I'd love to play! I have an Android Alchemist primed and ready; she was meant for an Iron Gods game that died in the first adventure for unknown reasons.
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You'd prefer a ring of Calistrites or Ugathoans? ;)
I'm pleased to see this much interest considering how vague my application request was! Lots of strong applications which give me interesting ideas to work with, and strong players I'd want in my game. No matter what I'm going to have to exclude some characters I really like. Remember that I'll close things near the end of the day tomorrow. If you feel up to it, you could do what some other DMs have been doing recently and open up two 'tables', so you can get all your favourites in. ^^
I seem to recall there's a rage power that allows you to cast while raging, but I may be mistaken. AD&D 3.5 does have the Rage Mage PrC in Complete Warrior, which was a pretty good shot at combining magic and barbarian rage, though it did cost several spellcasting levels...
Well, RAU's been walking the world, investigating matters both scientific and spiritual, and she has an interest in Pharasma. It's not entirely impossible for Crystal to have met her once, praying to the Lady of Graves; Ustalav has some fine universities, after all. ^^ If you meet again, years later, you might be surprised and suspicious to find she hasn't visibly aged -- if you recognize her at all.
I've tweaked RAU's equipment. ^^ She has barely enough money left to stay in a poor inn for a few nights, so in addition to pursuing her research, she'll be looking for a paying job...
Since she looks Numerian, and the Numerians are of Kellid stock, she would not object to being addressed as 'Raven Six' or something similar. ^^
I made a character for a Dragon's Demand game a while ago that I'd like to resurrect (especially since that DD game fell through) and tweak for your game. She's... rather unusual, though. ^^; RAU (Research & Analysis - Unit) is an Android from Numeria. She suffered an accident that wiped out a part of her programming, and had to find her own way in the world. She took to studying alchemy, since it came closest to what she recognized as science (so Alchemist 1). Ever since she awoke as the person she is, RAU has been investigating not only the physical world, but also the spiritual one. To be precise, she has grown concerned whether or not she possesses a soul. If she does not, then she fears futility, as she no longer remembers where she should deposit the sum of her accumulated knowledge. Just in case she does, she has taken to divine worship of Brigh and Pharasma; the former because she comes as close to a patron goddess of constructs as RAU has been able to find, and the latter because she governs the souls of the dead. RAU looks like a fairly typical Kellid woman, save that she has a grid of tattoos which look too regular and mathematical for typical Kellid work. She is not unking, but also not prone to high emotion, and tends to an odd aesthetic. (In the DD-game I was in, RAU commented favourably on the functionality and practicality of an iron maiden, and was puzzled why this creeped out the other characters so much).
Bump. ^^
My home internet has been down since yesterday evening, and I am only posting now by the good grace and hospitality of my sister. ^^; Until this problem is resolved, I can't post every day.
Hey, take the time you need! ^^ Life can be pret-ty demanding, I know.
How's it going, DM?
With a low, throaty howl, the RAU-beast lopes forward, the cane the Kellid girl wielded so elegantly ripping through the air as the creature swings at the little beast attacking Jack! Even in its currently low-witted state, the beast is canny enough to attack from such an angle that the monster is sandwiched between it and one of its allies.
RAU turns to watch the fiendish creature attack Jack, dips one hand into her pocket and firmly grasps her cane with the other. The one hand that was momentarily invisible comes out holding a flask filled with a blackish liquid, which RAU gulps down in a quick, practised movement. The results are startling, to say the least.
[ooc]RAU takes her daily dose of mutagen for +2 to AC and +4 to Strength, at a penalty of -2 to Int. I'm not sure whether this counts as a standard action or not. If not, then RAU immediately attacks the Imp with her cane. Attack roll for damage. Oh, dear. Even flanking, that's swing and a miss... ^^;
"A trickster of some sort," RAU says, her voice dispassionate. "Given its dietary preferences, we should be prepared for traps behind this secret door. Likewise, I would suggest that we take its claims of treasure with a grain of salt -- and that we be prepated for the possibility that its feeding has allowed it to depart this chamber."
"Ravens do not dine solely on blood," RAU says, her pale eyes boring into the raven's as she scrutinizes it from beak to tailfeathers. "They require meat as well. Also, except in the case of familiars, it is not natural for ravens to communicate in the Common language. Therefore, I repeat my question. Rest assured I am unlikely to attach a value judgment to the information."
"Fascinating," RAU says, looking at the apparition with clinical interest. "Indeed, as my associate said, we did not come seeking treasure. Rather, our enquiries are aimed at investigating the cause of the tower's general collapse. Prior to continuing such investigations, however, I should like to make enquiries into your own taxonomy. Would you classify yourself as elemental, fey, undead or other?"
"Very well, very well. Keep in mind, however, that I have only one dose prepared," RAU says as she descends on the stricken Leven. The Kellid girl pulls a vial from one of her pockets, uncorks it -- and suddenly grabs Leven by the back of the head and presses the vial right under his nose. "Inhale the essential salts deeply, please," she says in a placid tone of voice. An utterly vile smell enters the Magus' nostrils. It certainly revitalizes him, but the stench is enough to make his eyes water... Once Leven is done coughing and wheezing and his colour has returned to something more approaching normalcy, RAU tends to the injuries still remaining.
