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Adrac put the finishing touches on his repairs of the catapult, before nodding back to Shontar. "Naturally. I would expect no less of myself." Standing up and approaching the walls edge, he looked down at Oleg's reaction, fighting to restrain the smirk on his face. "Underlying principles. Arcane studies have more real world applications the most would realize. A test fire would be prudent... but I expect it will function suitably. It'd be more of the purposes of determining its trajectory."
Adrac folded his arms, before looking up at the catapult and listening as Shontar explained the mechanics. "Hm... even less complicated than I thought. Translates quite well into arcane physics..." Holding out his palm, a series of lights fluttered to life and began to simulate the catapults mechanics, perhaps only to his own understanding. Adrac watched them recreate the lobbing of one of the little orbs of light, before closing his hand up and making them vanish "Master Shontar. Master Tabernacky. If you would accompany up top to help put this thing in action, I'd be most grateful. Miss Bjorn, Miss Lebeda, have a look through the the stock. See if there is anything we might could use for ammunition... anything caustic would be preferable. Burning ammunition may be ill-advised, given our... locale..." Adrac said, before looking for a ladder to lead up to the closest engine.
"All I need is my blade. As for the ballista..." Adrac said, folding his arms and looking up at the contraption. "...I will need some help. But I may be able to get it working again. A giant crossbow in essence, yes? Not horribly complicated."
My best guess would be patience, unseen servants, and a light ballista. And an appropriate campaign.
Should've taken that Siege Mage archetype! Then we'd have ourselves an animated ballista we could roll around!
"In that case, I believe Master Shontar would be the one to speak to about fixing it. I studied swordplay, not siege weapons...." Adrac replied, before stepping back as Tiladee swung his blade, before turning back to Oleg with a faint smile on his face. "...Indeed they are. When we meet one, I shall confirm that assumption for you."
"13? That's all? Hrm... manageable. It would also send a strong message to the other bandits of the region to mind our warpath." Folding his arms, he looked up at the ballista on the buildings. The irony of his prior statement to not expect a siege was not lost on him... "Table would be welcome. At the very least, we can set up a layout of the outpost and plan our counter-measures."
"There is a third, but equally unappealing option. We follow them back to their hideout and wipe them out there." Adrac replied, mentally sheathing his blade as looked out at the road beyond. "I doubt they will be so forgiving as to believe Mr. Oleg's story of us being mere passersby. And to follow them to their hideout would be reckless... if unexpected. I doubt they would be prepared for our approach. But we would be equally unprepared for an assault..." He waved a finger. "No... as in dueling, one must anticipate his opponents moves, and act against what has yet to transpire. An appropriate ambush would be the better option. We know they will return, and if Mr. Oleg is to be believed, with more men... and expecting us. Which means we must anticipate their actions." He nodded out to the main road, just outside the fortress. "It would be wiser to strike from out there. They will expect a fight at the outpost... not the approach to it. I can prepare Grease spells to set up the road. Beyond that... I can promise my blade will cut their numbers down."
Adrac grimaced at bit at being spotted... not that he was trying super hard, to be fair. After all, how to conceal his might so easily! Mentally commanding his blade, Adrac sent his weapon flying towards the nearest bandit, before motioning as if actually wielding the weapon... and his sword complied, striking at his foe with a series of feinting slashes, before returning quickly to his side.
Adrac looked down at his side, scowling before his sword drew itself from his scabbard. Hovering it in front of him, Adrac waved it a bit before his body shimmered with a translucent sheen purple, shaping itself into armor before nodding. "Your first mistake was asking the Swordlords for anything. But you've lucked out... they've sent someone better than any mercenary you could've asked for. Me." He turned to the others, before nodding at the gates. "I plan to hide on the right and strike them when they come in. I would advise everyone else to find a similar place. They'll be expecting Oleg and his wife... not us." Sword still hanging in the air by his side, he hurried to the right corner of the gate, leaning against the wall and waiting.
Adrac seemed a bit surprised to hear that the bandits had been threatening this fort in particular. He knew they were a problem in the area, but here? "A minor correction to that: we were sent here to drive the bandits out of this region. The Swordlords failed to mention that they were threatening this fort specifically. Matter of fact, I would've thought that since this was to be our point of origin, it would be well protected." Adrac folded his arms and shook his head. Why was he not surprised? Seems it was up to him to clean up their mess... not that it didn't suit him fine. He could add it to the growing list of things that he could do, but the Swordlords couldn't. "Perhaps you could enlighten us on their recent activity? We do have the advantage of surprise. We might be able to catch them off-guard and save ourselves some effort. And what exactly was it that they took from you?"
