Mythical

%5Bimg%5Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FtWyvA8h.jpg%5B%2Fimg%5D CAELUS STORMFURY [] Knight-Evocatant of the Anvils of the Heldenhammer "I, too, shall take my leave," Caelus announced after Captain Kaltis had abruptly exited the private room of The Beached Mermaid. The rest of the Knight's belongings were still back inside his personal quarters at the Black Nexus. But their retrieval would not take long, an hour at most if he took his leisure. "I just need to gather some of my possessions, and then I shall return to the docks and reconvene with you all at the wharf where the Blackfin is berthed," he explained. For a fleeting moment, he entertained the thought of trying to follow the Captain to see where he was going but quickly dismissed the idea. A Stormcast Eternal was simply too conspicuous in this part of the city, sticking out like a dark-armored thumb. Perhaps one of the Binding would take the initiative to do so instead. And he considered making a suggestion to that effect but held his tongue. Let's see what kind of actions they take without any of my influence, he mused.

%5Bimg%5Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FtWyvA8h.jpg%5B%2Fimg%5D CAELUS STORMFURY [] Knight-Evocatant of the Anvils of the Heldenhammer To the Knight-Evocatant, the entire Binding represented a major deviation from the norm. But Anikah, in particular, stood out from the rest of the group as the most anomalous of the anomalies, which was no mean feat. So to hear her suddenly address him with a half-measure of familiarity was somewhat disconcerting, although he tried to mask it well, his stoic features remaining as motionless as a pond of still water. With a curt swivel, Caelus brought his cerulean gaze to bear upon her, his eyes the vibrant blue of one of the eternal storms of Azyr, as he deigned to reply, "It is not so much formality as it is restlessness. It has already been a week since the airship's disappearance. This is no time to dally." And he meant what he said, in his estimation there truly was no time to waste. But, for the immediate future, the team's schedule would be dictated by an Aelf corsair whose personal motives were murky at best.

%5Bimg%5Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FtWyvA8h.jpg%5B%2Fimg%5D CAELUS STORMFURY [] Knight-Evocatant of the Anvils of the Heldenhammer Except for his initial request for elucidation, Caelus remained conspicuously silent, keeping his own private counsel, as the Binding continued to question Morgan Kassan. His personal orders, from both Lord-Arcanum Lynus Ghalmorian and Lord-Castellant Ephrem Vanhelm, had made it quite clear that he was not to interfere with the Soulbound's decisions--they had been granted full autonomy and operated outside of the Anvils' conventional hierarchy. Therefore, the purpose of his presence was primarily to assist, observe, evaluate, and eventually present a report on the group's effectiveness. And the task of tracking down the whereabouts of the missing Kharadron Frigate, the Burz Mulnkuremon, and retrieving its contents would be their first real test. After the brisk walk from Dauntless Hall, through the green-shrouded cobblestone streets, to the northern edge of the city where The Beached Mermaid occupied a spot on the eastern bank of Bleakscale Harbor, Caelus trailed along in the Councilor's wake as she led everyone inside the tavern and through its crowded main area to a private room in the back of the building. And upon meeting and greeting their Aelven host, the Blackfin's roguish captain, he could see why Theriel Kaltis would rub the conservative woman the wrong way, since the Aelf certainly looked and sounded the part of a dubious scoundrel. The cagey Knight-Evocatant also harbored his own reservations, but it wasn't like there were any immediate alternatives available. "When do you plan on departing?" he asked, resigned to this particular fate.

%5Bimg%5Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FtWyvA8h.jpg%5B%2Fimg%5D CAELUS STORMFURY [] Knight-Evocatant of the Anvils of the Heldenhammer The seven-and-a-half foot tall Knight-Evocatant filed into the audience chamber along with the rest of the Binding, and waited for their escort of guards to leave before speaking. With a perfunctory bow, he returned their homely host's greeting and added, "Lord-Castellant Emphrem Vanhelm sends his regards." During Caelus's initial briefing upon his arrival in Anvilgard, the older Stormcast Eternal had mentioned Morgan Kassan specifically by name as one of the few administrators in the Grand Conclave that he actually trusted. Of course, Caelus reserved the right to judge the woman for himself, but the Lord-Castellant's general instincts had yet to be proven wrong. "Thank you for taking the time to see us," he interjected before she could launch into her spiel. While the Councilor's words washed over those assembled before her, the silent Knight-Evocatant mentally followed along and ruminated upon the topics she was covering. Although he was quite keen of mind, he had neither the heart nor the stomach for politics, and for all intents and purposes, Anvilgard's political landscape seemed to be quickly succumbing to corruption and transforming into a wretched hive of scum and villany. And as Morgan Kassan's speech trailed to a close, he asked her pointedly, "So what exactly do you want from us?" He was seeking clarification. "Is this to be a search and rescue? A simple retrieval? Or something else entirely?" If the Blackscale Coil that she had mentioned was as pervasive as she feared, it would certainly complicate their task even more.

