Hey, just saw that they're available. I won't have a moment to post until this afternoon (Eastern time) so if Tob moves us along I'll owe you some interaction.
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Are there any more house rules beyond that? Also could we get those in the campaign tab? I'm likely to forget about them, otherwise.
Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.
Inquiry: Is there an business that sells mundane alchemical items in Magnam? Not sure what will be needed at present, but considering some purchases of things like tanglefoot if possible.
Some time after having settled in at the Inn, Karrick heard word of the combat competition being arranged in the town. Given the plan he has to stow away, there will likely be others that are aboard the vessel that may not take kindly to his presence. Knowing their capabilities should they become hostile seems like a reasonable course of action. It's this justification that has Karrick back outin the crowds, walking amidst spectators and other such onlookers. For now he finds no need to be as covert as he had been earlier. There were no signs of shield marshals anywhere this far north and none of the people in Magnam seemed overtly antagonistic. This more open approach allows Karrick to be closer to where the "fighting" (if it can even be called that) will take place. __________
Away from where the competition was taking place, Karrick sits in relative peace and quiet among the other patrons of the tavern. His table situated by the window affords him a partly curtained view of the ocean beyond the island. On the table, he has laid out his backpack with his sparse traveling gear inside. Among his possessions, a sole cold-iron throwing knife rests in his calloused hands, turned over and over as he watches the reflective edges gleam with a mixture of lantern light from inside and ambient sunlight from the window. The weathered knife had served Karrick well, rarely was it removed from its concealed sheathe at the small of his back. Today, though, preparing to put as much distance between himself and his troubles as he can, Karrick has been taken by a fit of wistful longing for times gone by. Goggles down around his neck, he looks at the knife with unshrouded vision, his faintly iridescent green eyes scanning every nook and notch in the knife's surface. Frowning, Karrick tucks the knife away behind himself, slipping it into the sheath attached to the back of his belt with a soft click. Turning to look out the window at the lapping ocean, Karrick's heavy brows furrowed and his expression loses focus, attaining a distant quality. Regret is a strange, fleeting feeling for Karrick. But here, about to abandon everything and everyone he has known since crawling out of that prison he feels it. At least for a time.
Satisfied with his discoveries, Karrick spends a short while observing the wagon he'd discovered. While stowing away now might be ill-advisable, the night will offer all sorts of other opportuntities. For now, the trail-worn traveler breaks away from the crowd, moving away from the competition area in search of room and board for the night while the rest of Magnam is focused on the festivities and spectacle of Amalgam's contest. ___________
Stalking through Magnam for an hour, Karrick quietly discovers a wealth of information about the town and its people. Familiarity with the Varisian region was something Karrick had sought before heading out from Osirion across the Inner Sea. Now, presented with the enigma of this competition and its mysterious overseer, Karrick was glad to have been armed with both foreknowledge and a smooth enough conversational tone to learn what he needed to. Armed with the knowledge that he likely won't be able to find Amalgus' craft on his own, given that he was able to conceal it from crowds of spectators on a small island with no appreciable cover, Karrick devises a plan. Amid the observing crowd, Karrick does his best to stay hidden, stalking through the onlookers and using the crowd as cover to coneal his own observations of the participants in the knight's games. Somebody's kid? The hell's she doing in-- wait. Halfling. There's always a halfling. Hope this one's got a better attitude than Pervince. Seems decent enough at what she does. Try'n play on her sympathies if things go poorly. Slipping back into the crowd, Karrick finds another vantage point, this time spying on a shouting Taldan man looking incensed. Taldan, probably National. Wiry, carries himself well though. Good posture, footing. Got himself a boxer's intuition with his body placement, somebody who's taken a punch or two in his life. Ain't remarkable looking, s'probably an act. Cobra in the tall grass. Disappearing once another spectator moves in front of him, Karrick circles the areas the competitors work at. Eventually, he comes upon the blonde woman that had caused so much havoc among the competitors. Clever girl. Probably too clever t'pull one over on, have t'try something different if it comes to it. Somethin's... wrong about the way she moves. Can't put my finger on it, maybe it's nothin'. She's built like a bundle'f twigs, though... probably got some mean magic. Clever people'n magic, never liked that. Turning away, Karrick moves back into the crowd and finds another face to scrutinize, yet another little person, drawing a derisive snort from the skulking Alkenstar native. Huh, looks like someone stuffed a toddler in a grown man's greaves. Big sword for such a small fella, might be a deterrent, probably not judging from the way he wears it. Anklebiters everywhere. Content with his assessments so far, Karrick slips back into the crowd and awaits the results of the first competition. No guns anywhere, he muses to himself, not on any'f 'em... Disappointin'. A feller with a gun's always over-confident about their range. Being in Varisia is like a different world to Karrick, magic openly utilized without fear of primal reprisal or outright failure. It was a whole different array of threats to assess. _______
With weather fair and crowds thick with spectators and participants, the town of Magnam is a welcome distraction to the coastal peoples of Varisia who have come to see the spectacle that the knight Amalgam has brought. It is not for the love of adventure of glory that some have come to take Amalgam's tests, however, for not all journeys are ones of interest. Rather, sometimes journeys are more like escapes; flights of necessity more than fancy. Among the crowds gathered in Magnam is a traveler who has come thousands of miles, crossed an entire continent and the Inner Sea to arrive at this very island. To the people of Magnam he is little more than another wanderer come to see the sights or test their strength and skill. Karrick Margandan, however, is neither of these things. The desert-weathered breastplate armor he wears featured battered decorative designs of Nidalese design, chain-patterns along the trim of gauntlets and greaves, the metal having a dull, matte surface marred by scratches and scuffs, impact dents and gouges. Worn over it and concealing much of the armor is an ankle-length brown cloak frayed at the edges and threadbare in patches at the back, coated in trail dust. With naught more than the armor on his back, Karrick sticks to the thick crowds and fringes of gathered groups to observe the preceedings. Eyes shrouded by smoky-lensed goggles, the bald-headed Alkenstar native isn't looking to pass trials or tests, isn't looking to draw attention to himself. Instead, he's looking for a one-way trip to anywhere far, far away. The first task in discerning how to do that, is figuring out by what means the knight Amalgus is going to be taking this journey. To that end, Karrick begins the process of scouting out the town and its people, looking for answers. __________
Just saw that this went up. Will work on a post after getting a read on things.