"Unless you're anticipating a throng of orcs to attack, we shouldn't need them. My blade will be more than a match for any threat we may face, if not my magic." Adrac mused, looking up at the towers. Granted, he was looking forward to a good bed instead of a sleeping bag for a change. Perhaps a cool bath... the weather in this region could be unforgivably muggy, and while his magic kept him clean, it wasn't quite a replacement for a good bath.
Oh, I don't plan on being a loner. It's more than Adrac has something of a need to prove himself superior, and he won't open up about himself until he believes the others have "earned" that right. He'll converse, he'll discuss, he might take shots (which is how you know he cares, because he's actually paying attention), and he won't push others away. He just won't be talking about his history, or cover it up with bluster. His failure to meet his uncle's expectations is a big shame and, to him anyways, a bullseye that others can use to distract him. And to be fair, being a little barbed kinda comes with the Aldori territory. All of them are kinda like that.
Most likely... though I get a feeling they would bristle at each other's company. Not quite at each other's throats, but enough to take shots at each other when given the chance. Adrac, for his part at least, would see her as a chance to one up the Swordlords and prove his style of battle better. If she descends from the dragons who crushed them in battle, and he can best her? Then he is clearly the superior swordsman!
Adrac, at least the way I meant for him to be, is a bit more formal and unintentionally involved in politics (his uncle is a Swordlord, after all). He might be familiar with Floria as a member of House Lebeda (and she might know him, at least in regards to being the incompetent, stubborn nephew of one of the Swordlords. That's obviously up to her), but the others would probably be out of his scope of prior knowledge. He's a bit of a loner due to his studies in any case, so his familiarity would likely be passing. And don't worry if he keeps you at arm's length. When your uncle and idol publicly denounces you as a lazy wannabe, you tend to develop trust issues...
I'm ready to rock! As for Freya... she wants to be a... wizard! Because she has all the spellcasting! So she can cover for me in the spells department, since I will be stupidly trying to slash stuff with my sword!
It's not that I hate the idea. It's just for some reason, reading the rules for it makes me go cross-eyed. I'll adapt. On the initial meeting, I'm cool if we all know each other, at least in passing. We'll probably have some time together at least getting to the starting point, so I'm cool if we know each other a little bit! On the level speed... I'm torn, but I'm thinking a speedy level system would be nice. As a caster, the faster we level, the sooner some of my options open up. And to address all the health rules, as someone who is going to have regularly low health, I am ALL for those rules!
Dotty McDottington
Checking in! Hi guys! -I can post at least once a day, more depending on the pace of the campaign. But I should be able to guarantee once a day. -I like a mix of roleplay and roll-play. I generally like to default to saying "If it makes sense and you can offer up a solid argument, go ahead", if that makes sense. -Truth be told, the kingdom building doesn't completely intrigue me (for a game called Kingmaker, I know, that's kinda heretical), but if the rest of the group would like to tackle that aspect, I'll certainly keep up and pitch in!
Believe it or not, this was my third concept. My first was a drake rider cavalier who believes he is descended from Choral the Conqueror himself. But someone sniped both the cavalier and dragon magic concepts. Then, I was going to go with an old age Huntmaster Archer cavalier with a dog who was coming out of retirement, but someone grabbed the old guy idea too! So I finally went with a concept so suboptimal, nobody else would think to take it. I know you don't have to avoid concept overlap, I just like to stand out from the crowd. Regardless of how optimal it may be. And it has led to some of my more fun characters, so... I figured I'd roll out something else stupid... And it didn't turn out too badly!
I'm gonna toss my hat in the ring and try out with a Sword Binder wizard, a young Swordlord aspirant using magic and a dueling sword with dreams of developing his own style of swordplay! If only to rub his uncle's nose in it! "The mind is like the blade: keep it sharp, and you never need to fear your enemy." Crunch:
Adrac Rhaddyn
Male Human Wizard (Sword Binder) NG Medium Humanoid (Human) Deity: Nethys Homeland: Brevoy Init +3; Senses Perception +1
Spells
Background: The nephew of a Brevic Swordlord, Adrac has long idolized the skills and position his uncle occupies. Ever eager to live up to his uncle's name, Adrac began training with in the arts of the Aldori fighting styles as soon as he was old... yet, he could never quite perform to his uncle's satisfaction. Always just shy of making the grade, Adrac repeatedly failed his training tests, to the point that his uncle warned him that if he failed again, it would be his last chance at ever trying to enter the ranks of the Swordlords again.