%5Bimg%5Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FtWyvA8h.jpg%5B%2Fimg%5D CAELUS STORMFURY [] Knight-Evocatant of the Anvils of the Heldenhammer The walk from the Anvils' Stormkeep to Dauntless Hall was short and uneventful. But even through the semi-opaque mists, which had a way of muffling ambient noises, Caelus could already make out the susurrus of voices up ahead--a small gathering by the sound of it. Must be the Binding, already together, he surmised. Mulling over the unorthodox composition of the nascent group, he found himself wondering what their ultimate purpose would be. What had driven Lord-Castellant Ephrem to decide upon such an unconventional choice of investigators with all of the resources he had at his disposal? Perhaps the Anvils were stretched too thin and required outside assistance in such matters, because it was true that the Stormhost was divided between Shyish and Aqshy so available manpower was at a premium. And the very fact that the Lord-Castellant had felt it was necessary to perform a spell as powerful and as taxing as the Ritual of Binding spoke volumes to the precariousness of the city's situation. Caelus appeared out of a wispy bank of defoliant like an armored grim reaper, resplendent in black-hued Sigmarite plate and bearing his staff of office. Without his plumed helm on, his bronzed face with its strong Azyrite features, framed by shoulder-length silvery-white hair, bore an ageless aristocratic quality to it, the idealized vision of a man reforged from the depths of time. And with his long strides, he cut through the square in front of Dauntless Hall, which was a continuously-tended garden-quad, to pause before the others congregating there. "I am Knight-Evocatant Caelus of the Anvils of the Heldenhammer," he stated plainly, just a succinct introduction without any preamble. "Lord-Castellant Ephrem Vanhelm has bid me to aid you all in your task. Of which, I am told, we are to find more details about within." He beckoned to those who were willing to follow him with a gauntleted wave of his free hand as he ascended the obsidian steps of the imposing structure to its main entryway, stopping to identify himself and the Binding to the Freeguild soldiers stationed there. [OOC] I think some people are already inside? Caelus will help usher in any who are still outside.

%5Bimg%5Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FtWyvA8h.jpg%5B%2Fimg%5D CAELUS STORMFURY Knight-Evocatant of the Anvils of the Heldenhammer With the sound of his steady, armored footfalls echoing around him, Caelus wound his way through the stone halls and spiraling stairwells of the Black Nexus. The tall Stormcast Eternal brooded silently, lost in a swirl of grim thoughts, as he instinctively traced the route that led down through the heart of the mighty fortress to the heavily guarded gates on the ground floor. The quartet of vigilant Protectors keeping watch there parted quickly for the exiting Knight-Evocatant, acknowledging his presence and higher rank with a coordinated stamping of the ends of their Stormstrike Glaives accompanied by nods of respect made in unison. Although he had only arrived in Anvilgard a few days ago, he was already a familiar sight around the Black Nexus with his constant comings and goings as he made exploratory forays into other parts of the city in an effort to acclimate. But with its constant heat, stifling humidity, and the ubiquitous pall of eerie green defoliant, Anvilgard seemed only slightly less depressing than Glymmsforge in Shyish had been. However, Caelus's unexpected transfer had been ordered directly by Lord-Arcanum Lynus, his immediate superior, who had intimated that he could spare no other for this special assignment. And, in truth, Caelus was the newest addition to the Sempiternals' Chamber Command and thus was the low man on the totem pole among the Sacrosanct's Knights. Therefore, he got the job that none of the others wanted. But he was only told that his task was to assist a newly-formed Binding with its investigation here in Anvilgard, which sounded pretty straightforward--until he was given the dossiers of the Soulbound and realized just how eclectic the group was. And that was putting it mildly. Am I to be their liaison or their babysitter? he wondered, ruefully. With a sigh of resignation, he hefted his black Sigmarite staff, crossed the curving street, and approached Dauntless Hall with a steely resolve that he did not really feel. Orders were orders though, so he would simply have to see and judge for himself who he was going to be working with. [OOC] Hi everyone, I'll be your resident Stormcast Eternal. Looking forward to playing with you all. :)