Nice, nice. As far as Karrick goes, since he's pretty much on the run from both the Nidal government and the Shield Marshalls of Alkenstar he'd be looking for a place to hide out (and boy howdy the DARK TAPESTRY will work for that pretty well), so getting him involved is about as easy as pointing a neon sign that says "Free Escape Hatch."
Do we have an ETA on when this will start? Just making sure I don't miss the kickoff, sometimes I'm incommunicado on the weekends.
Also you have my vote for
Karrick rides again, woo!
Thanks for getting the reference ;) I've pretty much plucked him out of a lethargy-doomed PbP I was in with him this year and advanced his timeline two years. I fell in love with the character.
Submitting Karrick.
It was fun while it lasted! Karrick was a blast to play :)
*tumbleweed*
Likewise, and so far so good. Wait, what do you mean the weekend's over? :(
Scrambling to his feet, Karrick makes a tch sound when Ythl hears Sanzu's reiteration of his request. "You got a good way t'get us outta here, because I think we went and whacked that hornet's nest real good.' Making sure that Sanzu is with him, Karrick tries to make a break for it out of the alley again, the surface of his cloak blossoming with patches of blood from his injuries.
When the guard grabs Karrick and tries to drag him to the ground, the former convict swiftly plunges in with a blade as he crashes down to the street on his back.
Staggering backwards, covered in blood, Karrick smacks his armored back against the wall of the alleyway from the force of the axe blows. He stumbles, looking at the deep cut through his right bicep and another that cleaved into his armor at his side. Shaking his head sharply and huffing out a few sharp breaths, Karrick growls a haggard, "lead the way," to Sanzu as he shakes his cloak closed around himself and steps out of the light into the long shadows of the alley. ____
Seeing Xelra collapse on the ground, Karrick spins his knife around to hold in a backhanded grip while drawing its pair with his free hand. Taking a knee, he brings both wickedly curved blades down to her chest. Looking swiftly up to Ythl, Karrick cracks a smile. "Get the others." ___________
Having successfully slipped into the alley unnoticed, Karrick stalks through the shadows while Sanzu distracts Xelra and her men with conversation. Once he's gotten a handle on the situation, the number of options begins to narrow. Maneuvering through the periphery of the conversation, Karrick's broad-shouldered silhouette comes to put Xelra between himself and Sanzu. The only advance warning Sanzu gets to Karrick's intention is the tell-tale glow of green eyes in the dark over Xelra's shoulder, then the glint of a blade seconds before it is plunged with an adder's swiftness into the small of her back. That was for the look she gave him on the way out of the tower.
When Sanzu leaves and attention shifts in Karrick's direction, the goggled rogue is nowhere to be seen. The tail of a tattered cloak zipping out a door the only indication as to where he may have gone. Karrick is quick to follow Sanzu out of the building, retrieving his wicked knives from their sheathe at the small of his back on the way out. Shadowing Sanzu to the stables, Karrick keeps a close eye out in the shadows, waiting for not only the potential of ambush, but the potential of a double-cross. His luminous eyes pierce the dark, seeking the threats that would try to find shelter there.
An awareness crosses Karrick's face as he watches Sanzu's mannerisms. A look is shot to Kera, and without giving her any sort of cue he steps forward and clears his throat, posturing a we don't have time for this attitude. Then, as he looks over to Sanzu Karrick just nods and takes a step back slowly, maintaining eye-contact on the half-blood. Too hard to pass a message on to the others. They'd just best keep up when things go crazy.
