In time a young strapping man and a well dressed titan arrive.
Soon, an older member of the clergy arrives, followed by the man who brought you all together. The priest with the eye patch.
"Welcome, everyone." Says the older priest "I am glad to see that so many have made it through the initial trials at last."
"If you would get yourselves comfortable, I have much to discus."
Taking seats on marble benches or leaning against pillars, perhaps sitting in the grass, everyone takes a place to listen.
The old man introduces himself as Father Bailey explains how he sent Father Renaldo, the eyepatched priest, out to find recruits for their "holy war". Once given the invitation, they were given a test of patience which you have all passed. For many years the group had existed, but only now were they strong enough to tackle the challenges in the waiting nights.
He goes on to explain a bit more about the dangers you will be facing as time will go on, how you will be tested and threatened.
Finally he explains your first mission:
"Just over a weeks ride to the south west is the small town of Marx. It is a proud fronteer town, doing most of it's trade with the outlying fishing villages in the swamps and lakes of Gaul."
"A few weeks ago there were reports of attackers, a sort of diseased murderous sort who would lurk in the waters and trees before attacking the fishermen. They were reported to be slow, shambling sorts infected with a strange ailment that paled the skin and would never seal wounds."
"As the attacks became more frequent and severe, sometimes numbering a dozen individuals, the proud people of Marx finally came to think to look for help. However, by this time, word no longer came from their outlying villages. In time, they sent word via a messenger here to Lampras Tern."
"In his flight the messenger said that he was met on the road by such a group as reportedly attacked the fishermen, who clawed and bit ferociously at his horse. He escaped unharmed physically, but he says that the cuts grew ever infected during his ride back, despite all his efforts to aid his mount, and after being gripped by a terrible sickness followed by delirium, the horse died from relatively minor wounds."
"Even so he finished his trek here to give word. I have discussed the situation with Doctor VonAbrams and Father Tully *He motions in turn to the bearded man and a priest in a steepled hat*, and we believe that the attacks can be contributed to the living dead."
His words have a sort of effect on all of you. Whether you had dealt with them in the past or no, the undead are never EVER pleasant news or to be taken lightly.
"What is worse, this does not seem to be an isolated freak incident. The swamps of Gaul were the last known location of the remains of Habashi Nakamura, an eastern Necromancer felled by the Brotherhood of the Grey Wolfe, our partner organization. They were hurriedly being transported for sanctification and destruction and while I do not know the entire story, suffice to say it is likely that she is the cause of this incident."
"You lot would be dispatched to Marx immediatley. You will leave tonight after you ready your equipment and aquire provisions from our quartermaster. And if it is Habashi, be careful; She is a practitioner of body modification and a minor psychic. She commands waves of undead as extentions of herself and uses them to separate groups. She delights in personally preying on stragglers, lone members, or the gung ho types."
"Habashi should not be underestimated. Her body modifications have made her stronger than any mere human, and she is a skilled practitioner of Ken no manzokushi, a fighting art which translates to 'fist of satisfying death'. Of the ten men who were sent to fight her from the Grey Wolves, only three returned alive."
"By the time you reach Marx, almost three weeks will have passed since the messenger left with word. We fear the worst. While we may not have high hopes of survivors, do not rule out the possibility. Stay together, and may the Gods watch over you."
He bows and leaves you to take in your duties. Father Renaldo steps forward and explains where to find the mounts you will be provided and asks that you take one of the more seasoned members along with you.
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Post by KRoZ on Dec 29, 2005 19:38:53 GMT -5
Available NPCs for this mission are:
David Rikers - Ex hunter turned... hunter: Dressed in a dark cloak over hard leather half plate, David is surprisingly strong and hardy for his still rather large stature. He is young, attractive, and generally carefree and pleasant to be around. He arms himself with a bracer mounted dart launcher, an ordinary hunting knife, a bow and arrows, and a heavy iron two handed sword for cleaving foes. Once in a while, he can actually one hand the weapon, when the adrenaline's right. As a hunter he learned the arts of tracking, camouflage, archery, and moving undetected by hearing or smell.
Dr. Von Abrams - The learned slayer: With age comes wisdom, and this man is no exception. This 53 year-old doctor is a walking dictionary on the supernatural with volumes committed to memory and a small library of information at his estate. But he is more than just a knowledgeable doctor, he can hold his own in a fight. Preferring to equip himself with a wooden steaks and mallet, a silver cross, and a Bible (when fighting the supernatural, this is considered a weapon), you could say he's armed lighter than some of the other slayers, but when it comes to the supernatural information and reasoning, he's the cream of the crop.
Father McAllister - Inquisitor: Once a priest by public profession, he also worked with and headed groups of human supremacists in their quest to "purify the world." For a time becoming a nomad till he found work with the slayers. He doesn't get along well with non-humans, lets just leave it at that. He has unusually high muscle mass for a priest, arming himself with a wooden steak sledgehammer, Bible, a horn of black powder for special occasions, and a golden cross that opens into a silver dagger. His robe is lined with chain mail by the way, I just thought you may like to know that. His skills lie in melee combat, and quite fittingly, persuasion and torture. He is rather experienced from a long career of battling "evils."
Father Tully - Priest and holy man: He rarely wears armor, saying that his life is in the hands of the Lord. He equips himself with a simple wooden staff and priests robes along with a witch-like steeple hat and divine abilities. He is a healer of the body and the soul with powers also geared towards destroying supernatural evil. He speaks Latin fluently but talks rarely in general unless spoken to. He is a very calm and collected individual, but with an undeniable zeal for the protection of the innocent.
