Thank you for the invitation, GM! I did not expect four of us to be chosen; but then, I hadn't realized that you lost another player. I hope we'll do a good job of filling the void.
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GMmedlii:
Whoops, I took a peek at the gameplay thread but didn't notice that they had wasted him already. I think Gideon would be disappointed that he couldn't apprehend the man himself, but I think it would also convince him that the current party is competent enough to work with; the fact that one of them cured the plague certainly helps. I mean, technically they're the ones that'd need convincing, but that's Hellknight logic for you I guess. :P Knowledge of Current PCs: Trey Merosa - The Hellknights typically favor the faith of Abadar for its emphasis on order, but Gideon has always respected Sarenrae's tenets of incorruptibility. However, he was not aware of Sister Merosa's existence until her development of the blood veil cure, and subsequent organization of the churches for its distribution. Though he's never met the woman, he respects her for this accomplishment. Of course, all hell broke loose in Korvosa before the Order could officially recognize her achievement.
Connections:
Maidrayne Vox - As the icon of Hellknight pragmatism, Maidrayne has been something of an idol to Gideon. He harbors a deep respect for her, and has always followed her orders without question. He also holds an affection for the centaur which, for a number of blatantly obvious reasons, is strictly platonic in nature. They are on good terms, and Gideon is only in Korvosa now because he has her approval. Korvosan Guard - There are rumors in the Korvosan Guard that there is a Hellknight commander that is much less of a hardass than his compatriots. A few of them, including Cressida Kroft, are aware that Gideon is the man in question. There is no love lost between the Guard and the Order of the Nail, but if there is one Hellknight that the Field Marshall would be willing to work with, it might be Paralictor Schrade. Pilts Swastel - Gideon is a firm proponent of moderation, but he also believes that if anybody deserves the typical brand of Hellknight justice, it is this vile man. Swastel has always been a thorn in his side, but only in recent times has he truly become dangerous. Queen Ileosa is the true threat in Korvosa, but Swastel is one of the first on Gideon's list.
Appearance: Only rarely is Gideon seen out of his pitch black Hellknight plate mail, complete with its horned helmet and the iconic fiendish visage on the breastplate. But even outside of the armor he stands at over six feet tall, with the large, muscular build necessary to move around in such heavy armor. As a middle-aged man, both his shoulder-length brown hair and beard are tinged with grey. When he does happen to take off his armor, he tends to wear formal wear typical of a Hellknight officer. A travel cloak is the most effort he would put forth to hide his identity.
Here is Paralictor Gideon Schrade, my current work in progress. His backstory and stat block are more or less complete. I just have to decide on how to spend his last bit of gold, and ask if the Leadership feat is legal. I think it'd make sense character-wise, but I know there are a lot of caveats with it. I should have the character connections and description of appearance up later today.
All right, here is Mahorfeus' submission, Gideon Schrade, a ranger of the falconer archetype. The stats for his feathered companion, Toby, are also in the profile. I haven't quite made up my mind yet, but I'm thinking that he'd take the skirmisher route (if that's allowed) instead of the spell route, unless some roleplay reason for taking the latter comes up. I thought about establishing a connection to the other houses in my backstory, but I wanted to leave a slight air of mystery as to whether his father was correct. It still needs a bit of polishing, so I'll get back to it soon. Maybe so many years ago, one of the scummier houses hollowly promised them the land? I guess that would be something that'd come down the line, though. Please let me know if there are any issues with it.
Made a couple of updates to Gideon's character sheet. It should be all ready now.
All right, this character is almost complete. I don't have the player's guide handy right this instant, so I had to leave the first paragraph of his backstory out; I want to make sure I get his place of origin right. I'm contemplating a one-level dip into fighter, just to pick up bow proficiency. It really fits into my vision for this character, but there's no easy way to become proficient.
Having fended off the fleeing guard's attack with ease, Gideon follows after him, grinning madly. Hefting his blade, the antipaladin throws all the weight he could muster into his next swing.
Gideon closes in on the guard who opened the door and with a grunt of effort swings his blade at him once more.
Finished leveling up Gideon; everything should be in order. I decided to just take the average for hit points. I should be getting plenty as is! I also updated my gear and mini stat bar. I figure that actually having the correct info there would help. @_@
Seizing the initiative, Gideon rushes out of the room, sword in hand. Aiming to box in the unaware guards, he steps around the one farthest from his hidden allies. Wearing a malicious grin, he lashes out at the man with his longsword.
Not going anywhere!
"Sounds good enough to me," Gideon says, nodding to the gnome. "Just as long as we cut them all down."