To take the Spellcasting Talent, you need one level of Training and one level of Focus in Channeling (at a minimum).

You can check out the over on the Homecoming forums. I don't think anyone thought we'd ever see the day. But it's happening.

With the latest news of the limited license granted by NCSoft to Homecoming, Excelsior has been packed. I actually had to switch over to Everlasting last night because I couldn't get on. But it's good to see new people (and returning vets) checking in. I'll try to keep an eye out for you. (My global name over there is Scranker.)

Haha, yeah. Though, in the end, it'll probably end up being more of a mishmash of all three.

I noticed a couple of people who posted in this thread play City of Heroes. I also play CoH on the Homecoming servers, specifically on the Excelsior shard. Aside from that, I get good use out of my Meta Quest 2. I've got two VR games that I play pretty frequently, The Thrill of the Fight and Eleven Table Tennis.

Running a campaign takes a lot of effort, so kudos to all of the DMs/GMs out there. I probably won't end up running anything myself, but if I do it'll most likely be a Storypath System game like Trinity Continuum: Assassins, Trinity Continuum: Aberrant, and/or Trinity Continuum: Aeon.

The Knight-Evocatant is a slightly modified version of the Knight-Incantor archetype, with a bit more emphasis on blasting (by focusing on ranged single-target damage). Its primary role in combat is ranged dpt (damage-per-turn) with a secondary role as a backup healer. CHARACTER SHEET CAELUS STORMFURY Knight-Evocatant of the Anvils of the Heldenhammer Attributes: Body 2, Mind 4, Soul 3 Melee: Poor | Accuracy: Average | Defense: Average Armor: 2 | Toughness: 9/9 | Wounds: 0/5 | Mettle: 2/2 Speed: Normal | Initiative: 6 | Natural Awareness: 3 Skills: Arcana (+1d6), Awareness (+1d6), Channeling (+2d6, +1), Intuition (+1d6), Lore (+1d6), Reflexes (+1d6) Talents: Devastating Bolts, Spellcasting (Celestial), Unbind, Witch-Sight Spells: Common: Aetheric Armor, Arcane Blast, Arcane Bolt, Flight, Ghost Light; Celestial: Healing Light Aqua Ghyranis: 75 Drops Equipment: Magical: Evocatant's Staff (Quarterstaff), Sigmarite Plate (Medium Armor); Mundane: Backpack, Bedroll, Dagger, Glass Spheres (x2), Grimoire, Phials (x4), Pipette, Pouch, Rations (5 Days), Scroll Case, Sling Bag, Sparker, Tabard of the Sacrosanct Chamber, Waterskin BACKSTORY In a past Age, Caelus Avanor was an Azyrite Celestial Wizard of some repute, but he fell in battle defending his community against a wave of undead marauders. Although hailed and remembered as a hero, his accomplishments and deeds inevitably faded away with the passage of time until they were naught but faint ripples echoing into eternity. But that was not to be the end of his legacy. With the advent of the Necroquake, God-King Sigmar resurrected more heroes of old to help contain the calamity. And Caelus was one of the noble spirits deemed worthy of a second chance. So he was forged anew into a Knight-Evocatant of the Sempiternals Sacrosanct Chamber of the Anvils of the Heldenhammer Stormhost. His first posting was at Glymmsforge in Shyish where he partook of the defense of that Free City when it came under attack. And after successfully surviving his first military action, he found himself transferred to Anvilgard in Aqshy and assigned to assist a newly-formed Binding with its current undertaking.

Oooh, AoS Soulbound. Just wanted to swing by and express my interest in submitting a character application. Decisions, decisions!