Withdrawing shamefully from his teachings, Adrac refused to give up. Ever a believer that both mind and body should work together to achieve personal perfection, Adrac turned to more academic ways of pursuing his goals, and learned of a style of training that might suit him better: the legends of the Sword Binders. In the time of Aroden, wizards were taught to embrace martial practices in addition to their academic pursuits in their search for the peak of human accomplishment. Adrac studied these arts further, learning to blend his teachings from his sword training with his love of arcane studies. His confidence renewed, Adrac returned to show his uncle his progress... only for his idolized relative to spit in his studies and declare that Adrac's methods were nothing more than a cheap and pale effort to imitate the physical perfection that the art of the Aldori Dueling Style had achieved. This slight was the last straw on both Adrac's pride and his dreams. All of his hard work had been declared invalid and cheating! In his frustration, Adrac no longer sought to join the ranks of the Swordlords. If his uncle's assessment of his skills was any indication, he had no place among them. No... he would seek to surpass them! He would push himself beyond his limits and develop his own style of fighting! One that demanded the very best of both magic and swordplay! If Aldori could make his name renowned throughout all of Brevoy, Adrac would surpass him and develop a style that was nigh legendary throughout all the Inner Sea! And he just might have his chance at doing so! A charter for an expedition into the Stolen Lands was being passed around, and to Adrac, these are the perfect chance to test his mettle as a swordsman in a real world environment! Signing up as soon as he could, Adrac seeks to hone his skills in the Stolen Lands, perfect his style of combat, and return to his uncle and the other Swordlords triumphant!
The secret door swings open to reveal a short corridor with a wall of bars running down one side. That took me entirely too long to get that joke. Well played.
Not to worry. Like I said, something else is watching from the shadows...
Adrac is caught entirely offguard by the pit, but mid-fall, curses himself for not being more alert. Such traps were beginner mistakes. Pulling himself up from the fall, he squints up through what little light the moon affords him, he quickly checks to see where Herral landed... and immediately moved to try and straighten him out on his back. "Herral! No, do not die now! We are so close to our success! Stay with me..." Adrac laid him out and attempted to staunch the bleeding coming from his head wound. He only had one potion... Adrac knew he was in very poor condition as well... but Herral had to live. They both did. They all did. To return and see their loved ones. But... how was he ever going to get out of this one? He kept thinking through options and discarding them. No chance of aid from town... it would be a while before the others came along... if they did at all... he could barely keep himself upright, much less climb out unassisted. Hope quickly started to fade. "Irori... anyone... please. Give me the strength and wisdom to escape... somehow..."
Sorry to hear that, GMoL. Know how that bites.
I'm here, always watching... as is something else. Buuuuuuut I'll wait and see if it decides to get involved. :3
Nah, Davi, I gotcha. I can split the in character and out of character reasoning, and that is some good in character reasoning. Adrac's impressed you remembered his prior lessons, he's just a bit tense at the moment. Now that he and Herral at gone, though, it looks like you guys will have to sort out the drama without his sagely wisdom. ...the same wisdom that keeps getting him nearly killed. Maybe it's better he's gone now. X)
The only reason I recall he's a worg is because when I ran through it oh so long ago, our DM made it a point of noting he's a worg. We kept calling him a wolf and he was like 'Nope, worg, subtle difference'
Adrac nods, taking the mushrooms and nodding to Herral. "Perhaps for the best. I know you have family in need back home as well..." Frowning at Davi as she spoke, before shaking his head. "On the contrary, young lady, I appreciate that you still recall my teachings and admire your bravery in doing so. It is something I could not have mustered at your age. I simply wish to spare you unnecessary pain." Adrac closed his eyes, inhaling and closing his eyes. "I do not wish to see you - any of you - go through the same turmoil by letting your guards down. There are plenty of creatures out there who would take advantage of your trust and cooperation. Perhaps, had I been more wary during my own ventures... tragedy could've been prevented..." His eyes briefly dart towards Anthony, before forcing themselves back to Davi. "Remain cautious. That is all I ask. I have grown fond of you all and would hate to not see you again."
Valid point. Good thing I never made a blatant mistake like that in my RP. That would just be embarrassing!
Adrac closed his eyes, before nodding and turning to hold out his hand. "Then I shall do so. Give the ingredients to me, I will get them back swiftly."
Adrac continues to keep his eyes locked on Greypelt, but as Davi speak, he listens. Letting her finish, he continues to watch Greypelt, before turning and walking back... and doing his best to hide the wince on his face as he puts weight on his injured leg. He pauses by Davi, looking at her briefly before finally responding. "He is not dead, and I did not attempt to strike him once. I attempted to negotiate, and gave my word as a devotee of Irori to return and finish the task." He lets the statement sink in for a moment, before continuing his lecture. "I have not grown so old and senile as to forget my own wisdom... but perhaps you forget that while we waste time here, people - including my only grandchild - lay dying. And the only remaining part of our cure is being withheld by an arrogant wolf." Adrac turned back to Greypelt, casting a gaze that would make stone crumble as he spoke. "Your other squatters. What and where are they, so we can deal with them as swiftly as possible." He took a turn to look between each of his younger companions, before heaving a sigh and shaking his head. "Perhaps some lessons must simply be taught the hard way..."
