Lauren Thomas, Warforged Artificer (Armorer) 11

[Miss]

Dossier, "Lauren Thomas"

"What is it that separates everyone else from... me?
Is it a soul that justifies someone's existence, or is it our form?"

 

Name: "Lauren Thomas" of Waterdeep (Character Sheet)
Background: Custom, "Created" (Feature: All Eyes on You)
Race: Warforged
Class: Artificer (Armorer)
Alignment: Neutral Good

Personality Trait: I wrestle with the conflict of soul and machine, attempting to find balance.

Ideal: Responsibility: I live to help others; and I will.

Bond: I must save my love, just as they saved me.

Flaw: I am secretly far more 'machine' than I realize.

 

Appearance: "Lauren Thomas" appears unnatural even at a glance, as her artificial nature is plain to see in all but the most concealing clothing. Her 'skin' is made of a series of interspaced metal plates intricately painted fleshtone that conceals a black leather like organic material core. Her eyes are vibrant emerald blue spheres set within a smooth artistically beautiful face that has only the faintest articulation designed to convey only pleasant emotions. Her hair hangs past the small of her back and though white as the blown snow and is as soft to the touch is little more than the finest strands of some wispy material. As a piece of art she would be seen as a mastercraft, the work of some eccentric artist seeking to capture the feminine form in perpetual animation or perhaps clockwork; but as a thinking, talking and perhaps even living being she appears all the more uncanny and to some even frightening.

Personality: While "Lauren" holds only faint memories of her life before reawakening, she is certain that she remembers a life spent helping others. She was a noble soul who gave her time freely and doted upon her husband with a song in her heart. Even after his sudden and violent passing she still holds true to her caring and compassionate ideals, seeking to help others even at the cost of herself sometimes. She is a protector, someone who hates to watch the injustices around her go unacknowledged, if not unopposed. How she accomplished this before her awakening she isn't really sure- but when her husband brought her back to life she had been given powerful gifts and abilities and she is focused and determined to use the gifts she has been given for betterment of everyone.

History: "Lauren" remembers growing up in Waterdeep, a simple barmaid with a simply, through often abusive, family. She remembers an overwhelming feeling of helplessness, hardship, depression and longing for escape from her life- which all changed when she met her future husband Cale Thomas. To her- he was a genius, understatedly handsome, dashing, brilliant and just so many things she could describe him as. But most of all, he was a successful merchant with a bustling store in the high streets of Waterdeep where he built the most wondrous inventions that were the talk of the city's highest most echelons. At least- that is what she remembers of her time before she opened her eyes; again.

It had been terrifying, feeling her own body for the first time and reflexively trying to breath and yet finding herself unable to- and the shock when she seemed no worse off for it. Everything about herself felt different, utterly different, but in but the next moment her husband rushed to her side. He had seemed so distracted in those first few moments- as if there had been someone else in the room though she could not see anyone; she was strapped to one of her husband's workshop tables and couldn't move. She tried to cry seeing him, he was so happy, overjoyed even- and seeing him happy immediately flooded her with a warmth unlike anything she could remember. This feeling, seeing him happy and preserving this feeling, was all she felt she ever needed.

Cale explained to her that it had been over five years since she had died. That he had come home one day to find her deathly ill, and though he cared for her and sought all the assistance of clerics and healers nothing could stop the sickness from claiming her. But, he continued, he knew that if no one else could help her- he could. He would labor for years, studying secrets of engineering and the arcane to blend them in ways rarely seen before. He would rebuild her. He would put her back together. And finally, just a moment before she had awaken, he had done it. He had finally breathed life, brought her back from beyond the realms of death. Because he loved her. To Lauren it was insane and miraculous all at once, but this could only be the truth. How could it not be?