From a distance as he observes Muziel's interaction, Karrick scrutinizes Sanzu on his arrival. Brows furrowed, he recognizes the man's high cheekbones and dusky skin as more than just an unusual complexion. He'd seen someone like Sanzu down in the Avernus prison, someone that was more dangerous than even he is in the dark. Clenching his jaw, Karrick tenses and glances over at Kera, then back to Muziel and Klara's conversation.
"Works fer me," Karrick agrees, already slowing his pace and giving Muziel an understanding nod of approval. "Knock 'em dead," is perhaps not the best thing to say at this juncture, but there it is regardless.
"Can't blame 'em fer tryin', Pip." Karrick notes with a lopsided smile before stepping ahead to catch up pace with Muziel as they head to the table that Klara mentioned. "So what's the plan here, before we get t'the table. 'Cause I'm pretty sure you all don't want me doin' the talking." Lifting his goggles up to reveal his luminous, green eyes, Karrick offers a side-long look to Muziel.
Karrick cracks a smile and laughs as he walks with the group. "Looks like you got a fan club here, Pip."
I like how this party is being effectively run by the two people with evil alignments. I also like how the two evil people in the party aren't mustache-twirling idiots but textured people who just are willing to do anything for what they believe in (or don't believe in.)
Quirking his head to the side as he enters, Karrick cracks a lopsided smile and slaps a hand on Muziel's shoulder. "My kinda' place. Classy on the outside, dirty on the inside." With his hand on Muziel's shoulder, he directs the alchemist towards a table closer to the loud conversations than the isolated one Muziel wanted. "People who sit by themselves got somethin' t'hide. They also can't mask their conversations over the noise of other, drunker people who likely ain't listenin'."
"Fantastic," Karrick grouses with a sense of irony, "So whatever an arazni is, is gonna' bind with whatever the-- " Lifting up one hand to wipe over the top of his bald head, Karrick grumbles. "You know what, let's just get to the Duchess. I'll let you sort out this harbinger of the end business on your time, Muziel." Knives, revenge, and all the connective tissue between those two points are miles simpler to Karrick than what's happening here.
On seeing Ythl return, Karrick offers a patient sigh and crosses his arms over his chest and tilts his head to the side again. "Was wonderin' if you'd decided t'stick around with that old bag in the desert." Glancing side-long to Kera at mention of Miikae's departure, Karrick remains quiet for a moment before returning his attention to Ythl. "Spill it, we ain't got time for guessing games."
Nimon, I don't know if you already have it ordered, but Book 5 of Reign of Winter has rules for modern firearms (full-auto, etc.)
Exhaling slowly, Karrick moves in beside Grachius and Muziel. With his goggles down its hard to tell exactly the kind of look he fires to the alchemist, so perhaps it's a good thing that Karrick clicks his tongue and adds, "Ladies..." His head motions in their direction. "It's not notice to gossip."
I say that's Nimon's call. He'll have to tweak the encounters no matter what, obviously, but having a party of three also limits out options, too. I'm fine with it, but it's definitely an issue of more what the GM is comfortable with in terms of party size.
I'm totally interested in carrying on, really enjoying it.
Likewise, I've really been enjoying this.
It has been a while. That would drop us down to just three, too.
With a casual roll of his shoulders, Karrick looks unconcerned about the duel aspect. "Depends on if they're good at shootin' with someone in their face. I could sneak in past 'em, sure. That's no problem. But I ain't the only one goin' on this mission." Crossing his arms over his chest, Karrick looks to Muziel, then back to Klara. "I say we let sweetheart here try'n sweet talk 'em into lettin' us in. Then, if that fails, we try the more direct route."
"I dunno about Pip, but I'm up for a little full-frontal assault." Leaning away from the wall, Karrick finally decides to join the conversation. "Me, you," he directs to Muziel, "Pip, Gloria, Horse-girl an' shorty makes a pretty strong force." To say nothing of Klara, whom he makes no presumptions about. "Speaking of that little guy," Karrick looks down to Klara's leg, not finding the halfling there, "The hell'd he run off to?"
"I ain't got nothin' t'say. Ain't no need." Karrick remarks with arms crossed. "I'm thinkin' Muziel's question's more important. Ain't it?"
...and Pervince rides off into the sunset with Klara, it seems. And then there were 4.
Muziel is right, all that Karrick cares about now is going forward and getting to Gloria. Funerals, bindings, the entirety of Alkenstar could be on fire right now and all he cares about is getting from point A to point B. His impatience isn't hidden, displayed in tense muscles and jittery hands.
Arms crossed and head bowed where he leans up against the wall, Karrick takes in a slow breath when Muziel approaches, and only releases in a metered sigh after a few moments. He bobs his head in a nod, once, and then looks up to the alchemist. "Yeah," he intones gravely, "I got it all sorted out." Leaning away from the wall, KArrick gives a look to Kera and quirks his head in a nod that suggests come along, and then turns to Muziel. "Let's go find the Duchess. I got a reward t'get from her." Whether she likes it or not.
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