Adrac growls in pain as he climbs to his feet. After a moment of catching his breath, he leans on Jansen for balance before glaring at Greypelt. "...no. We made a reasonable request, and you attacked us. You have made your intentions clear. After we've finished with your squatters, you will strike us while we are weary." Adrac's eyes narrow on the worg. "How close am I to the truth?"
Adrac remains quiet, his neutral expression making it hard to tell if he was simply letting Anthony do the talking, or he wasn't making further negotiations with the beast. However, for a moment, his eyes dart to the floor behind Greypelt. He thought he saw something... a flicker of yellow, as if being watched. He didn't see it anymore though... must be his old eyes playing tricks on him.
Adrac's teeth clench behind his lips as fists flatten out, though clearly still tensed up. "You have my word that I will return personally to deal with your squatters... but my granddaughter is dying as we speak, and these mushrooms are part of her salvation. Give us the mushrooms and I swear by Irori's fist that I will come back."
...I'm sorry, guys (especially Davi, nat 20's are hard to come by), but Adrac is getting a bit testy with this wolf. Like... "about ready to stomp his face in" testy.
While Greypelt retrieved the mushrooms, Adrac's fists tightened behind his back as his expression grew exceptionally stern. "...time is not something we have an abundance of. Is there no way to take the mushrooms now and return later to deal with your 'subjects' when we have more ample opportunity?"
Adrac nods. "Indeed it is. We have kept our end of the bargain, Greypelt. Now, if you would be so kind..." The elderly monk nodded to the mushrooms.
Ick, sorry to hear that, guys. :(
Adrac exhaled as the last of the beasts went down, nodding. "Well done, all. I'm proud to see you overcoming such adversity... but I'm afraid the challenge is not yet over. We still have to speak with our furry friend and collect the mushrooms. Let us be off." Marching back, Adrac led the way back to Graypelt's room, allowing the others to catch up as he entered the room.
1000 posts. A+, guys!
Was Inside Out any good? I've heard good things, but I like the personal opinion best before going to see anything. Also... Adrac can do some scary things. And I don't mean like that stupid 'The Visit' movie, I mean... strolling out of the darkness with unnatural blood on his knuckles perfectly calm kind of scary. "W...what the heck did you do!?"
Readied Attack:
"...you kids rely too much on your eyes." Adrac mused, before striding into the dark with his hands behind his back, eyes closed. His ears twitch as he listens for the sound of weird flapping webbing above him. "There is more than one way to see the world..."
Adrac blinks, standing back a bit and waiting for the pair to return from their work with the dark creatures. "...you are definitely James' son, Anthony. Fighting smarter, not harder."
Anthony's right. I learned that in the other Falcon's Hollow game I'm in. Draw runes on my morningstar and shouted something heroic. Just ended up yelling in the dark like an idiot. ...although, knowing my luck, if I went in, I'd probably blind fight them all and succeed. Davi, don't tempt me. I want to see if that would actually work now...
"It's like listening to Lorefel and James all over again... I'm not sure if I feel more nostalgic or agitated." Adrac mused, staying quiet and allowing the one who can actually see in the dark through. "See anything yet?"
Adrac's expression goes... troublingly neutral at Graypelt's comment. "...old..?" he repeats, hands folded behind his back as usual. His turns his head up and eyes the beast with something of a mix between admiration and condescending expressions. "I prefer the term... experienced. But I suspect that much as you prefer to call yourself a 'lord', neither of us will be earning that title from the other."
Adrac's eyes lock onto the large creature, studying him carefully and returning his gaze before inhaling. "...very well. We'll deal with your squatters and in return, you provide us the mushrooms. This will do for now." Adrac turns and motions for the others to depart, before halting and spinning on his heels to face Graypelt once more. "Graypelt. Today is a very poor day to lie to me. If you have even the slightest notion of going back out our deal, I suggest your rethink it before we return. Goodbye."
Adrac remains close behind Anthony as he tries to investigate the room. Hearing the voice and seeing the glimmer of eyes in the dark, Adrac moves in closer to steady Anthony, placing his hand on Anthony's shoulder. "Do not let fear distract you. Keep your mind clear and focused on your task." he offered, before squinting into the dark. "We mean you and your kin no harm - they attacked us. I'm sure you can understand the desire to defend yourself when threatened." Being dark, Adrac couldn't see the creature he was addressing... but he could hear it. That was good enough for his old senses. "If you are lord of this domain, Graypelt, perhaps you can be of assistance to us. We are searching for a special type of mushroom: ironblooms. I would ask for your aid in doing so, and would be willing to return the favor... but rest assured, if you attack us as well, we will defend ourselves again."
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