For the next two years Lauren and Cale lived a blissful life together. They would spend every waking moment of the day together if she was not away on an errant helping him, or working away at an invention. Her new body was a marvel, and the sheer power of the magic inside of her enabled her to work with technological gadgets and tinker almost as her husband's equal. Well, never his equal obviously, but uniquely skilled in her own way! She would cook and clean, repair and work, giving her husband all the time he needed to work on his projects and stock the storefront with gadgets for purchase. Eventually, after her initial two years of learning and adapting to her new body, Lauren began working in the storefront. She never tired and loved interacting with people once again- and while some of them seemed off-put by her, others were enthralled and asked her so many wonderful questions. She didn't seem to mind if they all thought she was a display piece or a "smart automaton", not even when some of the nobility would offer exorbitant sums of gold to purchase her.

But her everlasting bliss was not, in fact, to be. One evening Cale had turned to her in bed in the middle of the night, asking her to fetch him a precisely prepared drink as he so often did. Always precise, always exact, just as she loved him for. She would give him a loving kiss and touch before departing downstairs- her eyes failing to notice the shadow that had waited in the hall for her to pass. When she returned with his favorite cup and stepped through the door she was greeted by a bloody and ornately gore-attired scene that still haunts her every moment of rest. To speak of what she saw inside their more private chambers that night is unfathomable to Lauren, but the fact remained- her beloved, wonderful, husband was dead. She had rushed out into the streets, screaming and wailing for the guard. She was desperate to cry, desperate to scream- but she could barely manage to express the urgency. For the first time- without her sole purpose in life and now utterly alone- she felt trapped within her own body.

He was gone. The guard could do little but ensure the man's remains were removed from their 'ornate' places about the room and seen buried. She had been there at his funeral, attended by several wealthy families and other benefactors. She had dressed appropriately, and had to explain to so many that she was in fact Cale's wife and not an automaton he had built in her likeness. Some believed her- but most seemed to merely humor her. She did not know why- but their disbelief had begun to bother her now that He was gone. More and more things, feelings and opinions she had never felt, never held, filled her mind. She began to see the world around her- and it was becoming frightening. In desperation she turned to her and her husband's books and inventions. She would maintain the storefront- she knew Cale would have wanted it that way- but her nights were filled with searching her husbands books and possessions for any clue, any sign of what was happening to her. Why she was- changing.

It was there in his workshop, behind a bookshelf that slide to the side unexpectedly, that a set of stairs descended down into the darkness. A place where he had kept a part of his life secret even from her. A study filled with the darkest secrets, and of the infernal Abyss and Hells below. It was there, driven by some insatiable curiosity and hunger, that Lauren would spend each night for months on end. She would learn of the Hells, their dealings, and finally- tucked within one of Cale's last books, several drafts of a half-completed contract written in his own handwriting. Its text plain to read.... Cale would offer anything, even his own soul, for the devils to retrieve Lauren's soul and place it within the construct he had built.... he had bargained with hell- for her. She didn't know how. She didn't know what she could possible do. But she would get her husband back. She would return to their blissful life together. Even if she had to storm into the Hells herself.

 

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Miss (see edit history)

[Miss]

Shrinking the Workshop

Warforged Artificer Workshop

Existentialism, Free Will and the perils of unchecked Grief themed. "What it means to Live". A twisted take on a Pinocchio or Frankenstein story.

A construct that was built and brought to life by a widowed inventor as a means to resurrect his departed wife who died from illness. He worked for a decade in an obsession that would nearly ruin his life. In a desperate act he signed a lengthy infernal contract for not only breathing life into his construct- but the return of his wife's soul into the creation. Though she returned with only faint and clouded memories, she lived again and doted upon her beloved who had 'saved' her. But soon the machination of the hells would see her husband killed- and with little question in her mechanical heart his wife sought to repay her husband's "kindness".

Artificer subclass of Armorer, representative of her ability to tinker and modify herself.

Story concept involves the eventual discovery of the extent of her husband's madness and the acceptance of herself as a new person not beholden to her old life. While 'rebuilt' supposedly as she once was, in truth she was rebuilt to her husband's Oppressive wants and desires. He created her to be controlled by himself, not free willed and an individual. He created her to serve, not to live. Wrestling with the concept of identity and existence while not even certain she is who she once thought herself to be.

Law and Determination / Chaos and Identity Struggle

"What is it that separates humanity from- creations, like me? I have emotions. Consciousness. Is it a soul that defines us, or is it our forms?"

