violentprincess

"A week ago? Not too bad. Let's hope they don't realize what's coming," Connie says letting a bit of arcane lightning arc between her fingers for emphasis. Turning slightly to acknowledge Anikah she continues, "That's a good point. Any descriptions, shipping manifests, or what-have-you of the stuff we're trying to recover would be helpful." Looking out at the assembled group Connie asks, chuckling to herself a little as she does so, "Any of you lot any good at taking people down without killing them? Cause it isn't really my thing but we're probably gonna need some survivors to question."

Namsarra looks bewildered even as she smoothly responds to the attack, her lifetime of training immediately taking over and going on offense before she fully realizes what is happening. With her shield and spear a few steps away (set down so she could handle something she was considering buying) she instead flashes out her obsidian knife at her attacker, followed a few moments later by the hand axe on her belt. OOC I figure Namsarra will have to wait for the second round to get her Two-Fisted bonus attack since she wouldn't have had weapons ready. Current Parry is 8 (without her shield), and Toughness is 7 (1 from armor)

Alright, added the spirit roll to my last post. Success but no raise, so not quite a favor. Also adjusted Namsarra's personal funds.

Namsarra will suggest spending a little bit on extra supplies, but nothing extravagant. Before leaving she will go to purchase the smallest amounts she can of wine, oil, and bread with her own dwindling funds. Excusing herself from her new compatriots Namsarra makes her way just outside the city to a private feeling little hollow surrounded by low brush and a couple trees, a place she has visited frequently since arriving in Micropolis. A tiny circle of stones surrounds the remnants of a very small old fire which she quickly relights. Over the course of a few minutes she silently feeds her purchases into the flame then lets the fire burn down. As is turns to embers she whispers a low prayer in her native islander tongue "do not let me fail these people." Then finally before leaving she will check to make sure everyone is adequately armed, in case there is need of more weapons.

Namsarra nods quietly in agreement, trying to just fade into the background and not be noticed further. Bad enough to embarrass herself once, no need to open her mouth and do it again. Which is exactly the attitude that got her called Quiet Namsarra back home... Seeing that something is off about the way her employer is acting she tries to give a subtle look of concern Coroebus to let him know something is up, hoping he can interpret her silent message properly despite their unfamiliarity.

"So pirate hunting then," Connie replies to the councilor, "done that a time or two before, though this'll be the first time I needed to keep any alive for questioning. How long ago they go missing?" she asks, still with a bit of a casual irreverent air implying she thinks it will be an easy task. She doesn't but in her experience employers are usually happier when their mercenaries seem confident, so she tends to lay it on a little thick when the one pouring out the pay is around. She turns to Caith and quietly answers his question, "Don't think I know the ship past recognizing the name, and this is my first time in the city so I can't say I know any of the local factions either."

Fortunately we only got a couple days of really bad cold (I'm in the US PNW) and didn't lose power until things warmed up enough for freezing rain. Just one day of extra sweaters and blankets lol.

Yeah we're still mostly iced in, but it is nice to have the heat back on.

Connie looks up at Anikah with a wry grin, her eyes resting on the small fangs with interest. "It ain't so impressive as all that, but I have been on a fair few skyships in my time," she says, sending a tiny arc of celestial lightning from her fingertip to relight the fading embers in her pipe. Not that it really needs relighting, but she always has trouble resisting a good audience. "And I'd guess one or two of the others got some lore to 'em so don't be treating me special or nothing. Besides I'm sure you got a few special talents of your own." She gives a little wink as she speaks and takes a long draw off her brass pipe. Though she tries to seem unconcerned and like she isn't paying attention Connie is listening closely to the aelf interaction, trying to decipher the social dynamic of their unfamiliar culture. Despite her surface irreverence she really doesn't want to get off on the wrong foot with any of her new compatriots by jumping into something she really doesn't understand.

The duardin woman chuckles knowingly at the irritation and confusion of her fellows, "I take it this is some of y'alls first time working for these councilor types? City this size everything official is 'hurry-up-and-wait', almost as bad jobs with the admiralty," she gives a hearty guffaw at her own comment, seemingly in good cheer despite the long wait. Her large aether-endrin hums slightly, operating in some kind of low-power-mode giving it just enough lift to not impede her movements but not enough to actually fly. "Name's Conquest, Conquest Shipbreaker. Most folks just call me Connie though," she winks as she says the last, "the one-and-only Endrin-Sorceress of the Kharadron at your service!" She bangs her fist twice on her obsidian chest plate in what is clearly some sort of typical greeting or gesture of respect responding to Anikah's bow since returning it in kind would be more than a little awkward with her flying contraption attached to her back. She offers her flask to the other duardin waiting. "It ain't magmalt, but it sure as hell burns going down," she says with a wink and a grin.