RAU frowns for a moment. "A shame it was incapable of, or unwilling to, communicate," she says. "Oh, well." The Kellid girl turns her attention to Leven.
"Suggest we depart the room, rather than risk damaging the mechanism," RAU says, perfectly unruffled as she backs off towards the door, her club in hand. "It may become vital later that we be able to reverse what just happened. Try to avoid using metallic weapons against the entity if it should follow."
"There is an elemental being composed of what appears to be electricit -- of lightning here," RAU reports, her voice bland. She does, nonetheless, take a step back before addressing the creature. "Excuse me, madam, sir or other, can you understand my vocalizations?" RAU repeats the sentence in every other language she knows.
"This... appears to be a chain-and-pulley system to move something," the Kellid girl says, frowning. "Perhaps a door we have not yet seen. Perhaps something else."
"We must be cautious," RAU says, her voice unruffled. "We may encounter other undead prisoners from here on in." The Kellid girl inspects the device and frown with annoyance.
RAU looks into the cell, as well - but from a slightly greater distance than Leven. She is intentionally staying out of lunge-range of the cell's occupants.
RAU blinks. "Sarvo, Baron," she recites. "Last Belhaim lord of the Canteclure to rule in this place. Rebelled against the crown in 4500 AR. A... considerable time ago."
"I accept your explanation of blamelessness," RAU says, "but Aroden has been dead for considerable time. Your mortal status is therefore in some doubt. Nevertheless..." The Kellid girl withdraws a ration from her pack and almost casually tosses it through the cell window.
RAU twirls the mithril daggers before pocketing them; a brief, satisfied smile crosses her face. "Excellent!" she says. "These may well come in useful. And of course I am willing to give the use of them to the rest of you for the duration of this mission as well."
"This is an odd set-up," the Kellid girl says, frowning. "Hidden prison cells, with an additional door? I suggest heightened caution. These may have been cells for... unusual captives."
"It comes with the twin vocations of Natural Philosophy and High Philosophy," RAU says while she continues to pick at the door. "Observation, followed by analysis, followed by correlation. I trained my skills. I thank you for the compliment."
"Ah. Serendipity," RAU says as she blithely sets off down the corridor. She pauses briefly at the cell full of rust to check what, exactly, was still shiny in there... and then starts working to unlock the secret door. "Are you all coming?" she asks, looking back at the others over her shoulder.
RAU, happily unencumbered with musings about lush tavern wenches, looks down the corridor as well.
RAU shrugs and follows Jack, her expression impassive.
"Ah, I understand," RAU says, as she digs a silver penny out of her pocket and flips it. "A fair randomizer to determine our course of action. Heads left, tails right." The Kellid girl catches the coin and declares the result to be ... "We go to the right."
RAU calmly marches past the cells, sliding open each eye-slot as she passes and checking their contents as she approaches the semi-circular stone ridge.
RAU glances from Jack to the iron maiden, and surprise briefly flickers across her features. "It is a most efficient device," she says. "The victim need only be placed inside, and then the door can be swung shut. The material's own mass assists the closure, and thus the termination of the subject, while smothering any unpleasant noises that may issue. In addition, the external decorations intimidate the prospective victim, possibly encouraging it to provide information to save its life and freeing the torturer from the necessity of clean-up later." RAU pads over to the iron maiden and pats it almost companionably. "Yes. Very efficient. Do not hate the device for the purpose others crafted it for, nor the locale. Any negative association originates with their creators, not the materials. Those merely serve the purpose granted to them -- or perhaps, forced upon them."
RAU communicates her findings to the others -- and then steps back from the open door. "Some magical reconnaissance seems wise," she says.
"Ah," RAU says as she straightens up, examining the key. "This may be useful. Or not. Better safe than sorry." She puts the key safely away, then bends down again to examine the skeleton for cause of death - just to make sure whether the poor soul died due to the iron maiden's attentions, and whether they were male or female, adult or juvenile, fun information such as the skeleton may provide. After the examination, RAU calmly pads over the the door and checks whether the key fits its lock -- if, indeed, the door is locked.
RAU comes down, and squats next to the dead centipedes for a moment.
The Kellid girl rises and joins the others in scrutinizing the room.
"There is some minor coinage here," RAU reports, "as well as some equipment, sized for smaller creatures." The Kellid girl blithely strips the Kobolds' corpses of their equipment and money and places both in neat piles next to them. "Intriguing. I wonder whether they really did cause this collapse. If so, they did it sloppily, to be crushed in their own sabotage."
"Visual information processed. Compensating for terrain-related difficulties" the odd Kellid girl mutters as she makes her way up the ramp, arms spread wide like a scarecrow to maintain her balance. RAU does not seem to have any difficulty moving in the darkness; in fact, she moves into the ground floor without any noticeable difficulty and zeroes in on the Kobold corpses. "More specimens for analysis," she calls back to the others as she bends over the corpses.
"Do you have a rope?" RAU calls up after Leven. "If so, tie it off to something heavy up there and roll it out for us."
RAU hangs back a bit, and scrutinizes the debris closely, looking for a likely cause of the collapse -- and bits of masonry that could still be hazardous to investigators!
RAU looks at the Baroness for a moment -- then kneels next to the Kobold's corpse and starts to examine it without saying a word. Oddly, the Kellid girl hums happily while studying the charred cadaver.
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