Edited November 29, 2023 by Miss (see edit history)

[Miss]

@The Eyeball Kid Alright, the fluff and MOST of the mechanics of her sheet should be complete. Just sorting her equipment- which might have some variance based on the party composition (ie, no reason to buy a Rogue-item or two if she doesn't need to fill in for lockpicking etc).

And yeah, I really love this concept and am honest really excited to see it come to life. But I will stress that I'm more applying with the overall "Concept" than the class really. With maybe an exception or two Lauren could take on any class and still have the core of her story and features unattached to artificer. So if artificer doesn't work or a different class would work but you enjoy the concept- I'm more than happy to change the class to fit. :)

[Miss]

"Figment", Homunculus Servant

"The Figment of My Imagination", or Figment for short, was Lauren's first true experiment at understanding the nature of her new life. Using knowledge she gained from her deceased husband's books she sought to create something in the same vein as herself in an attempt to understand what it meant to be 'alive' as she was. However when it came time to construct the creature's form she was nearly paralyzed with indecision and anxiety. However a fateful trip to Waterdeep's famous markets provided a spark of inspiration. Coming across a merchant from Calimshan selling ornate potion bottles decorated with expensive gems, dragons and imbued with subtle magic, Lauren quickly purchased one of the last remaining bottles and retreated to the old workshop. It was there she would toil and build, crafting an adorable and rotund little creature around the very bottle whose shape it was inspired by. When all was done Lauren poured just little bit of her own self into her creation, just as she imagined her husband had done with her body. Almost instantly the cheerful and playful creature hopped to life on the table, shaking off the dust that had accumulated on the materials it had been made of. With a quick flap of its mechanical wings it rose up to look its creator in the eyes and called out an excited "Hello!" To hear Figment tell the story, he claims to have been a childhood friend of Lauren's who always knew she had never forgotten about him, "-even if she did for awhile!" though Lauren herself claims to have no idea what he's talking about. Undeterred the little mechanical dragon carries on, smiling and happily conversing with each and every equally curious creature he meets; always seemingly unphased by Lauren's increasingly weak rebuttals to his true origin story....

"One little spark of inspiration, is at the heart of all creation!"

"The Figment of My Imagination", Homunculus Servant Tiny Construct Armor Class: 13 (Natural Armor) Hit Points: 1+Int+Level (17) [11d4] Speed: 20ft, Fly 30ft STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 4 (-3) 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 7 (-2) Saving Throws: Dex 2+PB (+6) Skills: Perception 0+PB*2 (+8), Stealth +2+PB (+6) Damage Immunities: Poison Condition Immunities: Exhaustion, Poisoned Senses: Darkvision 60ft, Passive Perception 10+PB*2 (18) Languages: Common, Elven, Dwarven, Abyssal, Infernal Proficiency Bonus: +4 Evasion. If the homunculus is subject to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails. It can't use this trait if it's incapacitated. Actions Force Strike. Ranged Weapon Attack: SpellMod to hit, range 30ft, one target you can see. Hit: 1d4+PB force damage. Reactions Channel Magic. The homunculus delivers a spell you cast that has a range of touch. The homunculus must be within 120 feet of you.

Possessions Slumbering Dragon Vessel (Attuned) Psi Crystal (Attuned) [Infusion] Spell Storing Item (10/10): Magic Missile, 2nd Level

 

Edited November 29, 2023 by Miss (see edit history)

[Miss]

Relics, Gear, Treasures and Items of Note

 