"Hurry up with it in there," Gideon says through the door plainly as he walks down the hallway. Ignoring the door at the end of the hall for the time being, he approaches the next door to the left and listens for anyone that might be inside.
Getting out as quickly as possible and meeting our benefactors would be the smartest thing to do. Of course, with Wisdom as his foible, Gideon doesn't think that.
Gideon stands guard in the hallway, restlessly tapping the flat of his blade against his shoulder. His scowl persists as he looks on at the door up ahead, all but certain that more guards would be waiting for them. "I don't like this. Not one bit," he remarks quietly, tightening his grip on his sword.
Here as well. I figure we'll just grab whatever we find on our way out. :P
"Gideon," the former paladin says simply as he inspects his newly acquired blade. It was certainly lighter than he was used to, as was the armor he now wore. The shield was far too heavy for his liking, but seeing as he was still practically naked, it was something he could deal with. "Friends? Hmph. We shall see. Perhaps I will thank them once we take our leave," he states confidently, his voice devoid of the skepticism it had held while they were still imprisoned. Opportunity had most certainly presented itself. Turning to the Surgeon, he nods. "More guards are bound to arrive if we linger."
With all the guards dead, Gideon is quick to claim a chain shirt of his own. He rips off his pittance of a shirt before putting the armor on, before using the rag to wipe off his newly acquired blade. He straps on a scabbard as well, but does not sheathe his sword. With some hesitance, he also takes a shield. "Wake up," he tells the sleeping man, giving him a light kick to his side, "We have more work to do."
Wasting no time, Gideon steps over the two corpses before him, making his way to the slumbering guard. Once over his form, he thrusts his sword downward for a killing blow.
"This is the part where you fall down and bleed to death!" Gideon shouts, having shrugged off the bite of the guard's blade. He proceeds to raise his longsword and bring it crashing down over his opponent's head.
Seeing the situation over by the others devolving, Gideon stops what he is doing, opting to instead claim the guard's blade. "This will have to do for now," he mutters as he rushes into combat, stepping over the unconscious ogre.
Oh no, I've been around. I've just been waiting till the five rounds to take it off end. I admit it was kind of silly of me to start stripping this guard in the middle of combat, since it is something I could get done much faster outside of combat.
"Just hold them off!" Gideon shouts down the cell block as he continues to wrestle with the guard's chain shirt. Rigor mortis had not set in yet, but the man's dead weight was hardly helping his efforts. He hated leaving the dirty work to the others, but if he was going to have any chance in a big fight, he was going to need the armor. And the weapon, he thinks to himself, glancing at the guard's longsword.
If in any case Gideon had to stop trying to tug the armor off the guard's corpse, could he pick up where he left off or would the duration reset?
Still around, just trapped myself action-wise for the time being. I'll probably throw in some banter depending on how things proceed. :)
Gideon pulls the dagger out of the guard's chest with a sharp tug, caring little for the gout of blood that spurts onto his hand. As the man falls to the ground, the ex-paladin drops to one knee alongside him, already assessing the dying man's equipment. It would have to do. He hastily proceeds to field strip the guard's armor, intent on using it for himself - he wasn't about to wait for reinforcements to get there first. As he does so he glances down the hall, frowning profusely. "Nine Hells, how long will it take them to kill one man?" he mutters with annoyance.
"Tch." Gideon looks down at Grumblejack with a look of disdain, less than impressed by the giant's performance. No matter. He would have just ended up being a liability in the end. Thinking nothing else of it, he proceeds to thrust the dagger at the guard's stomach.
Gideon grunts but once in reply, though it is unclear whether it is of pain or affirmation. He was none too happy to take orders from both an ogre and a devilspawn, but the looming presence of the giant behind him was hardly going to give him any choice. Gritting his teeth, the warrior thrusts the dagger forward once more.
Regardless of whether his attack hits or not, he would promptly move back () to make way for their giant comrade.
Unused to wielding smaller armaments, Gideon's grip on the dagger is crude but sufficient. He quietly watches as the tiefling moves into position, picking up on the gist of his plan of attack. The ex-paladin opts to stand back, waiting for the guards to take action. Only after the guards reveal themselves would Gideon move up to the closest one and gut him.
Well, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that Gideon was drunk. The unholy power of darkness could certainly do that kind of thing to a man. Especially one who chose Wisdom to be his foible...
"Ample opportunity indeed," Gideon murmurs to himself, rolling around the joints in his arms and neck. He looks to Libby, wearing a frown. "Now then..."