Jonathan "Wedge" Blain - Sophisticated Barbarian: A MASSIVE man who is surprisingly gentle and slow to anger. Though he looks the part, when speaking with him you would never believe what a raging beast he becomes in combat. Arming himself with a suit of half plate and a magic iron battle-axe with silver runes to enchant the weapon with reduced weight and increased durability, he is able to swing his weapon with devastating power. His nickname comes from his tendency to split things in half, rather cleanly. Also armed with smaller single-handed axes, one plated with silver, the other with iron. Despite his raging combat demeanor, he is in control of his force and can follow orders and directions easily during combat.
They would like you to choose one to go with you for this mission.
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Post by Frederic Bourgault-Christie on Dec 29, 2005 22:21:17 GMT -5
I like Abrams and Wedge, in that order.
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johndamnit
Superhuman
Why am I a penguin?
Posts: 52
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Post by johndamnit on Dec 30, 2005 1:13:46 GMT -5
abrams, or david. but abrams first.
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Post by halfhero on Dec 30, 2005 1:41:06 GMT -5
yeah with abrams as my choice as well, i think we are rapidly approaching a conclusioon
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Post by Ainsophaur on Dec 30, 2005 23:18:12 GMT -5
exactly how many npc's can we take with us? Personally I like Wedge, its good to have two "Guts" around if things go badly.
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Post by KRoZ on Dec 31, 2005 19:31:05 GMT -5
You can take up to three. I think it's pretty decided that you want Abrams, so he's in there. Anyone else?
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Post by Frederic Bourgault-Christie on Dec 31, 2005 20:18:53 GMT -5
I like Wedge next, and Tully.
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johndamnit
Superhuman
Why am I a penguin?
Posts: 52
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Post by johndamnit on Jan 1, 2006 12:53:22 GMT -5
go David! then wedge
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Post by KRoZ on Jan 1, 2006 23:37:40 GMT -5
Well, plenty of time has gone by discussing this it's easier to agree in a discussion in person.
But for now, let's look at the details of the mission:
Known threats: Zombies, superhuman kung fu necromancer Known terrain: Woodsy Urban and Swamp Current team: Alchemist (Fire and basic guns), little kung fu guy (arm blades and kicks), Big sword man (Big sword man's big sword sword and arrow bitses), psychic feller (Anti ghost psychic, frail), roman duder assuming justin is still with us since he has yet to post anything in the thread (spear wieldin' foo), Elven archer again assuming bob wants to play since he also has yet to post (Ranged support), and a ninja once again assuming ominai is with us and not slacking off somewhere looking to seduce children (covert approach and scouting).
What's missing? What could you always use more of? what might be unnecessary for the task at hand?
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Post by Frederic Bourgault-Christie on Jan 2, 2006 16:41:06 GMT -5
Mmm. How good are Ominai and Azriel's woodsmanship? The reason I liked Tully was, because like Abrams, he was a healer, and that means that we have my potions, a doctor and a magic healer, which is a good way to have high survivability. In fact, I like that substantially better than another tank. With a Roman soldier, a Dwarven alchemist, a martial artist, and Guts, we have a lot of close combat and tankiness. What we may not have are the abilities necessary to survive and safely get through the wilderness.
From what I know of Habashi, our team as is should be able to handle her. In any respect, none of the NPCs add anything vital. So I'd go David then Tully or Wedge.
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Post by halfhero on Jan 2, 2006 19:22:31 GMT -5
yeah i fought habashi the first time with ashitaka, she is a toughy but i think we have enough to take her down. but, i think we should take tully, and abrams.
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Post by KRoZ on Jan 3, 2006 0:33:30 GMT -5
Azriel is an Advanced Woodsman. Ominai is not.
Tully does healy magics, Abrams is a medical doctor. He doesn't have instant magical healzies but he can stop you from bleeding to death or brace a broken bone when mp runs out.
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Post by Ainsophaur on Jan 3, 2006 3:13:09 GMT -5
Hmm so, what we have a woodsman, Enough tanks, we have medics, one anti ghost psi....I say we need a priest or a wizard of some sorts. We need undead warding...and possible one dude whom can throw fireballs... So tempting to ask to switch to Sarah...fire bal throwing is damn sexeh afterall.
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Post by Frederic Bourgault-Christie on Jan 3, 2006 3:27:44 GMT -5
In that case, you probably concur we need Tully. Wards aren't so important this mission, since the undead are physical and we have an anti-ghost person. Abrams also helps in that department. Stormaxe is against McAllister, and I don't see a need for torture this time either. After Abrams and Tully, I think David is what we need. (Tully also covers the turning dead aspect.)
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Post by KRoZ on Jan 4, 2006 0:40:36 GMT -5
Fire is a handy thing against a lot of what you'll be fighting, but just about everything that fire works against can be dealt with some other way (Silver, blades, etc), as well while not so limitless in supply, Stormaxe sets fires quite well.
However ghosts and the ethereal have comparably few things that can effect them, but your ecto/psychic specializes to the point of being quite a bit less effective vs. other threats.
The choice is yours, kindly make it before I send you out on your zombie hunt.
Also if you take Tully, Abrams, and David, that will use all three slots, provide two healers, a tank, and pretty much cover your bases pretty well if there are no objections.
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Post by Frederic Bourgault-Christie on Jan 4, 2006 0:46:11 GMT -5
Yeah, it strikes me that sets us up, giving us redundancy in the travelling, communication, healing, tanking and damage department.
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