Sorry to be a little slow posting, was without power all yesterday.

A bulky obviously foreign woman sits back just a little from the others, like she was trying to avoid notice. Her simple robes are of a normal cut and style but an unusual fabric, the leather tunic she wears atop is an entirely unfamiliar style clearly made to flatter her feminine attributes, and the adornment on her shield and spear are of a foreign style as well. Clearly reluctant to speak in front of people she stands hesitantly with her brow furrowed and manages to tangle herself on her spear and do a full flip over the next row of seating and land on her back a level down from everyone else. "Sorry, I'm okay," she says, her voice betraying that she is in considerable pain as she cautiously struggles upright. "I am Namsarra. I, umm, fight some," she sheepishly gestures to her spear and shield, "and a little of hunting, fishing, boating, and the like. Can stitch a wound if I have to also." Her accent is subtly unlike any typically heard in the area, though it bears some resemblance to those of various islander traders who occasionally come to the polis. As she returns to her original seat Namsarra moves with remarkable grace, the economy of movement that other experienced warriors recognize as the sign of a highly trained combatant, and hints of considerable muscle beneath an ample layer of fat. The intricately etched bronze spearhead on her weapon also suggests greater expertise than her do her pratfalls and embarrassed demeanor.

I will note that I think we're gonna have a couple characters who are decent at pulling off Tests (namsara is probably gonna do fighting Tests reasonably often), so being able to hit vulnerable targets hard will likely be useful. Though we also have a lot of combat focused folks so I might go with some sort of social edge to start instead...

Hey! I am here and I believe Namsara is ready to go :)

Conquest Shipbreaker (just call her Connie) is a Kharadron mercenary with sorcerous skills nearly unheard of among her people. She is heavily clad in an obsidian plated aether-rig, but the helmet is currently off so her pale skin and curly copper-red hair are fully visible along with a sardonic grin as she smokes a long brass pipe while awaiting entry. Another Kharadron would probably spot that she is wearing an old style Durakel rig, lower powered and easier to maintain without a support system, and also that her old vulcaniser pistol is unpowered and not hooked up to the rig at all. A really keen eyed endrineer might note that her obsidian carapace doesn't cover her right gauntlet or even the odd arcane etchings on that right gauntlet. But to her new soulbound companions she mostly just seems casually at ease as she smokes and offers around a sip from her hip flask while they all wait. If the trauma of the binding ritual got to her, she isn't letting it show. When the Lord-Castellant asked her to join the soulbinding all she asked was how much extra she'd be getting paid, as though that were the only reason she'd consider accepting. She said nothing about the alienation and isolation she often feels among her people because of her sorcery, of constantly operating as a lone operator instead of as part of a crew or squad, or of her last ugly breakup with her employer causing her to be abruptly at loose ends, or of the ugly breakup immediately proceeding that one (also with an employer leaving her abruptly at loose ends), or about how her last flask of aqua ghyranis was down to the last few drops. No, she had just asked how much she was getting paid like it was any other negotiation, trying to act as though she was skeptical or reluctant even. It is done now and Connie is assured of belonging on some level, though she isn't too sure what to make of her new companions yet. Somehow she expected it to feel... more intense or like she would understand them all immediately. Still, she thinks, plenty of time to get to know them all now I suppose.

My impression from the Champions of Death book is that undead sometimes seek out bindings as a way to get out from under Nagash's thumb. I really like that both the Death and Destruction books have blurbs about why the other types might join up with a regular order group.

Yeah that is fine, just didn't want to consider an option that wasn't being used anymore.

Considering putting something together for this. Are you still looking at the psuedo-AB only for the atlantean psi stuff? Looking at the other apps is seems like there was some ongoing discussion still.

Having the binding be recent gives us a good excuse to do some getting to know each other RP early on which seems good.

The soulscryer certainly has some interesting powers, but I think the Daughter of Khaine may win on cool factor. I would probably go with the witch-aelf, personally.

I kept my backstory pretty vague/general also. My familiarity with the setting is pretty limited, but from what I've seen in the books it seems cool. Hopefully we can all learn more together 🙂

I've also got an idea for a somewhat modified grimwrath berserker that I like, but this option seemed like it had slightly more non-combat options.