It's generally not true for skill checks. Otherwise we could be leaping over skyscrapers with Nat 20 Acrobatics checks. :P Well, in theory anyway.
"Damn it," Gideon mutters under his breath, glancing darkly towards Stavros. None of them were going to make it out of there alive at the rate they were going. This was the best chance he had to at least get out of the damn cell, and it was about to be mucked up. Not too keen on waiting his turn, he gives his manacles a hard pull, trying to break the chain holding him to the wall.
Gideon's eyes widen momentarily when he sees the veil's power, a small smile creeping onto his face soon after. "Ample opportunity," he repeats with a smirk. Looking at his bindings once more, the ex-paladin gives them a good pull.
Grunting when the chain does not yield, Gideon turns his attention back to the girl, and then to Stavros. "First thing is first then."
Gideon had been all too calm when Libby was taken out the cell, having simply watched the quiet girl with a curious gaze. He remains so even after she makes her return, asking no questions of the young human. Nonetheless, his eyes are immediately drawn to the fabric she holds out before her, a frown creeping onto his placid features. Something up her sleeve...? Did she have that before?
"Make no mistake," Gideon says in a gruff tone, shaking his head slowly, "I have no intention of dying without a fight." The ex-paladin looks to his chafed wrists, still bound to the wall by shackles. He tugs on them ever so lightly, testing the tension of the chain. He was almost certain that he could break it, but he knew better than to do so too hastily. It would be a wasted effort under their current circumstances. He regards Stavros' idea with similar scrutiny. "These bindings are the least of our worries. Look at where we are. Just stepping out of this cell alive will require ample opportunity."
Following Myra's words, hollow laughter escapes from Gideon's mouth. Having hung from his chains limply while the guard was present, the disgraced knight abruptly straightens his posture, looking up from the bland, stone floor. "Escape?" he repeats, looking upon his fellow prisoners with colors of both amusement and disgust. He would probably spit on the floor, if he could spare the moisture. "There is your stupid idea right there. Your optimism is endearing, but you should know better. You all should." "We are no friends of the Almighty. We will burn, and once we are dead, we will burn some more."
Still here, making some finishing touches. I'll make my entrance soon. Nice interaction so far. :)
I think I have my skills right:
My ability scores could be better, but I'm willing to just bite the bullet and take them. Armor should mitigate my low Dexterity score - at least it's not below 10. I'm also debating on using my +2 human bonus on Charisma instead of Strength; 18 should be plenty off the bat, and antipaladins get some nice perks from having a high Charisma score. The Armor Expert trait is a little boring, so I will probably swap that out as well for something a little cooler. :P
All in all, I am fine with whatever initiative method the group is most comfortable with. For now, Gideon's stats are more or less complete. I am probably going to go over my backstory and clean it up a bit. Elaborate on a few things and whatnot. Gideon's fall is a pretty big part of his story, and I don't feel like I did it proper justice. With that in mind, is there a chance that any of our characters have met before...?
Thanks for the pick, Tallgrass! My only concern with pH's suggested method is that it can cause some actions to become impossible for players who come after the GM. If everybody posts at once, then they lose the benefit of knowing exactly what they are acting in response to. In that respect, I would very much like to stick with individual initiative, though it would require everybody to be on top of the game.
I will be forward and admit that I was in another Way of the Wicked game that fell apart not long after starting. (I can link you or tell you at exactly what point if you wish.) If that doesn't bother you too much, then I would like to put forth this antipaladin for your consideration. He did not get to see much action in the last game. His backstory could probably use a facelift, and his ability scores will probably have to be rerolled but I would be interested in playing him again.
So that makes three... Sorry Nostrus, it's not looking good right about now. I'm sure everyone has their reasons, including you. No hard feelings.
That's a shame. D: Still here myself, just waiting to see if/how things move on.
"The bastard doesn't want to die!"
Not giving the guard a second thought as he drops to the ground in a heap, Gideon approaches the other, aiming to slip his blade right into the dazed man's gut. Attack:
Gideon quickly follows suit, lashing out at whichever guard Elis did not target with a strong, horizontal slash. Power Attack:
Er. Let's do this.
Gideon leans against a nearby wall, paying no heed to Price's brief nudity. He does however mull over her words, taking them into consideration. He doubted that their options were so few in number, but she seemed like the best kind of person for coming up with plans in a pinch. "I doubt that the dress-up routine would go very well," he says, heaving himself away from the wall, "But it would probably get us farther than sneaking around would. Not all of us are light on our feet... the ogre in particular."
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