"Hope", Sun Blade and Armblade

In the wake of her husband's murder Lauren was lost in grief. While she maintained their shop and wrestled with local magistrates on the validity of her inheritance of his shop, she was personally adrift. One day she was in the market and was approached by a cleric of Sune who extended an ornately made invitation to a special party at the Temple of Beauty. The cleric had been taken by the beauty of Lauren's craftsmanship and sought to invite her creator- but when informed by Lauren she was in fact a person and not an automaton the cleric immediately begged her apologizes and extended the invitation to her. The sincere apology surprised Lauren deeply, and promised she would attend. She spent days crafting her outfit with magic and the flares she imagined were necessary; and when the day came Lauren was the talk of the party. It took some time for her story to be told, but she came to be of especial interest to members of Sune's Sisters and Brothers of the Ruby Rose. They hung on her every word, lamenting with her the passing of her husband and praised her for her relentless passion and love in the midst of adversity. Seeing the possibility of a unique recruit to the church, the knights took Lauren for a tour of the Temple and spoke to her at length about love and beauty, how they can take many forms as well as many aspects of Sune principles. Lauren was intrigued, but felt so lost among the talk. She was simple, and had given little thought to a church as her future. During a tour of church relics on display the knights stopped before a shattered blade, little more than a golden hilt with a mark of Sune at its pommel. Their conversation had continued, remarking on Lauren's recent feelings. "But what is grief... if not Love... persevering?" one had asked her, and it struck her deeply and into silence. So consumed with her internal thoughts the construct's eyes drifted, coming upon the shattered blade. Lauren's mind immediately leaped to helping, asking if she could fix the blade for them- her arm slowly reaching out. A knight smiled, shaking their head, saying that the blade was just a symbol of devotion to love as it was the blade of an acolyte who died defending a couple- and before his story could complete Lauren's fingers wrapped around the hilt. Almost instantly a vibrant celestial light burst out from the blade, in a blink of the eye creating a blade of light in the construct's hands. Lauren held up the radiant, marveling at its beautiful light even as the assembled knights gawked. The blade had been just a symbol, not a magical relic- and yet it had come to life, shed the most beautiful celestial light, at the touch of this prospective acolyte. At once excitement and hurried steps gripped those in the room as Lauren and the blade were escorted to the Heartwarder of the Temple. In the interview that followed the Heartwarder asked Lauren about herself, and later the blade. None could make the blade shine, and yet at her touch the divine light of Sune would make the blade anew. Lauren knew nothing of what was happening, but when the clergy in attendance declared the events a sign of Sune's great favor. Lauren would be welcomed into the Order of the Ruby Rose and granted the blade, and could seek the teachings of its use within the Order. Welcomed into the Church of Sune, Lauren returned home late that evening questioning her sanity even more- and yet she found the smallest comfort in looking at the blade of light. She would need to keep it safe and close at all times- perhaps she could invent something......

 

"Redemption", Lucent Destroyer

History of the Item and Acquisition

 

Periapt of Wound Closure

History of the Item and Acquisition

 

"Internal Mechanisms", Goggles of Night, Thermal Cube, Mithral Plate

In the nearly 4 years since Lauren found herself alone, the construct has been constantly seeking to improve her base construction. Ostensibly towards the purpose of tracking down the devils who stole away her husband's soul, if pressed Lauren may admit to feeling a deeper desire for self-improvement which drives her forward. At her initial activation Lauren was the form of a skeleton of metal to support the weight of the whole, wrapped in thick leather and rubbery organic materials to give her body-shape and feel. At the core of her skeleton, where one might find a heart, a misshapen mass of brimstone is sealed. The mysterious object unknowingly radiates heat throughout the construct's body and its immediate surroundings keeping it, and the air around it, at a warm 95'F/35'C. Lauren has repeatedly referred to it as her 'Heart'. As her life outside of Waterdeep began Lauren realized the world was a dangerous place outside the city's walls. Seeking to protect herself she continued to modify her outer shell with new metals and exotic composites. Numerous iterations of protection have been installed and removed over the years and adventures, but after a chaotic adventure taught Lauren the validity of silence and stealth she rested for a time to craft a new shell of Mithral she purchased with her earnings. Spending months to craft the plates into armor, it was a simple matter for her body to integrate the protection as her latest and longest-lasting shell. On her adventures Lauren had discovered the limitations of her senses. And while she had made efforts to grow her abilities she was still limited by her husband's initial design. She had learned arcane modifications that allowed a form of Dark-Vision, but it wasn't until she painstakingly dismantled and rebuilt a pair of goggle lenses and integrated them into her construction that she came to experience the darkness as she does now. Which is to say- still terrifying, but she can at least see shapes within it.

Edited November 30, 2023 by Miss (see edit history)