The Durakel Aether-Rig and Obsidian Carapace are from Steam & Steel (p75 and p80 respectively), swapped out for the Basic Aether-Rig and Aethermatic Volley Gun as per Steam & Steel p75 & p77. (though I'm not super attached to the swaps if the GM would prefer sticking to a standard loadout) Devastating Bolts is from Champions of Order p73 and Exploding Bolts if from Champions of Order p74. Buoyancy is from Champions of Order p94, Celestial Winds & Glimpse are from from Champions of Order p97.

Name: Conquest 'Connie' Shipbreaker | Custom Archetype: Mercenary Endrin-Sorceress | Species: Duardin (Kharadron) Eyes: Electric Blue, Hair: Copper-Red, Skin: Pale, Height: 4'8", Age: 70 Attributes: Body 2 | Mind 4 | Soul 1 [16 xp spent] Melee Poor, Accuracy Average, Defense Good Toughness 7, Wounds 6, Armor 3 (5 vs Magic/Spells), Initiative 6, Natural Awareness 3, Mettle 1 Skills: Channeling 2 (2), Reflexes 1, Determination 1, Awareness 1, Crafts 1 (1) [11 xp spent] Talents: Spellcasting (Celestial), Unbind, Devastating Bolts, Exploding Bolts [8 xp spent] Spells: Arcane Bolt, Mystic Shield, Buoyancy, Celestial Winds, Healing Light, Glimpse Equipment: Skywarden's Rig (Durakel Aether-Rig, Aether-Endrin, Arkanaut Armor, Skyhook, Obsidian Carapace), Vulcaniser Pistol (unpowered), Dented Buckler (Shield), Smoking Pipe, Hip Flask, Crowbar, Hammer, 7D - Goals - (may change depending on starting scenario details) Short Term: Upgrade her aether-rig loadout Long Term: Create a new blend of sorcerous enchantment and endrineering Background & Personality Connie is an independent mercenary from the Kharadron sky-ports, and a rare sorceress among her people. For all their normal distrust of the arcane the overlords still have use for magical services from time to time, and are marginally more trusting of one of their own over a total outsider. Sticking to one port or one ship for too long never turns out too well though, given her people's deep set mislike of the mystical. Travel suits Connie just fine anyway, she enjoys new places and new challenges. A slightly notorious lineage doesn't help much, though of all the things said of her parents they are as strict about honoring contracts as any other Kharadron. She is a very confident woman, boisterous and jovial. Powering past suspicion and distrust by ignoring it and acting as though she is well liked anyway, which she can usually maintain for at least a little while. Her skills are often enough to win over those she works for quickly enough. Even the most skeptical or superstitious skyship captain has trouble arguing with ever-favorable winds or falling crew being safely wafted to the ground, not to mention the power of her arcane bolts in actual battles. While Connie puts a tremendous amount of practice and effort into her battle casting, in her working life she has spent more time predicting and adjusting the winds for ships than anything else by a pretty wide margin. In her personal life Connie has friends, professional acquaintances, and exes throughout the realms. A skyport without a familiar face is almost unthinkable, and most free cities are likely to contain at least someone she knows by name. Her romantic misadventures are almost as legendary as her prowess in battle, except that she is usually successful in battle. She also has a very bad habit of dating clients which definitely contributes to her inability to get contracts renewed despite her extreme competence. Connie's aether-gear was originally inherited from her father Vargi Aethersson, a retired mercenary skywarden, but she has traded and bartered and occasionally looted to adjust and alter her loadout frequently over the years. Though she has never been properly trained as an actual endrineer Connie is a clever and able technician, and has dreams of developing a new sorcerously enhanced branch of aether-tech. Her sorcerous skills she learned from her mother Maegrim Shipbreaker, who was a notorious skypirate for decades until supposedly killed when her stolen Ironclad Realmbreaker was destroyed by admiralty fleets. Of course, Mae has been reported dead a couple times before and shown back up, so Connie won't be shocked if her mother turns back up again at some point. While highly practical and pragmatic on jobs in her downtime Connie is uncharacteristically generous and free spending for a kharadron duardin. She likes luxury and fine living and doesn't tend to worry about her long term finances. There is almost always work available for someone with her skills or her equipment so concern over future earnings has just never been an issue for Connie, though she does periodically find herself dead broke.

The HU mutant animal rules are basically the old school TMNT rules just with a more limited selection of animals. A bit more limited than the newer AtB books and the educations options have a lot less stuff. So notably weaker but if you are combining it with one of the other power categories or a rifts OCC or something you should end up fine.